Yankees Trade for Todd Frazier and I Can’t Help But Think of the 2006 Bobby Abreu Trade the Red Sox Didn’t Make

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Yahoo – The New York Yankees are going for it. They boosted their lineup and the backend of their bullpen in a trade Tuesday with the Chicago White Sox that’s sending slugger Todd Frazier and relief pitchers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Bronx..The White Sox (38-52) were already in full rebuilding mode and this adds to their minor-league riches, as the Yankees send Chicago a package that includes outfield prospect Blake Rutherford (New York’s No. 3 prospect) and left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin (No. 19). Big-league reliever Tyler Clippard is also reportedly in the deal, as is outfielder Tito Polo.

The Yankees traded for Todd Frazier last night, swept in under the cloak of night and traded for the guy while I was enjoying a few Bud heavys at Fenway.

This trade did not come lightly though as the Yankees (with a suddenly flourishing minor league system) dealt their No. 3 prospect as part of the deal. Pretty steep for a guy who’s hitting .207 and will be a free agent at the end of the year if you ask me. He does provide some pop though with 16 Home Runs and 44 RBIs on the year. Not convinced? The last 3 years Frazier finished with 40, 35, and 29 Home Runs respectively. (On a side note, as that story points out the White Sox are rebuilding the smart way as they now have 5 of the top 30 prospects and 10 of the top 100 in all of baseball thanks to their recent fire sales.)

Now I wasn’t one of the people clamoring for the Sox to deal more prospects just to put a band-aid on third base. Especially with $50M in dead money from the euthanized Panda we just DFA’d. I’m definitely in the camp that the Red Sox should bolster the bullpen before brining in your 12th third baseman of the year.

HOWEVER, seeing this trade instantly reminded me of 2006 when the Yankees traded for Bobby Abreu because its a similar situation. Abreu, like Frazier, was a solid if not spectacular hitter who was on the market and the Red Sox were rumored to be in on. Then the Yankees swooped in and made the deal for Abreu. Wouldn’t have been as big of a kick in the dick if it wasn’t for the so called Boston Massacre that summer when the Yankees came to Fenway and swept the Red Sox in a rare 5-game series. Complete beatdown. And how’d Abreu do in that series you ask? Oh he merely hit fucking .500 in the series going 10-20 over the 5 games.

Over the course of the 2006 season Abreu hit .297 with 15 Home Runs, 107 RBIs and also had 30 stolen bases. In the second half of the 2006 season alone, playing for the Yankees Abreu hit .330 7 Home Runs, 42 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

So, yea not a bad guy to have.

Ended up biting the Red Sox in the ass as they never really got right after that 5-game sweep and famously missed the playoffs. Lets just hope Todd Frazier doesn’t repeat history and go on a goddamn tear for the Yankees.

PS – Complex ranked that 5-game regular season sweep as one of the greatest moments in Yankees HISTORY. What a sad and sorry existence in the Bronx.

I Would Trade Every Player On the Celtics Roster for Anthony Davis

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The Vertical – “Rival executives expect Boston to be keeping close tabs on New Orleans, which is entering a critical season. The Pelicans are committed to seeing if an Anthony Davis-DeMarcus Cousins frontcourt can work, but if the season goes awry, it’s widely believed the Celtics will make a strong run at Davis, who is under contract through 2020.”

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: there are growing rumblings around the league about the future of Anthony Davis and how the Celtics could be in on any potential deal. If the New Orleans Pelicans start off poorly next season and the DeMarcus Cousins pairing doesn’t mesh, a lot of smart guys around the NBA like Chris Mannix expect the Pelicans to start listening to offers for Davis.

I am one of the biggest Anthony Davis guys you’ll find. He is a top five player in this league, he’s a future MVP and I just want to state for the record that I would trade every single player on the 15-man roster plus everyone on the Maine Red Claws to get Anthony Davis. He is literally the only guy in the league that can put up a 40 and 20 game. I will buy that AD jersey TONIGHT.

