Recycle Sunday: good stuff you may have missed.

The first time I did this I changed the blog format the next day and all the links stopped working.  So here's take two:

- I really like Sportscenter commercials

- new vodka from Pucker marketed for children

- the real story behind Jeter's 3000th hit HR ball

- the best teaching job there is

- Lebron was the 4th best player on his team in the NBA Finals

- agave nectar and Hansel have something in common

- "skinny girl" drinks are a myth

- Oprah has mind control powers

- why it's ok not to respect tourists taking pictures

- Andrea Zuckerman is really old

Major League Baseball just warned it's players about "deer-antler spray"

Two things here: first of all, what?!  Deer-antler spray?  And second, MLB "warned" the players about it, and "requested" that they not use it.  Grow some balls MLB, just ban it.

If this is the first place you've seen this story I wouldn't blame you for thinking it's totally fake and that I made it up.  But it's real, I promise.  I wonder if this is the stuff Colon and Bautista are on?

Why do girls carry bags with their elbows?

If there is in fact a good reason, this may be the dumbest thing I have written yet.  But I really don't think there is.  I just don't get it.  It looks super uncomfortable, not to mention kinda pretentious and snooty.  Sometimes I see women talking on the phone with a bag on their elbow, but then the other arm is usually just dangling there.  I could understand maybe if you needed both hands to send a text or something, but then why not just hold the bag in your hand again when you're done?  Seriously, I need an explanation for this.  I'm betting I get a few comments with reasons why, but I also bet none of them are actually very logical.  Free subscription for life to anyone with an answer that actually makes sense.

Just now I had some second thoughts about posting this.  I think there may be a little backlash from the "pretentious and snooty" comment.

Don't worry Tim Tebow, "King" James has your back

The story here is that ESPN's Merril Hodge made some comments on Sportcenter suggesting that Tebow has no chance to be a successful quarterback in the NFL.  Apparently Lebron took offense.  Yesterday he tweeted this:

"@KingJames: Tim Tebow will succeed in the NFL. He's a hard worker, a student of the game, a natural born leader and most of all a WINNER!"

Cause if there's one thing Lebron knows about, it's winning.  That, and being a natural born leader.  All he does is win championships and inspire teammates to greatness.  Remember the miraculous 2009 season when he turned Mo Williams into an All Star, and carried the Cavs all the way to the 2nd round of the playoffs?  His self-given nickname/twitter handle sums it up perfectly.  Nothing says "King" like being arguably the 4th best player on the losing team in the NBA Finals.

Stepping away from the sarcasm, in all seriousness, do you think Tim Tebow is glad Lebron said this?  I honestly think support from Lebron right now has got to be considered bad PR.  So watch out Brett Favre, "King" James is fighting back.

Crazy stuff you don't know about Alfredo Aceves

A Red Sox columnist who I follow on twitter said today that Aceves has a career record of 21-2.  That didn't seem possible, so I looked it up.  Fact.  In 199 career innings over the past 4 years with the Sox and Yankees he has a 3.21 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and a record of 21-2.  Wow.  If those number were all from one season as a starter they would be Cy Young material.  Can he really be that good?  And if he is, why did the Yankees let him go for nothing after last year?  The best explanation I can find comes from Wikipedia, which says he "suffered a broken collarbone in an off-season bicycle accident."  Or maybe they just agree with me on the general principle that middle relievers aren't very good.

Is Buchholz done? What about Randy Moss?

The Red Sox successfully managed to cover up the severity of Clay Buchholz's back injury until after the trade deadline passed.  Now they say he has a stress fracture.  The other big news from yesterday is that Randy Moss retired.  Which leads me to this: who's more likely to play again this season, Moss or Buchholz?  My vote is for Randy.  The Buchholz situation reminds me a lot of what happened with Jacoby last year, I don't think he's coming back.  And Moss will get bored in a month or two and want back in.  He's too good to quit now.  Vote in the poll on the right.

Boston is being overrun by people who aggressively ask you to give money to their cause

When I walk to work I have to dodge 2 or 3 of them a day.  They hold clipboards and wear matching t-shirts.  They stake out street corners and have multiple people facing different directions so no one can sneak by.  If you come anywhere close to making eye contact within 30 feet of them they will start talking to you.  Green Peace.  Habitat from Humanity.  Planned Parenthood.  Amnesty International.  Children's International.  And I'm sure there are more.  They're everywhere and I don't know what to do.  I'm scared to be on the streets in the daytime.  They haunt my dreams.

And on another note, how much does that job suck?  I don't even really like talking to people I know, I can't imagine trying to start a conversation with every stranger on the street.  And how do they manage to stay so chipper while having to put up with that level of constant rejection?

And yeah, this picture is from NYC and it doesn't prove my point very well, but it's the best I could find on the web and I'm afraid to take a photo of these people myself.