Otis Nixon Busted With Crack Cocaine
Cocaine Is Hell Of A Drug
Former Major League Baseball outfielder Otis Nixon was arrested over the weekend in Atlanta when officers busted him with crack cocaine during a traffic stop.
Nixon has been charged with possession of cocaine and possession of a drug-related object.
More on the story from the AJC:
Nixon, 54, had a crack pipe in his pocket and a crack rock in his vehicle when he was stopped on I-575 early Saturday, according to a Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office reported obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A 911 caller reported a red Dodge Ram pickup truck driving erratically on I-575 north shortly after midnight and a deputy was dispatched and pulled the truck over, the report states. A state trooper assisted with the traffic stop. Inside Nixon’s truck, investigators found a small rock substance believed to be crack cocaine, the report states. Nixon also had a crack pipe in his pants’ pockets, deputies said.Police also discovered an additional crack pipe inside one of the truck compartments, as well as a plastic bag containing what they believed to be cocaine residue on the driver’s side of the floor board.
A series of field sobriety tests concluded that Nixon did not appear under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to the report.
Once handcuffed and placed in the backseat of the police car, Nixon allegedly surrendered yet another small bag of suspected crack cocaine to an officer.
The 54-year-old remains behind bars in the Cherokee County jail Monday and is being held on $11,800 bond.
Nixon spent his 17-year MLB career with nine different franchises, but his best stint with any team arguably came as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
Drafted by the New York Yankees with the third overall pick in the 1979 amateur draft, Nixon was regarded as one of the fastest players in baseball during the 1990s. He stole a total of 620 bases in his career .
Dog Dressed In Hot Dog Costume Eats Hot Dog
Amazing
During “Bark in the Park” day at Turner Field in Atlanta Sunday, a very cool dog dressed as a hot dog while eating a hot dog was shown on the big screen.
Nationals trainers revive but can’t save cameraman in Atlanta
You Tried
The Washington Nationals say an Atlanta-area television worker has died after collapsing before their game against the Atlanta Braves.
Nationals spokesman John Dever says 61-year-old Reuben Porras of Newnan, Ga., collapsed Wednesday while setting up for MLB Network, which is set to broadcast the finale of the four-game series in Atlanta on Thursday.
Washington’s head athletic trainer, Lee Kuntz, and his assistant, John Hsu, helped to stabilize Porras before he was taken away in an ambulance. But Dever says the team learned the man later died at a hospital from an apparent heart attack.
Otis Nixon accused of stealing money in prison scam
Scam
In his playing days, outfielder Otis Nixon was best known for swiping bases and, occasionally, robbing home runs from opponents. Now, according to a report from FOX 5 Atlanta, Nixon has moved on to stealing people’s money.
Nixon’s website says that the 17-year major league journeyman is now “Christ-Centered” and free from the drug and alcohol addictions that plagued him in his playing days, and offers re-entry housing and support services to paroled felons. But according to the FOX report, Nixon’s home is no longer an officially approved halfway house despite his claims to know Georgia governor Nathan Deal personally and boasts of best friendship with parole-board member General James Donald.
Nixon appears to be offering a reserved bed in his halfway house and help negotiating the parole board in exchange for between $750 and $1000 in cash, in situations where parole is not even an option.
John Rocker says the Holocaust wouldn’t have happened if the Jews had guns
When This Dude Opens His Mouth Shit Just Spews
Former major league pitcher John Rocker is back in the news for something he said. Unsurprisingly, his words have again fueled controversy. The 38-year-old Georgia native’s big league career was brief, but his outspoken personality and offensive comments made an indelible mark on the sports world, and he won’t soon be forgotten for being one of the most hated athletes of this generation. Rocker currently writes a column for conservative website WorldNetDaily.com, and his latest piece raised some eyebrows. The ex-reliever focused on gun control in his Monday column, and brought the Holocaust into the conversation.
“Absolute certainties are a rare thing in this life,” Rocker wrote, “but one I think can be collectively agreed upon is the undeniable fact that the Holocaust would have never taken place had the Jewish citizenry of Hitler’s Germany had the right to bear arms and defended themselves with those arms.”
Rocker was heavily criticized following an interview he did with Sports Illustrated in 1999, when the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves were battling for supremacy in the National League East.
“I would retire first,” Rocker said at the time in regard to playing in New York. “It’s the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the 7 Train to the ballpark, looking like you’re [riding through] Beirut next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It’s depressing.”
Rocker continued his rant aimed at New York City by saying, “The biggest thing I don’t like about New York are the foreigners. I’m not a very big fan of foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?”
