Luke Scott takes shots at Red Sox fans

The Boston Red Sox choked away the American League wild card last season, which made for a joyous celebration in Tampa, Florida. But the Tampa Bay Rays weren't the only team celebrating that final night of the season. The Baltimore Orioles were doing their part by taking out the Red Sox on the final night and celebrating when the Rays came back to beat the New York Yankees.

Former Oriole Luke Scott was injured for the last game, but he took much pleasure in the Red Sox not making the playoffs. Scott became a Rays fan for those last few hours of the 2011 season.


"I'd already had [right-shoulder] surgery, so I was in the clubhouse during the game," Scott said. "The guys were battling. I was sitting in the clubhouse watching the game with some of my teammates, guys that weren't playing. We were following back and forth.


"We were pulling for Tampa Bay. They were down, 7-0, and we were like, 'Dang-it, we've got to beat Boston, so we can force this playoff.' And then the next thing you know the score [in St. Petersburg is] 7-6. Then it's 7-7. And we're going into the ninth against one of the best closers in the game."


Scott isn't one to hold his tongue though and had some parting shots for Red Sox fans. I'll say this, he doesn't like them very much.

"Just their arrogance," Scott said. "The fans come in and they take over the city. They're ruthless. They're vulgar. They cause trouble. They talk about your family. Swear at you. Who likes that? When people do that, it just gives you more incentive to beat them. Then when things like [the last game of last season] happen, you celebrate even more. You go to St. Louis -- classiest fans in the game. You do well, there's no vulgarity. You know what? You don't wish them bad."


"The clubhouse afterward was like we'd just won the World Series -- a lot of celebrating, a lot of high emotions," Scott said.


"Everybody's giving high-fives, then all of a sudden [Longoria] homers," Scott said. "Everybody's in the clubhouse and it's like, Bam! And we're like, 'Go home Boston! Pack your bags. See you next year."


I guess a last place team does have some kind of emotion, even though I don't think Buck Showalter had the Orioles packing it in. Scott fired more shots at the Sox fans.

"I got to see a priceless thing driving back to my apartment," Scott said. "I see all the Boston fans walking around, and I mean they were crying crocodile tears. People were like this, walking side by side."


Scott wrapped his arm around a reporter's waist and began to wail to demonstrate.


"It was like someone shot their dog. I rolled down the window and I'm like, 'Ah, hah, sucks doesn't it, when someone laughs or makes fun of you when things aren't going your way.'" 


I can hear him saying that in a Boston accent. Scott isn't one of the best players in the game, but I'm sure he'll get showered with boos and more when the Rays visit Boston. It should make for interesting theater this season.

Kim Kardashian generous purple & black bikini curves on the Miami beach

It's fair to say that 2011 was Kim Kardashian's 'annus horribilis'.

Last year the golden girl of reality television saw her star plummet dramatically as her brief marriage saw her criticised for taking the concept of reality TV too far.

It's not over for the 31-year-old yet, either, as she is staring down the barrel of messy divorce proceedings after her ex-husband Kris Humphries, 27, refused to settle out of court.

Nice to Sea you, to Sea you nice: Kim Kardashian made for an intoxicating sight as she emerged from the ocean during a getaway in Miami

 

Classic beauty: Kim looks timeless in this black two piece as she relaxes in front of Grecian architecture

Nice to Sea you, to Sea you nice: Kim Kardashian made for an intoxicating sight as she emerged from the ocean during a getaway in Miami

Purple haze: Kim looked divine in this simple indigo bikini as she enjoyed a dip in the ocean with her best friend Jonathan Cheban

He is also, according to several sources including Life and Style magazine, planning to file acomplaint against Kim's mother, Kris Jenner.

Humphries is also said to have petitioned to have his Minnesota-licensed attorney practice in California, so appears to be bringing the battle to her doorstep.

So who could blame the brunette for wanting to get away for a bit? 

Purple haze: Kim looked divine in this simple indigo bikini as she enjoyed a dip in the ocean with her best friend Jonathan Cheban

Surf's up: Kim is allowed a moment of respite as she allows herself to become entangled in the ocean's frothy tendrils

 

And that's exactly what she did with best friend Jonathan Cheban a few days ago.

The pair headed off to Miami for some rest and relaxation.

And if Kim looked pensive, even haunted at times, she made up for it by sizzling in a selection of simple and beautifully flattering bikinis.

She seemed happy to be spotted in tasteful swimwear but according to Life and Style, Kim is devastated that by not settling out of court, Kris has opened their divorce up to the cameras.

Classic beauty: Kim looks timeless in this black two piece as she relaxes in front of Grecian architecture

California allows filming as part of an open policy on popular cases.

