World's Best Arm Candy

Muck My Blog's

TOP 10 HOTTEST PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE'S ARM CANDY

We here at Muck My Blog thought we have been a little bias as of late, just focussing on the male side of the spectrum so we thought we would try and change things up a little bit... Pfttt who am I trying to kid, we figured we would go behind closed doors and show you what the life of a professional athlete is really all about - Trophy Wives, Arm Candy, Models, Actresses, Singers/Songwriters, and those who are just filthy rich (some in more ways than one). Without any further adieu here is our list of the Top 10 Hottest Professional Athlete's Arm Candy.

NUMBER 10

Kim Kardashian (Boyfriend Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saints Running Back) 

- There's no money shortage in this relationship, maybe just a shortage on brains. Keep doing what your doing Reggie!

NUMBER 9

Gisele Bundchen (Husband Tom Brady, New England Patriots Quarterback)

- Any of this guy's past 3 girlfriends could have made the list, but we had to pick just one.

NUMBER 8

Elisha Cuthbert (Boyfriend Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames Defenseman)

- This Girl Next Door is also better known to hockey fans as "The Sloppy Seconds", but HEY she's Canadian!

NUMBER 7

Jessica Simpson (Boyfriend Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback)

- The bearer of the Jessica Jinx, also known as Yoko Romo.

NUMBER 6

Elin Nordegren (Husband Tiger Woods, World's #1 Ranked Professional Golfer)

- Come on now, he's Tiger Woods!

NUMBER 5

Cheryl Tweedy (Husband Ashley Cole, Chelsea/English National Football Team Left Back)

- Apparently Tweedy has had 21 UK Top 10 singles as a vocalist, but we have our own suggestion. How about you just focus on looking like this at all times? Okay, sounds good.

NUMBER 4

Eva Longoria (Husband Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs Point Guard)

-Parker has never led the NBA in steals, but we feel as though the steal he had here on this Desperate Housewife is way more important than any he could have recorded on the court. But then again he does have 3 NBA Titles and a Finals MVP to his name. Touché Tony.

NUMBER 3

Carrie Underwood (Boyfriend Mike Fisher, Ottawa Senators Forward)

- Season 4 American Idol winner seemed a little camera shy when spotted at an Ottawa Senators home game last month. It's no wonder "The Best Eyes in Hockey" were able to pick this one out of a crowd.

NUMBER 2

Willa Ford (Husband Mike Modano, Dallas Stars Forward)

- Begs the question who is actually better looking in this relationship, her or husband Mikey Mo? Also, who spends more time in the shower, or their hair in the morning.

NUMBER 1

1. Gena Lee Nolin (Husband Cale Hulse, Unrestricted Free Agent Defenseman)

- Former Barker's Beauty and Baywatch Babe, pretty good for a guy most people have probably never heard of. I don't see this guy returning to the NHL anytime soon, and with a wife like this at home why would he?

HONORABLE MENTION

• Victoria Beckham (Husband David Beckham, AC Milan/English National Football Team Midfielder)
• Hilary Duff (Boyfriend Mike Comrie, Ottawa Senators Forward)
• Rachel Hunter (Fiance Jarrett Stoll, Los Angeles Kings Forward) *"The Other Sloppy Seconds"
• Rena Mero (Husband Brock Lesnar, UFC Heavyweight Champion) *She's Sable to all you WWE fans.
• Jennifer Walcott (Fiance Adam Archuleta, Free Agent Linebacker/Safety)
• Anna Benson (Husband Kris Benson, Texas Rangers Pitcher)
• Ingrid Vandebosche (Husband Jeff Gordon, NASCAR Driver)
• Aleka Kamila (Husband Peja Stojakovic, New Orleans Hornets Small Forward)
• Vanessa Bryant (Husband Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers Shooting Guard)
• Jenna Jameson (Boyfriend Tito Ortiz, MMA Fighter)
• Jamie Kotsay (Husband Mark Kotsay, Boston Red Sox Outfielder/First Baseman)
• Abigail Clancy (Boyfriend Peter Crouch, Portsmouth/English National Football Team Striker)
• Carmella Garcia (Husband Jeff Garcia, Free Agent Quarterback) *And there was a rumor at one point that Garcia might be gay? Well if he is, this is a pretty good cover.
  

DAMNNNNNNNNNNNN!

TRIVIA!

Welcome to this weeks edition of Muck My Blog Trivia. Post your answers in the comment section with your name and city. The winner wins something. Maybe a chance for a guest column, or come up with next weeks question. It doesn't really matter. Don't go google this either you cheating bastards.

QUESTION - Who was the last Blue Jay to steal home base, what team was it against, and who was pitching for the other team.

The Future of the Toronto Bills

Yes, you read correct. Its not a matter of if Toronto gets an NFL franchise, it's a when. This comes on a report out that Rogers is interested in expanding the amount of Bills games being played in Toronto. The Bills experiment in Toronto didn't start off to the insanity that some corporate higher ups expected. The main problems included the marketing strategies, and pricing issues, which hopefully will be fixed. It also faces the task of trying to get a city to embrace a team that isn't their own. People in Toronto don't care who wins an exhibition game between Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Paying $700 for a meaningless game doesn't help either. So why after this flop am I proclaiming the move down the QEW?

