Chalupa

Riis admits taking EPO, willing to give back yellow jersey http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news...e=ESPNHeadlines COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Former Danish cyclist Bjarne Riis admitted Friday he used performance-enhancing drugs during his 1996 Tour de France victory. "I have taken doping. I have taken EPO," Riis said during a televised news conference. "I have made errors and I would like to apologize." Riis said he also used cortisone and human growth hormone and that he didn't suffer any side effects from EPO, a blood-boosting hormone. "The only effect I had was that I rode faster," he said. Riis said he used the substances from 1993 to 1998, including during his Tour victory. Riis said he no longer considers himself a worthy winner of the Tour and indicated he would be willing to give back the title. Team CSC Bjarne Riis, left, confers with Jens Voigt during the 2005 Tour de France. Riis has admitted doping during his 1996 Tour victory. "My jersey is at home in a cardboard box," said Riis, now manager of the CSC team. "They are welcome to come and get it. I have my memories for myself." There was no immediate comment from the UCI, the sport's governing body, which would determine whether a rider could be stripped of a Tour title.

Pavano to have Tommy John surgery.... http://myespn.go.com/conversation/story?id...amp;section=mlb $40M for 5 wins.

Giambi tests positive for amphetamines http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?i...e=ESPNHeadlines

Not sure what you mean by this statement. Both guys have been in the league for a while, they're known quantities. Guy Rashard in an unrestricted free agent, who becomes expendable as he basically doubles up many of Durant's strengths. With LeMarcus Aldridge coming on strong at the end of last season, and with Oden on the way, Randolph and his massive contract arent really needed in Portland. So in both situations I mean making a trade. Randolph to Chicago for their pick and/or some players would be a perfect situation for both teams. Patrick, Seattle and Portland both have some very decent players already. If Portland's guys just show some natural progression I think they can be VERY good immediately. Its impossible to overstate how important a defensive big man is to a team. Oden in his first year can be top defensively. They have apass first PG, a complete stud in Brandon Roy, and several other guys (Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster) who can take the next step with all the pressure off them. Durant will almost certainly score 20 a game next year, and will create a ton of matchup problems. Ray Allen will be Ray Allen, and Seattle has several other decent enough of guys to make them playoff contenders. Randolph and his massive contract aren't needed??? He avg. 23 pts. and 10 rebounds a game this year. He's entering his prime now - going to turn 26 over the summer. No way do you trade away a player like that unless he's a major headache. And certaintly not for the 9th pick in the draft. The Bulls aren't going to offer anyone of comparable worth to the Blazers. Not saying that they don't have the talent. It's just that they are pretty close to making the finals right now. They need a little tweaking not a major overhaul, which what obtaining Randolph would entail. Something else that makes that trade less likely for the Blazers - Aldrige's career may be in jeopardy due to a heart ailment. I agree w/ Patrick in that I don't see either Portland or Seattle making the playoffs next year. The West is too strong. I think Denver was the #8 seed this yeear. While I think both of these teams will be vastly improved, I don't think either of these teams are going to be better that the Nuggets next season. Ray Allen suffered a serious leg injury this season - who knows if he'll be able to regain his old form?

Blazers win draft lottery By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer May 22, 2007 SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) -- The Portland Trail Blazers beat the odds and won the right to settle the Greg Oden-Kevin Durant debate. With just a 5.3 percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick, the Blazers won the NBA's draft lottery Tuesday night, earning the right to draft a potential franchise player from what's considered to be a deep class. Represented by Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy, the Blazers got a head start on landing next year's top rookie. They will almost certainly choose between Oden, the Ohio State center, or Durant, Texas' high-scoring forward. Both players are likely headed to the Northwest, as Seattle also moved up into second. Atlanta got the third pick -- and needed it. Falling out of the top three would have meant sending the pick to Phoenix. Memphis and Boston, which had the worst records in the league and the best chance of landing in the top two, slipped to fourth and fifth, respectively. ------------------------------------ Karma biting the Celtics in the ass.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/obituaries/...ung_worlds.html

