Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ was hit in the head by a line drive by Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Desmond Jennings. He was taken off the field on a stretcher.
Happ is in stable condition at a St. Petersburg-area hospital. We wish him a speedy recovery and he is in our thoughts.
This year’s NBA Draft is a little light on stars, but it is filled with many rotation players who can contribute right away.
We all know the potential NBA Lottery picks (Nerlens Noel, Alex Len, Otto Porter), but the list of other underclassmen is very long.
Many early entries will just participate in the process and find out their draft stock is not where they want it to be. They will go back to school in hopes of having a breakout season in college.
Not to be outdone, the international prospect pool is filled with potential. Teams could find some real steals this year if they want to draft and stash players overseas.
Here is a list of early entries and international players currently available to be selected in the 2013 NBA Draft. Continue reading
Anthony Bennett, the best power forward prospect in this year’s NBA Draft, will miss the entire draft process to have shoulder surgery.
The UNLV freshman decided to forego his college career and enter the NBA Draft after they were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
Bennett is still set to be a top-five selection, since he’s one of the most-skilled power forward prospects to enter the draft in some time. He has a vast array of post moves, which is something a big man usually doesn’t already possess before they enter the NBA.
Bennett is not the only prospect that will miss the draft process. Centers Alex Len (Maryland) and Nerlens Noel (Kentucky) will also miss draft camp and summer league. In Noel’s case, he will most likely miss most of his rookie season due to his ACL injury last season.
The Phoenix Mercury have waited weeks to make official who they would pick #1 overall in the 2013 WNBA Draft. It comes to no surprise that they selected Baylor standout Brittney Griner.
Griner dominated women’s college basketball so much that rumors of her being selected in June’s NBA Draft have been loud.
Griner could still be drafted by a team, but she made it clear that she wants to play in the WNBA.
In what many experts slated to be a top-heavy draft, Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne was selected #2 by the Chicago Sky and Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins was picked next by the Tulsa Shock.
It was the top-three and then everybody else in this draft. If you’re not familiar with Delle Donne or Diggins, we’ve added a few pictures to help you get to know this beautiful & talented ladies. Continue reading
It comes to no surprise that after rap mogul Jay-Z signed to be the sports agent for New York Yankees Robinson Cano, he will now sell his small (really small) ownership in the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets franchise.
Contrary to popular belief, Jay-Z only owns less than 1% ownership in the Brooklyn Nets. He is more of a figurehead than someone with any power. The majority owner is Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov.
He recently partnered with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to create his own company, Roc Nation. He hopes to complete the sell by the end of the season so he can sign upcoming players in this June’s NBA Draft.
It’s hard to say who used who between Jay-Z and the Nets. The then-New Jersey Nets eyed a marquee name to attached themselves. It helped Jay-Z had New York ties to help create a buzz about push the team’s future move to the area in motion. Continue reading
Two hockey guys talking hockey.
Joe Pasquali and Eddie Theisen are two die-hard NHL fans. They both watch every hockey game, every night (almost).
The guys talk about teams who are fighting for playoff position and wonder how the New Jersey Devils are this bad when they’re loaded with talent.
I’ve been holding my breath during the final stretch of the season. I’m a Columbus Blue Jackets fan and they’ve been flirting with the #8 seed in the Western Conference. Will they make it? Probably not, but it’s nice to watch an “almost” playoff team (I’m a Chicago Cubs fan).
This is their email conversation this afternoon.
Continue reading
Australian golfer Adam Scott outlasted Argentinian Angel Cabrera to win the 2013 Masters in a playoff. He becomes the first Aussie to win the golf’s most-prestigious event.
Scott, 32, is best known for his collapse at last year’s British Open and for having Tiger Woods ex-caddie, Stevie Williams by his side.
He can now walk around with a green jacket and instantly gain respect…even if he wears sweatpants (I’m jealous).
For the casual golf fans who only care about Tiger Woods, he finished tied for fourth (-5).
Yes, I know this Adam Scott is not the same as the actor best known for his work on “Parks & Recreation” and “Party Down”, but I love this damn picture so much.
Two hockey guys talking hockey.
Joe Pasquali and Eddie Theisen are two die-hard NHL fans. They both watch every hockey game, every night (almost).
The guys talk about the NHL trade deadline and which teams are the winners and losers.
My Columbus Blue Jackets were really active, but the pieces they traded in exchange for Marian Gaborik could leave diehard fans a bit sad. They traded away three homegrown talents for only 1.5 guaranteed seasons of Gaborik.
This is their email conversation this afternoon. Continue reading
Ever since Baylor’s Brittney Griner began dominating women’s college basketball, there’s been talk about the possibility of a team giving her a shot to play in the NBA. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban make it known that he’s keeping an eye on her.
When Cuban was asked about Griner’s NBA Draft stock before the Mavericks game against the Lakers Tuesday night, he said, “If she is the best on the board, I will take her.” If Dallas doesn’t use a second-round pick on her, Cuban said he would have “no problem whatsoever” inviting Griner to try out for a spot on Dallas’ summer league team.
If given the opportunity to play against NBA talent, how do you think the 6’8 Griner would stack up? Continue reading
Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish nearly made history in their second game of the season.
Darvish was lights out against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. He took a perfect game into the ninth inning.
The game was in Houston and with the Astros looking like a possible 100+ loss season, the crowd was loaded with Rangers fans. The fans were biting their nails in anticipation of seeing history take place in front of their eyes.
Astros shortstop Marwin Gonzalez swung at the first pitch he saw and lined it through the legs of Darvish for a single.
Darvish was pulled after the hit. He finished with 14 strikeouts in 8 1/3rd innings in the 7-0 win over the Astros.
If you enjoy reading about baseball history, you often know all the names and stories of past baseball greats. Even if an author claims to have a new story of an early team, the book is often filled with commonly-known players who have been written about numerous times.
The Summer of Beer and Whiskey claims to be a new story and author Edward Achorn follows it up with a fresh, interesting story about St. Louis baseball in the 1880s.
Do you ever wonder why drinking beer is such an entrenched part of watching a baseball game? If beer didn’t exist, life would be boring, and the game of baseball may not have caught on.
If you’re a baseball fan, even if you don’t usually read books about pre-Babe Ruth baseball, you’ll find this story interesting. Continue reading