July 14th, 2009 by cougar
-The winning team's league in the All-Star Game gets homefield advantage in the World Series
It is about time that MLB and Commissioner Bud Selig stop this horrible charade of giving meaning to the All-Star Game. This is not a novel idea. Many people have already expressed their dislike for the fact that the winning league in the All-Star game receives homefield advantage in the World Series.
The only reason for giving this meaning to the All-Star Game is to try and increase ratings. From 2001 to 2006 the ratings for the All-Star game fell each year. Then there was the embarrassment that happened in 2002 in Milwaukee when the All-Star Game was called a 7-7 tie. The next year the game first started to “count,” but the ratings were not affected much until 2006. That was the first year since 2001 that the ratings increased. The ratings reached a decade high in 2008 when 14.5 million viewers tuned in for the first nine innings (11.6 million for innings 10-15). Read the rest of this entry »
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July 13th, 2009 by cougar
-Two years after beating cancer Jon Lester throws a no-hitter
Tonight is the 2009 MLB Homerun Derby, so it is only natural to remember what Texas Ranger outfielder Josh Hamilton did last year in Yankees Stadium. In the 2008 Homerun Derby Hamilton mesmerized the sports world with his performance by setting a new single round record by hitting 28 homers in the first round. It was not just the number of homers Hamilton hit but the story that was behind Hamilton that almost everyone knows by now.
This is not meant to be another glorification of how Hamilton turned his life around to get back to playing baseball after almost ruining his life. Too many of those articles have already been written. My issue is how much love Hamilton got after the Homerun Derby. There is something wrong when people have to first almost ruin their lives before people with love them. Hamilton’s story is a great redemption story and can inspire almost anyone who hears it. But it was Hamilton who ruined his own life in the first place. No one else made him use alcohol and drugs the way he did. Read the rest of this entry »
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July 12th, 2009 by cougar
-Alex Rodriguez has 570 career homers but was not elected to the All-Star game
So what do the top-10 active homerun hitters all have in common? None of them will be going to St. Louis to participate in the All-Star Game. That was pretty much made official today as the last few replacement players were added to the NL and AL rosters.
Detroit Tiger third baseman Brandon Inge and Philadelphia Phillie outfielder Shane Victorino were added to the rosters on Thursday via the fans’ final vote. Then it was announced early Sunday that Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia would not be traveling to St. Louis because his wife is in the hospital because of complications with her pregnancy. There was a chance that Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez would replace Pedroia on the roster because he is an infielder just like Pedroia and he has been on the All-Star roster every year since 1999. Instead Tampa Bay Ray and AL manager Joe Madden selected his own first baseman Carlos Peña to fill-out the roster. Read the rest of this entry »
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July 10th, 2009 by cougar
-Lance Armstrong's 'cleanness’ is hotly debated
By now most people have made up in their minds everything they need in regards to Lance Armstrong. Some find him an inspirational figure who has battled the odds and French anti-doping officials to be the best cyclist ever−all without the help of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). Others find him a creep who has lied to the world about never using PEDS. I still just cannot decide where I fall in the matter.
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July 9th, 2009 by cougar
-Joe Mauer is the early favorite to win AL MVP
Now that Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer has enough at-bats to qualify for the league lead seems like the best time to make his case for the MVP. First off it is amazing that Mauer is performing at the level he is. He missed the first month of the season with a strange lower back injury that is very rare in athletes. The sacroiliac joint in his back became inflamed and the inflammation caused tremendous pain in Mauer’s back throughout Spring Training and the early part of the season.
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July 7th, 2009 by cougar
-Joe Sakic won two Stanley Cups over his 20-year career
Joe Sakic is without a doubt one of the best players in the history of the National Hockey League. The center, who turned 40 on Tues. spent his entire 20-year career with the same franchise−the former Quebec Nordiques and now Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche has planned a press conference Thur. where Sakic is to make a special announcement in regards to his career. Local media sources have reported that Sakic will announce his retirement at the press conference.
The Burnaby, British Columbia native is a guaranteed Hall of Famer. He won two Stanley Cups while in Colorado−one in 1995-96 and the other in 2000-01. He scored 625 goals and 1,016 assists and a career plus/minus of 30 over his 20 seasons. Sakic ends his playing time in eighth place all-time with 1,641 career points, 14th with those 625 goals and 11th with his 1,016 assists. He also recorded 40 plus goal seasons five times and scored 100 plus points six times. He was an All-Star 13 times and was a started three times. Read the rest of this entry »
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July 6th, 2009 by cougar
-Nomar returns to Boston for first time since 2004
There was about a five-year span when fans of the Boston Red Sox looked forward to two things−watching Pedro Martinez pitch and Nomar Garciaparra hit. Martinez has already returned to Boston after signing with the New York Mets as a free agent, and now the soon to be 36-year-old Garciaparra will do the same tonight at Fenway Park as a member of the Oakland A’s.
