Friday, December 31, 2010

This Week's Links (9/6-9/10)

Whitney Port Minka Kelly Carol Grow Erika Christensen Emilie de Ravin

Rays fans turn newspaper ad tables in thanking Carl Crawford

By now, the full-page thank you in a local newspaper has become the clichéd way for any athlete to thank the fans he's not-so-regrettably leaving behind because his old team won't pay him as much as his new team. 

But how many times have we seen it work the other way around?

Unless I'm mistaken, the Tampa Bay Rays diehards at DRaysBay have become the first fans to thank a departing star via a paid advertisement in the dead-tree edition of a nearby publication. The above thank you to Carl Crawford — who's heading to the rival Boston Red Sox — is running in Friday's editions of the Tampa Bay Times.

You can download a bigger version here.

Though most athlete ads are greeted with cries of "gee, ain't that classy?" (responses that are undoubtedly manufactured by fresh feelings of vindication), this action of grateful Rays fans hasn't escaped the skeptical eye of others.

In fact our old pal Drew Fairservice took issue with it over on Walkoff Walk:

He's only a baseball player. You thank him by showing up to watch games (Rays attendance joke goes here) and supporting the team with a online shrine. Does Carl Crawford really need to be thanked again?

Maybe, just maybe, if you squint your eyes just cynically enough, this looks like it might be more about DRaysBay than Carl Crawford. I find it hard to believe that anyone is this maudlin, this sentimental about a baseball player after nine years.

I don't disagree with Drew on his first point. Enough of my money and attention goes toward making these guys stupidly rich. That's thank you enough and one that sometimes seems unappreciated when you hear comments like the one from Edgar Renteria Friday. I personally wouldn't spend any of my money with the sole intention of "thanking" a player.  

Now, if there were an ulterior motive or any measure of self-promotion in DRaysBay's show of gratitude, I not only say "so what?" but I stand up and applaud them. I have no doubt that they really feel grateful for Crawford's contributions over the last nine years and advertising their passion is great for both their blog and brand.

Plus, as fans of a team whose support is often questioned (even by current players), it's completely worth the effort to tell the world that Tampa Bay's entire fanbase doesn't solely consist of old people and, uh, old people dressed up as empty seats.

Their money, their outlook, they should thank who they want.

Now let's wait to see how Carl responds. 

Molly Sims Monika Kramlik Lacey Chabert Amber Brkich Gretha Cavazzoni

Did the Phillies really NEED to sign Cliff Lee?

If Twitter is an indication, all of Philadelphia is agog over Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro swooping in to get Cliff Lee while leaving the Yankees and Rangers in the cold.

Reaction has been likewise around the blogosphere at the "mystery team" coming away with Lee: It's like the Phillies might as well start printing World Series tickets.

And why not? They already have Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels; three starting pitchers of top quality.

But do the Phillies need a fourth ace? Do they really need Cliff Lee?

I'm not trying to poop the party or throw a wet blanket over the Phanatic, but let's just slow down a second, here.

Lee's price tag — up to $135 million over six years — wasn't quite what the Yankees offered, but it's still a big ol' stack of dimes. Lee might be the coolest customer on any big league mound, but couldn't the $20 million-plus the Phillies are spending on him in 2011 be better allocated elsewhere on the roster?

Like, for example, the offense?

Yes, it finished second in the NL in runs scored in 2010. But what have you done for me lately? Consider, as Amaro (right) surely has:

Jayson Werth, the team's most productive player in '10, left town with his beard.

• Raul Ibañez is a year older (so is Placido Polanco), just like the rest of us.

Jimmy Rollins has been in a slump for two years.

Chase Utley slumped this past season and seems perpetually banged up.

• The returns on slugger Ryan Howard have been diminishing.

• Rookie outfielder Domonic Brown might not be ready to rule the world.

• I happen to like the bullpen, but it probably could use one more steady arm.

The rotation looks ... obscene, no matter whom manager Charlie Manuel and coach Rich Dubee peg to be the fifth starter. With Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels already making a combined 100 starts or so, just how much better are the Phillies with Lee — with anyone — in the mix?

How does the song go? "Blue on black, tears on a river, a push on a shove — it don't mean much." It might just be overkill. 

The Atlanta Braves rotation of 1997 — with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Denny Neagle — is probably most comparable to what the Phillies are doing. With that pitching, the Braves won 101 games and the first round of the playoffs, but lost in the NLCS to the Marlins. Philly achieved that much in 2010 without a fourth ace.

Phillies fans probably feel like little kids on Christmas morning after Santa left behind the mother lode. But what are you going to do with two new bikes? Or two Millennium Falcons? Or two Donkey Kong games?

They look great on paper. I'm just not sure Philly is closer to another World Series title today.

Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave

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Detroit: The city where Gehrig's and Favre's streaks both ended

Perhaps you heard that Brett Favre's consecutive streak of games ended on Monday night. His 297 starts was a NFL record, one that will likely stand for a while unless Peyton Manning has another 100 straight games in him.

Interestingly, Favre's historic mark ended in the same city where another celebrated streak came to an end. Nursing a shoulder injury, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback finally sat out a game at Ford Field in Detroit. As more than a few outlets noted, that's about one mile away from the former site of Tiger Stadium, where the New York Yankees' Lou Gehrig took himself out of the lineup at what was then called Briggs Stadium.

Gehrig had played in 2,130 consecutive games before May 2, 1939. He'd began the season in a 4-for-28 slump and wasn't playing his usual good defense at first base. Even in spring training, his once-formidable power had disappeared, his baserunning skills had deteriorated.

In the lobby of the Book Cadillac hotel before their game against the Tigers, Gehrig told Yankees manager Joe McCarthy that he thought he should be taken out of the lineup.

