the new mr. 3000......

In case you happened to be flying to a third world country which doesn't have cable or internet, or went spelunking in some far off land you at least heard about Derek Jeter getting close to 3,000 hits. Well last night was the night he decided to finally break the milestone. For anyone who has watched baseball ever in their life knows the importance of 3,000 hits for a batter would be like Jaromir Jagr who is 1 point a way from 1,600 points for his career, or how Joey Porter and Dwight Freeney need less than 6 sacks to have reached the 100 sack milestone.

For those of you that don't know me, I am a born Red Sox fan. I hate everything that wears pin stripes(especially red sox who go to the dark side). I am happy that he did it so fast after coming off the DL cause i would have hated to read everyday how "this might be the chance..." or that "his injury is causing him not to swing the bat as well" that crap bugs me. He did it in classic jeter fashion though, going 5 for 5 with a double, a home run, 2 RBIs, 2 run, and a SB. All this after his previous 9 games in which he couldn't get more than 2 hits in a game.

I talked previously about first ballot Hall of Fame players and Derek Jeter is also no contest. Don't even look at the 3,000 hits and look at the rest of his stats. In 16 season (15 full seasons) he's never bat below .270, never had less than 10 HRs and 50 RBIs. Career numbers look like this: .312 avg, 236 HR, 1157 RBI, .383 OBP (which means On Base Percentage). Dont forget his 12x all-star, 5x World Series Champ, 5x Gold Glove winner, and 4x Silver Slugger (which is for best offensive player at his position). This alone merits him an invitation.

In case you were clueless about baseball and had no idea who some of the other 27 batter in the 3,000 hit clubs are, here are their names (in order) : Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Tris Speaker, Carl Yastrzemski, Honus Wagner, Paul Molitor, Eddie Collins, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Nap Lajoie, Cal Ripken, George Brett, Paul Waner, Robin Yount, Tony Gwynn, Dave Winfield, Craig Biggio, Rickey Henderson, Rod Carew, Lou Brock, Rafael Palmerio, Cap Anson, Wade Boggs, Al Kaline, and last but not least Roberto Clemente. All of these names except for 2 (Rose and Palmerio) are Hall of Famers.
                                                                                                                                                                  

....And thats enough on that subject. Lets get to something a little more appealing to everyone out there. (Now that I've stroked the sports media for a while).  Now ths real question is who would you rather do? Minka Kelly or Eva Mendes???

Ill let you decide.

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stats courtesy of: http://www.espn.com/, http://www.nfl.com/, http://www.nhl.com/

picture coutresy of: http://www.tmz.com/2011/07/02/minka-kelly-vs-eva-mendes-whod-you-rather/

Who is this guy?!?!?

So the other day, Possibly yesterday, bare with me I'm in Iraq and have no real concept of time lol. I was talking about the differences between AL and NL baseball. Ran across a name that I didn't know but was leading the NL in wins and ERA. The guys name is Jair Jurrjens, hes a RHP for the Atlanta Braves. So this morning (which for those of you in the states was midnight for you) I was eating breakfast and able to watch sportscenter... it felt like home  except for the fact that it was 90 degrees out by 9 in the morning. Saw that Jurrjens got his 11 win, which gives him 1 more than Roy Halladay and an ERA of 1.89, which is best in the majors. So I climbed onto the computer and did a little research on this guy. He's been in the majors since 07. Played one season for Detroit in which he pitched in 7 games with a record of 3-1 ERA of 4.70, not bad for a rookie, especially playing on Detroit's roster.  After the 07-08 season he went to Atlanta, since moving to Atlanta he has stated 100 games with a record of 45-29 and a combined ERA of roughly 3.20. He has pitched 2 complete games and 1 shutout (which have come this season in his 15 starts). Since in ATL he has averages 96 pitches a game with 6.5 K/9, allowing only a .249 BA from apposing batters. With excluding his 2010 season, and rookie season of 07, he has had double digit wins every season.  If this guy stays healthy and can get possibly a couple more complete games, shutouts and possibly a no-no, there is no reason why he isn't a hands down vote for NL Cy Young.
                                                                                                                                                                   

Was gonna do something for LiLo since its her bday and all but decided hey lets see what Megan Fox's replacement looks like. In my opinion, UPGRADE!! so here's a picture of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for your viewing pleasure:

Baseball stats courtesy of: http://www.espn.com
picture courtesy of: http://www.skinnyvscurvy.com

baseball stuff

So with the mid summer classic coming up shortly I have decided to write some interesting things bout the sport.

