Sources say that USC defensive lineman and former Mountie Hebron "Loni" Fangupo, suffered a broken ankle in last Saturday's game against Washington State. He will be out for the remainder of the 2009 season, will have to wear a protective boot and is using crutches.
I really thought Loni would be able to get through this, but you don't want to risk putting his career in jeopardy. He's a tough player but that injury looked really nasty. I'm glad it's not anything career ending. The position he was in was just asking for a back injury.
I wish you the best, Loni and hope you can "fight on" next year and continue creating chapters in your life story.
The Mounties played a hard fought, but very sloppy game on Saturday in a 24-14 loss. They just couldn't get anything going offensively. Credit the Saddleback Gaucho defense for matching the Mountie defensive intensity, but more is expected from the Mounties.
It took the Mounties a while to get Jesse Canada into the mix and when they did, it was for big yardage. Quarterback Tyler Vanderzee said he felt fine and felt like he was able to go with the flow, but I think they didn't use their weapons effectively.
They didn't use their run game as effectively as they usually do and maybe it was the Gaucho defense, maybe it was lack of trust in Vanderzee, but they tried to incorporate the wildcat offense which didn't really work. It worked from a yard away to score, but really felt like it was going away from what the Mounties have done all year.
Maybe it was the absense of Matt Faulkner at QB. Vanderzee has played in big spots, but just didn't seem to get in a flow.
The defense was spectacular, but got a little bit careless at crucial times. Except for the flea flicker in the first half, the Mounties were able to stop just about every trick play the Gauchos drew up. But again, a big personal foul on Bruce Irvin (You really can't blame the guy for playing with passion and aggression, but the refs did) and a facemask call when the Mounties seemingly had the goal-line stop to win the game cost the game.
It's just one game and at the end of the day Saddleback has an outstanding squad, but it was a very winnable game that just slipped through the Mounties' hands. It was a very close game and on any other day the Mounties could get away with these mistakes, but the Gauchos were able to take advantage.
They have a bye-week coming up and plenty of time to regroup and get healthy. Coach Jastrab will let thim ponder on this loss, fix the mistakes and have them ready for the next game against Citrus.
Ron Artest said that if the Lakers don't win a championship this season to blame him.
Will do.
He's off to a good start by hooking up Lamar Odom, a key piece to the Lakers championship run, with Khloe (the bootleg sister) Kardashian.
Well today was the lovely couple's wedding after a great month of getting to know each other. Reports say that they married this soon so they can film the wedding for "Meet the Kardashians." However, Lamar made sure to arrange a prenuptual agreement, just in case Khloe ends up not being the girl he thought she was a month ago.
Lamar is going to bring in an extra circus now.
I'd like to think this would work out like Reggie Bush's relationship with Kim Kardashian, without the E channel at his practices or all his games, but I don't know if that will happen this time. While Kim kept out of Bush's way, she is also basically the star of the show. She had her own business to take care of while Bush handled his. Khloe probably has a lot more time on her hands and could use a piggy-back from Lamar to get her celebrity status up a bit becuase "taking over Miami" doesn't seem to be working for her.
I really hope this doesn't become a huge distraction and Lamar can still be (at the very least) his mediocre self becuase anything less will hinder the Lakers championship run.
I hope Artest doesn't try to hook up Jordan Farmar with Tiffany (I Love New York) Pollard next.
Those of you who missed the USC vs. Washington State game tonight, missed Hebron "Loni" Fangupo, the pride of Mt. SAC go down in agony.
Loni made a tackle inside and was caught in an awkward position. As he came down, five trojans landed on top of him as he twisted backward like when playing limbo.
In the position he was in it looked like it might be a back injury, but my guess is that it's his shoulder that he injured last season. One of the strongest men I've had the pleasure of interviewing was down on the field, thriving in pain as the medical staff came to assist him. After a commercial break, he was still down as they soon after carted him off the field.
Loni, being the warrior that he is, stood upright and signaled to the crowd "fight on."
It was horrible to watch, but knowing Loni, he will come back and fight on. Playing for USC was his dream and I know he will not let this deter him from living out his dream.
I will keep you guys posted whenever I hear word of his progress.
It happens in every game. No matter what, one pitcher is going to suffer the fate of leaving the mound unhappy.
The manager or coach makes that long walk from the dugout to the mound, and even he has his head down most of the time. Once he gets to the mound, he literally takes the ball out of the pitcher's hands, makes him take that long walk of shame, and calls in for someone in relief.
When a player gets taken out of a basketball game, there's usually a feeling of anger and while the same feeling occurs in a pitching change, an even bigger feeling of disappointment can be seen in the pitcher's eyes.
