Dexter Fowler signed a five-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2017 season and so far things haven’t gone all too well for the 2016 World Series champion. This season has been quite disappointing for Fowler, but the harassment by Cardinals fans has been even worse.
It’s been so bad that Fowler and his pregnant wife Aliya deleted all of their tweets on Sunday.
Dexter Fowler and his wife had to take down their tweets because of the constant criticism about Fowler’s play….. we as Cardinal fans have been pampered with the championships and the winning so a couple bad years and we attack a player having a bad year… get out of here
Again, as always with these articles, no this isn’t indicative of how all or even the majority of Cardinals fans are, but to simply point out there are assholes and lots of them in all fan bases. Let’s not forget that Jason Heyward got rid of his Twitter account in 2016, when the Cubs were having their best season in a long time, but some fans couldn’t stop from being complete jackasses.
But harassing Fowler’s wife too? Fucking pathetic.
I have zero sympathy for the Fowler’s. Zero. His wife brings a lot of this on herself by picking fights with journalists over stupid things, and Dex… just stay off Twitter. Or you know, play better.
— #FireMabry+MathenyNOW (@BradenBrown24) June 17, 2018
Lovely fan there. How about stop being a prick.
It didn’t stop there, as some more idiot Cardinals fans stayed hot during Sunday night’s game. Javier Baez took a fastball right off his left elbow and exited the game.
Pretty simple lesson. Don’t be an asshole like these fans.
That goes for Cubs fans too, who also drove Carl Edwards Jr. off Twitter for a while last year and still for some of you who are big assholes to Yu Darvish.
Get some fucking help if you really feel the need to personally attack professional athletes because they don’t perform to your liking.
The Chicago Bears training camp list of stories to follow is more extensive than its been in a long time. New head coach Matt Nagy enters his first year at the job. He’s joined by young quarterback Mitch Trubisky, making them the offensive coach and young QB pairing the Bears haven’t done since Ditka and McMahon. Roquan Smith, their first inside linebacker draft in the first round since Brian Urlacher will get going on defense.
A huge competition at wide receiver. Sorting out a weird situation at the edge rush position. Seeing how Tarik Cohen will be used in the new scheme. There’s no shortage of things to watch. However, there may be one that’s getting a bit overlooked. It can’t be a surprise. Eyes of fans always turn to the big names. The starters. They can’t afford too much attention to obvious reserves.
Even so, this impending story is a fascinating one. Rashaad Coward was an undrafted free agent for the Bears in 2017. After a year spent on the practice squad as a defensive lineman, the new coaching staff made the decision to shift him to the offensive line. It might not seem like much now, but it’s a move that paid off big for Chicago in the past.
Rashaad Coward has the tools to be a Bears training camp sleeper
The thing about Coward is he has some advantages in his favor. For starters, he’ll be instructed by one of the best line coaches in the country. Harry Hiestand turned unknowns into highly-touted draft picks at Notre Dame for years. Then there’s the fact he has certain physical traits in his game that could make the switch to offensive line beneficial to his career.
Here’s what NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein said about him last year.
“Shoots hands quickly into blocker’s frame and usually creates early arm extension. Has flashes on tape where he can impress as a read-and-react defender at point of attack. May have enough flexibility to play as a big nose in a 3-4. Looks to attack under the pads and roll his hips under his extended arms to generate a leverage point. Has ability to set a strong edge.”
Strong hands. Quick reaction. Flexibility. Wins with leverage. Ability to anchor. These are all qualities that are essential to play offensive tackle in the NFL. He’s certainly got the size at 6’6, 310 lbs with long arms. It’s a matter of learning the proper techniques and conditioning. It sounds like a tall order but the Bears have been down this road before.
Anybody remember James Williams?
In 1991, the Bears signed an undrafted free agent defensive tackle out of a small college at Cheyney. His name was James Williams. For two years he never saw the field on defense and only helped on special teams. Then in 1993, he was moved to the offensive line. Eventually, he landed at right tackle and became their full-time starter in 1994. With his help, they made the playoffs twice and he went to a Pro Bowl.