• Reason 1- T.O. to T.O. - Apparently the Bills signed a receiver named Terrell Owens. He is one of the top 5 names and personalities in the entire league. We all know that in the Toronto Sports world selling tickets really means getting corporate commitments. A direct quote from Terrell, "I left America's team to play for North America's team." It makes me wonder how much he was paid for that line. His first television interview since being released by the Dallas Cowboys, Rogers Sportsnet. He missed the voluntary workouts for the Bills, but was courtside at the Toronto Raptors game. If you think Owens signed to play in Buffalo without thinking of the endless possibilities of Toronto, think again.

• Reason 2 - Ralph Wilson - At the tender age of 90 years old, Ralph Wilson is getting old. There has been talk for years that when he dies the team will be moved. Toronto just seems like a great fit. He has been elected to the football hall of fame. This weekend there was false speculation over his death due to a post over a message board. Expect his death to be the first step in a location change

• Reason 3 - The continued building of the Toronto Bills - Expect a lot more marketing of the Bills for the next few years in Toronto. The coverage of the team will without a a doubt increase in local media outlets. The game will get way more attention. Had they just moved the franchise here without the building of a fan base, Toronto would have rejected the team. They are slowly prepping the city for the teams move. So get used to it

A Look Ahead

Just to give you a little taste of what's ahead in the World of Sports in the coming month...

The Conclusion of March Madness (from Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan)

Final Four - Saturday April 4th

National Championship - Monday April 6th

Remaining Teams:

• [South Champions] 1 University of North Carolina vs. [East Champions] 3 Villanova
• [West Champions] 1 University of Conneticuit vs. [Midwest Champions] 2 Michigan State

Wrestlemania XXV (from the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas)

Sunday April 5th

The 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania has a star-studded lineup including:

• WWE Championship Match - Triple H vs. Randy Orton
  
• World Heavyweight Championship Match - Edge vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show
  
• Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
  
• Intercontinental Championship - JBL vs. Rey Mysterio
• Extreme Rules Match - Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy
  
• Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Kane, CM Punk, Christian, Kofi Kingston, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, Mark Henry, Finley)
• Chris Jericho vs. WWE Legends (Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper)
• WWE Tag Team Championship Lumberjack Match  [Unification Match]  - WWE Tag Team Champions (Carlito & Primo) vs. World Tag Team Champions (The Miz & John Morrison)
• 25-Diva Battle Royal

The Masters Tournament (Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia)

April 9th-12th

Featured players:

• Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh, Robert Karlsson, Camilo Villegas, Kenny Perry, Henrik Stenson, among others 
• CANADIANS Mike Weir & Stephen Ames
  

NHL Draft Lottery

Tuesday April 14th

Top 5 Ranked players:

1. John Tavares - London Kinghts (OHL)

2. Victor Hedman - Modo (Sweden)

3. Matt Duchene - Brampton Battalion (OHL)

4. Evander Kane - Vancouver Giants (WHL)

5. Brayden Schenn - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

begin Wednesday April 15th

NBA Playoffs

begin Saturday April 18th

NFL Draft (from Radio City Music Hall in New York City)

April 25th-26th

Top 5 Ranked players:

1. Aaron Curry - Wake Forest

2. Michael Crabtree - Texas Tech

3. Jason Smith - Baylor

4. Brian Orakpo - Texas

5. Eugene Monroe - Virginia

KEEP YOUR ASSES GLUED TO THE COUCH AND YOUR EYES GLUED TO YOUR TV SETS!

Wrestlemania is on Sunday

Watch IT DOESNT MATTER and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

Is this technically sports news? It doesn't matter, but a Rock montage cannot be a bad thing. Ever.

He's Back!

Over the weekend, the world's best golfer came from behind to capture his 6th career Arnold Palmer Invitational title, and 2nd in a row. This title, i would like to say was different from his win last year but, it was actually quite similar. Tiger again played in a final grouping with Sean O'Hair, who this year lead Tiger by 5 strokes going into Sunday's round. Tiger, similar to 2008 missed a few opportunities down the stretch to put the tournament away before the 18th hole. In 2008 he missed key birdie putts on both 16 and 17, and in 2009 he went par, bogey on 16 and 17 failing to capitalize on O'Hairs mistakes. This lead to the same situation as 2008. Tiger throwing a fairly good 2nd shot onto the middle of the Green at 18 on a beautiful Bay Hill course. Last year Tiger had 24 feet downhill with a slight break, and this year he had 16 feet uphill with slight break. Last year Tiger calmly stepped up and drained the put for a one stroke win over Bart Bryant, and this year Tiger calmly stepped up and drained the putt in the last minutes of daylight for a one stroke win over Sean O'Hair, who in both cases got a front row seat of Tiger's brilliance. Both years Tiger took all 72 holes before sinking his final putt of the tournament to get the win. This years was perhaps more impressive though. Coming off knee surgery Tiger was still trying to find his groove on tour and looked average through the first 3 rounds and sat at -2 heading into Sunday, a full 5 shots off the lead, but he was in the final pair, which usually spells doom for his playing partner. In his career when Tiger has played in the final pair, only 8 people hes played with have shot better scores than him, 8 people have shot the same, and a remarkable 68 people have scored worse than him. Everyone says the same thing: "I just have to play my own game and not worry about Tiger". Yea well apparently very few people can back that up, as clearly there is an intimidation factor. Tiger, almost impossible to catch when leading after 54, has now won 19 times coming from behind, an impressive stat to say the least. When Tiger is within 5 strokes of the lead, he has a final round scoring average of 68.5, meaning if you have the lead going into day 4...look the fuck out, cause Tiger is coming for you. This win should give Tiger some confidence heading into the Masters April 9-12 should he choose not to play in Shell Houston Open next week. This obviously does not bode well for the rest of the tour, so they can all thank Sean O'Hair for imploding vs. Tiger, shooting a final round 73, blowing a 5 stroke lead and greasing the wheels of the worlds best golfer heading into golfs biggest major.

