Nails Bails on Fight

Stop me if this has ever happened to you.

It's Saturday night, and while the rest of the world is watching the LSU-Alabama contest and all you can think about it the upcoming "boxing" match between Jose Canseco and Lenny Dykstra.

Surprisingly, you forget about the bout (probably due to falling asleep during a Jim Carrey movie) between the former All-Stars and end up running to the computer to see if the results have been posted anywhere.

Then, you get hit with the news...Lenny Dykstra pulled out of the match (dubbed the "Battle of the Baseball Bad Boys") after being paid five grand earlier in the week.

Or did he?

For some reason, the Philadelphia Inquirer is all over this disaster.

(Fight promoter Damon) Feldman said moments ago that he and main promoter Alki David met Dykstra on Thursday and paid him cash. The former Phillies star was to receive another $10,000 after the fight but informed promoters around 6 EST tonight that he would not show up.

Dan Herman, who until severing ties tonight with Dykstra had served as a manager for him, arranged Dykstra's participation in the bout and confirmed that Dykstra was paid a portion of his purse in advance and has pulled out of the fight. "I grew up idolizing Lenny Dykstra but it was all a lie," Herman said.

So, wait...this thing was all just a way for the phormer Phillie (see what I did there?) to cash a check?

There's more!

Fox 29 meterologist John Bolaris, a friend of Dykstra's for more than 15 years, tweeted days ago that Dykstra was never actually scheduled to fight.

UPDATE: Just spoke with a friend of Dykstra's who says that Lenny had never signed on to fight Canseco and did not receive any money from the promoters.

Now, I don't know what/who to believe!

But now I know this.

If there is anyone out there that can soil the integrity of Canseco's "boxing" "career" or a "celebrity" "boxing" event featuring the likes of Coolio and Joey Buttafuoco...his name is Lenny Dykstra.

Wow...that was a lot of quotes.  "Quotes"?

The "Jose Canseco Lawsuit" Update

Alright, internet, let's make a deal.  When Jose Canseco stops making "news"...I'll stop regurgitating it.

The other day, I told you about how the former slugger is contemplating suing the North American Baseball League for money he was owed.

And today?  Update!

According to NBC affiliate KYMA in Yuma..."hazardous waste removal" is one of the reasons the NABL didn't make good on dude's salary.

The other..."violating league rules".  Ooops.

Read for yourself.

In an e-mail sent to KYMA-TV, North American Baseball League CEO Kevin Outcalt says that Canseco never received his full salary due to a number of violations against the league. Outcalt states Canseco was fined $16,000 by North American League Baseball Operations Director Harry Stavrenos for "violating league rules." Outcalt clarified this charge later in a phone interview, saying Canseco was originally fined $25,000 for forfeiting and refusing to put his team on the field for a game in Chico this past August. After a league review of the violation, the fine was reduced to $16,000.

The e-mail also alleges that Canseco stuck the league with a $3,500 dollar bill for damages and cleaning that included the removal of "hazardous waste material" from the house Canseco rented on Martinez Lake.
 
The total sum of $19,500 was deducted from his contract.

 
So...about that hazardous waste.
 

KYMA-TV also reached out to Yuma General Manager Jose Melendez, who lived with Jose Canseco this season on Martinez Lake. Melendez says the damages done to the house were largely from Canseco's dog, a great dane named "Bruce." Broken screen doors, stains on carpets and couches, and patio damage were among some items for which tenants were charged. Melendez says that some of the charges are legitimate(screen doors, patio damage), but there are still some cleaning/travel charges they are disputing with the realtor.

 
On the plus side, Melendez (a decent dude and a good friend of The Hall, by the way) says Canseco already has plans to join Pete Rose in an "autograph and appearance business" in Las Vegas this coming winter.

To be continued...

This Week in Baseball Cards: November 4

Plenty of things have gone down since Bo Rosny first sent this installment to me and I actually ended up posting it.  That said...it's still a damn good read.

With that...here's This Week in Baseball Cards!

With the Yankees’ early playoff exit, their fans were looking for something else to do in October. One Yankee fan in Libya used this unexpected free time to kill one of the most tyrannical dictators in recent history.

Great job, Mohammed El Bibi!

When it comes to killing a dictator, send a Yankee fan, not a Met fan.  They just go after their mothers, their wives, or their newborn sons.

At least Mets players restrict themselves to murdering women who run into their car.

Not all former Mets are so ignoble however.

