Archive for June, 2009
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
-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. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, Tennis | No Comments »
Monday, June 29th, 2009
-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. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, MLB | 1 Comment »
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
-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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Friday, June 26th, 2009
-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. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, NBA | No Comments »
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
-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. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, NBA | No Comments »
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
-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. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, NBA | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
-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. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, MLB | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
-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. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, NBA | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
-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. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, NFL | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
-Oren Koules (left) and Len Barrie (right)
Many people have wondered why there is even a NHL team in Tampa. Hockey is a game played on ice and yet it might snow once ever fifty years in the Tampa Bay area. While there are a lot of Northerners who have moved to Florida many of those people brought their allegiances to their hometown teams with them. They were not going to support a new team that was struggling and the Lightning did struggle in the beginning. The Tampa was awarded the expansion team in the 1992-93 season. Over the first organization’s first 10 years they never won more games than they lost and only made the playoffs once (1995-96 where they lost the series in six games to the Flyers).
Then the team made the playoffs four-straight years from 2002-03 to the 2006-07 seasons, won two division titles, and won the 2003-04 Stanley Cup title. It seemed like the Sunshine State had adopted this strange sport from the north with high speed hits, fights, and raw emotion. Then the team’s owner−the late William Davidson who also owned the Detroit Piston and Shock of the NBA and WNBA respectively−to Oren Koules and Len Berrie in August of 2007 and the franchise went downhill fast. The team missed the playoffs the last two years, have gone a combined 55-82-26, and finished last in the Southeast Division. They have also fired two coaches (John Tortorella and Barry Melrose) since taking ownership of the team. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, NHL | No Comments »
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
-Manager Jim Leyland and Struggling Magglio Ordonez
Detroit Tiger 35-year-old right fielder Magglio Ordoñez is having the worst full season power wise of his 13-year MLB career. He has hit just two homeruns in 57 games and 216 plate appearances. An average season for Ordoñez with 140 or more games played is about 27.5 homers, and he has averaged just under 20 round-trippers over his first four seasons in Detroit. On his current base Ordoñez will not hit double digits. His RBI total is also low for his standards−at just 22 through June 22. Ordoñez averaged 115 RBI the last three years and has driven in over 100 runs seven times in his career. If the Venezuelan does not turn his numbers around he will have the lowest RBI total since the 2004 and 2005 seasons when he battled series knee problems.
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Posted in All Sports, MLB | 1 Comment »
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
-Lucas Glover takes 2009 U.S. Open
I’m sure that everyone had Lucas Glover as the third favorite to win the 2009 U.S. Open after Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The 29-year-old Greenville, SC native took the title at Bethpage State Park’s Black course Mon. afternoon with a final score of 276 (-4)−two shots ahead of Mickelson, David Duval (yes that David Duval), and Ricky Barnes (Woods finished at even par).
Before taking the 2009 title Glover had played in three U.S. Opens without making the cut. Glover started the day at -7−one shot behind Barnes for the lead−but Glover moved into a tie for the lead after the first hole and would not trail for the rest of the day. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, Golf | No Comments »
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
-With Nadal out Federer Becomes No. 1 seed at Wimbledon
After Rafael Nadal learned how to win on all three of tennis’ services it seemed like no one would be able to stop him. After winning three of four Grand Slam championships (reached the semifinals at the US Open) beginning with last year’s French Open (which he won for the fourth straight time) and becoming the No. 1 player in the world on Aug. 18, 2008 it looked like Roger Federer’s time dominating tennis was over. That was until Nadal started to lose consistently to one particular opponent−his own knees.
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Posted in All Sports, Tennis | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 19th, 2009
-Wade Boggs Recently went off on Steroid Users
Many players that played baseball before the so-called ‘Steroid Era’ have expressed their hatred for anyone who is ever caught using steroids. The common reason is that steroids cheat the game and taint the records.
The latest Hall of Famer to do so is former Red Sox, Yankee, and Devil Ray third baseman Wade Boggs (watch the whole rant here). In an autograph session at a sports bar in Boston Boggs was asked if he thought players caught using steroids belong in the Hall of Fame to which Boggs replied, “You’re cheating the game, you’re cheating yourself, you’re cheating your family, you’re cheating your friends, you’re cheating your fans, and you’re cheating Americana and apple pie, baby. Because if you can’t do it at 60 feet, 6 inches, you shouldn’t be playing the game.” (more…)
Posted in All Sports, MLB | No Comments »
Friday, June 19th, 2009
-Browns WR Stallworth Recently Pleaded Guilty to Manslaughter
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth recently got off very easily after his action killed a man−Mario Reyes−March 14 in Miami. Stallworth was legally drunk with a blood-alcohol level of .126 at the time he hit and killed the 59-year-old Reyes and faced up to 15 years in prison. Stallworth instead received 30-day jail sentence, two years of house arrest, eight years of probation, serve 1,000 hours community service, is subject to drug and alcohol testing, and has a lifetime suspension of his driver’s license (which can be reduced to five years if he wins approval then) after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter.
