June 18, 2013, 6:16 pm
The legend of Evan Gattis grows: He breaks his bat on his back after hitting a foul ball
Big League Stew (Yahoo! Sports: Blogs)

One day, when you're telling your children about Evan Gattis, baseball's folk hero they call El Oso Blanco, you might tell them the story of the day Gattis hit a foul ball and broken his bat on his follow-through. Specifically, how he broke his bat over his own back.Gattis' strength has never been questioned. He wouldn't be called El Oso Blanco (The White Bear) if he weren't crazy strong. So strong this didn't seem to hurt him, as it might hurt a lesser man. Later in Monday's game, however, Gattis did hurt himself. He strained an oblique muscle and was placed on the disabled list. Until he returns, let the GIF above be a reminder of Gattis' monster strength.You can also ponder - in the spirit of Gattis Facts - whether Gattis broke the bat or if the bat broke itself because it was so scared of colliding with Gattis' back.BLS H/N: Cut4Baseball season's in full swing. Don't miss a thing. Follow @MikeOz and @bigleaguestew, on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page.

 

June 18, 2013, 4:30 pm
Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez questioned by police in homicide probe
Shutdown Corner (Yahoo! Sports: Blogs)

According to Pete Thamel and Greg Bedard of Sports Illustrated, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was questioned by Massachusetts State police investigating a possible homicide in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. The body of an unidentified 27-year-old Boston man was discovered by a jogger in a clearing in a North Attleboro, Mass. industrial park at 5:30 p.m. ET on Monday. According to the Sports Illustrated report, the body was discovered less than a mile from Hernandez's home. The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, Mass. reports that police found a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban with Rhode Island license plates in connection with the possible homicide. The vehicle was rented from Enterprise and, according to Sports Illustrated, the rental of that vehicle is tied to Hernandez, who is not believed to be a suspect in the homicide. ABC News reports that Hernandez has been "uncooperative" with police, who refer to the deceased as an "associate" of Hernandez. North Attleboro is on the Massachusetts/Rhode Island border, approximately 40 miles to the southwest of Boston and a little over 10 miles southwest of the Patriots' headquarters in Foxboro. Hernandez was a 2010 fourth-round pick (No. 113 overall) out of Florida by the Patriots. Over the last three seasons, Hernandez has 175 receptions for 1,956 yards with 18 touchdowns during the regular season with 35 receptions for 360 yards and two touchdowns in six career playoff games. The Patriots signed Hernandez to a five-year, $37.5 million contract extension that included $16 million in guaranteed money on Aug. 27, 2012.

 

June 18, 2013, 7:52 pm
Kawhi Leonard dunks on Mike Miller in Game 6 of the NBA Finals (Video)
Ball Don't Lie (Yahoo! Sports: Blogs)

Through the first five games of the NBA Finals, San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard has received praise mostly for his defensive work on Miami Heat MVP LeBron James. Yet Leonard has also been very impressive at the offensive end, where he's chipped in four double-figures scoring games and added another option to the Spurs' balanced attack.Leonard has also had his fair share of athletic highlights. In the first quarter of Tuesday night's Game 6, he had perhaps his best of the playoffs. After a stellar outlet pass from Tim Duncan to Tony Parker, Leonard took the ball on the fast break and exploded over Mike Miller at the rim. Miller did his best to challenge the dunk, but Kawhi has a clear athletic edge in that matchup and took full advantage. The resulting posterization is available for your viewing pleasure above.Join us after the jump for a GIF of the play, along with some thoughts on a potential offensive foul by Leonard and some words of encouragement from one of Leonard's previous postseason victims.As you can see from this screengrab (via @badlhoch), Barnes put his hand over Miller's face while completing the jam. The ESPN on ABC broadcasting crew - including retired official Steve Javie - agreed that the referees on the floor were right not to blow the whistle on Leonard, although Heat fans can be forgiven for thinking the rule book does not allow players to push opponents in the face at any point during a game. On the other hand, this call is pretty much never made on dunks, so it is not terribly surprising that the basket stood.Miller will have to contend with the fallout, most of which will be limited to internet jokes and rumblings. The good news for him is that other players have been in the same position during this postseason. During the Spurs' Western Conference Semifinals series against the Golden State Warriors, Leonard had a similar posterization on rookie Harrison Barnes. Right after the dunk on Miller, Barnes had some words of encouragemen

 

June 18, 2013, 2:45 pm
Slava Voynov, LA Kings agree on six-year contract extension
Puck Daddy (Yahoo! Sports: Blogs)

The Los Angeles Kings announced Tuesday that they've locked up defenceman Slava Voynov for the next six seasons. It's a deal worth $25 million over six years, which is great value for the Russian blueliner, especially when it was speculated back in late May that the extension might come in closer to $5 million a year. Voynov's great playoffs certainly had the look of an extension-inflating run. Instead, the Kings have Voynov for $4.16 million per year. The Kings, on what Voynov gave them this season: Voynov, 23, shared the Kings postseason leadership in both goals (six) and total points (13), and he also co-led the Kings in plus-minus rating (plus-9) while appearing in all 18 postseason games for the Kings during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 6-0, 190-pounder from Chelyabinsk, Russia also established new Kings playoff records for most goals scored by a defenseman in one playoff year (six), and most game-winning goals scored in one playoff year (four), while finishing third on the team in average time-on-ice per playoff game (21:54). Voynov skated in all 48 games with the Kings during the 2012-13 regular season, totaling new career highs for points (25) and assists (19), and two of Voynov's six regular season goals served as game-winners (tied for sixth among NHL defensemen). He also hit a career milestone by appearing in his 100th career NHL regular season game at Minnesota on April 23. Voynov's deal is only slightly more than Roman Josi received from Nashville, and for one year fewer. Voynov certainly seems like a more complete defenceman than Josi, so this is a favourable comparable for LA. Even more favourable: it's still a smaller cap hit than Jack Johnson, who Voynov rendered expendable late in the 2011-12 season. If there's a concern at all here, it's on term. Voynov and Drew Doughty's contracts now expire at the same time. That should be a fun year.

 

Enjoy a Motor Race Properly
(SportNewsConnection.com)

It is undeniable that we all get excited to attend any sports event. But it is also true that a proper knowledge of the game makes it even more interesting. Motor races are not any exception. You can get the most of it only when you know what is happening. So check out for some proper strategies.

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December 5, 2012, 4:42 am
Chelsea will go out, and Roman will never learn
Paul Parker (Yahoo! Eurosport)

Roberto Di Matteo's reluctance to deal with dissent in the Chelsea dressing room is both surprising and worrying for his future at the club. After Saturday's 2-1 defeat at West Brom, it was very surprising to hear him admit it ... Continue reading ...’