Charlie Sheen's Hall of Fame SuperBowl Party

Hey, remember last February when Charlie Sheen screened "Major League" for some of his All-Star baseball buddies?

Well, according to TMZ, the actor was at it again this past Sunday, hosting a Hall of Fame-caliber SuperBowl party.

Sheen hosted the bash at his Beverly Hills mansion and the stars came out in droves...including MLB Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, who was greeted with a big fat Super Bowl kiss on his face.

Other guests included L.A. Dodgers player James Loney and ex-MLB superstars Kenny Lofton and Todd Zeile.  Kate Walsh was there too, along with rocker Matt Sorum, Jon Lovitz, Jeff Ross and Charlie's BFF Tony Todd.

Apparently, Sheen spent most of the night talking baseball with Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan.  I guess former Guns N' Roses drummer Sorum's tales of drugs and debauchery pale in comparison to the "Big Red Machine".

Been there, done that perhaps?

And with all due respect to the guests, I'd be more apt to say that the "most random assortment of people" came out in droves versus "stars"...but that's just me.

Either way, it's gotta beat the the way new Miami Marlins skipper Ozzie Guillen spent SuperBowl Sunday a year ago.

The Yankees Stink...Literally

There are jokes to be made about this, but Kevin Kaduk over at Big League Stew already made them all, so here.

This...according to ESPN New York.

Called, simply, "New York Yankees'' and "New York Yankees for Her,'' the team will introduce two "official fragrances'' at a cocktail reception in Manhattan on Tuesday, February 21. Smells like money.

This isn't the first Yankees-related scent to hit the market, Derek Jeter Driven was launched by AVON in 2006 and if you read some of these reviews...it had its fair share of fans.

On a related note, Bartolo Colon (see what I did there?) is expected to start Oakland's second game of the season when the Athletics take on the Seattle Mariners during baseball's semi-annual excursion to Japan.

Colon was 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA in 26 starts last season.

Full.  Circle.

Restaurant Ditches Pujols Name...Keeps Statue

Remember a few months ago when it looked like Albert Pujols staying in St. Louis was promising because the Pujols 5 Westport Grill erected a 10-foot tall bronze statue of the slugger?

Well, the statue stayed...even though the three-time National League MVP did not.

And now, it looks as though restaurant owner Patrick Hanon is abandoning Pujols, who signed a gigantic contract with the Los Angeles Angels back in December.

Business at Pujols 5 has slowed since Pujols signed with the Angels, and Dan Lozano, Pujols' agent, said "it didn't make sense" for Hanon to continue his relationship with the slugger.

The restaurant will retain its sports theme, but all Pujols-related items have been removed from the menu. According to a radio report in St. Louis, the new name of the restaurant will be the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame grill.

So let me get this straight.  The restaurant is removing all traces of Pujols inside their digs but keeping the half ton statue outside of it?

They might want to remind their webmaster.

Tom Brady...SuperBowl Catcher?

During Sunday's SuperBowl, much of the focus is going to be on the two quarterbacks...Tom Brady and Eli Manning.

You're going to hear a ton about the Manning lineage and let's face it, with a father like Archie and a brother like Peyton...Eli was destined to be an NFL quarterback.

That wasn't the same for Tom Brady.

All dude had were the tales of Junipero Sierra High School alums Gregg Jefferies and Barry Bonds looming over him.  Yes, Brady was looking to step out of the shadows of All-Star baseball players.

“I thought Tommy was a sure thing as a baseball player,” his former high school coach Pete Jensen said.  “Even more a sure thing than Gregg or Barry, believe it or not. As good a football player as he was, I thought he was a better baseball player in high school.”

In the 1995 draft, Jensen's thoughts became a reality...the Montreal Expos took a chance on Brady, selecting the then-catcher in the 18th round.

And since we know now that Brady was destined to become, well, Tom Brady and not, say, Michael Barrett...it's interesting to look at some other notable recent NFL players that turned their back on baseball.

Famously, future Heisman Trophy award winner Ricky Williams spent four years as a professional baseball player in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, compiling a .211 batting average in 613 Minor League plate appearances.  A shortstop in high school, he became an outfielder in the pro ranks.  His former runningmate in Miami, Ronnie Brown also has a baseball past...having been selected by the Seattle Mariners out of high school.

In the 2000 MLB draft, the Colorado Rockies made current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick the 887th overall pick.  The kicker...dude hadn't played baseball since he was a 13-year-old eighth grader.