You can have whatever the fuck you want if it gets me Anthony Davis. Sure you can point out that the C’s would be in the same situation the Pelicans are in right now with Anthony Davis and no one around him. But I will take Danny Ainge and Anthony Davis and let them figure it out. I have faith in that pairing. Love you Jaylen Brown. You look like a pretty good player so far Jayson Tatum. Isaiah you’re my guy, but if I can get Anthony Davis I will play one-on-five if I have to. Get me the Brow and we’ll go from there.

The LPGA Is Implementing A New, Very Strict Dress Code and People Aren’t Over the Moon About It

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AOL – The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is under fire for “body-shaming” its female players after the organization introduced a stricter dress code including longer skirts and no plunging necklines. A reporter for Teen Vogue magazine wrote, “we don’t see why someone can’t look professional in leggings. If anything, policing these women’s bodies and clothes takes away from their professional accomplishments. And if the sport wants a positive image, body-shaming is not the way to get it.” The new dress code, according to Golf Digest, includes no “plunging necklines,” and “leggings, unless under a skort or shorts, are not allowed.” Additionally, “length of skirt, skort and shorts MUST be long enough to not see your bottom area at any time, standing or bent over.”

Little insight from your old buddy Danny C here folks, if you’re a regular old Joe Schmo chances are people are not going to take it well if you tell chicks what to where, especially if it has to do with certain body parts. So you have to be OUTSIDE OF YOUR FUCKING MIND if you are a major organization, especially a sports league, to publish something so tone deaf like this.

First and foremost is the fact that I like to think I have a general knowledge of the LPGA. I know who Michelle Wie is, I have a blog in the works regarding my love for recent Women’s PGA Championship winner Danielle Kang, I followed the dominance of Annika Sorenstam, etc. Also, while at a bar, having lunch or whatever, if the LPGA is on I’ll watch it. Maybe it’s not the Masters, but it’s still better players than me with different strategies to consider. With that said I have never, ever seen a competitor on an LPGA course or during an LPGA event and said anything along the lines of, oh I don’t know, “Ok girl. Ok girl I see you.” It just doesn’t happen.

And to be clear I get any professional environment needs a dress code, but the LPGA is just stirring the pot here for no reason. Sure you have Wie twerking on IG and Paige Spiranac (who’s basically retired anyway) burning down every off-the-course medium in general, but that’s their personal social media accounts and their prerogatives. They’re young people who like being young. Watch “Murder She Wrote”, take a nap, and fuck off, LPGA.

The other thing that is a little irksome is the timing of this decree, in the middle of the season. I never understand decisions like this. If you are going to overhaul what these 9-iron wielding minxes are wearing on the course, why wouldn’t you do it between seasons or during a lull? Why now?

The fact that the LPGA caused this mess for themselves is completely asinine. You have a young, likable champ in Kang. Golf is growing ever popular. Although she may not like what she wears or how she presents herself (my guess is?) Spiranac is bringing more attention to women’s golf than ever and you react by being what amounts to the fun police? Oh and can I just mention I’m friends with enough chicks (humblebrag) to know that sometimes they just get fucking hot, same as guys, so in the middle of the golf course on a dog day of summer I’m sure, yes, wearing a little a less probably does help. Idiots.

P.S – I’d be doing everyone a disservice to not quickly mention that there is nothing worse on planet earth than White Knights and the fact that most of the people internet-mad in the above article are dudes. Hey guys LPGA golfers aren’t going to find you more attractive because you defend their right to Amish country-slut it up on twitter.

 

 

Donte Stallworth Talking About How Tom Brady and Randy Moss Ran Improvised Plays in 2007 is Patriots Porn

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In case you missed it, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t bring this Donte Stallworth story about the 2007 Patriots team to your attention. The 2007 Patriots are the greatest, most dominant team I’ve ever seen and were the most fun I’ve ever had watching football. They were straight up dismantling the league, blowing everyone out as a response to the NFL hosing them with the overblown and hypocritical Spygate scandal.

