Saturday, December 31, 2016

Ronda Rousey gets destroyed by Amanda Nunes as comeback lasts 48 seconds

Ronda Rousey's long-awaited comeback at UFC 207 against Amanda Nunes was almost over before it started.

Rousey was stopped 48 seconds into her first fight in 13 months, losing to bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes who turned the former darling of the octagon into a $3 million heavybag before referee Herb Donald stopped the fight.


Nunes, who only got $200,000 — compared to Rousey's guaranteed $3 million — rocked her opponent with punches to the head before the stoppage and put a big question mark on Rousey's once heralded legacy.

Nunes battered the one-time UFC darling with a series of unanswered punches before Dean stopped the fight with Rousey wobbling on her feet.
The much-anticipated showdown was Rousey’s first fight since losing to Holly Holm on Nov. 15, 2015, in Melbourne, Australia. She suffered an embarrassing knockout in that fight, and had many fight fans questioning whether or not her legend was just a fabrication of the UFC publicity machine.

Now we know.



After a series of mostly unblocked punches from Nunes pushed Rousey around the octagon — highlighting Rousey's lack of boxing skills — a hard right hand from the Brazilian sent a stunned Rousey against the cage before one last clean right buckled her legs. Dean wisely rushed in to stop the fight before Rousey even got a chance to attempt one of her famed takedowns.

Rousey left T Mobile Arena in the arms of her mother without saying a word as she had done all week, while Nunes let her know who was the new boss.

“I trained and prepared for this fight,” Nunes said. “There’s a lot of talent in this division. Forget about Ronda Rousey.”


Friday, December 30, 2016

Shamorie Ponds leads St. John’s to 76-73 win over No. 13 Butler in Big East opener

Shamorie Ponds scored 26 points, including four free throws in the final 9.1 seconds, as St. John’s upset No. 13 Butler 76-73 in the Big East opener for both teams at Carnesecca Arena Thursday night.

“I was just confident. I was confident going to the foul line and saying, ‘I’m going to make these two free throws,’” the Brooklyn-bred freshman said after the victory.


The Red Storm (7-7, 1-0), coming off last week’s overpowering 33-point win at Syracuse, came back from a ten point deficit with the Bulldogs (11-2, 0-1) before taking the lead at 72-71 on a free throw by Malik Ellison with 14.1 seconds left.

St. John’s kept the ball on the second miss and Ponds was fouled. He made two free throws before Tyler Lewis of Butler countered with the same at 6.7 seconds left. Ponds added two more with 6.2 seconds to go. Kelan Martin of Butler let a shot go from half-court at the buzzer that hit the rim before giving the young Red Storm team its first Big East victory of the season.





“He’s a really phenomenal player, but he also has that (calm and cool) personality,” Johnnies coach Chris Mullin said of Ponds. “That is his demeanor on and off the court.”

Bashir Ahmed added 19 points for the Red Storm.

Tyler Wideman had 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Bulldogs, and Martin scored 13.

The win ended Butler’s four-game winning streak over the Red Storm and stopped a streak of losses in St. John’s last four conference openers.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

St. John's embarrasses Syracuse with 93-60 rout at the Carrier Dome

St. John's handed Syracuse its worst loss in the 36-year history of the Carrier Dome, after the Red Storm overpowered the Orangemen (excuuuse me, the Orange) 93-60 on the famed court.

Wednesday night's 33-point win marked the second largest victory by St. John's over Syracuse and was the first time that a Jim Boeheim-coached team has lost five non-conference games in the regular season.

Syracuse fans even booed their beloved Orange off the court before it was all over after Boeheim waved the white flag and emptied his bench with almost three minutes to go.



Three St. John’s players scored in double figures, the Red Storm scored 32 points on 19 Syracuse turnovers and outscored the Orange 36-12 from beyond the arc in overwhelming their former Big East rivals. But not before the game turned into lob city for the Storm.
“I didn’t get them ready to do what they needed to do. We just didn’t execute on defense or offense. St. John’s did. That was the game,” Boeheim said. “This is on me, not the players.”

Syracuse’s previous worst loss at the Dome was by 24 points against Seton Hall in 1998.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak and was the third straight for St. John’s (6-7) over Syracuse (7-5) in three years.



