Channel Surfing: Lettin' It All Hang Out

Channel Surfing is my semi-regular link dump in which I whore out other blogs for your amusement. If you'd like to be linked email me via the address on the right.

Who would've thought, Adam LaRoche is pretty clever (100% Injury Rate)

Ever wonder which many attractive celebrities have worn jerseys? I know I have and now It's been documented. (Winning The Turnover Battle)

Mini Me wonders if Joel Freeland has finally landed? I vote for no... (WBRS Sports Blog)

RCT let everyone know how I created this blog here. In step by step fashion. (My Brain Says Rage)

One of the Dolphins best players pick up a DWI. Suffice to say Sanchez is not pleased. (Shot To Nothing)

TGWF goes where no man should ever want to. Brady Quinn's Ipod... (Ghosts Of Wayne Fontes)

For the plane ride, I'd give them their money back after the fact. (Six Pack Sports Report)

Megazord Form!

So now you're wondering, "What is this new blog about?" Well, what is the blog community? It's just that: A community. Unlike competitors in the mainstream media, blogs routinely share ideas, content, and offer up ways to supplement each other's efforts. When we looked around and saw very few blog networks that are truly networked, We said, "What can we do about this?"

EpicCarnival.com is designed to bring some of the more creative independent blogs together under a single umbrella. Call it a "Super Blog" if you will. As legendary philosopher Hilary Duff said, blog networks are "so yesterday." With writers from New York to California to even the UK, EpicCarnival.com will bring you some of the freshest, most diverse content you'll find on the Internet in one convenient location.

We're starting out this venture with writers from 34 authors from 28 blogs, all with diverse backgrounds and writing styles. If one of them doesn't find a way to entertain or inform you somewhere along the way, well then, you're just not trying.

Featuring the writers behind blogs such as Winning the Turnover Battle, 100% Injury Rate, Our Book of Scrap, the Blog of Hilarity, Shoutfan, Deuce of Davenport, Why Don't We Get Drunk and Blog?, Babes Love Baseball, Sports Show On Mute and many, many more, EpicCarnival.com aims to bring daily, unfiltered content from some of the fastest growing voices on the Internet to make a Megazord of sorts.

It is our collective hope that people visit EpicCarnival.com time and again and that each day we make their Internet viewing experience a little better than it was the day before. Come check it out!

Note: I'll be posting a still unnamed column on the weekdays among other things. So come by, and check it out!

A-Rod Flips Cashman The Bird

Today, finally some good news coming out of the Bronx for us Yankee haters. Alex Rodriguez will not negotiate a contract extension with the Yanks during the season. As much as I dislike the Yankees, I like A-Rod, and I always have. He's a fantastic all-around player and he's taking the right stance in this situation. Especially when you consider other pending Yankee Free Agents Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. If A-Rod wasn't on the insane pace he is, the Yanks wouldn't even be considering this move. And his failure to cooperate with the is a win for the baseball fan who's tired of hearing about his lack of "true pinstripes". In honor of A-Rod's likely departure from underachieving cash machine I've cooked up a few other things I wouldn't mind seeing happen to the Bronx Bombers.

- The Yankees are eliminated from playoff contention by mid-August forcing the WWL to give up on the "can they still make it" Fact or Fiction segments.

- Johnny Damon is caught cross-dressing in Hoboken, finally explaining why he throws like a girl.

- Derek Jeter is photographed with a Transsexual entering his car outside a nightclub in Tampa Bay. It immediately hits "wwtdd.com" Ala the Beverly Hills Mayor on Entourage. The NY faithful simultaneously throw up.

- Carl Pavano finds health and returns to the rotation. He posts a 1-13 record with a 12.45 ERA before being traded to the Dodgers where he gets it together and closes 5-0 with a .67 ERA. And leads the Dodgers into the World Series, Jeff Weaver blushes.

- Chien-Ming Wang demands to be traded.

- It turns out Bobby Abreu is actually 49 years old. Julio Franco is absolutely devastated.

- George Steinbrenner finally fires a few people. Becky, formerly of marketing files a lawsuit claiming Cashman touched her.

