http://www.wikio.co.uk/blogs/sports Wikio Blogs - sports wikio wikio http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/618126 Continuing the trend of signing young stars to long-term deals long before arbitration-eligibility, Tom Haudricourt is reporting that the Brewers have inked Ryan Braun to a 7-year deal. The amount of money is not known yet, but it is expected that the contract will be worth more than the $42MM deal signed by Jeff Suppan prior to the '07 season. That deal is currently the largest ever given by the Brewers. Braun, 24 and last year's NL Rookie of the Year, was promoted last season in a manner that would have kept him just under Super-2 eligibility and he likely...<br/><br/>Called As Seen : Braun signs! ...<br/>Ballbug : Braun to sign record deal (Tom Haudricourt/Brewers Blog) ...<br/><br/>blogs : Bugs and Cranks,Called As Seen,Ballbug,MLB Trade Rumors...<br/>(4 posts, last update: 15/05/2008 20:57) Thu, 15 May 2008 18:57:05 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/618126 MLB Trade Rumors 2008-05-15T18:57:05Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/618100 Discuss. (Photos from here and here. Apparently, Parker missed both.)<br/><br/>SLAM Online : Game Notes: Jazz @ Lakers, Game 5 ...<br/>The Association : Utah Fans Are Jazz-Holes ...<br/><br/>blogs : The Association,SLAM Online,The Big Lead...<br/>(3 posts, last update: 15/05/2008 16:56) Thu, 15 May 2008 14:56:50 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/618100 The Big Lead 2008-05-15T14:56:50Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/618037 Naturally, as soon as any high-profile college program is associated with some allegations of NCAA violations, the well of problems will only get deeper until the program is either punished or gets through the NCAA gauntlet unscathed, and in the era of one-and-done, this is becoming even more obvious. The current allegations surrounding O.J. Mayo and [...]<br/><br/>Conquest Chronicles : DeRozan Might Reconsider his Commitment to USC ...<br/>Bill Boyarsky : Sports Beat, 5-14-08 ...<br/><br/>blogs : Bill Boyarsky,The FanHouse - NCAAbasketball,Signal to Noise,Conquest Chronicles...<br/>(4 posts, last update: 15/05/2008 10:56) Thu, 15 May 2008 08:56:03 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/618037 Signal to Noise 2008-05-15T08:56:03Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/618016 Remember when the Tampa Bay Rays defense was like a circus act and their lineup was kind of a joke? Like... two years ago? Well, don't let the sun-shiny logo fool you. They are straight us business now. Coming off a weekend sweep of the Los Angeles Angels , the Rays pounded the New York Yankees 7-1 Monday night for their fifth consecutive win, inching within a half-game of the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox . This last victory was a bit sweeter, as they defeated evil nemesis Andy Pettitte , who allowed five runs on eight hits over just four innings of work after a previous record of 8-1 at Tropicana Field. This trade with the Twins ? Looking pretty good for Tampa right now. Matt Garza is 2-1 with a 1.37 ERA over three straight quality starts since returning from the disabled list at the end of April, while Jason Bartlett has improved their defense and contributed some key hits, raising his average to .248. Speaking of defense, Akinori Iwamura continues to shine up the middle, as the only starting second baseman in the AL without an error. He is also riding a team-best 10-game hitting streak coming into Tuesday's game against Yankees' ace Chien-Ming Wang , who is 7-4 lifetime against the Rays with a 3.53 ERA in 12 starts. So, watch out for the 21-13 Rays, who are five games over .500 for the first time in the franchise's 11-year history. Just sayin'. [ TSN ] | [ The Heater ] | [ Rays Index ] | [ Rays Homeplate ] <br/><br/>Beale Street Beat : Rays on The Verge of Signing Kazmir Long-Term ...<br/>DRaysBay : Kazmir Signs 4/28.5 Million Deal ...<br/><br/>blogs : DRaysBay,Babes Love Baseball,Beale Street Beat,Baseball Digest Daily...<br/>(4 posts, last update: 15/05/2008 07:55) Thu, 15 May 2008 05:55:47 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/618016 Babes Love Baseball 2008-05-15T05:55:47Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/618003 Paul LoDuca was a surprise caller to WFAN this afternoon, and answered questions about his health, cheering from the dugout, his inclusion in the Mitchell Report, and other topics. Lo Duca, on his team in-dugout cheerleading, and Nelson Figueroa’s reaction, while speaking to WFAN: “I’m not a big fan of it to be honest with you…You know, [...] <br/><br/>Can't Stop the Bleeding : First Time Caller, Long Time Mentor To Teenage Girls : Paulie Go Nuts Rings WFAN ...