Oregon Ducks running back Lagarrette Blount changed his ducking mind on joining the San Francisco 49ers and has signed a rookie free-agent contract with Jeff Fisher and the Tennessee Titans.
Blount was the player suspended early in the 2009 season for punching and opposing player. He was not obligated to sign with the 49ers because he'd only agreed to terms. Blount basically saw a better opportunity for playing time with the Titans and after notifying niners coach Mike Singletary, jumped at the Titans offer.
Meanwhile the niners should be okay, with veteran RB Frank Gore returning healthy. But something tells me this little free-agent shift just might come back to bite the niners in the butt. Keep an eye on Lagarrette in 2010. The Raiders might see him in action in Tennessee week one of the NFL season. Let's hope its not the Raiders who are first to feel the bite of Blount.
For those who are not fans of Bullfighting or competitions involving animals (A la Michael Vick detractors) this article is definitely not for you. Stop Here!
I once read a book about a young boy living in the shadows of his champion bullfighting father who died in the ring after a valiant Bullfight. Though I don't recall the name of the book right off, I remember learning about the sport of bullfighting and the heroic character not only of the Matadors but the Bulls themselves.
If ever there was courage and honor being displayed in a ring of competition, bullfighting is it. The Matador enters the ring with nothing more than his courage, his red cape and his graceful skill of doing battle against a stronger opponent.
The Bull and Matador respect each other's strengths as they perform what appears to be a dance to the death. They circle each other around the ring looking for a weakness to exploit in their deadly opponent. Spaniards understand this dance as a battle of wits between man and animal. And they cheer for both the Bull and the Matador. Bullfighting is strongly ingrained in the culture of Spain and Mexico.
Without ever witnessing firsthand a live Bullfight, I am left with only stories and an imagination of what the experience of watching a Bullfight must feel like. It sounds so much like a boxing match, only there's no referee and no weight class. Bullfighting is considered an art form by those who follow it.
The Bull who won this weekend's match in Aguascalientas, Mexico, weighed 1,100 pounds. He goes by the name of Navegante, which in Spanish translates to "navigator in charge; seafarer in charge of ship."
Navegante, won his battle of wits against Matador Jose Tomas with a piercing horn gouge to the groin, but not after the Matador had caused blood to flow from the back of Navegante. There is no word on the condition of the bloodied Bull Navegante.
Tomas, a top Matador known for his daring Bullfighting style, has suffered from the piercings of Bull horns in past matches, but none quite so severe. As of today it looks as if he'll survive this one as well. OLE! (Oh lay)
former quote of Tomas the Bullfighter: "Living without Bullfighting is not living."
Nobody in the Bay Area would have thought Giants fans would ever be caught on camera chanting for overpriced/underachieving Barry Zito. But that is truly the beauty of sports, seeing the unheard of and unthinkable happen right before your eyes.
At AT&T Park last night I watched Barry Zito pitch one gem of a game. I saw him shut down one of the greatest hitters in the league in Albert Pujols. My eyes were bugging watching him pitch out of jams of his own making, leaving the St. Louis Cardinals with men stranded in scoring position. I and the rest of the Giants faithful found ourselves singing the praises of a man who just a season ago was still the punchline to economic downturn jokes throughout the bay.
With Barry caught in a pitching duel against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, fans snuggled up to the idea that Barry was finally performing at the level he was paid to perform at.
Finally when the Giants bats came alive, along with some gracious base running breaks, Zito was summoned to protect a 2-0 Giants lead. That's when the pigs were seen flying at AT&T Park. Chants, melodious syncopated chants of Barry! Barry! Barry! were heard echoing in the crisp San Francisco evening air.
Barry Zito would strike out his tenth Cardinal of the evening in the top of the 8th and heroically walk off the mound to cheers reminiscent of home run king Barry Bonds. The evening belonged to Barry Zito, and it felt special witnessing the fan acceptance and appreciation of a man who's struggled as a Giant the last three seasons.
The Washington Redskins traded QB Jason Campbell to the Oakland Raiders for a 2012 4th round draft pick. Campbell comes to Oaktown expecting to be the starting quarterback. I like that attitude, high expectations of himself.
Campbell brings with him a career passer rating of 82.3%, something that will bolster the Raiders offense. With our defense getting such a boost from early rounds of the draft, the question for the offense will be can it protect any of our quarterbacks?
Welcome to the Oakland Raiders Mr. Campbell. Why is it he reminds me of former Raiders quarterback Vince Evans (Raiders 1987-1995), the man who wouldn't leave? Rumor had it that the Raiders finally ditched Evans when they moved back to Oakland from Los Angeles.