St. John’s coach Chris Mullin was at a loss to explain his team’s dominating performance.

“I really can’t explain it, especially with the game we’re coming off (a 92-76 loss against Penn State). We’ve been up and down. The one thing about our team is that we’re young, we’re inexperienced,” said Mullin. “When you get effort and energy and share the ball, and do the right things, at some point things will work.”

The game was tied at 14 with 12:17 to go in the first half. From that point on, the Red Storm outscored Syracuse 79-46 — 54-31 in the second half. Syracuse climbed to within six early in the second half on six straight points from Dajuan Coleman, but St. John’s answered with six and ran away after that.

Shamorie Ponds led St. John’s with 21 points. Bashir Ahmed added 20 points and Malik Ellison 16.

Ellison scored eight straight points on two 3-pointers and put-back to tie the game at 12. The game was tied at 14 when the Red Storm went on a 19-4 run to take a 33-18 lead. The Red Storm hit four consecutive 3-pointers in a span of 1:36 during the run. St. John’s held a 39-29 halftime lead.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Giants To Be Fined For Walkie-Talkie Use Against Cowboys


The New York Giants will be fined for head coach Ben McAdoo's illegal use of walkie-talkies while in communication with Eli Manning for four or five plays during last week's 10-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

An NFL.com report said the league will in fact impose a penalty on the Giants, likely only in the form of a fine, for violating the league's rule governing circumstances when a coach's headset malfunctions. The amount of the fine is still to be determined, though the Giants are not expected to lose any draft compensation over the ordeal.


In only the past two weeks the Giants were involved in almost as much he said/she said espionage as the post-presidential election results — the Giants accused the Steelers of using deflated balls during a loss the week before— and now the G-Men are on the other side of the accusations.

McAdoo was seen on the sidelines last Sunday holding a walkie-talkie as a way to communicate with Manning when the team was having difficulty getting the plays to the quarterback via the traditional helmet headset. It is against NFL rules for coaches to hold any two-way radios during a game.

The Cowboys admitted the infraction had no impact on the game — the drive ended in a Manning interception — and never filed a formal complaint against the Giants.

It could be suggested that the seemingly bothersome investigation is a little more serious than some believe, simply because every NFL team knows it isn't allowed and it could have led to a spygate situation.

The Cowboys just shrugged it off.

"If you're asking me if it affected the outcome of the game, no," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said earlier this week.

Umm...the Russians did it?

So I guess you could say that the new loser’s technological battle cry, “We were hacked” could have applied in this situation.  Only, in this case, the Cowboys took their loss like men.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Giants and Jets Will Have Neutral End Zones This Weekend At MetLife Stadium

The New York Giants and New York Jets both play games in the Meadowlands this weekend and the scheduling congestion has created a problem regarding which team logo should be painted in the end zones.

The Giants kick off early Sunday afternoon while the Jets have a Saturday night game which will force MetLife Stadium to have neutral end zones with no team names for both games for the first time ever.


Although the Meadowlands facility has had quick turnarounds on events before, this one is uniquely challenging.

“We are always prepared to host two consecutive football games, whether college or NFL,” said Ron VanDeVeen, president and CEO of MetLife Stadium.

“However, due to the timing of Saturday’s 8:25 p.m. New York Jets game followed by Sunday’s 1 p.m. New York Giants game, coupled with the current weather forecast, the decision was made to use neutral end zones for this weekend’s contests. This decision will allow for appropriate maintenance of the playing surface throughout the weekend.”


For the Giants and Jets, who are the only NFL franchises sharing a stadium, the problem starts with both of them not even playing in New York. And for those of us who still call it "Giants Stadium," putting "New Jersey" on both end zones might be the permanent solution. 


Tuesday, December 13, 2016

MLB banning hazing ritual of rookies dressing up as women due to fear of offending people

Another day and another baseball tradition will be going the way of tossing pepper and hard slides into second base — and this time because of the PC police.

Major League Baseball players will no longer be allowed to dress up as women in humorous hazing rituals for fear that it could be perceived as offensive toward women, gays, and minorities.


The new policy was enacted by MLB and agreed to by the players as part of the latest collective bargaining agreement that is due to be ratified by the two sides on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

Those baseball hazing rituals of dressing up rookies as Wonder Woman, Hooters waitresses and Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders will now banned in part of MLB's crackdown on behavior that could be construed as bullying or humiliating to others by playing on gender stereotypes.


