Monday, December 29, 2008 - Winning isn't Everything?

-My internet has been down, but as the old saying goes, "down but not out".
-Best name for Andrea Bargnani so far, BarKwame. I, for one, have not fully given up on this kid, but I just can't see him reaching his potential in Toronto.
-If you were ever to visit a website on this blog, it should be this one: type in www.0and16.com into your browser. And in a move that shocked no one, the Lions have fired Rod Marinelli.
-You've got to be wondering what the Steelers were thinking playing Ben Roethlisberger after knowing that he's been taking a beating all year. For Pittsburgh's sake, let's hope the concussion isn't too serious.
-For anyone who cares about hockey, the Canadian World Juniors crushed Kazakhstan 15-0 yesterday. Is a lame Borat reference necessary?
-In what is most likely a first for a Scott Boras client, Mark Texeira had been offered more money ($185 million from the Washington Nationals) and took the Yankees offer which was $5 million less.
-Here's a scary stat:The combined win percentage of MLSE teams being the Leafs, Raptors, Marlies and Toronto FC (totalling the most recently completed or season in progress) is .383 nearing the end of '08.
-Tickets for the six Los Angelas Kings home games in Jan. (some in the lower bowl) can be purchased for a mere $11.50, against good/high-profile teams such as the Ducks, Devils etc, at that.
-The Lakers ended the Celtics' 19 game winning streak on Christmas Day at the Staples Center. Is there anyone in the world who thinks these two won't be back in the NBA Finals this year?
-The elephant in the room for the Yankees is where will Derek Jeter play when his defense inevitably goes from mediocre to terrible? With Mark Texeira in the mix, no chance first base is an option.
-Brett Favre is contemplating retirement, but this time around, I'm thinking not a whole lot of people care...
-Tampa Bay Bucs' Greg White has legally changed his name to Stylez G, White.
-Wayne Rooney did a little Christmas shopping this year totalling just half a million Canadian dollars.
-In what was a great year for sports, AskMen.com has compiled a Top 10 Sports moments of 2008, and one could make an argument for a couple of other great sports moments.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - More to Love

-Mike Tyson has REALLY let himself go, hasn't he?
-On the topic of retired boxers, Floyd Mayweather to come out of retirement for one last match against Ricky Hatton? Talk about trying to milk the recent De La Hoya - Pacquiao "hype".
-Someone start a petition to requesting for NBA TV's Gary Payton and Chris Webber to be taken off the air - NBA analysis at it's worst...half the segments are with the two idiots laughing their asses off about who knows what, while Ahmad continually having to calm them down like a school teacher.
-The Washington Capitals' Web Site producer suited up for a game as their back-up goalie recently, due to their AHL call-up having a delayed flight. Just a great story.
-C.C Sabathia vs. Oprah...check out the salary difference.
-It's win or go home for Leo Rautins and the Canadian National Team, as the coach has recieved a contract extension with a catch being that he must lead them to the 2010 World Championships or be axed. Wonder if he regrets cutting Samuel Dalembert now?
-Weatherproof Garment Co. wants to team up with nine other companies in a Superbowl ad. Put another way, that's each company paying $300,000 for three seconds of air-time.
-General Motors will not be the auto sponsor for the New York Yankees next year. Toyota and Audi will take over as sponsors, which should tell you a lot about how the Big 3 are doing financially...
-Stephon Marbury sat courtside with Spike Lee at the Staples Center when the Knicks visited the Lakers the other night. Only in the NBA would a player to at a game as a spectator after being suspended by their team...
-How about the Top 10 Most Nail-Biting moments of the year in sports. And a few images to go along with that list.
-For those who care about Canadian soccer, FIFA ranked Canada 90th, dropping 35 slots from last year's 55th rank. Spain finished the year on top of the rankings, while Germany finished 2nd and the Netherlands swapped spots with the World Champs, Italy, to claim 3rd. The U.S of A moved up two spots to claim 22nd overall...
-Got a sports-related question for Weezy? E-mail him here, and he might answer it on his blog.
-When Auburn hired Gene Chizik as their football coach, Charles Barkley took a shot at his alma mater, indicating that race was plainly the only factor in the school's hiring. Regardless of whether Chuck was out of line with his recent comments, the lack of black football coaches would agree with him.
-Vince Young: "my name was straight jacked"

