Is There A Possible Return Of MLB To Montreal?

When the Montreal Expos left for Washington D.C. there wasn't a chance that there would be a possible return of Major League Baseball to the French- Canadian city. All I can say is never say never.

There have been rumors floating around that there could be a possible return of the Expos to Montreal. The rumors have been started by former French-language Expos broadcaster, Rodger Brulotte.


Last Friday, on radio station CKAC, Brulotte said he has been approached by an unnamed business group interested in trying to bring baseball back to the city – and we’re not talking about the minor leagues.

Brulotte also posted the news on his RDS blog and was a guest Tuesday afternoon on Mitch Melnick’s radio show on The Team 990. Brulotte said he had rebuffed the group of investors several times over the last couple of years before finally taking them seriously.


Brulotte says the fact a recent Conference Board of Canada report declared Montreal could still support Major League Baseball under the right conditions led the unnamed group to publicly explore the city’s appetite for it.

First of all stop teasing the Montreal fans, because baseball isn't coming back to Montreal. Number two unless a group with a ton of money gets involved I don't think ownership can support baseball in Montreal. Football still hasn't returned to Los Angeles, so baseball isn't coming back to Montreal. 

Bank Suing Marbury For $16 Million

Stephon Marbury has made around $151 million throughout his basketball playing career. So it should be no problem for him to pay back a loan. Well, it's a problem when it's $16 million dollars.

Marbury is being sued by Wells Fargo/Wachovia for the $16 mill he guaranteed to Starbury the company. Here's an excerpt of the report from CBSSports.com.

The balance due and owing on the Note, as of September 11, 2010, is the principal balance of $16,063,179.49, together with default interest, late charges, sums advanced for the protection of the Property, attorney's fees, and all other sums due under the Note, the Mortgage, and other applicable loan documents.



Essentially, Marbury guaranteed a $16-million loan to Starbury, the company. Starbury the company hasn't paid the loan back, so now Starbury the former Knicks point guard has to. The collateral he put up for the loan only covered a small part of the judgment against him.

You can check out more on Deadspin.com.

I know Marbury wasn't the sharpest tool in the drawer, but I figure since he's still playing in China he's bring in some money to pay this back. Besides he made $151 million there shouldn't be any problem paying this back. Right. Right?

Samaki Walker's Poor Attempt At Hiding Drugs From The Police

Kids don't take this statement to heart, well at least some of it. If you are going to do drugs and at some point if you are approached by police, give up the goods, do not try to eat them. Apparently former NBA player Samaki Walker thought that eating them to hide them from police would be a good idea.

Arizona authorities allege former NBA basketball player Samaki Walker tried to eat marijuana as a Department of Public Safety officer approached his 2002 Mercedes-Benz during a traffic stop Thursday in Kingman.



Officials said about 10 grams of marijuana was seized from the vehicle with some prescription drugs and eight bottles of liquid steroids.


 Walker, who had a 10 year NBA career, most notably with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, after being drafted ninth in the 1996 NBA draft still plays professionally in Syria. He says he had the steroids to help improve his athletic ability. Steroids are legal in Syria.

Walker was booked on drug charges; bond was set at $2,000, and an Aug. 5 preliminary hearing was set.


Even though he wasn't a top of the line NBA player I know he made some money. So what was he doing still rolling around in a 2002 Benz. I know he could afford some kind of upgrade.

First Rodney White and his underground bunkers, now this.      

Andy Van Slyke Rips Colby Rasmus

 In an interview with Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Andy Van Slyke. Even though the trade happened Wednesday, Van Slyke had some choice words for the young Colby Rasmus and his lack of accountability.

"According to what I read, he's never been happier (being traded) since he's been a Cardinal," Van Slyke said. "How can you be happy being traded from the St Louis Cardinals? It's the most nonsensical thing I could ever imagine.


"I couldn't have been more upset than when I got traded (to Pittsburgh). It took me a month to get over it."

He said Rasmus' apparent happiness at being traded "shows you how totally emotionally different a player he is than I was. He's going from a potential playoff team to a team that hasn't won anything in 20 years.

