The Sports Thread

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

I think the last three times the Chargers game has gone the opposite of how you picked. I'm telling you, they are skitzo. They have a lot of talent but poor coaching and maybe morale issues.

We'll by all accounts the Colts should of won and covered the pointspread on that game but I think the NE game spooked them.

 

[AchrisK]

We'll by all accounts the Colts should of won and covered the pointspread on that game but I think the NE game spooked them.

I really think that there is something with the Colts, either specifically when playing against the Chargers, or maybe with losing more than one game in a row. I'm probably making it up in my head, but I have been saying we would beat them all year. And in '05 we did snap their 13 game winning streak, and they lost the next week as well.

 

[skeptik]

Actually, if I recall correctly, they have a pretty good record of victory following losses in recent years.

 

[AchrisK]

no they don't

EDIT: ok, it doesn't necessarily look like a trend. But they have seemed to always have two together at some point:

04
LWWWWLLWWWWWWWWL

05
WWWWWWWWWWWWWLLW

06
WWWWWWWWWLWLLWLW

 

[King Richard]

I really think that there is something with the Colts, either specifically when playing against the Chargers, or maybe with losing more than one game in a row. I'm probably making it up in my head, but I have been saying we would beat them all year. And in '05 we did snap their 13 game winning streak, and they lost the next week as well.

The only reason the chargers beat the colts in 05 is because Dungy sat half of the starters the remaining 3 games of the season. He didn't care about going undefeated, and they already locked up a first round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. However, it was all for naught because they lost in the divisional round to Shittsburgh . I normally like Pittsburgh mind you, just not when they beat the Colts (@nec).

Actually, if I recall correctly, they have a pretty good record of victory following losses in recent years.

Correct.

no they don't

EDIT: ok, it doesn't necessarily look like a trend. But they have seemed to always have two together at some point:

04
LWWWWLLWWWWWWWWL

05
WWWWWWWWWWWWWLLW

06
WWWWWWWWWLWLLWLW

Those are pretty respectable records imo.

 

[King Richard]

Fyi, Freeney is done for the season with a Lisfranc injury.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Fyi, Freeney is done for the season with a Lisfranc injury.

That sucks. I never like to see that stuff.

 

[ThisIsACoolName]

***Baseball stuff. Sorry, guys.***

So, this is a bit of a surprise.

In a surprise twist, Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees are discussing a deal that could put the superstar third baseman back in pinstripes.

The discussions are believed to be centering on a 10-year contract for about $280 million. They are also likely to include incentives that could put the total package well over $300 million.

A-Rod and the Yankees have been talking secretly for a couple days in an attempt to reconcile. It appears that progress is being made.

"Alex reached out to us,'' Yankees partner Hank Steinbrenner told SI.com on Wednesday. "He wants to be a Yankee.''

Rodriguez, who opted out of his contract last month and became a free agent, said he wanted to talk with the Steinbrenner family before he started discussions with other franchises and that he wanted to remain with the Yankees. It is believed that the initial discussion involved Rodriguez, his wife Cynthia and the Steinbrenner brothers, Hank and Hal, another partner.

Rodriguez and the Yankees appeared to have parted ways two weeks ago when the Yankees bid him adieu after he opted out of his 10-year, $252-million contract on Oct. 28. Before Rodriguez terminated the deal, his agent, Scott Boras, told the Yankees they would have to make a $350 million offer to get a meeting with the third baseman. However, both sides appear to have had a change of heart, and contract talks were intense on Wednesday.

The Yankees were approached by a third-party intermediary several days ago who said Rodriguez wanted to speak with the Steinbrenners, and the team at first wondered whether the message was serious.

The New York Daily News first reported news of the new discussion on Wednesday on its Web site. Rodriguez confirmed it with a statement on his own Web site later in the day.

