Archive for April 4th, 2008
Continue Reading April 4th, 2008
Buried in a fun interview with Slate sports editor Josh Levin was this amazing tidbit about the Washington Wizards’ promotional team:
I went to a Wizards game the other night, and despite the fact that Gilbert Arenas made a surprise return to the lineup, the crowd was comatose for pretty much the whole night. When the Bucks shot free throws, the Verizon Center crew put up a collage of Duke images — Paulus, Coack K, etc. — on the scoreboard to get the crowd to boo, and it worked like magic. I’m not kidding. That really happened.
OK, that’s freaking brilliant. Pumping up the crowd to be angry and loud by simply showing images of Duke. We knew Duke was unpopular. We didn’t know they were that unpopular.
Needless to say, the Wizards have no Dookies on their roster.
The Fynal Say: Josh Levin [The Fynal Cut]
Continue Reading April 4th, 2008
Wednesday night at the Philadelphia Phillies Citizens Bank Park marked opening night and its first official “Dollar Dog NIght” promotion, which culminated in a Phillies 1-0 loss and, as usual, another mesmerizing display of shit-faced chaos courtesy of the revved-up monkeys. Ever since the Phillies started using this promotion to attract college kids, it always seems to end in anarchy. Dollar hot dogs, for whatever reason, seem to bring out the more aggressive side of a fanbase. Perhaps it’s the nitrates.
(Photo courtesy of Stksave27)
Last year, the Phillies, marred by a few incidents of overconsumption, trash-throwing, azzzz-hole-ing and fisticuffs promised to do their part to control the Axe-body spray covered mobs. This year, Phillies promotions director John Brazer says that the Philles are aware of some of the (’isolated”) incidents that happen during Dollar Dog Nights, but they are not in jeopardy of ending. “We can’t let a few people spoil a great promotion for every one else,” he told me today.
On Wednesday night, the 300 level at the CBP once again turned into a zoo once the beers and hot dogs fully digested. And in the 8th inning, a full-on hot dog-tossing battle ensued between at least four sections. The end of the game? Trash on the field, drunk kids in the parking lot peeing on each other, and it’s off to another rollicking start of the 2008 season at CBP. Brazer did say that the Phillies will continue to beef up security on those nights and have stopped discounting tickets to college kids, but he says Wednesday night’s madness was a combination of many different factors: it was cold, the Phillies lost, everybody was fired up for opening night…
What about the hot dogs? Do the hot dogs having anything to do with it?
“I don’t think the hot dogs are having a direct impact on the behavior problems, no,” he says.
The next Dollar Dog night is scheduled for April 15 (tax day!), which should once again prove to be an entertainment spectacle like no other. If it happens again, the Phillies have to rethink this promotion a little bit — don’t they? It’d be a shame if it stops. Everybody loves those dollar hot dogs and if the game does suck, at least you know you have some other activities to look forward to in the stands. There are seven more dollar dog nights scheduled at CBP this year.
Do other MLB teams have these types of problems with their cheap hot dog night promotions?
Phillies College Night Gets Wild [The 700 Level]
Phillies Fans Cope With Being 1-Hit by The Nats In Less Than Sanitary Fashion [The 700 Level]
Continue Reading April 4th, 2008
Displaying the kind of investigative moxie that could have kept us out of this whole Iraq mess, the Chicago Sun-Times dug into Thursday’s Benny the Bull T-shirt assault story and discovered that Benny had been wrongly accused! On Thursday it was reported that Benny — the costumed mascot for the Bulls — shot the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett and James Posey from behind with a T-shirt gun. And since Benny had a record, we all believed it. But it just wasn’t so, said the Bulls.
The Bulls apologized to the Celtics and explained that one of the members of the IncrediBulls — a group that entertains during timeouts — had tripped and his gun shot the shirts into the floor from where they bounced into the Celtics.
I never trusted those %$#%@!& IncrediBulls. Well, I’m glad it all worked out. This has not been a good year for Benny.
Benny The Bull Wrongly Accused By Celtics [Chicago Sun-Times]
Benny The Bull Will Put A Cap In Your Ass [Deadspin]
Continue Reading April 4th, 2008
You know, this is gonna come as a shock to you — and we do hope you are sitting down — but apparently Brett Favre (seriously!) turns out (you ready?) to be (here it comes!) thinking of unretiring. We know, right?!
