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Jason Collins says NBA player taunted him on court for being gay

March 20, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Jason Collins knew when he decided to come out as gay that not everyone would be accepting of his sexual preference. The Brooklyn Nets forward is the first openly gay player to be on an active NBA roster, and some people don’t react well to change. As you might have expected, Collins said he has been the victim of homophobic taunts since signing with the Nets.

The good news is Collins said only one player has taunted him on the court over his sexual preference. The bad news is that there are adults in the world who are that immature.

“One player, one knucklehead from another team,” Collins told Stefan Bondy of the NY Daily News on Thursday. “He’s a knucklehead. So I just let it go. Again, that goes back to controlling what you can control. That’s how I conduct myself — just being professional.”

Collins is set to make his first trip through Bible Belt states since signing with Brooklyn, which means he is prepared for the potential of hearing more nasty comments. The Nets have a series of road games in Dallas, New Orleans and Charlotte starting on Saturday.

“You can’t control what other people are going to do,” Collins said when asked if he is concerned about the trip.

Collins also said he takes pride in the fact that the Nets are 10-3 since signing him, proving that all the “distraction” talk is overstated when it comes to having a gay player on your team. From what we know, Collins has handled himself with nothing but class. He’s not looking for trouble, or he could have easily outed the player who taunted him. He just wants to play basketball.

Filed Under: Basketball, Headlines Tagged With: Jason Collins

Young Australian fan throws temper tantrum to get foul ball (Video)

March 20, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Fans in the land down under like foul balls as much as we do here in America.

The Los Angeles Dodgers took on an Australian all-star team on Thursday in advance of their weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. When a foul ball was sliced down the left-field line in the eighth inning, it wound up in the hands of a stadium security worker. Like we often see here in America, the employee picked a fan to give the ball to. He made a big mistake not giving it to the kid in yellow.

As you can see, the boy wearing yellow threw a temper tantrum. He had good reason to, as the left fielder tried to throw him the ball initially but did not toss it far enough. Fortunately, another fan realized what had happened and gave the kid the ball, turning his frown into an ear-to-ear grin. We hope everyone left the ballpark happy.

H/T Deadspin

Filed Under: Baseball, Headlines Tagged With: foul balls

Aroldis Chapman hit in face by Salvador Perez line drive (Video)

March 19, 2014 By Larry Brown 1 Comment

Cincinnati Reds flame thrower Aroldis Chapman was hit in the face by a Salvador Perez line drive during a spring training game on Wednesday night and was carted off the field.

Chapman is the hardest thrower in baseball, which means any ball coming off the bat would be returned with absurd velocity. The play occurred during the bottom of the sixth inning of a Cactus League game between the Reds and Royals.

This video shows Perez making contact. You can hear the terrible sound:

Here’s a look at the scene on the field after Chapman was hit – you can hear how silent the stadium was:

Reds reporter C. Trent Rosecrans says Chapman’s father ran onto the field after his son got hit.

Chapman was attended to by paramedics and carted off the field. The parties involved agreed to call the game after Chapman was hit.

Reds reliever JJ Hoover sent this tweet shortly after the game was called and it was enough to make anyone nervous:

Keep Chapman in your thoughts and Prayers. That was one of the worst I've ever seen. Praying he comes back quick!

— JJ Hoover (@JJ_Hoover) March 20, 2014

This sort of scenario is a pitcher’s worst nightmare, but it sounds like Chapman may come out of this in much better shape than anticipated:

Chapman suffered laceration above left eye, Price said. Never lost consciousness and was talking, moving #reds

— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) March 20, 2014

The team says Chapman has fractures above his left eye and nose and will be kept overnight at the hospital for observation.

Filed Under: Baseball, Headlines Tagged With: Aroldis Chapman

Bruce Pearl hired as head coach at Auburn

March 18, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Bruce Pearl is eligible to return to the NCAA this August. The former Tennessee men’s basketball coach was fired in 2011 amid several allegations of recruiting violations and was banned from collegiate athletics for three years. When he returns this summer, it will be to coach the Auburn Tigers.

As Gary Parrish of CBS Sports first reported on Tuesday, Pearl has reached an agreement with Auburn.

“I’m humbled and blessed to be back in the game that I love,” Pearl said. “I don’t know how long it will take, but it’s time to rebuild the Auburn basketball program, and bring it to a level of excellence so many of the other teams on campus enjoy.”

Former head coach Tony Barbree was recently fired after four seasons with the Tigers. Auburn has not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2003, and the school has never reached a Final Four.

Pearl spent six seasons as head coach at Tennessee and brought the Vols to the NCAA Tournament each year. As Parrish noted, Pearl could not have described Auburn any better back in August when asked about his impending return to coaching.

