It is Finished

Hockey is back. I promise. The Phone won't stop ringing, and I am 100% sure it is back.

Sweet! Home Field for the AL!

Obvious Sarcasm, but, allow me to tip the cap to baseball. I found it laughable a few years ago when they decided the All-Star Game would determine World Series home field advantage. But, it felt different last night, and it works. I like it. It is a relatively intense all-star game, which is nearly impossible in pro sports.

Tex hits HR, AL wins …

Fraley offers Rogers congratulations …

This is lengthy, but a real worthy read in my humble opinion: Evan Grant’s Rangers Newsletter features email thoughts on the organization and its relationship with the fans…

Revo on Modano …

Gabe Kapler has returned to the US, and will no doubt be on the Red Sox roster by the weekend (although some time in AAA is not out of the question). Check Kapler’s Japanese Stats Yomiuri Giants 2005 stats …eh, not too good really…

Kapler .153/ .217 / .261

Must have been all of those jokes they were playing…

Eklund thinks today is the day in hockey …



I know I missed this Tuesday, but, Chelios takes on Bettman …again…

"For a guy who has done such a horrible job running a league, it's a miracle he still has a job," Chelios told the National Post.

"And if he's patting himself on the back for getting a cap, every sport's got a cap. I mean, big deal, he's the last one to get it and he's run our league into the ground."

"It's not so much the deal," he continued. "It's all about the lies and separating the players from the league and making us look bad because we have to defend ourselves. And that alone should be just cause for him to get the gas after this is all done."

Chelios is quite a dude. Either you love him or hate him, but he will say what is on his mind. And despite the “gas” comment, he is right. Bettman should resign when this agreement is made. Too much damage has been done for this league to move forward with him or Goodenow in the sport.

Desperate Hockeywives …Including, Jason Arnott’s wife …Hey Now.

Sheffield has no use for the World Cup next spring …

"My season is when I get paid," Sheffield told the New York Daily News. "I'm not doing that. ... I'm not sacrificing my body or taking a chance on an injury for something that's made up."
"A lot of guys feel that way. They won't say it like I will, though," he added.

This is today’s “guaranteed to make you laugh or your money back” link: Carl Lewis Music Video …

Despite this story being several months old, It was shocking enough for me to post it Max Kellerman’s brother murdered by a boxer …

I found this last night, and wanted to share it with the entire class; Sports Illustrated has its team previews for college football out, and with schedules, depth charts, and analysis, it is enough to get you ready for the season. Click Here for any team in the country

Big 12 South

Texas

Texas A & M

Oklahoma

Texas Tech

Oklahoma State

Baylor

And no, I did not put them in any particular order to predict the Big 12, OU fans, so simmer down…

Fan of the Year Candidate

Judy Cunningham offers her feedback to our Chris Berman segment:

Sour Grapes..........

That is all it is about..... (your criticism of Chris Berman). Yes, he is one of the biggest Ass Whips out there. You however, are ten times worse. Has that ever occurred to you? You are in a Two-Bit market on a Two-Bit AM radio station whose signal barely reaches the stagnated Trinity River. Ya, you are really "Big Time". GIGGLE!

Compare paychecks with Chris and do a segment on that. You make one dollar to a hundred that he does (maybe)? You are jealous because he hit it big and you..........well....you are what you are, mid days in Dallas on the little Ticket.

Kiss your kids and buy them a Chalupa or a Burrito. Throw a jalapeno in too...

Slow Sports Day? Not Here!

Kenny Rogers meets the media …

Fraley on the Stubbornness of Rogers …

Rogers tried to make the best of a bad situation.

To Rogers' credit, he did.

That meant going through the media grilling in a stuffy hotel ballroom. Some baseball officials thought Rogers would skip the session.

They should have known better. Rogers never goes the easy way.

Rogers sat in plain sight, surrounded by the largest media contingent by far.

Rogers answered every question, several of which were posed multiple times in various ways. He was never once combative or confrontational. He spoke in soft tones and grinned a few times, particularly when a television reporter asked if this was an escape from reality.

"This is not an escape," Rogers said. His mood was best described as sad puppy. Rogers' contriteness seemed genuine.

