Every name on the list of baseball’s all-time home run leaders tells a story.
Today, one day after his passing at the age of 74, we honor the life and career of a man whose story does not get told enough these days: Harmon Killebrew.
NBA Draft Lottery Gives Cleveland Something Else to Cheer About
May 18, 2011 By 1 Comment
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There was a sense of optimism in the air for all Cleveland Cavaliers fans heading into last night’s lottery.
Dan Gilbert sent his 14-year old son Nick to represent the Cavs because he said Nick is the luckiest person he knows. This turned out to be true.
The Cavs headed into the lottery with two picks and came out with both of them in the top five.
NBA Draft Head Scratchers, Coaching Carousel, and Other Thoughts From a Busy College Hoops Offseason
May 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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From a sports perspective, this isn’t exactly the best time of the year for me.
Playoff hockey is great, but I don’t have a rooting interest. We’re still about two months from the end of the marathon NBA Playoffs, which I don’t follow that closely anyway. And I’m a Reds fan, but I don’t get to see many games, so at this stage of the season fantasy baseball is my main lifeline into the sport.
Consequently, I have found myself taking a dangerously early look at the 2011-12 college basketball season for the last couple weeks.
NBA Draft Lottery: Playoffs for the Non-Playoff Teams
May 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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The NBA lottery is tonight at 8:30, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have two spots in the lottery. This is the closest thing to the playoffs for us fans in Cleveland besides the joy of watching the Heat lose.
This is also the playoffs for the other 14 teams* who did not get into the real playoffs this year.
Down on the Farm: Deep in the Heart of Texas and Signs of Improvement in Indianapolis
May 17, 2011 By 10 Comments
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This is the second in a monthly series called “Down on the Farm” that will chronicle my visits to various minor league parks throughout the 2011 season. (Part 1 can be found here.)
In May’s edition, I regale you with tales and photos of my journey to Round Rock (Texas) to watch the Express on a lovely Saturday night with my wife. I’ll also update you on the progress of the Indianapolis Indians.
Photo Story: Indecent Proposal with Pete Rose & Bud Selig
May 16, 2011 By 1 Comment
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Unfortunately, the insufferable Pete Rose is back in the news today. He was recently the keynote speaker at a a gala for the Ohio Justice and Policy Center and told the crowd that he deserved to be allowed back in baseball. He said that he’s given up hope of getting into the Hall of Fame and now just wants to be a manager so he can “teach young players.”
Yes, because I’m sure Major League Baseball is just itching for its young players to learn the art of lying yourself into delusion and then telling the truth only when it’s financially opportunistic to do so.
Like you probably are, I’m sick and tired of the endless Pete Rose debate. I did, however, get a bit of a chuckle when I thought about Bud Selig reading about Rose’s comments, and that chuckle led to me imagining a conversation between the two, which led to (finally!) a new photo story.
Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.comThere is an old newspaper photo of Kareem giving a double bird salute? Surely you can’t be serious…
May 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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I am serious. And don’t call me Surely. (Or Shirley.)
But you can call the man pictured below many names: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; Lew Alcindor; Roger Murdock; etc. Just don’t call him shy or mild-mannered or let his gentle speaking tone fool you.
Kareem has never been reluctant to share strong opinions, a trait he clearly had early on in his NBA career.
Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.comRussell Westbrook: The Secret is Out!
May 16, 2011 By 4 Comments
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I have been in the middle of a recurring argument with one of my friends over the past week or so: Rondo or Westbrook?
My friend is a HUGE Oklahoma City fan, while I am a huge basketball fan in general. I love the Pacers, but when they aren’t playing I enjoy good basketball, especially if it’s being played at the point guard position.
With the Celtics now out of the playoffs and the Thunder moving on to the Western Conference Finals, our argument has centered on Russell Westbrook. And after watching Game 7, it is clear how Westbrook needs to play to be the right fit at the point on this young, talented, up-and-coming Thunder team.
Jon Washburn @The_Dr_TwitchUnder the Weekend Radar: Suns President reveals he’s gay while Novak Djokovic and the Twins go streaking
May 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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This past weekend was full of many stories that might have flown under the radar due to the coverage of the NBA playoffs.
Here are just a few of those that may have gone unnoticed.
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Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat Eastern Conference Finals Preview, Prediction and TV Schedule
May 14, 2011 By 2 Comments
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The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are ready to meet in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, which means that we can finally have the match up of #1 and #2 that we’ve been wanting.