From the New York Times the next day:

"Lou just told me he felt it would be best for the club if he took himself out of the line-up," McCarthy said following their private talk. "I asked him if he really felt that way. He told me he was serious. He feels blue. He is dejected. I told him it would be as he wished. Like everybody else I'm sorry to see it happen. I told him not to worry. Maybe the warm weather will bring him around."

Approximately a week earlier, James Kahn wrote in the New York Graphic that he believed there was "something wrong" with the Yankees' first baseman.

From "Lou Gehrig: A Biography" by William C. Kashatus:

"I mean something physically wrong... I don't know what it is, but I'm satisfied that it goes far beyond his ball playing. I have seen ballplayers 'go' overnight. But they were simply washed up as ballplayers. It's something deeper in this case, though."

Kahn went on to write that Gehrig was still hitting the ball squarely, swinging as hard as he could, yet it would just loop over the infield.

As we know, of course, Kahn was right. Gehrig didn't just need to rest an older, tired body. Six weeks later, with his physical condition and coordination continuing to deteriorate, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neuromuscular disease that causes muscle weakness and atrophy, and eventually a loss of motor function. 

Gehrig still brought out the lineup card to home plate that Tuesday afternoon in Detroit. But Babe Dahlgren served as the Tarvaris Jackson of the day as his name was penciled in at first base. (There's the trivia question you can impress everyone with while you're home for the holidays.) When the Briggs Stadium announcer noted Gehrig's absence from the game, the Detroit fans gave him a standing ovation. (The Lions fans at Monday's game did no such thing.)

In late June, Gehrig officially retired after 17 major league seasons, 2,721 hits, 493 home runs, 1,995 RBIs, and those 2,130 consecutive games played. That record stood for 56 years, until Cal Ripken broke it in 1995. 

Gehrig's streak was one of the most hallowed records in baseball history. Seventy-one years later, it's still held in reverence, even though it was broken by Ripken.

Will Favre's run be viewed in the same legendary regard seven decades from now?

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Jose Canseco 'will not give up the dream' of making MLB again

Of all the millions using Twitter today, there probably isn't anyone using the medium as a sadder window into his or her life than Jose Canseco

Whether it's going on a MMA-related meltdown, reporting his own eviction to his 350K+ followers or allegedly threatening people via DM, Canseco continues to shine a depressing light on his state of mind. It clearly isn't easy being an ex-steroid user who wrote two books outing other steroid users.

Anyway, Canseco went on another spiel — delivered in manic 140-character bursts — over the weekend.

His message: He thinks he can still play for a major league team at the ripe, young age of 46.  

A sampling of his Tweets via @JoseCanseco:

I can dh for any major league team and lead the league in home runs,just give me the chance

I was laughed at when I said I would do the 40^40

I will show everyone that steroids are completely overrated once I get the chance to play again.all I need is the chance

I will not give up the dream of playing in the majors again,I just cant

I dream about playing almost every night.when I wake up and realize I am not anymore that's when the nightmare begins

I am and will always be just simply a baseball player,my tomb stone will just say. Baseball.

Canseco hasn't been in the big leagues since 2001, when he played in 76 games for the Chicago White Sox and hit 16 homers with a .258 average. He's played in the minors and in a few publicity-seeking stints in independent leagues since then — most recently in 2010 with the Laredo Broncos — but he has no shot at playing for a MLB team ever again. 

Hopefully he can find another goal — a realistic one, not one born from scary delusion — to achieve the peace that he very clearly doesn't have right now.

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Photo: Tim Lincecum pops the bubbly on year-end SI cover

And just when I note that Tim Lincecum has been laying low lately, suddenly he's everywhere.

Bianca Kajlich Giulianna Ramirez Ashley Greene April Scott Mia Kirshner

The good guys and bad guys of Week 15 in the NFL

In this space, we look at a handful of upcoming NFL match-ups and identify the good guys and bad guys, old school WWF-style. You are likely to disagree with many of them. And yes, that is a picture of William "The Refrigerator" Perry punching Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart next to a guy with a hairy back and thighs. You're welcome. Home teams in CAPS. (All times ET.)

The Preliminary Bouts

Good Guys: Atlanta Falcons
Bad Guys: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Sunday, 4:05 p.m.

This week, Seattle plays the rare role of seven-point underdog Bad Guy. How'd that happen? Well, if Seattle conquers as an underdog this week, it helps to foil two other underdog stories: The Rams as a division champion and the Falcons as the NFC's top seed. A random, out-of-nowhere beating of the Falcons seems like just the kind of thing this inconsistent Seahawks team might do. Don't let it happen, Falcons. If the NFC West selfishly insists on crowning a champion, everyone wants it to be the Rams.

Good Guys: Cleveland Browns
Bad Guys: CINCINNATI BENGALS
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.

The AFC North's orange-clad bottom feeders renew their rivalry this week in a battle for, well, not much. The Browns do have a chance to sweep the season series against the Bengals, which probably qualifies as a point of pride in post-LeBron Cleveland. Anyway, I'd like to see them do it. There's something far more charming about Cleveland's no-name up-and-comers than there is about Cincinnati's overpaid underachievers like Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco.

The Undercard

Good Guys: Kansas City Chiefs
Good Guys: ST. LOUIS RAMS
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.

When the NFL released the schedule this summer, some CBS executive looked at this game, snickered and said to himself, "Hey Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein, hope you like St. Louis in December." I'm not saying it's the Jim Nantz game now, but ... you might get Ian Eagle. How about that, Missourians? Both participants in The Governor's Cup are good guys, for managing to turn this thing into an important, highly watchable game. The NFL fans of the world owe you.

Good Guys: Green Bay Packers
Bad Guys: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Sunday, 8:20 p.m.

