The 25 Most Hated Teams

Sports Illustrated ran a piece on the 25 most hated teams in sports. It includes professional and college teams. Its a pretty good list that features just one Boston team but many of their enemies. Here are some highlights from the list.

- The 1988-89 Detroit Pistons came in at number two. My first thought when I saw this was an image of Johnny Most screaming into his microphone, "They told me not to say anything bad about Isiah and I say 'Why not!'"

- The 1974 Philadelphia Flyers earned the fourth spot. This is the team, along with singer Kate Smith, beat the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals. The team lived up to their name as the Broad Street Bullies. One writer said, "They brawled their way to the Cup. To the purists, they represented everything evil about the game. They were a disgrace."

- The 1978 New York Yankees came in 5th. Led by Billy Martin, Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson, this is the club that beat the Red Sox in a one-game playoff at Fenway Park when Bucky Dent hit a pop up over the Monster. My dad was at the game and always says that he was in shock when the ball cleared the wall.

- Coming in number six are the 2007 New England Patriots! Yes, Boston made the list! To be honest I think it us undeserved. Did the Patriots get caught filming other teams signals? Yes. But if anyone out there thinks that New England is the only team to do this then you are an idiot. And let's not forget that former Jets' coach and tattletail Eric Mangini was OK with this practice when he was a coach in Foxboro.

Broncos Make Huge Mistake

Tim Tebow signed a 5 year deal today with the Broncos. The deal is worth $11.25 million with $8.7 million guaranteed. This deal is 18.5% more than last year's # 25 pick. My question is: Why the F would the Denver Broncos sign Tebow to this kind of deal? Tebow is an unproven player who many thought wouldn't even be drafted in the first 3 rounds! Now, he is getting a buttload of guaranteed cash. Anytime a player gets 67% of a contract guaranteed, then you should be concerned. Especially when this player is a rookie, who is only going to play in the wildcat, who had to adjust his arm angle, and who doesn't have a strong arm to begin with. Pathetic signing! Glad the Pats didn't get fooled into picking up this guy. Think Belichick is sitting back and laughing at his former student Josh McDaniels? Betcha he is.

Big NBA Bust Shot To Death

Why is it that players who 'bust' in professional sports always seem to have off the field issues? Normally players who don't live up to their billing have dramatic problems outside of the sports environment. Lorenzen Wright was found shot to death outside Memphis yesterday, in what is being called a homicide. Wright was 6'11, averaged 8 ppg in his career, and was the #7 overall pick by the Clips. The guy never panned out, and now he is dead. A sad story to say the least.

Here are some other guys who didn't pan out and had off the field issues to boot:

Ryan Leaf, who was supposed to be as good as Peyton Manning is the classic example. He is just coming off a 10 year felony drug probation. He never materialized on the field, had SERIOUS issues with the media, and then got into legal trouble.

Lawrence Phillips. One of the greatest talents I have seen, totally derailed in life and on the field. The man had drug problems, weapons issues, driving problems, and battles with coaches and players. He could have been one of the best of all-time, instead, he was relegated to play in semi-pro leagues.

John Daly. Yep, he makes the list even though he is a major winner. This guy could have been great, but booze and being an idiot got him into serious trouble. The guy disappeared for years, and only recently is playing decent golf again. He could have been a perennial winner, but because of his alcoholism, smoking, etc, he fell into a deep hole.

Steve Howe. The real poster boy for drugs and alochol abuse! Howe was a major winner right off the bat. Rookie of the year, helped the Dodgers win the title in his 2nd year, and then collapse! He checked into a substance abuse clinic in 1983, was suspended for all of 1984, pitched well 8 years later, was suspended for life in 1992 and was then reinstated. He could have been a hall of famer, instead he was just a disappointment.

This list could go on and on. But you see where I am going. These guys that turn out to be busts usually have off the field issues. I feel bad for Lorenzen Wright. But, I think that if he played his cards better, he would have been a successful hoops player and more importantly, he would be alive today. When will these guys learn?

