Water Cooler – May 24th, 2011
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 Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
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#1. 918 Baltimore Orioles 94%
#2. 908 Chicago Cubs 82%
#3. 904 Philadelphia Phillies 80%
#4. 910 Milwaukee Brewers 80%
#5. 932 Colorado Rockies 80%
#6. 920 New York Yankees 77%
#7. 913 St Louis Cardinals 76%
#8. 912 Colorado Rockies 75%
NBA news: TNT will move studio inside for Heat-Bulls Game 4; Joakim Noah fined for gay slur; Blazers fire general manager Cho; Stromile Swift arrested for stalking
Charles Barkley’s polarizing ways as a TNT broadcaster have forced the network to move its studio inside Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena. After he picked the Chicago Bulls to win the Eastern Conference final and called the Heat “a bunch of whiners,” the Heat fans got angry. During Game 3, the TNT studio crew including Barkley, Kenny Smith and Kevin McHale broadcasted their segments from outside the arena. Fans verbally assaulted them throughout, primarily directing their taunts at Barkley.
At one point, a fan threw what appeared to be a towel at Barkley. He flipped his middle fingers at the fans. Barkley said the unpleasant fans were the minority, but that “You know those people can yell and scream but they don’t have the hair on their [butt] to grab me. They were telling me I suck. They were telling me I never won a championship. Like, come on, give me something better than that, dude.”
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was fined $50,000 by the NBA for making a homophobic slur toward a fan during the Bulls’ loss to Miami on Sunday. He was caught on tape making the remark and immediately apologized after the game. Kobe Bryant was recently fined $100,000 for a gay slur; his penalty was bigger because it was directed at an NBA referee.
The Portland Trail Blazers made a somewhat shocking announcement on Monday, firing general manager Rich Cho after just one season. The Blazers went 48-34 and made the playoffs but team president Larry Miller said “The fit between the Blazers and our team simply wasn’t right.”
A story recently broke revealing that Cho wanted to suspend Brandon Roy for complaining about his playing time during the first round; Roy wasn’t punished for his comments.
Stromile Swift, the second overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, was arrested last Thursday for stalking his ex-girlfriend in Shreveport, Louisiana. Police responded after a woman told them Swift was following her home following an argument. Swift was arrested In February for an aggravated assault charge involving the same woman.
MLB news: League fines Nats’ Rizzo, Rodriguez; Stephen Strasburg throws off mound; Dustin Pedroia injures leg; Mets chairman slams players; Adam LaRoche to DL
Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo and catcher Ivan Rodriguez both got slapped on the wrist by Major League Baseball today; they were fined an undisclosed amount for verbally clashing with the umpiring crew as they headed to the locker room following a 1-0 loss to the New York Mets. They were upset about Jason Werth being called out at first base in the ninth inning; replays appeared to show he was safe.
On the bright side for Washington, prized pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg just took a major step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He threw off a mound Monday and said he “felt great.” It was his first time throwing since he had the surgery on September 3, 2010; he’s considered ahead of schedule.
The Boston Red Sox got a scare last night when second baseman Dustin Pedroia went down with a left leg injury. He lay on the ground for a few minutes before walking off the field. After the game, he said he was fine and compared the injury to a stinger. He’ll likely miss tonight’s game but hopes to return Wednesday.
The New York Mets are falling on hard times, both financially and in the standings, and chairman Fred Wilpon is taking out his frustration on the players. This week, he told The New Yorker that third baseman David Wright is “not a superstar” and that shortstop Jose Reyes won’t get “Carl Crawford money” in his next contract.
The parade of high-impact Washington Nationals players to hit the DL continues. The latest victim is first baseman Adam LaRoche. The Nats placed him on the 15-day DL with a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. Supposedly, the injury limited his throwing ability but not his swinging ability. However, LaRoche is batting just .172.
NHL news: Mike Komisarek avoids charges in nightclub fight; Doug Weight, Brian Rafalski to retire; Ryan Kesler claims Ryan Clowe suckerpunched him
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mike Komisarek appears to be off the hook on his charge of allegedly hitting a woman at a nightclub in January. He was under investigation by the LAPD after a woman claimed she slapped Komisarek and that he responded by punching her in the face. The Los Angeles City’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and decided not to file any criminal charges.
Two prominent American NHLers are set to announce their retirement. Doug Weight will announce his retirement Thursday; the 40-year-old center is the eighth U.S.-born player to score 1,000 points in his career.
Wings defender Brian Rafalski is also calling it a career. The 37-year-old will leave behind the final season of his contract, worth $6 million. Rafalski played two rounds in this year’s playoffs with no ACL in his left knee. He finishes with 515 points in 833 NHL games and three Stanley Cup rings.
Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler accused San Jose’s Ryan Clowe of suckerpunching him in the head during Game four of the Western Conference final, which the Canucks won 4-2. Clowe claimed his exchange with Kesler, which occurred with no time left on the clock, was just a “scrum.”
NFL news: League cancels rookie symposium; Ray Lewis predicts rise in crime during lockout
With the lockout pressing on, the NFL has cancelled its annual rookie symposium in June. The event, which was to begin June 26 in Canton, Ohio, was supposed to teach rookies about managing football, money and their new lifestyle. Many players have championed the symposium as a helpful tool in adjusting to the millionaire athlete life.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker and future Hall-of-Famer Ray Lewis thinks the NFL lockout will do a lot more than just tick off fans. He believes it will cause a spike in crime because “there’s nothing else to do.”
“Do this research if we don’t have a season – watch how much evil, which we call crime, watch how much crime picks up, if you take away our game,” Lewis said.
Boxing news: Oscar De LaHoya in rehab for cocaine use
According to sources close to Oscar De La Hoya (and TMZ Sports), Oscar De La Hoya’s recent marital infidelity was triggered by drinking and cocaine use. He has told friends that he doesn’t believe he hit bottom but checked himself into rehab before things got out of control.
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