We won't know about Aaron Rodgers' availability until Saturday, but it's kind of irrelevant for Good Guy/Bad Guy purposes. The Patriots are 100 percent back into the mode of "Evil and Highly Efficient Killing Machine," aren't they? Fans of other contending AFC teams might not admit it, but they know, deep down in places they don't talk about at parties, that they've thought, "I like our team and we're playing well, but with what the Patriots are doing, it might not matter." Everyone's praying that at some point between now and the end of the regular season, they'll at least show some glimpses of vulnerability.

The Main Events

Good Guys: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Bad Guys: New York Giants
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.

If either of the NFC East leaders are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, it's the Eagles. For whatever the reason, Eli Manning just isn't taking care of the ball this year. He's been intercepted 19 times, which is more than anyone, even Brett Favre, and I'm just having a hard time picturing him holding up through the playoff grind. I'm also still clinging to Michael Vick as a good guy, I don't care what anyone says. In fact, the closer we get to the Super Bowl, with Michael Vick remaining in the picture as the possible MVP of a Super Bowl-winning team, the more I love the idea.

Good Guys: Jacksonville Jaguars
Bad Guys: INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.

The Colts have won six of the last seven AFC South titles -- injury troubles or not, they're that division's imperial overlord. And this week, it's the Jaguars, of all teams, that can stand up and deliver the death knell to their postseason hopes. The scrappy little Jaguars, who no one picked to make the playoffs, mainly because everyone keeps forgetting that they exist.  Make people notice you, Jaguars. Don't just overcome -- do it by putting your foot on the throat of Peyton Manning.

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Lee's snub hurts Yankees a lot more than it does the Rangers

Cliff Lee's surprise 11th-hour return to his old team has set off so much rejoicing in the City of Brotherly Love that some Philadelphia Phillies fans have taken to putting together biblical Photoshops.

But in the midst of such inspired sacrilegious enthusiasm in Philly, the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers are left to enact their Plan Bs after seeing their passioned pursuits of Lee turn sour.

So which of the two teams were hurt more by Lee's decision to take less money and join Philly's fantastic four? 

Their situations were only similar in that both franchises were coming off playoff appearances and looking to add one of the top-five starters in baseball for the next six or seven years.

And the differences, of course, are easy to see. The Rangers needed a bona fide No. 1 starter — something they lacked for the last 20 years until trading for Lee midseason — and were willing to commit a lot of the team's payroll going forward to make sure he wouldn't leave.

The Yankees, meanwhile, coveted Lee as a high-profile handcuff to CC Sabathia, a rotation reinforcement that would take pressure off Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett by finally ending the No. 2 starter questions that plagued the team the last two seasons. Their only cost would be a fraction of the millions of dollars printed daily at Yankee Stadium.

But while the Yankees already have a staff ace under their control and are free to allocate those riches on a few more pitchers instead of just one, it's hard not to think that they're in a position to feel a little more heartache on this day after.

Why?

Well, competition is one reason. The Boston Red Sox scored big coups with the acquisitions of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, and the Yankees were looking to add Lee in an attempt to make sure their neighbors to the north weren't the universal favorites in next year's AL East race. The Rangers only have to make sure they stay ahead of the Los Angeles Angels — one of this offseason's biggest losers so far — in the weak, four-team AL West.

Flexibility is another. Had Lee allowed the Rangers to dump seven years and $160 million-plus at his feet, GM Jon Daniels would have taken a big step away from the franchise-building approach that got the Rangers through their bankruptcy issues and into their first World Series in team history. Committing that much money and time to a 32-year-old pitcher is a big risk and one that would have been more easily taken by a richer team like the Yankees (or, for that matter, the Phillies).  

Finally, it would seem that the Rangers have more options to pursue before 2011's opening day. They'll get two draft picks for losing Lee and they already possess a farm system deep enough to make a run at prying Zack Greinke away from the Kansas City Royals. He'd be a perfect and much cheaper fit for his home-state team.

As for the Yankees, everyone already seems to be following this "Greinke wouldn't be able to handle the NYC media" line — whether it's true or not — and the top pitcher on the free-agent market is now their old pal, Carl Pavano. They've gone from only having to tap their never-ending money supply to add a game-changing ace (Lee) to now having to make tough decisions about their farm system if they want to acquire one through trade.

Neither team, of course, can feel good about losing out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, not when they devoted so much time and energy wooing him over the last month.

But when it comes to which team will pine a little bit longer, the answer has to be the Yankees.

January Jones Christina DaRe Malin Akerman Melissa Joan Hart Bianca Kajlich

With another surprise, Ruben Amaro starts rivaling Ken Williams

With due respect to the other newsmakers of this baseball offseason, Ruben Amaro of the Philadelphia Phillies and Ken Williams of the Chicago White Sox continue to show why they're the craftiest and most surprising general managers in the majors.

Theo Epstein adding Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez at the winter meetings was stunning, but only to a point. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are supposed to get the best players; they're certainly in better position than the rest of the league to do so. 

Amaro (pictured left) and Williams, while playing in big markets, have less margin for error than Brian Cashman and Epstein. Going for any player who earns top dollar is a bigger risk for Philly and Chicago.

The Phillies leaped from the bushes on Monday to get Cliff Lee in free agency a year after they traded him away in a deal that brought Roy Halladay to town. From MLB.com:

"We're like, 'Whoa,'" center fielder Shane Victorino said. "I had heard about this mystery team. I was like, 'There's no way it's us.' Then I heard the Phillies were back in it. [...]"

And like he did with Jake Peavy in late 2009, Williams pounced on Adam Dunn earlier this offseason when nobody considered Chicago to be a player. And he managed to keep Paul Konerko in the fold, too.

Further, the plucking of pricey Alex Rios from waivers in '09 seemed a mistake to many, but Rios was one of Chicago's best players in 2010. 

Said Williams (via MLB.com):

"It's uncomfortable sometimes, but you either are all in or you are not. And if you are not, then present that message to your fans. Be straight and say, 'I don't think we are going to do very much and here's the plan going forward.' If you are in it, stand up and show you are." 

