It was reported the Mark McGwire sold PED’s to Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols today. McGwire’s admission over the offseason was only a front, so he could openly sell them to players.
Big Mac stated, “He just had shoulder surgery, and I wanted to help him make sure he was healthy when the season started. You know just like how I used them, only to get healthy faster when I was hurt.”
Fairly shocking news since Pujols was the last hope we had of a big slugger not using steroids in the steroid era. Tony Larussa claimed he didn’t know about the alleged HGH hook up, and admitted that he already was regretting letting Mark be their hitting instructor. Larussa thought the clubhouse was clean, and that Mark would be an advocate of getting rid of steroids opposed to bringing them in. Continue reading
I usually won’t put up a video, unless I can embed the clip straight to our site, which has happened on a number of occasions due to my lack of tech saavy. Unfortunately, this Daily Show nugget wasn’t postable on WordPress, so I hope you checked out the link. Anyways, when I first watched it I was having a very hard time figuring out if this is for real or not. I mean it was just too ridiculous to be real right!?! Wrong, after researching a little further I found that it IS for real. The league is founded on blatant racist views, and it’s good to see that the Comedy Central crew owned this guy in the interviews, I mean why would you want to watch superior athletes!?! I’ll leave you with another clip showing what Charles Barkely thought about the league, and how racist it is!
I’ve read about all I can about the possible trade of McNabb coming to the Raiders. It’s funny how ESPN reports that there’s a set deal in place, and the local bay area papers can’t find a source within the organization that will even say the two teams have even talked about a trade. Usually I don’t like to write about a trade unless it actually happens, especially when there are still some other teams that are in the McNabb sweepstakes, and Al Davis hasn’t openly said he was trying to acquire the QB, but our buddy AP’s take on the whole matter made me want to write why it’s a good move. I think it would be a great move if they do it for their 2nd round pick, and would be 10,000% behind it. If they trade away Asomugha too, I’d make it more of a 50/50 trade. A lot of people that don’t follow the Raiders seem to think it’s a waste of time and money for them. Raider Nation knows that Davis is running out of time on this earth, and has plenty of money he’s willing to spend to see them succeed, whether they are smart moves or not. Losing Asomugha would effectively open up one side of the field, and weaken the not so steady CB play behind Namandi. Is there a better place for McNabb? Probably, but there’s worse destinations as he could land in. The Raiders are historically a team full of misfits, and the way McNabb has been persecuted the last few years in Philly would make him a good fit. Another big plus to this move would be Jamarcus can have all the Cambell’s Chunky Soup he could ever want sitting on the sidelines. Maybe he’d lose a few pounds not eating all those burgers. I like the move, so lets get into my reasons on why. Continue reading
I remember reading about Pat Venditte when the Yankees drafted him. He’s the only ambidextrous (switch pitcher) I’ve ever seen or really heard of. I hope he makes it, mainly to see him switch throwing arms on different batters. I’m not sure how good his stuff is, but if he has some good movement he will always have a favorable match up. He has a six fingered glove that allows him to use the glove on both hands. Anyways, the at-bat below between him and a switch hitter towards the end of the season in Class A ball game for the Yankees prompted The Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (PBUC) to make the following rule. If nothing else happens, and he doesn’t make the pros, at least he put his stamp on the game!
The Pat Venditte Rule
The pitcher must visually indicate to the umpire, batter and runner(s) which way he will begin pitching to the batter. Engaging the rubber with the glove on a particular hand is considered a definitive commitment to which arm he will throw with. The batter will then choose which side of the plate he will bat from.
The pitcher must throw one pitch to the batter before any “switch” by either player is allowed.
After one pitch is thrown, the pitcher and batter may each change positions one time per at-bat. For example, if the pitcher changes from right-handed to left-handed and the batter then changes batter’s boxes, each player must remain that way for the duration of that at-bat (unless the offensive team substitutes a pinch hitter, and then each player may again “switch” one time).