<br/>Ballbug : Lo Duca calls WFAN (Adam Rubin/Surfing the Mets) ...<br/><br/>blogs : Mr. Irrelevant,Can't Stop the Bleeding,MetsBlog,Ballbug...<br/>(4 posts, last update: 15/05/2008 05:24) Thu, 15 May 2008 03:24:01 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/618003 MetsBlog 2008-05-15T03:24:01Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617854 Adam Rubin / NY Daily News : Nationals blow away Mets — Nelson Figueroa knows about bush league baseball. After all, he's toured the world trying to resurrect his major league career. — But not until Monday night did Figueroa witness a truly amateurish display, the Mets pitcher suggested. <br/><br/>Stone Court : You Gotta Lotta Bawls, Softbawls, That Is, Edition ...<br/>William F. Yurasko : Nats cheer 10-4 win over Mets ...<br/><br/>blogs : Stone Court,Faith and Fear in Flushing,William F. Yurasko,Ballbug...<br/>(4 posts, last update: 14/05/2008 19:25) Wed, 14 May 2008 17:25:00 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617854 Ballbug 2008-05-14T17:25:00Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617718 Let's end the day with some “ewwwww.” Paul W. sends us this link from Portfolio.com to the health code violation record at 11 Major League ballparks. There is an awesome interactive graphic, and these words: Two West Coast teams, the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland A’s, had far more food fouls than any other team. [...]<br/><br/>BfloBlog.com : Do NOT Order Food in These Ballparks ...<br/>respublica : How dirty is that ballpark? ...<br/><br/>blogs : RandBall,respublica,BfloBlog.com...<br/>(3 posts, last update: 14/05/2008 11:34) Wed, 14 May 2008 09:34:22 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617718 RandBall 2008-05-14T09:34:22Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617630 Photo Veeyawn by via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr No, the UCLA Undie Run did not happen this afternoon. A truck carrying women's underwear spilled onto the northbound 5 Freeway near the 134. KNBC noted that the stream of clothing did not affect traffic. No longer a Giant, Barry Bonds is just another Beverly Hills fuckup. "The U.S. attorney's office filed 14 counts of perjury and one count of obstruction," reports ESPN . A body of a dead woman found yesterday in a remote area of Palmdale has been identified as a 13-year-old girl. Originally, authorities thought it was an adult female. The Lady of the Lake statue, the matriarch of Echo Park Lake, has had a missing hand since last year and is still not fixed. However, someone recently decorated it . Only 7 percent of Angelenos fall into the category of being "Digitally Savvy," according to a new Scarborough Research report . Congrats LAist readers, you are most likely part of that elite group! However, it seems RSS usage in Los Angeles is considerably lower than other cities, by our scientific observation. Be cool and subscribe to LAist (don't know what the heck RSS is? Watch this ). LA MetBlogs introduces a new phrase , "In a Hillary," which means "a state of denial" ( If Britney Spears still thinks she can make a comeback, then she’s in quite a Hillary ). Today, she won the state of West Virginia. Effects of China's qarthquake in LA: "Several fundraising campaigns are underway by Chinese American groups, which are taking donations and planning events." Annoyed by MySpace spam? Yesterday, they won the largest anti-spam award in history -- $234 million. How do you find your Facebook stalkers? Gawker had a theory , but it seems not to be true. One month and one day later, Britney Spears finds herself in another small fender bender . About the above photo: Taken on Sunday, a Metro bus crashes onto the sidewalk on Mother's Day at Cahuenga and Yucca in Hollywood. The causes is unknown, but the bus knocked down<br/><br/>Slog : Maybe This Will Finally Put an End to All That Bring Barry Bonds to the Mariners Talk ...<br/>I'm Writing Sports : Can Someone Sign Bonds Now? ...<br/><br/>blogs : RandBall,Slog,LAist,I'm Writing Sports,Ballbug...<br/>(5 posts, last update: 14/05/2008 14:53) Wed, 14 May 2008 12:53:07 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617630 LAist 2008-05-14T12:53:07Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617520 I always enjoy ESPN's in-depth E-ticket articles. Jim Caple's piece on Yu Darvish is no exception. In case you hadn't heard, Darvish is the Next Big Thing in Japan. He's a 21 year-old ace pitcher. A few highlights from the article: The commonly kicked-around posting fee for Darvish is $75MM. Remember, everyone thought Dice-K would require $25-30MM and the fee ended up being $51.1MM. If Darvish received Dice-K's six-year, $52MM deal and required an $80MM posting fee, he'd cost $22MM a year. Darvish's team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, didn't allow Caple to ask about the MLB possibility. But the team's...