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 - Prodigal Sun

-New "Bookmark" feature appearing at the end of this, and every other entry. Like what you're reading? Add it to your bookmarks by clicking the button below.
-Some images of the new Yankee Stadium, looking good!
-Mats Sundin will finally announce which team that he has chosen to play for in his return to the NHL this Thursday, and the final two teams in the long-awaited sweepstakes being the Vancouver Canucks and the New York Rangers.
-The trend of head coaches getting canned early this season continues in the NBA as 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks and most recently the Kings' Reggie Theus were relieved of their duties after some less than spectacular starts.
-The Manning brothers headline the selections to the NFL Pro Bowl game. Brett Favre joins six other teammates for a league best, as well he will be joined by fellow old-timers John Carney and Jeff Feagles of the Giants.
-Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore are going head-to-head, so to speak, in an ongoing attempt to settle before the trial goes to court; however, Bertuzzi is expected to return to the Flames shortly. Tying this to recent news, Sean Avery gets suspended for mouthing off, while Todd Bertuzzi is allowed to play after ending another player's career in what will go down as one of, if not the, cheapest shot in the history of hockey? Unreal.
-The Philadelphia Flyers think celebrating at clubs and strip joints is so not-classy, they prefer crashing frat parties instead.
-The lay-up parade theme seems to have disappeared for the Raptors, although they allowed scrubs like Trenton Hassell and Ryan Anderson to out hustle and out rebound them all night long in a frustrating loss to the Nets. In a game that saw the Raps contain dynamic guard, Devin Harris - as well as an 0-16 drought that resulted in the lead quickly evaporating in the 4th - Vince Carter once again walked away with the last laugh at the ACC.
-ESPN has reported that the Toronto Blue Jays have dropped out of the running to lure Rafael Furcal...
-The idea that a caddy feels so high and mighty as to talk smack to an actual PGA golfer, and one of the best at that, is simply laughable. As I'm sure this has been reiterated a plethora of times by bloggers, news reporters, and anyone for that matter, I'll just say it again, "Steve, you're a freaking caddy - just shut up and caddy."
-Commissioner Gary Bettman on Sean Avery: "To be perfectly honest I wouldn't want to have to explain to my 12-year-old daughter what he said,". I really don't see the connection or relevance to parenthood, and to be perfectly honest, think this is being blown completely out of proportion.
-Plaxico Burress proving that he can go out and not shoot himself in the leg.

And finally, T.O tells Stephen A. his side of the story...

Sunday, Devember 14, 2008 - Working for the Weekend

-If the LA Angels don't succeed in wooing Mark Texeira, it looks like they'll be looking to bolster their defence instead, and use the money to try to get Padres' ace Jake Peavy.
-How could I forgot to make a note of Carmelo Anthony's 33 points in one quarter? There's no double meaning to that line - other than how terrible the Timberwolves are - it honestly slipped my mind.
-It looks like Daunte Culpepper will have to work for the extra million dolalrs of his contract, as this is going down to the wire for him.
-Recycling news just to get a little bit of hockey on the front page of ESPN? That's got to put the self-esteem of the NHL at an all-time low. And while on the topic, before last night, how long has it been since the Toronto Maple Leafs were not featured on Hockey Night In Canada on a Saturday?
-To the left, you can see Manny Delcarmen sporting the new alternate retro jersey and Hanging Sox, which will be their primary logo.
-No surprises here, Justin Mourneau was named the top Canadian baseball player of the year. He's got a long way to catch Larry Walker's nine, but if anyone can do it, it's him.
-The New York Yankees are looking to sign either Mark Texeira, but if that doesn't pan out, they'll turn their attention and wallet to Manny Ramirez. The same reports indicate that they are also keeping close tabs on top free-agent pitchers Andy Pettitte, Derek Lowe and Ben Sheets as well. Simply ridiculous...
-Hockey gamers rejoice, EA Sports will soon debut 3 on 3 NHL Arcade.
-Thus ends the illustrious career of another sporting great, this one ending in a 7th place finish for Annika Sorrenstam as well as having to urinate in a cup.

