Saturday, August 30, 2008 - Name Game

-We're not letting you play anymore because you're too good, you don't speak English, and now because you're a girl. What's next, you have to be hetero?
-Patrick Ewing Jr. will be playing for the Knicks next season after being traded from the Rockets. Like father, like son.
-The Bengals' Chad Johnson has officially legally changed his name to Ocho Cinco.
-Ray Allen is having trouble selling his old house in Seattle, trimming the price down to $5.2 from $6 mill.
-The Jays-Angels deal involving David Eckstein is at a standstill, as other teams have joined in the discussion. The Red Sox, Rays and Dodgers are reportedly interested in Eckstein's services as well.
-Steve Nash has a differing opinion on the Suns' plan of resting him to keep him fresh for the playoffs, saying that the Suns might not be good enough to afford resting him 10-12 games. But they really have no choice, with Nash, 34, playing a tonne, 81 of 82 games last year with an average of just under 35 min. a game.
-Jose Reyes' 6 steps to successfully hitting triples.
-Barack Obama says that he prefers the White Sox over the Cubs. To which Ozzie Guillen replied, "He has to be our president.", but wouldn't vote for him just for that reason.
-Bryan McCabe is reportedly going to be shipped to Florida (along with his big contract) in the next few days after agreeing to waive his no-trade clause.
-The MLB's replay central room is 18 by 24 feet with so many computers and television screens that it is said to resemble NASA's Mission Control room.
-Sadly, Canadian Matt Stairs is no longer with the Blue Jays, best of luck to him in the future, be it with the Phillies or whomever. A prospect by the name of Travis Snider has been called-up. The guy's been tearing up AAA ball, so here's hoping this he will turn out to be the one and only bright spot (player wise, I didn't forget Cito) for the Jays this season.
-Forbes ranked the top paid television hosts today, no surprise with Oprah claiming the top spot - followed by the usual suspects, Howard Stern, Letterman, Leno, Judge Judy, Dr. Phil etc.

Thursday, August 28, 2008 - No Ordinary Joe

-SI.com's list of the day ranked Peyton Manning as the slowest athlete (currently), the Big Hurt came in 3rd after the Great Khali of the WWE.
-Interesting headline to note: a possible Halos-Jays deal involving one of Toronto's three short-stops for an Angels player. Torii Hunter for John McDonald sounds about right to me.
-Tiger Woods was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and said that his 14-month old daughter imitates television golfers' swing motions with one of his wedges.
-Joe Sakic has signed a one-year contract worth $6 million with the Avalanche to play his 20th NHL season.
-A fill in the blanks with Houston Dynamo's Stuart Holden"I'm dying to...", his answer? Knit a sweater before the summer is over...
-10 suggested MLB postseason ad slogans. Personally, I would have put #10 as #1 on the list.
-What did Jason Kidd do with his Olympic gold medal? He gave it away to Elaine Wynn of Wynn Casino for her hospitality.
-Usain Bolt is already back on track, or the track, competing at the Weltklasse meet before a sell-out crowd. Up for grabs are $50,000 (all figures U.S.) and a gold bar worth $27,000 for a new world record, $16,000 if he wins the race, totalling 93K.
-To all the uninformed Canadians out there, don't eat the meat!
-Video of the day: Arthur guest starring Johnny Damon, Mike Timlin, and Edgar Renteria!

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 - Argentine Idol

-Michael Phelps will be hosting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, with musical guest Lil Wayne on Sept. 13.
-On Sept. 3 the NBA's Oklahoma City franchise will announce their name. The possible candidates: Thunder, Energy, Wind, Marshalls, Barons and Bison.
-For athlete owned restaurants, urbanspoon.com's voters ranked the Glove's Kingfish Cafe as the number one dining joint, followed by Brett Favre's Steakhouse and Michael Jordan's Steakhouse.
-We all know that residents of China adore Kobe Bryant, but who does Kobe admire? A soccer player by the name of Lionel Messi of Argentina. He met the 21-year old in a lunchroom and said translated "You are the best".
-It doesn't take a genius, or even a Star writer to know that J.P Ricciardi's job as the Jays G.M is on the line...
-A New Jersey inventor says that he has come up with a new unbreakable wooden bat he named the Radial Bat, that is guaranteed to last at least one year.
-The LPGA is forcing it's players to learn English, or their memberships will be suspended. Even Angel Matos thinks that's just stupid.
-According to ESPN Insider, another team might be joining in on the Mats Sundin sweepstakes: the Colorado Avalanche.
-The Texas Rangers have traded Eddie Guardado for a Hamburger.
-After losing Baron Davis to the Clippers, the Warriors will also be without Monta Ellis for at least 3 months due to ankle surgery.
-Graphing the Miguel Tejada trade.
-Video of the Day: Vitamin Water ad: starring Brian Urlacher, Adrian Peterson, David Ortiz, Dwight Howard, 50 Cent and Carrie Underwood dressed as astronauts.

