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Saturday, June 12, 2010

This Day in Sox History: June 12, 2001 - Doug Mirabelli's Reign Begins in Boston



dougietext
9:00 Shakes off the cobwebs and gets out of bed
9:01 lets out blistering fart and takes 90 second piss on his hands – farts 5 more times
9:03 drinks 3 raw eggs Rocky Balboa style and opens the fridge
9:05 take out leftovers from the Kowloon poo-poo platter for 3 he picked up last night
9:15 grunts at his wife and gives hid kids 20 bucks each to leave him alone
9:17 takes a dump
9:22 sings Van Halen in the shower
9:25 shaves and leaves his goatee
9:30 takes 35 vicious cuts with his bat naked in front of the mirror – screams out loud “Dougie is going deep tonight”
9:45 puts on his cowboy boots and tight jeans and tanktop and gets ready to leave
9:50 grunts at his wife and kids and tells them he’ll see them tomorrow
9:57 pulls onto Rt 1 with Led Zeppelin blaring- cuts three people off- gives the finger to all three people
10:15 pulls into Fenway park – tells clubhouse parking attendant to make sure he blocks Nomar in
10:16 puts the kid in a headlock and threatens the kid and his family’s life if there is one scratch on his truck
10:22 walks into clubhouse and calls Nomar a homo for the the first time time today and 350th time this month – asks Nomar if he misses his boyfriend Lou Merloni
10:27 takes a shit – leaves door open and yells at anyone who walks by
10:30 gives Nomar a deadleg and calls him a homo
10:33 stuffs Derek Lowe in a locker and pisses on him
10:37 goes through a 10-minute handshake with his boy Tim Wakefield
10:45 takes Pokey’s headphones off and steps on them- says until he is hitting .250, no music
10:50 Francona walks by and Dougie cuts him off and says “Is Dougie DHing the first game?”
10:51 Francona runs and hides behind Schilling 
10:55 tells Trot that if Dougie played 162 games, his numbers would look like this: .375 72 Hr’s 52 Doubles 9 Singles 6 Walks 220 K’S
11:17 writes back response to to fan’s letter: “Hey Pussy, I don’t wear batting gloves because they are for pussies, like your boyfriend Nomar ”
11:30 walks out to batting pratice with a tanktop on
11:45 after no stretching, steps into the cage- ignores the 5 bunts standard procedure
11:47 takes 25 cuts – hits 17 over the monster and misses the other 8
11:48 calls the batting practice pitcher a homo and tells him to go bang Nomar for mixing in a curveball after Dougie hit one onto the pike
11:55 Tackles Nomar and gives him wedgie – calls him a pickle smoker
12:00 Dougie’s daily order of Double Chicken Parm from Joe Tecci’s arrives
12:07 Dougie finishes Chicken Parm and pours the rest of his sauce into Nomar’s locker
12:15 Tito posts lineup – Dougie sees he is not the DH – calls Francona a pussy. Francona runs behind Schilling
12:25 Dougie gets naked and takes 25 swings in front of the clubhouse mirror- announcing “Dougie is going deep tonight”
12:45 takes a shit – uses Nomar’s $350 silk shirt to wipe his ass
1:05 game starts – Dougie tells Francona he is not going to the bullpen to warm up pitchers. Francona hides behind Schilling
1:25 Dougie annouces he is ready to pinch hit in the bottom of the first for Nomar
1:45 Abe Alvarez comes in – Dougie tells him he sucks and will back at Trenton by 7 tonight
1:55 Dougie’s 4 Fenway Franks arrive – pays with Nomar’s credit card
2:15 finishes shopping with Nomars credit card- maxed it out at Auto Zone
2:30 dozes off
3:30 sees they are losing and goes back to the dugout and tells the whole team they suck except for him and Wakefield
3:33 announces himself ready to pinch hit
4:30 Sox lose game – Dougie tells Francona he should have DH’ed him – Francona runs away
5:00 Dougie tells Nomar singles are for pussies
5:30 Dougie takes BP again- refuses to bunt
5:33 Dougie hits 22 pitches over the wall: 11 fair – 11 foul – all pulled – he misses 15 pitches
6:00 Dougie sees name in lineup – calls Francona a pussy for batting him 9th – Francona hides behind Schilling
6:05 Dougie demands to bat cleanup
6:25 announces that “Dougie is going deep tonight”
6:30 dinner arrives – 2 steaks from the Capital Grille – Dougie pours steak juice into Nomar’s locker – makes Derek Lowe eat the fat
6:35 Dougie gives D Lowe an atomic weedgie
7:00 tells Wakefield to show some balls tonight and don’t throw anything in the dirt
7:10 scoreless first – Dougie tells Francona it must be the catching
7:25 while waiting in on-deck circle, tells fans “Dougie is going deep tonight”
7:27 Dougie screams at pitcher- tells him he is a pussy and he is taking him deep
7:30 Dougie hits bomb off the wall – coasts into second – almost gets thrown out
7:31 tells pitcher his fastball sucks – tells shortstop and second baseman that he “didn’t get all of it”
8:15 Dougie ropes a rocket to third – third baseman takes all day and still turns a double play on Dougie
8:16 fans boo Dougie
8:17 Dougie tells family of 4 to fuck off and steals some kid’s hot dog
8:18 Dougie is tired and is happy he it into a doubleplay – he did not want to run the bases anymore
9:10 Dougie strikes out on an inside pitch after crushing 4 foul home runs- calls pitcher, catcher and ump pussies
9:30 9th inning – Dougie is exhausted – walks out to the mound and calls Embree a pussy and tells him to just bring the heat – Dougie wants to get home
9:50 Dougie showers – and walks around the clubhouse naked – tells the Globe’s Dan Shaugnessy and Gordon Edes to blow him
9:55 Dougie shaves – and leaves a goatee
10:00 Knocks Nomar off his exercise bike – calls him a homo singles hitter and leaves clubhouse
10:10 cuts off 4 redsox fans – gives the finger to everyone near
10:25 arrives at Kowloon Chinese Restaurant on Rt 1
10:45 sits down at bar and digs into his poo-poo platter for 3
12:00 stumbles home and parks truck on the front lawn – goes for a dip in his above-ground pool
12:10 leaves dirty undies on his neighbor’s windshield
12:15 walks into house naked and screams “who saw the bomb I hit tonite???”
12:30 wakes up whole neighborhood
12:45 takes 35 swings naked and orders porn
12:55 pulls out bucket of KFC and gets ready for movie
1:15 Dougie passes out on couch

