Great Move!

In a time of economic struggle and fiscal irresponsibility, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss some of the greatest financial mistakes in sports. I started doing some research, and found that ESPN’s Page 2 had already done similar articles on the worst contracts in MLB, NBA and NFL. So instead of re-doing what Page 2 had already done, I compiled info from their articles and some other sources and present to you a couple of the worst contracts in Cleveland sports history.

LeCharles Bentley (Browns, 2006)
Six years, $36 million, $12.5 million guaranteed

It was supposed to be a successful homecoming when Bentley, a Cleveland native, signed on to join the Browns’ offensive line. He was coming off his second Pro Bowl in four seasons with the Saints. But he ruptured a patellar tendon on his first play of training camp, which led to a series of staph infections that he said almost led to the amputation of his leg. The team paid him $16 million, and he played zero games. Say that out loud. $16 million. Zero games played.

Larry Hughes (Cavaliers, 2005)
Five years, $70 million

Hughes enjoyed a career year with the Wizards in his contract season of 2004-05 scoring 22.0 ppg. The Cavs had cap space to burn after being stood up by Carlos Boozer the previous offseason. Hughes never approached his 2004-05 numbers and has averaged just 12 ppg during the past four seasons. He also did not enjoy staying healthy or making 5 foot jump shots in playoff games.

Wayne Garland (Indians, 1977)
10 years, $2.3 million

Call this one an ode to the early days of free agency. Garland was part of baseball’s first free-agent class following the 1976 season. With Baltimore, he had gone 20-7 with a 2.68 ERA in his first season as a starter (rules were different then, and Garland became a free agent even though he’d spent only three years in the majors). For some reason, the Indians figured a 10-year contract was the way to go, even though Garland struck out only 113 batters in 232 innings. (And you wonder why Cleveland went from 1955 through 1994 without a playoff appearance) The money doesn’t match the megadeals of today, but considering Garland did see his salary increase from $19,000 to an average of $230,000 per season, it was still a hefty risk. Garland pitched 282 innings in ’77 and completed 21 games, but then shoulder problems set in. He won only 15 games over the final nine years of the contract. On the plus side, dude’s got a great mustache game.

And my favorite of all time………

Juan Gonzalez (Indians, 2005)
1 year, $600,000

When you think about it, 1 year $600,000 for a two-time league MVP doesn’t sound all that bad. Unfortunately, Juan Gone played in one game, hit a weak ground ball and pulled his hamstring running to first base in what turned out to be his last game as a big leaguer. So for 1 year and $600,000, Juan Gone played in 1 game and went 0-1 in 1 AB. To fully understand how awesome this deal was, remember that during this same 2005 season Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee, Coco Crisp, Grady Sizemore and Jhonny Peralta all earned under $400,000 for the year. Ouch.

Who did I miss? I know there’s some other great ones out there.

Summer 2009 blockbuster movies!

Today it’s a whopping 50 degrees here in Youngstown. This kind of weather conditions can only mean one thing; summer is right around the corner. With that being said some new blockbuster movies should be coming out. I would say without a doubt that last years biggest movie had to be The Dark Knight. Here are a few movies that are on my can’t miss list. We will have to wait and see what movie will take that trophy for 2009. Personally, Public Enemies looks so legit!! I hope it doesn’t disappoint. I think we need to have a TT vote off on what movie we are looking forward to the most. I will leave that up to the commish.

– MAY –
X-Men Origins: WolverineStarring:

Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Dominic Monaghan, Danny HustonDirector: Gavin HoodRelease Date: 1st May 2009
Angels And Demons

Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Stellan SkarsgårdDirector: Ron HowardRelease Date: 15th May 2009

Terminator Salvation

Starring: Christian Bale, Helena Bonham Carter, Sam Worthington Director: Joseph “McG” McGinty Nichol Release Date: 22nd May 2009

– JUNE –

Year One

Starring: Jack Black, Michael Cera, David Cross, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin to you and me)Director: Harold RamisRelease Date: 5th June 2009

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan FoxDirector: Michael BayRelease Date: 26th June 2009
Public Enemies

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Channing TatumDirector: Michael MannRelease Date: 1st July 2009

Bump This.

BUMPER STICKERS. Love Them or Hate Them. Funny or Stupid. Insightful or Shallow. Religious or Anarchist. The list could go on for days. The simple fact is these stickers that people put on their vehicle can say a lot about the person driving that vehicle. For instance:

If someone puts a bumper sticker on a BMW, that says that the owner of said BMW does not value his/her investment in a luxury vehicle, STUPID!!!

If someone puts more than two stickers on the same bumper, that person is committed to their love of bumper stickers. SAD!!!

If someone puts more BS’s on their car than you can count while stopped at a red light, that is utterly ridiculous BS. HIPPIE!!!