- Jason Giambi names Brian Cashman as his supplier in his interview with George Mitchell.

To be honest I wouldn't necessarily like to see all or any of this happen. But, maybe it it did ESPN would quit shoving the Yanks and their playoff chances down our throats. Okay, fine. I'd like to see most of this happen. Maybe I am that much of an ass-hole. Or maybe I'm annoyed? Who knows.

MLB Survivor: Weeks 12 and 13

For a rundown on the rules click here

Another twofer this week as I had a long busy weekend and was unable to post last week's knockouts. Anyhow, we're sticking with the status quo here, NL followed by AL.

Eliminations Thus Far:
BD
Washington
Seattle
San Francisco
Kansas City
St. Louis
Toronto
Houston
Florida
Baltimore
Cincinnati
New York (AL)
Ted
Kansas City
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Colorado
Texas
Cincinnati
Tampa Bay
Chicago (AL)
Chicago (NL)
Oakland
San Francisco

Leaving The Diamond: Atlanta Braves
Reasoning: While they're only sitting 2 games behind the Mets at the break. The Braves just don't have it this year. Andruw Jones is having potentially the worst walk-year in the history of free agency. And the rest of the team develops Xylophobia when Chipper Jones is out of the lineup. Not a good sign, considering Chipper Jones is to the DL as Jeff Francoeur is to the whiff. John Smoltz' recurring shoulder issues this season are another concern as well, seeing as outside of Tim Hudson consistency isn't much of a theme in the rotation.

Next season, maybe Atlnta gets another streak going, who knows? They've got some fantastic young players for the future. Unfortunately, the cornerstones of the team are brittle or amazing horrible (I'm looking at you Andruw). Leaving these Braves out in the cold for the second consecutive year. -BD

Leaving The Diamond: Philadelphia Phillies
Reasoning: This is a controversial one, because the Phillies do legitimately have a chance to win the NL East, especially when you consider how the Mets have been playing of late. Here's my logic on the matter: the Phillies' entire season jumped the shark in that whole rain delay / tarp debacle right before the All-Star Game. What do I mean? Well, that provided the seminal visual images of the Phillies' season to date - it wasn't some Ryan Howard blast, or some Chae Utley walk-off double, or some Freddy Garcia 10 K performance. No. It was a bunch of dudes trying to hold down a tarp in an otherwise meaningless game. The Phillies are doomed; they've hit their high point as of mid-July. Nothing they do past this point will amuse or entertain people any more than that. Plus, this whole 10,000 losses thing is going to affect their psyche, and let's be honest - when's the last time this team got through an entire September without screwing absolutely everything to the wall? I'm going to boot them now in an effort to look like a genius. I may just end up lookin' like a moron. It's cool, though. I'm used to it. -Ted

Leaving The Diamond: New York Yankees
Reasoning: Brandon did this right before the All-Star Break, which I suppose takes a moderate amount of wind out of the sails of a New York product (that's me!) kicking his beloved Yankees (read: I haven't rooted for them in years, although I did scream out my living room window when that foul ball nestled in Charlie Hayes' glove) off the MLB island. Nothing is going right for this team: it took them until June 22nd to get a full five-day swing through the pitchers they want to constitute every five days. They begin their post-Break game set with the Devil Rays, and Clemens is pitching Friday night. At any other time in my life as a sports fan, I would have picked a sweep for the Bombers, with a definite win Friday and a potential loss Sunday if they let their guard down. Right now? I'm calling 2 out of 3 to Tampa, including one 11-3 absolute massacre where Carl Crawford has five steals. And you think these guys can catch the Red Sox? Not a chance - unless the Sox have to play the Indians and Tigers for the entire rest of the season. -Ted

Leaving The Diamond: Texas Rangers
Reasoning: The Rangers have been about as bad as possible so far this season. They still have no quality starting pitchers to speak of. And even some of their hitters haven't quite been up to par so far this season. Leading to one of the worst records in all of baseball. Don't even get me started on Sosa, who may be the most overrated "big name" player I've ever seen. All in all It's been a pretty horrible summer deep in the south so far, and it doesn't look like things are going to be getting better anytime soon. Especially when you consider they may be trading some of their most reliable players. Those most wanted fella's just all happen to be middle relievers. And the only guys who can keep the ball in the ballpark. I'd say it's safe to say that when Gagne and Otsuka head for greener pastures, offense will pick up even more in Arlington. In related news, Ron Washington's heart attack odds are expected to hit 4-1 by the trade deadline. -BD

Channel Surfing: Proctor, Put Down The Matches!