Not only are both of these teams in the upper echelon of the current NBA, but they also feature three of the league’s most amazing players. And both teams use one key ingredient as their backbone:
Defense
Email the author: DevonAFF93@gmail.com
Twitter: twitter.com/DevonNBA
Today’s Best: Anna Kournikova, Why Sitting is Killing You, and Video of a Hilarious High School Dunk by Rajon Rondo
May 13, 2011 By 1 Comment
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Welcome to Today’s Best by MSF. This is our daily rundown of links, laughs, and lovely ladies that will help you get through your work day.
In today’s edition, Anna Kournikova looks good while putting her house on the market, Bill Simmons breaks down Phil Jackson, an infographic breaks down why sitting is literally killing you, and a trip into the archive provides a hilarious high school drunk by Rajon Rondo. And a whole lot more.
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Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.comBeginning Baseball: Remembering the Greats – The 1991 Minnesota Twins
May 13, 2011 By 2 Comments
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Editor’s note: Amanda Lawson is a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan who is getting into baseball for the first time this year. After much deliberation and counsel, Amanda settled on the Minnesota Twins as her team. With “Beginning Baseball” Amanda is documenting her first season of baseball fandom.
As a die-hard Packers fan, I understand that one of the most important things about supporting a team is knowing my team’s history.
During my search to find the perfect baseball team to cheer for, I researched both the organizations’ histories and key players past and present for each team in contention to be the one I would follow. Of course, I picked the Twins, a franchise with plenty of tradition and memorable moments.
To all of my fellow Twins fans, let us take a stroll down memory lane today. While this season isn’t the brightest (yet), we must not forget the great past of our Minnesota Twins.
And perhaps no season in Twins history was as memorable as 1991.
Tiger Woods is the Modern Day Mickey Mantle
May 13, 2011 By 6 Comments
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Yesterday, Tiger Woods withdrew from The Players Championship after nine pathetic holes. Woods shot a front nine 42 before citing numerous leg maladies as the reasons for his withdrawal.
By itself, Tiger’s TPC failure is not a huge deal. The tournament is not a Major, nor did many people expect Tiger to compete anyway. He had barely swung a club since Sunday at Augusta.
In context, however, what happened yesterday just might have transformed a murmuring minority into a critical mass of doubters. It also might have signaled a shift in how we view the career of Tiger Woods moving forward and how we’ll someday view it looking back.
As I have spent some time this morning considering Tiger’s overall career, his recent struggles, and his potential for a return to form, there is one name, one memory that I keep coming back to.
Tiger Woods was once Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, and Jack Nicklaus all rolled into one. Now, in the wake of yet another lost weekend, Tiger seems like none of those sports icons. Rather, he seems like another still iconic but much more tragic figure:
Mickey Mantle.
Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.comToday’s Best: Rachel McAdams, Woj on LeBron, Heat Moms Celebrate, and More
May 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Welcome to Today’s Best by MSF. This is our daily rundown of links, laughs, and lovely ladies that will help you get through your work day.
In today’s edition, Rachel McAdams goes public with a new boyfriend (who isn’t me…damnit), Adrian Wojnarowski takes it easy on LeBron (for once!), the moms of both LeBron and Dwyane Wade celebrate the Heat’s victory over the Celtics, and Dallas goes crazy about In & Out Burger. And a lot more.
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Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.comHow Many Parents Name Their Children After Sports Stars?
May 12, 2011 By 1 Comment
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Last week, the Social Security Administration released its official list of 2010′s most popular baby names. While I don’t really care that Jacob was the most popular name in 2010 for boys and Isabella for girls, I do enjoy playing around on the SSA’s Popular Baby Names website, which lists the 1000 most popular boys’ and girls’ names for each year since 2000.
After checking the popularity of my children’s names (Malachi was the 163rd most common boys’ name in 2010; neither Meyer nor Resha were in the top 1000), I decided to look into the names of popular athletes to see how many people were naming their children after popular sports stars.
Of course, the data for names such as Michael, Tom, Tim, Maria, and Mia isn’t terribly meaningful. These names are so common that there’s no way to know if parents are naming their children after Jordan, Phelps, Brady, Lincecum, Sharapova, or Hamm. But more unique athlete names yield some interesting results.