Now that we have discussed some of the people that put bumper stickers on their automobiles, let’s discuss the stickers themselves. Bumper Stickers can vary in size, shape, color, and message, but all bumper stickers do have one thing in common. No matter what the sticker says or looks like you are sure to react to every Bumper Sticker you come accross. Oh that one is funny. That is the dumbest bumper sticker I have ever seen. I don’t get it. Those are all reactions that I guarantee we have all had to one sticker or another. These are some of my favorite stickers I have come accross:

Patriotic

Sports

Inspiration

Humor

Religion

Poo Poo Occurs

I personally feel that the worst bumper stickers are political stickers that are outdated. I hope everyone was able to take some time and reflect about their favorite, funniest and most hated Bumper Stickers they have ever seen.

May I please use the restroom?

Unless you have a raging case of stage fright then this washroom is the definition of jelly. I hope they don’t have similar pictures by their bidets because a fruit bowl is something no one likes to see. The exact location of these urinals is unknown but I’m sure most males wouldn’t mind using these piss pots to go tinkle in.

And the Winner is…

This weeks winner is Iron Mike Tyson. One of the hardest hitters of the boxing world, Tyson was the undisputed heavyweight champion for over two years. He won his first 19 professional bouts with knockouts, 12 of which happened in the first round. Maniac. In 1992, The Baddest Man on Earth made a choice that some people thought was a bad idea. He raped a woman and was sentenced to three years in prison. After his release in 1995, he tried for a comeback and regained a portion of his heavyweight title only to lose it to Evander Holyfield in 1996. Tyson is probably going to be remembered for his Holyfield rematch in 1997 in which he was disqualified for biting a piece of Holyfields ear off. Bad choice number 2. In 2003, he filed for bankrupcy. I guess the $300 million he made throughout his career just wasn’t enough to support him. Tyson retired in 2005 after a few disappointing ass beatings. He is number 16 on Ring Magazines list of the 100 greatest punchers of all time.

Youngstown Born Youngstown Bread

7,200 people packed into the Youngstown Chevy Centre last night to cheer on Kelly Pavlik in his fight against Rubio. Most expected an early round knockout from the champ but it went a full 9 rounds before Rubio’s corner called pussy and threw in the towel. A lot of ppv buyers expected much more.

As I made everyone aware of in my post last week to pay attention to Jake Giuriceo on the undercard making his pro debut against Micheal Suarez. Giuriceo stole the show early on and like I predicted he knocked him the fuck out (see below). Giuriceo came out firing with fast paced combos to the body. The fight ended 0:53 of the second round on a straight right hand right to the chin of Suarez after a questionable blow to the back of the head. Don’t piss him off (strutherswhatsup). Jake will continue taking on anyone they put in front of him after an impressive debut in front of a hometown crowd.

Vindy


Highlights

If I had a $120 million dollars…

Most of my days as of late have consisted of talking with SoCalShredder about what to do with the money we are going to win on Mega Millions. We can thank the tanking economy for that one. After numerous, long conversations, we have come to the decision that the smartest and most awesome way to spend the money would be to buy an island and invite all our friends to live there. We have been researching islands and have come up with a few that we feel will suit our needs. We have decided to start our list of what needs to be included on this island to make it most epic. I warn you though, if you ask Shredder about this, his response will take most of your day. A few of the things listed below are absolutely necessary and others we can do without. But lets face it, when we win $120 million is it really going to matter?

• Waterslide that ends with a 15 foot drop into the ocean
• Personal Cantina’s that are surrounded by water
• Jet Skis for everyone on the island
• ATVs for everyone on the island
• A golf course, designed by Jack Potts
• If no room for a golf course, a driving range
• At least three party yachts
• A clubhouse full of games such as:
o Bubble Hockey
o Pool
o Air Hockey
o Buck Hunter
o Side by Side Mario Cart
o Pop a Shot
o Skee Ball
o Shuffle Board
o All video game consoles available
o Foosball table
• Fruit Trees
• Shred Sticks for all (a surfboard if you’re new to TT)
• Outdoor Shower (face it, who doesn’t enjoy being naked outside?)
• Rope swing into the ocean
• Cliff Jumping (if need be, we will build our own cliff)
• So many hammocks you won’t know what to do with yourself
• Zip line

Like we said, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We could go on, but we would rather hear what you think. All of Thunder Nation is invited to live on this island and do what ever they want all the time. Let us know what you think we should add to the list. This way, when we win that magical Mega Millions, we will have everything ready to go. Take a look at this boss island. Let the wheels start turning…

**A special thanks to the SoCalShredder for his input with this post**

A Night to Remember

In 1974 the Cleveland Indians were struggling on the field and to get fans in the seats, what a surprise, right? For those of you who remember Municipal Stadium, it was not petite by any means. With profits slumping, The Tribe came up with the great idea of 10-cent beer night. Also, the organization and vendors of the ballpark decided that there should be no restriction on the amount of 10-ounce beers one person could purchase. Prolific!