"People who have been around me understand what kind of guy I am and what makes me tick," Rogers said. "Things happened. I'm trying to deal with the issue the best I can and move on.

"For me, it was a mistake. I let myself be lowered by other situations. I never should have done that. Will fans understand? No. They're not in my shoes."

The Rogerian Apology …

Teixeira’s first All-Star experience …

I was watching Jason Bay on Monday night hit exactly 0 home runs for Canada. But there is no doubt he is a solid young player for the Pirates, and after reading up on him last night, I was reminded that he and Ace Oliver Perez were traded to Pittsburgh for Brian Giles by the Padres on August 26th, 2003. Not too bad a deal for those Pirates, eh? Both teams got what they wanted, I suppose, but the Pirates got cheap quality.

Kapler back in the USA …

NHL Prepares to Announce Deal??….

A rumour surfaced last night that the NHL has ordered a full-page ad for Thursday's edition of USA Today thanking hockey fans for their patience during the lockout. If true, that could be an indication that agreement on a contract is imminent.

This is pretty amusing: How do you sell tickets when you know you are going to suck? Play the “Faithful” card …That’s right. Put the ball in the fan’s court, and say, “Be faithful. Don’t you remember those 5 Super Bowls?”

MLS Salary information: And being a pro athlete doesn’t always make you rich …

Could you make ends meet on $11,700 a year, before taxes? How about $16,500?
For 86 players in Major League Soccer, that will have to do, because 26 percent of the league's 331 players make less than $20,000 a year in base salary, according to salary documents obtained by The New York Times.

Page Six gets Anna Benson …

ANNA Benson, the outrageous wife of Mets pitcher Kris Benson, raised a whole lotta hell in Las Vegas last weekend. The buxom former stripper was ejected from the World Series of Poker at the Rio on Saturday for excessive cursing. After serving a 10-minute penalty for dropping the "f-bomb," a violation of tournament rules, Benson returned and asked her dealer, "Does that mean I can't say any other word? I can say c - - t, p - - - y and c - - k, but I can't say f - - k?" Benson — whose $10,000 entrance fee was sponsored by pokerblue.com — was immediately booted from the game. She also set tongues wagging when she was barred from the Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio after they refused to let her eat with her French bulldog puppy, Petunia. "She threw a huge fit," tattles our snitch. "She even said, 'Don't you know who I am? The dog will stay in its carrier.' They said, 'Absolutely not,' and she stormed off." Anna — named "Baseball's Sexiest Wife" by FHM magazine — once told Howard Stern that if she caught her husband sleeping around, she would bed the entire Mets team right down to the groundskeepers.

And now, some email – (By the way, due to vacation plus moving, I am hundreds and hundreds of emails behind. I will try to catch up soon):

First, one on the media and Rogers:

A few weeks before the Roger’s incident, I wrote you an email regarding the media’s lack of balls in dealing with the Rangers. Soon after, the media grew a pair and started asking questions regarding Kenny Rogers injury. Then the attack on the camera man takes place and the press has been all over Rogers, how the Rangers handled it and how this organization is being run. I slept so soundly knowing the media was DOING THEIR JOB, asking the tough questions and holding this team accountable. Then Saturday happened. A guy who has cost his team a roster spot and four starts during a pennant chase. A guy who refuses to talk to the media and fans. A guy with a sleeze-ball agent who is trying to get a big payday in the middle of the season. The fans supported this clown and gave him an ovation! The fans think the media is being too tough on him! All he did was assault someone on camera. A crime any average guy would be arrested for on the spot. Maybe next time he should do something else to the cameraman for the whole world to see…..maybe a felony would make him even more of a fan favorite. My apologies to the media, you did your job, the fans did not. I just don’t get it.
Brian - Arlington

Here is one on why the Rangers did the curious thing of scheduling Rusty Greer on a hot, hot day instead of a cool night with a big crowd…

GREED! The Rangers intentionally planned Rusty Greer Day to be at the hottest time of the year at the hottest time of the day. It's not a day & time they traditionally draw well. They thought by honoring Rusty on such a day would sell more tickets & help an attendance that is lagging behind last year's pace. If the Rangers really cared about honoring Rusty, they would have done it on a Saturday night when they usually do draw well to ensure a packed house for Rusty. Instead , they prefer to use Rusty to sell a few more tickets & put more money in Mr. Hicks' pockets.

