Sports Talk, Rumors and Other Contrarian Insights

Tiger Woods is shppting for a Master’s comeback, check out the video here:

–Are the 40 times at the combine canon? Many people will obssess and base tons of opinion on the 40 times of players at the combine, yet maybe the process is flawed.

There is a video going around of Rich Eisen analyzing the 40 times of players at the Combine. Taylor Mays, saftey from USC and polarizing NFL prospect, was timed at 4.43, yet video of the run shows how he clearly beat Trindon Holiday, who was timed .09 seconds faster.

–Baron Davis has started his own informercial.

Baron Davis is going to start selling his beard. You can get a look alike of Baron’s Beard for only $29.99, or if you would like a lighter version, Deron Williams will be selling his, as well.

Check out the video here.

–It’s the End of the World as We Know it

Femal Knuckleball pitcher Eri Yoshida is going to pitch in the Men’s professional league in Japan.

Yoshida has been offered a contract by the Chico Outlaws of the Independent Golden Baseball League (not the Nippon League, which is Japan’s Major League equivalent).

Eri Yoshida

Yoshida came to meet Tim Wakefield last week at Red Sox camp, and Wakefield came away impressed:

She spun a couple, but for the most part, it was very good. She was able to take the spin out of a lot of them and they had quite a lot of movement on them. … I had seen film of her and I was pretty impressed at the film. But to see her in person and to actually see her throw, I was very impressed with how she threw and the knowledge she had on the knuckleball, because she told me she was self-taught. This is the first time she’s actually ever had coaching throwing a knuckleball. I kind of know where she’s at, because I was there when I first started throwing — nobody knew what to do.

Joy of Sox Blog–read full story here.

–Famous Rugby star Andy Powell was arrested and fined for operating a golf cart drunk on a highway.

Andy Powell, a welsh international rugby star, decided to take a golf cart and drive down the M4 (which is a major motorway in England, like route 1) to get some munchies. The problem was Powell was hammered.

Read the article here.

–OJ Simpson’s suit from the day of his acquittal might be going into the history books.

The Smithsonian was offered the suit of the former Heisman Trophy winner in a settlement with the family of Ron Goldman. The suit had been in possession of Simpson’s former agent Mike Gilbert, and Gilbert facilitated the settlement and donation.

But the Smithsonian rejected the offer. The suit has to go to an institution of higher learning, so where the next stop for the suit is anybody’s guess.

–Zinedine Zidane “rather die” than apologize to Marco Materrazi.

Zidane, the star of the French World Cup 1998 team, said that he would never apologize to Materazzi for head-butting him during the World Cup final in 2006.

The game, which was Zidane’s last, was won by the Italian’s.  Materazzi had allegedly harrassed Zidane about his mother the entire game.  Zidane is of muslim decent, as both his parents are Algerian and immigrated to Paris before Zidane was born.

Read the story on ESPN.com here.

WHAM!

–I know I mentioned it yesterday, but the John Daly story is hilarious and I am going to place the video up again because anything with John Daly is worth mentioning twice:

–Lastly, this has nothing to do with sports, but check out the new European dancing sensation, Jumpen. Started by the DJ Patrick Jumpen, this is the best dance craze since…well, it’s better than anything before…here is the homepage of Jumpen. You can google ‘Jumpen’ to see the dance in action.

This is awesome:

First, apologies to all (if anyone is out there reading still) for the uneveness of the site the last two days. I promise things will be back to normal starting tommorrow.

Ok, so everyone is on the hunt for the next Lebron James, or even the next Shane Battier. People want to be in on the next big thing in college basketball, but the next big thing starts out playing in the ever-not-so-humble beginnings of some high school basketball court.

This is a quick piece on 3 names in the DC area that are coming in the next three years to keep your eye out for:

Kris Jenkins, Freshman , Gonzaga High School, G/F, 6′6″

This kid has been beating teams in the Catholic League (DCIAA) all season. The freshman has averaged 14 points for a Gonzaga team that historically plays juniors and seniors. Jenkins, who was heavily recruited across the DCIAA last season, is the real deal. He is big, physical and only 15. Already 6′6″, Jenkins has plenty of room to get bigger and put on muscle in the weight room. If he can hold his own this well in the DCIAA, then the future is bright for this kid. Expect to see Jenkins on future of top-10 high school player lists.

“

Nate Britt, Freshman, Gonzaga High School, PG, 5′11″

Nate Britt is a skinny point guard who has been playing off the bench for Gonzaga all season. Britt has good court vision and excellent passing abilities that can enable his teammates to get out on the break. Britt is only 15, so he has time to grow and add muscle. Look out for this kid in the future too, as he and Jenkins provide Gonzaga a dynamic duo for the coming years.

Quinn Cook, Junior, DeMatha Catholic High School, PG, 5′11″ 155lbs

This is not so much a sleeper, but this kid has college’s drooling all over the country. Playing in the University of Maryland’s backyard, Cook is already holding scholarship offers from the Terps and Ohio State. Cook is quick and intelligent with the ball. He has the ability to create offense for his team by driving to the basket, but also looks to pass and set-up his teammates. He isn’t the best athlete, but Cook will overcome that in college with his overall intelligence and speed. Cook has been scouted by Duke, Georgetown and Villanova, as well.

BONUS ROUND: John Manning, Junior, Chantilly High School, 6′11 200lbs

Manning has been leading the Chantilly team all year and the team is still playing. Manning is long and has room to add bulk to his frame. He plays fluid and is not an oaf. Teams recruiting Manning for next year are William and Mary, Richmond, George Mason and Virginia Tech. My instinct tells me that we will be seeing him grow up in the ACC for the next 4 years.

