Sunday, May 19, 2013

Stephen A. Smith is 'depressed' about Knicks being eliminated


Hey, aren't sports analysts suppose to be neutral?

ESPN First Take co-host Stephen A. Smith is taking the fact that the New York Knicks are no longer in the playoffs pretty hard. The Knicks were eliminated in six games by the Indiana Pacers Saturday night, 106-99.

Smith, who is known to be an avid supporter of the Knicks, is apparently crushed. He took to Twitter Sunday morning to share his current emotional state for all the world to see.

Photo: Worst Steelers tattoo of all-time?

Bad Steelers Tattoo

Tattoos are often hit or miss. Some turn out great, while others turn out, well, like the one you see above.

Seen here is arguably the worst Pittsburgh Steelers tattoo of all-time. It could be the worst of all-time because the circular outline is noticeably imperfect, or it could be because the fan initially forgot how to spell Steelers, only to squeeze in an extra "e" after the fact. 

Nonetheless, this is a fine example of why folks shouldn't ink up at home.

Photo: Oakland Athletics affiliate gives away worst bobblehead ever


Sunday was Barry Zito bobblehead day for fans of the Sacramento River Cats.

The first 2,500 fans through the gates at Raley Field received a complimentary replica of the San Francisco Giants southpaw, who spent part of 2000 pitching for the Triple-A squad as a member of the Oakland Athletics organization. Those fans who were lucky enough to get their hands on one of the miniature Zitos are probably disgruntled with the finished product.

First, the bobblehead depicts Zito wearing a glove on his left hand, which means a mistake was made in making the MLB veteran right-handed here.

Second, the bobblehead features Zito sporting an incredibly splotchy beard, which was enough to make even the guys from Duck Dynasty horrified.

Epic fail, guys. Epic fail.

Via For the Win

Prospect Wil Myers refuses to approach hitting like Rays want


Tampa Bay Rays minor league outfielder Wil Myers is regarded by nearly every baseball scout as one of the top prospects in the modern game. The 22-year-old currently sits one step away from the majors in Triple-A Durham and that has many hoping people expecting to see him up in the big show soon.

However, one area of concern possibly holding Myers back is his propensity to strikeout. Entering Sunday, Myers was going down on strikes in over 33 percent of his at-bats, and one of the reasons why could be because of his approach to hitting with two strikes. While most hitters choose to choke up on the bat and look to simply make , Myers says he isn't cut out for that approach, citing that he is a run producer and refuses to shorten his swing when down two strikes.

Video: Tim Lincecum slips off mound while trying to deliver pitch


San Francisco Giants hurler Tim Lincecum took quite the tumble on this play from Saturday.

Watch as the right-hander slips off the mound while trying to deliver a pitch in the fourth inning at Coors Field against rival Colorado. As you can see, Lincecum seems to lose his footing on the rubber and subsequently proceeds to go down hard on his backside. The miscue results in one of the more amusing balks you are likely to lay eyes on.

Lincecum has taken a fall from grace (pardon the pun) over the past few seasons.

The 28-year-old is coming off a 2012 campaign in which he posted a 10-15 record and an astronomical 5.18 ERA. He is sporting a 4.70 ERA this season through nine starts. Suddenly, those back-to-back Cy Young Awards he won in 2008 and 2009 seem so long ago.

Michael Vick slams critics, says they know nothing about football


Eagles quarterback Michael Vick calls his critics "ignorant" and says they don't know anything about football. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has heard enough.

The enigmatic signal caller went on a Philadelphia radio show this week to give a piece of his mind to anyone who doubts his football abilities. Especially the critics who claim Vick isn't good at deciphering National Football League defenses.
“I’m really tempted right now to just say ‘no comment’ to that because, like I said a second ago, you don’t last 12 years in the NFL not being able to read the defense,” Vick said on 97.5 The Fanatic this week. “Those people who are talking and saying that are just ignorant, and they know nothing about football. Unless they turn on the film and watch my game and see what goes on, then they’ll replace those comments with the right comments.”

New York Mets resort to Groupon to sell tickets

Screen Shot 2013-05-18 at 4.30.50 PM


The struggling New York Mets are resorting to Groupon to sell tickets.

