Josh Hamilton Has A "Relapse"

According to a report by Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News, Texas Rangers outfielder, Josh Hamilton, had a relapse with alcohol at a Dallas area bar.

In a statement, the Rangers said they were ``aware of a situation, but we don't have further comment at this time.''


Before the bashers come out, no one knows if he just had one beer or was absolutely trashed. Hopefully everyone has a wait and see approach with this recent turn of events. There should be more to follow.   

Jason Pierre-Paul Starts The Smack Talk

There hasn't been too much smack talk going on this week between the two Super Bowl combatants, the New York Giants and New England Patriots. Unless you count Antrel Rolle's retracted guarantee or Mario Manningham hoping he gets lined up against Julian Edelman, there's not much to go on.

Maybe Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has broken the ice. The Giants and Patriots faced off earlier this season in week 9. A game which resulted in a Giants win. The Giants defense sacked Patriots quarterback tom Brady twice that game, but to hear Pierre-Paul tell it, Brady heard footsteps all game.

“I think it will have much impact on his performance because if you look at Week 9, when we played them, it’s like he felt us," Pierre-Paul said during Thursday's media availability. "When we looked back on the film, we watched the film, and we didn’t really rush like we can rush as a defense. He was throwing balls on the ground and stuff, but like I said, it’s going to be a battle. We have to get there. We have to. …     

"(Brady) did react to pressure that didn’t exist, and he was just throwing the ball places where there wasn’t even a receiver there. Imagine us getting there even faster and actually doing our jobs and getting hits on him.” 


It's true that if you pressure Brady, he tends to play bad. But this is the Super Bowl and he is a two time Super Bowl MVP. He hasn't played his best against the Giants recently, but those comments might fire him up a little.

Ohio State Refuses To List Michigan On Its Schedule

When Brady Hoke took over at Michigan he promised to get back to Michigan roots. Part of those roots are the hatred for Ohio State. Hoke never mentioned the Buckeyes by name always referring to them as Ohio.

After an off year by the Buckeyes which Michigan broke the seemingly decade long losing streak to Ohio State, the Bucks decided to go Woody Hayes on Michigan when they made their schedule.

 It's vintage Michigan vs. Ohio State. Hoke vs. Meyer. The new faces of the best rivalry in the Big Ten.

Matt Garza Has His 2008 AL Championship Ring Stolen

When someone gets a championship ring of any kind the person that has it normally guards it with his/her life. They're pretty hard to come by and they don't get handed out like Halloween candy.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza is finding out just how valuable those rings are. Garza was victimized in a robbery in which his 2008 American League Championship ring was stolen.

Sheriff's detectives are investigating a burglary at the Fresno County home of Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza, a theft that included his 2008 American League championship ring earned while playing with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The ring is valued at $30,000, the Sheriff's Office said. The burglary happened between the afternoon of Jan. 26 and late Tuesday morning. Garza's name is engraved inside the ring, which has several white diamonds and one yellow diamond.

Hopefully this story has a good ending. 

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/31/2704859/local-sports-briefs-30000-ring.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/31/2704859/local-sports-briefs-30000-ring.html#storylink=cpy

 

LeSean McCoy Admits To Not Trying

In light of Aaron Rodgers putting his NFC Pro Bowl teammates on blast for putting forth a lackluster effort, Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy admitted to not trying in the game Sunday.

 "Yeah? I'm one of those guys," McCoy said when asked about Rodgers comments. "You walk around every practice and the guys before the games on other teams are like 'take your time' because we're going on a very slow pace, very easy.


"And you get out there and you see guys half-doing it and you do the same thing."


Wow, that's a shocker. A player that actually admits to not trying in the Pro Bowl. Not too many do. McCoy just had enough guts to say it.

I'll say it again. I don't blame them for not trying. They have too much at stake too get hurt in a meaningless game.

Welker Says A "Lady" Is Key To Belichick's Kindness

Today was media day for Super Bowl XLVI. Which means there will be guarantees, predictions, and some zany comments.

New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker has started with the funny stuff. When he was asked about coach Bill Belichick's kinder, gentler mood of late, Welker attributed it to a "lady in his life".

"I don’t know, I think he’s enjoying himself," Welker said when asked about Belichick's demeanor.  "I think he’s got a lady in his life, so that could definitely be the case; I don’t know.  We’re just coming here to try and win a ballgame.  However we do that or whatever demeanor we have to take, that’s what it’s going to be."

I know Welker wasn't serious about that. but it is kind of funny. It's something you normally hear around the workplace or amongst friends.

Rodgers Says NFC Lacked Pride In Pro Bowl

Everyone knows that the NFL Pro Bowl is a meaningless exhibition. The only people who watch are kids who don't know any better and gamblers. The game means nothing and the best players would rather sit out than go on a free trip to Hawaii.

Even though it's the most pointless of the professional all-star games, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers still thinks players should show pride for their respective conferences.

Rodgers told ESPN Milwaukee that he was "embarrassed" by the efforts of some of his NFC teammates.

“I'll be honest with you. I was a little bit disappointed. I felt like some of the guys on the NFC side embarrassed themselves,” said Rodgers, who was appearing in his second Pro Bowl and started at quarterback for the NFC, completing 13 of 17 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns (139.6 passer rating).

“I feel like there should be some pride involved in a game like that, and I was just surprised by some of the efforts of some of the guys. This was my second Pro Bowl. (I) played in the one in 2010. It was down in Fort Lauderdale/Miami. I felt that that one had a lot more energy.

“The AFC side obviously had more energy. I think they were upset about the second onside kick (called by Packers coach Mike McCarthy), and at that point they played a lot harder than we did. But even in the early going, they were playing definitely harder than we were.”

Ok, maybe some of the AFC players wanted that 50k a little bit more than some of the NFC players. It's an exhibition for crying out loud. Fans don't watch it, it's boring, and I could see more action at a training camp session. Even your teammate T.J. Lang decided to watch 'Antiques Roadshow' instead of that mess.  NFL contracts aren't guaranteed so I can't blame players for half-assing it for a majority of the game. It doesn't count in the standings or on the stat sheet so why care.

Do the players owe the fans a competitive game when their contracts are not guaranteed and the "Pro Bowl" is a glorified scrimmage? I don't blame the players at all for mailing in their performance rather than risk their livelihood on an exhibition game. The game of football is a brutal game at the NFL level. A career ending injury at an exhibition game would be tragic. Ask Robert Edwards about the flag football game on the beach that pretty much ended his career.