By
Anthony De Franco 
November 20, 2009, at 4:18 pm
Tito Ortiz is one of the most noteworthy names in the fight game today. He’s a legend of the past, but has never been deemed as such because of his contract wars with UFC president Dana White. He was an ultimate fighter before being an ultimate fighter was cool, and he has to be a little bit jealous of a guy like George St. Pierre who is being treated like the Michael Jordan of the sport, snapping up sponsorships like they are nothing.
Now, Ortiz is looking to make a buck off the fight shirt game, and here is his UFC 106 walkout.
It’s got a pretty Silverstar look to the whole thing, complete with the foil letters and the monogram initials. It’s a cool color combo, and a must have shirt for all of Tito’s (or his wife, porn star Jenna Jameson’s) throng of fans.
MMA Warehouse has the hookup for 29.99.
For more UFC 106 gear, check out The 3rd String Store.
By
Anthony De Franco July 5, 2009, at 11:57 pm
Not the most exciting trade, but I think that we once again need to mention that Billy Beane is a genius. Here’s the news clip from Rotoworld:
Athletics acquired outfielder Scott Hairston from the Padres for RHP Craig Italiano, RHP Ryan Webb and a player to be named.
The A’s aren’t waiving the white flag just yet, but this isn’t a trade just for 2009. Hairston is under control through 2011 and should remain pretty affordable. The 29-year-old was hitting .299/.358/.533 for the Padres. The A’s could use him in center or right, depending on whether they’d prefer to bench Ryan Sweeney or send down Travis Buck. We’re guessing he’ll start in right. AL-only leagues shouldn’t be afraid to use a high waiver claim on him.
Don’t think that this is a move for Depth. Hairston is a guy who plays 2nd, and both corner outfield spots and has slash stats of .307/.364/.547. That’s pretty decent productions. Throw that along with the fact that he has ten homeruns in a park that roughly the size of yellowstone and Hairston can be a very productive hitter in a normal sized home stadium.
Jason and I were talking earlier today about how Billy Beane’s plan to compete this year was foiled by the fact that his young pitching blew up in his face. Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill were both not nearly ready to be the pitchers that Beane thought they would. Meanwhile, he had used the bad economy to sign guys like Jason Giambi, and Orlando Cabrera to small deals. He only has Matt Holliday until the end of the season. He’ll receive two first round draft picks for him when he signs elsewhere, but with all those names, Beane still sees a chance to compete in the AL West.
While they are 11 games back, The A’s have been known to make second half charges before. With improved pitching from their young starters, they could find themselves in the mix by the start of September.
[Jason's Take: Like the move for the A's. It's sad to say but saving $1.25 million is a big deal for the Padres. Neither are great prospects but PETCO is such a pitchers park that it almost makes them better by default. Webb is likely to join the Padres MLB club while Italiano will join the Padres Single A affiliate. The key to the deal might be the player to be named later. Corey Brock of MLB.com says that Padres GM Kevin Towers "sounded excited" about the player to be named later, who will be one of two pitchers in the A's organization. One of these unnamed players reportedly has Major League service time. My guess Dana Eveland.]
By
Anthony De Franco June 21, 2009, at 12:41 pm
After taking yesterday off, I’m back today to tell everyone that I can’t take days off. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t help look at everything around me and notice how screwed up it is. For example, when I see a Sub-head on Newsday that says “Yanks Power Surge Comes Without A-Rod,” It makes me want to scream until my head explodes.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Newsday. I am all for newspapers trying to make a quick buck, but isn’t there a certain responsibility to the fans that read it to provide some semblance of truth on a back page? Does anyone out there really believe that Alex Rodriguez’s absence from the lineup was what really caused the Yankees to score a bunch of runs on Friday? If you do, then there is no saving you.
Rodriguez really continues to get a raw deal in this game we call life. Sure, he makes a lot of cash and hooks up with hot women, but as far as public perception goes he gets killed for no reason a lot. I’m not even talking about the steroids thing, because that stupidity (on everyone’s part, not just his) is a whole separate issue. I just feel like everytime he does anything, ten thousand people that sound like my father call into talk radio and want him traded for for a couple of mid-level prospects.
Now, I open today’s paper and I see that camera’s were following him around Miami while he was hanging out with Kate Hudson. Let me sum up the article: “Why isn’t he at home resting? That’s what the Yankees gave him the time off to do, right?” No, it really isn’t. He got the days off the get his head straight. What better way to relieve some of the pressure than with a couple of Mojitos and Kate Freaking Hudson? I dare anyone out there to not do the same thing if presented with the opportuinity.
Let’s be honest. In two weeks, A-Rod will be hitting again, all will be right with the world, and people will still be finding reasons to hate him. Just let the record show that I’ve been behind him every step of the way.
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