The Drubbing

What in God's name is Lisa doing to Bart?!

So far we are only a few days into the XXX Olympics and already a plethora of items have surfaced.  First off, a big #Fail to London’s weather, I mean it’s the XXX Olympics, and your cool nights have forced the woman’s beach volleyball teams to wear long shirts and pants. But hey, at least we have woman’s field hockey, thanks Netherlands! Now, aside from ESPN’s article on the frat party gang bang that apparently goes on within the Olympic Village, 1 item just blew me away and it was from Men’s gymnastics.  I know, but stay with me for a moment.  During the Men’s team event, there was a big controversy over the home Brits getting Silver, and the Japanese 5^th place. The Japanese coach at the scene of the score announcement filed an inquiry, which I guess is a complaint to review what happened in the final event. But the craziest part was he had cash in his hand as he approached the judges.  And apparently, not only is this OK, it is standard procedure!  Per the rules:

After the score has been posted, a coach may inquire about the Difficulty Score, first verbally and then in writing. An inquiry may be resolved by using video review. The initial inquiry must be made prior to the completion of the next gymnast’s routine. The written inquiry must be submitted before the end of the rotation, and the Superior Jury reviews the inquiry. A fee is assessed for filing an inquiry; it is returned if the inquiry is upheld.

Really? You need to pay to have an inquiry performed?  Here is a list of questions that immediately came to mind:

• Do they accept credit cards?
• How about pay pal?
• Is exact change required?
• What currency is valid?
• What’s the exchange rate used?
• If you forgot your wallet, can you bum money off of another country?
• Is the coach reimbursed by his/her country for his payment?

I’m just blown away that a team has to pay AT THE OLYMPICS, with cash in hand to get something reviewed. Then, I started to think how this would apply to other sports.  What about in the NFL, if they instituted anything over 3 replays in a game, you had to pay in cash, $175 for each additional review.  Wouldn’t it be great to watch Andy Reid on his 5^th replay of the game, running around trying to find someone who can break 2 c notes? Guarantee he buys a hotdog from a vendor to get change.  Or what about Bill Belichick, he’d totally pay in pennies, just to be a dick.

Oh yeah, so the inquiry was upheld, the Japanese coach got his cash money back, and Japan ended up getting the silver medal, and Britain got the bronze.  Good times!

…but I don’t see why Ricky Rubio would. Last week it was reported (we know how these things go after the Brett Favre saga) that Ricky Rubio has agreed to a six-year deal with FC Barcelona B
àsquet. The deal won’t allow him to be eligible for play in the NBA until the 2011-2012 season. The Minnesota Timberwolves will retain his rights but clearly he doesn’t want to play for them.

Continue reading “I would love to play for FC Barcelona” →

Any hope of Lance Armstrong dawning a yellow jersey and claiming his 8th Tour championship in this years race is just about gone. Armstrong has made good on his word and done the right thing over the last three weeks. Fellow Astana teammate Alberto Contador has shown that he is without a doubt the most prolific rider in the 2009 version of the Tour.
Continue reading “Tour de Lance update, Stage 20 Mont Ventoux” →

So let me first say, I think the WBC is a wonderful idea. I think the intensity exhibited by some of the players during the inaugural event was spectacular, and if you are a baseball fan and missed any of the games that involved Puerto Rico, Panama, Dominican Republic, Cuba, or Venezuela, then you truly missed out. It was some of the hardest fought and most passionate baseball I have ever seen. Add the three Japan vs. Korea matchups, and you had some excellent spirited baseball.

Moreover, I am one of those people that could watch countries compete in anything. I am that guy that got wrapped up in U.S.A curling during the last Olympics. Heck, I even looked for the closest curling rink to me home. If you live on the tri-state area, the answer to that question can be found here . How could you not be excited by something called the Nutmeg Curling Club? But I digress.
Continue reading “The WBC, or how MLB can screw up a good thing” →

In an attempt to make the gameplay in Chinese basketball leagues more physical, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) may be doing more harm than good to the sport in their country.

CBA chief Liu Xiaonong cited the Chinese national team’s poor performance in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as time when they realized their players needed to “strengthen their physical presence” if Chinese basketball players were going to be able to compete with the rest of the best of the world.
Continue reading “Chinese basketball leagues can’t stand the heat, but aren’t ready to leave the kitchen” →

Biggest sports scandals in American history. The 1919 Black Sox with Shoeless Joe and Buck Weaver. Roy Jones Jr. robbed in 1988 of a gold medal in Seoul Olympics. Pete Rose betting on baseball. Jim Thorpe being stripped of his gold medals. And the point-shaving and game fixing scandals that have spotted the history of college sports. All of these incidents share the common thread of a single or few, rogue individuals putting their interests above the integrity and fairness of sports. But none of these can quite reach the level of corruption that a Taiwanese baseball league has been plagued by.
Continue reading “When team owners gamble, lie and cheat” →

This is the one that we have all been waiting for, the rematch, Argentina v. Team USA. We remember what happened in Indianapolis. What will happen here today in Athens could change history as we get it started live on NBC, unfortunately not commercial free, but at least we still get Lamps! I’m excited today, looking for Team USA to annihilate the Argentineans. Oh wait, this team doesn’t annihilate anyone. The Argentineans are loaded, Manu Ginobili, John Chaney’s favorite one guard Pepe Sanchez, Carlos Delfino who will soon be joining the World Champion Pistons, and a cast of other characters. We are about to see how good LB really is. Secretly, I’m hoping the Spain coach comes out and attempts to sabotage the game somehow, I don’t know exactly what I want but we need a Tonya Harding-esque controversy.
Continue reading “Team USA vs. Argentina II” →

Its time to get it started again commercial free by Hummer on the USA network, at 7:30 am EST here stateside. Should be a good one this morning, if by good I really mean potential blowout.

Spain was undefeated in Pool Play (5-0). Spain has won 12 consecutive International Games and are regarded as the best defensive international team, which bodes really well for our chances with the marksmanship of our outside shooters. Sages just said that Larry got the team to watch “Miracle”…since when does the Dream Team need a miracle. And why does every US team at the Olympics have to watch “Miracle”? It’s a great movie no doubt, great story obviously. I loved it, my top sports movie of all time, but I’m sick of hearing about every team watching it. Phelps and his 4×200 Free Relay Team before they beat the Australians, the Women’s Gymnastics Team, The Nightmare, and on and on and on. At least Misty May and Kerri Walsh didn’t feel the need to watch it because they knew they were going to win. It’s getting to be ridiculous. I’m as American as the next guy and as stated, love the movie, but if I hear about it one more time, I might start pulling for the Russians to win the Medal Count.

Continue reading “Team USA vs. Spain” →