I take fashion pretty seriously...especially, when the clothing involved asks that we suspend all notions of practicality. And double especially, when it's some form of cuckoo [golfing!] lingerie.
Looking to create the online athletic couture unveiling of the season, this was sent my way by UK designer boutique Mio Destino.
The golfing bra is, quote, "the answer for all golf lovers who feel they neglect their lady."
"So the next time your partner asks if you ‘fancy a tee?’ she won’t be putting the kettle on, oh no! She will be opening her lingerie drawer and whipping out the fun new set from Mio Destino"
The golfing bra is nearing the final stages of development (I'm thinking the dangling golf balls on tassels might get left out of the on-the-course version), and the set is available for £300.
The folks behind the "Don't Vote" video are asking folks to share it with five other people. (video is actually called, simply, 5 Friends). And bloggers are taking the extra step by posting it and linking to five other blogs.
A taped broadcast of the the 2008 USA Rock Paper Scissors Championship airs tonight on Fox Sports Net (check your local listings). Broadcasting renaissance man Master Roshambollah to provide commentary. (via Deuce of Davenport.)
You don’t have to be getting hit over the head with news alerts to realize that tomorrow the House will reconvene to try to reach a solution, for better or worse, concerning the financial bailout proposal. Thus, I thought it appropriate to recall some of the great bailouts in sports history.
My personal contribution is Drew Bledsoe coming off the bench, after losing his starting job to a then injured Tom Brady, and leading the Patriots to victory in the 2001 AFC Championship Game, only to be relegated back to the bench for the Super Bowl.
I tasked some of the sports blogosphere to come up with other great bailouts in sports history. Here are the top-3, and many other below...
1.) The Tackle
Courtesy of Melfi, NYHoosier.com, a Colts fan who had the pleasure of experiencing this game on ESPN Gamecast. Here's a rather indulgent video of the play. The anguish of a Colts fan having to follow that game on ESPN.com, with the 18-minute delay time and the kind-of-moving football dot, warms my heart. It’s the little things that get us through these tough economic times.
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2.) The 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals
James Christensen, from NEPatriotsDraft.com, was the first to suggest this, but his sentiments were wildly echoed by others for this one…
Isaac, from World of Isaac, gets the nod for sending in the clip of the no-call that only the most entitled of Wall Streets' out-of-work millionaire CEOs could defend…
My buddy Derek, who’s the biggest hockey fan I know, gets a shout out for this one…
The Pittsburgh Penguins were bankrupt, and on the verge of leaving the city, when the franchise’s most storied player bought the team. In a deal that had to be approved by the Federal Government, Lemieux assumed control of the team in 1996, and vowed to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Also, as part of the deal, he agreed to pay back the close to $100 million owed to creditors.
Apparently, most of that debt has been paid back. And with the addition of Sydney Crosby (who lived in Lemiuex’s house when he first joined the team), the Penguins are now selling out games left and right, and moving towards the black.
This is a bailout backers of the Bush’s plan would like you to remember, simply, because it’s worked. However, as things shake out in the financial world over the next couple days, I ask that you also keep Drew Bledsoe in mind taxpayers – he was asked to step up when Brady went down, and then discarded with near immediacy.
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The sports blogosphere’s most distinguished statesmen stepped up with some other great examples, so here are all the honorable mentions…
A big bailout? How about MLB relocating the Montreal Expos to Washington, D.C. and christening them the Nationals? Jeffery Loria sold the Expos to MLB for $120 million, and a few years later, MLB sold the team to the Lerner family for over $500 million. Add to that, Washington, D.C. threw in a $611 million stadium with very little ownership equity. (Maury Brown, President of Business of Sports Networks, BizofBaseball.com)
The NBA stopping the Cavaliers from themselves in the early 1980s, preventing them from continuing to trade away consecutive first round picks for past-prime talent. (Kelly Dwyer, Balls Don’t Lie)
How 'bout Jeff Hostetler coming in for an injured Phil Simms (foot), winning the last 2 games of the season and the Super Bowl XXV (Chimpanzee Rage, Deuce of Davenport)
George Steinbrenner bails out the Red Sox by signing A-rod (Jodie Boduch, GossipOnSports.com)
Gretzky saving hockey any place West of Detroit (Ethan Jaynes, NESWsports.com)
Kevin McHale bailing out his buddy Danny Ainge by trading KG to the Celts (The Sports Culture) Ray Lewis NOT Convicted of Murder (Trey Kirby, TheBlowtorch.net)
Ed Hochuli coming to the rescue of the Denver Broncos in Week 2 this season. (Ryan Phillips, Rumors & Rants)
Throw your personal favorite sports bailouts in the comments below!
