SEE YA SOON FRENCHY!

The Atlanta Braves have traded young but inconsistent RF Jeff Francoeur to the hated New York Mets for Ryan Church. It sucks to see a Georgia native leave the team but it needed to be done. Frenchy needed the new scenery and I am genuinely pulling for him to do well except when he plays against the Braves of course. You can't knock the kid for not trying, it always seemed to me at least he put in a 100% effort and hustled and wanted to win with the Braves. But things didn't work out for obvious reasons: Terry Pendleton. All kidding aside I don't think Church is the answer in right field but I sure as hell think that Jayson Heyward will be. Heyward is currently the #1 prospect in all of minor league baseball according to Baseball America but he won't be up in Atlanta till 2010 at the earliest.

RUNNING OF THE BULLS NOT SO MUCH FUN FOR THIS GUY

Via The Big Lead comes the news of the first fatality since 1995 from the running of the bulls...

"A man died after being gored in the neck during the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, the Navarra regional government said Friday on its Web site … [he is] a Spanish man, Daniel Jimeno Romero, age 27, from the Madrid area who was vacationing in Pamplona with his family.”

Count me in the group of people who never really understands why these people get in front of a loose bull and don't expect something bad to happen. I guess you could call me a pussy but I don't see the thrill in running away from a raging bull. If I am in Spain I would rather be sitting on a beach or in a cafe drinking a beer and kicking back. Not running away from a fucking bull. I'm always the guy rooting for the bull in these situations too. You don't fuck with an animal as big as a bull and expect to come out unscathed. I went to a bullfight in Mexico about ten years ago. I honestly had no idea they killed the bull till I got there. It was pretty fucking gross and brutal. Since then I've always been on the "Toros" side. Here is a helpful hint if you don't want to get gored in the neck by a bull: DO NOT FUCK WITH ONE.

Now excuse me while I finish my hamburger.

HAWAIIAN HITMAN HIS MISSION: DESTROY USC SHIRT

If you are a Notre Dame fan then I think this shirt needs little if any explanation. The new Hawaiian linebacker is considering taking a mission but we all know what that mission has become: DESTROY USC.

The shirt is available in navy or irish green for the low price of $17. A portion of all sales goes to the American Cancer Society. Hopefully someday we can HIT cancer hard enough to eliminate it. Thanks for the support!

FRIDAY MUSIC SELECTION

I have been on a heavy Eddie Vedder kick ever since I saw him live a few weeks ago. The habit is getting a little out of control. Just the other day I called my dog "Daughter" as he was barking at me and then cursed politics for being all political and stuff. So this is it for a while. Pearl Jam is shown performing "Crazy Mary" at the House Of Blues in Orlando in 2003.

ANOTHER REASON WHY COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS GREAT

Notre Dame gunner Mike Anello, a former walk-on who plays every play like it's his last...


Via Blue-Gray Sky comes this video of Notre Dame special teams extraordinaire Mike Anello who some describe as a modern day "Rudy." Anello was a walk-on like Rudy Ruettiger and has a similar build (generously listed at 5'10, 170 lbs) but unlike Rudy he has earned a scholarship and for good reason: the guy is a tackling machine. Just another reason why I can't wait to watch some college football. Gotta root for the little guy!

OBAMA THANKS RUSSIA FOR OVECHKIN

I can see why Obama wanted to thank Russia for Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin. He is the best hockey player in the world and he makes hockey in our nation's capital bearable. On a personal note I want to thank Russia for Stoli and supermodel Natasha Polevshchikova for making my life bearable...

DANIEL MURPHY'S BEHIND THE BACK FLIP

Play of the night goes to the Met's Daniel Murphy for this ridiculous behind the back flip to the pitcher to get the out.

NATIONALS BASEBALL IS HALF ASS

The Washington Nationals are to the MLB what the Washington Generals are to the Harlem Globetrotters. They can't win...ever. Even in the simple fundamentals such as sliding into second base. They don't even know how to get there. Eventually the Nationals will be good when ever Stephen Strasburg signs...oh yeah...that might not happen if agent Scott Boras aka Satan's fart gets his way. This is what happens when you accept damaged goods from Canada. Beady eyes and shitty baseball.