Mets legend Dwight Gooden was recently romantically linked to Republic senator Bana Breemu.  Unlike Breemu’s senatorial colleague, Padme Amidala, her secret lover is unlikely to become a Sith Lord.

And remember, gang, you can check out Bo's daily insights over at his site...Baseball Cards Come to Life.

Jose Canseco is Planning a Lawsuit, Gang!

Former MVP-turned-tabloid fixture Jose Canseco is, truly, the gift that keeps on giving.

This weekend, he's taking on fellow disgraced big leaguer Lenny Dykstra in a "celebrity" boxing match and, in true Canseco fashion, he's taking the opportunity to air some greviences.

Now, I've been following the whole Yuma Scorpions thing since this past April just waiting for the trail to derail.

And it looks like it has.

"The league was a travesty. They stopped payment on checks in the amount of $25,000 with me. There's going to be a major lawsuit against them. It was a terrible league. Just crazy," said Canseco told the New York Daily News. "I will never manage for them again, never play in that league again."

In July, a group of us put together a roadtrip to see Canseco's gang of knuckleheads take on the Kevin Costner owned Lake County Fielders and, honestly, I couldn't have been happier at what transpired.

Players drinking in the bullpen, the Canseco Brothers pulling a switcheroo and, within a week...the Fielders becoming a sad punchline to a joke no one should care about.

So, yeah, Canseco suing the league sounds about right.

Matter of fact...had you asked me seven months ago to scribble down some thoughts as to how this thing would play out "Canseco sues the league" would have probably been on the list.

Golden Era Ballot Candidates Announced

Thank God for Jeff Idelson.

Just minutes after I asked for some real baseball news, the Hall of Fame president tweeted a link to the press release announcing the ten finalists on the Baseball Hall of Fame's Golden Era (1947-1972) Ballot.

And let me tell you...there are some good names on it.

So, without further adieu...here are the nominees as capsuled in the Hall of Fame's presser.

Buzzie Bavasi spent 17 seasons as the Dodgers general manager from 1951-67, leading his team to four World Series titles and eight National League pennants. He then served in similar capacities for the Padres (1968-77) and Angels 1978-84).

Ken Boyer played 15 seasons as a third baseman with the Cardinals, Mets, White Sox and Dodgers, earning seven All-Star Game selections and winning the 1964 National League Most Valuable Player Award en route to leading the Cardinals to a World Series championship.

Charlie Finley owned the Kansas City/Oakland A's from 1960 through 1980, building an Athletics team that won five American League West titles, three AL pennants and three World Series titles between 1971 and 1975.

Gil Hodges was named to eight All-Star Games in an 18-year big league career as a first baseman with the Dodgers and Mets, winning three Gold Glove Awards and leading the Dodgers to seven National League pennants and two World Series titles. As a manager, Hodges led the 1969 Miracle Mets to the World Series title.

Jim Kaat pitched 25 seasons with the Senators, Twins, White Sox, Phillies, Yankees and Cardinals, winning 283 games over the course of four different decades. Kaat was named to three All-Star Games and helped the Cardinals win the 1982 World Series.

Minnie Minoso played 17 seasons with the Indians, White Sox, Cardinals and Senators, earning seven All-Star Game selections and three Gold Glove Awards as an outfielder. A native of Cuba, he blazed a trail for Latin American players in the big leagues starting in the 1950s.

Tony Oliva played 15 seasons for the Twins, winning three batting titles and leading the American League in hits five times. He was named to eight All-Star Games and won the 1964 AL Rookie of the Year Award.

Allie Reynolds pitched in 13 seasons with the Indians and Yankees, winning 182 games while earning five All-Star Game berths. He pitched in six World Series, leading the Yankees to six Fall Classic titles in seven years while posting a 7-2 record with four saves and a 2.79 ERA in 15 World Series games.

Ron Santo played 15 seasons at third base for the Cubs and White Sox, earning nine All-Star Game selections and winning five Gold Glove Awards. He hit 342 home runs and drove in 1,331 runs while leading the National League in walks four times.

Luis Tiant won at least 20 games in four of his 19 big league seasons with the Indians, Twins, Red Sox, Yankees, Pirates and Angels, finishing his career with 229 wins and a 3.30 ERA while earning three All-Star Game selections. He won two American League ERA titles and led the league in shutouts three times.

Of these ten candidates, only Kaat, Minoso, Oliva and Tiant are living...the other six are deceased.

