Author: Vin

Vin is a Philly boy who shouldn't be invited into your house because he'll judge you on your book and music collection. He owns Dawkins, Utley, Iverson, and Lindros jerseys, which is all you really need to know about him. He can be reached at [email protected].

Categories
MLB General

MLB Cost Index for Mon August 7 2006

[The MLB Cost Index is a calculation of the amount each team pays for a win and the efficiency of the payroll that the GM has put together.]

We hate to rub it into Cubs fans’ faces but it always amazes us that the Marlins have 1/6 the payroll but more wins than the Cubbies.

** all $ are in millions.

Rank (Pv) Team 2006 Payroll GP Wins YTD Payroll Cost/Win
1 (1) Marlins $15.0 111 51 $10.28 $0.20
2 (3) Rockies $41.1 110 54 $27.93 $0.52
3 (2) Devil Rays $35.4 112 47 $24.49 $0.52
4 (6) Pirates $40.2 112 42 $27.82 $0.66
5 (4) Twins $63.8 110 65 $43.33 $0.67
6 (9) A’s $62.3 111 60 $42.70 $0.71
7 (5) Reds $59.5 111 57 $40.76 $0.72
8 (7) D’backs $59.2 111 56 $40.58 $0.72
9 (8) Brewers $56.8 111 52 $38.91 $0.75
10 (10) Tigers $82.3 111 75 $56.39 $0.75
11 (15) Rangers $65.5 112 56 $45.26 $0.81
12 (11) Indians $56.8 110 47 $38.57 $0.82
13 (13) Padres $69.7 111 58 $47.77 $0.82
14 (12) Blue Jays $71.9 111 58 $49.28 $0.85
15 (14) Royals $47.3 111 38 $32.41 $0.85
16 (16) Nationals $63.3 111 49 $43.35 $0.88
17 (17) Cardinals $88.4 110 60 $60.05 $1.00
18 (18) Orioles $72.6 112 50 $50.18 $1.00
19 (19) Mets $100.9 110 66 $68.51 $1.04
20 (20) White Sox $102.9 109 65 $69.22 $1.06
21 (23) Phillies $88.3 110 53 $59.94 $1.13
22 (22) Mariners $88.3 110 53 $59.97 $1.13
23 (21) Giants $90.9 111 53 $62.26 $1.17
24 (24) Astros $92.6 111 53 $63.41 $1.20
25 (28) Dodgers $99.2 111 56 $67.95 $1.21
26 (25) Braves $92.5 110 51 $62.78 $1.23
27 (27) Angels $103.6 111 57 $71.00 $1.25
28 (26) Red Sox $120.1 110 65 $81.55 $1.25
29 (29) Cubs $94.8 111 47 $64.98 $1.38
30 (30) Yankees $198.7 108 66 $132.44 $2.01

Categories
MLB General

MLB Power Rankings Roundup for July 28 2006

Don’t look now folks but the Yankees are creeping up the Power Rankings charts, making it into the top slot on the ESPN and TSN polls. The reasoning? Well, as TSN puts it: “Bringing in Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle is the kind of bold move that gives the Yankees the kind of boost in the lineup, and help in the rotation that will make them contenders right to the end, again.”

Here are the MLB Power Rankings by major sites this week.

Rank Sportscolumn ESPN FoxSports Sportsline USA Today TSN.ca
1 Tigers Yankees Tigers Tigers Tigers Yankees
2 Red Sox Tigers Yankees Mets Red Sox Twins
3 Mets Twins White Sox Red Sox Mets Mets
4 Yankees Mets Red Sox Yankees Yankees Tigers
5 Twins White Sox Mets Twins White Sox Angels
6 White Sox Red Sox Twins White Sox Twins Red Sox
7 Cardinals A’s Blue Jays Blue Jays Blue Jays Blue Jays
8 Blue Jays Angels A’s Cardinals Cardinals White Sox
9 A’s Blue Jays Angels A’s A’s A’s
10 Padres Cardinals Cardinals Angels Angels Cardinals
11-30 more more more more more more

Categories
MLB General

Odds and Ends: Britney Spears Baby Safety Night



Ron Mexico strikes again

Ahhh those crazy minor league baseball teams and their attempts to get people to their ballparks. Tonight, the Newark Bears are hosting Britney Spears Baby Safety Night where information about baby safety will be handed out as fans dressed as babies, bringing baby toys or an actual baby will get in for free. In the spirit of Britney’s white trash hitting it big story, lottery tickets will be given out to the first 2000 fans.

No word on when ‘How-not-to-be-a-disgusting-ho-with- herpes-by-the-time-you’re-15 Jamie Lynn Spears Night’ is.