By opting out of the contract, Rodriguez forfeited the $72 million he was guaranteed by the Yankees for 2008-10. In turn, the Rangers were relieved of their obligation to pay New York $21.3 million, a subsidy agreed to as part of the 2004 trade that sent A-Rod to the Yankees.

Rodriguez told the Yankees that he understood what he would have to do if he wanted to rejoin the team: Make up for the subsidy from Texas that New York lost when he opted out.

Before Rodriguez opted out, the Yankees were prepared to make an initial extension offer of four or five years with an average salary of $25 to $30 million.

After Rodriguez became a free agent many possible suitors said they weren't interested. The Los Angeles Angels were an exception, saying they would like to speak with Rodriguez.

Seems like he's through letting Boras make his decisions for him. It also seems like, based on what's being said on Mike and the Mad Dog, that he really had to plead and apologize his way back onto the team. Apparently the toughest part of this whole deal was getting Hank Steinbrenner to even talk to him. I pretty much love Hank Steinbrenner so far, by the way. He seems like a tougher yet more reasonable, smarter version of his father.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, that's 54 homers and 156 RBI coming back. On the other, it's also a ton of baggage and more media circus than is healthy. The team is much stronger in paper with him, but without him, I'd bet there would be better team chemistry.

 

[skeptik]

Fyi, Freeney is done for the season with a Lisfranc injury.

Fuck.

 

[King Richard]

I know!

 

[Matt]

***Baseball stuff. Sorry, guys.***

So, this is a bit of a surprise.



Seems like he's through letting Boras make his decisions for him. It also seems like, based on what's being said on Mike and the Mad Dog, that he really had to plead and apologize his way back onto the team. Apparently the toughest part of this whole deal was getting Hank Steinbrenner to even talk to him. I pretty much love Hank Steinbrenner so far, by the way. He seems like a tougher yet more reasonable, smarter version of his father.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, that's 54 homers and 156 RBI coming back. On the other, it's also a ton of baggage and more media circus than is healthy. The team is much stronger in paper with him, but without him, I'd bet there would be better team chemistry.

They will not be nearly as good without him; if they didn't have him for this last season they would have surely had a losing record. They wouldn't have been able to right the ship when they were sucking in the first half.

Also, I fucking hope he goes back to the Yanks - I would absolutely hate it if he followed Torre to the Dodgers.

 

[ThisIsACoolName]

They will not be nearly as good without him; if they didn't have him for this last season they would have surely had a losing record. They wouldn't have been able to right the ship when they were sucking in the first half.

Oh, I agree with that completely. A talent like that will obviously make a team more competitive. What I'm saying is that the team would almost certainly be a more cohesive unit without him. He's a walking drama bomb and, apparently, not the easiest guy to like. Not to mention how much he fucking blows in October.

You're right, though. He absolutely carried the Yankees this year. Without him they'd have finished below .500, easy. But I can't help but think that, even if they would have struggled in '08, they'd have been better off in the long run letting him go. Oh well. We'll see.

Also, I fucking hope he goes back to the Yanks - I would absolutely hate it if he followed Torre to the Dodgers.

That would have bothered me, too. A-Rod sticking with Torre, I mean. I don't know why, that idea just bugged me. I didn't think the two of them were very found of each other, though, but Torre is hardly in a position to be making personnel decisions with the Dodgers, so I doubt that was a factor at all. Doesn't matter now, though. Apparently he and the Yankees have agreed to $290 million for ten years. Personally I think that's too much money, but whatever.

 

[cookiecutter]

So more years of having to face that asshole

 

[ThisIsACoolName]

So more years of having to face that asshole

Yeah, and this:

Good friend Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger blogged moments ago that the Yankees are looking into signing Mike Lowell to be a first baseman, presuming they can bring Alex Rodriguez back to play third.