The Golden Era electorate will meet to discuss and review the candidacies of the ten finalists as part of baseball's Winter Meetings, December 4-5 in Dallas.

Any candidate to receive votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Golden Era Committee will earn election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 22, 2012, along with any electees who emerge from the 2012 Baseball Writers' Association of America election, to be announced on January 9.

Now, this all begs the question...who would you vote for?

He Got Charlie Hustled? Get It?!?

The baseball season has been over for less than a week and, somehow, this is what qualifies as news.

From the Thirty Mile Zone:

Baseball won't have him back and now, Pete Rose's dentist is pissed at him too...claiming the MLB legend has refused to pay for almost $3k in dental services.  Dr. Armen Terteryan is drillin' Rose for $2,915.00 for "dental services rendered and not paid for" back in 2010.

According to the lawsuit, filed in small claims court in L.A., the doc claims Rose agreed to the fees before "starting treatment"...though it's unclear which procedures were performed on the baseball star.

A small claims showdown has been scheduled for December 14th. Calls to Rose have not been returned.

I don't know about you, but I know I can't wait to see how this "showdown" shakes out.  If we're lucky...maybe it'll end up as the next "Trial of the Century".

Or maybe not.

Here's a suggestion on how we can help Rose pay back the dentist.  Let's pool together some money and buy one of the dinners the Hit King offers up over at his website.

This will be a once in a lifetime experience having dinner with Pete Rose.

You will eat at a first class restaurant in Las Vegas like The Palm, Smith & Wollensky, Nine Steakhouse or a similar restaurant of your choice. The minimum number of people is four and the price is $5,000.00. *For each additional person add an additional $1,000. The price includes the meal, with a limit of $100 for alcoholic beverages, and each person will also receive an autographed baseball signed by Pete at the table.

We believe that you should be alert for your dinner with Pete; this will be one of the funniest, entertaining, and interesting evenings you will ever experience. If you really want to give your customer or someone a special treat for a special occasion this is it.

Be alert?  If I'm eating at a first class restaurant "like" some of the ones mentioned...you better believe I will be alert!

Pitchers and catchers report when now?  I'm going on suicide watch.

Albert Pujols Memorialized in Bronze

Sure, it's not the best likeness...but thanks to the Pujols 5 Westport Grill, St. Louis Cardinals fans will have something to remind themselves of the free agent slugger should he leave town.

On Wednesday, Albert Pujols was memorialized in the form of a 10-foot tall, 1000 -plus pound bronze sculpture outside the Maryland Heights, Missouri, eatery that also bears his name.

So, that begs the question that everyone (including Big League Stew) is asking..."would Pujols really agree to a statue if he were leaving St. Louis?"

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Pujols spoke briefly but did not address the issue of his future, now that he is a free agent. He said he talked to Tony La Russa this morning, the first time they had spoken since La Russa announced his retirement as manager of the Cardinals. La Russa wanted to know whether Pujols was OK, Pujols said, and Pujols wanted to know whether La Russa was OK.

Pujols, as he has done before, spoke highly of Cardinals fans, calling St. Louis "the best city to play baseball."

If the three-time National League MVP changes his mind...I'm sure the Chicago Cubs could clear out enough space outside Wrigley Field for the newly minted statue.

It's Jose Canseco Versus Lenny Dykstra Now!

Can someone please put a bullet in the head of this story before it spins further out of control?

Last month, when the card was announced, former slugger Jose Canseco was all set to take on  "notorious White House Party Crasher" Tareq Salahi in what was loosely coined a "celebrity" boxing match.

Now...word on the street is that Lenny Dykstra is taking Salahi's place.

"Canseco ruined my career by spreading lies," the former Philadelphia Phillies All-Star said in statement.  "I called Tareq and begged him to let me take his place in the upcoming fight against Canseco."

Watching from the wings will be good friend of The Hall Kato Kaelin.

"It will be hard for Jose to knock out any teeth from Lenny D because Lenny is missing them all," Kaelin told The Hall exclusively.  "Even this.past Halloween, Lenny was seen at a bobbing for apple sauce contest. Holla!"

Kaelin is set to square off against Michael Lohan.

Both fights are set to go down Saturday night.  They will be streamed live on FilmOn.com to a World Wide Internet audience and to every home connected to Cable Television in the United States.

Oh and before you ask...the rest of the card includes Amy Fisher, "Octomom", Michael Lohan, Joey Buttafuoco, Coolio...and more!

And, no, I won't be watching.