Back on the NHL Wagon

You win, Leafs. I mean, you didn’t last night, but in the battle for winning me back over? I’d say you win.

Jake Gardiner made it fun to be a Leafs fan for a few minutes Monday night.

So remember last fall when I was pissed off with the NHL? And my utter apathy when it returned earlier this year? I truly managed to go an entire (shortened) season without watching a complete game. I ignored favourite hockey blogs. I occasionally snubbed Sportscentre. I shrugged when I heard the Leafs may possibly be in playoff contention. I watched people who swore up and down on social media that they’d never forgive the NHL forgive the NHL and tune in with days of the league’s return. I was teased by my friends. “You’ll be back,” they said.

The Ladies… Bracket Brawl Commences!

Let’s see, Louisville, Florida State, Missouri … was there any major conference tournament where the 1 seed came out on top?  And are those results foreshadowing another chaotic NCAA tournament, or just a sign of the top teams saving their best efforts for a national championship run?

You tell us, because the Ladies…Bracket Brawl is back!  Just join our Tournament Challenge group (the password is ladiesdotdotdot) and see if you can be the first reader in three years to come out on top.  The Ladies are just playing for bragging rights; our readers are playing for their very own guest post.  Of course you have to win first.  And to win you have to enter a bracket before the games begin on Thursday, March 15.* Just click the link and get started!

*The First Four play-in games, which take place earlier in the week, aren’t included in the brackets. Sorry, that’s just how ESPN sets it up.

Welcome to Buffalita’s Bachelorette! (Part 1)

Never mind Kate and William, or those rumours about Brangelina finally tying the knot. The Wedding We Care About here at Ladies… is that of our own Buffalita, who will be exchanging vows with the soon-to-be Mr. Buffalita next weekend.

Unfortunately, time, money and geography prevents us Ladies… from throwing her a proper bachelorette party, complete with wine, taco dip and game of washers (WHAT! A game of washers was completely acceptable at my baby shower! Maritimers know how to party, yo!)

So instead, we’re sending our best wishes in true Ladies… fashion with this series of posts dedicated to the Best Bride-to-be in NY State. Who needs a male *ahem* exotic dancer when you can run a series of photos of handsome athletes instead? (Besides, it eliminates that messy tipping…)

Let this song set the mood and join us after the jump to see who I picked for Part 1 of Buff’s Bachelorette.

The Ladies… All-Star Liveblog Extravaganza Approaches!

Another year, another All-Star Break. As is tradition, we will be liveblogging both Monday’s Home Run Derby and Tuesday’s All-Star Game, starting at 8pm EST both evenings. Will this mysterious new “team format” revolutionize the Home Run Derby in the modern era? How much of FOX’s X-Factor promo are we going to have to sit through before the actual game starts? We welcome all reader comments, so limber up your typing fingers!

Impending Liveblog Alert!

The calm before the storm.

Given how much we love hockey around these parts, we had to do something special for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. So join us back here Wednesday night, for our Stanley Cup liveblog — reader comments are not only allowed, but encouraged!

Your Annual “Ladies… On A Break” Post

A few of us could tolerate being here right now for our spring break, even with the overcast Florida skies. (Photo: AP)

We’re taking their annual blogging break to recharge our batteries. But don’t worry, we’ll be back in a week with all the fun that March has to offer: MLB Spring Training, NHL and NBA playoff position jockeying, and of course, March Madness (including our annual Bracket Challenge where I will defend my title as Unexpected Champ. I’m the Canadian. How does that even happen?)

Enjoy the next seven days!

Ladies All-Star Liveblog Day 2: The Squeakquel

Come join us as we continue our annual All-Star Liveblogging tradition with tonight’s actual game (8 PM EST).  We’ll have beer, blatant homerism, and plenty of snark for Tim, Joe and the rest of the FOX crew.  You don’t want to miss it — this might be the year the National League finally wins again!

Click Here for Liveblog

More fun than Farmville: Ladies… on Facebook and World Cup Bracket!

Just look at those smiling faces! Beautiful Carlos Bocanegra and some beautiful young soccer fans. (AP Photo)

There is more of us to love: we now have our own Facebook page. Just hit that “Like” button for additional access to our daily drooling, swooning, snark and overall awesomeosity. And because we dig our readers, you’re welcome to show us some love on our Wall or chime in on the Discussion Boards. It’s a bit bare at the moment, but you will find Games Mistress’s note on The Ladies…World Cup Pick ‘Em Challenge (the password, as always, is “ladies”) Trust us – we’ll fill it up with fun stuff quickly.

