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
NHL General

NHL Power Rankings Roundup Jan 24 2006

Here are the NHL Power Rankings by top sites this week. The Devils made it into the top 10 this week, at least on Sportsline’s list. Yahoo is the only site with the Thrashers or the Avalance in the top 10.

Rank TSN.ca ESPN FoxSports Sportsline SI Yahoo
1 Senators Red Wings Senators Senators Senators Red Wings
2 Red Wings Hurricanes Hurricanes Hurricanes Hurricanes Senators
3 Rangers Flyers Red Wings Red Wings Red Wings Hurricanes
4 Hurricanes Senators Flyers Predators Flyers Flyers
5 Stars Stars Predators Flyers Predators Sabres
6 Predators Sabres Stars Rangers Flames Stars
7 Flames Kings Flames Stars Stars Canucks
8 Kings Rangers Sabres Flames Rangers Avalance
9 Flyers Flames Rangers Sabres Canucks Thrashers
10 Sabres Canucks Canucks Devils Sabres Flames
11-30 more more more more more more

Categories
New Jersey Nets

Vince Carter cares about the kids

Remember in Reality Bites when the newspaper editor asks Winona Ryder to define irony and she has no idea how to define it? Well, she might have just gone with this quote from Vince Carter (on Kobe scoring 81):

The only bad thing about it is that younger kids, whose minds are easily warped, are going to think, ‘Ohhh! I am going to go out there and do it instead of (honoring) the team concept first,'” Carter said yesterday. “That is what is missing in the game, guys understanding how to play as a team.

Are you kidding me? Vince Carter is talking about “team”? This is the same guy who admitted he stopped trying toward the end of his tenure with the Raptors. A guy who has been called whiny, selfish, and a baby. Vince Carter’s entire career is based on getting on Sportscenter and now he’s mad because someone else is dominating his airtime. Ask any Toronto fan if Vince Carter cares about anyone but himself.

[NJ.com]: Nets notes: Carter — scoring 81 not all good
[Sportsrant.com]: I Hate Mondays: Vince-I-Am

Categories
Indiana Pacers

Kings reject trade for Ron Artest

Update 1/24: Artest says he’ll go anywhere and now the trade is on again. Make up your mind already. I’m beginning to hate this story.

Update 6:40 PM: Kings reject trade for Ron Artest. How come no one loves Ron-Ron?

Update: Artest traded to Kings for Peja Stojakovic. I guess Vecsey finally got one right.

We previously said that the Golden State Warriors were the last potential suckers suitors for Ron Artest but it looks like the Sacramento Kings have jumped into the fray. According to the NY Post, the trade is “exceedingly close” and just waiting for the Kings to pull the trigger. However, this was reported by Peter Vecsey “on excellent authority” so that means the trade probably won’t happen.

[NY Post]: ARTEST-FOR-PEJA GETTIN’ CLOSE

Categories
General Sports

GQ’s Ten Most Hated Athletes

I love top 10 lists. (Except when they are accompanied by unfunny commentary from D list celebs and comedians…ahem…VH1.) In February’s GQ, they list the top 10 most hated athletes by their peers. Here’s the list. My comments in italics.

10. Lleyton Hewitt “Hewitt is disliked by every other player on the international circuit.”

9. A. J. Pierzynski “Pierzynski, crouched behind the plate, took a pitch to the groin. Rushing to his aid, trainer Stan Conte asked him how he felt. “Like this!” Pierzynski grunted, then savagely kneed Conte in the balls.”

8. Phil Mickelson “Phil Mickelson literally has no friends out there. He annoys everybody.”

7. Bonzi Wells “He was fined for bad-mouthing his own fans in Sports Illustrated.”

6. Michael Iaconelli I’m sorry, bass fishing? I thought this was a list of athletes.

5. Kobe Bryant I’ll take the rapists for $200, Alex

4. Curt Schilling The biggest blowhard in all of sports.

3. Kurt Busch He told NASCAR to lick his salty balls. Yeah, and?

2. Barry Bonds Biggest dick in baseball

1. Terrell Owens Interesting that the magazine that just did a feature story on TO makes him the #1 most hated athlete.

[Style.com]: The Ten Most Hated Athletes

Categories
Pittsburgh Penguins

Super Mario retires again

I realize the Steelers are in the Super Bowl and the Penguins have lost 10 in a row but shouldn’t Mario Lemeiux’s retirement be more than an afterthought on Pittsbugh Post Gazette’s web site? Mario basically saved the Penguins from moving to some place like San Antonio and they have his retirement below the fold. And following his retirement story, is a story about how Lemieux’s retirement “Could hurt ticket sales for next year“. Geez, that’s gratitude for you.

