random ramblings fred riecke, gamblersdata
…The news surrounding the death of former NFL player Lew Carpenter isn’t good. Carpenter played for the Lions, Brown and Packers in the 1950′s and 1960′s. Concussions weren’t much of a topic back then. When Brown died last year he had agreed to donate his bain to researchers. The results came back that Carpenter suffered from a degenerative disease that has plagued other former footbal players and athletes who absorbed repeated blows to the head. It is called Chronic Traumatic Encephelopathy and it occurs from trauma. Doctors said that Carpenter may never have had a concussion, but may have had morethan a thousand subconcussive blows just from practice and games. Carpenter had suffered from brain issues late in his life.
…Finally Jeff Garcia is a Houston Texan. Early Monday the Texans agreed to terms with the veteran 41-year old free agent quarterback, and picked him up to be the third string quarterback, in which has turned into a quarterback whirlwind for the Texans in 2011. Garcia tried out twice for the Texans after Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart went on injured reserve and was passed over for Kellen Clemens and Jake Delhomme. Now the Texans want to make sure they have the right pieces in place, just in case and released Clemens in favor of Garcia.
…Seahawks rookie right guard John Moffitt has been suspended four games for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances. According to John Moffitt’s agent,” The suspension relates to a drug commonly used to treat hyperactivity. An NFL player needs pre-approval to take that drug, which Moffitt did not have. It was a mistake.” A costly mistake as Moffitt’s pay gets docked for those four games. The Redskins Fred Davis and Trent Williams were also popped four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
…The Miami Marlins have gone nuts. The Fish signed free agent Mark Buehrle Wednesday afternoon to a four-year, $58 million deal. The team has spent a total of $191 million on Heath Bell, Jose Reyes and now Buehrle. Sources indicate the Miami is also after either Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder. Since the Angels grabbed Pujols, Fielder is the only option now. I guess it’s a good time to be a Marlin fan.
…Of course that all dwarfs in comparison to the joy of Angel fans knowing that the Big A, Albert Pujols, is indeed coming to the Big A, Angel’s Stadium.
…Not so happy over in Metsville. The fans may or may not be happy to know that according to Jose Reyes, the talented shortstop says his former team didn’t even try to retain his services.
…Add Reyes – there is one big plus to Reyes leaving for Met fans. After the Mets lost Jose Reyes who signed with the Marlins, a New York bar is offering food and drinks to fans who trade in their jerseys. A few stores in St. Louis actually gave away Albert Pujols gear after Albert signed with the Angels.
…12 retired NFL players including ex-New Orleans Saints WR Joe Horn, Matt Joyce and Jerome Pathon) have sued the NFL claiming they suffer from “anxiety, depression, short-term memory loss, severe headaches, sleeping problems and dizziness, according to Christopher A. Seeger, the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs.” The players trace the above maladies to teams giving them the painkiller Toradol, which the suit claims “can prevent the feeling of injury.”
…Toradol add part uno – Drugs.com indicates that “Toradol is in a group of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body. Toradol is used short-term (5 days or less) to treat moderate to severe pain, usually after surgery.” Adding that it should not be used if you have “a closed head injury or bleeding in your brain” and that it can cause “long-term use of Toradol can damage your kidneys or cause bleeding.”
…Toradol add part dos – “The plaintiffs have described the situation as one of being in a pregame locker room with players lining up to receive injections of Toradol in a ‘cattle call’ with no warnings of any sort being given, no distinguishing between different medical conditions of the players, and regardless of whether the player had an injury of any kind,” the suit alleges.
…Final add Toradol – I don’t know about you, but I am not likely to line up like cattle to have something injected into my body on a regular basis without at least asking to read the side affects pamphlet. Maybe some personal responsibility would have helped the situation.
…Looking forward to Nick Diaz versus GSP? Don’t hold your breath and this time don’t blame Nick. The Welterweight division just took a huge hit as Georges St. Pierre will be sidelined with a major injury for a substantial amount of time. Per his Twitter, Dana gave the following announcement: “Dana White – GSP blown acl will be out for 10 mos. Now Condit vs Diaz for the interim welterweight title on Feb 4th in Las Vegas!!“ http://twitter.com/danawhite. But, of course, who isn’t waiting to see Diaz against Carlos Condit instead? Diaz and Condit will meet, per Dana, on February 4th in Las Vegas.
…Oops – I didn’t know that! Luke Adams is a freshman guard on the Texas Tech basketball team. The 5’9? 150-pounder from Big Spring, Texas played 11 minutes for the Red Raiders in a 75-69 loss to TCU Tuesday night. Adams recorded 3 points, 3 assists, and a steal playing some mop-up duties. He also was the recipient of some fan taunts — for obvious reasons. Texas Tech insider Chris Level tweeted that TCU fans were taunting Adams for looking like Justin Bieber. Between the hairstyles and Adams’ small stature, the comparison was natural. Only there was one key problem: Adams is deaf and can’t hear the taunts.
