Dropping Links: Tuesday, July 14th

NEWS
Prince Fielder wins incredibly boring 2009 Home Run Derby |ESPN.com|
Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay will start All-Star Game |CBS Sports.com|
Derrick Mason will reportedly retire from pro football |SI.com|

BLOGS
Tracy McGrady will switch to No. 3 this to promote Darfur effort |Ball Don't Lie|
Trade talks for Carlos Boozer are heating up again |BergerSphere|
Shaq is back with another silly music video |NESW Sports.com|
Orlando matches offer sheet for Marcin Gortat, for some reason |The Scores Report|

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Phillies close to adding Pedro Martinez to starting rotation

After weeks of flirting with the idea and watching him throw, it looks like the Phillies are coming close to an agreement with Pedro Martinez.

The Philadelphia Daily News is reporting that Pedro is flying to Philadelphia today to take a physical for the team and the deal could be announced before Wednesday.

Martinez would have landed with a team earlier in the year following his performance at the World Baseball Classic, but the rumor was that his contract demands were too high. I would assume that he has come down in his asking price now that we're at the halfway point of the 2009 season. If that is the case, it's a low-risk move for the Phils, who could use the pitching help.

Pedro will have a lot to prove and will undoubtedly be looking forward to sticking it to the Mets, Philadelphia's division rival and Pedro's former team.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Dropping Links: Monday, July 13th

NEWS
Wife accused in murder of former boxing champ Arturo Gatti |ESPN.com|
Lance Armstrong says it's "probably not" his last Tour this year |FOX Sports.com|
Josh Beckett earns 11th win in complete game shutout |CBS Sports.com|

BLOGS
NBA Summer League buzz from Ken Berger |BergerSphere|
In case you missed it, Chris Russo went nuts on the air Thursday |Fang's Bites|
Eddy Curry says he'll be ready to play, rest of world laughs |The Knicks Fix|

COLUMNS
Jon Heyman with a look at players that could be traded |SI.com|

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Former boxing champion Arturo Gatti found dead at the age of 37

Former IBF Junior Lightweight champion and WBC Junior Welterweight champion Arturo Gatti was found dead in his hotel room early Saturday morning in Porto de Galihnas. Gatti was at a resort enjoying his second honeymoon with his wife and one-year-old son. They were both unharmed.

Police suspect foul play although no stab or bullet wounds were found on the body of former boxer with a career 40-9 record, with 31 knockouts.

Gatti may be most remembered for his trilogy of fights with Mickey Ward. Ward won the first matchup with Gatti winning the second fight. Gatti broke his hand in the midst of the third fight between the two, but won it anyway by decision. That fight, and the first matchup between Ward and Gatti, were named "Fight of the Year" in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

Former boxer and world champion Acelino Freitas, who was close friends with Gatti, told a Brazilian website that Gatti and his wife had been having troubles are were likely about to separate, although he was unaware of the couple's trip to Brazil.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Jonathan Sanchez tosses first no hitter of 2009 season

In what was his first start back from the bullpen, Jonathan Sanchez tossed a no hitter Friday night for the San Francisco Giants. Sanchez had been out of the rotation since June 22nd and was only given a start because Randy Johnson is on the DL.

He made the most of his opportunity.

Sanchez struck out 11 batters and walked none in San Francisco's 8-0 victory. He would have had a perfect game had Juan Uribe not committed an error at third base in the 8th inning.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Dropping Links: Friday, July 10th

NEWS
Bulls, Blazers and Jazz discussing trade involving Boozer, Hinrich |ESPN.com|
Phillies confirm they are interested in Pedro Martinez |SI.com|
Shane Victorino, Brandon Inge are the final All-Stars |FOX Sports.com|

BLOGS
Joel Hanrahan could have been only pitcher to lose and win same game |Paneech.com|
Has writer/Around the Horn guest Jay Mariotti had botox? |Bob's Blitz|
LeBron dunk tape, blah blah blah, Lebron dunk tape |Sports Biz|

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Dropping Links: Thursday, July 9th

