Author Archives: Bobby Roberts

Yankees Aquire Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki’s time in Seattle has officially ended.

The New York Yankees have acquired the Japanese legend from the Seattle Mariners for right-handers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquar.

Ichiro, 38, has seen his production declined over the last season and a half. His $17 million dollar price tag didn’t equal his value on the field. His batting average and on-base percentage are both career lows at .261 and .288.

He could find new life in New York with the short porch in right-field. He isn’t known for his power, but even the worst power hitters find themselves knocking a few out at new Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees miss the speed of Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher is currently dealing with a hip injury. They saw a need and made the most surprising trade this season.

Mitchell and Farquar aren’t top-tier prospects. Mitchell has seen time with the Yankees this season and has a minor league ERA in the mid 3.00 range.

Could this trade be Seattle’s way of making amends for trading an injured Michael Pineda for Jesus Montero last summer?

This was clearly a salary dump and the Yankees have the extra income to absorb some of Ichiro’s remaining contract. It is unknown the amount of cash Seattle is sending over in the deal.

Both of these teams begin their series tonight…and yes, Ichiro will appear in pinstripes tonight.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

List of Dead Wrestlers Who Have Performed on WWE "RAW"

WWE’s RAW is approaching its 1000th episode and they have spent the last two months parading out retired wrestlers to celebrate the show’s milestone. The list of available talent has been reduced to the usual suspects (Roddy Piper, DDP, etc), because many of the past superstars who have appeared on RAW, have passed away.

New York Post sportswriter Phil Mushnick has taken aim at WWE and Vince McMahon (yes, I’m just as surprised as you…the Post actually writes about non-gossip issues). He points out the number of past perfomers who have died before the age of 45. In his Sunday column, he says that if “the WWE would present a roll call of past WWE/WWF performers who didn’t live past 45”, but quips that it would probably take too long.

Do you blame McMahon for the untimely death of so many of his employees? Here is a list of every wrestler, manager, and referee who have died before the age of 45. Continue reading →

Sports Crush: ESPN’s Samantha Steele

ESPN’s College Gameday will have a new face this fall. Samantha Steele-Ponder will be called up to the Majors and take the spot vacated by Erin Andrews, who recently left to join Fox Sports.

Steele has been working at the Longhorn Network and worked sideline duty at various college football and basketball games for ESPN.

With the departure of Michelle Beadle and Andrews, she will most likely be the new female face of ESPN along with Charissa Thompson and Sara Walsh.

We fill you in on Steele’s background and attach a mini photo gallery to help you get to know her a little better.

Steele-Ponder, 26, is a graduate of Liberty University and her father is a football coach. She worked for Fox Sports Net and Fox College Sports before landing a job at the Longhorn Network.

She will be hosting the pre-Gameday show on ESPNU at 9am, helping at the College Gameday broadcast on ESPN, and take over sideline reporting duties during the Thursday and Saturday night football games. She will be thrust into the spotlight and college boys will surely be giving her the same rude catcalls they yelled at Andrews for years.

She’s the perfect addition to the broadcasts. She’s professional, extremely likable, and cute as a button.

Here is an ESPN podcast that introduces Steele as the new addition to College Gameday.

If you wish to follow her on Twitter, she can be found @SamSteelePonder. We wish Miss Steele the best of luck this fall.

Steele married Christian Ponder during the 2012 NFL season. He is a very lucky guy!

Here are a few pictures of Samantha Ponder on the job.

(photo credits: Samantha Steele-Ponder, Getty Images, and ESPN)

Jeremy LinRON: The Smartest Guy In The Room

The New York Knicks made everyone anxiously wait for their decision on Jeremy Lin. I haven’t seen so many will they/won’t they moments since Ross and Rachel sucked the life out of “Friends”.

New York finally made their decision and opted not to match the offer sheet that Jeremy Lin signed with the Houston Rockets.

Lin, 23, will receive $25.1 million over three years, a price the Knicks couldn’t see as the correct value for the point guard phenom.

Houston was sneaky and their offer sheet included a back-loaded contract that would have paid Lin $14.8 million in the third year of the contract. The Knicks would have been over the luxury tax and cost them nearly $43 million in salary + “repeat offender” luxury tax.