Any switch (by either the pitcher or the batter) must be clearly indicated to the umpire. There will be no warm-up pitches during the change of arms.
If an injury occurs the pitcher may change arms but not use that arm again during the remainder of the game.
If you aren’t in a fantasy basketball league, and don’t follow the Warriors, you might look at their boxscores and not recognize many of the players. The Warriors have been infamous for bringing D-Leaguers up over the past few seasons, and unfortunately for them, it’s mainly due to the ridiculous amount of injuries they’ve sustained during the seasons. This year we found a couple of solid guys to jump into the lineup, although it’s not the picture perfect lineup, these guys are showing that they are worthy of the NBA. After getting to see some of the guys live last night, I thought I’d make a list of the top five guys that the Warriors called up from the D-League.
#1 Kelenna Azubuike – Buke is the best player we’ve pulled up from the D-League ranks. He flourished in the utility man role. Not many plays are called for him, but he still puts up productive numbers. He fills the boxscore by knocking down open jumpers, sneaking in for rebounds/putbacks, dishing the ball to an open man, and playing solid defense. He’s gone from a nobody out of Kentucky on the verge of going to the European League to a starter for the Warriors. Granted he’s been out for all but a handful of games this year, but when he’s on the court he effortlessly fills up the stat sheet. There’s just a lot to like about his game. He has one of those high basketball IQ’s that every fan likes to see in their players.
#2 Reggie Williams – I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen this guy play all that much, but that didn’t stop me from picking him up on my fantasy team last week. Last night I went to the Clippers-Warriors game, and he was much better than I expected. Since being called up to the NBA, five of his twenty games have been 20+ point performances, including 20+ in three of the last four games. I think he’s finally feeling comfortable in the league that he probably should’ve been in all along, and last night I was impressed seeing him in person. This guy has a great all around game, and he’s twice as good a defender as Anthony Morrow. Reggie is going to last in the league; even if it’s not with the Warriors he showed that he’s a complete player. I was surprised how he ran the offense so well, he must have one of those high basketball IQ’s. Taking it to the hole and dishing or putting up the shot, shockingly every time he made the right choice. He has been the floor general for chunks of games over the past week and a half.
#3 Anthony Tolliver – I wasn’t sold on Tolliver the first couple times I saw him play, but he’s grown on me a lot over the past month. He’s a very active guy on the defensive end which is something the W’s have lacked for a loooong time! I guess he hasn’t had his only NBA stint with the Warriors as he also had brief stints with the Spurs and Blazers, but the W’s gave him his first extended shot on the court, and is currently the starting power forward. I hope we keep him on when Randolph and Wright come back, he’s shown far more abilities than someone knew he had in him. He’s perfect for Nellie, because he plays hard and can drain his jumpers from deep, which is what Nellie loves in a big man.
#4 CJ Watson – I’m not sure how I feel about this third year former D-Leaguer. I’m just really hot and cold with him everytime I watch him play. He always plays hard, and never complains, so those are big check marks in the positive column. He’s been a nice fill in for the often injured Ellis. He’s outplayed all the guys that have come in to take that backup role such as Marcus Williams, Marco Bellinelli, Acie Law, and Demarcus Nelson. I don’t really see him as much more than a career backup, and has less upside than the top three on the list, who I feel could start for some teams, but he’s going to be on the team and in the rotation, unless we land the Wall sweepstakes. Would that make Ellis be the first guard off the bench?
#5 Anthony Morrow – Yeah, I know he wasn’t ever in the D-League, but since he was an undrafted signing I couldn’t resist putting him on the list. Besides, did you really think I was going to put Chris Hunter or Jamero Moon on here?!? In Morrow’s first start last season, Mceezy and I got to sit as close to the court as either of us had at Staples Center. Hell, we were a few rows in front of Mitch Richmond! Anyways, he scored 37 that day, and won both of us over. Nellie has even proclaimed him the best pure shooter he’s ever coached. I’m not sure exactly what that means since Nellie is crazy, and has coached some of the best shooters in the game, but there’s got to be something to it. He led the league in 3PT% last year. I probably would’ve had him higher on the list, but the guy doesn’t play ANY defense. He looks lost on that side of the court, and gets burnt more often than not, which is why Reggie is getting so much more playing time over him the past few weeks.