Not even a real bonfire, can light one under the Yankees. (Just Call Me Juice)

The sad reality of ESPN. Congrats To Biggio and Big Hurt, no references required. (One More Dying Quail)

I don't know about you. But, I think this does sound like fun. (Seal Clubbers)

"Signs. Signs. Everywhere there's signs. F@#cking up the scenery. Breaking My Mind." -- You figure Bonds is haunted by the particular musical number? (Signal To Noise)

Have you seen the greatest trade in NBA history? It's got all the shock and awe the league needs. (The Basketball Jones)

'Who's Now' was the final straw that created this list. I'm over here Stu, can't you see me with your "peripherals"? Oh, wait. (100% Injury Rate)

Taking a look at the upcoming Futures game. Always fun to watch the Future, ya know, before it comes.. (The Extrapolater)

The greatest sports cereals you've never heard of. (Deuce Of Davenport)

A Draft? In Here? I Don't Feel It

It's been nearly a week since the alleged "biggest draft of all-time" as some have called it. And I'm just now getting around to my critiquing. No, I'm not handing out grades here. You'd like to read that, about as much as I'd like an HJ with some Jergens and 60-grade sandpaper. I'm just going to look at a few teams. Those moving in the right direction and those who's fans repeatedly screamed "WTF!!!!!!" last Thursday.


High Fives (no hand-pounds):

Portland Trailblazers
I'm going to miss calling them the Jail Blazers though I simply cannot believe the potential this young team has already. With Oden, Aldridge, Roy, Jack and many other young parts the Blazers are easily the most promising franchise in basketball. They had the best draft out there stealing Josh McRoberts, and the two foreign point guards everyone is raving about. Not to mention Taurean Green who would make a solid 2nd or third option at the point (likely third) this season while they await Fernandez and Koponen. The cherry on top was signing Oden, Green and McRoberts in less than a week. And Koponen signed a waiver to play in the summer league before likely coming to the states next season.

Los Angeles Clippers
I really like the Thornton pick at 14. As I felt like Crittenton was over-hyped and would have been a reach. The Clippers may have agreed, or they felt Thornton was just too good to pass up. Also a good reason. He might finally get them to trade Corey Maggette. Which I love, because trades amuse me. I think they should fantasy draft the league every five years, NBA 2K7 style. It'd be more interesting. Anyhow, the Jared Jordan pick was even better in round 2 as he feels their PG need with Livingston's status still up in the air. And it gives them a facilitator who can also shoot when it's needed. Jordan should fit in well with all the scorers the Clips have.

Golden State Warriors
Unloading Richardson's massive contract is a big part of my thinking here. He was a key contributor last season, but if Marco Belinelli is anywhere near the player a lot of "experts" seem to think he is. Losing Richardson won't be a problem in Golden State. While I still think Brandan Wright's overrated. He'll provide a great half-court defensive front alongside Biedrins in the early going. And if his offense develops Golden State could win this trade by a large margin. Then again, I partially think the Warriors went after Wright in hopes of using him to pry Kevin Garnett from Minnesota. A move that could push the Warriors into the upper-echelon out West.

