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MLB General

Oct 3 in Sports History: the shot heard round the world


In 1951: Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants hit one of the most famous homeruns in baseball history. His ninth-inning, two-out, three-run shot off the Dodgers‘ Ralph Branca became known as “the shot heard ‘round the world“ and clinched an unlikely pennant for the Giants. The teams were battling in the third game of a playoff series to determine the NL pennant winner. The Dodgers led 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth when Thomson stepped up to the plate and delivered the famous round-tripper (although the Dodgers to this day accuse the Giants of stealing signs that allowed Thomson to know what pitch was coming) that sent the jubilant Giants and their fans to the 1951 World Series. After Thomson’s homer, Giants’ broadcaster Russ Hodges made the famous call, “THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!” (baseball library.com)

In 1995: After a 252-day trial, former football star OJ Simpson was acquitted by a jury of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Simpson was later found to be liable for their deaths in a civil trial and was made to pay over $30 million in damages. (espnradio.com)

In 1974: Almost 32 years to the day he was fired as manager of the Washington Nationals, Frank Robinson became the first black manager in the major leagues when he took the job as skipper of the Cleveland Indians. He would also continue to play for the Indians the next two seasons. (baseballlibray.com)

And in 1989: 15 years after Robinson‘s hiring, Art Shell became the first black head coach in the NFL when he took over the Los Angeles Raiders. He led the Raiders to the AFC Championship game in his second season with a 12-4 record. He was rehired by owner Al Davis to be the head coach of the Raiders for the 2006 season.

Categories
College Football

Tidbits From The Tailgate: There Is No Doubt About #1

1.  Welcome To The National Championship Game

Chalk me up as somebody who thought Iowa could pull off the primetime upset in Iowa City.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think The Ohio State University would make Drew Tate look like a frosh.  Buckeye fans can phone in their national title game reservations with confidence.  The only tough game left on their schedule is Michigan and I don’t think the Wolverines have enough bite.

1a.  Shameless Legion of Doom Pimping

Before I finish up on The Ohio State University, I have one more observation to make.  How come I am the only one advocating “Road Warrior Animal” for the Heisman?  Troy Smith is not the MVP of this team.  James Laurinaitis is.  He keys a defense that is replacing nine starters and to this trained eye he already looks better than A.J. Hawk was last year.

2.  And they’ll be facing…….anyone……

Auburn and USC should be grateful they escaped over lesser opponents with victories.  Both schools need to do a better job of staying off upset alert than what they did last week.  

3.  Forgive me if I’m crazy but….these guys looks pretty damn good.

Utah is a pretty good team and they got absolutely dismantled by Boise State.  For the Broncos to leave the Smurf Turf and do that to a good Utes team was extremely impressive.  There is no doubt that Jared Zabransky and the boys are extremely impressive.

4.  I’m not so bad after all………

To Chris Leak.  Say what you want about Leak but make sure you toss in that he is the quarterback of a 5-0 national title contender.  He will be involved in this Saturday’s best game as the Bayou Bengals will be invading the Swamp.

5.  Sssssssshhhhhhhhhh

The Irish are waking up……….  Just remember, the Michigan loss was early in the season and the Irish still have USC left on their schedule.  If they beat USC impressively, Auburn loses in the SEC title game, Ohio State beats Michigan and Louisville beats West Virginia………Brady Quinn has a chance to play for the national title.  In the words of Jeremy Shockey…….”write that down”……..

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Twins win the AL Central


1. Center of attention: After a season of leading the AL Central division, the Tigers couldn’t keep their lead on the last day of the season. They fell in extra innings to the Royals while the Twins won to take the division. Detroit was winning 6-0 in the third inning but couldn’t keep their lead, even against the awful Royals offense. The game was tied 8-8 heading into extra innings, when the Tigers decided to send in starter Kenny Rogers. This seems like a stupid decision to us, and it backfired when Rogers allowed the game-winning runs. Detroit lost to finish the year at 95-67. Meanwhile, the Twins ousted the White Sox 5-1 to take the division title. They finished with a 96-66 record, and their players had numerous achievements. Joe Mauer went 2-4 and won the AL batting title at .347. He became the first catcher ever to win the title. Johan Santana, though he didn’t pitch yesterday, finished as the American League leader in wins, strikeouts, and ERA to take the Triple Crown. He led virtually every pitching category there is. And Justin Morneau, the sudden MVP candidate, hit an RBI in the finale to finish with a robust 130. The Twins roll into the playoffs.