It’s one of the teams’ unheralded success stories. Now they want to see if Coward can be the next “Big Cat.”
The reaction by Albert Almora Jr., putting his hands to his head says it all, as Javier Baez had to leave Sunday night’s game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.
Baez took a pitch off his left elbow and eventually went down to the ground in agonizing pain. He was taken out shortly after, as Addison Russell took over for him.
Baez does not wear an elbow pad and this sounds a lot worse than it looks.
Last weekend, I ran into a reliable source at a party downtown. This individual is definitely someone who is familiar with some of the “movers and shakers” in both Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Now, after a few craft cocktails, this individual was absolutely steadfast on one Vegas sports topic: The LA Clippers are moving to Las Vegas.
Now, I’ll be the first one to tell you after a couple of drinks, even “A League of Their Own” slugger Marla Hooch could look like Kate Beckinsale so you always take these kinds of conversations with a grain of salt. I mean, Kate > Marla, but the funs stops being fun when you wake up thinking you’re next to Kate, but you get Marla singing “It Had to Be You” instead.
With that said, the dude isn’t just a nobody. He has intimate knowledge of both scenes so it’s hard to write it off, especially as Murphy’s Bowl LLC — a Clippers-controlled company — digs in for a lawsuit filed by Madison Square Garden Co., owners of The Forum, about plans for a new Clippers arena in Inglewood.
With that deal on life support, and the Clippers constantly playing second fiddle in Tinsel Town while they get third choice on arena usage and scheduling (the Lakers and Kings get first choice) at Staples Center, it’s only fitting debate begins on whether or not the Clippers will leave town for a more accommodating destination. Seattle seems to think it’s first on the list, but they had their chance when they blew the SuperSonics into a retro hipster t-shirt brand, not an NBA franchise.
Here are five reasons Las Vegas, not Seattle, will be the new home to the Clippers
No. 1: A State-of-the-art arena is already built and ready for a new tenant
The T-Mobile Arena is the finest arena in professional sports today. It has hosted the Stanley Cup Final, countless UFC events and has the perfect capacity for an NBA team here in Las Vegas. More importantly, it is ready now. In the past, our only selling point was the Thomas & Mack Center, which is antiquated and outdated. There is no way an NBA franchise would come to Vegas to play there. But, after seeing the ridiculous pregame and in-game support within T-Mobile for the Golden Knights, the Clippers are crazy to think Seattle could provide anything remotely close to this in the next calendar year (they are building an arena for the new expansion NHL team but haven’t even broken ground yet).
No. 2: An emerging media market
Top 10 Markets for Entire Stanley Cup Playoffs on Platforms of NBC
t1 Las Vegas 4.5 t1 Pittsburgh 4.5 3 Buffalo 3.3 4 Washington, D.C. 3.2 5 Nashville 2.6 6 Tampa 2.5 t7 Baltimore 1.9 t7 Boston 1.9 9 Providence 1.8 10 Ft. Myers 1.7
The Vegas Golden Knights dominated the ratings during the NHL playoff, tying hockey haven Pittsburgh for the best in all THE WORLD. Yes, the highest rated market in the world for the NHL playoffs was this little desert town where hockey couldn’t possibly work. Add an NBA team hungry for its own identity away from the large shadow cast by arguably the greatest franchise in sports history, and you can see why a Vegas move makes sense. Vegas loves the Raiders. This has always been a Raiders town. Same with anything Las Angeles. The Clippers would be moving to a city where it has a foundation. Nobody likes the Clippers up in Seattle. Nobody. They’re too busy with their lattes and thrift store shopping for hipster gear than they are an NBA team. Not even sure hockey will succeed up there. We have proven our worth here.