…Lagarratte Blount has somewhat of a checkered past and it might be coming back to haunt him with the Tanpa Bay Bucs. A story came out that RB LeGarrette Blount led an alleged attack on a Buccaneers fan. The St Petersburg Times reported Wednesday that a victim is accusing LeGarrette Blount of being involved in an attack on September 11th of this year. According to the paper, Blount was never charged in the alleged assault but the victim stated that Blount was “the leader” in the attack. The incident took place at the Visconti apartments, not far from Raymond James Stadium, after the Buccaneers lost their home opener to the Detroit Lions. The victim was reportedly driving a 2008 Toyota pickup truck into the apartment complex when the driver clipped the mirror of another vehicle that Blount and two other men were standing next to. The paper reports that according to the police report, the two men with Blount attacked the driver of the pickup. The pickup’s windshield was destroyed and the driver of the Toyota pickup was beaten until he blacked out. The police report states that Blount never laid a hand on the victim.
…Add Blount attack – St. Pete Times reporter Steven Holder is reporting after this story broke, that LeGarrette Blount’s attorney has stated that these allegations are nothing more than an attempt to extort money from Blount. The running back’s attorney stated that the victim in this event has requested $95,000.00 dollars in compensation.
…Final add Blount and Bucs – are the Bucs trying to resurrect that Raider swagger of old? The Buccaneers have collected a team filled with players with questionable histories, RB LeGarrette Blount, DT Albert Haynesworth and CB Aqib Talib-along with suspended S Tanard Jackson. They might want to take a second look at the direction they are headed – 4-8 and on a 5 game losing streak prior to Sunday’s contest.
…It made a lot more sense for Albert Pujols to sign with an AL team so he can be assured of being a DH in the twilight of his career. I am guessing, however, that the NL will adopt the DH within the next 3 years, though I may be in the minority in that regard. The Angel deal for Pujols seems excessive, but what people don’t remember is that owner Arte Moreno bought the Angels for something around $183 million. Forbes rates the Angels worth at about $540 million now. That’s not chump change, and he has tremendous equity in that team. The addition of Pujols no doubt adds about $100 million worth to the franchise so if you look at it that way, Moreno is no dummy. And the grab of former Texas pitcher C.J. Wilson was a masterpiece. Addition by subtraction. They are stealing their opposition’s top hurler.
…Angels and Pujols add – It didn’t hurt that the Angels just signed a contract with Fox sports that will bring them about 3 billion dollars over the next 20 years. That’s right – billion. That should take care of many payroll issues.
…Don’t look for Viking defensive end Jared Allen to be traded to Detroit any time soon. In an interview last week Allen commented “If I had to live in Detroit, I think I’d drown myself in the river.”
…Here is a puzzling update on a story we reported some time ago. Marlins reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly Leo Nunez), was arrested last Thursday and will be brought to justice for faking his identity according to the Associated Press. “In this moment, Oviedo is detained in the American consulate and will be brought to justice for having a double identity,” said Maximo Baez Aybar, spokesman of the Dominican National Police. “That is a crime in our country and in the United States of America.” Aybar added that Oviedo was asked to come to the American consulate as part of an investigation for using a fake identity under the name of Leo Nunez.” Oviedo’s agent, Andy Mota, didn’t answer AP’s calls looking for a reaction regarding his client’s arrest. Oviedo went 1-4 with a 4.06 ERA and 36 saves in 64.1 innings for the Marlins in 2011.
..Trading places? Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona signed with ESPN as a baseball analyst replacing Bobby Valentine who is the new Boston Red Sox manager.
…Dodger first baseman James Loney was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving last month according to authorities. Evidently Loney sideswiped 3 cars on the freeway, stopped in the fast lane, then passed out. When Loney awakened, say witnesses, he tried to flee the scene and crashed a second time. You probably imagine that this occurred in the middle of the night, but not so. The accidents took place at 6:12 pm. California Highway Patrol spokespersons offered that Loney appeared to have “objective symptoms of being intoxicated or being under the influence of something.” Loney was arrested but immediately taken to the hospital because his behavior concerned medical personnel. I wonder if it concerned the Dodgers or Bud Selig?
…UCLA basketball coach finally did it. Howland dropped Reeves Nelson from the Bruin hoops squad after tumultous times and Nelson’s inability to act responsibly. Nelson had been suspended from the team twice this season and additionally missed a flight to Hawaii after reinstatement the first time. At the time of his dismissal UCLA was 2-5 after being picked by many to win the Pac 12.
…Imagine waking up from a few years sleep to find out that San Diego State is a member of the ….drum roll … Big East Conference. Bizarre at best. Not only will the West coast San Diegans be joining the Big East, they will also get Boise (as in Idaho) State, Houston and southern Methodist (Texas). Might be time for a new conference name.
…From www.thewizofodds.comcomes this gem – “That’s right, Louisiana State and Alabama are proof that it pays to
cheat. Eric Crawford of the Louisville Courier-Journal writes, “Somehow, it seems fitting to me that this scandal-filled year in college football should end with two
teams on NCAA probation playing for the national title.” LSU’s transgressions centered on former assistant D.J. McCarthy, who improperly arranged for transportation and housing for former defensive lineman Akiem Hicks in 2009 before later trying to cover it up. LSU’s self-imposed penalties, which were accepted by the NCAA, included a reduction of two scholarships during the 2010-11 academic year along with a 10% reduction in official visits and reductions in recruiting calls. The punishment
runs to July 18, 2012. Alabama’s infractions involved impermissible benefits obtained by 201 athletes through misuse of free textbooks. The Crimson Tide had to vacate
football victories from 2005-07. Alabama’s probation runs through June 10, 2012. Check out www.thewizofodds.co for more good stuff like this!
