RE: You're Fired

Why was Harold Reynolds dismissed from ESPN? Care to take a stab at it? I'll give you a minute.
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That's long enough. The answer: sexual harassment. (Hat tip: Deadspin)

The Metrodome

This weekend my family came out to visit me. The main activity we planned was the Tigers-Twins game on Saturday night. It was a great game that went down to the last pitch. Here's some pics to prepare those of you coming out to Minnesota in a few weeks.

The outside of the Metrodome.


Kenny Rogers warming up. He didn't pitch in this game, but he was close enough to get a picture of.


It's the cows.


Game action.


So, yes, the Metrodome really is as ugly as you've heard or seen on TV. But there's one thing that makes it beautiful: air conditioning. That can't be undersold when it's 95+ degrees outside. Maybe it's not as beautiful as a 400-yard headshot, but still pretty nice. One other impression from the game: Zumaya really does throw that fast. Seriously, I think that ball was going so fast it actually went back in time.

Seriously

I didn't fully express myself last post.

We've all done some shooting, so you can have a vague idea how tough those shots were.

Now recall that he was under fire.

You all know I'm not Catholic, but I now have a patron saint of marksmanship.

I would say that he would never be able to buy a beer anywhere in the country, but NO ONE would believe him.

In conclusion,
OOH-RAH

Third Time's the Charm

The Red Wings have decided that Dominik Hasek is the answer to their goal-tending woes. Osgood will also remain with the team. Hasek played with Ottawa last season, so the big question is whether he can stay healthy long enough to make an impact.

Hasek's signing wasn't the only player movement in Detroit today. The Tigers traded AA right-hander Brian Rogers to the Pirates for left-handed bat Sean Casey. Chris Shelton was demoted to make room on the roster.

The Lions, not wanting to be left out, signed 1st-round pick Ernie Sims to a five-year contract. Technically this happened yesterday, but I'm betting you weren't paying close enough attention to notice.

Hardcore

I couldn't even do this in a videogame.

During a large-scale attack on Easter Sunday, Wilson says, he spotted six gunmen on a rooftop about 400 yards away. In about 8 seconds he squeezed off five rounds - hitting five gunmen in the head. The sixth man dived off a 3-story building just as Wilson got him in his sights, and counts as a probable death.

Hat Tip IMAO.

Thats nuts. Bad guys JUMPING off BUILDINGS to get away from him, 400 yards away!

Lag free HDTV

IGN composed a list of lagful and lag-free HDTV's (lag refers to the time it takes for some hi-defs to scale images, thusly making games hard to play). You can find it here.

Mmm... sausage.

Miller Park is adding a new sausage to the Klement's Famous Racing Sausages team: the Chorizo. The move is designed to appeal to the Latin community, as the Chorizo is a mexican sausage. Apparently the new sausage will wear a sombrero. Mmm... sombrero. (Hat tip: Deadspin)

Okay...

...since we're posting movie posters/images pretty heavily now, how about a wallpaper from the Spider-Man 3 website:


Two other wallpapers available at the site.

You're Fired

According to this report from SI.com, Harold Reynolds is out as baseball analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight, where he's worked for 11 years. No word on why right now. Doing too many instructional videos maybe?

I am Iron Man

..shut-up and enjoy the ozzie. From ign.com.

Fun Facts About Nebraska

A taste of "Fun Facts About Nebraska" from IMAO:

The powdered soft drink Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings, Nebraska, and was originally sold by travelling salesmen who would kick down people's doors and shout, "OH YEAH!!!"

Check out the rest here.

More Than Meets The Eye

I don't know if the new Transformers movie will be any good, but this has definitely become my new wallpaper:


From AICN, slightly modified.

UPDATE: Three things I should mention: 1. The man who did the voice of Optimus Prime in the cartoon, Peter Cullen, will voice him in the movie. 2. There are wallpapers up at the official movie site. 3. Optimus Prime is Jewish.

Force Powers

Here's some video of pre-visualizations of force powers in a next generation Star Wars game from Lucasarts. Not actual game video, but still pretty cool. (Hat tip: Joystiq)

Cowabunga!