If FB is not your thing, remember you can still follow us on Twitter.

Happy Anniversary, Ladies…!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish a very HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my fellow Ladies… – this week marks many of our one year anniversary when we joined the Ladies…family!  So to Lady Bee, Lady Liz, Crane, Maggie, Raven, THE Blonde Bomber, CuteSports, and Buffalita, here is our favorite set of abs popping out of a cake :)

Special thanks to Games Mistress and Miss Minda for inviting all of us to be a part of this family of lovely Ladies… and keeping things going between the two generations!

And another special thanks is in order to our readers – we couldn’t have done this without all of you, so thank you for your continued support – keep coming back for more, and here’s to another great year of sabermetrics, football booties, and much, much more!

Spring Breaaaaak! Yeah!

So, since we were too busy liveblogging figure skating to take our usual February break, the Ladies are going to take off for a the next week and a half.  We’ll be back in time for March Madness and the start of baseball season.

P.S. You may want to start brushing up on your college basketball knowledge, because there will be a Ladies Bracket Pool this year.  Details when we return!

First Season Fan: New York Knicks

I’m not the world’s biggest NBA fan. I have probably watched a total of 10 games my whole life. But the truth is, I never really gave it a full chance. Well this year is different. Baseball season is practically over. Football is only one full day and then one night a week. Having both hockey AND basketball during the weekday, should keep me entertained. I love college basketball so I figure if I give the NBA a real chance, I should like it as well.

Know your girls and join the fight!

I know it’s off topic, but can we talk about the girls for a second?

According the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF), one in nine Canadian women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. I am quite certain the American statistics are not that far off. There’s 10 of us Ladies… and so many more of you. I don’t know about you but I don’t like those odds at all.

October is generally known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But for many individuals, the awareness isn’t limited to a month – it’s a 365-days-a-year affair, particularly for those who fight the disease, who have survived, and who are advocating and raising funds for better research, education and resources.

The Ladies …go (All) Star Gazing

Albert will be there. Probably doing this.

The All-Star break is fast approaching, but the Ladies aren’t just going to hang out at home like all the non-selected players.  Well, we are, but we’re also going to be at our computers bringing you not one, but two liveblogs: the Home Run Derby Monday night, and the All-Star Game itself Tuesday.  Make sure you bookmark our new Liveblog Central page — better yet, head on over there now and sign up to receive an email reminder in case your weekend gets a little out of control.

There will be baseball, there will be friendly wagering, there will be much mocking of Berman and McCarver on the appropriate days.   We’ll be using Cover It Live, so our lovely, witty commenters can join in on the fun.  Come on, you know you’re watching it anyway.  Why not watch it with us?

Happy Fourth of July from the Ladies…

It’s that time of years, folks, when we celebrate the birth of America by stuffing our faces full of barbecue and ogling explosions in the sky.

We here at Ladies…have our own hot date with some marching bands and sparklers. (Not at the same time, kids. Practice safe parading.) As such, we’re taking a bit of a break to celebrate America, apple pie, moms and baseball.

And good looking men doing delightful things involving sports.

Happy Birthday, America. Here, have Mike Rowe singing the National Anthem at a Bowie BaySox game.

UPDATED Announcement: Welcome your new Ladies…!

If you follow us on Twitter, you’ve gotten a pretty good idea of things that would not be announced on this site. Now, at long last, it’s time to let you in on what WILL be announced.

We have chosen our new Ladies…! We got a ton of great applications, and it wasn’t easy to choose. Thanks to everyone who applied, and please keep your eyes open to future Ladies… opportunities – we heart all of you! In no particular order, here’s  a bit about each of our new writers.

***UPDATE*** Due to a slight technical difficulty (in my brain), we neglected to include ALL of the new Ladies… in this here post. In addition to the warm welcome you’ve already given our 7 other newcomers, please take a moment to get to know the awesome CuteSports.

Looking for a Few Good Ladies …

…preferably with ideas about a few many good men.  Yes, as many of you may have suspected, given the events of last week, we’re looking for a few new Ladies to keep the blog (and our new Twitter) running at full speed.  Instructions are below. (Yes, they’re exactly the same as last time.  Don’t fix what ain’t broken, is what I say.)

A wee little announcement

The Ladies… are now on Twitter! Follow us here, and let us know what kind of 140-character brilliance you would like us to produce. The name of a daily hottie? Our new favorite recipes? Embarrassing childhood photos? Ryan Lochte? Let us know!

