Larry Brown Sports

Tim Kennedy beat Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson in Illinois Saturday night. It was just the fourth time in Kennedy’s 17-fight career he went to a decision, and the second time he came out victorious on the judges’ cards. He thinks the judges don’t give him favorable decisions because he bleeds easily. He joked about it after the fight, and let me tell you, this guy has a great personality. Check out the video of Tim Kennedy after the fight:

That was a toned-down version of Kennedy who was even more colorful immediately after his fight. In his interview in the octagon, he reiterated that he bleeds easily. He also joked about his dislike of the judges.

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The Seattle Seahawks may not have been too motivated to bring back quarterback Matt Hasselbeck this season, but that doesn’t mean they’re not grateful for his contributions to the team. As The Big Lead shared with us via 30 Acre Fortress, the Seahawks took out a “Thank You” ad in the Sunday newspaper. They also ran a “Thank You Matt” campaign on twitter, encouraging fans to send their thanks to Hasselbeck.

Seattle reportedly offered Hasselbeck a one-year deal this offseason. He turned it down because he wanted more money and a longer contract, and he got that from Tennessee (three years, $21 million).

Hasselbeck compiled a 69-62 record over 10 seasons in Seattle and led them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2005. From 2003-2007, he was one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the NFL. Multiple back surgeries and various injuries have limited him the past three years and he’s no longer a very good quarterback, so Seattle made the right decision to let him go. Although we’re not a fan of the generally lame public “Thank You” card, this was a nice gesture by Seattle.

Ben Roethlisberger wears jersey No. 7 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he donned No. 78 during practice Sunday. He wore the jersey in honor of ex-teammate Max Starks, who was cut last week by the Steelers. Roethlisberger explained why he wore the jersey.

“We were the last two of our draft class (2004), and Max’s locker was next to mine for seven-eight years now. So I saw (his jersey), I grabbed it and wore it in honor of Max.

“First and foremost, he was a very good friend,” said Roethlisberger. “Like I said, our lockers were next to each other. So we spent a lot of time together, everything from hearing him snore (during naps) to us complaining about things to just all the things we’ve gone through.”

That’s a pretty nice move by a guy considered to be a bad teammate. I won’t go overboard gushing with praise for the gesture, but it is somewhat meaningful and it shows how tight Big Ben is with some of his buddies. Still, I don’t think this will do anything to change James Harrison’s opinion of his quarterback. Only a season that ends with a Super Bowl win will do that.

As for Starks, he’s coming off neck surgery and was due over $5 million. He’s reportedly reached out to the Cardinals to see about reuniting with his former line coach, Russ Grimm.

Helmet knock to Shutdown Corner for the story

The Houston Astros have been hammered by many folks for trading away All-Star outfielder Hunter Pence at the deadline this year. I’ve always thought Pence was a pretty good player, but nothing special. His All-Star appearances have been more the result of circumstance (playing for the hapless Astros) than stellar performance. Still, he should help the Phillies who could use the offensive boost. The good news for Philly is that Pence is under team control for the next two seasons, so his salary shouldn’t get too ridiculous. But let’s not shrug this off as if it were a bad deal for the Astros.

Houston is the worst team in baseball this year. They’ve been at least 10 games under .500 the last two seasons. There really wasn’t too much upside for keeping Hunter Pence, so why not trade him and get some players in return? The Phillies wanted him and gave up four players, three of whom aren’t bad (the fourth is to-be-determined).

All three prospects Philly gave up are young, low-level guys but they have some promise.

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The White Sox are treating Frank Thomas right in his retirement. Last year they retired his jersey at the Cell in Chicago, leading to an emotional speech from The Big Hurt. This year they decided to give him a bronze statue in the left field concourse. Charles Comiskey, Minnie Minoso, Carlton Fisk, Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio (together), Billy Pierce and Harold Baines also have statues in the same area.

Thomas thanked his teammates, coaches, family, the fans, and the White Sox organization for assisting in his career during his speech. He didn’t get as emotional as he did last year, but he was no less thankful. He also cleared things up by saying there are no issues between him and owner Jerry Reinsdorf (as had been suggested many times in the past).

Here’s a video of the ceremony courtesy of CSN Chicago:

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This is not your typical love story. Golfer B.J. Staten and fiancee Alisha Reverman will marry on November 5th after meeting last year in Utah.

How did they meet, you ask? The better question is where did they meet.

How about the 10th tee of the Utah Championship pro-am.