PS: And after all, that's a good thing. Other teams win pennants & go to the playoffs. But the Rangers make a profit! Isn't that what it's all about.

Now, this hockey question from Russ:

Andrew (of Andrew’s Stars Page) thinks Guerin is out. your thoughts Bob? I still hope the wings buy out Hatcher so we can take a crack at him again.

Allow me to catch some folks up before I answer. With the new salary cap, teams will really consider buy outs to help adjust their financial landscape. With a cap around $38 million, no team will wish to pay a single player a big chunk of cash.

There is also a provision in the CBA that prohibits the teams from paying one player more than 20% of the payroll ($7.6 million). Doug Armstrong was on Ticket Sports Saturday and suggested that he would not want to pay a single player any more than 10-15%. 10% seems completely impossible. $3.8 million will not get you a superstar, despite the current climate. But 15% is $5.7 million, and seems reasonable.

If a NHL team buys out a player, he is due 67% of his salary, but it will not count against the cap (as I understand the new CBA). Therefore, assuming Guerin’s final two years are for $9 million and $9 million, roll back his salary 24% to $6.75 million. Then, to buy him out, you must pay him $9 million dollars total (4.5 and 4.5) to walk away. You cannot re-sign him at all, so despite the fact that the Stars might WANT to buy him out, how can they pay him $9 million not to play, when he is arguably your best offensive player?

Does Hicks have the cash to just write that check, given the income uncertainties? It seems reasonable that they could buy out the last year of Pierre Turgeon’s deal which would likely be in the neighborhood of $2-3 million. But if your question is, Do the Stars Want to buy Guerin out, then I would say, “yes”. But I am not sure they can.

As for Hatcher, with all of the talk around the local hockey community, I have heard Derian Hatcher, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Joey Nieuwendyk are all soon to be Stars again. I cannot say I believe these ideas, because it flies in the face of what Doug Armstrong has preached. He claims this new team is about Morrow, Ott, Daley, Erskine, and Turco. Langenbrunner makes sense, but the others seem like wishful bridges to the past. I don’t see how reassembling the ’99 team for the ’06 playoffs makes any sense. Honestly, I do not believe Hatcher is half the player he was in 1999.

Oh well, I am happy to type hockey thoughts again, especially those that have to do with hockey (if you know what I mean).

Kenny's World

With no concern about the game itself, Kenny Rogers decides he will go to Detroit …

The Rangers starter told The Dallas Morning News on Sunday evening that he would participate in Tuesday's All-Star Game in Detroit.

"People are going to do whatever they are going to do," Rogers said. "I'm going because I was voted in by the players, and I earned it. I want the players to know their vote means a lot to me. I know how the players feel, and if I thought it would benefit them if I didn't go, I wouldn't go."

Let me just say this: He had better be 100% cooperative today at media day if he is going. Just sit there politely, and answer all of the questions the best you can. Because if you go and stone-wall or no-show media day, you will make it all the worse, Kenny.

Rangers complete sweep over Toronto …



Lebreton on Rusty Greer Day …And who knew that Mickey Clark and Will Tettleton would be there? Oh, was that a Tom Hicks mistake? It must have been Will Clark (who now looks just like Chris Berman!) and Mickey Tettleton.

Heika on Hockey moving on …



75% of Nascar Fans Rejoice: Your guy, Junior, won a race! …Seriously, it was a pretty cool moment seeing how happy those boys were…

Mac Engle on Dan Campbell …

Somehow, David Wells puts Media spotlight on himself regarding the Rogers fiasco by comparing it to rape ...

"Some guy's being aggressive with a woman, and she says no, and he keeps on doing it. Well, you know what's going to happen. No is no in anything, when it comes to sexual or you know, whatever it is. No is no," Wells said during an appearance on Rhode Island radio station WSKO on Friday. "And I'm sure Kenny said, 'Hey, get it out of my face, don't do it.' But no, they want the big story, they want the scoop, you know?"