Well... OK (Could have been better, could have been a lot worse):

Atlanta Hawks
While they didn't get Amare Stoudemire, Billy Knight and the 12 Angry Men had a solid, need-filling draft. They got the best player available at #3 with Al Horford, rather than reaching on Mike Conley. Horford should be able to silence the Shelden Williams boo's for a little while. He's got the tool to be a great player. With the worst case scenario being an absolute rebound whore who gives your offense (much needed) second chances all night long. In Acie Law they got the best PG on the board. While some feared they'd go for the local guy Crittenton. In the end the Hawks made the right decision picking another college standout who should push for the starting job early on. I mean, he can't realistically be worse than Tyron Lue can he? The Amare factor drops the Hawks into the push category. If not for those damn rumors they may have squeezed out a high five for once.

Charlotte Bobcats
From a basketball standpoint I absolutely hate the Jason Richardson trade. He's not the kind of player who can lead a team to the top. Need evidence? G-State wasn't touching the playoffs until Baron Davis came into town. J-Rich is at best second fiddle. And Yes, I know their in the East. From a marketing standpoint I love this move. Charlotte has been flushing dollars for years. Trying to find the "face of the franchise" who can "put butts in the seats," J-Rich can do that. One highlight reel tomahawk at a time. This trade, bad or good, shows the Bobcats are finally trying and willing to not just spend, but over spend. I'll give Charlotte a push, as two rights and two wrongs make a maybe. And that's science.

Seattle Sonics
Everyone has been falling all over the Sonics since the draft. I personally feel like I'm looking at the same team. Maybe a little better, probably a little worse. Sure, Kevin Durant is great but he'll take a little time to adjust to the pro game. And he's not going to carry Seattle all by himself. No, Chris Wilcox will not help. The Jeff Green pick is horrendous for me though. While I like thought process behind the trade the Wally contract hurts it quite a bit. And again JEFF GREEN? Not to hate on Green who should be a solid player, but at #5 you've got to be kidding me. Especially if your taking a guy who plays the same position as Durant. Your not going anywhere anytime soon. Why not take Yi? Or Brewer? Two arguably better fits alongside Durant. My best guess on the Green pick is his attitude. He'll be fine laboring in the shadows, while Durant pushes the Nike's. But he doesn't make your team much better and probably never will.

WHAT THE F@#K ARE YOU THINKING? (easily my favorite category):

Boston Celtics
This is without a doubt the easiest call of the draft. Danny Ainge somehow convinced himself the Ray Allen trade made sense. Then again, it probably took little convincing. While I like Ray Allen as a player is he even worth #5 and Delonte West? I'd say no, when you consider his age (31) and his skill set. He's a mostly perimeter player who never fully developed his game off the dribble. Alongside Pierce he creates a similar team to what Seattle had last season. Except, Pierce is less athletic than Rashard Lewis, despite a better shot. Toss in even less talent than Seattle had around them and what have ya got? An 8-seed in the East. Hardly an advancement, Danny. I'd hate to be the guy cleaning up this mess when your fired in two years.

Phoenix Suns
Not only did they sell what would've been their best pick (Rudy Fernandez) but they let their playoff exit get to their heads. They drafted defense first with Alando Tucker and D.J. Strawberry. For a team that shoots, they drafted two guys who can't. That's really all that needs to be said.

Sacramento Kings
Spencer Hawes: BUST! That's all I'm saying about their ONLY pick. Senseless, completely senseless.

Rare Fandemonium! DUCK!

Just got home from Transformers... It was far better than expected and I'm glad I was convinced to go. As I already knew Megan Fox is disgustingly attractive. Before the actual subject of this post you can have this:



Anyhow, the below poster is fantastic. It's even better as a Tigers fan. I don't like to roll out my fandom too often here. But in this case it's needed. As he is the most deserving of the options. On a related note, their will be update(s) tomorrow. So hide your children. The plan includes something NBA draft related I haven't had time to do and something else I'll be kicking around this hollow skull o' mine tonight at work.

MLB "Survivor" Challenge: Week 10 and 11

For a rundown on the rules click here.

Ted and I got our signals crossed a bit over the last couple weeks so you get two for one this week. As usual it'll be NL followed by the AL.

