Friday Fox

Today's Friday Fox is Diora Baird, played Vivian in Wedding Crashers. For those that don't recall she was the girl who asked: Would you say you're completely full of shit or just 50%? to suicidal Owen Wilson's character John Beckwith. Who wouldn't want to shoot a hole in one with the girl who's next movie is entitled PORNSTAR?

Surrrrrre You Did Tilt

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae.

Those of you who check in regularly know that Tilt takes over the page on Fridays - but I had to post this entry. We were out for a couple of pints after work yesterday, where Tilt described his one of his awful beats at the poker table. I'm used to hearing about Tilt's exploits at the tables - but imagine my surprise when Tilt, a self-described "ass man", shared his new found appreciation for big boobs - Tilt may be the only Asian man alive who wasn't a boob man. What do boobs have to do with poker (apart from the lovely Jennifer Tilly who would take all my money at the poker table)?

Well, boobs and poker are the main pieces of Tilt's biggest bluff. For those of you who read his poker entries, I get the feeling he is about to do an entry on "folding good hands" when you see a "scary board", don't believe him for a second. Tilt's biggest lie at the poker table comes from one of his home games.

There were about 10 of us playing that night - including one little hottie that Tilt refused to acknowledge he has a hard on for. He was the big stack (funny to hear "big stack" attributed to an Asian guy) and checked on a flop that had an ace. A few people folded, but the hottie with the big rack was the short stack at the table raised him (pun fully intended - she always gets a rise out of him) - a couple of people called her. Tilt, enamoured with what she was wearing, decided to fold, rather than putting her all in - which would have definitely got her and everyone else to fold. The played out the hand and the hottie won with a "runner runner" to make a flush. Tilt told everyone that he had pocket Aces - so he folded three Aces - and congratulated himself for a good fold.

Knowing Tilt like I do - I called "bullshit". He folded that hand because he wanted to keep the hottie with the great rack at the table (sitting directly across from him) by giving her the big pot. Welcome to the world of appreciated nice boobs Tilt - warning though, it can be costly sometimes.

In "sports entertainment news" the WWE announced it had suspended 10 wrestlers for steroid and other substance use - wow, who would have thought those guys were using steroids? I'm shocked - a number of websites are publishing names of the people suspected....though it is WWE "policy" not to publicize names.

THURSDAY'S THREE STARS

New York Yankees 2B Robinson Cano hit two solo home runs, and Chien Ming Wang pitched seven shutout innings in a 5-0 win over the Red Sox. Apologies to Red Sox Nation, but I have both of them in my yahoo pool.

Philadephia Phillies LF Pat "the bat" Burrell had two home runs and three runs batted in to lead the Phillies to an 11-10 win over the Mets yesterday - bad for our three play.

Detroit Tigers RF Magglio Ordonez had three hits, including a home run, and drove in three to lead the Tigers to a 6-1 win over the Royals. Good for the three play and even better for the Maeple Leafs.

FRIDAY THREE PLAY

We split again yesterday - so the total stands at + $220 for the week. Today's suggestions:

Boston over Baltimore - ugly game with both teams on losing streaks, but you have to think Boston will break out of the funk after getting swept - especially with Tim Wakefield on the mound who has been pitching well. Lay $100 on the Sox - $235.

Chicago over Houston - Wandy Rodriguez starts for the Astros at Wrigley, he's been awful on the road and we don't expect his luck to change against Sean Marshall and the Cubs. Lay $100 on the Cubs - $170.

Los Angeles over Texas - the Angels have a chance to bury the Mariners with a good series against Texas - they look like the pick of the night with Vincente Padilla going for Texas; we like Joe Saunders tonight. Lay $100 on the Angels - $205.

Milwaukee over Pittsburgh - the Brewers gave Yovanni Gallardo an extra day of rest and we think it will bode well for the kid as he faces the Pirates at home tonight. Lay $100 on the Brewers - $170.

Warning - resist the temptation to go with the Indians, Buehrle goes for the White Sox and that could be trouble. Also, I've got a feeling about the DRays tonight; there could be an emotional let down after sweeping Boston.

That's it for today gang - check back for Tilt's "Friday Fox" - thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, have yourself a groovy Labour (Cdn spelling) Day Weekend.

We're Out!

Tilt Report - Stupid things..

This is completely unrelated to sports - but I have to write a comment about this. This morning riding the bus, I over hear two men in their 40s talking. They appear to be professionals and going to work. The one guy turns to his friend and states:

"What is it with all these homeless people...don't they have somewhere to go?"

I had to restrain myself from getting up and punching the guy in the head for being an absolute idiot. For one, what kind of statement is that? If someone had somewhere to go, would they be fucken homeless??? And two, this was obviously someone who hasn't learned to appreciate all that they have (as opposed to those who are homeless). And lastly - if you know nothing of the subject matter (poverty, etc.) SHUT UP!!!.

To rememdy my anger...I decided to look at this photo...

JFJ's At It Again

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special “Hey” goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

We’re scratching our head here with the latest “news” out of Toronto. George Gross of the Toronto Sun reports that Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. has expressed interest in acquiring FA Peter Forsberg – should he decide to return to the NHL. JFJ’s will undoubtedly focus on the opportunity to play with countrymen Mats Sundin and Thomas Steen – we want to believe it, really, but we can’t see it.

The Leafs would have to clear too much cap room to accommodate Forsberg’s salary, unless they planned on eating a few contracts by sending guys to the minors to clear salary off the books; and if you know anything about the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Fund, you know that they will instruct the Board of Directors to veto any moves that would impact the bottom line.

Nice try though JFJ – we’ll give you an A for effort.

In other “news”

News from Los Angeles is the saviour , David Beckham ,will be out from four to six weeks with a strained ligament in his right knee on a questionable challenge from Pachuca’s Fernando Salazar during a SuperLiga match (couldn’t they come up with another name? The SuperLiga is in Portugal – period).

The injury will keep Beckham from suiting up for England in early September as they play Israel and Russia in Euro 2008 qualifiers. It must have killed British journalists when they found out Salazar was Mexican – they were probably salivating when they saw the last name, hoping they could blame this one on another rotten Portuguese player who is out to screw England.

Speaking of injuries – Boston Red Sox LF Manny Ramirez will be sidelined for the next few days at least with a strained oblique muscle. For all you Manny-haters out there – talk to us after you’ve seen Eric Hinske filling in; before you even say it, Bobby Kielty isn’t the answer either.


WEDNESDAY’S THREE STARS
Colorado Rockies P Jeff Francis throws a complete game shutout in an 8-0 win over the Giants (told you he’d win). Francis gave up six hits and a walk while striking out three.

Cincinnati Reds P Aaron Harang also threw a complete game shutout yesterday, limiting the Pirates to two hits and a walk while striking out eight.

Former Red Sox and current Red Sox West 3B Shea Hillenbrand hit a two run home run and drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 12th to bring Big Blue back from a 5-0 deficit to win 10-9. Can’t believe Brad Penny was as bad as he was yesterday.

We’re making an exception and nominating one more star today. Canadian Hurdler Perdita Felicien celebrated her 27th birthday with a silver medal in the final of the 100 m hurdles at the World Track and Field Championships in Japan. Felicien has overcome a lot since her disasterous fall at the 2004 Olympics.


THURSDAY’S THREE PLAY
We split yesterday’s picks, winding up at - $60 for the day. The total for the week stands at + $235 though. Today’s suggestions:

New York over Cincinnati – we can’t see the Phils sweeping the Mets, especially with Kyle Lohse on the mound; El Duque is the pick today. Lay $100 on the Mets - $115.

Detroit over Kansas City – Leo Nunez has been very good for KC, but the Tigers have to win this one if they are going to stay close – getting swept by the Royals would be devastating to them. Lay $100 on the Tigers - $145.

We’ll check back in later this afternoon with a look at tonight’s game.

That’s it for today gang – thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one Peeps!

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We’re Out!

Tilt Report - Madden'08

I recently picked up a Playstation 3 and let me tell you, this is one spectacular machine. The clear justification for me spending the extra money to buy a PS3 over an XBox 360 was simply that the PS3 comes with a blue-ray player (blue ray players currently retails between $600 to $1000 CDN) - not to mention the backwards compatability of the system. But how does this relate to sports...well simply put...Madden'08.

For those of you who are not aware the Electronic Arts (EA) Madden series is the single most successful sports game franchise. I first started playing it when the series game out for the Playstation and really haven't been able to stop. So the following is my review of the system:

While I don't enjoy some of the adjustments EA has made to the game play, Madden remains one of the best sports games out on the market. The graphics are smooth (especially in HD format) to the point where you can see the crowd actually stand up and cheer. The images of the players are very accurate and EA really got into details with some players.

Playing the game, you really get a sense of being in a stadium and taking charge of the team. The crowd responds accordingly and I have to admit, even the play by play is done well this year. Unfortunately, Madden has stepped away from doing colour commentary for his own game. Marshall Faulk has joined the crew however, and provides a preview and review of the game.

I haven't played all that much, but from what I have played the game is still steller. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys playing sports.

Tilt Needs Runner Runner

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

The dream lives for Tilt - though he may need what amounts to "runner-runner" for a royal flush facing a four of a kind on this one.

Word from New York is that Tilt's dream girl (one of them) Elisha Cuthbert and Sean Avery have decided to part company, so Elisha's "single" - for how long we don't know. For you Tilt - Wednesday's Hump Day Hottie.