"If he stays where he is emotionally, he's going to be the same player he is right how. His whole game is derived from emotion. He doesn't use his intellectual mind; he uses his emotional mind.


"No wonder he's never performed the way he should have.


"Then his father says the Cardinals have changed his game. Well, I would hope so," Van Slyke said.


"He and his father think he's still playing in high school. He continues to throw the ball to the wrong base and not break up double plays. You can't do those things at the big-league level.


"It's up to the Toronto organization to keep him accountable, like Tony (La Russa) and his coaches tried to do."

Sounds like Rasmus' father is a welfare version of Marv Marinovich. It's hard for a coach or manager to get through to a player when his father is in his ear all the time. Even though I think this trade will come back to haunt the Cards in the future, Rasmus still has some growing up to do. St. Louis is a great baseball city and would've supproted him even though he had issues with Tony LaRussa.  

One Fan's Take On The Colby Rasmus Trade

It's no secret that that the clash with manager Tony LaRussa is the chief reason that Colby Rasmus was shipped to the Toronto Blue Jays. 

What's funny is how a St. Louis Cardinals fan modified his Colby Rasmus shirsey (jersey shirt).

As Cardinals fan I think this deal might come back to haunt them.

Jerry Meals' Family Being Harassed

When Jerry Meals blew the call at the end of the Braves-Pirates game a few nights ago, I don't think he figured that there would be some fans that would take their outrage a bit too far. Yes, he blew the call, but hell, he's only human. I'm still bitter over the blown call in the 1985 World Series, but I've never let my fandom get in the way of human error. What is happening to Meals and his family is absurd.

According to Meals' daughter the family has received threats and harassing phone calls. This is a bit much. Jim Joyce didn't catch this much flack for ruining Armando Galarraga's perfect game.

A source who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation told  ESPN.com's Amy K. Nelson that Major League Baseball’s security division is investigating apparent threats made against the family. Among them were calls made to the family and people showing up at the Meals’ home. The exact nature of the threats is still unknown.

MLB Vice President of Baseball Operations, Joe Torre, delivered a lenghty apology. 

“Unfortunately, it appears that the call was missed, as Jerry Meals acknowledged after the game. Many swipe tags are not applied to the runner with solid contact, but the tag was applied and the game should have remained tied. I have spoken with Jerry, who is a hard-working, respected umpire, and no one feels worse than him. We know that this is not a product of a lack of effort.



“Having been the beneficiary of calls like this and having been on the other end in my experience as a player and as a manager, I have felt that this has always been a part of our game. As a member of the Commissioner’s Special Committee for On-Field Matters, I have heard many discussions on umpiring and technology over the past two years, including both the pros and the cons of expanding replay. However, most in the game recognize that the human element always will be part of baseball and instant replay can never replace all judgment calls by umpires. Obviously, a play like this is going to spark a lot of conversation, and we will continue to consider all viewpoints in our ongoing discussions regarding officiating in baseball.


“We expect the best from our umpires, and an umpire would tell you he expects the best of himself. We have to continue to strive for accuracy, consistency and professionalism day in and day out.”


Listen up Pirates fans. Everyone makes mistakes. I understand this is the closest you've been to a pennant race in the last 20 years or so. Get over it. If anything you guys should be bitching about MLB not having a replay system that can make a proper call on a close play. I understand that it could possibly cost you in the standings at the end of the year, but it's not that serious. It's BS and 99% of them probably couldn't referee a checker match.




    

Dwight Howard Will Never Play For The Heat

Everyone knows Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard is a big kid and everyone knows it. Howard recently attended the Comic Con in San Diego and let out some of his inner child. There is one thing Howard doesn't kid about and that's his NBA future.

Howard wants to win a ring in the worse way, even though from the outside looking in some may not know it. He'll be a free agent after the 2012 season and he really doesn't care to discuss it. There is one team that won't be on his destination list though. The Miami Heat.

When the Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James formed the "Big Three" in South Beach, Howard knew that basketball supremacy in the state of Florida left the Magic Kingdom. Howard has gone on to mock James' hairline, the chalk toss, and "The Decision" just to name a few examples.