NEWS
Shawn Marion headed to Dallas in what is now a 4-team sign-and-trade |ESPN.com|
McNair's death ruled a murder-suicide as fans pay tribute in Nashville |FOX Sports.com|
Andruw Jones hits three home runs in 8-1 win over Angels |SI.com|

BLOGS
A look at the resurgence of Derrek Lee |Not Qualified to Comment|
Mark Wahlberg's first pitch hits a fan in the ass |NESW Sports.com|
Madden 10 demo release dates from EA Sports |PastaPadre.com|
Gatorade will release limited edition Jordan bottles |Sports Biz|

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Mavericks close to acquiring Shawn Marion in three-team trade

The much rumored Shawn Marion trade that would send him to the Dallas Mavericks seems to be nearing completion. ESPN is reporting that the trade could be reported to the league office on Thursday.

The new deal has Shawn Marion going to the Mavericks in a sign-and-trade and receiving a five year deal worth around $50 million. Jerry Stackhouse would go from Dallas to the Memphis Grizzlies - the newest team in this deal - and then be bought out.

Stackhouse was going to be bought out after being traded as part of the Jason Kidd deal in February of 2008 and then re-sign with the Mavs, but couldn't keep his mouth shut about it and ended up being yanked from the trade. This time, Stackhouse would likely be bought out and find another team to play with other than Dallas.

The Raptors want to move Marion mostly to accommodate the incoming Hedo Turkoglu and the cap space his contract will eat up. It will certainly make the Mavericks more athletic while, on the other hand, adding another 30+ year old to their core of stars.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Dropping Links: Wednesday, July 8th

Aaaaaaaaaaaand we're back! Sorry about the absence over the last few days.

NEWS
Blue Jays will listen to offers for ace Roy Halladay |ESPN.com|
NBA salary cap drops to $57.7M, could be lower in 2010 |FOX Sports.com|
Lance Armstrong is making moves at the Tour de France |SI.com|

BLOGS
A look at the Pistons' new head coach, John Kuester |Ball Don't Lie|
The Bulls aren't really serious about these guys, are they? |Not Qualified to Comment|
Button play will be available for FNR4 in September DLC |PastaPadre.com|
Is Tim Wakefield a Hall of Famer? |Hall of Very Good|

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

A quick note about this mini hiatus

As you can see, things have been somewhat slow around here the past few days. The Fouth of July came and went, but that was the main reason there was a lack of posting recently, despite many blogworthy events. I'm out of town, but will be back in full force at some point tomorrow.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check back Tuesday!

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

UPDATE: Hedo Turkoglu and Blazers NOT close to agreeing to five-year deal

UPDATE: Apparently Hedo has decided not to sign with the Blazers after all. And since these contracts can't be officially signed until next week, he has every right to do that. Kind of a jerk move, but still legal.

Ken Berger is now reporting that Turkoglu will likely end up with the Toronto Raptors.

The Blazers are close to coming to terms on a five year contract with free agent Hedo Turkoglu. Hedo was also pursued by the Toronto Rapters, but they have decided to attempt to keep their own free agents, Shawn Marion and Carlos Delfino.

The addition of Turkoglu certainly gives the Blazers length, depth and some more fire power in the tough Western Conference. Portland will have a big lineup with the 6'11" Turkoglu joining LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden in the frontcourt.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Anyone else think PETA will be angry about bee slaughter at Padres game?

You just know they will. That's because to them every animal and insect is a beautiful, heaven-sent creature and life is all about rainbows and unicorns, or something like that.

After a swarm of bees delayed yesterday's Astros-Padres game by almost an hour, the bees were massacred by a local beekeeper and play resumed.

We all know that PETA wouldn't miss a chance at some free publicity, or a way to easily piss off even more people than they already do. Look, I'm all for saving the whales and not murdering animals to make coats, but bee stings hurt and if you're allergic to them, like Padres outfielder Kyle Blanks, then it's even scarier.

I never hear any whispers out of PETA when horse breeders shoot a horse with a broken ankle when, even though it could live, it can't run or breed anymore.