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 - If you can't beat 'em...

-I would never have pegged Kobe Bryant for a comic book fan, but then again, I would never have pegged him for a Harry Potter fan either...
-Twins SS Adam Everett wore a jersey that said, "MINNESTOA" at the front.
-Fidel Castro has actually defended Cuba's Angel Matos for his kick to the Swedish referee, buying into the conspiracy that the matches were pre-determined due to bribery. Regardless, it was a stupid move by the Cuban, and there's never a good reason to do such a reckless and unwarranted act of violence/stupidity.
-A nice interview with Rays General Manager, Andrew Friedman.
-Jason Giambi and Joba Chamberlain were allegedly involved in a beer pong match after their win against the Royals at a local pub and the fans gave them a beating, as told by eye witnesses at hand.
-9 year old pitching phenom Jericho Scott is too good for is own good apparently. The kid can throw a 40 mph fastball and on-target every time. The Youth Baseball League of New Haven have told his coach that he can't pitch anymore - basically punishing the kid for excelling at something he loves. What is this world coming to?
-Season 7 of Dancing With The Stars will feature Olympic beach volloyball player Misty May-Treanor, sprinter Maurice Greene and former NFL-er Warren Sapp.
-Carmelo Anthony supports Barack Obama, and would like to meet him at the convention which is held at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
-Fransisco Rodriguez gets his 50th save, becoming the fastest pitcher to do so. He's now only 7 saves away from tying Bobby Thigpen's all-time single season record.
-Rumours of Michael Strahan coming back to the NY football Giants are now surfacing in wake of Osi Umenyiora's season ending injury.
-Chicago Bulls' guard Ben Gordon has "played my last game with the Bulls", refusing to sign the Bulls' offer sheet.
-Rogers recently came out with the BlackBerry Bold, with the leather back. Already out of stock at some stores!
-American Idol is adding a fourth judge to the panel, as writer/producer Kara DioGuardi will join the mix next season, meaning more senseless chatter after songs.

Sunday, August 24, 2008 - Redemption

-Tiger Woods is closing in on the $1 billion mark by 2010. Come the same year, teen actress Miley Cyrus will be worth that much. Funny how things like this work out sometimes.
-Manny Ramirez compared coming to LA from Beantown, to having "20 lbs less on my back". On a completely different note, a story surfaced that Man Ram "forgets" to tip the boys that provide him with necessary services, and his teammates pitch in to pay for him.
-Angel Matos gets the jackass-of-the-week award after his kick to a referee's face after getting disqualified in the taekwondo bronze medal match. Can you say lifetime ban? Give his coach one as well.
-A private research group said that Fantasy Football will cost U.S employers close to a total of $9.2 billion this year, due to time being wasted. While they feel that if they ban all sports-related websites, this could lead to reduced morale and loyalty. A catch-22 for them, it would seem.
-2:30 a.m tip-off time for the gold medal game between Spain and the U.S. Yours truly watched the first half (too tired to finish the game) and the Spaniards were hitting big shot after big shot to keep the game within range of an upset. Close game at the end but USA is back on top of the basketball world.
-Still on the topic of Team USA, there's an article on SI.com comparing the 1992 Dream Team to this year's, and how the '92 team would squash the Redeem Team. Thank you, Captain Obvious. The team's starting line-up had Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, and a couple of other HOF'ers. Oh, and coming off the bench, some guys named Larry Bird and John Stockton etc...
-"There is no deadline for the investigation." for the Chinese gymnast scandal, meaning this will more likely than not continue even after the Olympics are over.
-An article raised the thought of Usain Bolt playing in the NFL. Well he's got the speed, and a heck of a lot of it, but he would have to learn to catch and be willing to get-hit hard on occasion for it to work.
-John Mayer and Jennifer Anniston are splitsville, after 4 months - hollywood equivalent to 4 years.
-Katy Perry was once a Christian singer. So how does one go from singing gospel songs to oh-so-catchy lesbian kiss ones? A total 180.

