Sports Memorabilia Blog: Sports News: Football, Baseball & More

San Francisco Giants Return As World Series Champs

The San Francisco Giants are once again the World Series champions. The champs’ victory parade will be held on Halloween at 11am EST. Winning the coveted title twice in 3 years, the Giants are proving to be a formative team in baseball. The champs swept the Detroit Tigers in Sunday’s game, making it the first WS sweep since the Cincinnati Reds in 1990. The team’s success can be attributed to “..strong draft picks and strategic offseason and in-season pickups.” With players like the Freak, Fear the Beard, Buster, and Kung Fu Panda on the roster, the SF Giants could become a sports dynasty. In mid-August the Giants lost their All Star Melky Cabrera to a failed drug test which suspended the outfielder for 50 games. Cabrera was eligible to come back during the postseason, however, the Giants decided against it. Cabrera, now a free agent, may be picked up by the New York Mets or Philadelphia Phillies. According to the Chicago Tribune, a total of 137 players were declared free agents the day after the conclusion of the 2012 baseball season, including nine members of the Giants. The members include Ryan Theriot, Marco Scutaro, Jeremy Affeldt, Guillermo Mota, Xavier Nady, Angel Pagan, Brad Penny, Freddy Sanchez, and Melky Cabrera. The New York Yankees have the most free agents with 12. Curtis Granderson, Rafael Soriano, and Robinson Cano could also become free agents depending on pending contract options.

Turn Up the Heat

After defeating the young and very talented OKC Thunder squad in the 2012 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat began fulfilling their promise of winning not one, but several championship rings. The 2013 season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting seasons that NBA fans will have the pleasure of experiencing. With training camps in full swing, teams have made serious adjustments during the off season, and finally the rosters have been set.

In 2012, the Heat were vulnerable to some of the NBA’s toughest zone defenses. With this season’s addition of shooters Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, the zone will have little effect on the Heat’s overall offensive power. Very simply, the Miami Heat have the talent and drive to bring home another championship ring, but the season will not be a walk in the park. With opponents like Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Antonio Spurs standing in their way, the Heat have a hard and long road to travel toward victory.

NFL’s Top 5 Highest Paid Athletes

Have you ever wondered which athletes have the biggest pay day or which teams have deeper pockets? Top of the list is New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees who signed a 5-year $100 million contract which averages $20 million a year. Second in line is Peyton Manning who recently signed a 5-year, $96 million contract with the Denver Broncos. According to Forbes, Manning is also the NFL’s top product endorser, earning an additional $10 million a year. You may not have heard of #3, Haloti Ngata, but this defensive lineman for the Ravens signed a 5-year, $61 million contract and is considered one of the team’s superstars. A household name, Larry Fitzgerald, holds the title for 4th highest paid player with an 8-year, $120 million contract. According to Forbes, Fitzgerald earns more off the field than any other non-quarterback with $1.5 million. #5 on the list is Lions’ defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh who signed a 5-year, $68 million contract, with $40 million guaranteed.

Exciting Finish to the US Open

It’s been 76 years since a Brit won the Grand Slam. The 25-year old Scottish tennis Pro, Andy Murray, won his first Grand Slam on Monday, September 10th, and returned to cheering fans back home in England. Not only did Murray compete against one of tennis’ top-ranked players, Novak Djokovic, but the match equaled the longest US Open final ever, 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2, in 4 hours and 54 minutes. Another exciting finish was the women’s finals. Serena Williams won her 4th US Open title. With her winnings, Serena is now the first woman to surpass 40k in earnings in the sport of tennis. Williams is an iconic tennis superstar. In August, Williams became the only player in history to win the Golden Grand Slam in both singles and doubles during the 2012 London Olympics.

NFL Referees Update

It’s official OR unofficial. The NFL replacement referees will be officiating week 1 of the season. It’s “Amateur Hour” at its height. In an attempt to save the game, the NFL hastily hired unqualified replacement referees. These rookie refs lack the experience that can take years to grasp. It’s known that after years of reffing pro-football games, the veteran officials have claimed a heightened sense of reflexes and efficiency that become ingrained. A missed call or wrong call can have serious repercussions in the game of football. Speaking of missed calls, the NFLRA released a list of missed calls made by the replacement referees during the Hall of Fame game between the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints. It’s pretty concerning for serious football fans.

Here’s the list if you’re curious:

•A touchdown ruled short
•A no call for offensive holding in the end zone
•A no call for illegal motion
•A no call for kicking team member going out of bounds and touching ball first
•Wrong penalty enforcement for offensive holding
•A no call for illegal hands to the face
•A no call for facemask
•A no call for helmet to helmet on defenseless punter
•The royally screwed up hold on a punt return
•A no call on intentional grounding
•A no call on defensive offsides

This calls into question the safety of the players as well. NFLPA executive director, DeMaurice Smith, argues the NFL’s decision to assign replacement referees places the players at risk for serious injuries. Is the NFL being negligent? In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, DeMaurice Smith said “In America it is the employer’s obligation to provide as safe a working environment as possible. We believe that if the National Football League fails in that obligation, we reserve the right to seek any relief that we believe is appropriate.” As the NFLRA continues to publicly criticize the NFL, the lockout doesn’t seem to be coming to an end any time soon. In a statement released Wednesday, the NFL’s Executive VP of Football Ops said the league is prepared to work with the replacements for as long as it takes. Ouch!

