8:00 PM CSN Baltimore has video of Marcus Smith, a U.S. soldier who dressed as a minor league umpire to surprise his children at a Bowie Baysox game with a home visit from Afghanistan.
7:45 PM A Japanese Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was swept out to sea during last year's tsunami washed up on a shore in British Columbia last month. The bike's owner asked that the motorcycle be displayed at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee as a memorial to the tsunami victims.
7:30 PM Buffalo Bills receiver David Clowneytweeted the results of his HIV test which came back negative. And to the critics of his decision to share his results, Clowney added: "Some people are Ridiculously stupid ... And can't see the bigger picture about things that are important in this world."
So there are two races left in NASCAR’s Chase for the WinstonNextel Sprint Cup and apparently Jimmie Johnson is going to win the thing. He’s got 106-point lead and that’s like an insurmountable lead at this point, or at least that’s what they tell me. I’m not exactly the biggest NASCAR fan in the world, but I have my reasons. One being that it gets kind of boring to watch cars drive in a circle for four hours, and the other reason is for my personal safety.
You see, going to a NASCAR race is pretty dangerous. I mean you can be sitting in your motor home while parked on the infield at the speedway just minding your business, and the next thing you know there’s a bullet coming through your roof and hitting you right in the arm.
Philadelphia just can’t catch a break. First Game 3 was pushed back because of little black rain clouds and very very frightening thunderbolts of lightning, and the conclusion wasn’t until well after 2 a.m. EST. Sunday night’s Game 4, meanwhile, was delayed by Patti LaBelle’s 2-minute-28-second rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
“I’m going to feel like a queen when it’s over … The fans are great. And I’m going to be more proud tonight, when they win 14-0.”
Maybe not 14-zip, but how does 10-2 sound?
The Phillies are now in the driver’s seat while the Rays are struggling to breathe in the trunk after Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard (twice), and Joe Blanton — the pitcher!? — successfully swung for the fences and cured their RISPitoid arthritis in the same game. But while Howard might have sandwiched in five RBIs, the more impressive feat is Blanton’s unlikely solo swing, which was the first World Series home run by a pitcher since ‘74. So congratulations, Ken Holtzman. You’re no longer languishing on a Trivial Pursuit card!
Through four games, Philly’s up 3-1, so a Game 5 win tonight will cement the trophy with all the flags in the glass case at the CBP. As for Tampa, well, their 3-4 tandem of Carlos Peña and Evan Longoria are totally and thoroughly hitless in the Series. That might have somethin’ to do with the two game deficit.
And contrary to rumors circulating around your breakfast nook, it wasn’t just a baseball day yesterday.
Why bring in the middle man? Have a coffee, Peter King. NBC’s Bob Costas chatted directly with area football franchise owner Jerry Jones for over 11 (!) minutes about the State of the Dallas Cowboys — everything from Romo’s pinky to Pac-adam’s suspension to the new stadium and back.The best part might be at the tail end of the fireside chat:
Costas: You don’t mind it, you like it a little bit that sometimes there’s a motley collection of characters on your team and maybe there are some character issues and some othe things that go beyond the field that’s kind of part for the course in Dallas, isn’t it?
Jones: Well I’m gonna take exception with the “motley” aspect of your description, that’s not the case, but what I will agree to is that just because you got a football helmet on and a football uniform doesn’t mean there aren’t all kinds of personalities that can be very successful, and yes I have gotten to be a part of teams that have had different characters wearing that star. but they come together for a common reason and that is for the team to win the championship. Win. Win.
I repeat, they’re not motley. So, the tamest possible description of the Cowboys’ raucous character pool, and Jones isn’t cool with it. From now on, they’ll the Playmakers. (So which one’s the closet homosexual?)
Also, he said he won’t fire Coach Phillips this year. Confidence!
If you don’t check out what else is happening, I can neither confirm nor deny if an NFL coach will be all up in your spice:
DC SPORTS BOG chronicles Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorngetting antsy with a reporter. After a win. (Caveat: against the Lions.) I can tell by the sullen look on your face that you want to watch the video.
THE SPORTS HERNIA notices that Jimmy Rollins took a page out of the Matt Stairs book of wisdom and really got his ass hammered by a guy during Game 4. No greater feeling. Especially when you’re called safe.
Who says there was no Sunday Night Football? It just happened to be in the collegiate level. Undefeated Tulsa crushed UCF 49-19 and is still just the fourth best non-BCS school in the most recent rankings, clocking in at No. 18. The other three? Utah (No. 10), Boise State (No. 11), and the Class Of The MAC, Ball State (No. 16).
But enough about the stupid non-power conference teams. Doody on them! It’s all about schools in Texas and Oklahoma. We already mentioned Tulsa, but Texas (No. 1), Oklahoma (No. 4), Texas Tech (No. 7), Oklahoma State (No. 9), and TCU (No. 13) give the superstate of Texlahoma five teams in the top 15. This is proof the region hasn’t had a drought in a while. This week’s big matchup, as there always seems to be two of those teams locking horns every week: Texas vs. Texas Tech.
It’s media day for North Carolina basketball. But I hope you weren’t looking forward to seeing Tyler Hansbrough, because he didn’t show up, the WILMINGTON STAR-NEWS reports. Begin the nervous conspiracies … now.
“What ifs” are so much fun. Joe Posnanskishares with America a column that would have run had Jamie Moyer been the story of Game 3. For this very reason, now I wish Tampa Bay had never come back to tie the game.
The ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION was front and center at the Pep Boys Auto 500 where Carl Edwardsflipped to victory, but Jimmie Johnson is cartwheeling over his second place finish, adding to his points lead.