When a player gets taken out of a football game for a miscue, he's still running on adrenaline and can still be seen pacing around the sidelines. When a pitcher is taken out, the adrenaline is gone. He has to wait for the manager to make the long walk, give him a pep talk and take him out. By the time he's in the dugout he has all the time in the world to think about his mistake.
No matter where you play the game, no matter how much a pro gets paid, the biggest jerk-athlete can be humbled by this experience.
I wrote an article in the Mountaineer about P.E. cuts at Mt. SAC and although it's happening to all the divisions at Mt. SAC, like athletic director Joe Jennum said, "This one hits closer to home."
Upon meeting me it might not look like I do any type of exercise, but since attending Mt. SAC I've taken a couple basketball courses and weight training as well. I'm glad that P.E. is a required course becuase after leaving high school, my stomach was almost leaving my shirt.
I think I took my high school P.E. classes for granted. Like any other American, I love my double double with animal style fries. I love Tommy's. I love The Hat. If I hadn't been playing baseball and basketball all my life, I'd be on Maury seeking help from a fat camp.
Over the past year I've had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know these Mt. SAC coaches who teach these classes. They all share a passion for athletics. When they're not conditioning their athletes, they're helping average joes like me and you get at least a smidgen of exercise in our unhealthy lifestyles.
It's probably going to get worse before it gets any better, and smaller programs like athletics, like drama, and like JOURNALISM get first dibs on cuts and get hit harder becuase it's not math and science.
It's sad that our economy is this horrible and we're all paying for it somehow or another.
Milton Bradley of the Chicago Cubs was banished from the team for the rest of season. For what, exactly? Well they're working on it, but I'm guessing it had something to do with the fights with manager Lou Pineilla. Or smashing his bat at home plate. Or maybe criticizing the fans for booing him. Possibly the mental lapse he had when he threw the ball into the crowd with one out left. Well it can be for any and all of those reasons, but mommy has finally come to his defense.
Bradley's mother, we'll call her Mama Bradley, spoke about the suspension saying that Bradley "Lives, eats and sleeps baseball."
She said he'll go back to Chicago if they let him back.
I'm sorry Mama Bradley. We had Milton here in L.A. for a couple years and 'though we really rooted for him to change and hoped he'd succeed, he just can't control himself. There was a point where he apologized and it seemed like he was really trying to change his attitude.
It's been years later. He's in Chicago now and still the same problem.
Mama Bradley, you raised a wonderful baseball player, but he has an upside down attitude.
I really hope he can come back and do great, but I've seen this episode before. We're all going to change the channel soon.
This story shows the scary side of sports journalism.
There's always the chance that you get tackled on the sidelines by a football player when shooting photos. (Trust me. 240 lb football players through lens may be closer than they appear)
There's always the chance that you want to get an interview from Joe Montana and this 350 lb Samoan stops you. (Trust me. It's very scary to see a giant meaty forearm almost hit you in the face) But then there's this:
After Tom Brady and Gisele Bunpchinkljopknh (whetever) got married they had a post-wedding party in Costa Rica where two photographers were allegedly shot at by Gisele's body guards.
The photographers are suing for 1 million dollars in damages.
I didn't grow up in the nicest part of California, but I've never been shot at. If I ever got shot at during a post-wedding party, i would hope it would at least be at Don Vito Corleone's daughter's wedding, not Tom Brady's.
I'll stick to shooting football games where things don't shoot back.
Washinton Redskins rookie Robert Henson no longer has a Twitter account after he bashed the Washington fans for booing their sorry team. The fans were called "dim wits" and Henson went on to say, "Who are you to say what's best for the team when you work a 9-to-5 at McDonald's."
This guy has played as many downs as you and I have this season and if he's not careful, he's going to have to look for a 9-to-5 very soon.
This morning Plaxico Burress of the New York Giants was sentenced to two years in prison followed by two years supervised release for criminal gun possession.
I'm not going to act like I know the laws of New York, but it is a sad day in the sports world and a sad story to tell.
The poor guy shot himself in the leg in a night club and is now going to serve two years for it. I can't even imagine how Burress must have felt when hugging his family for the last time before heading to serve his time.
I can't even imagine what he's thinking, going to jail for shooting himself.
He shouldn't have put himself in that position, but life is coming at him fast now. He went from Superbowl hero to criminal.
Just last night, my buddy and I went old school and pulled out the Madden '08. He picked the Giants, and now that I think of it, coincedentally I played with the Michael Vick Falcons!(Wow. that literally just hit me) He was torching me with Burress and I did the same to him with Vick. It's sad how two talented young athletes can have their careers altered by bad decisions.
