Pink Locker Room

These last few weekends of football should prove to be pretty interesting.  I cannot wait to see what shakes out of the LSU-Oregon-Oklahoma-Kansas-West Virginia group.  I am particularly excited, barring something weird happening at either Iowa State or Texas Tech, to see the Big 12 Championship game between Kansas and Oklahoma.  Let’s check in with our favorites Ladies’ teams….

Holly:  Tennessee 34, Arkansas 13.  This is only the second complete game the Vols have played this season (aided and abetted by an inexplicably abysmal game on both sides of the ball for the Razorbacks), but it couldn’t have come at a better time. Arkansas superstar and would-be Heisman frontrunner Darren McFadden was held to 117 yards.  Sounds like a lot until you remember he hung 321 on South Carolina last week. Our defense is back (for only the second time this season) to their smashmouth selves, and if we win out (far from certain with Kentucky and a spoiler-happy Vanderbilt team on the horizon), we’ll be punching tickets to the SEC Championship game.

Thursday’s Hottie Hit n Run

In College Basketball action, the scrappy Runnin’ Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb beat Billy Gillespie and the Kentucky Wildcats. And they didn’t just beat them. They beat them 84-68. Man, I love college basketball. It’s like March has come early. Michigan State lost to Grand Valley State, Ohio State lost to Findlay and now Kentucky has lost to Gardner-Webb. Granted, those first two were exhibition but…Iowa managed to beat Simpson College the other night. I’m just sayin’. [Bulldogs Maul the Wildcats. Take that, Ashley Judd!]

I was going to do a hottie pic,
but I was too enamored of the cute Running Bulldog.

Awesome Hit of the Week

I probably shouldn’t be so excited about a loss of a school I actually attend, but I couldn’t help but be just tickled for the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday. They hung in there to defeat the Irish for the first time in 43 years. BUT the best thing about it? Was this play by Chris Kuhar-Pitters Ram Vela with 45 seconds left to go in the game:

I wish I had better footage, but there ya go. So sweet.

Ed. note:  Yahoo incorrectly identified the Navy player as Kuhar-Pitters.  Thank you to Alert Reader Signal to Noise for the correction. 

Pink Locker Room

Another week of college football sees undefeated Boston College fall to Florida State, which I laughed pretty hard about. AZ State fell to Oregon, leaving Ohio State, Kansas and Hawaii as the only unbeaten teams left. Personally, I’d like to see the National Title game as some combination from Oregon, Oklahoma and LSU, but if Kansas and Ohio State stay undefeated…we could end up with the most horrible National Title game EV-ER. Manboobs McCupcakes versus Cheaty McSweatervest. A real barn-burner whenever those two teams get together. But let’s find out how the Ladies’ teams did…

Thursday’s Hottie Hit n Run

The Denver Nuggets took on the Seattle Supersonics last night and emerged victorious, but the real story was Rookie Hottie Kevin Durant’s debut.  He racked up 18 pts in just over 31 minutes of playing time.  When asked to comment about Durant, Hottie Carmelo Anthony said, “He’s going to be all right.  I’ve been in that situation. I hope nobody puts too much pressure on him and makes him take that team to the NBA finals this year.”  Hahaha, wow Carmelo.  Way to jinx the lil’ fella.

Pink Locker Room

Coming off a fairly disappointing week where most of the Ladies’ teams lost, the Football Gods have smiled upon us. We had an excellent week. Woo and hoo!

Metschick: Don’t have much to say on this game other than it was a game RU had to win. Esp. since I’ve had the RU/USF game circled in red for the last four weeks. It’s good to see that RU didn’t overlook the Orange (like Louisville did) and took care of business. Now, their next opponent is the new #2 team in the country, USF. I’m kinda hoping for Pandemonium in Piscataway, Part 2 – but it’s going to be tough. Pictured: Schiano. YAY!

Thursday’s Hottie Hit n Run

NBA preseason has started and I have suddenly found myself a New Orleans Hornets fan. How is that, you ask? Because one of My Iowa Hotties, Adam Haluska, was a second-round draft pick for the Hornets. In their first preseason game on Tuesday night, Adam came in for 24 minutes, went 5 for 9 for 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal and 1 block. Yahoo! had this to say:

Chandler’s two free throws capped a run of nine straight points to get New Orleans within 54-49, and the comeback was completed when second-round pick Adam Haluska hit back-to-back jumpers to start the fourth quarter to tie it at 70.

Way to go Adam! The following pics were the only ones of him so far as a Hornet, so I have included a third one that shows his cutie face. Yay! [Hawkeye to Hornet, Woot!]