And the BLEACHER REPORT organizes the NBA’s ten best trios of all time. Marbury-Randolph-Francis is conspicuously absent.
Hey, remember when about two weeks ago I was spouting off some amazing reasoning on why the World Series would be Los Angeles and Boston for the sole purpose of perpetuating a great storyline? Well, here’s a better one: two under-the-radar teams are the only squads remaining on the World Series Doppler. Philly’s series tickets already have dry, dry ink, but the American League had a conclusion to reach that lasted, for some inexplicable reason, far, far beyond Game 5.
(With David Price throwing heat, hell, who needs opposable thumbs?)
The big reason the Rays won 3-1 on Sunday night was Matt Garza lasting seven strong, allowing one run and two hits. That also gave him the ALCS MVP, and a blank check to swear on TBS. Said Garza on LIVE UNCENSORED television, when asked what he’d take, the MVP or the World Series: “Sh*t, I’ll take the World Series every time!”
Other MVPs of the game: Price, who got the final four outs of the game for his first major league save ever; Willy Aybar, who provided the team with a solo home run and scored another; Evan Longoria, who gave the world an RBI double; and Jason Varitek for striking out three times and finishing the series with an .050 average. Could the captain catcher be moving elsewhere next year?
Let’s go with the surprise motif — heck, it’s gotten us this far. The Romo-free Cowboys shouldn’t be a team that the St. Louis Rams — the freakin’ Rams — should boss around. But sure enough, the trap game for America’s team turned into a full-out massacre in a 34-14 win for the Fightin’ Hasletts. You can thank Steven Jackson for 160 yards and three touchdowns, although if I were to draw a pie chart breaking down the amount of people elated with this result:
Now then. What else, you ask, is going on, besides 83 season previews of every NBA team?
The JOURNAL SENTINEL’ BREWERS BLOG handicaps the next Brewers manager, and if you’re a fan of recycled torn-asunder skippers, then you’re in luck!
Greg Oden has so many expectations on him this year, that writers for THE OREGONIAN will even apologize to his face when they say they haven’t been impressed so far.
WAS WATCHING notes how the last home run in Yankee Stadium, a blast by the famous Jose Molina (!?), was expected to sell for at least $200,000, but had absolutely no bidders. Time to bury it under the new stadium, I guess.
Journeyman hockey player Brad Isbister is on his 13th team in as many years, NY TIMES’ SLAPSHOT BLOG notes. His current team? Switzerland’s EV Zug. All right then.
President Bush finally signed the much-needed NASCAR tax-break bill into law today. I guess it also has something to do with banks and stuff, but who cares about that crap? It’s all about left turns!
Since pork spending is a bad thing these days, Congress decided that pork tax-cutting is a better idea. Somehow, that means that NASCAR was extended the courtesy of writing off the costs of their facilities over seven years instead of the standard 15. I don’t really know what that means, but it reportedly means a short-term tax savings of about $100 million.
If someone was going to do an animated sitcom about NASCAR, it had to be Jeff Foxworthy, right? That’s what VARIETY is reporting might be on your TV screens soon, as Fox as given the greenlight to an animated pilot presentation from the inexplicably successful comedian about a NASCAR driver and his dysfunctional family.
So basically, it’s Talledega Nights, but replacing Will Ferrell for Jeff Foxworthy, and swapping all the funny jokes for terrible ones. When can I start setting my Tivo? I mean, it is animated, and cartoons make me laugh. (Oh, that Ziggy…) Plus, Fox is contractually obligated to pick up every animated series that ever comes out. I can only hope this is as successful as The PJs.
This is Tony Stewart’s time of the year as a NASCAR racer, when he’s at his competitive best on the track. After his narrow defeat Sunday, cameras and microphones captured Stewart pitching a fit that has us wondering if it’s also his time of the month?
Kyle Busch isn’t just having a very good season, or even a great one: he’s having one of the best seasons in NASCAR history. He added another notch on his belt on Sunday by winning the Sprint Cup Centurion Boats at the Glen in dominating fashion. And definitely had a better day than everyone involved in this crash near the end of the race (although there were no serious injuries, just a lot of race cars turned to junk metal):
With the win, Busch clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Chase for the Cup. He also became the first NASCAR driver to win three road course races in one season, as part of his 16 wins overall in all NASCAR national series. It’s pretty heady stuff for a 23 year-old once considered too hot-headed and unreliable to be a title contender. Joe Gibbs Racing took a chance on him this season, and the risk has paid off.
Throughout my life I’ve generally been a law abiding citizen. Okay, so not exactly. What I mean by that is that I’ve broken plenty of laws in my life, but I’ve never been caught, so as far as the police know I’m law abiding. Still, that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate the feats of those who have been arrested in their life. Be it for assault, public drunkenness, arson, or any combination of such charges.
So it’s with that in mind that I’d like to introduce all of you to a man named Donald Swisher Jr. You see, Donald is the type of guy who reaches for the stars in every aspect of his life. That’s why after he was arrested once on Sunday while attending the Sprint Cup race in Pocono with his girlfriend, he decided that one time just wasn’t enough.
Your local yellow pages doesn’t feature a “Hitman” or “Murder for Hire” section, but if it did my guess is none of the ads would include the phrase “We accept cash, check, credit card and Kasey Kahne collectible pins.”
Today’s PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE introduces us to Allen Bridges, 53 and his 18 year-old son Jacob of Everett, PA who were unaware of the fact that NASCAR memorabilia is not an accepted form of currency.
Allen, who was already locked up in Bedford County jail on charges of selling the powerful painkiller, fentanyl, was in need of a hitman to take out witness testifying against him. The down payment received for such services would be “a bulging black trash bag” containing a portion of Allen’s NASCAR collection. Read more…
