Lester and Gomes to A's for Cespedes

Trade deadline day in the majors and after all the hype, Sox starter Jon Lester was dealt to the Oakland A's. 

Complete deal:

Oakland A's Get:

Jon Lester

Jonny Gomes

$

Boston Red Sox Get:

Yoenis Cespedes

Competitive balance draft pick

Cespedes is a free agent after next season, so it's not as much of a slam dunk for the Sox as you might think. 

MORE TRADE NEWS:

John Lackey to Cardinals for Allen Craig and Joe Kelly. 

I'll have more tonight, hosting from 7pm-midnight on 98.5 The Sports Hub. 

Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz January 31st

The UFC announced that Anderson Silva will fight Nick Diaz, in his first fight back in the UFC, on January 31 in Las Vegas. 

Silva is coming off a disgusting injury while Diaz has been away from the UFC for years.   I'm excited about the fight, but a small part of me fears rust. This could be one of the best fights of all-time.  Or maybe it's gets hyped up beyond belief and can't live up to it. 

How will Silva respond to the injury?  Is Diaz still elite?  Either way, I'll be watching to find out.  

Easy one of the most anticipated fights I can remember.  

Do we need another countdown timer?

Countdown to MLB Trade Deadline

Website Countdowns

Jon Lester? John Lackey? Stephen Drew? Jonny Gomes? Andrew Miller?

The Walking Dead: Season 5 Trailer

What Actor Has The Best Five Movie Resume?

If you only took the five best movies in an actors career, whose would be the most impressive?  It doesn't matter if they were the lead or an extra, as long as they were in the film it counts. 

Brad Pitt

Fight Club

Snatch

True Romance

Seven

Inglourious Basterds 

Robert De Niro

Goodfellas

Godfather Part II

Taxi Driver

Meet The Parents

Raging Bull

Vince Vaughn

Swingers

Made

Old School

Wedding Crashers

Anchorman

Samuel L. Jackson

Goodfellas

True Romance

Jurassic Park

Pulp Fiction

The Avengers

Christian Bale

The Dark Knight

Batman Begins

American Psycho

The Prestige

The Fighter

Bruce Willis

Die Hard

Die Hard 2

Pulp Fiction

Sin City

Grindhouse: Planet Terror

Steve Buscemi
Reservoir Dogs
Pulp Fiction
Fargo
The Big Lebowski
Armageddon 

Morgan Freeman

The Shawshank Redemption

Unforgiven

Seven
Batman Begins

The Dark Knight

Harrison Ford

Star Wars Epsiode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars Episdoe VI: Return of the Jedi

Apocalypse Now

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Ed Norton

Rounders

American History X

Fight Club

25th Hour

The Illusionist

Joe Pesci

Goodfellas

Raging Bull

Home Alone

Casino

JFK

Denzel Washington

Training Day

Glory

Remember the Titans

Man on Fire

American Gangster

Christopher Walken

Deer Hunter

Man on Fire

Pulp Fiction

True Romance

Wedding Crashers

Note: Al Pacino not on this list is not an oversight.  Scarface is the most overrated movie ever, he's got the first two Godfathers on this resume but whatever else you choose doesn't stack up with this group. 

My pick?  Brad Pitt. Ridiculous list.  It doesn't even include Sleepers and 12 Monkeys.  

I'm sure I missed some, let me know. 

Joaquin Phoenix to play Dr. Strange?

A Dr. Strange movie!  Anybody?

With Comic Con going on this week out in San Diego there has been a lot goin on as you can imagine.  We got that picture (previous post) of Ben Affleck in his new Batman get up.  There's been news on shows, movies, and the like.

But apparently there is a lot of smoke on who will play Dr. Strange, and it could be the weird Joaquin Phoenix.

Don't hate it.  I was never a big Dr. Strange fan (was anyone?), he was solid in the Infinity Crisis / Gauntlet.  So I'm interested to see how this plays out.  We had the list of Marvel movie releases (no movies connected to said dates, but this appears to be one of those.)

Is there a (Marvel) character who has had a stand alone feature film that you like less than Dr. Strange?

Spider-Man?  Nope.
Punisher? Nope.
Wolverine? Nope.
Captain America? Nope.
Thor? Nope. (maybe close)
Iron Man?  Nope.
Ghost Rider? Nope.
Daredevil? Nope.
Blade? Nope.
Hulk? Nope.
Elektra?  Ding, Ding, Ding.  Ok, we got one.

And we'll have two went Ant-Man comes out in 2015... (I'll see that one too.)

