Outfielder Josh Reddick, who signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Houston Astros recently, is excited to be heading south.
"Texas is something that brings me closer to home, and it's more my Southern roots and I can hang out with rednecks a little more," Reddick said.
Reddick, 29, a native of Savannah, Ga., spent last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and five seasons in Oakland. T California life didn't really suit him.
"Texas, you know, is a little bit more my area," Reddick said. "It's a lot different from California for me. I feel like I can get along with people here a lot better and have a lot more less-intelligent conversations.
"I don't want to insult anyone like me. We are Southern. We talk about a lot more simpler things in life, and we appreciate those things. So I think it will be a lot easier for me to kind of talk with people from around here, whether I'm out having dinner or having a drink."
One has to wonder if, while signing his contract, he had the urge to say: "Hold my beer. Watch this."
Paying the piper
The celebration the Chicago Cubs held after their World Series victory will cost the team a hefty amount.
A reported 5 million people filled the streets to celebrate the Cubs' World Series victory over the Indians earlier this month with a parade through Chicago that ended at Grant Park, where Tom Ricketts, Theo Epstein, Joe Maddon and players addressed the crowd.
It was a red-letter day for the city and for the Cubs, but now the bill has come due. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs' party caused damage to the park's grass and fencing, which the Cubs will pay $388,000 to repair.
Grant Park hosts numerous events each year, and while Conservancy President Bob O'Neill was glad it was used as the site, he understands what comes with it.
"I think it's great that Grant Park is dead center for celebrations. It's just that we have to improve the park even more so," O'Neill told the Tribune.
If fans want to help out, and the math is correct, the bill works out to about $.08 per person.
Big mistake, eh?
Mark Cuban made one big mistake as owner of the Dallas Mavericks -- not re-signing Canadian point guard Steve Nash when he had the chance.
Cuban had the chance to keep Nash for at least four more years with a new deal after the 2003-04 season, but he declined, and Nash signed with the Phoenix Suns.
"We certainly didn't see him as a two-time Most Valuable Player. And it was the biggest mistake I made not re-signing him," said Cuban, according to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "We thought his body would break down, and it certainly didn't. So bad advice, bad across the board."
Here's hoping Cuban can't top that mistake. The Mavericks are currently 2-13, the worst record in the NBA.
Teamwork
Los Angeles Lakers Coach Luke Walton, speaking to reporters after losing the Golden State Warriors 149-106 on Wednesday, had a unique perspective on the final stats, which showed that the Warriors finished with 47 assists on 53 field goals.
"One of the greatest stats I've ever heard or seen," Walton said.
Sports on 11/28/2016