To view the Colin’s first March Madness bracket, click here
East (Charlotte)
(1) UNC
(16) Sacred Heart/Texas Southern
(8) Ohio State
(9) Villanova
(5) West Virginia
(12) UMASS
(4) Indiana
(13) UC Santa Barbara
(6) Wisconsin
(11) Dayton
(3) Duke
(14) Winthrop
(7) BYU
(10) Virginia
(2) Arizona
(15) Hampton
The Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association has removed Roger Clemens as the keynote speaker at its state convention next month, citing Clemens’ inclusion in the Mitchell Report for having allegedly taken steroids and human growth hormone from 1999-2002. The association concluded that Clemens “was an inappropriate influencer to baseball coaches and students alike.”
Ironically - and certainly not coincidental to his dismissal from the state convention - the topic of Clemens’ speech was to be “my vigorous workout, how I played so long [in professional baseball].” Considering that Clemens’ alleges that his continued success in the twilight of his career is due to his work ethic when the Mitchell Report claims it is due to steroid and human growth hormone use, it is not surprising that he will no longer be speaking.
Sports legends Chris Evert and Greg Norman are engaged!
The couple got engaged last Sunday while traveling to South Africa from the U.S., Chris Evert, 52, revealed to reporters while announcing a new tennis center she is building.
Asked about wedding plans, she said, “Well, it is an engagement ring. … We don’t know when and where we’ll be married though.”
Greg Norman, 52, declined to add anything extra, leading Chris Evert to joke, “Why don’t you say something to them? Gee, you’re a big chicken!”
Greg Norman and Chris Evert, both 52, got engaged this weekend.
Evert, a former tennis champion, and Norman, a top pro golfer, both split from their longtime spouses within the past year - Chris Evert from her husband of 18 years, skiing champ Andy Mill, and Greg Norman from his wife of 25 years, Laura.
With all the scandals going on in the sports world (the Mitchell Report, Tony Parker possibly having an affair), it’s great to see a nice story such as this.
To view the Mitchell Report click here
Roger Clemens
During the Radomski investigation, federal law enforcement officials identified Brian McNamee as one of Radomski’s customers and a possible sub-distributor. After McNamee began working for the Blue Jays in 1998, he and Clemens both lived at the Toronto Sky Dome [hotel]. McNamee and Clemens became close professionally while in Toronto, but they were not close socially or personally.
Jose Canseco was playing for the Blue Jays in 1998. On or about June 8-10, 1998, the Toronto Blue Jays played an away series with the Florida Marlins. McNamee a lunch party that Canseco hosted at his home in Miami. McNamee stated that, during this luncheon, he observed Clemens, Canseco, and another person he did not know meeting inside Canseco’s house. Canseco [said] he had numerous conversations with Clemens about the benefits of Deca-Durabolin and Winstrol and how to “cycle” and “stack” steroids. Towards the end of the road trip which included the Marlins series, or shortly after the Blue Jays returned home to Toronto, Clemens approached McNamee and, for the first time, brought up the subject of using steroids. Clemens said that he was not able to inject himself and he asked for McNamee’s help.
Later that summer, Clemens asked McNamee to inject him with Winstrol, which Clemens supplied. McNamee knew the substance was Winstrol because the vials Clemens gave him were so labeled. McNamee injected Clemens approximately four times in the buttocks over a several-week period with needles that Clemens provided. Each incident took place in Clemens’s apartment at the Sky Dome. McNamee never asked Clemens where he obtained the steroids.
During the 1998 season (around the time of the injections), Clemens showed McNamee a white bottle of Anadrol-50. Clemens told McNamee he was not using it but wanted to know more about it. McNamee told Clemens not to use it. McNamee said he took the bottle and gave it to Canseco. McNamee does not know where Clemens obtained the Anadrol-50.
To view the Mitchell Report click here
Lenny Dykstra
Dykstra reported to spring training in 1989 [and] “his increased size was noticeable.” When [Kirk] Radomski asked him about his increased size, Dykstra admitted to taking steroids. Radomski also recalled that Dykstra’s weight fluctuated during that spring training. He stated that members of the Mets’ management discussed Dykstra’s weight fluctuations with the team’s athletic trainers and that “the trainers would just laugh.”
After the Phillies lost the 1993 World Series, Dykstra called Radomski and asked whether Radonski could get Dykstra steroids. Radomski…recalled providing Dykstra with Deca-Durabolin, Dianabol, and testosterone.
David Segui
In 1994, while Segui was playing for the Mets, he and Radomski became friends. According to Radomski, Segui admitted to him that he used steroids during that season. Radomski recalled that either at the very end of Segui’s time with the Mets (1995) or shortly thereafter, Segui showed him a bottle of anabolic steroids he had recieved from Mexico. In a subsequent meeting, Radomski gave Segui without charge a bottle of Deca-Durabolin and told Segui to try it.