Video HT: WithLeather via DC Sports Bog

THIS MAKES ME SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick has a good article on the Orioles young outfield nucleus of Nolan Reimold, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. We may suck balls again this year (last place in the AL East heading towards 12th consecutive losing season) but the future looks bright with all 3 of these guys around for a long time. The pitching will get better as soon as Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, and Brian Matusz are called up from the minors. All 3 of those guys have legitimate shots at being future aces for the club and rookie Brad Bergesen has been very impressive in his first season.

Just have to remain positive Orioles fans. That or drink a lot of beer. In MacPhail We Trust. He even has Markakis doing circus tricks just to get fans out to Camden Yards...


My patience has run thin but at least I know the Orioles are finally heading in the right direction with all these young players.

NOTRE DAME GETS DEFENSIVE END JUSTIN UTUPO

Notre Dame recruiting continues to roll with the punches after they landed their 10th commitment today in the 2010 recruiting class with California defensive end Justin Utupo. Utupo is a very important commitment in that the Irish are always in desperate need of defensive lineman especially ones with the physical and speed presence at strongside end that Utupo possesses.

In just the past week or two Notre Dame has gotten a QB in Andrew Hendrix, a defensive end in Blake Leuders, and two defensive backs in Lo Wood and Chris Badger. There is little doubt that Charlie Weis and his staff are doing an excellent job of bringing in recruits despite a combined 10 wins in the last two seasons.

I've already gone on record as saying Notre Dame will beat USC on October 17th, 2009 due in large part by the type and quantity of elite football recruits that are now starters at Notre Dame. This isn't your bend over Notre Dame team with speed and strength anymore. These kids can play. Now it's just a matter of the coaches putting them in the right spot to execute.

JON GOSSELIN NOW ON MATCH.COM

Match.com-Jon Gosselin - watch more funny videos

It's good to see a reality star get on one of those dating services. Refreshing to the people who don't have 8 kids.

HERE YA GO HORNDOGS

It was either post this video of Bar Refaeli rolling around naked or talk about Roger Federer winning his 15th major. Sorry Federer but Bar wins out.

TOP 10 STARTING PITCHERS

After watching Tim "The Freak" Lincecum's throw yet another gem the other night I thought to myself who would I rather have starting a game right now. I came up with some names but right now the 2008 NL Cy Young Winner would be my pick to take the hill if I needed to win a crucial game. Here is my top 10 list and feel free to add or subtract guys in the comment section.


1. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants-He has a legitimate shot at the Triple Crown for starting pitchers (wins, ERA, and K's) and is only getting better. He may be small in stature but right now his hair is growing almost as fast as his legend. He leads the Majors in K's with 141, is second in ERA at 2.23 and is first in a lot of other categories such as complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, and batters faced in the National League. If I had to win a game 7 right now he would be my choice.

2. Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals-Greinke has a legitimate argument as the best pitcher in baseball right now. He leads the majors in ERA, wins and complete games. Despite a recent rough spot he has been clearly the best pitcher in the American League this year. Zack Attack has brought back some much needed electricity to Kaffmaun Stadium.

3. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays-"Doc" Halladay is again putting up superb pitching numbers for the Blue Jays. He is top 5 in almost every important pitching category when it comes to starting pitchers. He is a warrior who pitches deep into games and you don't have to worry about pitch counts when it comes to Halladay.

4. Johan Santana, New York Mets-The best lefty in the game right now. Santana has lived up to his contract and expectations since signing his fat contract for the New York Mets in 2008. His change-up leaves hitters flailing and the 2-time Cy Young winner has a good shot of at least finishing in the top 5 for voting for another one for the 6th consecutive season.

5. Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks-Haren is one of the few pitchers who I will stop doing everything at a moment and just watch him pitch. He hits both corners of the plate with varying speeds with pinpoint control. It amazes me that both the St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland A's, two franchises known to make good baseball business decisions in the past, have traded the young pitching ace. At 28 years old is coming into his own and should be a serious contender for his first Cy Young award this season.

6. Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox-This guy is a bull. His career numbers are not outstanding but if you want to win a game in the postseason there isn't many if any pitchers I would pick before him. He is old school in the way he carries himself. Seems arrogant and cocky but every team would love to have him manning the hill when the game is on the line. Reminds me of a young John Smoltz.

7. Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins-At 25 years old Johnson is establishing himself as an elite starting pitcher on the verge of a tremendous payday. He has never won more than 12 games in a season (rookie year by the way) but his 6'7 presence on the mound is intimidating and he has the stuff to win 20 games a season for a long time. His slider and change-up are very effective with his mid 90's fastball.

8. C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees-Big C.C. doesn't look like your prototypical pitcher. In fact you would think he would be playing offensive line for the Jets instead of throwing 3 plus pitches for strikes for the New York Yankees. He got the Milwaukee Brewers into the playoffs basically by himself last season and will be considered a big reason why the Yankees make it back to the postseason this year.

9. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners-King Felix has a fastball that reaches mid to upper 90's but what makes him so damn effective is his knee buckling curve. At only 23 years old he has amazing command and poise. He should establish himself as one of the elite pitchers in all of baseball by the end of this season and I am probably being short sided with him as low as 9 right now.

10. Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians-Lee has had his struggles this season but the 2008 Cy Young Award winner has the ability to bounce back in a big way. His slider is simply filthy and it has a tendency to run into right handed hitters thus inducing broken bats and grounders.



Just missed the cut: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers; Edwin Jackson, Detroit Tigers; Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants; Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers; Javier Vasquez, Atlanta Braves

YOUR MONDAY MORNING WAKEUP SONG

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND EVERYBODY!

The holiday weekend technically started for me last night. The Atlanta Braves swept the Philadelphia Phillies for their 4th win in a row and are now just 2 games back in the division. Hell yeah! My adult men's rec baseball team destroyed the Tigers last night thus improving our record to 5-2. I missed my first homerun of the season by about 3 feet off the left centerfield wall. Yeah, I think it's time to start juicing old school like Brady Anderson so we don't have to worry about those stupid doubles anymore...I want dingers plus chicks dig the longball. I hope you and everyone around you have a spanktacular 4th of July weekend.

Image HT: Kardashian picture would be hotter if she had sausages on the grill but you get the picture. I think those are Bubba Burgers on the grill...can you say trailer trash? WWTDD via Startracs

70 YEARS AGO

Lou Gehrig, whom I consider to be the greatest first baseman of all-time, gave his famous speech on Lou Gehrig's Day at Yankees Stadum two years before he would pass due to ALS...



Gehrig was one of my heroes growing up even though he died nearly 40 years before I was born. I did a book report on him in elementary school and was amazed how much of a pure athlete he was and yet how he managed to play in relative obscurity in New York due to the overwhelming shadow of Babe Ruth. The Babe was bigger than baseball and Gehrig accepted it. Gehrig was a great teammate who played every game, 2130 consecutively till ALS took him out. He would have hit well over 700 career homeruns and driven in 2500 plus runs if he didn't go down with the disease. Gehrig is a legend who was born and bred in New York and eventually passed there. I'm no Yankees fan but I am a huge Lou Gehrig fan and just wanted to recognize him on this 4th of July weekend when he gave his famous speech in front of a packed New York crowd, fighting back tears. Much like when I hear Martin Luther King's speech I get the chills just hearing Gehrig speak. Gehrig is an icon too who will live forever.

NEW SHIRT: TAILGATE LIKE A CHAMPION

This idea was sent in to us from a Notre Dame grad student. These are the kind of ideas you get when you go 10-15 in two seasons under Charlie Weis. Touchdown Jesus has become a lush who won't get off his cheetos flavored couch unless he is getting a beer but we all know 2009 is when Notre Dame football returns to glory. Show your love for tailgating with this classic t-shirt which costs only $17. We are talking cheaper than a 30 pack here my friends. Plus a portion of all sales goes to a great cause known as the American Cancer Society. Be sure to spread the word. Don't disappoint Touchdown Jesus.

-TAILGATE LIKE A CHAMPION: WHERE EVERY GAME IS A VICTORY Shirt

LAPTOP HUNTERS: JAKE AND I'M A PC

Now this is a realistic commercial...