White Sox fans and Phillies don't have to worry about that, because of who's in charge of their teams.

Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave

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Photo: Tim Lincecum pops the bubbly on year-end SI cover

And just when I note that Tim Lincecum has been laying low lately, suddenly he's everywhere.

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Man with same name as Giants punter harrassed on Twitter

A public service announcement to anyone out there who has the same name as an NFL player: If you don't want to be harassed after your similarly monikered athlete screws up on the field, come up with a more clever Twitter handle.

On Monday, TMZ noted that Matt Dodge, an average guy with 200 Twitter followers, was inundated with Tweets after the New York Giants punter of the same name hit a line drive punt that was returned by DeSean Jackson for a game-winning touchdown

A few examples of the (printable) spam that Dodge received:

jimmieconnors: @MattDodge sell now, every punter is just one bungled snap away from unemployment

InDaMixRadio: @mattdodge you need to go into witness protection...NOOOOW!!!!

Ron_Mexiico: You not unemployed yet???

How funny that two of the folks who sent messages to the regular Matt Dodge are people who have similar Twitter handles to famous people. (Jimmy Connors, the tennis player, and Ron Mexico, the infamous Michael Vick alias.)

[Rewind: NFL player fined $5,000 for Tweet during game ]

But @mattdodge shouldn't worry too much about future hate-Tweets coming his way. Judging by the reaction of Giants coach Tom Coughlin on Sunday, punter Matt Dodge isn't long for New York. He'll play next week, but it's tough to see him sticking around for too much longer after the punt:



Free advice: If someone named Lawrence Tynes wants to start a Twitter account soon, I'd choose a different handle, lest the New York Giants kicker of the same name miss a kick in the next few weeks and causes a similar Twitter-lanche.

[Related: Vick charges Giants with unsportsmanlike move]

In Philadelphia, however, Dodge is a popular man. A local restaurant is offering him a free meal if he ever comes in

And for those of you who want to spew venom at me, please make sure you do it to my Twitter name: @chaztopher. We wouldn't want @chrischase wondering why people think he's such a [fill-in your favorite team]-hating [fill-in insult].

[Rewind: Mayor changes last name to support NFL team]

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Offensive lineman's wild kickoff return

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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Humbled Vera learned you can't trash talk in the Octagon

Brandon Vera has never lacked for confidence. In fact, when the media and fans would question his lack of aggression is some fights, Vera would fire back defiantly. But it was clear, he wasn't the same fighter who shot up the charts in 2005 and 2006. It took a major wake-up call to finally shake up Vera.

The 33-year-old quickly rose to the top of the heavyweight division with wins at Ultimate Fight Night 2 and UFC 57, 60 and 65. He eventually met his match against the massive Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum at heavyweight. Then two years later he took hotshot Jon Jones too lightly.

"I for sure, did not give Mr. Jones the respect he deserved and that's my fault," Vera during the UFC 125 prefight press conference (24:50 mark).

Vera (11-5) lost his concentration at the worst time. 

"When I was underneath him, I'm remember being off in my own world while he was throwing elbows and missing. I was holding his wrist and thinking 'geez man, all the hype was about you ... this is what you have to offer on the ground, really?' I remember I said 'you f'n suck,' but before I said the word suck, the elbow came down on my face and smashed my face."

The Jones' elbow broke Vera's cheekbone. MMA can be incredibly dangerous if you don't defend yourself properly. The Filipino-American paid the price and was sidelined for seven months. 

"That's when I realized right then and there, 'That's what you get you bastard. That's what you get for thinking you're so ahead of the game.'"

For Vera, who is just 3-3 since dropping to light heavyweight, the success in his late-20's came too fast. 

"Honestly [it was] my arrogance. The fights seemed easy. I was in there training hard, training hard [then] I go in there and knock someone out real quick. Train hard, train hard then knock somebody else out real quick," said Vera [20:58 mark]. "My arrogance caught up to me. My head got real big and somebody needed to pop it. Too bad they had to pop my face for it to pop, but it's popped. I'm back. My head's level and I'm ready to go."

Vera better be right-minded. He's got a tough test at UFC 125 in aggressive striker Thiago Silva and frankly his job may be on thin ice if he loses a third straight fight.

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Ah, geez: Grieving Ron Santo fan arrested for vandalism

Funeral services for Ron Santo are being held Friday at Holy Name cathedral and around Wrigley Field, but the Windy City's public mourning for the Chicago Cubs legend began on Thursday.

Santo's wake was attended by people like New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, Cubs superfan Ronnie "Woo Woo" Wickers (right) and hundreds of people who lined up along State Street to pay their respects.

Turns out one fan was so distraught that he felt the need to leave a permanent mark of remembrance on a local train station.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Ron Brakes, of Wheeling, told police he was upset after attending Santo's wake and was "trying to do a good thing" when he defaced the Red Line's Grand Avenue stop with a Sharpie.

"Good! Buy! Ron Santo! Cubs Best Cub Thirt-Baseman Forever Love Always God,'' Brakes, 48, scribbled on the platform wall, according to a police report.

Brakes was charged with criminal defacement of property and possession of a marker with intent to deface.

Well, I guess we all have different ways of showing our grief. Mr. Brakes' way was to plaster a wall with a misspelled tribute in an area of town where the cops really don't have much better to do.

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Mariucci to Favre: ?There's nothing left to prove'

 

You know it's on the way, right? Just like a fully packed snowball to the head, there will be the speculation that despite not passing concussion tests through Monday, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre would somehow drag himself onto the field at least one more time in the snow-postponed Vikings-Eagles game, so that a captive America could once again marvel at how much he loves the game and announcers on auto-pilot could prattle on about how he's "just havin' fun out there."

