The Good Guys Part 4

It's been a while since I've posted anything but this was too good to pass up.

Quite often when watching shows on ESPN, The NFL Network or The MLB Network there are stories about athletes who have done something wrong. Whether it be Dez Bryant walking off the field, the A-Rod saga or any number of other items that might be better suited for a Police Report than for the sports page. 

So from time to time (although it hasn't been for a long time) I like to relay stories that celebrate the many athletes who use their fame and money to help others. Billy Cundiff and Spencer Lanning, the kicker and punter of the Cleveland Browns are two of many athletes who help others. For every FG that Cundiff kicks he will donate $200 to help fight Ovarian Cancer while Lanning will donate $100 for every punt that's inside the 20 for the same cause.

There are so many who do good, let us take time to celebrate them. For more info read the link below (that I hope will work). http://www.happinessisahotpierogi.com/2013/12/kicking-ovarian-cancer.html

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My New Plan

I am a big fan of baseball cards and I always have been. I started collecting cards when I was 8 or 9 years old and now as I'm nearing 30 I find that I have more cards than I ever could have imagined. Of course as my collection has gotten bigger so has the amount of doubles, triples, quadruples etc. (in some cases 14 or 15 of the same card).

The question that must be asked is, "What should I do with all these extras?"

Until this point I have given some away to my cousin's kids to help them start their own collection, put some aside for the day I have a son I can share this passion with and finally I came up with a new plan:

GET THE CARDS SIGNED!

I already had a few cards sign before I came up with this idea but now I have "upped my game":

1. I plan on sending cards to current Managers, Assistant Coaches & players and ask them for their signatures. 
2. I have recently come across a company that does Card Shows in the New York area. At these shows they often have former players available for signings. On May 5th there will be a show in White Plains and they will have Pete Rose and Graig Nettles as just a few of the many former greats.

I intend on posting about each of my signed cards. I will start with the few signed cards I already have and will move on from there. I will not be telling you who I mail cards to because in case they don't sign the cards and send them back I don't want anyone's opinion of these guys to change.

I do hope that you will enjoy keeping up with this new adventure. Of course your feedback is always welcome and if you have any thoughts of how to get cards signed I am always open to suggestions.

Adam LaRoche

2012 Stats: 154 Games, .271 BA, 33 HRs, 100 RBIs & .853 OPS

The Washington Nationals re-signed 1B Adam LaRoche to a two year contract with an option for a third season. LaRoche had a career year in 2012, winning a Gold Glove as well as a Silver Slugger. LaRoche will bat in the middle of a batting order that boasts players like Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper. The Nationals made the playoffs last season and there is no reason to think that they won't make it again this upcoming season.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2012

2. The Icky Shuffle: Adam LaRoche

3. The Icky Shuffle: Dan Haren

Happy Birthday Charles Barkley

Mike Napoli

2012 Stats: 108 Games, .227 BA, 24 HRs, 56 RBIs & .812 OPS

Mike Napoli signed with the Boston Red Sox this off-season. Napoli will spend most of his time playing 1B with the possibility of an occasional game as catcher. Napoli's deal was originally a 3 year contract worth $39 million but due to a hip injury they reworked the deal to be for only one year worth $5 million. Napoli has never hit more than 30 HRs in a season but has had great success at Fenway Park.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2012

2. The Icky Shuffle: Shane Victorino

3. The Icky Shuffle: David Ortiz

Nick Swisher

2012 Stats: 148 Games, .272 BA, 24 HRs, 93 RBIs & .837 OPS

Nick Swisher signed with the Cleveland Indians this off-season. He's a high energy guy who will bring a good leadership quality to a rebuilt Indians team. He will play mostly at 1B where his career Fielding % is .994. Batting in the middle of the lineup Swisher should get 100 RBIs in a season for the first time in his career.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2012
2. The Icky Shuffle: Happy Birthday Mike Hargrove

This Day in Sports History - 2/7/1970

LSU Guard Pete Maravich sets an NCAA record for most points scored against a Division I opponent, but the Tigers lose 106 - 104 to Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Pistol Pete pumps in 69 with 26 field goals and 17 free throws. Both Pete and his father Press, who is LSU's Head Coach, are assessed with technical fouls during the game. Pete pursues a spectator as he leaves the floor at the end of the game, and several of his teammates become involved in a fight with fans. Pete's 69-point flurry will stand as the record until Kevin Bradshaw of US International nets 72 against Loyola-Marymount in 1991.