Apparently, Favre’s agent is asking around to teams other than the Packers.
According to NFL sources, Favre’s agent has quietly inquired with teams about their interest in trading for the three-time NFL most valuable player. The sources did not indicate whether Favre knew of the inquiries.
Favre, 38, has yet to give written notice of his retirement to the league or players’ union, although that’s neither required nor irrevocable. It’s also not uncommon for players to delay in doing so, particularly if they are not in immediate need of their pension money.
Peter King, for the record, made it clear in this week’s SI that Favre isn’t coming back. But that could just be self-denial.
We have zero doubt we will be writing this exact same post in four years.
Brett Favre Retired? Maybe Not [Los Angeles Times]
UPDATE: Favre wants to make it clear that he’s not coming back. Guess whom he called.
Continue Reading April 4th, 2008
It may seem as if I’m writing this post under the influence of peyote, and believe me, I’m not above trying that. But in this case I’m sober and it’s all true: A girl who was part of a school group touring Fenway Park on Thursday was attacked by a red-tailed hawk, who delivered a decisive hawk beat-down on the youngster before returning to its nest in the upper deck. And what was the victim’s name? (Drumroll) … Alexa Rodriguez.
Vince Jennetta, a teacher who chaperoned her class trip from Memorial Boulevard Middle School in Bristol, Conn., told The Boston Globe that Alexa is “a little shaken, but OK.” The hawk was perched on a railing in the upper deck behind home plate while the group toured the stadium. The hawk flew at the girl and swooped with its talons extended, scratching her scalp.
This is surely an omen, is it not? Things like this don’t just happen. The Yankees may not win this division for another 100 years.
And Alexa should consider herself lucky: If the hawk hadn’t got her, the mountain lion that lives in the concession stand would have.
Action photos by the Boston Globe.
An Omen? Fenway Hawk Attacks Female A-Rod [MSNBC]
Continue Reading April 4th, 2008
The NBA Closer is written by Matt McHale, who after last night’s cluster of crappy games totally takes back that whole “wishes the regular season was longer” thing. When he’s not formally requesting that David Stern burn yesterday’s request for a 300-game season, you can find him skipping rope at Basketbawful. Enjoy!
It finally happened. Carrying a not-very-good team with a one-play offensive system has finally injured LeBron’s back. Just in time for the playoffs! (This just in: Cleveland needs to fire Mike Brown. That is all.) Painful, unrelenting vagina back spasms held King James to a mere 33 points in the Cavaliers’ 101-98 loss to the Chicago Bulls. As if the loss didn’t feel bad enough as it was, Larry Hughes got some revenge on the team that traded him for an old, injured guy by scoring a clutchtastic 19 (of his 25) points in the second half. Ben Gordon also chipped in with 24 points, including five freethrows down the stretch to hold off Cleveland. And while those guys were winning the game, LeBron was stinking up the joint; his fourth quarter stat line was: One point, 0-for-5 from the field. And since he’s the one play in the Cavs’ one-play offense, Cleveland got outscored 24-13 in the final stanza. And lost, of course. That sound you just heard was the funeral march for Bron-Bron’s MVP bid.
Tracy McGrady is enjoying the hell out of all this. The Western Wars are going to go down to the final second, and T-Mac (game-high 35 points) is thrilled out of his fish-eyed gourd about it. “There’s going to be a team that wins 50 games and doesn’t make the playoffs. So it’s a battle out there. I love it. Every night is a competition. One day you’re in the fifth spot, the next day you’re in the third spot. It’s crazy, man.” It’s sure is, Tracy! For you, it has to be like a thrilling roller coaster ride that ends in a fatal crash onto explosive spikes filled with poisonous snakes and surrounded by mutant, man-eating plants. I guess what I’m trying to say is, enjoy every moment of your pursuit of another only slightly delayed vacation, okay? When you’re destiny is to never escape the first round of the playoffs, it’s important to concentrate on the little things. Oh yeah. Rockets over the Blazers, 95-86. LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 23 points, and the Vanilla Godzilla continued his domination of the glass with 15 rebounds.
