In typical Ranger’s fashion, we settle for an obsolete player

(Yawn) Have you ever heard the old saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same”? Well, if you are a fan of the Texas Rangers, it’s the same old settle for the obsolete player that no one else wants. It’s always an obsolete player that wants to come to Texas and rob the MLB team bank.

Several media outlets reported Sunday that Texas will sign Andruw Jones to a minor league deal that will pay him $500,000 if he makes the major league team. He also will have the chance to make $1 million in incentives.

 Jones reportedly turned down an offer from the New York Yankees to compete for an outfield spot. A source told the New York Post that Jones picked the Rangers so he could work with batting coach Rudy Jaramillo.

“He’s certainly been a superstar for quite a few years,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said, according to MLB.com. “These past few years have been down for him, but I like the fact that he brings 10 Gold Gloves, he’s a winner and he fits well into our clubhouse. He has something to prove. We’ve got him in camp now, we’ll see where he goes from here.”

Cough, cough (gag)

You have to love springtime in Arlington. Hell, he can’t even spell his name right.

 

Rangers, Jones agree to deal (ESPN.Com)

SNL – Michael Phelps

From SNL

more about "SNL – Michael Phelps", posted with vodpod

Will You Still Respect This Model In The Morning?

Just a friendly reminder that the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue hits newsstands this week. I’m guessing that there won’t be any “hockey erotica” involved.

Much like the Pro Bowl, this annual rite of February sort of loses its relevance once you’re old enough to use the internet unsupervised, but a certain bit of nostalgia and fascination still holds sway. Plus, it occasionally includes famous lady athletes in addition to the anonymous half-naked models so the sports connection does still exist. (These “leaked” shots of pretty tennis players suggests that tradition will continue.)

By the way, the young woman above is named Brooklyn Decker and you will probably be seeing a lot of her if you still have an SI subscription. Or you are currently sitting in a tree outside her home. (Pic via SI.com)

Will you still respect this model in the morning (Deadspin)

Stewart Deems Double-Duty Debut a Rousing Success

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Tony Stewart didn’t leave Daytona International Speedway with a trophy Saturday night, but he sure felt like a winner.

The two-time champ led four laps and finished third in the season-opening Budweiser Shootout exhibition race — his debut as a NASCAR Sprint Cup owner-driver. It’s the best showing for an owner-driver in this series in 10 years — since Ricky Rudd finished third at Talladega, Ala. in 1999.

“It was like business as usual when we were in the car, but when we were leading …,” Stewart said, cracking a grin. “Man, it was like, ‘Hey, we just led some laps in our first race in our own stuff.’

“It’s a proud moment after watching this develop and seeing how we got here. It hit a little harder when we led those first laps. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t (emotional).”

A 75-lap non-points race is hardly the Daytona 500, but it was a good test of man and machine after an off-season with virtually no track time. It was particularly important to Stewart in his new venture as boss a two-car operation that also includes last year’s Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman.

He has been meticulous and focused and consumed with making this Cup effort as successful as every other thing he’s had a hand in — from running Eldora Speedway in Ohio to guiding his team to the World of Outlaw championship last season.

“I just wanted to get through the race, get that first pit stop out of the way,” the two-time Cup champ said. “My goal at the end of the day was that if we can finish, we’ll take whatever it gives us.

“I’m going to bed tonight with a lot of confidence.”

And that should worry Stewart’s competition.

Not only did he prove himself and his team every bit the contender right out of the box, he did so while fighting a bit of a cold and claiming this car isn’t nearly as good as the one he’s got for the 500 next Sunday.

“We led laps, we were a factor parts of the night. … at the end we ended up where we needed to be,” Stewart said. “I’m excited about it. We’ve got a direction. We got the first one out of the way. Everybody got the cobwebs knocked out of them. …. It was an awesome debut.”

Stewart deems double-duty debut a rousing success (Fanhouse)

Nobody Home

“Nobody Home” is a song on Pink Floyd‘s album The Wall. In this song, Pink describes his lonely life behind his mental wall. He has no one to talk to, and all he has are his possessions. It describes what Roger Waters went through during the 1977 tour, the band’s first major stadium tour. Also, the song had some references to founding Floyd member, Syd Barrett. This was the last song written for The Wall album.

The song also has some references to Pink’s broken relationship with his adulterous wife. It is played in a manner that is reminiscent of a piano player in a bar.

The line, “Surprise! Surprise, Surprise!” from Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is used.

A lot of the song describes Syd Barrett’s general state during 1967, and in the documentary “Behind The Wall”, David Gilmour states that it describes the state of mind of many rockstars on tour. However, these lyrics:

I got nicotine stains on my fingers.
I got a silver spoon on a chain.
Got a grand piano to prop up my mortal remains.

are said to be written specifically about Rick Wright, who was allegedly going through cocaine addiction at the time.^[1]

The song ends almost abruptly with the lines

I got a pair of gohill boots
But I got fading roots

with a television playing in the background.

What is going on in sports these days?

Sports are mostly tales of pride and accomplishments by individuals.  Sports is a place whereby if things are going lousy with the economy or whatever, you can always turn to sports to take your mind off of a losing stock market, unemployment, or the latest in company closings. At least it used to be that way in sports.

These days, there is no place to turn to get a break from bad news, even in sports. From Michael Phelps and his bong to countless other stories from the world of sports, there is no escape from bad news today. Let’s take a look at some sports stories that are pretty recent bad news stories in sports. Incidently, there were several stories with Texas ties.

 

Alex Rodriguez and steroids:

Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003, when he was with the Texas Rangers and won the AL home run title and MVP award, according to a report by Sports Illustrated.

According to the report, which was posted Saturday morning on SI.com, sources told the publication that Rodriguez was on a list of 104 players who tested positive that year, when Major League Baseball conducted survey tests to see if mandatory, random drug-testing was needed.

Sources who know about the testing results told Sports Illustrated that Rodriguez tested positive for testosterone and Primobolan, an anabolic steroid.

 In 2003, there were no penalties for a positive result.

 

Even as I am writing this entry I see this on ESPN:

Jamal Anderson in jail onn drug charges

area jail late Saturday night on a felony possession-of-cocaine charge and possession-of-marijuana charge, a misdemeanor.

Anderson

 

Anderson, an NFL analyst for ESPN’s First Take this past season, was booked into the Fulton County jail in Georgia and denied bond.

His first hearing was set for Monday morning, the Fulton County sheriff’s office said Sunday.

Anderson, 36, was arrested at the Peachtree Tavern in the community of Buckhead after an off-duty officer working security at the club alerted police, according to The Associated Press, citing a police spokesman.

Police found a suspected marijuana cigarette in Anderson’s pocket, local reports said. Another man with Anderson was also arrested. Police said both men were in possession of cocaine, according to the reports.

“We just learned of this situation, and it is not appropriate for us to comment until we have more information,” said George McNeilly, senior director of communications at ESPN, in a statement.

Amazing.

It seems like drugs played a big part in all three of these stories. Why do athletes do drugs so bad? Is that the normal culture of society today? Is this a  mirror of today’s society in America? Pop a pill, feel better?

I’ve done alot of bad things in my life, but I am very thankful drugs wasn’t one of them.