Teams will be prohibited from "requiring, coercing or encouraging" players to "dress up as women or wear costumes that may be offensive to individuals based on their race, sex, nationality, age, sexual orientation, gender identify or other characteristic."

Hazing is a common practice by organized groups — such as fraternities, the military and sports teams — where veterans subject first-year members to humiliating or humbling actions or tasks that they must complete as an unofficial rite of passage — admittedly, sometimes getting dangerously out of hand.



Exactly when the harmless annual dress-up day in the majors began isn’t quite clear, but it has become a highly publicized and fun social media ritual over the past few years. And besides sometimes dressing as women, players dress as film or TV characters, super heroes or even rock stars.

So the sissyfication of sports continues — ironically by de-sissifying it.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Rutgers AD Pat Hobbs chugs beer on stage at football tailgate party before it gets shut down (VIDEO)

Three days after Rutgers Athletic Director Pat Hobbs chugged a beer on stage before a pumped up parking lot crowd prior to the Scarlet Knights football home game against New Mexico, the Big 10 school has decided to suspend the student tailgate festivities for the rest of the season after only two games because things have gotten so out of hand.

Last Saturday's game drew about 500-800 students but ballooned to nearly 3,000 after word spread about the school-sponsored event.


A video shows Hobbs with a microphone addressing the crowd at the event when somebody offers him a drink.

“No I can’t drink that right now,” Hobbs said as the crowd continued to egg him on until he eventually downed the brewski.

“Hold on,” Hobbs said as he cracked open the can. “I am of age. If they card me I’m okay. Go R-U.”



Rutgers University police chief, Kenneth Cop (that's his name), said citations were issued to a total of four people during the course of the tailgate.

That's when Hobbs apparently arrived and took the stage to try and calm the crowd before succumbing to student peer pressure.

"I regret that any action on my part can be interpreted as promoting the use of alcohol,'' Hobbs said. "That was certainly not my intention.''


Hobbs apologized for his behavior, claiming in a statement that he was just trying to restore order to a tailgate party that was reportedly getting out of control.

“My first concern is always for the safety and well-being of our students,'' Hobbs said. "Anyone who was at the (student tailgate) Saturday knows that I was acting to ensure that.''

Monday, September 19, 2016

Mets already selling Tim Tebow gear through MLB loophole

It's Tebow Time at the New York Mets Instructional League camp even though he hasn't even made the roster.


Tim Tebow reported to the camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla. on Monday where there was a brand-new Mets jersey waiting for him. There were also blue and orange Tebow jerseys waiting for 400 or so fans who showed up with enough cash in their pockets — specifically $128 for a jersey and $28 for a cap.


The new Mets signee has the best-selling jersey on Mets.com Monday afternoon, his white, pinstriped Mets jersey even out-selling Noah Syndergaard’s blue jersey. A Tebow t-shirt was also the best-selling overall item on the site earlier.

Traditionally, MLB teams are forbidden from selling a jersey with a player’s name and number on it until that player makes the 40-man roster — which explains why custom jerseys are always among the top-sellers. But, ESPN reports, Tebow signed a “bridge agreement” with Majestic Athletic, which is MLB’s official uniform provider, that allows the company to sell gear with his name and No. 15 on it before he makes it to the Bigs.


Nothing like some divine intervention to get this whole new Tebowmania going.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Staten Island Yankees new name choices are 'out of a zombie apocalypse'

The Staten Island Yankees already had one of the most iconic team names in all of sports stitched across the front of their uniforms but, when it came to fans picking out a new name to span the players' chests, they tended to go more with ironic.


Like many other minor league teams, the New York Yankees' Single-A affiliate — currently in the process of rebranding itself— announced a "Name Your Team" contest allowing fans to make suggestions for a new moniker back in June.

And the New York-Penn League team received over 2,000 of them. Last week the team announced the finalists and some local politicians aren't happy about the five choices:
  • Staten Island Bridge Trolls
  • Staten Island Heroes
  • Staten Island Killer Bees
  • Staten Island Pizza Rats
  • Staten Island Rock Pigeons
Staten Island City Council member Debi Rose is now urging the organization to go trolling for a new name.

