Omri Casspi Talks About the Cleveland Cavaliers

Tonight the Cavs start their 2011-2012 season against the Toronto Raptors. Here is a video of newly acquired Israeli born player Omri Casspi talking about many things regarding the Cavs.

Chris Christie & Mitt Romney on Morning Joe

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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mark Buehrle

The Miami Marlins who have already added Heath Bell & Jose Reyes this offseason signed Mark Buehrle to a 4 year $58 million contract. Buehrle is a 3 time Gold Glove winner, has started 362 games since 2001 and is 39 wins away from 200 in his career. Buehrle looks to be the #2 starter behind Josh Johnson and ahead of Ricky Nolasco & Anibal Sanchez.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2011
2. The Icky Shuffle: Best by the Numbers - Chicago Edition
3. The Icky Shuffle: My Top 10 Favorite Left Handed Pitchers

Jose Reyes

The Miami Marlins have signed Jose Reyes to a 6 year $106 million deal. In 2011 Reyes played for the New York Mets and led the National League in Batting Average and triples. He also was in the top 10 in OBP, runs, stolen bases & hits. Reyes is a 3-time All Star & has a career stolen base percentage of just a bit over 80%. The one issue with Reyes over the past few years has been his health, so the one question is can he stay healthy? Only time will tell.

Related Posts:
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2. The Icky Shuffle: Heath Bell
3. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 5/20/1999

Mitt Romney on David Letterman

Look Alikes XV

First up is Seth Rogen & Dustin Diamond

Next is former MLBer Scott Rolen & Nate Richert

Next is former NFL WR Jake Reed & actor Darius McCrary (a.k.a. Eddie Winslow from Family Matters)

Next is Chef Wylie Dufrense & Anthony Edwards

Next is Woody from Toy Story & Kirk Rueter

Next is David Hasselhoff & Dan Marino

Last we have Joel Homan (Yes, Dear) & Adam Rich (Eight is Enough)

Happy Birthday Craig Biggio

Jonathan Broxton

The Kansas City Royals signed Jonathan Broxton to a 1 year contract, worth $4 million. Broxton, who has spent his entire career with the Dodgers will be used as a set-up man for Joakim Soria. Broxton is a 2 time All Star who hasn't been a set-up guy since 2007 when he recorded 32 Holds. In 2011 Broxton had a down season playing in only 14 games and having an ERA of 5.68.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2011
2. The Icky Shuffle: Jonathan Papelbon
3. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #48 Tommy Lasorda

Happy Birthday Mike Golic

Heath Bell

Closer Heath Bell signed with the Florida...um...Miami Marlins on a 3 year $27 million deal with an option for 2015. He took over as Closer of the Padres after they severed ties with future HOFer Trevor Hoffman. He has 134 career saves and his save percentage is 83.7%. From 2009 - 2011 Bell was top 5 in the NL in Saves and in 2007 & 2008 was top 5 in the NL in Holds. The Marlins have built a new stadium and it has allowed them to go out and spend some money.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2011

2. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 10/25/2003
2. The Icky Shuffle: John Buck

This Day in Sports History - 12/8/1992

The Hawks' Dominique Wilkins is a perfect 23-for-23 from the free throw line in a 123 - 114 win over the Chicago Bulls at the Omni in Atlanta. The performance sets an NBA single game record for most free throws without a miss. Wilkins scores 42 points in all. As a team, the Hawks are 39-of-40 from the charity stripe, including the last 31.

Happy Birthday Harry Chapin

Grady Sizemore

After not picking up his option the Cleveland Indians re-signed Grady Sizemore to a one year deal worth $5 million, but with incentives can be as high as $9 million. Sizemore has been injured for parts of the last few seasons and therefore has not put up the numbers he did from 2005-2008. Sizemore is a 3 time All Star and 2 time Gold Glove winner. He is 52 hits away from reaching 1,000 in his career and has 139 HRs & 134 SBs. If Sizemore can stay healthy then the Indians have a chance to make some noise in their division.

