Days Gone By….New Updates Coming Soon

I realize that I’ve gained more and more twitter followers, some thanks to the whole Follow Friday hash tag sensation and some by way of user recommendations.

A big thanks to all who follow me. I’m here all week, tell your friends & make sure you tip your bartender generously.

With Christmas quickly approaching I definitely owe the readers that I still have the greatest gift of all:updates!

So keep your eyes open for news & coverage on the upcoming BCS games, NFL Playoffs, and of course more daily MMA/Boxing/UFC/TNA/WWE/ECW news(moreso than before).

In the meantime, safely enjoy your Hanukkah and days leading up to Christmas.

Smell ya later.

When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong:Special Sports and Boobs Wednesday Edition

In the past week or so, I’m sure many of you have viewed the footage of the soccer game involving University of New Mexico’s Elizabeth Lambert punching & pulling the hair of her opponents(if not, video of it can be found below). Well, apparently tempers run high in Rhode Island too.

I’m not a guy, so none of this is a turn-on for me. If anything it makes me wonder if there were instances prior to these games that resulted in these outcomes, cause as a woman I will admit…we’re petty.

Ladies don’t lie and say “I dunno what she’s talking about, I’m not petty. That’s not me. Uh-uh.” It’s in our characteristics and there’s no way around it, own up to it and move on.

But I’m not here to discuss why women spite for enjoyment, I am here to try to bring light to something that isn’t really new but seems to be in regards to women’s sports. Growing up I would bear witness to all sorts of fights during basketball & football games in high school. 9 times out of 10 the root of them stemmed from he said/she said.

The brawl in Rhode Island also involved people in the bleachers, so there had to be some deep-rooted issue involved there. I’m certain it had very little to do with the game itself, but something small and ridiculous.

The only place I enjoy seeing jabs being thrown is in the ring, where it belongs. At school games(even in the professional arena, c’mon you’re all grown folks..act like it..I’m looking at YOU, TOMMIE HARRIS!)it is uncalled for.

Just like in the workplace, all personal issues unrelated to what you do should be checked at the door. Any coach will tell you not to bring it to the game, because guess what? Anything out of sight will be out of mind. There are way more important issues going on in this world than fretting over whatever petty dealings led these ladies to “throw ‘bows”.

Also, ladies that’s what makes being active in sports so great because it allows you to work your aggression out on your game. Put all that focus into being a better you and whatever was plaguing your mind to begin with will become an afterthought. Trust me on this one.

Now as far as repercussions go, Elizabeth Lambert did not receive so much as a red card or ejection from that game. She did issue an apology, sorry but that doesn’t make up for your lack of sportsmanship in my book, but was issued an indefinite suspension from all team practices.

I guess this can be seen as a first step, but who’s to say that she won’t snap again? For some people it doesn’t take much to get provoked, I personally feel that these types of people are in desperate need of therapy or anger management and soon before they seriously hurt themselves or others around them.

Get it together, folks.
Leave your attitudes at the door.

Chicago’s Got Ricketts!

Photo courtesy of Cubby-Blue.com

So it’s official:The Ricketts family are the new owners of a century-long joke.

Unfortunately this is just the beginning of the fanfare, dancing jesters in the streets and large amounts of rose petals clogging your street drains.

Even if I were not a Chicagoan, when I’d think “Chicago” I’d think of the Cubs which makes me kinda nauseous because really…what have they done for me lately?

Lost games? Check.
Lost more games? Double check.
Probably gonna suck in the ‘10 season, and blow any and all playoff chances? Triple check.

Me? I’m a Sox fan, and yeah they haven’t been looking too hot as of recent either but guess what? We at least have clinched something other than our bowels over the past 4 years.

So the new owners have three “power points” they hope to accomplish before the ‘10 Season starts:

1. Win the World Series.

Yeah, I’m just going to stop you right there.
That’s at the top of a lot of team’s Christmas lists, sure, but to really make that dream come true you need to do some feng shui on your company because it reeks of dead horses.

Notice I said “company” and not “team”. You might wanna write that down.

2. Preserve and Improve the Wrigley Field experience.

Translation:get ready for your tax dollars to go into fusing the megalomaniac ideas of George Steinbrenner and Jerry Jones combined, to help Wrigley Field maintain it’s ivy-covered innocence when really it’s designed to rape you repeatedly and laugh at the idea of using vaseline.

3. Remove The Curse.

Boston got rid of Pedro Martinez, and he helped them win after 1,000 years of no titles….what’s your big move?

The Cubs are still looking for a new spring training facility to call home, why not somewhere in Miami? Then they’d get an idea of what early retirement or “you just aren’t working out for the goal of the team, and no other program wants you”-retirement is like.