I had heard of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles CG film that was in production, but honestly I hadn't thought much of it. Until I watched the teaser trailer here (also available in HD, which I'd recommend), which put a big smile on my face. It looks really cool. I don't know if it's supposed to follow the events of the original movies, or if it's going to be more like the comics or even the new cartoon. I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter too much to me right now. I know where I'll be March 30, 2007.

Donovan F. McNabb

McNabb responded yesterday to T.O.'s book and other comments about McNabb. The article is a little short on quotes, but it's still pretty funny. McNabb call's the book a "children's book" that he should have been the co-author of since he's mentioned so many times in it. He also mocks Owens for being misquoted in his own book. Funny stuff.

Spartan Baseball

Spartan baseball doesn't get much press. I can't really complain either, since I walked by the field almost every day for two years and never went to a game. So it really surprised me to see an article on the ESPN front page about head coach David Grewe. Grewe was only 29 when he took over the team last year. It's an interesting profile, even if you're not a Spartan fan.

Tigers Beat Sox

The Tigers won the finale of their 3-game series with White Sox today with a 2-1 win. Marcus Thames' slide, shown here (photo from AP), set up Chris Shelton for a key double in the 7th inning. It's games like this that make you think that the Tigers may really have a shot to do something. Things looked grim after their 7-1 loss in the first game of the series, but they turned things around admirably. Let's hope for a strong weekend against Oakland.

Portal

Portal looks mind-bendingly cool in this trailer. check it out.

Terrell Owens

I agree with Mike and Mike. Memo to T.O.: If you are going to write an autobiography, maybe you should read it!!! I know, how many people (athletes, celebrities, etc.) actually write their own book? They probably get a Ghost Writer. Fine. Maybe T.O. should get a Ghost Reader as well.

Heisman Top 100

Is it too early to talk about Heisman candidates? Of course not. Fox Sports just posted an article from CollegeFootballNews.com ranking the top 100 Heisman candidates. I'm not gonna lie to you: I love this stuff. Some notables:

97. RB Javon Ringer, Michigan State – The shifty Ringer will once again complement the Spartan passing attack one year after leading the team in rushing as a true freshman and averaging nearly seven yards a carry.

48. WR Jeff Samardzija, Notre Dame – Samardzija enters the 2006 season as one of the premier wide receivers in the country after he exploded for 77 catches and 15 touchdown receptions last fall. He’s got tremendous hands and size, and as Brady Quinn’s main target, will put up huge numbers for a second straight year.

34. WR Steve Breaston, Michigan – Braylon Edwards and Jason Avant have graduated. It’s time for Breaston to become Chad Henne’s go-to receiver. He’s already one of the game’s most dynamic return men, but must also become a 60-catch guy to have a chance to contend in this deep field.

17. QB Chad Henne, Michigan – Henne’s got a chance to become the Wolverines’ all-time leading passer after just three seasons in Ann Arbor. And now as the undisputed leader of a Michigan team looking to rebound from its worst season since 1984, he’s going to get more media attention than ever before.

15. RB Michael Hart, Michigan – Hart’s value to the Wolverines was never more evident than last year, when he missed substantial parts of the season and the offense sputtered in his absence. Chad Henne may have more pro potential, but Hart is the sparkplug, and with 12 games to prove it, he’s capable of becoming the first Michigan back in 66 years to win the award.

12. QB Drew Stanton, Michigan State – Winning the Heisman is a two-part recipe that requires the right combination of big numbers and big wins. And therein lies the rub for Stanton. He’s got a proven, two-year track record of gaudy stats, but unless he can engineer a career-first upset Michigan or Ohio State and get the Spartans back to the post-season, the Top 10 is off limits.

1. QB Brady Quinn, Notre Dame – Quinn is by far the top returning Heisman vote-getter, but that alone doesn’t make him this year’s pre-season favorite. He flourished beyond anyone’s expectations in his first season under Charlie Weis, throwing 32 touchdowns and setting all kinds of Irish passing records. With a year in the vault and WR Jeff Samardzija back, he might be even better in 2006. And unlike Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, whose quest rests on the development of others, Quinn is firmly at the controls of his destination.

My early pick? Well, it's early enough that I can bask in the glow unbridled optimism, so I'm going Drew "Banzai!" Stanton all the way.

