As a kid I always dreamed of going on Double Dare and crushing the famed obstacle course. If this happened to me on the Double Dare obstacle course I probably would have died of embarrassment. This video might be the most awkward 60 seconds of television you see today and one of the meanest pranks ever played one someone.
Big Z
Close But No Cigar For El Tiante
Unfortunately Luis Tiant was not selected to the HOF in today’s Modern Baseball Era Committee vote.
He is forever a part of the #RedSox Hall of Fame and #RedSoxNation.
We love you, @realElTiante! pic.twitter.com/lyNWeBHOap— Red Sox (@RedSox) December 10, 2017
Lost in between the news of Giancarlo Stanton’s trade to New York and the Patriots tough defeat in Miami over the last few days was the fact that Luis Tiant was up for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame again. Unfortunately for Tiant and his fans, his Hall of Fame candidacy came up short once again. Looking at his numbers, though, that’s the right call.
Tiant played for 19 seasons, but only received Cy Young Award votes on three occasions and never took the award home. He didn’t receive any Cy Young Award votes after arguably his best season, 1968, but that had more to do Denny McLain going 31-6 and pitching 28 complete games. Tough luck for Tiant I suppose, but he had some pretty lean years too. He went 9-20 a year later in 1969 and got off to a rocky start in Boston in 1971.
Looking at all of his seasons on Baseball-Reference.com, Tiant had some great years and some not so great years but was generally a pretty good pitcher for 17 years. He was a big part of a very fun time in Red Sox history and is rightfully a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, that doesn’t get you into Cooperstown. You can be brilliant over a shorter career – Sandy Koufax, Pedro – or you can compile stats over a longer career – Nolan Ryan, Tom Glavine – but Tiant gets caught in between in no man’s land.
The fact that baseball fans and writers have been debating Tiant’s Hall of Fame resume for literally 30 years is a great example of how broken the voting system is. At least it appears to have gotten this one right.
Check back later this month for my mock Hall of Fame ballot. You can see who I would’ve voted for last year here.
BREAKING NEWS – Red Sox Come To Agreement with Sam Adams
Boston meets Boston. 🍻
Introducing the official beer of the #RedSox, @SamuelAdamsBeer! pic.twitter.com/qcuVmIzia0— Red Sox (@RedSox) December 12, 2017
Another day, another out of touch Red Sox tweet. While the Yankees were trading for Giancarlo Stanton and the Angels were negotiating with Shohei Ohtani and improving their teams, the Red Sox had other business to tend to. They had to lock down an official beer sponsor!
Fenway Park is starting to feel like the Finer Things Club. Now we can enjoy a Sam Heavy to go with our Lobster Poutine or Fenway Farms Kale Salad.
I don’t know about you, but I have enough trouble trying to eat a hot dog in the bleachers without getting mustard on the guy next to me. Who the hell is messing around with forks and knives to eat a salad on their lap? I’d rather eat a salad on the Green Line than in my seat at Fenway Park.
How much does Red Sox ownership look down on their Bud Light swilling fan base? Enough of this high brow stuff. If you can’t get me a hot dog for less than five bucks, stop telling me about the official $13 beer of the Boston Red Sox.
I might be more enthused if Sam Adams were going to brew a Fenway Park exclusive, but it sounds like regular old Sam Heavy – Boston Lager. Been there, done that. I know it’s Jim Koch’s favorite but there are so many more exciting options they could have gone with.
Another option entirely would have been Harpoon. At least then the official beer of the Boston Red Sox would actually be brewed in Boston, as opposed to Cincinnati or Lehigh Valley.
Red Sox Twitter Needs to Stay Calm
BREAKING: Stanton traded to #Yankees. More details coming.
— Ken Rosenthal (@KenRosanthel) December 9, 2017
Giancarlo Stanton is headed to the Yankees, and I don’t want to be alive anymore: https://t.co/TxV6pNhVAA pic.twitter.com/ympvQZneNg
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) December 9, 2017
Every Red Sox fan after after seeing the Stanton trade pic.twitter.com/emJTD5hiWX
— Dick Nemers (@MrChillenFace) December 9, 2017
The Yankees acquiring Giancarlo Stanton is obviously huge news and not great news for the Red Sox. The Yankees have acquired the reigning National League MVP for pennies on the dollar because they can eat salary better than any other team in professional sports. That’s tough for Red Sox fans to stomach, but it’s nothing new for fans of the other 28 teams in Major League Baseball.
The Yankees have obviously gotten [much] better while the Red Sox are still looking for their power bat, but can we stop the histrionics? I get it, it’s frustrating to see the Yankees payroll go up every year at a faster rate than college tuition, but can we stop talking about the Yankees like they’re going to hit 300 home runs next year and win 130 games? Last time I checked, Stanton doesn’t play nine positions.