No. 3: Proximity to LA keeps Clippers fans in tow
Moving to Vegas from L.A. is like moving from Summerlin to Summerlin South. Same with the fan base. Vegas and L.A. are like siblings who love to visit each other’s house every weekend, much to the chagrin of their significant others. What few Clippers fans there are in L.A. would gladly make the four-hour drive to Vegas so they can see their beloved Clippers play. Nobody is hopping in their car and driving to Seattle for a weekend, unless they live in Aberdeen. The open arms with which this city would welcome the Clippers far exceeds a city like Seattle, who ran off the SuperSonics to Oklahoma (of all places). They had their chance. It’s our turn.
No. 4: It’s Vegas weather, not Seattle, during basketball season
Look, Seattle is a nice place to visit once every blue moon, if you can avoid the gloomy rain that created the discontent of the grunge generation. Problem is, Seattle averages 152 rainy days a year. Who wants to travel to that? Wardrobe packing aside, isn’t a vacation supposed to be exciting, not spend hiding inside a small cafe listening to a Band of Horses vinyl ad nauseam? We’re Las Vegas. They’re Seattle. The average basketball season temp in “The Emerald City” hovers in the mid- to upper-40s, at best. Vegas? Lower-60s, upper 50s at worst. And snow? Sleet? Freezing rain? Not here. Who wants to get off the plane already craving the soft sweet comfort of Alice in Chains? Elvis is always a more welcoming ambassador than the sad, constant whine of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box.”
No. 5: No State Income for both cities but hipster Seattle has an additional tax for the wealthy
Seattle comes off as a hipster city for tree huggers, bleeding hearts and miserable musicians. Vegas is about the financial bottom line, energy, sun and fun. While both states have no state income tax, Seattle itself has created a special tax just for the wealthy. “Wealthy” being defined as making at least $250,000 a year, far above the NBA salary minimum. It would make more financial sense to move to Las Vegas, where your money can stay safely in your own wallet, not the pockets of some bureaucracy attempting to eliminate wealth inequality by simply adding to their own budget instead of giving it back to the people who need it or who earned it.
While it is still battling its implementation in court, the measure applies a 2.25 percent tax on total income. That’s $25,000 per million made. For a max cap star? Roughly $1.2 million extra in their pockets, beyond the ridiculous tax code in California, which takes 13 percent more already. That means a move to Vegas would potentially add an extra $7.4 million into a max cap star’s take home pay. Granted, the players get paid based on the state they play their games in, but that’s still half of $7.4 million a player like LeBron James would have in his pocket to invest in better hair plugs.
Not all knockouts are created equal. Fight fans flock to the UFC like adrenaline junkies to Six Flags. Watching a knockout happen in real time can take a fan by surprise. One minute the lights are on, and within a split second, the bulbs are blown out. Presenting: The five most brutal knockouts in UFC history.
Mixed Martial Arts have become mainstream media at this point, and most casual fans watch with only a few outcomes in mind: Submissions, and knockouts. Without question, submissions qualify as edge of your seat type excitement. The anticipation is like watching a horror film and screaming, “Don’t go in there! The bad guy’s in there!.” Check out “Five Submissions From UFC History You Gotta See.”
Below is breakdown of fight results by weight class (and how they ended) by Fight Matrix:
Image: Fight Matrix
Enough beating around the bush. Let’s break-down the five most brutal knockouts in UFC history (in no particular order).
Holly Holm KO’s Ronda Rousey
Who doesn’t remember this one? I didn’t get to see it live, but I can tell you exactly where I was when it happened. Local watering hole, saloon, and dance-hall “Revolver” was still open inside the Santa Fe Hotel and Casino, and its patrons seemed to let out a unanimous groan when the news was announced.
At UFC 193, Rousey stepped in to defend her bantamweight title. The Preacher’s Daughter had other thoughts. Holm knocked out “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey with a left high kick less than a minute into round two. Rousey lost the title, and her subsequent fight vs Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Rousey will be the first woman enter the UFC hall of fame next month.
Dan Henderson KO’s Michael Bisping
According to Fox Sports, back in 2014, Michael Bisping still didn’t remember being knocked out by Dan Henderson. It was a balmy July night in Vegas for UFC 100, where Henderson unleashed a right hand which qualifies as one of the five most brutal knockouts in UFC history.