Nice Weather

According to weather.com, here's the current weather in my neck of the woods:


Thank God for AC.

LeeCorso.com

I just thought you all should know Lee Corso now has a website. It really needs a sound clip section, but I guess no one is perfect. Sorry ladies, I don't think Herbstreit has his own site yet.

Fake TSB Ad

I think this will be right up Ump's alley:

Need stamps?

Find yourself in need of stamps? Well, these new stamps from the USPS might fit the bill. They feature Mickey Mantle, Roy Campanella, Mel Ott, and Tigers' legend Hammerin' Hank Greenberg. Yes, you'll have to get a Giant, Dodger, and even a Yankee (all three of the New York variety) to be able to put Hank on your bills and letters, but it's surely worthwhile. Some of Greenberg's stats in case you don't have them at hand: 2 MVP's, on 5 All-Star teams, .313 batting average, 1,276 RBIs, 58 HRs in one season, and served in the Army Air Force in World War II. He was actually drafted in 1940 and then honorably discharged on December 5, 1941. Greenberg re-enlisted after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor 2 days later. He was in the militay until the summer of '45 when he returned to baseball and helped the Tigers win the AL pennant with a grand slam home run in the final game of the season. Pretty impressive stuff. So get yourself some stamps.

Effected

Want to see in-game footage from Mass Effect? Sure you do. Check out Bioware's download site here. Go for HD, it's worth it. Trust me.

Crispy

Maybe this is what's it's like to be treated like Darth Vader:


But I'm pretty sure Jerry Jones isn't a cyborg killing machine, so maybe I took the quote the wrong way.

Misquoted

Some guys just can't catch a break. Take T.O. for instance. He's claiming he was misquoted in his own autobiography. In case you're thinking that sounds a bit odd, well, you're right. The defintion of autobiography from the American Heritage Dictionary: The biography of a person written by that person. So, yeah, Owens misquoted himself. Except that the book wasn't a true autobiography since his agent's brother, Jason Rosenhaus, who may be less slimy then Drew, was the co-author. Apparently he was the source of the misquote, which referred to Owen's Super Bowl return from injury as "heroic." Yeah, he's a real hero. But don't worry, everything is great for Owen's now that he's in Dallas, where owner Jerry Jones knows what it's like "to be treated like Darth Vader." What? I don't even know what that means.

Mental Stretching

I'm not up on string theory or its philosophical implications, but this is kind fun anyway.

Imagining the tenth dimension.

Demon Duck of Doom

Australian paleontologists claim they have found fossilized remains of a "killer kangaroo" and a "demon duck of doom." The story has more details about the fossils, but I can't say I care all that much. I just wanted to write "demon duck of doom." Sounds like a good fantasy football team name.

Re: Zumaya

You know, when I first read that post, I was curious who Matt was that Adam was talking about. Then today I actually noticed, after reading Adam's comment, that it was Aaron who blogged a post. Wow, when did Aaron enter the world?

P.S. Thank you American League for winning the All-Star game. Now when the Tigers go to the Series, the will have home field advantage.

"We don't want you."

According to this article by Len Pasquarelli, Randy Moss was really hoping to be traded to the Falcons, or maybe the Ravens, before the Vikings traded him to Oakland. Atlanta was his first choice, but apparently they gave him a Barrigar-esque "you suck" in response. Here's how the article puts it:

"I wanted to play with Atlanta just for the fact of Michael Vick's elusiveness," Moss said. "And I wanted to play with a guy such as [Ravens star middle linebacker] Ray Lewis, because he's on defense and I'm on offense. So I did have dreams and high hopes of being traded to the Atlanta Falcons, but the president and owner . . . told me specifically that [they] did not want me in Atlanta, there's nothing that I can do to get [to] Atlanta, and then wished me the best of luck. [Blank] did not think that Randy Moss would be a good fit in Atlanta."

Ouch. Must have been hard for a guy like Moss to hear the word no. Nice to see that being an immature jerk is still frowned upon by some teams.

