Mets Take Series From Marlins

The Beltran grand slam was probably the biggest of his Mets career and yeah, that comeback shocked even me. Yesterday's loss was just horrible and showed once again why after this season the Mets just need to let Aaron Heilman go be a starter somewhere. Today, Pedro pitched well, Reyes got a key hit and hopefully we'll be back up 2 by the time the day is over.

You Can Call Him Chad Javon Ocho Cinco Now

Some people will do anything for attention and the man formerly known as Chad Johnson is certainly one if them:

Maybe receiver Chad Johnson can go by the name that his head coach hates.

The Cincinnati Bengals receiver has legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco in Broward County, Fla., a switch that became official this week, according to several media reports. Johnson, who lives in Miami, didn’t return a message left on his cell phone Friday night.

“It’s something I don’t think anyone has ever done before,” he told the team’s Web site. “Have I ever had a reason for why I do what I do? I’m having fun.”

Two years ago, Johnson gave himself the moniker—a reference in Spanish to his No. 85—and put it on the back of his uniform before a game. Quarterback Carson Palmer ripped it off before the kickoff. After the season, coach Marvin Lewis—who dislikes Johnson’s attention-getting stunts—referred to the receiver as “Ocho Psycho.”

Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said the Bengals had no comment on the matter.

Personally, I like "Ocho Psycho" a lot better.

Michael Strahan Chooses To Stay Retired

Michael Strahan proves that sometimes it's really not about the money:

The seven-time Pro Bowler decided to stay retired after seriously considering a request by the Super Bowl champion New York Giants to return to the team in the wake of a season-ending injury to fellow star defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

"He was very close to returning, but the great part about Michael is that he takes his time to think about things and he is very thorough," Tony Agnone said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday night. "You can get excited about coming back and running through the tunnel one more time."

Agnone said that Strahan struggled deciding whether he could give 100 percent mentally.

"In the end, he felt he could not get back to where he was," Agnone said.

Strahan could've gotten like $5million more than his new gig as an NFL analyst at FOX pays him year if he'd chosen to come back, so it had to be tempting. But going out on top, age and common sense obviously reigned him in. And that's a good thing.

Little League Kid Banned For Being "Too Good"

Imagine being sent home from school because you're too smart. Or fired from your job because you work too hard. Well that seems to be the kind of idiot logic standing behind this Little League pitcher being banned from playing because he's too good a baseball player. Yeah, that's right, too good:

Nine-year-old Jericho Scott is a good baseball player -- too good, it turns out.

The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

Officials for the three-year-old league, which has eight teams and about 100 players, said they will disband Jericho's team, redistributing its players among other squads, and offered to refund $50 sign-up fees to anyone who asks for it. They say Jericho's coach, Wilfred Vidro, has resigned.

But Vidro says he didn't quit and the team refuses to disband. Players and parents held a protest at the league's field on Saturday urging the league to let Jericho pitch.

"He's never hurt any one," Vidro said. "He's on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?"

The controversy bothers Jericho, who says he misses pitching.

"I feel sad," he said. "I feel like it's all my fault nobody could play."

This reminds me of the old saying about how the guy who said "It's not about winning, it's about how you play the game" most likely finished in second himself. It's that kind of PC mindset that rewards losers while shaming winners, all in the name of encouraging self-esteem. But at the end of the day excellence ends up being the only sin and as we see here, those who suffer include a 9-year-old who can't play the sport he loves because he dared to be too good at it.

Manny Acta and the Nationals Really Suck

Ok, I'll admit to being a little upset that the Nationals aren't even competing against the Phillies in their current series and yes, we more than took advantage of the Nats ineptness just last week. But the irony here is Nats manager Manny Acta and all the love he was getting as a possible replacement for Willie Randolph during the offseason....I mean, this guy has done to show that he should be managing a major league baseball team during his entire tenure in D.C. Nothing!

Amanda Beard Is A Bitch With A Flat Ass

Listen, it's one thing to deny you're sleeping with the guy, but deriding Michael Phelps looks is just flat-out wrong:

Olympic swimmer and Playboy covergirl Amanda Beard yesterday denied she is dating 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, with a rather insensitive “Ew, no!”

“I am not dating Michael Phelps! I have never, ever in my life hooked up with Michael Phelps,” the pool princess told a Phoenix radio show.

When asked if she’d ever kissed Phelps, Beard replied, “Ew, no.”

“I have really good taste,” she continued. “He’s not really my type, personally.”

Um, ouch!

What a bitch.

