San Francisco Giants...Brandon Belt emotional over nod! Rag-tag wonders play Dodgers today!



Who said that grown men don't cry?

When management in the front office informed Brandon Belt that he was given the nod for a coveted spot on the twenty-five-man Giants roster for the upcoming baseball season, he did just that.

But, his were tears of joy!

"This has been a dream all my life. It's the best thing that ever happened to me," he tearfully confided to a posse of probing reporters who swarmed around the rookie yesterday afternoon to gobble up the scoop first-hand.

"Except for my marriage," he gushed in almost an after-thought, as his face turned beet red.

The kid is going to have to get used to the attention, I guess!

The news came as no surprise to me or my readers at the Tattler. 

Yesterday, I pointed out that it was probably a "go" for the 1st Baseman amidst a lot of wild speculation (pro and con) that ran rampant in sports circles this past week.

Post:  03/30/2011

http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2011/03/san-franciso-giantswin-tuesday-final.html

The move was a bit iffy for obvious reasons.

But, Bent's performance this last season in the minor leagues, grabbed the attention of the scouts, nonetheless.

During spring training, the shy ballplayer (who team mate Buster Posey has nick-named "Beller") hit at .282 with 3 homers and and 13 RBIs, enough bait to give the kid from nowhere a shot at the big leagues.

Notwithstanding, fans may recall that a rag-tag Giants team that was tossed together last season with a hope-and-a-prayer (and a lot of gumption of the part of the General Manager), roared on to win the World Championships.

One reporter on the nightly news referred to the Belt "break" as one of the "feel good" stories of the day.

Indeed!

Within hours of the announcement to the press, Belt hopped on a jet alongside the rest of the Giants, to journey on to Los Angeles where he'll play in the "Opener" against the Dodgers today.

Sports enthusiasts, meanwhile, are ecstatic.

In fact, so much so, that a posse of fans rustled up the funds to purchase a banner to hoist up over the stadium in LA LA LAND, which will read:

SF Giants 2010
Champs: Beat LA

The ubiquitous in-your-face slogan is 75 feet long and 50 feet high and was crafted at a cost of approximately $6,500.

Folks who can't make the game in person can catch it on ESPN or KNBR (680 AM).

I am predicting a win!

By the way, the Giants beat out the Oakland A's yesterday.

http://www.thetattler.biz




Dodger Stadium in smog city!

David Beckham...anxious to return to Premier League across Pond!



David Beckham's on-again off-again love affair with Los Angeles - and the local Galaxy Soccer team - continues.

But, for his fellow team mates, it all amounts to a big yawn.

It is no secret that Becks is anxious to return to the Premier League once his five-year contract with Galaxy goes kaput!

The ultimate aim is a loftier one, though.

In the event that coach Fabio Capello and the Euro team qualify for the quadrennial Championship matches (to be co-hosted by Poland & the Ukraine), Becks is set on joining forces with a gang of athletes he's comfortable with on the playing field.

Meanwhile, Spurs Coach Harry Redknapp noted for the record in recent days that he's keen on signing the high-profile soccer darling, once his contractual obligations are met elsewhere.

So, the handsome stud may be sitting pretty, contrary to what management at Galaxy may think.

Meanwhile, Beckham has been spied at trendy watering holes overseas, fashionably attired.

Can't beat the hottie's style, that's for sure, tattoos and all!

Later!

http://www.thetattler.biz

Poetry in Motion

Aaron Rodgers...Quarterback's insightful interview on Letterman! Fans wowed!

Hunky Rodgers scores big at the Superbowl!



That was quite an interview with Aaron Rodgers last night on Letterman.

When the strapping quarterback stepped out from behind the curtain there was deafening thunderous applause from ecstatic fans on-hand in the bleachers.

Dave thanked the Packer's MVP (Most Valuable Player) for stopping by - at which point - the handsome athlete sheepishly fessed up that he often watched the Late Show.

After a bit of gushing (unusual for the toothy talk-show host) Letterman dove in and struck up a pretty insightful dialogue with the gridiron hero.

