Monday's Links - 02/27/2012

Eye Candy of the Day

Today's links feature Malin Akerman.  Akerman is a member of the cast in the new movie Wanderlust which came out this past weekend.  That's a good enough reason to feature her here. 

Amazing Video of the Day

What if I told you any three dimensional object you can think of I could make with a printer?   

Baseball Links

Will all but a few teams fully reported to spring training, what better way to get excited for the season than with a few baseball related links. 

• If your favorite MLB team was a beer, which beer would it be?  Click to find out.
• This name of this site is worldseriesrings.net, pretty self-explanatory.
• Are you a fan of the Yankees or Red Sox and can't stand how long their games take?  Check out this site, you might find yourself watching the Padres.   
• Here is a graphic of all of the MLB fields of play.  See if you can figure some of them out without checking the answers at the bottom of the page
• Are you planning a trip to spring training?  Perhaps just excited for the regular season already?  To make sure you're ready for that first trip to the ballpark, here is a nice long list of lines you can use to heckle pitchers. 

NBA All Star Game

The West won this weekend at the NBA All Star game with Kevin Durant taking home the MVP honors.  Like usual though, the Dunk Contest was the main attraction of the weekend.  Here is a look at all the dunks from this weekend's competition.  Surprising, the D-League slam dunk contest was just as entertaining and featured a better costume.  As for the game itself, you can see highlights of the action right here.

Superman Video

During the 1990's the writers at DC Comics decided to kill off Superman.  Here is a fun look at the story DC used to kill off and eventually bring back the Man of Steel told in a video by Max Landis, the son of Animal House director John Landis.

 

Super Chuck Norris

Ever wondered what a Chuck Norris video game would look like?  Click and enjoy.

Friday's Links - 02/24/2012

Eye Candy of the Day

Maxim magazine has a feature with the girl of the upcoming movie Project X.  I saw it last night, for the third time already, thanks to my friends at Warner Bros.  Make sure to check it out in theaters March 2nd.


Ryan Braun

The Milwaukee Brewers star avoided a 50 game suspension when he won his appeal with Major League Baseball.  According to reports the case was dismissed due to a mishandling of his sample.  I believe that he is innocent but the way this process was handled leaves plenty of questions unanswered.

Busy Weekend in Sports

This weekend includes two of the yearly highlights on the sports calendar.  First off, NBA All-Star weekend kicks off Friday night in Orlando and concludes with the actually All-Star game Sunday night.  I'm setting the over/under on Dwight Howard trade references at a modest 250 during TNT's coverage of the event.  To get you ready for the second half of the season, here are some highlights from the first half of the season.

Also, the NASCAR season kicks off with the Daytona 500 Sunday afternoon.  After 5 straight championships, Jimmy Johnson was dethroned by Tony Stewart last season.  The smart money has to be on Johnson taking his title back this season.  To get you ready and excited for Sunday's race, here is a look at the best crashes from the 2011 season.  Rubbing's racing.

If you aren't completely burnt out after all of that, tune in to the 2012 Academy Awards on Sunday as well.  I haven't followed this year's Oscars all that closely but you can get a look at all the nominees and favorites here.  Also you can watch clips from this year's Best Picture nominees here.             



Powers Does it Again

Kenny Powers and his team at K-Swiss have released a new commercial to market their new shoe, Blades.  Enjoy.

Awesome Video of the Day

Quick question.  How long until this is an Olympic Sports?  20 years? 12 years?

Thursday's Links - 02/23/2012

Eye Candy of the Day

Eva Longoria has been named a co-chair of President Barack Obama's reelection campaign.  You can check out the "Desperate Housewife's" star and former Mrs. Tony Parker right here. 

Lin vs. LeBron

In the last action before All Star Weekend kicks off in Orlando, the Knicks square off against the Heat Thursday night.  With Miami being one of the strongest defensive teams in the league and Jeremy Lin being turnover prone so far, this could be the first time we really see Lin struggle.

Regardless of the outcome in tonight's game, the celebrity and legend of Jeremy Lin continues to grow.  Jimmy Fallon did a parody song of Pearl Jam's song Jeremy further cementing Linsanity as a global phenomena. 


