Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 754 of 1503)

      Niners’ Gore calls out teammate Davis

      August 10, 2009 /

      49ers running back Frank Gore is getting a little tired of tight end Vernon Davis’ immaturity.

      From the San Jose Mercury News:

      “It’s his fourth year now. Now it’s time,” Gore said.

      The 49ers running back spoke to reporters a day after Davis said some teammates were upset by his latest training-camp fight. Coach Mike Singletary punished the entire team after Davis’ scuffle by making players run sideline-to-sideline sprints. Gore was among those unamused.

      “I wasn’t mad about having to run gassers,” he said. “I just feel it’s his fourth year now, and I told him it shouldn’t be him now. Everybody makes mistakes but it shouldn’t be him. OK, a rookie? I accept that.”

      In three years, Davis has recorded 103 receptions for 1,132 yards and nine touchdowns. Those numbers might be suitable for a tight end that is the third passing option in an offense, but not one that was supposed to emerge as the next great tight end after being selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft.

      Davis is only 25, so there’s still time for him to turn his career around. But as Gore indicated in his comments, Davis needs to show more maturity as he enters his fourth season. He seems to be at a crossroads in his career, where he either starts living up to some of the hype that surrounded him when he was drafted, or head down bustville like so many top 10 picks that came before him.

      NFL

      Victorino ejected for arguing balls and strikes…from centerfield.

      August 10, 2009 /

      It’s not everyday that you see a player get ejected for arguing balls and strikes from centerfield. But that’s exactly what happened on Sunday when Phillies’ outfielder Shane Victorino was tossed during a loss to the Marlins.

      Here’s the umpire’s explanation for ejecting Victorino from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

      “The third pitch was called a ball and he was out there waving his arms like this,” said Rapuano, imitating Victorino. “So I stepped out, took my mask off, looked out there and gestured. Again, he went [waving his arms] and I said that’s it. You can’t do that from center field. I gave him the chance to not do it again.”

      Wow – great explanation. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a player being ejected for raising his arms in frustration over an umpire’s (brutal) ball and strike calls.

      Umpires feel way too empowered these days.

      MLB, Video

      Blackhawks’ Kane arrested for robbery

      August 10, 2009 /

      Blackhawks’ winger Patrick Kane was arrested with his cousin in Buffalo over the weekend on charges of assault and robbery after giving a cab driver $15 for a $13.80 cab ride and then allegedly punching him in the face and head when he didn’t have change.

      Per TSN.ca:

      Buffalo police said the 20-year-old Kane and his 21-year-old cousin, James Kane, had apparently caught a cab from the city’s downtown nightclub district at about 4 a.m. ET. The cab driver suffered cuts to his face and his glasses were damaged, police spokesman Michael DeGeorge said.

      Both men were charged with felony robbery and misdemeanour counts of theft of services and criminal mischief. Patrick Kane, who earned US$875,000 last season, pleaded not guilty in local court Sunday, WIVB-TV reported. It was not immediately clear when James Kane will appear in court.
      The driver said he was punched and hit by both men because he did not have 20 cents in change to give them, according to the police report.

      Average playing salary in the NHL: $3.725 million.
      Cab ride in Buffalo: $13.80.
      Putting your hockey career at risk by punching a cab driver in the head and face over not having the correct change: Priceless.

      What a pathetic act by a professional athlete and an embarrassment to the Blackhawks organization. I’m sure EA Sports will be happy to hear about this, seeing as how Kane was supposed to grace the cover of NHL 10 this year.

      NHL

      White’s contract fair for both him, Falcons

      August 10, 2009 /

      A couple days ago, the Falcons’ receiving corps was essentially on life support.

      How bad were things? No. 1 wideout Roddy White was in the midst of a contract holdout that wasn’t going well, promising slot receiver Harry Douglas torn his ACL in practice and will miss the entire season, and the team had to scrap near the bottom of the free agent barrel by signing veterans Robert Ferguson and Marty Booker.

      But over the weekend, things went from ugly to hopeful again as White ended his holdout by signing a six-year, $50 million contract extension with $18 million in guarantees. The deal was less than Larry Fitzgerald’s four-year, $40 million deal, but more guaranteed money than Greg Jennings’ three-year, $26.35 million (with incentives) extension.

      Last week it was reported that White was seeking a deal similar to Fitzgerald, which would have been ridiculous if the report were true. White has been excellent the past two seasons, emerging as Atlanta’s best receiver and top playmaker. But he didn’t deserve Fitzgerald-type money, not with his lackluster first two seasons in the pros, where he didn’t even combine for 1,000 receiving yards and amassed just three touchdowns.

      When you compare the two player’s numbers from a year ago, White (88 rec., 1,382 yards, 7 TDs) and Jennings (80 rec., 1,292 yards, 9 TDs) had comparable numbers. Given White’s solid 2007 season (83 rec., 1,202 yards, 6 TDs), it makes sense that he was given more guaranteed money than Jennings, but in no way should he make what Fitz does.

      The Falcons did a nice job not panicking during White’s holdout, and not feeling the need to overpay when Douglas went down for the season. GM Thomas Dimitroff played it cool and got a deal worked out before White’s holdout became too much of a distraction. Plus, Dimitroff proved that the Falcons will take care of veterans like White when they play out their contracts.

      Overall, this was a solid deal for both sides.

      NFL

      Ortiz address media, says he never buys or uses steroids

      August 8, 2009 /

      David Ortiz addressed the media about his positive PED test from 2003 on Saturday and stated that he never buys or uses steroids.

      From ESPN.com:

      “I definitely was a little bit careless back in those days when I was buying supplements and vitamins over the counter — legal supplements, legal vitamins over the counter — but I never buy steroids or use steroids,” Ortiz said during a news conference that began about 3½ hours before his Boston Red Sox played the New York Yankees.

      “I never thought that buying supplements and vitamins, it was going to hurt anybody’s feelings.”

      If you replace “vitamins and supplements” with “flax seed oil,” then Ortiz essentially did the same thing Bonds did in that he attributed the positive test results to over-the-counter supplements and not anabolic steroids.

      This may sound like I’m defending Big Papi, but maybe he really did take an over-the-counter supplement or something like Androstenedione, which is banned now, but wasn’t in 2003. Some people like to group supplements like testosterone boosters in with anabolic steroids and there is a massive difference between the two in terms of the effect they can have on your body. We don’t know what Ortiz took, so it’s not really fair to speculate until more details come out (if they ever do, that is).

      It’s not surprising that Ortiz didn’t reveal much in the press conference. Don’t forget that these test results were supposed to be confidential and therefore Ortiz was probably legally bound from providing too much detail.

      That said, it would have been nice if he admitted what he took, especially if he’s telling the truth about never taking steroids. He could have gotten on the podium and said, “I took Supplement X, Y and Z” and at least gained a little respect from his detractors. But since he didn’t reveal anything, many fans will go onto believe that he disgraced the game by cheating.

      The sad part is that we may never know what these guys took.

      MLB

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