When asked about who he's thinking of playing for it was no laughing matter regarding the Heat.

What about the Lakers? "That's everybody's question," he told the "Kick" audience. "I am wearing purple … but that's Rock's outfit."



The Heat? "Never."

Now the Heat would be the quickest way of getting to his goal of being an NBA champion, but he wants to blaze his own trail and be a leader of a team and not a follower.

Asomugha Planning For Life After Football

Free Agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha will be the most sought after free agent when the spending frenzy begins. There might be one small nugget that could limit his suitors. Asomugha wants to be an actor when his playing days are over.

"You keep hearing that Nnamdi wants to go somewhere where he can begin to focus on his post-player career — even though he'll give his all as he's playing — and he has a great interest in being an actor," ESPN's Chris Mortensen said Tuesday on ESPN's "Mike & Mike Show."

Well, Nnamdi's going all O.J. Simpson on us. You know how it is everyone that's not an actor wants to try their hand at it. He'll definitely have to give his all given the amount of money he'll be making. Word is that the New York Jets might be moving to the top of the list given the large media market there.

This is something to keep an eye on, but my gut says he lands with the Philadelphia Eagles.    

Spencer Hawes' Message To The NBA

The city of Seattle held an NBA sanctioned charity basketball game between some NBA players and Seattle's finest.

After the 2 1/2 hour exhibition, former Washington Husky and Seattle Prep star, Spencer Hawes, stepped to the microphone with a message to the NBA about bringing basketball back to Seattle and a unique haircut to relay the message.

"I just want to leave y'all with one last thing," Hawes shouted. "Come home, Sonics! Come home, Sonics!"


Well the Sonics aren't coming home. I don't know if David Stern will bring the NBA back to Seattle. Personally I would like to see that happen, because it seems strange without a team in Seattle.

Four Players Still Getting Paid During The NBA Lockout

The NBA lockout doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. You know what that means. There will be players that won't be getting paid. That also means they'll have to stretch those millions for an undisclosed amount of time.

But if your Ben Gordon, Zach Randolph, Al Farouq Aminu, and Caron Butler the checks will keep rolling. That's because their agent, Raymond Brothers who spread their 2010-11 NBA salaries over 18 or 24 months in case the lockout forces the cancellation of games.

Smart move by their agent and the players for co-signing the deal.

"They will not know financially that they're in a lockout," Brothers told USA Today.
"If there is a lockout, you'll able to pay your bills."

So while there will be players grumbling about paying child support and car insurance, it won't be from any of these guys.

Luc Robitaille's Son Launches Music Career

Luc Robitaille enjoyed a very successful NHL career. He was one of the most prolific scorers with the Los Angeles Kings and won a Stanley Cup championship with the Detroit Red Wings. His 16 year old son Jesse plans on making it to the big time in a different way.

Jesse is launching a music career and is going by the name Jesserae. Although he is young he says he doesn't do the Justin Bieber style (sugary pop) and sings "rock, soul, and groove". He plays the guitar and is more acoustic rock than teeny bop. Even though he hasn't hit it big, he has garnered around 40,000 hits on Youtube. Jesserae will be taking a tour of the Midwest and Robitaille is supportive of his son's choice of career.

"It's totally fine by me," Robitaille said. "As long as I see him working hard, which he is doing, I'm a happy man and I'll do everything to support him."


Sounds like he won't be getting by on the family name. This isn't the first child out of the family to make it in another line of entertainment work. Luc's stepson, Steven R. McQueen went into the acting field and Robitaille advised him not to take the Robitaille name. McQueen is the grandson of Steve McQueen. The R is a tribute to Robitaille.





 

Is Yao Ming A Hall Of Famer?

In a recent article in the Houston Chronicle, former Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy declared that recently retired Yao Ming was a Hall of Famer.

“No. 1 to me, he’s a Hall of Famer,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t care if you put him in as player, as a contributor or put him in with his own heading. This guy definitely gets in for the greatness as a player when healthy or what he did as ambassador.”

“People forget,” Van Gundy said, “just how good he was.”