Also prepare for ticket prices to go up, but I believe I covered that in the mentioning of daily non-vaseline ass rapings.

Cubs fans, please don’t take this as me sounding like a very bitter girl. If anything I’m looking forward to seeing the kinds of petri-dish experiments the new owners have in store. Because if the littlest thing goes wrong, it isn’t an issue of shareholders pulling out…there aren’t any. So the family would then what? Solve their problems pistol-and-duel style? Public hanging? Maybe burn the sister Ricketts because she might be a witch?

Whatever the case may be, this is going to be one hell of an interesting off-season for Chicago baseball. I intend to sit back and enjoy it with a nice, big bag of Chicago Mix.

Happy Halloween!

Is Stafford living up to the hype?

Are all bets off for the 1st round draft pick?

Week 6 has come and gone(save for tonight’s match-up between San Diego and Denver, and the Broncos are looking to remain undefeated)but the Detroit Lions only have one more win than last year to show for it.

Your #1 draft pick QB is now out with a knee injury & is looking at surgery, Daunte Culpepper injured his hamstring last week and Drew Stanton had to take over on downs which isn’t saying a whole lot, your defense is less than effective at stopping the run and your pass rush has grown to laughable proportions. Where do you go from here?

You sent away Rod Marinelli to Chicago, and he’s got his own work cut out for him with their 3-2 record, so really what’s the excuse this time around?

It’s safe to say that any chance at clinching even a wild card spot is a fantasy at this point, so really what’s your next move if you’re Jim Schwartz?

It just seems that if I sign a 6-year $41.7 million contract with a first-rounder who, so far, has only a 66.5 rating with 894 yards and 3 TDs with 6 INTs to show for it major changes would need to be made and soon.

This team was already looking at a 19 game losing streak(and that includes their “historic” 0-16 2008 season), what’s really hood Detroit?

I mean the New York Jets got rather lucky with Mark Sanchez, granted he was impressive during his USC days and he definitely puts in the work week after week, but after having the whole Favre fiasco they needed to go big or go home with a draft pick. They chose wisely.

Morale-wise, there’s little to none left in the entire city I’m sure. If anyone was looking for Stafford to come in and save the day it should’ve started with an overhaul of the offense and defense first. Putting all your eggs in one basket is not working in your favor this season.

There are 11 more attempts to be made here, Lions. Is there a chance you’ll prove me wrong and I won’t think you blew your load too early on Stafford? We’ll see.

What in the entire realm of hell is this?

So I just learned that the Bears made a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their 2nd round 2010 draft pick for Bucs DE Gaines Adams.

My first reaction was total anger.

This is my second reaction to most things that bother the hell out of me, and are out of my control:

When you consider that in their first 3 games, Adams had one sack and 10 tackles and after failing to meet expectations his first two seasons under Jon Gruden, whatever the hell Rasheem Morris and Jim Bates did with him and the pass rush clearly didn’t take or we wouldn’t even be talking about this right now.

To me, it’s like when your mom forces you to play with that one kid on your block that has some sort of social affliction that rubs every other kid the wrong way(he smells, he’s slow & fat, he’s a whiner, etc.). This is how I’m seeing this news.

And yeah, I realize that getting this dude prepared is not an overnight task but something about this just bugs me. I could just be looking at this very glass half-empty, or I could be right.

I’m just gonna hope against hope on this one.

TGIF(SPOILER AHEAD SPOILER AHEAD SPOILER AHEAD)

Tell me about it, little kitty

-If anyone has not been made aware yet, the results of the Bound For Glory AJ Styles vs. Sting match during TNA’s Turning Point PPV bout(November 15)are being shown in promos airing on Time Warner, Comcast and Bright House. This commercial can also be found under the “On Demand” section if you subscribe the providers mentioned above. According to eWrestling.News, TNA is fully aware of the situation and hopes that it will be “contained”.

A hearty snicker, guffaw, and round of chuckles to you, TNA. As of Thursday morning, the idea was to have Styles retain the title, it’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out come November 15th.

And according to AOL FanHouse, Shane McMahon has resigned from the WWE effective January 1, 2010. It was announced during a company press release, the reasoning behind his resignation and the fate of his future are both uncertain however there’s talk of MMA being McMahon’s next avenue of interest.

-Jerry Jones has confirmed that Cowboys coach Wade Phillips’ job is secured for the rest of 2009. Given that the team’s offense has been less than impressive these past 5 weeks into the season, Phillips is in his last year of a three-year contract and the Cowboys have the option to buy him back in 2010. With the team in a bye week, they have their work cut out for them after having squeaked an overtime win from the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday escaping what could’ve been one of the ugliest losses of the season.