Well, as much as we poke fun at Favre's ceaseless need for drama (and as much as he's earned those jabs), it may be time for everyone to step back and take a more serious look at Favre's situations. He's been taking hits all season, and those hits have clearly taken their toll more than in previous seasons. Concussions are dicey things to diagnose under the best of circumstances, and while the more cynical among us will assume that Favre would prefer a nebulous diagnosis so he can pull the strings on his own participation in Tuesday night's game, more and more voices are just hoping that Favre will hang it up for his own sake.

Key among those is longtime Favre friend, coach, confidante and text buddy Steve Mariucci, who worked with Favre under Mike Holmgren in Green Bay and frequently gets exclusives from No. 4 in his current position as analyst on the NFL Network. Mooch has been one of the more staunch defenders of Favre's discretion regarding his own playing time, which made this plea last Sunday morning so interesting:

I've always been impressed with Mariucci -- he did the best he could as a head coach in difficult situations in San Francisco and Detroit, and he seems like a caring, sympathetic person. He's never been objective on the subject of Favre, but he's always been up front about that, and I've always been inclined to give him a pass under the circumstances. You can see from the emotion in Mariucci's voice and demeanor that he's clearly concerned about Favre's future well-being.

When the inactives for the Eagles-Vikings games are released, we'll see how much Favre and his team care about the same things.

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Padres.com sends mixed message about Eric Patterson's defense

To be fair, the San Diego Padres web staff didn't say how well that Eric Patterson — just acquired from the Boston Red Sox through the Adrian Gonzalez trade — could play those multiple positions. (FanGraphs has the UZR for Patterson's short career at -8.6.)

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12/28 Quickie: TNF, Saints, Wusses

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What We Learned: An unbiased (American) World Juniors rundown

Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it. 

So the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship is underway in Buffalo, and many Americans may not know a whole heck of a lot about it because it's one of those things Canadians get really jazzed up for but we don't get.

Hopefully, this can crystallize things for you.

The first thing to keep in mind about the WJCs is that the U.S. has won it every year it's ever been contested: 2005 and 2010. Every other year the games were canceled because no one wanted to deal with Canadians being smug over anything. Remember the Olympics? That was a dark time for the Western world and they didn't even win the most medals (the U.S. did, obviously).

So what do you need to know about this year's tournament? Well, the Canadian media would have you believe that this is America's for the taking after years of swearing up and down that they had never even heard of hockey being played on the nice side of the border. And why not?

(Coming Up Peter Forsberg is finished until his next comeback attempt; the NHL rejects the Islanders snow plea; Derek Roy is done for the year; Milan Lucic has friends in high places; debating Marco Sturm as a top-liner; the Red Wings complain about scheduling; Bergfors on the block; Jordan Staal targets Classic; Couture looks good for Calder; and JovoCop reaches 1,000.):

The U.S. is the reigning gold medalist, has eight players from last year's team and is coached by a guy whose college team is No. 1 in the country. They're great and deep and skilled at every position, and that's without having brought the myriad NHL talent it has still eligible (John Carlson and Derek Stepan spring eagerly to mind).

Yes, the media has done a good job taping a target to the backs of the American juggernaut which dodged some weak officiating and Canadian-quality finish from Kyle Palmieri to edge a tenacious Finnish team in overtime. Florida draft pick Nick Bjugstad had the winner, which was as ugly as the Finns wanted the whole game to be, and only required one goal disallowed by what I can only assume is the worst official the IIHF could scrounge up for this one.

As for Canada this year? It's the Hockey Superpower That Could, or so they'd have us believe. The media -- and, revoltingly, the team itself -- has repeatedly referred to a Canadian squad with 15 former first-round picks (and another who's going to go top-2 in June) as "lunchpail."

I get that. It's about dampening expectations and really just reminding everyone that this, like every other year, is one in which all Canadians should expect infinite disappointment.

Of course, they don't tell you that four of these air-quote Canadians were actually born in the United States of America, which goes a long way toward explaining how they ever planned to assemble any type of credible claim to a medal this year. Dylan Olsen? Born in Salt Lake City. Marcus Foligno? Born in Buffalo. Curtis Hamilton? Born in Tacoma. Sean Couturier, the kid that could be the top pick in this year's draft? Born in Phoenix. I get that too. Try to get some of that American magic rubbing off on an underwhelming Canadian side.

But still, they rolled past an underwhelming Russian team that features names like Kalinin, Berezin and Voronin. None of them, unfortunately, are related to the good ones who actually played in the NHL. That they did so on a steady diet of lucky goals and running Ruskie netminder Igor Bobkov will likely go unmentioned by Canadian historians. But we'll know the real story.

Then there are other teams too, I'm sure. Not that they'll be important or noteworthy in the slightest, except that theirs are the dreams with which America will pave its road to glory. Sweden's playing I think. Maybe Latvia? That doesn't sound right but whatever.

The important thing to keep in mind is that, as with both of the previous two World Juniors tournaments that have ever been held, the gold medal game will come down to the United States and Canada. And Canada, with its hardhat-wearin', blue collar ultra-skilled yeomen, will never be given a chance to win by the media in their country.

Though I guess that's only fair, since they don't have one and never will.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Hey, it's Matt Beleskey! Recalled Sunday to play against the Kings, after a concussion held him out of the lineup since October 26. During his assignment to the AHL, he had six goals and six assists in 14 games and generally looked pretty solid. So that's always good news after a kid gets his bell rung like that.

Atlanta Thrashers: Remember when Ondrej Pavelec collapsed on the ice? That just happened to be the night Thrashers' personnel, including doctors, trainers and paramedics had trained for an on-ice medical emergency. "It was just ironic," said Tommy Alva, the Thrashers' head athletic trainer who has a rather Alanis Morissette-ish idea of what irony is.

Boston Bruins: Milan Lucic didn't get suspended for this:

I wonder if that has anything to do with a certain teammate he has, whose dad is in what we'll call a position of influence within the league's supplementary discipline system

Buffalo Sabres: Derek Roy is done for the year, and you know what that means: So are the Sabres. Well, it was a good almost-three months.