I’m old enough to remember the last time the Yankees swung a trade to pick up a reigning MVP. In early 2004 Alex Rodriguez, like Stanton today, was a reigning MVP entering his age-28 season. I remember Bob Lobel holding a town hall meeting on Sports Final with Steve Buckley (or maybe it was Tony Massarotti) to calm down Red Sox fans. If my memory serves me well, Buckley (or Mazz) said that it all comes down to pitching and that the Yankees pitching staff didn’t get any better after they picked up A-Rod.
Whoever it was, they were right. On the backs of Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez and Keith Foulke it was the Red Sox who hoisted the commissioner’s trophy in October of 2004. It took the Yankees six years to win their first (and only) World Series with A-Rod. While still a good player, A-Rod’s best playing days were behind him by 2009. That 2009 World Series title really had more to do with CC Sabathia being a stud than it did with A-Rod anchoring that lineup. Honestly, 35-year-old Johnny Damon had as much to do with that title as A-Rod did.
I’m also old enough to remember when the Red Sox had two perennial MVP candidates in the middle of their lineup. Hell, in 2003 the Red Sox had Manny, Oritz AND Nomar in their primes and all three finished in the top ten in AL MVP voting. We all remember how that season ended.
Adding Stanton definitely gets the Yankees closer to a tile, and closer to a tile than the Red Sox, but let’s not cancel the season. As was the case in 2004, the Red Sox still have the better pitching staff. Next year the Red Sox will have two former Cy Young Award winners on the staff, and that doesn’t include six-time all star Chris Sale. And like in 2004, there’s still the Wild Card. It’s not 1987. So what if the Yankees win 130 games? The Sox can still win 95 games and get into the tournament. If that happens, much like in 2004, we’ll see you in Game 7 of the ALCS.
PS – I don’t know who came up with this first, but this tweet won Twitter over the weekend.
Red Sox Respond to Stanton Trade pic.twitter.com/VKNorQPF0V
— Heart of MLB (@HeartofMLB) December 10, 2017
Sean Payton Was Mad As Hell On Thursday Night
Sorry that is a horrendous way to end a game. Sean Payton didn’t even touch the ref. He has to be burning inside. #NOvsATL #GoSaints pic.twitter.com/pNtb1qbJkw
— Thomas Kress (@Tom_Kress) December 8, 2017
CBS Sports – It’s not often that an NFL coach gets called for a pivotal penalty, but that’s exactly what happened to Sean Payton on Thursday.
With just 65 seconds left in Atlanta’s wild 20-17 win over New Orleans, Payton got called for a controversial unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that gave the Falcons a first down and killed any chance the Saints had of winning the game.
You could be forgiven if you didn’t stay up until almost midnight for the end of a Thursday Night, NFC South, Color Rush spectacle. But if you did stay up for the end of it, you saw just the latest example of why Bill Belichick is the best coach in the league and why it’s not even close.
Belichick is like the card counter at the blackjack table. It doesn’t mean he is going to win every hand or game, but he’s never going to do something stupid to hurt his chances of winning. Like split 10’s. Or run on to the field like a jerk and get flagged for a 15-yard penalty.
Even if the Saints got the ball back around their 30-yard line with 18 seconds left to play they probably weren’t going to win the game. But if Brees could get lucky on one sideline pass the Saints could have attempted a long-range field goal to tie the game. Assuming they could line up right. Then who knows what happens in overtime. Instead of getting to play one more hand, though, Payton essentially called the dealer an asshole and got bounced from the table.
Thursday Night Football goes to Indianapolis next week when the 3-9 Colts will host the 3-9 Broncos. If that doesn’t excite you right now, just wait. SKY CAM WILL BE BACK!!!
Defenses Should Not Win Fantasy Football Championships
With another fantasy football regular season in the books and the playoffs starting tonight, it’s time for me to share my biggest takeaway from the 2017 campaign. The time has come for the Defense/Special Teams position in fantasy football to be completely reevaluated and be massively overhauled or eliminated completely.
The NFL is constantly evolving. The NFL is not afraid to make changes that make the game more exciting, fairer and (hopefully) safer. In just the last few years extra points have been moved out to the 15-yard line, overtime has been made (slightly) more equitable, and kickoffs and touchbacks have been moved around. It’s time for fantasy football to show that same ingenuity.
The top scoring defensive unit in fantasy football last week was Miami. In a standard Yahoo! league, the Miami defense posted 28 points and was the fourth-highest scorer of the week. The same Miami defense that is 15th in real football against the pass, 21st against the run and 24th in points allowed.