I guess if they somehow decide not to bring him back next season, he could always get a job cleaning the score board or put on Men’s Restroom detail(I see you, couple that had sex in the bathroom during opening night).

-The L.A. Dodgers evened up the series 1 all with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies earlier today. The Phillies relied on using five relievers during he eighth inning, not including Brad Lidge. This is the second time in this year’s playoffs that a visiting team let a late lead slide at Dodgers Stadium.

-Michael Vick and the Eagles will be paying a visit to the Bay Area this week to play the Oakland Raiders, and even though he’s still on an agenda to visit animal shelters worldwide he will not be paying any visits his own dogs to BAD RAP. BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls) is the anti-cruelty group that took 10 of Vick’s abused dogs, co-founder Tim was none too thrilled upon hearing this news. If you recall, under agreement Vick is to keep his distance according to his probation so this could be seen as a two-sided coin of sorts. While it could be seen as Vick being uncaring and not wanting to see the dogs he hurt, doing so would violate his probation so who wins in this scenario? Surprisingly, both Vick and his dogs win because the dogs(who escaped certain death by being saved by this group)get to continue being helped and hopefully landing in new, loving homes. Vick gets to continue doing his job, without incident.

I suppose I’ll go make my picks now, after last week I need to redeem myself. Night, folks!

Sources:eWrestling.News, ESPN, FanHouse

T.O. in Chicago? Hopefully a no-go

On today’s episode of ESPN’s 1st and 10, the possibility of the Chicago Bears obtaining WR Terrell Owens was discussed.

Now with the Bears’ WR situation, you have tons of potential with rookie Johnny Knox and Devin Hester(both are young and ridiculously fast on the outside) and there’s great chemistry going with Earl Bennett, Jay Cutler, Greg Olson..you bring Owens into that mix and it’d be oil and water.

While Owens hasn’t been posting those Cowboys numbers since joining the Bills, I don’t doubt that if provoked he could more than obliterate his dismal performance the past 5 weeks if he comes to the Bears program. It’s just a matter of what Chicago is willing to give up for 36 year-old Owens when they have some younger, and much hungrier, positioned players.

It’s reported that the Bears are not showing much interest in a trade for Owens, it would hurt them way more than it would ever help them. Last week, Johnny Knox posted 1 TD and 2 more receptions than Owens while Earl Bennett had almost equal yardage with 3 more receptions than Owens.

It’s like my mom always says: Never bite your nose off to spite your face.

And no..that wasn’t a Waterboy-ism.

Last night the Bulls managed to fight for a last-minute, free throw-deciding 87-86 win against the Milwaukee Bucks, while a still injured Derrick Rose sat out. Joakim Noah scored 20pts and 16 rebounds.

Tonight it’s the Boise State Broncos against the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes for the Wednesday NCAA matchup, and with Tulsa being the underdog in this BCS berth-clinching journey based on past performance Boise St. has to really tighten its grip on offense.

Today, The Captain Sailed Away For Good

It was reported today by WWE.com that legendary wrestling Hall Of Famer Captain Lou Albano(who gained household familiary from starring in Cyndi Lauper’s video for her 80’s mega hit “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, and for his role as Mario in the children’s television program “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show”)passed away.

While it has not been reported just how Albano left this world, he will definitely be missed hard by this girl.

Many afternoons I would rush home from school to watch “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show”, like some kids in Chicago I was a member of the Fox Kids Club. I had a membership card and everything, and that was one of the afternoon shows they aired in their lineup. Having been a die-hard Super Mario Bros. fanatic since its introduction to me and other kids worldwide during the late 80s/early 90s I couldn’t pass up on watching Mario & Luigi every afternoon.

I also had early exposure to The Captain from his early days with the then-referred to WWF, I got to see him in some awesome matches and I didn’t get to see his induction into the HOF but I’m sure that video of it will pop up through the great people at YouTube.

I’m almost glad that today was a slow sports news day, though there’s still basketball and hockey to discuss, it gave me this opportunity to reflect on a man I admired greatly.

And for anyone who was also a fan of “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show”, I leave you with to get your day hopping. Have a great Wednesday & R.I.P. Captain Lou Albano.

Sources: WWE

ESPN reporter’s stalker caught & the vulnerability with women in sports media

ESPN reporter's stalker captured

This weekend I was on Twitter and reported that the man at the center of the sex tape scandal involving ESPN field reporter Erin Andrews had been arrested by Chicago Police.

I figured at some point the culprit-in-question would slip up and get himself caught, and in no way do I condone what he did but anyone who didn’t want to be revealed would’ve done things a bit more meticulously than this guy.

