Archive for December, 2011
International soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo took a break from whatever he’s currently doing to swim with some dolphins. The Real Madrid star had a nice time hanging with marine mammals, tweeting that “It’s amazing how they engage with us.” Indeed.
I really have nothing else to add. Now, if you’ll excuse me, for some reason or another, I suddenly have a hankering for a tuna fish sandwich. Maybe some mackerel. Yum.
Full disclosure: Ronaldo will not be starring in Flipper 2: Electric Boogaloo, mainly because no one has penned a script for it yet. But if a sequel was to be made about the dolphin who is faster than lightning, I bet Ronaldo would be all over it.
Wow. Pretty fancy. And so serious. But it is way cooler than the Favre family’s holiday pic, so I’ll give them credit for that.
Tweeted by Twitter temptress Paulina Gretzky (by way of Busted Coverage), the alleged Gretzky Family Holiday Photo you see above, given it’s highly-stylized, high concept imagery evokes a Sopranos season photo quality. To wit:
In Carolina’s 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night, Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward was credited with a goal after an errant pass from Ilya Kovalchuk to Adam Henrique scooted down the ice and into the Devils’ empty net. Since Ward was the last member of the Hurricanes to touch the puck, he received credit for the goal, the first of his career.
Initially, the goal was awarded to teammate Brandon Sutter, but a postgame review revealed that Sutter never touched the puck. By default, it was then Ward’s first goal, and interestingly enough, the first goal scored by a goalie in Carolina franchise history, going all they way back to when they were the Hartford Whalers (insert Mallrats reference).
Sutter was more than happy to defer credit for the goal to his teammate:
“It was Wardo’s. As soon as it went in, I think we all knew it was his. And then the ref kind of came up to me and asked what happened. He asked who touched it last, and it was (Ward).”
Good for Ward. All he needs to do now is get in a fight and somehow win a faceoff and he would have a trifecta in “Things Goalies Don’t Generally Do.” Which would be pretty neat.
Ward, to his credit, is treating his first career goal with appropriate deference as he clearly understands the fluky nature of it all:
“It would have been a lot cooler if I had shot the puck or did something like that,” Ward said.
Fair enough, but in the end, it still goes in the stats. Relative coolness of the goal is irrelevant.
Ha. The Segway-riding cameraman who had his humiliating crash documented on video for the ages is Joe Previtera but is known to cricket fans in the Land Down Under as “Joe the Cameraman.” Mr. Previtera took a bit of a tumble while scooting around the pitch when he was focusing on what he was filming instead of the path his Segway was traveling when he ran over some player equipment, causing him to topple over in a delightfully amusing scene.
A description of the scene from vlogger GCCMelbourne (via Deadspin):
Joe now drives a Segway during the summer’s Cricket fixtures, but just after lunch on day two the man who brings such great pictures was himself the centre of attention.
vJoe was scooting across the MCG turf when his vehicle ran into keeper Brad Haddin’s helmet – which was lying on the turf as players warmed up for the resumption of play – and he tumbled off.
A little red-faced but otherwise unharmed, Joe had to be helped to his feet by Aussie skipper Michael Clarke and Shaun Marsh.
Poor guy. It reminds me of the old saying, “Look where you’re Segway-ing, or Segway where you’re looking.” Actually, that’s an update on an old saying for these modern times, what with cameramen riding around on Segways and crashing into stuff and whatnot. What a crazy world we live in.
And it should be noted that this is the most amusing Segway mishap since GOB used to tool around on one of those dorky conveyances. Classic.
During the Anaheim Ducks’ 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Monday night, some wisenheimer — presumably a Sharks fan — who also apparently has no problem with smuggling in a dead animal carcass into a hockey game, threw a dead duck on the ice at the HP Pavilion. Please excuse the pun, but that’s just quacky, people.
The video does show the perpetrator of the crime against waterfowl getting ejected for his shenanigans, so I hope it was worth it. At least his buddies captured it on video so he can relive his triumphant moment at a later date. But perhaps the best part of the video is watching Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller skate up to the carcass to inspect before retreating upon the realization that it was really a dead duck that was just hurled on the ice. I don’t blame him for skating away — it’s not his job to take care of it — but credit must be given to the referee who promptly scoops it up for disposal, much better than the lack of courage exhibited by this referee who turned into a sissy when a salmon was thrown on the ice during a Canucks-Wild game last season.
Speaking of which, this entire throwing carcasses on the ice is getting way, way out of hand. Just a few years ago, another Sharks fan threw a dead Tiger shark with a baby octopus in its mouth on the ice during a playoff game against the Detroit Red Wings, which was a nod — with a dash of comeuppance — to the tradition of an octopus getting thrown on the ice at Red Wings home games. I mean, what’s next? Let’s hope it doesn’t get to the point where some sicko fan somewhere thinks it would be a hoot to throw a dead penguin or dead panther on the ice surface, or even worse, a Senator. Gulp. Actually, forget I even mentioned it.