Another Story that makes me proud of being Wisconsin …

Sports Guy with Baseball Awards …

By the way, the Newberg Report had its Annual day at the Ballpark, and I was there with a few hundred other people. It was a great day, and Jamey and his crew should be proud of what they have grown into. Jon Daniels, the Asst GM of the Rangers, spent a ton of time with the group and was really enjoyable to listen to. I am sure I will be back next year. Great job, Jamey.

Do you take Drugs, Danny?

Sadly, it is fairly short and sweet today, but Caddyshack’s Danny Noonan is on today at 2:30, so can we at least enjoy that?

Kenny figures out if he is headed to Detroit …

Rogers still has not decided if he will go to Tuesday's All-Star Game in Detroit, although sources indicated Thursday numerous sides are trying to get him to bow out gracefully rather than suffer ringing boos upon his pregame introduction.

A Rangers source confirmed Thursday that there has been conversation between the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball. That conversation is believed to be about finding the best possible solution to the sticky situation.

Sources said, however, there is no ongoing negotiation to reduce Rogers' 20-game suspension in exchange for skipping the game.

Mavs ponder the future of Finley …

The Mavs can waive Finley as early as July 22 under the "amnesty rule," a one-time provision in the new CBA. Such a move could save the team up to $51.8 million in luxury tax payments over the next three seasons.

"It was not something I expected," Cuban said of the new rule. "It came out of left field."

Though Finley would still receive the $51.8 million left on his contract, provisions in his contract allow for approximately $30 million to be deferred. The savings over the next three years -- luxury tax and deferments -- could be in the $80 million range.

However, the Mavs would be better off financially trading Finley for expiring contracts. That would allow the team to take the last two years of Finley's contract ($35.8 million) off the books completely, allowing the Mavs the opportunity to get their payroll close to or below the luxury tax threshold.

"[Trading Finley] makes sense if it's for last-year guys," Cuban said. "We get players we can plug in, plus the luxury tax savings."

Dallas’ David Williams profiled before the World Series of Poker …

Michael Redd signs in Milwaukee to a MAX contract???…

Gerrard and Carragher sign their deals …

I will do better next time.

Hockey's Sides Agree!!!

Is this the lead story? On Bob’s Blog it is.

LA TIMES SAYS IT IS OVER! …

The NHL and the players' association have agreed in principle on a new collective bargaining agreement that will feature a hard salary cap linked to 54% of league revenue, a 24% rollback of existing contracts and qualifying offers, and a provision that will limit the salary of any single player to 20% of the team cap figure in any year, sources familiar with the labor negotiations said Wednesday.

For fairness, TSN says “not so fast” …

Revo breaks down the Kenny apology …

So let's talk for a moment about the "circumstances" and the "situation," since there's little doubt that at least part of what Kenny is referring to was a column I wrote in this newspaper last week about his decision to skip a start against the division-leading Angels.

No need to rehash it all, but I did raise some questions about that decision. Knowing how much courage Kenny has displayed over the years, how much pain he has pitched with in the past, I wondered in the column if there were other factors involved in his decision besides a small broken bone in his non-pitching hand that he had already pitched with once.

The essential question - and it's a legitimate one considering Kenny's history with money - was whether his then- ongoing contract negotiations played a part in the decision. Obviously, another beating at the Angels' hands wouldn't have done his league-leading ERA or his contract position any good. There were Rangers' officials wondering the same thing.

Those are the "circumstances" Rogers was referring to in his statement. Obviously, he didn't like the inference because, if the contract negotiations had anything at all to do with his decision, then it meant he was dumping on his teammates in the team's most critical series of the season.

That's why teams and players should never negotiate contracts during the season, so questions like those never have to come up, either inside the organization or out.

Chan Ho – no match for Texas Heat …

Thanks to four walks and four other counts of three balls, Park, in long sleeves, had thrown 85 pitches going into the sixth. Edgar Renteria worked him for seven pitches to start the sixth, and Park wore down quickly after that. He allowed three straight two-out hits and saw a 2-0 lead turn into a 3-2 deficit.