Pink Locker Room

I feel like this week it should be the Orange Locker Room, since Holly’s Volunteers so thoroughly kicked Georgia’s ass. Thank god for small favors, like USC’s upset and Notre Dame finally getting a win, which caused most of the campus to play in a giant fountain and the reflecting pool by TD Jesus. That was actually pretty fun. I can take a wee bit of solace in those things because I sure as hell am not finding any in Iowa. Let’s see how the other Ladies are feeling…..

Metschick: Well, I guess Rutgers has shown that they are what we thought they were – a mediocre team that had been feasting on cupcakes. Now they’ve lost two in a row, including their Big East opener, although losing to the Bearcats isn’t a horrible thing. They’re a very good team, but I still wish Rutgers had won.

And this is why I didn’t want to invest further in college football. I’m already a Mets fan – I don’t think I can handle the additional heartache of another team. I honestly wasn’t expecting an undefeated season. But after the criticism of the soft early schedule, RU is really looking subpar when facing real competition. Oh, and I wish we had a bionic quarterback like Ben Mauk instead of Mike Teel. Does he understand that he’s supposed to throw to the guys in scarlet? Because none of the Knights deserve it, and because I couldn’t find a good picture of Haruki Nakamura, here’s Ben Mauk:

Thursday’s Hottie Hit n Run: PLAYOFFS! and Pitchers!

Yesterday we had some great baseball to kick-off the playoffs. Pitchers pretty much ruled the day. The first game, which I had to watch in class (booooo), could not have been more surprising. Rockies Hottie Jeff Francis took the mound and only gave up 4 hits, 2 runs and 2 walks. He also had 8 strikeouts over 6 innings. Nicely done, Francis.

Pink Effing Locker Room

What a weekend for College Football. There were 8 (EIGHT!) Top 25 losses, with only one of those not being an upset (Oregon-Cal). There were two other games that came right down to the wire (Wisc-MSU, USC-Washington). There was also a rather embarrassing display by the Big Ten (Ill over PSU, Indiana over Iowa, NW almost beating Mich); the Big Ten well and truly sucks balls this year. A couple of Ladies’ teams had their bye weeks, another Lady was out of town, still other Ladies have baseball to concentrate on right now. And I just sit over in the corner of Ladies Headquarters…in my Iowa jersey, cuddling my Scott Rolen doll, crying and eating Chunky Monkey. (Edited to add: Metschick is here with me.) On to our thoughts…..

Friday Football Foodie

Welcome to another delicious Friday Football Foodie. I’ll be your pinch-hitting hostess for today. The delectable treats we are making for this upcoming football weekend include Aunt Brenda’s Artichoke Dip, Mom’s Beer Bread and Strip n Go Naked. Let’s get right to it, shall we? Instead of following the usual formula, I’m going to start with the beverage of choice. When I actually made these dishes, I started with my Strip n Go Naked so that I could drink while I cooked the rest of it. I think that’s what you should do too.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Thursday’s Hottie Hit n Run

Hoooo boy.  The National League is gettin’ exciting.  I realize that, at last count, the last 26 Hit n Runs have been about the playoff races but these are really getting down to the wire.  Let’s chase the sun and start with the NL East.

Atlanta Braves Hottie Chipper Jones (I’m sure somebody thinks he’s hot) is now a revered man in Philly and a hated man in New York.  His throwing error let Philly put 3 runs on the board and the Nationals took care of business at Shea, led by Ryan Church’s home run and 4 RBIs.  The Phillies are now 1 game out of first place.

Pink Locker Room

We’re back with another week of great college football. There were some fun upsets and we can all laugh at how Notre Dame has started 0-4 for the first time in the history of everything. Hee hee.

Metschick: Rutgers had a bye this week, as it prepares itself for Saturday’s game against the Maryland Terps. So, with no Scarlet Knights game to watch, I turned my eye to another Big East game: Syracuse @ Louisville. Imagine my surprise at seeing Syracuse, an 0-3 team, beating the Cardinals – and even though the final score was 38-35, it wasn’t that close for most of the afternoon. At one point, the Orange led 38-21. Never mind that Brian Brohm had 555 yards, his defense let him down. (Ed.’s note: Iowa dropped 35 points on ‘Cuse and held them scoreless. I’m just sayin’)

Pink Locker Room

The tables have turned for the Ladies, some for the better and some….not so much. Metschick seems to be cruising along swimmingly and we all completely hate her and the Scarlet Knight she rode in on. (Just kidding, Metsy! Haha, don’t hurt me!) Follow me after the jump for contemplations, crying and cleavage….

