All Star Mustache

If you were debating whether or not to grow a mustache, Jason Giambi should be more than enough inspiration to grow that award winning mustache you were dreaming of. The Giambino has a mustache for the record books and has taken New York by storm with his new Lip Fur. Just this week the Yankees had their first official Mustache Day where fans were given mustaches upon entry into the ballpark. Even starting pitcher Mike Mussina (above) and manager Joe Jirardi were seen sporting the mustaches on Wednesday.

The mustache craze has gone far enough to gain approval from the American Mustache Institute who just recently endorsed Giambi for an all star bid. Executive Director Aaron Perlut had this to say about Giambi's new stash, "It doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that Jason Giambi's hitting prowess, plus a fashionable mustache, equals a bona fide All-Star. Giambi's significant first-half production as well as his powerful lip fur -- indicating great intellect and good looks -- make two very compelling reasons for his place on the American League All-Star roster."

On top of all of this, Giambi's numbers have skyrocketed since the induction of the stash to his facial ensemble. Before the mustache, Giambi was hitting sub .200 but the power of the stash has raised his average more than 50 points to .257. He also has 18 home runs which ties him for fifth in the AL. H has 53 RBIs up to this point in the season.

Although the mustache couldn't pull Giambi enough votes for an all star bid, it did cause quite a stir among major league baseball and mustache growers everywhere.

Oh Shaquille

Just today, word hit the street about Shaq's freestyle calling out Kobe saying "Kobe, tell me tell me how my ass tastes" and "Kobe, you couldn't do without me." He also references to how Kobe ratted him out which he attributed to the end of his marriage. Below is the video, along with a previous musical attempt back when Shaq called out Vlade Divac.

I really don't know what's more ridiculous, the fact that Shaq manages to rhyme the word me with me about a hundred times, or the fact that the media is just eating this story up. It seemed that the feud between the two had been stifled as O'Neil said he had called Kobe recently to congratulate him on his MVP award. It seems that the rap has re-lit the fire in the battle between the two former teammates. On top of it all, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County wants Shaq's specialty deputy badge back. Poor Shaq, how will he live without his toy badge?

I hope it can be agreed that Shaq should stick to basketball instead of rapping. But wait, didn't Shaq just ruin the championship contender Suns last year? And let's not forget our favorite movies starring Shaq like Kazaam and Steel. Maybe rapping isn't such a bad idea after all...

Pitcher traded for 10 baseball bats

So this story is about a week old, but I thought it would be interesting to write about. Last Friday pitcher John Odom was traded from the Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League to the Laredo Broncos of the United League for 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats, each baseball bat worth about $65-70. The Vipers signed the pitcher about a month ago, but couldn't get the player into the Canada because of a minor criminal charge the player had when he was a minor. This isn't the first time Calgary came up with a creative deal. The Vipers once tried to acquire a pitcher for 1,500 blue seats when they were renovating their stadium.

This is a video I found on Youtube where the player was interviewed on ESPN's First Take which aired on Monday May 26:

Reply to Best Brothers in Sports

I was reading over Cameron's lastest post of the Best Brothers in Sports and I felt compelled to name some more brothers that included on his list. 

Currently in MLB, there are the Upton brothers (BJ & Justin), Drew brothers (JD & Stephen), Young brothers (Dimitri & Delmon), Weaver brothers (Jeff & Jered), the Izturis brothers (Cesar & Maicer), and the Laroche brothers (Adam & Andy). There are also many great former players who had brothers as well. The Ripken brothers, the DiMaggio brothers, the Alomar brothers, the Neikro brothers, the Aaron brothers, and there were probably many others. One important brother combo would have to be Paul and Lloyd Waner, the only brother combo in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

In the NFL, some notable brothers besides the Manning and Barber brothers would be Champ and Boss Bailey, Koy and Ty Detmer, Matt and Tim Hasselback, Terrence and Tory Holt, Brock and Damon Huard, Julius and Thomas Jones, Josh and Luke McKown, Santana and Sinorice Moss,  and Jordan and Carson Palmer. But there are a lot more that I didn't mention. As of April 2007, there are 313 documented sets of brothers who have played pro football.

For the NBA, there aren't very many brothers I could find except the Collins brothers (Jared and Jerren), and soon the Lopez brothers (Robin and Brook). 

Sorry I didn't feel like looking up brothers in other sports.

Best Brothers in Sports?

Who make the best brothers in sports? I'm not sure I'm ready to rank them, but here are a few notable names. My vote goes to the Molina's or Vick's. That's just me. Maybe the bash brothers are a close runner up.

1. Peyton and Eli Manning (Obviously)
2. Tiki and Ronde Barber (Their heads are identical in shininess and baldness)
3. Bengie, Jose, and Yadier Molina (One's good, one's not good, and one's just bad)
4. Robin and Brook Lopez (Twins!)
5. John and Patrick McEnroe (Let's be honest, John is far more interesting)
6. Jose and Ozzie Canseco (What a Shame)
7. The Bash Brothers- Mark Mcgwire and Jose Canseco (Hey they're not related, but who's counting?)
8. Serena and Venus Williams (Not brothers, but as strong and scary as men for sure)
9. Michael and Marcus Vick (We can only hope Marcus enjoys animals as much as Michael)
10. Adrian and Adrian Peterson (Not related but they have the same name. That's still pretty cool. Plus my other post is about one of them. Why not take a look?)