Batwings

This is pretty cool. Apparently the UK military is considering using a backpack wing apparatus for the insertion of special forces troops. They would allow troops to jump out of a plane and glide 120 miles to the destination. You know, kind of like Batman in Batman Begins, except going a lot further. Not quite as cool as a cape, but pretty close. The wings would be almost impossible to detect on radar. I'm fairly sure I had a GI Joe that had similar gear, but maybe I'm wrong. I predict a big-budget action movie using these things in the near future.

Re: Just Stupid

I think this was the funniest thing I've read in a long time: "Even when I go to the gym I'm being accused of playing ball like him (Jordan)," Heckard said." What? How does that stadium chant go again..."Bull----, bull----, bull----, ..."

Stop the bleeding!

Brendan Shanahan is leaving the Red Wings and going to New York to play for the Rangers. I know Detroit isn't a great place to live, but this is getting ridiculous. In the space of a week Detroit has lost all of its active major sports heroes. Ouch. If the Tigers didn't have the best record in baseball Detroit fans would be in a deep depression. I think that news pretty much ruined my afternoon.

Detroit's Mt. Rushmore

Terry Foster of the Detroit News has an article today asking: "Who belongs on Detroit's sports Mt. Rushmore?" Listing the requirements as being a current active player on a Detroit team, being popular, having a Hall of Fame caliber career or at least playing on all-star teams, and possibly longevity. His list: Chauncey Billups, Nicklas Lidstrom, Pudge Rodriguez, and Brendan Shanahan. I'd say that's a pretty good list based on those qualifications. Foster's all-time list is Gordie Howe, Al Kaline, boxer Joe Louis, and Isiah Thomas.

I found this article particularly interesting because I have my own "Mt. Rushmore" in my apartment. When I moved and needed some color in my apartment I thought about buying a bunch of 8x10s of Detroit sports heroes. I still think this would be a cool thing to do, but I went with McFarlane figures instead because I thought they made a better display. So my qualifications went like this 1) Had to be available in plastic form from McFarlane, 2) Had to be a sports hero in the state of Michigan, 3) I had to have some affinity for them. The current roster looks like this, from left to right across the shelf:

1. Barry Sanders: No explanation needed here. Barry's the best running back to ever play in the NFL and the most electrifying player who's ever played, forget what they say about Vick.


2. Brett Hull: Even though he wasn't there for back-to-back Stanley Cups like Yzerman or Shanahan, he's still one of the guys I think of when I think of great Wings. Plus, he still won the Cup with the Wings.


3. Steve Yzerman: What can I say about the Captain that hasn't been said. This pose is how I'll always remember him.


4. Brendan Shanahan: He was the key addition that allowed the Wings to win back-to-back Cups, and has been a great player ever since. Probably the most recognizable Wing now that Yzerman has retired.


5. Ben Wallace: This one has come into question a bit in the past week. Still, Wallace has been the face of the Pistons and their return to glory. And who didn't love the 'fro? The one I have is in the white uniform.


That's it for now. Maybe someday soon there will be new faces that qualify or some old ones will be available. Magic Johnson is coming out soon and he might qualify on the strength of his career as a Spartan. Who am I missing? Who would you have?

Super Manning Bros.

There's an article up over at Yahoo about the brothers Manning and their work at the Manning Passing Academy, and in the New Orleans area in general. There hasn't been quite as much negative publicity for NFL players this offseason as there has been in the last few, but it's still refreshing to read about players giving back instead of acting like privileged punks.

Are you man enough?

According to Yahoo, our fantasy draft is 57 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes from now. Are you ready? Obviously you're not. So here's some help from FoxSports. By the way, don't expect fantasy help from ESPN unless you hand over your wallet. Jerks. Anyway, the real question is: "Are you man enough to face the Battletoads?" The defending champ says you're not. Out.

Just Stupid

I think this may be the dumbest legal action I've ever heard of. A guy is suing Michael Jordan and Phil Knight for $832 million because... wait for it... Jordan looks like him and he's tired of being mistaken for Michael. I'll admit it: I'm just not up to the task of ridiculing this guy. I couldn't possibly right anything harsh enough to do his stupidity justice. If a judge doesn't throw this suit out as fast as is possible, then the judge ought to be hanged. The lawyer too, but that's just on principle. If this guy has any friends, they really need to beat him up.