Chipper Jones Tweet Gets Hotel TV Fixed
Addressing The Elephant
Chipper Jones is learning the power of having a Twitter account after the Atlanta Braves third baseman joining the social media just last week. Jones already has over 100,000 followers picked up another one Thursday night, someone at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York.
Jones and the Braves are in New York ready to embark on a three-game series against the New York Mets. While trying to enjoy an off-day, Jones took to Twitter to complain about a broken TV and faulty air conditioning in his hotel room.
“The movie channels dont work and the beds make my back spasm up! Am i complaining too much? Im sorry, gotta vent to someone. Love yall!!!”
“If anyone was thinkin about stayin at the Grand Hyatt in NY,dont! My AC is set on 65 and its north of 80 in here. Like a freaken sauna!”
It didn’t take long for him to get a knock on his door. It was a repairman.
“Ahh the power of social media. TV guy just showed up at my door. Didnt even have to call the front desk. See what happens when u vent a tad?”
Chipper Jones Gives Pre Game Speech
Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, who is retiring after the 2012 season, addressed the National League team in a pre-game speech before the 83rd All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium. During his two-plus minute speech, he pointed out that he wanted to go out on top.
“We got an opportunity to (continue the NL winning streak). And I am not going out losing my last one,” Jones said. “Alright, you with me?”
Drunk Woman Keeps Falling Down At Atlanta Braves Game
At almost every sporting event, its not too difficult to find the person whose had a little bit too much to drink. Check out this woman attending an Atlanta Braves game whose clearly had a little bit too much to drink:
MLB Fires Arbitrator Shyam Das
Can't Play By Our Rules Go Find Work Elsewhere
Shyam Das was not fired solely because of his decision on Ryan Braun’s positive drug test, but it certainly played a major role, according to persons familiar with the decision but not authorized to discuss the dismissal.
Das, who delivered the landmark ruling that overturned a possible drug-related suspension for Braun, was fired by Major League Baseball last week as baseball’s independent arbitrator, a post he’d held since 1999.
As an independent arbitrator, Das serves at the pleasure of both the players’ union and MLB’s central office, and either party can terminate the relationship at any time. Both parties must agree on the hiring of a new arbitrator.
After Das ruled that a drug sample collector’s failure to follow protocol with Braun’s sample violated baseball’s joint drug-testing policy, Rob Manfred, MLB’s vice president of labor relations, issued a scathing rebuke of Das’s decision:
“Major League Baseball considers the obligations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program essential to the integrity of our game, our Clubs and all of the players who take the field. It has always been Major League Baseball’s position that no matter who tests positive, we will exhaust all avenues in pursuit of the appropriate discipline. We have been true to that position in every instance, because baseball fans deserve nothing less.
“As a part of our drug testing program, the Commissioner’s Office and the Players Association agreed to a neutral third party review for instances that are under dispute. While we have always respected that process, Major League Baseball vehemently disagrees with the decision rendered today by arbitrator Shyam Das.”
Players’ union executive director Michael Weiner expressed disappointment Monday at Das’s dismissal.
“Shyam Das has been served the parties with distinction and professionalism for 13 years,” Weiner said. “We think he’s an excellent arbitrator.”
Weiner said the union is conferring with the commissioner’s office to find a replacement.
On Monday, the AP reported that Colorado Rockies catcher Eliezer Alfonzo’s 100-game suspension has been overturned due to storage and shipment of his urine sample. Monday afternoon, MLB released a statement saying that Alfonzo’s grievance “raised issues that were nearly identical to those resolved in the arbitration involving Ryan Braun.”
Das has been a critical behind-the-scenes figure in baseball, making several other key rulings in disputes between the union and MLB, and has drawn the ire of commissioner Bud Selig before.
In 2000, Das reduced MLB’s suspension of Atlanta Braves reliever John Rocker from 45 days to 14, and also cut his fine from $20,000 to $500 for controversial comments Rocker made to Sports Illustrated. Said Selig: “It completely ignores the sensibilities of those groups of people maligned by Mr. Rocker and disregards the player’s position as a role model for children.”
Five years later, Das ruled that Selig’s punishment of pitcher Kenny Rogers – who shoved two cameramen – was too harsh, trimming Rogers’ suspension from 20 games to 13. Das also ruled that Rogers’ $50,000 fine would be converted to a charitable contribution.
Magic Johnson Gets Los Angeles Dodgers Bobblehead & Gets Team
Full Circle
Yesterday Major League Baseball made the Los Angeles Dodgers sale Mark Walter, former Atlanta Braves President Stan Kasten and former NBA player Magic Johnson complete.