Lin came out yesterday and said that he would have loved to finish his career as a member of the New York Knicks. It’s the politically correct thing to say, but it was sincere. Lin was a borderline NBA player before he found himself in New York.

Jeremy Lin didn’t need his Harvard education to know that signing Houston’s offer sheet was the smartest decision he could make. No one can blame Lin for signing it. He had a very exciting six-week run last year before injuring his knee. He had a few moments of vulnerability, most notably a 1-11 shooting night against the Miami Heat. A $25 million dollar offer might not be there in a few seasons.

Carmelo Anthony’s comments earlier this week about Lin’s offer sheet being a ‘ridiculous’ amount of money didn’t help the situation. Lin had most of his success when Anthony was injured and one would have to believe that jealousy could have lead to that comment. If Lin had stayed, he would have taken away from Anthony’s spotlight.

The Knicks wouldn’t have been able to pay him near the $8 million annually that Houston will pay him. His marketability will be hurt by not staying in New York, but Yao Ming did very well as a member of the Rockets.

Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowy already out of town. The core players on the team are very young. Royce White, Terrence Jones, and Jeremy Lamb will be contributing right away as rookies (if they aren’t moved in an escalated attempt to sign Dwight Howard…ugh).

The Rockets will be Lin’s team. I look forward to watching them in 2012-13…they will be a lot of fun.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

"The Dark Knight Rises": Would Hines Ward’s TD Count in Fantasy Football?

“The Dark Knight Rises” opens today and I’ll be one of the many people who will pack in a movie theater to watch this instant classic…but there’s something in the movie trailer that made me very curious.

First, why is Hines Ward in this movie (seriously). Secondly, would his touchdown count in fantasy football?

I know what you’re thinking, “Wow, Bobby…you really have fantasy football on your brain.” It’s true, I’ve been working on a lot of fantasy material for the site, but it’s a legitimate question.

Gotham is full of some sketchy characters. You know that sports gambling is rampant. Fantasy football has to be a multi-billion dollar industry in the DC Universe.

In our universe, we get mad when Brian Westbrook takes a knee at the goal line.

Let’s examine the photo of Ward’s touchdown. He has crossed the plane and clearly has possession. The only problem is that he is the only remaining player from either team not sucked down the sinkhole. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the game would be cancelled due to neither team being able to field a full team…oh, and the field is no longer there.

The touchdown wouldn’t count. The game wouldn’t be official since it didn’t last all four quarters.

This may cause a major uproar in the local Gotham City Fantasy Football League, but maybe Batman help settle the issue (you know, after he’s finished saving the city from being completely destroyed by Bane and Catwoman).

If you haven’t seen the trailer for “The Dark Knight Rises”, I’ve embedded it below.

Twitter: @SWEETBOB
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A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Who Will the Cubs Get In Return for Ryan Dempster?

Going into the season, Matt Garza was predicted to be the prize of the trading deadline. He is still a major prize, but Ryan Dempster is the belle of the ball.

Dempster, who currently leads the Majors with a 1.86 ERA, is on the trading block and nearly every team has contacted the Chicago Cubs about acquiring him. He has the right to veto any trade and wants to pitch for a contender.

He is owed nearly $6 million for the rest of the season and the Cubs have said they would pick up most of the money if they receive an upgraded prospect in return.

Dempster has a short-list of teams where he would like to end up. Which teams are on that list and what are the Cubs looking to get in return for him?

FOX Sports is reporting that Dempster pinpointed the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves as his top destinations. He is rumored to be open to other destinations, which is good for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Nationals.

The Cubs have made it clear they want young pitching and/or a third base prospect. These teams will be renting Dempster, since he’s a free agent at the end of the season. If they miss out on him, they will include many of these prospects in hopes of landing Garza.

Who can those teams offer? Let’s take a look at who may be involved.

Detroit Tigers
The Cubs would LOVE to trade Matt Garza, Darwin Barney, and Dempster in a package to Detroit. They would ask for third base prospect Nick Castellanos, top pitching prospect Jacob Turner, and a few other young pitchers from the group of Bruce Rondon, Drew Smyly, Casey Crosby, Andy Oliver, and Brenny Paulino.

Detroit has all the right pieces to trade for any player currently on the Cubs roster.

Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have been very proactive on trying to acquire Dempster. They are rumored to have a deal currently on the table. No one knows which prospects are in the deal, but pitching is definitely the centerpiece.