Big day in Denmark today - Benfica of Lisbon are in Copenhagen today to play the second leg of their qualifier for UEFA's Champions League tournament. Benfica go in leading 2-1 and only need a tie to go through - three Portuguese in Champions League would be nice.

Anyone think there was a whole lot more to the Lance Briggs accident than has been published to this point? He totals his Lambourgini and he runs away in a panic? Things that make you go hmmmmm

We'll keep it short today since we are expecting a couple more entries here today - Tilt should be checking in with a review on his new PS-III, and we're hoping Chip finds some time to introduce himself.

WEDNESDAY'S THREE STARS
Red Sox West 2B Jeff Kent hit a home run in the Dodgers 4-3 win over the Nats - not bad for a guy who was beaned a couple of days ago.

Los Angeles Angels RF Vlad Guerrero had four hits and drove in three runs to bring the Angels all the way back from a 5-0 first inning deficit for a 10-6 win.

St. Louis Cardinals P Braden Looper pitches seven shuout innings, giving up four hits and a walk while striking out four, in a 7-0 win over the Astros - that managerial change has really shaken things up in Houston huh?

WEDNESDAY THREE PLAY

Not sure how the Tigers managed to lose to the Royals - outhitting a team 16-6 should result in a win...shouldn't it? We were 2-1 yesterday so the total for the week stands at + $295. Today's suggestions, we're feelin it this week, so we are going to start with four afternoon games (we'll check back before the evening games with a few more suggestions:

Red Sox West over Washington - we are calling (hoping) for the sweep today with Brad Penny pitching for Big Blue - Dodgers have won five straight at home against the Nats; they'll make it six today. Lay $100 on the Dodgers - $180.

Colorado over San Francisco - Giants are on a great streak right now, but we are going to give the nod to Canadian boy Jeff Francis today - Giants won't sweep. Lay $100 on the Rockies -$115.

Toronto over Oakland - Roy Halladay still has a shot at 20, and he is going to be extra tough in a pitcher's park like McAfee Coliseum. Jays return the favour and sweep the A's today. Lay $100 on the Jays - $140.

Seatlle over Los Angeles - The M's have to be smarting after yesterday's game - Felix Hernandez is just the guy to get them back on track...especially against Jered Weaver. Lay $100 on the Mariners - $120.

Today's picks are solid - go with us while we are semi-hot.

That's it for today gang - thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one Peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We're Out!

Michael Vick Enters The Court Of Public Opinion

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special “Hey” goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

Michael Vick decided to make a public statement yesterday, opting not to do it through his attorney but rather, to “speak from the heart”. Was Vick’s decision to speak based on:

a) faulty logic on his part - thinking that an apologetic and remorseful statement to the public would help him begin to repair or rebuild his image in the eyes of the NFL and its fans – or maybe a final plea for leniency to the judge who will be sentencing him?

b) bad legal advice?

c) caving to media and fan pressure to speak on his plea agreement?

d) a combination of all of the above?

Whatever the case, Michael Vick made the wrong decision – something that has marked his entire career in the NFL. What Vick did yesterday was open himself up to more criticism and character assassination (if that is possible these days). Vick’s statement was ill-advised and ill-timed – he has gone from a federal court in Virginia with laws and statutes that guide decisions to the court of public opinion, where there are no rules – and where perception and sensationalism becomes reality.

Instead of offering a standard “no comment” or a brief statement to say that he acknowledged his “wrongdoings” and wanted to move forward – Vick chose to amplify the attention already on him to apologize to the public and talk about how he wanted to redeem himself. In saying that he now “rejected” dogfighting and had turned his life over to God – Vick has opened himself to even more attention and criticism.

Before yesterday, Vick was being characterized as “sadistic”, “cruel”, and “inhumane” – today (and for the foreseeable future) he will have to listen as the court of public opinion judge on charges of insincerity, lying, and being a total fraud.

It is not for us to judge the sincerity of Vick’s statement – in his words, he was “speaking from the heart” and we can’t possibly purport to know what he is thinking and how he is feeling. He may very well believe and feel every word he uttered – he may have adopted the George Costanza principle that says, “if you believe it, its not a lie”. Who knows for sure?

What we can say is that it was a case of incredibly bad timing – Vick’s statement likely would have been better received had he issued it prior to being sentenced, instead of a few minutes after he had entered his plea. While Vick may say that he had plenty of time in the months leading up to his plea to contemplate this life change – he or, at the very least, his attorneys should have known better; the issue is still to fresh in the minds of a rabid media/public (pardon the pun) who from the media and public who want to inflict the pain those dogs felt on Vick himself. They had to have known that the statement would polarize people in to two camps – those wanting for forgive (a la Keith Olbermann) and those wanting to take another shot at him for a perceived lack of remorse or sincerity in Vick’s statement. How he or anyone connected to him could possibly think that he could go from “sadistic, cruel, inhumane” dogfighter to a sympathetic figure that wants to straighten out his life is beyond us.

We all like to poke fun at athletes who used standard and tired old clichés – Mike Vick should have pulled one of them and “let his action (“on the field – or “off” in this case) to the talking for him.

We aren’t feeling sorry for Ron Mexico – but we can’t help but think he was born under a bad star – cursed forever with bad decisions. Just our 2 cents (US) or 2.1 cents Cdn.

With the Toronto Blue Jays all but out of the Wild Card chase, the Men’s National Basketball team trying to rebound from being Dirty Sanchez’d by the USA, and the CFL not really cutting it in terms of getting us ready for the NFL – the Canadian media is trying to get people excited, hyping the “Summit Series” between the Canadian and Russian national junior teams.

We just don’t get it – the folks at TSN and Rogers Sportsnet are doing their best to hype this Clash of the Titans, but we just can’t seem to get amped over it. The media keeps making references to the 1972 Series – but it was a different time, a different era, and different level with professional players.

The original series came at a time when we didn’t know much about those “God-less Russians” – they were an unknown quantity, the anti-thesis of what we were in almost every facet of life. In today’s global world we know all of their players; they play in our junior leagues, we see them at the world hockey championships, we read scouting reports on them , we’ll follow them when they are drafted by our NHL teams – we know them like they are our own.

As much as it is hyped, this is not an “us vs them” or “east vs west” scenario – its just another money making venture by Hockey Canada; who keep trying to tell us something we already know – “Major Junior Hockey is good and exciting”. We’ll find out next month what the television ratings were for the eight game series – but take them with a grain of salt; the ardent hockey fans up here aren’t buying into the hype…maybe at Christmas before the World Junior Hockey Championships. That’s not to say we don’t support them and won’t be proud of them – we just won’t view it as the be all and end all that the 1972 series was.


MONDAY’S THREE STARS
Detroit Tigers P Justin Verlander humiliated the Yankees as they head home to play the Red Sox tonight. Verlander shut the Yankees out over seven innings, giving up three hits and two walks while striking out six in the Tigers 16-0 pounding of Mike Mussina and the Bombers.

Los Angeles Angels P John Lackey pitched his second consecutive complete game shutout in a 6-0 win over the Mariners. Lackey, suspected of having strep throat, gave up seven hits and struck out five.

San Diego Padres P Jake Peavy gave up one run on three hits and three walks while striking out eleven in a 3-1 win over Arizona. We only mention this because we picked Peavy to win last night.


TUESDAY’S THREE PLAY
We started the week off well – finally – going 2-0; its been a while since we’ve had a good Monday night; you might want to avoid our Monday Night NFL picks next month. Today’s suggestions:

Red Sox West over Washington – call us crazy for picking Big Blue to win three in a row these days, but we are going to go with Chad Billingsley who seems to pitch well almost every time out. Lay $100 on the Dodgers - $165.

Detroit over Kansas City – the Tigers have to keep things going if they are going to make a run – can’t see them letting up on Kansas City tonight. Lay $100 on the Tigers - $105.

Texas over Chicago – YUCK! This game really sucks, but you have to take former Red Sox P Kason Gabbard over Gavin Floyd and a terrible White Sox team. Gotta take the value where you can get it – Texas is a decent home team and the White Sox are just terrible. Lay $100 on the Rangers - $155.

That’s it for today gang – thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one Peeps!

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We’re Out!

Tilt Report - Vick's Press Conference

Somehow listening to Vick's press conference didn't make me think that he's learned from his actions, nor do I think that he feels remorse for what he's done. And WTF is up with Vick referring to himself in the third person...what a egomaniac.

congrats ish...you are one of Hazel's three stars for yesterday...though I should have ignored you for dissin' Noy.

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special “Hey” goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

How would you like to be Ron Mexico today?

- You’re facing jail time, with speculation that the judge presiding over your case is going to impose a harsh sentence;
- Your NFL career is in jeopardy – with fans wanting you banned for life (we don’t get the calls for a lifetime ban);
- Your former employer is looking to recoup the $22M signing bonus you received;
- Your sponsorship deals are being cancelled;
- The only guy that has your back is Stephon Marbury.

Just when you think things couldn’t get any worse for you – you have Chris Collinsworth of NBC telling you what you should do during the halftime show of yesterday’s Steelers/Eagles game. For those of you that missed it, Collinsworth made an impassioned plea, counseling Vick to come clean about everything that happened. Keith Olbermann went so far as to suggest that Vick admit guilt that which he is accused of, and more – in order to start mending fences with a public that wants to forgive. We’re wondering where these two get off “speaking to Michael Vick” via the halftime show – strikes us as a little pompous and arrogant to be offering your advice to Vick.