Calgary Flames: Calgary actually won a game earlier this week, but there's bad news too: they're still terrible. They need 62 points over their next 45 games to make the playoffs.

Carolina Hurricanes: Last night, the Hurricanes switched Jeff Skinner to center, his natural position, for now and into the future as well. Yeah, I guess running Staal and Skinner 1-2 up the middle is a pretty decent way to approach the game.

Chicago Blackhawks: Marian Hossa: BACK! Viktor Stalberg: BACK! Patrick Kane: NOT BACK! Hossa had a couple of helpers in his return.

Colorado Avalanche: It's your bi-weekly Adrian Dater Breathless Peter Forsberg Update! This time the comeback is over for sure. Maybe. Probably. Potentially.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Scott Arniel on his having seen Steve Mason's continued struggles coming: "There's a little bit of a history there, right?" Ouch.

Dallas Stars: The Stars' PK has been very, very good this season. Since November 16, they've killed all but 10 penalties and jumped 30 points in the standings. One gets the feeling those two things are related.

Detroit Red Wings: This week in Things the Red Wings are Bitching About: Scheduling. They have a road back-to-back after the Christmas boo hoo hoo. "It shouldn't be like that," whimpered the now-injured Danny Cleary. "To be honest, it's terrible scheduling. We should have had a home game at least one of the two."

Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers are "learning to compete." How many times do you think we're going to see this column this season? How many are going to run after stretches where they lose four of five? Only time will tell, I suppose.

Florida Panthers: Darcy Hordichuk thinks he deserves an expanded role with the Panthers. This is one of those rare opinions that absolutely no one shares.

Los Angeles Kings: Marco Sturm played with LA's top line last night. I like Sturm and all, but I'm not sure what it says about your team's left wing depth if a guy you just acquired for literally nothing, whose knee is held together envelope glue and paper clips, is getting time with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown in just his second game with the squad.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild are among several teams to which Rick Dudley has offered Thrashers forward Niclas Bergfors. Unfortunately, the Wild have mediocre, underachieving one-dimensional forwards coming out their ears.

Montreal Canadiens: In a game between the Habs and Isles, which one would you have guessed would be losers of four from their last five? Or to have won seven of a possible eight points in their last four? Very weird.

Nashville Predators: Preds CEO Jeff Cogen on why they're selling more tickets: "Blah blah blah, marketing and sales. Blah blah blah Pens and Caps in October. Blah blah oh we're also winning a lot." That doesn't hurt.

New Jersey Devils: "It's nice to be able to work with them a little bit because I think this is what we need: practices," said Jacques Lemaire. And here I thought what they needed was wins. Six of one, half dozen of the other, I'm sure.

New York Islanders: The Islanders wanted to postpone last night's game due to a blizzard that covered pretty much the entire northeastern US, but the NHL wouldn't let them. As a result, attendance dropped from the usual 1,500 to 1,491.

New York Rangers: Poor Mats Zuccarello. Called up, plays well, Rangers lose an 11-round shootout, and he gets returned to the AHL immediately. But the good news? The first four words of a New York Times story about him were, "The Norwegian Hobbit Wizard."

Ottawa Senators: Here's the funniest thing you'll read all day: "Brian Elliott will be in goal and Mike Brodeur will again be his backup as the Ottawa Senators try to stop Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at Scotiabank Place." Oh man, that's rich... what? They did? Go figure.

Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers are now on their annual post-Christmas west coast road trip. At Vancouver tomorrow, at LA two days later, at Anaheim the day after, at Detroit next Sunday. Not an easy stretch.

Phoenix Coyotes: Last night was Ed Jovanovski's 1,000th game. I know that's a big deal, as only 255 guys have ever done it, but doesn't it seem like this has been happening an awful lot the last few years? He's the fifth one to do it this season alone.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Jordan Staal actually practiced yesterday. First time he's done so since Nov. 1. He might be back for the Winter Classic, he says.

San Jose Sharks: Will Logan Couture win the Calder? Statistics say yes.

St. Louis Blues: Davis Payne is a good hockey coach. In this way, he is unlike former Blues coach Mike Keenan. This is what I've been led to believe by the first graph of this story.

Tampa Bay Lightning: The Bolts set up an outdoor rink for locals to go skating over Christmas. And you know what that means: The Lightning hosting Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in the 2012 NHL Winter Classic.

Toronto Maple Leafs: "Changes coming to underachieving Leafs roster." I hope that means Brett Lebda's gonna get more games at forward.

Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks should consider loaning Raffi Torres to every NHL team for a day or two this season. Five of his 10 goals this season have come on the road against teams he used to play for. Two at Columbus, three at Edmonton.

Washington Capitals: The John Carlson-Karl Alzner pairing has been great in recent weeks for the Caps. I'm sure that's the result of Carlson doing all the hard work, though.

Gold Star Award

Nick Bjugstad proved once again that America is the best.

Minus of the Weekend

Seriously, how does the NHL not suspend Milan Lucic for that suckerpunch? I mean, okay, Meyer wasn't hurt or anything by it, but it's stuff like this that validates every claim that the NHL's supplementary discipline system totally stinks. If that's not a suspendable offense, nothing is. Sorry. (Photo Days of Y'Orr)

Play of the Weekend

I quite like it when a star fights. So I loved this terrible scrap between Dion Phaneuf and Ilya Kovalchuk.

Guarantee Kovy saw Ovechkin drop ‘em on "24/7" and said "I'll wake the boys up the same way." Not that he'd ever admit it. And not that it helped, as Toronto (of all teams) beat the Devils 4-1.

Signoff

If I ever stop loving violence, I want you to shoot me.

Ryan Lambert publishes hockey awesomeness rather infrequently over at The Two-Line Pass. Check it out, why don't you? Or you can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter if you so desire.