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008 - Iguo-dollars

-Eddy Curry aspired to be a gymnast at one point. When you're finished laughing, click this here link, to see the truth. From his Wikipedia page, "Prior to becoming considered one of the best high school basketball players in the nation as a senior at Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry aspired to be a gymnast and did not pick up basketball until the seventh grade when he reluctantly went out for the school team. According to his father, Eddy Curry Sr., 'For a long time, Eddy hated basketball. Being a gymnast was his backyard dream, I guess.'"
-Usain Bolt at the moment: 3 races, three world records shattered (one being a 16-year old record) and of course, 3 golds.
-USA defeated a Manu Ginobili-less Argentina squad 101-81, and will be advancing to the gold medal game to face Spain. The "road to redemption" is almost over.
-Brandon Webb gets his 19th, while Cliff Lee improves to a stunning 18-2. ESPN had a good poll, who would you want pitching for your team? Although the results after a little less than 7k votes wouldn't indicate that, as Webb had 70% of the votes.
-The Cincinnati Bengals' fans are giving Chris Henry a warm welcome back.
-Here's a really interesting article breaking down Joba Chamberlain's pitching mechanics. Worth a visit/read.
-Charles Barkley's $0.02 on the impending 'NBA exodus', "I've been on TNT for years and no one's ever asked me, 'Who won the championship in Greece last year?'"
-I recently read an headline on fannation.com titled. "Is Granger [Danny] worth Iguodala money?". Better question, is Andre Iguodala worth Iguodala money? In all seroiusness, no he's good - but not worth that much dough.
-Michael Phelps will be writing a book titled, "Built to Succeed". The book will cover the story behind his Olympic victories, philosophy on training and competition and his life challenges growing up.
-Pop-culture tidbit: Gwen Stefani has named her baby Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale.
-Video of the day: trampoline flying slam dunk and high fives all-around.

Friday, August 23rd, 2008 - Support

-You might have noticed that before races, Michael Phelps is seen with headphones listening to his Ipod, and wondered what music he was listening to that pumps him up. Well, before winning the 200m gold medal, he was listening to "I'm Me" by Lil Wayne. Pretty lame, but effective I guess.
-Canada is finally picking up steam with 3 golds, 7 silvers and 5 bronze medals bringing their medal count to a respectable 15.
-Chris Kaman's dad said that when Germany plays USA, he'll actually be rooting against his son who will be playing for the German team.
-Shawn Kemp will be back on the court (fortunately not an NBA one) as the Premiata Montegranaro have signed the controversial and retired big man.
-A letter to Cincinnati Reds fans, from their General Manager.
-Usain Bolt with a 19.30 record for the 200 meters...you're just insane, Usain.
-Blue Jays 15 - Yanks 3, but wait, the Doc was on the mound? And he actually received run support? I don't believe it.
-Mats Sundin to the New York Rangers? His agent says "no".
-USA's Amanda Beard denies having anything to do with fellow Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, almost sounding offended by the suggestion.
-Top 5 television sports theme songs. NBA on NBC gets my vote for top spot as well, but I'd put the Hockey Night In Canada (while no longer the theme anymore) up in the top 3.
-Classic sports related quote of the day: "I've been dunked on by (Vitaly) Potapenko and now (Zan) Tabak. The good part is that they don't make posters of those guys"— Houston Rockets’ Walt Williams, waaay back when.

Sunday, August 17, 2008 - Sweet, sweet karma...

