Cabrera had slipped away Wednesday night to the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium where he waited out the final moments in his bid for the Triple Crown. Once everything transpired, all the other possibilities played out, he could finally revel in the feat.

“It was like, everybody said to me it was unbelievable,” said Cabrera, who was joined in the clubhouse by Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander and a few other teammates. “They were excited to see this, enjoy this, be a part of something big, and winning, I feel better.”

Yes, the American League Central champs managed to beat the Kansas City Royals 1-0, but the outcome of the game was secondary to the true drama that unfolded on the field.

Cabrera became just the 15th player to win baseball’s Triple Crown, joining an elite list that includes Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig. Cabrera topped the AL with a .330 batting average, 44 homers and 139 RBIs, becoming the first Triple Crown winner in the major leagues since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “I can’t describe the feeling right now.”

Cabrera’s achievement wasn’t assured until the Yankees pinch hit for Curtis Granderson in their 14-2 rout of the Boston Red Sox. Granderson had homered twice to reach 43 for the year, tied with the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton and one shy of Cabrera.

Cabrera went 0-for-2 against the Royals before leaving in the fourth inning to a standing ovation. He finished the regular season hitting four points higher than Angels rookie Mike Trout, his toughest competition for AL MVP. Cabrera was the runaway leader in RBIs.

“I am glad that he accomplished this while leading his team to the American League Central title,” Yastrzemski said in a statement, pointing out that his Red Sox reached the World Series when he won one of baseball’s most coveted titles.

The Tigers will have that chance when they open the postseason Saturday against Oakland.

“It was hard the last two days because everybody talked about it. I just had to focus; I had to go out there and do the job,” Cabrera said. “The hardest part was to go out there and focus and win games. I said, ‘If we win the division, everything would take care of itself.’”

The crowd at Kauffman Stadium gave Cabrera a standing ovation before he flied out in the first inning. He struck out in the fourth but remained in the game, allowing manager Jim Leyland to remove him with two outs to another standing ovation from thousands of appreciative fans.

Cabrera high-fived his teammates as he entered the Detroit dugout, and then walked back to the top step and waved his helmet, just as if he were celebrating at home.

“I would say without question he’s enjoyed it. How could you not enjoy what he’s done if you’re a baseball player?” Leyland said. “I doubt very much, knowing him, that he necessarily enjoys all the extra attention and all the extra conversations he’s had to have. It’s kind of out of his realm in personality, to be honest with you.”

Cabrera’s pursuit of history occurred largely in the dark, though, overshadowed by thrilling playoff races, the sheer enormity of the NFL — even the presidential election.

An event that in other years might dominate headlines has been mostly cast aside.

“The entire baseball world should be here right now,” said Verlander, the reigning AL MVP, who might soon watch that award get handed off to his teammate.

Perhaps part of the void has to do with Cabrera’s very nature.

He’s not the boisterous sort, never one to crave attention. He would rather hang out with a couple of buddies than stand in front of a pack of television cameras, answering countless questions about what makes him one of the game’s most complete hitters.

“He’s not a talkative guy,” Tigers catcher Alex Avila said. “One, he doesn’t speak English that well, but two, he lets his ability carry through.”

It takes a special breed to hit for average, for power and in clutch situations, which is why there have been so few players to achieve the Triple Crown.

Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez never accomplished it, failing to win the batting title, and countless other Hall of Fame players have fallen short of one of sport’s rarest feats.

Commissioner Bud Selig called it “a remarkable achievement that places him amongst an elite few in all of baseball history. Miguel has long been one of the most accomplished hitters in the game, and this recognition is one that he will be able to cherish for the rest of his career.”

To put it in perspective, consider horse racing’s Triple Crown.

The last thoroughbred to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in the same year was Affirmed in 1978, more than a full decade after Yastrzemski’s magical summer in Boston.

Whether it’s on par with Johnny Vander Meer’s consecutive no-hitters, Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major championships in golf, Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak or Brett Favre’s consecutive games streak at quarterback is open to interpretation, and perhaps some bar-room debate.

Those who have witnessed it firsthand certainly have their opinions.

“It’s pretty amazing,” said the Royals’ Alex Gordon, who watched the drama unfold from his spot in left field. “Honestly, his numbers are like that every year. He has a great average, great home runs, great RBIs. He’s a guy who can pull this off, and it’s great for the game.”

Giants infielder Pablo Sandoval said he was particularly proud that the Triple Crown would be accomplished by a fellow Venezuelan. Cabrera is from Maracay, along the Caribbean coast.

“I’m excited for the country and for the fans that support us every single day. It’s a big deal in Venezuela right now,” Sandoval said. “It’s exciting, especially because of all the things that have happened in his career.”

Yes, it seems that every fairytale these days carries a troublesome footnote.