I wish Burress the best. It's sad how a small incident can be life changing. Good luck, and hope to see you in Madden 12.
Headline on ESPN for Notre Dame's starting quarterback Jimmy Clausen. No one gives a crap about Notre Dame or Jimmy Clausen. My focus is on the turf toe part of the headline.
Nothing serious, huh? Tell that to Ladainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers. When they got turf toe, the poor guys could barely run their routes and struggled to gain a couple yards!
Nothing serious? Tell that to Darren McFadden of the Oakland Raiders. Ok, so the Raiders weren't going anywhere last season anyway, but that doesn't mean that this young rook couldn't have had a great year. Turf toe basically ruined his season.
Nothing serious? Tell that to Lions back-up quarterback Daunte Culpepper. He tried to make one last hurrah and was trying to beat out rookie Matthew Stafford for the starting spot, then BAM! Turf toe hit. Matthew Stafford is now the starting quarterback for the pitiful Lions.
Nothing serious? Tell that to Shaq when he hurt his 3 ft. toe with the Lakers. (Maybe it wasn't turf toe, I'd like to call it Court Toe. It kept him out either way)
Turf toe has ruined the season of several athletes and fantasy football owners alike.
I'm sorry, Clausen. Good luck next year becuase I can almost guarantee the fighting Irish will have to fight without you for the rest of this season. You can give it a shot like the rest and get the life tackled out of you, but I'd let the back-up go in for you.
On Oct. 3 when the Los Angeles Dodgers play their second to last game of the season against the Rockies, Dodger Stadium is going to have a star wars theme for the game. This gives opportunity for crazy Star Wars fans and crazy Dodger fans to finally unite as one. these are the top five fears I have for that day:
5. A streaker runs onto the field in a Chewbacca mask.
4. Announce the game backward Vin Scully will.
3. This game will inspire Matt Kemp to go to the Dark Side and sign with the Yankees next season.
2. Drunk Dodger fans vs. Wookies in a fist fight.
1. Manny Ramirez will find it funny to come up to bat with a light saber and cut through a fastball to strike out and end the game.
The Mounties are 2-0 this year, but there's this sense of worry because they're not wining the games by 40 points. It doesn't matter how you win, what matters is that you win.
Coach Jastrab knows how to produce winners. He's been to the state title game the last two seasons and the players have been transferring to D1 schools like USC, UCLA, BYU and Tennesee. He knows what he's doing.
Matt Faulkner has done a pretty good job at quarterback and is getting a grasp of things. He was new to Mt. SAC and had a rough first game but had a nice bounce-back game going 18-for-25 and a touchdown to Jesse Canada.
Talking with Faulkner, he's a very confident player and he seems to feel comfortable with the weapons around him.
If he can stay within himself and just manage the game, keep the turnovers at a minimum and keep handing it off to the three-headed monster at running back, he won't have to be the aerial beast that Nick Lamaison was last season.
Speaking of that three-headed monster, they certainly have a nose for the end zone. With yet another great offensive line this season, Burton Iosefa, his brother Lancer Iosefa and Bryce McBride have been able to share the carries and produce effectively.
Burton has gotten the most of the carries and has already found the end zone three times this year. When he lowers his shoulder and there's someone in the way, you won't see a pretty little spin move. It's him vs. the defender and the defender is most likely going to take a seat on the grass.
That running game will open up the pass a little more for Faulkner and as the season goes on they'll be clicking on all cylinders.
With Bruce Irvin putting pressure on the opposing QB (Irvin's leading the team with five sacks and 14 tackles after just TWO games) the defense will be there all season.
It was fun watching Mt. SAC score like crazy last year, but smash mouth football that leads to a win is just as pretty to watch as the 60-yard touchdown pass that leads to a win.
It was a spooky night at Dodger Stadium last night. From the moment we took off from my brother's house, my nephew and I had a weird feeling about the game. The setup was just like last time; blanket night, upper reserved level seats, middle of September and my nephew had school the next day.
The date was Sept. 18, 2006. The Dodgers hosted the San Diego Padres. It was Japanese heritage day and the samurai's fighting at home plate should have given us an indication of the crazy game we were about to embark on.
Most of you know this story. It was the bottom of the ninth and the Dodgers were down 9-5 when the Dodgers hit four consecutive home runs to tie the game at 9-9.
I was there for 8 and a half innings of the game when my brother decided that we had to leave because my nephew had school the next morning.
I boldly told him, "We can't go Joe, they're gonna hit four home runs right now and get back in it." He laughed at me as we walked down the stairs.
