Jan 22nd 2010: Daily Sports News – Gossip – Headlines

Friday Water Cooler – January 22, 2010

Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter topics…well, the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.

Enjoy!

There are days when the sports news is just that – sports news – and days like today when the top stories read like something out of The National Enquirer. Um, enjoy?

MLB news: Miggy getting too jiggy with booze

We didn’t officially know but, looking at his, er, physique, we did know. Miguel Cabrera has come to terms with his alcoholism and is now being treated for the disorder. The All-Star Detroit Tigers slugger hit rock bottom in the final stretch of Detroit’s regular season during a wild drinking binge that led to back-to-back 0-for-4 performances during two crucial games. We’ve all been there, Miggy. Here’s hoping you (a) at least had fun on that last binge and (b) come back strong this season. Don’t be surprised if he has a career year.

Apparently deciding not that the Mike Jacobs experiment was a bad idea, but just that they needed a different version of Mike Jacobs, the Kansas City Royals have signed Rick Ankiel to a one-year deal with a 2011 option. He managed just 11 homers in 372 at-bats during his injury-plagued 2009 season but did smack 25 dingers the year before.

NBA news: All-Star starters announced

If you thought the American Idol voters were clueless, get a load of the NBA All-Star vote. The sentimental ballot-punchers put Allen Iverson, who is averaging a career-worst 14.4 points per game, into a starting slot at the upcoming All-Star game. They also came within a hair of voting Tracy McGrady, who has played six games this year, in as a starter. It’s almost like America just awakened from a 2004 coma and still thinks those old guys are the faces of the game (and that Lost is a good TV show).  Among other undeserved, sentimental vote-ins was Kevin Garnett. We love KG but 15 points per game and limited minutes don’t warrant a starting spot over CB4, do they?

Golf news: Shock and awe! More Tiger recordings released

For TMZ lovers out there, new audio recordings from the Tiger Woods car crash investigation are being released. In one of the new recordings, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper explains that Tiger “wasn’t doing anything he shouldn’t be doing” and that he only has minor injuries. I guess Elin got him with her nails but whiffed with the golf club? Interesting.

Taking a break from your infomercials? Wondering where Tiger is right this second? Well, evidence suggests he’s at the Pine Grove Behavioral Heath and Addiction Services for treatment of sex addiction. Though the Hattiesburg facility won’t confirm or deny his presence there, security has been conveniently tightened, with police patrolling the perimeter and fences heightened to keep paparazzi out.

NHL news: Laraque kicked to the curb

Georges Laraque, the NHL’s undisputed heavyweight champ of about the last decade, was handed his walking papers by the Montreal Canadiens yesterday. Apparently, head coach Jacques Martin didn’t buy into Laraque’s bruising approach to the game and decided he couldn’t help the team anymore.

Laraque isn’t going quietly. He was emotional and slammed the team for abandoning him in a vulnerable time. Laraque’s roots trace back to Haiti and he was grief-stricken by the Earthquake. Now, he’s going there to help the relief efforts. It’s more fun to watch him punch guys but, hey, good for him.

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