To celebrate Johnson showed off his little friend, also named Magic Johnson. He posted the image of him and his bobblehead doll to his WhoSay page but the this bobblehead was not part of any future promotional giveaway.
Johnson just had always wanted his own bobblehead and now made it a reality.
Adam Jones & Jason Heyward Wear Cleats To Honor Jackie Robinson
RESPECT
Jackie Robinson Day was celebrated throughout Major League Baseball yesterday for the 65 year anniversary of Jackie Robinson crossing the color barrier on April 15, 1947. In a special tribute to man that is so special in this countries history Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam jones and Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward wore special cleats.
The cleats are the Nike Griffey Jr. Swingman model spikes and were the color of Robinson’s alma mater UCLA, light blue and yellow.
Heyward called wearing the cleats an “honor and a pleasure,” while Jones termed it “a true honor.”
49-Year-Old Jamie Moyer Earns Spot In Colorado Rockies Rotation
Golden Ticket
At 49 years old Jamie Moyer has made it back in the big leagues. Moyer earned a spot in the Colorado Rockies rotation and will start the team’s second game of the season.
“It is still Jamie Moyer. It’s the Jamie Moyer that was pitching prior to the arm injury that cost him the entire 2011 season. It’s the same guy,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.
“It’s the same worker. It’s the same professional. It’s the same stuff, same velocity, same pitches. When he’s right, same type of effectiveness. You’re going to venture into this.”
Moyer, who is entering his 25th major league season, posted a 2.77 ERA this spring and beat out 22-year-old Tyler Chatwood and 28-year-old Guillermo Moscoso for a rotation spot.
Moyer will start April 7 against the Houston Astros. He can become the oldest pitcher in major league history to earn a victory. The last player to play in the majors at 49 years old was infielder Julio Franco, who finished out the season with the Atlanta Braves in 2007 after turning 49 in August.
Moyer will be 50 in November and has a career record of 267-204 with a 4.24 ERA. He was an All-Star in 2003 with the Seattle Mariners, and he made his major league debut on June 16, 1986 with the Chicago Cubs.
The Chipper Jones Song
Atlanta Braves longtime third baseman Chipper Jones has announced the 2012 season will be his last and just like that a tribute song has developed for Larry.
Chipper Jones To Retire Following 2012 Season
Addressing The Elephant
Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones will retire at the end of the 2012 season, according to the team’s Twitter account.
Jones has dealt with a myriad of injuries over his last few years with Atlanta, and hasn’t missed less than 25 games in a season since 2004. For his career, he has a .304/.402/.533 line with 454 homers and has amassed 87.5 career fWAR at third base, the seventh highest total of all-time at third base. The six players ahead of him are all in the Hall of Fame, and Jones has an outside chance of passing George Brett for the sixth spot on the list.
Jones’s career has been rumored to be on the rocks for a couple of weeks now. He’ll turn 40 in less than a month, and his production has been going downhill for awhile. He was a member of the 1995 Braves World Championship team during his rookie season, and also finished as the runner-up in the ’95 Rookie of the Year race to Hideo Nomo. Jones won the 1999 NL MVP award for the Braves, who he has spent his entire career with.
Chipper JonesSays The End Of His Career Is Near
Addressing The Elephant
Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones didn’t make any real revelation that a baseball fan hasn’t seen on the wall for awhile when he told the press that his playing career is almost over. The Braves third baseman says it might end sooner than anticipated.
“The body is starting to tell me every morning when I wake up that it’s getting close,” Jones told reporters.
The 39-year-old Jones is dealing with the effects of surgeries on both knees over the years
(“I’ve got no meniscus in the right knee,” he said). He has already missed five exhibition games this spring with leg soreness.
Jones is in the final year of his contract, and the Braves hold a $7 million option for 2013. The option would become guaranteed at $9 million if Jones plays 123 games this season.
“If I play in a certain amount of games, I got an option for next year. I don’t know what next year entails,” Jones said. “I don’t know if I can make it through this year.”
Jones said he returned this season mostly because his teammates wanted him back, but he also believes he can still play. “We’ll give it this year and see how it feels,” he said.
has 454 homers and a .304 batting average during his 18 MLB seasons.
Chipper Jones Says He Considered Using PEDs
Addressing The Elephant
Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said Monday he has played his entire career clean, but he did consider using performance-enhancing drugs “a few years ago.”
