Archive for February, 2010
Unfortunately, that is not the reason that these two Winter Olympics superstars are paired together in a recent story. But if if I could have somehow harnessed the technology necessary to perform an “If They Mated” test with these two, we would hit most certainly hit comedic gold.
No, South Korea’s figure skating darling Kim Yu-Na and American snowboarding sensation Shaun White have not been romantically linked. They are, however, tied for first place on a recent list by Forbes ranking the highest-earning Olympic athletes (excluding salaried professional athletes like hockey players of course). Both earned a whopping $8 million last year.
White, known to many as “The Flying Tomato” because of his long red hair, is a favorite to repeat as a gold medalist at the Winter Games in Vancouver this month. Among his sponsors are such companies as Target Corp, Red Bull, Oakley and AT&T Inc.
Kim, the reigning world champion and known as “Queen Yu-na,” is South Korea’s hope for its first figure skating gold medal. The 19-year-old’s sponsors include Hyundai Motor Co, Procter & Gamble Co and Nike Inc. Forbes previously named her the most powerful celebrity in South Korea for 2009.
Forbes based their rankings on “earnings derived from prize money, endorsements, licensing income and bonuses in 2009 and does not deduct for taxes or agents’ fees.”
But $8 million is still a ton of scratch for even a professional hockey player, so the young Shaun White and even younger still Kim Yu-Na, aged 23 and 19 respectively, are sitting pretty well financially. No word on whether Mr. White or Miss Yu-Na are currently attached, so all of you aspiring golddiggers out there should definitely give it a shot and see if you have what it takes to make either of these Olympians happy.
Okay, let’s be honest, none of you have a chance in hell, but wouldn’t it have been cool if you did?
(On a side note, isn’t it lame that NBC has taken down Conan’s “If They Mated” archive? If anyone knows where you can still view them, lemme know.)
The Tomato, figure-skating queen, top Forbes list [Reuters]
I know what you’re thinking, “What… like the back of a Kia?” And to that I would likely respond with a “Well played,” or “How did you know?” or “Huh? Don’t you mean Volkswagen?”
Yes, it may have taken a lot of words and some slight alterations to the original joke to get the resulting punchline, but I am confident that you will agree with me it was all worth it in the end.
You see, Wie just signed an endorsement deal with the aforementioned Kia. The automaker will also sponsor a tournament on the LPGA Tour, the Kia Classic, which will be held at the La Costa Resort near San Diego March 25-28.
The news that Wie has signed on for yet another sponsorship is certainly additional evidence of the career upswing Wie has been enjoying since earning her first tour victory last November. It is also an incredibly encouraging sign for the LPGA, who, like the PGA Tour, is cash-starved for sponsors. But I believe the real story here is my ability to riff on and pull off a sweet-ass Mallrats reference.
No, that’s okay. A round of applause is not necessary. I wouldn’t be able to hear you anyway.
Kia Motors signs deal with Wie, LPGA tournament [Sporting News/AP]
Take that, U.S. military-industrial complex!
The United States Air Force, due to pressure exerted upon them by the White Stripes, has agreed to pull a commercial that aired during Super Bowl XLIV which featured a song that sounded suspiciously like the White Stripes song, “Fell In Love With A Girl.” So much so, the commercial in question prompted White Stripes and their management to issue a statement on the band’s website condemning the use of their song which included the controversial commercial next to the video for “Fell In Love With A Girl.”
Below is a screencap of the statement that is still up on the White Stripes’ official site:
Finally, a good reason to follow ESPN’s Rachel Nichols on Twitter other than the fact that it’s all the closest I can get to the redheaded reporter without violating the restraining order.
Ms. Nichols posted a link to this twitpic on her Twitter account earlier this morning and, as mentioned above, essentially says all that needs to be said about the Saints finally exorcising every single demon that once possessed and held dominion over their once cursed franchise. To be sure, they ain’t the ‘Aints no more.
Thanks, Rachel Nichols. Not just for the photo, but simply for being you. She knows what I’m talking about.
Some things you cannot unsee, and Rex Ryan’s ample, pasty gut is one of those.