In other news…

[ESPN]:NFL debuts ref’s ugly new uniforms

[MSNBC]: Dateline’s Stone Phillips investigates how Terrell Owens could be the silent killer of your children!

[Pittsburgh Post Gazette]: Big Ben’s comeback is right on track

[NY Post]: Bill Laimbeer says he could have done a better job than Larry Brown

[NBC4]: San Jose football player arrested for robbing people via craigslist

[The Oregonian]: Akili Smith is waiting for a call

[Phillyville]: Could the Phils end up with the NL Wild Card?

Categories
Detroit Pistons

Dale Davis gets tasered in Miami Beach



Where am I?

How many times do we have to say it? Professional athletes need to stay away from Miami. We know there are scores of hot chicks everywhere wearing bikinis and… shit.. see you suckers later.

Hmm… it turns out sports bloggers can’t afford last minute flights to Miami. Anyway, Dale Davis was tasered for assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence on Tuesday. The police were called to a hotel by the staff and when they asked Davis to leave, he refused to do so. Then it got ugly.


Police said they asked Davis to remove his hands from his pockets for officer safety, and Davis complied after asking officers if they were going to shoot him.

Davis pulled out money, three cellular phones and credit cards. He put the items back in his pockets and said he’d beat up the officers if they took off their badges and got rid of their guns.

Davis then balled his fists and began walking toward officers in an aggressive manner, and he was warned that he would be hit with a Taser gun if he continued. He didn’t stop, and an officer used the stun gun to hit Davis in the chest and he fell to the ground.

His agent said that they plan on filing a lawsuit against the police. What retarded jury would find for the plaintiff in this case? He was walking towards the officers in an aggressive manner. Davis is lucky they didn’t just shoot him. Also, why does Dale Davis carry 3 cell phones? 1 for his wife, 1 for his mistress, and 1 disposable one for the hos he meets on South Beach? I guess we’ll say it again. Just stay away from Miami.

Links:

[MSNBC]: Miami Beach cops stun-gun Pistons’ Davis
[Detroit Free Press]: Pistons’ Davis considers lawsuit vs. police

Categories
Minnesota Timberwolves

Kevin Garnett gets Lost in Translation

Remember when Bill Murray has to go on that weird Japanese talk show, “the Johnny Carson of Japan”, with the slightly gay host? Well, this is Kevin Garnett’s trip to a Taiwanese television show. KG is traveling the world promoting… something. Who has the time to read this blog but the folks over at Free Darko (who apparently have a lot of time on their hands now that Darko actually has been freed), found the only part of the trip you need to know about.

Two new dance crazes are sweeping the nation folks, ‘clean the ear’ and ‘make the pizza’. God save us all.

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: It’s some sort of no hitter… right?



6 no-hit innings

1. You can’t hit me: What a tumultuous year Greg Maddux has had. After going 5-0 in April, Maddux lost 11 of his next 16 decisions. Then, he was traded to the Dodgers last week. Maybe that will start another upswing, as last night in his LA debut Maddux was almost perfect. He allowed no hits in 6 innings against the Reds but was taken out after only 72 pitches due to a rain delay. He won his 10th game of the season and 328th of his career as the Dodgers blanked the Reds 3-0. Takashi Saito recorded his 11th consecutive save chance of the year, and Los Angeles in now on a roll. The team has won 6 in a row and they are now three games back of San Diego for the division lead.

2. Let there be losing: The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds still have control of the Central division and Wild Card leads. But neither team has really helped their stock lately. After last night’s 8-1 loss to Philadelphia, the Cardinals have lost seven in a row. Chase Utley of the Phillies recorded three hits to extend his hit streak to 35, while Cole Hamels struck out 12 in the best start of his young career. St. Louis is still up by 3.5 due to the Reds’ five-game losing streak (see above). Milwaukee and Houston have hardly gained any ground either, with .500 play in their last 10 games. Some could even make a case now that the Central division is worse than the West.

3. Where was this?: Mark Teixeira puzzled fantasy owners and Rangers fans alike with his muddling 9 homerun, 49 RBI first half. But in the second half, he has shown the power that gave him 43 homers last year. Tex has equaled his first-half homerun total already with 9 since the break. He has a 1.15 OPS in that time, shaming his first-half .797. last night he hit probably his most important homer of the season, a 12th inning shot that lifted the Rangers 7-6 over the Angels. The win put Texas just a half game back of the Angels for second place in the division, and there are still three games left to play in this series.