In Cabrera’s case, it stems from spring training last year, when he was involved in a drunken driving incident. According to authorities in St. Lucie County, Fla., Cabrera refused to cooperate, directed an obscene gesture at police and even dared them to shoot him.

The Tigers have been careful to keep him from having to discuss his personal issues, but by all accounts, Cabrera has been a model player ever since. This year, he is the Tigers’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player “who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement.”

“This clubhouse wouldn’t be quite as good without him,” Leyland said.

While the Triple Crown has been decided, the MVP has not. Selected members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote for that award, with the winner announced in November.

“He’s the best hitter in the game,” Trout said of Cabrera. “I think his approach, the way he battles with two strikes — you leave one pitch over the plate that at-bat, and he’s going to hit it. He had an unbelievable year.”

Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline said it would be “a shame” if Cabrera didn’t win the league’s most coveted award. Royals manager Ned Yost offered a similar sentiment.

“I think they’re both fantastic players, tremendous players, both of them,” Yost said, “but if Cabrera wins the Triple Crown, he has to be the MVP, absolutely.”

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

He will make the announcement Thursday at Joe Louis Arena, a person with knowledge of the decision told the Free Press.

Lidstrom, 42, has been with the Wings since the 1991-92 season. He has won four Stanley Cups with them and seven Norris trophies recognizing his stature as one of the best defensemen ever in the game of hockey. He was named the Conn Smythe trophy winner in the 2002 playoffs, and in 2008, he became the first European-born-and-trained player to captain a team to the NHL title.

Attempts to reach Lidstrom have been unsuccessful. Reached following general manager meetings in New York, Wings GM Ken Holland said, “Nick has earned the right to announce what his decision is himself. From my end, I’m staying quiet.”

Lidstrom has been the team’s captain since 2006. Forward Henrik Zetterberg is expected to be his successor.

The Wings were hoping Lidstrom would return for one more season, but it’s not wholly surprising he decided he’s done. His oldest son already has gone back to Sweden for school and hockey, and Lidstrom and his wife, Annika, have long wanted to return to their homeland.

So what do the Wings do now?

If Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter, 27, becomes an unrestricted free agent, they will pursue him fervor. If Anaheim loses blue-chip prospect Justin Schultz, 21, to free agency, he will be another option.

The fact is, though, no one can just replace a player like Lidstrom. He sees the game on an unparalleled plane. Teammates have raved about how cool he is, how nothing ever gets him rattled. He’s probably the most respected player in the game.

Opposing coaches love him: Ken Hitchcock once spent 10 minutes commending Lidstrom for the way he uses his stick. When Nashville coach Barry Trotz shook hands with Lidstrom after their playoff series ended last month, Lidstrom said Trotz told him to please not retire. Former Toronto coach Ron Wilson, back in January, said he often uses clips of Lidstrom to show his own players how to do things the right way.

Off the ice, Lidstrom was known as “the Perfect Human” for being unfailingly polite and calm.

What’s next for Lidstrom? Presumably moving back home to Vasteras, Sweden. He’ll have to come back to North America for at least two reasons, though: The Wings are certain to retire his No. 5, and he’ll be a first-ballot entrant into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Source: Detroit Free Press

The conceit of the Assassin’s Creed franchise is that the experiences of those historical figures are being re-lived by their 21st century descendent Desmond Miles, who in the year 2012 has been kidnapped by evil megacorp Abstergo Industries, owners of a technology called the Animus that can dredge up a person’s ancestral memories.

It’s not entirely clear what Ubisoft has cooked up for its upcoming Assassin’s Creed title. But if the cover art is any indicator, the new Assassin is pals with George Washington, Paul Revere, Ben Franklin, and the other leading American revolutionaries of the day—in the main shot on the Xbox 360 case (pictured), he’s wielding a tomahawk threateningly over a fallen British Redcoat as Old Glory waves in the background.

Whatever is in store, the Ubisoft team has had plenty of time to build a whole lot of surprises into the next episode of Assassin’s Creed. As Game Informer notes:

For years now we’ve enjoyed the adventures of Ezio Auditore as he makes his way through the Italian Renaissance and Ottoman-controlled Constantinople. That story is over. Ever since the conclusion of Assassin’s Creed II, a senior team of Ubisoft developers has been secretly toiling away on what comes next. That team aimed high, with plans to examine and rethink every element of the franchise from the ground up, build something new, and take a full three year development cycle to do it.

Right before the anthem, the Wings recognized Tomas Holmstrom for having played in his 1,000th NHL game last Friday; he was only the sixth player to do so in a Detroit uniform and the 272nd in the NHL.

Henrik Zetterberg and Brad Stuart scored in the first period, which saw the Wings dominate with the puck and run the Stars ragged in their own zone. Joey MacDonald was good when he needed to be but also benefited from skaters that did a great job limiting scoring chances. Adam Burish spoiled Joey MacDonald’s shutout bid by scoring with 32.8 seconds remaining in regulation. The Wings have outscored opponents, 87-31, during the streak.