I know, last week's half naked Will Ferrell aka Jackie Moon picture was a disappointment, so this week I give you, body paint!
I did about as bad as I could have on my picks for the Sweet 16, but you just like Jesse James I’ll have to dust myself off and move on. Maybe I underestimated Tennessee, and I definitely gave the double digit seeds a little more credit than I should have. I thought they’d be close enough to cover a spread or two, but that wasn’t the case. I guess the last two days truly were separation days. The Cinderella’s went down, and the true contenders are headed to the Elite 8 with the Championship in sight. There was one thing I pondered while watching Duke tonight, did anyone get screwed more by the making of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy than Scheyer? He must hear so much hobbit trash talk on the court every game I wish we could hear him mic’d up. I know I’d be getting my punches in… Anyways, here’s my picks for the weekend games, and who will be making the final four.
Kentucky (-3.5) Over West Virginia
This is a tough one for me. I will be pulling hard for West Virginia, and huggy bear. But as much as I want them to win, I know they won’t. They need to pick up the defense, and if they can somehow stop/slow down Kentucky from running up and down the court, they have a shot. I just think Kentucky looks too good to be beat. This will be the first truly good team they’ve faced, and we should be able to tell if they are going to be able to walk their way to a Championship after this game. I thought Cornell would put up a little fight, but I was completely wrong. I think I’ve now forced myself to not pick against Kentucky again in fear of being eaten by Demarcus Cousins. Is it just me or is anyone else curious how much bigger he is going to get when he hits the pros? Christ, he already looks as big as Al Jefferson out there. Ok, ok, maybe that was an exaggeration, but agianst Cornell’s twiggy center, and most other players he’s come across he looks like a man amongst boys. The guy is going to be huge after he hits the weights for a couple years.
Butler (-3) Over Kansas State
I’d really like to see Pullen have some more cracks at game winners, the guy is nails when it matters most. My biggest question for this game is, how much does K-State have in the tank after that double OT marathon. I’m impressed with how many minutes those guys have played, and maybe Gus Johnson made them seem a little longer, but it has to catch up to you somewhere along the line. Maybe they are just young and can shake off the soreness or are in that good of condition. I think adrenaline could get them through this game, but Butler is playing out of their minds right now. Never bet against the team with the longest winning streak even if you really want to win the bet. This should be a good game. I’m REALLY looking forward to this one! Continue reading
I can’t lie, I’ve always liked following Bradley and his antics, they seem so stupid yet so entertaining at the same time. Like I said before I will always be grateful for his run with the A’s, and how he WAS pretty much their entire offense and got them ALCS in 2006. Anyways, his recent comments are just another sign that he is overly emotional, and caught up in his own little version of Alice and Wonderland. Everything he’s fried for in the media, he brought on himself. He’s the anti-Tiger, and plain doesn’t think about what he’s saying before he talks. In his most recent comments that has caused a mini uproar in the baseball world he compared himself to bad boys of different industries saying,
“If I was a musician I’d be Kanye West. If I was a basketball player, I’d be Ron Artest. In baseball, they have me, Milton Bradley.I’m that guy. You need people like me, so you can point your finger and go, ‘There goes the bad guy..”
Looks like it would be fun to shop with Milton...
I’d lean more towards the Artest comparison, because he is flat out crazy. He pretty much called out all of Chicago when he was leaving, which I’m sure hit hard with Dyslexic. He almost sounded like he wanted to fight all of Chicago on his way out.
