Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Bon Voyage, Manute Bol
It is a sad day as we mourn the passing of former NBA great and 7'7" giant Manute Bol at the young age of 47. Bol was born on October 16, 1962 in Sudan. Bol died from acute kidney failure and complications from Stevens–Johnson syndrome. The son of a Dinka tribal chief, Manute means "special blessing." Bol came for a family of extraordinarily tall men and women: "My mother was 6 feet 10, my father 6 feet 8 and my sister is 6 feet 8," he said. "And my great-grandfather was even taller — 7 feet 10." As a boy, Bol had tended his family’s cattle. According to a tale he was often asked to repeat in interviews, he once killed a lion with a spear while he was working as a cow-herder.Bol was very active in charitable causes throughout his career. In fact, he said he spent much of the money he made during a 10-year NBA career supporting various causes related to his war-ravaged nation of birth, Sudan.
As a true Activist for his native Sudan, Manute established the Ring True Foundation in order to continue fundraising for Sudanese refugees. He gave most of his earnings (an estimated $3.5 million) to their cause. In 2002, Fox TV agreed to broadcast the telephone number of his Ring True Foundation in exchange for Bol's agreement to appear on their Celebrity Boxing show. After the referee goaded, "If you guys don't box, you won't get paid," he scored a third-round victory over former football player William "The Refrigerator" Perry. In the fall of 2002, Bol signed a one-day contract with the Indianapolis Ice of the Central Hockey League. Even though he couldn't skate, the publicity generated by his single game appearance helped to raise money to assist children in Sudan. Bol once suited up as a horse jockey for similar reasons. A true gentle giant and all-around good guy, we at Ricky Vaughn 99 salute Manute for all of his charitable contributions. He will be missed.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Happy 99th, Shep!
"...Now Batting...Num-bah Two...Derek Jee-tah...Num-bah Two..." Yesterday an American Sports icon turned 99 years of age and no I am not referring to former UCLA coach John Wooden who also struck the double-9's this month. Former Yankees PA announcer, nicknamed "The Voice of God," Bob Sheppard was honored on last night's FOX broadcast of the Yankees vs. Angels ALCS Game 4 when bozo Tim McCarver wished Shep a happy 99th birthday. It has long been assumed that the old fella was closing in on the century mark but last night was the first mention of Bob's actual age, something he has been trying to keep secret for many years (thanks McCarver!). Shep called his first game in 1951, a Yankee lineup that included Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra. Bob was also the voice of the New York Football Giants for decades. Shep called his last game at the Old Yankee Stadium in 2007 and has been on the disabled list ever since with a case of pneumonia that has kept him out of the booth and on Joe Girardi's injury report. Since he left the booth, Yankee Captain Derek Jeter has insisted that nobody else announce him when he comes to bat so a record of Sheppard's voice was made to introduce Jeter for what promises is the rest of his career in pinstripes. Too strong of a soul to formally announce his retirement, Bob has been trying to get healthy in order to make his first appearance at the new Yankee Stadium. Today we honor a legend of the game as Bob Sheppard is on our minds and in our hearts. We love you, Shep!
"...Now batting...Num-bah foa-tee-five...Dan-ny...Tah-tah-bull...Num-bah foa-tee-five..."