In a letter to the team, Rose said the five choices for a new name don't reflect the largely ignored borough's character. Other NYC residents may beg to differ.

"We can have names we can be proud of and be whimsical, but the names that they chose really sound like something out of a zombie apocalypse and I was offended," the Councilwoman said.

You can still vote for one of the choices on the team's website and the Yankees insist that the name which gets the most votes will be chosen.

But it looks like the team has already has a favorite.
The irony? The Boro of Buses doesn't even have a subway (it's just a train) but, there are plenty of rats on the ferry.


Thursday, September 8, 2016

Washington Spirit prevent Megan Rapinoe from 'hijacking' event by playing anthem before players took field

The Washington Spirit thwarted Seattle Reign’s Megan Rapinoe from taking a knee during the national anthem again by moving up the pre-game ceremonies rather than "subject our fans and friends to the disrespect we feel such an act would represent."


Players were caught off guard by the National Women's Soccer League team's intentional decision to play "The Star-Spangled Banner" earlier than usual at the Maryland SoccerPlex thus denying Rapinoe another chance to continue her anthem protest by kneeling during the song.

But in doing so, the Spirit's tactical move also denied the other players from honoring the flag before their 7 pm match.

In a statement, the Spirit, which plays in Boyds, Maryland, went on to call Rapinoe’s protest a “method of hijacking our organization’s event to draw attention to what is ultimately a personal — albeit worthy cause."
Rapinoe told the Washington Post that the Spirit’s statement was in poor taste, especially considering the language used and the timing — just a few days before the 15th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

“It was incredibly distasteful. Four days before one of the worst tragedies in our country, to say I tried to hijack this event,” she said.

The Spirit countered by saying team owner Bill Lynch is a veteran who has lost friends in overseas conflicts, as had his close friends.

"The tradition of honoring our military and our patriotism before our games is very important to us," the statement said. "We strongly feel that there are better ways to begin a conversation about a cause than tarnishing a tradition that is so important to so many."



This is sure to throw fuel on a firestorm issue that has many pros and cons on each side.

Oh yeah. The Spirit went on to win, 2-1.

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Nebraska honors punter Sam Foltz by taking penalty during game (VIDEO)

The Nebraska football team honored their deceased punter Sam Foltz — who died in a car crash this summer — with an amazing tribute during play in the first quarter of Saturday's game against Fresno State.

With the Cornhuskers facing their first punt of the season at their own 31-yard line, head coach Mike Riley lined up only ten players on the field, leaving the punter position empty.


The Huskers were well aware that they would receive a delay in game penalty, but wanted to honor the late Foltz in what would have been the first game of his final season with the team.

And as a token of good sportsmanship, Fresno State declined the penalty as the appreciative Nebraska home crowd of more than 90,000 cheered for both teams.
After the cheers subsided, freshman Caleb Lightbourn took the field and delivered a 29-yard punt.

Foltz, a 22-year-old senior and three year starter for the team, died on July 23 in a car crash in rural Wisconsin after attending a kicking clinic. He was riding in a vehicle driven by Michigan State punter Mike Sadler, who also died in the crash, and Louisiana State kicker Colby Delahoussaye, who was left with minor injuries.


As tributes, Foltz's No. 27 jersey was hung on the team's bench and also in the student section while a sign in the stadium read, "A Season for Sam." 


The team's coaches wore patches with the logo "SF27" — another tribute that will also be featured on the Huskers' helmets all season.

The Cornhuskers went on to defeat the gracious Bulldogs, 43-10.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Lawrence Taylor arrested for DUI after hitting mobile home, cop car

Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor has been arrested in Florida for DUI after police say he crashed while trying to change lanes on the turnpike.


Cops say 57-year-old Taylor was driving his Bentley southbound through Palm Beach at around 5:20 pm on Friday when he attempted to move between lanes. During the maneuver police say the one-time NFL star clipped a motorhome, causing his car to sideswipe a police cruiser, knocking the side mirror off.

Nobody was injured during the accident, cops told WPTV, and there was little damage to the cruiser.

Taylor was taken to the Palm Beach County Jail where he was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence.

The oft-troubled Taylor, who was drafted as a first round pick and second overall by the Giants in 1981, went on to a spectacular 13-year career with the team.

