Jetting Away: Bart Scott

It’s with a somewhat heavy heart that I take a moment to reflect on the release of linebacker Bart Scott of the New York Jets. His last few seasons were marred by injury and discontent, but we’ll always remember him for this epic interview following the Jets’ pounding of the Pats in the 2010 divisional playoffs:

And so another step has been taken as the Jets try to distant themselves from that dumpster fire of a 2012 season. But take heart, Bart Scott fans: there’s a chance he may land with Buffalita’s Bills.

Five For Friday: Don’t Let The Door Hit Your Arse Edition

Why am I so happy when my NHL team is in 12th place? That picture should give you a hint. Five for Friday after the jump, y’all…

Cool Sports Stuff You Probably Didn’t Get for Christmas

There were a lot of sports-themed gifts given in my family this year. I received a set of Cardinals pens and my first official Jets shirt (right at the time when I was most mortified to be a Jets fan, but that’s another story), my boyfriend received a few Saints items, and a lot of orange changed hands among the 3/5 of my immediate family who attended Oklahoma State.

But, as often happens, it was only this week that I discovered a few awesome sports related items that I really wish I’d known about in early December.

Our fave sports moments of 2011

Your TV, radio and internets are being bombarded with Year In Review posts and specials as I type this. Well, guess what? It’s no different here at Ladies… We took a few moments this week to reflect on our favourite memories of this past year. Some will be hilariously obvious, others may surprise you. All of them will make you warm and fuzzy, like a delicious flute of champagne.

Advent Calendar of Hotness: Day 23

Hot man. Stupid cap.

At some point earlier this week, Games Mistress pleaded in our Top Secret Ladies… Email Exchanges “[Would] someone please do Wes Welker.  So hot, but so much a Patriot.” I offered to hold my nose and do the job.

OMG, YOU GUYS, THE SACRIFICES I MAKE FOR THIS BLOG! I cannot begin to describe the hardship – nay, the emotional distress! – involved in researching this post. I hope you’re all happy now! Y’all owe me!

It’s the 2011 NHL Playoffs, you guys!

It’s a glorious time of year! (Unless you’re a Leafs fan or Cory Clouston.) It’s time for our quick and dirty preview of the first round of the NHL Playoffs. Here are the matchups that begin Wednesday:

Hit and Run: With Spring in our Step

Here's Marquette, whose victory over Syracuse last night made me cry. (Photo: Getty Images)

It’s Monday. How are your brackets looking? Like hell? Thought so.

First of all, a warm welcome to our special guest Ladies… Bracket Brawl participants: Melissa_thistle, Courknee35, Big10Bias and fellow Canuck/friend of the blog Andrew Bucholtz (you will go read his blog The 55-Yard Line now, won’t you?) Our current leader isn’t in our Ladies… group – due to technical difficulties, we had to create another group on ESPN.com so one gal could get her picks in. That gal is Buffalita, leading the pack with 460 points and picking Ohio State to win it all. CuteSports and Raven round out the Top 3 at 440 and 430 points respectively. Any hopes I had of repeating last year’s surprise success have been flushed down the proverbial toilet. I blame Butler.

Best of luck heading into Thursday! Sweet Sixteen will be hopefully be sweet for some of you.

So what else is going on?

Hockey Hotties On The Move: 2011 Edition

NOT HOT! But Burkie rocks the untied tie like nobody's business.

The timing was almost perfect: I took today off to recover from an arduous 11 hours of traveling from Ottawa to my East Coast home on Sunday to make up for a canceled direct flight on Friday (Mother Nature has been particularly bitchy to New Brunswickers this year. I swear, we have at least one snowstorm a week.) The hubby and I were all set to brew some coffee, snuggle on the couch and consume hours of TSN Tradecentre 2011 (the annual wall-to-wall coverage of the NHL Trade Deadline, for those of you unfamiliar.)

But not surprisingly, another snowstorm dumped 15 centimetres (at least) in our driveway and the kids stayed home from school. *sigh* So much for Date Day.

Trade Deadline Day was disruptive for some of our favorite players as well. Here’s a look at some of the notables who wound up with a new zip/postal code today, as well as a few who surprisingly managed to stay put.

Friday Fellow: Dwayne Roloson

My affection for the older guys has been well documented here at Ladies… What can I say? Take young forward Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes, for example. Cute, yes, but far too young for me to buy him a drink. He’s not even legal in my province, anyway.

However, I’d hire Skinner to babysit my kids so that I could hit the town in my patent leather peep toe pumps with Tampa Bay’s recently acquired goaltender, Dwayne Roloson.

Hit and Run: Waiting for Those Other Shoes

 

NOT these shoes. Or these socks, for that matter.