Garciaparra first came up with the Red Sox in 1996 and more than made a splash in Boston. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 1997, won batting titles in 1999 and 2000 and made five All-Star games over his nine seasons in Boston. Garciaparra also hit 178 homeruns, had 1,281 hits, scored 709 runs and batted .323. Read the rest of this entry »
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July 5th, 2009 by cougar
-Federer (left) won his record-setting 15th Grand Slam title over Roddick (right)
There can no longer be any doubt of who is the best tennis player of all time. Roger Federer now has more Grand Slam championships (15) than any other man in tennis history. He won his 15th title by defeating Any Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14. The score does not begin to do justice to just how close the match really was.
Entering the matchup Federer was 14-5 all-time in Grand Slam finals, while Roddick was 1-3 with his only victory coming in the 2003 U.S. Open. Two of those loses for Roddick came at the hands of Federer at Wimbledon in 2004 and 2005. Federer is also 18-2 all-time against Roddick, so most people suspected that Federer would have a fairly easy victory in the matchup. Read the rest of this entry »
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July 4th, 2009 by cougar
-Venus and Serena Williams have a combined 18 Grand Slam Titles
Now that Serena Williams has won her 11th Grand Slam title by defeating her sister Venus at the 2009 Wimbledon championship match 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, it seems like the right time to discuss who are the best siblings ever in sports. First the Williams sisters.
Serena has those 11 Grand Slam championships and has completed the career Grand Slam by winning all four majors. Venus has won seven major titles, including five at Wimbledon. Serena’s 11 major championships are seventh most all-time behind Billie Jean King (12), Chris Evert (18), Martina Navratilova (18), Helen Wills Moody (19), Steffi Graf (22), and Margaret Smith Court (24). Venus is 29-years-old and Serena is 27, so it is unlikely that either will match Court’s 24 majors, but they together are easily the best siblings ever in professional tennis. Read the rest of this entry »
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July 3rd, 2009 by cougar
-Free Agent Hedo Turkoglu Likely to Sign for at Least $50 Million
After the NBA Finals was over and the LA Lakers were crowned the 2008-09 champion one thing became clear. Former Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu was about to be a very rich man. It has been reported that the Portland Trail Blazers have offered the free agent a five-year deal worth about $50 million. It has also been reported that the Toronto Raptors are also making a run at landing the 30-year-old from Turkey.
Turkoglu showed last season and in the NBA Playoffs that he not only is one of the most versatile forwards in the league, but that he can also score at the end of close games. He can handle the ball as well as most point guards, but he is six-foot-ten, can rebound and drive to the basket, and can also spot up for a 15-foot jump-shot. However he is not worth $10 million a year. Read the rest of this entry »
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July 1st, 2009 by cougar
-NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown is Unhappy with Tiger Woods on Social Issues
On the most recent episode of HBO’s Real Sports former Cleveland Brown running back and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown did what he normally does. He took his annual swipe at 14-time Grand Slam title winner Tiger Woods. For reasons known only to Brown he seems to stay quiet for most of the year, only to make occasional appearances on media outlets to say how Woods does not do enough to promote social change for those at the bottom on society.
“You know what’s so interesting about Tiger to me?” Brown said. “If it was just a matter of me looking at an individual that’s a monster competitor −this cat is a mamajama, he is a killer. He’ll run over you, he’ll kick your [butt]. But as an individual for social change … terrible−terrible. Because he can get away with teaching kids to play golf, and that’s his contribution. And in the real world, man, I can’t teach no kids to play golf and that’s my contribution, if I got that kind of power.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in All Sports, Golf | 1 Comment »
June 30th, 2009 by cougar
-Sorana Cirstea was Deemed Attractive Enough for Centre Court
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Centre Court at Wimbledon is one of those places that young tennis players dream of someday playing. Well it seems that if players want to be scheduled for Centre Court they should be working on their looks instead of their games. A recent report in the London’s Daily Mail reported that the All England Club takes into account how women players look when deciding which court they would play on.
“Good looks are a factor,” All England Club spokesperson Johnny Perkins said. Many have speculated that it is the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) puts pressure on the All England Club to place good-looking players on Centre Court in order to increase the BBC’s ratings−something the BBC has denied. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 29th, 2009 by cougar
-Mariano Rivera Becomes Second Pitcher Ever with 500 Saves
Mariano Rivera is without a doubt one of the best closers in MLB history. No other pitcher with more than 360 saves has a lower career ERA than Rivera’s 2.30, plus he has the most postseason saves ever with 34 and the most World Series saves ever with nine. Obviously all MLB postseason stats are slanted towards today’s players because there are more playoff rounds now than there were in the past, but Rivera also has the lowest postseason ERA of any pitcher with 15 or more innings pitched as well.
Then last night (Mon.) Rivera recorded his 500th career save in a 4-2 win over the cross-town Mets. Rivera joins former San Diego Padre and current Milwaukee Brewer pitcher Trevor Hoffman−who has 571 saves−as the only closer with at least 500 saves. Saves did not become an official statistic until 1969. After the game Rivera put his accomplishment into perspective. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 28th, 2009 by cougar
-80th MLB All-Star Game to be Played in St. Louis
For the most part the fans get the MLB All-Star voting right. The well known players who are having big years almost always find their way to the midsummer classic, but then there are the newer players on small market teams that are left out consistently. I understand the All-Star Game is an exhibition for the fans to see the players they voted for, but more important things ride on these All-Star appearances.