AL vs. NL:
This has been a topic of discussion for many years, should the whole league go to one format or the other. Lets let the stats speak for themselves shall we?
As far as the NL is concerned 32 Pitchers have scored a complete game while 17 of them have gotten shutouts, most of them coming from Cliff Lee who is 4 for 4 with an ERA of 2.66 for the year. In the AL there have been 33 pitchers with complete games and 16 of which have gotten a shutout. The AL leader in both categories has been James "Big Game" Shields with 6 CG and 3 SHO with and ERA of 2.45 for the year. As far as that is concerned they are pretty even, AL leaders for ERA and wins are C.C. Sabathia and Jason Verlander with 11 wins and jason Weaver with an impressive 1.97 ERA. In the NL the leaders in the categories are a three way time for wins with 10 Roy Halladay, Kevin Correia, and Jair Jurrjens as far as ERA is concerned Jurrjens leads the NL with 2.07.  So honestly keep things the way they are everything is working out fine the way it is. 

future HoF inducties:
Jason Varitek should top all charts for this. Looking at his stats its average; .258 career BA, 1.277 Hits, 192 HR, 729 RBIs. Outside of that other stats set him apart from all other catchers by a coutry mile. Caught 4 no-hitters (MLB record), and before you get all high and mighty on me look at the names on the list; Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholz (his 2nd career start), Jon Lester (following cancer rehab).... no Schilling, Beckett, Clemens. Three time All Star (03, 05, 08), Silver Slugger, Gold Glove. If he reitres after this season the first time he is eligible to be inducted it should be a hands down decision.
                                                                                                                                                                   

And now for something completely different, the beautiful and talented Avril Lavigne!!

Just down right amazing!!!

Baseball stats courtesy of: http://www.mlb.com/  
Picture courtesy of: http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Avril-Maxim-avril-lavigne-781720_400_500.jpg

since last time

Yeah its been a while, been a little bit busy with work and other stuff. So without any further ado since my last post, what has gone on in the wonderful sports we know and love.

NFL:
STILL NO BUDGE.  Since the end end of last season there hasn't been much movement in weather or not we will have a NFL season this year. Schedules are out and tickets are out for purchase but I dont know bout you I sure wouldn't rush to my local sports stadium and buy up season tickets. Oh well, nothing else of interest going on there.

MLB:
Numerous players have been injured from Derek Jeter to Albert Pujols to Jose Bautista to Clay Bucholtz, none of which is surprising these guys cram a schedule twice as long as hockey and basketball and playin it roughly the same amount of time. BUT things of note Jose Bautista was out fomr bout 10 games this year, still tied for the lead in HRs with 21. After an embarassing 2-10 start the BoSox have finally turned it around even through a couple of minor different of opinions between playes and umps ( mainly Papelbon and Varitek). Jeter is a couple hits away from the milestone 3,000.  I, being a BoSox fan, don't care for the man cause he wears pinstripes but this is an important milestone only few batters have ever achieved this and being able to watch his entire career and say that i personally was there from hit 1 to hit 3,000 is a crowning achievement  and any baseball fan should agree weither your a Yankees fan or whatever team you like.

NHL:
Boston won Lord Stanley's Cup, good for them alot of those players deserve it but was sad to see they had to go through Tampa to get there. IF Vancouver would have actually played in game 7 it would have been a little more interesting. Since the post season is over now its time for awards and rumors!!! (YAY) As far as awards are concerned im seroiusly pissed off and confused as to how Tampa's coach Guy Boucher got snubbed from this list. Look at the team stats from last season to this season. go from elimination to eastern conf. finals. Its BS, ESPN and all other writers need to get out from under Mario Lemieux's desk. Oh no, Squidney and Dolph Lundgren's twin (Malkin) were out... BOO-HOO..... go cry me a river. If he wins the Jack Adams award I will refuse to ever watch ESPN again and blame it on Barry "the mullet" Melrose. As far as rumors are concerned Jagr is rumored to come back, dont have a time table or team but he has hinted at going back to Pitt and work for Mario again.

NCAA:
Jim Tressel stepped down. Only thing of note, Michigan fans actually think they have a chance this year, but they will fall short yet again because they havent had a decent team since Woodson won the Heisman.

money???

In a time where finding a job and making ends meet we take a short look at the richest of the sports we watch. The following is a list of the highest paid athletes and teams for the year 2011 in football, basketball, hockey, baseball, and NASCAR. Of course since NHL has a cap all the teams have the same salary, NASCAR we are only concerned with drivers, cause anyone who watches racing knows Chip Ganasi has more money then The Vatican.

NBA:
This one is no contest the player and team both come from the same city and inside the same arena.  The player is Kobe Bryant with an impressive 24.8 million bucks and the Lakers salary is 91.6 million. Not to surprising of a factor considering the talent they have on the team.

NFL:
One of the finer things is life is knowing that the best athlete gets paid more than anyone else in the league. Payton Manning is the highest paid player for this year with a 15.8 million dollar check. As far a overall payroll is concerned the Dallas Cowboys take this hit with an outstanding 136.6 million dollar team. Does this surprise me? No not at all the team is owned by Jerry Jones who if ran for election would probably win simply because he has more money then any other politician in the game. No shocker here in either categories.