My dad took a bathroom break before we left and the marvelous mustached man, Jeff Kent came up to bat. From outside of the bathroom, we heard a crack of the bat and 15,000 fans went crazy! (I was actually there ESPN. Don't try to tell me that a capacity crowd of 55,000 went wild. There were maybe 15,000 tops by that time of the game.) Kent had hit a home run to make it 9-6. I looked at my brother and told him, "See it's happening already! four home runs!" He laughed.
As we walked to the car, we heard the crowd go wild again, and the home run song was playing. J.D. Drew had just followed Kent's home run with one of his own! I told my brother, "We can still go back and catch the end, lets go!" By that time we were in the car and Charlie Steiner told us by radio that Trevor Hoffman was coming in. So my brother said, "Hoffman's in. Now it's over." (Oh how wrong you were dear brother)
We were driving in the lot, listening to the end of the game by radio now. Hoffman threw his first pitch to Russel Martin, and Martin promptly put it in the left field seats to make it 9-8! At this point everyone in the car is laughing as I yell at my brother to turn the car around.
Marlon Anderson was next and he made it four home runs in a row. Charlie Steiner was going nuts and the Dodgers went into extra innings. We got to my brother's house and the Padres had scored in the 10th inning, but the Dodgers had one last chance. We went in his house, turned on the TV, only to see Nomar Garciaparra hit a game winning 2-run hom run.
Haven't forgiven my brother 'til maybe now.
Last night wasn't exactly the same, but we sat in the upper reserved level again. This time we were on the first base side though. We got a blanket, but this time it wasn't a faded blue. There were no Japanese samurai, but Paul Wall threw out the first pitch. (just as strange as fighting samurai) And the game went late on a school night, but this time I was staying parked in that seat, even if everyone left home without me.
Somehow the dreadful Pirates were beating us 3-2 in the ninth when Matt Kemp hit a single to center field to bring in Andre Ethier from second base. We went into extra innings again. The game went all the way to the 13th inning when some guy named Doumit brought in a run for the Pirates. My brother played around and said, "lets go," but there was no way we were going to leave this time. It was past 11 p.m. and the Dodgers were up to bat. Furcal got on base by hitting a line-drive off the pitcher's butt cheek and then Ethier came up to bat. I pointed my cap in the same direction it was in during the 9th inning rally, sat in the exact same position, put my phone in my right pocket facing outward like it was in the 9th and kept saying, "Hit it over the right field fence. Hit it over the right field fence." First pitch he saw, Ethier cranked it over the right field fence to win the game! They beat him up at home plate and we were there to see it all this time. This blanket was a lot warmer than the last one, and this time I didn't cringe at the sound of Charlie Steiner's voice as they replayed the home run call on the radio. It was deja vu all over again, but this time I can truly say I was there.
I'm sure many of you saw Serena Williams lose her cool during the U.S. Open. She yelled at the line judge and told her that she wants to "shove the (expletive) ball" down her throat. She then was deducted a point, the match point, to lose.
After the match, she had a press conference and said she doesn't know why the lady would feel threatened and she's never been in a fight in her life. Well if I were four feet tall, and an angry woman holding a tennis racket threatened to shove an (expletive) ball down my throat, I'd feel a bit threatened too.
Serena might not see it, but here are my 5 reasons why Serena might be seen as intimidating in the tennis world..
5. She has a devastating backhand.
4. She's not Maria Sharapova.
3. She has a sister who looks just like her, with just as devastating of a backhand.
2. She's twice as buff as Andy Roddick.
1. She's the most imposing long-haired celebrity to come out of Compton since the late, great Eazy-E.
Love Serena. Think she got robbed, but take it easy on the judges.
On September 11, I had no idea of the impact. I was about 13 and thought it was just another sad news story. I had no family in New York, so it didn't affect me directly.
I remember my fourth period teacher in jr. high tell the class, "This is going to be talked about for years to come. It's not going to go away any time soon. We're living through history right now."
All I had seen were a couple clips in the morning before I headed off to school, so I really had no idea of the impact or how severe it was.
I've always sort of lived in my own little world; my own sports world. When I got home and found out my Dodger game was postponed due to the attacks, it was starting to hit me that it was something big.
I remember games were postponed for almost 2 weeks, and without sports to watch, all there was, was non-sports news.
I watched as new develpments kept coming in and different theories amassed.
For the first time I learned the significance of the World Trade Center.
I learned of the tragic stories of the New York locals. I could feel the sadness through the light coming off the screen.
For once in my life, I couldn't hide behind my security blanket. I couldn't escape from the real world and just watch my baseball games. It was real life, and not even sports could provide an escape.
Luckily, after things had settled down a bit, and we knew as a country what we were facing, not only did I welcome back my security blanket, but the entire country saw hope in sports.
