Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Separated at Birth?
Today, a source extremely close to Sportsfreakers announced that New York Yankees lead-off man is related to golf champion Trevor Immelman. Both players and every other news source in the world have denied the announcement.
Pick of the Night
Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers
10:35pm TNT
Lakers -7.5
This bet seems simple to me. The Jazz are perennial road losers, and although they won a couple in the last series, they are now up against, in my opinion, the best team in the NBA. Look for the Lakers to pull away sometime in the 4th quarter for the win, and for Kobe to dominate as usual.
Final Score: 114-102 Lakers
Man Crush of the Week #2 - Sean Avery
From my seat in Row A of Section 414 at Madison Square Garden, I can see almost everything that happens during the course of a Rangers game. Stationed centrally behind the net at the 8th Ave. end (where the Rangers attack in the 1st and 3rd periods), I get a full view of the ice, and most of the time I watch the puck and the play, like most people would.
But when a certain Ranger hits the ice, I’m transfixed on only him.
He’s unpredictable. He’s fast. He’s a good scorer, a deft passer. He’s a hitter and a fighter. He’s annoying as hell.
He’s Sean Avery.
When Avery became a Ranger on February 6th last season, I knew very little about him. Because Avery played in Los Angeles and the NHL has pretty much zero west-coast TV coverage, he was basically an unknown commodity. I think this was the case for a lot of people.
But since his arrival in New York, I have absolutely fallen in love with Sean Avery…in a totally non-sexual way, of course (come on, I’d have no shot anyway, this guy dated Elisha Cuthbert!), and so has most of New York.
Avery actually makes me laugh out loud when I watch the Rangers, partly because of the way he goes about getting under his opponent’s skin (yapping away from behind his infamous black mouth guard, throwing well-timed body checks, and of course face-washing players during post-whistle get-togethers), but mostly because he’s actually a terrific hockey player. It truly is a joy to watch the guy play the game. Most people can’t get past the agitation factor to recognize this, and that quite frankly is their loss.
Avery is the player that everyone – including even some Ranger fans – loves to hate. His language on the ice is crude, he’s brutally honest during interviews (“I guess fatso there forgot to shake my hand…”) and his goal celebrations are a bit over the top (though I think scoring a goal in the NHL would fire anyone up and I like the expression of emotion).
But I also think that the NHL’s resident bad boy fulfills the cliché, “Women want him and men want to be him.” After all, Avery isn’t just a hockey player…he’s a renaissance man. When he’s not at the rink, he claims he really doesn’t pay much attention to the hockey world and would rather talk about art than sports. His interests include high fashion and indie music. This summer, he’s interning at Vogue Magazine. Guy’s got a pretty cool life, no?
What I think a lot of people, especially over at NHL Headquarters on 6th Ave., are missing is that Avery has become one of the league’s most marketable stars. And in typical NHL fashion, Gary Bettman and Co. have shunned him. In a league that is struggling not only to garner more attention but also to promote its stars, Avery is a lightning rod for attention. He plays the part of the villain perfectly.
But when a certain Ranger hits the ice, I’m transfixed on only him.
He’s unpredictable. He’s fast. He’s a good scorer, a deft passer. He’s a hitter and a fighter. He’s annoying as hell.
He’s Sean Avery.
When Avery became a Ranger on February 6th last season, I knew very little about him. Because Avery played in Los Angeles and the NHL has pretty much zero west-coast TV coverage, he was basically an unknown commodity. I think this was the case for a lot of people.
But since his arrival in New York, I have absolutely fallen in love with Sean Avery…in a totally non-sexual way, of course (come on, I’d have no shot anyway, this guy dated Elisha Cuthbert!), and so has most of New York.
Avery actually makes me laugh out loud when I watch the Rangers, partly because of the way he goes about getting under his opponent’s skin (yapping away from behind his infamous black mouth guard, throwing well-timed body checks, and of course face-washing players during post-whistle get-togethers), but mostly because he’s actually a terrific hockey player. It truly is a joy to watch the guy play the game. Most people can’t get past the agitation factor to recognize this, and that quite frankly is their loss.
Avery is the player that everyone – including even some Ranger fans – loves to hate. His language on the ice is crude, he’s brutally honest during interviews (“I guess fatso there forgot to shake my hand…”) and his goal celebrations are a bit over the top (though I think scoring a goal in the NHL would fire anyone up and I like the expression of emotion).
But I also think that the NHL’s resident bad boy fulfills the cliché, “Women want him and men want to be him.” After all, Avery isn’t just a hockey player…he’s a renaissance man. When he’s not at the rink, he claims he really doesn’t pay much attention to the hockey world and would rather talk about art than sports. His interests include high fashion and indie music. This summer, he’s interning at Vogue Magazine. Guy’s got a pretty cool life, no?
What I think a lot of people, especially over at NHL Headquarters on 6th Ave., are missing is that Avery has become one of the league’s most marketable stars. And in typical NHL fashion, Gary Bettman and Co. have shunned him. In a league that is struggling not only to garner more attention but also to promote its stars, Avery is a lightning rod for attention. He plays the part of the villain perfectly.