Sox Sweep In Anaheim

Today marked the first time since 1998 that the Red Sox have swept Anaheim in Angels Stadium. I gotta admit that this is a tough feat. Despite their playoff history it always seemed that the Angles have the Sox number. Most of the games start at 10:00 EST and the Sox always seem outmatched. Vlad Guerrero had like 9 RBI each game and the Sox couldn't hit the Angles relievers. So it's no surprise that it took them 13 seasons to finally get a sweep against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California on the West Coast.

Go Germany!

German Celebration Gone Horribly Wrong - watch more funny videos

Typical Germans that can't celebrate like they've been there before. It looks like amateur hour in Deutschland. There is nothing worse than making an ass of yourself in front of thousands of people. Hitler did it with the world, now this idiot did it in front of a bunch of soccer fans. Pussies.

Tyson Interview

I've always thought of Mike Tyson to be interesting. Probably its because he's crazy, but interesting nonetheless. For someone who seems so out there sometimes, he also has a very introspective and intelligent view of life. He seems to make a lot of sense when talking about life, the world and himself. My favorite Tyson quote is "I could sell out Madison Square Garden masturbating." The funny thing is, he is probably right. His honesty is refreshing and he always tells it like it. Sports Illustrated interviewed Iron Mike so I thought it would be good to post it here.


SI: I imagine you have a few stories from your days as a junkie.
Mike Tyson: Listen: I was in St. Tropez, in the South of France. In Ibiza, Spain. I was in Monte Carlo. I was in the Ukraine, Russia, all those places, for three months. From Russia I went to Lisbon, Portgual, from Portugal I went to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam I met this drug dealer, right? And he sees that I like getting high, and he wants to be my buddy, right? This guy goes and gets me a big rock of cocaine. So pretty soon I got a party going on. I got everything: I got these rugby players. I got these naked girls, I got all these ... everything's going on in the room. Plus I also had this girl with me that I picked up in Romania. But then [the dealer he met in Amsterdam] saw how much of a mess I was. He came in and kicked everybody out of my room! All the nude people, all the people having sex. He said, "I feel so bad I ever gave him that stuff."

SI: How about in Las Vegas? What would your typical day in Vegas be like?
Tyson: This is how the day would start: I would go to a club, at say, 2 o'clock [a.m.]. Hang out there for what, two hours, and then I'd go to the after-hours [clubs], that start at 6 o'clock [a.m.]. So I'd stay there from 6 in the morning to 7:30 at night. I'd be sitting down and drinking and doing cocaine, talking to girls ... doing anything. Everything. Then I make it home and I'm tripping out at home. I'm calling people, I'm tired, but I've got people coming in and we're making plans to go out a few hours later. We're getting high, staying up, [doing] cocaine. Somebody would be calling me: "Come hang out with me." So we would go out and get high, till 11 o'clock [p.m.] or something, then go somewhere, to a bar or somewhere. We might go to a club, then get high all day long.

SI: You got involved with prostitutes.
Tyson: Listen, I was living a crazy life. A [prostitute] would go, "There's that guy who hit me the other day, who took money from me the other day, who intimidated me." And [that guy] had to give some money up. [I'd say,] "This is my girl, man. She works for me now. This is my girl now." That's how it was. I wanted to show loyalty to these people. I was so stupid. I'd say, "If you have a problem, just let me know." And all these guys would say, "What's Mike Tyson going to do [to me]?" It was always like that until I got in their f-----' ass. I'm a nice man, but back then, I wasn't. I'm not proud of it.

SI: So your home looks pretty different now, it's safe to say...
Tyson: I'm very fortunate that I have my wife and my children. I don't know how it happened, but, man, I'm living such a different life. Listen: If I allowed my will to run riot, this house would be full, you'd hear people screaming from sex upstairs. If I allowed my mind to run riot, that's what this place would be like.
SI: How many times did you end up going to rehab?
Tyson: I was addicted to rehab. I was like the poster boy, because I would go to like five meetings a day. You were only required to go to one. I would go to five, because I'm an addictive freak. I love hanging out, the camaraderie. It's just awesome! But you know what people want, too? [Tyson leans in closer, his voice suddenly quieter.] This is what I realized, bro: It gives people family. A way of starting over. [In rehab] we start a new life with new family members. And all they gotta do to stay in this family is not get high, and you gotta try really hard. And then if you do get high? "We got your back." That's what I like.