Rex Ryan was among those in attendance at the Carolina Hurricanes-Florida Panthers game in Raleigh last night. Not usually the kind of guy who likes to draw attention to himself, Ryan inexplicably showed up in a Philadelphia Flyers sweater. Someone at the arena noticed the pleasantly plump coach and sent some ice girls down to where Ryan was seated and suggested he change out of the Flyers sweater into the more regionally appropriate Panthers sweater. Of course, Ryan was more than happy to oblige, providing a bit of a flabby peep show along the way to our collective horror.
(shudders)
All I am reminded of after looking at that photo is when Homer takes the cannonball to the gut during the Homerpalooza episode. Yeesh.
Rex Ryan’s Rather Unfortunate In-Game Wardrobe Change [Update] [The Big Lead (via @joeovies)]
Lindsey Vonn Doesn’t Like Her Dad
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Lindsey Vonn’s father, Alan Kildow, will not be in Vancouver to cheer on his daughter as she races for gold. Not because the Minneapolis attorney cannot get there, but because he is not welcome.
Kildow, a former competitive skier who introduced Lindsey to skiing at the age of 2 and even moved the entire family to Colorado when Lindsey was a preteen, has been estranged from his daughter many years ago. Kildow refuses to say exactly when and why a rift developed between the two – “I don’t get into the details,” Kildow told The Associated Press in a recent telephone interview. “She’s my daughter, I love her, and in that sense it’s great” – although Vonn herself has previously stated that her dad was overly-critical of her when she failed.
“He always supported me when I did well, which was 90 percent of the time, but when I didn’t, he didn’t handle it very well,” Vonn told the Denver Post a few months before those games. “It was so hot and cold. It was so much criticism and so much negativity, and it was really hard to balance my emotions.”
The speculation is that the final straw was when Kildow disapproved when Lindsey began dating her current husband, Thomas Vonn, who is nine years older than her. Ironically, perhaps Lindsey’s unresolved daddy issues compelled her to begin seeing an older man in the first place.
And despite his attempts to contact her via e-mail and phone calls – Kildow refuses to say whether she ever replies or answers – the iciness between the two has not yet melted, nor does it appear a reconciliation is going to occur any time soon.
Now Kildow is left watching from a distance as his daughter begins her assault on Vancouver. Sucks to be him.
Lindsey Vonn, father have strained relationship [Sporting News/AP]
Wake N’ Blog is the Sportress of Blogitude’s morning link dump. Go ahead, squeeze the Charmin, we won’t tell Mr. Whipple – as long as you send me some links and/or tips.
• There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of a pot cookie binge. Thirty-year-old Kinman Chan of San Francisco was on a flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles on Sunday when he began freaking out in the bathroom and ended up in a scuffle with the crew. Chan blames his wigging out on eating a double dose of medicinal marijuana cookies. Right. [MSNBC/AP]
• Ticket sales for the NBA All-Star Game are nearing 92,000. That’s a lot of people to be interested in a boring game. [Ball Don't Lie]
• Nevada sports books made $6.8 million in profits on Super Bowl wagers. Thank goodness, I was worried sick about them. [Las Vegas Sun]
• Busty Texas Longhorn fan started yesterday off as a mystery woman who captured the fancy of internet pervs everywhere, then her identity was ultimately discovered, which is good, because she is one smoking hot mama. [Deadspin, Deadspin]
• Punte met Mr. Belding a/k/a Dennis Haskins and got his shirt signed by the legend! [With Leather]
Be sure to click on through to the other side. We have lots of good stuff for you, including Beaker from The Muppets singing “Dust in the Wind” and I am very confident that you don’t want to miss that.
In my futile efforts to try and come up with something entertaining – or at the very least interesting – for Last Call that is somehow “last call” related, I came across an article on OK‘s website about this being the final season a/k/a “Last Call” for the series Lost.
I imagine that with the devotion that is displayed by Lost loyalists, this must be heartbreaking. Boo-hoo.