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2. The Icky Shuffle: Five Questions That Will Decide the Indians' Season
3. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 3/22/1993
4. The Icky Shuffle: Cleveland Indians 2008 Season Recap

Happy Birthday Otto Graham

Ryan Doumit

The Minnesota Twins signed Ryan Doumit to a 1 year deal worth $3 million. Doumit will primarily back-up Joe Mauer while playing some time at 1B, OF & DH. This will also give the Twins the opportunity to let Mauer play some time at first & DH. Doumit's fielding % by position is as follows, C: .986; 1B: .985 & OF: .964. Doumit brings some solid pop with his bat as well with a career .271 batting average and 67 HRs.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2011

2. The Icky Shuffle: RIP Harmon Killebrew

This Day in Sports History - 12/5/2004

Donovan McNabb throws five touchdown passes in the first half, four of them in the second quarter, to lead the Eagles to a 47 - 17 victory over the Green Bay Packers in Philadelphia. McNabb hits Michael Westbrook for scores of 9, 41 and 12 yards. Terrell Owens takes in a toss of 41 yards and L.J. Smith one from six yards out. The five scores give the Eagles a 35 - 0 lead. McNabb also completes his first 14 passes. Combined with completions on his last 10 attempts against the Giants the previous week, McNabb sets an NFL record for most consecutive passes completed with 24. The Eagles score 12 points in the second half on four David Akers field goals. McNabb finishes the day with 32 completions in 43 attempts for 464 yards.

Happy Birthday Joe Thomas

Aaron Hill

Aaron Hill resigned with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a 2 year contract worth $11 million. The Diamondbacks acquired Hill last season at the trading deadline for their 2B Kelly Johnson. Hill had a disappointing 2011 season but the Diamondbacks hope he can return to his 2009 form when he was an All-Star and batted .286 with 36 HRs & 108RBIs. The Diamondbacks made the playoffs this past season and are a team on the rise with young stars like Justin Upton, Stephen Drew & Chris Young. If Hill contributes the way he has shown he can then the Diamondbacks can be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Related Posts:
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2. The Icky Shuffle: Adam LaRoche
3. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 4/7/1977
4. The Icky Shuffle: OLD FACES IN NEW PLACES

This Day in Sports History - 11/22/1981

Kellen Winslow, tight end for the San Diego Chargers, ties an NFL record with five touchdown receptions during a 55 - 21 trouncing of the Raiders in Oakland. Before the end of the first half, Winslow scores twice on passes of 15 and 29 yards from Dan Fouts. Fouts adds three TD passes in the third quarter, two to Winslow and one to Charlie Joiner. In the fourth quarter, Winslow caps his spectacular day by scoring on a three yard option pass from running back Chuck Muncie.

Jonathan Papelbon

The Philadelphia Phillies continued their off-season moves with the signing of closer Jonathan Papelbon to a 4 year $50 million deal. Papelbon is a 4 time All-Star and has 219 career saves. The Phillies' starting pitching is formidable and with a closer like Papelbon who has a career 2.33 ERA & 1.02 WHIP the Phillies will now have a better chance to win games that they may have lost in past years with Brad Lidge or Ryan Madson closing.

Related Posts:
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2. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 4/4/2001
3. The Icky Shuffle: Cliff Lee

Happy Birthday Troy Aikman

This Day in Sports History - 11/15/1960

Elgin Baylor collects 71 points on 28 field goals in addition to 15 free throws to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 123 - 108 win over the Knicks in the second game of a doubleheader in New York. With 34 points in the first half and 37 in the second, Baylor breaks his own NBA record of 64, which he accomplished against the Celtics on November 8, 1959, when the Lakers franchise was located in Minneapolis. The Madison Square Garden crowd is also treated to some thrills in the opener when the Detroit Pistons overcome a 20-point deficit to upset the Celtics, 115 - 114. Gene Shue wins the game by sinking a 20-foot jumper at the buzzer.

This Day in Sports History - 11/13/1994

Drew Bledsoe sets NFL records for the most passing attempts (70) and most completions (45) in a game and throws no interceptions as the Patriots overcome a 20 - 3 deficit to win 26 - 20 over the Minnesota Vikings in Foxboro. The winning score comes after 4:10 of overtime on a 14 yard pass from Bledsoe to Kevin Turner.