As the game with the Texas Rangers began so did the trouble in the stands. During the first inning fans were lighting fireworks and smoke bombs. If you were a spectator you may have thought it was firework night at the ballpark due to the consistent explosions heard throughout the evening.

During the second inning a topless woman who was identified as “somewhat large” rumbled and stumbled her way onto the field. The drunken heffer was hunting for some D as she chased around an umpire, unsuccessfully obtaining a kiss from Nestor Chylak.

Things did not stop there. Two innings later, after a Rangers home run, a streaker entered the base path and slid into second base. He must have been torn up in so many ways. 

A father and son greeted Mike Hargrove, the American League’s Rookie of the Year during his first at bat by bending over in the infield and exposing their butt cheeks. The fireworks continued in the sixth inning when Cleveland fans began to throw firecrackers at the Texas Rangers pitchers warming up in the bullpen.

Jeff Burroughs, Rangers right fielder, was no longer able to concentrate in the field due to the unrelenting flow of angry Cleveland fans that wandered onto the field. Whether the fans wanted to talk to him, yell at him or shake his hand the number of fans wandering through the outfield was more than the stadiums security was capable of handling. 

As the sloppy got sloppier, the crowd began to pelt the backs of Rangers players with everything from batteries to Municipal Stadium seating. Mike Hargrove, who would later play for and eventually manage the Indians, stated, “I remember getting spat on a lot and having a lot of hot dogs thrown at me. Somebody threw a gallon jug of Thunderbird wine at me.” 

After all of this, the Indians faced a 5-3 deficit entering the bottom of the ninth, they managed to tie the score up and had the winning run on second base. At that point, an Indians fan ran onto the field and knocked the cap off of Jeff Burroughs head. Burroughs began to chase the fan which forced play to stop. This caused Rangers players, and manger to rush onto the field armed with their Louisville sluggers, to help their teammate. At the same time, fans began to pour into right field. Fans brought glass bottles, broken chairs, metal chains and even knives as weapons.

Due to the melee the umpire decided to give the game to the Rangers, thus ending the Tribe’s comeback and the rare opportunity for a win by the Indians. The umpires didn’t have much of an option. All the bats were broken, the baselines were gone and someone literally had stolen the bases. If this game hadn’t been called by the umpires than Cleveland may have seen it’s first Natural Disaster, not to be mistaken with their annual man made disaster.

All in all, nine people were arrested and seven were sent to the hospital but not until 65,000 cups of beer had been consumed. This game is remembered as the worst example of drunken debauchery in baseball history. 

Oddly enough though, after the riot the Cleveland Indians organization made no plans to put a stop to the two other Ten Cent Beer Nights scheduled for the season. The June 4 promotion turned out to be quite popular, drawing 25,134 people, more than double the average of Cleveland’s crowd that season. However, the league forced the Indians organization to cancel those promotions, pointing out the obvious in stating, “There was no question that beer played a great part in the affair.” 

The Price is Right!

When we were growing up, there was a staple in every child’s life. That staple was The Price is Right. I can remember watching it with my grandparents after they picked me up from preschool. It was one of the only things that could make anyone feel better when they stayed home sick from school (whether they we were sick or not). In college, I had a friend who had a rule with his roommates. If they were getting ready for class and at any moment saw Bob Barker or heard the Price is Right music, they had to skip their class and sit down and watch. Totally understandable and if you don’t know what show I’m talking about I would like to ask you kindly to never ever visit this blog again. Tomorrow morning, February 18th, is a special Price is Right. I know what you’re thinking..”But DiLo, how can it be special without Bob Barker?” It will be special because our friend, Lindsey, will be appearing on the show. Lindsey is originally from Medina, Ohio and has relocated to Las Vegas. Lindsey and her sister set out at 4am from Las Vegas to go to Los Angeles in hopes of getting tickets to the Price Is Right. After hours of lines and many attempts for them to get her name (Lindsey Marie) onto one of their name tags, they had gotten to their seats. As the show began, Lindsey was the very first contestant called down! She remained on the show and made it to the showcase showdown. I am not going to spoil how the show ends, but it would be smart of you to watch until the end! Thunder Treats congratulates Lindsey on her outstanding achievement and success. Thunder Nation looks forward to watching you dominate.

And the Winner is…

This weeks winner is actually a loser. A big one. Chris Brown assaulted Rihanna last week after the two attended a pre-grammys party. I don’t care if Rihanna told him that his hair was nappy and his dance moves were like that of an uncomfortable 12 year old at his first school dance, there is no justification for hitting a woman.
Okay, I guess if a woman cuts off your genitalia, she probably deserves one right in the kisser. Now unless Chris Brown is missing a certain appendage, then I think its only fair that Zampini hits him with a straight left. Sorry Chris, but you brought this on yourself, you are now the Thunder Treats Enemy of the Month and we wouldn’t wish that on anyone…