A source told the magazine: 'Kim's freaking out, she has no interest in dragging out the divorce or having it play out on TV.

'Believe or not she's a private person.'

'All of her dirty laundry will be aired, and there is a lot to air,' the mole continued.

Kris wants to prove that Kim never intended to marry him and therefore committed fraud.

Jonathan may have to testify in court, he revealed: 'I hope it doesn't come down to that but I'll do what I need to do.'

 

Dipping her toe back into the water: Kim is just tentative about the dating game

 

Earning her stripes: Kim coordinated her bikini with a zebra-striped pashmina

Mother pregnant with her TENTH child demands bigger council house on top of her £30,000 a year benefits

A mother pregnant with her tenth child has demanded a bigger council house in the countryside, despite raking in almost £30,000 a year in state handouts.

Iona Heaton, 43, said her four-bedroom home in Blackburn is too small for her enormous family and complained that the property is cold, damp and festering with mould.

The mother of nine shares the terraced house with her boyfriend Paul Brown, 45, and her children Kaiden, nine months, Zak, two, Keegan, three, Kian, four, Elle, six, Kain, seven, Jade, 16 and Shannon, 17.
She also has a 24-year-old son, Sean, who does not live at home, and she is three months pregnant with her tenth child.

Now she and Mr Brown want housing association firm Twin Valley, which runs the terrace along with Darwen Council, to move her to a larger 'more child friendly' property.
The family receive £575 a week in child benefits and disability allowances - as daughter Elle has epilepsy.
This is despite the fact that Mr Brown takes home £1,000 a month from his job as a metal polisher.
They would need to be earning a combined salary of £41,000 to take home the £30,000 a year they receive just in benefits and allowances.

The housing association said it had spent £4,000 on fixing the problems and visited the property 25 times.
Mrs Heaton said today: 'All the kids have asthma now, and we’re constantly back and forth to the doctors for antibiotics. I have to have five children sleeping in my bedroom with me because their rooms are so freezing and damp.

'Paul and I argue all the time because it’s so stressful living in a house like this. Because nothing gets done, I’ve asked to move, but they say we can’t because they haven’t got a house big enough for all of us.
'I like having a big family. None of my family speaks to me any more because I have so many children - but it’s their loss. It’s not about getting more money - if we didn’t cope, then we wouldn’t have kids.

Mattingly stakes his claim for Los Angeles

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly spent his playing career with the New York Yankees, so he should be well versed in "crosstown" battles. Not battles on the field, but for fans and a certain market share. The Yankees and New York Mets share the Gotham headlines, but the Yanks are the far more dominant team. It's hard for a Yankees fan to convert to a Mets fan.

The Los Angeles Angels have been around for awhile. They were known as the California Angels and Anaheim Angels, before going headfirst into the Los Angeles market. They share the area with the Dodgers and have made the biggest splashes. Namely in free agency. To Mattingly it doesn't matter. Los Angeles will always belong to the Dodgers in his mind.

"It's kind of like Mets-Yankees," Mattingly said just before the Dodgers' first full-squad workout of spring training. "The Yankees are the team. [The Mets] are going to have their years when they play well, but the Yankees are still the team. I don't want to badmouth the Angels at all. Mr. [Angels owner Arte] Moreno has done a great job down there in Anaheim, and [Angels manager] Mike [Scioscia] does a great job. But we're the Dodgers, and that isn't going to change."

"We're still going to need to play good baseball," Mattingly said. "But at the end of the day, if we do things right, worry about ourselves and take care of business, we don't need to worry about what another team is doing. I don't mean this as a negative, because [the Angels] have done a tremendous job down there.

"But at the end of the day, the Dodgers are still the Dodgers."

With the signings of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson in the off season coupled with the Dodgers looking for a new owner, the Angels are gaining ground quickly. The Dodgers do have the name recognition and historical significance, but their product on the field has been lacking recently. They have to produce on the field to reclaim the market they held by themselves for so long.  

Hemingway calling for a Michigan upset in opener

Many oddsmakers have Michigan as a 13 point underdog in the season opener against Alabama. We all know games are won on the field and not on paper or in Vegas. The Crimson Tide should be the favorites since they are the defending national champion. But it will be a new year so it's no guarantee the Tide will roll over Michigan.

Former Michigan receiver Junior Hemingway has the utmost confidence in his ex-teammates. In fact he thinks Michigan will pull an upset in the opener.


"They're going to grind from day one, all the way up to that point," Hemingway told the Birmingham (Ala.) News about the Michigan-Alabama game. "I already went through it and I know how it is."


Bold words for someone not playing in the game. 