Diddley leaving intensive care after stroke 12 minutes ago A week after suffering a stroke following a gig in Council Bluffs, Iowa, rock legend Bo Diddley was being transferred on Monday from the intensive care unit to a regular room at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. It is as yet unknown when Diddley will be well enough to return to his Gainesville, Fla., home, where he is expected to continue treatment at the Shands Medical Center at the University of Florida. According to his publicist, Diddley is still having trouble speaking but appears to have suffered no long-term physical damage from the stroke. "I was able to speak with him by phone this morning," his business manager, Faith Fusillo, said in a statement. "He wanted to know where his stuff was: his guitar and the money from the gig. I was so happy because this is the Bo that I know and love, and a real indication that Bo is on his way back." Reuters/Billboard

Wow! The Vision Fest has a new website..... http://www.visionfestival.org/index2.php

One of the finest hard-bop bassists of the '60s and '70s, musician and educator Herbie Lewis died Thursday, May 17th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Herbie Lewis played and recorded with many prominent jazz musicians, including Cannonball Adderley, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Harold Land, Jackie McLean, Archie Shepp, and McCoy Tyner. Herbie Lewis's recording credits read like a who's who of jazz. He can be heard on some of the seminal recordings of the era, including Jackie McLean's landmark masterpiece Let Freedom Ring, Bobby Hutcherson's Stick-Up and Now!, Stanley Turrentine's soul-jazz classic That's Where It's At, McCoy Tyner's Tender moments (Tyner's first recording leading a large ensemble) and Time for Tyner, and many more. Born on February 17th, 1941, Herbie Lewis grew up in Pasadena where as teenagers, he and Bobby Hutcherson practiced together in Hutcherson's garage. It was Herbie who convinced Hutcherson to play vibes. Herbie was a solid, swinging musician both as accompanist and soloist. He recorded with Lennie McBrowne, Harold Land, the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet and Les McCann in the late '50s and early '60s. Herbie moved between California and New York several times during the '60s. At that time Lewis also recorded with Dave Pike, Stanley Turrentine, Jackie McLean, Sam Rivers, Bobby Hutcherson, and Freddie Hubbard. He played in Cannonball Adderley's group in 1966, and played and recorded with McCoy Tyner from 1967 to 1970. During the '70s and '80s Herbie recorded with Tete Montoliu, Chico Freeman, Billy Higgins, Bobby Hutcherson, Woody Shaw, Gary Bartz and Archie Shepp among others. Herbie Lewis was founder of the Jazz Studies Program at New College of California in San Francisco where he taught for 15 years, from 1977 until 2002. Herbie married in 2002 and moved to the Twin Cities in 2002, and was still an active musician. Twin Citians have had the privilege to hear him perform occasional gigs at Twin Cities jazz clubs and festivals. Herbie Lewis is survived by his wife Ruth, Daughter Kendall and granddaughter Jha' nee. two photos here.... http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/7002/79/

This has some serious potential...... PHILADELPHIA - On Monday, June 18, 2007 at 7pm, The Rotunda will present a performance like none that we --- or most venues in the United States --- have held in the past. The throat singing ensemble Alash [http://www.alashensemble.com] will bring the unique music of the Central Asian Republic of Tuva to Philadelphia for a 7:00 pm concert at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. The event is open to the public for free, though donations are encouraged. All ages are welcome. For this special event, Philadelphia Jazz/improvisation mainstays Marshall Allen, Elliot Levin, and other members of Sun Ra Arkestra, going by the name EXTRA SPECIAL TERRESTRIAL GUESTS, will share the stage with our Tuvan guests!

I found out some more details about Tyrone's passing. Very sad. Apparently, he had a stroke a few weeks before he died that left him unable to play. While he was recovering he was living in house(not the Sun Ra house) and the house next door caught fire and the resulting damage destroyed his house too. He lost everything. Then his mother passed and he had another stroke which killed him. This all happened in a two or three week period. WTF???

I think you are confusing him Grassella Oliphant http://www.golflink.com/golf-courses/golf-...asp?course=7351 Whoa. There is a Herbie Lewis listed on the bottom of this Grassella page... http://www.eastorange-nj.org/Departments/R...ourse/Index.htm

Rumor has it that the Moholo show in Philly will be a duet w/ Marshall Allen.