Oh yea, by the way, how dirty was Tiger's celebration in 2008 after winning the Arnie Palmer? Good enough that most golfers chose to immitate it when finishing their weekend, most of them shooting over par. And props to Woods for another great celly this year. Heeee's Baaaack!

League Serves Up Another to Mavericks Owner Cuban

The National Basketball Association has fined Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $25,000 on March 29, 2009. Cuban was handed the fine on Sunday after publicly criticizing the officials after a 103-101 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Cuban became enraged when Denver's J.R. Smith came off the bench to taunt Dallas's Antoine Wright after he missed a shot near the Denver bench. 

Cuban using Twitter, the online social network, was quick to point out that you "can't say no one makes money from twitter now. the nba does." On Sunday, after learning of his latest fine Cuban once again used Twitter to point out that he "just found out got fined25k by nba.) nice".

The flamboyant Mavericks owner has been fined well over a dozen times by the NBA since taking over majority ownership of the club, with a running total nearing $2 million US. All of this seems a little excessive as most of these fines could have been averted if Cuban could only learn to keep his big mouth shut, but then again where would the outside entertainment value lie within this sport?

In a meeting of the two teams back in January, Cuban was also fined $25,000 after becoming upset when Smith threw an elbow in the direction of Wright's head but did not connect (so there is some history here between the two players and with Cuban himself). Cuban offered to match the fine and donate the money to whatever charity Smith chose, suggesting he would donated the money to a fund for Steve Moore, a former NHL player who sustained a career threatening neck injury.

Cuban has a history of donating time and money to charities, even working at a Dairy Queen after making a comment about the NBA's manager of referees, Ed T. Rush saying that he "couldn't manage a Dairy Queen." After Dairy Queen management took offense to the comments made by Cuban, he offered to work at the Dairy Queen in Coppell, Texas for a day, serving ice cream to a number of fans who lined the streets to get a blizzard made by the Mavericks owner back in 2002.

Cuban, a billionaire entrepreneur, is also the Chairman of HDNet, and co-owner of 2929 Entertainment. The Mavericks owner has made his money through a number of other online business ventures over the years, and had bought a majority stake in the team for $285 million on January 15, 2000. Cuban's ownership of the club has often been described as the ultimate fan fantasy come true as the Mavericks owner continued his trail-blazing antics after purchasing the team, as he refuses to sit in a press box to view the games but rather prefers sitting in the crowd along side fans, often donning a member of the Mavericks team jersey and cheering loudly during games.

Low Risk, High Reward

One of the more underrated strengths of an National Hockey League management team is discovering talent that was passed through seven rounds or more in the NHL Entry Draft. Several NHLers perservered beyond their draft day to become great NHL players. These men include future Hall of Fame goaltenders Ed Belfour and Curtis Joseph, as well as forwards Peter Stastny, Dino Ciccarelli, Adam Oates, Joe Mullen and John Madden, and defencemen Brian Rafalski and Dan Boyle.

Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke has gone on record saying he will look to the NCAA and its upcoming free agents to beef up the Leafs prospect pool, and to make up for poor drafting in the past few years. It is hard to develop strong prospects when in 2003 the Leafs first pick was 57th (John Doherty) and in 2004 it was 90th (Justin Pogge). While the jury is still out on Pogge, Doherty has been convicted one on count of failure to develop, and is now a write-off.

With a few top U.S. college players set to become free agents as soon as their teams are eliminated from the final NCAA tournament, Burke has said he will try to get five free agents to sign, with the hopes of at least two becoming big league players. Here is a list of five U.S. college players looking to sign with big league clubs in the near future. Hopefully for Leaf fans, at least one of them ends up in Toronto.

D Matt Gilroy

Boston University

6'2, 205

07/20/84

Matt Gilroy is an interesting player. In 2005, he practically begged the coaching staff at BU to take him as a walk-on. He sat out several games before being inserted as a forward and converted to a defenceman. Sound familiar Leafs fans? Ian White did the same thing for the Blue and White earlier this season, and neither has missed a game ever since. Gilroy is a smooth skating, puck-moving defenceman with a great first pass and point shot. He is a character player, and wears the "C" for his team. With as many as 30 teams interested in the highly touted rearguard, Gilroy recently said "playing for a hockey market like Toronto would be a dream come true." This doesn't mean he is automatically signing with Toronto, but Brian Burke has been to several BU games, and Gilroy, because of his age is not subjected to the maximum rookie salary of $850K. The Leafs have cap space, lots of interest and likely a roster spot for Matt come October.