You can also keep track of our latest Tweets right here on the Ladies… home page. Just scroll down and look at the right side, right under the search bar to see them!

That’s all for now – some new stuff is on the horizon. Until next time, enjoy some gratuitous Chutley.

Do I *need* a reason to put his picture here?

Hump Day Hottie: Arizona State Wrestling

UPDATE: WRESTLING HAS BEEN REINSTATED AT ARIZONA STATE! HUZZAH!

As I have mentioned before, wrestling is my favorite sport. (The real stuff, not WWE.) An unfortunate reality in the world of wrestling is that at the college level, the sport is being decimated. 458 programs have been dropped since 1972. As a wrestling fan, I’ve written letters, bought t-shirts and donated money to try to save myriad programs, including Syracuse, Clemson, Slippery Rock, Fresno St. and Eastern Illinois. Oregon just finished their final season (damn you, Nike!) and on Tuesday, Arizona State announced that they were dropping wrestling, effective immediately. (They are also dropping men’s swimming and men’s tennis, citing economic reasons.) This breaks my heart, not just because a storied program is ending, not just because the Pac-10 is quickly dying, but also because of the hotties we’ll be missing out on. With that in mind, I bring to you the hotties of Arizona State wrestling, both present and past.

Heavyweight Quinton Pruett, formerly a Sun Devil. How cruel is the AD at ASU to deny us this?

The Post In Which I Completely Pat Myself On The Back

Remember back in March when Lady A announced that as a blog we were doing an in-house bet? Well, that bet wasn’t anything too big. Whoever won the tourny pool would get a banner with their favorite hotties on it. Well, thanks to Kansas (it’s like they keep giving me reasons to love them) I won the tourny. And because of the win I get my own hottie banner. As you can see above, my banner only features my three favs: Gerald Henderson, Curtis Granderson, and Tom Brady. Why those three? Check the reason after the jump.

Jared Allen: When Good Girls Love Bad Boys

The Minnesota Vikings traded away a first round pick and two third round picks to get Jared Allen from the Kansas City Chiefs last week. (And they still managed to get the Booty in the draft.) His contract could be worth up to $74 million over six years if he reaches certain incentives, including a guaranteed $31,000,069. (His jersey number is 69.) The signing bonus was $15.5 million. (He had 15.5 sacks last year). He is 26 years old, 6’6″, 270 lbs., he used to compete in rodeos and he owns riding horses. All the other hot, and not so hot, stats and information after the jump…

Introducing The New Ladies…

Two weeks ago we made an announcement looking for a few new ladies. And all I can say is wow. We had so many more emails than Wanda, Andie, and I were expecting. And let me tell you guys now that it was a hard decision. We had to turn down some people we really wanted to join. People that were kickass writers. People that would have fit in like a glove. We argued and argued and argued over who should join us. And then we ate some pie. But then it was back to arguing. And in the end we think we got the women who will help continue the Ladies… brand.

Before we get to introducing, let me say how much we appreciated all the applications we got. Seriously, all of you rock. You honestly have no idea how hard it was to pick our final gals. If there was a way we could take all of you we would. For reals. Thank you to everyone who submitted to join this little blog of ours. And please don’t stop coming by and commenting on Ladies… It’s because of you that this is so much fun to do.

Now, the newbies…

NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Auctions – UPDATE

Yesterday I posted about the NFL’s lack of follow-through in their Breast Cancer Awareness auctions. The big sites like Deadspin, SportsByBrooks, Dan Shanoff, Larry Brown Sports, and MJD’s The Debriefing over at the Fanhouse picked up on the story and helped spread the word that maybe the League should do more than just throw pink on coaches and fulfill their promise to do some fund raising.

Not that we have anything to do with it, but overnight NFL Auctions has placed a few more items up for bid. (Buried on page three, but they are there.)

Take the time to check out and hopefully bid on towels, hats, and mini-helmets from Mike Holgrem, Marcus Trufant, Deion Branch, Julian Peterson, Lofa Tatupu, Patrick Kearney, and Matt Hasselbeck.

Would have been nice to have this all up when the pink ribbon campaign was up, but late is better than never. We’ll keep updating you as more items – hopefully – go up.

1 in 8 Ladies Will Develop Breast Cancer in Her Lifetime – UPDATE

The NFL heavily promoted their Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, but what did it add up to other than coaches and officials wearing pink ribbons?

One of their highly touted initiatives was the use of the special pink towels by the players in games on October 7. From the press release, “Pink Gatorade Towels: Players will use special-edition pink Gatorade towels on the sidelines during the games. Players will autograph these towels and other pink merchandise, which will be put up for bid on NFL Auction, with proceeds going to breast cancer organizations.”

