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.