True, when Yao was good he could be very good. He did improve his scoring average each of his non injury years in the league. We really don't know how good he could've been due to injuries and and his abrupt retirement. That sentiment seems to be echoed by his former teammates and coaches.

“I don’t think people remember how dominant he was,” former Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “He was a great offensive player and a very effective defensive player. You couldn’t guard him one-on-one. Shaq (O’Neal) was like that. Yao was like that. They were just too good. You had to send help against them. And if you fouled Yao, he was an 89 percent free-throw shooter.


“He became a very effective defensive player. He knew how to use his size to get in position that guys had a hard time finishing at the rim.”

“I feel gypped I wasn’t able to see Yao and play with Yao with an opportunity to maximize his potential,” former Rockets forward Shane Battier said. “I would have loved to play with a healthy Yao at 31 , 32 years old with nine or 10 years of seasoning under his belt. I don’t think anyone would have stopped him. That’s the tragedy from a basketball sense. We were not able to see what could have been basketball-wise.”


“There is no doubt if he stayed healthy, we’d be talking about one of the top centers to ever play the game,”Rick Adelman said. “He’s right there in the top 10. He had such unbelievable scoring touch. He was so dominant.”

On stats alone I would say no. No disrespect, but if Drazen Petrovic can get in so can Yao. He did increase the NBA's visibility in China after entering the NBA and became an international ambassador for the game. I believe if he could've stayed healthy he might be the most dominant force in the league right now. Just check the head to head stats against the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard. He developed a full low post arsenal and developed off hand and drop step moves.

I do think Yao Ming will be a Hall of Famer just not right now. Or maybe in the next five years. But he will get there. Of course there is a lot of 'what if' involved here, but if you look at the big picture I think he does belong. And no he shouldn't be penalized for playing on inferior teams in a loaded Western Conference.





 

Quote Of The Week: Dean Lombardi

After some alledgedly shady dealings with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi had some words for the Oilers organization. This all comes on the heels of the Ryan Smyth trade, where Lombardi initially agreed to take forward Gilbert Brule in exchange for left wing Ryan Smyth but balked when he said the Kings’ lawyers determined Brule had not been procedurally cleared following a concussion. Unwilling to void the trade because Smyth had asked to leave Los Angeles -- and because Smyth’s departure would take a huge burden off the Kings’ salary cap -- Lombardi agreed to instead take center Colin Fraser and a seventh-round pick in the 2012 draft.

Fraser had yet to be medically cleared to play, but Oilers General Manager Steve Tambellini led Lombardi to believe Fraser was close to being cleared. However, Lombardi said the Kings’ doctors found not only an unhealed fracture but an alarming cyst in Fraser’s foot and a blood disorder. Lombardi said Fraser will require surgery that would keep him out four months.

Talk about getting robbed. Of course Lombardi wasn't too pleased about this.

“The bottom line for me, I would have rather invested my money with Bernie Madoff than invest in Edmonton’s word.”

Of course Tambellini happened to be traveling and has no response.


 

Sweet Bling

When Mark Cuban said he might not get the Dallas Mavericks championship rings, no one saw this coming. The Bazooka Candy Company has stepped up and provided the Mavs with some sweet bling for all their hard work.

“Bazooka Candy Brands, the iconic confectionary company and manufacturer of Ring Pops, believes that the Dallas Mavericks should be rewarded for all their hard work and their NBA finals win,” the company said in a statement that was posted on CBSSports.com. “That is why they will be stepping in and saving the day, creating Swarovski-encrusted Ring Pops in the team colors of Blue and White for the team to wear to celebrate their feat. The Ring Pops will be shipped to the team shortly.”


Of course these aren't official, but they are creative, fresh, and sweet. Props to the Bazooka Company for this idea. Even though i had to give up Ring Pops and candy of that nature due to personal reasons, I would love to get one of these for myself.

White Sox's Beckham Apologizes For Calling Chris Getz Gay

Here we go again. Another athlete says something politically incorrect and is making an apology for it. This time it's the Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham. This comes after the Philadelphia Eagles' DeSean Jackson gave a caller on a radio show a homophobic blast.