“You see peers doing it. You see contemporaries on other teams doing it and putting up numbers,” Jones told reporters, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But at that point in my career, while I didn’t have kids yet, and I thought, I don’t want to jeopardize their lives (because of people’s reactions) one day.”
Jones spoke on the topic of PEDs after the Braves received an annual briefing from a team doctor about what substances to avoid. He also addressed the issue days after Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun’s 50-game drug suspension was overturned on appeal. Jones said he was surprised by the suspension.
“I feel like I know Ryan pretty well—he would’ve been one of the guys who never would’ve considered to have done it,” Jones said, according to the AJC. “If he went to the lengths that he did to clear his name, I believe him. I just don’t know how someone could be so negligent. If he did use a banned substance, he got lucky. If he didn’t, he was rightly vindicated.”
Jones estimated that “less than one percent” of today’s players are using PEDs, down from about 20 percent, or five players per team, at the peak of steroid use.
“You’ve seen what happens to the reputations of the guys who even remotely are considered to have done it. It’s so not worth it,” he said.
Jones also said players can tell who isn’t clean. “Let’s just say there’s an aura about them,” he said with a laugh, according to the AJC.
Milo Hamilton To Leave Houston Astros Booth At End Of Season
OUTTA HERE! IT'S GONE! IT'S 715! There's a new home run champion of all time...and it's HENRY AARON!
Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton, who had the memorable call on Hank Aaron’s 715th home run, will retire as the radio voice of the Houston Astros after the 2012 season. Hamilton was the recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award in 1992.
This will be the 84-year-old Hamilton’s 28th year with the Astros and 59th year overall calling Major League Baseball games. He will remain with the team after this season working mostly on special events, but will make sporadic appearances on radio broadcasts.
Hamilton made the call on Aaron’s 715th home run on April 8, 1974, as a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves. He has also called 11 no-hitters, Nolan Ryan’s 4,000th strikeout in 1985 and Craig Biggio’s 3,000th hit in 2007.
The Astros will honor him with “Milo Hamilton Day” on his 85th birthday Sept. 2.
Atlanta Braves Drop Indian Logo
You Have Been Replaced
The Atlanta Braves have lightened the load on their players as the players will no longer shoulder the burden of carrying the screaming Indian logo, long considered insensitive by some.
The left shoulder patch, based on team mascot Chief Nokahoma, has been replaced by a new logo featuring a pair of crossed tomahawks, the words “Atlanta Braves” and the year “1876″ ( the team’s first in the National League) on the new-look uniforms.
The screaming Indian logo has been replaced in recent years by commemorative patches honoring deceased members of the Braves family. It just so happens that the new uniforms, which will be minus the tomahawk across the jersey front, are also lighter in weight.
Home run king Hank Aaron, 78, told MLB.com he likes the look and the feel.
“I think I could play a double-header in this,” said Aaron, who played in heavy wool uniforms during much of his career.
The Braves also plan to sport an alternative uniform for weekend home games, featuring cream-colored pants and tops for a nostalgic look.
Chipper Jones, Dan Uggla and Brian McCann modeled the new uniforms Monday at Turner Field. It’s the team’s first new look in uniforms since 2005 when the Braves added alternate red jerseys. Atlanta will continue to wear the red for Friday night games.
“It’s nice to keep things fresh,” Jones told MLB.com. ” I think the guys really embrace any kind of subtle change, especially one this classy. It harkens back to the days when (Aaron) was terrorizing the big leagues. I’m proud to wear it.”
Atlanta Braves Filing Trademark Lawsuit Against Disney Pixar’s Over ‘Brave’
70/30 It Gets Changed
The Atlanta Braves who owns the trademark on “Braves,” have formally filed an objection to many of the trademark application Pixar is seeking for their upcoming film Brave. The Braves and Walt Disney Corporation have been partners for a number of years as the team holds spring training at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex and their Gulf Coast league team plays there as well but the Braves.
However the Braves believe that damages will occur as a result of Disney’s trademarks being approved as they have used the singular form before on merchandise and insist it is common for fans, media, to use the singular form when referring to a single player, whereas the pluralized form refers to the entire team.
Because of the lawsuit the film could undergo its third name change as it was originally titled The Bear and the Bow. As of now Brave is set to be released July 22, 2012.
Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player: Craig Kimbrel & Jeremy Hellickson
Craig Kimbrel & Jeremy Hellickson
Every Tuesday Sports Grind Entertainment presents you with the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player of the Week. This week the recipient of this prestigious honor goes to Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel and Tampa Bay Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson who finished their first full seasons in the Major Leagues and were named the winners of this year’s Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Awards. Kimbrel, 23, won the National League’s award in a unanimous decision becoming the 10th NL player to win the award unanimously and the 17th overall. Hellickson joined teammate Evan Longoria to become the second player in Tampa Bay team history to be recognized as the American League’s top rookie.