I remember when baseball came back the following week, there was a feeling that even though we just suffered tragedy, we will not let our lives stop.
The national anthem meant so much more after 9/11 and you could feel the energy every time it was sung.
The Dodgers were scheduled to host the San Diego Padres for a 3-game series starting September 11, and it didn't happen.
I lived by that season schedule. I planned around that schedule. To me 9/11 lasted for a week that there were no sports for me to follow. It felt like time did not move.
When baseball started again and life started to move again, time started to move again.
So the sports world paused on 9/11 and to me, not until the week later did I see 9/12 because that's what was on pace in my schedule.
My schedule was thrown off for a little while, but once we faced the Padres like planned, 9/11 was finally over and I was ready to face 9/12.
John Stockton and David Robinson were great, Michael Jordan was the greatest. At 3:30 p.m.(PT) today, these three will be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as this might be the most memorable ceremony ever. Today, the greatest basketball player of all-time will finally be formally recognized as such. The man who is a world-wide icon, will finally take his spot in basketball greatness. Having to wait five years, only by hall of fame rules, but he was a hall of famer from the first time he blessed the court with his presence. Loved by many, hated by few, respected by all. That cliche applies non better than to Mr. Jordan. He'll be joined by maybe two players who have the most reason to hate him. John Stockton never won a championship because of him, and Robinson had to wait for him to take a break before he won his. Jordan embarrassed both equally; he embarrassed all equally. No one matched his level of play and maybe no one ever will. No one will ever do all that Jordan did. No one can blend the iconic status on and off the floor the way he did. That's what makes him the greatest. Five will be inducted, but only one will be the most memorable. It almost isn't fair for the rest to go in at the same time as Jordan; not only becuase he should be remembered alone, but because no one might remember the rest of them going in. Jordan was his own man, and probably should have gone in by himself. Would it have been unfair to the rest? To some degree, yes, but Michael deserves it. To have anyone mentioned in the same breath is almost criminal. I love our players of today, and on any other day I'd argue for my hometown hero in the city of angels, but today reality has its time to fly, and it must fly with "air" Jordan.
Don't blame God for this one, AI. This should be interesting. A team filled with guards. Might work in pick-up ball, lets see what Memphis tries to do with it. Will AI accept coming off the bench, or will he cry until he replaces Mike Conely at point guard, a position that AI obviously can't handle. Find out soon on the, Iverson Doesn't fit in any Team Show.
The Mounties women's soccer team were able to get their first win this year against Southwestern College. There was a bit of panic after losing their first two games, especially after the high bar they set last year. Alex Loakes almost went down, but the girl's got heart and stayed in despite an injured ankle. She tried to downplay the injury, but she was carted off the field. She really had to be in pain! She ran back onto the field and showed the type of leadership that you love to see in sports. Scored the first goal to kind of take some pressure off the team, and really helped the offense get going. I talked to coach Bowen and she said they've had to adjust to a couple of big injuries such as sophomore midfielder Christina Carriaga's, who played a big role in thier run last season. Defender Taylor King has had a chance to move up in the offense due to the injuries and seems to be comfortable in that role. She had at least 4 shots on goal that I counted, and on any other day they might have all gone in. They still have Jennifer Rivera out there, and although it seems like the team isn't running through her as much as it did last year, the potential for a big spurt is still there. She can't be contained for too long, and when she decides to explode, WATCH OUT. The girl is special on the field. The team effort is certainly there. I love seeing a team that not only wants to win, but has fun playing the game. It's great to see the whole team get up and congratulate the player coming out of the game and really form a welcoming atmosphere on the sideline. It's great to see a head coach who shows confidence in the players and teaches them to play the right way. Hopefully this win catapults the team to a big run like last season's. Their ball movement isn't quite like it was last season, and maybe it'll take them a little bit of time to really get into championship form, but I know coach Bowen will set all of that straight and the girls will respond soon enough.
Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners recorded his 2,000th career hit in a MLB uniform today. I have always been a great supporter of Ichiro and am happy for his milestone hit. This personal record for the "Japanese Samurai" has sparked me to think of my top 5 Japanese influences and moments growing up. See if you remember any of these:
5. Pokemon
In my generation, Pokemon was one of the biggest phenomenons to hit the United States. Before Yu Gi Oh cards were the hot gift to get your kids, Pokemon cards were the big ticket to pleasing your kids. Parents will concur. I'm sure a lot of them remember having to scramble for these cute little Pocket Monsters.