Web Page

Adam, do you still have that webpage at www.geocities.com/stack_guy32 or something like that? Is it still updated? Or, has this blogging site replaced that website?

Norks Nukes

North Korean missiles fall into the ocean faster than we can shoot them down. Watch for the press to report this as a failure of our missile defense.

(And yes, their leader is as nuts as his hair is poofy.)

Penguin Dance?

Kornheiser doing the penguin dance:



You know, I think I might even be able to do that one. Not that I would. Ever.

Bye-Bye Ben

I guess Ben Wallace just couldn't stand to stay in Detroit without Steve Yzerman as captain of the Red Wings, so he's headed to Chicago. This is pretty disappointing since Wallace is the signature member of this Pistons squad. Joe Dumars promised to make him the highest paid player on the team and kept his word with the offer that was made. But the Bulls offered more, a four-year deal starting at $14 million. The Pistons weren't going to offer more than $12 million. At first glance, this seems like a terrible thing for the Pistons. But is it? As the article by Chris McCosky linked above says, how good is Ben Wallace now?

"Wallace has some good years left, there's no question about that. But he might not have any great years left. His days of grabbing 1,000-plus rebounds in a season are probably over. While he can still dominate a game on the defensive end, he hasn't shown the ability to do so consistently, night after night like he once did.

He was essentially not a factor in the last two playoff rounds this season. He never looked older than he did against the Heat. Dumars had to throw that into the equation.

Wallace's stubbornness and petulance got the better of him on occasion this season. His refusal to enter a game in Orlando in April is only one example. He had several blow-ups in practice, as well, and hasn't gotten along real well with any of his last three coaches."

Dumars has made a lot of good moves in his time with the Pistons, with few stinkers (Darko). Hopefully the Pistons can come out of this as a better team.

UPDATE: Wow, that was fast. The Pistons have reached an agreement with center Nazr Mohammed. Yes, he's not the player that Wallace is, but he comes $9 million cheaper. Practically a bargain.

Happy Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July everyone.

Yzerman Retires

Steve Yzerman announced today that he is retiring from the NHL.
Yzerman, who is 41, has played 22 years, all with the Red Wings, and has been their captain for 19 of those years, making him the longest-serving captain in NHL history. Not surprising then that Yzerman will be remembered for his leadership. The Wings will miss him sorely. The moment he was handed the Stanley Cup in '97 after sweeping the Flyers and skated around the Joe is one of my top 5 sports memories, probably number three. The Wings just won't be the same next year. Whoever is chosen to be captain next year, there will never be another "Captain". Thanks Steve.

UPDATE: ESPN has a list of the top 10 Yzerman moments here.

Batman: The Case Mod

ExtremeTech has just announced the first winner of their 3rd annual case mod competition. As you can see in the pic, it's a Batman-themed mod. The creator says it took 17 months to build and the whole contraption, stand and case, weigh 100 lbs. Wow. I'm always amazed at what these guys can do. That is one seriously cool mod. If you like Batman, otherwise I guess you'd think it's a waste of time and money. If you like this, check out some of the other case mods on that portion of the site, like the R2-D2 or the TIE Fighter, which was last year's winner.

Right to Jihad

Mark Steyn's article from the Chicago Sun-Times does a great job summing up the problems I've had with the Supreme Court's latest decision. It also does a good job giving you the main idea behind the Geneva Conventions. Very good reading. (Hat tip: The Corner)

Push On

With everything else going on this week I managed to mostly miss that Northwestern coach Randy Walker died Thursday night at the age of 52. Northwestern has always had the odds stacked against them in Big Ten athletic competition, but Walker had shaped the Wildcats into a respectable team. He took NU to 3 bowl games and had beaten every team in the conference at least once. More on Walker from Ivan Maisel here.

Maisel also has an interesting article up that assigns one player from college football history to each number 1-100 (yes, someone wore 100 one season). Check it out and then get ready to argue. Maybe someday when I'm feeling really motivated, I'll make an all-time 1-99 Spartan team.

More Spider-man 3

Thought I'd follow up my previous Spider-man post with a picture from the trailer:


Enjoy.

Thought for the Day

"...for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved."
-2 Peter 2:19 (New American Standard Bible)