This is the league we played in this year (knocked out in the first round of World Cup-style playoffs, unceremoniously). And I was there for this fiasco!
Ok, I was in the bar. But rumor was a full beer was heaved at someone - which is surprising with this crowd, because that's really more of a meathead move.
Disappointing way for the season to end. This is the same kickball league that made Jimmy Traina's SI.com Hot Clicks for hosting an International Tournament! (their fourth annual, in fact). Cooler heads did end up prevailing and according to BrooklynKickball.com the finals are rescheduled for next week.
But seriously, what sort of retaliation wouldn't be justified for having a full beer hurled at you?Flamethrower?
A 10-year study at Oregon State University has revealed that Iditarod-competing Huskies are ridiculously well-oiled machines...
"A roughly 55-pound sled dog can burn up to 12,000 kilocalories per day - the equivalent of 24 Big Macs. A human athlete, to sustain Iditarod-level performance for just one day, would have to eat, *and* efficiently process, the equivalent of 72 Big Macs." (DogBlog.com)
Though the stats are pretty staggering, knowing that the Iditarod is a 10-20 day race where the dogs mush for 1,100+ miles (temps, can be as low as -40 degrees fahrenheit), I wouldn't say that the revelations here blew my mind. What is most impressive, however, is that these dogs can break down anything:
"Sled dogs eat a commercial race diet, but it can be supplemented by anything from salmon to congealed lard, all of which they’re able to convert to fuel."
Hence, the relevance of the Big Mac analogy above. I can't even jog after eating a turkey burger, by the way.
Short of going back in time and studying beasts that did battle in the gladiatorial arena, I think we might have found nature's preeminent competitor here.
On-court rivals Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing will team up for Obama Rally in Broward County in the all-important state of Florida tomorrow (SunSentinel.com)
Natalie Gulbis Essay Contest
The finalist have been selected in the Natalie Gulbis "Who's Behind Your Success" Essay Contest (sponsored by RSM McGladrey). Lot of worthy candidates for the prize of spending a day in Vegas with Natalie. (WorldGolf.com)
Low Brow Discussion Will Not Be Allowed at Sports Talk Radio Station
FM-Station WMVN (101.1) in St. Louis will soon be converting from dance-music to sports, and station chief John Kijowski says, "We will be absolutely a 100 percent sports-talk station,'' he said. "Talk about bimbos, hookers on our air? No way. There's no need to dumb it down. Just because you're a guy doesn't mean you have to talk about that stuff. We will take a local, regional and national approach to mature sports talk.'' (STLToday.com)
Parent Banned From Youth Football Over Bad Play
Finally, a unique spin on an old fable. A parent in Amherst, OH barked at the coach of his son's 9-and-10 year old football team, and demanded he call a specific play. (A sweep, resulting in loss yardarge. Police then arrested parent Eric Frambach, whose been charged with disorderly conduct and is banned from practices and games moving forward. (SeattleTimes.com)
After competing in next month's World Championships, storied women's squash player Vicky Botwright will retire from the game, and become the Head of Squash in Manchester - home of England's Squash Association (WISPA) and the National Squash Centre.
Botwright moves on from a career that is marked by some of the most incendiary PR tomfoolery Pro sports promotion has seen since the turn of the century...
At the 2001 British Open, a 16th-ranked Botwright entered the court wearing only a bikini top and thong for an early round match (see the photos below from SquashPics.com). She claimed the traditional squash attire (and I guess speedos, bike shorts, tank tops by extension) was too constrictive. On account of this being completely ridiculous, she was not allowed to compete until she got dressed.
WISPA quickly admitted this to be a lavish publicity stunt, the brainchild of director Andrew Shelley, who scripted the whole thing. Nevertheless, it set off a media frenzy, as Botwright was dubbed the Lancashire Hot Bot, at one point vaulting into the top-10 in the Google search term rankings. Seven years later, the scandalous photos still show up first when you search for her on Google.
Of course, Botwright was moderately to fully aware (how could she not be?) of what she was voluntarily letting herself get involved in. In yesterday's Telegrath, she's quoted saying:
“It was the governing body's idea and obviously was completely staged. I didn’t go to one of the meetings I was supposed to attend and that was my punishment. Always go to a meeting - that’s the key!”
The World Squash Championships run from Oct. 11-19, and shortly thereafter Botwright will takeover as Chief. And barring any unforeseen stunts at next month's event, retain the title of squash's most recognizable yet controversial figure.
