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Danny Gans - Entertainer of the Year
May 4th, 2008 by david layIf you have been to Las Vegas in the past five or six years, and are observant at all, you are probably familiar with Danny Gans. Danny Gans took over for Sigfried and Roy at The Mirage after Roy Horn was attacked by the white tiger in October of 2003.
Gans is billed at The Mirage as “The Man of Many Voices” due to his Vegas show in which he mixes his knack for comedy and music to create a hilarious act as a musical impressionist. However, Gans did not begin his career as a singer or an aspiring entertainer.
Gans was a high school and college baseball star, being drafted by the Royals after high school and by the White Sox after college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he became an All-American. He played for a while for the Durham Bulls and was even on screen as a third baseman during a brief scene in Kevin Costner’s 1988 film, Bull Durham.
A knee injury had ended Gans’ career as a baseball player, but like any true superstar, he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and started all over again. Gans began a 15 year tour throughout the U.S. working as an impressionist and motivational speaker . Soon he was one of the hottest and most sought-after performers in the corporate world, playing for thousands of people for McDonald’s and IBM and various other Fortune 500 company events. He began to catch the eye of fellow entertainers such as Bill Cosby and Natalie Cole, and soon he was a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
Danny Gans has been in Las Vegas now for 12 years and has headlined at The Mirage for nearly six of those. He has won numerous awards during his career and has certainly earned the status of “Entertainer of the Year”. Next time you are in Vegas, look for his billboards, and try to check out his show at The Mirage.
Additional Links:
Danny Gans at The Mirage.
Danny Gans Official Site.
Book Danny Gans as a Motivational Speaker.
Posted in Baseball, Tribute, Utah Concerts, Yada Yada, Sports, Movies, Events, Music | 1 Comment
It’s Great to be a Bulldog!
October 29th, 2007 by david lay5+1= B.O.W.L
On Saturday, Mississippi State defeated the 14th ranked Kentucky Wildcats for our fifth win of the season. That puts us one 
win away from bowl eligibility – a place we haven’t been in 6 years. With home games left against Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide of Alabama and Ed Orgeron’s Mississippi Rebels and a “neutral” field contest in Little Rock against the Reverend Houston Nutt’s Mighty Hogs of Arkansas, I like our chances. Winning in the SEC is NEVER, EVER a foregone conclusion (just ask South Carolina, and Kentucky) but with 3 chances, and two at home, I think we can do it.
I think that a 6 win Mississippi State team will be gold in the eyes of many bowl executives. Sylvester Croom’s hiring has really given many people a reason to get behind the Bulldogs and I think most bowls will use that as a reason to invite us. The downside is: It looks very probable that 11 out of 12 SEC universities will be bowl eligible, meaning that three or four of them are bound to end up disappointed. If we can win our home games, then I think we would be in for sure with seven wins.
Paps Gets it Done – Smith Doesn’t
If you’re like me, the only thing that compares to seeing your team excel, is seeing your rivals fail. This happened this weekend. Not only did the Mississippi Rebels fail to score a touchdown in route to a 17-3 loss against Tommy Tubberville’s War Eagles/Tigers of Auburn, but a former Rebel was the goat in the fourth and final game of the World Series.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Rockies were down by one run when Clint Hurdle sent in pinch hitter Seth Smith to face to Red Sox closer and former Mississippi State standout Jonathan Papelbon. Smith, a former outfielder and backup quarterback at Mississippi struck out swinging to end the inning, the game, and the World Series. As Smith walked back to the dugout, the celebration surrounded Papelbon.
It’s great to be an MSU Dawg!
Posted in Football, Mississippi State, Baseball, Red Sox, Yada Yada, Sports | No Comments
Sox Centerfielder “Steals” 300 Million Tacos
October 26th, 2007 by david layIn the fourth inning of World Series game two in Boston, Red Sox centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury stole second base off the Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez and Yorvit Torrealba. Ellsbury would end up being stranded in scoring position when the inning was over, but his stolen base proved to be more significant than most.
Earlier this season, Taco Bell announced a promotion with Major League Baseball dubbed “Steal a Base. Steal a Taco.” The rules state that: Taco Bell will offer every person in the U.S. the opportunity to obtain one (1) free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Taco (”Free Taco”) at participating Taco Bell® restaurants in the United States on the date designated herein (October 30 from 2pm-5pm across all time zones).
Chances are, I won’t even go in to claim my free taco, but the potential for chaos makes this one of the best promotions of all time – I mean, could you imagine if all 300 million+ Americans attempted to get a free taco?