SI: What do you see when you look back at your infamous press conferences?
Tyson: I always wanted to be that guy who said, "F--- you." When I see people doing that, trying to imitate me, these tough guys trying to emulate me, I'm sitting there thinking, like, This guy's an idiot, so I know I'm an idiot. Floyd Mayweather doesn't stand a chance as far as that idiocy. He's not even in my league as an a--hole. He's a good kid. Everyone's hard on him, but this is a great kid. He's just a kid having fun, living in a fantasy world.

SI: When did your wife, Kiki, really get to know you?
Tyson: She really got to know who I am, the real core, maybe two years ago, three years ago. She got to know the barometer of an individual. She never gave up on me; I gave up on me. But she would never give up. I have a great deal of respect for her as a human being for that. Me and her, we're too far gone as just human beings to try and butter each other up.

SI: What was it like to lose over 100 pounds of weight?
Tyson: I don't want to be grotesque, but when you're 330 pounds, it's hard to wipe your a--. You know? I didn't like living like that. I felt like an animal. I'm more active than I have been in years.
SI: You're a big fan of ancient history, I've heard.
Tyson: I like classical biographies. Hannibal was an awesome person. Clovis was pretty awesome, the Franks and stuff. The Khans: Genghis and his grandsons. Listen, this is pretty interesting, with this Clovis guy. Clovis was king at 15. He gets to be king at 15 with some of his father's ragtag army. Still, he would conquer people and take all their lands. He was still an evil guy. His bloodline became kings of different countries.

SI: How did you learn about all of that stuff? Do you go online now?
Tyson: Before I got involved with the Internet, I used audio books. I used to listen to them while working out, or lying down and falling asleep. [Kiki, his wife, then interjects: "He'll randomly, out of the blue, say, 'Google for me, Who is Clovis' father's first monkey's pet?' It's the craziest things."]

SI: What did you make of your time in jail?
Tyson: In a weird way, prison was the best thing that happened to me. Imagine if I was out here from '92 to '95 -- I probably would have caught AIDS, I would've got shot, I would've got into all kinds of s---. You have no idea what kind of person I was on the street, when I was in Mike Tyson megalomaniac mode.

SI: You famously converted to Islam. Are you still very religious?
Tyson: You know, people say, "My god is better than your god." But how do we prove whose god is better? And this is when it gets really interesting. This is how we prove whose god is better than whose: [by saying,] "I'm going to kill you, or you're going to kill me first." And that's real godly. That's real godly. Yeah. I bet you people think, I wonder who would win a fight with the Prophet Mohammad and Jesus? These are sick people. This is crazy, you know what I mean?

Strasburg Has "Hit A Wall"

Mark Prior: A Ghost of Stephen Strasburg's future

Stephen Strasburg doing his best Kerry Wood, Mark Prior impression last night after being scratched from his start. He pitched a wopping 109 2/3 innings this year in both the minors and with the Nationals...so obviously he has "hit a wall," as he puts it. I'm guessing this is the beginning of a lot of scratches in the coming years. He will likely be shut down this year sometime very soon. Next year it will be a bunch of oblique strains which limit him to about 10 starts. And in five years he will be trying out preseason as the Nationals closer. Here's a hint Stephen, you throw 98-100 MPH every pitch. Human beings can't do that. Name one friggin' starting pitcher who throws high 90s his entire career, or even more than a few seasons in a row, without having a ton of injuries. Remember how good Pedro Martinez used to be early in his career, having low 2 ERAs, striking out 300 batters a season? What happened? I'll tell you what happened. In 1999 he was hitting 98 MPH consistently, then only a few years later, he could barely hit 93 MPH and turned into a finesse pitcher which bought him a few more seasons.

ESPN desperately wants this guy to be the Lebron James of baseball, but it is more likely he will be a Greg Oden.