He's a run stopper, a QB Killa, a pass defender and a field general. Winner of legitimate defensive awards throughout his football career, McLain brings one helluva resume to a defense that needs anchoring leadership.
From Milldgeville, Ga. to Oakland, Ca., there's news of a move that could truly rock the balance of the NFL world.
Big Ben Rothlisberger was suspended six games by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell today for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
C'mon Man! She was partying like she was over 21.
Word around the football horn is that the Pittsburgh Steelers might be looking to deal the two-time Superbowl winning quarterback for a draft pick. And guess what team name came up in the hunt for a Big Ben trade? O A K L A N D - R A I D E R S!
If Al Davis somehow, some way, pulls this one off and has Big Ben in Silver & Black in 2010, I'll commit to buying season tickets for the next three years.
And if Ben wants to continue partying like a RockStar, I'll personally see that he get's the hookup with some of the Bay's finest, freakiest, no-holds-barred babes this side of Jersey. I'm In The Bay Trick!
They may not luv yah anymore over there in Steel town Big, but we'll luv yah.....Win, Lose or Tie we'll be by your side! So why not come'on over Ben, to the Dark Side!
This is unquestionably the sad arrival point that too many victims and perpetrators of domestic violence find themselves. Men get help! women seek shelter!
I remember watching Valero's last fight and realizing that he was one of those boxer's who just won't stop coming forward, regardless of the punishment he's taking. He had a toughness that bordered on psychotic, and the wild-man hair and tattoos didn't help. They say crazy strength is the worst kind. Its like going up against a terminator. Remember this line from the movie?
"It can't be bargained with, It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel remorse, or pity, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop - EVER - until you are dead."
They could of easily been describing the boxing technique of Edwin Valero.
Unfortunately, where there's smoke there's fire and Valero's style of boxing mirrored his lifestyle. Its always sad to hear of anyone taking their life or the life of another. I pray that this young 27 year old boxing champion has finally found the peace that he wasn't able to find in life. And I pray for the wife who loved this madman so!
Here we are at the end of basketball season and beginning of baseball season and all I can think of is Football.
I'm wondering who will the Oakland Raiders draft this week? Who will be our starting quarterback this season? What veteran player(s) will we sign to improve our team?
I've tried getting hyped for baseball season. but the season is just so damn long with so many games that I lose the hype bug a few weeks in.
I thought I'd enjoy a bit of NBA playoff basketball but the excitement that was the NCAA March Madness tournament last month can only be matched by a Lebron and Kobe head-to-head battle in the Championship game. That hoped for match-up is almost two months away.
Sure Mayweather vs Mosley will get my adrenaline pumped during a night of championship boxing, but more times than not the fat lady has sung way too early and I'm left unfulfilled and disappointed.
Golf, Soccer, MMA, Kentucky Derby, Fly Fishing?
I'll take an Oakland Raiders tailgate party over any of the above events. Besides, Raiders chicks dig me.
Gosh I Love Football! - Elias, Raiders Fan Since Birth; 9/1/2005
Today I came across the perfect book for my 11 year-old grandson. I'm so proud that he enjoys reading books when not on his playstation3. At first I wasn't sure of the book's appropriateness for adolescents. This book, The Enemy by Charlie Higson, has in it the one fictional topic my grandson and I share an interest in; Zombies.
Mind you, my grandson is no ordinary 11 year-old. We haven't tested him, but we're sure his IQ (Intelligence Quotient) borders on "Super Genius." Just the other day over the phone he was running off the various elements and their compositions from the scientific Periodic Table. Remember that in school? Vaguely? Me too!
So I figure a kid who loves reading about chemicals as well as classic novels like Robinson Crusoe and Tom Sawyer, has earned the right to indulge in a little blood and gore literature wouldn't you say?
"The Enemy," from what I surmised from its beginning pages, seems to be a futuristic kid survival story with all the gags and one liners to make any adolescent chuckle. I'd forgotten just how funny the word fart in a sentence can be. The fact that the kids are battling flesh craving blood thirsty adults makes the book that much more appealing to younger readers.
The book might be a bit gory, but with what kids see today on television and in movies, he can handle it. I only wish I weren't reading other books so that I could enjoy "The Enemy" for myself before passing it on. Oh well, I guess it'll give me something to quiz my little Einstein about once he finishes it. I just pray he doesn't get the idea in his head to create such a destructive disease in his school's science lab.
Here's a great Youtube clip introducing you to the book's storyline. After seeing this clip I really considered keeping the book for myself:
When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry.
Only children under fourteen remain, and they’re fighting to survive.
Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait.
But can they make it there - alive?
WARNING: Contains strong language and scenes of violence
