Tour Report: Crane ‘back’ in ‘special place’ (PGA Tour)
2012
It appears that Michael Vick is a dog owner again
2012
Public figures, especially public figures who have been involved in self-starting public relations nightmares throughout their careers, should keep one thought above all: Be very careful when it comes to posting on social media. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who served nearly two years in federal prison for his role in the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting ring, is about to find that out.
Recently, Vick tweeted out a seemingly innocuous picture from his kitchen table -- he was studying plays on his iPad, and his daughter was doing her homework. Nothing fishy there. However, what will undoubtedly gain notice is the box of doggie treats on the table (seen above). Vick quickly deleted the tweet and posted a new picture (seen below). Similar shot, but no Milk-Bones. (Both photos courtesy of the Crossing Broad website).
[More: Sons bring Jerry Rice and Barry Sanders back to the game]
Per the conditions of his probation, which ended in July, Vick was not allowed to own a dog, but there are no known legal restrictions on him doing so now. And if he does own a dog again, it's too bad that he didn't make a public statement about it. For most people, that wouldn't be a big deal, but given Vick's past, why not come out and say that he wants to own a dog, and he's going to do it right this time?
"I haven't got one," Vick told CNN's Piers Morgan during a July interview touting his autobiography, Finally Free. "Being honest and being candid, I still deal with my kids every day, and for the last three years, not being able to have a dog because of my acts, I just don't think that's fair. There may be something that's therapeutic for them. And I can't take that dream away from them; that's selfish on my behalf. I've got to find a way to make it right, and I put everything in God's hands to make it right."
"I would let them pick it out," Vick said, when Morgan asked what kind of dog he might get for his kids. "It certainly wouldn't be a pit bull."
[Also: Cowboys great calls out Dez Bryant]
Well, that's understandable, but again -- given Vick's status as the face of animal abuse to so many, and the face of personal redemption to an equal or greater number of people, why hide it if he bought a dog for his kids? Wouldn't it be more helpful, and bring more awareness to the prevention of animal abuse and the need to help animals who have been abused, if Vick gave himself the responsibility of being the man who put that out there?
Of course, there may be nothing to this -- perhaps Vick's daughter was using the Milk-Bones for a school project. I have no clue what teachers want kids to glue to paper these days. But if it is what it seems to be, there's nothing for Michael Vick to hide. He wants his kids to enjoy growing up with a dog, he has every legal right to do so, and the only problem would seem to be the possible need to hide the fact that his family now has one.
NFL video from Yahoo! Sports:
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Tigers clinch AL Central, Miguel Cabrera hits AL-leading 44th home run (Video)
2012
Miguel Cabrera slugged another big home run in pursuit of the Triple Crown, then he sang and danced with his teammates and his toddler-sized daughter. Jim Leyland choked back tears, expressing pride in his players, the job he's done as manager and his home city.
It was tougher this time around — they didn't run away with the division title by 15 games like last year — but the Detroit Tigers are AL Central champions and headed back to the playoffs.
Cabrera tagged homer No. 44 to take the AL lead as part of a four-hit performance, and the Tigers beat the Royals 6-3 on Monday night to clinch the Central for the second straight season, marking the first time the franchise has made the postseason two years in a row since 1934 and 1935. The Hank Greenberg era.
Jose Valverde retired Alcides Escobar on a grounder up the middle for the final out, prompting a scream from Prince Fielder and a somewhat subdued celebration on the field at Kauffman Stadium for Detroit, which had been six games out of first in June, but hung around and passed the fading White Sox over the final two weeks of the season. Detroit, which trudged to 87 victories, the fewest of any division winner, opens the playoffs Saturday. The Tigers won 95 games a season ago, advancing to the ALCS. Many prognosticators picked them to win the World Series this season. After a struggle, they'll get their chance.
"We've probably underachieved until tonight," Leyland said. "Now we've achieved. We don't have to listen to the 'underachieving' anymore. We got the postseason. Now it's a crap shoot."
Cabrera remains in great position to win Major League Baseball's first triple crown — leading in batting average, home runs and RBIs — since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. With two games to go in the regular season, Cabrera leads Josh Hamilton of Texas by one homer, and he's ahead of rookie Mike Trout of the Angels by four batting average points. Trout also had a four-hit game Monday night. Cabrera's 10-RBI lead on Hamilton would seem to be insurmountable.
Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski said Cabrera has more at stake than personal achievement.
''He's a once-in-a-lifetime player,'' Dombrowski said. ''I talked to him and he said, 'The Triple Crown is important, but it's not the most important thing. I want to win a championship.'"