-I must say, the recent rumour of Barry Bonds to Tampa Bay, in light of Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford going down is almost laughable. Why the Rays would agree to this, and take the risk of possibly destroying what's been a completely magical and franchise-record breaking season, by adding Barroid to the mix is beyond me.
-I can't think of a sports superlative that can describe Usain Bolt's performance, and do it all of the justice it deserves. The guy is an incredible athlete and has the superstar swagger to boot.
-Finally Canada gets three medals, and one gold medal. Ironically that one gold came from a Vietnamese/Canadian.
-Team USA basketball pummeled Spain and showed the world that they're simply stronger, faster and just better than any other team in the world. I'd wager my soul to the devil himself that they bring home gold, that's how confident I am.
-Ara Abrahamian gets his just desserts for his unsportsmanlike behaviour. He's been stripped of his bronze medal for his little temper tantrum. What a loser, he should also receive a life-ban from any Olympic competition.
-Here's a name to remember for the near future - Ricky Rubio. At the age of 17, the kid already seems to have a bright future.
-J.P Riccardi is not gaining anymore fans in Canada, for his recent actions involving "supposed-to-be" olympian Scott Richmond, including Canadian baseball legend Stubby Clapp, who's reaction was a simple glare, and "No comment. No f---ing comment."
-An amusing video that sums up Aaron Rodgers' career with the Packers so far, starring Brett Favre, of course.
-Toss up: more likely to happen, Canada wins more than 10 olympic gold medals this year, or Ontario goes the last two weeks of August without rain?
-Mini rant: CTV needs to seriously get rid of E-Talk Daily, and Global with E.T Canada. One E.T is good enough. Canadian celebrities aren't nearly as interesting as their American counterparts, so let's stop pretending that they are.

Saturday, August 16, 2008 - Stay Classy, Sweden

-Chad Johnson stated that he knew a few guys (back home) including himself, who could beat Michael Phelps. What a nut.
-Nothing says true Olympic spirit like "Little girl, you're too ugly - so we're just going to take you out of the picture and let someone else bask in the glory (that you should have received)"
-Stephon Marbury says that once his contract is done, he's bolting to Milan to play for the Italian team.
-Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian puts the "ass" in "class" as he tossed his bronze medal in anger that he didn't come home with the gold.
-Sarunas Jasikevicius has called out his former coach, Rick Carlisle, and teammates for his short stay and eventual departure from the NBA, but stated that Stephen Jackson of all people was different, and was "one of my best teammates". Now there's a shocker.
-Brandon Webb's wins just keep stacking up, as he improves to 18-4 after his victory against the Astros.
-Canadian Donavon Bailey recently praised Usain Bolt (and what an appropriate name), basically saying that the kid has some mad chops, and could possibly break some records.
-Tune into the Golf Channel to watch a reality television show that will feature Charles Barkley trying to fix his golf swing, by going under the wing of Tiger Woods' swing coach and Hank Haney.

Friday, August 15, 2008 - Forever Young

-A few Olympic tennis upsets, as Roger Federer was upset by USA's James Blake. The Williams' Sisters was also upset on Thursday.
-A 104 year old man wants to throw the first pitch during the playoffs if the Cubs make the playoffs. Let's hope he'll still be living at that time...
-From really old, to really young...it looks like everyone's suspicions were correct (if the news report is legit). China's gymnast He Kexin is only 13, making her ineligible to be on the team that won the gold medal this week.
-Chinese police officer's have been ordered to be more friendly and smile more, as their blank, strict facial expressions are scaring off visitors during the Olympics.
-Jason Kidd is all business, as he is through with May Anderson, stating that she was a distraction to his goal of bringing back gold to the states.
-According the Reuters.com, Michael Phelps is the most discussed Olympic athlete online, just ahead of Yao Ming, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
-Manny Ramirez has actually cut his dreads...about an inch shorter. But he says that it'll be a lot shorter come next season.
-A prayer room has been opened at Ewood Park to allow Blackburn Rovers to pray on days of their games. The Lancashire Council of Mosques and The Dean of Blackburn Cathedral have called this move, "commendable".

Thursday, August 14, 2008 - Everything Going Swimmingly for USA

-An Ashley Simpson/Milli Vanilli moment at the Olympics, which is possibly the biggest stage you could attempt to pull that stunt on. High risk, low reward - and definitely not worth it...
-Spain should fire their marketing team for that recent fiasco. Tells a lot about the intelligence of Team Spain basketball, that not one of them suggested that the gesture was possibly a bad idea.
-Is Michael Phelps good or what? Chinese viewers have dubbed him as the "flying fish" for his agility in the water, I'd replace the first word with Golden. Side
note, the guy consumes about 12,000 calories a day. Crazy stat.
-Canada currently has less Olympic medals than Vietnam - a country with just one silver medal at this moment. I'll let you do the math on that one...
-The Tampa Bay Rays will be without all-star Carl Crawford for about 6-8 weels as he will be undergoing surgery on his right hand.
-A Chinese soccer player on the women's team is named Yu Suk.
-The Russian and Georgian beach volleyball teams showed that the game had not political undertones as they hugged before the match.
-Sports Illustrated's Marty Burns ranked the Toronto Raptors at 7th in the Eastern Conference and surprisingly one rank lower than the Detroit Pistons.
-This week's edition of SI.com's Pop Culture Hot List included an Entourage reference, so I thought I'd post it here. Regarding LeBron bolting to Europe for the cash: "You know the only thing I keep thinking about when I hear King James might bolt the NBA for a Russian or Greek team willing to pay him $50 million a year? The season finale of Entourage where Ari and Vince would rather sell Medillin to an Oscar-winning studio for $35 million than to an unknown like Yair Marx for $75 million. Nicky Rubenstein went for the money and ended up looking like a fool. As cliché as it may sound, sometimes there are more important things in life than money."
-Link of the day: Jennie Finch's blog.

