Month: August 2008 (Page 14 of 50)

      Top 10 Active MLB Windmills

      August 23, 2008 /

      Many power hitters in baseball also have a penchant for swinging and missing. While batters have evolved over the years into more complete players, and Dave Kingman types aren’t the norm anymore, there are quite a few that we can classify as “windmills.” Here is a list of the Top 10 active players in strikeouts in baseball today.

      1. Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox (2155)—Even though Mr. High Socks has a career batting average of .280, his 533 home runs are tempered by the air created when he swings and misses. Thome has struck out 2155 times in his 17-plus seasons, or roughly 30 % of his at-bats. Yikes.

      2. Carlos Delgado, New York Mets (1701)—Sitting comfortably behind Thome is Mets’ first baseman Carlos Delgado, who is a cool 454 strikeouts behind Jimmy. Delgado has clubbed 457 home runs, but he has now struck out 100 or more times for the thirteenth straight season.

      3. Ken Griffey Jr, Chicago White Sox (1669)—Around the time Griffey was tearing up the American League in the late ‘90’s with 209 home runs over four seasons, he also tallied 454 strikeouts. And with 1669 career windmills, Griffey strikes out about as often as he smiles.

      4. Jim Edmonds, Chicago Cubs (1656)—Edmonds has quietly amassed 378 career homers, and has also compiled 1656 career strikeouts. But he’s currently in one of the two places (other than Colorado) where his power more than makes up for his K’s.

      5. Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers (1643)—Will someone tell me how a career .313 hitter averages 102 strikeouts per season? Wait, let me guess — Manny being Manny?

      6. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (1614)–$22 million for a guy that fans 107 times per season and doesn’t produce in the postseason? Am I missing something?

      7. Mike Cameron, Milwaukee Brewers (1605)—Mike Cameron is a six-tool player—speed, average, power, glove, arm, and a penchant for missing the ball with his bat. That’s a very odd combination.

      8. Jeff Kent, Los Angeles Dodgers (1515)—Ripping on Vin Scully? In Los Angeles, that’s like the priest ripping on the pope. Yeah, Jeff….you are 40, and even though Manny Ramirez now hits behind you, you still have almost as many career K’s on the scorecard as he does.

      9. Andruw Jones, Los Angeles Dodgers (1468)—Seriously, now…..three of the current top ten windmills play for the L.A. Dodgers. No wonder this team can’t seem to catch the Diamondbacks.

      10. Frank Thomas, Oakland Athletics (1394)—Mr. Thomas has 521 career homers, and though he’s only struck out more than 100 times three times in his career, he has landed here mainly because of his longevity (currently in his 19th season).

      Source: Baseball Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, MLB

      Michael Phelps wins gold medal in tonsil hockey

      August 23, 2008 /

      The New York Post is reporting that Michael Phelps celebrated his historic performance at the Bejing Olympics by sucking face with Australian swimmer (and hottie) Stephanie Rice.

      Phelps, fresh from shattering Mark Spitz’s 36-year-old record, was spotted Monday night in a hot make-out session with Down Under swimmer Stephanie Rice, a source tells The Post’s Clemente Lisi and Luke Dennehy. The pumped-up pair clinched and swapped spit at a celebratory bash outside the Olympic Village.

      The Baltimore Bullet swooped in for the lip-lock with the 20-year-old brunette just weeks after she split from Aussie swimmer Eamon Sullivan. “All the swimmers are talking about it, and [Sullivan] is cut up about what happened,” the source said.

      The day after the face-sucking frolics, Phelps and Rice cheekily posed together for Speedo – laughing and playfully groping each other as a photographer snapped them in their swimsuits. “I definitely admire him for his athletic ability and everything he’s achieved,” gushed Rice, who won three gold medals of her own. “I’m just really glad to be in the mix with that.”

      In the mix, indeed.

      Some are saying that Usain Bolt is having a better performance than Phelps at these Olympics, but I think this puts Phelps over the top.

      Rumors & Gossip, The Olympics

      Who knew batons were this tough to handle?

      August 23, 2008 /

      A day after both the U.S. men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams mishandled a baton exchange in their respective qualifying heats, the heavily favored Jamaican women’s 4x100m team fumbled its second hand off and failed to finish the race. Their miscue unfortunately affected the Great Britain team, which also failed to finish.

      I don’t remember seeing this many baton drops in one Olympics. The theory is that a lack of practice and familiarity amongst the team members is the root cause. Given the difficulty of handing something off while running at a full sprint, practice would probably help.

      Russia went on to win the gold medal.

      The Olympics

      Linebackers core of Panthers’ defense

      August 22, 2008 /

      In the weeks leading up to the kickoff the 2008 NFL Season, I’ll take a look at position groups that could potentially lift teams to new heights, or bury them and their postseason hopes. Today I take a look at how the Panthers have built a young, athletic linebacker corps through the draft.

      Julius Peppers is the face of the Carolina Panthers’ defense – and deservedly so with his 56 quarterback takedowns in his six seasons at defensive end. But while Peppers often steals the spotlight, the strength of Carolina’s defense resides in its young linebacker corps.

      Anchoring the middle of the Panthers’ defense is second-year player Jon Beason, the team’s first round pick in 2007. As a rookie last year, Beason recorded 140 tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery. He was held out of the Panthers’ minicamps in May because of a wrist injury, but Beason is completely healed and expected to record another 100-plus tackles in 2008.

      Playing alongside Beason will be another former first round pick in Thomas Davis, a converted safety from the University of Georgia. After playing at the strong-side position for his first three years in the league, Davis will move to the weak-side where he’ll line up behind Peppers on the right side of Carolina’s defense. With Peppers often commanding double teams, the athletic Davis will be free to roam sideline-to-sideline and thus make him a more dangerous playmaker.

      Finally, veteran Na’il Diggs is battling former Bengals’ linebacker Landon Johnson for the strong-side spot. Diggs is expected to start, but Johnson could see the field in a rotation. Neither player is as athletic or versatile as Beason or Davis, but both are solid against the run and certainly won’t be a weakness.

      Expect defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac to use all his linebackers in a variety of ways and even if opposing offenses try to spread the field, Beason and Davis have the closing speed necessary to excel in coverage. With both Beason and Davis, the Panthers should have one of the best linebacker corps for years to come.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Clay molds a decathlon victory

      August 22, 2008 /

      After twelve long years, an American has finally won the Olympic decathlon. Bryan Clay won the ten-event competition in Beijing going away, outdistancing his closest opponent (Andrei Krauchanka of Belarus) by 240 points. He finished with 8,791 points and secured the victory by finishing the 1500-meters race.

      Dan O’ Brien was the last U.S. athlete to win the Olympic decathlon, in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

      Clay led the competition wire to wire, as he placed first or second in five of the ten events and third in two others.

      The Olympics

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