Well, Super Mario, thanks for the memories. We’ll at least recognize your two Stanley Cups for Pittsburgh. Here are some blogs which got it right:

[Brain Flush]: Le Magnifique d’adieu, vous serez manqué
[Hockey Knight]: Merci, Mario!

[Kukla’s Korner]: All Mario
[The Pick Stops Here]: Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux Retires

Categories
Olympics

Finally a reason to watch Ice Dancing



Tanith Belbin

You know that crap they show on ESPN after NFL Sunday Countdown? That’s figure skating, or ice dancing, or something. I don’t know, I get angry it’s on and quickly turn to Sunday Ticket. In any case, you now have a reason to watch ice dancing in the Winter Olympics and her name is Tanith Belbin. Thank you to Yay Sports for alerting us to how hot she is.

This is going to be a tough call because ice dancing is so incredibly lame that the hot chick factor might not be able to compensate for the pain or watching it. But, to give you an idea of how hot she is, there was actually a bill passed through the Senate and Congress to give Tanith United States citizenship so she could skate for us in Torino. Now, they may claim that it was her “extraordinary ability” and the pursuit of a gold medal for the U.S. but I can pretty much guarantee that Senator Carl Levin and Congressman Thaddeus McCotter don’t watch ice dancing either.

Categories
NFL General

Seahawks will win Super Bowl XL

… well, at least according to the “Theory of Scrabbletivity”.  A prognosticating method so insane that it might actually work.  Hell, it’s just as credible as Salisbury and Hoge talking out of their asses.

The quarterback with the higher last name value in Scrabble is 6-1 in the playoffs this year:

– Byron Leftwich (17) lost to Tom Brady (11)
– Jake Delhomme (16) beat Eli Manning (10)
– Mark Brunell (9) beat Chris Simms (9)
– Ben Roethlisberger (20) beat Jon Kitna (9)
– Matt Hasselbeck (21) beat Brunell (9)
– Jake Plummer (13) beat Brady (11)
– Roethlisberger (20) beat Peyton Manning (10)
– Delhomme (16) beat Rex Grossman (11)

Following the Theory of Scrabbletivity, Roethlisberger and Hasselbeck should outscore their opponents in more ways than one. Although at face value it seems Roethlisberger should reap in more tile goodness over Hasselbeck, looks are deceiving. Matt — and the Seattle Seahawks — will win by one point, 21-20.  

[Futon Report]: Things in advance about Super Bowl XL that I definitively know for sure is true, no matter what cosmic forces are in action — unless I’m wrong

Categories
Detroit Pistons

Don’t bring that trash in here, Sheed!


If you don’t watch Family Guy, then something is seriously wrong with you. (However, if you don’t watch American Dad, you’re perfectly normal.) A few years ago, FG had an episode with Stewie playing basketball that ranked up there with Dave Chappelle’s Prince playing basketball. Well, the folks over at Need4Sheed posted the clip on their site but they managed to insert Sheed’s face in the video. Good stuff.

Categories
NFL General

TO has way too much time on his hands



Does this shirt make me look gay?

You know, after TO got hungover at his birthday bash in Atlantic City, nobody thought he could recover in time to throw a Super Bowl party but he’s going to prove everyone wrong. He has to sign some double-secret-probation waiver, but gosh-darnit, he’s gonna have a party! It’s at Envy, the hottest nightclub in Southeastern Michigan, which basically makes it, like, the hottest nightclub in the world.


It’s $50 to get into the tent, $100 to get into the tent and the first floor, and $200 for VIP access, which will get you into the tent and on the first and second floors.

For those big spenders — and only 20 spots remain — $500 will get you into every section of the club where there’s a party.

The site neglects to point out that there were only 20 spots to begin with. Maybe if Freddie Mitchell signs on to play with the Philadelphia Soul, he can afford one of those $500 tickets.

Get yo popcorn ready!

Categories
Denver Broncos

Idle speculation: TO to Broncos?

When you lose the conference championship game, you start to wonder “what if…”, and in the case of the Broncos, what if they had a receiver who could take over the game? Ashlie Lelie and Rod Smith had decent enough yardage but only a combined 6 catches in the biggest game of the season. Lelie has never panned out as the receiver they thought he’d be coming out of Hawaii when Denver took him in the first round and Rod Smith is getting a little long in the tooth.

There’s no question that TO would make the Broncos a much more potent offense, possibly even instant conference favorites, but would you risk the inevitable meltdown for a shot at the Super Bowl?