Sunday, August 10, 2008 - Revenge is a dish best served in NYC

-Phil Mickelson wants golf to be implemented into the Olympic games. What's next, competitive Chess?
-For the die-hard sports gamers out there, EA Sports will release a downloadable cover of Madden '09 with Brett Favre in a New York Jets jersey.
-More video game/sports related news, Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe was quoted as saying that he's "probably in the top 100 of people playing the game worldwide, skillwise." - when discussing Guitar Hero. His resume seems to back up his talk, as he has beaten the Guiness World Record and has been picked by Activision to play as a ringer in a contest.
-Here's something both LA Dodgers and Boston Red Sox fans might not enjoy hearing. Sources close to Manny Ramirez have said that Manny wants to sign with the New York Yankees, when he becomes a free-agent, to "get back at the Red Sox".
-Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have publicly expressed a slight interest in playing in Europe for obviou$ reasons. And now Dwyane Wade has joined the mixed, saying that he would definitely consider it, for the same reasons.
-Shea Stadium will be selling off it's bleacher seats (colour options of red, blue and green) at the very affordable price of $869 a pair.
-Tom Brady is apparently a big fan of Coldplay, which means I respect him a bit more now that I'm aware of that. Brady went to the concert at TD Banknorth Garden (where he had a song dedicated to him), with good friend Gisele Bundchen. Also in attendence were: Gwyneth Paltrow, Steven Spielberg and Jerry Seinfeld.
-A new pitching stat, for the box-score fanatics, the top Ziegler pitchers in the MLB. Roy Halladay ranks second only to Brandon Webb.
-Video of the Day: Gary Coleman at the plate - and ejected in a minor league baseball game.

Saturday, August 9, 2008 - B-b-brett and the Jets

-The Beijing Olympics are underway, and China and Czech Republic gain one gold medal for the women, in the count.
-Here's something you might not have been aware of. Jason Bay has a sister, named Lauren Bay, who will be pitching for Team Canada.
-Cito Gaston has been given the go-ahead as the Blue Jays' manager for next season. The Jays are 23-17 since Cito's arrival.
-The Toronto Raptors season sched. is out, and there looks to be a lot of road games in the first little while - so expect a less than average start.
-Kobe Bryant on possibly leaving the NBA, to play in Italy (where he grew up) - "I'd go. I'd probably go..like Milan or something like that, where I grew up or something like that? Peace out." His reasoning? "Do you know any reasonable person that would turn down 50 (million dollars)?"
-Once again, another awesome performance by the Brewers' C.C Sabathia, throwing his fourth complete game and second shutout since his arrival in Milwaukee. I said it before, and I'll say it again, CY Young no question, if he keeps up this pitching tear.
-And so, the summertime soap opera ends with Brett Favre, as he has been introduced to the New York Jets.
-The LA Lakers have signed the "Chinese Magic Johnson" Sun Yue. No doubt this nickname will be dropped very quickly in the NBA...
-U.S president George Bush says that there's a possibility that he may be attending the opener between the United States and China.
-Rumours that Thierry Henry could be headed to the MLS are surfacing.
-Jenna Jameson will be expecting her first child. There's one kid guaranteed to have a bit of a rough childhood, without question.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - Africa is Hockeyville?

