Larry Brown Sports

AHL teams need to find creative ways to sell tickets, and putting together a hilarious billboard advertisement is one way to do that. If the Syracuse Crunch were my local AHL team, I’d be buying tickets to a game the second I saw their new billboard.

“For a good time call 473-4444,” the masterpiece reads.

If a picture of a hockey player with a grizzly beard laying across a goal in a provocative position doesn’t get a chuckle out of you, nothing will. Whether it’s a funny billboard, a head coach going all out to accuse a referee of being blind or a dude getting so drunk he breaks into a house he thought was his own, the lower levels of hockey seem to consistently produce some of the best stories.

Photo via Twitter/Jim Sarosy
H/T Eye on Hockey

If you thought the Miami Marlins had trouble putting fans in the stands in years past, wait until you get a load of what they are doing this year. Now that the team has decided to fire Ozzie Guillen and trade Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle to the Toronto Blue Jays, interest in the upcoming season seems lower than ever. Aside from Giancarlo Stanton, there isn’t much that is going to inspire Marlins fans (if there are any) to attend a game.

However, we have some good news for those Marlins fans who actually enjoy attending games at the brand new ballpark the team just built in Miami. If you purchase a ticket to the Marlins home opener against the Atlanta Braves on April 8th, you will receive a ticket to any other game of your choice — on the house.

According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins ran a promotion last year where fans who purchased a season-ticket package would be entered into a lottery for a chance to score a ticket to the first ever game at the new Marlins Park. Now that the park is a full year old, the team can’t even give tickets away.

Marlins president David Samson season ticket sales have fallen to under 5,000 this season from 12,000 last year. The home opener on April 8 still isn’t sold out. The Marlins are a Major League Baseball team, but it seems like it’s only a matter of time before they’re shooting human beings out of cannons in an attempt to get people to come to the ballpark.

H/T Big League Stew

The name “Evil Empire” may have started as a derogatory term for the New York Yankees, but it is now apparently one that they take pride in and enjoy profiting from. Legally speaking, the Yankees are now officially known as the Evil Empire.

According to the NY Daily News, trademark judges blocked an entrepreneur from registering the phrase “Baseballs Evil Empire” earlier this month. That name, they say, belongs to the Yankees.

“The record shows that there is only one EVIL EMPIRE in baseball and it is the New York Yankees,” the judges wrote in their decision.

The company that was seeking to trademark the phrase is known as Evil Enterprises Inc. The goal was to earn the exclusive rights to print the phrase “Baseballs Evil Empire” on shirts, hats and other merchandise. Major League Baseball objected to the trademark on behalf of the Yankees, using hundreds of news stories that used the phrase “Evil Empire” to describe the Yankees in support of their claim.

Boston Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino coined the phrase in 2002, saying that the “Evil Empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America” when the Yankees swooped in and signed Jose Contreras, who the Red Sox were targeting. The name stuck and is frequently used as a reference to the Yankees’ deep pockets and ability to seemingly acquire any player they seek.

The Evil Empire wins the exclusive rights to call itself the Evil Empire? How fitting.

Nike has decided to suspend its contract with Oscar Pistorius as the sprinter is investigated for charges of attempted murder.

“Nike has suspended its contract with Oscar Pistorius. We believe Oscar Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely,” the sports apparel giant said in a statement, via The Oregonian.

Pistorius also had his contract suspended by Oakley on Monday.

Nike is one of the most loyal companies to its star sports figures, so it takes something of this magnitude for them to waiver in support of an endorser. They initially stood by Joe Paterno while Penn State was exposed for the Jerry Sandusky scandal; they stood by Tiger Woods as his sex scandal unfolded; and they re-signed Michael Vick even after he served time in prison for dogfighting charges. But Nike dropped Lance Armstrong last October, and they have suspended their deal with Pistorius. It hasn’t exactly been a banner year for the swoosh in terms of endorsers.

My guess is they’re going to end up dropping him before too long; the reported evidence isn’t exactly looking good for Pistorius.