NHL:
Those of you who follow the great sport know that the league has a salary cap of 54.6 million of each team, so the only thing we can show you is the highest paid player. Vincent Lecavalier from the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 10 million dollar bring in. Fans who know of him and have been following him since he hit the league in 1998 shouldn't be surprised, he is an outstanding player, does great work for the community and is overall a nice guy. He has a charity through Kanes which every time he scores a goal is 1,000 bucks and an assist is 300. This season he scored 25 goals and had 29 assists which means he donated 33,700 bucks to his foundation.

MLB:
I know i shouldn't even have to post the name OR team cause everyone who knows baseball even a little bit knows both answers to this. Both of them come from the same city, the player is one who, of recent, has had a slight slump in comparison to his earlier career. Alex Rodriguez with a 32 million dollar check. Like I said not surprising at all neither is the Yankees with a 196.6 million dollar payroll. The team decides to buy a championship rather than earn it like other clubs have in the past.  People who know baseball should know this: bout 10 yrs ago a team from Florida, the Marlins, won a championship(i think the year was 1997), and then in the off season sold off all their stars. I think it was bout 6 yrs later won their second with a bunch of no names! This shows that farm systems work. The Rays are another organization who has had success with the farm system. Laughing stock of the MLB a couple years ago, got new head office people and turned the club around. Now the AL east is a 3 way fight.

NASCAR:
Team wise if you watch NASCAR you already know Chip Ganasi has more money than anyone in the sport, I think him and Rick Hendrick are 1 & 2 depending on the week. As far as drivers go it's Dale Earnhardt Jr with a 29 million dollar check, this doesn't not include merch sales or anything else. Junior has been crowned fan favorite driver 8 years straight.

This is just a bit of info for you guys to chew on for a while.

Note:
all information above was provided through an assortment of websites

sports figures in the news

So as most football fans are aware they are still on lockout. Some of the players are looking for other options as far as a way to make money while not on the field. Well obviously Chad Ocho Cinco has made his way into the lime light by trying out multiple sports in the lock out. First was a try out for the Sporting Kansas City MLS team back in march. Initially I thought this was gonna be a joke and he was going to be laughed off the field, but apparently I was wrong. He didn't do half bad ended up on the reserve team. Next he decided he was going to ride a bull. Just hearing that made me laugh. The thought of a man who has never been around a bull except at the dinner table to eat it, is gonna ride a 1500 lb bull in the PBR. Well, having full knowledge of the repercussions he decided to do it and lasted 1.5 sec. For any of you who know nothing bout the event max time is 8 sec, and even the best don't last that long sometimes. But of course he got paid 10,000 for making it out of the chute. Bro stick to one sport your good at.

So for something out of left field. NHL bad boy Sean Avery recently made a stand into supporting same sex marriages. Hockey fans across the nation probably looked at their calender to ensure that it wasn't April 1st after reading the title. But after further reading the article on ESPN.com I found out that not only him but other well known professional athletes are supporting the act. Grant Hill and jared Dudley of the Pheonix Suns did a couple PSA's which started running a couple months ago about bullying of gay teenagers. Brendon Ayanbadejo, linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens,  has also backed the same sex marriage train. This is a huge thing for male sports icon to come out about. For female sports player it was never a big deal for them to come out and support or come out of the proverbial "closet" and announce they were lesbians. 

 So what can be said about the best player in golf ever? Does he still hold that title. After an embarassing exit after only 9 holes with a score of 42 on the first day at The Players tournament, his shortest outing ever, what can be said. Since he car wreck everything has been down hill for him with the divorce of his wife and losing several sponsers will he ever be back to top form like the tiger we remember watching, wandering who would finish second rather than win. On the lighter side he has opened the field back up with his injuries. Golf has gotten back to the sport  we as golf fans watch to see how young guns are doing and to see that one seasoned veteran come back and win. I am sad to see this happen to a man that turned around the game like he has.

Note: all information above was provided through ESPN.com.

hockey info

So this is the first time for me doing this and majority of my posts will be sports related because it has such an impact on my life.

To start things off, I am from Florida and I am a life time Lightning fan. Not one of those fare weather ones that came around when they started being good... so ive been there since game 1 in the Fl. State Fairgrounds.  After the regular season was over this year ESPN's Hockey experts announced their predicitions for the Jack Adam's Trophy (Coach of the year) and of course they pick Pittsburgh's Coach Dan Blysma. Yes he is a good canidate Pitt has had alot of success with people being injured all year. But let look at Tampa's turn around for a second, here are some stats.

09-10 season:
34-36-12 GF:217 GA:260 DIFF: -43 (eliminated from playoffs)
10-11 season:
46-25-11 GF:247 GF:240 DIFF: +7   (5th seed for playoffs)

Those thats alone for a rookie coach should take the cake but thats my opinion. Being overseas is rough (yes I am in the military) i wish i could watch the playoffs. Its been nice watching highlights and such. Anyways I dont really know what else to say, i will try and keep up with this as much as i can. Take care for now.