This was also the first year Tom Brady had real weapons around him like Wes Welker, Stallworth and of course Randy Moss.  This season finally helped put to rest the Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning argument. Yes, when TB12 has Hall of Famers catching his passes he can put up 50 TDs too. Some of the plays these guys made were just outrageous though and it turns out some of them were legitimate accidents. Just Brady and Moss out there improvising and freestyling like only two first ballot Hall of Famers can.

PS – If you want to watch every single one of Tom Brady’s 50 TD passes, @fearthe_beard11 is doing Gods work on twitter and tweeted each one out.

Weekend MMA and UFC Fight Night Recap

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What was supposed to be a relatively slow weekend in MMA ended up being the weekend they shoot off all the fireworks left over from the 4th of July. While I am going to spend the most time, obviously, breaking down the highlights of the UFC’s trip to Glasgow, there are a couple of things from Bellator to address as well.

Bellator

-Gegard Mousasi, a unanimous top-ten Middleweight the UFC barely made an attempt to resign, had his first Bellator bout announced during the #2 organizations Friday broadcast. His opponent will be former champion Alexander Shlemenko. Ignoring Shlemenko’s positive steroid test that secured him a 2 year suspension (he fought twice abroad during that time), the undersized Russian is one of the most prolific top-tier Middleweights out there, having 66 fights under his belt to this point. He is primarily a striker, and a powerful, accurate one at that, registering 31 knockouts in his career. Considering one of Mousasi’s problems has always been getting hyped for fights that don’t mean a whole lot to him, this could be a a trap bout for the favorite.

-Girtz Vs. Campos Friday night was a WAR. Both guys left it all in the cage for two rounds until the gigantic gash in Girtz’s forehead, cause by a Campos knee, forced the cage-side doctor to call the fight before the 3rd. Legit looked like a Greyjoy had tried to start flaying Brandon Girtz’s head just before the fight. Good stuff from these guys.

 

UFC Fight 113 aka UFC Glasgow Aka UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Pozninibbio

-First and foremost, on my pre-event blog I missed discussing Paul Felder’s motivations going into this fight, so my sincerest apologies. “The Irish Dragon” actually lost his father to pancreatic cancer just before he began training camp for his battle with Stevie Ray, and dedicated his performance to his late Dad. Well, he did not disappoint. The Muay Thai practitioner crushed Ray in the clinch with a knee to the dome and then finished him on the ground with some of the most hellacious elbows you’ll ever see. Huge win for Felder and good to see him succeed at such an emotional time

-On the other hand it sucks to see Steve Ray lose so emphatically going into contract negotiations. He has significantly less leverage than if he had won and it would seem his two options are to accept what they offer and try and get his payday with his performances next time around or take his 4 oz gloves elsewhere. Here’s to hoping he sticks around.

-In maybe the oddest thing I’ve ever seen happen in the Octagon, Charlie Ward got thrown on his face into unconsciousness. Really all I have to say on that. YouTube it.

-As I said in my preview blog, sometimes Joanne Calderwood just isn’t fervid enough to get over the hump and that likely cost her the fight against Cynthia Calvillo. That isn’t to take anything away from Calvillo, but it looked like the front kicks and combinations JoJo was trying to work would have if she threw them with just a little more conviction. Here’s to greener pastures at 125 for the Scotswoman.

– So this Ponizinibbio guy is pretty good huh? My prediction was that “Gente Boa” would throw bombs at Nelson, move forward a little too much and get taken down and submitted. So I was right really except instead of being taken down Ponzinibbio took Nelson’s head off with an overhand right, then used a stiff left jab of all things to put an end to Nelson’s night.

-Shout out Podrick Payne sitting cage-side.

With all that said, here are a couple of fights I think make sense to put together with some of our Glasgow combatants.

 

Matches to make

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Neil Magny
-Who knows if Magny will ever make the jump to true contender, but a win over him will give Ponzinibbio a push in the direction of the belt he now publicly craves.

Cynthia Calvillo vs. Michelle Waterson
-It is already time to give Calvillo a top ten 115er, and who better to welcome her to the dance than the ever popular “Karate Hottie”.