Bold Predictions?

Just last week Vikings running back Adrian Peterson made some predictions about his numbers in the upcoming season. He expects an improvement compared to next season, a substantial improvement.

Peterson hopes to rush for 2000 yards compared to his 1,341 he had in his rookie season. He did miss two games due to injury but over the 14 games he did play, he averaged below 100 yards per game. To reach 2000, Peterson would need to raise that average to 125 yards per game. Not to mention there have only been five players in NFL history to reach the 2000 yard mark. Among them are OJ Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, and Jamal Lewis.

Peterson also wants the MVP award for the 2008-2009 season. These for sure are high hopes for the 2nd year running back. But, there's no denying his talent and it seems that the sky is the limit for Peterson.

NBA Playoffs=Don't Mess With the Zohan Preview

We've all seen the playoffs commercials where two NBA playoff opponents recite a catchy line about how they know they reached the post-season. Another important fact is that half of each of the players faces have been fit together to make one face. I've posted a video below. The best one I've seen is with Baron Davis and the Zohan. The commercial is a spoof of the actual one, and adds a little humor while removing the drama the actual commercials had. It's also posted below. Check them out!

Kobe Kobe Kobe

When we're not hearing about Mr. Kobe Bryant and his hunt for another championship, we're hearing about Kobe Bryant jumping over an Aston Martin. If you haven't seen the video, definitely check it out below. There's been heavy speculation on whether or not the video is a fake, but by just watching the video, its hard to say. Kobe hints that the magic of Hollywood created the stunt in a video I posted below. Even if it is fake, I think its worth it to see Ronny Turiaf having a mini freakout before Kobe's jump. Either way, I'm impressed.

AL East-Can it Last?

The MLB season is in its infancy, but that doesn't mean we can't take a look at what's happened so far. First, the American League East has been turned upside down with the two powerhouses, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, making way for the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays took out the devil and it seems to have paid off. The Orioles havn't changed their name but still have seen payoffs. Both teams have had aid from young pitching. The Rays are second in the AL in both ERA and WHIP in the American League. The Orioles are 2nd in saves among the AL.

Can it last? Just looking at the payrolls of the teams it wouldn't seem to be so. The Yankees hold the highest payroll with over 209 million and the Red Sox hold the 4th highest with over 133 million. The Orioles and Rays don't even come close with 67 million and 43 million respectively.

The Rays and O's are in a series this week, and who would have thought that they could be fighting for the top spot in the AL East. Let's see if this refreshing AL East can hold for a substantial part of the season.

What Does This Year's First Round Have in Store?

This year's NBA Draft top selection is already being predicted as we speak. Most expect Derrick Rose of Memphis to take the top spot, followed by Kansas State's Michael Beasley. But, what have the previous first pick's of the NBA draft offered us up to this point?

Here is a list of the past 10 first picks in the NBA Drafts of the past 10 years. We've seen the good, Dwight Howard and Lebron James, and the bad, Michael Olowokandi and Kwame Brown. The Los Angeles area has opened their doors to two of the biggest busts over the last 10 years. Oh well, ya win some and ya lose some right? (Unless you're the Clippers. Then you just lose a lot).

Will 2008's first pick bring us the next NBA superstar?

1998-Michael Olowokandi
1999-Elton Brand
2000-Kenyon Martin
2001-Kwame Brown
2002-Yao Ming
2003-Lebron James
2004-Dwight Howard
2005-Andrew Bogut
2006-Andrea Bargnani
2007-Greg Oden
2008-?

Pac is Back?

This afternoon ESPN released that the Dallas Cowboys and former suspended Tennessee Titan Adam "Pacman" Jones agreed in principle on a trade. The deal will send Pacman to the 'Boys for a 4th round draft pick, #126 to be exact. If Jones plays a significant amount in the 2008 season, the Titans will receive an additional pick.

Is America's team getting a little overzealous? NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hasn't even reinstated Pacman, and he has said he won't make a decision until training camp. This hasn't stopped Dallas from agreeing to dish out a fourth rounder. Is it such a stretch to think Goodell will hold out on Pacman's reinstatement for a few more games this season? Maybe. But what's even more ridiculous is to think that Jones will stay out of trouble for an entire season.

And, does he deserve to be reinstated? If your manager at McDonalds found out that you were involved in a shooting at a strip club, would they give you a year off and hire you back? I think not. Whatever the case, Pacman's year should be an interesting on indeed.

Welcome!

I'm a Syracuse University Student who's a lover of all sports.  I'll let you know what I'm thinking about in the sports world, and I hope you'll let me know what you think too.  I'm definitely no Jim Rome or Doug Gottlieb, but I'll give you something to think about while you're here.