The sports world has hockey and pro hoops hitting stretch runs, March Madness in the Final Four, the NFL Draft just a few weeks away and Major League Baseball just kicking off a new season.  This sounds like a job for Throwing Tomatoes!

Don’t worry, there are plenty of tomato-worthy headlines to go around.

So, as the sports world turns, the stories pile up and more fan frustration emerges.  But don’t sweat it, The Wife Hates Sports has them all covered – in lycopene, that is.

Throwing Tomatoes: March 6, 2013

Headliner: Mike Rice, Tim Pernetti and Rutgers

There’s not much else to say, as the Rutgers story has been monopolizing the news headlines.  Chalk it up as another embarrassing scandal in college sports.

There are a million better ways to inspire and motivate your kids.  Hopefully, Rutgers can find someone to right the ship – and faster than you can say (or spell) Parsippany.

mike-rice-fired-by-rutgers

Throwing Tomatoes: Mike Rice’s antics at Rutgers were terrible, and not surprisingly, if you pause the video evidence numerous times, you will be hard pressed to find an image where Rice doesn’t look like a raging lunatic (take this image, for example)

Target: Stevie Johnson

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson may have been joking, but his North Korea – New England Patriots tweet was still a poor and classless decision.  For those that missed it, here’s what he said:

C’mon, Stevie, don’t you know that Elaine Benes and Jerry Seinfeld are the only people that are allowed to joke about war?

Above reference is featured in the Elaine tribute video at the two-minute mark

Innocent Bystanders: The People of Foxborough, MA and the New England Patriots

Fine, so the Patriots aren’t so innocent, because when you’re that good, it gives opposing teams a reason to talk trash and be jealous.

Innocent Bystander: Denard Robinson

A Detroit Tigers tweet sent out earlier today:

No word yet on which Blue Jays player intercepted it.

Yep, like shooting fish in a barrel… but he sure can run.

Dear Michigan fans: A stat line: Forty-nine career passing TD’s and 39 picks – it’s a valid zing.

We interrupt this post for something that’s MORE appealing, but still covered in RED…

kate-upton-red-bikini-sports-illustrated

Kate Upton didn’t do anything wrong, unless you count stealing thousands of hearts when wearing sexy red bikinis, such as this one (Image Credit: Sports Illustrated)

OK, so maybe covered isn’t an accurate description… 

Innocent Bystander: Kate Upton

All she did was wear red.

Not-So-Innocent Onlooker

You.

Target: Tampa Bay Rays Mascot

I’m still baffled at the decision made by the mascot of the Rays.  How could this sign be seen as a clever and amusing way to support the team during a game?

 

The organization later apologized, but let it be a lesson to you: Never mess with the croc hunter.

Seriously, that message just stings.

OK, if I could take that joke back, I would.

Target: Daryl Washington

As tweeted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

Innocent Bystander: Reagan Maui’a

If any Cardinals player was on something, this guy should have been the one expected, considering he was the player that said he met Manti Te’o’s girlfriend.  Yes, the fake one.

Target: A Washington Nationals Themed Bathroom?

If you check it out, the work is impressive and it’s overall a cool idea.  Still, a bathroom being the space to feature your favorite team?  As in, this is where you will sit on the crapper?

This just smells like a WIFE that wouldn’t allow for a man cave to be constructed.  All this poor sap got was a chance to enjoy his Nats while sitting on the can.  (H/T Larry Brown Sports)splatteredtomato

Ongoing Target: The Tony Romo Contract

Even teammates of Tony Romo have things to say about his bloated 108 million dollar contract (e.g. DeMarcus Ware).

Romo is a solid quarterback, but he’s not 100-million-dollar-solid.  That kind of bank is reserved for quarterbacks that have a higher tally of accolades.

Innocent Bystanders: Fans of the Dallas Cowboys

For football fans, it’s a love or hate relationship with the Cowboys – and as long as Jerry Jones is running the show in Dallas, the haters appear likely to be smiling at the end of the day.

Target: Paul Pierce

thewife

WIFE Speak: “The Truth” is, THE WIFE doesn’t care for the name of Paul Pierce’s newborn son. To each his/her own, right?

Don’t fall out of your chair, but this one actually comes from THE WIFE – and by now, you know that it has nothing to do with Pierce’s game or the Boston Celtics.

Pierce and his WIFE recently had a son, naming him Prince Paul Pierce.  NBA reporter Alex Kennedy loves the name, as pointed out by USA Today, but let’s just say that THE WIFE doesn’t quite share the same sentiment.

Personally, I enjoy unique and crazy celebrity names like Apple and Blue – and if I were Paul Pierce, I would have named my son Serum.  Together, they could have been “The Truth Serum”.  OK, maybe not, especially considering that serum really just means “whey” or “watery fluid”.

That’s just not badass in any way, shape, or form, but hey, CONGRATS to the Pierce family.

And finally, the current faces of team frustration in sports:

Los Angeles Angels – It’s early, but we all know the names in that lineup, and the Angels have scored just 13 runs in its first four games.  Heck, the Astros have scored 11.

Carolina Hurricanes – The ‘Canes are 1-8-1 over its last ten games, yet remain just four points behind for the Southeast division lead

Cleveland Cavaliers / Orlando Magic / Phoenix Suns – Joining the Bobcats to represent as the four teams with the worst records in the NBA, this trio has combined to go 3-27 over its last 30.

NBA Eastern Conference – Just a handful of games away from the end of the regular season, and it appears likely that the East will again have a playoff team with a losing record (The 8th seeded Bucks are 36-39)

This has been Throwing Tomatoes, where we make fruit, not war.

Throwing Tomatoes started back in KP’s blogging and freelancing days at Fox Sports.  It started in the Fox Sports blogging community and was later a staple at the Fox Sports Funhouse, as well as finding its way on the Fox Sports home page from time to time.