The pitching prospects rumored in the deal begins with 20-year old Garrett Gould. He is the prospect most likely to be in the deal. Zach Lee, Nate Eovaldi, Allen Webster, and Chris Reed aren’t as likely to be included, since L.A. thinks too highly of them to part ways.

A group of secondary pitching prospects that could be thrown in could include Aaron Miller, Angel Sanchez, Matt Magill, Chris Withrow, and Ryan O’Sullivan. The Dodgers are also trying to acquire Aramis Ramirez from Milwaukee and Shane Victorino from Philadelphia, so this group could all find new homes by August 1st.

Atlanta Braves
Even though Dempster would like to pitch in Atlanta, I don’t see this deal happening. The Braves were looking hard at Zack Greinke, but Milwaukee’s asking price was too high.

Atlanta is in a bad situation in the present day. They are finding it hard to trade for a veteran pitcher, since every team is asking for their stud pitching prospects in return. The group of Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino and Sean Gilmartin are asked about in nearly every deal. If the Braves want Dempster, they would need to part with someone from that group. Using that reasoning, they could focus on cheaper talent, like Francisco Liriano or Jason Vargas.

Washington Nationals
Washington is in need of a veteran pitcher to fill-in for Stephen Strasburg, since he’s on a innings limit this year. Their farm system isn’t what it used to be. They have already called up most of their top-tier young talent.

Third base prospect Anthony Rendon is the only Nationals prospect in the Top 100 list that the Cubs would be interested in. The only pitching prospects they could include would be second-tier. Alex Meyer, Matt Purke, and Robbie Ray are those pitchers.

Boston Red Sox
The rumor out of Chicago is that Boston is scared to trade with Theo Epstein, because he knows their farm system so well. I would assume that Ryan Lavarnway would be asked about right away. Epstein isn’t sold on Geovany Soto as the long-term catcher for the Cubs. There are big question marks about Lavarnway’s defensive ability behind the plate, but he could be worth the risk.

The pitching prospect cupboard is pretty bare in Boston. Matt Barnes is the best pitcher in their farm system. If the Cubs trade with Boston, Epstein will get the most out of the trade. They may not get the young arms they covet, but other holes will be addressed.

If a mystery team ends up with Dempster, they will have given up a lot to leapfrog these teams.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Mumford & Sons Announce New Album, ‘Babel’

Mumford & Sons announced that their highly anticipated sophomore album, “Babel,” will be released on September 25th and include twelve songs.

The album will be produced by Markus Dravs, who worked with them on their debut album and has worked with Arcade Fire in the past.

Even though they toured for three years on the success of “Sigh No More”, I’m surprised they had enough time to churn out a new album. They have been extremely busy.

I have the track listing for “Babel” along with a live version of “Whispers In The Dark”, which will appear on “Babel”…it’s all after the jump.

Babel
Whispers In The Dark
I Will Wait
Holland Road
Ghosts That We Knew
Lover Of The Light
Lovers’ Eyes
Reminder
Hopeless Wanderer
Broken Crown
Below My Feet
Not With Haste

“Babel” is said to be a darker album with no singles that pop out. They wanted to make an album that is solid throughout and had a natural progression. They told Rolling Stone that fans will not be disappointed with the updated sound.

They kick off their U.S. tour on August 1st in Hoboken, NJ. If you want a full list of their tour dates, visit the band’s website.

Here is a live recording of “Whispers in the Dark”, which will be the second track on “Babel.”

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Dez Bryant Arrested After Slapping His Mother

After the parade of arrests that plagued this NFL offseason, Dez Bryant finds himself as the Grand Marshall.

The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver was arrested on Monday on charges of misdemeanor domestic violence from an incident that occurred last Saturday. He turned himself in and was released on $1,500 bail.

The local police says that Bryant allegedly “slapped his mother across the face and pulled her hair.” Bryant’s mother says that she had pain and swelling from the assault.

Should the NFL step in and discipline Bryant or should the Dallas Cowboys do the right thing and take care of their own players? Is this the last straw or does Bryant deserve and third or fourth chance?

Let’s paint a clear picture of what kind of off-seasons Bryant has had since his rookie season.

He was first arrested in a Dallas area mall for using inappropriate language and wearing saggy pants.