Anyways, Kayne was the best uhhh, Kayne of all time. Rodman was probably the best Artest of the NBA. If he had jumped in the crowd in LA and started punching that fan that threw a water bottle at him he’d be comparable to Artest. Scarface was the best Cocaine dealer of all time, so Al Pacino should be the only one that can quote Scarface. I don’t think he has enough on his record yet to live up to those comparisons. Sure he’s hated, but he’s going to have to take it to the next level somehow to earn the title he dubbed himself. Maybe if he grows a pair of red horns, and appears on the cover of SI this year he could be comparable to Kanye.
Well, this is the second post I’ve taken from Anthony over at Drippet, which you should check out if you happen to have a few spare moments. I felt the need to share this one with our readers though. No need for an intro or analysis, just sit back and enjoy this instant classic.
After intense negotiations the Doin Work team was lucky enough to land the highly sought after free agent writer know around the blogging community as, Sports Guy By! Fortunately for us, he’s heavily into the Bay Area sports world as much as we are. He’s also a contributor for the fantasy website www.hotboxsports.com, so if you happen to read any previews for the Suns, Lakers, or Warriors, he most likely wrote it!
He offers up a slightly different sense of humor and opinion than the rest of us, but that is far from a bad thing! Hell, he might even be the alpha dog of the site before it’s all said and done. There is no doubt in the management’s mind that he will blend in seamlessly with the crew already assembled.
Immediate fan reactions were positive, since most had no idea they could lock up such a quality writer with their obviously very low to non-existent payroll according to Forbes. The growing feeling is that he could single handedly bring Doin Work to the next level! For those that are unfamiliar with his work just check out his blog.
My outlook heading into the sweet 16; Two brackets gone miserably wrong, and one with plenty of hope. I never expect to win in the pick’ems, so I usually just root more for entertaining action. In the midst of all these games I realized I hadn’t done a preview for the Vegas lines in awhile, and what better time than during the always entertaining March Madness. Anyways, here’s how I see the eight games playing out.
Cornell (+10) Over Kentucky
Kentucky has cruised through the tourney so far beating both teams they played to a pulp by 29 and 30 points. They have the most “NBA” talent of any team left, and have shown why they are a #1 seed. They destroyed a sixteen seed, and a slumping nine seed. Their reward is to play the Cinderella Cornell squad who has one less tourney win (6) than Kentucky has championships (7). I could see Cornell covering the spread if they keep raining threes like they have, but their main concern will be to not let Kentucky run wild. This is much easier said than done. If their zone somehow slows the cats down, then we could see this Cinderella make some noise. I can’t believe some of the “experts” are picking them to win. I wouldn’t go that far, but maybe a single digit win for Kentucky.
Said it before and I'll say it again, Evan Turner's game reminds me of Brandon Roy's.
Ohio State (-4.5) Over Tennessee
I’ve been repping the Buckeyes pretty hard since I have them winning it all in my one bracket of hope. I probably just jinxed them, but watching Evan Turner nearly put up a triple double in their last game has me thinking there’s a chance he could single handedly get them to the final four. The Buckeyes will need to avoid making the silly turnovers like they did against Georgia Tech which was the sole reason the game even close. The Vols don’t boast a high powered offense, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can create some easy hoops with Ohio States’ mistake prone lapses during games. If this game is close, it will be because Turner was held in check, and that should be priority number one for the Vols.
West Virginia (-3.5) Over Washington
Although I’ll be rooting for an upset in this game, it’s pretty tough banking on that to happen. West Virginia is a MUCH more physical team than the Huskies first two opponents. I think the physical play will give their shooters a rough time. If Washington has any chance they will need Isiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter to play flawlessly. West Virginia is somewhat offensively challenged, but there’s good news for the Mountaineers, the Huskies are ranked 295th in free throws conceded. I see the Mountaineers being too much for the Huskies to handle.