During the 2012 regular season, 11 NFL quarterbacks threw for more than 4,000 yards. Through the 2008 season, only two quarterbacks in league history had ever thrown for more than 5,000 in a single season — Dan Marino with 5,084 in 1984 and Drew Brees with 5,069 in 2008. Then, in 2011, Brees, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford all threw for over 5,000 yards. Eli Manning just missed the mark with 4,933.

Statistics would tell you that the game is changing and offense is taking over. The Ravens and the 49ers would tell you that we’re still watching the same old NFL, and defense still wins championships.

The Guardian recently examined the spending habits of all 32 NFL teams for the 2012 season, and the numbers show that 17 teams spent more money on defense than they did on offense. Of the 12 teams that made the playoffs in both the NFC and AFC, exactly half dedicated more of their salary cap dollars to defense than offense. Two of those teams remain standing, and their overall numbers are strikingly similar.

The Ravens dedicated $64 million to their defense this season, which is the fifth-highest amount in the NFL. The Niners spent $61.4 million on that side of the ball, which places them seventh in the league. San Francisco also ranked in the top 10 in offensive spending with $58.5 million, while Baltimore came in it 23rd with $49.1 million.

In an era where spread offenses and empty backfields have taken over, Baltmore general manager Ozzie Newsome and San Francisco GM Trent Baalke have decided to place an emphasis on defense. Their approach has carried them over some of the best offenses in the league in Green Bay and New England and all the way to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII. Finesse and scoring may lead to wins in the regular season, but the two teams in the Super Bowl have proven that smash-mouth football and stout defense can still prevail come playoff time.

Oakley is suing golfer Rory McIlroy and apparel giant Nike for an alleged breach of contract. The suit, which was filed in a federal court in Santa Ana, Calif., on Dec. 10, names both McIlroy and Nike as defendants.

Details of the filing are not available through the federal court’s online system, but ESPN’s Lester Munson says Oakley alleges that McIlroy violated his contract with their company by refusing to grant them the “right of first refusal” when the golfer signed a new endorsement deal with Nike.

McIlroy reportedly signed a new deal with Nike recently that has been rumored to be for over $200 million. Oakley says its contract to provide eyewear and apparel for the top golfer runs through the end of the year, and that their counteroffer to Nike was ignored.

The right of first refusal means Oakley would have a chance to match any offer that included payments to McIlroy for eyewear and/or apparel. Its offer to match Nike’s contract with McIlroy would cost them 30% of Nike’s total deal, which might be around $60 million.

Oakley reportedly is seeking an injunction that would block the contract between McIlroy and Nike. They also claim they have spent over $300,000 on a photo shoot and promotional materials for McIlroy in 2013.

Munson reports the defense will argue that an email sent from an Oakley executive to McIlroy’s agent saying, “We are out of the mix. No contract for 2013,” means Oakley forfeited its right of first refusal.

We’re guessing the sides will eventually settle for some fee.

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Johnny Manziel led Texas A&M to the most stunning win of the college football season, a 29-24 upset win over No. 1-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. The Aggies’ quarterback is putting together one of the best seasons ever for a college freshman quarterback. He’s thrown for 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions, and he’s run for 15 more scores. His flashy play and winning ways led to him being nicknamed “Johnny Football,” at the beginning of the season, and now his family reportedly is working with the school to trademark the name.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell reports that Manziel’s family is working with Texas A&M to trademark “Johnny Football” now that the youngster has become so popular. Another organization reportedly filed for the trademark recently, but the trademark would likely be awarded to Johnny because it has to do with his name.

Neither the Manziels nor the school would be able to use the phrase in connection with the quarterback in order to preserve his amateur status. They are expected to try to use the trademark to block anyone else from profiting off the name.

This is just another clear example of how the NCAA rules need to be adjusted. A player like Manziel should be allowed to capitalize on his celebrity status while it’s at its peak without having his eligibility threatened. I think the solution is pretty simple: let him profit off it in some ways, but just put the money in a trust account that he can’t touch until after he graduates or his playing career ends at Texas A&M. What’s wrong with that?