-Tiger Woods on retiring from golf, "When I get to a point where my best is not good enough anymore, as I prepare and I practice and I get ready, and I know if I go out there and play the way I know I can play and it's just not good enough anymore, my skills have diminished that far, it's time for me to move on, rack the cue and go home."
-An autopsy of steroids dealer David Jacobs showed more than five times the amount of testosterone in his body than allowed in standard testing - which lead to his rage and murdering of his wife. Disgusting.
-A potential hockey fan base in Africa?
-Team Canada baseball will be one pitcher short, as J.P Riccardi has called up Scott Richmond. Talk about hurting your reputation with Canadian fans even more, however; I'm of the opinion that Riccardi is doing what's best for the team.
-The Phillies' Joe Blanton was asked what the last song he downloaded onto his Ipod was. His answer? Find Out Who Your Friends Are by Tim McGraw. You gotta love the useless facts Sports Illustrated provides fans with.
-The Big Hurt expressed no ill-feelings in his return to Toronto. "It's good to be back in the city...I miss the place."
-Brandon Webb contunues to impress, becoming the first 16-game winner in the league.
-I'm guessing writer Brian Costello isn't a fan of Mats Sundin, for his article titled, "Top 10: Reasons why Mats Sundin isn't a hall of famer."
-Prince Fielder has apologized for his scuffle with teammate Manny Parra.
-The torch has been somewhat passed on Team USA. Veteran Jason Kidd is beginning to see his minutes diminish as the youngsters, Chris Paul and Deron Williams are learning the FIBA game, and improving the more they play.
-Best Damn Sports Show Period's semi-regular Amanda Beard is posing nude for PETA to protest fur clothing.
-Two of the Top 10 most overplayed songs at college campus' include: "Anything by Jack Johnson or any other marginally talented acoustic guitar-based singer" and "Anything by or featuring Lil Wayne" among the usual suspects.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008 - A Not-So-Happy Meal

-Mark Cuban is reported to be interested in buying the Chicago Cubs. Say what you want about the guy, but the bottom line is he knows how to turn weak franchises around. Just ask the Dallas Mavericks organization.
-Don't mean to state the obvious, but there's no way Brett Favre remains a Green Bay Packer, after all of this drama, I can't see the two party's kiss and make up, and be serious about the coming season.
-A source close to Lebron James says that the King would consider a Euro offer, if it was in the range of $50 million dollars. Again, I just can't see Lebron going overseas. Too much American pride, as well as NBA pride. If Lebron wants to live up to the "next great one" and "King James" hype, it won't happen in Europe, that's for sure.
-The Dodgers are considering sending Andruw Jones to the minors. Talk about a guy who's quickly faded out of the circle of potential greats...
-After shutting down Sarunas Jasikevicius in the game against Lithuania, Kobe gave himself a new nickname, "the Doberman". Not sure about you but I like the Black Mamba handle better.
-NHL goalies will have a little less armour next season, as the league has reduced the size of the equipment down a few notches...
-According to PTI, Charles Barkley's doctor told him that he's "one happy meal away from diabetes" - which is why he's found a new hobby that will hopefully help him shed a few pounds, boxing.
-In an interview with Rob Rossi, Sidney Crosby's stated that his beverage of choice is Crown Royal or Jack Daniels.
-Joe Torre has asked Manny Ramirez to get a haircut. If Manny actually follows the order, I'll be impressed.
-Some pictures of Gilbert Arenas' crib leaked on the net recently. The stone for the mountain cost him just half a million...
-Video of the day: Bend it like Becky

Sunday, August 3, 2008 - I've Got 99 Problems...

-When asked whether Manny Ramirez was aware that #99 was symbolic of another player in the sport of hockey (and coincidentally one who played in LA at one point) - Man-Ram shrugged it off, saying he knew nothing about hockey. General unwritten rule of sports tells you not to choose a couple of specific numbers, regardless of particular sport, but I guess that's "Manny being Manny", whatever that means...
-On the BS Report with Bill Simmons podcast, Danica Patrick revealed that her dog's name was Ricky Bobby. She also said that she received a speeding ticket a short time ago, for clocking over 17 of the limit. She told the officer that she was a race car driver, and knew what she was doing. To which he replied,"I don't know who you are, and I don't care."
-an 84 year old man from Quebec biked more than 800 KM from his home to Montreal so he can catch a plane to Beijing. This is his 12th time doing this.
-EA Sports chose Brett Favre to be on the cover of Madden 2009 - coming out in August. He will be wearing a Green Bay Packers uniform.
-Manny Ramirez stated that he feels like he will play in LA for the remainder of his career (not very likely). Gotta love it when players use that cheezy line, especially before even playing one game with their new team.
-Team that made the best move before the trade deadline? LA Angels picking up Mark Texeira. Great teams don't wait for other teams to make moves and react, they make the risky moves and make others react to them. And Texeira and Guerrero just sounds a heck of a lot better than Izturis and Guerrero, don't 'cha think?
-Adam Jones has decided that he's changed his mind, and that everyone can go back to calling him Pacman, instead of Adam or Mr. Jones. Not that anyone cares, or even considered his first request...
-In the epic (and well publicized) battle of the beards, Deshawn Stevenson outlasted Drew Gooden and finally won the bet.
-Cowbell Hero blows Guitar Hero out of the water.
-Link of the day: add Ron Artest to your Myspace! (and listen to him Crank That - remix).

