random ramblings fred riecke, gamblersdata
…No one wants anything to do with the New York Jets. Not Santonio Holmes. Not Bart Scott. Not their fans. And apparently, not sporting good stores, either. CNBC’s sports business reporter Darren Rovell gets a bevy of tips every day to his Twitter account, and on Friday, he posted a photo that pretty much summed up the New York football scene right now. “If 1 picture could say it all about NY football right now, this is it,” he said while tweeting the picture shown here, presumably from the Tri-State area.
…New Miami Marlin hurler Mark Buerhle didn’t exactly get a big welcome in town. The new Marlins pitcher can’t live in Miami-Dade County because of a ban on pit bulls. Buehrle of course is a pit bull owner. But it’s a big state and Buerhle will surely find a place to live.
…The innovative, interesting and often annoying Jim Rome is moving. Jason McIntrye of TheBigLead.com broke the news that Jim Rome was moving his weekday Jim Rome is Burning television show from ESPN tothe CBS Sports Network. ESPN has since confirmed Rome’s last TV appearance on behalf of the company will be January 27. Good news for the clones. Multiple sources Friday indicated to SbB that as part of his new deal with CBS, Rome has agreed to make regular appearances on CBS-owned Showtime. SportsbyBrooks.com has been told that Rome will be the centerpiece of an aggressive move by Showtime Sports into theincreased production of original sports programming under new executive vice president and general manager Stephen Espinoza.
…Reports of out Chicago are that Chicago Cubs star Starlin Castro has been charged with sexually assaulting a Chicago woman last September. No criminal charges have been filed, but the 21-year-old shortstop is reportedly wanted for questioning by Chicago Police. The alleged victim claims she was drinking with friends at a River North nightclub on the night of Sept. 29 when she met the 2011 National League hits leader . They left the bar at 3am and, along with friends, and went to Castro’s nearby apartment. According to the police report, she blacked out and when she came to…Castro was sexually assaulting her.
…For those who doubt the impact of Oregon’s ever-changing uniforms and helmets, visit eBay and try to buy an official Ducks “liquid metal” helmet from Monday’s Rose Bowl. You’ll need $1,225. That’s right, a small fortune for a helmet that the seller describes as “the first helmet to get loose from the team” – to his knowledge, at least. According to the seller, the helmet was used by Oregon in practice but not actually during its Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin.
…It may or may not have been the way Louisiana-Lafayette coach Bob Marlin drew it up, but playing with six men on the floor certainly worked to give the Ragin-Cajuns a 72-70 win over Western Kentucky Thursday night. With 21 seconds left in overtime, Louisiana-Lafayette took the floor with six players. They made a layup soon after and the victory was theirs. Why the W. Kentucky players, coaches and fans didn’t notice that there were six opponents on the floor until after the game was over is the biggest surprse. After the buzzer, a Western Kentucky coach immediately approached the referee, who huddled with other game officials. They let the play stand and left the court, according to Michael Schroeder, assistant director of athletic communications/media relations for Western Kentucky. WKU has filed a protest but Schroeder said it was done when they were caught up in the “emotion of the moment” and that the Hilltoppers were going to sit back and re-assess things. It has been reported that the officials will be suspended for one game.
…Addition by subtraction is how the Cubs look at dumping troubled pitcher Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs have officially agreed to trade enigmatic starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano to the Miami Marlins for starter Chris Volstad. Chicago will pay approximately $15 million of the $18 million owed to Zambrano for the 2012 season. Volstad is only 25 and the Cubs will have control over him for a minimum of 3 years. Zambrano is, well, politely said, the Milton Bradley of pitchers.
…A judge agreed Friday to postpone a jail sentence against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a Las Vegas domestic violence case, allowing the undefeated boxer to make a Cinco de Mayo fight against an as-yet unnamed opponent. The ruling by Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa to allow Mayweather to begin his 90-day stint on June 1 came with the fighter’s manager and supporters, including rap star Lil’ Kim and R&B artist Ray J, in the courtroom as a defense lawyer cited the economic boost that Las Vegas could get from the bout. I’m sure you or I would get the same consideration.