Another Look at Ben Affleck Batman

Stop by the @DCComics booth at #SDCC to see this new image of @BenAffleck on their #Batman75 wall! #BatmanvSuperman pic.twitter.com/6JGvfVdUJZ

— Batman v Superman (@BatmanvSuperman) July 24, 2014

New Nicki Minaj Single Cover

Well then.

When Andrew Wiggins Will Be Traded

Website Countdown Clock

I Think I'm Watching The Strain on FX

So, there is nothing on TV right now.  It is a baron wasteland of television programs this summer (every summer).  I watch a decent number of shows: The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Grimm, American Horror Story, Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Louie (was awful this year), and a few more.  They are all on their summer hiatus, so what do ya do?

Still no Sunday night or Monday night football... no NBA or NHL during the week.  It's baseball or bust right now, and for a lot of us, that means bust.

But I think I'm going to watch The Strain.  I've seen the two episodes that have been out, and I'm intrigued.  Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy) and another dude wrote this book, then turned it into a comic, and now it's a TV show.  It's in the horror genre, right now it looks like a crazy virus, is it zombies? draculas? crazy diseases?  Who knows, but you better strap in.

Anyone else watching this thing?  It might not keep your interest if you had a lot on your TV plate, but it being the slow season, I think I'm in.

USA Select Team

13 players were named to the 2014 USA Select Team.  These guys will play against the World Cup team as they get ready for competition.  I wouldn't say these are the best young players going, but certainly a talented group.  Only two rookies made the team and they were not Jabari Parker and Aaron Gordon. Instead Celtics PG Marcus Smart and Bulls F Doug McDermott.   Here's the full squad. 

Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors)

Trey Burke (Utah Jazz)

Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)

Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)

Tim Hardaway Jr. (New York Knicks) 

Tobias Harris (Orlando Magic) 

Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls)

Victor Oladipo (Orlando Magic)

Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets)

Miles Plumlee (Phoenix Suns)

Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)

Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Cody Zeller (Charlotte Hornets)

New Celtics Logo

This is the new Celtics logo that was just released.  I think it's fine.  It reminds me of when Roger Rabbit burst through the window... 

WWE Battleground Live Tweet

The latest WWE PPV is tonight (yes really).  They are not wasting anytime between events.  Despite the rushed storylines there are some great matches on this card.

Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt

Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins

USA (Jack Swagger) vs. Russia (Rusev)

Wyatt Family vs. Usos

John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. Kane


Be sure to follow: @TheSportsBrief tonight (and every night) for all the hilarious commentary.

Also our new wrestling blogger: Fridge

It'll be like we're all watching it together!

Marvel Tease

Marvel announced that they will release 5 mystery movies on the following future dates...

July 28, 2017 
Nov. 3, 2017 
July 6, 2018 
Nov. 2, 2018
May 3, 2019 

What in the hell is this?  5 release date for unknown movies?  How about that last one being out in 5 years??  It could literally be anything, maybe even a character that hasn't been created yet.  

I am a Marvel comic dork, I'll watch any movie they put out there, but this is over the top obnoxious.  

This is like, "Hey, save the date."  

"Ok... for what."

"Brand new Marvel comic book movie."

"Sweet, which one?"

"Stay tuned...."

"Go to hell."

(That's my conversation with this announcement.)

What could these movies be?  Well any sequel obviously.  Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men... or new spin-offs like Black Widow or Deadpool.  Hugh Jackman is always up for a new Wolverine.

Or perhaps any of these gentlemen or women...

Pick A Package For Kevin Love

Cleveland Cavaliers insider Bob Finnan is now reporting that the Cavs would include Andrew Wiggins in a possible deal for Timberwolves PF Kevin Love.  Well that's a game changer. They would appear to be the favorite now if the T-Wolves do what they say they won't, and trade the All-Star. 

Here's what the Top 3 Trade Offers could (realistically according to me) be. 

Don't worry about money for the purposes of this exercise.  Minnesota could toss in Kevin Martin or whatever else to make it work. We won't get into trade exceptions and non-guaranteed contracts here. 

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Anderson Varejao

That's the last TWO #1 overall picks and a double-double guy for a player who WILL leave in a year.  You have to do that if you're Flip Saunders.  Cleveland probably wouldn't want to give up Varejao, but Love is worth it. 

2. Golden State Warriors

Klay Thompson, David Lee

They say now they won't deal Klay, but this could change. Curry and Love with pieces like Barnes and Bogut is intriguing as hell.  I'd prefer the Cavs package though. 

