Glenn Beck Is A Douche

I usually shy away from politics on this blog. It’s not because I don’t have an opinion, but it’s a sticky subject that is usually never funny. My roommate was watching Fox News tonight and I saw video of Glenn Beck freaking the hell out.

Here is the video

The freak out starts around the 1:30 mark and it just escalates to a crazy level. He uses the crazy girlfriend level of “whomever is the loudest and uses the highest pitch in an argument, they win” tactic.

I really dislike Glenn Beck. I used to listen to his radio show during my lunch break at work, mostly because I had a hard time listening to “The Common Man & The Torg Mid-Day Show” on the local ESPN Radio affiliate here in Columbus. Everyone should listen to opinions that aren’t there own, just to see what the other side is mad about. I think Beck is just a douche. His climb to syndication radio is just as crazy. He is a high school graduate (he took a few classes at Yale, but never graduated) and he was a drug addict/alcoholic. He quit the booze and drugs, joined AA, and became a Mormon. He is now on Fox News and you can usually catch him yelling at loud levels and/or crying almost daily. I would like to see a decibel contest between Stephen A. Smith and Glenn Beck. Quite Frankly, I believe Stephen A. would probably still win, but I would bet that everyone would watch that contest on television, on mute.

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

Erin Andrews Video Photos Turns NY Post Writer Into A Virgin Blogger

The NY Post turned into a poor man’s blog today. They wrote a story that publicized the pervert that took pictures of Erin Andrews’ naked in a hotel room. I will not put a link to their story on my blog, since they did an insufficient job at writing the story and with censoring the photos. The photos, which are blurry and crude, have black boxes over areas that they couldn’t print due to nudity. One of the photos, a full body shot, is so poorly censored that you could clearly see her backside, since the black box is a small, thin box that censors very little.

I know the NY Post isn’t exactly the Wall Street Journal, but they should be held to higher standards. They clearly look at Google Trends and realize that the terms “Erin Andrews” and “Aaron Andrews” (a misspelling of her name) were both the top trends at one point yesterday and most of the weekend. I am guessing that the writer, Andy Soltis, who works for the Post Wire Service, went to journalism school. I don’t want to put down bloggers, since I am one and a lot of my collegues are great people, but The Post is acting like a blog who’s fishing for hits. “The Erin Andrews Rule” is when you post something about her, you will see a little spike in traffic. Nearly every major sports blog or “pretty girl blog” has a post just declaring how beautiful she is. The posts usually contains pictures of her on the sideline from curious point-of-views.

I am a writer who took many journalism classes in college. I know a little more than the basics when it comes to decent journalism practices. I understand that this is turning into a major story and once it becomes something that your readers want to know about, you must inform the readers. I don’t have a problem with them writing a story about the photos, but publishing them they way that they did, was distasteful.

I think everyone who write for a blog would one day like to write for a major print publication or be in some other media. The NY Post makes me never want to read a newspaper again. I feel sorry for Erin Andrews and her family, she seems like a nice lady who just wants to do her job. I will never subjugate her as a sex symbol on my blog, I feel that she has already went through enough.

The NY Post should be ashamed and I hope that anyone who is upset about the photos being published will cancel their subscription. I hope this story goes away and whomever took the video/photos is prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

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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.

Jay Bruce – The Next Dunn or Kearns?

Jay Bruce was the most heralded prospect for the Reds since Pete Rose. The hoopla that surrounded him last season when he was called up was phenomenal. He tore up pitching the first two weeks into the league before cooling off and hitting a little rookie wall towards the end of the season. Before this season, I drafted Bruce in nearly every fantasy baseball league that I am in. He has hit 18 homers so far in 2009, but his average has been hovering around .200 for most of the season. While fielding a ball in the outfield, Bruce broke his wrist and is likely out for 6-8 weeks, nearly most of the rest of the season. I have analyzed Bruce’s stats at the beginning of his career. When he was called up, comparisons of Rose, Bench, and Morgan were there, but so far he has not lived up to the hype. Would a comparison to ex-Reds Adam Dunn or Austin Kearns be more reasonable?