When Park was done, he'd thrown 110 pitches, raising his average per inning to 18.44 for the season. It's the highest average in the AL, surpassing the 18.40 by Boston's Wade Miller. By contrast, Boston's Matt Clement had just 12 more pitches than Park in 8 2/3 innings of work.

The strain of the pitch count showed in the sixth. Park got the first two outs but couldn't bury hitters.

Hot summers drain pitchers at Ameriquest Field. Park felt the drain early on Wednesday.

I missed this a few days ago, but this was brought to my attention: Buck Showalter discusses Ryan Drese …

The Rangers gave Drese only a dozen starts, and it's true, he was awful. He was 4-6 with a 6.46 ERA. He'd given up a whopping 96 hits in just under 70 innings. He has been a different pitcher for Washington.

"It's not a given that he would have done that here," Showalter noted. "He's in the National League. He's in a great pitcher's park.

"And I also think we may have done him the service of his life. He got a great wakeup call."

That hasn't kept Showalter and the Rangers from second-guessing their decision, just as most of us have.

"I know John's kicking himself, for the same reason Orel and I are kicking ourselves for not pounding the table [about keeping Drese]," Showalter said. "Who knows? A year from now, maybe it'll look like the greatest thing we ever did. Remember, [28] other clubs passed on him, too.

True, but it only took one to make the Rangers look like idiots for believing that Drese would not be able to rediscover the magic sinkerball that helped him win 14 games last season.

“Pounding the table”? To who? I thought Buck made this call, and now it appears he is distancing and placing responsibility on Hart’s lap.

Expect plenty of stories like this one in the upcoming weeks: LA Kings forward Sean Avery distances from his union …

Shortly after noon, the office phone rang.

"This is Sean Avery," said the voice.

Sean Avery?

"Of the Los Angeles Kings," said the voice.

The Los Angeles Kings?

"We were brainwashed," he said. "And we're sorry."

And so a forgotten face tapped at a shuttered window Tuesday, the Kings' tough guy calling to do something tough guys never do.

Admit defeat and ask forgiveness.

An NHL labor agreement ending a yearlong lockout will be announced soon — "a done deal," Avery said — and the center wanted to send a most unusual message to hockey's few remaining fans.

The players were wrong.

The players were whipped.

Blindly following labor leadership, the players were fools.

A year ago, their mantra was "union."

They return crying "uncle."

"We burned a year for nothing," Avery said. "We didn't win anything. We didn't prove anything. We didn't get anything. We wasted an entire season."

The salary cap that the players claimed they would never accept?

The proposed money ceiling that the players sacrificed a season trying to knock down?

It's here. And it's low. Tautly, tauntingly low.

Very interesting stuff in that must-read column. I knew the players could not win, but I also knew that the owner’s goal was not to win, but to annihilate. It appears that they accomplished that goal. But you know what? As a fan, I don’t care who won. I simply care that hockey will be back. Perhaps we will have no idea who plays where, and the Stars will no longer have an unfair payroll advantage, but I still love my hockey on your random Friday nights in the winter. Bring it on….

He may hate Dan, but what a Player!

Fraley commends the Rangers for getting the 2001 pick of Teixeira right …

Teixeira overwhelms everyone else from the class of 2001.

Minnesota took high school catcher Joe Mauer with the first pick. Mauer has shown power and defensive skills, but he has also struggled with knee problems. That is an ominous sign for a 22-year-old catcher.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Mark Prior, the second overall choice, is Teixeira's closest challenger. Prior won 18 games and made the National League All-Star team in 2003. He is 11-6 since that season and has struggled with injuries.

Tampa Bay has had no luck with the third pick: college right-hander Dewon Brazelton. He is 8-23 in the majors and lost standing within the organization by balking at a minor league assignment this season.

Philadelphia wanted Teixeira with the fourth pick, but agent Scott Boras chased away the Phillies. They settled for a high school right-hander from his Maryland neighborhood: Gavin Floyd. He is 3-1 with a 7.02 ERA for 10 major league appearances.

Teixeira, taken fifth by the Rangers, dwarfs them all.