Paul Felder vs Rashid Magomedov
-Magomedov is an ultra-talented striker who is unfortunately known for the tepid way he fights. I’m thinking a whirling dervish like Felder will bring out the best in him.

 

Twins Bringin’ Big Sexy Back

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The last time we saw Bartolo Colon at the Major League level was on June 28 in San Diego. As a member of the Atlanta Braves, Colon gave up six runs on eight hits and three walks over four innings against the Padres. It was his fourth straight clunker of start, and it looked like the end was near for the 44-year-old Big Sexy.

Colon was 2-8 this year for the Braves with an 8.14 ERA. Even with the weak definition of a quality start, only two of Colon’s 13 starts with the Braves this year qualified as quality starts. But rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated (for now), and Colon will play for his tenth Major League team on Tuesday night when he starts for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins will be hosting the New York Yankees.

It’s a start, and a series, with potential playoff implications. The Yankees currently find themselves just a half game ahead of the Twins for the second wild card spot in the American League. After getting out to a 38-23 start, the Yankees have gone 9-20 since June 13.  The Twins, after losing 103 games last year, have returned to respectability this year.

The Twins have been a surprise near the top of the AL Central this season. They haven’t set the world on fire but they have been consistent – they’ve never been up or down more than three games for first place in the AL Central. But their run differential is -63, 12th in the American League. They are the only team in baseball with a negative run differential and a record better than .500. They’re 10-5 in one-run games, but 12-21 in games decided by five runs or more.

Despite being in the wild card race near the trade deadline, I’d bet against the Twins making the playoffs. That’s why picking up Bartolo Colon is a great move. It will only cost the Twins a few hundred thousand dollars and no prospects. No need to “mortgage the future” to make this move.

If Colon catches fire, it’s a great story and fun little run in August and September. If Colon can’t straighten things out, and it really is the end of the road for him, he’s not much worse than what they’ve been running out there every fifth day anyways. And I find it hard to believe that a veteran pitcher could seriously disrupt any clubhouse chemistry. So again, all there really is to lose is a few bucks.

And then there’s this. The Twins 60-year-old manager, Paul Molitor, played his final Major League game on September 27, 1998. He faced the Cleveland Indians and Bartolo Colon that day. Molitor went 1-for-3 that day against Colon, and was 2-for-8 lifetime against Colon.

 

 

NFL and CFL Legend Doug Flutie Named to Toronto All-Time Team

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Toronto Argonauts – The Toronto Argonauts Football Club and the Toronto Argonauts Alumni Association are proud to announce that quarterback Doug Flutie has been named an All-Time Argo. Flutie played in Toronto for two seasons and was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player in both, leading the Argos to back-to-back Grey Cup Championships in 1996 and 1997. He was also named the Grey Cup MVP in both games. The product of Boston College holds the Argos’ single season record for most passing yards (5,720 – 1996), most pass completions (434 – 1996) and most passing touchdowns (47 – 1997).

First off, what a distinction. Rarefied air. Good for Doug Flutie. Now I readily admit I cant name a single other former Toronto Argonaut aside from Ricky Williams, but I recognize greatness. And holy hell did Doug Flutie put up some numbers in the CFL. He was (Canadian) Tom Brady before Tom Brady.

Have you ever actually looked at Flutie’s career CFL stats?

  • His career CFL statistics include 41,355 passing yards and 270 touchdowns.
  • He holds the professional football record of 6,619 yards passing in a single season. He led the league in passing five times in only eight seasons.
  • He once held four of the CFL’s top five highest single-season completion marks, including a record 466 in 1991 which was surpassed by Ricky Ray in 2005.
  • His 48 touchdown passes in 1994 remains a CFL record.
  • He earned three Grey Cup MVP awards, and was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player a record six times (1991–1994, and 1996–1997).
  • He passed for 5,000+ yards six times in his career and remains the only player in pro football history to pass for 6,000+ yards in a season twice in his career.