2. Backing in: The St. Louis Cardinals lost but still clinched the NL Central division for the third year in a row. Though the Brewers beat them 5-3 and they finished at a middling 83-78. They lost 9 of their last 12 games and will be the coldest team entering the postseason. This is almost the opposite of the past two years, when the team finished with over 100 wins each year. But they’ll still make the postseason, and Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter have played like MVP and Cy Young candidates again. Pujols posted career-best numbers in homeruns (49) and RBIs (137), while Carpenter was second in the league in ERA. They’ve been the only real reasons this team is even close to the playoffs.

3. 1-2 punch: Remember how alarmingly awful the NL West division was last year? The Padres barely finished with a winning record yet still made the playoffs. But this year, this division is home to the Wild Card winner as well and both teams look dangerous. The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers both finished at 88-74, and both will make the postseason. Both teams are among the hottest in baseball, and both won yesterday. The Padres won their second straight West title because of a tiebreaker: they went 13-5 against the Dodgers this season. The Padres seemingly have their number, and that will come in handy if the teams face each other in the NLCS.

4. Not this year: The Astros had made the playoffs for two straight seasons, making an incredible run at the end of each year. This year, they played like animals in September once again. But they won’t be seeing any more postseason play. Houston lost to the Braves two out of three times over the weekend, ending their aspirations of overtaking the Cardinals. John Smoltz’s 16th win yesterday actually tied him for the National League lead. Six pitchers have that exact amount, which is one of the lowest league-leading totals ever. Anyway, the Stros are out of October play this year.

5. Matchups: Here are the playoff matchups, as finalized yesterday. In the American League, the Twins play the A’s and the Tigers face the Yankees. In the National League, the Mets take on the Dodgers while the Cardinals and Padres face off. This should make for a wildly entertaining postseason.

Categories
MLB General

Oct 2 in Sports History: The Babe calls his shot

In 1932: Depending on what you believe, this was the day that Babe Ruth supposedly hit his famous “called shot” in Wrigley Field in the World Series. In the fifth inning, Ruth was being heckled by the Chicago Cubs’ bench and the crowd. After falling behind two strikes, Ruth made what some called a motion toward the centerfield bleachers and what others believed to be a gesture at Cubs pitcher Charlie Root. Either way, Ruth smashed a towering homerun into those bleachers while a stunned crowd looked on in complete silence. They were so shocked that they didn’t even seem to notice Lou Gehrig’s homerun on the very next pitch. The Yank’s easily won the series in four games. (baseball library.com)

In 1970: 14 members of the Wichita State football team were killed when their plane crashed into the Rocky Mountains outside of Denver on its way to Utah. It was one of two planes that were traveling to the game, and the team resumed its schedule three weeks later. The Shockers football program would never be the same, as it had only one more winning season and was discontinued in 1986. It was not the only air tragedy in college football that fall, as the Marshall football program was decimated by a crash a little more than a month later. (espn.com)

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All Other Sports

Don’t bet this guy in foosball

Categories
Dallas Cowboys

Transcript of TO publicist 911 call

Here’s the transcript of the 911 call from Kim Etheredge.  Notice of mention of “depressed” in the call itself.

Kim Etheredge: “Hi, I have an emergency please.”

911 operator: “You need the police out there?”

Etheredge: “I need an ambulance please.”

911 operator: “Let me give you the paramedics.”

Etheredge: “Thank you.”

911 operator: “Stay on the line.”

—

Paramedic: (Garbled) “Dallas Fire.”

Etheredge: “Hi. Hi I need an ambulance please, immediately.”

Paramedic: “OK. What’s your address?”

Etheredge: (gives address, crying)

Paramedic: “What’s wrong?”

Etheredge: “I think he took too many pills. Please. Now. (Garbled) What do I do if the pills are down the throat?”

Paramedic: “OK. What’s your phone number? We are already on the way now, ma’m. What’s your phone number?”

Etheredge: “Oh God!”

Paramedic: “What’s your phone number?”

Etheredge: (Deleted)

Paramedic: “Is that 214?”

Etheredge: “Yes.”

Paramedic: “OK. Is he still breathing?”

Etheredge: “Yes.”

Paramedic: “OK, we’re on the way there, ma’am.”

Etheredge: “Thank you. Thank you.”

Links:

[MSNBC]: Cops want T.O., publicist to apologize
[SFGate]: You can’t beat bad publicists

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Only the Loney can play



9 RBI day

1. The “Lone” Leader: The Los Angeles Dodgers, simply put, are on a roll. With another win yesterday, they increased their Wild Card lead to two games over the Phillies. With just three games left to go in the season, that is huge. Thursday’s win over the Rockies was, well, unique. LA won 19-11 in the highest scoring game the majors has seen this season. Their win was prompted by a previously unheard-of name: James Loney. Loney drove in a team-record 9 RBIs, more than anyone in a single game this season. He broke the NL rookie record for single game RBIs. Loney hit two homeruns, a grand slam and a two-run shot, as well as a two-run double. His efforts gave the Dodgers their 15th win in 19 games against the Rockies this season. Taking away those games, this team is only .500.