So please, PETA, if you're reading (why wouldn't you be?!) just leave this alone. There are plenty of bees out there.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Video: Highlights from Shaq's introductory press conference with Cavs

Shaquille O'Neal was introduced to the media in Cleveland today as the newest member of the Cavaliers. It wasn't your traditional presser, to say the least. The Diesel came down the aisle being high fived by a bunch of children and cracked a bunch of jokes. Shaq even pulled out the embarrassing photo of himself and GM Danny Ferry. Check out the highlights below.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Dropping Links: Friday, July 3rd

You can listen to the podcast of my guest spot discussing MLB on Real Sports Talk with Kenrick Thomas from Thursday night at this link.

NEWS
Derrek Lee leads Cubs to victory over Brewers with 7 RBI |ESPN.com|
Venus and Serena Williams will meet again in Wimbledon Final |CBS Sports.com|
Astros beat Padres amid attack of the killer bees |FOX Sports.com|
Ben Gordon says the Bulls never even made him an offer |SI.com|

BLOGS
Ricky Rubio will reportedly stay in Spain for two more years |Ball Don't Lie|
Gordon will be a Piston, but will Iverson be a Bull in sign-and-trade? |BergerSphere|
People are making a big deal out of A-Rod's 13-year-old nephew |Big League Stew|
An early look at the 2010 NBA Championship odds for each team |Bootlegger Sports|
Fourth of July weekend baseball broadcasting schedule |Fang's Bites|
A really good Trace Gallagher/Moose Johnston lookalike |Hugging Harold Reynolds|
Stephen Colbert wonders if it's time for Americans to care about soccer |NESW Sports|
Five athletes that should never act in a movie again |No Guts, No Glory|
What some sibling athletes will be asking for this Christmas |Paneech.com|
Which is worse, underachieving teams or bad management? |Sharapova's Thigh|
Darren Rovell does not want Lance Armstrong in this year's Tour de France |Sports Biz|
The five most intriguing potential MLB trading chips |The Scores Report|
Calvin Pace of the Jets suspended for PEDs, uses "GNC Excuse" |What About Bob?|

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Rockets replace Ron Artest with Lakers free agent Trevor Ariza

Hours after learning that Ron Artest had agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Rockets have filled his spot by agreeing to a deal with Trevor Ariza, Ken Berger reports.

Ariza was reportedly upset that the Lakers were only willing to offer him the mid-level exception to re-sign with the team and was meeting with several other clubs. He will be a starter with Houston, but it remains to be seen how good he can be in that role. While he is only 24, we must remember that this will be the fourth team Ariza has played for in his young career and he has been a bit player on all those teams.

He emerged as somewhat of a star with LA, but that was because he was a role player. The Rockets are hoping he can be the star that he was in the playoffs throughout the entire season and length of his contract.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Yahoo! Sports offers free StatTracker for Fantasy Football '09

Players of Yahoo! Sports fantasy football rejoice!

Instead of paying $9.99 for a year's worth of live scoring with StatTracker, you can now get it for free.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Ron Artest tells CBS Sports.com he's signing with the Lakers

Ron Artest has told CBS Sports.com senior basketball writer Ken Berger that he will sign with the Lakers.

This has been rumored for a few days but I wasn't sure what to make of it. Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest didn't exactly get along during the season of the NBA playoffs, but this is perhaps the biggest sign that Kobe is more of a team player now than he has ever been.

It is also a bit strange because the Lakers apparently are set to let Trevor Ariza leave via free agency because they don't want to pay him more than the $5.6 million mid-level exception.

If it is true, Artest would bring a tough defensive game and a pretty good offensive one to Los Angeles, the reigning NBA champions.

But this is Ron Artest, after all, so we'll have to wait for the ink to dry on that contract before we get too excited about it.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Check me out tonight at 10pm on Real Sports Talk

A little self promotion here.

I'll be a guest tonight at 10pm EST on Real Sports Talk with Kenrick Thomas and Ronnie Mack. We'll be discussing the hot button baseball topics of the moment, so be sure to tune in.

