Remember Taco Wallace?
The Seattle Seahawks’ 2003 seventh-round draft pick out of Kansas State, Wallace was the practice squad receiver with the funny nickname who never could find his way into a regular role with the team.
Six years after he first became a pseudo-household name, two or three of you may actually be wondering whatever happened to the football-playing Mexican side dish.
Unbeknownst to many, Wallace is once again making a name for himself in the Seattle area as a wideout for the minor league Seattle Stallions of the Cascade Football League.
But that’s not all.
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Washington players celebrate after Morgan Stuart's game-winning hit in the bottom of the eighth inning
The University of Washington softball team is now 2-0 in World Series play, after defeating Arizona State 1-0 in an extra-inning game earlier this evening.
The Dawgs received eight innings of shutout ball from National College Softball Player of the Year and staff ace Danielle Lawrie, before Morgan Stuart delivered the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The double-elimination pod format of the Women’s College World Series is somewhat complex, but it boils down to this: One more victory and your Washington Huskies are in the best-of-three championship series for the right to the national title.
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Blessed with a rare callup to the big leagues, minor league umpire Frank Drebin Todd Tichenor did what any other good, recently-promoted authority figure would do: He showcased his power by sacrificing four minions in a matter of minutes.
The 32-year-old Tichenor (who apparently has a history of this sort of behavior) kicked off his bad day by ejecting Minnesota Twins catcher Mike Redmond in the top half of the seventh inning, precisely three seconds (0:03) after Redmond attempted to argue a close play at the plate.
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As they say in the rap game, it’s the remix!
Back in March we brought you the first edition of the Top 11 Sports Fans We Love To Hate, and it was an instant hit. To date, it’s our most viewed post in the history of the site and was reproduced on Sports Illustrated’s SI.com, among a number of other websites.
Naturally, we had to follow up with a second Top 11 devoted to all those annoying patrons of sport who didn’t make our first list. On to the show…
11. The Kid Who Requests The Foul Ball From The Adult Who Caught It
Vital Signs: Under the age of 12; seated near an adult with good reflexes and soft hands; has seemingly everyone in the ballpark on his side.
Reason we hate them: These days, if you’re over the age of 18 and you happen to be lucky enough to catch a foul ball at a baseball game, you’re almost obligated to hand it over to a kid who has done nothing to warrant such a gift.
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Former University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Billy Gillespie is suing his one-time employer for being fired without cause.
(Laughter)
Gillespie, who led the Wildcats to a subpar 40-27 record during his two-year stint in Lexington, is seeking at least $6 million in damages.
(Raucous laughter boiling over into hysterics)
The 24-page lawsuit filed by Gillespie’s attorneys portrays the ex-coach as an up-and-comer who was victimized by the university’s “false representations” towards honoring the contract offered to the 49-year-old.
(Tears now, tears)
The lawsuit goes on to accuse the university of fraud, and detail the “make-believe world” that Gillespie’s former bosses live in.
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What would the world think of Michael Vick if the former NFL quarterback was white?
Would we be as quick to blame him for his past mistakes, including most notoriously the dog fighting ring he was found guilty of operating?
Would we have labeled him a sociopath, as 710 ESPN afternoon host Kevin Calabro has done?
Would we be decrying his freedom, and challenging his opportunity to return to a life that might possibly include a future, once again, in the NFL?
If Michael Vick was white, would we be more forgiving?
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For all his media posturing and noncommittal product endorsements, Michael Jordan was an average guy with an above-average ability to play basketball. We liked him because we could relate to him, even when we knew he was making hundreds of millions of dollars selling shoes, Coke, and kids movies.
Lebron James and Kobe Bryant possess Jordan’s hoop talent, but not nearly the same off-the-court following.
Bryant has been labeled the heir apparent to MJ since the late ’90s, when he began to show flashes of brilliance while still a teenager. Athletically, it’s hard to argue with what Kobe brings to the table. He has Jordan’s size, skill set, and desire to win.
Yet for all on-court accomplishments, Kobe’s personality is prickly and tough to relate to for some people.
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Major League Baseball’s annual first-year player draft hasn’t always been kind to your Seattle Mariners (Point of Evidence #1, Point of Evidence #2).
Back in 2002, the M’s spent the 28th overall pick on a high school first baseman named John Mayberry, Jr. A lanky 6’6″, Mayberry resembled a bigger version of his father, John Mayberry, Sr., a two-time All-Star who himself had a been a first-round pick in 1967.
Based on his pedigree, his size, and his limitless potential, the Mariners’ selection of Mayberry was by no means a bad one.