2. Twin Leaders: The Minnesota Twins, who have been so good the second half of the season, have done what once seemed impossible. They tied the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central division lead. The Tigers, once easily the best team in baseball, have fallen off while the Twins have won game after game. Two months ago on this day the Twins were 10.5 games back while the Tigers were in command. But since that date Detroit has gone 25-31 while the Twins have posted a 36-21 record. Yesterday the Tigers fell 8-6 to the Blue Jays as Kenny Rogers had his worst start in a month. But the Twins, fueled by a ninth-inning homerun by Joe Mauer to tie it up, won in extras against the Royals. That handed Kansas City its 100th loss of the season. The Devil Rays are the only other team that mathematically can reach that mark.

3. It’s getting closer: The St. Louis Cardinals need a wake-up call. The team has virtually wrapped up the division title by mid-September, but with a bevy of losses lately they’ve forfeited this lead. They lost again yesterday, and they only have a half-game lead over the Astros, who have won nine games in a row. They lost 9-4 to the pitiful Brewers yesterday, with Jason Marquis’ ERA increasing to over 6.00. This team needs to win their next three games, all against Milwaukee, or they’ll be in big trouble.

4. SD keeps their lead: The Padres needed a win to avoid a tie at the top of their division, and they got it. San Diego beat Arizona 12-4, keeping their one-game lead. Their offense got three homers and Jake Peavy struck out 7.

5. Pedro out for the year: First it was the toe, then it was the hip, then it was the right calf. And now, finally the left calf is the injury that will keep Pedro Martinez out of the postseason. He has a torn tendon in his left calf that does not require surgery but will keep him out of the lineup for the playoffs.

Categories
Boxing

Sep 29 in Sports History: Muhammed Ali wins his last fight


In 1977: About 70 million people tuned in to watch Muhammed Ali defeat Earnie Shavers to retain his heavyweight boxing title in a close, 15-round decision. It was the last fight Ali ever won. It was also the first heavyweight title match to be officiated by a woman, named Eva Shain.

In 1951: A football game was televised in color for the first time. The contest between California and the U. of Penn (which Cal won 35-0) was shown on CBS-TV from Philadelphia.

In 2004: For those who cry out in protest against rookie hazing, former Cleveland Indians reliever Kyle Denney would like to have a word with you. As the team bus was pulling away after a game in Kansas City, a stray bullet hit Denney in the calf. Since he was dressed as a woman for a hazing ritual, the low-caliber bullet did not do serious damage, because the knee-high leather boots he was wearing helped to slow it down. Denney is currently with the Washington Nationals organization.

Categories
NHL General

Odds and Ends: How the hell did Tie Domi score Tia Carrere?


We can’t stand Tie Domi. But we’ve grudgingly got some new found respect for him. In the midst of a messy divorce case from his wife Leanne, she accused him of having an affair with Tia Carrere and some Canadian politician named Belinda Stronach. Now the politican is decent looking but we had no idea that he hooked up with Tia Carrere in 1999. This might be old news but Tia Carrere is way too hot for Tie Domi. How is it possible that a girl like this could date a dude who looks like Tie Domi.

In other news…

[AP]: Skins become NFL’s most penalized team

[Charlotte.com]: Sources: Robinson out as Nationals manager

[SI]: Nets sign Jay Williams

[Can’t Stop the Bleeding]: Brett Statue In Greater Demand Than Brett

[Sportsline]: One suspect released, two more charged in Duquesne basketball shooting

Categories
General Sports

Finally! Mobile ESPN is dead

It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen that floppy haired jackass hawking Mobile ESPN around every corner. Since we don’t miss things that make us angry (except football in the offseason), we didn’t notice that the commercials have been pulled.  Well, we won’t ever see it or any stupid ESPN Mobile commercial again.  Proving that consumers aren’t completely retarded, the folks behind a $150M money losing pig-fuck have called it a day and will shut down operations.

For the 20 of you who got suckered into buying one of these phones (ESPN employees), the service will work until the end of the  year and you can get a refund on the purchase price of the phone.

We don’t know what exactly caused the service/product to fail.  Some would say that it’s the fact that ESPN made people switch to Sprint to get Mobile ESPN.  Or perhaps it’s the cost of $200 for a phone on top of a monthly charge of $35 to $225 and a 2 year contract.  Or perhaps it’s the fact that the phone only received ESPN-approved content.  Or perhaps they had a spokesman that actively made everyone HATE the product.

Good work Mobile ESPN.  Better scale back plans for that ESPN-only TV…

Links:
[Reuters]: Mobile ESPN to close down operations: WSJ

[Forbes]: Mobile ESPN Bites The Dust