Archive for November 16th, 2007
Continue Reading November 16th, 2007
Someone told us this morning that Stephon Marbury is basketball’s version of “30 Rock”’s Tracy Jordan. This makes a lot of sense to us. You get a sense that, deep down, each is probably a good-hearted person, but they’re so many different kinds of crazy that it doesn’t even matter. And they’re almost equally entertaining to watch; we can absolutely imagine Marbury saying,” the government is putting AIDS in our chicken nuggets!”
Anyway, the next stage of the Knicks traveling road show continues in Sacramento tonight, and even though his teammates want him off their team, Marbury still holds all the cards because of this infamous “dirt” he has on Isiah Thomas. God, god, GOD do we want to know what that is.
We’d like to take this moment to give a hearty salute to our commenters, who kicked up some old-fashioned comedy pyramid goodness Wednesday with their guesses to Isiah’s offense. We honestly could read that thread all weekend.
Let The Mardy Collins Era Begin [Deadspin]
Team Votes Marbury Out [Newsday]
Continue Reading November 16th, 2007
Just to wrap up this whole Aubrey Huff and naked people business (NSFW), here’s one last shot, of everybody’s favorite porny Oriole, with the charming Melissa Midwest (also NSFW). Godspeed, Mr. Huff: We bet now, even you can find some place to party in Baltimore after 9 p.m.
Continue Reading November 16th, 2007
Say what you will about Barry Bonds, but we certainly owe him one favor: For 20 hours or so, he made everybody stop talking about Alex Rodriguez. We are sure Scott Boras is appreciative.
Anyway, this all is pretty much official now: A-Rod’s gonna be back in the Bronx, and even though he’s not gonna get this 10-year, $300 million deal, it’ll be close enough for government work.
Rodriguez and his wife, Cynthia, met with Hank and Hal Steinbrenner on Wednesday in Tampa, Fla. Rodriguez told the Steinbrenners that he wanted to stay with the Yankees, and a 10-year contract that will guarantee him about $275 million is expected to be completed soon.
The Yankees typically do not offer bonuses for making All-Star teams or winning postseason awards. But Rodriguez’s pursuit of the career home run record would bring increased revenue to the Yankees, and they are willing to share some of it.
So, basically, everyone came to their collective senses and made a reasonable deal that works for all sides. Man, Scott Boras really was left out of this whole negotiation!
Yankees May Pay Rodriguez For Home Run Record [New York Times]
Continue Reading November 16th, 2007
What they’re saying about Barry Bonds’ federal indictment on perjury charges …
• Bonds Indicted. Instant analysis and opinion. Relevant point. Examination of an angle to the story you hadn’t thought of yet. Platitudes. Memories. Anecdotal evidence. Unqualified legal analysis. Critique of other opinions. Pithy comment. Rhetorical question? Possible answer. Finger-wagging. Finger-pointing. False bravado and mock outrage. Name calling. Not in my America. The same thing you just read, phrased differently. Something underlined for emphasis. Reference to another famous scandal. Moment of silence for America’s innocence. Overblown conclusion. [McCovey Chronicles]
• Open Mic. So how are you sleeping tonight with that big head of yours, Barry? Do those records or warehouses full of to-be-sold memorabilia make you feel good this evening? How’s breakfast going to taste tomorrow after your child asks you what all these people are talking about? FRAUD! FAKE! LIAR! [SFGate
• Hey, Douchebag! Make Way For Douchebag! “Instant Karma’s gonna get you. Gonna knock you right in the head.” - John Lennon. Sometimes — and believe me, those times are rare — life just happens to work out so perfectly that you can’t help but sit back and grin. Like right now. Many baseball fans are dancing in the splendiferous joy of Barry Bonds’ indictment by a Grand Jury on Thursday afternoon. What could be better than the long-awaited proof that baseball’s home run king* was a knowing cheater? Oh yeah, said home run king* doing time behind bars. [Rumors And Rants]
• Barry Bonds Indicted By Grand Jury In BALCO Case. Bonds is due in court on December 7 — a perfect date that will live in infamy. [SportsbyBrooks]
• And This Was Slow . My first reaction is that this is a travesty, and has been for years. For someone to be investigated for this long for something so unimportant is a disgrace. The amount of money spent, and the effort and time that has gone into this bald-faced attempt to dishonor and disgrace a fucking baseball player is just terrible. This is an abuse of power, a shameless personal attack of Barry Bonds. [Only Baseball Matters]
• Bonds Indicted! I will also note that there was not one word about tax evasion in the news accounts I have read. If that holds, this means that whatever Bonds’s ex-mistress, Kimberly Bell, told the Feds about his alleged tax evasion did not prove to be true, because either he did or he didn’t. [Obsessive Giants Compulsive]
Continue Reading November 16th, 2007
The key point to remember in the Barry Bonds indictment that went down yesterday afternoon is that we really don’t have any new information. Whatever your thoughts on Bonds, it’s clear that the government is out to get him. You might think he deserves it. He probably does. But there is no smoking gun; the feds have been trying for four years to come up with the definitive piece of damning information on Bonds. They never got it, but they indicted him anyway, under the belief that an indictment would corral all the negativity toward Bonds into a public relations typhoon he couldn’t escape. Considering President Bush felt compelled to release a “this is a dark day for baseball” statement yesterday, they very well may be right.