<br/><br/>Beale Street Beat : Revisiting Yu Darvish ...<br/>BrothersJudd Blog : IF DICE-K WAS WORTH $50 MILLION TO A LOADED SOX STAFF...: ...<br/><br/>blogs : RandBall,Hot Foot,Beale Street Beat,Ballbug,MLB Trade Rumors...<br/>(6 posts, last update: 13/05/2008 22:51) Tue, 13 May 2008 20:51:01 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617520 MLB Trade Rumors 2008-05-13T20:51:01Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617489 Kudos to KC for scoring this interview with the chairman : "I'm disappointed in [D'Antoni]," Reinsdorf said. "I don't know what else we could've done. He chose to go to New York knowing there was a good chance we would make him an offer. If he had really wanted to be in Chicago, he would've waited. Instead, he misled us. It's not the end of the world, but it is somewhat rude." "The second subject, I said if we need to get something done this weekend we shouldn't even bother talking because it will take longer than that," Reinsdorf said. "He said nothing had to be done over the weekend. "I also said if this proceeds to where we want to make an offer, we don't deal with coach's agents. He said that's not a problem and that money wasn't the most important thing anyway. He said he wanted a job where he was going to be happiest. He said he didn't want to coach the Knicks." ... "The answer is this is a very important decision to make and we didn't want to make the wrong decision. I don't think we moved too slowly. As soon as the Suns gave permission to talk, John was on a plane to meet with him. We did not move slowly here." Asked why, if D'Antoni was the target, the Bulls didn't make a pre-emptive strike offer before the Knicks, Reinsdorf deferred to the sequence of events. Reinsdorf said he met with Paxson last Tuesday to review the general manager's two interviews in Phoenix with D'Antoni, as well as other candidates on the Bulls' list. Paxson had flown to Phoenix on May 4, the day Suns general manager Steve Kerr granted D'Antoni permission to interview. Knowing he would be in Phoenix over last weekend, Reinsdorf said he called D'Antoni last Tuesday and set up the Friday meeting. Reinsdorf said as he left that meeting, he told D'Antoni he would speak to Paxson and talk to D'Antoni again on Saturday. When Paxson called LeGarie on Saturday morning, the agent informed Paxson that D'Antoni had accepted the Knicks' job. As Paxson attempted to sway LeGarie to listen to the Bulls' offer, Reinsdorf left his Saturday morning message for D'Antoni. "I never tell the general manager who he has to hire, but I do have veto power," Reinsdorf said. "After meeting with Mike, I told John I was inclined to negotiate a contract and John made it clear he wanted Mike." Where to begin. First off, the 'we don't deal with coach's agents' edict seems strange. Especially since later there's a mention of Paxson dealing with D'Antoni's agent, in the form of begging him to have his client reconsider taking the Knicks job. And I admit I don't know how these things usually go...but after two meetings with the GM, shouldn't the meeting with the owner be about contract terms? Why is the result of that Friday meeting Reinsdorf saying he has to again talk to Paxson, and "we'll get back to you"? Seems like they did move too slowly. And of course: why keep trying to emphasize how much you wanted to hire him if you didn't get him? It makes things sound worse. Reinsdorf correctly shoots down the idea of how much D'Antoni wanted to be the next coach of the Bulls (as the national media has continuously said), with the evidence being this 'rudeness' in not listening to an offer. If he really wanted to be here he'd be here, right? He and Pax should stick with that story, and not the one where they emphasize the pursuit, as it only makes one question the effectiveness. Plus, saying how D'Antoni explicitly said he didn't want to coach the Knicks seems a bit unprofessional, but then again Reinsdorf earlier this season publicly said how one of Deng and Gordon told him they regretted not signing a contract extension... All that said, there are some encouraging words as well: "I can't worry about perception," Reinsdorf said. "I have to worry about making the right