Reverman was at the golf tournament to help a friend promote a Mesquite, Nev. casino and happened to be at the 10th tee when Staten and his group was hitting. Staten spotted Reverman and they began flirting. She followed him the rest of the round but it wasn’t until after the round that Staten realized he should give her his phone number.

She invited him to go out for drinks with her and her friends later that night, but he was the anti-Tiger and turned down the offer because he had an early tee time. They went out for dinner the next day following his first round, and she met him at his tournaments the next few weekends.

The relationship continued the next several months and earlier this month Staten proposed to her. They’re scheduled to wed in November.

True love. It’s a story as old as time.

And now we know that pro-ams are good for more than just Happy Gilmore punching Bob Barker’s lights out. Congrats to the couple on their great story and their upcoming wedding.

Thanks to golf pro David Coleman for the story

Fans packed FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland to watch a rematch of the Champions League final between Manchester United and FC Barcelona Saturday. Manchester United won the exhibition 2-1, but it was Lakers star Kobe Bryant who stole the show. Kobe, who played soccer growing up in Italy, showed off his juggling skills and even scored on a penalty kick. Check out the video as passed along by Carter Bryant:

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen athletes star in other sports. We’ve written about Tim Tebow crushing balls in batting practice and shown you video of Sidney Crosby hammering balls as well. But this may be the first time we’ve seen a basketball player showing off his soccer skills. I know one thing, Kobe is much better on the pitch than Chad Ochocinco.

Plaxico Burress made the rounds as a free agent following his 18-month stint in prison for firing a gun inside a NYC club. The Steelers, Giants, and Jets showed interest, as did the 49ers. Burress ended up signing a one-year deal with the Jets where he’ll likely have a chance to start opposite Santonio Holmes. Not only were the Jets appealing because of the $3 million they’re paying him and the starting job they have available, but also because of head coach Rex Ryan.

Pro Football Talk reports that a source tells them that signing with the Jets was “all about Rex” for Plaxico. They say “Ryan sold Burress on the coach’s belief that Plaxico can get them over the top.”

That matches what Burress said about Ryan on Saturday before he signed his deal. “I think [Rex is] great. He stands behind his players, I think his players have a lot of respect for him and they play hard for him. … He’s a great coach, great personality. He seems like he’s always upbeat.”

Even though Plax reportedly had a good meeting with Tom Coughlin this weekend, the two notoriously had problems. Coughlin is a disciplinarian who fined Plaxico around 50 times when he was with the Giants. That wasn’t the type of coaching style Burress wanted, so instead he’s going to the other New York team where a players’ coach is in charge.

Once again we’re seeing how Rex Ryan’s personality has won out. He’s creating a reputation as a coach for whom athletes are dying to play, and that gives the Jets a huge advantage in recruiting free agents.

Miguel Tejada is upset with reporters for writing that he has no range, perhaps thinking the criticism prompted the Giants to acquire another shortstop at the trade deadline. Tejada is currently on the disabled list with an abdominal issue, so the team acquired Orlando Cabrera from the Indians. Speaking on Sunday prior to the Giants’ game against the Reds, Tejada went off.

“People forget I’ve done too much in this game. All the things you guys put in the papers, that I don’t have range in this game, I’ll prove it. I never pay attention to what reporters put about me. The only thing I do is hard work. … All the reporters in San Francisco forget who I am.”

No Miguel, I’m pretty sure they know who you are. I think the issue is you don’t know what you’ve become. If you were so great as a shortstop, Baltimore wouldn’t have moved you to the hot corner. The Giants wouldn’t have played you there half the season if you were a fantastic shortstop. Instead, the Giants who have Tejada and Freddy Sanchez on the DL, have now acquired Jeff Keppinger and Orlando Cabrera to aid their middle infield.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure they could have gotten whatever production those two will give them from people in the minor leagues. But hey, if Brian Sabrean wants to be in the business of giving prospects away, who am I to stop him?

The Philadelphia Eagles have made the biggest noise since the NFL lockout ended. They signed free agent Nnamdi Asomugha, backup quarterback Vince Young, defensive lineman Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins, and they acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the Kevin Kolb trade. They’ve added a talented group of players to a team that reached the playoffs last year. They’re easily one of the top teams in the NFC and a Super Bowl contender. But if you hear the way the new players tell it, we might as well already hand the Eagles the Lombardi Trophy.

When asked to describe the players the Eagles have brought in, Vince Young said “dream team.” He continued “From Nnamdi [Asomugha] to [Dominique Rodgers-] Cromartie, to Jason [Babin] to myself, I know they are going to do some more things … It’s just beautiful to see where we’re trying to go.”

He wasn’t the only newcomer to raise the stakes for Philly.

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