Aside from stealing something, do you realize how hard it is to get arrested at a mall? I’ve done some pretty insane things in malls as a youth and I’ve never been arrested. I had a security guard chase me around for something my friend had done, but Paul Blart’s stunt double couldn’t catch us.

Bryant then found himself in handcuffs again in January when he had an alleged altercation at a Miami Beach nightclub. He was detained, but never charged with a crime.

Both of these incidents seem minor in the shadow of his recent altercation.

Dallas needs to realize that they need to do something to control Bryant before his actions get even more out of control. If he can slap his own mother, he could easily find himself in a Pacman Jones-like situation. A bad temper is a magnet for trouble.

Deion Sanders used to be Bryant’s mentor, but since the mall incident, the two haven’t kept in touch. He needs another figure who has been in his shoes and can lead him away from causing trouble and build him up. I agree with Dan Graziano from ESPN Dallas, who wrote a post about how the Cowboys need to help him, not dump him.

I do believe that Dallas should suspend him for a few games and police themselves. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will step in and punish him if the Cowboys don’t punish Bryant and/or not punish him enough.

This is bigger than football. The man is lost. No one should ever strike their mother. I hope he finds his way before he finds himself in jail for something even worse.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Are the Marlins Shopping Giancarlo Stanton?

The MLB trade rumor mill is in full force. Every beat writer conjures up a scenario in which every player could be traded. I think the current trade market is filled with every player in the MLB not named Bryce Harper or Andrew McCutchen.

Giancarlo Stanton found his name on the trading block thanks to ESPN’s Buster Olney (ESPN Insider needed).

The Miami Marlins opened up a beautiful new stadium this season, but currently find themselves at 43-36. They are nine games out in the NL East and six games out of the a Wild Card spot. Things aren’t dire, but they would need to leapfrog many teams to make the playoffs.

Who else is on the trading block on the Marlins? Could another Florida team also be sellers at the trading deadline?

Olney goes on to say that Omar Infante and Josh Johnson could also find themselves on the trading block if the Marlins stumble after the All-Star break.

Stanton is currently on the disabled list with an injured knee. He will be out about a month, so trading him by July 31st could be difficult or nearly impossible. He would be their best trade piece if they decide to completely rebuild, but I believe that Stanton is their franchise player to build around. He is hitting .284 with 19 homers and 50 RBI…on pace for a monster season.

The Marlins had plenty of prospects come through Miami and fizzle out. Dan Uggla, Jeremy Hermida, Josh Willingham, and Mike Jacobs didn’t do a whole lot for the franchise. They currently have Gabby Sanchez, Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, and Logan Morrison not living up to their hype. Stanton destroyed the minors and he keeps improving. He’s not a guy you want to give up on.

Johnson has about $20 million left on his contract through the rest of this season and the 2013 season. It is a fair price for a #1 starter, if he can stay healthy. They would get a nice haul for him, especially if he’s traded to a contender with a stocked farm system. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, or Detroit Tigers would be ideal trade partners, since they have an abundance of top-tier prospects to trade.

Second base is a very shallow position in MLB. Major offensive production from the position is rare these days. Infante is the current prototypical second baseman. He bats around .275 with low double-digit power and steals. He would be a nice stopgap for a team who has no current answer at second. He’s an excellent defensive player with a .989 and .981 fielding percentage the last two seasons.

I contacted Tom Green, the associate reporter for MLB.com who covers the Miami Marlins, about Miami’s trade rumors. He calms Marlins fans down by saying he “doesn’t see them selling Giancarlo or J.J.”

Heath Bell, Carlos Zambrano, and even newly-acquired Carlos Lee could also find themselves bring shopped at the deadline. Bell is having a disastrous season so far and with Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly Leo Nunez) coming back from suspension, could find himself booted permanently from the closer role.

At the end of Olney’s blog post, he also mentions that if the Tampa Bay Rays keep sliding, they could also start to reload their team.

It’s hard to pinpoint the players who have a lot of trade value, but Kyle Farnsworth, Jeff Keppinger, and Luke Scott seem like players who are expendable. They wouldn’t get a huge haul, but with the need for bullpen help, Farnsworth would get the most in return.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Breaking Bad: Comic-Con Season Five Trailer

Season five of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” is set to debut on July 15th. The San Diego Comic-Con debuted the trailer preview for the season…and it looks amazing!

