Mark DeRosa deserves better.
Via: Leon Halip / Getty Images
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Via: Mark Blinch / Reuters
Via: Kathy Willens / AP
Pierre takes a bold stand on Twitter, as he is wont to do.
Via: Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images
So, even when JaVale — or Pierre, as he goes by on Twitter for some inexplicable reason — makes a controversial statement, you have to think about it. Have to give it its due, so to speak. Like that thing he said about his mom:
Source: super_post
I can't speak to how gangsta his moms is, but she does look like she will take no guff, no guff at all.
Thank you, Paul George and LeBron James.
It wasn’t all LBJ’s fault, but the league’s best player made a couple of key mistakes that helped the Pacers seal a surprising Game 2 win in Miami.
Via: Joe Skipper / Reuters
After coming out in February and retiring from soccer, it was reported Friday night that Rogers will be back and playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Robbie Rogers, in black, controls the ball for the Columbus Crew against his new team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, on September 24, 2011 at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Via: Jamie Sabau / Getty Images
Robbie Rogers, who came out as gay and retired from professional soccer in February, is back and will be playing play with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
USA Today reported the news Friday night, which was later confirmed by several other sources.
Rogers will be the first out Major League Soccer player.
Yahoo! Sports later Friday night reported:
MLS rights to Rogers, who previously played in the league for Columbus Crew from 2007 to 2011, were owned by the Chicago Fire, but Rogers didn't want to play for them. So after casually training with the Galaxy over the last several weeks, a trade was finally worked out, sending midfielder Mike Magee to Chicago in exchange for Rogers, who is now the first openly gay player in MLS.
As BuzzFeed reported in early May, Rogers began training with the LA Galaxy on April 30. BuzzFeed's Kevin Lincoln wrote at the time:
The MLS season is already in flow, meaning that Rogers could be playing professional soccer as soon as 1) he decides he wants to be playing professional soccer, 2) his contract situation is resolved, and 3) he gets into game shape.
Via: instagram.com
Because basketball player Jason Collins' season was done this year before he came out on April 29, it is likely that Rogers actually could become the first out male athlete to play a major league sport in the U.S.
Back when Rogers came out in February he described, "I have been afraid, afraid to show whom I really was because of fear. Fear that judgment and rejection would hold me back from my dreams and aspirations." Explaining that he is gay, he then wrote, "I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest. Honesty is a bitch but makes life so simple and clear. My secret is gone, I am a free man, I can move on and live my life as my creator intended."
I say this with full awareness that baseball is over a century old. Trust me.
A come-from-behind, extra-innings, inside-the-park, walk-off shot at home? Check, check, check, check, and CHECK.
Via: mlb.mlb.com
A little past 9:45 p.m. in California on Sunday night, Robbie Rogers — wearing number 14 — took to the field for the Los Angeles Galaxy. It was the first time an out gay man had played in a prominent major league team sport in the U.S.
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Robbie Rogers moves to the ball against the Seattle Sounders during the second half of their MLS soccer match on May 26, 2013.
Via: Danny Moloshok / Reuters
Via: Danny Moloshok / Reuters
Fans these days can get on board with short-term sacrifice — so long as you let them know that you know what you’re doing.
Via: Bob Levey / Getty Images
It takes a special type of owner to take a team, in a matter of years, from being a perennial playoff contender coming off a World Series berth to the point where a Chick-Fil-A-branded "fowl" pole is the biggest draw in the ballpark. Unfortunately for Houston Astros fans, Drayton McClane was that owner. In 2005 they were in the franchise's first World Series; by 2011 they were 56-106 and McLane was selling the team to Jim Crane.
Rebuilding is nothing new in sports, but Crane and his new front office have set upon the most extreme method of doing it. They traded away every single veteran they had, a sell-off that made Jeffrey Loria, the owner responsible for various Marlins dismantlings, look like a hoarder by comparison. (Ex-Marlin closer Heath Bell plays the role of "dead cat at the bottom of the hoard" in this scenario.) ESPN The Magazine's Astros preview noted that the only suspense about the team's upcoming season was "whether [they] will finish fifth or...very fifth." The process was (and is) mesmerizing, an unprecedented level of bottoming out. And it's coupled with an extremely open PR strategy that's also unprecedented, especially for a team in a big-city market. The Astros are not merely admitting that they might lose some games while they plan for the future, they're guaranteeing it. They're promising that they're going to be awful this year and probably the next. And for now, this kind of "We're going to be terrible — REALLY TERRIBLE" marketing plan actually seems to be working in a way it almost certainly wouldn't have twenty or even ten years ago.