C Tyler Bozak

University of Denver

6'0, 180

03/19/86

Hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan, Tyler Bozak is likely the second most attractive free-agent behind Gilroy. There is apparently 26 teams interested in putting his name to paper. Bozak is a strong skater, who can play at both ends of the ice. He possess average size, but he's still fairly young and could add some muscle in the coming years. He is a smart player and most feel he could become a serviceable third line centre, with the ability to become a second line centre. Plus, he's from Canada, so he would love to sign with the Leafs, right?

C Christian Hanson

Univeristy of Notre Dame

6'3, 196

03/10/86

From a marketing prospective, Hanson would be a great signing, as he is the son of "Slap Shot" star Dave Hanson, of the "Hanson Brothers." Earlier in the season, Toronto Maple Leaf head coach Ron Wilson even showed how he was good friends with the heavyweight trio. Maybe a match is in the works? Hanson doesn't quite play like his father does, as his highest NCAA PIM total to date is 57. He has all the tools of becoming a power forward in the NHL, with above average size to go along with above average skating. His offensive game needs work, but many feel his is determined enough to become an NHL player. He is also a captain on his team, and another character type player, a theme Burke is trying to create in Toronto.

LW John Mitchell

University of Wisconsin

6'5, 200

08/10/86

That is not a typo. There will be another John Mitchell in the NHL someday soon, and how interesting would it be if he played alongside Toronto's own surprising rookie, John Mitchell. Toss Leaf prospect Dale Mitchell on the right side, and it's an announcer's nightmare. This John Mitchell has the size to be a valuable power forward. In 40 games this season for the NCAA Badgers, Mitchell has 118 PIM. I know a certain Irishman who may be intrigued by this combination of size and toughness. Mitchell has also added 15 goals in those 40 games. There has definitely been interest in Mitchell throughout the league, and he could very well be on Burke's radar.

C MacGregor Sharp

University of Minnesota -Diluth

6'1, 180

10/01/85

First off, MacGregor Sharp is a dynamite name. As far as his play goes, he is considered a tenacious forechecker with a great first stride to enter opposing zones. He played alongside Vancouver Canucks forward Mason Raymond in Alberta, and is compared to having a similar game. He would be extremely valuable as a "plumber" in Burke's bottom six grouping.

The first question most will ask, if "if no one drafted these players, why are they now attractive?" Well, some of these players were as small as 5'9 in their draft year, and some are late bloomers. There is nothing wrong with late bloomers. Ask the New Jersey Devils or Detroit Red Wings if they care that Brian Rafalski took a few extra years to develop his game.

The risk for signing any of these players is extremely low, with the reward being very high. Burke has stated he will try to sign five undrafted college free agents, with the hopes of two becoming players. This mentality will only help the Leafs in future years. Signing a Gilroy or Bozak could potentially be the equivalent of a free first round draft pick. If they don't, then they become minor leaguers and your team is no worse off than they were before they were signed.

Crosby Loses His... Visor?

So this whole incident was just brought to my attention a few days ago, and I felt as though it was an issue that needed to be addressed. The story goes that during the first period of the Boston Bruins - Pittsburgh Penguins game on March 15, 2009, Bruins centre Marc Savard apparently taunted Penguins star Sidney Crosby after a Boston goal in the 1st period. The two continued jawing at each other until Crosby apparently challenged Savard to a fight but Savard refused until Crosby had removed his visor. At the conclusion of that shift Crosby returned to the Penguins bench and had a trainer purposely removed his visor for a 10 minute period at the end of the 1st period with the purpose of engaging in a fight with the Bruins Forward. The altercation never in fact happened but the intent was in fact there.  Crosby had his visor reattached during the first intermission. 

Makes you wonder as to why this fight never in fact happened? You would figure it would be a fair trade off for both teams with both players not having any real history of fighting. Both teams would also lose their number one centre, and both players size up about the same (Crosby is listed at 5'10" 200 lbs while Savard came in at 5'10" 196 lbs). Sources say that Savard was the one who was deemed to be unwilling to fight and backed down. Touché Crosby for calling Savard's bluff. 

So is it true that the league plays favourtism towards their superstar players? I for one do believe so. Don't get me wrong, I was glad to see this altercating take place as I am a firm believer that fighting does have a place in the game today. This incident does although look bad on Crosby, after all the rule changes that have recently been put in place revolving around the instigator rule and fighting penalties, it seems strange for the league's poster boy to engage in such an altercation. Although it was nice to see that Crosby can still act on his own emotions and do what he feels is right instead of just doing what the hand that's stuck up his ass forces him to do for a change. This whole incident seemed very unlike Crosby who would be considered the NHL's most influential player and a major marketing guru for the league, but it was surprising change to see him show some kind of raw emotion and take matters into his own hands by removing the hand from his ass that has been puppeteering him around since he entered the league. Kudos to Sid the Kid for finally standing up for himself in a legitimate way as it was long overdue. This may put some of the naysayers to rest and silence some of the critics that have questioned Crosby's toughness in the past. This was a true showing of what a captain and the leader of a hockey club was meant to do. But this whole altercation would lead you to believe that the league turned the blind on this one, as if this were any lower caliber player, odds are they would have been fined or even suspended for doing such a thing. 