He won two Super Bowls in New York, retiring in 1993 as one of the greatest defensive players of all time and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

Photo by: Tony Mangia
But his post-NFL career has been marred by problems with drugs and alcohol including a 2010 arrest for paying to have sex with a 16-year-old girl.

Taylor eventually pleaded guilty to patronizing a prostitute and having sex with a minor and was placed on probation.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

High school mascot re-enacts Harambe tragedy at football game

The Cincinnati Zoo recently deleted its social media accounts commemorating Harambe the gorilla in an attempt to quell the tide of Internet memes and jokes posted by snarky trolls.


And while all the complaints and petitions to halt the memes of the 17-year-old lowland silverback — who was shot with a rifle after dragging a three-year-old child throughout his enclosure — might have had some effect, that didn't stop two students at an Illinois high school from performing an easily recognizable re-enactment of the tragic incident at a recent high school football game.


During a game between Oswego East and West Joliet, the two teenagers entertained the crowd with a somewhat inappropriate performance which included Oswego East's mascot — wearing a gorilla costume — grabbing the other dressed as a small child and dragging him down the sideline.


At one point, the “gorilla” chased down a person in a banana costume who was holding a sign that read “R.I.P. Harambe” to a cheering crowd, as a video Snapchat showed.


The mascot also riled up the crowd by handing out high fives and prompting students in the stands to wave their arms in unison.

Harambe was fatally shot in May after little Isiah Dickerson fell into the animal's enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo, sparking outrage over the popular gorilla's death. The incident sparked a backlash around the world as people slammed both the zoo's actions and the boy's family members for failing to stop him.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Hope Solo suspended from USWNT for 'cowards' remark towards Swedish team

Hope Solo will have plenty of time to think about choosing her words more carefully after U.S. Soccer announced it has suspended the rabble-rousing goaltender from the U.S. Women’s National Team for six months citing conduct that is contrary to the organization’s principles.


The suspension comes after Solo called Sweden cowards following the Americans’ elimination from the Olympics in the quarterfinal round. The Aug. 12 loss to Sweden on penalty kicks ended the U.S.’s run of three consecutive gold medal wins.

“The comments by Hope Solo after the match against Sweden during the 2016 Olympics were unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we require from our National Team players,” U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said. “Beyond the athletic arena, and beyond the results, the Olympics celebrate and represent the ideals of fair play and respect. We expect all of our representatives to honor those principles, with no exceptions.”

Hope Solo responded to the suspension:
Sweden, coached by former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage, eliminated the U.S. on penalty kicks after the teams remained tied 1-1 after 120 minutes. Solo took exception to Sweden playing conservatively, which forced the U.S. to be in the rare position of chasing, not controlling, the pace of play.

“I think we played a bunch of cowards,” Solo said. “Sweden dropped off. They didn’t want to open play. They didn’t want to pass the ball. They didn’t want to play great soccer. It was a combative game, a physical game. Exactly what they wanted and exactly what their game plan was.”

Solo sort of apologized for using that particular c-word but her post game comments were not supported by teammates, who roundly criticized the outspoken goalie.



And this isn’t the first time Solo has stirred up controversy.

Solo was arrested and charged with two counts of domestic violence in 2014 when an alleged drunken incident which involved her half-sister and nephew went public. The charges were dismissed in 2015 but subsequently reinstated.


The trouble-making goal keep was also suspended for 30 days last summer after taking a joy ride in the team van with her husband, former NFL tight end Jeramy Stevens — who pleaded no contest to driving the van while intoxicated.

Conveniently, that benching was over before the USNWT started play in the  World Cup. 

As a result of her most recent suspension, Solo will not be eligible for national team selection until February.

Just guessing there aren’t any important tournaments for Solo to miss during that six-month time-out.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Utah golfer stabs man on golf course because of slow play

A Utah golfer frustrated by the slow play of a party in front decided to take matters into his own hands by using a knife to cut through the offending duffers.

After Lee Johnson and his wife asked if they could play through the slow putters in front and were refused, 61-year-old Johnson pulled out his trusty No. 3 penknife and reportedly sliced his way through — and not in a golfing sense.


A fight then broke out on the fairway before security from the clubhouse had to come and calm things down.