Michael David Barrett was described by prosecutor Steve Grimes as “obsessive” and “a danger to women”, a Chicago-based federal magistrate ruled that Barrett be released today on bail but kept on home confinement until his October 23 court date which will take place in Los Angeles(because he’s accused of trying to sell the tapes featuring Andrews to paparazzi website TMZ, which is located in Los Angeles).

Of the home confinement ruling, Barrett is allowed to continue reporting to his workplace only but he has to be at home for his 9 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew. He is also banned from internet access while home at all times. Similar videos featuring other women were found on the site used by Barrett, authorities believe seven videos were taken of Andrews while she stayed in the Mariott Hotel at Vanderbilt University back in September 2008.

Barrett made his obsession real, according to an affidavit in July 2008 he called 14 different hotels in Milwaukee and reserved a room at a hotel where Andrews was staying but he didn’t check in. A peephole leading into the door of Andrews’ Milwaukee hotel was altered similar to the one found in September(which was made with a hacksaw used by Barrett). Authorities claim all footage Barrett shot was made with a cellphone.

Creepy doesn’t even begin to describe that story.

I can personally count numerous times(one instance as recent as this past August)where I’ve either been stalked, approached with unwanted advances, or outright attacked by one or more guys. This isn’t about me, but instead it’s about women I admire who(because of their chromosome)are treated differently from their male counterparts in sports media.

It’s 2009 and really nothing has changed in women’s workforce, did those radical feminists of the 60s and 70s fall asleep at the wheel or something? It goes without saying that even with sports journalism, beauty counts for everything. How many homely ESPN anchorwomen or field commentators can you name off the top of your head? But I bet you can run down a list of the most attractive women seen reporting today(and let’s not even get into the fact that there is a horrendous lack of cultural diversity involving females in sports journalism, mainly in front of the camera).

That really shouldn’t be and this is not me making a stand for less-than-attractive women covering sports, this is moreso about the fact that the women who are out every weekend covering games or at the news desk having a round table discussion on the latest BCS Champsionship rankings are vulnerable simply because of who they are:women.

What part of having a vagina makes it okay for you to be so enthralled with me, you want to harm me? It’s already hard enough trying to be seen as equals with the overabundance of males working in sports journalism, now women have to worry about some guy at home getting his jollies watching you report from the field while plotting your death at the same time.

Some could also see extra security for female reporters as a catch 22. On the one hand you want to make sure your employee is safe at all times, but on the other hand most women would take offense to that and go so far as to say “I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself”.

When you have some tall, burly guy sitting outside your office at 11 p.m. with a .357 waiting for you to walk to your car so he can show his admiration for you that “Big Girl” logic goes right out of the window.

Maybe this’ll be a wake up call for companies like the NFL, Fox Sports, and ESPN but if you’re anything like me don’t hold your breath. So until that happens, ladies, I’ll see you on the sidelines.

Source:Chicago Sun-Times

New home, same Sports and Boobs

Redskins vs. Lions – Yeah. That was one pick I definitely didn’t see coming. It’s safe to say the future of Zorn’s job is definitely under questioning.

Bears vs. Seahawks – Around the middle of the 3rd quarter the defense started look like the same old Bears defense, which isn’t saying much, but once again they were able to secure a win with Hester’s 36-TD run. The Bears have had troubles in the past solidifying a close on the lead, they don’t seem to be having that problem so far this season.

Steelers vs Bengals – It shouldn’t be the absence of Polamalu that’s taking the drive away from the Super Bowl champs, but yet again they manage to get trampled. Kudos to the Bengals for stopping Pittsburgh from putting any points on the board. I’m a Steelers fan but this was a damn good matchup and Cincinnati played like they wanted it more.

I heard Packers’ WR Donald Driver made an impressive one-handed catch inbounds, and passed up Shannon Sharpe for 2nd in franchise history in receiving yards behind James Lofton(9, 656 yards). Whoopity doo.

T.O. vs. Rodney Harrison – It’s Monday. Breathe & get the hell over it. Didn’t your momma ever teach you NOT to let people get the best of you?

Chargers vs. Dolphins – Miami…yeah….you ju….(sigh).  It was nice watching you, Chad Pennington.

Also Saturday made for some exciting NCAA football action during Week 4, as numerous teams officially made it Upset Saturday.

It’s Monday night, so we have Dallas vs. Carolina. There’s talk over whether or not Delhomme can come through tonight, seeing as how the team is already 0-2 but have won their last four MNF starts. And Marion Barber is listed as unlikely to play tonight, so Carolina has that to use to their advantage.

Also don’t miss Al Sharpton’s push for literacy on Monday Night Raw. I shouldn’t have laughed so hard when I typed that but how can you not?

And for anyone wondering where my older posts went, make sure you check out the original Sports and Boobs blog.

Enjoy your evening!