After noting Rodger's humble beginnings (he was attending a community college when he caught the eye of a talent scout) Dave put a probing question to the seasoned pro about his physique (after he confided he was a spindly 6' 2 player - weighing in at 190 lbs. - once overlooked by the big leagues).

How much are you packing now," Dave quizzed.

Rodgers hesitated - a bit embarrassed about the focus on all the pointed body-talk? - then blurted out proudly that he now weighed in at 230 lbs of beefy muscle.

A roar of approval rippled beyond the footlights at the Ed Sullivan Theatre.

Actually, when it came to tooting his horn, the handsome athlete was a bit slow on-the-uptake.

I expect that it's because he's a seasoned pro with a down-to-earth attitude.

According to Rodgers, it was confidence - and not ego - that fueled the ball-player's drive on to victory and the Super Bowl Championship this past Sunday in Texas.

"Yeah, the adrenalin was high at first. Then, I settled in, and it was just a regular game," Rodgers shrugged in so many words.

At this juncture - Letterman whipped out the dazzling belt Rodgers earned at the action-packed game for his prowess at the stadium - one which proved to be a ratings bonanza for the network (11 million viewers tuned in).

As Rodger's started to reach for the spinning centrepiece, Letterman teased him a tad.

"You like playing with that thing, don't 'ya?"

A broad smile crossed Rodger's face.

Oh boy, what a cutie!

"Yes. Fans like this stuff. You've got to give 'em what they want."

In addition to the belt, the accolades, and new product endorsements (did you catch him promoting Disneyland this morning on Channel 4?) the hunky stud also nabbed a spanking new red Camaro for his agile efforts on the field.

I expect he'll be appearing on the cover of PEOPLE, TIME - and, who knows - maybe even Details or GQ?

Can Calvin Klein or Giorgio Armani be far behind?

News at 11!

http://www.thetattler.biz

David Beckam...where are you? Get your a** back home!

Is the writing on the wall or what?

Well, it appears that the bloom is off the rose!

Has Beckham turned sour on the Golden State and the soccer team that scooped him up a couple of years ago in one of the most lucrative (and ballyhooed) sports deals in recent history?

As the hours tick away, it appears doubtful Galaxy owners will release Becks from his contract now.

In fact, end of last week, management announced to the press that their star soccer player (and King of media hype) will remain on these shores - in spite of Beckham's desire to hunker down in Italy - and despite frenzied hoopla over a recent stint with AC Milan that resurrected his career a tad.

No follow-up offer has been forthcoming from Milan, though, after Galaxy rejected their last low-ball offer.

The mid-fielder was particularly vocal this past week about jumping ship, after Italy helped spark his International career and made it possible for the thirty-something athelete to earn his 108th cap for England against Spain on Wednesday (which was a record for a non-goal-keeper).

Galaxy takes the position that they have been as gracious and courteous as possible to Becks as they could be, but insist, it is time to move on.

According to Tim Leiweke, President of the Galaxy's parent company, the ongoing drama has become a "distraction" and needs to be put to bed to satisfy sponsors, fans, and ticket-holders in the throes of purchasing season-tickets.

In the final analysis, owners are under the impression that AC Milan is just using David and Galaxy.

"We're not going to play that game anymore."

They're going to play ball, instead!

http://www.julianayrs.com

Brett Favre shocks fans & NFL. Retires from football...again!

When I flipped on ESPN for all-the-world it appeared there was an obituary underway!

Clips of a professional athlete's illustrious 18-year career on the gridiron, a run of impressive stats sure to make any young all-star football wanna-bee cream his jockstrap, and a few teary-eyed moments when pent-up emotions were inclined to slip to the surface unexpectedly and speak volumes about the man.

Of course, all the airwaves were awash with the news, too.

Brett Favre plucked up his cell bright and early this morning and informed the managers and owners of the Jets that he was quitting football - again!

The news media breathed a sigh of relief!

Maybe the mercurial Favre finally meant it?

"He's fooled us so many times," one reporter chortled.

But, many are tittering that this is surely the end to a brilliant stretch on the field, at long last.

Of course, there is the issue of Favre's age.

Off-season, a player needs time to recover from injuries.

With the older dudes, well, the process takes longer.

Has Favre been struggling to meet the challenge?

