Categories
Olympics

Odds and Ends: London Olympics Logo NOT causing epileptic fits


OK folks, as much as we like ragging on the 2012 Olympics logo that looks like it was put together by a preschooler, we have to call bullshit on all the stories floating around that the logo itself is so ugly that it’s triggering epileptic fits. In actually, it was a bit of animation that went with the launch event. The animation was described as “a diver diving into a pool which had multi-colour ripple effects.”

The animation has since been taken down. Too bad it was probably as hideous as the Olympics logo and no one bothered to take a screen grab of it.

In other news…

[Denver Post]: Meet the “Long Beach Armada of Los Angeles of California of the United States of North America including Barrow, Alaska.”

[The Offside]: Come for the Blood Donation, Stay for the FREE BEER

[TrojanWire]: It’s official (sorta): The Oregon Ducks have the worst uniforms ever

[DeathRattleSports]: Billy Donovan is the new Doug Christie

[Washington Post]: Sheriff says Vick involved in dogfighting

Categories
Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays poke fun at the Television Bureau of Canada


What do you do when one of your star players has a commercial pulled from the air by the Television Bureau of Canada. A commercial deemed to be too violent for its portrayal of Frank Thomas in a pillow fight with a young boy? Well, you go ahead and have a Frank Thomas pillow giveaway.

The marketing folks with the Blue Jays took advantage of all the random press and made September 2 Frank Thomas Kids Pillow Night. Brilliant. This certainly beats the Cardinals’ Tony LaRussa Bottle of Whiskey night.

We hope that the pillow doesn’t scare small children like the Ben Wallace throw pillow does.

Links:
[SC]: Frank Thomas can swing a mean pillow

Categories
Houston Texans

It was only a matter of time

On Tuesday we told you about the Chicago furniture store that refunded up to $10,000 of your furniture purchase if the Bears shut out the Packers in week 1. Well, only a few days later Gallery Furniture is Houston is doing the same thing. If the Texans beat the Colts, everyone who bought more than $3,000 worth of furniture before Sunday will get their furniture for free.

Considering that the Colts are 14 point favorites, the odds of this happening are about 1000-1 so is there really a need to even insure this promotion? But hey, like we said, this is a great marketing ploy. If you’re gonna make a purchase anyway, isn’t having a chance to get it for free better than just watching the Texans lose? And Gallery Furniture gets a bunch of free advertising from bloggers like us. It’s genius really.

Categories
Carolina Panthers

Panthers fan gets new truck after a stupid practical joke



Gets a Ford F-150

Remember when you were a kid and there were ads in the back of comic books that offered a 50-foot yacht for $10? And then you ordered it and it was a little toy boat with 50 friggin feet attached to the bottom of it? Well, it wasn’t funny then and it’s still not funny now. And the folks at Fox Sports definitely don’t think those type of jokes are funny anymore.

On August 24, during a preseason game, Dick Stockton and Daryl Johnston started promoting a car giveaway at the end of the game so fans would stay tuned. At the end of the game, Tony Siragusa presented Greg Good, who dresses up as “Catman” for Panthers games with a new white Porsche. Unfortunately it was just a toy car. Good (who might not be so bright) thought it was a token of a real car and couldn’t believe his good luck. Then he found out that it was just the toy car and was understandably very upset.

There was some uproar in the Charlotte area after a Charlotte Observer columnist named Scott Fowler took up Good’s cause. Fox Sports president decided to hand out some punishment over the incident to his staffers and will personally give Good a new Ford F-150 pickup for his troubles. Now… can we stop with the stupid jokes during football telecasts?

Links:
[ESPN]: After joke at Panthers game, ‘Catman’ to get truck
[The Smoking Gun]: Woman sues when “100 Grand” prize turns out to be chocolate bar

Categories
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates can’t even do postgame entertainment right



Irony doesn’t work in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Pirates once again proved that they can’t bring in a decent performer when a band they hired to entertain fans waiting for their “Skyblast” fireworks show was booed off the stage. After the Pirates defeated the Astros, punk band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, who play sped up versions of classic tunes from the Beatles, Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel and even the Cheers theme song, were chased while playing a cover of Stairway to Heaven, not realizing that Led Zep is sacred to the mullett-wearing Pittsburgh set.