Ten Things I'd Rather Do Than Watch The Sox

10) Wedding planning stuff with the fiance

9) Watch the Lowell Spinners

8) Check out a Revolutions game

7) Analyze my golf swing

6) Follow the feud about the Special Olympics between Anonymous Ross and Chair Boy

5) Get sunburned

4) Photoshop friends in compromising scenarios

3) Youporn

2) Get yelled at by drivers in Everett

1) Watch Middle Man Mike sell The Quik Cart

Pats Release Shawn Crable Because He Is Pathetic

There isn't a more pathetic story in the world than Shawn Crable. What an absolute bust! A 3rd round pick by the Patriots in 2008, Crable never played for the Pats. He was on the injured reserve for his rookie season with the Pats, then went on the same list for an injured groin last year. Today, it was announced he was released, and that can be directly related to the fact that he didn't come in camp ready to play. He was placed on the PUP list, which means he is either way out of shape or injured. Either way, this didn't sit well with Bill Belichick.

I hope this guy never plays an NFL down. He had the build to be awesome, but has showed no heart. Really, he is the exact opposite of a Wes Welker. Welker doesn't have the body, but he has the will to power through injuries and get onto the field.

I Could Have Died Yesterday

I hate where I live. Actually let me make a correction. I hate the people where I live. Yesterday the fiance and I were in Everett running some errands when my life flashed before my eyes. I was at a red light getting ready to turn right on red. As I slowly take my foot off the brake another car comes whipping around the corner. I immediately hit the breaks and the Ford Explorer passes safely in front of me by 15 feet. My car moved a total of three inches. It was so innocent my fiance had no idea it even occurred. A few more cars go through the intersection then I proceed not thinking that what just happened was a big deal. As I make my way around the corner I see the Explorer going about 5 mph on a very busy road. Turns out he was waiting me but I hadn't realized that yet. As I pull up beside him he tries to stare me down. His head looked like it was on a swivel as he tried to peer around his car's seats. I was still oblivious to the whole thing and had no idea what he wanted. He then sped up, cut me off and stopped his car. I slammed on the breaks inches from his SUV. We sit there for a few seconds when I realize he was getting out of the car.

A few things went through my head about what my options were. I could have slammed it in reverse and gotten outta there. But a few years ago nearly the same type of incident occurred and the guy ended up chasing me for two miles on a windy road at midnight. Scary stuff. I decided I didn't want him coming after me in his SUV so I stayed in the car. As he approached I gave a quick scan to make sure he didn't have any pockets and that I could see he his hands. Fortunately he had on basketball shorts and a baggy shirt.

My window was down because it was hot, so he came over and said, "You shayin' me". My fiance and I later debated if he meant "shittin' me" but it didn't really sound like that. Anyways, I said "What?" and he said "You shayin' me?" I replied "huh?". He threw his head back, sighed and went back to his truck. He seemed more annoyed that I couldn't understand him than anything else.

I put the car in reverse, then quickly put into drive and did a u-turn to get outta there. All of this happened on a very busy road. What fucking idiot takes something like that so personally? As I said, me rolling at the red light was so minor that my fiance had no idea it even happened!

There are many things I like about living in this area but the people aren't one of them. I am constantly surrounded by idiots that pull shit like this. My neighbors sell drugs, people get out of their cars and yell at you and then general public are just morons.

Sack Whack! Huston Street In ER After Hit To Nuts

George Costanza would say, 'That's gotta hurt!' In painful news of the day, Huston Street was struck in the nuts by a line drive off the bat of Ian Stewart in the Colorado Rockies batting practice. According to several sources, Street passed out two or three times after being wailed in the nuts.

My doctor wife says he could have ruptured a testicle or fractured his penis. According to Middle Man's wife, fracturing a penis usually occurs during sex, but it is possible it could happen in this instance. If he had an errect penis at the time of injury, it may be a fracture

One thing is for certain, Street was not wearing a cup. That's a good rule of thumb gentlemen: When on a baseball field, wear a cup. You just can't predict when a ball is lined up for your nut sack.

I wish Street the best. The only thing worse than a ruptured testicle is a gun shot wound to the head. The Sports Juke staff sends out a heartfelt 'get better soon' to one of the most up and down relievers in history.