On This Day in History

On this day in 1985, Bobby Knight tossed a chair across the floor in a game against Purdue.  I can't help but imagine the round the clock coverage this would have received had it happened today.  Knight received a 1 game suspension for his actions.

Amazing Gallery

While stumbling around the internet, I can across this gallery of a village in Afghanistan.  The entire setting seems like something other worldly or out of a science fiction movie.  Simply amazing how live adapts to the conditions of environment. 

Movie Clip of the Day

The other night I found myself watching the movie Rad for the first time in a great many years.  For those who are unfamiliar with the movie, Rad was a movie about BMX and freestyle bike riding in the 80s.  It's basically the story of a local kid, Cru Jones, who gains entry into the largest and most difficult race ever called Helltrack.  You can watch the movie trailer here and see a clip of the coolest dance scene you will ever see right here.  I also suggested taking a look at the history of the Mongoose bicycle right here.    



Wednesday's Links - 02/22/2012

Eye Candy of the Day

Today we feature actress and TV personality Olivia Munn.  Munn is currently working as a correspondent for the Daily Show but you might remember Munn from her stint as co-host of Attack of the Show! or the short lived show Perfect Couples.  You can also check out some of her earliest work right here.

Jeremy Linvestment

Some guy invested $1000 in a Jeremy Lin rookie card after his first two games with the Knicks.  He's now looking to cash in on that Linvestment.  You can buy it here for $25,000.  No big deal.



CM Punk vs. Chris Brown

WWE Superstar, CM Punk has found himself involved in a battle of words with Pop Star Chris Brown.  During their exchanges CM Punk has challenged Brown to a fight.  I don't expect this feud to co-headline WrestleMania, but at the least it should entertain while it lasts.  Feel free to follow both on Twitter to stay updated.  CM Punk can be followed on Twitter here and Chris Brown here.    




Music Video of the Day 

Last night I went to see Less Than Jake for the second time this week, which is one of the perks of living in New York City.  Here are the videos for their songs "Gainesville Rock City" off of the album Borders and Boundaries and "Overrated" off of the album In With the Out Crowd.  Enjoy. 

Awesome Video of the Day

If you do a lot of corresponding with friends or coworkers through email this might be something fun to look into.  This application adds a personal touch to the PC experience.     

Jose Canseco Project Day

February 21^st is and will forever be known as “Jose Canseco Project” Day. The “Jose Canseco Project” has had a widespread and lasting effect on the game of baseball and its namesake this blog. For those of you who have never heard this story before; this is the heartbreaking, tragic and unfortunate tale of the “Jose Canseco Project.”

The "Jose Canseco Project" was a secretive operation ran by Major League Baseball's commissioner’s office in the spring of 2002. After playing half a season for the Chicago White Sox in 2001, Canseco sat at 462 home runs, well within striking distance for a slugger of his status even in the twilight of his career. At the time, steroids were suspected by the public along with writers but the reach and depths of usage had not become public knowledge yet. Fearful that someone who had so obviously use steroids would reach 500 career home runs, a statistic that all but guaranteed himself a place in the Hall of Fame; the commissioner’s office took unprecedented action.

In December of 2001, MLB baseball took over controlling interest of the Montreal Expos, coinciding with the sales of the Florida Marlins and the Boston Red Sox. This new controlling interest in one of its franchises allowed the commissioner’s office to alleviate an existing dilemma. On February 21, 2002, the 37 year old Canseco was signed by the Montreal Expos and brought to spring training to be there every day left fielder, thus the “Jose Canseco Project”was set in motion.

On March 27^th, just six days before the start of the season, the Expos inexplicably released Canseco. By being released that late into spring training, Canseco was left with nowhere to turn since all other MLB rosters had already been assembled and were preparing for the impending start of the regular season. The MLB commissioner’s office had successfully prevented Canseco from obtaining a spot on a MLB roster through its shrewd actions.