During Game one, outfielder Coco Crisp and non-roster infielder, Royce Clayton discussed the promotion. I found it pretty funny…
Posted in Baseball, Red Sox, Yada Yada, Sports, Events | 1 Comment
Did the Curse Move?
October 10th, 2007 by david layThis week the Yankees were defeated by the Cleveland Indians 3 games to 1 in the ALDS. This marks the 3rd year in a row that the Yanks have failed to get past the first round of the MLB playoffs. Joe Torre is most likely out as manager, and many are crying for the removal of GM Brian Cashman as well. Derek Jeter hit into double play after double play against the Tribe and Alex Rodriguez (once again) had a sub-par post season – going 0-fer during the first 2 games.
Pitching was a problem all year for the Yanks, but in a surprising twist, it was the 19 game winning Ace of the staff, Chien-Ming Wang who was absolutely hammered during games one and four – giving the New York virtually no chance to keep up with the likes of Cy Young frontrunner C.C. Sabathia and scrappy junk-baller Paul Byrd. The Yankees led the league in Batting Average, RBI, and Homeruns (the franchise triple crown) but were still unable to slug their way past the Tribe.
The last time the Yankees made it passed the opening round was 2004. Does anyone remember that year? That’s right – After leading the Boston 3-0 in the ALCS, the Yankees fell in 7 Games to the Red Sox who went on to sweep the World Series for their first Championship in 86 years. The “cursed” Sox overcame the greatest deficit in sports history on their way to an improbable championship – leaving behind them all thoughts of a curse.
So I ask you this – Is it possible for a sports curse to be transferred from one team to another? Can one team somehow absorb a curse from another? If so, wouldn’t a record-setting comeback be just the way to do that. Remember the movie, “The Ring” and how the only way to remove the “7-day” curse was to replicate a VHS tape (which was the medium of choice, the last time the Yankees won the World Series, by the way) in order to propagate the curse, potentially leading someone else become afflicted?
I think this is what has happened to the Yankees.
Now, Joe Torre (the club’s 3rd winningest manager) is going to be fired and all indications are that A-Rod will opt out of his contract. Abreu, Posada, Pettitte, and Rivera are free agents – (I don’t expect Rivera and Abreu to stick around, but the other two might) the team looks to be on the brink of a major over-haul. Steinbrenner will, no doubt, be looking to make some serious changes in the organization during the off season. I don’t see Cashman going anywhere, b
ut I am very sure that Torre is out and it looks like he’ll take Rivera with him.
Torre has had his job longer than anyone under The Boss’s regime – but don’t expect the next guy to be so lucky. The Yankees are in danger of falling into the same category as the Cubs may now be in – that is, a good team that is forced to endure so much pressure, that it shatters during the highly volatile post season. This year’s off season could very well shake the team up enough that each subsequent year causes more turmoil, which in turn yields more shakeups. This could be a difficult few years for the pin-stripers. Only time will tell.
Long live the curse! Here’s to 80 more years of failures and heartbreaks in the Bronx!
PS – My diagnosis for the Cubs is simple: Just get to the post season more often…Once every 5 years is not cutting it. You need to get there for a few years in a row - let the players and fans realize that this isn’t a once in a lifetime shot at greatness – get rid of some of the pressure and, eventually, you’ll win one… I think that played a huge role in the 2004 success of the Red Sox as well.
Go Sox!! I can’t wait to see you soon in Phoenix or Denver!
Posted in Baseball, Red Sox, Yada Yada | 4 Comments
Murphy to Auction off 756th Ball
August 21st, 2007 by david layWell, well, well. It looks like Matt Murphy had finally made the decision to *gasp* sell the Barry Bonds ball after all. In the least surprising move in sports memorabilia history, the Queens, New York native has decided to deal the ball to the highest bidder - citing looming taxation as the ‘deciding factor’.
“It wasn’t hard,” Murphy said. “It was simple math. I’m upset by the decision I had to make… I wanted to keep it. I’m young, I don’t have the bank account.”
I think I’m one of about 6 Billion people in this world who were 100% sure that Murphy would sell the ball. I don’t fault him AT ALL! Especially after Bonds himself made it known that he had no interest in the ball. Who wouldn’t sell it? Now the question is: “How much will it fetch?”
Murphy did choose against eBay however: The auction will instead be handled by Sotheby’s/SCP Auctions beginning Aug. 28 and going through Sept. 15. The starting bid has not been determined, and auction officials estimated the ball would bring at least $500,000.