Payson Police Lieutenant Bill Wright told KUTV that Johnson, from Payson near Salt Lake City, was then wrestled to the ground by one of the men in the group. 


Johnson was charged with aggravated assault. His wife was not involved in the fracas and wasn’t charged or arrested. 


The victim was treated at a local hospital for non life-threatening injuries. 

Monday, August 22, 2016

U.S. Army reservist hears national anthem during pole vault, stops mid-attempt and stands at attention (VIDEO)

In an amazing moment of patriotism last week, a USA pole vaulter who was in the middle of a qualifying jump at the Olympics stopped short on the runway with pole in hand to stand at attention when he heard the Star-Spangled Banner coming from a distant loudspeaker.

US Army reservist Sam Kendricks from Mississippi, was running pole in hand when he heard the first notes of the national anthem and his love of country took precedence. 


A video released by NBC Olympics shows the second lieutenant in the midst one of his attempts to qualify that day but, instead, the 23-year-old stopped dead in his tracks and let go of the pole to respectfully stand still. 

Kendricks, a former track star at Ole Miss, looked a bit confused as he remained standing for the entire duration of the song.

When it was over, the soldier clapped and promptly picked up the pole and went on to jump.




It is unclear whether Kendricks received any penalty for stopping in the middle of a run, but he qualified and went on to win the bronze medal last week — clearing 5.85 meters — over 19 feet.


Kendricks' decision has earned him the respect of many on social media, who commended him for his respectful act.

But my question is why NBC took so long to publicize it?

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Mongolian wrestling coaches strip down to underwear in protest of bronze medal loss (VIDEO)

For any of you out there who ever wondered what a Gobi Desert Chippendale's might be like (you know who you are), look no further than the 65 kg bronze medal wrestling match Sunday afternoon when a pair of Mongolian coaches stripped off their clothing on the mat in a protest of a call by officials that gave the medal to Uzbekistan's Ikhtiyor Navruzov.


The bizarre scene unfolded after an afternoon filled with disputed calls — and a lot of multi-syllable names — when  Navruzov appeared to have lost to Mongolia's Mandakhnaran Ganzorig 7-6.

Uzbekistan challenged the scoring, believing that the Mongolian was fleeing instead of fighting because he was running around in celebration with less than 10 seconds left.

Navruzov — whose quarterfinal match resulted in the dismissal of all three officials involved after a questionable late call — won his challenge and, ultimately, the match on criteria.



With about seven seconds left in the match, Mongolia's Mandakhnaran Ganzorig began running around the mat, waving his arms in front of Navruzov in celebration of his impending victory. When the final buzzer sounded, Ganzorig fell to the mat in celebration. His coaches covered him in the Mongolian flag.

Cue the music.

Right after the penalty point call, a disgusted Byambarenchin Bayaraa took his shoes and shirt off and threw them to the mat as Tsenrenbataar Tsostbayar stripped all the way down to his blue undies in front of the officials as the Brazilian crowd started chanting “Mongolia! Mongolia!”


"This was a protest. There was a problem with the refereeing," said Bayarra. "The Mongolian wrestler won 7-6 and he lost because of this [judges' decision]. This is the only time in history of wrestling with point penalty."

When in Rio...

Brett Gardner makes unbelievable catch to rob C.J.Cron of home run (VIDEO)

All the talk surrounding the Yankees lately is about the team's new young guns but, it was a Bombers veteran who showed the young 'uns that some of the oldsters weren't ready to be set out to pasture just yet.


Brett Gardner made one of the the top catches of the season — maybe the best —  after leaping over the wall to steal a home run from C.J. Cron in the Yankees' 5-1 victory against the Angels Saturday night at Angel Stadium.

Somehow, Gardner kept his balance and — with his stiff body straddling the fence — might have become the first Yankee to do some planking on the stadium's left field wall.



Cron — just like everyone else — couldn't believe Gardner's grab and put his hands on his head in disbelief.

Even pitcher Tyler Clippard, who threw the  pitch, applauded Gardy's feat.
What youth movement?

Friday, August 19, 2016

French race walker poops pants, collapses and still finishes 50K Olympics race (VIDEO)

It’s easy to joke that every competitor in a race walk event looks like they are making a nervous beeline to the nearest restroom but, during Friday's Olympics, one French racer's funny gait actually signaled a bathroom emergency during a race.


