Water Cooler – October 20th, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
We have a little bit of everything to discuss in today’s news. Crucial injuries in playoff baseball. Managerial hirings. Hockey players fighting fans. Wait – what?
MLB news: Yankees lose Mark Teixeira (hamstring) for playoffs; Cubs name Mike Quade manager
Ouch. The New York Yankees were on the ropes already after falling behind 3-1 to Texas in the American League Championship Series and now they have to soldier on without one of their top power hitters.
First baseman Mark Teixeira pulled a hamstring while running to first last night; an MRI revealed the injury to be a grade-2 strain, which typically requires six to eight weeks of healing. Tex is out for the playoffs. However, he was 0 for 14 in this series, so his departure could help the Bronx Bombers in the short term.
The Chicago Cubs have hired their next manager – and it’s not Ryne Sandberg. Instead, they’ve chosen Mike Quade. He took on the interim role this year after Lou Piniella’s early retirement and lead Chicago to a 24-13 record. That audition was good enough for him to lose the interim tag and land the big job.
After the Cubs shipped Ted Lilly to the Los Angeles Dodgers partway through the 2010 season, he enjoyed his time there so much that he decided to stay. Lilly signed a three-year, $33-million deal with L.A. He was 7-4 with a 3.52 ERA after arriving this season.
NHL news: Vancouver forward Rick Rypien fights Minnesota fan
Vancouver Canucks grinder Rick Rypien lost his cool during a 6-2 defeat to the Minnesota Wild last night. He was on the way to the Vancouver dressing room after a game misconduct penalty. Suddenly, he snapped on a fan, leaping over the railing overhanging the locker room and grabbing him.
The fan was hollering, jeering maybe, but the footage shows he never touched Rypien before the attack. The NHL will almost certainly discipline Rypien for the incident.
NFL news: league dishes out fines but doesn’t suspend players for Week 6 hits
We’ve heard whispers that the dangerous hits delivered on DeSean Jackson, Josh Cribbs, Mohamed Massaquoi and Todd Heap in Week 6 were a “last straw” that would change NFL culture. Commissioner Roger Goodell took the first step toward making that theory true yesterday.
He didn’t suspend perpetrators Dunta Robinson, James Harrison and Brandon Meriweather but he fined them heavily. Meriweather and Robinson were docked $50,000 each and Harrison, who concussed two players, lost $75,000. It’s a major ramp up from the usual $1,500 slap-on-the-wrist fines we see in most pro sports.
Goodell also said the fines are a warning and that violent conduct would be cause for suspension from this week onward.
NBA news: league bans leap-enhancing shoes
Spud Webb won’t be happy about this news. The NBA has banned an emerging new line of sneakers that supposedly increase a player’s vertical leap. The $300 Concept 1 shoe, designed by Athletic Propulsion Labs, has a spring-based system designed to enhance lift.
The designers, Adam and Ryan Goldston, said that many NBA players, including 30 per cent of rookies, expressed interest in the shoes.
NCAA news: update on Eric LeGrand’s paralysis
Quick update on Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed from the neck down last weekend: coach Greg Schiano didn’t update his condition in yesterday’s news conference but said he LeGrand was responsive, aware and in good spirits. It’s still too early to tell if LeGrand will regain any sensation below his neck.
Comments are welcome below!
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