Jim Thome

The first piece of the Free Agency puzzle is Jim Thome signing with the Philadelphia Phillies for a one year $1.25 million contract. Phillies 1B Ryan Howard will be missing the beginning of the season but don't expect to see Thome at first too often. He'll primarily be used as a big bat off the bench. Thome has 604 career home-runs and is a good guy & teammate. Something to look for is that Thome is good friends with Michael Cuddyer who is also a free agent and would fit in well with the Phillies because he's a right-handed bat who can play both corner infield & outfield positions.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2011

2. The Icky Shuffle: My Top 11 Cleveland Indians Hitters

This Day in Sports History - 11/3/2001

Eli Manning throws six touchdown passes, five of them in overtime, as Arkansas outlasts Mississippi, 58 - 56. The game is tied at 17 - 17 before it goes into seven overtimes, during which 80 points are scored. In the last OT, Arkansas takes a 58 - 50 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Mark Pierce and a successful two-point conversion. The Rebels counter with their own touchdown, but on the two-point attempt Razorbacks linebacker Jermaine Petty tackles tight end Doug Ziegler a yard shy of the goal line. The game consumes 4 hours and 14 minutes and is the first in NCAA Division I history to go to seven OTs.

This Day in Sports History - 11/2/2005

Six says past his 18th birthday, the Los Angeles Lakers' Andrew Bynum becomes the youngest player in NBA history by playing five minutes during a 99 - 97 win over the Nuggets in Denver. The previous mark was held by Jermaine O'Neal at 18 years, 1 month and 22 days with Portland in 1996. Bynum is held without a point in his first seven games, over 34 minutes, before finally scoring a basket on November 22nd. He was drafted by the Lakers in the first round of the 2005 draft (10th overall) out of St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey. In 2006, the NBA will pass a rule requiring a player to be at least 19 before entering the draft.

MLB Free Agency 2011

The St. Louis Cardinals are World Series Champions and now it's time for the focus to go onto the Free Agency period. Here are some of the players that we will be watching to see where they end up:

1. Albert Pujols
2. Prince Fielder
3. Jose Reyes
4. Jimmy Rollins
5. C.J. Wilson
6. Heath Bell
7. Carlos Beltran
8. David Ortiz
9. Grady Sizemore
10. Jonathan Broxton
11. Jonathan Papelbon
12. Francisco Rodriguez
13. Ramon Hernandez
14. Coco Crisp
15. Michael Cuddyer
16. Jason Kubel
17. Fernando Rodney
18. Joel Zumaya
19. Mark Buehrle
20. Yuniesky Betancourt
21. Jim Thome
22. Matt Capps
23. Josh Willingham
24. Ryan Doumit
25. Aaron Hill

Happy Birthday Ted Hendricks

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #32 Joe Torre

Sport: MLB

Stops: Mets (1977 - 1981)

Braves (1982 - 1984)

Cardinals (1990 - 1995)

Yankees (1996 - 2007)

Dodgers (2008 - 2010)

Record: 2,326 - 1,997 (.538 Winning Percentage)

Championships: 4

Fun Facts

1. Torre is the only person to reach 2,000 hits as a player and 2,000 wins as a manager
2. Torre was the NL MVP in 1971

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #35 Walter Alston

2. The Icky Shuffle: Derek Jeter
3. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 5/8/1968

Happy Birthday Mike Hargrove

This Day in Sports History - 10/25/2003

In Game 6 of the World Series, the last Series game played at the original Yankee Stadium, Josh Beckett of the Florida Marlins pitches a complete-game shutout on two days rest to beat the Yankees, 3-0. The win gives the Marlins the second world championship in their eleven year history; the first was in 1997. For both, the Marlins entered the playoffs as a wild card.

Happy Birthday Mike Ditka

Chris Christie Endorses Mitt Romney

Happy Birthday Chris Spielman

2011 Peyton Hillis

Browns' RB Peyton Hillis was voted by fans as the NFL player to grace the cover of Madden '12. In a previous post we told you that for Hillis to do better than his 1177 yards from last year he needs to average 73.5 yards per game. The Browns are 2-2 so far in the first four games and this is what Hillis has done:

Week 1: Cin 17 Att. 57 Yds.