Yankees hope to have Pavano decision next week By RONALD BLUM, AP Baseball Writer May 18, 2007 NEW YORK (AP) -- The Yankees hope to announce next week whether Carl Pavano will need surgery. Pavano hasn't pitched since April 9 and might have a reconstructive elbow operation, which would sideline him for the remainder of this season and most, if not all, of next year. He has been examined by four doctors -- the Yankees' team physician and three outside specialists. "We've gotten one of three of the diagnosis's in writing back," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Friday. "He's waiting for us to tell him what we want him to do based on the diagnosis's." Since the Yankees gave him a $39.95 million, four-year contract before the 2005 season, Pavano is 5-7 in 19 starts, including 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA in two starts this year. He was sidelined from June 27, 2005, until last month by shoulder, back, buttocks, elbow and rib injuries, then began feeling forearm soreness during his second outing, a win at Minnesota on April 9.

Alton Abraham died in 1999. I believe his son Adam is running the label now.

Greg LeMond accused his fellow Tour de France champ's camp of trying to blackmail him. Associated Press MALIBU, Calif. - The Floyd Landis hearing took a chaotic twist yesterday when fellow American Tour de France champion Greg LeMond revealed he had been sexually abused as a child and claimed the Landis camp tried to use it as blackmail to keep LeMond from testifying. It was a shock, not only because of the content of the three-time Tour de France winner's much-awaited appearance, but also because of the contrast between his testimony and three days of scientific nitpicking. LeMond said he used the story of his being sexually abused when he was 6 as an example of how it's good to get things out in the open. "It nearly destroyed me by keeping the secret," LeMond said. He said he told Landis that very few people knew that about him, then accused someone in the Landis camp of using that information Wednesday night to intimidate him from appearing as a witness. LeMond described receiving a call that he said he later traced to the cell phone of Landis' manager, Will Geoghegan. "He said, 'I'll be there tomorrow and we can talk about how we used to' perform a sexual act," LeMond said. "I thought this was intimidation to keep me from coming here."