Bonds, as is his wont, is surely going to fight this every step of the way, and it’s only gonna get uglier. But let’s be clear: Bonds is not being indicted for taking steroids, or ruining the game, or simply being an asshole. He’s being indicted for lying about something the government has yet to prove; it’s the Martha Stewart principle. It’s gonna be a tough case to prove, but that’s not the point of this; it never was. Right now, the general public believes there’s new information about Bonds, that the government is finally punishing him for the sins we all believe he committed. There isn’t … but we want our pound of flesh. We want justice. We want to see him suffer because … well, because he’s the symbol of how confused and conflicted we are about baseball in a post-steroid age. In a complicated issue, Bonds is blissfully simple: He’s a jerk, he cheated, he broke all our favorite records. We want that pound of flesh. Give it to us.
And no one’s really left anymore to defend Bonds. The Giants want nothing to do with him, Bud Selig is back to his passive-aggressive press release game and even the President is eager to sell him down the river. It’s just Bonds, World’s Most Loyal Friend Greg Anderson and Bonds lawyers, ready to fight a legal battle that they should win, but probably can’t. They’re gonna get you, Barry. This isn’t even about you anymore; it’s about a war we lost years ago but still feel compelled to fight. We need a witch to burn. It’s you, Barry; it always had to be you.
Barry Bonds Indicted [The Smoking Gun]
Expect Bonds To Fight Charges [ESPN]
(Photo via National Lampoon’s Splog)
Continue Reading November 16th, 2007
It’s about time that LeBron James weighed in on this Stephon Marbury business. Sayeth The King, in the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Do not expect New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury to get traded to the Cavaliers any time soon. At least not while LeBron James is on the team. “I don’t know him that well,” James said of Marbury. “But I couldn’t have a guy like that on my team.”
Sorry, Cleveland fans. No Starbury for you. But we wouldn’t blame you if you bought his shoes, anyway.
• Two For Texas. Are the Mavericks emerging as the best team in Texas? Josh Howard led bursts of 17-1 and 11-0, finsihing with 23 points to lead Dallas over San Antonio 105-92. The Spurs’ Tony Parker missed 10 of 11 shots and finished with seven poiints.
• Barbosa Rules. Affirmed. Leandro Barbosa scored 25 points, including 5-of-7 from the 3-point line, leading the Suns over the Bulls 112-102. Fun fact: Grant Hill (24 points) arrived in Chicago a day early to appear on Oprah. Not so fun fact: Shawn Marion (21 points) was involved in a minor car accident on his way to the arena.
Continue Reading November 16th, 2007
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Sports, Peripherals, Exergaming
We were wondering if Wii Fit’s Balance Board peripheral would be good for anything other than yoga, and it looks like we have our answer. Famitsu reveals that Namco Bandai’s Family Ski — which originally utilized only the Wii remote and nunchuk combo for its downhill action — will now be compatible with the Wii Balance Board, adding an extra level of realism to the adorable, super-deformed family-friendly skiing title. Obviously, the game will still be 100% playable without the peripheral.
We haven’t reported much of anything on Family Ski, instead letting our buddies over at Wii Fanboy do all the legwork. Still, the game is definitely on our radars now. Family Ski is due for a Winter 2007/2008 release in Japan. Here’s hoping localization is a breeze; it would be a tad odd to rock the slopes in the summertime, no?
[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Permalink | Email this | Comments
SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/
Continue Reading November 16th, 2007
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Sports, Peripherals, Exergaming
We were wondering if Wii Fit’s Balance Board peripheral would be good for anything other than yoga, and it looks like we have our answer. Famitsu reveals that Namco Bandai’s Family Ski — which originally utilized only the Wii remote and nunchuk combo for its downhill action — will now be compatible with the Wii Balance Board, adding an extra level of realism to the adorable, super-deformed family-friendly skiing title. Obviously, the game will still be 100% playable without the peripheral.
We haven’t reported much of anything on Family Ski, instead letting our buddies over at Wii Fanboy do all the legwork. Still, the game is definitely on our radars now. Family Ski is due for a Winter 2007/2008 release in Japan. Here’s hoping localization is a breeze; it would be a tad odd to rock the slopes in the summertime, no?
[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Permalink | Email this | Comments
SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/