Friday’s Hottie Hit n Run: Ladies Edition

First off, the Ladies would like to extend thoughts and prayers to one of our baseball finds this year, Jarrod Saltalamacchia of the Texas Rangers. He has told the Rangers he will not be available to play winter ball because his wife Ashley is already having complications with the pregnancy of their second child. We hope everything turns out just fine for the Saltalamacchias. [That Must Be a Heckuva Last Name to Consider When Naming Your Children]

St. Louis Cardinals Hotties

The day is here! Cardinals Hotties!!! I don’t particularly want to talk about the ups and downs I’ve been going through since the end of July. And that is NOTHING compared to what they’ve been through. Death and injuries, including the fact that we still don’t know if Juan Encarnacion will ever be the same. For today, let’s just focus on hotties. Let’s start with one of my favorite pictures of the bunch. Not only do I love Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, but they have this cute little handshake celebratory thing they do that I just lurve.

Three hotties, YAHTZEE!

Pink Locker Room

Welcome to the Pink Locker Room, where the Ladies have tickle fights, eat lots of bacon and talk college football. In the midst of all the NFLy goodness, we still had a fun day of football on Saturday. Let’s check in with our Ladies’ teams…..

Metschick: WOO! RU won Friday night! It wasn’t a terribly pretty win, but I’ll take it. The Scarlet Knights scored 41, and the game was never really close, but seeing so many penalties was a little dismaying. I don’t want to imagine what a better team would do with all those mistakes. And dammit – I have to wait a week to see another game? (RU vs. Norfolk, 9/15/07) . Hottie Mike Teel pictured below:

Thursday’s Hottie Hit n Run

Bronx Hottie Alex Rodriguez became the first Yankee to homer twice in one inning since Cliff Johnson did it in June 1977. Nicely done, A-Rod. The club had been planning on taking Rodriguez out of the lineup last night because of a hurting ankle, but he insisted on playing and it obviously paid off as they beat the Mariners 10-2, giving them a 3-game lead in the Wild Card race. Also, my law school fantasy team thanks you for the two homeruns. [Two Homers in an Inning? That'll Do, Pig.]

Levitating bat!
Toss him in the river, see if he floats!

I Was There: Iowa invades Chicago

It was like a bowl game in September. Seriously. The Hawkeyes are notoriously good travelers because the entire state is corn, cows and Hawkeye football. Since this faux-bowl was right next door in Illinois, we showed up in droves. The estimate was that around 50,000 Hawkeye fans were in attendance, with thousands having gotten their tickets from the Northern Illinois ticket office when the Iowa ticket office ran out.

The Pink Locker Room

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS HERE! Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Ladies: thoughts on our homer teams from the previous weekend. We’ve got 8 Ladies and 8 colleges, though that is because G-shum wants two and TSW just putters around the Ladies Batcave muttering about Yinzers and some Lawrence Fishburn-lookalike. Lots of great college football this past weekend, so let’s check in with all the Ladies after their teams’ first fall outings…..

Thursday’s Hottie Hit n Run: Injured Hottie Edition

Cardinals Hottie Scott Rolen may be done for the season. I’m trying not to fling myself off a bridge, but it’s very disheartening. We’ve come so far in the past 10 weeks. *Sniffle* He’s had cortisone shots in his shoulder, but it just doesn’t seem to be enough. Call-up Hottie Brendan Ryan will most likely take over at 3rd base for the remainder of the season. Ryan was quoted as saying, “I don’t have a choice. We’ve got guys who are banged up. I’m not banged up enough.” Awwwwwww. Furthermore, if anybody sees fit to bring me the heads of Alex Cintron or Hee-Seop Choi on a platter……that would be looked upon favorably. [Andrea's Most Favoritest Player Out for September Stretch]

Proof positive of LaRussa’s Warlock Skills.

Bringing the Heat: and TWINS!