Bruce is a much better fielder than both Dunn and Kearns, so the comparison is clearly based on his ability at the plate. We all know that they both hit home-runs out of Great American Ballpark at an alarming rate early in their careers, but it is a hitter’s ballpark. Dunn’s minor league numbers translated similar into the pros, since he hit homers, walked a lot, but struck out at a high-rate. Austin Kearns spent three season in the minors, but clearly didn’t have the home run totals that Dunn put up at the high minor league level. He hit at a better average and didn’t strike out as much. Dunn and Kearns are different hitters when it comes to their splits stats when facing LHP vs. RHP. Dunn can hit for power against both lefties and righties, but Kearns did not have any power when facing southpaws.

Jay Bruce has similaries to both Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns early in their careers. Bruce is similar to Austin Kearns, because he has no power against LHP and he does not have a high strikeout rate. Bruce’s similarities to Dunn relates to batting average and power. Dunn swings for the fences with every at-bat, Bruces swings for the fences, but not as much. Bruce has not shown the ability to hit for average in his minor league career and doesn’t look like he will be winning any batting average during his career. He could end up with a career batting average similar to Dunn, but Bruce has more speed than Dunn ever had in his career.

My final analysis is that Bruce’s future is still to be determined. His 2009 season is forgettable and has had a bad luck. I’m not completely referring to his wrist injury, but his BABIP (Batting Average for Balls In Play) is one of the lowest in the league. He has not had the lucky bounces that other players have received this year. I would say that he looks to be more like Adam Dunn at this point in his career, but he could still be a more complete player in the long-term. “Bruce Almighty” may have all the fans in Cincinnati worried right now, but they still need a lot of pieces before the Reds are fending for the NL Central crown. Let’s just hope that in five year’s time, Bruce isn’t playing for the Washington Nationals like Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns.

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

I Want! – 3-D Topps Baseball Cards

I have probably 100,000 baseball cards at my parents house, but they didn’t make the trip with me to Ohio. I spent every dime that I had buying pack after pack, in hopes of finding my favorite players and/or a pricey rookie card that I could trade for something else that I wanted, or more packs. I collected from the time that I was 5-years old until I was about 15 or 16. About that time, most kids snap out of spending all their money on baseball cards and spend it on gas money or going on dates. I still buy a pack or two every 6-months, but nothing like when I was younger. The Topps Baseball Card Company are introducing 3-D baseball cards, it could very well get me back into buying baseball cards once again.

Topps was one of the first major players in the baseball card industry. They have been around since the 1950s and have helped keep kids interested in baseball. The stats on the back of the cards have helped bring baseball to life, but now with Topps 3-D Live, it could change the industry.

If you hold a special Topps 3D Live baseball card in front of a webcam, you will see a three-dimensional avatar of the player on the computer screen. Rotate the card, and the figure rotates in full perspective. It’s called “augmented reality,” a combination of a real image with a virtual one. Here is a video of how it will look.

The baseball card industry is struggling in the age of the Internet. Today’s collectors, most of whom are still boys, can just as easily and less expensively find the sports facts they want online. The New York Times reported that the industry once had revenue of a $1 billion a year, but the market for sports trading cards has shrunk to $200 million. These facts are according to information provided by Major League Baseball Properties in a recent lawsuit against a former card licensee. (The players’ association licenses the right to use players’ likenesses.)

Michael Eisner, the former chief of Walt Disney, had a plan to help rebuild the industry. In 2007 his Tornante Company and Madison Dearborn Partners bought Topps for $385 million. Total Immersion, a French company, brought Topps the augmented reality technology. It has already been used in a theme park and for some auto design work. Using the technology, card collectors see a three-dimensional version of a player and can play elementary pitching, batting and catching games using the computer keyboard.