Yesterday the Twins decided to avoid having the elephant in the locker room all season long, and locked up their free agent to be and Minnesoootan God, Joe Mauer. He signed there with a no trade clause for the next 8 years for the generous hometown discount of $184 million. Locking up far and away the best catcher in the game doesn’t seem like a bad idea. It’s been highly debated if it’s worth using that much of the franchises total salary on one player. At first I thought it was pretty bold maneuver tying up all that money in one player, but after looking at it further there were some other factors that left me feeling like this was a good move for the Twins.
Getting this deal done well before he was a free agent most likely did get them a discount, believe it or not. If they had held off on the contract talks until the off season, they may have had to pony up an A-Rod type salary ($275 million) to keep him in a Twins uniform, and it would’ve been a distraction all year long. The Twins shifted from their normal MO of letting star players go via free agency, and signing one of their home grown talent must coincide with the grand opening of their new stadium, which looks pretty cool I must admit. It’s been reported that Minnesota’s payroll could hit the $100 million mark as soon as next season pushing them out of the small market team division. If they get five solid seasons out of Mauer behind the plate, and throw him on first base for those last few. He could be winning multiple batting titles. If it pans out that way, the Twins would sign the contract twice over. He could also be the next Eric Chavez, but I hope not for his sake. Will he stay healthy? Who knows, I’m not Nostradamus. My question to the league is, when are the A’s going to get their new stadium built? We were so close, and it fell off the table. We really want to sign some players to ridiculous contracts too!
Finally Dubs fans have something to roar about at Roaracle!
I’ve waited my whole adult life for this moment, and the possibility of my favorite team being sold to an owner that cares about the team could truly happen has made this a great Monday! The words “great” and “Monday” aren’t in the same sentence very often, unless your watching an ESPN MNF commercial, but today is special. It was reported just hours ago that owner, Chris Cohan, has hired Galatioto Sports Partners to assist him with the SALE OF THE WARRIORS! A team that is in the fifth largest market in the NBA is hoping the bidding will go over the $400 million mark. Personally, I think that’s a little high, because the Bobcats just went for $275 million, but I’m far from qualified to tell you what a teams’ value is. I’d think it would make it more difficult to get what the price he wants since there is the pending lockout looming large over every possible future franchise owner. Apparently there are more buyers in the running than the only previously reported one, Larry Ellison. We know that Ellison will be in the mix in the bidding war, since he previously had said he was interested over the past year plus, but also had said you can’t buy what’s not for sale. Now that they are, so let’s hope he can assume ownership of the team.
Despite owning one of the worst records in the league, the Warriors draw the 13th best attendance in the NBA. This is just one more reason this is great news for the best fans in the league that pack Roaracle on a nightly basis. We now actually have something to cheer for. Their first order of business when the team gets it’s new owner should be to rehire Chris Mullin. We need him back in the front office making smart personnel decisions. He was the main catalyst to getting together that very exciting 2007 team that upset the Mavs. Yesterday, there was no hope for the future outside of Curry, today the possibilities are endless!
I’ve heard of many athlete’s taking up different types of conditioning regiments, and know that some turn to different types of fighter training to get their stamina up. Whether it’s boxing or martial arts keeping them agile and strong for the rigors of their sport they do what they need to stay at the top. I’ve never really seen it go the other way though. You don’t often get to see a well rounded martial arts guy playing non boxing/MMA sports. Anyways, whoever this guy above is, he took it to a new level with his nun chuck abilities. He shows us he can hit for power in the batting cages. I don’t think there’s a pitch that’s out of his zone with that kind of unorthodox swing. He’s got a different type of nun chuck when he feels like hitting the links. I wonder if he has a full set? Amazingly his swing still looks better Charles Barkley’s does! If he wants to pimp a chick, he can even impress the ladies with his badminton skills. If he was on your team for anything, you know he’d be able to help you celebrate in style opening champagne bottles for the team. He’s the full package in a multi-sport athlete. If West Eastern State can find the IvanBrothersthen why not look for some talented young kid in some crazy martial arts community in Asia!