What the Mariners didn’t realize (or, perhaps did realize, but were too stubborn to care) was that Mayberry had no intention of signing with a professional baseball team. No, Mayberry had every intention of attending Stanford University, and not even first-round money could sway him on that.
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But I need to know who the scrub on the Cavs’ bench was who, immediately after Lebron knocked down the game-winning three, stood up, made the “count it” motion with his hands, and started walking like a pimp towards the screaming, yelling, insane mass of teammates that was jumping up and down at midcourt.
It was pretty much the most baller move I’ve ever seen in my life. Like this guy all of a sudden had all the answers to every question the world around. Lebron’s trey was nice, but I’ll never forget that pimpin move by the scrub.
Admit it, the spark is gone. You’ve strayed from Fox Sports Northwest on those lonely weeknights, and you haven’t been back to Safeco Field since the opening series. You’re forgetting about the 2009 Mariners, and that’s not okay.
The M’s want you back, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get you. We’re here to help the team reel you, along with the rest of those straying fans, back in with a litany of promotions to get you excited about baseball once again.
Because Felix Hernandez bobblehead night just isn’t enough.
Inebriated Adult Baserunning Contest. Instead of sticking kids in size 16 sneakers and forcing them to run 360 feet while putting on ridiculous clothing item after ridiculous clothing item as fans enjoy the humiliation, why not get two warm-blooded adults plastered and have them do the very same thing? I think we’d all feel better directing our laughter at people our own size, and the entertainment value associated with this could be a hit on YouTube.
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Ryan Leaf was indicted on a number of felony charges today, just proving that life as the ex-quarterbacks coach of West Texas A&M University isn’t as glamorous as we all thought it might be.
To sum it up in the most basic of senses (without all the legal bull), Leaf is in trouble for obtaining prescription drugs without a prescription, for dealing prescription drugs, and for breaking into an apartment to steal prescription drugs. The burglary charge is the one that hurts Leaf the most. Early speculation is that he could be facing three-to-five years in federal prison if convicted of all charges, with the burglary charge carrying the heftiest sentence.
According to the Texas-based reporter who first broke this story, Leaf often met with recently injured players from the West Texas A&M football program and offered to buy the unused portions of painkillers they had been prescribed by doctors. Some players agreed to sell Leaf their drugs, while others did not.
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Whether you’re a Mariners fan or not, chances are you’ve seen a rally fries sign or two in your time. They are seemingly everywhere these days, and they got their start at Safeco Field.
Of course, after a few short games, the signs began cropping up in ballparks all around the nation and now the often imitated (but never replicated) rally fry fad has taken over America.
Credit current Mariners broadcaster and ex-third baseman Mike Blowers for the idea. Trying to breathe some life into the fan base surrounding an otherwise morbid baseball team, Blowers decided to give away free garlic fries to one lucky fan each game. All the fan had to do to get Blowers’ attention was make a sign.
In the past year or so, many of the signs have gotten repetitive and, let’s be honest, boring.
So we’ve come up with 11 ideas that are sure to catch the eye of Blowers, as well as anyone else who happens to enjoy a good one-liner. For your enjoyment.
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Alex Rodriguez claimed that the pressures of salary and expectation were enough to force him to use steroids.
Rick Reilly also has the pressures of salary and expectation weighing down upon him, but he’s a staunch advocate against steroid use.
Maybe Reilly needs to get on the Winstrol, because these days he’s underperforming like Rodriguez in the playoffs. He’s not funny, not original, and not nearly as likable as he was in his days as a humble Sports Illustrated columnist.
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Needless to say they’ll find some way to screw this up.
That is all.
In your tabloid journalism news of the day, the New York Post is reporting that Alex Rodriguez and Kate Hudson are dating.
I think I speak for everyone when I say Kate Hudson deserves better.
That said, since divorcing ex-husband Chris Robinson (that weirdo lead singer of the Black Crowes) a few years ago, Hudson has been “linked” (tabloid lingo for “had sex with”) to such celebrities as Owen Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Dax Shepard. So to say the bar is set high for A-Rod would be a complete lie.
If you’re keeping score at home, however, this is a ginormous step up for the Yankee third baseman.
After reportedly exploding his linkage all over Madonna in recent months, Kate Hudson is the baseball equivalent of a home run. Or at least a sac fly.
In fact, of all of Rodriguez’s past links, Hudson has to be considered the most normal. She has no charity case adoptive children from foreign countries, nor has she said crazy things about A-Rod in the press yet. Things are looking up!
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