Beckham is good friends with former teammate and Kansas City Royals second baseman Chris Getz. During a game between the White Sox and Royals, Beckham scrawled a message in the dirt saying "Getz Is Gay!" GB. It wasn't picked up by cameras, but it was picked up by some of the fans. All in all it was harmless fun, but in the big scheme of things it's not funny. That point got across to Beckham and he knows that he should've known better.

“Wow,’’ said Beckham again, looking as if he had seen a thousand ghosts and Bob Gibson on the mound. “Chris is one of my best friends. It was a joke. I didn’t know anybody could see. I didn’t mean anything, you know?’’


“I just want you to know that that’s not me,’’ he said. “I don’t use slurs. I have a lot of gay friends. I didn’t mean it as anything ­— you know, like gay as in . . . happy! Or, you know, an alliteration — ‘Getz is gay.’ ’’


“It’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like that with Chris,’’ he said. “And I didn’t even see his reaction. I asked him afterward if he was going to write anything back, and he said no. It was wrong. It was stupid. If I offended anyone, I apologize. I wish I could take it back, but I can’t.’’


Beckham seems pretty distraught about the incident and probably wishes he could turn back the clock. The worse thing in his apology was saying he has gay friends. Usually that means he doesn't care for gays. Kind of like when someone says something racist and then says I have lots of (insert race here) friends. I do buy his apology and believes he is truly sorry for it. Next time send him a note like in elementary school.

Joey Porter's Dogs On The Loose Again

Four dogs owned by NFL star Joey Porter got loose early July 2 from his northwest Bakersfield residence and killed a neighbor's dog.


Porter, who plays for the Arizona Cardinals, was cited for not having his dogs on a leash. This isn't the first time Porter's dogs, which appear to be half mastiff, half pit bull,  have been in the news for violent behavior.
In 2006, two of Porter;s dogs escaped and killed a miniature horse at a nearby farm.

Animal control spokeswoman Kim Rodriguez wasn't sure how the dogs got out of their kennel. She also doesn't know what arrangement Porter made with his neighbor. Porter did apologize and was upset about what happened.

Nothing says more than I'm sorry. Porter should receive a heavy fine and based on his dog's past, should be owning a less violent breed. I'm not trying to say he's a bad dog owner, but this is the second time his dogs have escaped and inflicted harm on other animals. Maybe they just snapped or he's raising them to be prone to violent behavior.

On The Sneak Tip

I'm not knowledgeable about drug smuggling but there are lots of different ways to do, so I've heard. Former Tampa Bay Rays prospect Cristian Vasquez Martinez went a different route when he tried to smuggle drugs into the United States.

Martinez was busted trying to smuggle six pounds of cocaine through JFK Airport via the Dominican Republic. When the authorities searched him, they found the cocaine stashed in four pairs of sneakers. I guess good old odor-eaters weren't good enough. He could've at least tried to convince customs that it was shoe powder.

Apparently martinez turned to the drug trade since the Rays terminated his contract last month. In guess he'll never get a shot at the Major League dream.

DeSean Jackson Makes Gay Slur On Radio Show

You would think that the backlash  NBA players Kobe Bryant and Joakim Noah recevied after spewing homophobic slurs towards fans and referees, athletes would think before they speak. They even made a public service announcement about it. Apparently Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson didn't see it because he had some unkind words for a caller on  Sirius XM radio's "All Out Show" with Rude Jude and Lord Sear .

 There was a call from ‘Troy from Tennessee who said something about Jackson getting his “d*** knocked in the ground.”

Jackson replied by saying “What kind of question is that? Say ‘no homo’, gay-a**. Fa***t.”


Fill in the blanks on this exchange.


I think Jackson might want to rethink his bad choice of words. He's entitled to his opinion but that was something that should've been said off the air. The ironic thing about this is that he helped a Philadelphia area youth deal with bullying which included homophobic slurs.

Maybe Jackson should watch an endless stream of the PSA.
 