I have to admit – I have never seen one episode of the show, not even five minutes. I suppose that makes me an outcast of sorts, but I never got around to watching it. Sure, it looks intriguing and all – I have always been a huge fan of Twilight Zone and The X-Files, so it probably is right up my alley – but there is only so much time for television viewing in the average day. Further, sometimes things get way too overblown and popular and by the time you catch on, it has lost its luster on a personal interest level and you don’t feel like following the crowd. Stupid? Absolutely.
I don’t know, maybe I’ll rent the seasons on DVD or Blu-Ray and watch them or maybe I’ll stick to what I usually do and watch six consecutive reruns of The Office on TBS that I am completely bored with because I have seen them 10 times already.
Yep. I’m one of those lazy, stuck in a routine tools.
Well, onward and upward, I suppose.
It’s 4:19, You Gotta Minute? (February 9th)
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• Easily the best photo from Super Bowl XLIV. [With Leather]
• Sexy sideline reporter Ines Sainz took part in a sexy photo shoot. [Busted Coverage]
• Taking another look at the controversy surrounding Peyton Manning leaving the field early. [The Sporting Blog]
• All former Canadiens GM Bob Gainey wants to do is play the piano. [Four Habs Fans]
• The fellas at KSK got their hands on some NFL-themed candy hearts. [Kissing Suzy Kolber]
• Some things you can’t unsee. This photoshop of what Bud Selig’s statue outside Miller Park might look like is one of them. [Big League Stew]
Be sure to click through, you wouldn’t want to miss the greatest weatherman video of all time.
A Sidney Crosby commercial featuring him and Max Talbot shooting pucks into the Crosby family’s “famous” dryer was voted the most entertaining NHL-themed commercial according to an online vote on NHL.com.
Apologies for all the haterade, but try as I might, I cannot bring myself to like, let alone tolerate, that jerkoff. People often refer to him as the “Face of the NHL” but why would any league want that whiny, sniveling, sourpuss-faced petulant little turd as their poster boy? Is anybody else with me on this or am I my own on this one?
Enough with my rant, here’s the gist of the commercial:
The ad, for Reebok’s Speedwick performance T-shirts, features Crosby and Talbot in a contest to see who can shoot nine pucks into the dryer first. The always-entertaining Talbot takes an early lead, but Crosby comes back to win, with him scoring the final goal with his eyes closed.
Talbot does get a bit of his credibility back when he asks Crosby, “How many goals did you score in Game 7 (of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final)? I got two.”
Zing! Video of the Crosby-Talbot commercial as well as the one that in my opinion should have won after the jump.
Well, if a person who has not had contact with Tiger or Elin for six years believes they can work things out, well gosh darn it, why shouldn’t we?
Reverend Ricky Kirton, the pastor who married Tiger and Elin at their lavish Barbados wedding in 2004 , broke his silence and agreed to discuss the couple’s many issues – or at least as far as the confidentiality agreement would allow him – with People magazine, and he had a very deep, thought-provoking message for the troubled duo:
“Forgive each other. Be there for each other, and it will work out.”
Seriously, that’s it? That is all the wisdom he would wish to impart to Tiger and Elin? Essentially, forgive and forget is this guy’s motto. This guy is like the Bizarro Maury Povich! Kirton also used the words “charismatic” and “attractive” to describe the two at the wedding and “how, like all the couples he marries, they appeared to be in love. ” Well, that about blows the lid off this story. Good to know.
The Reverend added one more nugget of wisdom obviously derived from years upon years of scripture study, which he advises all couples to follow, not necessarily just Tiger and Elin:
“Remember these four phrases,” he says. “I was wrong. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you.”
Holy crap, somebody get this guy a daytime talk show, a nationally-syndicated advice column, anything that can get his overly-simplistic message out to those who are too moronic to figure out these concepts on their own. This guy has got it, folks. I don’t know exactly what, but he’s got it.
Tiger & Elin’s Wedding Pastor Predicts: It Will Work Out [People]
Tiger Woods’ Pastor Speaks Out: ‘Forgive Each Other, And It Will Work Out’ [The Huffington Post]
That’s what she said.
In last night’s Kansas-Texas showdown and with the game well in hand late in the second half, Kansas guard Brady Morningstar stepped to the line to shoot a free throw resulting from a technical. What happened next, as you can see above, is one of the worst free throw attempts in the history of organized basketball. Abner Doubleday is probably rolling over in his grave…….