The wait for the BCS Championship game (seriously, January 10? and a playoff would take too much time?) may be over, but the waiting for a lot of other sports news is just getting started.  I delayed this post as long as possible hoping a couple of these things might actually go ahead and happen, but apparently the sports world does not exist to satisfy my needs as a blogger. Still, here’s a brief run down of pending news just in case you don’t want to refresh ESPN every five minutes.

Advent Calendar of Hotness – Day 8

I am just going to make the “day 8” part of this, so it’s a good thing today’s ACoH selection has become very familiar to all of us over the last two months.  Ladies (and gentlemen, if you are so inclined), please enjoy the following views of NL Rookie of the Year Buster Posey:

Advent Calendar of Hotness – Day 6

Hughes proved his worth in the bullpen in 2009 when the Yankees last won the World Series. Ah, those were good times.

Ah, crap, so we’re a day behind. Let’s just get my requisite Yankee selection out of the way, shall we? It’s Phil Hughes, he who won back his role as a starter in 2010, and he who was sadly on the mound in Game 6 of the ALCS when Joe Girardi decided that intentional walks were the Best Idea Ever. No, I am not bitter.

The California native had, in my view, one of his best seasons in pinstripes in 2010. His 4.19 ERA was, well, meh, but Phil went 18-8 with a not-too-shabby 146 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.25. If only AJ Burnett was that reliable.

Check out the pitcher who hasn’t had a truckload of money dumped in front of his house after the jump.

Your NHL 2010-11 Hotness Preview: the Northeast

Save some of that for the regular season, Dion. (Photo: Getty Images)

The countdown to October 7th is underway! That’s when the puck drops and the ice is prepped for a brand-new NHL season. Raven and I will be bringing you previews the only way we know how…with photos of hot men.

We bring you the Northeast after the jump.

Down To The Wire

Say goodnight, Ozzie. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

It seems like only yesterday we were squealing with delight about the arrival of the 2010 Major League Baseball season. Now here we are in the final weeks of the regular season. Some fans will be packing away their Pirates and Mets tees away with their capri pants and strappy sandals, reflecting on a season that should have been. But others will be biting their nails and rocking back and forth on their couches, popping Tums and living in fear that the stupid Rays will take the AL East (OK, maybe that’s just me)

Here’s a quick look at how the race to the postseason is looking heading into tonight’s games, and how this prognosticator (HAHAHAHA!) sees it going down:

Ladies… Book Club: Yes, Bee is reading Simmons

A few months back, you may recall I mentioned winning a copy of Bill Simmons’ The Book of Basketball from CBC Radio 3 through an e-mail contest. Honestly, it was one of those moments of “Har, har, I’m going to send an entry because wouldn’t it be funny if the Yankee fan won a book written by the Yankee hater!” And then I did. Again, many thanks, Vish!

So a funny thing happened: I actually started reading it this summer, mostly because I have a friend who’s a huge fan and I’m constantly teasing him about his manlove for Simmons. I thought it was time to see what the fuss was about. And you know what? I don’t hate it.

It’s the Sports Gods Valentine to you!

Surely you weren't expecting Schwartzenegger here! Vancouver Canucks legend Trevor Linden with the Torch earlier today (Photo Credit: Arlen Redekop)

This weekend is the sports equivalent of being handed a heart-shaped velvet box of decadent dark chocolates and not knowing whether to start nibbling on the dipped hazelnut or the coconut creme. But let’s face it – we deserve to be spoiled! Yes, there’s this party going on in Vancouver right now, but if you need something to keep you busy until the Pacific timezone catches up to, there’s lots to choose from.

Hit and Run: Here Comes the Super Bowl!

Three more days to endure until Super Bowl Sunday.  Fortunately, I’ve had a busy week to take my mind off the waiting.  Also fortunately, there’s some great pictures coming out of Miami to whet your football appetite and save me from having to write too much.

First up, Daylife.com (via Getty Images), has a whole series of pictures of the painting of the turf, which I found fascinating.

Yes, Again: The (Last-Minute) Case For Tim Lincecum

There is a statistically-inclined rant after the jump that I think you all need to hear.

Lusty Locks

In honor of Troy Polamalu’s return to the field yesterday and because this commercial

never fails to make me laugh, we’re starting off Monday morning with an ode to boys with long hair.

Your 2009-10 NHL Hotness Preview: Pacific Division

For a change, Scottie and Matthew have something to smile about (AP/Paul Connors)

So you’ve seen our take on the Central, Atlantic, Southeast and Northeast divisions. With just hours to go before the puck drops on a new season, our in-depth (heh…) coverage continues with a look at the Pacific.

Magic Number Check: AL Edition

For the last few weeks, over at my favorite Cardinals blog, Viva El Birdos, Will Leitch has been tracking the team’s magic number by highlighting a past or current Cardinal player with the corresponding jersey number. Today’s number, for example, is Ozzie Smith.

