Four years later, this low tech illusion from Torino is still one of my favorite Olympic opening ceremonies segments ever:
After this last week, a good portion of North America is going to need some snowed-in activities this weekend. So in honor of the Vancouver Games’ impending opening on Friday, I give you an updated version of Olympic Opening Ceremonies Bingo!
Riding out the Ladies… Super Bowl excitement further, I’d like to extend my congratulations to Drew, Coach Peyton, and the city of New Orleans on winning the 44th Super Bowl!!! And call it my nature, blame it on where my interests lie, but I found it only fitting to include this awesome video for K. Gates’ “Who Dat”, along with my own analysis and recap of the (incredibly disappointing) Super Bowl ads.
Well.
It was supposed to be the Yankees.
It wasn’t.
I’m going to miss you, you know. I’m going to miss that little sliver of hope that the rest of the team would play as well as they’d need to in order to deserve you, and I’m going to miss having someone to believe in every fifth day (or really, every day), and I’m going to miss everything about the way you affected the team and the city and the fans. Hell, I’m not just ‘going to’, I already do.
I’m not saying the Jays have nothing to play for anymore – just that it’s going to feel that way for a while.
So I’ll see you around, I guess.
I don’t know when I’ll be ready to say goodbye.
By now you’ve seen the picture but I couldn’t resist having our readers chime in. I love my boys, but they make it so damn easy to rip on!
It’s no secret that athletes love Twitter. And fans love that so many athletes are a part of Twitter. I’m sure for many people Ochocinco’s Twitter is a daily source of entertainment. Athletes use Twitter for anything and everything; most of the time it is all in good fun. But it seems that some are using their Twitter account to rant and do a little trash talk. Now, I’m not uptight and have no problem with a little bit of trash talk before a game. However, I do have a problem when it is so incredibly corny or just straight up wrong. I think that if any athlete is going to use their Twitter to talk a little smack about their opponent, they should really do a better job than these people.
While this photo is quite cheezy, I'm not gonna lie - it was my wallpaper for a hot minute!
Three things led me to this week’s post topic.
1) My favorite athlete, Mike Green, launched his own website.
2) I had a chance encounter with the New York Yankees.
3) The NFL’s ruling on Twitter & Facebook.
Since we are living in the Internet Age, it’s only natural to go to the ‘net for everything we need. Athletes are no different. We are all guilty of googling our favorite athletes at one time or another, and I’m sure we weren’t just looking for stats. We were looking for personal information. Think about how much of your personal info is available to anyone online. Now double, triple or quadruple that, and that’s about how much info you could possibly find on any given athlete or celebrity. And sometimes, those same people are putting that info out there for us to find.
Follow me after the jump where we talk about Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. Oh, and I’m sure you all want to hear about my run-in with the boys in pinstripes. ;-)
In case you haven’t noticed, the Dodgers just traded a PTBNL and cash for Jim Thome.
That’s right, the one and only
JI
JIM THOME.
They say he’ll be a bat off the bench, but I say they should just put him at first base and let him play. But that’s not even the point. The point is, THE HERO OF THE DUGOUT IS COMING TO MY TOWN. HE WILL SMASH TATERS THAT WILL GO LIKE THIS:
OFF THE BAT, OFF AN AIRPLANE, AIRPLANE EXPLODES, PASSENGER CLINGS TO BALL AS IT FALLS, PASSENGER FALLS TO DOOM, OUT OF THE STADIUM.
Or maybe even like this:
OFF THE BAT, THE BALL DISINTEGRATES, THE ATOMIC RESIDUE TRAVELS FAR FROM THIS MORTAL PLANE, REFORMS IN HEAVEN, OFF THE FACE OF OUR LORD, OUT OF THE STADIUM.
Suddenly, I care about the Dodgers again.
In one of my earliest posts here at Ladies…, I confessed my deep and abiding love for track and field. (Also, holy crap — that was a year ago?) Well, I have once again proven my track nerd bonafides by not only watching last weekend’s coverage of the World Championships in Berlin (such as it was, since I don’t get Versus and had to make do with the two hours a day NBC could tear away from the “Dew Tour”) but getting into a giddy text message exchange with my brother immediately after watching Usain Bolt’s smashing of his own 100m world record. (My brother, by the way, believes Usain can break 9.4 before he retires.)