Wakefield, Manny beat Rangers …

Marquis Daniels – back for summer league a third time …

Daniels' situation is a primary reason why Johnson is coaching the Las Vegas portion of the summer-league team. Usually, it's a job farmed out to an assistant or developmental staff members.

But Johnson wants a firsthand look.

"I've got to find out what kind of player Marquis can be," Johnson said.
In his rookie season, the 6-6 Daniels finished with a rush, averaging more than 20 points over his last 11 games. He also was the Mavericks' second-leading scorer in the playoffs. Last season, he often was an afterthought because of the injuries.

Two issues stand out: Can Daniels master the midrange jump shot, eventually extending his range, and can he function as a point guard for 10 to 15 minutes per game.

Daniels said he's spent most of this off-season working on his jump shot.
"It's going to be a good chance to figure out what the fit is," said Donnie Nelson, president of basketball operations. "Is he the perfect utility guy coming off the bench? Or is he a starter. It's a process.

"But shooting is a huge priority for him. He's got to be able to make that outside shot and extend it to the 3-point line, because he's got everything else."

Do you think American Sports are out of control? Consider the story of English Footballer Steven Gerrard, who is the best player on my favorite team, Liverpool:

Yesterday 1:00 pm (Dallas Time) – Gerrard announces he has demanded to leave Liverpool
Yesterday 3:00 pm (Dallas Time) – Liverpool admits Gerrard has demanded his exit
Yesterday 6:00 pm (Dallas Time) – Liverpool asks its fans to move on with the club
This morning – Gerrard has change of heart, will sign new deal with Liverpool today

Gerrard changes mind, will sign new deal immediately …

'I do not want to get into attaching blame to anyone. If I blame anyone it is myself.

'I wanted my future sorted out as soon as possible after the Champions League final but the longer it went on the more misunderstandings there were.

'I will be signing a deal, maybe even today.

Last night, I watched Game 2 of the St Louis series of the 1999 Dallas Stars Stanley Cup run via the Fox Sports Net Dallas Stars Collection Series, and wow, I had almost forgotten how dominant Joey Nieuwendyk was! Amazing player with speed, decent size, and a wicked snap shot going to his right and shooting back to the top left hand corner of the net in full flight!

Pudge is divorced …

For the first time in print, Pudge Rodriguez has acknowledged that he's getting a divorce from his wife of 15 years, Maribel.

"Tell them all now that I'm a single man," he was quoted as saying in Monday's Flint Journal.

The Tigers have known for months that Rodriguez and his wife were divorcing, but felt they shouldn't comment until Pudge did -- and even when he did, they were courteously hesitant.

"It's not my place (to talk about it)," Trammell said. "but as you can imagine, it's been tough. It's been an issue for him for four months now. I know it's been a burden for him, but he still comes to the ballpark and prepares himself as he always has."

A’s making their annual run …

To the generation before us, Hank Stram was Coach of the Chiefs, but to my generation, He was the radio voice of Monday Night Football with Jack Buck …They were fun to listen to…

Vin Scully and his sweet rules …

Although he insists he has no timetable for retirement, Scully has made concessions to age in recent years. His contract (always year-to-year, never long term) stipulates he is not required to travel east of Denver, and he only does three innings per night on radio -- always solo. Those three innings are simulcast on radio and TV, and beginning with the fourth, he is only on TV -- and it is a poor substitute, as even Scully admits.

"With radio -- and I've almost made this a cliche -- you come into the booth, and there's an empty canvas," Scully says, describing the difference between the media outlets. "And you get all your paint and brushes, and you mix your paints. And then you have a broad swath here and fine line there. And at the end of three hours, you say, 'Well, that's the best I can do today.' On television, you walk in and the picture's already there. So what you're doing is shading, subtle things."

In a typical three-hour baseball game, the ball is only in play for perhaps six minutes, and Scully is a master at interspersing biographical material and anecdotes about the batter or the pitcher between pitches -- information he keeps on notebook pages in front of him

Blog is Back, Back Again

OK, the blog is back, and so am I. I know it is late Monday night, but this is your Tuesday Morning Entry. Refreshed and Ready to roll with BaD Radio at Noon, so let’s party together. Hope we all still love eachother.