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Jack Campbell gets his head straight and your World Junior primer

The U.S. begins defense of its IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship Gold tonight in Buffalo against Finland; and when it comes to defense, Jack Campbell's the last line and the best chance for the Americans to repeat.

It's not hyperbole to say that Campbell's the primary reason the U.S. owns the gold right now. His 32-of-34 performance in the title game against Canada, after Mike Lee couldn't stop a ball of yarn, propelled the Americans to overtime where John Carlson's game-winner clinched gold.

In June, he was the highest rated goaltender in the NHL Draft and the Dallas Stars selected him No. 11 overall.

But then things got a little weird for a goalie with the world in his glove.

Coming up, Campbell gets his head straight and a few vital links for the World Junior tournament.

Playing with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, Campbell lost five of his first seven starts this season. The 18-year-old suddenly found his confidence shaken, to the point where Spits GM Warren Rychel brought in a sports psychologist in October to work with Campbell. From the Windsor Star:

"I put a lot of pressure on myself and it's all about getting the bad feelings out and focusing on the good feelings," Campbell said. "I know I haven't lived up to expectations they had for me here or my own expectations for myself, but the season's young and there's no reason to get down."

He didn't, and the numbers turned around dramatically, via ESPN Dallas:

He got off to a slow start but has won 10 of his last 14 games and is now 12-9-0 on the season with a 3.68 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage.

Campbell is 11-1-1 with a 1.17 goals-against average and .954 save percentage for Team USA in IIHF events, including the 2010 World Junior Championship.

Kevin Allen of USA Today, who has seen his share of World Juniors, puts Campbell's performance in perspective:

In terms of international success, Campbell is the most accomplished teenage goalie in American hockey history. And there hasn't been a better time in American hockey history to have such a fellow in the U.S. net.

The WJC has been played for 34 years, and the Americans have won two gold medals. Now with Campbell in net, the Americans go into the holiday tournament in Buffalo with probably the best chance to win back-to-back gold medals for the first time.

From NHL.com, what the U.S. coach thinks about the defense:

Head coach Keith Allain still hasn't officially named Campbell the team's starter, and was quick to praise the play of his other netminder, Andy Iles. But one would be hard-pressed to see a situation where Campbell won't be saddled up and ridden hard over the 11-day tournament.

"We like Jack and we like his pedigree," Allain said. "The interesting thing for me about that gold medal game is that he came in off the bench and did the job. That experience alone will go a long, long way. He's a guy that has been in other big tournaments and won. He's been able to overcome adversity and make the big save when you need it, and that's important."

My lingering memory from the U.S. gold last tournament was running the live blog here on Puck Daddy while on the phone for an interview with Scott Ferrell on Sirius. We were both chatting while watching the game. Carlson scored, and Scotty proceeded to scream "YEAH YEAH YEAH [expletive] YEAH [expletive] USA [expletive] YEAH [expletive] YOU CANADA [expletive] YEAH [expletive] USA!"

For 15 minutes.

What will happen this year? A few good links to bookmark:

Y! Sports Canada Junior Hockey. One-stop shopping for previews, game results and draft implications for the tournament.

Buzzing The Net. We're not going to have anyone doing daily Three Stars or game coverage of World Juniors because our Y! buddies at Buzzing The Net have the tournament on lockdown. Daily news, headlines, analysis, news; honestly, if you're following this tournament and not reading Neate Sager and Co. every day then you're not really following the tournament.

The Hockey Spy.  Nice viewing guide, players to watch and the search for the next "El Nino."

Puck Worlds. Bruce Peter, who covered juniors for us last season, has great coverage of the tourney over on SB Nation.

The Sleeping Giant. Finally, a collaboration between our own Ryan Lambert and Chemmy from Pension Plan Puppets. It includes posts like, "A guest post on the importance of supporting America because all other teams but especially Canada seriously stink." Just so you know what you're in for.  

We will update on Juniors news in headlines and post up any incredible news or highlights; oh, and we'll be live chatting the essential games of the tourney as well.

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This Week's Links (9/6-9/10)

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Recapping the best rivalries and fights from 2010: Part 1

On Monday, we revisited the classic feud between Jimmy Spencer and Kurt Busch, which resulted in Spencer's one-race suspension after punching Busch.

The feuds and fights during the 2010 Sprint Cup season may not live up to the Busch-Spencer feud right away. But this year brought us cars flying through the air, intentional crashes, some great smack talk and even two drivers getting physical on the backstretch — all leaving plenty of potential for some of 2010's fights to carry over.

If there is one tussle that could match or exceed the standard set by Spencer and Busch, it's Carl Edwards vs. Brad Keselowski. That started at Talladega in 2009 when Keselowski inadvertently sent Edwards into the fence as the two were racing for the win. In Atlanta in March, Edwards returned the airborne favor:

After Edwards was put on probation, the feud simmered until Gateway in July when the two were racing for the lead in a Nationwide race:

Since then, Edwards and Keselowski have played nice, though Keselowski quickly regained another rival in Kyle Busch at Bristol:

Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth rekindled their feud at Martinsville, and just like many movie franchises, the sequel wasn't nearly as good as the original. The original started at Bristol in 2006 when Gordon shoved Kenseth — with his helmet on! — after contact between the two. Later that year, Kenseth got his revenge, dumping Gordon for the win at Chicagoland.

At Martinsville in 2010, Kenseth got into the back of Gordon and Gordon wasn't too happy about it. On the next set of corners, Gordon made sure that Kenseth wasn't going to get near victory lane.

"The 17 got into the back of me," Gordon said. "I made sure he wasn't going to win the race after that." 

Gordon — who is a recurring character in our recap — and Jimmie Johnson became an unlikely duo to feud, but after the spring Texas and Talladega events Gordon said that his patience had worn thin with the now five-time champion.