Draw Opens Cup for USA

Not a bad opening result. Like I said, half of Group C is weak, and we earned a point against the consensus favorite in the group. It stings a little bit in the sense that we had a few golden chances for the lead -- namely Altidore's great blow-by and a strike off the post -- but don't forget how soft our goal was, as well. At the end of the day, a draw is a pretty solid result here. Now the Americans will rest up and practice before their next match on the 18th. Hopefully the good signs will continue to come moving forward.

USA vs England: Halftime Thoughts

All things considered, I thought that was a great first half for the United States. We controlled the possession of the ball, and had several quality chances on runs by Altidore and Onyewu. Donovan's sending quality crosses into the box, and one of these times, they will connect. The bad side thus far, to me, has been the backfield. We apply some pressure and then, boom! England comes back the other way and has a prime scoring chance with numbers against the US defenders. And the England goal was on a defensive mishap, as well, that allowed a man through the seam into the middle. Tighten up that defense and start connecting on some crosses, and I think the USA will be just fine in the second half. Ultimately, a tie is fine by me in this match. Two teams advance, and we are likely to take down our other two opponents (Algeria & Slovenia). So the mindset should still be to win because it's a very winnable game, but the biggest goal is to avoid leaving this match empty handed.

USA vs England: Physicality the Key

At last, the action is set to begin. At 2:30 PM ET, the United States will kick off its 2010 World Cup schedule against a formidable foe in England. After two draws in day one of the Cup, the fans are eager for some dynamic action moving into day two. US Midfielder Michael Bradley claims that we will get just that.

"It means having a physical edge to the way you play, being committed to running and fighting and covering for each other for 90 minutes. There is a lot of things that go into it. When we have the ball, we have to be sharp and put them under pressure a little bit, playing the game in their half and being aggressive with that. There are a lot of things that go into it - but having a physical edge is something we bring on our best days and we need that on Saturday."

Bradley, son of the US coach Bob Bradley, reiterated that the United States looks to make things very difficult on England and continue to play the rough and physical style that has gotten them this far. For England, they will hope to capitalize on what appears to be a clear advantage in skill, led by world class striker Wayne Rooney. Most of the acclaimed analysts are giving the Americans no chance at stopping the high impact striker, but hey... don't Americans know better than anyone how to work miracles in international play?