Monday, August 31, 2009
RV99 Weekly Celebrity Sighting
New York Knick phenom David Lee was spotted waiting for a table outside on Sunday for an early dinner at Bar Pitti. They made him wait! We can add that bitterness to his unhappy contract talks with the Knickerbockers.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
RV99 C-List Celebrity Sighting of the Week
Eddie Kaye-Thomas (aka I banged Stifler's Mom!) and girlfriend Ari Graynor were spotted strolling east on 15th St. Big Ed's shirt could not have possibly been more wrinkled!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
RV99 Celebrity Sighting of the Week
Just Ask Asa!! They must really cake on the makeup for his TV appearances, dude looks OLD in real life!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
RV99 Celebrity Sighting of the Week
Raymond Curto, Mob Boss from the Sopranos was spotted strolling west on 15th St. with his hair nicely gelled back, looking cool as ever.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sports Hair of the Week
This week's Sports Hair of the Week / Studmuffin of the Century Award goes out to New York Yankees hurler Chien-Ming Wang. Early this morning Wang's wife, Chia-Ling Wu, gave birth to the couple's first child, son Justin Jesse. Hopefully this lifetime highlight will help the Taiwanese starting pitcher correct his form on the hill where he currently boasts an embarrassing 0-4 record with a whopping 14.34 ERA in 5 starts (none of which he even saw the 6th inning). While his pitching prowess needs significant work, his hairdo is another story. With what can certainly be considered an "Asian Mullet," C.-M.W. has a high arching butt-cut in the front with a swooping long triangular form hanging down in the back well below the cap. When pictured on the Yankee bench during Saturday's 15-0 drubbing of the New York Mess on the YES Network, Yankee RF and funnyman Nick Swisher was shown playing with the back of Wanger's hair. Although he is married to a "Cha-cha-cha-CHIA." Wang's 'do is au-natural and he is darn proud of it too! For his piss-poor efforts on the mound and incredible performance in the Asian Mullet-growing category, we here at RV99 honor Chien-Ming Wang with this week's Hair of the Week Award. Hopefully tomorrow, the pitcher can add his first win of the season against the lowly Nationals to his outstanding week. We shall wait and see...
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
In honor of the 20-year anniversary of Major League, RV99 is back and better than ever! Look out for more blogging in the coming days...
Friday, April 10, 2009
Rangers Slide into the Playoffs on King Henrik's Swedish Meatballs
With last night's 2-1 victory, the New York Rangers clinched a playoff birth thanks to a season of meager offensive performance and incredible goaltending by Henrik Lundqvist. Nikolai Zherdev leads the team with an embarassing 23 goals for an offense that has been sputtering since the early goings of the 2008-09 season. Lundqvist, on the other hand, has stymied opposing teams with his 2.42 GAA and .916 SV% this season, making countless big saves as his did last night late in the game on a shot by the hated Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers currently sit in the #7 spot in the Eastern Conference with one game remaining and could face either the #2 seed in the Washington Capitals or the #1 seed Boston Bruins depending on what happens on Sunday in Philadelphia. The Blueshirts control their own destiny with a tiebreaker in wins over the Montreal Canadiens while both teams have 93 points. There must be something in those Swedish Meatballs!
Baseball is Back! Line of the Day...
Carl "Money in the Bank" Pavano: IP, 6 H, 9 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 81.00 ERA
We miss you, Crazy Carl!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Edgardo Alfonzo Signs with the Giants...Yomiuri Giants, Hates Rice
Former New York Mets standout Edgardo Alfonzo, who has been out of the Major Leagues since 2006, has returned to professional baseball, signing a one-year contract with the Giants for $380,000. The 35-year-old Venezuelan had stints with the Mets, Giants, Angels and Blue Jays and now returns to the Giants, albeit in quite a different setting as he will be traveling across the world to Japan to play for the Yomiuri Giants. "It's an honor to become a member of the Giants and I'll play my hardest to contribute to the best Giants organization in the world," Alfonzo said Monday, as a subtle stab to his former San Francisco Giants who are undergoing a major rebuilding process in the post-Barry Bonds era. Since leaving the majors in '06, Edgardo has played in Mexico and in the independent Atlantic League. While Alfonzo was always sure-handed in the field, he now must overcome his greatest hurdle, rice. Said Alfonzo, "I look forward to playing ball in Japan but I absolutely loathe rice! It's all they eat out there so it should definitely be interesting." Alfonzo plans on making a stop at the Smithsonian Museum prior to departing for Japan where he will be loading up on astronaut food so he can avoid eating rice for as long as humanly possible. We here at RV99 wish Edgardo all the luck and hope that in bringing a second suitcase filled with canned and dried foods to the Far East, he can just say no to rice while playing professionally with the Giants. Good luck, Edgardo, go get 'em slugger!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
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