Saturday, August 2, 2008 - Diamonds Are Forever

-Brett Favre has been offered 20 million dollars to do what he said he would do...retire.
-Ken Griffey Jr. just doesn't look right in a white and black uni...
-Patrick Roy's son, Jonathon Roy was finally charged for assault for his unnecessary attack on opposing goalie Bobby Nadeau earlier in March. Yes, it took that long, even with video evidence of specifically what happened...
-TheStar reported that longtime Leafs captain, Mats Sundin is seriously contemplating retirement. His agent said this will likely mean that the decision will be made sometime in August.
-According to his BoSox teammates, Dustin Pedroia just "never shuts up" and one former Triple-A teammate said, "He acted way too cocky, way too big league for my taste". Hate it or love it, the kid can back up the smack he dishes out - and apparently he does a lot of it during games.
-a question from Doug Smith's mailbag from the Toronto Star, Q: So if Will Solomon plays great in camp, and at the start of the season beats out Ukic for the backup role, do you think it'd be worthwhile for Ukic to be sent to the D-League to get consistent playing time? (Justin C, Kitchener). Oh, how Roko will surprise so many people - and this does not exclude everybody's favourite team player, Jose Calderon.
-After being called out by Annika Sorenstam, teen golf sensation Michelle Wie failed to make the cut on the men's tour for the eighth time. Persistance can hurt you at times...if that's what you want to call it.
-Mark Cuban once again reaches into his wallet, but this time pays not the NBA League office, but Don Nelson a total of $6.3M. Or better known as his pocket change.
-Olympiakos stated that they are looking to make a big offer to Lebron James when he becomes a free agent in 2010. No chance that happens. Lebron doesn't need the cash (which could quite possibly be an outrageous amount), so I'll believe it when I see it.
-Apple is coming out with an 88 diamond studded iPhone, in honour of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the price tag for that bad boy is almost as ridiculous as the product itself.

Friday, August 1, 2008 - Indiana and Dow Jones related? Simply Ludacris

-As expected, Manny Ramirez has been moved, as well as Canadian Jason Bay. Ramirez is headed to the LA Dodgers and Jason Bay is headed to Boston to relieve Manny's duties. Ken Griffey Jr. also swapped jerseys as he was traded to the Chi-Sox.
-Paul Pierce has gone on record saying that he is the best player in the world. The comment is just laughable considering he wouldn't be saying this if the Celtics hadn't won the championship recently. Best leader maybe (and even then, KG would get the nod), but you can't be "one of the best" one week, then "the best" another. It just doesn't work that way.
-Another cocky player in Nenad Krstic whined about not getting offers from other teams, "When you look at big guys in the NBA, they signed really big contracts. I know I am on that level." You came off of a big injury, and even when you were healthy, you weren't that good. Take the $5 mill from Cleveland, or go to Russia, that's all there is to it.
-The Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens are said to be 4 of the teams that Mats Sundin is looking at, in this neverending saga of will-he, won't-he...
-A bit surprising that ESPN.com's poll of "Would you want your favourite team to sign Manny Ramirez for 2009?" results were close to 50-50 after a little over 30k votes. But then again, this coming from a Blue Jays fan.
-The Toronto Raptors will be entertaining Edmonton fans as they host the Denver Nuggets on Oct 21st at Rexall Place.
-Indiana Jones related to Dow Jones?
-Barack Obama has responded to Ludacris' ludicrous rap, not approving of it, in which he ripped Hillary Clinton, John McCain and even George W. Bush (shocker, I know).