Yohann Diniz built up a lead in the 50-kilometer walk but, around mid-point through the race, his No. 1 status was about to become more about No. 2 — and I don't mean positioning.

The world record holder appeared to lose control of his bowels on the course and ended up stuffing wet sponges down his shorts to help stem the tide of the gastro-intestinal inconvenience.


With 20K to go, Diniz had a healthy lead — 1 minute, 28 seconds — on the rest of the field when he pulled up complaining of stomach pain. At the 35K mark, Diniz keeled over and collapsed onto the pavement.


Officials helped the gritty high-school sports coach from France back to his feet before he doused his head with a bottle of water, rubbed himself down with ice cubes and was off again.


"His legs were wobbling like cooked spaghetti at times" reported The AP.

While food was probably the last thing on his mind at that time, Diniz didn't let Rio turn into Diarrhio and managed to finish the race in 8th place.

Suffice it to say, they might want to give a brown medal to that 9th place finisher.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Ryan Lochte 'robbery' becomes international incident after three U.S. swimmers are detained in Rio

Two of the USA Olympic swimmers who were with Ryan Lochte when he was reportedly ‘robbed’ in Rio Sunday night were escorted off a plane and prevented from leaving the country by Brazilian authorities.

Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were in their seats aboard United Airlines flight 128 to Houston at Rio's Galeao International Airport when police came for them — turning a dubious incident into a full blown international one.


The dramatic turn of events came amid mounting questions over whether the gold medal-winning swimmer really was held up at gunpoint by men with police badges as Lochte claims — and why he changed his original version of the story over the weekend for a second time.



Describing the experience as "frightening" the 21-year-old Conger and 20-year-old Bentz had their passports seized and cannot leave Brazil until they provide official sworn testimony about their alleged mugging at gunpoint along with Lochte and fourth teammate, Jimmy Feigen — who has been ordered to remain in Brazil.

Lochte won't have the same problems since he has been spotted in in Charlotte, North Carolina with his Playmate girlfriend Kayla Reid.

Brazilian authorities have turned up the heat on the swimmers after questions about the athletes' timetables and circumstances surrounding their stories didn't add up.

The diplomatic gloves really came off when surveillance video of the athletes returning to the Olympic Village the night in question showed little details like the men still wearing their watches and Lochte holding what looks like his wallet:


Upon leaving police custody early on Thursday morning, Conger and Bentz refused to answer questions about what happened.

On Sunday, Lochte told Billy Bush on NBC's Today Show that "We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge; and they pulled us over. They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground—they got down on the ground.

"I refused. I was like we didn't do anything wrong so I'm not getting down on the ground. And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, 'Get down.' And I put my hands up. I was like 'Whatever.' He took our money, he took my wallet; he left my cellphone, he left my credentials."

Things escalated after Lochte called his mom and told her he had been robbed. Then she, of course, went to the press. The 32-year-old swimmer claims he didn't go to the USOC with his story at first because "We were afraid we'd get in trouble."

And mommy knows best.
Attorney Sergio Viegas says Conger and Bentz did not testify and left police custody Thursday morning for an unspecified location in Brazil. Both men refused to answer questions about what could possibly be the most convoluted night out since the "The Hangover."

But, according to the USOC, Feigen "intends to make further statements regarding the incident on Thursday."

"There was a confusion, they are very scared by this," said Viegas. "They didn't understand what was happening or why they couldn't embark."

So while Conger and Bentz try and dog-paddle their way out of Rio, Lochte is freestyling it back home with his girl.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Cubs apologize for playing 'Smack My B*tch Up' as alleged girlfriend-beater Aroldis Chapman exited field

The Chicago Cubs have apologized after Aroldis Chapman's appearance on the field was accompanied by The Prodigy's single Smack My B*tch Up.

It was an inappropriate song choice considering it contains the line "Change my pitch up/Smack my b**** up" which probably isn't suitable at a family event — but even more awkward when used to accompany Chapman — who has been accused of domestic violence.

More shocking is the fact that it was played in his home stadium — Wrigley Field.