4. Welcome to the Club: After Toronto took 3 of 4 from the Yankees in July, New York was ready to roll the next time these two teams met. They just swept a series from the Jays, showcasing their new acquisitions in the process. Yesterday Cory Lidle won his first start in a Yankees uniform, Bobby Abreu went 3-5, and Craig Wilson hit two RBI. The Yanks have now won 8 of their last 9 to take first place from the stunned Boston Red Sox. They will have an easy series next as they face the pitiful Orioles, though after that they play the White Sox and Angels.

5. The Next Best Thing: After losing team captain and leader Jason Varitek, the Red Sox will get help at catcher. The team is close to a deal with the Orioles for Javy Lopez. Lopez is upset because of his lack of playing time, and is only hitting .265 with 31 RBI. The catcher was an All Star in a record-breaking 2003 season in which he hit 43 homeruns. Now he is in the final year of a contract signed with Baltimore after that season, and he is not happy. Lopez will be traded with cash for a player to be named. The O’s are fine at catcher with near-All Star Ramon Hernandez.

Categories
NFL General

August 4 in Sports History: the USFL folds up tent


In 1986: The United States Football League officially folded. Having played the first two seasons in the spring during the NFL offseason, the USFL made a catastrophic mistake by trying to compete head-to-head with the NFL in Fall of 1985. They then brought an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, but was only awarded one dollar in damages. Useless Knowledge to Take Into Your Weekend: The Pittsburgh Maulers were the only team to ever sell out a USFL game. Pittsburghers basically showed up to throw batteries at former Steeler and then-current Birmingham Stallions’ quarterback Cliff Stoudt. (thisistheusfl.com)

In 1982: In one of the strangest accomplishments in baseball history, Joel Youngblood played in two games for two different teams on the same day; and even collected a hit in each game. Also, both hits were off Hall of Fame pitchers. Playing for the Mets in the afternoon game in Chicago, he hit a single off Ferguson Jenkins, but was traded to the Expos during the game. He immediately flew to Philadelphia for a night game, arrived in time to pinch hit, and stroked another single off Steve Carlton. (baseballlibrary.com)

In 1983: While throwing in the outfield between innings of a game at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, Dave Winfield of the New York Yankees accidentally clipped a seagull with a baseball, killing it. The 12-time All-Star, Hall of Famer and member of the 3,000 hit club was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. He was forced to post a $500 bond, but the charges were dropped the next day. (baseballlibrary.com)

In 1985: On the same day, White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver won his 300th career game in New York against the Yankees; while Angels second baseman Rod Carew collected his 3,000th hit against the Twins in Anaheim. Carew was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1991, and Seaver received the highest-ever percentage of first-place ballots (98.2) in 1992. (baseball-almanac.com)

Categories
NHL General

Odds and Ends: Rick Tocchet gambling ring update


The former New Jersey state trooper that was linked to Rick Tocchet in the sports gambling ring has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, promoting gambling and official misconduct. By offering to help the authorities, he has reduced the maximum sentence from 25 years to 7 years. For anyone who has watched a crime drama in the past twenty years, this doesn’t bode well for Rick Tocchet as now he’s got no one to pass the buck to unless some shadowy kingpin emerges. It’s hard to believe but Rick Tocchet was the “brains” behind an operation.

In other news…

[Wicked Chops Poker]: Anna Benson is a Bitch

[MSNBC]: USOC bans Gatlin’s coach

[Sportsline]: Landis is now claiming dehydration caused high testosterone… even though he was hydrated enough to win the stage

[Kuklas Korner]: The St. Louis Blue’s shady marketing website

[Alligator Sports]: Stupid athletes on Facebook and MySpace

[Sheboygan Press]: ESPN continues its fine tradition of sports coverage

Categories
Dallas Cowboys

Is TO importing his own cheerleaders?



Yes.. now I recognize her

Elaine: What is so appealing to men about a cat fight?
Jerry: Because men think if women are grabbing and clawing at each other there’s a chance they might somehow kiss.

Terrell Owens has been named in a civil court motion as a witness to a bar fight in East Dallas. According to court records, an ex-Eagles cheerleader named Tara Smith attacked a woman named Christi Proctor at the Candle Room, punching her in the mouth and pushing her down. Owens has been named in the motion because he knew her and might have invited Tara Smith to the bar.

Tara Smith was an Eagles cheerleader when Owens was in Philly and all of the sudden she’s in Dallas? Maybe the only thing TO was missing from Philly was his very own cheerleader.

Links:
[Phila Daily News]: T.O. named witness in bar fight involving ex-cheerleader

Categories
Houston Rockets

Yao Ming Wildlife PSA commercial

Yesterday, we told you about Yao Ming’s campaign to protect wildlife and him swearing off shark fin soup. Well, here’s the video where jumps onto a basketball court to block a bullet fired at an elephant.