Earlier in the week, I was hoping I’d get to write a congratulatory post, but then we had to go and lose to the Astros yesterday; the earliest the Cards can clinch the division now is if the Cubs lose to the Giants tonight, but I live on the East Coast and this post is already late as it is.  So since I looked at the NL races last week, I thought I’d steal borrow Will’s idea and apply the player number countdown to the AL races.

Holy S*** I Was There: Jeter hits #2,722

This past spring, I purchased via StubHub two tickets for Section 208 of Yankee Stadium for the September 11th game against the Orioles. As you recently learned, this would be my first live Major League ball game in more than 15 years, and my first ever Yankees game.

I had no idea at the time that I would be witness to a moment in Yankees history.

If you feel a wave of nausea washing over you, you may prefer to read this (and believe me, I agree – Mauer is more MVP-worthy). The rest of you can deal with my swooning after the jump.

Theme Thursday: Holy Crap, It’s College Football Edition

This week's theme is a toy only and should not be used as a livesaving device.

Partly because I’ve been consumed with fantasy football drafts and partly because the university at which I work a)has no football team and b)hasn’t started classes yet, the start of the college football season this week caught me a little off guard.  This round of Theme Thursday pays tribute to the scholar-athletes of the gridiron no matter how seriously they might take the first part of that title*.  No one won last round, so I’ll be taking the credit (or blame) for this trio.

*Note to NCAA: I am not implying anything about the players pictured in this post. It’s called a joke.

Child Pleeez! Athletes and the Interwebs

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. ;-)

This (Half) Week in Pitching

Good thing his parents didn't opt for the "Zach" or "Zac" spellings.

My brother and I were discussing the other day how it’s hard to pay attention to baseball in August, when half the teams are out of the playoff hunt already but the really meaningful division deciding games are still a few weeks off.  This week a selection of MLB starters took it upon themselves to call our attention back from NFL training camp, impending fantasy football drafts, and Usain Bolt.  Three days in awesome pitching, after the jump.

Hump Day Hotties: AFC & NFC South

Some of us Ladies have been looking forward to football season, so I thought what better way to get everyone hyped than to feature a hottie from every NFL team.  Each week for the next four weeks, we’ll be featuring lesser-known hotties from an AFC and NFC division.

So far we have featured hotties from the AFC & NFC North, East and West. This week is our final installment.  So take the plunge, and follow me after the jump to get a peek at some hotties from the AFC and NFC South.

Hit and Run: Keeping it Canadian

Two tennis greats are no match for the geek-out allure of what looks like an iPhone. (AP)

2009 Swimming World Championships

(Or, a great reason to post gratuitous pictures of Ryan Lochte)

Ryan won four golds at the 2009 World Championships in Rome. His big win came in the 200 meter IM, where he broke Michael Phelps world record. He also got gold in the 400IM, two relay golds and a bronze in the 200 backstroke.

“I felt really good,” Lochte said. “Any time you win a medal or break a world record, it makes you feel special. I knew I would have to swim faster than in previous rounds, but I think I can be even quicker. I will get back in the pool as soon as possible and train even harder.”

Phelps basically retired from this event after the Olympics last summer, leaving an opening for Lochte to step up.

As they said at the end of yesterday’s broadcast, Lochte solidified himself as the second-best swimmer in the world and the US has one hell of a one-two punch.

But enough of the details – I won’t pretend you care. Follow the jump for more pictures from the World Championships

MLB Hotties on the Move

No, no! He's not going anywhere!

Somewhere, in a vast wilderness where cell phones signals go to die and there is no SportsCenter, Crane is feeling a psychic wave of untold joy and relief. That’s because the trade deadline has passed and Roy Halladay stayed in Toronto. Hey, Riccardi, thanks for playing with the heads of Jays’ fans these last few weeks! There’s a special place in hell for GMs like you – right beside John Ferguson Jr.

It’s been a busy few days. Let’s put all the nonsense of PEDs and Papi behind us and concentrate on the actual game of baseball baseball transactions. If your fave player left on a jet plane today for another team and you don’t know when he’ll be back again (hint: check the team schedule), I’m sorry to hear that. On the other hand, if your team has been injected with newfound playoff hope, congratulations! Hope that works out for you guys! Unless you like the Red Sox, and then…you know how I feel.

Foodie Friday: Blue-Jay-Berry Cobbler

Roy ponders the idea of enjoying a delicious serving of cobbler just as soon as he finishes pitching another complete game.

I realize this edition of Foodie Friday doesn’t exactly scream “Food for Boozy Sports Gathering”. But if you need something to bring to a girlfriends’ potluck, a family reunion picnic, or damnit you just want comfort food, this cake-y dessert fits the bill nicely. Besides, wild blueberry season is approaching (at least in my neck of the woods) I usually buy a 5 lb. box and spend the better part of six months making this, or muffins, or pancakes. If you want, I’ll dig out those recipes another day (good for football brunch!) For now, enjoy a recipe inspired by the hapless Jays after the jump.