This in and of itself isn't too disconcerting. What is disconcerting, however, is the fact that the struggling franchise is including games in which should sell relatively easily without the allure of discounted tickets. Weekend games against the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs, and even the famed New York Yankees are included in the discounted offering.

The Mets currently rank third-to-last in the National League in home attendance for the season heading into Sunday's action. They are drawing an average of 25,945 per game.

Video: Athletics fan makes great catch on foul ball



Is there anything more exciting than catching a foul ball?

Okay, so there are probably many more exciting things in life than snagging a foul ball, but don't tell that to this Oakland A's fan, who made a great grab on a ball hit by Coco Crisp Saturday night.

Watch as the sure-handed fellow snares Crisp's sharp line drive and draws plenty of cheers and back slaps from those sitting around him. His night was made.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Brittney Griner: Baylor told me to keep quiet about sexuality

Kim Mulkey, Brittney Griner

Former Baylor Bears standout Brittney Griner is undoubtedly one of the best women's college basketball players to ever play the game. Griner also happens to be gay, which she publicly revealed in an interview with SI.com in April.

Now, a new report has surfaced regarding Griner coming out to the public. The WNBA's No. 1 overall pick reportedly told ESPN.com that she was instructed by Bears head coach Kim Mulkey to keep her sexuality private because Mulkey believed it would hurt recruiting.
“It was a recruiting thing,” Griner said during an interview with ESPN The Magazine and espnW. “The coaches thought that if it seemed like they condoned it, people wouldn’t let their kids come play for Baylor.”

Vince Young celebrates graduation by eating at his own steakhouse


On Friday, former NFL quarterback Vince Young achieved his lifelong dream by graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in Youth and Community Studies. Young called it his greatest accomplishment ever, ranking it even higher than leading the Longhorns to a national championship in 2006.

So, how did he celebrate this momentous occasion? By treating about 40 of his closest family and friends to a nice meal at his very own Vince Young Steakhouse in Austin, of course.
Executive Chef and Owner Phillip Brown told For The Win that the former Longhorns quarterback and his guests came to the steakhouse a little before opening after the graduation ceremony. People ordered all different kinds of delicious things off the menu. 
Brown said Young’s favorite dish to order is the “Perfect Ten,” which is Akaushi grassfed beef from Yoakum, Texas. It costs $50.

Video: Jeff Francoeur continues tradition with opposing fans by visiting before game


Jeff Francoeur may be the most popular player among Oakland A's fans.

Of course, that may seem strange considering the outfielder plays for the Kansas City Royals. However, it's not too hard to realize why A's fans, especially those who occupy the right field seats at the O.co Coliseum, adore him so much.

This weekend, Francoeur and the Royals are making their one and only trip to Oakland during the season. So, A's fans decided to hold "Bacon Friday" in homage to Francoeur, who has been treating A's fans generously since 2011.

In September 2011, the A's fans in section 149 started ‘Bacon Tuesdays.’ by bringing homemade bacon creations into the stadium. After the game, Francoeur chatted with the fans and even indulged in some delicious bacon. The next day, Francoeur attached a one-hundred dollar bill to a signed baseball and gave it to the ringleader. The group still has that ball and bill!

Video: Angels fan tries to catch foul ball with beer, fails miserably


This is an example of how not to catch a foul ball, folks.

The moment came during Friday night's game between the Angels and White Sox when Albert Pujols lined a pitch off into the stands in the bottom of the first. As you can see, the fan attempts to catch the foul ball with his his beer cup, which believe it or not has actually worked before for others, but not for him, unfortunately.

Instead, his futile try leaves everyone around him soaked with beer. And worse, nobody ends up snagging the baseball cleanly.

Waste of beer. Waste of a foul ball chance. Epic fail.

Donte Stallworth has scary incident with CIA


It's been a tumultuous offseason for free agent wide receiver Donte Stallworth. The latest incident involves a scary brush with the United States Central Intelligence Agency.

It appears as though the agency wasn't too fond of Stallworth snapping a picture outside its headquarters on Friday. Stallworth provided the harrowing details of the story via Twitter.