Now, many hockey pundits would tell me that the league is trying to clean up its image, that a “villain” is the last thing it needs. They’ll say the NHL is sick of the Todd Bertuzzi/Marty McSorely/Chris Simon moments that seem to happen yearly and give hockey an endless stream of bad press.
My argument is this: Sean Avery is not a goon. He doesn’t hit from behind. He doesn’t swing his stick at people’s heads. He doesn’t engage in slew-footing like Evgeni Malkin did in pathetic sore-loser fashion at the end of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Rather, Avery is a modern agitator with an old-school edge. And he’s a good interview because he’s articulate and will say a thing or two that catches everyone off-guard. He also has a personality off the ice.
I watched the Rangers playoffs with a few people who are not hardcore hockey fans like me and even they were interested in Sean Avery. Say what you will about his questionable screening tactics on Martin Brodeur…it made headlines, didn’t it? The national media was talking quite a bit about hockey the next day, weren’t they? I rest my case.
I’ll say this before I go. A lot of people have accused Avery of being selfish, especially when February rolled around and Avery met with the Rangers brass to discuss extending his contract, a one-year deal that expires on June 30th. SHOCKER: Avery asked for too much money. Go figure that…a pro athlete acting like, well, a pro athlete.
The thing is that Avery has proven his worth. The Rangers were 33-14-10 this past season when Avery played and 9-13-3 when he didn’t. And then came this gem from New York Post writer Larry Brooks, who scored an exclusive interview with Avery when he was released from the hospital earlier this week after beginning his recovery from a lacerated spleen.
Avery bleeds Ranger blue.
That’s good enough for me. But even if he leaves the Rangers, I will always have a soft-spot in my heart for Sean Avery, this week’s Sports Freakers Man Crush of the Week.
My argument is this: Sean Avery is not a goon. He doesn’t hit from behind. He doesn’t swing his stick at people’s heads. He doesn’t engage in slew-footing like Evgeni Malkin did in pathetic sore-loser fashion at the end of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Rather, Avery is a modern agitator with an old-school edge. And he’s a good interview because he’s articulate and will say a thing or two that catches everyone off-guard. He also has a personality off the ice.
I watched the Rangers playoffs with a few people who are not hardcore hockey fans like me and even they were interested in Sean Avery. Say what you will about his questionable screening tactics on Martin Brodeur…it made headlines, didn’t it? The national media was talking quite a bit about hockey the next day, weren’t they? I rest my case.
I’ll say this before I go. A lot of people have accused Avery of being selfish, especially when February rolled around and Avery met with the Rangers brass to discuss extending his contract, a one-year deal that expires on June 30th. SHOCKER: Avery asked for too much money. Go figure that…a pro athlete acting like, well, a pro athlete.
The thing is that Avery has proven his worth. The Rangers were 33-14-10 this past season when Avery played and 9-13-3 when he didn’t. And then came this gem from New York Post writer Larry Brooks, who scored an exclusive interview with Avery when he was released from the hospital earlier this week after beginning his recovery from a lacerated spleen.
Avery bleeds Ranger blue.
That’s good enough for me. But even if he leaves the Rangers, I will always have a soft-spot in my heart for Sean Avery, this week’s Sports Freakers Man Crush of the Week.
Bye Bye Barry...
Jeff Borris, Barry Bond’s agent says, "No team has made me an offer for any amount at any time since Barry became a free agent."
First of all, Jeff Borris is a douche bag… Secondly, why would any team with any respect for itself want to sign a 44 year old, steroid freak, media circus?
Now, the MLBPA has launched some cockamamie investigation into the Major League Baseball Owners, to see if they are colluding to not sign free agents like Barry Bonds, Kenny Lofton, and Sammy Sosa. This is pretty hilarious. Does the players association REALLY think the owners are colluding against Barry Bonds? Or, are they just doing this because Bonds is in a union, and they just have to? I mean, Bonds can still hit: 28 homers in 340 at bats is actually really good. But, it doesn’t take an idiot to realize that no team is going to sign Bonds for $15 million a year to play DH. He can’t play the field anymore, so that eliminates the entire National League, but I decided to go through a few teams that may actually take chance on the all time home run king…
- The Mariners are off to a very slow start in ’08 and really don’t have that much pop in their lineup. Ichiro is a fantastic player but has no power, and outside of Adrian Beltre Raul Ibanez and maybe Richie Sexon, they don’t have any hitters that pitchers fear. They don’t have a DH, and could absolutely use a left handed power bat. The only thing stopping them from signing him (besides the absolute media circus he brings), is the money that Bonds and Borris will demand. Ichiro, Sexon, Beltre, Carlos Silva, Ibanez, and Erik Bedard make almost $100million combined. The Mariners are a fairly small market team, and unless he comes at an extreme discount (doubtful!), I don’t see the Mariners signing Bonds. However, if they are 10 games out of first in a month or two and continue to not score runs, it is possible we could see Barry Lamar Bonds in
- Chance they sign Bonds: 45%
- Everyone’s favorite pick to win it all before the season has been very up and down so far this year. Their pitching is bad, and their supposedly amazing offense has been very inconsistent. If they want to shake things up with this team, signing Bonds might make sense. Plus, their DH, Gary Sheffield looks like he might be nearing the end of his career. Truth is, this team should be trying to improve their pitching instead of signing Bonds, but desperate times come for desperate measures.
