EveryJoe » Sports

Phillies Correct Mistake, Get Roy Oswalt

Kori Ellis — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:11:37 +0000

In the offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies made a great move by trading for Roy Halladay. However, they made an equally bad mistake when they gave away Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners. Instead of having two of the game’s best starters, the Phillies inexplicably hurt their chances for minimal return.

Imake: Wikimedia Commons

On Thursday, the Phillies rectified their mistake of giving away Lee by trading for Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros. In the deal, Philadelphia gave up J.A. Happ and two minor leaguers. Last season, Happ finished second in the NL in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Oswalt gives the Phillies one of the better right-handed pitchers in all of baseball. The 32-year-old has a career record of 143-82 to go along with a 3.24 ERA. He is 4-0 in the postseason and gives the Phillies a much better chance of reaching the 2010 playoffs.

The Phillies won the World Series in 2008. Last year, they lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series. Philadelphia currently has a seven-game winning streak and is three games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

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Albert Haynesworth Fails Sprint Test

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:08:33 +0000

Mike Shanahan doesn’t like Albert Haynesworth. The coach of the Washington Redskins wants to make life as difficult as possible for the team’s larger than life lineman. In an odd series of events, Shanahan was able to make Haynesworth fail the Redskins conditioning test.

Image: NFL.com

For the test, Haynesworth had to run a pair of 300 yard sprints. But after Haynesworth completed the two sprints, Shanahan wasn’t happy. Instead, the coach said that Haynesworth took too much time between sprints and told him to do a third sprint. On the third try, Haynesworth failed.

This ongoing feud has a number of levels. Haynesworth doesn’t like Shanahan’s new defensive scheme. On the other hand, Shanahan doesn’t like the distractions or Haynesworth’s bloated contract.

In the next few days, Haynesworth will be given another shot to past the team’s conditioning test. But even if he passes, that won’t stop the feud. It won’t end until Haynesworth is playing for another NFL team.

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Video: Press Hop 2

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:03:57 +0000

DJ Steve Porter made a YouTube classic when he created “Press Hop” — a video that combines famous sports press interviews with hip hop. The result was a video that has been viewed more than 2.6 million times. It also made DJ Steve Porter a household name among YouTube connoisseurs.

The long awaited sequel is here! Press Hop 2 is sure to be another classic. This mix includes a number of sports superstars including Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, LeBron James, Charles Barkley, Bobby Knight, Mike Tyson, Allen Iverson and Alex Rodriguez.

The production is great, the music is a hit and the video itself is also funny. If you loved Press Hop, you will surely love Press Hop 2.

Here is the Press Hop 2 video:

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Video: LeBron Fan Ejected from Indians Game

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:55:23 +0000

Cleveland is understandably still upset with LeBron James backstabbing the city and taking off for South Beach. So when a LeBron fan showed up at a Cleveland Indians game wearing a LeBron James Miami Heat jersey, it wasn’t surprising when the Indians fans nearly killed the guy. In the video below, you can see the ruckus as security escorted the LeBron fan out of the stadium.

Usually, wearing another team’s jersey to a sporting event is somewhat dangerous. But to wear a LeBron James Heat jersey in Cleveland? That’s a person who has suicidal tendencies. Too soon. Way too soon.

To make matters worse, the Indians were in the middle of getting destroyed by the New York Yankees — which happen to be LeBron James’ favorite team. It was just another cup of acid in the open wound.

When will a LeBron James jersey be accepted in the city of Cleveland?

Probably never.

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Lorenzen Wright Murdered

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:54:07 +0000

We all were holding out hope that the Lorenzen Wright story would have a happen ending. That won’t be the case. According to reports, Wright’s body was found near Memphis. At first, reports said that it appeared to be a suicide. Later reports indicated that there were multiple gunshots wounds, which turns Wright’s death into a murder investigation.

Wright was last seen alive on July 18th. Four days later, a missing person report was filed by his family. On Wednesday, a body was found and Wright’s family said it was him.

The 6-foot-11 power forward was the seventh overall selection of the 1996 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. In his career, he played with the Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzles, Sacramento Kings and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He last played in the NBA in the 2008-09 season.

No motive has been mentioned by police yet, however he was seen with a lot of cash shortly before his death. Wright leaves behind six children and a deep legacy in the Memphis basketball community. He went to college and high school in Memphis and played for the Grizzlies for five seasons.

Lorenzen Wright (Image: TSN.ca)

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Chargers Extend Antonio Gates

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:21:12 +0000

Antonio Gates is the deadliest weapon at the tight end position in the NFL. On Wednesday, the San Diego Chargers made him the league’s highest paid player at his position when Gates signed a five-year extension worth more than $36.1 million. The contract has more than $20 million in guaranteed money and doesn’t expire until the 2016 season.