The KO punch wasn’t the end for Bisping, or for Henderson. While Bisping went down, Henderson followed him to the ground, and uncorked a forearm shiver Marshawn Lynch would be proud of.
Conor McGregor KO’s Jose Aldo.
In a fight that won “Performance of the Night” honors. Conor McGregor knocked out Jose Aldo 13 second into round one. It was a match-up that certainly had its fair share of trash talk before, and after the fight.
According to Sports Joe, Aldo continued to be ungracious in defeat long after the fight had ended. Aldo appeared to be looking for a rematch, but McGregor lost his next fight to Nate Diaz by submission less than three months later.
Gabriel Gonzaga KO’s Mirko Cro Cop
Time to hop in the way back machine. Gabriel Gonzaga first entered the octagon on Mirko Cro Cop, way back at UFC 70 in 2007. Cro Cop was on a five fight win streak as he stepped into the octagon, furthermore he knocked out every single opponent in the first round. Then this happened…
Recent studies have shown the kick from Gonzaga could have powered an oscillating desktop fan for a up to six hours (okay, that’s not true at all). The two would fight again in 2015, this time with Cro Cop winning via third round knockout.
Rashad Evans KO’s Sean Salmon
Another one over a decade old, Rashad Evans knocking out Sean Salmon absolutely deserves a place on our list of the five most brutal knockouts in UFC history. January 2007, the two took to the octagon for UFC Fight Night 8 in Seminole, Fla.
It was one minutes, six seconds into Round 2 and things seemed to be going well until all hell (and the right leg of Evans) broke loose with the finisher. It seems like the video is missing some sort of sound effect (creaking door while Salmon is on his way down perhaps?). Salmon is clearly out on the way down, but Evans sneaks in one more punch before the referee can make it to pull him off.
A greatest Chicago Bears list is always going to incite debate. That’s expected because these things are based heavily on the opinions of the writer. Still, one would expect some common sense to be injected into the format with certain names belonging on the list. So it was a considerable shock when the NFL’s latest incarnation fell flat in a number of areas.
What makes it even worse is the man who wrote it is columnist Adam Rank, an unabashed Bears fan. He’s made some outstanding points about the team and why it should be taken seriously in 2018. So for him to miss this badly on a greatest Bears of all-time list? It stings a little bit. That said he at least got a few things right.
1) Walter Payton, RB (1975-1987) 2) Gale Sayers, RB (1965-1971) 3) Dick Butkus, LB (1965-1973) 4) Mike Singletary, LB (1981-1992) 5) Devin Hester, RS/WR (2006-2013) 6) Brian Urlacher, LB (2000-2012) 7) Red Grange, RB (1925, 1929-1934) 8) Bronko Nagurski, RB (1930-1937, 1943) 9) Bill George, LB (1952-1965) 10) Richard Dent, DE (1983-1993, 1995) 11) Sid Luckman, QB (1939-1950) Coach: George Halas (1920-1929, 1933-1942, 1946-1955, 1958-1967)
What he got right:
Alright before people think I’m just tearing the list to shreds, I’m going to give Rank props where he deserves it. Walter Payton is the obvious choice for #1. He’s the standard by which all other Bears are measured, missing just one game in his career. He retired the NFL’s all-time rushing leader and has an argument for being the best all-around football player in history.
George Halas being the coach is also a no-brainer. He won eight NFL championships and held the record for the most wins in league history until Don Shula finally broke it in 1993. Dick Butkus and Brian Urlacher are also in fair positions respectively at #3 and #6. With that said, it’s time to make some serious corrections.
What he got wrong:
Look I get the impact that Red Grange had. His college success was pivotal to bringing eyes onto the NFL when Halas signed him in the 1920s. It grew the game is so many ways. At the same time, he wasn’t all that remarkable on the field. He missed two entire seasons in 1926 and 1928, one over a contract dispute and the other with a knee injury. His numbers were great early for the time but didn’t sustain for too long.