Among the top 20 scorers in fantasy football last week, 7 were quarterbacks, 6 were running backs, 3 were wide receivers, 1 was a tight end and 3 were defenses. I know the Dolphins were playing against the rudderless Denver Broncos offense – making them a smart waiver wire pick up – but are you comfortable with a defense being as important to a fantasy football lineup as every other position? I’m not. Especially considering how fickle fantasy defenses can be.
The top defense in fantasy football this season, Jacksonville, has had four weeks with 20+ points, five weeks with 10-19 points, two weeks with 0-9 points and one week with negative points. On what planet does it make sense that they scored 15 points in a 23-20 loss to the Jets and only 5 points in a 20-17 win over the Chargers? I thought football was a results oriented business? I don’t care how many sacks or interceptions my team has, I’ll take the 20-17 win over the 23-20 loss every damn week.
How do we solve this problem? I’d be fine eliminating the position from fantasy football all together. Picking up Miami last week may have been smart, but I say it was more like winning on a scratch ticket. Don’t tell me there is skill in fantasy football and then tell me the goddam Dolphins defense was the fourth-best play of the week. A defensive unit owned in a whopping 11% of leagues last week.
I’d also be fine going back to the old days and only awarding points for safeties and defensive touchdowns. Denver gave up 35 points to Miami, but did manage a pick six. It’s akin to a quarterback throwing TD passes when his team is down by four touchdowns in the fourth quarter. It still got on the scoreboard.
My last proposal would be for defenses to go head-to-head. If my opponent played the Minnesota Defense (9 points allowed) last week and I played the New England Defense (3 points allowed), only my team would score points at the defense position. It could be a set point total every week, such as 1, 3 or 6, to keep defenses from becoming more important than real position players. Or it could be the difference in points allowed (6 in this example). That would value actual, real-world defense. Not fluky kick returns and flashy INTs.
If you have any better ideas, please let me know.
Arby’s Will Soon Have More Meats
CNN Money – Arby’s is buying Buffalo Wild Wings, the chain of sports bars, for $2.9 billion.
In an all-cash deal, Arby’s is paying $157 per share for Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), a 7% premium based on Monday’s closing price. Buffalo Wild Wings stock had been much lower before rumors about a deal with Arby’s surfaced two weeks ago…
The deal will take Buffalo Wild Wings private. Arby’s is owned by Roark Capital, which also has big stakes in Auntie Anne’s, Carvel and Jimmy John’s.
Buffalo Wild Wings, known as B-Dubs to its fans, was facing pressure from activist investors who support the deal.
The two most disappointing restaurant chains in America are joining forces? It’s a match made in fast food heaven! Buffalo Wild Wings, the home of 75¢ Boneless Thursdays. And a place where the flat Pepsi flows like wine. I’m talking about a little place called Arby’s.
Woof. Not exactly a power couple. More like Arby’s leaving with the last girl at the bar at 2:15 AM. What’s the matter, Arby’s? You big swingin dicks couldn’t close on Hooters?
Now Buffalo Wild Wings and Arby’s can combine forces to sling bastardized chicken wings and roast beef sandwiches more efficiently. I love chicken wings but I won’t set foot in a B-Dubs unless it’s 75¢ wing night. I shudder to think what those small, cold, under-sauced wings go for on a regular night. Hooters beats B-Dubs ten times out of ten. And don’t even get me started on Arby’s. Jon Stewart covered them pretty well.
It’s unbelievable to think that they sell the same food as Kelly’s. Comparing Kelly’s roast beef to Arby’s roast beef is like comparing apples to hockey pucks. And I still miss the Allston Kelly’s.
I’d also like to take a moment to discuss the soda situation at Buffalo Wild Wings and at Arby’s. I love a cold one-liter bottle of Diet Pepsi on a hot summer afternoon as much as any one, but fountain Pepsi at restaurants sucks. The Coke at McDonald’s can’t be beat and Burger King has stepped up its game with Coke Freestyle machines. The flat Pepsi is the worst part of any Taco Bell trip. Thankfully I usually don’t drink soda from Taco Bell unless it’s after dark and it’s mixed with some Admiral Nelson. Dumping Pepsi and getting back with Coke would be an easy improvement for B-Dubs and Arby’s.
It’d be interesting to see if Arby’s interest in Buffalo Wild Wings had anything to do with Buffalo Wild Wings venturing into the fast casual realm with B-Dubs Express. Does Arby’s hope to make B-Dubs Express the next Raising Cane’s? That might make sense with millennials “killing” chain restaurants, but there’s not much Buffalo Wild Wings has to offer to start with. If you take away the loud music and big screen TVs, what’s left?