Those are legit Madden on Easy mode numbers, just a disgusting level of dominance of the CFL and their goofy wider field with goalposts in the endzone. Canada WORSHIPS this guy. Like I love Doug Flutie, but he’s a goddamn legend in the great white north. They voted him the greatest CFL player of all-time and then made him the first non-Canadian EVER inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

And how am I only just now hearing about Doug Flutie bobblehead night? I’ve been talking about seriously getting into the CFL this year. I think this is a sign. I think I have to drive up to Toronto for this right? I could expense this to The 300s (read: my credit card) right?

I need a Doug Flutie CFL jersey so bad. Its like acid in my mouth.

Celtics Officially Re-Sign Paul Pierce So He Can Retire With the Green

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You know its the little things in life that bring me the most joy. The Boston Celtics bringing back Paul Pierce on a one day contract to officially retire in green is one of those things.

Paul Pierce was the greatest Celtic of my lifetime for sure. I was too young to watch Larry Bird and those great 80s Celtics teams. So I grew up with those early 00s Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker teams. Pierce was the first guy in my life to get drafted, developed, become an elite NBA player and win a championship. He was the NBA Finals MVP the year they won and he’s gonna have his number in the rafters before too long. If Kendrick Perkins doesn’t get hurt in 2010 or Rasheed Wallace isn’t a complete bum, Pierce has two rings in three years with the C’s. He was competitive – routinely going head to head with LeBron in the playoffs. But above all, he was clutch. This was the guy you wanted with the ball in his hands with the clock winding down. Get Paul the ball, isolate and let him go to work. Didn’t matter who was guarding him, take him to the elbow, give him the Pierce lean to draw the contact or pull up and drain it. I had this Pierce game winner in LeBron’s eyeball as my background for a LONG time.

Pierce was also a part of one of my favorite Boston teams of all time, the 2011 team that lost to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. They only won 39 games that year and finished as the No. 4 seed, but it was the ultimate Grit and Balls team. The Big 3 was an old group of aging vets and this team was on its last legs. They had LeBron and the Heat on the ropes, who needed an otherworldly performance from LeBron to hold them off and ultimately knock the C’s out in 7. But that team was fun as hell to watch, getting by on effort, execution and just straight up balls. Sure they didn’t win the title that year, but they did spawn the best NBA playoffs commercial ever.

To sum it up, Pierce was the one constant for the Celtics over the years. He has the 2nd most points in franchise history with 24,021. He was there as a kid, he was there when the team was BAD, winning less than 30 games, the guy nearly died in Boston after getting stabbed for christ’s sake. He was there for the KG and Ray Allen team up. He was there to hoist the first Larry O’Brien trophy for Boston in 20+ years. Kevin Garnett changed the culture in Boston and they don’t win the title without Ray Allen, but Paul Pierce WAS the Celtics. The guy bled green for 15 years so it’s awesome to see him retire with the Boston Celtics.

HIT THE TRUTH HIGHLIGHTS!

Johnny Manziel is Still on the NFL Comeback Trail

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ProFootball Talk – The odds of Johnny Manziel getting a second chance in the NFL remain long. Yet, despite having not played since 2015, the former Heisman Trophy winner apparently is drawing more interest then Colin Kaepernick. Manziel said Saturday he has had a couple of conversations with NFL teams about a comeback. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported in March that Manziel had breakfast with Saints coach Sean Payton at the Super Bowl to discuss a return.

Right now doesn’t seem like a great time to be a comeback story in the NFL, especially as a QB. With guys like RGIII, Colin Kaepernick and Vince Young in the news for not being able to even get a training camp invite, you can’t be too optimistic for Johnny Football here. However, he was a first round pick, a Heisman winner, and is still only 24 years old somehow. That last sentence just made me feel old as hell.

So while I don’t anticipate it, if Manziel is finally done being a goddamn boozebag and is actually working out again, why not give him a shot? Of all the guys I mentioned above who can’t get a job, they all have some baggage. Kapernick obviously has been a lightning rod for anti-police protests, Vince Young is 34(!), and RGIII is a mobile QB with a surgically repaired knee (thank you Mike Shanahan). Manziel is undersized and has been a party animal, but he’s the youngest guy on this list and with all the egos in the NFL I would think someone would want to take a shot on this guy.