Current Pittsburgh Steelers teammates Hines Ward and Mewelde Moore were drafted in 1994 by the Florida Marlins and 2000 by the San Diego Padres respectively.  Former Steeler, Antwaan Randle El, was picked by the Chicago Cubs of the 1997 draft.

And yet another Steeler, backup quarterback Dennis Dixon was also a highly recruited baseball player and found himself drafted twice...initially by the Cincinnati Reds in 2003 and again, in 2007, by the Atlanta Braves.   Dixon went on to hit just .176 in 74 at bats with two Atlanta Braves rookie league teams before returning to college.

Free agent wide receiver Roydell Williams was selected by the Reds in the fifth round of the 2000 draft.  A year later, Cincinnati Bengals runningback Cedric Benson found himself snatched up by the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Journeyman quarterback Kerry Collins saw himself get drafted three separate times.  He was first drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1990 and was one of three straight future NFL players (Greg McMurtry and Rodney Peete were the others) they picked.  The next year, Detroit tried again taking him in the 60th round.  Lastly, he found himself again selected in the 1994 draft...this time by the Toronto Blue Jays.

But I guess it isn't all that uncommon for high school quarterbacks to be two-sport stars.  Consider the 1979 MLB Draft. John Elway, Dan Marino and Jay Schroeder (all quarterbacks), were selected ahead of future New York Yankees great Don Mattingly.

Oh...what could have been?

C.J. Wilson...Tupac Fan?

I've never been much of a "judge a book by its cover" kind of guy...but I would have never thought that pitcher C.J. Wilson was a "Thugluv" kind of guy.

But, as it turns out, the Los Angeles Angels lefty is (or at least "Christopher" Wilson was) just that.

Most high school photos of anyone are pretty embarrassing, but the only thing embarrassing about Wilson's senior pic...the fact that I have no clue what any of that stuff means.

Except for "2PAC lives!" that is.

Some other fun facts about the Wilson's alma mater Fountain Valley High School.

• The FVHS gym was used as a location in the 1997 Academy Award nominated "Wag the Dog"
• In 2005, the school's drumline appeared in Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl' music video
• Other famous alums include...actress Michelle Pfeiffer, Olympic medalists Jack and Shirley Babashoff, "Hustle and Flow" director Craig Brewer and actor David ("Roy" from "The Office") Denman.

Thanks Wikipedia!

 

Survivor Almost Had "New York" Russell

You know those New Era commercials featuring Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski?  Well, as it turns out, season 22 of the CBS show "Survivor" almost had its own New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox cap feud.

Allow me to explain.

"Survivor: Redemption Island" featured returning favorite (and eventual winner) "Boston" Rob Mariano and his trademark Red Sox lid squaring off against one of the game's biggest villains Russell Hantz.

And as it turns out, Hantz had a particular item on his luxury item wishlist.

"My luxury item for Redemption Island with Rob (Mariano) was a New York Yankees baseball cap," the three-time contestant told fellow former castaway Rob Cesternino during a recent podcast interview.  "But they said no way."

There's no word as what Hantz (a Houston Astros fan, by the way) was allowed to bring to Nicaragua for the show...but the Yankees cap would have been a nice touch.

Buy Me Some Peanut (Allergies) and Cracker Jack

Peanuts and Cracker Jack are a staple at baseball games.  Heck, there are even song lyrics written about the pair.

But, thanks to a Milwaukee sixth grader, those who suffer from peanut allergies won't cringe when they sing the words to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".  According to the Brewers, student Mathew Trotier wrote a letter to team brass suggesting the creation of a legume-free area at Miller Park.

And, surprisingly, the Brewers are complying.

"Our goal is to make Miller Park accessible to as many fans as possible, including those with mild peanut allergies,” Rick Schlesinger, the team's Chief Operating Officer said.

So, on May 7 against the Cincinnati Reds, July 26 against the Washington Nationals and September 14 against the New York Mets, fans can purchase tickets to sit in peanut controlled bleacher seats.

Pretty cool really.

The downside...peanut allergy sufferers will be paying $38 a pop to watch crappy baseball!

And Now...the Kenny Powers Tattoo

When I was combing the Googles to find a picture to steal, er, borrow for the "Kenny Powers is Back!" post I stumbled upon a magnificent piece of work.

This.

Now, I realize that I made a big deal out of Dallas Braden's fake Rollie Fingers ink the other day, but, holy shit...that has nothing on the art Timothy B. Boor created for his buddy, fellow tatto artist Matt Davidson.

You can see more of Boor's spectacular tattooing (tatooing?) skills over at Inked Culture.