The return of football to my television screen has left me delighted… yet wanting more! So I pulled out my collection of football movies to satisfy my hunger and notice that a killer soundtrack is an essential ingredient in gridiron story telling.
No Foodie Friday this week. Sorry. But since you’re here why don’t you think about having chicken tonight? Check out this recipe from one of my fave writers (and the reason I got into blogging) Catherine Newman. [Dalai Mama Dishes]
Fenway Park – it’s not just for NHL hockey! College hockey teams – mens’ and womens’ - will hit the ice outdoors in January. [ESPN]
Given Cutesports’ recent piece on plunking, I thought this was mighty interesting. Heh. [3:10 to Joba]
I refuse to apologize for my adoration of Derek Jeter, just as I refuse to apologize for enjoying the Doobie Brothers’ “Minute By Minute” album. The title track is classic, and Michael McDonald is certainly no Michael Bolton (and that’s a good thing!) Here’s yet another reason why the Captain makes me smile. [The LoHud Yankees Blog]
The future Mr. Bee (Reuters)
Today has officially been dubbed “Dead Day” at my work since we’re hurting for any type of live sporting event. Some of my coworkers have suggested having a sports-themed movie day, and that got me thinking about some of my favorite sports-centric movie characters. I polled the Ladies to see what movie characters they crushed on as teenyboppers (or as grown women – we don’t judge!).
Follow us after the jump to see our crush-worthy choices!
When the idea of a Ladies… Book Club was mentioned, I realized that I better beef up on my sports-centric reading material. A few days later, I was at my local wholesale club and stumbled upon a gem: A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez by Selena Roberts. It was half-price and full of juicy, A-Rod gossip. It was fate.
We were pretty much inundated with excerpts from this much-discussed tell-all, so I felt familiar with it immediately. We all thought we knew what the book was about: steroids. Well, my friends, we weren’t entirely right.
We here at Ladies…love Twitter. There’s something kind of twisted and voyeuristic and slightly stalkerish about it that we just adore. (There’s also something to be said about the ability to roll our eyes at Ashton Kutcher in real time. Oh, admit it. You follow him, too. There are two million of us.)
Of course,there’s a downside to being a celebrity on Twitter. For one thing, everything you say can be turned around and announced in the mainstream media. (Newt Gingrich’s Tweet calling Judge Sonia Sotomayor a racist went from ill-advised tweet to conservative nutjob talking point almost immediately. Gossip sites ran with the announcement that John Mayer had *gasp* announced his breakup with Jennifer Aniston on Twitter.) There’s no privacy.
But then, there are the impostors. Ohhhhhh, there are impostors. For some ungodly reason, people amuse themselves by making up fake Twitter accounts and pretending to be celebrities. We don’t quite understand it, but some people will do anything for attention. (Just look at Spencer Pratt. Don’t worry, we hate ourselves for making that joke, and for knowing who he is in the first place.) Usually, a celebrity will catch wind of one of these accounts, sign up with their own account and declare that the impostors are fake. No harm done, takes about five minutes, everyone moves on, right?
With the exception of very few major league teams, more likely than not your season consistently ends in tears. Sitting in a bar this past Saturday, looking at the faces of those around me wearing Cavs jerseys, I was reminded once again of the ultimate reality of Ohio teams in the post season, and the heart break that lies therein.
The more I thought about it, we are not alone. You know who you are, kings and queens of “there’s always next year,” or preseason shouters of, “this is our year!” And you can be found across this great nation.
So here begins my little journey across country, to highlight our defeats, but most importantly, the beauty that comes from being a fan, and the hope that maybe, just maybe, this really is our year!
Baywatch: Jersey Shore...Now auditioning the NY Jets
So this space was supposed to be a mini-French Open preview, but after taking in some NFL Live yesterday and seeing these shots of Mark Sanchez, I felt that they totally warranted a post.