If you haven’t watched the show before, this trailer is filled with spoilers from season four. It doesn’t show any new plot twists from the upcoming season. I am anxiously awaiting this season.

The Comic-Con trailer preview for season five of “Breaking Bad” is after the jump…

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Houston’s Latest Insane Trade Proposal for Dwight Howard

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is slowly going insane.

He has been trying to acquire Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard for months. The amount of trades he has offered/completed in order to gain pieces to entice the Magic would make any man snap.

It doesn’t make Morey’s job any easier when Howard publicly announces that he would only sign an extension with the Brooklyn Nets.

Well, ESPN reported that Morey is about to propose the Magic an offer they can’t refuse. How much can Houston afford to offer a team for a player who has no intentions on staying more than one season?

Want to know what Morey is offering? Check it out after the jump…

The rumored offer is so lopsided and ridiculous that it is hard to believe that a GM would ever offer this deal.

Orlando Magic would receive: Kevin Martin, Patrick Patterson, Marcus Morris, Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, Terrence Jones, and at least two future first-round & second-round draft picks, AND Toronto’s 2013 first-round pick (potential lottery pick).

Houston Rockets would receive: Dwight Howard, Jason Richardson, Glen Davis, Chris Duhon, and Hedu Turkoglu.

Let that offer sink in for a few seconds.

…WHAT THE HELL, DARYL?!

Houston would be sending the Magic a top-of-the-rotation guy (Martin), their last two draft classes, and their next few drafts will be worthless without first-round picks.

What’s sad is that I really like what the Rockets did in this year’s NBA draft. Lamb, White, and Jones are NBA-ready and could all be rotation guys in their rookie season. They would be throwing it away for a shot at convincing Howard that Houston is where he belongs.

Houston would just receive Howard, who may only stay one season, and a bunch of deadweight contracts. The Magic will have a clean slate to rebuild the team in the post-Howard era.

I have a feeling that Morey was a nerd in high school. He probably had a crush on the head cheerleader (Dwight Howard). He would stay at home and think up scenarios in which she would agree to go on a date with him. He finally put together the absolute perfect plan in which he would ask her out and there would be no chance she would say no. The plan would consist of Morey riding to school in a carriage with white horses. He would be dressed in a tuxedo with tails and have a dozen roses ready to give to her (trade entire team for Howard). He would ride in front of the entire school, gives her the roses and ask her out…she would say ‘yes’ (Dwight agrees to play one season with Houston). They would go out on a date, it goes alright, and he would drop her off at home at the end of the date. He would assume that a second date is right around the corner and his life is perfect (Howard contract extension).

Well, Morey wasn’t aware that the entire school was laughing at him when pulled up in a horse-driven carriage (every NBA GM & fans). The head cheerleader said yes because she didn’t want to seem like a bitch. Also, after their date, the captain of the football team was in her driveway waiting to sneak up to her room (Brooklyn Nets).

This is a move that can and will get a general manager fired. If this deal goes through and Howard doesn’t sign an extension, he will be responsible for two separate GMs losing their jobs (Orlando’s former GM Otis Smith was fired after the season).

Everyone knows that Morey is a smart guy. He speaks at the Sloan Conference at MIT every year about using advanced metrics in sports. He is helping to pave the way by relying on new statistics to build a professional basketball team…but, I don’t see how he could argue that this trade is logical by using statistics to back it up. “Dork Elivs” is getting a little too cute and maybe the eyeball test is all someone needs to know that this is a horrible deal.

I feel sorry for Rockets fans. You have a GM who clearly has a gambling problem and he’s playing with your money. This would truly be a ‘Dwightmare’ for Houston.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

New Music: Bloc Party – "Octopus"

I love this time of the year. The summer weather is in full swing and great new music begins to leak in advance of the late summer/early fall releases.

I have been a fan of Bloc Party since “Silent Alarm” came out in 2005. The the two releases that followed didn’t live up to their debut, but after listening to “Octopus”, I’m excited about their upcoming album, “Four”.

“Octopus” sounds like it could have been a B-side from “Silent Alarm” recording session. I love that they went back to guitar-driven music, which was lost in the last two albums that focused on a more electric sound.

Bloc Party’s new album, “Four”, comes out August 21st with a U.S. tour starting on September 14th.

The music video for “Octopus” is after the jump…

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.