On another note, the Penguins did in fact end up winning this game 6-4. Crosby tallied 3 assists and was a +1 while Savard was held off the scoresheet.

Off-Years

These are the guys who just do not seem to have the jump they did last year, or it may be luck or it may be chemistry, either way by factoring games played (in most cases) these are some disappointments of the year, guys who have fucked you in the ass fantasy wise and probably caused their coaches to tear them new assholes.


Honourable Mentions:
Andrej Mezaros, Tomas Plekanec, Brian Rolston, Brent Burns, Derek Roy, JP Dumont, Scott Gomez


#5 - Rod Brind’Amour
2007-2008 - 51 Points +0
2008-2009 - 46 Points -22
Is the age getting to this old vet? He is 39 playing in a young league with a new style, that -22 is a dark shade of awful. Like many of you I have a soft spot for Rod “the bod” and he had a strong game against the Sens the other night, lets hope he is getting that big Shnozz revved up for the playoffs.

#4 - Marian Gaborik
2007-2008 - 83 Points 77 Games
2008-2009 - 10 Points 9 games
This Slovak needs a change of scenery bad. I know he has only played 9 games, but he opted out to have surgery after sitting out 20 games this year. It was reported that the surgery wasn’t even needed until the off-season and it was something you could play through. This guys heart is as full Mikey Vicks new Kennel, get him somewhere else and he may be able to play a full season, which means 100 Points.

#3 - Tomas Kaberle
2007-2008 – 53 Points
2008-2009 – 31 Points
The talk in leaf-land before the year started was that their defense was the strong part of their team, the big part being Tomas Kaberle. He is dealing with injuries, but if this guy is on your fantasy team than you have to feel like he just folded the tent on the year…Kind of like Hagman and Toskala, 3 prime of their career vets hurt? What a coincidence? When he was playing, Ian White was playing more than Tomas, Ian White was a healthy scratch and only got a shot because he was playing forward, how embarrassing Tomas. Shout out to the ‘tasche on White though

#2 - Mike Fisher
2007-2008 – 47 Points 82 PIM
2008-2009 – 29 Points 58 PIM
With a contract like his (not his fault) and the strength, speed and shot that he has “fish” has to be better. Where is his mind this year?
http://hornofgabriel.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/carrie-underwood-good.jpg
Alright, so give him credit, the boy reeled a good one in, but as a fan; have fun the rest of the year with your prize, lets actually win next year you under-achieving bitch.

#1 - Radim Vrbata
2007-2008 – 56 Points 27 Goals
2008-2009 - 6 Points Tampa Bay Lightning
2008-2009 - 8 Points Mlada Boleslav BK*
2008-2009 - 9 Points Liberec Bili Tygri HC
One of Wayne Gretzky’s go to guys last year has absolutely fell off the map. Almost of 30 goal scorer on a team without a set-up guy such as Phoenix one year, to the next where he plays for three teams…bring out the suitcase for this kid. What really makes no sense is that he is 28, the absolute prime of his career, he had an awesome year and got the contract he wanted and then falls out of the league back home to the Czech Republic and then gets traded there.


Lets hope you were not stuck drafting these guys in your little fantasy leagues, I drafted Gaborik and yes I hold a grudge. Let me know who you have been disappointed with.

Keep Muckin it up.

Imagine the Raps Played in the West

Out of the 28 Games the Toronto Raptors have played against Western conference this season they have won 7. Bringing this record to 7-21...in the east our record is 16-26. Both very and I mean VERY underachieving records. When looking at who the Raps beat in the east it was:

Golden State

LA Clippers (Twice)

Houston (without McGrady)

Memphis

San Antonio

Sacramento

Lets just forget about the Spurs win, that could possibly be the best win of the year for the Raptors in the ACC.

We had the Clippers number this year but their record is also 18 - 54, and once we beat them without Baron Davis in the line-up which basically leaves them with Chris Kaman who actually believed he had ADD for years before they realised he didn't. (even started his own foundation)

We beat Houston when Trace didn't have it, a decent win and the boys really played Yao good.

Memphis and Sacramento are the scraps of the league with a combined record of 32-108...and we split the games with them

If the raps were in the west, instead of our 26 wins this season we would have 16 wins right now and sit right at the bottom with Memphis and the Kings...HOW EMBARASSING

Time to break these guys up **Bosh** let him deal with his child problems elsewear!

And lets thank god that the Raps are in the east and everyonce in awhile when we play to our potential we can win enough to be ahead of the Arenas-less Wizards.

GO RAPS GO

I Killed YOU!