4. Joe Isuzu
When the Japanese car makers, Isuzu, started making a push for more attention, they hired a goofy looking actor named named David Leisure to do commercials, and Joe Isuzu was born. His character was a car salesman who made outrageous claims about how amazing Izusu was, and made claims like, you can buy a car for 6 dollars, or buy an Island with the money you save. Growing up, there was not one commercial break that didn't feature Joe Isuzu at some point and as a kid I thought they were hilarious.
3. Hideo Nomo
Any true Dodgers fan will remember Nomo Mania. Maybe not quite like the manias of Hulk or Fernando, but as soon as this man touched U.S. soil, media cameras drowned him in a way that not even A-Rod will ever feel. Not only were local media on him, but media from all over the U.S. AND Japan followed his every move. Not only was he able to control the media, but he had an amazing career with the Dodgers. Nomo was known as the "Tornado" for the way he'd twist his body before he pitched the ball. He filled stadiums and helped put Japanese baseball on the map. I'll never forget his no-hit performance at hitter friendly Coors Field against the Rockies, nor the way he'd contort his body in a confusing matter and fooled opposing hitters. He's an L.A. legend and his success helped pave the way into the league for players like Ichiro and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
2. Haikus
First poems I learned
Influenced love of writing
Owe a lot to them
1.Super Mario Brothers
My number one Japanese-American influence was the Super Mario Brothers video game created by Nintendo.
Some of the best times I had as a kid were while playing this silly little video game. Had a lot of great times with old friends, built strong friendships and learned to have fun with other people. I grew up surrounded by adults, and Super Mario Brothers was a game that helped kids, including myself, bond with other kids. To me, there will never be a better game that Super Mario Brothers.
Some of these things might sound silly to you, but they were truly memorable things in my life, and without a doubt had tons of influence on millions of people.
I write this in sort of a nostalgic way, hoping that it'll take some of you back to the good ol' days.
Tila Tequila took a couple shots at love and came to the conclusion that she's more compatible with an always angry looking, steroid using football player.
Well her perfect plan went awry today as reports that Shawne Merriman, outside linebacker of the San Diego Chargers, was arrested after being accused by Tequila of choking her.
Reports say that Tequila's claim was that she was trying to leave Merriman's home in Poway and he choked her and threw her to the ground. (1 choke, 2 choke, 3 choke, floor)
Merriman's known for his "lights out" celebration where he flails his arms in anger after sacking a quarterback. So I'm thinking maybe he couldn't wait for the season to start next week and maybe tried to go lights out on Tila.
This poor girl can't catch a break. She couldn't find the right guy, or girl for two seasons on MTV, now she's acting like her once roid raged boyfriend who takes joy in hurting people for a living is not the man she thought he was.
It wasn't a bad idea to go after a football player, it makes sense for a cover girl. But if this relationship doesn't work out she can take her chances with a different position player. She probably hasn't done this before, so here's a quick look at some big time relationships between cover girls and certain position players in the NFL:
1. Tony Romo- Quarterback
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Victim: Jessica Simpson
Analysis: Ok. When dating the start quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, you have to be smoking hot. Hence, Jessica Simpson. (Once you get past the manly jaw structure, she's really hot) It had all the makings of the perfect star couple. He was the handsome leader of America's team and she's a singer or something. What happens when two beautiful people get together? He figures out that he's young and the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and has plenty of other beautiful women he has to date. He figured out that playing quarterback for the Cowboys is like playing shortstop for the Yankees and if he learns from Derek Jeter, he'll have a long lasting relationship with several beautiful women.
2. Tom Brady- Quarterback
Team: New England Patriots
Victim: Giselle Bundchen
Analysis: I'm going to keep it in the quarterback position to show that maybe it does work out. The quarterback is not going to beat you or choke you. He's usually the face of the franchise and that face can't afford to have blemishes.
Of course, Giselle is way hotter than Jessica Simpson, but it seems like Brady and Bundchen really like each other. There's rumors that she's even pregnant. That baby will be right up there with Branjelina's and TomKat's.
3. Hank Baskett- Wide Receiver
Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Victim: Kendra Wilkinson
Analysis: If you date a superstar wide receiver, you'll be getting into a relationship where HE'S the diva. But then there's the Hank Baskett's in the league who don't play enough to be divas. I would have to say that Kendra has the star power in this relationship, but if he's willing to put up with a blonde playboy model it just might work out.
4. Larry Johnson- Running Back
Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Victim: Julissa Bermudez
Analisis: Julissa was Free's replacement for a while on BET's 106 & Park. Johnson was in need of a star girlfriend and found Julissa to be the perfect girl to abuse at night clubs. Johnson built up a strong domestic violence record and the two eventually broke up. Running back, maybe not the best position to date. At least not angry ones like LJ.