Matt Leinart Sounds Defensive

Even though Matt Leinart wasn't a top five NFL draft pick there are some who give him the dreaded bust label. That'll happen when you have a celebrated college career (Heisman Trophy,national championship, Manning Award, Johnny Unitas Award, Walter Camp Award and two Archie Griffin Awards). I wouldn't call him a complete bust, more like a flop which to me is a notch below bust.

After flaming out with the Arizona Cardinals, where he was beaten out by Kurt Warner, Leinart landed with the Houston Texans in a backup role. He's now a free agent and personally I don't think this joker will get a legit shot at a starting job again. It never helped that he had an image as a "party guy", something he picked up while he was starring at USC.

In an interview on ESPN Los Angeles Leinart talks about his days in Arizona and the bust label that has been bestowed upon him.

“I’ve heard everything. I’ve heard everything. I’ve seen everything. For me I haven’t proven anything, so I haven’t proven that I could play game in and game out. I understand that. I believe I can play and I’m not one to make excuses. I’ve never made an excuse with my time in Arizona. It just didn’t work out for whatever reason. Those are reasons people outside of the organization won’t understand, but it didn’t work out and it wasn’t a right fit, so you move on. You kind of look at the timeline of what has happened to me and with having a pretty good rookie year and the second year getting the injury and Kurt Warner played himself into the Hall of Fame in the last 3 years. There’s not a lot I can do about that. I battled with a Hall of Famer two training camps in a row. I thought I competed as well as he did and obviously Kurt was a great player. He took us to a Super Bowl. I truly believe he got himself into the Hall of Fame those last couple of years. Last year with everything that happened it just didn’t work out. I said what I said about the situation and I moved on, so there’s people thought I never got a fair shot. People that think I can’t play. There’s a lot of things. For me I’ve worked hard this off-season and I’m always work hard. I’m always ready. I’m always prepared and like I said it’s just always about being a quarterback, but being the right situation. For me hopefully that situation comes up this year and I can thrive and show I belong in the league and I can play because I know I can and that’s what I plan on doing.”


Sounds like he's on the defensive throughout the interview. I guess I would hate being labeled as a bust when you really haven't been given a chance to play. But the stats will tell you why he's been glued to the bench. I do agree that Warner played himself into the Hall of Fame while he was with the Cardinals. When you watched them play last season they looked lost without him.

For Leinart it's just not going to happen.

Kobe Bryant Sued By An Ohio Woman

Kobe Bryant just doesn't have it when it comes to women. First there was the rape case in Colorado now Bryant is being sued by an Ohio woman for breaching a marriage proposal.

Selina Miller who claims residence in Columbus, Ohio and Santa Ana, California, filed a lawsuit in Orange County on June 24 claiming that on May 1, Bryant gave her "a completed and signed agreement" and that his subsequent behavior "comports with unfair business and no good faith efforts."

Ok Kobe how do you explain this one to Vanessa. I don't know if a trip to Zales is gonna bail you out if this has any shred of credibility. I don't think it does, but in this crazy world who knows.

"The plaintiff, Selina Miller, request [sic] breaching party, Kobe Bryant, to correct his failure to provide plaintiff with the purchase of a ring," reads the four-page suit.



Miller also stated why the National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar might not have given her a ring: "The defendant, Kobe Bryant, states he communicated with person [sic] stating Selina Miller is a prostitute."

When Miller was contacted she says Kobe repeatedly visited her for "intimate relations". She seems bitter that there were other women Bryant frolicked around with and got more of a reward than she did. She even mentioned that someone had an STD but wouldn't mention any names.

"He likes playing games with women more than people know," said Miller. "I'm upset because he promised me a ring [during one visit], and then some other people influenced him, and I didn't get it. He thinks he can stop by my house any time he wants to. There are other women, too. One of them got a ring."


Miller says she wants to sue Bryant for some money he owes her. She filed a previous lawsuit against Bryant and the NBA for invasion of privacy, but an Ohio judge ruled that the lawsuit was "frivolous" and "not plausible".

I know Bryant isn't this stupid to travel down this road again. and I don't he would put anything in writing so it could come back and bite him in the ass.