Archive for October 23rd, 2009

23
Oct
09

The Patriots Stars Travel in Style

While everyone else on the Patriots showed up for their trans-Atlantic flight in casual comfortable clothes, Tom Brady, the 2007 Esquire Best Dressed Man rolled up in a super stylin’ grey suit looking dapper as ever. Look at that pocket square, PERFECTLY folded, seriously, this man knows how to dress to impress. Brady StylinTom wasn’t the only star Patriots player to be in top form, Randy Moss apparently was running late, but managed to get his lunch and still make the flight, even if it was touch and go for a bit.

Randy MossThose fries look tasty.

[Boston Globe]

23
Oct
09

When Shaq Says Jump, You Say How High

71644779KH002_shaq_china_10_35_10_AMFrom Cleveland.com‘s Cavaliers notebook comes this gem:

Before the game, rookie guard Danny Green was busy making a baton on the orders of O’Neal. He constructed it with two tennis balls and a piece of plastic wrapped in athletic tape. Asked why he was doing it, Green didn’t even look up and answered, “Shaq told me to, I don’t know why and I’m not going to ask.”

No matter what he’s doing, the Big Diesel always manages to entertain.

[Cleveland.com]

23
Oct
09

You Want a Divorce? Fine. You’re Fired!

frank-jamie-mccourtThe soon-to-be ugly divorce battle between Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt has begun with Frank firing the first shot across his future ex’s bow when he fired Jamie as the team’s CEO. Jamie’s contention is that she owns 50% of the team, while Frank insists the team is all his.

While Frank holds the title of chairman and is the highest officer of the team, Jamie, up until the last few days was the team CEO.

“Jamie was disappointed and saddened by her termination,” Jamie McCourt’s lawyer Dennis Wasser said. “As co-owner of the Dodgers, she will address this and all other issues in the court room.”

I just hope this doesn’t affect the children, think about how this could really mess with Manny’s head…

This is going to get real ugly soon.

[Sports Illustrated]

23
Oct
09

The Patriots Take London by Storm

The New England Patriots are in London preparing for their eventual dismantling of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. While the team has a strictly-business approach, team owner Bob Kraft, the cheerleaders and the mascot are gallivanting around town doing sight-seeing and promotional work for the game and the league. The Patriots Twitter feed released some photos of the team at practice at the Brit Oval Cricket Grounds, a bizarre photo of Junior Seau on the plane and even a great shot of Kraft and Commissioner Goodell in the British Cabinet room where clearly Kraft is sizing up his chair as Chancellor of the Exchequer. My personal favorite though is this shot of the mascot and some cheerleaders taking in the view from atop the London Eye.

Patriots Cheerleaders at the Eye

[Patriots]

23
Oct
09

These Uniforms Are Absolutely Horrible

Don Cherry Military Appreciation Night SweatersI had thought these uniforms worn by the Montreal Canadiens last season were the worst that hockey had ever seen, they’ve been topped. The Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL wore special Don Cherry (the Craig Sager of hockey) inspired sweaters as part of their Don Cherry Military Appreciation Night to benefit Soldier On, a group that aids injured soldiers.

Frontenacs spokesman Jeff Stilwell and trainer Craig Belfer came up with the idea when “Last summer, we were looking at some really ugly sweaters worn in the AHL and ECHL,” Stilwell said. “We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool (to do something like that)? Then it snowballed in our weekly marketing meetings. … Don Cherry’s name got thrown in when we started talking about our annual military night and, boom, the concept went into reality mode.”

I wish they hadn’t for my eyes. However, Cherry was on hand for the event and autographed each uniform which will be auctioned off for the charity, so at least this ugliness was for a good cause.

The uniforms didn’t appear to be good luck, as the Frontenacs lost 4-3.

[Puck Daddy]

23
Oct
09

Bergeron Gets “Obliterated”

Marc-Andre Bergeron made his premiere for the Montreal Canadiens last night; it didn’t go perfectly. He took a hooking penalty in his first shift, and then in the second period he gets absolutely CRUSHED into the boards on a massive hit from the Atlanta Thrashers’ Colby Armstrong. Bergeron’s teammates immediately come to his defense swinging, but Bergeron just stands, very unsteadily, nearby watching the scrum trying to clear his head.

23
Oct
09

Patriots GM’s Wife Blasts Titans Organization

Floyd ReeseThe Patriots organization is notorious for their silence on most media issues, they don’t give out information unless forced to and take pride in their secrecy. So it was a bit surprising to see Senior Football Advisor Floyd Reese’s wife Sally making some emotional statements on a Tennessee radio station regarding her husband’s departure from the organization and his relationship with head coach Jeff Fisher.