Mr. Eisner has also created Back on Topps, a 17-episode Internet comedy that spoofs his acquisition of the company. He is developing a movie based on another of the company’s products, Bazooka Joe bubble gum. He also wants to create sports films. It appears that he wants to make Topps into a multimedia corporation, similar, yet different to what Disney was when he was in charge. If you spread out the company into different media areas, the chances of future development and consistency are greater. The Topps 3D Live cards are a natural extension of the brand.

If you’re interested in purchasing some Topps 3-D Live baseball cards, they are affordable. Series 1 cards will cost $2 for a 12-pack while a $1 pack will contain five cards.

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

Play Ball! – 2nd Half Predictions

Now that the All-Star game is over and all the “drama” that surrounds the event is in the books, the baseball races and trade rumors will start to heat up. It seems that at least 20 teams are still in their division races and weird things could happen. The trade deadline is July 31st and most teams will wait until a few days before that date to assess their team’s chances of making the post-season. A lot of stuff will happen this off-season and since this blog loves speculation and opinionated banter, here are some of my predictions of what will happen in the 2nd-half this season.

– Mark DeRosa will bat under .200 for the rest of the season with the Cardinals.

– Albert Pujols will hit 60 homers this year.

– The Cubs will end up with 90 wins this season, but will not win the NL Central.

– Freddy Sanchez will be trade to the Cubs for Sean Marshall

– Joe Mauer will only hit 4 more homers the rest of the season.

– The Detroit Tigers will win the AL Central

– Matt Wieters will hit over .300 and hit 12 homers in the 2nd-half.

– Eric Wedge will be fired by Labor Day.

– Boston will edge out the Yankees in the AL East, but New York will win the Wild Card race.

– Jerry Manuel will be fired after the last day of the season.

– The full list of failed steroid tests will be leaked during the playoffs, thus putting the actual product on the field out of the spotlight.

– The Phillies will land Roy Halladay in a trade for Kyle Drabek and two other prospects.

– Pedro Martinez will have an ERA over 5.00 and will make less than 8 starts for Philadelphia.

– Tim Hudson will come back at the end of the season and win 4 games.

– Stephan Strasburg will sign with the Washington Nationals by September 15th.

– Raul Ibanez will hit 55 homers this season.

– Jimmy Rollins will hit under .210 in the 2nd half this year.

– Alex Rodriguez will hit 35+ homers, but his average will be below .245

– C.C. Sabathia will lead the AL in innings and win 20 games.

– Carlos Quentin will come off the DL and hit 10 homers the last 2 months of the season.

– Jason Schmidt will only make two starts for the Dodgers and end the season on the DL.

– Texas will win the AL West and make it to the ALCS.

– Tommy Hanson will edge out Colby Rasmus for the NL Rookie Of The Year

– Rick Porcello will have an ERA over 4.50 in the second half.

– The Mets will become sellers by July 31st.
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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.

Idolizing – Chuck Klosterman (Again!)

About a year ago, I wrote a post in my “Idolizing” series about Chuck Klosterman. I was in awe of his first effort of writing a novel called “Downtown Owl.” I thought the book was great and I even bought an advanced copy on eBay for nearly 30 dollars a few months before it was released. The book didn’t sell a lot of copies, but he still feels like he accomplished something that he wanted to do. He has been on record that he had promised his publisher a few more essay books like “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs” as a trade off that they would release one of his fiction works. Continue reading →

Support Your Local Blogger

I have been a busy guy lately. I have been completely bogged down at my work and I’ve picked up a couple writing jobs on the side. I need 30 hours in a day and I would be fine. If I had that amount of time, maybe I could actually spend time with my girlfriend and stop ignoring my gym membership.