Without ever breaking a sweat in the NFL, Mark Sanchez has already been labeled the new “It” boy by GQ. Move over Tom Brady! GQ even managed to find Sanchez a hot supermodel to help him out with the shoot. Forget about Gisele, Hilary Rhoda was Sanchez’s arm candy. I guess GQ wanted to get Mr. Sanchez ready for the Jersey Shore this summer…either that or he’s filming a new Baywatch movie. I can’t decide. More 70′s swimwear modeled by the Jets QB after the jump.
Good morning. Please bear with me as I attempt to explain why I’m the worst Dodgers fan ever.
Prettiness abounds. Hit the jump for more awesomeness.
I’ve been a Royals fan my entire life. Unfortunately, that’s only 20ish years, meaning the team has pretty much been a laughingstock since I was born. But you know what? The best pitcher in all of baseball – let me repeat that here – the best pitcher in all of baseball wears a Kansas City uniform.
And look! JoePo's 2nd SI cover story, for 2x the Awesomeness!
Last Sunday, I was in the Tulsa airport preparing to fly back East, when I noticed the airport bookstore (which is locally owned), already had a sign out next to their OU merchandise reading “Congratulations Sooners! 2009 National Championship.” And that’s pretty much when I knew OU was doomed. (OK, I’m exaggerating. Kind of.)
Anyway, congratulations Florida, and also to OU for a thrilling season (with two notable exceptions, obviously). Now I will proceed to mope for the next 24 hours or so. I originally thought perhaps I’d get some solace from posting some hot athlete pictures, but the problem with that plan is that hot athletes remind me of sports which reminds me of the game. So I hope you all don’t mind if I invite my Imaginary TV Boyfriend, Lee Pace, to mope (hotly) along with me.
I am a terrible procrastinator, especially when the holidays come around. I have unopened boxes of Christmas cards that have been sitting around my apartment for two years because I put off doing them until it’s late enough in December that I “save” them for “next year.”
So of course, since we’re only going into the second official holiday shopping weekend, I am not planning on doing any shopping (or card addressing). I am planning on watching college football. Lots and lots of college football.
Slash fiction... geddit?
This week’s Waxing Off topic at Deadspin was… disturbing. And gross. And demeaning to the women asked to write about it. If you didn’t read it, here’s the email sent to the women asked to contribute:
Michael Phelps Slash Fiction.
The inspiration for this comes from two sources. First, this post, which is pure nightmare fuel. Then there’s this, about how Phelps is being pursued by Lindsay Lohan (equally terrifying). We’d like to follow things to their logical conclusion, and figure that you guys would be the best to do that. Make it read like an excerpt from a steamy, filthy book. Put Michael Phelps in the situation of your choosing … male on male, male on female, Phelps on llama … the aristocrats! Nothing is too over-the-top or depraved; it’s slash fiction. Let ‘er rip. Keep to 250-350 words, if possible. And don’t forget the short graph at the end about yourself, where you can plug your site and/or projects if you wish.
Here are our collected reactions to this request:
I'm not totally crazy, right? About this, anyway.
There has been a lot of Michael Phelps ogling here at Ladies… recently.
I am not one of those oglers.
This is not because I’m not a fan of his athletic accomplishments, or because I can’t acknowledge that Phelps is a good looking young man (apologies for channeling my grandmother there). Since the Athens Olympics, however, I have become obsessed with the striking resemblance the most decorated Olympian of all time bears to my youngest brother. It’s very difficult to find someone hot when every time you look at them, you are reminded of a blood relative.
Anyway, Phelps isn’t the only Olympic medalist who reminds me of someone else. More athletes and their (actually famous and not related to me in any way) dopplegangers after the jump.
One of my first sports related memories is of watching the Olympic torch running through the streets of Los Angeles just prior to the 1984 Opening Ceremonies. (Fun Fact: The final torch bearer that year was Rafer Johnson; my brothers and I would later fight over who got to be him whenever we played my dad’s old Sports Illustrated Decathalon game. Well him and Jim Thorpe, who was like the Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson of that game.)