On March 14th, Donte Stallworth a Wide Reciever for the Cleveland Browns hit a man with his car and ended up killing him. He was reportedly trying to beat a red light and came around a parked car, then struck the man before the intersection. This would seem like an offense that would warrant charges being filed or some sort of discipline being taken immediately. But no charges have been filed, and Stallworth is apparently cooperating with authorities. Stallworth was reportedly speeding, going 10mph faster than the speed limit, and flashed his lights before he hit the man to warn him he was coming. Is this supposed to get Stallworth off the hook. Like what is Stallworths defense here? "Well i flashed my lights right before i ran him over going 85kmh, he knew i was coming for him". If Stallworth had enough time to flash his lights, meaning he clearly saw the guy, couldnt he have stopped...or even swirved, i mean it was like 7am, and since there were no witnesses, im guessing the roads were pretty dam empty. Stallworth has had a blood sample taken to look for drugs or alcohol, and as of yet there is no official result but someone close to the investigation has apparently said Stallworth was drunk. Apparently authorities are awaiting word of the blood test before filing charges. Is this really necessary, he was speeding and killed a guy, sounds like enough for me. Dont wait for blood test results, just charge him now, and if he was under the influence, slap a few more charges on him. If this turns out to be one of those cases where he gets off because hes an athlete, i'll be pissed. I mean if you or i hit a guy and killed him, drunk or not, im pretty sure we'd be in big time shit. I bet Stallworth doesnt even go to jail for this. Now in his defense, the guy wasnt crossing at the desginated crosswalk, but i mean, if Stallworth is watching the road and paying attention, its pretty obvious when a human being is in front of you. Yes i suppose the other man is somewhat at fault, but just because he flashed his lights and the guy was 15 feet from the crosswalk, doesnt mean Stallworth should get away with this. Aren't you taught to approach intersections cautiously and look both ways anyway? The fact that he is grieving over this and is sorry for the dudes family is irrelevant, i mean, how is he supposed to act, happy and joyful? of course not and if he did, then he has bigger problems i would think. Anyways, im sure you know how i feel about this by now. Stallworth needs to go to jail,and be treated like any other human being, not some star athlete. Regardless of drugs or alcohol, he killed someone, accident or not, the guy is dead, and not coming back. So Mr. Stallworth, go to prison, share a cell with a half of the Cincinati Bengals, say hi to Mike Vick as he walks past you heading towards soon to be freedom, keep a bed warm for Pacman Jones, and just be patient, no doubt some of your NFL buddies will be joining you on DUI or assault charges in the very near future. While you wait, you can talk pigskin with OJ. God, it just never ends in the National Felon League *cough* excuse me, National Football league.

"TICKETS FOR BOOZE".. sounds good to me!

The Phoenix Coyotes most recent attempt to save a struggling franchise consisted of a marketing campaign that sported the slogan "TICKETS FOR BOOZE".  In conjunction with Smirnoff Vodka, the promotion stated that if you were to buy a 1.75l bottle from any local retailer, you would get a free game ticket for the April 7th matchup against the St. Louis Blues.

The Coyotes are well on their way to missing the post season for a sixth consecutive season, and have been hit hard by the recent economic changes. After already receiving support from the National Hockey League and the City of Glendale, AZ to try and keep this franchise a float, this was just one more attempt that failed miserably after the NHL stepped in and shut the operation down.

All the pieces seemed to be in place for this organization to be successful. Wayne Gretzky behind the bench, a brand new, top notch facility, a team stacked full of young talent with the likes of Kyle Turris, Mikkel Boedker, Martin Hanzal, Keith Yandle, Peter Mueller and a few seasoned vets in Shane Doan, Steven Reinprecht and Ed Jovanovski.  But after a good start to the season the club has cooled off remarkably and once again found themselves in position for a lottery pick.

 

Hey, if that's what it's going to take save this franchise, then why not? Who wouldn't want to play in front of a packed house of drunk and rowdy fans? I would have to think that would be a great atmosphere to play in. After all, Commissioner Bettman is all for trying to make things work in the cities in which teams are already located, and has stated time and time again that he isn't a fan of relocation. But then again there has to be some sort of standard set when you just have to call it quits and count your losses. I for one am still waiting for the Commissioner to realize that this is just not a hockey market and that relocation would be the best bet here. This piss poor attempt even falls much lower than the Florida Panthers attempt to boost attendance by offering a free game ticket to anyone in the State of Florida who had a driver's license.

All I have to say it's probably a good thing Rick Tocchet is out of town or this could have been a real disaster.

The Florida Marlins - A Model of (In)Consistency?

In the history of Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees are considered the model franchise of the league. The Bronx Bombers have won the World Series 26 times out of 107 seasons, giving them a 24.3% overall winning percentage for winning titles. But who's second? The St. Louis Cardinals have the second most titles with 10, but have been around since 1892.

It's the Florida Marlins, who have won two titles in their 15 years of existence, giving them a World Series winning percentage of 13.3%. Does anybody really care about the Marlins? Their attendance is consistenly amongst the league's lowest. But they have provided their fans with a title every 7 or 8 years, and as a Toronto Maple Leaf fan, I would take that in a second.

However, they have only been to they playoffs twice, winning both times. In the National Hockey League, last year's Champions, the Detroit Red Wings, added superstar sniper Marian Hossa to the lineup. Florida takes a different approach to winning championships...they rebuild.