Bill Conlin | DEAR OLD DUDS All-time lineup of losers as Phils head toward tragic number (10,000 losses) THE PHILLIES' fan-stirring domination of the first-place Brewers this week has slowed the historic march toward 10,000 franchise losses. The magic "L" has ticked down to 9,977, just 23 defeats from the inevitable obelisk of oblivion. Their 20-21 record leaves Manuel's Maulers one game under .500 for the season and 1,193 total games under the international symbol of mediocrity. Putting that numbing number in sharper focus, to reach an all-time break-even point, the Phillies would have to go 162-0 for seven straight seasons and jet to a 59-0 start the following year. To pay homage to this daunting deficit, a salute to an All-Time Worst Phillies Team seems appropriate. After all, the franchise's All-Time All-Stars have been elected, selected and honored. Now, it's time for the Philadelphia National League Baseball Club's All-Time No-Stars to assume their place in the rain as the special 10K moment hurtles at us. My hourglass will start with the 1943 Phillies of the Carpenter Family, creating a target-rich 63-year untalent pool and eliminating 60 years of mostly dreadful baseball and some of the worst athletes to ever wear major league flannels. The Hefty bag, please: Catcher John Bateman (1972): A tough call here. For some unexplained reason, catching has been a Phillies strength since World War II: Andy Seminick. Stan Lopata. Smokey Burgess. Clay Dalrymple. Bob Boone. Bo Diaz. Ozzie Virgil Jr. Darren Daulton. Mike Lieberthal. The Phillies traded Tim McCarver to Montreal for Bateman on June 14, 1972. General manager Paul Owens had no idea that Bateman had so many outstanding warrants from his time in Montreal, he couldn't return to Canada. South of the border, Bateman set the kind of target Steve Carlton preferred. Bateman caught the majority of Carlton's 27 victories for that wretched team, batting .222 in 252 ABs. Larry Bowa thoughtfully appointed Bateman captain of his baseball All-Ugly Team with the comment, "John's face looks like somebody set fire to it and put it out with a track shoe." First Base Dick Stuart (1965): After the 1964 debacle, Gene Mauch made two big offseason moves. He traded for lefty lothario Bo Belinsky and power-hitting first baseman Stuart - Dr. Strangeglove. Dick didn't dishonor his famous nickname. In 143 games, Stuart hit 28 homers and drove in 95 runs. But he made an appalling 17 errors and was slower on the bases than Third World mail. Add his thriving clubhouse-law practice and you know why the Phils traded him to the Mets before the 1966 season for three utility types. The Mets released him. Second Base Pancho Herrera (1958, '60-'61): OK, Mauch's mad experiment to make the very large first baseman a middle infielder lasted just 17 games. Pancho made only one error and helped turn 11 doubleplays, but he had the range of the Great Pyramid. While planning the move in spring training, Mauch ordered trainer Joe Liscio to put Pancho on a diet. Joe gave him a month's supply of Metrecal, the popular diet drink of the day. Liscio was shocked to discover that Pancho had gained more than 10 pounds. Mauch asked why. "I do what I am told," Pancho shrugged. "I drink the Metrecal before each meal." And? "Then I eat the meal." Shortstop Juan Bell (1992-93): Jim Fregosi's 1993 Opening Day shortstop took "Good field, no hit" down a level to "Bad field, no hit." Juan made nine errors in 24 games for a .909 percentage and hit .200 in 65 ABs. He was replaced by Kim Batiste, who was replaced by Kevin Stocker. Juan was the younger brother of George Bell, a future American League MVP lost by the Phils in the Rule 5 draft to Pat Gillick and the Blue Jays. Third Base Charley "Dingo" Smith (1961): Mauch saw a little of himself in Smith, an intense infielder whose nickname paid homage to the wild dogs of the Australian Outback. Third base is the other position where the Phillies have been historically strong: Willie Jones. Rich Allen. Don Money. Mike Schmidt. Dave Hollins. Scott Rolen. Dingo, acquired from the Dodgers, was a rope bridge between Jones and Allen. His 22 errors in 94 games at third left him with a .924 fielding percentage. He hit .248. Leftfield Jeff Stone (1983-87): This came down to two Stones - Jeff and Ron "Palm Tree" Stone. Both played all three outfield positions. Jeff wins on quotability. He was an intriguing young man out of the Ozarks - the mountains, not Danny - who ran like a Level 5 tornado was chasing him. He stole 123 bases one season in Class A. But he had the baseball instincts of a manhole cover and threw like the Venus d'Milo. Jeff called the location of the leg miseries that plagued him, "my groan." When a waitress asked if he wanted a shrimp cocktail, he replied, "No, thanks, I don't drink." Watching a full moon rising over the beach at Waikiki, he asked a minor league teammate, "Is that the same moon I see in Missouri?" Centerfield Ricky Otero (1996-97): Selected in the 65th round of the 1989 draft by the Blue Jays, didn't sign, then was selected by the Mets on the 45th round in 1990 - Little Ricky must have grown a half inch. "I caught a lot of heat over him," Jim Fregosi says. At 5-5, it was suggested he should shout, "Lucy, I'm home," when he scored and should wear a whip-mast pennant on his hat when in the field so the catcher could see him over the mound. Somehow, the guy managed to get 562 ABs over two seasons here. Rightfield Roger Freed (1971-72): The Phils were giddy when they were able to get the 1970 minor league player of the year from Baltimore for lefty reliever Grant Jackson and throw-ins. Roger turned out to be a good guy with a slider-speed bat, lead cleats and an unmatched gullibility. One sample: Dick Selma: "Where's Roger?" Barry Lersch (laughing): "He's in the sauna." Selma: "What's so funny about that?" Lersch (Laughing hysterically): "Roger's in the sauna and he's eating fried chicken." Righthanded Starter Buford Billy Champion (1969-72): Carrot-topped organization-signed pitcher who typified the atrocious Phillies staffs of the Bob Skinner, Frank Lucchesi teams. The pleasant North Carolinian's numbers speak for themselves: 52 starts, 12-31 record, 175 walks and 185 strikeouts. Buford Billy eventually went into scouting. Lefthanded Starter Kyle Abbott (1992, 1995): The 6-4, 200-pound lefthander was the ninth pick in the 1989 draft by the Angels. Abbott achieved instant local fame when general manager Lee Thomas acquired him and outfielder Ruben Amaro Jr. from the Angels in December 1991 for - drum roll, please - Von Hayes. We soon forgot about old 5-4-1. In 19 starts, the former Long Beach State star was 1-14 with a 5.13 ERA. Oft-injured Kyle was released after spending the 1993 season at Scranton, re-signed in 1994 and granted free agency after pitching just 28 1/3 innings of 1995 relief. He worked just four innings for the Angels in '96. Reliever Dick Selma (1970-73): The poster boy for how to burn out a great arm. The flaky, compulsively needling righthander was just 5-11 and didn't weigh more than 160 pounds, but his fastball rode in the high 90s and he had knee-buckling breaking pitches. And Selma hungered for the ball. Manager Frank Lucchesi used that combination to bleed 134 1/3 relief innings out of Dick in 73 hair-on-fire 1970 appearances. Selma struck out 153, allowed just 108 hits, saved 22 games and won eight of 17 decisions. After that, Selma was a sore-armed reliever pitching on guts whose needling became mean-spirited and relentless. Good-guy traveling secretary Eddie Ferenz, a former minor league hockey player, finally dropped him onto a Newark Airport luggage carousel with a right cross worthy of Dave Schultz. Manager Ben Chapman (1945-48): An Alabama redneck who was the perfect skipper for a Phillies team dominated by white Southerners - until Jackie Robinson came along, that is. The despicable treatment of Robinson by Chapman and his vitriol-spewing Phillies was an indelible stain on baseball and the nation. Chapman's white supremacists finished 62-92 in 1947. Robinson's Dodgers were 94-60 and won the pennant. Owner William D. Cox (1943): Gambling Willie was a slam dunk. After the National League forced out bankrupt owner Jerry Nugent during the winter of 1943, New York lumber playboy Cox fronted a group that bought the club. When Cox fired manager Bucky Harris 94 games into the season, Bucky informed the league that his boss frequently bet on Phillies games. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis investigated, and when the owner admitted betting "only on my own team to win," he banned Cox for life and the Carpenter Era began that autumn. Anybody who would have bet on that team needed institutional care, not punishment. *