Of course, it was because of a wet ball. Boy, if I had a nickel…
“The ball was wet. It slipped on the way up. I was so confused. I could have caught it and came down with it, but I’d have stepped on the line. I tried to shoot a little jump shot so I didn’t cross the line,” Morningstar said.
“I looked pretty stupid there,” he added. “We laughed about it in the locker room just now.”
If the name Brady Morningstar is ringing a bell, it is not solely because of its inherent awesomeness or total lameness, depending on whether you are mulling over the name Morningstar or the name Brady (I’ll let you figure out which one is awesome). Some of you may recall that Morningstar got into a little trouble in October of last year when he was suspended for the first semester due to a drunken driving arrest – Morningstar’s first game back for the Jayhawks was December 19th against Michigan and he missed a total of nine games. With that in mind, his embarrassing free throw attempt could either be attributed to a bout of DTs or the fact he just doesn’t have a lot of experience handling wet balls.
I’m going to hedge my bets and go with DTs. His name is Brady, for Pete’s sake. I am also going to hedge by bets and guess that some moron is going to call me on the Doubleday reference without reading the entire post. That’ll learn ‘em.
The ugliest missed free throw you’ve ever seen [The Dagger]
Gary Bedore’s KU basketball notebook [KU Sports]
Kansas’ Brady Morningstar suspended after arrest for DWI [Kansas City Star]
Ever heard of Trine University? I haven’t either, but apparently, the small private university located in Angola, Indiana has enough pull to land one Robert Montgomery Knight as the commencement speaker for this year’s graduation ceremonies.
University president Earl Brooks II says Knight’s respect for learning and ability to instill character in his players will make him an inspiring speaker for the 1,400-student school on May 8.
The private school in Angola said Tuesday that Knight would also receive an honorary doctor of public service degree in recognition of his commitment to improving the lives of young people.
Oh, Coach Knight would be more than happy to instill some character into the graduating class of 2010 at Trine University. Is choking allowed?
In any event, it should be an entertaining speech and despite how the students may personally feel about Coach Knight, the fact that he will be delivering the commencement speech is inevitable, so they should relax and enjoy it.
Bob Knight named Trine University’s grad speaker [Yahoo!/AP]
Not A Shining Knight [SI Vault]
Crap, we might as well make this Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Day here on the Sportress. It’s not like anything else is going on.
With her star-marking turn as the cover girl of Sports Illustrated‘s Winter Olympics preview issue and now her photo spread for the periodical’s Swimsuit Issue, to say that Lindsey Vonn is poised to take over the world would be an understatement. Hopefully, there will be enough snow in Vancouver when the Olympics kick-off so Vonn can also demonstrate that she is so much more than an athlete who just happens to be very attractive as there is no reason to believe that Vonn will not dominate her events in Vancouver.
Photo gallery and video after the jump.
Whaaaaaa?
Obviously, we are all now aware that Brooklyn Decker has landed the heralded spot as the 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl.
Any reason to publish the above photo is good enough for me, but even more than that, a tidbit mentioned in an article by New York Daily News staff writer Soraya Roberts greatly perplexed me.
Her husband, tennis star Andy Roddick, usually steals the spotlight but Monday night all eyes were on Brooklyn Decker.
The sports star’s little known 22-year-old wife was unveiled as the 2010 Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl on “The Late Show With David Letterman.”
Little known? What the fungus? Who doesn’t know who Brooklyn Decker is? I would speculate that Brooklyn Decker is just as well-known in many segments of the population as her tennis-playing husband.
Sure, the particular segments of the population I am referring to generally consist of gawking, slack-jawed, internet perverts who spend way too much time drooling over photos of women on the web, but still. I guess I have to reluctantly include myself in that group since I know who she is, but it’s nice to have a sense of belonging, am I right?
Anyhoo, congrats to Brooklyn Decker. We’re all very, very happy for her. Especially one Soraya Roberts – she is pretty confident that this was just the break you needed to really jump start her struggling career.
Brooklyn Decker, Andy Roddick’s wife, unveiled as 2010 Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl [New York Daily News]