I'm sure Nick Saban will have Alabama working hard and grinding despite winning a national championship. If  Michigan can field a decent defense they will compete, but it's hard not to pick Bama in this game.
 

Roy entertaining thoughts of a comeback

There was a point when Brandon Roy was one of the top young players in the game. Roy garnered Rookie of the Year honors and was a three time All-Star. Then his knees betrayed him and he wasn't the same player. There were flashes, like the playoff comeback against Dallas last year, but due to no cartilage in his knees, Roy was robbed of his explosiveness which led him to retire at the young age of 27.

After some time away from the game and working out behind the scenes, Roy is entertaining the thought of making a comeback. Roy told Eurobasket, 'It's hard being away from the game. Don't be surprised if you see Brandon Roy make his way back to the court.' 


 'It burns being away from the game and watching the entire season from the outside.'


   I'm sure Roy will have his detractors, but he believes that he can make it happen. Throw in the fact that sources say that despite his knee problems, his retirement wasn't "all health related". That's something he won't talk about.

'There's something to it, but it's not the right time for me to get into it right now,' Roy said. 'I've been doing some treatment and I'm trying to leave the window open to returning to basketball.'   


I think there was some team turmoil behind the scenes and Roy decided it was best for the team if he left town. Just my personal opinion. I also think he still sees himself as the All-Star level player he was before his knees robbed him of his skills. If there is some way to make it back Roy is determined to find it.

“It’s the truth. It’s really hard being so far away from the game. I spend time watching Jamal (Crawford) and following all of his games; Will (Conroy) and Tre (Simmons) are both doing their thing, so it’s driving me to wanna come back out there. If the treatment I’ve been looking into can work, I believe there’s a good chance you will see Brandon Roy back hoopin’."


I would love to see this happen, but I just don't see how. Roy's knees were bone on bone and at points he reminded me of Horace Pinker from the movie "Shocker". Unless there is some procedure that can get some cartilage in his knees, Roy will stay on the sidelines. I would hate to see him struggle trying to make a comeback.

Rachel Bilson shows off her impeccable bikini body in Barbados and Hayden Christensen couldn't take his eyes

Rachel Bilson made a jaw-dropping exit from the Caribbean sea today.

All eyes were on the 29-year-old actress, who looked exceptional in a black bikini whilstholidaying in Barbados.


Those included her boyfriend Hayden Christensen, who stayed close to his impeccably toned girlfriend in her skimpy two-piece.

The OC actress Rachel Bilson put all others beach-goers to shame as she emerged from the Caribbean sea looking exceptional in a black bikini today whilst on holiday in Barbados

The OC beauty has clearly been working out judging by her flat muscular stomach and slim legs.


A stunning natural beauty, Rachel went make-up free for the beach outing, simply tying her hair up in a loose bun.


Circling around her in the water, 30-year-old Hayden was clearly smitten with the smouldering brunette.

The 29-year-old’s figure was impeccably toned in the skimpy two-piece

He later showed off a snippet of his own beach body in a pair of black board shorts as the couple dried off.


This is the second time in two weeks that Rachel and Hayden have been spotted together this week.


The on-again, off-again couple took a romantic bike ride around Beverly Hills together on Tuesday.


It was the first time that Hayden and Rachel have been spotted together for some time.


The couple first began dating in 2007, and became engaged a year later, but they’ve weathered several breakups and makeups since then.


The couple called off their engagement in August last year.


It came as reports emerged that the two actors were taking a break earlier in the year.


A representative for Bilson, who starred in The O.C., told People magazine: ’Yes, the engagement is off.

Boyfriend Hayden Christensen couldn’t take his eyes off his stunning girlfriend

Work commitments meant the couple had been living separate lives, with Rachel based in Los Angeles, while Hayden was in Canada.


The distance between them was one of the main reasons for the split, a friend said.


’It just wasn’t working out,’ the friend told People, adding that Bilson was ’focusing on her career, spending time with her family and just moving forward.’


But three months later in November 2010, it appeared that the couple couldn’t bear to be apart and reportedly started dating again.

Rachel has clearly been working out judging by her muscular stomach

And now they appear to be getting completely back on track.


Rachel and Hayden met on the set of Jumper in 2007, becoming engaged in December 2008.


They worked together once more in 2009, in one of 11 short films that made up New York, I Love You.


Bilson previously dated Adam Brody, her co-star on The O.C., for three years.


Since leaving the show she has moved into film, and was seen earlier this year in Waiting For Forever opposite Tom Sturridge.

Fit: Hayden later showed off a snippet of his own beach body in a pair of black board shorts as he and Rachel dried off