For the record, we have no position on Mike Vick – other than on a professional level, where we hate him for screwing up our NFL pool each and every week. We’ve been saying for over two years that he is a below average QB – and we won’t go back on that position.

In terms of the advice given by Collinsworth and Olbermann – we’d tell Vick to ignore Dumb and Dumber. Let’s face it, with the public wanting blood – anything Vick admits to, short of assassinating JFK is likely to be questioned and viewed with skepticism. He’s too far down the road now to try an offer an explanation that will somehow change the collective opinion of “a public that is very forgiving” and wants to forgive. Gee, it wouldn’t be in the interests of the media to have Vick open up a whole new can of worms that can be dissected huh? Really, if Vick made a public admission – would anyone believe it? Or would they be more likely to question it and wonder if there was more? We can’t see this one ever being resolved to the satisfaction of anyone.

Five minutes that we won’t ever get back. Admittedly, our eye was on the Dodgers/Mets game last night; but after listening to Collinsworth and Olbermann, we fell hook, line and sinker for the teaser on Jerome Bettis discussing comments made in his book – see entry from last week. We listened as Jerome participated in the contrived, scripted piece of nonsense – moderated by Bob Costas. Jerome wanted to let everyone know he was there to “tell the t-r-o-of” about what really happened. Mike Vick is being vilified, for among other things – “lying”, but Jerome gets a free pass on NBC. Granted the scope and severity of the issue aren’t even in the same stratosphere – but nonetheless, Bettis’ actions denote those of a punk, but it’s A-OK and laughable if you are part of the studio crew.

Note to Miguel Tejada after his 1 for 4 perforrmance yesterday against the Twins – you still suck, and you are still blowing up our Pro-Line tickets. What? No chicken, rice and beans before yesterday’s game? You couldn’t hit a meaningless home run with your team down? You seem to be able to do that when you are killing us. You suck Tejada – you’re in Mike Vick territory here now.


SATURDAY’S THREE STARS
Boston Red Sox P Tim Wakefield wins again; 26 starts – 26 decisions. Wakefield pitched six scoreless innings, giving up three hits and three walks while striking out six in the Sox 14-2 pounding of Chicago Saturday.

Tampa Bay DRays P Scott Kazmir was dominant against the A’s – striking out thirteen over eight innings in the Rays 14-3 win. The only bad thing about the performance was that it came against Joe Blanton of the Maeple Leafs – still in first though, so we’ll give Kazmir his due.

Pittsburgh Pirates RF Jose Bautista hit two home runs and drove in three to lead the Pirates to a 4-3 win over the Astros in a “who cares?” game.


SUNDAY’S THREE STARS
Red Sox West P David Wells comes out of “retirement” so to speak to pick up a win against the Mets last night. For those of you that missed it, Wells had a good night on the mound – but he makes the grade today for laying down a bunt single in the fifth that started the comeback for Big Blue. Yes, you read that right – the big guy laid down a bunt single. Jeff Kent gets honourable mention for taking a 90+ mph fastball in the head and not going down – he walked it off and made it to the dugout on his own – that’s TOUGH.

Portugal’s new wonderkid and Manchester United F Luis Nani hit a screamer from 30 yards out to give Man U a 1-0 win over Tottenham. We haven’t been able to get the video from footytube – but it was a beauty.

Ottawa_Tilt went down to Niagara this past weekend and left the poker tables a big winner – we won’t go on and on, because Tilt just emailed his entry. What he didn’t mention was that he followed up the win at Niagara with a win in a 90 man online tournament last night.


MONDAY’S THREE PLAY
We had a tough week last week – one bad day killed us. We start the week with an ugly, ugly, UGLY total. Never mind, we’ll update it next week – though you can scroll back to last week and figure it out for yourself if you are so inclined. Today’s suggestions:

San Diego over Arizona – a mismatch on the mound with Jake Peavy vs Livan Hernandez. You have to go with the Padres tonight (as much as we hate to). Lay $100 on the Padres - $230.

Red Sox West over Washington – the emotion of a big win last night over the Mets should carry over tonight against the Nats. We like Derek Lowe, who has pitched well at home, over Mike Bacsik tonight. Lay $100 on the Dodgers - $180.

We like the overs in today’s afternoon game and tonight’s Braves/Marlins game – but since we can’t get a total, we can’t suggest a play.

That’s it for today gang – thanks for taking the time to check in. Today is going to be an update day here, with Tilt checking in this morning and our contributor addition expected to check in tonight. Have a great one peeps!

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We’re Out!

Tilt Report - Niagara

Some of this is sports related and some of this is not. I won't go into great detail about the bachelor party, but I can say that the crew and I had a fantastic time in Niagara...regardless of the location we were in. Some thoughts...Hooter's in Niagara is not indicative of all Hooter's...the one in Niagara Falls is well...less then steller. We had a waitress that I nicknamed Skelator (that's right He-Man fans)...nice girl, but she could have done good by eating some of the wings we ordered. Rumours...fantastic bar - and if you're into drunken American girls...this is the place to be (not to mention that I saw the hottest Asian girl ever there - move over Noy!!!) Now for those of you looking for a gentlemen's club in Niagara...I can't say I recommend any. We ended at the Sundowner and with all due respect...this place was the most overrated place I have seen. They overpacked the place (nothing like having guys rub past you in a strip club packed shoulder to shoulder)...the girls were decent, but nothing compared to those found here in Ottawa. Our bachelor had a great time though and couldn't get the smile off his face...even while he was losing money playing poker.

Fallsview was absoletely packed when we arrived at around 2 pm. So we decided to hit the poker room after midnight. Can't recommend to anyone that they should drink heavily before playing, but it seemed to have helped me that night. I sat down with $100 and walked off the tables with $590 (in addition to the $300 in cash I had by selling some of my chips). I have to admit that while I am a tournament player...I really enjoy playing $1-$2 no limit hold'em cash games. My style of play worked well for the table I was seated and after four hours of play, I found myself way up. I took a few bad beats, but on this night I was dishing out more bad beats and taking more money off players then I was giving. I bantered at a few players and realized that I could get under their skin. I had one guy tilting so badly that he had to walk away from the table for an hour (I called him a donkey - then proceeded to take all his chips with 7-2 off).

As usual, one of my crew always manages to play badly (or gets unlucky). On this instance (and if you are a poker player...please don't do this)...a friend was playing in a hand. He raised all in with QQ with 2 players left to call. The first player folded...then proceeded to show his hand to the other remaining player. Talk about poor ediquete and sportsmanship. The remaining player called and proceeded to spike an ace on the river to take $200 from my friend...not a good night. If that was me...and if I was in the state of mind I was in...I probably would have leaned over and throttled the other two players.

Sidebar - for those of you who have not watched these movies, I highly recommend that you take them in. Superbad...McLovin' is the man!!! The Simpson's Movie...hilarious!!!

Sunday Three Play

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

Checking in with today's suggestions - back later with more. Tough weekend, we haven't been very good over the last couple of days - total for the week stands at - $440.

Houston over Pittsburgh - as we mentioned earlier this week, Wandy Rodriguez is great at home; he gets the nod over Tony Armas today. Lay $100 on the Astros - $155.

Oakland over Tampa Bay - The A's were embarassed by Scott Kazmir yesterday, expect Dan Haren to return the favour today. Lay $100 on the A's - $155.

Baltimore over Minnesota - Eric Bedard is unbeatable these days, so ride the streak with him. Lay $100 on the O's - $180.

Cleveland over Kansas City - We like Carmona over Gil Meche today; Meche's career numbers against Cleveland are ugly. Lay $100 on the Tribe - $140.

That's it for this morning gang - thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We're Out!

Shaking Things Up

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goest out to Hazel Mae. if she is checking in.

Our boy Tilt is taking a well deserved weekend off (who could blame him after yesterday's edition of Friday's Fox) to head to Niagara Falls to play some poker and celebrate a friend's last few days as a bachelor - Tilt, good luck at the poker tables and don't spend your winnings on a stripper named Destiny, Crystal, or Jasmine.

We are going to shake things up here a little - on of the main contributor's in our yahoo group will be joining the page with a different view on things. He'll be talking sports or anything else that comes to mind - with an edge. The "peeps" on yahoo will attest to that. He's brash, he's bold, he's opinionated...in other words a lot like us - unlike us though, he is quite talented; we'll let him introduce himself at some point over the next few days. He's based on Boston, so expect a Boston-centric slant on most of his posts.

We won't talk about Ron Mexico today - he pled, big surprise.


FRIDAY'S THREE STARS
Boston Red Sox C Jason Varitek had two hits, including a home run, and drove in four to lead the Red Sox to an 11-3 win over the White Sox in the first game of their doubleheader yesterday.

Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz had four hits, including two home runs, and drove in three to lead the Red Sox to a 10-1 win over the White Sox in the second game of their twin bill.

Los Angeles Angels P Jered Weaver threw six shutout innings in a 3-0 win over the Blue Jays, giving up five hits and a walk while striking out five. A day after Greg Zaun called Friday night's win the "biggest of the year" for the Jays (pulling them to within 9 games of Seattle - his team gets blanked...serves him right for saying something so stupid. We know he's Hazel's pal - but that doesn't give him a free pass here.