As a Vikings fan, you can only imagine how dejected and horrified I was on Saturday after watching Adrian Peterson blow out his knee early in the second during the game against the Redskins, so I can only imagine how Peterson felt himself after writhing in agony on the turf while his NFL career flashed before his eyes while being carted off the field. But what he remembered to do afterward while sitting in the locker room typified the remarkable character and class Adrian Peterson has exhibited throughout his career.
Through a series of tweets (below), Pioneer Press Vikings reporter Jeremy Fowler chronicled how Adrian Peterson, despite the terrible injury which left him with a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee and a long, grueling road of rehab ahead of him, remembered a promise he made to a fan before the game and how he made sure he kept that promise. Read More→
It was a banner week in the corner of the Twitter universe where Arianny Celeste resides, as she uploaded a bevy of photos which are sure to get everybody in the holiday spirit — notwithstanding the more Christmas-themed pics from last week, which are well worth a look-see.
Included in this week’s roundup of pics are photos from a video shoot for something or other, although if I am deciphering Miss Arianny’s tweets correctly, the video might be for the band Manufactured Superstars (does it really matter?) where she transforms herself into Schoolgirl Arianny and Spacegirl Arianny. Good stuff.
More pics follow and as an extra special holiday treat, a YouTube video featuring leaked photos from her 2012 calendar.
A TMZ camera crew caught up with the beautiful Lindsey Vonn in New York City on Thursday night — presumably after her appearance on the Late Show with David Lettermen where she rocked this jaw-dropping red dress (mercy) — and asked her what everybody has been wondering: what’s the deal with all the rumors about her dating Tim Tebow.
You might recall a few weeks back when Vonn, accompanied by Tim Tebow’s brother Robby, “Tebowed” after winning the World Cup Super-G. This set off a firestorm of conjecture about a possible relationship between the Olympic champion and the Denver Broncos quarterback. Nothing much came of those rumors, but during her back-and-forth with the TMZ trolls, Vonn unequivocally denied dating Tebow but said that she’s “not opposed to dating him.”
Hoo-ah! Hoo-ah! Sound the alarms, kiddies. The lovely Vonn just might be setting her sights on everybody’s favorite Jesus-thanking quarterback. And do you know what? More power to her. By all appearances, she seems like a great gal, although I suspect that no matter who Tebow ultimately dates at some point, that young lady will inevitably be on the receiving end of a backlash akin to how Bieber Fever Gals went after Selena Gomez.
And yes, I cannot believe I illustrated a point by referring to the relationship between Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Lord have mercy.
Sure, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander won both the AL Cy Young and AL MVP awards after his phenomenal 2011 season, but according to his tweet where he revealed the cover for Major League Baseball 2K12 attached, he’s nevertheless pretty darn proud of the most recent honor bestowed upon him:
Got an early xmas present from the team at @2ksports, @mlb_players and @mlb! #MLB2K12 #proudmoment
That’s pretty cool and is indeed something which Verlander should feel extreme pride. But I have to comment on the all the swirly smoke-like stuff circulating around his body. I understand that the imagery is supposed to represent the power, speed and velocity that is generated whenever Verlander throws to the plate, but doesn’t it look a little bit like how the Tasmanian Devil looks when he starts spinning? Maybe a baseball-throwing genie might be a more apt comparison. Or possibly Pig-Pen from Peanuts. Any of those work.
Very colorful. And quite festive. James tweeted that he wore these old Christmas-themed LeBron 8s during practice on Friday but assured his loyal followers that he will be rocking the LeBron 9 “Christmas” shoes on Sunday when the Miami Heat get their season started against the Dallas Mavericks.
If you ask me — which no one ever does — the newer Christmas version of the kicks are much nicer. Maybe it’s the angle of the photo, but the shoes LeBron wore in practice on Friday appear all puffy, like they are a hybrid of a high-top and a moon boot.
So there you have it. LeBron was wearing red and green shoes. That’s all I got. Happy Holidays. Yeah.
It’s funny because it looks like fire is shooting out of his butt, similar to the sensation one might experience after taking down a sack of sliders.
This reference might be a bit dated for some of you youngsters out there since they aren’t around anymore for some ridiculous reason, but my old man would say after feasting upon White Castle that his ass felt like the inside of a car cigarette lighter. Perhaps a good example of too much information but what it lacks in class and decorum it more than makes up for with its painfully accurate imagery.