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Posted in All Sports, NFL | No Comments »
Friday, June 19th, 2009
-Not what Golf Fans Paid for
So the people that put down $100 to watch the first round of the US Open were able to see just over three hours of golf played in terrible conditions and where no one finished their rounds. On the bright side those in attendance were able to overpay for parking, ponchos, and refreshments−so they have that going for them. However, I do not think that the patrons on Thursday felt like they got their money’s worth, but I am sure that they and most people thought they would get something from the USGA to make it right.
But of course as the USGA had other plans that did not involve building and maintaining their fan base. People that are willing to pay $100 in this economy to see the first round of a gold tournament in nasty conditions are real golf fans that the USGA should try and make as happy as possible, but instead they announced yesterday that fans that had tickets to Thursday’s first round would not receive anything in return. They offered no refunds to the people because other golf events do not offer refunds as well including the British Open, Wimbledon, and tennis’ US Open at Flushing Meadows. Off course only one of those events is golf and that does not make it right either. They also originally did not offer rain checks (no pun intended) for another day of the tournament or another PGA tournament later in the year. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, Golf | No Comments »
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
-One of the Greens at the US Open this Morning
The 2009 US Open began today at Bethpage State Park on Long Island, NY this morning at 8:00…and no one was able to complete their round before play was suspended due to rain. Four players are tied for first at -1: Jeff Brehaut (11), Johan Edfors (4), Andrew Parr (3), and Ryan Spears (3). The 2007 US Open winner Angel Cabrera is E through 7 holes while Tiger Woods is +1 through 6. Phil Mickelson never even got on the course.
So why did they even try and play today? It was raining from the start of the day and the radar showed that it would not let up much all day. I understand that they need to get as much play in whenever they can. Rain is scheduled to happen every day this weekend and the USGA does not want to have to finish the tournament on Mon. unless there is a playoff, but the conditions were terrible. Is the USGA more interested in finishing the tournament on time or having the best tournament? Players should not be more worried of if there club is going to slip out of their hands and hit someone in the gallery than on their next shot. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, Golf | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
-Michael Vick was Recently Released from Federal Prison
Now that former Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick has been released from federal prison the football world waits to see what NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will do to the former No. 1 pick. Does he think that Vick has been punished enough for his crimes and allow him to rejoin the league as soon as he is released, or will he suspended Vick for the first few games of the 2009-10 season?
In my opinion Gooddell has little choice in the matter. He has already set the precedent for what he needs to do in this situation. Goodell has in the past punished players found guilty of crimes even after the justice system punished them. Current Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Terry “Tank” Johnson was spent two months in jail following police finding six unregistered firearms in his home while he was a member of the Chicago Bears. Johnson was on probation for an earlier gun charge. Goodell then suspended Johnson for the first eight games of the 2007-08 NFL season which cost him $255,000. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, NFL | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
-Sammy Sosa Linked to PED use in 2003
With the New York Times reporting that former Cubs’ right fielder Sammy Sosa was one of the players that tested positive for a performance enhancing drug (PED) during the survey testing period brings up one key question (
see reaction to Sosa’s positve test here). Should anyone who tests positive for any PED be voted into the Hall of Fame? Sosa was long suspected of having used some form of PED in his career−likely steroids−but there was never any real solid evidence against him. His muscle mass and weight changed dramatically throughout his career, but that is not enough to accuse someone of taking PEDs.
Then there are his numbers. Over Sosa’s first nine seasons in MLB he averaged 23 homeruns a season. The most homers he hit in any of those seasons came in the 1996 season when he hit 40. Then he hit 66 in the once legendary and now infamous 1998 season. He then proceeded to hit 63, 50, 64, and 49 homers over the next four seasons respectively after that. In the first 100 or so years of Major League Baseball only two people had hit 60 or more homers in one season−George Herman “Babe” Ruth with 60 in 1927 and Roger Maris with 61 in 1961. Then Sosa hits 60 plus homeruns in three of four years? That should send up some red flags. And of course most sports fans remember that Sosa used a corked bat in a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays back in 2003, so it seemed like it wasn’t out of his character to cheat. (more…)
Posted in All Sports, MLB | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
-Randy Johnson Wins his 300th Game
Now that Randy Johnson has become the 24th member of the 300 Wins Club by defeating the Washington Nationals on June 4 (he has since won his 301st game). It took Johnson 45 years and pitching for six different teams (Montreal, Seattle, Houston, Arizona, the New York Yankees, and San Francisco) to reach the milestone. Johnson is the second oldest pitcher to reach 300 wins after Phil Niekro who won his 300th win at age 46.
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Posted in All Sports, MLB | No Comments »