The 1997 hit song was played Sunday after Chapman had finished pitching the ninth inning for the Cubs after a loss to the Cardinals and was walking to the dugout, reported the New York Daily News.

The relief pitcher served a 30-day suspension while he was with the Yankees at the start of this season for allegedly choking his girlfriend.


"The selection of this track showed a lack of judgment and sensitivity to an important issue," Cubs president Crane Kenney said in a statement. 

"We have terminated our relationship with the employee responsible for making the selection and will be implementing stronger controls to review and approve music before public broadcast during our games," he added.

Chapman was suspended under new MLB domestic violence rules on March 1.

The 28-year-old was alleged to have choked his 22-year-old girlfriend Cristina Barnea after an argument in October last year, although a police report noted "no injuries or even redness anywhere on her neck or dress."

Chapman said that she fell over when he poked her with his fingers.

No police charges were filed, but Chapman said he did not want to appeal the MLB suspension because it would be a distraction.

The pitcher later released a statement that said: "I want to be clear, I did not in any way harm my girlfriend that evening.

"However I should have exercised better judgement with respect to certain actions, and for that I am sorry."

Next time stick with "Firestarter."

JFK air terminal shut down after cheers for Usain Bolt are mistaken for gun shots: Report (VIDEO)

Usain Bolt's historic victory in Rio was felt all over the world Sunday night, but maybe not as dramatically as in New York City after passengers at John F. Kennedy International Airport were told to take cover behind "anything" they could find by police after reports of gunfire caused mass panic in Terminal 8.


Every passenger ended up being evacuated from two terminals, some onto the runway, as an army of heavily armed police moved in to hunt for an apparently non-existent gunman as travelers scrambled for cover and hid behind anything they could find.

Authorities are now claiming the confusion was a "false alarm" and the "gunshots" are being attributed to "cheering" and clapping for the Jamaican sprinter who just won a Gold Medal at the Olympics.


One passenger said an officer screamed: "If you're forgetting anything it's not worth your life, everyone move now!"
Flights were held up for several hours and authorities spent four hours searching the terminal — as well as Terminal 1, where there was also a report of gunfire.

Port Authority police said travelers should contact their carriers and warned of a "substantial PAPD and NYPD presence" at JFK and LaGuardia due to the investigation.

Bolt easily won the signature event in track and field and became the first person to capture three straight 100-meter Gold medals at the Olympics.
Passengers did a little sprinting of their own — attempting to catch connecting flights and gather their belongings. Luckily, no one was injured during the airport scare.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Dagmara Wozniak helps lead U.S. fencing team to Bronze medal

The U.S. women's fencing contingent came into the Olympic team sabre event Saturday with a chip on their shoulders after coming away relatively disappointed in the individual competitions. But as team, they found reason to celebrate after winning the bronze medal, beating Italy 45-30 and matching the 2008 bronze-medal finish in Beijing.


Led by a duo of determined Olympic veterans Dagmara Wozniak — the purple-haired St. John's alum who earned her first Olympic medal after being an alternate in Beijing and placing eighth individually in London — and Mariel Zagunis — who was on the 2008 team and now adds a fourth Olympic medal to her collection. They were joined by Ibtihaj Muhammad and Monica Aksamit, both appearing in their first Olympic Games.


Muhammad, who became the first U.S. Olympian to wear a hijab during competition earlier this week, can now proudly bring a bronze medal back home to New Jersey with her.


After losing a close semifinals match, 45-42, against eventual Gold medal winner Russia, team USA built up a lead against Italy before Muhammad started to lose ground against her Italian opponent, Irene Vecchi, in the third bout.

 Zagunis, the most decorated U.S. fencer of all time, yelled support “It’s OK, it’s OK” from behind the piste and Muhammad ended the third bout in a 5-5 tie with Team USA still in the lead at 15-11.

While the Italians drew closer in the seventh bout, winning for the first time 8-5, it was Wozniak who extended the lead again to 40-27 overall. Zagunis anchored the team, closing out with a 5-3 bout, and leading the team in a well deserved group hug after the victory.

For St. John's, that means two former Red Storm fencers went home with medals in Rio.



Daryl Homer took home a Silver earlier in the week. Homer, a 26-year-old from the Bronx, born in the Virgin Islands, became the first American to win a silver medal in men’s individual sabre in 112 years.