Here's what general manager Jeff Luhnow told the Houston Chronicle's Ultimate Astros blog before the season, for example: "spending money sometimes can actually be detrimental to your organization. We don't have that as an objective." Luhnow has cut $42 million out of the team's player budget this year, giving the team the smallest Major League payroll in seven years. Team president George Postolos has said that while the size of the Houston market means the Astros have the potential to be one of the top five franchises in terms of revenue (and thus, presumably, payroll), he believes that to be "something we're going to have to grow into."
Not buying a new car/third baseman unless you absolutely need it may seem obvious for anyone on a budget, but for a professional baseball team in a huge city it's a bold move. Most teams in markets this size can't help themselves, like this year's Los Angeles Dodgers "We Want To Win"-branded run towards third place in the NL West, or the New York Knicks' decade-long string of desperate Isiah Thomas spending sprees. Carefully constructed purges followed by the progressive use of talent evaluation, training and development techniques are usually what happens after your team moves to Oklahoma City or is launched in Tampa, not when you're located in America's fourth-largest city.
Via: Scott Halleran / Getty Images
The reason usually given for not doing scorched-earth rebuilding in major markets is that the media and fans won't allow it. But the people of Houston seem to be on board. The Chronicle's Ultimate Astros blog named the team's "sold out commitment to the rebuild" their Best Astros Surprise for 2012. The articles, comments and message boards of prominent fan blogs like SB Nation's The Crawfish Boxes — which like all SB team sites is run by seriously dedicated fans of the organization — either completely support what Luhnow and company are doing, or at the very least demonstrate understanding of the process. An indicative message-board thread title: "It'll all be worth it someday...until then, ignore the noise." Another: "What will you do when the Houston Astros win it all?" Even when you think you begin to see genuine vitriol toward the team, like a fan post called "A culture accepting and nurturing of failure," it'll contain a line like "Jeff Lunhow is a wizard." What we're seeing here is the power of the Internet to give fans hope: blogs and discussion boards and in-depth sites like FanGraphs make it easy to understand the big picture of salaries and prospects in a way that was much more difficult when the only sources of information were local newspapers and a maybe a weekly national publication.
Of course, to get fans of a losing team to appreciate a long-term plan, you have to have a long-term plan to begin with. Such is the lesson of the Miami Marlins, who have cultivated the exact opposite of the serene, hopeful Astros fan/media community. Like the 'Stros, the Marlins severely cut payroll after deciding their roster needed an overhaul. The big difference: the Marlins did so a year after hyping up a huge free-agent binge that they thought would make them World Series contenders, and their reversal of course was conducted without warning. Only well after it was over did owner Jeffrey Loria attempt to explain himself to fans. So over on Fish Stripes, the SB Nation Marlins blog, fans ask "What is Wrong With The Miami Marlins?" and debate whether their 2013 will just be really bad, or literally the worst Major League club ever. The average Marlins fan seems to regularly vent their anger in a way that even the most frustrated Astros fan is unwilling to engage. It's not just that they hate the rebuild, they hate the owners for doing it. This hopelessness has translated to massive drop in attendance, as the Marlins have went from having 73% of their new ballpark filled in 2012 to under 50% this season. They're averaging fewer fans than the Astros. In fact, so are the Rays and Indians.
Considering how bad the Astros have been and will continue to be, headed for their third straight season of 100-plus losses, this seems like a good sign. Pre-emptive counseling between owner and fans before a rebuild might be something we see more of if the 'Stros are able to continue not draw the ire, or worse the indifference, of the local media and fans. Of course, for this plan to really work they will, eventually, have to actually get better — but it's still a remarkable demonstration of the team's faith in the smarts of the modern fan that they may lose as many games this season as any team ever has and still be able to call it a successful one.
The Fresh Prince took part in a celebrity match ahead of the Champion’s League Final. And embarrassed himself.
Via: Tim P. Whitby / Getty Images
Via: youtube.com
Via: replygif.net
Not a bad start.
There is no language barrier for excitement.
Replacing an All-Star shortstop like Jose Reyes is never easy, but Munenori Kawasaki is trying his damnedest. This weekend against the Baltimore Orioles, Munenori hit a two-run double to give the Blue Jays a walk-off victory.
Via: Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images
But more important than the game-winning base hit was Kawasaki's incredibly enthusiastic post-game interview, by which all other post-game interviews will now be judged.
These actors, athletes, world leaders, and porn stars look nothing alike, and yet they all look exactly like Mario.
Source: blogs.orlandosentinel.com
Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com
Source: geourdu.com
Source: mclol.com
Smartphone? More like JOCKphone!