Week 2: @Ind 27 Att. 94 Yds. 2 TDs

Week 3: Mia DNP - Strep Throat

Week 4: Ten 10 Att. 46 Yds.

Totals through week 4: 54 Att. 197 Yds. 3.6 Yards/Carry 2 TDs 81.7 Yards needed per game to surpass 1177 Yards.

This Day in Sports History - 9/20/1998

After playing in 2,632 consecutive games, Baltimore's Cal Ripken takes himself out of the lineup for tonight's game against the Yankees. It's the Orioles' last home game and the first time that Ripken has missed a game since May 29, 1982. He explains that he wants to end the streak at home with the fans, adding that there were times he thought the focus was too much on the streak and not on the team: "It just reached a point where I firmly believed it was time to change the subject and restore the focus back where it should be."

This Day in Sports History - 9/14/1968

The Tigers' Denny McLain becomes major league baseball's first 30-game winner since Dizzy Dean in 1934 as he defeats the Oakland Athletics, 5-4, in Detroit. The Tigers score two runs in the ninth to preserve the thrilling victory. McLain will finish this season with a 31-6 record and a 1.96 ERA, and he'll follow with a 24-9 campaign in 1969. But he'll never be the same pitcher after he's suspended for the first half of the 1970 season by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn because of his involvement with gamblers. From his rookie season in 1963 through 1969, McLain's record is 114-57; from 1970 through the end of his career, it's 17-34.

This Day in Sports History - 9/13/1964

Pete Gogolak of the Buffalo Bills becomes pro football's first soccer-style kicker. He has plenty of opportunities early as the Bills roll up 31 points in the first period of their 34-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at War Memorial Stadium. A native of Hungary, Gogolak was the first to kick soccer-style at the collegiate level on a regular basis while at Cornell. Don Cockroft of the 1980 Browns will be the last NFL placekicker to approach the ball straight ahead.

Coming Soon: Peyton Hillis' 2011-2012 Season

Last season we kept you apprised of how Peyton Hillis was doing in each quarter of the season. This year we plan on doing the same thing. Hillis will be a key for the Browns to contend in games especially when we get to late November-early December. Last year Hillis rushed for 1177 yards, for him to surpass that this season he needs to average 73.5 yards per game. We'll see if he can do it, so stay tuned as our first Hillis check will be the Monday after Week 4.

9/11 Rememberance

Today is the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks which took so many lives. Here is a song written by Joe Scarborough, of Morning Joe fame, called "Reason to Believe". Morning Joe airs M-F on MSNBC from 6 AM until 9 AM and this song was their way of remembering 9/11 this year. If you like the song it can be purchased on iTunes with the proceeds going to a worthy cause.

This Day in Sports History - 8/22/1965

A game between the Dodgers and Giants at Candlestick Park is marred by one of the ugliest incidents in baseball history. When San Francisco pitcher Juan Marichal comes to bat in the 3rd inning, Sandy Koufax throws two inside pitches and catcher Johnny Roseboro comes close to hitting Marichal with the return throws. After an exchange of words, Marichal raises his bat and pounds Roseboro at least twice in the head. Roseboro bleeds profusely from a gash in his head, and a wild brawl ensues between the two teams. Acting as a peacemaker, Willie Mays leads Roseboro into the dugout and tends to his injuries. Marichal is slapped with a fine of $1,750 and a nine day suspension. Roseboro will file a civil suit against him for $110,000; it's settled for $7,500 in 1971.

Happy Birthday Spud Webb

Happy Birthday Jose Canseco

Happy Birthday John Elway

Happy Birthday Pistol Pete Maravich

Look Alikes XIV

First up is College Basketball coach Tom Izzo & actor Harvey Keitel

Next is MLB Catcher Joe Mauer and actor Diedrich Bader

Next is comedian Tim Allen & Joel Osteen

Next is QB Sam Bradford and singer Nick Jonas

Next up is new Browns coach Pat Shurmur & former MLB Pitcher Greg Maddux

Next is Owen Wilson & Ellen Degeneres

Next is actor Omar Epps and NFL coach Mike Tomlin

Finally we have Kevin Smith and Me