Dating back to when the home winning streak began on Nov. 5, the Wings have outscored opponents 31-9 in the first periods. Two of those came this night, as the Wings opened the scoring with a power play goal when Pavel Datsyuk sent the puck down low to Zetterberg, who ended up snapping his own rebound behind Kari Lehtonen.

Brad Stuart doubled up the score when he caught the puck after Darren Helm won a face-off, shooting through nearly every skater on the ice to reach five goals on the season.

A pair of power plays in the second period didn’t yield any goals, but the penalty killers kept the Stars at bay when they got the man advantage late in the period. MacDonald only had to make six saves all period, and got a little help when a Mike Ribeiro shot banged off a post.

The Wings used the third period to shut down the Stars, barely even letting them into Detroit’s zone. MacDonald didn’t make his first save of the stretch until 11 minutes had passed, and didn’t make his second until a little over five minutes to go as the Wings zeroed in on history.

Source: Detroit Free Press

BOUNTY HUNTERS

Seven-Time WWE Champion Trish Stratus Hits the Streets to Put All the Scum on Notice That They Have a New Force to Reckon With in This Adrenaline-Fueled Thriller, Coming to DVD From MPI on February 28, 2012

New York, NY (January 30, 2012) – She’s the pro wrestling phenomenon with the covergirl looks, and now Trish Stratus brings her breathtaking awesomeness to the screen in her action-movie debut, BOUNTY HUNTERS. The action-packed thriller, which gives fans a look at the impressive Stratus that they’ve never seen on WWE Raw, hits DVD on February 28, 2012, from MPI Home Video, with an SRP of $24.98.

A group of down-on-their-luck bounty hunters, led by Jules Taylor (Stratus), hit the jackpot one night when they pick up an informant with $100,000 on his head. But their world is turned upside down when mob boss Hal Lambrino (Joe Rafla) and his impressive associate Ruby (Andrea James Lui) offer them a million dollars in exchange for the informant.

When Jules and her partners Chase (Boomer Phillips) and Ridley (Frank J. Zupancic) refuse “the offer you can’t refuse,” the Mafia unleashes a trio of assassins on them who use all their power to bring the bounty hunters down, and to get their man – dead or alive.

In the course of the nonstop action, Stratus puts her amazing wrestling moves to good use, battling a bail dodger in a gym and, most memorably, getting into it with Ruby in an ambulance – a mighty display of flying legs, one woman outfitted in a nurse’s uniform, the other in a hospital gown. The movie “has some real fights in there and they are, quite frankly, moments of awesomeness,” raved Fred Topel of Screen Junkies.

Besides being WWE Women’s Champion an amazing seven times, Trish Stratus has had a remarkable career outside the ring, including sexy cover girl, fitness icon, yoga entrepreneur, travel series creator and host, reality TV star and comedic performer on such shows as MAD TV. And now, BOUNTY HUNTERS, directed by Patrick McBrearty (Psycho Ward), provides yet another level of Stratusfaction to the countless fans of this stunning force of nature.

About Trish Stratus

Trish Stratus is a fitness icon, TV personality and entrepreneur who is recognized as one of the top sports entertainment athletes in the world through her achievements as a seven-time WWE Women’s Champion. Over the last decade, Stratus has dedicated her life to health and fitness, and has parlayed her success and passion into a recognized lifestyle brand. Stratusphere was officially launched with the opening of her yoga studio, the largest in Canada. Stratusphere Living, a yoga fitness product line created by Trish launched nationally fall 2011 with the release of her first workout DVD ‘Stratusphere Yoga’ all of which reflect her core philosophy of achieving wellness through balanced living. For more information please visit www.trishstratus.com or follow @trishstratuscom

Media contact: med...@trishstratus.com

About MPI Home Video
Chicago based MPI Home Video, a subsidiary of MPI Media Group, is a market leader for high quality releases to both wide and specialized audiences through home video distribution. Founded in 1976, MPI Home Video remains one of the largest independent companies producing and distributing a compelling slate of the world’s most respected cinema, documentaries, performances and television programs. www.mpihomevideo.com

About MPI Media Group
The MPI Media Group is a leading producer, distributor and licensor of films, home entertainment, historical footage and more. Founded in 1976, Chicago-based MPI Media Group remains one of the largest independent entertainment companies producing and distributing a compelling slate of the world’s most respected cinema, documentaries, performances and television programs. MPI’s wholly owned subsidiaries include MPI Home Entertainment, Dark Sky Films, and the WPA Film Library. www.mpimediagroup.com

For Screeners and press inquiries:
Daniela Sapkar / Diana Camurovski
Dani...@SapkarPR.com / Dia...@SapkarPR.com
646.644.4418

# # #

BOUNTY HUNTERS
Street date: February 28, 2012
Prebook: January 23, 2012
SRP: $24.98
Running time: 80 minutes
Not rated

Source: Trish Stratus

“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People
.
“This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.

“Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.

“This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT”

Something tells me that with Thomas slated to appear in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game this weekend, this might not be the only public statement he’ll make on this controversy. It’s overshadowed the Bruins’ visit to the White House. It’ll likely do the same for Thomas’s participation in the midseason classic.

UPDATE: Cam Neely with a statement from the B’s:

“As an organization we were honored by President Obama’s invitation to the White House. It was a great day and a perfect way to cap our team’s achievement from last season. It was a day that none of us will soon forget. We are disappointed that Tim chose not to join us, and his views certainly do not reflect those of the Jacobs family or the Bruins organization. This will be the last public comment from the Bruins organization on this subject.”

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he would postpone a critical vote that had been scheduled for January 24 “in light of recent events.”

Lamar Smith, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, followed suit, saying his panel would delay action on similar legislation until there is wider agreement on the issue.

The two pieces of legislation set off a wave of protests across the Web this week, which included the popular Website Wikipedia going dark on Wednesday and Silicon Valley giant Google Inc. blacking out part of its homepage to U.S. users.

“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products,” Smith said.

Support for the two bills has eroded over the past 48 hours after some of the world’s largest Web companies came out against the bills, claiming the legislation could threaten the business models of legitimate Web-based companies.

Several sponsors of the legislation, including senators Roy Blunt, Chuck Grassley, Orrin Hatch, John Boozman and Marco Rubio, have withdrawn their support.

The bills appeared to be on track for approval by both the Senate and Congress, but shifting popular opinion and an implicit veto threat from the White House eventually cast doubt on the whether legislation would have the necessary support to pass.

In a brief statement on Friday, Reid said there was no reason why concerns about the legislation cannot be resolved. He offered no new date for the vote.

Source: financialpost

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA, H.R. 3261) is on the surface a bill that attempts to curb online piracy. Sadly, the proposed way it goes about doing this would devastate the online economy and the overall freedom of the web. It would particularly affect sites with heavy user generated content. Sites like Youtube, Reddit, Twitter, and others may cease to exist in their current form if this bill is passed.

What is PIPA?

The Protect IP Act (PIPA, S. 968) is SOPA’s twin in the Senate. Under current DMCA law, if a user uploads a copyrighted movie to sites like Youtube, the site isn’t held accountable so long as they provide a way to report user infringement. The user who uploaded the movie is held accountable for their actions, not the site. PIPA would change that – it would place the blame on the site itself, and would also provide a way for copyright holders to seize the site’s domain in extreme circumstances.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation laid out four excellent points as to why the bills are not only dangerous, but are also not effective for what they are trying to accomplish:

• The blacklist bills are expensive. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that PIPA alone would cost the taxpayers at least $47 million over 5 years, and could cost the private sector many times more. Those costs would be carried mostly by the tech industry, hampering growth and innovation.
• The blacklist bills silence legitimate speech. Rightsholders, ISPs, or the government could shut down sites with accusations of infringement, and without real due process.
• The blacklist bills are bad for the architecture of the Internet. But don’t take our word for it: see the open letters that dozens of the Internet’s concerned creators have submitted to Congress about the impact the bills would have on the security of the web.
• The blacklist bills won’t stop online piracy. The tools these bills would grant rightsholders are like chainsaws in an operating room: they do a lot of damage, and they aren’t very effective in the first place. The filtering methods might dissuade casual users, but they would be trivial for dedicated and technically savvy users to circumvent.

Source: SOPAblackout

Hot on the heels of Reddit’s take on SOPA, the controversial hacker group now wants to jump aboard a massive blackout on January 18 from 8AM to 8PM.

Anonymous, through its @AnonymousIRC Twitter account, is also trying to persuade other big companies and organizations such as Google and Wikipedia to join the protest.

“Reddit recently announced that they will be blacking out the site from 0800-2000, Jan 18th,” said Wikipedia head Jimmy Wales. “Were Wikipedia to consider a similar measure, it might make sense to do so at the same time, to increase impact.”

“You are an agent of change. Has anyone ever told you that? Well, I just did, and I meant it,” said WordPress as it also joined the fray against SOPA. “There’s something going on in U.S. politics right now that we need to make sure you know about and understand, because it affects us all.”

“We are not a small group. More than 60 million people use WordPress – it’s said to power about 15 per cent of the web. We can make an impact, and you can be an agent of change,” WordPress added. “The Senate votes in two weeks, and we need to help at least 41 more senators see reason before then. Please. Make your voice heard.”

Source: Socialbarrel