Easily the most time I've spent on CBS's website...
I’m not even going to try and recap the amazing day that happened yesterday. Personally I thought it was far and away the best 12 hour stretch of basketball I’ve seen in my lifetime. There were buzzer beaters, overtime, comebacks, cinderella stories, the whole enchilada! I’m hoping that today will bring just as much excitement, but am somewhat skeptical that the games will live up to yesterdays excitment… I don’t even know what my favorite moment was from yesterday, because there were so many of them. If there was ever a time when Sportscenter needed a top 20 plays list, yesterday was the day for it.
7 of the 16 games were decided by 3 points or less
11 of the 16 games were decided by single digits
4 of those games were decided by a shot made in the last five seconds
Quincy Pondexter’s performance was something out of Steph Curry’s book, leading a storming Washington Husky team back from a 14 point deficit making every shot he took over the last six minutes including the game winner. Murray State, Ohio, and Old Dominion all gave us reasons to believe there could be another George Mason, although I don’t see any of them making it to the elite 8, but then again, after yesterday’s action anything is possible. It was good to see St. Mary’s get their first tourney win and rep the WCC. If you liked buzzer beaters Ishmael Smith, Pondexter, and Danero’s will all be highlights for the rest of the tourney. I’d write more, but the games are about to start, and I’m at work, so it’s time to start streamling again! If today is anything like yesterday, then every basketball fan won’t want to miss a minute of the action! Feel free to let us know what your favorite moment was from day 1.
I’ve been searching for a solid baseball video game for awhile. And by awhile, I mean since 2007 when Electronic Arts stopped making their MVP baseball series. I tried out the 2K9 series last year, and thankfully I rented it opposed to buying it. The game was un-realistic to say the least. I also tried out The Bigs, and that one was even less like the real game, and felt more like NBA Jam (side note: I’m very excited about the new edition of Jam). Anyways, I think I’ve finally found my replacement for the EA MVP Series, and after about ten games played it is; Sony’s MLB 10 The Show.
The graphics are great, but they better be for every PS3 game. The best part about the game is obviously how much control you have over everything. The pitching is tough, and like real life the pitchers get angry, and over throw when they aren’t getting calls. It’s great how they did borderline pitches that are grazing or missing by millimeters. If your guy is on a streak of strikeouts, then when you slightly miss a corner the ump still gives it to you. It also works the other way when you can’t throw a strike, and you get squeezed on the corners having everything get called a ball. Fielding is fairly good, even though it randomly switches what player you are from time to time it usually changes you to the correct/closest person. They don’t make it super hard, and that’s a big plus, because I hate playing those games when a weak grounder ends up being an inside the park home run. Hitting is tough, but I think I’m getting the hang of it and finally not swinging at every pitch. If you square one up it’s usually out of the park. While hitting you can swing for the fence or you can use the left toggle to “go with the pitch” and spray it all over the field. All in all great gameplay, and I didn’t really scratch the surface of some of the truly cool features. I just wanted to let everyone know that if they are looking for a lifelike game this is it.
Another great feature in the franchise mode is the announcers. Yeah I know you rolled your eyes, but in this game they seem to not recycle the same phrases nearly as much. They also talk about the batters previous games. They will talk about how hot or cold they are and spit out stats like if they homered or went 3 for 3 or struck out five times. It’s pretty refreshing so far, because I don’t think I’ve really heard them repeat anything more than a couple times over about ten games. One downside is you have to listen to one of my most despised announcers, Rex Hudler. If you want to know how much I can’t stand him, read this one I wrote a little while back. Pretty good when the games can last an hour or more. Two thumbs up for the show! Oh, and so what if I only wrote this post because my hands were getting tired from playing!
By
cali4dre
chappy81
dyslecix
mceezy
Doin Work 