The award for best trash-talk in 2010 goes to Joey Logano — another recurring character — with his feud with Kevin Harvick.

Harvick and Logano started squabbling at the spring Nationwide race at Bristol — the site of Harvick's car leap towards Greg Biffle — and it carried over to Pocono, when Harvick sent Logano spinning as the two were racing for fifth place.

Harvick said that Logano didn't give him much room when they raced, but Logano fired back exponentially bigger and better.

"...he let me go in the middle of the straightaway and decided to dump me in the next turn," Logano said. "I don't know what his deal is with me. It's probably not his fault. His wife wears the firesuit in the family and tells him what to do. It's probably not his fault."

Quote. Of. The. Year.

Logano went on to call Harvick "apparently stupid," but the pit lane confrontation was more glitz than substance, though Tom Logano's encouragement of his son made for some great television.

Gordon got back into the fray a week later at Sonoma, apparently mistaking the front bumper of his car for a battering ram.

He especially drew the ire of Martin Truex Jr., who was on the receiving end of one of Gordon's bumper shots. That bumper shot didn't end Truex's day, but it put him back in the pack and in the middle of a clusterwreck that brought out the red flag.

Check back with us on Wednesday for Part 2 of the best fights and rivalries of 2010. Here's a hint: Gordon and Logano make multiple appearances in the second segment.

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Week 11's five least valuable players

Glover Quin, DB, Houston Texans. There's good news and bad news for Glover Quin. The good news is that he's no longer solely known as the guy who attempted and failed to bat down the Jaguars' Hail Mary last week. The bad news is that he's now the guy who gave up last-second game-winning touchdown passes in consecutive weeks. Santonio Holmes did this yesterday. Quin is the guy feebly chasing him. Glover Quin is probably a lot more famous than he'd like to be right now. I am rooting hard for a Glover Quin comeback.

The rest of the Houston Texans defense. The Jets were 72 yards away, had less than a minute on the clock, no timeouts and needed a touchdown. No one's asking you to be the '85 Bears here, fellas. Just be something a little better than completely ineffectual, and you get to walk away with a road win over the Jets. That's it. That's all we needed. Too much to ask, I guess.

Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans. This spot was originally reserved for Rusty Smith, because Rusty Smith was atrocious in relief of Vince Young. But now, because Vince Young can't act like an adult, Rusty Smith has to start an NFL game. Rusty Smith! When Rusty Smith is in a game, it's bad news for all of us. I want so badly to like you, Vince Young. Why do you have to make it so damn hard? Rusty Smith. For shame.

Richard Seymour, DT, Oakland Raiders. I don't know what made Richard Seymour want to punch Ben Roethlisberger in the face, and I really don't care -- somewhere along the way, I'm sure Benjamin's done something to deserve a punch in the face, so I'm not losing any sleep over it. But Seymour, who's playing fantastic ball this year, was willing to take a 15-yard-penalty, earn what will certainly be a huge fine ($100,000 seems about right), and take himself out of a game ... because he wanted to punch a man who's wearing a helmet? You know those things have facemasks, right? If you wanted to beat up Robert Downey Jr., would you wait until he put on the Iron Man suit? Come on, my man, think it through.

Brett Favre, QB, Minnesota Vikings. The following is a complete list of quarterbacks who Brett Favre outperformed in Week 11, measured by quarterback rating: Brian St. Pierre, Bruce Gradkowski, Jason Campbell, Rusty Smith. That's it. And none of them got in an argument with their offensive coordinator. Stop, Brett. Just stop.

Cindy Crawford Mariah OBrien Uma Thurman Alice Dodd Kate Walsh

Bowl game haiku: On Will Goggans and the greatest beard of all time

New Orleans Bowl: Troy 48, Ohio 21.
Meet Nordic Santa.
It's real, it's spectacular.
A gift to the world.

Trojans hit the gas.
Thirty-eight points in a row.
No time for punting.

Mix up the snap count
Before Troy's D … nope, too late.
They killed Boo Jackson.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

12/22 Quickie: UConn's 89, More

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That just happened: Lee spurns bigger bucks, returns to Phillies

Yes, Virginia, there really is a baseball player who isn't after the most years or money.

His name is Cliff Lee and he turned the baseball world on its ear on Monday night, forgoing more years and more guaranteed cash with the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers to sign a stunning, "where did that come from?" five-year deal and return to a Philadelphia Phillies team that traded him away after the World Series last offseason.

Honestly, it's hard to process that we just saw the ace pitcher take the third-best offer that he had on the table. Sure, we often like to pretend that baseball players will realize that they'll be receiving more money than they could ever spend no matter where they sign and that they'll go where they're comfortable and most want to play. But that rarely happens, as dollar signs and union pressures usually drive the player toward his highest bidder.

In the case of Lee, however, he and his agent were able to say no to offers from both the Yankees (six years, $138 million plus a $16 million player option for the seventh, says ESPN's Buster Olney) and the Rangers (six years, $138 million plus a vesting option for another $23 million, reports Y! Sports' Tim Brown). Doing so allowed him to ink a five-year deal worth about $115 million (plus a vesting option for the sixth, reports SI's Jon Heyman) with the Phillies and join Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels to form the best starting rotation since the Atlanta Braves of the 1990s.

While we shouldn't get too carried away with nominating Lee for sainthood — shed no tears as he'll still be tied with CC Sabathia for the highest annual salary for a pitcher at $23 million a season — it really is amazing he may have left an estimated $20 million to $30 million of cash out on the table (depending on what that sixth year is worth) to return to a city where he has said he really enjoyed pitching during the 2009 season.

Indeed, the entire Phillies organization and its fans should stand a little taller today. Between the stable of star starters that GM Ruben Amaro had already put together and the new electricity of Citizens Bank Park, they were able to topple the one obstacle that usually remains undefeated this time of year.

Straight cash, homey.

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