Fans Appreciate Matt Garza

Look at that crowd! They really drank in the first no hitter in Rays history yesterday. 17,009 fans really whooped it up last night. 17,000 really means around 12,000, because these places lie through their teeth to sound like they draw better! How sad is that? The Portland Sea Dogs would draw better crowds if they had more seats. I am embarrassed for all Rays fans. They have a great ballclub, and cheap ass seats...and still nobody shows up. Congrats Matt Garza, you gave a few dozen people the baseball story of a lifetime.

Ellsbury Gets Through 6 Innings Of GCL Game!

Unbelievable. He is on the road to recovery. He played in two thirds of a Gulf Coast League game! By the way, it would be nice to have this guy in the lineup. 2 for 3 with a SB, a run, caused an error and made a play in center. Thank the Lord he is coming back just in time to shine down the stretch, and then hold out for a big contract. Man from the Chair was right way back in May. I should have believed him. What a pansy Ellsbury has been all year.

He won't be with the big club this week. Next week at the earliest. That means he will miss at least another 5 games in the stretch run. The Sox need him now, and he is going to lolligag it back into the lineup. If he were a man, he would be on the roster today. Sack up Jacoby.

Jack Tatum Dead

Former Oakland Raider Jack Tatum has died from a heart attack at the age of 61. The name may sound familiar as he is the player that paralyzed Patriot Darryl Stingley during a preseason game in 1978. Tatum was known as "The Assassin" because of his crushing hits on opponents.

I'm not really sure what else to add about this. I've read bad things about Tatum and the hit on Stingley that he may have delivered a forearm shiver to the back of his neck. Other accounts say it was a clean hit with an unfortunate outcome. The two sides never reconciled after the incident. A planned television interview between the two was scheduled in 1996 but was cancelled when Stingley learned Tatum was using it to publicize his book. Darryl died in 2007.

Victor Is Back!

That still doesn't fill the holes left by Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jason Varitek. Couple that with the fact that the entire bullpen sucks, and it seems that there is work to be done as the Sox approach the trade line.

Boston needs help, but it seems to feel like the Sox will sink or swim with the team that they have assembled. Even if that means relying on an aging Hideki Okajima, an inconsistent Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez, and a less than desirable issue with Tim Wakefield and Dice K Matuszaka going back and forth in the rotation. Dice K gets injured, Wakefield fills in, Dice K comes back, and Wake goes to the pen. What a mess.

Theo probably won't pull the trigger, and it will once again signal the demise of the Sox. Boston has a chance to do real damage in the postseason with a rotation of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Clay Buchholz. What they need, however, is stability in the field and in the pen. Theo is going to a pussy, we all know it. You think he will trade homegrown talent for Scott Downs? Hell no. He is going to let the Yanks and Rays get the better of him again. He didn't pull the trigger last year, and he lost. He didn't pull the trigger in 2008, and he lost. If he sticks with what he has this year, guess what will happen.

Theo is going to puss out, and chances are Brian Cashman will be a hero once again.

Baseball Is Boring

I tried. I really did. But I just can't seem to get excited for baseball anymore. The appeal of a season that lasts from April to October, a game every night and living in a baseball town is losing its lust. It's been a slow and progressive change, but a change nonetheless. A few years ago I would watch several innings every night. I would know the upcoming series a few weeks in advance. I would be annoyed when the Sox went on the West Coast I couldn't watch the end of the games.

But something has changed over the last few years. It's just not exciting anymore. The thrill of watching the Sox is dead. Red Sox Nation became an overhyped marketing machine, a one-time fan nickname that turned into the brain child of John Henry. The allure and excitement of being a Sox fan is now similar to following a mainstream celebrity. The Dirt Dogs and Cowboy Up seem like another lifetime. Now its just players without personalities.

The other issue is that baseball is boring. It was easy to watch the sport when the Red Sox had so many things going for them. But the rivalry with the Yankees has become saturated and so has the sport. Too many games means there is less importance in winning every night. A team that loses nearly 70 times in one season is considered great. A player that successfully hits a ball one-third of the time is an All-Star.

I think I speak for many New Englanders when I say that the region doesn't have the same passion and enthusiasm they once did for the the Red Sox. Perhaps the thrill of winning two World Series in three years is to blame.

Bruins Selling Out?