SATURDAY THREE PLAY
Yikes, it was ugly yesterday - we haven't been that bad in a while. We'll get back on it tonight. Today's suggestions:

Chicago over Boston - after getting spanked in both ends of a doubleheader yesterday, we think Buerhle gets it done today against Boston. Lay $100 on the White Sox + $110.

Chicago over Arizona - we think that Ted Lilly has enough game to beat Doug Davis; ok, we are really hoping for a DBacks loss, but our reasoning is solid. Lay $100 on the Cubs - $115.

New York over Detroit - Yankees respond tonight against Jeremy Bondeman who has been inconsistent over the last month - Wang gets the nod tonight. Lay $100 on the Yankees - $150.

That's it for today gang - thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps!

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We're Out!

P.S. We haven't done a song of the day in a while - but one of our peeps, Rafael checked in on yahoo for the first time in weeks - our boy is having some trouble with his girl. To our man Rafael, we suggest the following as the download for the day. Good Luck Rafa.

Si Tu No Cuidas Tu Mujer - Eddie Dee

(El que tenga tienda que la atienda...)
(El que tenga tienda que la atienda...)
Si tu no cuidas tu mujer
Alguien te la va a cuidar
Y nada se puede hacer
Cuando una mujer decide olvidar
Si tu no cuidas tu mujer
(Si tu no cuidas tu mujer...)
Alguien te la va a cuidar
(Alguien te la va a quitar...)
Y nada se puede hacer
(Lo mucho que te va a doler...)
Cuando otro hombre ocupa tu lugar

Si no la cuidas
Si no la besas
Si no demuestras que te interesa
Si no la entiendes
Ni su admiras su belleza
(Alguien lo va hacer por ti...)
Si no confias
Si no la abrazas
Si ya con ella tiempo no pasas
Y si no aportas nada en la casa
(Alguien lo va hacer por ti...)
Y ese alguien sera
El que conquistara a la persona
que a ti te ama
Se va a quedar con tu silla, tu plato
Tu bañ u hogar, tu mujer, y tu cama
Y va hacer tarde cuando te des cuenta
Que era verdad lo que ella te dijo
Y ese alguien sera el que todo los dias
vera como crecen tus hijos

Si tu no cuidas tu mujer
Alguien te la va a cuidar
Y nada se puede hacer
Cuando una mujer decide olvidar

Si no la escuchas
Si no la mimas
Si no cambias la rutina
Si no la sacas ni de aqui a la esquina
(Alguien lo va hacer por ti...)
Si no bromeas como antes
Ni te preocupas en verte elegante
Si en las noches no eres buen amante (Alguien lo va hacer por ti...)

Y ese alguien sera
El que conquistara a la persona que a ti te ama
Se va a quedar con tu silla, tu plato
Tu bañ u hogar, tu mujer, y tu cama
Y va hacer tarde cuando te des cuenta
Que era verdad lo que ella te dijo
Y ese alguien sera el que todo los dias
vera como crecen tus hijos

Si tu no cuidas tu mujer
(Si tu no cuidas tu mujer...)
Alguien te la va a cuidar
(Alquien te la va a chequiar...)
Y nada se puede hacer
(Vas a ver que no podras volver...)
Cuando una mujer decide olvidar
(Aja...)
Si tu no cuidas tu mujer
(Si tu no cuidas tu mujer...)
Alguien te la va a cuidar
(Alguien te la va a quitar...)
Y nada se puede hacer
(Lo mucho que te va a doler...)
Cuando otro hombre ocupa tu lugar
(El que tenga tienda que la atienda...)
(O si no que la venda...)
(El que tenga tienda que la atienda...)
(O si no que la venda...)
(El que tenga tienda que la atienda...)
(O si no que la venda...)
(El que tenga tienda que la atienda...)
(O si no que la venda...)

"La mayoria de nosotros los hombres...
Sufrimos del mismo mal...
Nos envolvemos en cosas,
que en realidad no valen la pena...
Una buena mujer no se consigue todos los dias...
Recuerda, nadie sabe lo que tiene hasta que lo pierde..."

I Heart Tilt

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special “Hey” goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

Tilt just checked in to share this morning’s post – turning the responsibility for Friday’s entries over to Tilt was absolutely the right decision. Since I don’t have anything half as interesting or appealing as this morning’s post – I’ll keep it brief.

THURSDAY’S THREE STARS
Red Sox West P Chad Billingsley was solid again yesterday, giving up one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven over seven innings in a 5-2 win over the Phillies. Strike last week’s comment about Big Blue being out of the race – we’re back baby!

Baltimore Orioles 1B Kevin Millar had two walks last night in a loss to the Twins. Millar set an Orioles record for most consecutive games reaching base safely (via hit, walk, or hit by pitch). Don’t know how many times he got plunked in setting the record, but we would have contributed to the cause by plunking him at least once – just because.

Florida Marlins LF Josh Willingham had two home runs and drove in six to help the Marlins halt a losing streak by beating the Cardinals by a score of 11-3.


FRIDAY’S THREE PLAY
Last night was a case of being lucky and unlucky. The Twins had a big inning late in the game to get us off to a good start and the Angels had a couple of brain cramps that killed us.

Speaking of unlucky – Miguel Tejada YOU SUCK. Doing your best imitation of ARod and hitting a meaningless home run in the ninth cost me a couple hundreds bucks on my Pro-line ticket. Guess the “chicken, rice and beans” really helped you out yesterday – lucky number 13 on the season huh?

Today’s suggestions:

Cleveland over Kansas City – C.C. Sabathia takes the mound against Zach Greinke today. Sabathia has been a tough luck loser over the last little while, but he’ll get it done tonight in K.C. Lay $100 on the Tribe - $180.

New York over Detroit – Tigers are struggling of late, sending Andrew Miller up against Roger Clemens and the Yankees will likely continue the trend. Clemens pitches six decent innings tonight to get the win. Lay $100 on New York - $145.

Florida over Cincinnati – a risky pick, but Aaron Harang doesn’t have good numbers against the Marlins. Dontrelle Willis is coming off his first good start in what seems like forever – here’s hoping he continues. Lay $100 on the Marlins + $130.

That’s it for today gang – thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, have a great weekend – hoping things are groovy in your world.

Out!

Friday Fox

This week we have to give a shout out to Tom Brady's current trophy...supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Wonder what Brady likes to hold more...the Superbowl Trophy or her?

I found this photo on Maxim, and just had to post it for Pogue...

People We Want To Punch

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

We'll start by saying that we are, in no uncertain terms, feeling a little crusty today. Imagine the surprise of opening up our email (thoughtsofhazel@gmail.com) and seeing five emails - we thought we had a mailbag, there hasn't been that many emails in a day since Renee, our resident provocateur/temptress posted here.

Instead it was just a few of your smartasses emailing to tell us what we were already painfully aware of - Portugal tied freaking Armenia yesterday in the qualifying stage of Euro 2008. We were all set to rip the cartel known as FIFA a new one for dropping Portugal down to number 10 in the world rankings and the boys go out and tie freaking Armenia? What a disaster - we'll have to run the table now. To those of you who emailed to rub it in - we'll be back, and we hope to hear from all of you when we make it all the way back!

But on the bright side, at least some of you are following it.

Continuing on with our sunny disposition today:

Why can't Curt Schilling just keep his mouth shut?
With Red Sox Nation just having gotten over a minor scare with the Yankees closing the gap to four games, you would think that, when approached by the media, Schilling would be talking about the here and now - about what the Sox have to do the rest of the way and in the playoffs; but that would just be stupid to think that, wouldn't it? Schilling, as is his way, was more than willing to talk about what he has planned for next year and where he might be pitching - he even has a freaking list of teams he would pitch for and plans to contact them to "explain his situation". As is the way with "Shill" he started out by saying that he was focused on this year, but is "absolutely" thinking about next year. Sounds like a guy who is focused huh?

Why wouldn't he just be a team guy and say "I'm not thinking about next year - I am thinking about bringing the World Series trophy back to the good people of Boston"? You would think that, pitching the way he has been this year, he would be so focused on getting his game straight that he wouldn't have to write teams to express interest. This guy is a piece of work.


Don't worry Vick - Stephon Marbury has got your back
Why would someone from the Associated Press think that anyone would care about Stephon Marbury's opinion on the Michael Vick situation? So Marbury equates dogfighting to hunting - ok, that's dumb. If that wasn't enough, Stephon thinks that dogfighting is a sport, "its just behind closed doors" - ok, that's just stupid. Maybe Stephon will pitch "Wednesday night (dog) fights to ESPN2.

Think Michael Vick sent Marbury a text message that read "Shut the F* up Stephon"? More bad news for Vick - the CFL won't have him up here while he is suspended from the NFL . So much for our idea about him being up here.


Who does Tiki Barber think he is?
We hate everything about the New York Giants (and the Eagles, and the Redskins...and you can throw in the 49ers too) so we found it somewhat amusing to hear Tiki Barber call out Eli Manning last Sunday night. Barber, in his new role as studio analyst for the NFL called out Manning for his lack of leadership qualities and had a chuckle about Peyton's little brother trying to speak to his teammates. Eli has responded and backtracked on his bitch slapping of Barber. While we love to see trouble in New York, we can't help but wonder what makes Tiki Barber think he is in a position to call out his former teammate?