So let’s start with news from around the world of sport:

–Sam Bradford, Oklahoma’s Heisman winning QB and potential number 1 pick, was asked at the NFL Scouting Combine this past weekend, if he would prefer not to be drafted by the Washington Redskins. Bradford is 1/16 Cherokee Indian.  Bradford responded no, it had no bearing on his willingness to play for the Redskins..

Doug Farrar of Footballoutsiders.com said that it was the dumbest question of the combine, and I second that.  Seriously, get over the name, if you aren’t from this area you don’t get it, and the name isn’t changing.

And what did the reporter expect Bradford to say? “No, I don’t want the Redskins to draft me No. 4 overall and make me an instant multi-millionaire.”  Really? That is such a stupid question.

–Tiger Woods has been officially dropped by Gatorade.  This is also in conjunction with reports that Elin Woods is not moving in with Tiger anytime soon.  That is all the Tiger space I am giving today.

–Shaquille O’Neal’s achilles heel, isn’t his heel at all, it’s his thumb.  O’Neal will have surgery on his thumb after consulting doctors in Maryland at the National Hand Center.  The injury is expected to sideline O’Neal 6-8 weeks, and with 7 weeks left in the regular season, places him back in time for the playoffs.

Read the ESPN story here.

In related news, those deposits on Zydrunas Ilgauskas Wizard’s jersey’s were premature, as Ilgauskas has been bought out of his contract and appears to be heading back to Cleveland. Ilgauskas agent told the Mavericks that his client will be returning to the Cavs on March 22nd, when he is elgible to sign again.

Read the ESPN story here.

–The Canadian women’s hockey team is being criticized for their on ice celebration that included cigars, beer and champagne. Seriously, IOC forget about this because no one was paying attention.

not hot

–Will the Real Ryan Miller Stand Up: Ryan Miller guaranteed gold on MSNBC…except it wasn’t Ryan Miller. The US Olympic team goalie was being interviewed on-air by MSNBC, when the network realized that they were interviewing a fake. The real Ryan Miller was later interviewed and said he would never be so cocky to guarantee gold. This is the second time that a sports star has duped a major network in a weeks time. Last week, someone pretended to be Brian Westbrook on ESPN. Check that out here.

–German Speedskater Patrick Becker missed a race at the OLYMPICS because his cell phone was turned OFF!

Wow.

Isn’t this just like the Seinfeld plot? read the story here.

–and finally, this is kind of funny

–So we are going to start the fix with this guy:

Shirtless Cupid

His name: Shirtless Cupid

Who he his: A student at Utah State that attends every game and sits under the goal post dressed in some sort of outift.

His goal: to distract opposing players while shooting free throws.

And it works: This video was taken just the other day and it is basically impossible not to laugh at this.

–Howard Stern is on a roll these days.

After having a loyal listener prank ESPN as Brian Westbrook, now Stern wants to host a beauty pageant…of Tiger Woods’ Mistresses.

Howard Stern will put up a $100,000 prize to the winner of the competition that will judge based on several different criteria, such as personality, talent and a swimsuit competition.

There are four contestants rumored to be participating in the competition, according the Times of London.

One who will not be participating is Rachel Uchitel, who is bound to a confidentiality agreement that she signed with Wood’s when the whole situation came out.

– The University of Mississippi (or Ole Miss) are changing their mascot. The school’s original mascot, Colonel Reb, is being replaced due to the deep connections with the confederate army.

The students have voted for their new choice and it is none other than:

Admiral Ackbar

Admiral Ackbar

The member of the Mon Calimari race Ackbar is famous for his leadership of the Rebellion in Return of the Jedi. There is no word on whether George Lucas would allow the character to be used by the school.

–Jayson Williams, the former New Jersey Net basketball players, who was charged with killing his limo driver in 2002, was finally sentenced to 5 years in prison, according to a deal struck with prosecutors. The deal will allow Williams to reach probation in 18 months.

–Steven Colbert is at the Olympic Games.

In a segment with Bob Costas, and the NBC fake fireplace, Colbert and Costas discussed the games until about 4 minutes into the segment where Colbert climbed into the fake fireplace. Then at the 5:40 mark of the video, Costas begins to hump a moose that Colbert brought with him. Check out the video through this post:

–The NBA has told Dallas Mavericks forward to stop chewing straws before games.  The ESPN article is here.

I have no recollection of this at all during his time as a Wizards, but maybe that is the difference when you play for a team that is relevant.

–AND THE FINAL WORD; Anyone remember Qyntel Woods?

He was a high school basketball player drafted in the first round by Miami and was on the championship team (albeit the bench)…well guess where he is now?

Qyntel Woods

He is balling it up in Poland for Asseco Prokom. I love to check Euroleague’s Web site and find out what happened to all those college stars we forget about. Guys like Trajan Langdon, Drew Nicholas and Daniel Ewing are all balling over there.

Read the interview with Woods here.

–Check out this bone-crushing hit that Alex Ovechkin laid on Jaromir Jagr

–Sven Kramer, Olympic speedskater from Sweden, who had just won gold, was asked by an NBC reporter for a quick bio of himself after the race, at which time he asked the reporter “are you stupid”…HAHAHAH…watch it here

–Howard Stern recently pranked and fooled ESPN by having a caller pretend to be recently released Eagles running back Brian Westbrook.

The Westbrook impersonator fooled Scott Van Pelt by saying that he will miss the Eagles and worshipping the “prostate of Howard Stern.” The caller is the loyal Stern listener Captain Janks.

–And to follow up on a story you heard here first earlier in the week, ESPN has suspended Tony Kornheiser for violating company policy by criticizing Hannah Storm’s outfits on air. The suspension will run two weeks.

The Washington Post suspension story HERE.

The LITB report of the story (that you heard here first) HERE.

–Lastly, some interesting talk about drafting a QB no.4 overall HERE.

and today will be better than yesterday