The Minnesota Twins are kind of the Little Match Girl of the AL Central this year. They’ve got their dirty little faces pressed up against the window, watching the Tigers and Indians feast and be merry. The Twins are 6 games out of first place, which isn’t a ridiculous amount, but the Tigers and Indians just do not seem to give any ground. Also, their rotation seems to be……well…..Johan Santana and Pray for Rain. He has the third-lowest ERA in the American League. He has more strikeouts than the next two Twins pitchers put together. He’s a big ol’ studmuffin, but that’s about it. And here he is:

Thursday’s Hottie Hit n Run

Rangers Hottie Jarrod Saltalamacchia did his part in the absolute take-them-out- behind-the-woodshed routing of the Baltimore Orioles by the Texas Rangers last night. This was the first 30-run game by a team since 1897. 110 years, people. What boggles my mind further is that this is the most runs ever scored by a team in a double-header…….before the second game even started! Byrd and Metcalf each had a grand slam. Ramon Vazquez and Salty each had two homeruns and 7 RBIs. Texas Rangers, we salute you! [The Texas Rangers Scored More Runs Than The Total of Each Other Game Last Night ]

Rawlings Gold Glove Team

Rawlings declared 2007 the “Summer of Glove,” which sounds vaguely dirty to me, but we’ll go with it. They had fans vote for an All-Gold Glove Team and the winners have been announced. Let’s feast our eyes on some hotties, old and new, who make incredible feats of defense look like patty cake.

Pitcher: Greg Maddux
Mr. Maddux has notched 16 Gold Gloves, which is more than the 1st and 2nd basemen winners combined and tied for the most all-time by any position player (with Brooks Robinson and Jim Kaat).

Wre in ar Bedds, Felin’ Hngovr…

The Ladies… wold like to alopogize for lack of content todya. We parteed a lil to hard last nite, cebelating ur 6 month anniversavegasry. Here iz a funy vidoe. We kin all get tgether behind haterating Florida. Real Refs of Genius.

Hump Day Hottie: Rick Ankiel

So, this is today’s Hump Day Hottie. It’s a special one, brought to you by Lady Andrea. Texas Gal is tied up in a closet taking a short vacation and she was brow-beaten into is letting me fill in for her. Today, feast your eyes on my newest baseball boyfriend: Rick Ankiel. If you don’t know the story by now, I’ll direct you here, so as to save space for more delicious pictures. Rick is off to a great start, hitting .318 with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs through 5 games. He also seems to have sparked a team that had been looking completely thrashed. Cubs and Brewers, we’re coming for you. Also: Ankiel is hot. I’ve decided Christian Bale will play him in the movie. Feel free to give other suggestions in the comments!

Stripey socks!

 

Comebacks Are Hot

Rick Ankiel. The bane of the Cardinals’ post-season existence in 2000. He was the Wild Pitch Machine, throwing 9 wild pitches in 2 post-season games. He flitted in and out of the majors in the next couple years until he finally had to give up the pitching ghost. However, he was always a good hitter and this year the Cardinals invited him to spring training as an outfielder. Tonight was his major league debut as an outfielder and in the bottom of the 7th inning, after a pop up and two strikeouts, Rick Ankiel hit a 3-run homer to right field. It was glorious. It was beautiful. He got a huge standing ovation and I cried in my living room. I haven’t wished for someone to hug so badly since October 27th, 2006. Congratulations, Rick! Welcome back.

Swingin’ Ankiel

Thursday’s Hottie Hit n Run

The Hotties of the Colorado Rockies completed a 3-game sweep of the NL Central-leading Brewers yesterday afternoon with a 19-4 routing. That’s practically a football score! (In fact, one year the Iowa/PSU game was 6-4, so I think this one counts as a football score). 3B Garrett Atkins and SS Troy Tulowitzki had 4 hits apiece and drove in 9 of the team’s 19 runs. Plus, they are both really cute. Tap the Rockies, indeed. [The Cubs and Cardinals (Who Are Not Out of It Yet, Thankyouverymuch) Would like to Thank the Colorado Rockies and Their Brooms]

Garrett Atkins

Bringing the Heat: The Toronto Blue Jays

The last Canadian MLB team, the Toronto Blue Jays, is 11 games back in the American League East and is 10 games back in the Wild Card race. Things aren’t looking so good for the Jays this year, but they’ve still got plenty of hotties to feast your eyes on.

Let’s start with their Hottie Hurlers on the mound…..

Roy Halladay, 11-4 with a 4.15 ERA.
Good ass too.

Thursday’s Hottie Hit n Run

Following in the footsteps of Hotties Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, NBA Hottie Lebron James has been announced as the host for the season premiere of Saturday Night Live in September.  It is possible he parlayed his recent stint on the ESPYs into a gig hosting SNL when he parodied Bobby Brown by singing “My Lebrongative.”  Hmmmm.  Well considering the current state of SNL, Lebron should fit right in.  Kidding!  I think Manning had a very funny episode and Lebron could definitely produce something awesome as well.  [Please Let Him Host Weekend Update]