If he must be on the list, then he should be near the bottom. The same must be said for Devin Hester. This is painful to say because I’m a huge Hester fan but this must be about an objective view. There’s no question he’s the greatest return man of all-time and belongs in the Hall of Fame. Yet for true career impact? It doesn’t belong on the list.
Put it this way. Pro-Football-Reference has a stat called Career Approximated Value that numerically quantifies how successful a player was. Payton is predictably at the top. Hester? He’s in a three-way tie with Adewale Ogunleye and Terry Schmidt. For all his brilliance, Hester scored just 36 touchdowns in his career. Gale Sayers, who is only three spots ahead of him, scored that many in his first three years.
What he got really wrong:
Speaking of Sayers, putting him at #2 is wrong. There’s no denying he was brilliant during his early career, but these lists can’t project what he might’ve been had he gotten hurt. The fact is he did get hurt and only played 68 career games. He doesn’t belong that high. On the flip side, having Sid Luckman barely making the list at #11 is a travesty.
This guy remains the only Hall of Fame quarterback in Bears history. He paved the way to four NFL championships, this despite his team being picked apart by World War II. He still holds the record for most TD passes in a game with seven and won MVP in 1943. So for him to be at #11? That’s an insult.
Then there might be the most glaring oversight of all. How in the world did Dan Hampton not make the list? He’s the best defensive lineman in Bears history. With all due respect to Richard Dent who absolutely belongs on the list, the fact is much of his success as a pass rusher can be attributed to playing next to Hampton.
From the early to mid-1980s, the man was unblockable. He stuffed the run well and was equally devastating as a pass rusher. His official stats say he had 57 career sacks. In truth, that number is considerably higher since sacks weren’t an official statistic during his first three seasons. If people want an idea of how impactful he was, check this out from the Chicago Tribune.
“He played 157 games and the Bears were 103-54. Of the 27 games he missed because of multiple knee injuries, the Bears won only 10.”
Yet he’s not on the list at all.
That’s a crime. All in all the list has some good points but overall it lacks severely in too many areas to be considered solid. There’s a little too much romanticism and not enough hard fact involved with it. Such things are common. Hopefully next year if the NFL gurus end up doing another one they get some of this stuff fixed.
People like to think the NFL has a monopoly on fans who get drunk and do really stupid things. Chief among them jumping and running onto the field eluding security. In their inebriated states, they think they’re being funny when in reality they’re just pissing thousands of people off. None more so than the players on the field. As it turns out, the CFL has their share of these types as well.
They also have similar methods to deal with them. During a BC Lions game against the Montreal Alouettes, one fan decided to storm the field for a run. It looked like he didn’t have much to worry about. For a time there was no security in sight. People wondered how long this would go on.
One Lions defender appeared to feel it’d been long enough because he took justice into his own hands. The drunk gentleman soon found out that he might not be cut out for running on a football field with those guys.
The CFL may be a wide open offensive game but make no mistake. There’s still hitting in that league. Not even dumb fans are immune from it. It’s clear that hit had an effect on the player’s teammates. The Lions actually went on to win 22-10, spearheaded by a strong defensive effort. So many they should thank the man for the extra motivation.
Just as soon as he regains consciousness of course. Waiting until he sobers up might also be a smart course of action.
Ah, it’s been a while since we’ve had one of these juicy articles, linking Manny Machado to the Chicago Cubs, but this time it’s not so much about this year’s trade deadline. No, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe dropped in this fun, little nugget in his article that mainly focusses on the chances of the Red Sox getting Machado.
Anyway, it’s nothing really knew, but it is someone else confirming what fans have connected before and that’s Machado’s close freindship with Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr.
Certainly a team like the Cubs would ask for a window to see if they could sign Machado long term, but why would Machado do that when he has the ability to choose between several teams bidding for him? We’re told by people familiar with Machado’s thinking that the Cubs would be high on his list because of his friendship with Albert Almora. There’s more to such a major decision than a friendship, but it doesn’t hurt.
So that first part is again talking about a possible trade this season, but the bigger nugget is that according to Cafardo’s sources the Cubs will be high on Machado’s free agent list thanks to Almora.