From the Globe, "Full season packages for the loge and balcony are sold out for 2010-11. Alternate packages for the loge and balcony (21-, 10-, and five-game plans) remain available. There are also partial and full season memberships at TD Garden's Premium Club.

Interest in the Bruins remains high amid a busy offseason that has seen the organization acquire Nathan Horton, draft Tyler Seguin, and extend core contributors such as Mark Recchi, Dennis Seidenberg, and Johnny Boychuk."

My response: WHAT? How can people pay money to see this pathetic franchise? They show no heart, and then fans go crazy and buy up all the tickets? People, they weren't even that good last year. They were lucky enough to make it in the playoffs, and then when they had a real chance, they failed miserably. Do what I would do: don't attend a game all year! Pay them back for the heartache they caused you.

Pats Training Camp Opens On Thursday; If Brady Gets Injured He's Fucked

There has been some discussion in recent days, mainly driven by one smart and insightful commenter/blogger (me), about Tom Brady's future with the team. If you remember, I am also the person who broke the "Ellsbury being a pussy" story on this blog. Now obviously, the two main writers of this blog are also not paying any thought at all to Brady's contract issue and believe he will be QB here for the next decade, no questions asked. This is still more likely to happen than not, but it seems as if Patriots fans aren't even contemplating the possibility that Kraft and Belichick are considering life without Brady. In my own opinion, a deal will likely be reached sometime this season. But just the fact that a deal hasn't got done yet displays that the Patriots do not think he is an untouchable who the team can't go on without, and Brady's reign at QB of this team could be much shorter than most fans think.

Then, conveniently, a very pro-Kraft article like this gets printed in the Boston Herald this morning, just four days before the start of camp. Kraft has this interesting quote in the article....

“It’s a business where you always got to keep looking to the future if you want to win,” Kraft said in a recent phone interview. “And you try to balance that with being responsible to the people who have produced for you big time. It’s hard. But we have the best coach in the NFL (in Bill Belichick) and our personnel department is top drawer. This is a business where, when you get too sentimental."

"The only way you’re going to survive in this business is to replenish your team with younger players each year,” Kraft said. “Hopefully, it’s not done in a shock atmosphere. I think we have done a good job in accumulating picks. We’ve lost some great players, and that’s the reason we were so good. But nothing goes forever in this business.”

Belichick has no problem cutting the beloved fan-favorite quarterback in place of a younger QB he likes better. He did it with Bernie Kosar in Cleveland, and Drew Bledsoe here in New England. Even if or when Brady finally gets a new deal, do not think that the team will hesitate in replacing him if a better option is available in a year or two. Especially if Brady struggles again this season, as he did last.

Shaq! You're Damn Right

Time to cut the bolshit Danny Ainge. You have done very little to help us on the glass and in the paint. Jermaine O'Neal is not the answer. What might be the answer: Shaquille O'Neal. He is ready to play with Boston for the veteran minimum. He still clogs up the paint, can grab rebounds, and can stop penetration in the middle. Sign him! Get it over with and sign him. What a circus this will be if Shaq comes to Boston!

I am Shaq's number 1 fan, even in his old age. Make it happen, and then we might be hanging up #18. Dwayne Wade and Lebron can't drive into the paint with the Big Diesel waiting there.

Both Juke Writers Can Now Shave

Mike's wife just gave him a Gillette (gotta support the Pats) Fusion ProGlide razor. The greatest razor on the market. That is the one you see spinning around in some crazy blue case in your local targets. He received pre-shave oil, shaving cream, a shaving brush, and aftershave all from the Art of Shaving store. The premiere shaving store. And finally, he received the book, The Art Of Shaving. Unbelievable. Just read that 2 inch shaving strokes are the best.

Who has the better razor, me or Guy in the Balcony? The Gillette Fusion Pro Glide has disposable razor heads, however they are the same razor heads that the Art of Shaving has on their metal razor. Same razor blades! 6 razors cost 35 bucks! These razors better last me two months each.

Other presents include: Season 1 of Cheers and the book Carry on Jeeves. Parents chipped in with a shirt and tie, and the mother in law gave me $100 to Nordstroms. That store is wicked f'ing expensive. How am I going to afford more than an undershirt with that gift card?