You can listen live at this link.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Avery Johnson the frontrunner for Pistons' head coaching vacancy

Avery Johnson has emerged as the leading candidate to take over the Detroit Pistons now that Doug Collins has removed himself from consideration, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports.com.

Johnson had a successful run as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, leading them to the playoffs in each of his four seasons and the NBA Finals in 2006, and also winning Coach of the Year once.

He would be a good fit for the Pistons. Perhaps more importantly, Detroit would be an attractive landing spot for Johnson, with new additions Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva joining Rip Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince on the roster.

Another positive is that this would get Johnson of ESPN's airwaves. Sure, he knows his stuff but he's not really a great fit as a broadcaster.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Dropping Links: Thursday, July 2nd

NEWS
Clippers trade Zach Randolph to Grizzlies for Quentin Richardson |ESPN.com|
Yankees win 7th straight game, A-Rod clubs 13th home run |SI.com|
Mets snap five game losing streak in Wednesday matinee |FOX Sports.com|

BLOGS
How the Randolph-Q Rich trade helps the NY Knicks |BergerSphere|
Anderson Varejao has decided to become a free agent |The Scores Report|

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Stephon Marbury would advise you against signing with the Knicks

Stephon Marbury told the New York Post's Marc Berman that he thinks star players should be cautious about signing with the Knicks and playing in Mike D'Antoni's system. Shocking, I know.

Here's what Starbury had to say:

"I wouldn't want to play in that system," Marbury told The Post. "That system can't win championships. You can't win championships if you don't talk about defense. In Boston, the coaches even play defense."

Marbury said he believes being exiled for four months "mentally damaged" him and effected his Boston performance.

"I knew it wasn't about money," Marbury said of his exile.

First, Marbury even talking about defense is laughable. The guy is a score first guard and always has been. He couldn't care less about the other aspects of the game, like being a good locker room presence, and that's why he was "exiled."

And of course Marbury is going to say that. This is like the ex-boyfriend who says the ex-girlfriend is a slut. That's what immature people do when they have been scorned or feel hurt. You have to consider the source every once in a while.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Pistons agree to deals with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva

The Detroit Pistons are clearly not going to sit on their hands and watch as the Magic and Cavs get better in the Eastern Conference. The team has come to agreements with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva on multi-year deals, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports.com.

Ben Gordon's contract is reportedly a five-year, $55 million deal while Villanueva's pact is also for five years at $35 million. The deals can't become official until July 8th.

The Pistons are certainly making a lot of noise in the past few days. Yesterday head coach Michael Curry was fired after only one season. Now with Gordon and Villanueva in the fold, the team can let Rasheed Wallace walk and perhaps trade Rip Hamilton.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Red Sox owner John Henry and wife give out bobbleheads as wedding favors

Yeah, there's nothing arrogant about that.

All the guests at the wedding of Red Sox owner John Henry and his bride, Linda Pizzuti, received a bobblehead figurine of the couple, according to the Boston Herald, via Bob's Blitz.

I'd rather have a baggie of those multi-colored mints. At least those are useful. The Herald piece says that many of the bobbleheads were left behind.

What's even better? Henry is 59 and his beautiful bride is 30. Hmmm, I wonder how he snagged her?

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Introducing "The Man Wall," a great gift for any sports fan

Okay, so the asking price of $14,900 is a little bit high but just think of how awesome Sunday's would be.

Hybrid Space Furniture introduces "The Man Wall," which features four LCD flat-panel televisions that can be controlled by one remote, a scrolling ticker with scores, a beer tap, two humidors, a wine rack, microwave, wireless surround speakers, iPod docking station and five disc 1080p up-converting DVD player.