Well, "miracle" might be a strong word. It is only match one of their three-match preliminary round. But every point is huge for the United States, and the quest for their first three begins in just a few hours' time.

Friday, June 11, 2010

GNAR WARS


Steezy video. Czech it out.

Cage Fight Pick 'Em: Eddie Rush vs Joey Crawford

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At last, a showdown between two NBA refs. And of course, we know the reason this was sparked. We had some requests to put Eddie Rush in a Cage Fight Pick 'Em after taking that punch from Pierce last night. This one will be quick, so let's hurry up and get to it.

Rush: I don't know much about either of these fighters, but I know that Eddie Rush can take a punch. He's a strong guy, and he'll let Crawford punch him in the face all day. So, he wants a stand up fight. He can take the punches and give them right back, which will lead to Crawford's demise. He can't withstand those strikes.

Crawford: Guy is widely regarded as the worst ref in the NBA. With good reason. Makes up absurd calls most of the time. Namely the ghost call on Marcus Camby this year. If he stays standing with Rush, he'll be on the ground before long.

X-Factor: Eddie Rush's ability to land strikes. If he lands strikes and avoids Crawford's takedown attempts, he wins the fight.

The Decision: Eddie Rush knocks out Joey Crawford. Who's next?

What do the fans think? Vote 1 for Crawford would still destroy Rush despite being the worst ref ever. Vote 5 for Eddie Rush gives completely absurd technical fouls but would still knock out Crawford.

Uruguay Holds on to Tie France, 0-0

The infamous 0-0 soccer match. Well, to be honest, the World Cup hasn't quieted critics of the sport yet. 1-1 and 0-0 through two matches is not what the uneducated soccer fan bases were looking for. For the true fans of the sport, though, it hasn't been all that bad. Uruguay executed a great defensive game plan in this match and was able to sneak away with a point against France -- a spectacular feat for the Uruguayans. France is considered the favorite in that group, and the sky blue are most likely thrilled to get a draw out of that opener. France had their chances in stoppage time, but they were unable to bury the ball. They also failed to execute on back-to-back corner kicks near the end of the match.

Well, the day we've all been waiting for is nearly upon us. The United States will kick off with England tomorrow afternoon on ABC. Get ready to rumble!

Indians Teach Bard a Lesson

Aside from learning that the Boston Celtics' bench unit can outplay Kobe Bryant and the Lakers' starting unit, we learned last night that Daniel Bard isn't quite ready for a definitive closer's role. He was a little shaky in the ninth earlier in this series, and last night he slipped up for a blown save and a loss. Bard loaded the bases on two walks and a base hit, and a bloop single to right field just over the glove of Dustin Pedroia won the game for Cleveland, 8-7. The blown save came after Adrian Beltre's 2-run bomb in the top half of the inning gave Boston the lead, 7-6.

Well, for those calling Bard's name as Papelbon's eventual replacement (myself included), we learned that he is going to need a little more time to polish his game up before stepping into that ultra-responsible closer's role. Papelbon has been on a leave of bereavement due to a death in the family, and Daniel Bard stepped in as the interim closer for this four-game set with Cleveland. Last night, he caused a heartbreaker, and the Sox missed out on a chance to gain ground on Tampa Bay and New York.

We'll see how well Bard is able to shake this one off. He's had a good reputation for being able to quickly forget about tough outings and bounce back from them stronger. Hopefully that will be the case here, because he's as crucial a piece as anyone in that bullpen, completing the bridge to Jonathan Papelbon.

Just Another Commercial That Makes You Want to Pull Your Hair Out

When I see this commercial, I can't help but think about the truth. A group of people sat down in a conference room at the Dell headquarters and decided that this commercial was a good idea. Incredible. All I know is that if this commercial is played one more time I'm seriously going to consider pulling out all of my hair.

Lionel Messi Is a __________ Fill in Derogatory Word of Choice


Yahoo Sports - The world’s greatest soccer player started using human growth hormone at the age of just 9 years old and continued to use it systematically for more than four years.

And it was perfectly legal.

The use of HGH in a normal bodied human being acts as an anabolic steroid, but for Lionel Messi, it merely enabled to him to overcome a condition known as growth hormone deficiency and reach his natural height. The spectacularly skilled Argentinean is no giant, standing just 5-foot-6, even in his cleats. Without treatment, though, doctors believe he would have reached only 4-7 as an adult.