5. Shawne Merriman- Linebacker
Team: San Diego Chargers
Victim: Tila Nguyen (Tila Tequila)
Analysis: Linebackers are probably the most brutal players on the field. (and she picked one that's been caught and suspended for steroid use) If Merriman in fact is the kind of person who takes that brutality home, could spell trouble.
Tequila mixed with steroids has the makings of a deadly relationship drink.
We'll see how this one works out but for future reference, Tila, you might want to go with a quarterback or just take your goods to a different sport.
Way before Hannah, and hitting his prime just after Tony, was a man named Joe who also carried the name of one of my top 3 square-shaped states of all time, and lit up the NFL. He dominated the sport of football like maybe no other will, and solidified himself as arguably the greatest quarterback in history.
Brought up as a San Francisco Niners fan, Joe Montana was on my Mt. Rushmore of sports heroes growing up. He was right between Michael Jordan, Mike Piazza and Bugs Bunny. (I was 8 when Space Jam came out. Are you kidding me! Combining my favorite cartoon character with my favorite sport was epic!)
Super Joe hasn't done much lately. It's doubtful that he'll be dancing on channel 7. Probably won't be belittled into sharing a house with reject stars on VH1, but once in a while he'll make public appearances at local community college football stadiums. Guaranteed.
Nate Montana plays the coveted position of hall of famer's son at Pasadena City College.
Young Nate had the privelage of playing his first collegiate game ever, at Hilmer Lodge Stadium against our very own Mounties.
Did the Mounties know he was Joe Cool's son? Ohhhhh you better believe it. Poor Nate was on the ground more than a person doing Wii Fit Yoga.
Anyway, Mounties won and it was time to do my journalistic duties and interview the brutalized Montana kid. He was cool as can be. Knew the right things to say and handled the interview as if the loss hadn't affected him. I thanked him for the interview, and watched the son of greatness run away into the brutal California sunset.
After a couple more interviews, I noticed a casually dressed man who glowed like Dr. Manhattan and had a crowd around him like the Fonz. It was Joe Montana. The football Icon in the flesh!
As a sports fan I almost wet my pants, but once I gained composure, I put on my reporter hat and walked right over to the legend. The awkward confrontation went like so:
Me: Hello Mr. Montana
Super Joe: Hi there
Me: Would you mind if I asked a couple of questions for the school paper?
Super Joe: I'm sorry, I'm here for my son and I don't do that stuff. I let him take care of the questions.
Me: Oh ok. Thank you anyway.
Ok. Fair enough. I understand why he wouldn't want to talk. He's freakin Joe Montana! He can talk to or not talk to whoever he wants.
It was really tough for me though. One of my Rushmore heads was right in front of me and I just couldn't leave empty handed. I couldn't ask for an interview again, that'd be stupid. So since he didn't want to talk to me as a journalist, I tried it as a fan. I looked in my backpack and I saw something I never thought I would see at that moment. It was a Sharpie! I ran to Joe Cool for one more shot at a perfect moment with one of my heroes. I asked him for an autograph.
He politely said no. Wamp Wamp. What an ending.
There I was, holding a Sharpie and a game program, alone in the world while my head was spinning like Sidewinder.
I was almost scared to put that picture of him up (above) in fear that copyright laws might reject me from putting it up.
I was rejected twice by the greatest of all time. Just might be the greatest rejection of my life.
I had the strangest trip to the gas station I might ever have. As I was pulling into my local Arco and slowly made my way to pump number 6, the lips of an angry man at the pump next to me blessed my cracked open windowsill.
Scared me a little bit. He had a really aggressive tone, but within all his yelling I happened to catch him say the word "Raiders" and I said to myself, "Oh. Makes sense," and parked my car.
What I had originally thought was a gas station, was apparently a mirage that tricked me and sucked me into the Black Hole. All of a sudden, I was in the middle of 3-way holy war between the angry gentleman next to me, a Green Bay Packers fan, and a man who didn't seem to say much. He was kind of just there, laughing and making quick remarks that seemed to anger the Raider fan.
So I got out of my car, stretched, dropped my keys and tried to listen in on the argument.
Unfortunately I have no idea how it started, but the enraged Raider fan next to me started taking indirect shots at Brett Favre, saying, "Packers haven't had a real quarterback since Bart Starr!"
Ouch.
Didn't hear what the guy across the station was saying because the steam coming out of the Raider fan's ears was impairing my already fickle hearing.
As I walked away to pay inside, I heard screams from the Raider fan, "1967 was the only true championship!" That told me he was an old school guy. In other words, I better pump my gas and get the hell out before he blows up the gas station like Robocop.
I came back out, and all three were still there.