Let's look at their 1997 championship winning lineup:

C Charles Johnson
1B Jeff Conine
2B Luis Castillo
SS Edgar Renteria
3B Bobby Bonilla
LF Moises Alou
CF Devon White
RF Gary Sheffield
SP Kevin Brown
SP Alex Fernandez
SP Al Leiter
SP Livan Hernandez
SP Tony Saunders
RP Felix Heredia
RP Antonio Alfonseca

After winning a title, the Florida Marlins decided to trade several of the key pieces for younger (and most importantly, cheaper replacements)

• Jeff Conine was traded to the Kansas City Royals for P Blaine Mull.
• Moises Alou was traded to the Houston Astros for a package involving Mark Johnson
• Veteran starter Al Leiter was moved to the NY Mets in a package involving SP A.J. Burnett
• Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla and Charles Johnson were moved to the LA Dodgers for C Mike Piazza
• Piazza was dealt a week later to the Mets for OF Preston Wilson and P Ed Yarnall
• RP Felix Heredia was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Todd Noel
• World Series hero Edgar Renteria was moved to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Braden Looper and Armando Almanza
• Kevin Brown was traded to the San Diego Padres in a package involving 1B Derrek Lee

So without even hanging their championship banner on Opening day in 1998, 8 key players had been removed from the roster. The face of the franchise was completely different. The MLB's finest from a year before finished the 1998 season with a 54-108 record, being rewarded with the 2nd overall pick: P Josh Beckett.

During the 1998 offseason, the Marlins stole 3B Mike Lowell from the Yankees for previously mentioned throw-ins Noel, Johnson and Yarnall.

The 1999 season saw the Marlins finish with a 64-98 record, which was bad (or good) enough to land them the first overall pick, who was 1B Adrian Gonzalez. The dismantling continued when the Marlins traded the NLCS and WS MVP Livan Hernandez to the San Francisco Giants for pitchers Jason Grilli and Nate Bump.

After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons following their championship in 1997, the Marlins signed non-drafted free agent pitcher Denny Bautista and their 1997 catcher Charles Johnson.

2001 saw the Marlins miss the playoffs again, and with the fans starting to lose interest in the franchise and their losing ways, the Marlins made a big splash in the 2002 offseason.

• RP Antonio Alfonseca was traded to the Cubs in a package for SP Dontrelle Willis
• Veteran OF Cliff Floyd was shipped to the Montreal Expos in a package where the Marlins received SP Carl Pavano
• Charles Johnson was moved yet again, along with Wilson to the Colorado Rockies for Mike Hampton and OF Juan Pierre
• In a move similiar to the Piazza deal, Hampton was then dealt to the Atlanta Braves two days later for P Tim Spooneybarger.
• Quality depth outfielder Todd Hollandsworth was added via free agency, and the Marlins suprised everyone by inking all-star catcher Ivan Rodriguez to a one-year deal.

Six years being removed from winning a championship, the Marlins were finally competitive again. Eyeing the first playoff birth since 1997, the Marlins acquired RP Ugeth Urbina from the Texas Rangers for former first overall pick Adrian Gonzalez.

Remember Jeff Conine? The first player to be sent afar after helping the team win it's first ever World Series? He was re-aquired prior to the playoffs for Denny Bautista, who, if you have still followed this situation, was a non-drafted free agent signing.

The 2003 season ended with the Marlins taking their second ever wildcard birth. A magical run saw them defeat the Yankees in the World Series, with Josh Beckett (the prize for finising second last a year after winning) winning WS MVP honours. The 2003 championship team did not boast one single player on its roster that had been with them team the entire time from 1998-2003:

C Ivan Rodriguez
1B Derrek Lee
2B Luis Castillo
SS Alex Gonzalez
3B Mike Lowell
LF Miguel Cabrera/Todd Hollandsworth
CF Juan Pierre
RF Juan Encarnacion
UT Jeff Conine
SP Josh Beckett
SP Dontrelle Willis
SP Carl Pavano
SP Brad Penny
SP Mark Redman
CL Braden Looper
RP Ugeth Urbina
RP Tim Spooneybarger
RP Armando Almanza

Again, the Marlins have not had a sniff of postseason action since this title. The Marlins have lost several of these players to free agency, and continued their tradition of dealing away key pieces of championship teams for young, cheap, bright prospects:

• Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera were traded to the Detroit Tigers for OF Cameron Maybin and SP Andrew Miller
• Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell were traded to the Boston Red Sox for SS Hanley Ramirez and P Anibal Sanchez
• Juan Pierre was traded to the Cubs for P Ricky Nolasco

Did the Marlins ever really lose a trade? Sure they suffered years after their titles, but were able to reclaim their glory within 6 years.

Last season, the Marlins were 7.5 games back of the champion Philadelphia Phillies. It will now be six season since the Marlins last tasted the playoffs, and a pennant. Nolasco is projected to be a top starter for the Marlins, with Miller and Sanchez expected to round out the rotation. Maybin is expected to hit lead off. Ramirez is considered a possible future MVP, and is one of the premier shortstops in the league.