Obviously the glare of the lights and the pressure of national audience (what? 5,000 people for a Sunday night pre-season game) got to Tiki - cause he was talking like a guy that had forgotten that for the first eight years of his career he was choker that fumbled more often that Rex Grossman on a rainy night and led his team to absolutely nothing. Barber has obviously blocked out the fact that until Tom Coughlan taught him how to hold on to a ball - he couldn't be trusted to be his team's number one back. Two good years and he thinks he has the right to call out a player who will probably be better than he ever was? Tiki, shut up...please.


Does anyone else want to punch Ron Jaworski?
It is going to be a long, long, long season for football fans tuning in to watch Monday Night Football. Five minutes of Jaworski was enough to make us want to crawl through the screen and punch him right between the eyes. While everyone hated Joe Theismann - we think that by game eight - people will wishing Theismann was back after listening to Jaworski and Kornheiser; they're awful. Jaworski thinks that everyone is an idiot and that HE has to explain every nuance of the game "a good running game is the quarterback's best friend" thanks Ron. Jaworski lost and and all credibility when he kept referring to a comparison between Grossman and Peyton Manning at the 23 game point in their respective careers - that's just assinine. Contrary to what you may think - viewers aren't half as dumb as you may think and they don't care about your comparisons; check that, maybe Dick Vermeil does. Don't even get us started on Kornheiser - PTI doesn't work on Monday Night, jackass.

CBS Sportsline's Mike Freeman wrote an article about one of the best NFL announcers of all time - Pat Summerall. Summerall said that in broadcasting games, more is less, speak less. Jaworski and Kornheiser would do well to read that article.


Bettis should be on the "short-bus"
Someone told Jerome Bettis that it would be a good idea to write a book about his career in the NFL - ummm ok? Bettis' book includes a story about how he "faked" an injury in 2000 so that the Steelers couldn't cut him in pre-season. Not sure what Bettis was thinking when he included that story in his book - it strikes us as more embarassing than anything else. Tiki Barber and the Bus - who thought these two would be good additions to NFL coverage?


Thank you Columbus
The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to sign free agent C Michael Peca. As members of Leaf Nation, it isn't that we are happy to see Peca go - but we weren't down with the speculation that JFJ would trade a young player like Matt Stajan to make room for Peca.

On last thing - can fans of the Toronto Blue Jays please shut up now? Getting swept by Oakland should be enough to stop all this nonsense about the possibility of a Wild Card - you're GONE. The line for J.P. Ricciardi's special kool-aid starts at Gate 3.


TUESDAY'S THREE STARS
Los Angeles Angels LF Garrett Anderson had four hits, including a grand slam and a three run home run, and drove in ten to lead the Angels to a 18-9 win over the Yankees; meaning we get to ignore ARod's two home run performance.

Boston Red Sox P Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 30th save in a 8-6 win over the DRays - "Paps" became the first Red Sox reliever to save 30+ games in consecutive seasons.

Baltimore Orioles P Eric Bedard improved his record to 13-4 with a strong seven inning performance in a 6-2 win over Texas - Bedard gave up two earned runs on five hits while striking out eleven. He is making a case for Cy Young consideration.


WEDNESDAY'S THREE STARS
Milwaukee Brewers 1B Prince Fielder hit a 1st inning single to break Brandon Webb's scoreless inning streak - the outcome of the game is not important. The important thing is that Orel Hershiser's record is in tact - eat that Dibble! You'll have to listen to Orel talk about "climbing the mountain for a few more years" you big jerk.

Red Sox West RF Andre Eithier ha dtwo hits, including a home run, and three runs batted in to led Big Blue to a 15-3 win over the Phillies. The only bad thing was that we learned Phillies lefty Cole Hamels will be lost to the Maeple Leafs for up to two weeks with an elbow strain.

The Texas Rangers scored 30 freaking runs yesterday - that's right 3-0 runs on 29 hits and 8 walks in a 30-3 win over the Orioles. Who wasn't a star yesterday? Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia had two home runs and seven runs batted in..if you want to pick someone.


THURSDAY THREE PLAY
Another missed opportunity yesterday - it would have been a good day had we gotten on to post...blame Tilt for not being available at work yesterday. The total for the week stands at + $55 after a 2-1 night on Monday. Today's suggestions:

Minnesota over Baltimore - the Orioles burned everyone in their doubleheader yesterday, so expect Boof Bonser and the Twins to get a win at Camden Yards. Lay $100 on the Twins - $110.

Boston over Chicago - you have to like Josh Beckett who has been very good on the road all year; the White Sox send John Danks to the mound...this could get ugly FAST. Lay $100 on the Red Sox - $190.

Los Angeles over Toronto - its "Rojo" against Ervin Santana who is coming off a good start. Blue Jays fans will be hoping that their boys pull it together on the road...unfortunately for the good people of Toronto, the Jays are horrible on the road and the Angels are good at home. We're ignoring our own suggestion to avoid Anaheim-based teams. Lay $100 on the Angels - $150.

That's it for today gang - thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We're Out.

Adventures on Full Tilt Poker

Someone once said that poker is a game of patience. Understandably it is. However, I think it sometimes is harder for players to determine how patient they have to be - especially if you're going through a series of bad beats. Recently, I've been getting beaten - not by own stupidity (i.e. calling someone down with nothing but ace high or bottom pair) but by players who are getting extremely lucky.

Last night was a prime example. In my first $5 sit n' go, my top two pair (Ks and Qs) were destroyed on the turn and river, by a player who called with bottom pair (stupidity) and hit a runner runner flush (this by definition is someone I will publically call a DONKEY). The second $5 sit n' go was bo better as a player caught a J high straight vs. my pocket queens (board = J-4-3-8-7). How the idiot called me with T-9 in the first place puzzled me...how he pushed all in with absoletly nothing puzzled me more...and how he won...well just pissed me off. The kicker to the evening was the $24 tournament I entered (guaranteed prize pool of $24,000). Three and a half hours into the game, I look down to see that I have pocket 9s. The blinds are now 500 and 1,000 with antes of 125 going in. There is one raise ahead of me, which I smooth call. The flop comes down 9-6-T, giving me trip 9s. The player ahead me puts in a bet of $5,000. Making the call would leave me with just $4,000 in chips, so I pushed all in. The guy calls me with AK which at the time was destroyed by my set of 9s. Replaying this hand makes my stomach gringe, as I watched the turn come up Q and the river J to give my opponent the straight. Despite wanting the call, I ended up getting screwed by the cards as some hapeless idiot took all my chips. Nothing more frustrating than to lose a hand in the manner described above - but it happens. I would hazard to say that had I been playing against more experienced players, I would not have taken those hits as more experienced players understand that they don't have the equity or the odds to continue playing. Than again, some people are born donkeys.

Why?

The question of the day is “Why?”

When athletes retain legal counsel to assist in defending themselves against charges brought forth against them – Why is it that they invariably issue a public statement, through their attorneys of course, proclaiming their innocence?

One would think they would figured out by now that 99% of the time charges have been laid because there is an overwhelming amount of evidence against them. We say 99% of the time because we remember what happened with three members of Duke’s Lacrosse team who had charges of rape and kidnapping dismissed after it was learned that the Durham District Attorney ignored evidence that pointed to the players being innocent.

Michael Vick’s attorney appeared before the media shortly after Vick was charged to tell America that Michael looked forward to defending himself against the charges to “clear his good name.”

Four months later, Vick’s attorney issues a statement from Vick: “Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made. Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter".

What’s in a “good name” when you can always turn to Ron Mexico – now THERE is a good name huh?

In the case of former NHLer Rick Tocchet, who was charged in 2006 with financing a sports gambling ring, his lawyer took the same “pro-active” steps that any good defense attorney would have taken. In February of 2006, Tocchet’s attorney appeared before the media to make a statement on behalf of his client.

“The allegation that Rick Tocchet financed an illegal gambling operation with organized crime is categorically false and irresponsible. We deeply regret the attorney-general's precipitous charges and are appalled by the media frenzy. Mr. Tocchet will fight the false charges with the same grit and resolve he displayed during his illustrious playing career."

Fast forward to August 2007, and conviction in his attorney’s voice and the voracity with which he pledged to defend his client had changed – maybe it had something to do with Tocchet finally cluing in that his buddies had rolled on him and the authorities had him dead to rights. Here’s what Tocchet’s attorney had to say after “Red-Hot” pleaded guility.

“Mr. Tocchet is extremely pleased with this result and very happy to have this matter behind him.”

Why wouldn’t he be pleased? His co-conspirators got jail time and he walks away with probation and hopes of being reinstated into the NHL.

A few things strike us here:

1) The newest explanation/excuse/angle being put forth by “media insiders” is that the NFL is going to come down hard on Vick – over and above his sentencing – for “lying” to Commissioner Roger Goddell. Imagine that, Vick didn’t confess and will now be punished. While some claim Goddell has a God-complex – we look at him more like a Catholic priest in confessional. No jokes please – we’re Portuguese Roman Catholic…we are a little hyper sensitive to those jokes.

2) Tocchet’s attorney was referred to as a “prominent Newark, New Jersey lawyer” – a few more instances like this where he comes off looking as foolish as he does right now and the adjective “prominent” might turn into “infamous” – not that it matters to attorneys…as long as the cash keeps rolling in.