Chris Russo Leaves "Mike and the Mad Dog"

Well, the rumors had been there for months that "Mike and the Mad Dog" would be breaking up soon, but I still held out hope that they'd stay together. I've been listening to Chris and Mike for 9 years now and always enjoyed their show (even if sometimes I couldn't stand Francesca's sometimes "all-knowing" ass) because both hosts knew their sports, they had a great chemistry, they were funny, there was a tremendous balance and they were always entertaining without being sleazy. Russo made it sound like it was just time to take advantage of new opportunities and that it wasn't anything personal, but then the idea of leaving a No. 1 (or "prime real estate" as Francesca put it yesterday) spot like WFAN in the afternoon just doesn't make much sense to me. I think that they'll be worse apart then together, it was like hand fits glove with those two for years, so yeah, it's sad that they've broken up.

Hank Steinbrenner Is A Riot

You just know that Hank Steinbrenner is just trying to cover his ass when comes out blaming injuries for the Yankees lackluster season and the likelihood that may not make the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Remember it was Hank who wanted to get rid of Joe Torre and hire Joe Girardi over Don Mattingly. And mind you, when you have a team with $200million payroll, there's no excuse for not making the playoffs. But at the end of the day it's Hank's dad who should get the most blame for the Yanks demise when he dramatically switched strategy and turned the Yanks into a bunch of superstars with no real chemistry after winning for so many years with good players who hit in the clutch, didn't care about stats, got on base, always gave 100% and pitched liked their lives depended on it.

Spain Men's Basketball Team: Dumb Athletes of the Day

Just dumb, stupid and downright moronic:

Spain's Olympic basketball teams have risked upsetting their Chinese hosts by posing for a pre-Games advert making slit-eyed gestures. The advert for a courier company, which is an official sponsor of the Spanish Basketball Federation, occupied a full page in the sports daily Marca, the country's best-selling newspaper.

The advert features two large photographs, one of the men's basketball team, above, and one of the women's team. Both squads pose in full Olympic kit on a basketball court decorated with a picture of a Chinese dragon. Every single player appears pulling back the skin on either side of their eyes. The advert carries the symbol of the sport's governing body.

Mets Take 2 Outta 3 From Padres

I know Johan Santana is going to get all his millions regardless, but he wouldn't be human if he wasn't pissed at just how inept his bullpen is. Yet, another blown save...seems like the bullpen has cost Santana at least 10 wins this year. Anyway, nice to see David Wright make up for his huge error yesterday, we picked up a game on the Phils and Carlos Beltran seems to have remembered how to hit again. All in all, not a bad series and yeah, I'm feeling this Daniel Murphy kid so much so that I'd be really comfortable with him in left-field if Ryan Church never comes back.

Favre In Gang Green: Hope Begins Anew

Yes we can believe again.

Dumb Decision By Manuel Making Heilman "Closer"

Jerry Manuel said something to the effect that Aaron "deserved" the first chance to be the closer while Billy Wagner is on the DL. Well, obviously Manuel hasn't been paying too close attention to how awful Heilman's been this year, thus, any surprise that he almost blew it for us last night? Wagner with his 7 blown saves is having a bad enough season (how he made the All-Star team is beyond me), but any bullpen-by-committee while our closer is out should not include Aaron Heilman.

Prince Fielder Is A Big, Fat Bully

Here's a guy who still holds a longstanding, silly grudge against his dad and now he's pushing a teammate down to the ground twice because the pitcher didn't want to stay in the dugout after he got taken out (don't most pitchers do that) the game? Grow up already.

Houston Astros Sweep Mets

The Mets desperately needed help in their bullpen and the outfield, but Omar Minaya does nothing. Fine. If Omar thinks keeping Fernando Martinez around is more important than getting this team to the World Series this year, that's his choice. But if the We're-Fine-The-Way-We-Are Mets don't make the playoffs this year, Omar Miniya needs to lose his job. By the way, it is just me or does the oft-injured Martinez remind you of another supposed "5-tool prospect" who turned out to be a bust by the name of Alex Escobar?

Steve Simth Gets Off Easy

That's my opinion anyway. There's hardly anything more asinine than beating up one of your own teammates out of the blue (well, pushing a 64yo man to the floor like Manny Ramirez did this year is one) and mind you this is the second time in Steve Smith's career that he's gone to the mat with a fellow teammate. I understand that in football players get in skirmish's all the time, but Steve Smith has a huge anger management problem and needs serious help controlling his temper. The Panthers would've really been sending him a message if they'd suspended him 4 to 6 games if you ask me.