Rangers rally in 9th, beat BoSox ...

The winning run driven in by Mench, who Baseball Muse thought could have been an all-star:

Mench is second among AL outfielders in OPS trailing only Vlad Guerrero. His 15 HR ranks him third and he has played solid defense in LF for the Rangers. I think those qualifications are enough to get him a spot in the final 5 voting (moreso than Derek Jeter). This is probably a case of earning his sport for next year by finishing the year strong.

2nd to Vlad in Ops??? Who would have guessed that leaving spring training?



Roids?

Kobayashi wins his 5th straight Hot Dog Title …

Lebreton bids Rogers goodbye …

Cheap Shot on Kenny Rogers: His Postseason Numbers …Lest we forget how money he is…

Rogers, who has been one of the worst postseason performers of the modern era: 0-3 record, 8.85 ERA, 20 1/3 innings, 32 hits allowed, 20 earned runs, 16 walks and 15 strikeouts.

Now, if you have read this blog for more than 2 weeks, you know I love (among other things) Liverpool Football. That being said, I am about tired of the on-going soap opera of Steven Gerrard. Look, I love the dude, but this is so tiresome. I prefer they sign him, but if they don’t, the sun will come up as it did when Michael Owen left. My plea: Do it, or don’t, but GET ON WITH IT! The Latest from London does not look good …

Hit Man making a come back????? …No way!...By the way, on vacation I had a chance to view a few things that have sat on my Tivo for a while. One of them, was the May 14th whooping of Felix Trinidad by Winky Wright …And wow, was I wrong. Wright dominated that fight so easily, that now I wonder if he might finally be the guy to beat Bernard Hopkins. How is that for a 7 week old take?

I often claim a website is great. I try not to build them up to high, but this site, retrosheet.org is AWESOME! It has boxscores from Way back in time, so if you, like me, save ticket stubs from games you once attended as a boy, you can look up the date, and relive your youth. June 23, 1982 was the oldest ticket stub I could find, and here is the game that 9-year old Bob Sturm enjoyed 3 days prior to his 10th birthday. Freakin Yankees and Roy Smalley dropped the hammer on my big night…

Here is another boxscore from a game I attended as a young lad: July 31, 1990 , which was Nolan Ryan's 300th win...Chris Bosio had nothing for him...

All Napoleon Dynamite Soundboards in the same place …



If you thought my tattoo was poor judgement, What about this genius who tattooed her face forever for $10,000? …

Smith, on the other hand, now has a url plastered across her face. She claims that she did it to raise funds for her son's private education, enthusing: "I really want to do this. To everyone else, it seems like a stupid thing to do. To me, $10,000 is like $1 million. I only live once, and I'm doing it for my son ... It's a small sacrifice to build a better future for my son."

No it isn't a small sacrifice - it's a bloody daft thing to do for $15k and raises the question as to whether Smith is not a couple of bids short of a auction. To its credit, the tattoo parlour which did the dirty deed - SI TATTOOING in Salt Lake City - reportedly spent seven hours trying to talk her out of it. Well, sort of to its credit, because it went ahead and tattooed the silly woman anyway, but it's the thought that counts...

When Hockey returns, you may not recognize it …

The Great Hank Stram Dead at 82 ...65 Toss Power Trap, Forever, Hank.

Can you still use "The Tsunami" as a nickname?

The Tsunami’s drive for five …

"He's just amazing," said Richard Shea, president of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. "This is like winning four Super Bowls in a row."

Kobayashi will go for his fifth straight win in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest at New York's Coney Island. If you go by the tale of the tape, some of his competitors should be eating Kobayashi.

He is literally one-third their size, which makes as much sense as a $5 box of movie popcorn. Like many of the world's top athletes, Kobayashi maintains an air of mystery.

He's from Nagano, Japan. He's 27 years old. He doesn't speak English.
He doesn't compete often. But when he does, don't get too close.

Kobayashi ate 53 1/2 hot dogs in 12 minutes to win last year's contest. The previous record was . . . Hold everything!

Koba-what?

We're talking about eating contests as sport? What next, competitive belching?

See all the action, and the over-the-top announcers, at 11 am, Monday on ESPN.