[via @JimmyTraina]
So much good going on in this one. From “You might think there’s no such thing as — John Scott” to Patrick Kane hamming it up to the awesome sweaters this bad boy has it all. I just want to know when the album will be made available on iTunes? What?
Brilliant. If this delightful little video doesn’t get you into the holiday spirit, not only do you deserve coal in your stocking, you must have a chunk of coal for a heart.
[H/T Puck Daddy]
Yes, I know what you’re thinking: what the heck is a “Social Sideline Reporter”? You’re also probably thinking “Sweet Sassy Molassey” but before we get to that, let us define the interesting new job title that the Phoenix Suns claim is ” the first position of its kind for a professional sports franchise.”
Via NBA.com:
Christensen will join the club’s home-game broadcasts on Fox Sports Arizona and Arizona Sports 620 this season to share comments from fan discussions taking place on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
“Social media has become an integral part of how the Suns connect and interact with our fans on a daily basis,” said Suns VP of Digital, Jeramie McPeek. “Kayte’s knowledge of basketball, experience in broadcasting and love of social media will help us take that fan engagement to a new level, enhancing our game broadcasts and in-arena experience this season.”
Interesting. Also interesting? Christensen is a former WNBA player who spent seven seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. After her professional basketball career, she went on to become the TV color analyst for the Mercury and later spent a few years as the pre and post-game show analyst for the Sacramento Kings before being replaced by the much less attractive — actually the diametrically opposite in attractiveness — Jim Gray.
Speaking of attractive, more photos of the Suns’ new gal on the block can be found below.
Well, there you go. Probably a good call by the editors to pull this, uh, provocative image from an upcoming issue of NFL Magazine, although I imagine golfer Cristie Kerr has no problem with the manner in which this trophy is depicted.
And what the heck is the gold stuff, uh, coming off the Phallic Football Trophy supposed to represent? Actually, never mind. I don’t want to know.
I do know, however, that when Clay Matthews grabs hold of a trophy, he really grabs hold of a trophy, at least according to the illustrator of this particular drawing. And the look on Matthews’ face ain’t helping anything, either. Utterly disturbing. Thankfully, whoever drew this decided against grunting in a speech balloon.
Jeez, what kind of pervert artists does the NFL have on staff at NFL Magazine? Guys who couldn’t quite cut it in the Hentai industry? Yikes.
[via]
After fielding numerous complaints from irate residents last week, Polk County (Fla.) communications director Mianne Nelson removed a cardboard “statue” of Tim Tebow that had been anonymously placed near a Christmas Nativity scene display in a park nearby the county’s administration building in the town of Bartow. Crazy times.
From a report by TheLedger.com (via Off the Bench):
The stylized, rectangular replica of Tebow mysteriously appeared Thursday in Millenium Park, a grassy area adjacent to the Neil Combee Administration Building. The area is designated for approved public displays during the holiday season.
Though Tebow has acquired the nickname “Mile High Messiah” while leading the Broncos to six consecutive victories, the proximity of the cartoonish statue to a plastic version of the baby Jesus apparently offended at least a few local residents.
Nelson said the county received a handful of phone calls Thursday and Friday from citizens unhappy about the Tebow icon. She confiscated the two-foot-tall Tebow effigy, and as of Friday afternoon it rested in her office.
Sadly for the Secret Santa who placed the Tebow icon near Baby Jesus and the Three Wise Men, since they had not applied for permission to erect it from the Polk County attorney’s office. This isn’t the first time Polk County has experienced controversy related to holiday displays. In 2004, members of the First Baptist Church erected a Nativity Scene in the same park which prompted some wisenheimers to respond by going all Frank Costanza and putting up a Festivus pole, straight from the Seinfeld series. You know, for the rest of us.
The ACLU subsequently got involved, and Polk County enacted rules for what could be displayed publicly during the holiday season, restricting it to “a menorah, manger scene and either or all of these symbols: Santa Claus, reindeer, and/or Christmas tree.”
But for now, the tribute to Tebow remains in bondage within Nelson’s office, although she insists she will return the Cardboard Tebow to its rightful owner if they step forward. That’s a nice gesture, very much in the holiday spirit. Yet I say, in light of this Millennium Park’s troubled history when it comes to situations like the one that just played out, the only way Nelson should relinquish the statue is if she loses to the claimant in a Feats of Strength competition. LET’S RUMBLE!!!
UPDATE: Hallelujah! As of Monday, Cardboard Tim Tebow was back in the manger, assuming his place as one of the Three Wise Men while the county reviews the policy and on Tuesday, “a disclaimer sign was placed in the scene saying Tebow was not put in nor endorsed by the county but he will stay there through New Year’s Eve.” Strange days, indeed.