In a move that they thought and hoped would protected the integrity of the game, the commissioner’s office set the pieces in place for the ultimate unveiling of its dirty little secret. In the spring of 2004, Canseco made one last-ditch effort to reach the Major Leagues while trying out for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After this last attempted failed, Canseco turned his back on the game that had betrayed him.

In 2005, Jose Canseco released a Tell-All book entitled, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big. The book became a “tipping point” in the public knowledge and discussion of performing enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball and throughout the sports world. The book provided answers and generated many more questions pertaining to the “Steroid Era” in Major League Baseball. By avoiding the undeniable truth and concerning themselves with statistics, the commissioner’s office put off the underlying problem and left the game with a bigger black eye than need be.

The fear that Canseco would bring steroid use to the forefront became a self-fulfilling prophecy for Major League Baseball. By blackballing Canseco, the commissioner’s office gave him the motivation and the fire within to write a book that would tarnish his own legacy but more importantly reveal the truth about the game of baseball.

Tuesday's Links - 02/21/2012

Kenny "Fucking" Powers

"The man with the golden dick" is back and better than ever in season 3 of Eastbound and Down.  To catch you up to speed with the show, check out this video of the best of Kenny Powers.  Also if you've haven't heard yet, Kenny Powers is the CEO of K-Swiss.  It just so happens that I've aligned myself with the powers that be and am currently rocking this pair of K-Swiss tubes.  "Lubing the deals."



Eye Candy of the Day

With news coming out that Jessica Biel is now engaged to Justin Timberlake, who better to feature in today's section. 


Manny

Manny Ramirez agreed to a 1 year contract worth about $500,000 to play for the Oakland Athletics this year.  Smart and shrewd moved by the A's.  Best case scenario you get a former star on the cheap that helps your offense and possibly even establishes some trade value through his play.  Worst case scenario you release him if he doesn't perform or becomes a distraction with a minimal financial obligation. 

Undertaker vs. HHH

What has been suspected for nearly a year is now finally official.  The Deadman and The Game are set to square off at WrestleMania XXVIII in a rematch from last year's WrestleMania after HHH accepted the Undertakers challenge on Monday Night Raw.  HHH's one stipulation was that it is to be a "Hell in a Cell" match.  For those unfamiliar with the format or perhaps need a refresher, look no further.  The sheer thought of this match is giving me a fear boner. 


Spring Training

It is once again that magical time of year where the simple words "pitchers and catchers" fills the hearts and minds of fans of all 30 Major League teams with hope and optimism that this is the year for their team.  For those members of tortured fan bases out there I offer this....

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;

Man never Is, but always To be blest:

The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,

Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

– Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man



...and for those who aren't akin with classical poetry I offer these....

To fans of the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, LA Dodgers, New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, LA Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and even the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals may this be your teams year.  

Top 25 Donruss Diamond Kings Baseball Cards

From 1982-1996 the Donruss baseball card company ran the Diamond Kings series. Each year, the series would feature a player who starred the previous season from each MLB team and Donruss relied on artist Dick Perez to captured the players' likenesses.  After rummaging through my old baseball cards, I decided to formulate a list of my favorite Donruss Diamond Kings cards by using a combination of aesthetic value, player's performance, and most importantly, did the card make me laugh. 

25. 1982 - Pete Rose: 

What better place to start this list than with the first ever card in the Diamond Kings series and the all-time hits king.  The series got off to a great start with "Charlie Hustle" as card #1 in the 1982 set.    

24. 1985 - Alvin Davis:  After winning the A.L. Rookie of the year in 1984, Davis was featured in the 1985 set.  Davis wins the award for "best smile" in the series.  He clearly was a big fan of the Diamond Kings Series and couldn't hold back his feelings of joy for being included. 

23. 1986 - Dwight Gooden:  In 1986, Gooden was coming off a statistically dominant Cy Young Award winning season for the Mets.  I particularly enjoy the single straight line in the background of this card.  An unfortunate but simple foreshadowing of how Gooden's career flat-lined soon afterwards. 