3) Who would have ever thought we’d be applauding the Cincinnati Bengals? Well after watching the Tocchet proceeding and the Vick affair – we have to hand it to those bad boys in Cincy. They know when they’re busted – no press conferences or other foolish things to announce their innocence…they just take it like men. Which Mike Vick will learn to and Rick Tocchet will be happy he won’t have to.


MONDAY’S THREE STARS
As mentioned this morning, Atlanta Braves 1B Mark Texeira hit two home runs last night for the second consecutive night to lead the Braves to a 14-6 pounding of Cincinnati. Texeira drove in six runs last night.

Boston Red Sox P Tim Wakefield improved his career record against Tampa Bay to 19-2 with a 6-0 win over the DRays. Wakefield gave up four hits and a walk while striking out five in seven innings of work.

Milwaukee Brewers 1B Prince Fielder had a home run and drove in four runs to lead the Brewers to a 9-0 win over the Dbacks – so you know we are lovin’ the big guy today.


TUESDAY THREE PLAY
Its been a while – we should have checked in on Sunday because we were dead on; just ask the Ontario Lottery Corporation. Nonetheless, we finished last week at + $240, bringing the total for the year down t0 -$1,400. We still think we can get it back to even by Week 1 of the NFL – marking one full year of three play picks. Today’s suggestions:

Baltimore over Texas – local boy Eric Bedard is making a case for a Cy Young – it gets stronger tonight against the road wimp Rangers. Lay $100 on the O’s - $260.

Houston over Washington – for as bad as Astros P Wandy Rodriguez has been on the road, he makes up for it at home where he is almost unbeatable (6-2 , 1.65 ERA). The Astros got smoked yesterday by Wily Mo Pena (that’s for Sparky) and the Nats – they’ll return the favour tonight. Lay $100 on the Astros - $145.

St. Louis over Florida – we like Adam Wainwright (actually Albert Pujols) over Marlins rookie Daniel Barone, making his third career start. Lay $100 on the Cards - $180.

That’s it for today gang – thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We’re Out.

The Hazies - The Champs & The Chumps

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

For those of you who are new to the page - we like to start each week by taking a look back at some of the more notable performances from the week that was in the world of sports. To those who have risen above the rest, we salute them by honouring them as one of Hazel's Heroes and awarding them a "Hazie". On the flip side, we look at those who have distinguished themselves for less than stellar performances - we refer to them as The Chumps. While Hazel hasn't officially approved this week's list of winners and "runners-up", we'd like to think she would give her trademark smile and thumbs up.

HAZEL'S HEROES - THE CHAMPS

NHL
We like to refer to Anaheim Ducks GM as "Hockey God" - we should qualify that by saying he is the modern day Hockey God; any hockey fan knows that THE Hockey God is former Montreal Canadiens GM Sam Pollock. The NHL lost one of the greatest men ever to be associated with the game, passing away last week at the age of 81. Pollock was responsible for building the Habs dynasty of the 70's. Nine Stanley Cups (painful times if you grew up a fan of the Maple Leafs) in fourteen years. Even the most rabid members of Leaf Nation know enough to tip their hat to Pollock. We think Bruins fans know what we're talking about here.


MLB
Minnesota Twins (disgruntled) P Johan Santana set a franchise record on Sunday striking out 17 batters over eight shutout innings in a 1-0 win over the Rangers.

Atlanta Braves 1B Mark Texeira has been on fire since being traded from Texas - the Portuguese kid from Maryland who has been battling flu symptoms has hit 4 HRs driven in 10 in the last two days. In the 18 games since the trade, Texeira has hit 9 HRs and driven in 24.

Arizona Diamondbacks P Brandon Webb has been on an incredible run lately - he has pitched 42 consecutive scoreless innings - 17 shy of the mark set by Orel Hersisher. Since we aren't pulling for Webb - we'll leave it at that.


WORLD FOOTBALL
That's right, we're talking soccer again. FC Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma scored both goals in the Dragons win 2-1 over Sporting Braga - the second goal was on a free kick with less than five minutes to go...magic. He and Cristiano were the golden boys of Portuguese football a few years back - while Quaresma's career hasn't taken off like Ronaldo's; the kid is serving notice that he is going to be special. Check out the link for a compilation video of some of Quaresma's great moments - its worth it.


HAZEL'S ZEROES - THE CHUMPS

NHL
Regular readers know how much we love to hate on the Ottawa SenaTards - this week is no different. Ticket sales at Scotiabank Place must be slow because SenaTards GM Bryan Murray tried to create some interest by telling the media and fans that he spoken to FA Peter Forsberg's agent to say that the Tards would be interested in acquiring Forsberg. This strikes us as particularly funny and riduculous for two reasons - 1) The Tards are almost capped out and would have to trade someone making big bucks to clear cap room - the only logical choice, Wade Redden has said he doesn't want to be traded, leaving few options; 2) Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli is also capped out so he can't take on any of Ottawa's overpaid castoffs as he attempts to build SenaTards South.

Former Blue Jackets GM Doug MacLean is now a part owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning. A couple of weeks back MacLean spoke about how tough it was to build a winner in Columbus when the ownership didn't want to spend money. In and of itself, this is a common complaint of many GMs - however, for the guy who took on Sergei Fedorov's ridiculous contract from Anaheim (Brian Burke is modern day Hockey God) and wasted big money on Adam Foote, he shouldn't really be talking about bad ownership. He had eight top ten picks in Columbus and did nothing with them - other than selecting Rick Nash.


MLB
A wise old Irishman once uttered these words to his son to make a point about how dumb people can be. He looked at his son and said "James, an asshole, is an asshole, is an asshole." We think he may have been speaking about former Reds P Rob Dibble. Five minutes of Dibble on Fox Sports Radio was enough to make us want to turn off the radio. Speaking about Brandon Webb's quest to surpass Hershiser - Dibble said he hoped Webb could break the record, so he wouldn't have to listen to Hershiser describe the record as "climbing a mountain". Dibble went on for a few minutes talking about how much he hates hearing Hershiser say that. Dibble, in his infinite idiocy went on to talk about Michael Vick - Dibble went on about how he and his wife love dogs, about how his wife calls their dogs "her babies" (they look just like dad...only smarter) and how much they do for dogs; then turns around as says that "they're just dogs." For the record, we think Dibble was an asshole when he played and he is still an asshole on his Best Damn Sports show. Dibble is like Shemp...the fourth stooge, to John Salley, Rodney Peete and Chris Rose.

FOOTBALL - NORTH AMERICAN
The easy pick would be Ron Mexico - he has been a fixture in this section; however this week, we are going to lay off Vick...sort of. Vick accepted a guilty plea yesterday and will certainly serve some jail time; for all intents and purposes, Vick's NFL career is dead. But this week's Chump(s) goes to Vick's co-defendants who rolled on him to save their own pathetic asses. We are by no means absolving Vick of anything - but what can you possibly think about three so-called friends, who pretty much relied on Vick for everything (including their livelihoods), throwing Vick under the bus to lay the blame at his feet. Their names aren't worth mentioning - they are douchebags. As for Vick, he's now left with the same decision that his co-defendants had - does he roll over on some of his NFL colleagues who are undoubtedly involved in the same activity? Way to go Vick...see you in the CFL in 2009.

Scott Moore, Executive Director of CBC sports, fell asleep Saturday night and embarassed the network. The CBC was televising the Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Edmonton Eskimos game when the game was delayed by a thunderstorm - when the game resumed, the dolts doing the broadcast tried calling Moore to ask if they should go back to the game or show the previously scheduled movie (who cares what it was?). Moore had turned off his cell phone and couldn't be reached to make the decision - so the geniuses and CBC ran the movie instead of going back to the game which had an amazing finish. You can read about it in the Sun. What a freakin joke.

That's about it for this morning - we'll check back in later to look at last night's action and make our Three Play picks. Thanks for taking the time to check in and have a great one.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We're Out!

What To Do About Tocchet?

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

With apologies to Ron Mexico and Tim Donaghy who are front and center in most sports headlines, we are going to look at Rick Tocchet and the quandry the NHL is in over his predicament.

For those of you that don't follow the NHL - Tocchet pleaded guilty to third and fourth degree crimes related to promoting gambling. Tocchet avoided jail time, being sentenced to two years probation, but in the eyes of the law he is still a convicted felon. Which raises an interesting question - Should he be allowed to return to the NHL in a coaching or management capacity?

Tocchet by all accounts is a great guy; admired, respected and loved by his former teammates, players who played against him and fans who followed his career. He was one of the great players of his generation - Tocchet was the quintessential power forward.

Tocchet was a complete player bringing:

• physical toughness - he was one of the NHL's heavyweights in his prime,
• goal scoring - he scored 30+ four times, including two 40+ seasons,
• leadership - he would set the tone for his team with a goal, a hit, or a fight;
• and anything else his team needed to win.

Tocchet was a guy everyone wanted to be like and a player every coach wanted. His credentials from his playing days can't be questioned.

With a lot of attentioned being focused on gambling in sports (Donaghy, and to an extent Mike Vick) can/will the NHL reinstate a convicted felon? Tocchet's supporters point the to fact he didn't bet or accept bets on hockey games (we find that incredibly difficult to believe - bookmakers lay off a lot of action to other bookmakers), as such he should be allowed to return to the NHL.