Eliminations Thus Far:
BD
Washington
Seattle
San Francisco
Kansas City
St. Louis
Toronto
Houston
Florida
Baltimore
Ted
Kansas City
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Colorado
Texas
Cincinnati
Tampa Bay
Chicago (AL)
Chicago (NL)

Leaving The Diamond: Cincinnati Reds
Reasoning: I hate that the Reds suck every year. Not so much because of the Reds but because of Ken Griffey Jr. Especially this year as the Reds forced him to move to RF from CF where he's accumulated 10 Gold Glove's. Griffey was one the best defensive CF's of is era and maybe all-time. He personified greatness for me growing up, especially when he said he'd "retire" if he was traded to the Yankees.

As far as the rest of the team goes, Homer Bailey's looked good so far and Edwin Encarnacion could be a great hitter if he can get his head out of his ass long enough. Outside of those two I don't see a lot of potential. You've gotta like Ryan Freel as he plays nearly every position on the diamond and often finds himself on the DL because he's never met a wall that liked him. Honestly, their's not much to be said of the Reds outside of those two. They're mostly old and bad and I can only hope Dunn and Griffey can escape before the trade deadline. -BD

Leaving The Diamond: San Francisco Giants
Reasoning: The sorry arse element of the Giants right now (by the way - are any teams nicknamed "the Giants" any good outside of maybe Japanese teams? Tom Coughlin is a friggin' joke!) is that they are always in the news because of Mr. Bonds, and starting roughly now, since B-Squared is five off the Hammer, we're going to have to see the Giants on national TV constantly. That's depressing, because it's July, all we have is baseball, and I don't want to see craptacular beisbol, I want to see something good. The Jints, though - they are friggin' awful. What's gonna happen is, Bonds is gonna hit it, and then no one is going to discuss or see the Giants for the remainder of the season. It's kind of like what happened with that random "Tori" girlfriend that Zach had on Saved by the Bell. She was there, and super-relevant, and guys were feuding over her, and then she just disappeared and suddenly Zach is taking Kelly to his senior prom? WTF? Anyhoo, the Giants suck. They've been voted off already, but here we go again. -Ted


Leaving The Diamond: Oakland A's
Reasoning: Ah, another Bay Area team. I don't think we've knocked off the A's yet, but it may be time. As of now, they are 9.5 games back of a red-hot Angels team that will probably clear 100 wins on the season, I fear for Nick Swisher's life everytime he plays a series on the East Coast (I imagine he shows up to batting practice in his underwear with handcuffs on), their pitching has been inconsistent and injured, and let's face it: you can never really put the A's over the Angels, because while the Angels have R. Monkey, what do the A's have? That seal? What is that friggin' thing anyway? It can dance up a storm, but so can most fat guys if you give em weed and beer and put them in a 10,000 degree suit in northern California (please - like you haven't done it). The A's are becoming irrelevant faster than Billy Beane's fomer minor league outfield mates Lenny Dystrka and Darryl Strawberry did, and as a result, we're kicking 'em off this thing. -Ted

Leaving The Diamond: New York Yankees
Reasoning: Let's be honest here, this is not the team everyone thought it would be heading into the season. While the pitching has been predictably bad it's been the hitting that's let this team down more often then not. While Alex Rodriguez has been off the charts in every category he's gotten limited help on a day-to-day basis. Derek Jetter and Jorge Posada have been the only two guys A-Rod's had hitting alongside him. While Bobby Abreu has been atrocious for the most part hitting .247 this season with a measly .342 OBP and just 4 home runs. On top of Abreu, Robinson Cano and Johnny Damon haven't been hitting either leaving the Yankees offense at the top of the disappointing list this season.

The pitching as I said has been bad, but that was predictable coming into the year. Even with Roger Clemens they haven't improved at all as they rack up one short outing after another. Leaving the bullpen worn down already and it's only going to get worse for those guys. While the Yankees could still get hot enough to steal the wild card. They won't be ending that World Series drought this season I'll guarantee you that. I'd say their's a better chance Scott Proctor sets the Stadium ablaze.

For a Yankee hater such as myself this is fantastic. Couldn't be any happier to bid them adieu this season. Now for A-Rod to opt on and head elsewhere and all will be well with the world. -BD