Sports Gift Guide for the Ultimate Fan!

Imagine a stress-free holiday season this year. Forget the pressure of last minute buys. Start early and reap the discounted rewards by shopping now. If you have a sports fan in your life, consider stopping by SportsMemorabilia.com for some great deals. Check out our top sport gifts that will undoubtedly be a hit for 2012 holiday gifts.

Baseball Display Case, $19.99 – Who can go wrong with a baseball display case. It adds decor to any room. It’s a great topic of conversation, and it helps preserve the signature quality and integrity of the baseball.

Aaron Rodgers Autographed Football, $397.50 – As the only player in NFL history to throw more than 45 touchdowns in a single season, Aaron Rodgers will forever be one of NFL’s greatest QBs. This is a gift every football fan will love.

Peyton Manning Signed Replica Helmet, $617.94 – It’s Peyton’s first season with the Denver Broncos! Get the newest Peyton Broncos memorabilia now while the dust is still settling.

Mike Trout Autographed Baseball, $189.99 – Mike Trout is the hottest player in baseball right now. The 22-year-old rookie has the highest batting average in the American League. The demand is high for this rookie, so time to make an investment while you can.

Tom Brady Autographed Jersey, $629.99 – Tom Brady is an iconic athlete, having lead the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl 5 times (only John Elway has done the same). This classic red, white, and blue jersey would look superb framed in anyone’s home or man cave. Brady is one of those players who will always be remembered as a great.

Top Sports Twitter Topics of 2011

#Twitter has become a reliable source of trending news worldwide in recent years. It now provides insight into what topics draw traffic, as opposed to what topics media outlets feed you. Ever wonder what the conversation is about when it comes to sports? According to What The Trend, a Hootsuite Media Company, the top Twitter trends surrounding sports in 2011 was the Women’s FIFA World Cup, ranked 2nd most tweeted topic overall, and the NBA Finals when the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat, ranked 4th overall. If you’re curious about #1, give it up for Justin Bieber. Mashable, the online social media and technology news source, also broke out the top Twitter sports topics by sport for 2011. For Soccer, the #1 most tweeted topic goes to Wayne Rooney, midfielder for Manchester United. Dallas Cowboys trended #1 for football, Rashard Lewis for basketball, and the Texas Rangers for baseball.

Manchester United and Usain Bolt?

The 2012 London Olympics have turned some of today’s athletes into rising superstars. Usain Bolt is one of them. The 25-year old Jamaican clocked a 9.63 seconds victory on Sunday and 20.39 seconds, easily, in the 200m preliminaries on Tuesday. Bolt will run the semi-finals on Wednesday, in hopes to become the only man to win 2 Olympic 200s. With another gold medal in reach, Bolt is already planning for his next challenge…to become a football star for MANU. How does Bolt really feel? Here’s what the World’s Fastest man had to say “I would not take up the challenge if I didn’t think I was good enough. I am a very accomplished player and know I could make a difference…I would be the fastest player in the team — but I can play as well.” Man United is Bolt’s favorite team and he first expressed interest in playing for the team in his 2010 autobiography. It seems Bolt is putting the feelers out. Has stardom and seconds gone to his head or should Alex Ferguson consider giving him a shot? Maybe when Ryan Giggs retires, Bolt will have a spot. For now, speed may prop his foot in the door, but it will take training to get him on the field.

Team USA Dominates Swimming, Basketball In Early Olympic Showing

Things are off to a promising start for Team USA, three days in to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Gymnastics, always popular, saw strong men’s team individual performances, with the team placing first in the quarter finals, and Danell Leyva placing number one overall. Russia and England came in second and third, respectively. Gold medal favorites Japan and China both performed poorly, surprising fans and commentators alike.

The United States also dominated swimming over the weekend, taking home twelve medals total, including four gold. At 6’8”, American Matt Grevers was able to out-swim both his US team mates and the competition. Great Britain had high hopes and a lot of hype attached to hometown favorite Liam Tancock, but the host nation was disappointed.

Surprising no one, the US Men’s basketball team has played dominantly, routing France 98-71. Their next match is Tuesday evening against Tunisia.

Social Media Update

As of July 10th, Sportsmemorabilia.com fans can now find us on every major social networking site! Be sure to follow us on Google+, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…you name it, we are on it! Somehow, someway, the internet has become a place of never-ending growth – even if it means going to different sites to receive the same information. Nevertheless, we continue to keep up with the time and can now be found there. Your Welcome, world. Now to those of you still reading blog posts, definitely go and follow/friend/tweet us! Show us your memorabilia set-up, your biggest memorabilia desires, your latest sports opinion. More passive? Look no further for memorabilia and sports news!

So yes, if you are still scrolling, this is simply a plug for social media. We, along with every 21st century business, have gone into an age where the social media kings rule the land.

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