Enjoying your last match Mills?

Meet NewZealand's cricket laziest player.

His name is Kyle Mills, for six years we have been told this man is an all rounder who must be in the team.

Well he certainly meets all the elements of an all rounder, batting, bowling and fielding, its too bad he sucks at all of these. He has only scored one 50 in 28 innings, with a average of 12.

Yep an average of 12, that would be good if he was a number 11 batsmen.

Now some would say hes in their for his bowling, but in 29 innings he has only taken 43 wickets and hes given the new ball, yes that is correct, he has also never taken a five wicket bag.

So how can someone suck so much and be in the team???

Politics? maybe? lack of depth, probably.

What makes matter worse for Mills, he is a mediocre fielder, now some people may be able to forgive this, but when you have all this against you and you show poor judgement, (taking out Ryder for a few drinks, despite his problem with booze) you have to question his place in the team.

To top it all off, he is lazy, he doesn't do the extra training, he doesn't run around the boundary rope, he doesn't even try to give the impression that he does this, he is in the team to collect a pay cheque and nothing else.

Time has come for New Zealand cricket to end this so called career, Mills doesn't deserve to represent his country and doesn't deserve to call himself a international sportsperson.

Read More

Shawn Hill Released by the Washington Nationals

Bill Ladson of MLB.com reported yesterday that the Nationals placed Shawn Hill “on waivers Wednesday for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.” Ladson also reported that Hill will receive one-sixth of the $775,000 that he was awarded last month by an arbitration panel. Hill’s injury problems persisted into this spring, and he had only been able to pitch twice due to forearm tightness. Chico Harlan noted in his article for the Washington Post that the payment to Hill of just under $130,000 was exercised on Wednesday because of a deadline for the payment of a fractional amount. Both reporters stated that Hill took the news very hard.

Later in the day the Nationals signed Joe Beimel for $2,000,000. Beimel went to a hearing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007. The arbitration panel of Stephen Goldberg, Elizabeth Neumeier, and John Sands sided with the Dodgers figure of $912,500. Beimel was asking for $1,250,000. Neumeier was also on the Hill panel this year along with Robert Bailey and Frederic Horowitz. Nationals manager Manny Acta expects to use Beimel as the set-up man in the eighth inning.

So, two pitchers who have both endured the hearing process have an interesting connection on the same day in March 2009. Beimel, who started his major league career as a starter with the Pittsburgh Pirates posted a 5-1 record last year in 71 games for the Dodgers. His 2.02 ERA was the best of his eight-year career. The Nationals will be his fifth team. Beimel also pitched for the Minnesota Twins (2004) and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005). Beimel became a free agent for the first time at the end of 2008 season. His contract with the Nationals is a little under the amount he earned last year with the incentives that he met according to an article by Tony Jackson on the Los Angeles Daily News inside the dodgers blog.

Read More

Thoughts for the Big Dance: On Duke Hatred

Good piece from The New Republic on the venomous hatred of Duke basketball and Duke players and the way that hatred is explicitly and unabashedly expressed in homophobic terms.

This really is part of the larger issue of race in college basketball (which the article touches on briefly) and the perception that white players are "soft" spot-up shooters, rather than "tough, strong athletes." In the macho context of sports, such traits translate into homosexuality. The phenomenon actually is not limited to Duke. But it finds it most frequent target there because Duke produces more highly publicized and/or star players (where Duke is concerned, the categories may be very different) who are white.

Read More

FSU College of Law Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Society 6th Annual Conference

I look forward to speaking at the Florida State University College of Law Entertainment, Arts, & Sports Law Society's (EASL) 6th Annual Conference this Saturday, March 21, 2009. The conference will commence at 12:00 p.m. [note change from 11:00 a.m.] in the Florida State College of Law Rotunda in Tallahassee. It will consist of discussions comprised of entertainment, sports, and arts lawyers, managers, record label owners, and industry professionals.

Joining me as a speaker will be:

• Christopher Griffin (partner at Foley & Lardner whose practice has focused on representing clients in business and broadcasting transactions involving college football, bowl games, and NCAA regulatory issues. He is a member of the NCAA Division I Infractions Committee and is a past president of the National Football Foundation's Tampa Chapter).
  

• Sandra Brown (partner at Sandra Brown, Esq in Atlanta and whose practice has focused on business counsel for entertainers, including musicians in their contractual relations with record labels; former Associate Director of Business Affairs of the record label owned by music producer Jermaine Dupri, So So Def Recordings, Inc.)

• Oswaldo Rossi (director of Legal and Business Affairs for EMI Music Latin America, his practice has focused on negotiating recorded deals and license agreements. His work also includes oversight of releases, including by such EMI musicians as Vico C and D.J. Tony Touch).

The event is open to the public. If you are interested in attending, please contact Shane Costello, the President of the Entertainment, Arts, Sports Law Society, at stc06[at]fsu.edu. Please let me know as well, as it would be great to meet a reader of this blog.

Read More

Topps Trading Cards Go Online

3 1/2 weeks ago, I participated in an ABA teleconference and explained why the Eighth Circuit's decision in the CBC case was incorrectly decided. At one point, I discussed how the development of new technologies does not, and should not, change the right of publicity/First Amendment analysis, e.g. the fact that fantasy leagues are now being sold online as opposed to in a box off the store shelf (see Uhlaender case). In that regard, I mentioned that online trading cards, if there ever is such a thing, would not change the fact that the players have a right of publicity in trading card use (see Haelan Labs. case).

Yesterday, Laurie Sullivan of Online Media Daily reported that The Topps Co. has just announced a series of online baseball trading cards whereby the players come to life through a standard Web camera and technology. Consumers have an option to pull the "magic" card from the deck and play a game online by signing onto ToppsTown.com with a code and downloading a browser plug in, which then allows them to pitch, bat or catch in games served up from the website.

This new development by Topps really demonstrates why the Eighth Circuit's decision in the CBC case is flawed. The district court merely noted the factual distinction between trading cards and fantasy leagues in that trading cards contain likenesses. However, the court provided no explanation whatsoever as to why there should be a legal distinction, and the reason why it didn't is fairly simple: Because there is none. Moreover, the fact that Topps is now online and has created a game with the use of trading cards (akin to fantasy leagues) does not magicly transform trading cards into a First Amendment protected use.

Read More

Taylor Swift Hits It Big In New Zealand

Congrats to country singer Taylor Swift, her new album has hit it big in New Zealand, its currently in the number two spot on our charts and unlike Shania Twain she didnt need to remix it to suit a pop audience, its got a country sound.

Unfortunately retail and media in New Zealand are trying to hide the fact that she is a country artist, her CD is not in the country section and music journalists arent even mentioning that she is country.

Why is this?

Are they embrassed that they like a country artist, do they think the music buying public will run away and not buy her album?? This is really pathetic, they remind me of the school kids at school, who if dont like the same genre of music as they do, wouldnt let you sit at their table and it was a crime to admit your a country fan.

Well guess what New Zealand retail she is country she is massive popular and even though you have a "Keep Quiet" attuide about country artists, it cant change the fact, that she is country.

Retail in New Zealand needs to grow up, anyway that is my little rant for the day, it is great news that a country artist is getting air time here, I only wish the media would admit that she is a country artist.

Read More

An early Christmas Present for Hamish

This is Glencree Liberty High, an English Riding Pony by Tyn-Y-Cae Rival and thanks very much to Hayley of Springdale Pony Stud, Libby is coming to live with us for a while - Yay! For some time now I have been after a quality pony mare to breed to Hamish and, here she is! Libby will be coming home after Horse of the Year and I am very excited!

Read More