Skullets on the prowl

June 25th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

Hair is a sporting team’s unifier. The White Sox thought it was cool to have weird facial hair earlier this year. (And I use “cool” in the loosest of sense.)  Numerous programs have shaved their heads in unison. (Although, from experience, this is not a good course of action.) And if you’re Fresno State and you are gunning for a College World Series title like Fresno Sate, you do it real big with the skullet. Observe:

I can’t believe Mr. Reporter actually followed through and let them mess up his hair like that. Talk about a man of his word. Rock. On.

{HT: Busted Coverage | TSB}

Modeling agency invades LPGA

June 25th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

The fusion of women and sports has long been a subject of debate. People still bemoan Title IX, insomuch as it’s limited the amount of men’s collegeiate programs across the country. But perhaps the most tedious issues that befuddles women’s athletics today is the line drawn between the sport and the body. There are a few schools of thought here: 1) women’s bodies and looks and appearance should be “celebrated” (I still have never understood what we are celebrating … but I’m in! 2) an athlete’s physical appearance should not determine their popularity if they aren’t very good at what they do (See: Anna Kournikova) and 3) we are all dirty, dirty men and we should stop objectifying them for our own personal enjoyment. (Reading back through this, I realize I’m not entirely schooled on this subject — so forgive ladies of the land.)

But anyhow, Wilhelmina Artist Management has stepped in to sex up the LPGA. (Sweet!)

So Esch decided it would be a great idea to put the golfers in something different, something the casual public does not see them in, at least up to now.

Like bikinis. Like lingerie. Like evening gowns.

“This was perfect, to show the world there are sexy, athletic women who can play,” said Esch, who is using his company and his clout to turn seven female pro players into model citizens.

They are the Wilhelmina 7, a hand-picked group of seven LPGA pros represented by Wilhelmina Artist Management, a division of the New York modeling agency that includes such clients as singers Fergie and Ciara and actress Heather Graham.

Kim Hall was the first player recruited by Esch. The 26-year-old, a three-time All-Pacific 10 Conference player at Stanford, loved the photographs of her in a swimsuit. So did her husband, Casey.

“It was nice to feel glamorous,” said Hall, one of four in the group who is playing in the U.S. Women’s Open this week at Interlachen Country Club. “I’d rather be known for my golf, but it’s a bonus when you’re considered attractive. It’s flattering. It’s kind of nice to be one of the ‘cute’ ones.”

What has always confused me about the anti-school of thought on women athletes showing of their body is that it leads to more exposure, which leads to more fans, more publicity and more money. And I’m not entirely sure what is wrong with that. This is America. Sex sells. Simple as that.

/awaits angry comments, receives none because no one reads this anyways

Programming Note: PostmanE chats at Ball Don’t Lie

June 24th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

Think fast: E is currently involved in a live chat about the NBA Draft over at Ball Don’t Lie with fellow Yahoo! buddies J.E. Skeets, MJD and Kelly Dwyer. (That’s four prepositional phrases in a row!) Don’t just stare blankly at the screen people, head over there. Now.

It will be the most informative part of your day. (Or not.)

This is a blantant Nike advertisement …

June 24th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

… that is also very likely fake. (Sort of like the pants trick one.) But it’s also pretty sweet. And I wanted my friend O’Day in Cincinnati to see it. You may ask why I didn’t just e-mail it to him; I will say it’s because I was able to get a quick blog post out of it.

Michael Lewis doesn’t like golf

June 24th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

Debating whether golf is a sport or not seems sort of silly. There are plenty other hybrid recreation/sports activities — say poker — that should be up for debate. Golf, it seems, is pretty clearly a sport. It’s highly competitive, you sweat when you play, it takes an insane amount of skill and practice. Sure, they aren’t Reggie Bush, but they are athletes. I’m not sure you’ll find many people busting on the merits of golf.

Unless you read Michael Lewis.

One of the amazing things about golf is how many people have been fooled into believing it is actually a real sport. All over the world people now talk and think about golf as if it’s more like football or basketball than, say, bird- watching.

[ … ]

As he limped and grimaced up fairways and around doglegs, with the crowd and the cameras lusting for every wince-laden drive, he was no longer just golfing. He was elevating golf to the status it so desperately seeks: the status of a genuine athletic event.

Finally, you could hear the golfing world thinking to itself: A golfer is proving once and for all that our game is a test of deep character and physical courage.

See: Golfers play hurt!

See: You can even get hurt playing golf!!!

Well, you can get hurt playing darts, too. Or hiking. Bowling can be seriously hazardous, if you don’t know what you’re doing. Play with enough passion and you can even injure yourself in a spirited game of Monopoly. (I once cut my finger grabbing Park Place.)

Ouch. Although, he is totally right about Monopoly. You play that hard enough, land in the wrong spot, and you go to jail. It’s intense.

{HT: FanHouse.}

Ozzie Guillen knows Lou Piniella can eat him under the table

June 18th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

What has it been … a solid week since Ozzie Guillen has given us a quote to blog about? I mean geez: I can’t just go out and create this stuff, Mr. Guillen. You need to be swearing and joking and talking like a madman on a daily basis so I have something to blog about. Heaven forbid I actually have to dig deep and search for something of worth.

Wait, what’s that you say?

”Lou Piniella does two things better than me,” Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said before Tuesday night’s game against Pittsburgh. ”Managing and eating.”