Saturday, December 13, 2008 - Heart of Glass

-Yao Ming leads the all-star voting in the West so far, by a commanding number which is no surprise, while Yi Jianlian is ahead of Chris Bosh for East forwards. Oh, the benefits of representing one billion people back home.
-The Yankees have added another arm, albeit a glass arm, inking AJ Burnett to a five-year deal worth $82.5 million. For those keeping score at home, that's a total of $243.5 invested in the two newly acquired arms. The Yanks front office must've missed the memo about the global recession.
-The LA Angels are making a strong push for Mark Texeira. The deal proposed is a lengthy 8 year contract for $20 million per year, and reports say that the Halos have matched the offer, even against their previous notion of a shorter length of contract.
-Love Terrell Owens, but this love triangle between Romo and Witten is just nonsense and clearly, has to stop for the sake of team chemistry. I'm calling a Giants beat down in tomorrow's game...
-Always nice to see Vince Carter struggle against the Raptors.
-Fransisco Rodriguez is telling New York media that next season his fastball will have a bit more velocity to it (something I'm sure everyone will look for), and he's also calling it that the Mets will win the NL East. He also added that "There might be a little more adrenaline because it's the Mets, in New York," Y'think?
-Plaxico Burress attended a charity event for homeless children, clearly a PR stunt to help his hurtin' - pun intended - image.
-In news that nobody cares about, the Kansas City Royals have signed Kyle Farnsworth to their bullpen for $9.25 mill over 2 years.
-Chris Paul, Mo-Pete and the New Orleans Hornets make a visit to the ACC tomorow, coverage is on CBC with an early lunch time tip-off at 12:30 p.m. Don't forget to say a short prayer for Jose's ankles sometime before tip-off, 'kay?
-Link of the day: your source for all NBA games archived in good quality is right here. Make sure show that your appreciation by clicking the ads of that site, as the site owner has so kindly requested.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - Snow, Snow, Go Away.

-A shortened PTI (yes, I just said it) today, due to exams and the like.
-Just to catch up, congrats to Jay Triano in becoming the first Canadian born NBA head coach. OJ in the clink for a min. of 9, max of +30? Karma. When will C.C make his decision? From recent information, to me, it's either the Yankees or Dodgers. Take your pick, big boy. Live update, it appears that he's agreed to come on board with the Pin Stripes for $161 mill over 7 years...
-Now onto our regular programming...What is Michael Jordan, and the rest of the Bobcats' front office thinking? If I'm MJ, I'd be looking to alert the authorities on this one, because the Bobcats were absolutely robbed, in my opinion. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Jason Richardson will flourish in PHX, alongside Steve Nash, Stat and co.
-Ryan Getzlaf was asked what the best concert he's been to. He replied, "Tim McGraw and Faith Hill"
-Syracuse Orangeman Eric Devendorf will most likely be suspended by the school for his best impression of Jason Kidd. His lawyer argues that he was defending himself from the hulk of a college girl, who was the "aggressor".
-A glimpse into the Montreal Canadians' practice facility.
-Joe Sakic broke three fingers while he was clearing snow with his snow-blower. I think that's a sign that you should have just retired, Joe.
-Embarrassing and almost infuriating performances by the Raptors as of late, the first two possessions of the game ending up as Cleveland steals and Lebron highlight reel dunks says all that there needs to be said...
-What does a global economy slump mean for sports? Well, the NFL is set to fire 150 employees and freeze salaries through 2009. The Diamondbacks and Jays of the MLB are set to cut a combined 55 front office workers, 9% of the NBA workforce is being cut, and the PGA prize money will take a hit according to the tour's commish, Tim Finchem.

Sam Mitchell has been FIRED! My (and I'm sure the majority of Raptor fans alike) response? I think Johnny Drama of Entourage sums it up nicely in this clip.

And here's a link that's worth a visit, for at least half a chuckle...