Maybe that's where performance-enhancing drugs come into play for a handful of desperate athletes?

"For an older football-player, it's tough," one commentator opined.

After all, football - sports enthusiasts lament - is a year-round game.

Yeah, the players may have a few weeks off, but they're back on the field shortly thereafter interacting with their team-mates, getting all-primed-up and ready to charge forward in the upcoming season.

"It's all about timing and chemistry. If the quarterback isn't going to show off-season for the practices, it's bad for the morale of the team."

Some speculated that coaches, managers, and team owners weren't going to afford major players such luxuries in the future.

As to Favre's retirement, does the pro stud mean it this time?

Insiders speculate that this is definitely the closing chapter of an exciting football career - fraught with highs and lows - but one that assures Favre a memorable place in the prestigious annals of Football History.

According to Wikipedia

Favre was the first player to win the AP MVP three times (1995–97) in NFL history, and led the Packers to seven division championships in 1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, and 2007, four NFC Championship Games in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2007, two NFC Championships (1996 and 1997) , and one Super Bowl Championship (XXXI).

He holds a number of NFL records including: most career touchdown passes (464), most career passing yards (65,127), most career pass completions (5,720), most career pass attempts (9,280), most career interceptions thrown (310), most consecutive starts among NFL quarterbacks (269; 291 total starts including playoffs), and most career victories as a starting quarterback (169).

The handsome jock wasn't any slouch on the field, that's for sure.

One sportscaster enthused:

"He played hard, won championships, and gave it his all."

What now for Favre?

Another comeback (didn't think I'd really flake out, did 'ya dudes?), endorsements - just maybe - sports-casting duties?

It's written in the wind that flew beneath his cleats!

http://www.julianayrs.com

LACMA...Masculinity and Sport! Fetish in art?

So, what happens when a group of artists focus their aesthetic eye on a handful of athletes and sports figures?

In - "Hard Targets - Masculinity and Sport - the time-honored arch type of the male athlete as an aggressive, overtly heterosexual, hyper-competitive, and emotionally remote subject has been shifted in an exhibition that opens at LACMA next week.

Opposing views on masculinity and sport (including the rituals and accoutrements that surround the intimate male-dominated world) are insightfully offered up by artists Mark Bradford, Harun Farocki, Brian Jungen, Shaun Leonardo, Collier Schorr, and Joe Sola.


Each artist examines the way masculinity is characterized and performed in a sporting context.

Complex systems of desire that accompany the way society views and consumes athletes and sporting events are explored in the intriguing exhibition, too.

In tandem with the art exhibition, there will be two open dialogues during the course of the show, which runs from October 9th through January 18th at the Hammer Building









In the discussion on - "Talking Hard Targets" - Artists and Historians (Jeff Sheng, Kori Newkirk, Jennifer Doyle and Christopher Bedford) will address how contemporary art engages and disturbs conventional codes of masculinity especially in regard to the athletic imagery.

Bing Theatre October 16th (Free)

"Conversations with the Artists" focuses on New-York based artist Collier Schorr who will speak with LACMA's assistant curator of Contemporary Art (Christopher Bedford) about "performances within performances and the dualities in movement and gesture".

The subject alludes to ranges of masculine emotions and expressions, according to Mr. Schorr, and should prove to be an enlightening discussion.

Bing Theatre October 10th (Free)

This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and made possible by Nike Sportswear and the Contemporary Projects Endowment Fund. Contributors also included Vidal Sassoon, Steve Martin, and the Broad Art Foundation.

Tom Brady...oh no! Benched for season due to injury!

Benched due to questionable hit...


Poor boy!

A big bruiser on the gridiron - with a tight butt and wide shoulders - knocked football stud Tom Brady down and he went boom.

The end result was a nasty knee injury requiring surgery - that will bench the pro athlete - for the rest of the high-profile season.

Ouch!!!

In a call to NBC earlier today, Brady was upbeat and optimistic, though.

"Everything is OK. It will be exciting to see what the team is made of."

Without you Tom?

A big fat ZERO!!!


Just kidding.

Fans will be keenly observing from the sidelines, and praying for your sake, there'll be a team to huddle back to next season.