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Chris Carpenter says he gave rib removed during surgery to his 7-year-old daughter
2012
Earlier this season, Chris Carpenter had one of his right ribs removed in an unusual surgery designed to alleviate the pressure on the nerves that run to his right arm.
But what the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher claims he did with that rib once it was out was even more unusual: Carpenter brought the bone home and gave it to his 7-year-old daughter Ava after she asked for a souvenir from her daddy's stay in the hospital.
[More: Rangers' Josh Hamilton will have many suitors]
Carpenter told Fox Sports Midwest of his daughter's unusual request as he prepares to make his first start of the 2012 season in a game against the Chicago Cubs on Friday:
"(The rib) is actually in one of my cabinets in my bathroom," Carpenter said. "I'm still trying to figure out what we're going to do with it. It's probably smelling really good. It's in a jar with some of that solution. It was pretty gross, actually.
"My daughter asked me to bring something back from the hospital and she said 'your rib.' So I brought my rib back. Fortunately the doctor gave it to me and allowed me to take it home.
"I'm sure we'll do something with it ... Make a necklace or bracelets or something. We haven't figured that out yet."
C'mon Chris, be creative! Raffle it off to a creepy Cardinals fan on eBay and boost young Ava's allowance. Or slather it in barbecue sauce and see if you can trick Motte or Wainwright on their next lunch trip to Pappy's. Heck, bring the jar to the dugout as your Cards make their playoff push and christen it the "Rally Rib."
[MLB Full Count: Watch live look-ins and highlights for free all season long]
(Just make sure you get that thing trademarked before it becomes 2012's version of the cash-cow Rally Squirrel.)
_
Ah, I kid. Even though the gesture was super weird, it's nice that Carp was thinking of his young daughter. The only thing my parents ever brought home from the hospital for me was a baby brother and sister.
Also, I really like to imagine that Ava — whom the nation first met via her entertaining faces during last year's World Series trophy presentation — impersonated a young Chris Rock in "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" while requesting the relic.
"No, no, one rib ... I sure am hungry."
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Outside the Game: Larry Fitzgerald uses world travel to impact many lives
2012
Many NFL players are somewhat unhappy when the league's scheduling department takes them to London for the odd regular-season game. And if there's ever a real initiative to play more games overseas as has been "threatened," you can bet that there will be a lot of howling over it.
But if there's one NFL player who would adjust perfectly to a true World Football League, it would be receiver Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals. As his means have improved through his career, Fitzgerald has taken every possible opportunity to trot to different places around the globe.
[RG3 turned to former Olympian to overcome biggest obstacle in football career
His most recent trip was to Southeast Asia, and per his own estimation, the only continent he hasn't seen yet is Antarctica. On a Tuesday media tour promoting EAS' Recovery Protein Powder, Fitzgerald quipped that he hopes to visit Antarctica in February.
"Last year, I was in South America, and I was in Africa three different times," he told Shutdown Corner. "I went to Europe for a little; went to Australia. I'm really passionate about traveling -- for leisure experience and for charitable work. I really enjoy going out and seeing all that God has created; to immerse myself in different cultures. I really enjoy that."
From a charitable perspective, the most important trips are the ones Fitzgerald has taken to Africa, sometimes in conjunction with longtime friend and former Cardinals teammate Anquan Boldin.
The two receivers went to help provide relief with a organization called Oxfam, and released this statement about their travels:
Last Spring we visited communities in Ethiopia devastated by the drought in East Africa. In many ways the people we met are stronger than us. They are living through, and surviving, some of the toughest conditions anyone can imagine.
We're back home getting ready to start the season, but Oxfam is still there. They're helping people rebuild their villages with wells, livestock, farming tools, and other much needed resources. We need you, our fans, to help make sure this life-saving work continues.
By joining us you will not only be helping others, but you will also be entered into a chance to win an autographed football and other great prizes.
We are all blessed to be in a position to help those who are less fortunate. Let's work together to give back and create positive, long-lasting change in the lives of others.
Your friends,
Anquan and Larry
"Everybody talks about Larry's travels but what people don't know about is him going into depressed communities and working with kids and trying to make a life better for people all over the world," Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt recently told the Associated Press. "That's a responsibility when you're in the NFL -- giving back. Larry has the forum, because of his notoriety, to do that. I think that's why he's so beloved all over the country and certainly the world, because of doing those kinds of things."
"Me and Anquan went to Ethiopia -- some different areas around there, and we're actually going back in March," Fitzgerald told us. "We have been close for a very long time, and we still have a great relationship. We do a lot with each other, to support each other's causes.