- Chance they sign Bonds: 40%
- Chance they sign Bonds: 40%
- Despite their hot start, the A’s lineup does not scare me at all. Emil Brown is a fraud, Daric Barton is too young, Kurt Suzuki might bat .300 but he’ll have 5 homers, Bobby Crosby will get hurt, and Jack Cust stopped using roids. Also,
- Chances they sign Bonds: 35%
- No one really thinks this team can stay in contention for too long, so adding a big bat like Bonds might make sense in the short run. Their DH, Cliff Floyd is hurt (like always), and the middle of their lineup is void of any real power threat not named Carlos Pena. Signing Bonds might actually allow this team to contend for a little bit, and will give them the national attention that they sorely lack. However, in the long run, signing Bonds is a BAD idea for this team. He would immediately be the highest paid player on the team, and would ruin the team chemistry that seems to be growing with them every year. I doubt young stars like BJ Upton and Carl Crawford want to be answering questions about Barry after every game.
- Chances they sign Bonds: 25%
- With Arod and Posada out, the Yankees lineup is really short right now. If these two guys miss any real length of time, and the Yankees are hovering around .500 at the all star break, Hank Steinbrenner might freak out and become his father. Back in the day, George probably would have signed Bonds already. But, with this being the last year at Yankees Stadium and the Yankees already aging, it is doubtful that Barry will ever be in pinstripes.
- Chances they sign Bonds: 10%
Where in the World is Lebron James?
I'm just going to get this out in the open.
Last night's Cavs-Celts game was the worst basketball game I have ever seen. EVER.
It was by far the must frustrating offensive, or lack of offensive, game I have ever sat through. Neither team could go on a run to put the other away, and there was absolutely no flow throughout. The game began with an easy layup from who else but Lebron James. He wouldn't hit another field goal until the 4th quarter. Which poses the question...
Where in the world is Lebron James?
Let's forget that he went 2-18 last night from the field, but focus on the fact that he had 10 turnovers, in his worst playoff game ever. Actually, it's the 2nd worst turnover rate by a player in a playoff game, of all time! (11 is the most). What was wrong with Lebron? Early round jitters? Doubtful. Injured? No. Out drinking last night? Probably. Which poses another question...
Where in the world is Paul Pierce and Ray Allen?
They must have been out with Lebron. Ray Allen had 0 points, the first time in 852 games. Pierce finished 2-14. The only 2 players who actually had great games were Garnett and Ilgauskas, with 28 points and 20 points respectively. If these players didn't put up big numbers, the final score might have been 52-48.
I sincerely hope that this isn't the bar set for this highly anticipated series. Hopefully in Game 2 we see the dominating Lebron we're used to, and a higher scoring game.
Doc Rivers said this after the game. "This is gonna be Knicks-Heat, or Knicks-Bulls."
Don't forget DOC, if that is your real name, you guys won 17 games last year. I can't wait until Lebron turns it on. Because when that happens you are all in big, big trouble.
Cliff Notes: Wednesday, May 7 2008
The Winners
-Celtics, Sidney Ponson
The Important Stuff
-The Celtics/Cavs game was ugly, but Boston eeked out a 76-72 win. In lieu of running away with our poll question, Lebron James celebrated by having his worst game of the playoffs (12 pts, 10 TOs).
-Rick Carlisle to the Mavericks? Mike D'Antoni to the Bulls? Why is no one interviewing Herb Williams?
-The altered Cedric Benson report details him being drunk and confused. That's how most Giants fans get after a Barry Zito start.
-The shocker: Joba Chamberlain blows a game! Joba allowed a three-run go-ahead HR as the Indians defeat the Yankees 5-3. Joba now joins this list of players who have blown games:
1) Every relief pitcher who has ever played Major League Baseball.
The Stupid Stuff
-The horse that died at the Kentucky Derby (Eight Bells) has been accused of taking steroids. It's trainer demands a drug test be taken. Let me get this straight. It's more urgent to test a horse for steroids than it is to have tested Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa for steroids.
The Awards
-The "I was a complete mental case last year, but now I am a great pitcher" award goes to Scott Olsen, who threw 8 2/3 innings of two-hit ball to improve to 4-1.
-The "I'm king of the world!" award goes to David Delucci, who was the lucky one to have homered off of Joba Chamberlain.
-The "Let's just mail it in the rest of the season" award goes to the Detroit Tigers.
What to Watch for Tonight
-I guess the Pistons' and Lakers' games are watchable. Although why watch something that you know the ending to?
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