Last year, Gates had one of the better seasons of his career. He played all 16 games for the fourth straight season and finished with a career-high 1,157 receiving yards to go along with 79 catches and eight touchdowns.

Gates’ contributions to the Chargers go beyond what he does on the football field. On a team full of loose cannons, he’s the guy who seems to keep it all together.

Said A.J. Smith, the GM of the Chargers: “Antonio is a special player and person. He is everything we are looking for in a Chargers player.”

With LaDainian Tomlinson now with the New York Jets, Gates responsibilities as a leader on the team will be called upon more than ever this upcoming season. Oh, and he’ll see plenty of passes thrown his way, too.

Antonio Gates (Image: TSN.ca)

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Is Amare Stoudemire Jewish?

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:18:01 +0000

Is Amare Stoudemire Jewish? That’s the question many of his Twitter followers have been asking in recent weeks. I haven’t been able to find any confirmation that Stoudemire is indeed Jewish, but there certainly are some clues.

Two weeks ago, Stoudemire said this on Twitter:

For whatever is born of (Yah) GOD overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith. 1 John 5:4 Shalom

Last week, Stoudemire said this:

Boker Tov !! People. Have a great day. I’m done with a weight lift, next stop Basketball Court. All ways working. Shalom.

Finally, here’s the ultimate clew that Amare Stoudemire is Jewish:

Yes Indeed !! RT @Shims11: @Amareisreal Whats up w the hebrew? Are you jewish?

Earlier this offseason, Amare Stoudemire left the Phoenix Suns to sign a $100 million deal with the New York Knicks. The state of New York has a Jewish population of nearly 10%. In New York City alone, there are over two million Jews. With Amare Stoudemire, it appears there is one more Jewish person in NYC.

Is Amare Stoudemire Jewish? (Image: Zuma Press)

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Yao Ming Thinking About Retirement

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:38:02 +0000

When healthy, Yao Ming is one of the best centers in the NBA. Unfortunately, good health has been difficult to come by for the 7-foot-6 center from Shanghai, China. He missed the entire 2009-10 season for the Houston Rockets and failed to play more than 55 games in two of the previous three campaigns.

Recovering from a serious foot surgery, Yao is expected to play this upcoming season. However, if he has a setback, Yao recently told the Chinese media that he would consider retirement from the game of basketball.

“If the foot injury does not heal next season,” said Yao, “I might choose to call it quits.”

Yao also caused a stir in his home country when he said that his participation in the 2012 London Olympics is doubtful. According to reports, Yao is frustrated and believes that China hasn’t had his health in mind when he played in international tournaments throughout the years.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey thinks Yao is on the right track.

Said Morey: “Yao Ming is working diligently on his return and has consistently received positive feedback at each of his scheduled medical checkups.”

Yao Ming Retirement? (Image: Zuma Press)

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Diego Maradona Out as Coach of Argentina

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:48:19 +0000

In 2008, the Argentine Football Association shocked the world when they hired the legendary Diego Maradona to coach the nation’s soccer team. Less than two years later, that experiment is over. The AFA decided not to renew Maradona’s contract after Maradona refused to replace a number of assistant coaches.

At the 2010 World Cup, Argentina definitely had moments of greatness. Although they lacked technical strategy, their beautiful style of play made the team fan favorites in South Africa. However, Argentina saw the World Cup end in stunning fashion when Germany destroyed the South American squad by a final count of 4-0.

Maradona is regarded by many as the best soccer player who ever lived. His play is the 1986 World Cup will never be forgotten, as he carried Argentina to a championship.

Even though he’s no longer Argentina’s coach, the AFA said that he will always be invited to stay involved.

“This marks the end of a first chapter with Mr. Maradona. The doors to this house, as always, will be open to him,” said Cherquis Bialo, a spokesman for the AFA.

Diego Maradona out as Argentina soccer coach (Image: Zuma Press)

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Garza Throws No-Hitter for Rays

Kori Ellis — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:59:23 +0000

Matt Garza threw a no-hitter on Monday night, beating the Detroit Tigers 5-0. But it was more than a personal milestone – it was the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays franchise history. It was also the fifth one in major league baseball this season.

Image: TSN.ca

The Rays’ pitching staff was due for a no-hitter – the team has been held hitless themselves three times in just the past year. Two of those three games since July 2009 were perfect games.

“We needed one. I don’t care who it came from. We just needed one for our own confidence,” Garza told the media. “The guys are just as excited as I am. It’s fun.”

Garza improved his record to 11-5 on the season, after having a very poor outing last time out. The 11 wins ties a career-best for victories for the 26-year-old right-hander.

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