Kimbrel, who set a Major League record for saves by a rookie with 46, was the favorite for the award. His saves total led the NL, and he finished with a 2.10 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 77 innings. Hellickson was a workhorse in a young Tampa Bay rotation that helped fuel the Rays to a late-season surge and into the playoffs via the AL Wild Card. He was 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA, ranking eighth in the league in ERA and striking out 117 hitters in 189 innings.
It is just the fourth time since each league began honoring a player in 1949 that two pitchers have earned the honor in the same season; the others being Joe Black and Harry Byrd in 1952, Butch Metzger and Pat Zachry (co-winners in the NL) and Mark Fidrych in 1976, and Fernando Valenzuela and Dave Righetti in 1981.
Congratulations Craig Kimbrel and Jeremy Hellickson you are this weeks Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player.
Joe Torre Says He Has No Desire To Manage Again
Done
Don’t expect to see Joe Torre in a dugout again, unless he just is visiting as part of his new job.
“Nobody’s made a call to me to ask me to manage,” Torre told MLB.com. “When I talk to people about other things, they want to know if I’m still interested. I’m really not.”
Torre, now the executive vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball, was honored Tuesday evening at the 17th annual Lou Gehrig Sports Awards Benefit.
Torre last managed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010 and ranks fifth on the all-time wins list with 2,326. In his 29 years as a major league manager, he won four World Series (all with the New York Yankees). Torre also managed the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and Dodgers.
“When I decided to not do it anymore, it was something I felt was in my best interest, and I felt if it’s in my best interest, then it has to help the team. Because you need somebody who has an enormous amount of energy and has the patience and the fortitude to go forward. It takes a lot out of you,” Torre told MLB.com. “When you do it for a number of years, and all of a sudden the expectations are sky-high, you’ve got to realize that the guy who’s doing it has a great deal of responsibility.”
Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player: St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
Every Tuesday Sports Grind Entertainment presents you with the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player of the Week. This week the recipient of this prestigious honor goes to the St. Louis Cardinals won a remarkable World Series they weren’t even supposed to reach, beating the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7 with another key hit by hometown star David Freese and six gutty innings from Chris Carpenter. This allowed the Cardinals to capture their 11th World Series crown. Texas had not lost consecutive games since August but the two defeats at Busch Stadium cost manager Ron Washington and the Rangers a chance to win their first title in the franchise’s 51-year history. Instead, Texas became the first team to lose the Series two straight years since Atlanta Braves in 1991-92.
This marked the ninth straight time the home team had won Game 7 in the World Series. The Cardinals won their first championship since 2006, and gave Tony La Russa his third World Series title. They got there by beating Philadelphia Phillies in the first round of the NL playoffs, capped by Carpenter outdueling Roy Halladay 1-0 in the deciding Game 5, and then topping Milwaukee Brewers in the NL championship series.
Congratulations St. Louis Cardinals you are this weeks Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player.
Gambler Wins $375,000 On St. Louis Cardinals Bet
11 in '11
One unidentified gambler cashed in for $375,000 after betting the St. Louis Cardinals would make the World Series and then win the World Series. Betting on Sept. 12, when Atlanta Braves was running away with the wild card, the gambler got odds of 500-1 on making the World Series and 999-1 on winning it.
He bet $250 on each ticket.
Upon the Cardinal’s defeat of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, the gambler cashed in his first bet at $125,000. Now the lucky winner has one slip left to cash in, and it will make him $250,000 richer.
“Looking back, I would’ve been a little more cautious about it,” Jay Rood, an MGM vice president, told the St. Louis Dispatch and then added “if you calculate it all out, the true odds for something like this to happen is 10,000-1.”
Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown: Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
Every Thursday Sports Grind Entertainment will present you with the Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown. The recipient of this honor goes to the Philadelphia Phillies who were heavily favored to reach the World Series after winning a Major League Baseball best 102 games and having perhaps the best pitching staff in all of the bigs, which the St. Louis Cardinals beat three of them. The Cardinals needed a monumental collapse by Atlanta Braves in the final month and received major help from the 102-win Phillies to reach the playoffs when they defeated the Braves in a three game sweep in the final series of the season. The Phillies exit from the postseason meant that the two teams with the top two records and payrolls in the majors – were gone in the first round, even while holding home-field advantage.