“It’s going to need to be somebody that has the vision that Tennessee had,” he said at the time. “Tennessee had a vision to try to get its men’s basketball program to the level of its football program and where Pat Summitt had the women’s basketball program. That was Tennessee’s vision. They said, ‘We’re winning in everything else. We want to do it in men’s basketball, too.’”

“So that would be the job I’d want — a job where somebody has that vision. It would almost need to be a school that’s won a national championship in football or baseball. Somebody who’s done it and wants to try to do it again in men’s basketball.”

Auburn’s basketball team is not very good. Its football team just reached the BCS National Championship Game and is expected to be a powerhouse for years to come. Coaching the Tigers sounds like the exact job Pearl was looking for.

Filed Under: College Basketball, Headlines Tagged With: Auburn Basketball, Bruce Pearl

300-pound lineman Freddie Booth-Lloyd can run like the wind (Video)

March 17, 2014 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

This video of high school football lineman (and track superstar in the making) Freddie Booth-Lloyd running the second leg of a 4×100 relay for his high school has been going viral, and it’s easy to see why.

Booth-Lloyd, who is a defensive tackle/offensive guard at Cocoa High School in Florida, is listed at 6-foot-2 and just over 300 pounds by most recruiting websites. He is a Temple commit, and Rivals lists his 40-yard dash time as 5.39 seconds. It sounds like Rivals is going to have to update that time.

Booth-Lloyd’s friends recorded video of him running in a track race for his school and posted the video to various sites such as Instagram, Vine and YouTube, and it has blown up. Booth-Lloyd has been responding to many of the tweets he’s received through the video, and he told one person his 40-time is actually 4.9, which is pretty darn good for an interior lineman.

Booth-Lloyd was just loving the attention to the video. Check out his response to some tweets:

@ziarnob10 lol that's crazy im going sport center top 10

— Freddie Booth-Lloyd (@Swagga_Athlete) March 16, 2014

@PrimeTime_Dyer I'm trying to tell yah I was outta there

— Freddie Booth-Lloyd (@Swagga_Athlete) March 16, 2014

Funny enough, ESPN did request permission to use the video. Maybe he is headed for the SportsCenter Top 10!

To give you another look at his size, here is Booth-Lloyd with Temple football coach Matt Rhule:

Not bad wheels for a kid that big, huh? Look at him slide!

H/T Deadspin
Photo: Twitter/Swagga_Athlete

Filed Under: Headlines, High School, Viral Greatness Tagged With: Freddie Booth-Lloyd

Report: Jim Irsay had several prescription drugs, failed sobriety tests

March 17, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was arrested for driving while under the influence on Sunday night, but that does not necessarily mean he was drinking. As details continue to emerge, it sounds like Irsay’s arrest was drug related.

According to Bill McCleery of the Indianapolis Star, Irsay is facing four counts of of felony possession of controlled substances. He was charged with driving while under the influence after failing several field sobriety tests.

Lt. Joe Bickel of the Carmel Police Department said in a statement that Irsay was stopped while driving at a slow rate of speed and failing to signal when turning. His vehicle was searched and “multiple prescription drugs were found in pill bottles.” Police found several Schedule IV prescription drugs that they say “were not associated with any prescription bottles found in the vehicle.”

Schedule IV drugs are on the lower end of the substance abuse spectrum and include sleep and anxiety medications.

Back in October, Irsay tweeted that he has not had a drop of alcohol in 15 years. It does not sound like alcohol was involved with his arrest over the weekend. The Indy Star’s Bob Kravitz speculated that the arrest was drug related as soon as the news broke, adding that Irsay has a “problem” that the Colts have been trying to get him to address for quite some time.

In 2002, Irsay admitted he was addicted to pain killer.

“After several years of orthopedic operations and procedures, accompanied by long bouts of chronic pain, I became dependent on prescription pain medications,” he said at the time. “This summer I sought professional help at a nationally recognized facility located outside Indiana. I have successfully dealt with my dependence and my chronic pain issues.”

Irsay could now face disciplinary action from the NFL, as all personnel are subject to the guidelines of the league’s personal conduct policy. If Irsay is struggling with addiction, hopefully he gets the help he needs.

Filed Under: Football, Headlines, Police Blotter Tagged With: Jim Irsay

Jim Irsay arrrested for OWI, possession of controlled substance

March 17, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was arrested on Sunday night. The 54-year-old was reportedly charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance.

According to WISH TV in Indianpolis, Irsay was taken into custody just before midnight. His bond was set for $22,500.

It is unclear what substance Irsay was found to be in possession of. Irsay seems to always tweet like he’s hammered, though he has denied in the past that he drinks at all.

Actually working,sorry naysayers..I don't drink…haven't in over 15 years..I know when your unhappy or jealous it's easy to b mean-spirited

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) October 21, 2013

We’ll have more details as they unfold.

UPDATE: Jim Irsay was reportedly charged with felony possession of several prescription drugs after failing multiple field sobriety tests. More details here.