…Don’t think for a second that this means that Floyd Jr. will finally fight Manny Pacquiao on May 5. For most of the last two years, the world has pretty much placed the blame for the fight not happening on Floyd’s shoulders, and that was probably right. But things may have changed. One of boxing’s top journalists ESPN’s Dan Rafael places full blame on Top Rank head Bob Arum for not making the Manny Pacquiao Vs. Floyd Mayweather fight. Rafael said that there has been times in the past where the blame was on both sides, but this time it’s Arum who’s preventing this fight from happening. Arum recently told the world that Manny would be ready to fight in May. This was said after Floyd Mayweather was told to report to jail by January 6th. Arum threw 4 names into the sweepstakes, Cotto, Marquez, Peterson, and Bradley. The reason that the media is pointing their guns at Arum is because prior to the judge sentencing Mayweather to jail, Arum told the world that Manny would not be ready to fight by May because the cut Manny suffered Vs. Marquez would not be healed in time.
…And that’s not the only complication. Floyd Mayweather is NOT properly licensed to fight in Nevada on May 5 … despite having the judge’s blessing … and TMZ has learned state officials are demanding to speak with Floyd in person before they will allow him to fight. TMZ spoke with Keith Kizer — Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission — who said all fighters must apply for a license annually … but fighters with a conviction are sometimes required to plead their case to the commission in person. Floyd was convicted of beating his baby mama last month … and Friday, he convinced the judge to delay his jail sentence so he could fight an unnamed opponent at the MGM Grand on May 5. The next step is to apply for the license, but Kizer says it’s not uncommon for a fighter to begin the process just a few weeks before their first bout of the year. It appears that Floyd has been flagged for a face-to-face … if and when he applies.
…Golfers are athletes, right? PGA players Paul Casey and Lucas Glover, however, might want to stick to golf. Glover had to withdraw from the PGA opener in Kapalua, Hawaii because of a sprained knee suffered in a paddleboard incident. Paul Casey, another PGA player, dislocated his right shoulder snowboarding in Colorado sidelining him for the first two months of the season.
…Injuries keep mounting for the Pittsburgh Steelers and now the coaching staff is also being victimized. Running backs coach Kirby Wilson was hospitalized Friday after he was severely burned during an early morning fire at his home in a Pittsburgh suburb. Wilson, 50, was taken to a hospital before being airlifted to UPMC Mercy Hospital for treatment.
…Strikeforce star Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will be stripped of her 145-pound women’s championship after testing positive for a steroid, according to multiple reports. Tests related to a Dec. 17 championship bout against Hiroko Yamanaka detected stanozolol metabolites in a urine sample provided by Santos, the California State Athletic Commission announced, according to USA Today The test result means a $2,500 fine from her $66,000 purse and a suspension of Santos’ license to fight in California, the newspaper reported. Her first-round technical knockout of Yamanaka — which marked Santos’ return to competition after an 18-month layoff — has been changed to a no-contest. Fighters who test positive for banned substances normally can reapply for a California license after a year. Santos has virtually indestructable in the ring and this will surely tarnish her legacy.
…Ochocinco is always good for some entertainment, though I’m not so sure his girlfriend will agree. Being engaged to a star athlete who is also active on social media has its upside. For Evelyn Lozada, it assures her name will never be far from the headlines. The downside, however, is that she’s just a Chad Ochocinco tweet away from the Patriots wide receiver causing her a few headaches. Ochocinco used his 140-character allotment on Twitter to inform the world Friday of Lozada’s gas, although it sounds like their fellow airplane passengers were already aware of it. “Flight home with @evelynlozada would’ve been nice if she didn’t have gas throughout the flight,” Ochocinco tweeted. “I felt bad for the passengers with nostrils.”
…Giants receiver Victor Cruz reportedly turned down an offer to participate on Dancing With the Stars. He’s become known for salsa dancing after scoring touchdowns. Probably a smart move by Cruz.
…Jorge Posada reportedly is going to announce his retirement. He played 17 years for the Yankees and was a five-time All-Star. Last year was one of the least productive for Posada who was sometimes benched and fueded with his superiors.