“Nothing allows us to overcome genetics,” Dr. Diego Schwarsztein, the endocrinologist who first treated Messi as a 9-year-old, said in a recent interview with journalist Luca Caioli. “But if difficulties arise we can help it along. Those who genuinely have growth hormone deficiency have it for life. That is why it is necessary to intervene.”

The intervention took the form of injections every night, Messi grimacing in pain as the needles were jabbed into his skin by his father Jorge. Even then, the growth in his stature was slow.

It's funny how one day you can think the world of someone, and the next you find out that the only reason they're good at soccer is because they've been taking HGH since they were nine years old. Now, this article seems to portray Messi as a tough kid overcoming an obstacle and trumping adversity. Kind of ridiculous. Here's why. It's called natural selection. Survival of the fittest. Messi was supposed to be 4 foot 7 inches as an adult. But soccer clubs paid $150,000 a year so he could grow. Height means a lot. Height means longer legs, which translates to faster speed. How is this drug use any less criminal than a baseball player using steroids? Sure a baseball player using HGH can hit the ball harder but it doesn't help with hand-eye coordination as far as I know. In Messi's case speed is everything. His agility, speed, quickness - they are all a byproduct of HGH. Lionel Messi was bred to be a star soccer player. He wasn't meant to be one. Therefore I cannot appreciate his talents or efforts. Read that Yahoo article. This is no bash on Messi either. Let me be clear. He did what he was told to do. But it is unethical to allow a soccer player the chance to grow more and not a player of another sport. I'd like to hear some counter-arguments justifying Messi's talent despite his artificial body.

South Africa, Mexico Play to 1-1 Draw in Opener

I was really pulling for the hosts to take this one. Beautiful goal early in the second half there by South Africa (yellow). And then to give up such a softy there really hurts. How do you let three guys stand unmarked in the box? One of them gets it and buries it past the helpless keeper. It's a shame, because I felt like South Africa was the more athletic team. And on a few occasions, their players got tossed down in the box. I know it's tough to make a call inside the box for a penalty kick, but they had breakaways taken away a couple of times.

Ultimately, a draw in the opener isn't all that surprising. Both teams are nervous and you absolutely do not want to lose that first match. So the draw is a respectable finish for each team. Keeping yourself in the running. Next up, France and Uruguay, 2:00 PM EDT on ESPN.

This Day in Sox History: June 11, 1995 - Red Sox Get Cheated by Steroid Man

15 years ago today, the Oakland Athletics took down the Boston Red Sox, 8-1, on Mark McGwire's 3-HR day, giving him a record 5 homers in a 2 game span. I want this win back! McGwire was a cheater! He used steroids! The A's should be stripped of this win just like USC was stripped of everything that's ever happened to them. The Red Sox should have won this game!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Big Grizzly Bear Leads Celtics to Victory!

How about that Celtics bench! They drop 36 points and pretty much play the entire fourth quarter en route to a HUGE game 4 victory to even up the series. Just phenomenal. And it would be unfair for me to complain about the refs in previous games and not mention them now. They let the teams play a little more tonight, would anyone agree? But I wouldn't go as far as to say they were awful in favor of Boston. Kobe got RIDICULOUS star treatment on a lot of calls. They missed that one charge near the end, but made it up on a bogus foul on the following possession. Plain and simple, the Lakers got toasted by Nate and Baby, who is making a case for being a grizzly bear in the video above. I love it. Absolutely great energy from the C's bench. None of the "Big Four" played stellar, Kobe brought his 30+ game, and we still win. That, my friends, is why the Boston Celtics will be your 2010 World Champions in a matter of time.


PS -- Hey Kobe. People don't forget.

PPS -- Phil Jackson's pretty rattled.



This Is Why I've Never Seen a Kia on the Road.



P.S. Cue the Celtics victory blog from Drob!

P.P.S. Big Baby is a Monster.

P.P.P.S. Scal looked fly on the bench tonight as usual.

Celtics Look to Even Finals Tonight

The Celtics and Lakers will tip off game 4 of the NBA Finals tonight from the TD Garden at 9:00 PM EDT. The Celtics face a 2-1 series deficit and they will need a win tonight to avoid digging themselves a monstrous hole. So, what will the C's have to do to get it?

First, foremost, and most general, they need to play better. KG bounced back strong last game, but Pierce and Ray were still on vacation. They can't afford another 0-for-13 shooting night out of Allen, and Pierce will need to stay out of foul trouble and get into a rhythm offensively. As most analysts have pointed out, Boston's "Big Four" isn't truly such when only two of them are playing good basketball on a given night. When you combine that with the poor play of Kendrick Perkins on the offensive end, you have a very flawed team who cannot sustain a run to get themselves a lead.