Here are some cool blog links:

Pacers Sign A Guy Who Doesn’t Look Like John Mayer [Pacers Place]

Blue Jackets Use Their Farm System…For A Broadcaster [Stingers On Ice]

Jay Mariotti Is A Douche [Hugging Harold Reynolds]

Colin Cowherd Is Also A Douche [The Big Lead]

Ron Artest Is F#@&ing Crazy [The Sports Hernia]

Obama and Sarkozy Can Spot Good Talent [Tasty Booze]

I Want This Cooler/Bag [On 205th]

I Want To See Bruno [Gunaxin]

R.I.P. Oscar Meyer [H8torade]

Erin Andrews Has A Chin Of Steel [Busted Coverage]

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

Mark DeRosa’s Wrist Hates St. Louis

I can finally write about Mark DeRosa again. I wrote a post about a week ago and I banned him and his hot wife (Heidi Miller DeRosa) from this blog. DeRosa injured himself late last week and it looks like he tore his tendon sheath and will be out for quite some time. I shouldn’t be happy about someone’s misfortune, I’m not, but as everyone knows, I’m a Cubs fan. I am happy that the Cardinals will be down a hitter when they play this weekend, but I am a fan of DeRosa and his time in Chicago.

DeRosa’s injury can be an ugly one. To put his injury in perspective, David Ortiz had the same injury last year and he was out about 7 weeks. That doesn’t seem like long of time, but his power and bat speed took about a whole calendar year to come back. Wrists injuries are scary things and very unpredictable how the player will bounce back. Derrek Lee and Nomar Garciaparra both had nasty wrist injuries, Lee bounced back in about a year and Nomar never really did. I wish DeRosa the best and I hope he signs with a team this off-season that is either the Cubs or not in the NL Central.

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

22 Sports People You Must Follow On Twitter

I was apprehensive to join Twitter because I knew that I would become addicted to it. I was out with some friends, about a year ago, and my friend talked me into signing up with her phone. I just posted a few “tweets” and then that turned into multiple “tweets” and now I’m on there all the time. I have around 1700 followers and it fluctuates daily. My Twitter name is @sweetbob and you can follow me by clicking here.

Here are the 22 sports people that you must follow on Twitter. Continue reading →

Indiana Pacers Summer League Roster

For those that are not aware, I have a couple new writing jobs. I am the Indiana Pacers and Columbus Blue Jackets correspondents for Fanball.com. I am writing at the Indiana Pacers site, PacersPlace.com, and the Columbus Blue Jackets site, StingersOnIce.com.

I just recently put up a post about the Indiana Pacers Summer League team. I listed the players and a little bio about each player. You can check out the post by clicking here.

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

2009 Free Agents – Who Will Sign Them?

The NBA free agent period started at midnight tonight. Plenty of teams will be trying to find the pieces to put them over and make a run at the championship. Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, and Kobe Bryant decided to stay with their teams and did not opt out of their contracts. The economy was the deciding factor with Boozer and Okur, but Bryant decided to stay because his team could end up in the NBA Finals again next season.

Here are some of the free agents that hit the market tonight at midnight.

Charlie Villanueva – He was a stud at UConn, but didn’t seem to fit in during his stays in Toronto and Milwaukee. Villanueva loves his Twitter and it could have been a reason why Scott Skiles and the Bucks decided to not offer him a contract. He will be a prized free agent for a team that need a scorer and can deal with his lack of defense. Potential Team – Cleveland Cavaliers

Rasheed Wallace – Wallace is a headcase, but he has proven that he can play, if his team is a contender. He could end up signing a one-year deal, but with his advancing age, he will be looking for security with at least a two-year deal. Potential Team – Chicago Bulls

Trevor Ariza – No one outside of UCLA alumni knew who Trevor Ariza was before the NBA Playoffs. He was acquired by the Lakers in a trade with Orlando for Brian Cook and a case of Bud Ice. Ariza can make key steals and is a much-needed motor that doesn’t stop. Potential Team – Los Angeles Lakers

Marcin Gortat – “The Polish Hammer” was another player that benefited from quality play in this year’s playoffs. Gortat replaced a suspended Dwight Howard in the Philadelphia/Magic series. He did much better than expected and many teams looking for a big man will be calling him at 12:01 AM. Potential Team – Houston Rockets