Graziano wrote in his blog: "A person familiar with the negotiations, who requested anonymity because discussions are still ongoing, said the Yankees have been in contact with Lowell's representatives about the idea of him signing to be their first baseman. The idea would be to bring Lowell, who came up through their farm system in the mid-90s, back into the organization while simultaneously weakening the Red Sox by taking him out of their lineup and infield.

"It's unclear how good the Yankees' chances are of pulling this off. Lowell is a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman and might not want to change positions. Also, the Red Sox are trying to re-sign him. Teams that were interested in signing Rodriguez (Angels, Dodgers, etc.) may turn their attention to Lowell now that Rodriguez appears to be off the market.

I've heard this as well, and I've also heard that Lowell himself really wants to be a Yankee (since he developed in their farm system). Seems like a really weird offer, and it only makes sense if the Yankees are planning on shipping off Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui. Then there's Andy Phillips to worry about. I can't see them getting rid of Matsui, it would be stupid to get rid of Damon, and Giambi will be very difficult to trade. Adding Lowell would really complicate matters.

 

[ThisIsACoolName]

***Again, baseball stuff. Sorry, football guys.***


Yeah, this:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The home run king wasn't home free after all.

Bonds, baseball's home run king, was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice Thursday and could go to prison instead of the Hall of Fame for telling a federal grand jury he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs.

The indictment came just three months after the San Francisco Giants star broke Hank Aaron's career home run record, and it culminated a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes.

But for all the speculation and accusations that clouded his pursuit of Aaron, Bonds was never identified by Major League Baseball as testing positive for steroids, and personal trainer Greg Anderson spent most of the last year in jail for refusing to testify against his longtime friend.

Then came the indictment -- four counts of perjury, one of obstruction of justice; a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison -- and Bonds' lawyers seemed caught off guard.

The 10-page report mainly consists of excerpts from Bonds' December 2003 testimony before a grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO. It cites 19 occasions in which Bonds allegedly lied under oath.

"I'm surprised," said one of his lawyers, John Burris, "but there's been an effort to get Barry for a long time. I'm curious what evidence they have now they didn't have before."

Burris said he didn't know of the indictment before being alerted by The Associated Press. He said he would call Bonds to notify him.

Anderson was ordered released from prison shortly after the indictment was handed up, but his attorney, Mark Geragos, said the trainer didn't cooperate with the grand jury.

"This indictment came out of left field," Geragos said. "Frankly, I'm aghast. It looks like the government misled me and Greg as well, saying this case couldn't go forward without him."

Bonds is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Dec. 7.

In August, when the 43-year-old Bonds became the career home run leader, he flatly rejected any suggestion that the milestone was stained by steroids.

"This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period," Bonds said.

But while San Franciscans cheered his every swing and fans elsewhere scorned every homer, a grand jury quietly worked behind closed doors to put the finishing touches on its report.

"During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes," the indictment said.

Bonds is by far the highest-profile figure caught up in the steroids probe, which also ensnared track star Marion Jones. She pleaded guilty in October to lying to federal investigators about using steroids and faces up to six months in prison.

Bonds could not be reached for comment.

"It goes without saying that we look forward to rebutting these unsupported charges in court," defense attorney Mike Rains said. "We will no doubt have more specific comments in the very near future once we have had the opportunity to actually see this indictment that took so long to generate."

The Giants, the players' union and even the White House called it a sad day for baseball.

"This is a very sad day. For many years, Barry Bonds was an important member of our team and is one of the most talented baseball players of his era. These are serious charges. Now that the judicial process has begun, we look forward to this matter being resolved in a court of law," the Giants said.

Union head Donald Fehr said he was "saddened" to learn of the indictment, but cautioned that "every defendant, including Barry Bonds, is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until such time as he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."

 

[Valerie]

Saw that on the news earlier. Pwned.

 

[The Ozzman]

In before Mathias

 

[Matt]

I am upset

 

[Matt]

Saw that on the news earlier. Pwned.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

 

[Valerie]

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Why? Regardless of anything, he still got pwned by being indicted.