[NFL power rankings: Niners' Harbaugh good at shooting down questions]
"Africa is one of those places that's hard to describe," he said. "It's just a beautiful, beautiful place. So many natural resources -- the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises you could ever imagine. The wildlife, the food -- overall, it's just a beautiful place. But there are some very impoverished areas, and those people need a little bit of extra help. I think it's important that we, being in the richest country in the world and having the most resources, go out there and help people in need."
"Just imagine this," Fitzgerald said. "You have a son and a daughter and you don't have enough money to feed them. You have to make a decision that `I'll take my daughter to a big city or take my son to a big city and just leave them and hopefully they will find their way, or they're going to die here on the farm with me.' Can you imagine making decisions like that? That's crazy, man. I can't even wrap my mind around stuff like that."
Fitzgerald found it easier to wrap his mind around Europe -- especially Italy, which he also recently visited.
"After I left Africa, I went to Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Pompeii," he said. "So, I was around there for a little bit. It was my third time [in Italy], and I really like the history there."
Then, it was off to Australia, though not the Outback. "Not this time, I didn't go. I went to a place called Hamilton Island, off the coast of Brisbane. Went scuba diving and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, and I just had some fun in the sun."
Asked what he gets out of travel, Fitzgerald said that it's the best way to transcend his own world view.
"It gives me perspective on how people are living, and their experiences. It's an amazing world, and I want to go out there and see all I can. I'm really blessed and fortunate to do these things I really want to do. It's great to take advantage of the free time you have."
No surprise that the next generation of Fitzgeralds seem to have a similar case of wanderlust. "It's funny because my son, who's 4 years old -- I show him where I've gone on the map, and he says, "Daddy, I want to go there!" Fitzgerald said. "He's been bitten by the travel bug himself. I have to tell him, 'You're only 4, man -- you gotta wait a couple years!'"
"Just wait a little bit, and I'll take you everywhere."
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Darius Songaila wants to return to the NBA to be closer to his daughter
2012
American basketball fans can sometimes think of the NBA as the only league a respectable basketball player should strive to play in. That opinion is perfectly normal, given what we watch on an everyday basis, but it also isn't very accurate. For many foreign players, playing in Europe affords a more comfortable way of life, both in terms of familiarity and a bigger role on the court.
Lithuanian big man Darius Songaila played in the NBA for nine seasons with five teams, but since 2011 he has plied his trade in Europe, most recently signing with BC Donetsk in Ukraine just two days ago. That deal comes on the heels of a very strong performance in the Olympics, where Songaila played well enough to keep highly touted youngster Jonas Valanciunas on the bench. From this vantage, Songaila looks to have several years ahead of him in high-level European basketball, even at 34 years old.
However, Songaila wants to return to the NBA. Except he's not aiming for that goal just to reach the highest level of pro basketball, but to be closer to his daughter. From LithuaniaBasketball.com, with translated quotes from an interview with lyrtas.lt:
"I don't want to spend the whole year somewhere in Europe far away from my daughter. It would be much better if I could live in the States, where I could visit her without too much effort," the player told lrytas.lt.
Songaila decided to pass up on better offers from around Europe and agreed to a short-term contract with BC Donetsk in Ukraine. "The short-term contract was my idea. I didn't want to just sit at home, because NBA training camps start only in the end of September, while the actual season doesn't begin until November. We signed a contract that would allow me to leave," said Songaila. [...]
"My role will probably be different than before. There are plenty of veterans out there, whose main goals are to help the team in practices, work with the young players and to still be able to show some skills on the court if needed. That's how I'd imagine my comeback," said Songaila. [...]
It has been quite an eventful year for the experienced player, who not only announced retirement from international basketball after the Olympics, but also went through a divorce with his ex-wife Jackie earlier in the year. However, the toughest part is living away from his daughter: "There's nothing I love more than my daughter. She brings out feelings I've never felt for anyone else."
This is a touching reason to want to return to the NBA, but it's still notable to hear a basketball player talk about the league as a manner of practicality rather than as a dream. While Songaila would likely love to reacquaint himself with the prestige of the NBA, he also speaks about it here as a means to an end. Even his description of his role on an NBA team focuses on everyday tasks rather than the glory of in-game competition.
Songaila is a veteran who's played for a lot of teams in both the United States and Europe, so it makes sense that he would be practical in these matters. But his desire to be closer to his daughter can also serve as a reminder that basketball players are people with lives outside of what they do on the court. For many, winning as many games as possible at the highest level of competition is not the only goal. That doesn't mean they're losers — it just proves that they're as complicated as anyone else who must balance the professional and the personal.
Bruce Lee bobblehead night gets a great commercial from the Giants marketing team (Video)
2012
The San Francisco Giants are hosting "Bruce Lee Night" at AT&T Park next Tuesday. His wife will throw out the first pitch, his daughter will sing the national anthem and special ticket holders will receive a sweet looking bobblehead of one of The City's favorite sons.
