Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Chicks dig the long ball

He's ours
I've got to be perfectly honest: Hearing that Josh Hamilton was in the All-Star Home Run Derby kind of scared me.

Let's face it, the Home Run Derby loses its appeal by age 14. After that you replace the Derby with girls. By age 24, girls lose their novelty, and you worry about your team's record and fantasy team. I just kept waiting to see Hamilton swing hard enough to strain a rib and then he's out for two weeks and it lingers and pretty soon he's golfing with Jason Jennings.

It didn't happen. Hamilton captivated an entire viewing audience and walloped 28 first-round homers. Some were monstrous, breathtaking. Oh yeah, he didn't win. MVP candidate Justin Morneau took the final round 5-3. Alas. Life will go on.

But all I kept saying to myself was, "He's ours! Josh Hamilton is a Texas Ranger!"

There's also the myth that participating in the Home Run Derby kills your swing. Bobby Abreu dropped off the face of the earth in 2005. There's tons more evidence that the Derby doesn't affect anything. Then again, I love giving all urban myths the benefit of the doubt.


Ken Hamlin set to ink deal

The Cowboys and safety Ken Hamlin are said to be very close to inking a six-year deal to keep the Pro-Bowl safety in Dallas.

The Cowboys used their franchise tag on Hamlin this off-season. Tuesday 4 p.m. is the NFL's deadline for signing franchised players.

If not signed by the deadline, he is free to test free agency after the season.



Here's a wild idea. You're Rangers GM Jon Daniels. You have a nice young team in 2009. You think you can win. Do you go out and spend big on closer Francisco Rodriguez? He's 26, and he's a free agent after the year. He should be in the 5-year, $13-15 million per range.



Tip rewarded with two-year extension
The Stars have given Dave Tippet a two-year extension presumably as a reward for the team's outstanding playoff run to the Western Conference Finals this past season. Tippet was already under contract through the '08-09 season but the deal solidifies him for a further two years.

After handing Stars coach Dave Tippett a two-year contract extension through 2010-11 on Monday, and putting into place plans to soon do the same thing for his assistant coaches, Les Jackson said it was a symbol of solidarity and structure in the organization.

"I just think it's important to show trust in your coaching staff and let people know you have stability," said Jackson, the Stars' co-general manager. "If you have an environment like that, then I think the players will also have trust in the coaches."




NBA Summer League! It's hot. It's Vegas. It's 30-year-old has beens, slow Slovanian draft picks and undrafted athletes with no discernible skill and questionable characters.

NBA! It's fannnnntastic!

Remember three years ago when the NBA Summer League didn't matter? Now, Michael Beasley makes a fart joke and it makes it onto some NBA blog. In reality, it's a bunch of guys trying to shoot, rebound and pass their ways onto an NBA roster.

Remember like three years ago when the NBA Summer League was like Bigfoot: Something we'd always heard about, but never seen. The Mavericks team consists of:

Shan Foster - The only 2008 draft pick. Scored 17 last night.
James Singleton - A quiet free agent pick-up.
Reyshawn Terry - 2007 rookie free agent; playing with expectations.
Renaldas Seibutis - 2007 draftee; plays as if he has no concept of the game.
Gerald Green - Too bad cupcakes aren't placed on all the rims.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu -- Go Pops!


Best game show ever??
Beginning tonight on the G4 Network, whatever that is, begins what is almost certainly destined to be America’s greatest new show “Hurl!”

A show that pits contestants eating massive amounts of food and then trying to hold it down while performing outrageous physical challenges immediately afterward. We’ve see our share of TV puking in scripted and reality programming, but “Hurl!” is the first American series I can recall to glorify the spewing of others so completely. The grand prize for being the last lose it is a massive $1,000. These are the end times. -Brad C



Jules Verne loved Steve Perry.




4 comments:

Josh Campbell said...

Quick Mavs fact check:

Reyshawn Terry was a second round draft pick in 2007 by Orlando. the mavs traded for him on draft night.

Pops is not on the team. He has better options in Europe that will pay him more money.

Unknown said...

He is ours. But as Joe Morgan or one of the other shills said, "In a couple of years he'll probably be a Yankee".

Jay Beerley said...

Seriously, Volquez could've gone 30-0 this year and I wouldn't undo that trade. Hamilton brings something much greater. And that's the weird thing about watching last night: pride. That "Holy crap this guy is a Ranger" thing that most of us probably had going on. And when you add in the larger factor about who he is as a man and what he's overcome, it's just simply amazing.

PHE said...

"Hurl"? I think I saw a preview for it on last week's episode of "Ow! My Balls!". Or maybe when I went to see "A**"? Can't remember.

Off to Costco!