Murphy says he plans on sharing part of his profit with his friend who attended the Giants game with him. They were in town for a brief stopover on a trip to Australia when Murphy found himself the possessor of the prized ball.
I’m guessing it will pull in over a million. I just think that since Mark McGwire’s 70th went for 3 million, the Bonds ball should get at least a third of that. That is a complete guess though. Who Knows?
Posted in Baseball, Yada Yada, Sports | 1 Comment
eBay Wants the Ball
August 11th, 2007 by david lay“Dear Mr. Murphy, We want the opportunity to bid on the ball. Yours truly, The eBay community.”
This is the message that eBay is sending, via its homepage, to Matt Murphy the Queens New York resident who snagged the record-breaking 756th homerun ball hit by Barry Bonds on August 7th.
There have already been offers publicly submitted to purchase the ball for $500,000+ and many say that it could easily fetch $2 million or more. Murphy claims that he may, in fact, keep the ball. As a baseball fan, owning a part of history would be something more valuable than money, perhaps.
“…part of me wants to keep it. It’s the greatest American sports accomplishment in history. Part of me might want to sell it, but I really am leaning towards keeping it. It’s just too valuable, sentimental.” Matt said in an interview recently. Sure, Matt. Whatever you say…
There is no way he will keep this ball. The Sporting News is reporting that he may face taxation regardless of whether he sells the ball or not. Because he “acquired this asset” the IRS can tax him based on its estimated value. It could end up costing Murphy hundreds of thousands of dollars too keep this souvenir. CRAZY.
Many baseball fans would love to see him donate it to the Hall of Fame, but that is even less likely than him keeping it. This ball is not likely to ever see Cooperstown. Bonds has spoken his piece as well, stating that he “has never considered a homerun ball to belong to a player. Once a homerun is hit, it belongs to the fans”. Well, if Barry doesn’t want it, there are certainly thousands of people who do.
Matt, you’re going to sell the ball. Go ahead and do it. Quit pretending like you’re going to keep it. Make some money and change you’re life. Buy some Mets season tickets and a nice apartment in Queens. Enjoy your money, but don’t forget to give Uncle Sam what he’s got coming to him.
Posted in Baseball, Yada Yada, Sports | 1 Comment
Red Sox Acquire Eric Gagne
July 31st, 2007 by david lay
The Red Sox reached a deal with the Texas Rangers today - just before the trade deadline - to acquire reliever Eric Gagne for starting pitcher Kason Gabbard and two minor leaguers, including prospect David Murphy.
This sets the Red Sox up with the best deep relief in baseball with Gagne added to All-stars Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima. How the assignments will change remains to be seen, but I expect Gagne to fill for some middle relief and the occasional hold or save opportunity during winning streaks.
The Red Sox also parted ways with much-maligned reliever Joel Pinero. Pinero was dealt to the Cardinals for cash considerations and a player to be named later (He had been reassigned to triple-A a couple of weeks ago).
I’m not expecting the Sox to pick up anyone through waivers, but there could be some more interesting moves made in the couple of weeks.
Posted in Baseball, Red Sox, Sports | 2 Comments
Lester Pitches a Gem in Red Sox Return
July 23rd, 2007 by david layIn his first start of the season, Jon Lester pitched six solid innings for the Red Sox in their 6-2 win of the Cleveland Indians. Lester returned to Boston’s rotation after being diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, called anaplastic large cell lymphoma - a rare, but treatable form of cancer. This was his first majo
r league start in 11 months, as he was diagnosed in late August of 2006.
“It felt real good,” said Lester. “A lot of emotions, a lot of excitement. It’s been good to be back with these guys again and being able to play up here again. I think once my first pitch went, after that it settled down and started to calm down a little bit and I got everything in check.” There were a lot of emotions, both from a large contingency of Red Sox fans in Cleveland, as well as from Indians fans who cheered for Jon as he warmed up in the bullpen.
In his 6 innings, Lester gave up 5 hits, 2 earned runs 6 strikeouts and 3 walks (Grady Sizemore’s 2 run Homer was his only real blemish). “As we’ve seen before, he doesn’t give in,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “He made pitches. He just really competes. Keeps his composure.”
The emotional win, may be what the Red Sox need right now, having begun the second half of the season at 6-5, before last night’s win against the Tribe. The rotation has been struggling as of late, with the absence of Curt Schilling and the recent downward spiral of Julian Tavarez. Schilling has made some huge strides in his comeback from shoulder tendinitis, and should be back in the rotation soon. This should leave Boston with the solid starting five that they’ve been just shy of so far this year.