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June 26th, 2009 by cougar
-Blake Griffin (center), Hasheem Thabeet (left), and Ricky Rubio (right) went 1, 2, 5 Respectively in the NBA Draft
The latest NBA Draft is now in the past and there were not many surprises. As everyone was projecting the LA Clippers selected power forward Blake Griffin with the No. 1 pick and the Memphis Grizzlies took center Hasheem Thabeet with the second pick. Also as expected the New York Knicks tried hard to move up to select shooting/point guard Stephen Curry but did not have the assets needed to do so. Knicks fans saw Curry come off the board one pick before the Knicks’ selection−going to the Golden State Warriors at No. 7. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 25th, 2009 by cougar
-Phil Jackson has Hinted at not Wanting to Coach all Laker Road Games
It was reported recently by a number of media outlets that LA Lakers coach Phil Jackson might want to allow assistant coach Kurt Rambis coach certain road games in his place. The reasons for the idea are Jackson will be 64 in September and has had a number of operations and problems with his knees and hips in recent years. Jackson actually did not travel with the team for a game against Portland on April 10 of last year because of swelling in his right leg caused by plantar fasciitis−a game the Lakers lost 106-98.
Despite the strangeness of the idea it seems like Jackson is interested with the idea. “Yeah, we’ve toyed around with that idea actually,” Jackson told ESPN Radio hosts John Ireland and Mychal Thompson. “I guess it’s not that revolutionary. We talked a little bit about it, and you know I was actually kind of given the green light to actually try this out and when the time came. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 25th, 2009 by cougar
-Shaq and Lebron Before the 2006 All-Star Game
Only Shaquille O’Neal could steal the NBA spotlight on the day before the draft. The 7-foot-1 16-year quote machine (see his best moments here) was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers late Wed. night in exchange for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a second-round pick in the 2010 NBA draft, and $500,000. O’Neal has one year left on his current contract which will pay him about $20 million.
O’Neal’s contract was the reason he was traded. The Suns were looking to dump salary and trading O’Neal was the easiest way for them to do that. Ben Wallace will make $14 million next season, but he has hinted that he may retire before the season starts. Pavlovic will make $5 million next season, but the Suns can release him and only give him $1.5. If Pavlovic is released the Suns will save about $10 million−$4.5 million less in contracts and they will also drop below the NBA’s luxury tax line saving the team the other $5.5 million. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 24th, 2009 by cougar
-Ramirez set to Return from 50-game Drug Suspension
Even though Manny Ramirez was suspended by MLB for violating their drug prevention policy, he is still allowed to make 10 “rehab” starts in the minor leagues before he is eligible to rejoin the Dodgers. This provision was included in the policy by MLB in order for the player’s union to agree to a 50-game suspension for first time offenders to the policy.
So Manny made his debut for the Albuquerque Isotopes (Dodger’s AAA affiliate) in front of a record crowd of 15,321 fans−many wearing their Manny Ramirez fake dreadlocks. Manny is scheduled to again today (Wed.) and tomorrow (Thur.) before joining the Class A Inland Empire on Sat. Manny will be able to rejoin the Dodgers July 3 if there are not rainouts. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 24th, 2009 by cougar
-Clippers Set to Take Blake Griffin No. 1
Yes it is that time of year again. Time for NBA executives to bet their careers on the 18 to 22-year-old kids with little to no experience playing against any competition like there is in the NBA. Will the seven-foot center ever develop an offensive game and be able to run the floor with a 24-second shot clock? Will the shooting guard still be able to drain threes behind the NBA’s three-point line? Will that point guard be able to distribute and no-look passes like he did in college? How about that undersized forward that dominated the college game but is too short to do the same in the NBA?
The LA Clippers have the No. 1 overall pick for the third time in team history. In the past the team selected Danny Manning in 1988 and Michael Olowokandi in 1998. This year the Clippers have made no secret that they are going to take Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin with the No. 1 pick. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 23rd, 2009 by cougar
-Romo Comes Up Small in the Biggest Situations
To say that Dallas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo has shrunk when the pressure is on would be an understatement. While the six-foot-2 29-year-old out of Eastern Illinois is one of the most talked about players in the NFL he has yet to win one playoff game over his seven-year career. After all this is the guy who infamously fumbled the spot of an easy field-goal back in 2006-07 against the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs that would have given the team its first playoff win since 1996 (
watch the video of the fumble here).
Examining Romo’s career shows that he fades late in the season consistently. He has completed just 59 percent of his passes in the month of Dec., thrown 19 interceptions to just 14 touchdowns, and the Cowboys are a combined 5-8. Last season Romo started the season hot with the team going 4-2 to start the season. Romo had 14 touchdowns to five interceptions, 1,689 yards passing, and completed 64 percent of his passes. Read the rest of this entry »
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