I was here in Nashville, and I was listening…and I just had to kind of set the record straight, because my husband won’t. There was no fighting between Jeff and Floyd. I will say this, if pressed, that different people called us for months before and said they were picking sides…

So bottom line is my husband just went along and did his job and everything was just fine and one day he went to work and said, ‘Gee after 21 years we’re going in a different direction.’ Floyd still kind of didn’t get that. It was like, ‘What, what’ Now what I read and I hear all that stuff. My husband was totally oblivious. All he did was his job.

While Floyd was enroute to London with the rest of the Patriots he was apparently unaware that his wife was making the call.

He won’t like it. My son just called me a little while ago, and had I told him, he would have gotten through to Floyd on the plane. So I didn’t tell him either. But it’s all good. Oh, and the last thing when the statement was issued, when Floyd issued a statement. Floyd didn’t issue a statement. Underwood made it up. That’s another thing. I don’t know if that’s a lawsuit, but being a vindictive wife, I would have done a lawsuit.

He kept Jeff from getting fired two times. So if he’d let him get fired, he’d still be there. Hello? That’s hindsight. But you know paybacks — can I say bitch? — payback’s a bitch. Sunday I was hoping they’d run it to 100. And I love Tennessee. All you Tennessee people, my dad’s from Tennessee, but when you get sucker punched, you want to sucker punch back. My husband said it would be very uncool. He said, ‘We have to play them again.’ I said I only hope.

Reese spent 21 years in the Oilers/Titans organization prior to his resignation, which Sally claims wasn’t even written by her husband. I wouldn’t expect a comment coming from him (or Sally) anytime soon.

[Nashville City Paper]

23
Oct
09

The Lightning Show Off Their Thunder Sticks

hockey3As a way of livening up their practice, after the official portion was over the Tampa Bay Lightning played a game of “Naked Breakaway,” which requires the players to shed a piece of clothing or equipment each time they miss on a breakaway. Once you score you no longer need to continue.

Earlier this week, Martin St. Louis found himself without jersey, arm pads, leg pads, leggings and even his skates before he was finally able to convert. His teammates found it quite amusing to watch St. Louis try and score on one skate and then have to ditch that in favor of some sandals from the locker room.

“It was fun to do,” center Vinny Lecavalier said. “The guys had a good time. Guys were laughing together.”

Fortunately no one missed enough times to have to get fully naked, although after Todd Fedoruk missed, one of his teammates suggested to the gap-toothed forward to “take out the rest of your teeth.”

“Yeah, you start getting nervous after you lose a few pieces of clothing,” Lecavalier said.

[Tampa Bay]

23
Oct
09

OK, One More Item on Steve Phillips’ Talent Evaluation Skills

WrightCruz One of my favorite baseball writers/evaluators is ESPN’s Keith Law who writes extremely well, is smart, witty, snarky and an excellent judge of talent (even if he doesn’t like Anna’s Tacqueria); I trust his eye. During his time as a special assistant to JP Ricciardi in Toronto he witnessed any number of interesting and bizarre choices by his GM, including passing on Troy Tulowitzki in favor of Ricky Romero. Sure, Romero has come on recently and looks to be a good pitcher, but Tulo is a 30 HR Gold Glove shortstop and those simply don’t grow on trees.

Anyhoo, in his chat yesterday on ESPN, Keith Law dropped this little nugget that absolutely FLOORED me:

Eddie (Milwaukee): What was Steve Phillips thinking? Almost trading a 19 year old David Wright for Jose Cruz Jr.? Ridiculous.

Klaw: I’ve been asked about that trade rumor for three years but never answered while Ricciardi was still GM. The offer was made, though; I was there when the call came in. It was the first time I’d heard of Wright, since I wasn’t with Toronto in 2001 nor had I followed the draft when Wright was in it. JP’s reaction was, “I’m not trading a major league player for some guy in the Sally League.” And that was pretty much that. We had a chance to trade Cruz after that for Rafael Soriano, but JP refused to do it unless Seattle included Clint Nageotte, who, at the time, was a pretty hot prospect. It’s weird; I can’t remember some things that happened last week but I remember those conversations (over seven years ago now) like they just took place.

This makes BOTH Phillips and Ricciardi look bad. I can’t believe Stevie-boy offered D-Wright for Jose Cruz Jr. who had his best year as a rookie and then never followed up on it. This is the same Jose Cruz Jr. who is OUT OF THE LEAGUE, and the David Wright who is a regular pre-season MVP pick and one of the best young players in the game (if he ever gets his power stroke back.) Wow. WOW. WOW.

[ESPN]




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