Diddley improves after suffering stroke By ERIC OLSON, Associated Press WriterThu May 17, 10:54 PM ET Four days after suffering a stroke, Bo Diddley walked around the intensive-care unit at Creighton University Medical Center, and doctors were encouraged that the singer-songwriter-guitarist would be able to perform again, his manager said. The 78-year-old Diddley told his audience that he wasn't feeling well during a show in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Saturday night. Diddley's manager, Margo Lewis, said she had the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer taken to the hospital by ambulance when he appeared disoriented at the Omaha airport on Sunday. Though Diddley's speech is impaired, he's made significant progress. "We're going to get a guitar for him and put it in his lap and let him entertain people here," Lewis said from the hospital. "People think that would be good therapy for him." Diddley, with his black glasses and low-slung guitar, has been an icon in the music industry since he topped the R&B charts with "Bo Diddley" in 1955. His other hits include "Who Do You Love," "Before You Accuse Me," "Mona" and "I'm a Man." Diddley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and was given a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1998. Lewis said it's uncertain how long Diddley, who has a history of hypertension and diabetes, will be hospitalized in Omaha. He played two Saturday night shows at Harrah's Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs. He planned to fly home to Archer, Fla., before starting a monthlong tour of the Midwest and United Kingdom on May 20 in Dallas. Those shows are canceled, Lewis said, but she believes Diddley will sing again, even though he'll require speech therapy first. "Singing a song is different than speaking," she said. "Even when there is a problem with speaking, or hesitancy, we've seen where people can sing perfectly." ____ On the Net: http://www.bo-diddley.com/ http://www.creightonhospital.com/CWSConten...eightonhospital

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Don't forget Kogun!

I'm guessing its the four guys who each won 20 in whatever year that was. L to R Mike Cuellar, Doyle Alexander, Dave McNally?, Jockey underware model

This is the year. 2007. The year the Phillies will record their 10,000th loss. Sigh. http://www.countdownto10000.com/

Friday, June 29 | 8pm Valentine Trio with Fred Lonberg-Holm, cello Jason Roebke, double-bass Frank Rosely, drums + Louis Moholo and guests International House Philadelphia 3701 Chestnut Street $12 General Admission I'm so there.

Man, that Ted Lilly can pitch. He threw an absolutely beautiful game yesterday. I'm thinking he might have been the best FA pitcher signing this past off season.

Break a leg.