Click the photo above to enlarge and check out Hybrid Space Furniture for more information.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Dropping Links: Wednesday, July 1st

NEWS
Orioles come back from 10-1 deficit to stun Red Sox |FOX Sports.com|
Mark Cuban to meet with Jason Kidd in NYC amid Knicks rumors |ESPN.com|
Boozer, Okur decide to stay with the Utah Jazz |SI.com|
Mets lose fifth straight as Brewers beat Johan Santana |CBS Sports.com|

BLOGS
Ken Berger details all the latest NBA free agent news |BergerSphere|
Sirius XM will broadcast MLB Futures All-Star Game |Bob's Blitz|
Best Damn Sports Show Period ends its eight year run |Fang's Bites|
Albert Pujols has started his career off very well |The Hall of Very Good|
A look at NBA 2K10's "Anniversary Edition" |PastaPadre.com|
Hey! Lastings Milledge got traded again! |The Scores Report|
Chad Pennington is trying to become the real life Zoolander |Tirico Suave|

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Pistons fire Michael Curry after one season, eye Doug Collins as replacement?

The Pistons have fired head coach Michael Curry after a disappointing first season. Detroit barely made the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference and were quickly eliminated.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Doug Collins may be the favorite for the job, even though no replacement has been named.

Curry was apparently fired because of his failure to get along with Rip Hamilton, whom he benched in favor of Allen Iverson several times. That seems a little unfair, though, since it was Joe Dumars who brought the hard-to-handle Iverson into the mix.

A lack of success certainly also had to do with his demise and it seems now might be the time to start fresh in Detroit, with possible departures of some of their stars on the way.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Check out tonyblogs.net all over the world wide web

Shameless plug time!

You can become a fan of our tonyblogs.net page on Facebook, if you're into that sort of thing.

You can also check us out on Twitter, by following tonyblogs.

Finally, I'll be a guest on Real Sports Talk with Kenrick Thomas this Thursday at 10pm. I'll be talking baseball. You can listen live at this link or check out Kenrick's blog right here.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Dropping Links: Tuesday, June 30th

NEWS
Tim Lincecum throws 2-hitter in 3rd complete game of the season |ESPN.com|
Roy Halladay loses to Rays in return from the disabled list |FOX Sports.com|
Charlie Villanueva an unrestricted free agent as Bucks don't make offer |SI.com|
The Supreme Court will hear NFL antitrust case |Yahoo! Sports|

BLOGS
Rumor mill: Knicks looking at Jason Kidd? |Ball Don't Lie|
Five reasons MLB should ban the shaving cream pie |Big League Stew|
A look at ESPN's plans for their 2010 World Cup coverage |Fang's Bites|
NCAA Football 10's "Road to Glory" mode detailed |PastaPadre.com|
Roger Goodell could come down hard on Plax and Vick |The Scores Report|
ESPN has another summer filler planned for SportsCenter |Awful Announcing|

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Yao Ming could be out for all of next season, maybe longer

Yahoo.com's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Rockets executives are telling people privately that Yao Ming may miss the entire 2009-2010 campaign and perhaps longer, thanks to his broken foot.

Some even fear that Yao may never play again.

Yao had surgery to repair the broken foot a year ago, when three pins were inserted, but he cracked it again this year in the playoffs. Sources say it isn't healing well.

CONTINUE READING THIS ENTRY...

Ken Rosenthal will join MLB Network as an "Insider"

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.com and FOX's Saturday MLB coverage will be joining the MLB Network as an "Insider," beginning tomorrow. Rosenthal joins SI's Jon Heyman and Tom Verducci in that role.

Here is some of the release, courtesy of Fang's Bites:

Secaucus, N.J., June 29, 2009 – MLB Network today announced that Ken Rosenthal has joined its roster of on-air talent. Rosenthal will join the cast of MLB Tonight beginning Tuesday, June 30 at 6:00 p.m. ET. Rosenthal, who will continue his reporting for FoxSports.com and MLB on Fox, joins Sports Illustrated senior writers Tom Verducci and Jon Heyman as Baseball Insiders on the MLB Network team.

“Ken brings a wealth of on-air reporting experience and insight into the game and we’re excited to welcome him to MLB Network,” said Tony Petitti, president and CEO of MLB Network. “As we grow as a network, it’s important that we continue to bring fans the most up-to-date information from the best resources in the business.”

Personally I can't stand Rosenthal and his pre-rehearsed diatribes but maybe it will be different when he's on the set.

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