The Cubs’ Albert Almora Jr. and the Baltimore Orioles’ Manny Machado aren’t really cousins. But they’re so close, having grown up together in South Florida, that they could be cousins, or brothers.
“My backyard was the spot to be,” Almora said Tuesday at Wrigley Field while Machado was on the South Side at Guaranteed Rate Field. “We had a lot of fun. We used to get in trouble, being on top of my roof and stuff like that. We consider each other family.”
Not just friends, family.
And we all remember this quote by Machado back in May too.
Manny Machado said of his close friend in Chicago, Albert Almora Jr.: "When we're playing in his backyard growing up, we've always dreamed about playing together someday in the big leagues, put on the same big league uniform, be on the same field, win a World Series together."
So far in 2018, Machado is making his case to get a huge deal in the offseason, putting up a .951 OPS through 67 games this year. Machado has 18 home runs, 50 RBIs and 15 doubles in 258 at-bats.
Pretty damn good.
Obviously it’s all talk right now, but it is something to keep in the back of your head. Almora has been good for the Cubs in 2018, getting more playing time, especially against right-handed pitching, and he could also be important in the offseason, when the Cubs will certainly be in the market for the some of the biggest available free agents.
You don’t get the opportunity to sign MVP-level talent right before a player enters his prime, but the Cubs will get at least one shot.
And you know, if you want to briefly enter fantasy land, two shots.
I can't wait until Bryce Harper and Manny Machado talk to each other in the offseason, make a Golden State Warriors move and agree to take less money to create the greatest team of all time with the Cubs.
OK, back to reality and the reality is Manny Machado might end up picking the Cubs because of Albert Almora Jr. No, that won’t be the No. 1 reason, but it could end up being the difference maker.
Before Saturday night’s game, the last time Jason Heyward played in St. Louis he suffered a concussion after slamming into the right-field wall just missing robbing a walk-off home run by Dexter Fowler. That capped off a sweep by the Cardinals against the Cubs and also sent Heyward to the concussion protocol.
It’s been about six weeks since then and during the eighth inning against flame-throwing reliever Jordan Hicks, Heyward once again showed why so many things have changed since he’s returned from the concussion.
The Cubs right-fielder has had a resurgence at the plate that has been highlighted by some huge hits in June. Heyward had a walk-off grand slam against a lefty on June 6, then tied a game the Cubs would eventually win earlier this week with a hit against Josh Hader and the Milwaukee Brewers.
On Saturday, Heyward turned on another fastball, jumping on the first pitch he saw from Hicks and blasting it to right field for a two-run homer.
It’s always been easy to root for Jason Heyward and that’s what made his struggles offensively so hard to watch for the previous two years. Yet, things are different in 2018, and for more you should check out this article on what Heyward’s changed at the plate this season and how it’s helped him, especially turning on those inside fastballs.
In late May, Heyward moved back off the plate again and he's gone nuts since then.https://t.co/rcChGJhKG9
Heyward is now up to a .269 batting average and .332 OBP, while his wRC+ is at 103. Hey, hey! Finally above 100.
It’s great to see and it couldn’t happen to a better dude. Also, isn’t it awesome to watch him smash dingers against the Cardinals in St. Louis. No more making fun of Heyward at the plate.
Ian Happ was down 1-2 in the count against St. Louis Cardinals reliever Sam Tuivailala, with two runners on in a 3-3 game in the bottom of the seventh inning. He then yanked a hanging breaking ball down the right-field line, giving the Chicago Cubs a 4-3 lead and also giving fans a priceless reaction from Yadier Molina.
It was the first lead of the night for the Cubs and they didn’t look back after this mistake by Tuivailala.
Brandon Morrow got in some trouble, as he pitched for the first time since June 7, but after allowing back-to-back singles in the bottom of the ninth he got a groundout and then he ended things with consecutive strikeouts of Matt Carpenter and Tommy Pham.
Cubs will try to sweep the Cardinals on Sunday and after Saturday’s loss by the Milwaukee Brewers, they’re only 0.5 game back in the division.