Meanwhile, a bit of tender love might get you over the - um - hump.

Eh, Giselle?

A word of advice, though.

The missionary position may not be a great idea just about now, what with your bum knee, and all.

Why not let her ride you from on top?

Just a suggestion, Tom!

Sasha Vujacic...Laker's pact splits hairs!

When I was a youth, there was one thing that separated the men from the boys.

Hair!

The studly athletes generally sported buzz cuts or closely-cropped styles that underscored Virility! Manliness! Nothing sissy, dude!

The longhairs were fags, potheads, drop-outs or good-for-nothings!

Forget about the nerds!

Actually - when Bill Gates moved up in status and became one of the wealthiest men on the planet - a couple of my old school buddies moaned that in retrospect they wish they'd learned a little computer-speak in those pimply-faced teen years!

So, when it was reported that Sasha Vujacic stipulated that his new pact with the Lakers exclude a "haircut clause", I was a little flabbergasted.

Like Samson before him, were his lustrous locks the source of his stamina?

No matter, it wasn't the hair that bothered the General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

"It was the net or whatever that is. The hair's OK actually."

Well, it's great that Vujacic managed to secure a contract he's content with.

Otherwise, the Laker star would have been shipped off to Russia where he'd be freezin' his n**ts off in sub-zero temperatures.

Talk about stranded!

That's the long and short of it.

Mia Farrow...laments George Bush plans to attend Beijing Olympic Ceremonies!

Mamma Mia...tireless supporter of Human Rights!


Well, I didn't think much of the way Mia Farrow handled her divorce from film director, Woody Allen, but her efforts to raise awareness about Human Rights in Darfur and Tibet are admirable.

In particular, I applaud her criticism of George Bush in that regard.

It's a no-brainer, really!

When George Bush announced his intention to attend the opening ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics, the haughty Texan defended his position by arguing that he sees the Olympics as a way to cheer up the athletes.

Frankly, I didn't know they needed a boost!

And, on the grounds that the Chinese will be "watching very carefully" to determine what decisions are being made by World Leaders, Bush took a giant leap and asserted that "not to go" would be an affront to the Chinese people.

Well, tough ti**y, George.

Is a civilized society supposed to look the other way when Human Rights are being violated and religious freedom is being denied?

What the "offenders" and "evil-doers" think is irrelevant!

George, you have your priorities misplaced.

On the other hand, Ms. Farrow's stance on the issues makes a lot of sense.

In a feature in the "OPINION" section of the Los Angeles Times today, Ms. Farrow - rightly so - notes that Bush's decision to attend the ceremonies was out-of-step for having come at a time when U.S. and International politicians took a stand by eschewing the opening ceremonies (the only component of the games not geared toward celebrating the athletes; but rather, towards the burnishing of the Beijing Regime's political image).

In sum, it appears that George W. Bush is thumbing his nose at a handful of respected leaders (British PM Gordon Brown; Canadian PM Stephen Harper; German Chancellor Angela Merkel; European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering) who understand (unlike Mr. Bush) the complexity of the issues - and hence - have chosen not to attend for good reason.

According to Ms. Farrow, President Bush squandered an enormous opportunity.

Especially when one considers that Beijing was notoriously indifferent to diplomatic pressure until the "Olympic Games" were at stake.

Indeed, as Ms. Farrow points out, a presidential boycott of the opening ceremonies may have proved to be a "powerful additional point of leverage" with an otherwise intractable regime. Likewise, a boycott limited to the opening ceremonies would have had the advantage of not targeting the athletes.

I agree with her conclusion that such action would have sent a strong symbolic message to Beijing with little substantive cost to U.S.-China relations.

In the final analysis, Bush's dim-witted stance - which goes against the grain - thwarted what could have been an opportunity to express solidarity to Chinese citizens whose human rights are being denied, demonstrate moral leadership, and underscore the importance of adhering to values and principles this great Nation was founded on.

Heck, Bush doesn't care. In the New Year, he's out on his sorry a**.

I expect he's going to grab all the party invitations he can before he high-tails it out of the White House.

After all, this time next year, he won't be on any A-list!


Dal, We'll meditate on it...