Deca-Durabolin was Segui’s steroid of choice in the 1990s because it was safe, did not expire for three to four years, and was thought to help alleviate joint pain. Radomski said that Segui paid for the steroids by check although Radomski never asked him to pay for them.
Toward the end of his career, Segui told Radomski that he had a growth hormone deficiency and was getting human growth hormone from a doctor in Florida.
Segui is the only player who called Radomski after news of his plea agreement was reported in the media. Segui asked Radomski if there was anything he could do for him. Radomski told Segui that he likely would have to tell the government about Segui’s steroid and growth hormone use and Segui responded that he did not care.
CNN has leaked the names of the players, both current and former, who were identified by the Mitchell Report as having used steroids…sometime in the past. By identified, the Mitchell Report means rumored to have used steroids based on unconfirmed testimony from “various sources” including reputable clubhouse attendants personal trainers
To view the Mitchell Report click here
The names identified are:
Brady Anderson, Manny Alexander, Rick Ankiel, Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Aaron Boone, Rafael Bettancourt, Bret Boone, Milton Bradley, David Bell, Dante Bichette, Albert Belle, Paul Byrd, Wil Cordero, Ken Caminiti, Mike Cameron, Ramon Castro, Jose and Ozzie Canseco, Roger Clemens, Paxton Crawford, Wilson Delgado, Lenny Dykstra, Johnny Damon, Carl Everett, Kyle Farnsoworth, Ryan Franklin, Troy Glaus, Rich Garces, Jason Grimsley, Troy Glaus, Juan Gonzalez, Eric Gagne, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Jose Guillen, Jay Gibbons, Juan Gonzalez, Clay Hensley, Jerry Hairston, Felix Heredia, Jr., Darren Holmes, Wally Joyner, Darryl Kile, Matt Lawton, Raul Mondesi, Mark McGwire, Guillermo Mota, Robert Machado, Damian Moss, Abraham Nunez, Trot Nixon, Jose Offerman, Andy Pettitte, Mark Prior, Neifi Perez, Rafael Palmiero, Albert Pujols, Brian Roberts, Juan Rincon, John Rocker, Pudge Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Scott Schoenweiis, David Segui, Alex Sanchez, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Tejada, Julian Tavarez, Fernando Tatis, Maurice Vaughn, Jason Varitek, Ismael Valdez, Matt Williams and Kerry Wood.
Interestingly, Gary Matthews Jr. is not on the list.
Lenny Dykstra may have a hard time finding work after being identified in the Mitchell Report.
We don’t wish to give Alexandra Paressant too much attention because that’s obviously what she’s after.
But the model is claiming she’s having an affair with Tony Parker, one that started with a few sexually explicit text messages in September and continued through October.
This begs the question, of course, why would Parker cheat on someone such as Eva Longoria? According to Paressant:
“He said that Eva, sexually speaking, does not want to do certain things. She does not want to make love in front of a mirror, does not like [a] certain position and thinks that sperm gives acne.”
Longoria does have nice skin…. but, nonetheless, we believe in her and Parker as a loyal, happy couple. And it’s nice to see the actress stand by her man:
“Tony has been nothing short of the perfect husband,” she said in a statement released through her rep.
As for Parker’s response? “I love my wife,” he said. “She’s the best thing in my life, and I have never been happier.”
Those championship rings are nice, too. But stay strong, and committed, Tony!
She must be looking for her next Tony Romo.
Carrie Underwood, former American Idol champion, attends a recent hockey game. Who knew she was a fan of the NHL? Who knew anyone was?
Seated alongside Sean William Scott, Heroes star Masi Oka laughs at the play of the Knicks.
Granted, he could be cheering the team on… but, come on. It’s the Knicks. Laugh it up, Masi.
We all are.
One of the best and worst avenues that covered the baseball winter meetings was espn.com’s live blog from Nashville. With its entire staff of baseball writers at the Opryland Hotel to cover the proceedings, the lay people who were unable (or not invited) to attend could live vicariously through Peter Gammons, Buster Olney, Jayson Stark, etc. with their hourly updates.
The updates were phenomenal entertainment, especially if your team was involved in any of the rumors. However, they also gave us some of the most absurd trade possibilities and potential free agent signings that had a shocking lack of logic to them. Obviously the Santana trade talks were the focus of most of the posts and we’ve covered that ad nauseum. We’ll cover the rest.
In no particular order:
A zany three-team trade with the Mets and Twins that would have featured Haren, Santana and Jose Reyes changing teams. Thoughts on this trade are aptly summed up by Billy Beane: “There’s a better chance of me breeding unicorns than there is of that deal happening.”
Billy Beane’s sarcasm did little to diffuse the notion that he despises baseball’s winter meetings.
Scott Rolen to the Brewers for Chris Capuano and a top prospect. This trade is absurd because the Brewers turned the Cardinals down. I’m sure you’re thinking they didn’t want to trade their top prospect. Nope. They wouldn’t part with Capuano. You know, the same guy who lost 21 straight appearances for the Brewers this year.