But while the bobblehead is sure to be a hot item on eBay, one might want to reconsider bidding after seeing this awesome commercial for Bruce Lee Night. Especially if one has an extensive bobblehead collection that does not include a Bruce Bochy figure.
Warning: A Crazy Crab bobblehead was hurt in the making of this advertisement.
_
Big BLS H/N: @limetfan
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Metta World Peace wins race at the ‘Yo Gabba Gabba!’ Olympics (VIDEO)
2012
At this point, it's not hard to envision a world in which Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace is appearing somewhere on television 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Between his phenomenal stint as a Canadian weatherman, his upcoming supporting role as a detective in a Lifetime adaptation of a Nancy Grace novel and his just-booked slot as an "overtly sexual vampire elder" in a reality TV parody pilot, the 32-year-old artist formerly known as Ron Artest is showing a real commitment to working his way into the broadcast world, honing his craft in a variety of settings and showing casting directors everywhere that he can fit seamlessly into virtually any TV genre.
Next up for MWP: Children's programming, a hand-in-glove fit for the oversized personality. World Peace and daughter Diamond Artest appeared Sunday on a sports-themed episode of the hit Nick Jr. TV show "Yo Gabba Gabba!" that featured the 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year testing his mettle on the track in a "Yo Gabba Olympics" race against multiple friendly looking monsters. Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times has your breathless breakdown of the sprint:
World Peace ran against Toodee, a "blue cat-dragon," and Mrs. Fox, who looks like just as her name suggests. A red cyclops (Muno), a pink flower (Foofa) and a robot (Plex) watched the so-called "Yo Gabba Olympics" with unyielding enthusiasm. World Peace's 8-year-old daughter, Diamond, coached him on the sideline.
The 35-second appearance fit World Peace's goofy personality perfectly. He wore tight, super-short track shorts and high socks with bold stripes. World Peace looked awkward and slow. And moments after crossing the finish line, World Peace warmly embraced Toodee.
While we certainly respect Medina's reporting chops, I think he's giving short shrift to Metta's closing burst. Any "awkward and slow" start, it seems clear to me, was intended solely to make sure that he had enough left in the tank for the final kick. And, as we now know, that strategy sure paid off. All of us here at Ball Don't Lie would like to congratulate to World Peace not only on a race well run, but also on joining Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol as Lakers to win Olympic medals this summer. You did it!
World Peace isn't the first NBA player to have publicly rocked with the "Yo Gabba Gabba!" crew. Way back in 2008, then-Phoenix Suns star Amar'e Stoudemire appeared on the program to do the famed Dancey Dance; less than a year ago, before he was traded from the New Orleans Hornets to the Los Angeles Lakers (and then, after that was nixed, to the Los Angeles Clippers), All-Star point guard Chris Paul followed suit, doing the dance in front of a live audience at a "Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!" show in Charlotte, N.C. And while Boston Celtics big man Kevin Garnett hasn't appeared on "Yo Gabba Gabba!" on either stage or screen, his DJ Lance Rock costume occupies a legendary space in NBA Halloween lore.
Given the tendency of NBA stars to align themselves with the program, could an appearance by No. 1 draft pick and incoming Hornets forward Anthony Davis be far behind? The folks at NBA Doppelgangers have already made what seems to be a solid connection that we're sure the show's writers can develop into something great.
Hat-tip to Reddit's NBA page.
Paulina Gretzky has the number 99 tattooed on her pelvis (VIDEO)
2012
You may have heard of Paulina Gretzky, the daughter of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky who has risen to fame by being a) an attractive female and b) just slightly sports-related enough to appear on blogs such as this one.
Gretzky recently sat down with Complex magazine to discuss censoring herself (which is apparently something she does), that time she was spotted downtown wearing what appeared to be lingerie, and what it's like living in Wayne Gretzky's shadow:
My dad's accomplishments are completely different than everything I've done with my life and the career path I want to take.
You don't say.
Now, Gretzky isn't distancing herself from her father entirely. She has a No. 99 tattooed on her pelvis, according to the photo of her in the not-entirely-opaque swimsuit at right. That's creepy.
Gretzky also mentioned the fact that she's single (good news, Internet!), and the fact that she won't meet people on the Internet (bad news, Internet!).
But you probably don't want to hear what she said from me, especially when there's a video. Let's get it straight from Ms. Gretzky's mouth, while she multi-tasks by sexily putting cherries and olives into it. And also pressing her boobs together.
OK, she takes forever to eat a cherry. And who eats cherries and olives in the same sitting? I couldn't be with this person.
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