Laptop Hunters: Jake - watch more funny videos

GREAT NIGHT FOR THIS BASEBALL FAN

Last night started off with scoring some free seats to the Atlanta Braves game. These weren't just normal seats. They were a few rows behind the Philadelphia Phillies dugout. We were so close to the action you could actually smell Cole Hamel's lower labia. Don't ask me how the upper one smells because it is way too long of a story. The first great sight was to see neither of Yunel Escobar or Kelly Johnson in the starting lineup. As you know both have contributed mightily to bringing down the Braves with their bonehead decisions of late and both needed to ride the pine and feel what it is like to watch the game next to Bobby Cox.

My dad sent me a text message right after the first pitch. "Prado is starting...finally." I replied to him to not worry, Bobby would find someway to bring in Johnson before his first AB. See I have major issues when it comes to Escobar and my dad has the same inner demons when it comes to Johnson. We are on the same wavelength that both of these guys bring down the Braves worst than Jeff Francoeur swinging at pitches at his eyes. At least Frenchy appears to be trying at all times. We are old school and that is really all you can ask for.

But anyways, on to starting second baseman Martin Prado. Prado finally got the start and showed he belonged. 4 hits and 4 RBI's including a homerun and the walk-off RBI single in the 10th frame. The Ted was rocking and Braves fans were going nuts. I high fived my wife and everybody around me as soon as Matt Diaz crossed home plate with the game winning run. It was a much needed victory over the rival Phillies and moved them within 4 games of the division leader. I looked back to my buddy Doug who was sitting behind us and gave him the thumbs up. We both were happy yet exhausted. The Braves haven't had many easy games this season and after Mike Gonzalez came in the 8th and gave up two solo homeruns it looked like the Braves were again going to be on the wrong side. It's been their story for 2009. Good to great starting pitching was provided once again by Derek Lowe only to see 3 runs put on the board before the 8th inning. Come to think of it 3 runs is about all the Braves scored in the series against the Red Sox. But enough of the negatives. They won and Prado's teammates came rushing out on the field to congratulate him. Great win for the Bravos.

As I was leaving the field I managed to look up at the out of town scoreboard. Red Sox 10, Orioles 1 in the 7th inning. FUCK! The Boston Bandwagoners have had the Orioles number for some time now. In fact the Orioles had yet to beat the Red Sox in 2009 thanks to blowing a 7 run lead earlier this year in what became known as the Mother's Day massacre. My hope as I walked out of The Ted was that the Orioles would manage to score some runs to at least make the final outcome look respectable. I wasn't going to let the Orioles ruin my happiness that the Braves just provided. But of course being the degenerate I am I followed the game on my wife's iphone as we drove back home on the SportsTap application. Soon enough it was 10-5 as Oscar freaking Salazar hits a 3 run homerun as soon as we pull in the drive way. I'm telling myself we got a chance and yet still I don't want to set myself up for the disappointment of another loss. Fuck it, I run upstairs and turn on the game. It's now 10-9 Red Sox and Camden Yards is rocking with leaches of Red Sox fans and Orioles die hards hoping to pull off the miracle. Nick the Stick Markakis comes up against Jonathan Papelbon. Markakis is 0-7 against Papelbon. Doesn't matter. Nick rocks a fastball to left centerfield for a game winning 2 RBI double.



The greatest comeback victory in Orioles history. 9 runs down in the 7th only to comeback and have George Sherrill aka Flat Breezy close it out by striking out Jason Bay in the 9th. HELL YEAH! Papelblown looks confused. The Orioles look ecstatic. I'm bouncing off the fucking walls.

A great night to be a baseball fan for this guy. Can't wait to do it all over again today.

GO AHEAD LANE KIFFIN, THROW DOWN

If you don't recognize the movie then just get the hell off of this damn blog I tell ya. I think Urban Meyer has had enough of Lane Kiffin already and the little blondie kid has yet to even coach an actual game in Knoxville. Now Kiffin is recruiting 13 year olds to come join him. Who does he think he is...Michael Jackson?


Video HT: EDSBS