22. 1987 - Rick Rhoden: 

Where to start with this card?  How about the terrible stripped Pirates hats?  Perhaps the mustache?  How about the colorful specs of confetti sprinkled around him?  Rhoden appears to be the guest of honor for a party in his name and he couldn't be happier. 

 21. 1987 - Jose Canseco:  This card falls under the category "Best of the Worst."  Canseco comes off looking like a 5'2'' Italian guy named Sal in this depiction instead of being the imposing 6'4'' Cuban-American slugger.  In a youth filled with collecting Jose Canseco baseball cards, I somehow never stumbled across this Diamond Kings card.  Just to set the record straight, it was worth the wait.            

20. 1986 - Willie McGee: 

In 1985 Willie was the N.L. MVP.  So fittingly he was featured as the Cardinals representative in Diamond Kings.  For those who never saw McGee, this is a very accurate and well represented painting of him.  McGee wasn't known for his movie star good looks, but he could definitely hit and was a major component of "Whiteyball" for the St. Louis Cardinals.

19. 1996 - Juan Gonzalez:  At first glance, this portrait appeared to be a simple and straightforward depiction of Juan Gon.  On closer examination however, I noticed the subtle difference in color behind his ear and that his mullet was within view.  Well played Mr. Perez.  Well played.   

18. 1996 - Larry Walker:  Without question, 1996 was a great year for mullets.  Walker's mane was second to none in the mid-90s as you can tell from this card.  I have to think they chose a side profile just to incorporate the full breadth of Walker's mullet.  The pure volume and extent of this mullet can only be described as intense.  

17. 1983 - Rollie Fingers:  Fingers appears deep in thought while looking to the distance, perhaps contemplating the vastness of space and time or pondering over the human search for meaning.  It's conceivable that Fingers was determining what do to with his free time knowing he would miss the entire 1983 season.  More accurately though Fingers was giving his, famous waxed handle bar, mustache  the best possible angle to achieve greatness on this card.   

16. 1984 - Wade Boggs:  After his massive 1983 season, Boggs was selected as a Diamond King.  The 1984 set was the one year from 1982-1993 that strayed away from the ribbon like template and used a design similar to MLB playoff bunting.  The one thing I took away from the 1984 series, besides that, was that it was, without a doubt, the peak of the polyester pull over jersey in the MLB.  I wish a couple teams would bring the look back full time today. 

15. 1988 - Ivan Calderon:  What exactly is going on behind Calderon in this pic?  Not sure if something exploded or if he's supposed to be on a bad drug trip.  He does appear to be a bit uncomfortable.  Much like the murder of Calderon, it appears this mystery will remain unsolved.  On a more positive note though, the Diamond Kings from 1987-1990 featured some great background art, none better however than the radiating Ivan Calderon.

14. 1990 - Bo Jackson:  Jackson was a two sports star who was nothing short of a revolutionary athlete before flaming out due to injury.  Luckily Bo left us with some amazing material, such as commercials, hand held games, and cartoons to forever remember him by.  While it is debatable where Bo falls on the list of greatest athletes of all time, without any doubt Bo will forever be known as the greatest video game athlete of all time.   

13. 1991 - Roger Clemens:  During my years of collecting baseball cards, the 1991 Diamond Kings collection was my favorite subset from any of the major card producers.  This is the first of a few entries from the epic 1991 series.  1991 was the first year that Perez switched from the standard portrait model to include action shots into the series.  The action shots used in the 1991 Diamond Kings set, such as this one of Roger Clemens, are the type of paintings you'd hope for when preserving the history of baseball.     

12. 1988 - Andre Dawson:  Once again we have a player coming off of a MVP season looking absolutely ecstatic in his portrait.  "The Hawk" had just escaped the career shortening astroturf of Olympic Stadium in Montreal and won the MVP during the 1987 season, his first with the Chicago Cubs.  Dawson surprisingly is the third of four Hall of Famers on this list.  That number will more than likely double in the upcoming years however.   

11. 1990 - Dave Stewart:  There were few pitchers in baseball as good as Stewart in the late 80's and early 90's and by looking at the smirk on his face, he knew it all too well.  Stewart put together four straight 20 plus win seasons from 1987 to 1990 for the Oakland Athletics, finishing in the top 4 of the Cy Young Award voting each year but failing to every win the award. 