This time the Raider fan threw out a, "At least we had Bo Jackson! Man could that guy run. He was the greatest player the league has ever seen!"
At that point I'm laughing inside. He didn't even know what to argue. It was sad. It's like San Francisco Giants fans try to argue, "Remember Bobby Thompson's home run against the Dodgers in 1951!" Umm, that's cool.
Or when they say, "At least we had Barry Bonds!" Congratulations! Good luck with that argument. (I love when "big headed" Barry Bonds fans "take shots" at Dodger fans and try to "inject" us with stupid arguments and "cheat" us out of intelligent thought) ;) The last thing I heard the Raider fan say was, "Al Davis needs to die!" Double Ouch. 80-year-old Al Davis, the Raider owner with Freddy Krueger-like features. I know he hasn't done that great of a job with the organization, but goodness, death? The PACKER FAN then said, "Oh come on man, he don't have to die." And to remove any chance of confusion, the Raider fan said, "No! He needs to die, die, die!" This man had so much anger inside him that he started taking shots at his own team.
Anyway, I filled up half of my tank (Dam gas prices. The worth of a 20 dollar bill nowadays) and was ready to go.
The Packer fan and random instigator guy left.
As I drove away, from the corner of my eye I saw the Raider fan start talking to a lady with aggressive hand gestures. Guess he had more to say.
I would have never thought that one of my earliest blog entries would be about Nascar, but this story is exceptionally amazazing! (Yes. Amazazing.) Carl Edwards, that backflipping bandit of Nascar suffered a broken foot yesterday from (drum roll please) PLAYING FRISBEE! "I know this probably sounds ridiculous to a lot of people and I could hardly believe it myself," said Edwards. Ridiculous?! I'm glad you acknowledge it, Edwards, but goodness gracious sakes alive, this goes beyond ridiculous! It wasn't even ultimate Frisbee, which probably would still sound ridiculous, but I mean, he was just playing frisbee with friends! You can't help but chuckle when something like this happens. Apparently Edwards ran into one of his friends, and his friend got WWE fever and got Edwards in an ankle lock. Well, not really, but that would have made more sense. One of his friends dove into his leg while trying to get the Frisbee. Awesome. He could have at least said he was playing with his dog, tripped over his dog, lost his balance, jumped over a pile of venomous snakes, dodged a tree and smashed his foot on a cinder block. Or at least that his friends were Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis, and they were at the beach, and while running away from these two beasts, a piece of seaweed caught his foot and he tripped and sprained his ankle. (If I were playing ANYTHING with Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis I'd probably end up hurt somehow.) I don't know how you break your foot playing Frisbee. It's borderline unbelievable.
It's better than when Arizona Cardinal, Martin Gramatica hurt his leg celebrating a field goal! It's better than when Chicago Cubs star and steroid hall of famer, Sammy Sosa, went on the disabled list for getting back spasms after sneezing!
It's better than when Detroit Tiger's pitcher, Joel Zumaya was out for the season for splitting his finger playing Guitar Hero! It's better than when Forrest Gump got shot in the but-tocks! It's better than when Jean Girard broke Ricky Bobby's arm for not wanting to admit he loves crepes in Talladega Nights!
It's better than when then Cincinatti Red, Ken Griffey Jr. got a pinched testicle! (Ah! Well, maybe it's a tie with Griffey) It has to be the greatest injury ever! You have to really put in a lot of effort to break your foot playing Frisbee, and Edwards did. Ricky Bobby kept racing while his arm was wrapped like a frickin gordita, and Edwards has said the injury won't hold him back from racing either. What a trooper.
The Mountie men's soccer team play this weekend against Richmond. Game time is at 7 p.m. After a tie game against Taft where the Mounties had plenty of chances to put the game away, they won their first game pretty easily last Sunday against Oxnard. A win tomorrow gets them into the tournament championship and it'll get them off to a great start this year. The soccer team went all the way to State last year and had a finish to the season that while admirable, I'd rather not get into. Ok, so we got killed by Cerritos 4 times last year, but this year we should win at least one game against them. Other than that stain on the season, they had an amazing year with tons of exciting highlights. A lot of the sophomores who made huge contributions last year, like, Spencer Jones and Tony Camacho are back this year, and I think they're worth a look. Combined with the new guys coming in, there's potential for another run at the state championship this year. If anyone is interested in watching a fun, fast-paced sporting event at Mt. SAC, this would be a good game to check out.
Former Editor-in-Chief for the Mt. SAC online newspaper, Mountiewire.com. I love all sports, so I'm really going to write about whatever sports topic interests me.
If you're looking for stats, look for a stat sheet. If you're looking for game stories, read the Times. This is an interesting perspective on interesting stories. Period.