Gary Bettman may be of a different mind though; the man who so desperately wants to re-establish hockey as the fourth major sport in the U.S. may look to make a statement here. He is likely in close contact and communication with his longtime friend David Stern - given the NBA's stance on Tim Donaghy and gambling as a whole, Stern is probably advising Bettman to cut ties with one of the NHL's great players.

For now, Bettman is non-committal on the issue of Tocchet; the NHL will wait for their investigation to be completed before making a judgement on Tocchet. We think that Bettman will look to see what happens with the NBA as the Donaghy case unfolds, and the NFL to see how they handle the Mike Vick affair before making a judgement on Tocchet. Our bet is that Gary is talking to Gretzky (a good friend of Tocchet's) to lay the groundwork for a lifetime ban - looking to use that as a way of showing the U.S. that hockey is a clean sport...in terms of gambling and substance abuse (the NHL still claims that hockey players don't use performance enhancing drugs...ummmm....ok).

For the record, we like Tocchet (we share a birthday with "Red-hot Rick Tocchet") but we can't see a compelling reason to reinstate him into the NHL - and that is a real shame, he had a lot to offer in his post-playing career.

You can go back to reading about Ron Mexico now.

FRIDAY'S THREE STARS
Boston Red Sox P Clay Buchholz picked up his first career win yesterday against the Angels in front of a packed house at Fenway - and he beat John Lackey no less. Buchholz's line hardly qualifies as outstanding - three earned runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out five over six innings; but the circumstances under which he started and the pressure that goes along with being the jewel of Boston's farm system made it worth noting.

San Francisco Giants P Barry Zito has been a bust this year, but he pitched seven shutout innings against the Marlins yesterday, giving up one hit and two walks while striking out eight. Hardly worth the big bucks he got to sign with the Giants - but a good start nonetheless.

Arizona Diamondbacks P Brandon Webb pitched another complete game shutout against the Braves yesterday. Webb gave up two hits and a walk while striking out six in a 4-0 win. For those of you keeping count, Webb is up to 42 consecutive scoreless innings - 17 away from Orel Hershiser's record of 59. Let us be the first to say IT WON'T HAPPEN. No one is going to break Orel's record - 1988...what a magical year for the Dodgers. Just ask Dennis Eckersley, hahaha.

SATURDAY THREE PLAY
We spilt yesterday's games but it was costly - thanks for nothing Eric Gagne. The total for the week stands at + $200. Today's suggestions:

Boston over Los Angeles - We like Schilling today, he's due for a win and Jered Weaver has been beatable this year. Lay $100 on the Sox - $160.

Milwaukee over Cincinnati - we like Claudio Vargas today, the Brewers have been floundering a bit, but they won't lose two in a row to the Reds. Lay $100 on the Brewers - $140.

Oakland over Kansas City - Odalis Perez = Josh Towers, and if you are a regular reader you know what that means. Chad Gaudin gets the nod tonight. Lay $100 on the A's - $150.

That's it for today gang - if you didn't check in yesterday, scroll down to see Tilt's Friday entries...I HEART TILT. Thanks for taking the time to check in and have a great weekend.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We're Out!

WoW

I know we already have one Friday Fox, but damn!!!

Hazel look out, cause Noy has your number:

Height: 5'2"
Weight: 102 lbs.
Profession: Bartender

Preferred Celebrity Status: model
Relationship Status: married
Favorite Sport/Team: Bears
Favorite Movie/Actor: Dumb & Dumber
Favorite Music/Artist: Bob Sinclair
Favorite Song: "Dangerous"
Favorite Food: Sushi
First Job: Ice cream server
Other: I would be delighted to be featured in Maxim as it is one of my favorites.
How do you pre-party for a big night out:

The Word From Tilt

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special “Hey” goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

Well, Tilt called to say he is taking over Friday entries from here on in – so I’m at his mercy to post something short and to the point (see below for Tilt’s new installment of Friday’s Fox).

Day two of the Jimmy Fund telethon – if you haven’t donated yet, please consider it. Pretty sure Hazel would give thumbs up to anyone considering a donation to one of the charities she supports.

FRIDAY THREE PLAY
Good day yesterday, finally. Two wins for the Maeple Leafs (what’s up with Dan Haren these days?). Total for the week stands at + $405. Today’s suggestions:

San Diego over Houston – Jake Peavy at home, need we say more? Ok, how about Woody Williams and the Astros on the road? Forget what happened against Red Sox West – Astros get it handed to them tonight. Lay $100 on the Padres - $230.

New York over Detroit – Yankees will be looking to avenge last night’s loss and who better to do it against than lefty Nate Robertson who has been a whipping boy for the Yankees throughout his career. Lay $100 on New York - $180.

New York over Washington – Tom Glavine gets the nod over Matt Chico of the Nats. Glavine hasn’t won since getting number 300, so its time for him to get back in the W column. Lay $100 on the Mets – $140.

Bonus pick

Boston over Los Angeles – Red Sox handing it to the Angels in game one of doubleheader (6-1 in 1st) and it won’t get any better for the Angels against Josh Beckett tonight. Ervin Santana’s numbers against the Red Sox are ugly – is Big Papi in for a great day/night after homering in the first? We think so. Lay $100 on the Sox - $185.

That’s it for today gang – thanks for taking the time to check in…it would be worth your time to check Tilt’s entry from earlier today. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We’re Out!

Hottie of the Week

Elizabeth Masucci; Just in time for September!!! Elizabeth Masucci is a Campus Cutie from Maxim Magazine. Thank gawd for US College Co-Eds...

No Brainer Today

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special “Hey” goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

We’re taking a day off from the world of sports to discuss something truly important. The annual Jimmy Fund Telethon in support of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute will take place today and tomorrow. For those of you in New England, you don’t need an explanation of what the Jimmy Fund means to kids in the New England area - but for those of you checking in from the right side of the border who may not have heard of the telethon and the great work the institute does to help kids with cancer, please visit http://www.jimmyfund.org/ for more information.

The Jimmy Fund is one of the charities that Hazel has supported since arriving in Boston - so we’re asking you to show a little support for Hazel and one of her favourite charities by making a donation to the fund, it doesn’t have to be much.

WEDNESDAY’S THREE STARS
Red Sox West C Russell Martin (are you sick of hearing “Canadian-born”?) hit two home runs and drove in three to lead the Dodgers to a 6-3 win over the Astros. Unfortunately, we can’t help but thinks it’s a case of “too little, too late” to get Big Blue back in playoff picture.

Oakland A’s P Joe Blanton pitched seven shutout innings in a 3-2 win over the White Sox yesterday; giving up only five hits and striking out five. We hope we activated him in the yahoo pool.

Toronto Blue Jays P Shaun Marcum won his fifth straight decision yesterday, 2-1 over the Angels. Marcum pitched seven solid innings, giving up one run on four hits and a walk while striking out six. How much are the Jays paying A.J. Burnett????

We’re hating on Vernon Wells today - big time. He’s cost us two great days on Pro-Line. Never mind.


THURSDAY THREE PLAY
It was pretty much a saw-off yesterday, going 2-1 but only winding up + $15 for the day, thanks for nothing Chicago - total for the week stands at + $105. Today’s suggestions:

Oakland over Chicago - good pitching match-up today with Dan Haren going against Javier Vasquez. Both pitchers have ugly records against the opposition, so we’ll go with Haren who has been great at home this year (plus, we KNOW he is active on Maeple Leafs roster). If you needed more incentive, the A’s have won 26 of their last 32 home games against the White Sox. Lay $100 on the A’s - $155.

Red Sox West over Houston - The Dodgers have been horrible lately, we know, but they have to turn it around eventually. They have dominated the Astros at home recently (ok, before this series) and we expect it to continue. Derek Lowe has been great at home for the most part (his last three home starts have been bad…but), Wandy Rodriguez has been awful on the road; it adds up to a win for Big Blue. Lay $100 on the Dodgers - $165.

Philadelphia over Washington - Cole Hamels has been on fire since we threatened to bench him. Hamels gets the nod tonight against Joel Hanrahan. Lay $100 on the Phillies - $170.

Today’s starters are all members of the Maeple Leafs - so its going to be a great day for us in the yahoo pool (which we are kicking ass in).

That’s it for today gang - thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world - good luck with the telethon.

We’re Out!

Where's Wapner?

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special “Hey” goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

Four major sports making headlines for the wrong reasons today.

NHL
Mark Bell, acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs from the San Jose Sharks was sentenced to six months in jail after pleading no contest to charges of drunk driving and hit and run (after fleeing the scene of the accident). Bell will serve his sentence after the upcoming hockey season – which has us wondering where his head will be at this year, knowing he is facing six months in jail at season’s end.

Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. knew of Bell’s trial when he acquired him in June – so we find it particularly humourous that JFJ emailed media outlets last night to tell them that he would not have any comment until he had fully reviewed the situation. You’d think since he had known about Bell’s troubles in June, he would have had a contingency plan in place – but that’s the beauty of JFJ, he never does…just ask any member of Leaf Nation.


NFL
Ron Mexico must be feeling like he had dropped back to pass behind Atlanta’s OL – he looks like he’s in one of those positions where he has to choose between run or pass…only this time, Vick can’t run. Vick’s two remaining co-defendants have decided to plead guilty, leaving Vick on his own facing federal charges. Vick is said to be entertaining a plea agreement – though it hasn’t been confirmed.

“Happy-feet” Harrington must be smiling from ear to ear today.