And this was the picture on NFL Auctions all month –

But where were the items? All month I waited to see what went up. You know what was auctioned off? Two towels. Two. A Peyton Manning signed towel and a Vince Young signed towel.

Two. Towels.

Now, I don’t want to accuse the League of window dressing and lip service, but in researching exactly what each team was doing for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (The word “awareness” always infuriates me, who is not “aware” by now?) at least a dozen or so teams mentioned this auction. So what happened? Where are the rest of the items? Isn’t fundraising just as important – if not more so – than making sure all the refs are wearing pink wristbands? I took that screenshot on Monday and yesterday the pink ribbon was taken down. So was it really all a bunch of hype for very little?

UPDATE: Overnight NFL Auctions finally put more items up for bid.  Check out our post here for a full listing.  Thanks to SportsbyBrooks, Deadspin, Dan Shanoff, and MJD at the Fanhouse for helping spread the word yesterday. 

Each team also participated to varying levels with a few glaring omissions. (We know Brady and Belichick are all about the boobies, so the Pats not even doing anything with their cheerleaders or with the ZTA sorority this season is shocking.) Let’s look at the complete rundown.

PSA: A Few Odds and Ends

Want an iPhone? Who doesn’t? They’re sexy, and all the big boys have them. Well, AA is introducing the Awful Announcing Pick ‘Em Challenge for the chance to win an iPhone. Sounds like fun, and who knows, you too can get your own 300-page bill from AT&T. (Seriously, go play – or we’ll hurt you.)

East Coast Pants Party: Come one, Come all!

 

With the Midwest Pants Party now over, it’s time to focus on the Big Apple and our very own Pants Party! 

When: Friday, June 22nd, 7:10 pm
Where: Shea Stadium
What:  A’s vs. Mets

I’ve already purchased a block of 25 seats in Upper Reserved Section 20, rows B, C, D, & E (seats 12-16 – and a few more – in each of those rows).  Those have already been snapped up.  But if you’re interested in coming, lemme know.  We’re also meeting up before the game at the Beer Garden in Astoria.  Fun times for all!

UPDATE: Tickets in Sec. 20, Row A are still available.  Also, Sportsgirl365 of Strike Zones and End Zones has some extras. Her email’s on the side bar of her site.

Orange and Maroon Day

In remembrance of the 33 lives lost in Blacksburg this week, Dan Shanoff and other blogs around the country are participating in Orange and Maroon Day by “wearing” the colors of Virginia Tech. Each of the Ladies… universities is represented on the banner above, in a show of solidarity with all VT students, alumni, faculty and staff as they struggle with the senseless tragedy and horrible loss.

Every other day of the year, we may be a College of Charleston Cougar, a Texas Longhorn, a Pitt Panther, a Rutgers Scarlet Knight, a Wake Forest Demon Deacon, an Iowa Hawkeye and a Tennessee Volunteer– but today, we are all Hokies.

Nick Dallamora, one of the three guys behind one of our favorite websites, The Dugout, is a student at Virginia Tech., and has written a touching account of his harrowing experience for Deadspin.

At times like these, words seem awfully inadequate. But please know that all of us here have the VT community in our hearts and thoughts. We’re here for you, in spirit if not in person.

March Madness with the KSK Mafia: The calm before the takedown.

Once upon a time, we made a friendly little wager with the lads of KSK. We stumbled, sobbed incoherently, giggled hysterically, and bit our nails in a most unattractive manner for three weeks. In a juju Hail Mary, we even aligned our fortunes with Buckeye Nation.

And Basketball Jesus (there’s a separate one for basketball), in his infinite wisdom, bestowed victory on the worthier party.

And there was much rejoicing.

[I’m going to try my best to get through the rest of this post without referencing Bill Pullman’s speech to the pilots in the American cinema classic Independence Day, but it is absolutely killing me. –Ed.]

Tomorrow is zero hour, where “zero” implies “vajayjay”. As agreed, the Ladies… will have the run of Kissing Suzy Kolber for one glorious day. A day of bunnies. A day of Bedazzlers. A day of kittens and puppies and rainbow sunsets and unicorns fucking in grassy fields. The KSK Mafia are doing their best to put on brave faces. Fear not, boyos. Our mission statement promises we don’t kiss nice, but we won’t leave any marks on your back that aren’t purely recreational.

Just a Reminder…

That this could theoretically happen if Florida loses tomorrow.

So. Um. Go Gators, I guess.