So how will they do it? What needs to happen? Well, the officiating certainly hasn't helped Boston. And even though Doc Rivers sent complaints, the referees' decisions are still out of the Celtics' control. They need to understand that if they're going to get back into this series. Regardless of whether or not everyone is out to get them, they need to control the outcomes that they have the ability to control. They need to box out. Rebound. Play defense. Hustle back. The backup big men need to run the floor better. They need to hit shots. All of those things can be done without interference from the refs (for the most part). Maybe setting screens will be a bit more difficult than normal now that Doc brought attention to the missed calls in that area. But it doesn't matter. No matter what call the ref makes, Boston needs to play basketball.

I would certainly hope we don't see another 0-for from Ray-Ray. And it would be phenomenal if KG could come out of the gates with the same intensity he had last game. As you know from previous blogs, I am a believer in the rigged NBA conspiracy theory, and I believe that on some nights the Celtics have more than just their opponents going against them. Ultimately, though, it is up to the Celtics to overcome any adversity and maintain a level head in order to knock off a team on any given night. Tonight, it's the Lakers. Tonight, the Celtics even up the series. That happens tonight.

I've been wrong before. But I'm a believer in Boston to tie the series at two.

Roethlisberger Apologizes.... Again....

Yahoo!  -  A contrite Ben Roethlisberger says he got caught up in being a caricature called Big Ben, not the grounded player and person he once was, leading to his off-field problems—and affecting his play as the Steelers quarterback.
In his first detailed interviews since a Georgia college student accused him of sexually assaulting her in a nightclub bathroom on March 5, Roethlisberger told Pittsburgh TV stations KDKA and WTAE that he expects to be booed this season.
He also apologized extensively for his actions, and promised to become the role model he should have been throughout his career.
“I got caught up being Big Ben the whole time. I lost track of who Ben Roethlisberger was. It’s not something I’m proud of,” he told WTAE. “I’ve made mistakes, I know I have.”

Oh, alright. Nevermind then, Ben. Since your actions were only caused because of you being caught up in your self-image, I guess we'll let you off the hook. No big deal. Seriously, like JGood said in his post last week. "Once a rapist, always a rapist." Rapelisberger can continue to plead his case, but it isn't going to work. He's saying his NFL stardom and all the publicity made him get caught up in his immature view of the world. Well, Ben... there are like 3,000 players in the NFL, and the stardom doesn't make the rest of them become rapists. So where's the catch? It was basically summed up in JGood's post that I linked up there. You rape someone, you're not a good person. That's it. End of discussion. No pleading your case. Apologies don't work for everything.
PS -- Same goes for you, Kobe.

Lester Takes the Hill vs Cleveland

Jon Lester (7-2, 2.73 ERA) will take the hill tonight for the Boston Red Sox as they try to win their series with the Cleveland Indians from Progressive Field. The Indians will send Mitch Talbot (7-4, 3.54 ERA) to the mound in return. Talbot has been one of the Indians' best this year, but I don't see any way Lester drops this start. Coming off an 11-0 blanking by a shutout from Justin Masterson, the Sox offense is bound to break out for a big day sooner or later. And Clay Buchholz suffered the loss in yesterday's game, despite giving up just 3 earned in 7 innings. Regardless, this Buchholz-Lester punch has been too good to drop back to back starts. I'd call this the lock of the week. Lester and the BoSox will wrap up a 3-for-4 series with Cleveland tonight behind a great outing from their starter.