NBA
Tim Donaghy, the “rogue, isolated criminal” (David Stern’s words – not ours), pleaded guilty to two felony charges related to the NBA betting scandal. To say Donaghy’s life is in ruins is an understatement – facing 25 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, and a paltry $30,000 in “restitution”. He deserves all of it and more.

Look, we have fun with the daily Three Play (we have said over and over that it is for entertainment purposes) – but for some, the entertainment constitutes a good portion of their day. The NBA and the courts have distanced themselves from the “degenerate gambler” – instead referring to charges of wire fraud and transmitting wagering information through interstate commerce. What hasn’t been mentioned or even touched on is the “degenerate gambler” who may be your parent, sibling, friend or co-worker who could have lost everything based on Donaghy’s decisions that night. The gambler doesn’t get a lot of attention in all this, and we can understand why – but doesn’t a person have a right to expect a fair contest if they are willing to wager their money? Think about it before you rip us a new one…


MLB
The Asterisk has served notice that he is contemplating legal action against Red Sox big-mouth Curt Schilling for comments made about him. Bonds has hired a team of lawyers to look at his case against Schilling.

We aren’t really interested in whether or not Bonds case will hold up in court if he intends to proceed – what strikes us as amusing is that we haven’t seen Schilling called out for the weasel that he really has proven to be. We won’t remind anyone of Schilling’s appearance before a Congressional Committee where he backtracked faster than Ron Mexico on comments he made about substance abuse, we won’t even remind anyone of Schilling’s apology on his blog entry; what we will say ask is simply this

“Does anyone believe for one second that the out-spoken, wear his heart on his sleeve, heart and soul kind of guy Schilling didn’t check with his lawyers before speaking to Bob Costas when almost dared Bonds to sue him?”

For a guy who in the past has been quick to apologize after an outburst – it strikes us as a little funny that Schilling was so strong in his convictions with Costas and not even a thought given to retraction. For the record, we hope Bonds wins this one – Schilling needs to learn to shut his pie-hole.

Another former Red Sox (Red Sox West too) player Jose Offerman is in trouble after hitting an opposing pitcher and catcher with his bat in response to being hit by a pitch. If a picture is worth a thousands words – look at the first two pics of the incident on boston.com. Unbelievable.


TUESDAY’S THREE STARS
Benfica midfielder, and former Portuguese international, (Manuel) Rui Costa scored twice yesterday to lead the Eagles to a 2-1 over Copenhagen at the Estadio da Luz in the opening leg of Third Round Qualifying for UEFA’s Champions League competition.

Boston Red Sox P Jon Lester didn’t get the win last night at Fenway – but he must have temporarily silenced critics in Red Sox Nation who had been speculating that he would lose his spot in the starting rotation to the jewel of Boston’s farm system Clay Buchholz. In his first start at Fenway since returning to the majors, Lester pitched seven innings, limiting the DRays to one run on two hits and a walk while striking out four. Good show for the kid.

Toronto Blue Jays P Roy Halladay pitched a complete game in a 4-1 win over the Angels, giving up five hits and a walk while striking out two. The guy missed a month with appendicitis and still has a chance to win 20 this year.


WEDNESDAY THREE PLAY
The good thing about checking in late today is that we couldn’t suggest the Sox today. The total for the week, after going 2-1 on Monday is + $90. Tonight’s suggesetions

Red Sox West over Houston – Brad Penny puts an end to the Dodgers latest losing streak – oh yeah, and the won’t get swept; two good reasons to back LA tonight. Lay $100 on the Dodgers - $185.

Cleveland over Detroit – Fausto Carmona goes up against Jair Jurrjens – who? Expect the Indians to avenge last night’s loss. Lay $100 on the Tribe - $185.

Chicago over Cincinnati – Cubs will respond to last night’s loss. Ted Lilly goes up against Phil Dumatrait…no contest. Lay $100 on the Cubs - $185.

That’s it for today gang – thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We’re Out.

Monday Musings

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special “Hey” goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

Musings on the weekend that was in the world of sports – if you take that to mean we are doing “World Football”, give yourself a pat on the back.

NFL/NHL
Who says the NHL isn’t relevant in the U.S.? We couldn’t help but notice that the NFL ripped off one of the NHL’s more clever marketing ideas – though in typical NFL style, its bigger and better.

For those of you who didn’t watch the Chargers vs Seahawks game (maybe some of you were watching SportsDesk) one of the featured commercials involved a back and forth with Reggie Bush and Peyton Manning – with each making calls to a front desk clerk at a hotel and making somewhat outrageous room service requests in the other’s name – funny stuff. Except “we” (as in Canadians) saw that commercial last year where Alex Ovechkin calls room service and orders thousands of dollars worth of food – when asked his name, he responds in his heavy Russian accent with “Sihdnay Crozbeh”.

Maybe that doesn’t work as well as Peyton Manning saying, “Oh, it is so on!”

Pacman Jones is in the news again – this time for being “attacked” at a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling event in Florida yesterday. Pacman needed the help of actors posing as policemen to restrain a fellow wrestler from welcoming him to the world of “sports entertainment” with a (real life??) beat-down. Roger Goddell and the Tennessee Titans must be loving this.


MLB
Why all the doom and gloom in Boston? The Red Sox are four games up on the Yankees with forty-five games left to go and there seems to be a growing sentiment that they are going to blow it. It is almost as if some members of The Nation want to see them blow it – like they want to go through the heartache of years gone by. Which leads us to ask “How many members of Red Sox Nation are Portuguese?”

To members of Red Sox Nation who might be confused by the emotion they are feeling these days – look up the word “Saudade” on wikipedia…it may explain a few things. If you are Portuguese, you know exactly what it means – you live it everyday.

By contrast – crazy baseball fans in Toronto are celebrating the “triumphant return” of AJ Burnett and are actually entertaining hopes of a Wild Card run – they must have visited J.P. Ricciardi’s lemonade stand outside the Rogers Centre. Burnett comes back and blows away the Royals and his name is being interjected in a sentence that includes “Cy Young contender…some day”.

Yep, Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun thinks that if Burnett ever pulls it all together on a consistent basis – he could be a Cy Young winner. We, in Canada, are growing used to Zaun saying some pretty dumb things – this one takes the cake though. A.J. Burnett has demonstrated throughout his career that he is injury prone AND inconsistent.

We’re wondering if anyone mentioned the name “Rick Ankiel” to Zaun – he was a guy with loads of potential too.


GOLF
We caught about 20 seconds of the PGA Championship this past weekend – Tiger Woods hitting a tee shot on par 4 or 5 (who cares?) and a gallery of idiots screaming “get in the hole” – the ball wound up in the rough. Funny overhead shot of a bunch of fat-asses and seniors loping down the fairway to stand by his ball.

Still trying to figure out how our American friends say “hockey is unwatchable on tv” but still manage to plunk their asses down to watch freaking golf for hours on end. Its like watching someone get a haircut (which may become a sport on ESPN).

FOOTBALL
Shrek, aka Wayne Rooney, left yesterday’s game against Reading after suffering a hairline fracture in his foot. This was particularly noteworthy for two reasons:

A) Luis Nani, Manchester United’s big signing from Sporting Lisbon, came on to replace Shrek and acquitted himself quite well.

B) For the first time in over a year, the British press wrote about Wayne Rooney without a reference to him “being sent off by Cristiano Ronaldo at the 2006 World Cup”. They may have finally let go…though we aren’t holding our breath.

Speaking of Ronaldo – he didn’t score yesterday, but he served notice that he is going to be even more of a force than he was last year. He had Reading’s defenders twisting, lunging, and falling over as he attacked them. For those that hate Ronaldo for diving – he also showed yesterday that he has matured, continuing on after being pulled, pushed and tackled.


SUNDAY’S THREE STARS
Detroit Tigers RF Magglio Ordonez hits two home runs in the same inning (driving in four runs) to lead the Tigers to an 11-6 win over the A’s.

San Diego Padres RF Brian Giles hit two solo home runs to power San Diego to a 10-4 win over Bronson Arroyo and the Reds – it was the second consecutive two HR game for Giles.

Pittsburgh Pirates P Tom Gorzelanny pitched a complete game shutout against the Giants yesterday. Gorzelanny gave up five hits and a walk, while striking out five in the Pirates 5-0 win. Barry Zito is doing his best to make Dodgers GM Ned Coletti look like a genius for signing Jason Schmidt.


MONDAY THREE PLAY
We finished the week off in ok fashion – no thanks to Eric Gagne. The total for the week was + $350 bringing the total for the year down (yes DOWN) to - $1,600…remember, the goal is break even by week 1 of the NFL. Today’s suggestions:

New York over Baltimore – Yankees are in a zone right now (sorry Red Sox Nation) so you have to take advantage and play them – especially with Wang coming off an awful performance against the Jays last week. Lay $100 on the Yankees - $250.

Boston over Tampa Bay – risky pick, but Tim Wakefield has dominated Tampa over his career – look for Boston to get back on track tonight at Fenway. Lay $100 on the Sox - $165.

Red Sox West over Houston – it has to get better for the Dodgers. It won’t be easy against Roy Oswalt, but we like Chad Billingsley to keep the road wimp Astros in check long enough for the Dodgers to scratch out a run or two against Oswalt. Lay $100 on the Dodgers - $110 (we’d suggest the under – but this will probably turn out to be one of those games that gets stupid).

That’s it for today gang – thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one Peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We’re Out.