[ … ]

”It took them three weeks to find a [body] double for Piniella,” Guillen said. ”For mine, you just go to a model agency.”

This reminds me of a few summers ago, when Subway ran a promotion around the Cubs-Sox series in which Piniella and Guillen had their own sandwiches you could get. I think they should have an eat-off with these before the first inning Friday.

I give Guillen a fighter’s chance. I think the bread will start to weigh Piniella down after some time.

UPDATE: Ziggy– a smart, handsome commenter with a better memory than me — points out the Subway deal was actually with Dusty Baker and Ozzie. Which, in turn, works the same if not better. (They are both portly.) Yeah for my errors working out in the end.

Hail to the victors: Celtics claim NBA Title

June 18th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

Seeing as any good blogger/Internet writer had something up last night on the Finals, this is all old news by now, but hey, hats off to the Celtics. It was rough sledding making it to the final round, but they proved they were better than the listless Lakers when it mattered most. (Seriously, Kobe, all you guys could muster was a 39-point trashing? And have you ever played defense before? Ever?)

As a fan, I was torn before the series started. On the one hand, I’ve always been a KG backer and used to rock his Minnesota jersey in middle school. But Kobe is otherworldly, and he and the Lakers stomped through the West on their way to the Finals. I wouldn’t have minded seeing Kobe and crew take out the Big Three.

But it was not to be. Paul Pierce was the m’fing Truth. Rondo was solid after he couldn’t walk last week. And KG, I don’t know what the hell he was talking about here …

… but it was awesome. And the Gatorade dump on Doc Rivers? MAN LOOK HOW COOL IT IS IN THAT SUPER SLOW MOTION CAMERA.

So yeah: Boston wins another title. Blech.

Here’s hoping for some NBA referee fun this evening

June 17th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

Henry Abbot over at TrueHoop brings up an interesting point heading into Game 6 this evening — can the Lakers steal one? Me hopes so. — the refs involved in tonight’s game are anything if not marred in a wee bit of controversy.

The referees for Game 6 will be Eddie F. Rush, Bennett Salvatore, and Joey Crawford.

Those last two would make anybody’s short list of referees who have been involved in controversy.

Crawford is very highly regarded. But just a year ago, Crawford was suspended indefinitely, reportedly for challenging Tim Duncan to a fight in the middle of a game. A condition of Crawford’s reinstatement, according to Commissioner David Stern, was ongoing counseling.

Salvatore has also raised the ire of all kinds of NBA fans, and he explained his side of many controversial calls in a series of posts on TrueHoop.

ESPN’s Bill Simmons once named Salvatore the second worst referee in the NBA, and a review of every call of Game 5 of the 2006 NBA Finals by 82games.com found that of the ten debatable calls Salvatore made in that game, eight favored the Heat — who ultimately won that game and the championship.

Lately, the NBA’s referees have come under all kinds of fire (a former referee saying key games are fixed at the behest of the League, for instance), and you could certainly make the case that it would be a good time to diffuse the situation by assigning the least controversial referees out there.

Holy blockquote, blogman!  Now, this certainly doesn’t mean much … a referee isn’t a referee if their calls weren’t questioned from time to time. (Sort of like a sailor isn’t a sailor if his back and fill usage isn’t scrutinized here and there. And yes, I just looked up a random sailing term.)

But, in an NBA Finals that has been pretty meh, here’s to some referee controversy tonight. Step aside, Tim Donaghey!

Michael Beasley: Sauve comedian or surly looney toon?

June 17th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

Initially, when the Bulls lucked into the first pick of the upcoming NBA Draft, I was sign, sealed and delivered on Michael Beasley. I had seen him enough during the college season to know the dude is an absolute beast, but he’s a beast with finesse and can hit the outside shot. He was the inside presence the Bulls had been missing for so long. (And he’s a lefty … just like me!)

But as everyone began to slurp Derrick Rose, it became apparent having a surefire point guard on your squad might be a better move both for the immediate here and now of this team, and in somewhat distant future as well. And don’t forget, Beasley played for and attended 33434334335 different high schools, so he has those dreaded character issues. (BUM BUM BUM.)

But it’s no secret the cat can bring in while talking to the media. To wit from an interview at the Berto Center after working out for the Bulls today:

-Asked about measuring 6-foot-8 at the pre-draft camp rather than his previously listed 6-10: “I’m a little disappointed to find out I’m actually a midget.”

-Asked if he can you succeed at the NBA level like he did in high school and college: “Depends if I like the coach.”

-Asked what he knew about other Bulls players: “They got one Jayhawk that I’ll have to work really hard to get along with.”

-Asked if he saw Bulls GM John Paxson play: “I’m not that old.”

[ … ]

What everyone really wants to know is whether the possible No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft has the potential to dress up in leather and be a fixture at Chicago’s Excalibur nightclub just as another Bulls power forward once did. (He even has a subtle Rodman look, doesn’t he?) They want to know if “personality” really means “mischievous.” They wonder if “curious” means “bound for trouble.”

[ … ]

That’s one interpretation. One scout recently said of Beasley, “If you look into his eyes, you’ll see Looney Toons playing inside his head.”

Whether or not the Bulls select Beasley come draft day, I’m definitely going to be following this guy’s career closely. If nothing else, he makes for perfect Free Darko fodder.

Chad Johnson seems a bit perturbed by the media

June 17th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanR

This is why I like to blog.

Via.