I Want Top Pot Maple Bars

Yahoo Sports - As first reported by TMZ.com, Tate was given a trespass warning by police in Bellevue, Washington (a suburb of Seattle) when the owner of the Top Pot donut shop below the apartment complex in which Tate lives noticed that there were intruders in his place of business at 3:00 last Saturday morning. The Seattle Times reports that Tate and a friend got in via a common door that was left open.
Tate said that the idea was to go into the shop to grab a few maple bars, which are apparently addictive to the extreme. "They're irresistible," Tate told the media after his pastry caper was made public. "It was kind of a foolish mistake that won't happen again. But if you ever want some maple bars, that's the place to go.
"A buddy made the mistake of going in, grabbing a couple. He came out, we ate them. There's nothing much to the story other than that. I'm very apologetic to it. This is the wrong type of media I want to bring to this organization. I apologized to the team, the coaches and even Top Pot. As of now, I think that's the end of it."
Can you blame Golden Tate? If you can't blame him for being named Golden, and you can't blame him for being drafted by the Seahawks, then you most certainly can't blame him for grabbing a couple maple bars from Top Pot. Nobody got hurt, I'm sure Tate will be a long time customer so what exactly is the big deal? They sound delicious, Top Pot is getting all kinds of publicity now, it's like they brainwashed the Seahawks for the sole purpose of publicity. Later in that article the Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll gave a ringing endorsement to the "allure" of Top Pot.
"I'm not disappointed in the guy being at a donut shop when they've got maple bars like Top Pot has," the coach said. "However, under the circumstances ... I think they were closed, or something like that, or they were trying to close. So that's definitely wrong, and we've talked about it and addressed it. And he's most remorseful. But I do understand the allure of the maple bars."
Smells like a tasty publicity stunt to me.

Cage Fight Pick 'Em: Byfuglein vs Hartnell

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In honor of the Chicago Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup last night, today's Cage Fight Pick 'Em features a matchup of two guys from the finals matchup. Dustin Byfuglein vs Scott Hartnell. Both of these guys really made themselves known in the 2010 playoffs with their clutch play for their respective teams. But who will prevail in the octagon?

Byfuglein: Big, strong guy. A monster out front in the crease. He'll have the advantage in strength over Hartnell. He has that ability to really agitate in front of the opponent's goal. And he combines that with the ability to put the puck in the back of the net. He makes huge hits. Just that fearless type of guy who is going to throw everything at you.

Hartnell: Boy did Bruins fans grow to hate this guy. He'll flop sometimes, and he's always clutching and grabbing. Wreaking havoc on opponents simply because he angers them. Plays a rather undesirable and sometimes dirty style of hockey. But it works for him. Helped to lead his team nearly to the championship level this season. He's a competitor, but I'm not sure he's strong enough to hang with Byfuglein.

X-Factor: The key point in this one will be whether or not Hartnell can aggravate Byfuglein enough to throw him off his game. Unfortunately for Hartnell, Byfuglein is holding the Cup high above his head before the opening bell even rings. Nothing is throwing him off his game right now.

The Decision: Dustin Byfuglein puts Scott Hartnell where he belongs, knocking him out in the 2nd round.

What do the fans think? Vote 1 for Hartnell is too gritty to lose to Dustin. Vote 5 for Byfuglein's crazy and would rock Hartnell with ease.

Without a Doubt the Most Disturbing News Story You'll Read Today

AOL  -  Police in Brazil say they've arrested a man who allegedly kept his daughter imprisoned in a thatch hut for 12 years and fathered seven children with her in a remote jungle village accessible only by canoe. 

It's a case eerily similar to one in Austria, where Josef Fritzl was found guilty last year of locking his daughter in a dungeon for 24 years and also having seven children with her. 

In Brazil, police say they were tipped off by an anonymous phone call and sent officers to 54-year-old Jose Agostino Pereira's house 10 days ago. They kept him under surveillance for several days, then moved in Tuesday to arrest him.

Here's another one of those stories that sort of tells itself. This is FUBAR (click for meaning). People like this just don't deserve a place in the world. And to think the same thing happened somewhere else last year? Makes you wonder if the world will ever be rid of this type of stuff. The only part that confuses me is who made an anonymous phone call about this after 12 years. They can't have phones in the middle of the jungle, right? So I wonder how someone stumbled across this now but managed to avoid it for the last 4,380 days. Either way, like I said, this story is plain and simply FUBAR.

USC Punished Hard for 2004 Recruiting Violations

ESPN reported today that the NCAA is going to strip USC of at least their wins in 2004, any scholarships for the next two seasons, and any postseason bowl games for the next two seasons. The punishments are due to their 2004 recruiting violations. This is a pretty crazy punishment on the Trojans, who will likely be stripped of their 2004 National Championship by the BCS. In addition, there is a more-than-likely chance that Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy will be vacated. When asked about the possibility of having it repossessed to him, former Texas Longhorns quarterback Vince Young told ESPN's Joe Schad that he wanted no part of that.

When you really look at it, these punishments are a massive blow for new head coach Lane Kiffin and his USC Trojans. Not only will they be stripped of their biggest accomplishment in recent memory, but they will have a very difficult time maintaining their standing as an elite program without the ability to compete for a national title. When Kiffin walks into the living rooms of high school football players, it will be very difficult to persuade them to choose USC with the knowledge that they cannot go into their freshman year with the chance to win a ring. Additionally, the banning of scholarships will make it that much more challenging to bring in top recruits like they have in the past. With all of this considered, are these punishments too harsh?