decision. This is a very critical hire. If you make a mistake, you set yourself back. Tim Floyd didn't work out, Bill Cartwright. Scott Skiles, we thought we had a good one, but he's gone with two years left on his deal. We've been set back. ... Reinsdorf disputed LeGarie's statement that the Bulls seemed hesitant to enter into another multiyear deal after swallowing close to two years and $5 million of Skiles' contract. "I assumed we'd have to go four years," Reinsdorf said. "We gave Scott Skiles four years. That's kind of the going rate for coaches now. And money isn't an issue. Believe me, we can afford to pay coaches. Even if Skiles hadn't spread his money out (over four years), we can afford to pay top coaches. "Phil Jackson wasn't a big name, and he turned out to be a great coach," he said. It's true that this fiasco may turn out to be for the best. But a pleasant mistake is still a screw-up, and worse yet they can't wait to tell us more about it. <br/><br/>The FanHouse - NBA : Jilted Jerry Reinsdorf Thinks Mike D'Antoni Was 'Rude' for Snubbing Bulls ...<br/>SLAM Online : Phoenix Will Take Their Time in Replacing D'Antoni ...<br/><br/>blogs : Can't Stop the Bleeding,Blog-a-Bull,SLAM Online,The FanHouse - NBA...<br/>(4 posts, last update: 14/05/2008 06:39) Wed, 14 May 2008 04:39:49 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617489 Blog-a-Bull 2008-05-14T04:39:49Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617497 Now Goose Goosage thinks Joba celebrates too much. “When I broke into the big leagues, I didn't say two words all year,” he said. That was in 1972. Obviously baseball players should act like they did nearly 40 years ago. There are few things more tedious than old ballplayers saying that things were better in their day. [...]<br/><br/>Depressed Fan : The Goose Is Not Amused ...<br/>The Joy of Sox : G42: Red Sox at Orioles, 7 PM ...<br/><br/>blogs : The Joy of Sox,The LoHud Yankees Blog,Yanksfan vs Soxfan,Ballbug,Depressed Fan...<br/>(5 posts, last update: 13/05/2008 22:00) Tue, 13 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617497 The LoHud Yankees Blog 2008-05-13T20:00:00Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617402 I’ve been thinking about blogging—the activity—lately, with the Costas-Bissinger incident and the demise of Capital Punishment. About the former, Buzz Bissinger is a jackass: this isn't news. To take his commentary seriously is to think that Michael Moore and Bill O’Reilly have something interesting to say. (If I have insulted one of your intellectual [...] <br/><br/>SLAM Online : Celtics-Cavs Assorted Food Stuffs ...<br/>RandBall : Tuesday (Jeopardy!) edition: Wha’ Happened? ...<br/><br/>blogs : Sabernomics,RandBall,Georgia Sports Blog,SLAM Online...<br/>(4 posts, last update: 13/05/2008 15:44) Tue, 13 May 2008 13:44:16 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617402 Sabernomics 2008-05-13T13:44:16Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617274 Scott Schoeneweis currently has an ERA of just 1.50, and has not allowed a run in 14 of his 16 appearances this season. Anthony Rieber at Newsday writes: “Scott Schoeneweis was not only not booed yesterday when he came off the mound after a successful outing, he was actually cheered. It's quite a turnaround for the [...] <br/><br/>Miami Herlad : Schoeneweis turning boos into cheers ...<br/>the metropolitans : I Am A Believer! ...<br/><br/>blogs : Miami Herlad,MetsBlog,the metropolitans,Ballbug...<br/>(4 posts, last update: 12/05/2008 15:53) Mon, 12 May 2008 13:53:00 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617274 MetsBlog 2008-05-12T13:53:00Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617293 According to Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs are "exploring the possibility" of signing center fielder Jim Edmonds. This was first reported by Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio 1000 yesterday evening. Edmonds, 37, was let go after hitting .178/.265/.233 in 103 plate appearances. It's hard to say whether Edmonds has anything left. He did hit relatively well in the last two months of 2007. Van Dyck says Edmonds would replace Felix Pie on the Cubs' roster.<br/><br/>A Hundred Next Years : Edmonds About to Become a Cub? ...<br/>Ballbug : Wrigley return nothing special for Maddux (Dave van Dyck/Chicago Tribune) ...<br/><br/>blogs : A Hundred Next Years,Ballbug,MLB Trade Rumors...