The Marlins have a new stadium on the way, along with yet another hot, young crop of ball players. It might not be (but still could be) their year to win it all this season, just don't be surprised if it is sometime real soon.

Tuukka Rask may win the Lady Byng

Goal or No Goal.

0 for 2.

Rask still seems to over react just a bit.

LIVE BLOG NCAA MARCH MADNESS!!

Will be updating this post throughout the day, feel free to leave comments or emails and we will get back to yeah!

2:10 - Well I woke up an hour late, currently LSU up two, Texas A&M killing BYU, and Memphis is down one! The 1-3-1 defense that CSU Northridge is applying against Memphis is really screwing their offense up. 9-26 from the 3 point line from Memphis?? I still think they will hold on, but would that ever blow up some brackets, i had Memphis in the Elite eight losing to UConn.

2:23 - Calm down people,Memphis is up 10 now with a minute left, Butler is sinking some 3's to make it interesting, but fuck them. With the first three games closing out, makes your first three winners LSU, Memphis, and Texas A&M. Oh and that also makes me 3-0. What else is new.

8:27- Well the blog updates didn't go as planned today, and this weekend we at MMB will be in Chicago mucking it up. Two Blackhawks games against Edmonton and the Kings, and we may throw in a little KOBE action against the Bulls. On a nice side note, I am currently 7-1 in my bracket with the only blemish being Washington beating Mississippi St. Villanova is losing right now, but I expect them to bounce back. Louisville to win over Duke, if you were wondering who to bet on for the finals.

Playoffs

Its getting pretty close to crunch time here for a lot of NHL squads. If the Playoffs started together heres how things would look:

EAST

Boston Bruins vs Carolina Hurricans

New Jersey vs Montrel Canadians

Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers

Philidelphia Flyers vs Pittsburg Penguins

ok, so the east isn't leaving out many teams that normally make it into the playoffs.

Florida has lost the last four and seems so be going back to them usual selves..how convienent that they kept Bouwmeester at the trade dealine.

I believe that we will see a nice battle between Philly and Pitts, and with the way that Montreal has been playing lately (even under gainey) we may see the old Bruins and Canadiens rivalry back in full force.

Maybe the best series of all The Rangers..whoever they play, a pretty hot team right now who seems to do better with Avery in that line-up, good energy if Ovechkin and the boys went against them.

WEST

Detroit Red Wings vs Nashville Predators

San Jose Sharks vs Edmonton Oilers

Calgary Flames vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Chicago Blackhawks vs Vancouver Canucks

Where are the Dallas Stars? One point behind Nashville and Edmonton, i believe they will be making it in pushing one of them out. Nashville can't put a mark on that Detroit squad if they make it in, but Dallas has the talent (with Morrow back) to challenge them. The same goes for the slumping sharks, if Dallas makes it up to 7 spot, those sharks seem to have the collars so tight that once again they will under-achieve.

Its starting to get exciting and points are all so close with all of this shootout bullshit..but thats for another day.

Marty Brodeur the all-time wins leader*

Congratulations goes out to Martin Brodeur who goes for win 551 tonight to pass Patrick Roy's record, well kind of. Now first off, I'd like to admit that this was Bob McCown's idea but it got me to thinking. Brodeur tied the record in Montreal of all places but the fact remains, his record is flawed. Brodeur got to this milestone in 43 less games then Roy. This seems impressive, minus the fact of the shootout. There is no such thing as a tie anymore. Those games are now wins or losses.
Q: How can you compare something that isn't the same?
A: You can't.

27 wins from the shootout for Marty. 0 from Roy.

So there you are.

Phil Mickelson beats the pack (Tiger) to win World Golf Championship

With all of the hype around Tiger Woods coming back to the tour, hopefully Phil’s weekend doesn’t get over-looked. He was quoted saying he did not eat for three days, and was checked into the hospital for dehydration. Last time I checked dehydration symptoms include fatigue, weakness, chills and head rushes. The game of golf can be looked at as more of a mental challenge than a physical, so although he wasn’t limping onto the tee-blocks like Tiger did at the US open (can I say embellished, reminding me of that die-hard street hockey guy who is only limping right after he scores), Phil battled being very sick, a sickness that most people wouldn’t get out of bed for let alone go finish off the field.
I love Tiger..who doesn’t lets just say the way Mr. Mickelson needs to stay on the course as much as possible, he has to be the favourite to win the masters which is coming up in a month…just in time to get all of us Canadians ready to TEE it up.

Gripper and Ripper everyone.

LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!!!!

The Boys of MUCK MY BLOG are proud to present... 

"1ST ANNUAL MUCK MY BLOG MARCH MADNESS INVITATIONAL"

This is an open invitation to all MUCK MY BLOG followers for your chance to take on your friends, family and all the brethren at MMB and talk a little trash while your at it. The only thing on the line here though is braggin' rights! So invite your friends, show a little school pride and get your picks in soon and start throwing out your dirtiest chirps! Lets try and make this thing as big as possible and try and increase our following!

tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com

Group ID: 133723

Thanks, 

MMB

*Picks must be in by tipoff of Game 1 on Thursday March 19, 2009.