I believe they are. If I'm entering my junior year this season at USC, I'm incredibly upset about this. The current juniors and seniors on this USC squad were freshmen and sophomores in high school during USC's 2004 season. They had nothing to do with this scandal, but they are being deprived of their chance to win a national title now. If I'm the one laying the punishments, I think you have to keep the kids in mind. College kids playing their last games of football in a school environment. There's never a bigger sense of pride. And now they are, essentially, playing for nothing. I just think the NCAA needs to think of a better way to go about this. Fine them -- fine. Strip their '04 championship -- fine. There were illegal things going on during that title, so it is fair to strip it. Take away their scholarship use -- fine. Those players aren't there yet, so that's a reasonable punishment to the program. But to punish the kids currently on that team, I just find that plain and simply unfair. They did nothing wrong. And now they've taken a huge blow for the mistakes of others.

This Day in Sox History: June 10, 2005 - Red Sox Play Cubs at Wrigley for First Time in 87 Years

Yes sir. Five years ago today, the Red Sox played at Wrigley field for the first time in 87 years. In other words, the Sox didn't play at Wrigley once during the course of the entire curse of the Bambino. Pretty crazy scheduling if you as me. I would have figured maybe like 50 or 60 years into each team's respective curses, maybe they would have started matching them up together. Even if it was for no reason other than making a good storyline. Anyway, the previous time before this that the Sox played the Cubbies was in 1918, when the Sox rode a great pitching performance from Babe Ruth to a victory over Chicago. Yikes!


Masterson Twirls Gem Against Sox

Ex-Red Sox prospect Justin Masterson took the hill against Boston last night and, needless to say, was on top of his game. Entering the game 1-5 with a 5.46 ERA, the youngster turned things around quickly in a complete game, 2-hit shutout against the Red Sox. The Indians prevailed, 11-0.

A part of you almost feels happy for the kid. He had a lot of potential here in Boston, but we could never figure out what exactly his role was. He hated to leave when we traded him. And then he had terrible struggles in Cleveland as both a starter and a reliever. So, in a way, it was good to see Masterson get back on track with a performance we know he is capable of. Unfortunately, it came against his old Red Sox, who drop to 5 games behind Tampa following the Rays' victory last night.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Hawks Hoist the Cup!


Good for Chicago. I love it. Patrick Kane. You went up a million notches in my book. So did Toews. Way to do it Blackhawks. Way to do it.

Game 6: Flyers Host Blackhawks, 8 PM EDT

The Flyers and Blackhawks will faceoff in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight from Philadelphia. If you missed it before, check out KShep's Game 6 Preview from yesterday.

Who's your winner tonight? Vote 1 for Flyers head back to Chicago or 5 for Blackhawks hoisting the dish on Philly's ice.

Products of Sox Farm System Square Off Tonight in Cleveland

When the Red Sox and Indians square off tonight in lonely Cleveland, two products of the Red Sox farm system will take the hill for the first time opposing each other. For the Sox, it will be the red-hot Clay Buchholz, while Justin Masterson will look to earn his first victory against the Boston Red Sox.

Buchholz rides a five-game winning streak entering tonight's contest, and his ERA is a stunning 0.99 during that stretch. He is 8-3 on the season with a 2.39 ERA, putting himself in the pool of candidates in the early-going who are contending for the AL Cy Young Award.

Masterson, meanwhile, is just 1-5 on the season with an ERA of 5.46. Although it has been a struggle, he is coming off his first victory of the season in his last start, when he dealed 5.2 innings and surrendered just 1 earned run to the Chicago White Sox.

It should be a good one from Cleveland, and you can look for Clay Buchholz to build on those impressive stats with another solid performance. He has given up just 1 run and 15 hits in his last 22 innings, compiling a 3-0 record over that stretch. Catch all the actual on NESN starting at 7:05 PM EDT.

UPDATE -- Clay is having control problems tonight, just a real tough night he's had to grind out. Not great numbers. Some wild pitches. Meanwhile, Masterson is dealing so far through 5.


Doc Rivers Sends Complaints to NBA Office

Following Tuesday night's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Doc Rivers woke up this morning and send "a lot" of complaints and game tape to the NBA office this morning. Personally, I'm very glad that Doc made this move. Unfortunately for the Celtics, the NBA will never do anything about it. And here is why.