<br/>(3 posts, last update: 13/05/2008 07:18) Tue, 13 May 2008 05:18:00 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617293 MLB Trade Rumors 2008-05-13T05:18:00Z http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617157 With yesterday's 8-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels of San Dimas High, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are 21-16 on the year, just a game and a half back of the defending champion Red Sox in the AL East. More importantly, this is apparently the first time in franchise history the Rays have ever been 5 games above .500. I know they have sucked pretty hard in their first decade of existence, but I found this stat pretty hard to believe, so I went to my numero uno beisbol source on the web, baseball-reference.com, to confirm this Kurk Gem. Here's what I found: 1998: As it turns out, the '98 expansion Devil Rays were actually 4 games over .500 at one point in the season. That of course was when they were 10-6 on April 19, and Larry Rothschild went to bed each night dreaming of his Murderers Row of Fred McGriff , Quinton McCracken , Paul Sorrento and Wade Bogggs leading his D-Rays to World Series glory. The 1998 Devil Rays finished 63-99, finishing the season an astounding 51 games out of 1st place. 1999: Again, they made it to 4 games over .500, this team pushing it a week later into the season (11-7 on April 23). The only managed to get shutout 7 times in '99 (as opposed to 17 times in their inaugural year). The team finishes 69-93. 2000: Now this is tough to do (well, I thought it was tough...read on)- the Devil Rays were never more than 1 game over .500 in 2000, and that sadly was day 2 of the season, after Tampa beat Minnesota 7-0 to start the year. The D-Rays finish 69-92, and Larry Rothschild, against all odds, stays employed. 2001: Tell me if this sounds familiar. The Devil Rays win their opener to get 1 game over .500. And that's the apex of the season. Larry Rothschild is mercifully put to sleep 14 games into the season, replaced by Hal McRae , which is great for me, because now I get to post this epic meltdown: Tampa Bay backslides, losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history (all 4 years of it). Tanyon Sturtze is the staff ace. Yep, Tanyon Sturtze ...that's how you lose 100 games. 2002: Hal McRae , captain of the Titanic. The Rays go an atrocious 55-106 in '02, after actually starting the year 3-0 (obviously 3 games over .5 00 is their high point). The lose a whopping 33 games by 5 or more runs. Our boy Tanyon Sturtze goes 4-18. 2003: Welcome aboard Sweet Lou...to a 63-99 that drove you so bonkers you dyed your hair at some point (I think...that might've been 2004...but I'm too lazy to google "Lou Piniella dyed hair). Lou's '03 club joined the 2000 and 2001 D-Rays in the "Start 1-0...never get another game over .500 again" club. Pretty terrible name for a club if you ask me. The D-Rays go 5-21 in June...and manage a 3-15 interleague mark. Ugh. 2004: Holy shit, look, a 70 win season (the first in franchise history). The team gets to 2 games over .500 - on July 3rd no less (40-38). They have a 12 game win streak. They go 15-3 in interleague play. The stupid Mets trade them Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano . Lou's got them going in the right direction, Tampa is turning it around, etc. etc... 2005: ...um, not so fast my friend. Tampa Bay finishes the '05 season 67-95. They get to 3-2 on the young year, and are never more than a game over .500 again. Piniella threatens to kill multiple people throughout the season, including several of his players. Somehow Jorge Cantu hits 28 bombs and drives in 117 runs. 2006: Lou is gone, Joe Maddon is in, and here comes another 100 loss season (61-101). On April 16 th they're 7-6 and 1 game over .500 - that's the best they have to offer. Tampa Bay goes 20-61 on the road. 2007: They got all these young kids, they're supposed to turn the corner, Sports Illustrated throws them on the cover as the team of the future...and we get a final record of 66-96. Yep, I feel like a broken record - Tampa gets to 2-1 on April 6th...and that's it again for games over .500. If you're scoring at home, that means in 6 of their first 10 years Tampa Bay has never been more than 1 game over .500 at any point in a season. 2008: It took until season 11, but the magic barrier was finally broken. 5 games above .500 for the first time ever. Well played Rays, well played.<br/><br/>The Big Lead : Somebody Wake the A’s, Rays and Marlins, Mmmkay? ...<br/>Bugs and Cranks : We Should Know We’re Better Than Arena Football ...<br/><br/>blogs : Bugs and Cranks,Gheorghe: The Blog,The Big Lead...<br/>(3 posts, last update: 13/05/2008 08:54) Tue, 13 May 2008 06:54:52 GMT http://www.wikio.co.uk/discussion/617157 Gheorghe: The Blog 2008-05-13T06:54:52Z