Greg Olsen to Broadcast Week 11 Game for FOX
#Vikings’ request to have Greg Olsen work a different game was declined. Olsen won’t be in production meeting or at walkthrough, but will be in booth Sunday. NFL says it did not object.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 14, 2017
At first glance, the Vikings look like giant whiners here. Don’t want an injured Panther broadcasting your game? Deal with it. What is he going to see in person that millions of other people at home won’t see on television? You’re acting like George Costanza with his ATM code.
Taking a moment to think about it, though, I’m with the Vikings on this one. They might be a little paranoid, but this is not an unreasonable request. And even if Greg Olsen won’t see anything that the people at home won’t see, it’s still a bad look for the league. If the NFL were half as concerned with the integrity of the game as they claim they are, they would step in and quash this.
Can you imagine the outcry if an injured Patriots player were scheduled to broadcast the Dolphins game this week? Adam Gase would have Hard Rock Stadium swept for bugs. The Patriots would get crushed on ESPN for once again going outside of what is acceptable and decent to gain even a slight edge over an opponent. Draft picks would be seized, congressional probes would be launched.
Of course, Bill Belichick would never allow an injured player to broadcast another NFL game. I bet the Vikings get more intel out of Olsen rambling on the air for three hours than he gets out of them seeing them from the broadcast booth.
UCLA Basketball Players Heading Home From China
LaVar Ball and Donald Trump break LiAngelo out of a Chinese jail in the 2017 blockbuster movie you never knew you needed. pic.twitter.com/kLq89yVYwi
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 13, 2017
Reuters – Three UCLA basketball players detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting were headed back to the United States on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had sought the help of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the case…
“What they did was unfortunate,” Trump told reporters earlier in Manila. He said the trio, who have been held since last week, could have faced long prison sentences, and described Xi’s response as “terrific.”
The Donald is on the board! The effort to repeal and replace Obamacare fizzled out earlier this year. North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear weapons program. The Robert Mueller investigation is on-going. Tax reform will be an uphill battle. It’s been a tough first year in office for Donald Trump, but LiAngelo Ball is coming home!
UCLA hosts Central Arkansas Wednesday night. It will be interesting to see if Ball and teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill face any further discipline when they arrive home. UCLA head coach Steve Alford took a brave stand and benched them for the Georgia Tech game in Shanghai. As opposed to breaking them out of the hotel they were confined to and further pissing off the Chinese government.
As we said last week, this shoplifting incident had all the makings of an international incident. Thankfully LaVar Ball was right. It wasn’t “that big a deal.” Though it did make its way into discussions between the President of the United States and the President of the People’s Republic of China. I guess more serious discussions on human rights, currency manipulation and unbalanced trade relations will have to wait until next time.
It figures that Trump’s first win as president will prominently play into a reality television show plot line. I don’t know if LaVar Ball meant for the family’s China trip to go down this way, but he’s now got a hell of an act to top for season three of Ball in the Family.
Thursday Night Football To Go All-Madden Next Week
NFL.com – Thursday Night Football will have a video-game feel in Week 11.
NBC announced it plans to utilize its dual SkyCam for the primary viewing of the Tennessee Titans versus Pittsburgh Steelers matchup on Nov. 16…
NBC utilized the SkyCam during a Week 7 tilt between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, when a heavy fog rolled into Foxboro, obscuring the normal camera angle. The viewing experience drew rave reviews, leading to NBC tinkering with its normal broadcast approach…
By pivoting to the SkyCam, NBC hopes to attract younger viewers who grew up playing “Madden” video games, which employs a view from behind the quarterback.
The fans have spoken and the NFL has listened. Next week’s Thursday Night Football game will be presented as a real-life video game. The NFL can be criticized for many things but you gotta give them credit for their willingness to mix things up, even in the middle of the season.
Thursday Night Football is the perfect game to go full SkyCam on. No one looks forward to watching Thursday night games, even when it features two first-place teams. More often then not the games suck and/or someone gets hurt. Going to SkyCam allows the NFL to change the subject on Thursday Night Football for at least a week and to rebrand it to better appeal to “millennials.” Even if it’s a gimmick, there’s no downside to letting this experiment play out for at least one full game. Hopefully they remember to switch camera angles on interceptions and turnovers this time.
It’s just another way real football has become more like video game football. Who says you can’t throw the ball 50 times a game, onside kick to start the second half of the Super Bowl, kill the clock by running parallel to the goal line on a touchdown reception, or go for it on 4th and 2 at your own 28?
The only thing that would make next week’s experiment even better is if Condescending Cris busts Mike Tomlin’s balls every time he goes for 2 or goes for it on 4th down and doesn’t get it. Hands down the most aggravating part of every Madden loss.
The 300s 