3. Boston Celtics

Marcus Smart, James Young, Jared Sullinger, Brandon Bass, 3 future first round picks

There is no Wiggins or Thompson in this group. (I do really like Smart.)  Minnesota says they want real dudes and not assets. They've missed the playoffs the last 10 years so that makes some sense. But this offer warrants a good long look. Two 1st rounders from this year, solid young big in Sully, an expiring deal in Bass AND multiple future 1st rounders (I'll let them figure out Clippers, Nets, Cavs, their own, whatever.)

C's package is nothing to sneeze at.  It's a lot to give up actually if you're Boston. But with an assurance that he'd stay, it's worth it. Rondo + Love in the East makes me a happy Celtics fan.  Fill in the rest accordingly.  

IF those are the deals on the table.  I'd look at it like this...

Cavs > Celtics > Warriors

And of course don't rule out mystery team!

The Love Saga continues...

New Weird Al

For better or worse, Weird Al is back. His new album just came out a couple days ago and he's been releasing videos. I enjoyed this one. Regardless of your feelings towards Weird Al you can't help but listen to his stuff and think, "That magnificent bastard." He's a talented weirdo.

Dream Home Run Derby

If you could put any 4 players in a Home Run Derby, past or present, who would they be?

It's a loaded question.  Do you go all the way back to Babe Ruth or Ted Williams or Willie Mays?  You can call me a simpleton, but I'm going with what I know...

Ken Griffey, Jr.
Barry Bonds
Gary Sheffield
Frank Thomas

Give me two lefties and two righties.  Whatever the ballpark it will produce plenty of excitement.

Tough omissions: Jose Canseco, Manny Ramirez, Willie Mays, Reggie Jackson, Fred McGriff

USA Hoops Roster for World Cup

Team USA has narrowed their group of players down to 19 with only 12 spots available for this summers FIBA World Cup.  Here's the crew right now...

Bradley Beal, Wizards

DeMarcus Cousins, Kings

Stephen Curry, Warriors

Anthony Davis, Pelicans

DeMar DeRozan, Raptors

Andre Drummond, Pistons

Kevin Durant, Thunder

Kenneth Faried, Nuggets

Paul George, Pacers

Blake Griffin, Clippers

James Harden, Rockets

Gordon Hayward, Jazz

Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers

Kyle Korver, Hawks

Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers

Kevin Love, Timberwolves 

Chandler Parsons, Mavericks

Derrick Rose, Bulls

Klay Thompson, Warriors

Tournament starts August 30th.  Team USA opens with Finland. 

They are in Group C:

USA

Turkey

Dominican Republic

Finland

New Zealand

Ukraine

Murderers row. 

American Horror Story: Freakshow Teaser

What in the Hell? I've watched the first three seasons of this creepy show. The first was by far the best. The others... Meh. Last season had promise but fell a part. I heard about this year and was concerned. Freakshow = Circus = Clowns. I'm out on clowns. No thanks. They don't show their horrifying faces in this teaser but I know they're there. Heaven help us.

LeBron Going Back To Cleveland

LeBetrayl! http://t.co/DMgP4cawr7

— NBA GIFs (@TheNBAGif) July 11, 2014

This is the best. We've now seen LeBron in the nWo and now The Shield, two of the greatest stables of all-time.

Which Site Will Get More Hits Tonight?

LeBronJames.com

Or

SportsBrief.blogspot.com

Toss up, really.  He should get a boost with all this "where will he go" talk, but I have faith in our die hard fans. 

Thanks for making us #1*

*Hypothetically 

Marks, Smarks and the nWo - The Friends That You'll Make at a Pro Wrestling Show

On a scale of 1 to the fella above (image courtesy wwe.com,) I’m probably somewhere in the middle with my wrestling nerd level.  I have the network, watch Raw every Monday and I’ve been to my share of live sports entertainment recently.  It’s borderline sad, and it’s scary, and my wife would probably tell you it’s legitimate grounds for separation.  Since April 2013, I’ve attended Wrestlemania 29 (MetLife Stadium), Survivor Series (TD Garden), TNA Hardcore Justice (Lowell Memorial Auditorium), Extreme Rules (Izod Center), and Money in the Bank (TD Garden.)  Yes, you read that correctly, I attended a TNA pay-per-view in person…and I have driven to New Jersey twice to see WWE PPV’s in person.  There’s one constant at every WWE event (and most TNA events) and that’s a live crowd.  At live wrestling events, you’re going to meet tons of interesting people…and I’m here to tell you about five of the ones I’ve met in the last year plus:

CM Drunk/Wrestlemania:

At the 7 hour tailgate before Wrestlemania 29, our party happened to park in the vicinity of a bunch of Chicagoans in town for the grand-daddy of them all.  My favorite was a completely intoxicated CM Punk fan, dressed from head to toe in Punk ring regalia.  The irony being that Punk’s a vocal straight-edge sober guy, and this dude could barely stand at about 4pm.  (Side-note:  I’m pretty sure his buddy was supposed to be Colt .45 Cabana.)  The pre-Wrestlemania crowd was one of the highlights of my adult life.  Instead of NFL pre-game shows blaring from every radio, it was old wrestling theme songs.  Instead of footballs being thrown around, it was amateurs practicing their favorite wrestler’s finishing move on their buddy.  The whole scene was fantastic.

Bored Guy/Survivor Series:

Self reporting.  This "fan" is me and my buddy Pete (@petechinmusic), who I attend most of these events with.  If your memory serves you, Survivor Series was the same night as last season’s Brady/Manning matchup on Sunday Night Football.  We spent half the night enjoying the good matches (Punk and Bryan as tag partners against the Wyatts, Roman Reigns’ udder destruction of the one classic Survivor Series match) and the other half trying to find a way to illegally stream the football game off of our phones.  I’ve never seen a deader crowd than this.  The entire crowd was buried on their phones all night trying to keep track of the football game.

TNA Superfan/Hardcore Justice:

Attended this show solely because I figured I’d see blood, tables, Tommy Dreamer, and I could literally sit front row for 39 dollars.  I couldn’t have been more surprised at the quality of the show.  However, there was this dude sitting next to us who wanted to tell you ALL NIGHT LONG about how TNA was incredibly better than WWE.  This guy was completely convinced that the entertainment value of seeing Abyss botch every single move he attempted was still better than watching any Punk/Bryan/Shield/Wyatt match.  We get it, there might be a bit more violence and a different style of wrestling…but for chrissakes it’s TNA.  He also told us it was “no big deal” that they were taping a pay-per-view, and that we had to be removed from our seats in order for the ring crew to construct the cage for the final match (because “the ring staff are new at this and we don’t want them to drop the cage on your heads.”)  Yeah, it was a bit amateur hour but seeing Kurt Angle rip open Bobby Roode’s leg with a cheese grater was fun.  (Fun fact:  TNA Superfan guy was wearing Jeff Hardy arm bands.)

Sad Cena Kid/Extreme Rules:

ECW chants all night long, and biggest pop of the night for Paul E and Rob Van Dam?  Yeah, you’re in Jersey.  The 240 lb elephant in the WWE has been John Cena for the better part of two decades.  The kids and marks love him, the internet fans hate him.  So when we found our seats and saw a five year old with his dad in the row in front of us…we sort of assumed he was a Cena superfan.  When Bray defeated him in their extremely entertaining cage match, this kid LITERALLY broke into tears.  Tears to the point where his dad had to remove him from the event.  Jackpot…seats to put my feet up on.

The Two Virgins/Money in the Bank:

Went to a few bars before heading into MITB last month.  One of the more enjoyable afternoons I’ve had this year…but it all got interrupted once we reached our second stop and two 40 year olds sidled up next to my group and would not shut up.  These two reminded me of getting onto an airplane…and the guy sitting next to you has no book, no newspaper, no headphones and he immediately reaches for the SkyMall magazine.  The bar we were at was showing old Royal Rumbles on its’ tv’s throughout…and the bar crowd was quite into it.  Doing the countdowns, cheering faces, booing heels, the whole bit.  These two guys (who I can only assume have never been in the company of another consensual adult) had the entire Rumble entry order memorized, were calling all the spots, and generally took the vibe from “hey this is fun” to “I’m really uncomfortable and now I’m afraid I’m going to end this night tied up in a basement full of fan memorabilia.”  Also, one guy had a Wrestlemania 27 plaque he bought off e-bay for $1.99 that he wanted to get autographed by Daniel Bryan.  Yeah, I bet that happened.

Bonus Entry - The New World Order/Wrestlemania: 

A pack of fellas partying out of the back of a Dodge mom van.  EVERYONE in some sort of nWo shirt.  There were people of all races, colors and creeds…and they were more than happy to accept us into their Mania tailgate for a beer.  I’m pretty sure I heard Spanish, Portuguese and Dothraki being spoken…and no one was happier to share a beer with us on our way in.  And just for reporting purposes…the black guy was in a nWo Wolfpac shirt, the white guy in a Blue World Order shirt, the Hispanic guy in a Latino World Order shirt.  Something about it just felt so gimmicky I thought that Vince Russo was booking the whole scene.