During a French Open match on Monday, the chair umpire called one of Ukranian player Sergiy Stakhovsky's shots out. So the 101st-ranked tennis pro put down his racket, pulled out his iPhone, walked around the net and snapped a photo of what he believed to be a clay mark proving that the umpire was wrong. This happened IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MATCH.
Via: Michel Spingler / AP
And then, after the match, he tweeted it out to his followers.
Not sure where the mark is supposed to be.
At least his second career is figured out already.
Via: Chris O'Meara / AP
ESPN's Darren Rovell reported that Alex Rodriguez just sold his Miami home for $30 million, making a $15 million profit. Why the big windfall? WELL LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT ALEX RODRIGUEZ: He doesn't just have good taste in designer steroids. Rovell writes:
It has nine bedrooms and 11 bathrooms with the oft-coveted European white oak flooring throughout. Its most impressive feature is at the rear of the house, where clear, glass windows can be adjusted so that someone can walk straight outside. The house also features a zen garden and rooftop deck.
Essentially, Rodriguez — whose 2012 OPS was .783, his lowest since he was 19 years old — doubled the value of his property thanks to his tremendous sense of design, both exterior and interior. And not only did he double the value, by means of that oft-coveted European white oak, those clear glass windows, and that zen garden: He made it into one of the most expensive properties ever sold in Miami.
This is good for the MLB's reigning second most-hated player, considering that the 14-time All-Star's best baseball-playing days are almost certainly behind him, and that he won't even be able to take a field this year until after the All-Star Break, AND that the Yankees are doing just fine without him, thank you.
To recap:
The soccer star recently made history as the first ever openly gay major league soccer player. And also he’s basically perfect.
Via: Getty Images
Via: Getty Images
Via: Getty Images
Via: Marcio Jose Sanchez, File / AP
Young Manny Machado is on a record-setting pace.
Via: Patrick Smith / Getty Images
He can't legally drink yet, but Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado is on pace to smash the single-season for doubles, which has stood for 82 years. Back then, 33-year-old Earl Webb of the Boston Red Sox smacked 67 doubles in 151 games — a rate of one every 2.25 games.
Earl Webb popping his collar
Source: blogs.eagletribune.com
Incredibly, Machado has already hit 23 doubles through 51 games this season. That's one every 2.22 games, and he only needs one every 2.52 games to break Webb's single-season mark. (If he wants to break Webb's pace and do it within 154 games, which is how long seasons were back then, Machado needs one double every 2.34 games – still slower than his current rate.)
How's he doing this? Machado's shown an incredible ability to spread his hits to all fields. There's no "smart" way to play defense against his tendencies, because he has no clear tendencies.
Julie Hermann’s players at Tennessee weren’t happy about it, but drinking, promiscuity and athletic achievement often go hand in hand.
First Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice was caught on tape verbally and physically abusing his players, which led to his firing and eventually the firing of his boss, athletic director Tim Pernetti. Then Rutgers introduced proud alum Eddie Jordan as Rice's replacement only for Deadspin to reveal that Jordan had never graduated from Rutgers despite the school's many claims to the contrary. And then they hired a new athletic director, Julie Hermann, who finally got everything under control. Just kidding: Hermann immediately became the subject of a Newark Star-Ledger exposé which reported that she'd quit coaching the Tennessee volleyball team to go into athletic administration in the 1990s after her team unanimously told the Tennessee athletic department, via letter, that it would no longer play for her because of abusive behavior.
The letter accused Hermann of "mental cruelty," the Star-Ledger says, including a variety of humiliating "motivational" tactics like denying them showers after losses. One player told the paper Hermann had hit her in the stomach during a huddle. The real takeaway line, though, was the letter's contention that Hermann had disparagingly called team members "whores" and "alcoholics." This may be the most chilling detail of the entire affair, especially to Rutgers fans who had been hoping Hermann might help take the school's teams to the next level of competitive excellence. It really calls her judgment into serious question. Doesn't Julie Hermann realize that some of the greatest athletes in history were whores and alcoholics?
Loved the ladies. The baseball above represents his liver.
Via: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
An important step-by-step guide to handling the awkwardness.
Poor Adrian Beltre.
The most entertaining highlight of baseball's action-packed Memorial Day weekend had nothing to do with a spectacular catch, moonshot home run or even a dominant pitching performance. It was Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre trying to kick and throw his glove at Elvis Andrus during a meeting on the mound.
It was a bizarre scene, especially if you didn't know about the reason Beltre reacted like that. You see, Adrian Beltre does not like people touching his head.
Source: bosoxgifs.imgur.com