The 32,000 plus music critics called the band “tone deaf” and “completely inappropriate.” After being flooded with calls, the Pirates asked the Gimmes not to return for their next two shows. Next time, the Pirates should realize that their fans have not come out of the seventies and just hire Donnie Iris to play, like he does for every other event in Pittsburgh.

Links:
[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]: Band strikes out with Pirates fans

Categories
Los Angeles Dodgers

August 10 in Sports History: Have you see my baseball?


In 1995: One of the worst ideas for a promotion (right behind Disco Demolition Night and 10-Cent Beer Night) took place at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers thought it would be a good idea to hand out free baseballs to all fans, but didn’t follow one of the golden rules of promotions:

“Don’t give away anything the fans can throw on the field and possibly kill someone”

The Dodgers failed to listen, and fans repeatedly tossed hundreds of baseballs onto the playing field after disagreeing with a few umpiring calls and Dodger ejections during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. After the third time the umpires stopped play, crew chief Jim Quick felt he had no choice but to forfeit the game to the Cardinals in the ninth inning, 2-1. The Dodgers protested, but the N.L. upheld the forfeit the following day. Another umpire blamed L.A. manager Tommy Lasorda for inciting the crowd, saying, “Lasorda instigated the whole damn thing by waving his fat little arms out there.” link

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Michael Young saves the AL



Showing off his MVP trophy

1. Young talent: Michael Young wasn’t about to let the American League lose for the first time in a decade. The three-time All Star shortstop wasn’t in the best position–two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning against a future Hall of Fame closer. But Young rocked an 0-2 fastball from Trevor Hoffman into right center, scoring Jose Lopez and Troy Glaus and giving the lead to the American League. The National League, who had been leading for five innings and had been setting up the victory, suddenly found themselves trailing 3-2 and needed a desperation run off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth. They didn’t get it, as Rivera was perfect in the inning and Young made the final out. The AL stunned the NL, and they are now 9-0-1 in the last 10 All Star games. That, by the way, is the second longest streak of dominance in the game’s history (the NL went 19-1 from `63 to `82).

The NL had certainly set themselves up to win, however. Starting pitcher Brad Penny came out throwing heat, striking out Ichiro, Jeter, and Ortiz in the first inning with 95+ mile-per-hour fastballs. But he did give up a run in the second inning, as Vladimir Guerrero swung at a high fastball and it ended up in the right-field bleachers. But the National League was quick to answer that. David Wright, who finished second in Monday’s Home Run Derby, showcased the same swing as he lined a Kenny Rogers pitch into the left field stands. Carlos Beltran scored a run in the third on a double, a steal, and a passed ball that gave the National League the lead for the next five innings.

The rocking atmosphere in PNC Park was about 90% NL fans, and they supported them all they could. Jason Bay and Freddy Sanchez of the Pirates both made some plays, and the crowd was boisterous in their support. But it wasn’t enough, so the NL will look to win in San Francisco next year.

2. Giving him up: Despite numerous rumors for years, the Devil Rays had held onto slugger Aubrey Huff for years. But that changed in the first big-name deal before the trade deadline. The Rays sent Huff to the Astros, who desperately need bats, for two minor-league prospects. Huff has been injured the past few years but has made multiple All Star appearances in the past.

3. The 83-year-old slugger: The record for the oldest professional ballplayer in history was set yesterday. Jim Eriotes appeared for the Sioux Falls Canaries, striking out in his only plate appearance. Eriotes is actually taking this seriously. He said that he doesn’t care about the record, but just wants to get a hit. We still think it’s more of a publicity stunt.

4. Giles is an ostrich: Bill Giles, part owner of the Phillies, claims that the Randy Myers incident was blown out of proportion. Giles said in an interview, “I do know what really happened was a lot less than what the public thinks happened and that’s the sad part because some bystander saw something that really didn’t happen. Brett was trying to help his wife. One of our employees [marketing manager Debbie Nocito] saw the whole thing. She said, ‘He did not hit her at all, and he didn’t grab her hair or anything.’ So all the reports were untrue, from what I understand.” Meanwhile, Phillies President David Montgomery is running damage control and saying that he explained it poorly to Giles and that the incident did happen.

5. Separation of Church and Baseball?: The Tulsa Drillers recently gave away Moses bobbleheads to 1,500 fans as part of a faith and family night. The promotion was sponsored by Oklahoma Wesleyan University and a Christian radio station. There might not be crying in baseball but there certainly is praying.