Watch: Celtics Trade Talk on Felger & Mazz

Celtics-Cavs-Nets Trade

The Celtics, Cavaliers, and Nets agreed to a deal today that allows Boston to use their $10.3 million trade exception from the Piece/KG deal, gives them some assets, gives Brooklyn a real back up point guard, and frees up cap space for Cleveland to make a run at LeBron James.

BOSTON CELTICS GET:
Tyler Zeller
Marcus Thornton (expiring deal, $8.7 mill)
1st Round Pick from Cleveland (Top 10 protected 2016, 17, 18, unprotected 19)

BROOKLYN NETS GET:
Jarrett Jack
Sergey Karasev

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS GET:
Rights to some foreign dudes
CAP SPACE!

2014 MLB All-Star Rosters

American League

Starters:

C - Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles (injured)

1B - Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

2B - Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners

3B - Josh Donaldson, Oakland Athletics

SS - Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

OF - Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

OF - Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays

OF - Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles

DH - Nelson Cruz, Baltimore Orioles

Bench:

C - Salavdor Perez, Kansas City Royals (will start)

C - Derek Norris, Oakland Athletics

C - Kurt Suzuki, Minnesota Twins

1B - Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

1B - Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers

1B - Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays

1B/OF - Brandon Moss, Oakland Athletics

2B - Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

SS - Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox

3B - Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers

OF - Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics

OF - Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals

OF - Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians

Pitchers:

Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers

Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees

Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

David Price, Tampa Bay Rays

Scott Kazmir, Oakland Atheltics

Mark Buehrle, Toronto Blue Jays

Sean Doolittle, Oakland Atheltics

Greg Holland, Kansas City Royals

Glen Perkins, Minnesota Twins

Dellin Betances, New York Yankees

National League

Starters:

C - Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals

1B - Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

2B - Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies

3B - Aramis Ramirez, Milwaukee Brewers

SS - Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies

OF - Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee Brewers

OF - Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates

OF - Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers

Bench:

C - Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers

C - Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati Reds

1B - Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves

2B - Dee Gordon, Los Angeles Dodgers

2B - Daniel Murphy, New York Mets

SS - Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs

3B - Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds

UTIL - Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh Pirates

OF - Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies

OF - Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants

OF Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins (will start at DH)

Pitchers:

Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds

Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Zach Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers

Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants

Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

Tyson Ross, San Diego Padres

Jordan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals

Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves*

Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves

Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Red

Francisco Rodriguez, Milwaukee Brewers

Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates

Pat Neshek, St. Louis Cardinals

*Jeff Samardzija elected to NL team but traded to Oakland, will not play, replaced by Teheran. 

Happy 4th Weekend Sports Fans

Two Undrafted Players Who Will Make The NBA

DeAndre Kane, Iowa State, PG

Kane, who put up 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game as a senior at Iowa State, was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Los Angeles Lakers. 

He is 25 years old. (Seriously).  So being skipped over in the 1st round is no shock, but the 2nd?  Those 30 guys are better than Kane?  Please.  He's gonna stick in this league (of course a 5 year career gets him to 30) but I was a big fan all season and I think the Lakers got a real pro here.  

Melvin Ejim, Iowa State, SF

Kane's college teammate.  Ejim was the Big 12 Player of the Year last season. He will be playing in the Summer League for both the Philadelphia 76ers and the San Antonio Spurs. 

He's a legit small forward, not the best outside game in the world but a legit NBA body and ability to score, rebound, and defend.  I think he could be a rotational player next year.  But what do I know he was passed up 60 times last Thursday. 

These were two of my favorite players in the draft.  Two teams could be getting steals. 

Best of luck to them.  And if they do stick in the league, remember where you heard it first. 

Belgium Celebrities

Celtics Summer League Roster and Schedule

Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

James Young, Kentucky

Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga

Phil Pressey, Missouri

Chris Johnson, Dayton

Chris Babb, Iowa State

Colton Iverson, Colorado State

O.D. Anosike, Siena

Dairis Bertans, Latvia

Edwin Jackson, France

Mike Moser, Oregon

Devin Oliver, Dayton

Daniel Coursey, Mercer

Schedule:

July 5 vs. Heat  11am

July 7 vs. Pacers  3pm

July 9 vs. Pistons  7pm

July 10 vs. Magic  5pm

July 11 vs. TBD