…Evidently the Angels might not be done stacking their team for a run against the Rangers. Sources close to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say that the Los Angeles Angels have met with free agent Aramis Ramirez and a contract offer is likely coming. Ramirez might be the final piece of the puzzle for the Angels who are stacked to the brim with talent.
…Hey, all you John Wall fans. Here is something you should know. So far into his career, John Wall is the worst shooter in the NBA. One statistic, slightly below the radar, but crucial in the NBA is “effective field goal percentage.” It’s the best measure of overall shooting ability, both from two-point and three-point range. The formula is field goals plus half of made three-pointers divided by field goal attempts, according to basketball-reference.com. Last year, Wall tied with Travis Outlaw for the NBA’s lowest eFG percentage at .427 (minimum 1,600 minutes). Now, he’s fallen to .420 (career). He has no company at that level. Of course, if Lamar Odom doesn’t start shooting better, he’s a cinch to topple Wall.
…The popular fan favorite John Daly has worn out his welcome again – this time in Australia. The Australian welcome mat has been withdrawn from John Daly, with the Australian PGA Tour confirming he had been fined and suspended over his petulant display at the national championship. Dual British Open champion Daly drew the ire of officials and fans when stalked off after dunking seven balls into the water on the 11th hole at The Lakes Golf Club in last month’s Australian Open in Sydney. His ticket to the Australian PGA Championship in Coolum a fortnight later was immediately withdrawn amid a savaging from tournament officials, but Daly was allowed to play in the Melbourne Golf Invitational the following Monday because a disciplinary hearing could not be convened.
…It was well-documented entering the NBA draft that Kansas guard Josh Selby had character concerns. Because of that he fell to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 49. It hasn’t taken long for Selby’s issues to come to the forefront in the NBA, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting that he has been charged with marijuana possession in connection with an Oct. 5 incident at the University of Maryland. “I have no comment about it,” Selby said. “It is what it is.” Yes, it is.
…Lions cornerback Aaron Berry heard it from fans after his team’s loss to the Saints, so he blasted them in response before apologizing. “Y’all can go back to being Broke and Miserable…now back to regular scheduled programming,” said Berry via Twitter. Berry reconsidered and later replied “I apologize to my loyal fans for the tweet…jus disgusting how ppl can get when they don’t know nothin at all.” Berry might have considered also apologizing for the Lion defense which surrendered a record 636 yards in offense to the Saints.
…Only one of Michael Jordan’s sons will remain on Central Florida’s basketball team. Knights senior point guard Jeff Jordan will not return to the team during the spring semester. His brother, Marcus Jordan, remains and is UCF’s leading scorer. “I will not be returning to the UCF basketball team this semester due to personal reasons,” Jordan said in the a release. “I thank coach (Donnie) Jones for the opportunity to be a part of the UCF basketball family. I wish the team and coaching staff much continued success.” It’s unclear the exact nature of those personal reasons. But Jeff Jordan had averaged just 2.7 points, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals in 13 games this season.
…Not all the Mavericks will visit the White House to celebrate their NBA championship. When the Dallas Mavericks make their highly-anticipated trip to the White House Monday, Delonte West will not accompany them. West is, in his words, “banned” from making the visit because of his criminal past. “I’m banned from going to the White House, so I’m not going to make it,’’ West said after Saturday’s game.“But I’m going home to D.C., I’m just not allowed to go to the White House. That’s what happens when you make bad decisions in your life. You can’t go to the White House,” he told the Ft. Worth Star- Telegram. West pleaded guilty to a weapons and traffic charge last July. He was pulled over on his motorcycle in 2009 and police found three weapons in a guitar case he was carrying. The arrest led to a 10 -game suspension from the NBA, and West has since sought help and been treated for mental issues. I’d have to say that there are many members of Congress who are guilty of far worse than West and they’restill allowed to wander the White House.
…Tim Tebow’s favorite Bible quote is John 3:16. In the amazing upset victory over the Steelers Tebow passed for 316 yards. He average 31.6 yards per completion. The television ratings in the fourth quarter soared to 31.6. Divine intervention? Don’t think so, but just sayin’.