Glen Davis – A key reserve on the 2007-08 NBA Championship team, Davis continued strong play last season. When Kevin Garnett went down with an injury, Davis filled in and helped lead the team into the playoffs. He is still under-sized with a questionable jumper. Potential Team – Boston Celtics

Jason Kidd – Kidd is clearly on his last legs and will be a surefire Hall of Famer when he retires. He could help a team trying to leap from the Lottery into the playoffs. He can still run an offense effectively, but don’t expect the Jason Kidd of years past. Potential Team – New York Knicks

Grant Hill – Hill was a superstar at Duke and had an amazing first couple years in the NBA. Injuries have cost Hill a lot of playing time, but last season with Phoenix, he was an iron man. Hill can still be a factor and can help a young team with his veteran leadership. Potential Team – Portland Trail Blazers

Chris Anderson – Anderson didn’t let his colored past get in the way of his game last season. He helped the Nuggets get to the Western Conference Finals. He can do a lot of things on the floor and has qualities that every team in the NBA need. Potential Team – Denver Nuggets

Nate Robinson – He is an under-sized guard with crazy leaping ability. He is a proven scorer and can light up defenses with his quickness. A team who signs Robinson should have an established point guard, since he is not a natural point guard. He is a restricted free agent, so a team may not want to overpay for Robinson. Potential Team – New York Knicks

David Lee – Lee has the potential to be a great player in the NBA. He is a great rebounder and can score points in the paint. He plays hard and doesn’t have any other gear other than overdrive. He is also a restricted free agent, but many teams covet his skills. Potential Team – Indiana Pacers (What!? He’s a white boy who can rake. Bird loves those guys!)

Paul Millsap – The Jazz has a surplus of power forward talent on their team. He is a restricted free agent, but with Boozer and Okur staying and Andrei Kirilenko still with the Jazz, Millsap could be the odd man out. He had a break-out season last year and can be a starter on any team that signs him. Potential Team – Oklahoma City Thunder

Hedo Turkoglu – Turkoglu was the reason that the Magic made the NBA Finals. His play against Cleveland pushed the Magic into the next level. He has had struggles fitting in during his tenure with the Kings and Spurs and really seems to like playing in Orlando. Potential Team – Orlando Magic

Linas Kleiza – Kleiza was a piece of the Allen Iverson trade that sent “AI” to Denver from Philadelphia. Kleiza was considered a “throw-in” at the time, but he has improved his play and could be a contributor on nearly any team in the NBA. He could be had fairly cheap and could benefit from playing in an up-tempo offense. Potential Team – Detroit Pistons

Raymond Felton – The Bobcats have stuck by Felton, even after they pick D.J. Augustin in the draft. Felton has had a better-than-expected career in Charlotte and is a proven scorer. He was improving at point guard and could be a starter on a young team, but probably not a contender. Michael Jordan loves Felton, so it would take a large offer for Felton to blot. Potential Team – Chartlotte Bobcats

Josh Childress – Childress wasn’t pleased with the offers that he received from teams last season and didn’t want to go back to Atlanta. He spent last season in Europe and could sign with an NBA team this year. He is still a young player and he could be a star in this league. Potential Team – Boston Celtics

Ramon Sessions – Sessions went from D-League All-Star to potential future NBA star in a matter of months. When Michael Redd went down last season, the Bucks were in need of points and Sessions delivered. He is young, 23 years old, and could be had with a mid-level exemption. Potential Team – Memphis Grizzlies

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

Re-Do – 2006 NBA Draft

You can’t really grade a draft in any league until 3 years later. I did a “re-do” post a year ago with the 2005 NBA Draft, you can see that HERE.

The NBA just had their draft last week and it will take a few seasons to see if they work out. The 2006 NBA Draft has had only one all-star so far, but a few stars are starting to emerge. The teams didn’t seem to know who they wanted during the draft, 5 out of top 10 picks were traded. Toronto had the first pick in that draft, would they still pick Andrea Bargnani? Here is what the 2006 NBA Draft Lottery would look like if it were held today. Continue reading →