10. 1990 - Ken Griffey Jr: From the outset of his career, Griffey Jr. was looked upon as the player who would pass Hank Aaron as the all-time Home Run King, that was until personal injuries and the mass use of steroids throughout baseball derailed that.  There was no hotter baseball cards to collect during that time period than a Griffey Jr card, due to the fast start  of his career and speculation of its trajectory.  I remember purchasing the 1990 Diamond King series from a dealer simply because of the inclusion of this card.   

9. 1982 - Gorman Thomas:  Thomas was a bit before my time with his last season, 1986, corresponding with the first season I can remember following baseball and also having this card of his.  After looking over his career stats, I've drawn the conclusion that, at best, he was a poor man's Pat "the Bat" Burrell.  Frequent strikeouts, low batting average, and an abundance of home runs are key components in reaching cult like status with MLB fan bases.  No surprise why he was popular in Milwaukee.   

8. 1991 - Rafael Palmeiro:  Palmeiro came off a solid campaign in 1990, but his career had not taking the step to the next level yet.  I'd like to think that Palmeiro saw this card and said, "Look at the anticipation in my eyes.  Look at the confidence I have to make the play."  That was all it took.  Palmeiro knew he had to do whatever it took going forward to become the player on this card no matter risk to body or reputation.  The rest is history. 

7. 1989 - Chris Sabo:         If we've learned anything throughout the history of baseball it is that solid play combined with a unique style or look will allow said player to amass a large following.  As you can tell Sabo's goggles were 90 percent of his allure to fans.  Dick Perez is no fool either.  Clearly he decided to use visible rays of light that have refracted off of Sabo's goggles as a background.   

6. 1992 - Jeff Bagwell & Frank Thomas (Tied): 

Two iconic players from the 1990's highlight the 1992 series.  Bagwell and Thomas are forever linked for being born on the same day and now they can add this countdown to that bond they eternally share.  You're welcome gentleman.   

5. 1991 - Craig Biggio:  From 1982-1990 Perez experimented with different art styles throughout the individual series but in 1991 settled on the use of a solid color with fading for the background.  The 91 series also included some of Perez's most profound and detailed works with none more exceptional than this portrait of Hall of Famer to be Craig Biggio.         

4. 1993 - Ryne Sandberg: In the 92 and 93 series, Perez continued the progression of the Diamond Kings by removing the border surrounding the cards.  By making such a simple change the Diamond Kings series went from looking like a simple baseball card to a work of art worthy of accompanying a player such as Ryne Sandberg in the Hall of Fame.    

3. 1994 - Don Mattingly:  Affectionately known as "the hitman", few players looked better at the plate and more prepared to bat than Donny Baseball.  I've been a Yankee fan my entire life and have had the privileged of witnessing five championship teams but there have been few moments when Yankee Stadium has been rocking quite like this.  The image of Mattingly at the plate brings back fond memories of a youth long gone by.   

2. 1996 - Mark McGwire:  Throughout the 15 year series, no portrait captures a player essence better than this painting of Big Mac.  A modern day Paul Bunyan, McGwire traded in the ax for a bat in this tall tale.  1996 started a four year tear where McGwire hit over 50 home runs each season and in 1998 set a then Major League Record of 70 home runs in a season.  Like any other tall tale, it turned out elements of McGwire's exploits were exaggerated and loom large over his accomplishments.     

1. 1994 - Dick Perez:  Taking the top spot is the master himself, Dick Perez.  Previously Perez had been featured on checklists for the Diamond Kings series but in 1994 he added himself to the collection.  This card is a fitting tribute to the man responsible for one the signature baseball card series throughout the 80s and 90s.   

I hope you enjoyed the countdown.  Feel free to check out all of the cards in the Diamond Kings collection right here and continue your trip down memory lane.  Apologies to the 1995 set which was the only year that failed to be featured in the countdown.  I suppose Perez is granted a one year hangover period after having included himself in the 1994 series.