On paper, the officiating in this game was not lopsided at all. But if you watched the game, you are in denial if you say it was fair. Yes, naturally some calls will go in each direction to use as evidence. But from the Celtics standpoint, what happened every single time they got a little bit of a run going? Phantom calls off the ball on Garnett, Wallace, etc. That ruins the flow of the game. Not to mention the fact that Paul Pierce literally couldn't stay out there for any good stretch of time. Well, we can't sit here and complain every time someone gets five fouls, and say the NBA is rigged because of that. But when you look at the fouls on tape -- it just makes you wonder. The referees do everything in their power to keep guys like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in the ball game. So why isn't it the same for the Celtics star? I'm not advocating slanting the game to keep stars in the game. I don't believe in "star treatment." But I do believe that consistency is essential, and NBA refs need to improve their consistency if they want to gain any credibility.

Consistency. That's all I ask of you. Even just a little bit.

NBA '11 to Use the Three Amigos from ESPN Broadcasts

Deadspin  -  ESPN's booth trio of (from left) Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen will be the new voice talent for NBA Elite 11, according to a by-the-way mention at the bottom of an AP story on the broadcast team today.


No other details were given, just that they will appear. That means the five-year run of play-by-play man Marv Albert and analyst (and Phoenix Suns general manager) Steve Kerr has come to an end. Breen, Jackson and Van Gundy are a very well regarded broadcast team, with Breen's call providing a solid underpinning to the informed and occasionally testy banter between Jackson and Van Gundy.
I'm a little unsure how I feel about this. I guess I like it. The main guy there, Breen, isn't that bad. And neither is Jackson, really. Jackson's comments are good and make sense. At times, Van Gundy shows his knowledge. At others, he's just another broadcaster that makes you want to turn the television off (like last night, when he told the story of having a kid spit on his hand and rub his head for good luck after getting his head shaved... wait, what?). But ultimately, I think these three are better than the combo right now with Marv Albert and Steve Kerr. Does Albert even do NBA games anymore in real life? Those guys had their run, and now the passing of the torch has to occur. Hopefully it lives up to the expectations, and they keep the goofy, pointless stories to a minimum.

Introducing Chrissy Pronger, Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune

Funny stuff, I tried my hand at photoshop once but then I decided I'd rather not take ten hours to crop my body into a picture. If I were Pronger I'd get a kick out of this. This means he's feared.

Cage Fight Pick 'Em: Brady vs Manning

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The debate that has gone on for years. Back and forth arguing who is better, measuring it by rings, stats, MVPs, and every imaginable way of measurement. It ends tonight. In the octagon. Tom and Peyton will settle this the right way. Let's see who comes out on top.

Tom: Well, unfortunately, in recent years, Brady has turned into the pretty boy we feared he might turn into. But he's still a big, strong guy who loves to win. And those who question is work ethic and desire to win football games are jumping the gun way too soon. They had a subpar year last year, yes. And still, they went 11-5 and made the playoffs. A lot of teams are pretty happy with that production. We aren't in Boston, but he wasn't terrible. He still gives it his all and hates losing to Peyton's team. Peyton has gotten the better of him a few times. So Brady will try his best to land his punches and rock Peyton. I'm not sure that will be hard to do.

Peyton: He's an MVP quarterback and a commercial actor. Doesn't win the rings. Fails in the clutch games. That's the reputation, anyway. But he's improved it in recent years. The Colts have gotten the best of the Pats of late. But still, have you seen the way Peyton runs down the field? He looks like a field hockey player or something. A fairy. He takes the hit well, but more often than not throws the ball away to avoid it. He has that reputation of being somewhat soft physically. It doesn't matter for him, because he has a great pass blocking line and his arguably the best quarterback in the league. But that doesn't help hi in the octagon. And he lacks the pocket presence Brady has.

X-Factor: The X-Factor is going to be Brady's ability to catch Peyton off guard. It's one of those fights where Peyton can use a tactical advantage if Brady lets him hang around too long. Fortunately for the Boston fans, Peyton will likely have his head turned negotiating a commercial contract while Brady wastes no time beating him by the punch.

The Decision: Brady is still the best, knocking out a surprised Manning with a hook to the head.

What do the fans think? Vote 1 for Peyton would toss Brady any day. Vote 5 for the three rings on Brady's had would leave some pretty gnarly scars in Peyton's face.


 

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