Kenny picks winners the only way he knows how…
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In a rather bizarre story, a baseball fan has walked away with 10 grand after he claimed he was ejected from Yankee Stadium when he attempted to leave for the bathroom during “God Bless America.”
Bradford Campeau-Laurion had named the Yankees and New York City in his federal lawsuit, which argued that he was a victim of political and religious discrimination and that his rights were violated at the August 2008 game.
The city did not admit liability in the settlement, which was finalized Monday. But it will give the Queens resident $10,001 and will pay $12,000 in legal fees to the New York Civil Liberties Union.
For its part, the Yankees will pay nothing but said in settlement papers that fans at the team’s new stadium are allowed to move freely during the song and there are no plans to change that.
But fans may not always have felt completely unfettered. Ushers used handheld chains to block off some exits while it was played at the Yankees’ old stadium, although chief operating officer Lonn Trost has said they were instructed to let through spectators with emergencies.
“This settlement ensures that the new Yankee Stadium will be a place for baseball, not compelled patriotism,” NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman said in a statement. The city Law Department had no comment.
Police spokesman Paul J. Browne earlier claimed the on-duty officers ejected Campeau-Laurion because he was drunk and disorderly. But the Red Sox fan said he had two beers, an hour apart, and enjoyed the game quietly.
Big ups to my favorite executive director Donna Lieberman for keeping it real. There’s a vibrant hate that almost runs deeper than that within international relations, and that’s between the Yankees and Red Sox. When you have a Red Sox fan vouching for his rival, there must be something thicker than truth in what he or she is saying. When a Red Sox fan sees his nemesis in a predicament where they could be saddened, embarrassed, or beaten, they would usually jump at the opportunity. But in this situation we have a Red Sox fan standing up for his opponent because of basic human rights.
Look, I like “God Bless America” just as much as the next guy, which is to say I don’t have an opinion about the song. It’s something I had to sing in elementary school and have heard at various events (patriotic or not) throughout my life. It’s engrained in my head much in the same way those Jack in the Box Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich commercials now are because or their consistency. The 1918 classic by Irving Berlin isn’t on my iPod or anything, but I understand it’s significance and sentimentality. Nevertheless, I think it’s unnecessary to still several years after 9/11 and right when the game is really getting interesting. We already have “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the first pitch — which is great — but from then on it should be all about baseball. “The Star-Spangled Banner” recognizes our country for creating the ability to house the game of baseball, and the seventh-inning stretch is the time when fans of both teams can celebrate the sport. The inclusion of “God Bless America” creates an overly serious mood smack dab in the middle of this enjoyment and turns the seventh-inning into a theater intermission. Sorry, Irving.
Still while I think Campeau-Laurion was right in that nobody should be forced to stay put during “God Bless America” (or “The Star-Spangled Banner,” for that matter), a 10K payday is a bit much. Really, the most he should have been awarded were some free Yankee tickets or the opportunity to sing his own version of “God Bless America” during a game of his choosing.
The Atlanta Journal-Consitution first reported Tuesday that Bibby and the Hawks had a three-year agreement for about $18 million, according to sources.
Falk said Bibby and other free agents have found “the market is extremely conservative this year for free agents, compared to last year.”
“A number of teams had interest in him … but I think Mike was comfortable in the environment” with the Hawks, Falk said.
I’m not sure what Falk is talking about when he says that the market is “extremely conservative” after the Pistons invested $19 million per season in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva and Toronto is doing everything it can to give Hedo Turkoglu the $10 million per season that he’s asking for. Bibby’s market value is about the mid-level and that’s essentially what he signed for.
It looked like Bibby’s days in Atlanta were numbered when the Hawks traded for Jamal Crawford and drafted Jeff Teague, but Crawford is better off the ball and Teague needs to develop, so it makes sense to keep Bibby around for a couple more years. He played well last season, so hopefully for Hawks fans he can repeat that performance now that he’s not in a contract year.
It will be interesting to see how this contract affects Andre Miller’s negotiations. Miller is two years older and has been asking for a contract starting around $10 million per season, but I don’t think he’s going to get it. I think his floor is around the mid-level.
Since returning from retirement, Lance Armstrong hasn’t been able to reach the level of dominance he displayed during his entire career. That’s expected, obviously, but he’s currently showing signs of his past ability at this favorite race, the Tour de France. Earlier today, Armstrong jumped from 10th to third place.
Britain’s Mark Cavendish won his second straight stage. He and Armstrong and overall leader Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland kept up with a breakaway group that bolted from the pack with 18 miles left in the 122-mile third stage.
Armstrong, a seven-time champion coming out of retirement, is 40 seconds behind. He was able to make his big jump because riders in front of him at the start of the day got trapped in the main pack.
The race is set for a shakeout featuring Cancellara, Armstrong and Germany’s Tony Martin in Tuesday’s team time trial. Each team is strong in the 24-mile event, which starts and finishes in Montpellier. If Astana wins, Armstrong could take the yellow jersey. The race ends July 26 in Paris.
Like Roger Federer, Lance Armstrong is an institution in his sport. It’s nice to watch the “old guys” succeed, though neither is old in general by any means. As far as spectator sports are concerned in America, cycling is about as popular rugby. Nevertheless, Armstrong’s story is both interesting an inspiring. The fact that he’s won 7 times is proof enough that he’s both a phenomenal athlete and the greatest cyclist of all time. That he’s come back is a product of his determination and frustration with the minutia of everyday life. There’s only so much one can do before they need to partake in the things they love.
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Lakers backup point guard Shannon Brown has agreed to a two-year deal worth $4.2 million that includes a player option in the second year. Brown initially impressed Laker fans in the final third of the regular season and saw considerable playing time in the first round of the playoffs against the Jazz.
On a day in which Kobe Bryant spoke out on a variety of topics, including his own contract, the Lakers pared their unrestricted free agents down to one after Brown agreed to take $4.2 million over the next two years, with the second year his option.
Meanwhile, Brown declined a more lucrative offer from Indiana to stay with the Lakers, said his agent, Mark Bartelstein.
“This is where he wanted to be,” Bartelstein said. “The Lakers treated him well during his short time there, and he hopes to continue and improve his game.”
Brown, 23, was a throw-in with Adam Morrison in the February trade that sent Vladimir Radmanovic to Charlotte, but he became a fan favorite with his hustle and surprisingly powerful dunks. He made $796,000 last season.
Brown went scoreless in the NBA Finals, playing in only three games because of Derek Fisher’s increased playing time, though he had better stats earlier in the playoffs, including 7.2 points a game in the first round against Utah.
This is a great signing for the Lakers who seem to be getting bigger by the year. With the acquisition of Ron Artest, and assuming they resign Lamar Odom, the Lakers will cut quite an imposing figure down low with the aforementioned players, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum.
What they’ve been lacking is a point guard they can rely on. With Derek Fisher in the twilight of his career and Jordan Farmar refusing to live up to his potential, Shannon Brown is a great option. At only 23, Brown has time to develop his game over the next two seasons as he will likely see a fair amount of playing time each game.
The L.A. fans quickly took to Brown due to his hustle and sweet shot. When you’re bench consists of mid-level and overpaid athletes such as Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic, Brown’s $2.1 million a year contract is quite a deal.
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