Wow. That’s kind of sad. Kevin Martin scored 26 points to lead the Kings to a 110-98 win over the Clippers, which enabled Sacramento to avoid a four-game sweep by the “other” L.A. team. Wait. I know the Kings are bad, but how do you almost get swept by the Clippers? Jesus. Anyway, Sacramento coach Reggie Theus was giving up a little love for Martin after the game. “He’s starting to adapt to the game now. I’m seeing things from him that I didn’t see before. He’s scoring easier in our offense now.” That’s great, Reggie. Too bad he didn’t start doing that about 74 games sooner, huh? Elton Brand played again (15 points, 9 rebounds), but the Clippers said “Tanks, anyway” by sitting Cuttino Mobley (broken heart ’cause he still misses Steve Francis), Chris Kama (painfully freakin’ ugly), and Tim Thomas (fatal case of not giving a crap).
Continue Reading April 4th, 2008
According to my calculations, the last pitcher to strike out 10 in his Major League debut was Daisuke Matsuzaka, last season. The last one to throw five perfect innings in his debut was the immortal Ken Cloude, in 1997 (do you know the team?). And the last Cincinnati Red to do either was … well, no one. So here’s 22-year-old Johnny Cueto, who sounds like a new brand of Mexican whiskey, who fanned 10 over seven innings in his first start for the Reds on Thursday. Cueto went five perfect innings before allowing his only hit — Justin Upton’s homer to lead off the sixth — as the Reds beat the Diamondbacks 3-2. Wait, on second thought his name sounds more like one of Pacino’s bodyguards in Scarface.
Reds blogs are calling him the next great arm for Dusty Baker to ruin, and just about everyone thought he was too short to make it in the majors (he’s 5-11). But I first noticed him last season when he played for the Class-AA Chattanooga Lookouts, where he struck out 77 in 61 innings despite wearing this hat. And after Thursday’s debut, we’re hearing Fernando Valenzuela comparisons. So do the Reds have a companion piece for their Other Next Great Thing, Homer Bailey? We’ll see.
• Show Your Royals Love. Kansas City is 3-0, so stop talking about how the Tigers are choking and start giving the Royals some respect. Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen both homered in a 4-1 win over Detroit (team payroll $138.7 million). Kansas City is 3-0 for the first time since winning its first nine games in 2003. The Trey Hillman Magic is only beginning.
• Dogs And Cats, Sleeping Together! Now time to check in on the greatest rivalry in all of sports: Cubs vs. Brewers. But what’s this … Ryan Dempster a starter? Kerry Wood a closer? Aramis Ramirez hitting the ball!? Ramirez homered, Dempster got the win and Wood his first career save as Chicago prevailed, 6-3. That’s one in a row, doubters!
• Thanks For Dropping By, Mike. Mike Hampton’s comeback was postponed when he injured a chest muscle during warmups (is anyone surprised by this? Anyone …?) so the Braves went to Plan B: Using seven pitchers and losing to the Pirates in 10 innings, 4-3. Xavier Nady drove in Nyjer Morgan with a single to win it. Following the game the Braves placed Hampton on the 15-day DL and called up the sometimes reliable and always amusing Jo-Jo Reyes.
• Walk This Way. There’s nothing like a walkoff walk; I guess it’s equivalent in the NFL would be if you got called for intentional grounding in the end zone during sudden-death overtime. Jesus Colome walked Jayson Werth to force in Jimmy Rollins with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th, giving the Phillies an 8-7 win over the Nationals. Sweep avoided — whew!
Continue Reading April 4th, 2008
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Sports
Oh, IGN, you so crazy. Yesterday, it was posting a story about Pandemic working on a Batman game and then promptly removing it. Today (well, technically last night) it’s skate being ported to Wii and DS. The story apparently went up Tuesday and was soon removed.
What’s interesting is that both the mysterious Batman project and skate are EA titles. So … did IGN get some exclusive info and then let the bat out of the bag too early, deleting them moments before uncle EA could wrest his whippin’ belt free from his dungarees? We’re betting yes, but we’ll almost certainly never know.
[Update: If you’re interested, here’s the cached article, thanks to tipster Robber Tom.]
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