Bob Costas Eulogizes Stan "The Man" Musial

This Day in Sports History - 1/21/2004

The Minnesota Wild set an NHL record by scoring two goals three seconds apart during a 4 - 2 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The previous record is five seconds, shared by four teams. With 15.5 seconds remaining, C Jim Dowd puts in a long rebound of his own slapshot to break a 2 - 2 deadlock. Three seconds later, RW Richard Park takes the puck off the faceoff and flicks it into the empty net. The defeat is part of a 19-game franchise record winless streak for the Blackhawks away from home, in which the club dropped 18 in regulation and one in overtime.

RIP Stan "The Man" Musial

This Day in Sports History - 1/17/2003

In the highly anticipated first meeting between seven-foot-six Rockets rookie Center Yao Ming and seven-foot-one Lakers Center Shaquille O'Neal, the Rockets prevail 108 - 104 in overtime at the Compaq Center in Houston. Yao blocks Shaq's first three shots and alters Kobe Bryant's shot at the end of regulation. O'Neal finished with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists. Yao manages 10 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocks. Houston Guard Steve Francis leads all scorers with 44 points, the most he will collect in a single game during his nine-year NBA career.

This Day in Sports History - 1/15/1994

San Francisco 49ers RB Ricky Watters scores an NFL postseason record five touchdowns during a 44 - 3 thrashing of the New York Giants in a divisional playoff game at Candlestick Park. Watters crosses the goal on a run of one yard in the first quarter, jaunts of one and two yards in the second quarter, and six yards and two yards in the third. He is the first to score more than 3 TDs in a playoff game. During the rout of the Giants, Watters gains a total of 118 yards on 24 carries and grabs five passes for another 46 yards.

Kevin Youkilis

2012 Stats: 122 Games, .235 BA, 19 HRs, 60 RBIs & .745 OPS

The New York Yankees signed Kevin Youkilis to a one year deal worth $12 million. Youk spent 2012 with the Red Sox & White Sox. He will play 3B to start the season as Alex Rodriguez will be out for a large portion of the season. Although he only batted .235 last season he still had a .336 OBP. Look for him to play well this year and get a big time contract next off-season.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2012
2. The Icky Shuffle: Happy Birthday Paul O'Neill
3. The Icky Shuffle: Paul Konerko
4. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 4/20/1912

This Day in Sports History - 1/12/1975

The Pittsburgh Steelers capture their first NFL Championship in franchise history, downing the Minnesota Vikings, 16 - 6, in Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. The Steel Curtain defense dominates throughout and creates a 2 - 0 halftime lead on a safety when DE Dwight White sacks QB Fran Tarkenton in the end zone.

This Day in Sports History - 1/7/2003

Kobe Bryant breaks the NBA record for most three-pointers in a game, sinking 12 of them during the Lakers' 119 - 96 drubbing of the Seattle Sonics at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The record had been 11 by Dennis Scott of the Orlando Magic in 1996. On March 28, Bryant will tie an NBA mark for most three-pointers in a half with eight. He will have a total of nine three-pointers in that contest, and 55 overall, as the Lakers cruise to a 108 - 94 triumph over the Washington Wizards in Los Angeles.

This Day in Sports History - 1/3/1993

In one of the greatest comebacks in NFL History, the Buffalo Bills rally from a 32-point deficit to defeat the Houston Oilers, 41 - 38, at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills are down 35 - 3 early in the third period. Buffalo scores five touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters for a 38 - 35 lead. RB Kenneth Davis crosses the goal line on a one-yard run, and QB sub Frank Reich fires four TD tosses; one to WR Don Beebe and three to WR Andre Reed. With 12 seconds left, the Oilers tie the contest, 38 - 38, on a kick from Al Del Greco, but the Bills prevail on Steve Christie's 32-yard field goal 3:06 into OT.

This Day in Sports History - 1/2/1984

Miami (Florida) edges Nebraska, 31 - 30, in a thrilling Orange Bowl. Trailing 17 - 0, the Cornhuskers record their first TD in the second quarter on a trick play known as the "fumblerooskie." RG Dean Steinkuhler picks up the center's intentional fumble, and runs 19 yards for the score. With 48 seconds left in the game, Nebraska RB Jeff Smith races 24 yards for a TD on a 4th-and-8 play to make the score 31 - 30. Coach Tom Osborne is worried a tie will cost his team a National Championship. (College Football will have no overtime until the 1995 bowl season.) So he calls for a two-point conversion, which fails, and Miami takes the National Title.