Anyway, since then I have managed to catch at least part, if not all, of the Opening Ceremonies of every Summer Games and most of the Winter Ones. However, thanks to the long tape delay and internet coverage of several of the last few games, the Opening Ceremonies lack some of the suspense they once had. Hell, by the time most of you read this we’ll all know who lit the torch for the Beijing Games, what the torch looked like, and if anyone passed out from the smog during the Parade of Nations. So, how do those of us who can’t/won’t be available at 8 am to watch the live internet feed liven up 3 + hours of Bob Costas’s running commentary? Opening Ceremonies Bingo!
Continue reading
I’m back with the MLB rankings. The Cardinals have faltered lately, but I’m still delighted at the strength of the NL Central this year. My division isn’t a joke this year! See if you can decipher my code to read the rankings. It’s like a puzzle. You can leave your guesses in the comments if you like.
Mmmm, Spike.
1. Cordelia: Well, you’ll be okay here. If you hang with me and mine, you’ll be accepted in no time. Of course, we do have to test your coolness factor. You’re from L.A., so you can skip the written, but let’s see. Vamp nail polish?
2. Ross: I had a dream last night where I was playing football with my kid.
Joey, Chandler: That’s nice.
Ross: No, no, with him. I’m on this field, and they, they hike me the baby. I know I’ve gotta do something ’cause the Tampa Bay defense is comin’ right at me.
Joey: Tampa Bay’s got a terrible team.
Ross: Right, but, it is just me and the baby, so I’m thinkin’ they can take us.
I was asked to compete in the inaugural Iron Ref contest over at our friends Hugging Harold Reynolds. I’m competing against Blog Hotties Dewey Hammond and Chris Mottram. Dewey is the Managing Editor of Yardbarker and Chris is the Editor of The Sporting Blog. Those are big places. I’m just a lowly little Lady and Cranklet. So go vote for me here! Leave votes in the comments. I don’t need (not do I expect) to win, I just don’t want to get embarrassed.
Here is the enemy my competition (Dewey on the left, Chris on the right) because Ladies… is a blog that values cuties and I could not help but notice that they both fall into that category.
Do not be swayed by their cuteness! Vote for me!
Today there is a post on AOL Fanhouse of an interview with me about sex/sexism in sports blogging. There were cuts made to the interview that I objected to, so I am posting the interview in its entirety here because I don’t think a subject’s answers should be cut, or if they have to be cut the subject should be the one making the cuts. The big cuts are in italics. There are other minor changes here and there as well.
For reals.
Pat Neshek is out of the Minnesota Twins lineup, likely for the rest of the year. He has an acute partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, as shown on an MRI from Friday, May 9, 2008. Neshek and the organization are hoping he won’t need Tommy John surgery, as that would put him out for most of the 2009 season as well. According to twinsbaseball.com, Neshek said doctors feel the injury can be treated with rest and rehabilitation. “We’re going to prepare for Opening Day next year,” Neshek said. In the meantime, will he still be able to update us on his status in his entertaining and informative blog, On The Road With Pat Neshek? The rest of the story, after the jump…
As you may know, the Ladies… spent Saturday and Sunday watching and blogging the NFL Draft. Strapping young men in suits about to be come millionaires? Yes, please!
Football powers, activate!
After the jump, a look at some of the best and brightest of the draft. Keep in mind that this list is nowhere near comprehensive, as there were many, many hot men who got new jobs this weekend. These are some of my favorites. Please feel free to share your favorites in the comments.
Well, I guess if anybody is going to shit his pants during a game, Tyler Hansbrough is going to do it in the hardest-working, grittiest, most blue-collar way.
Did you know Will Leitch, Mr. Head Sportsblogger, King of Blogfrica, Mattoon’s Native Son, and general bon vivant has a book coming out next week?
It’s called God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back). Quite a mouthful.
Did you know he also has a fancy book tour heading to a bookstore near you right after the Super Bowl?
Next week? Next month? But that seems so far away! This is blogging in a 24/7 ESPN sports culture and I demand reactions now! If I don’t have the snap judgments of what other bloggers think, how am I going to know what I am supposed to think? Where will all the other book readers express their opinions on “God Save the Fan” on January 22?
Who will have a review up first?
Let’s lay some odds on where the party is going to be.
