The Pirates have traded first baseman Adam LaRoche to the Red Sox. According to Boston radio station WEEI, Pittsburgh will receive Double-A shortstop Argenis Diaz and Class A right-hander Hunter Strickland.

Pittsburgh was known to be seeking a suitor for LaRoche, who is earning $7.05 million this season and will be a first-time free agent next season.

Diaz, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2003, is hitting .253 with 24 RBIs in 76 Double-A games this season. Diaz, 22, split last season between Class A and Double-A.

Strickland, an 18th-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, is 5-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 18 appearances (12 starts) at the low Class A level. He has 51 strikeouts and 13 walks in 83 1/3 innings.

LaRoche has hit .247 with a team-high 12 homers and 40 RBIs this season. In Boston, he’ll be reunited with former Pittsburgh teammate Jason Bay, who was dealt there at this time last season.

UFC legend Kimo Leopoldo is dead at the age of 41. The big time fighter was found dead after he suffered a heart attack.

Leopoldo hasn’t fought since 2006, and has gotten in some trouble with the law in that span of time.

In February, police found him wearing a Long Beach police jumpsuit and decided to search his vehicle. They found methamphetamine, aka crystal meth. They were also looking into how he acquired the police uniform.

He has also been arrested for assault & battery and domestic violence.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Leopoldo’s family and loved ones.

During the 16th stage of the Tour de France, German biker Jens Voight fell off his bike in a nasty crash.

The popular German rider suffered serious injuries in a high-speed crash midway down the twisting Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard.

We all hope that Jens Voigt recovers from this horrible accident and is able to compete in the next big race.

Here is the footage of the crash:

The star from “Burn Notice,” Jeffrey Donovan was busted for a DUI. He almost hit a parked police car, now that’s what I call drunk.

Donovan was arrested in the early hours of July 12 after failing field sobriety tests, police said. The actor refused a Breathalyzer test, according to the police report.

The arresting officer was stopped at a red light when he “heard a loud tire screech” and observed Donovan’s vehicle swerving to the left to avoid striking the rear of the police cruiser, the report said. When the officer approached Donovan, the actor said, “Sorry, I didn’t see the red light or your stopped car,” according to the report.

The report said Donovan told police he had three drinks and said while being transported to the Miami Beach Police Department, “I really think I’m only borderline and not too drunk… The only mistake I made tonight was drinking Benadryl with 3 glasses of wine.”

Donovan was booked at the Miami-Dade County Jail and released at 9:42 a.m. on $1,000 bond, according to an employee at the facility. A rep for the actor didn’t immediately respond to TVGuide.com’s request for comment.

The Woot special of the day is the HP Business 12.1″ Tablet. It will cost $699.99 plus 5 dollars shipping.

Here are some specs if you are seriously consider buying one.

Warranty:

• HP Limited 3-year standard parts and labor warranty, pick-up or carry-in, and toll-free 7×24 hardware technical phone support
• 1-year limited warranty on primary battery

Features:

• 12.1-inch diagonal widescreen Illumi-Lite display provides for a lighter and more energy efficient notebook
• Chemically-strengthened glass top provides durability and a superior writing experience
• Video and web conferencing, video-enhanced instant messaging, and VoIP, made easy with dual-microphone array and optional integrated camera. Even capture business card images and automatically convert them to text
• Genuine Windows® XP Tablet PC Operating System preinstalled, Windows Vista Business install disc included
• Intel 802.11a/b/g draft n and Bluetooth 2.0
• Battery: 6-cell (44 WHr) high capacity Lithium-Ion
• Battery Life: Up to 5 hours and 30 minutes
• Power supply: External 65-watt Smart AC adapter, 6-foot (1.8-meter) power cord included. Total length including external AC adapter is 12 feet (3.66 meter). HP Fast Charge
• Weight: 3.7 lb (1.68 kg)
• Dimensions (w x d x h): 11.42×8.35×1.11 in (290.00×212.00×28.20 mm)

Security Management:

• HP ProtectTools Security Manager
• HP Fingerprint Sensor
• Configuration Control Hardware
• Memory Change Alert
• Ownership Tag
• Setup Password
• Power-On Password
• TPM 1.2 Embedded Security Chip (disabled where use is restricted by law)
• TPM Enhanced DriveLock (disabled where use is restricted by law)
• HP Disk Sanitizer
• HP 3D DriveGuard
• Kensington Lock Slot
• Windows Security Button (pen-activated Ctrl-Alt-Del)

External I/O Ports:

• 2 USB 2.0
• 1 1394a
• 1 Battery connector
• 1 Microphone In
• 1 Headphone/Line-out
• 1 Docking Connector

Rear I/O Ports:

• 1 RJ-45
• 1 RJ-11
• 1 External VGA Monitor
• 1 AC Power

Specifications:

• Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo 1.8Ghz
• Chipset: Mobile Intel® GM965
• Memory: 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (Operates at a maximum of 533 MHz with 667 MHz memory)
• Memory upgrade: Upgradeable to 4 GB maximum (2 GB SODIMM in slots 1 and 2)
• 120 GB 5400 rpm 1.8-inch PATA
• Display size: 12.1-inch diagonal Illumi-Lite, WXGA, UWVA anti-glare with Digitizer
• Graphics: Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, with up to 384 MB shared system memory Microsoft DirectX 9 capable
• Integrated camera: Integrated 2 MP camera (1600×1200 max resolution) on select models
• Network interface: Integrated Intel Gigabit Network Connection (10/100/1000 NIC)
• Modem: 56K V.92 modem
• Wireless: Intel 802.11a/b/g draft n; Intel 802.11a/b/g; Broadcom 802.11a/b/g; Bluetooth 2.0

Audio:

• High Definition Audio support w/24-bit DAC
• Integrated mono speaker
• Integrated microphone
• Touch-sensitive controls for volume up, volume down, and mute
• Stereo headphone/line out
• Stereo microphone in

Go to www.woot.com to order yours today!

General David McKiernan was “dismayed, disappointed, and more than a little embarrassed” when he was ousted as the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, he said at his retirement ceremony Wednesday at Fort McNair in Virginia.

McKiernan took over the post of International Security Assistance Force Commander in June 2008. Just a year into his appointment, however, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates asked for McKiernan’s resignation, citing a need for “new thinking and new ideas” in Afghanistan.

“If you had asked me 30 days ago if I would be here today at my retirement ceremony, I probably would have said no, maybe in a bit stronger terms. Make no mistake — I was dismayed, disappointed, and more than a little embarrassed,” McKiernan said.

After watching a YouTube video created by Martellus Bennett and his brother one can only think these guys have too much time on their hands. If you think about it a little longer you will conclude that they do not have sense enough to know they play right into the stereotypes they purport to want to dispel. Bennett and his brother recently posted a video entitled The Black Olympics.

Their games feature fried chicken eating, watermelon eating and Kool Aid drinking. “I don’t really think it’s offensive,” Bennett told Irvin. “It depends on your sense of humor and how you look at things. We were just having fun and it was very funny for me and my brothers, when I look at it I just can’t stop laughing. If someone takes offense, I apologize. That wasn’t my intention. It was just us having fun.” Bennett went on to say “There’s white comedians that do stuff like that all the time,” he said. “I think it’s funny to attack stereotypes. It’s funny how people just put people in a certain light and say that’s what all the people do of a certain race or particular person, so it’s fun to attack those stereotypes.”

I watched the video and I found it to simply be sad. Bennett needs to be held accountable. Far too often we give black people a pass on this kind of thing, but if the same video had been posted by white football players we would be speed dialing Al Sharpton. We would be demanding that the players undergo racial sensitivity training. These guys need to perhaps sit down with some of our elders that survived the struggles of segregation and learn a little something because this video clearly shows they have a lot to learn.

The 2009 ESPY Awards were shown on ESPN last night in Los Angeles. Here is the complete list of winners:

Special Awards
Arthur Ashe Courage Award: President Nelson Mandela
Jimmy V Award For Perseverance: Don Meyer, Northern State University coach
Best Comeback: Dara Torres, Olympic swimmer.

Best in Sport
Best Female Athlete: Nastia Liukin, Gymnastics
Best Male Athlete: Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming

Best Moment: US Swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay
Best Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Best Coach/Manager: Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers
Best Game: Steelers vs. Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII
Best Championship Performance: Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming
Best Play: Roethlisberger to Holmes Super Bowl Winning TD
Best Upset: US Soccer shocks Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Best Record Breaking Performance: Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming
Best Sports Movie: The Express: The Ernie Davis Story
Best Male College Athlete: Tim Tebow, Florida Football
Best Female College Athlete: Maya Moore, Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Best Male Athlete with a Disability: Jason Lester, Ironman Triathlete
Best Female Athlete with a Disability: Erin Popovich, Swimming
Best International Male Athlete: Usain Bolt (Jamaica, Sprinter)
Best International Female Athlete: Lorena Ochoa (Mexico, Golf)

Individual Sports
Best Baseball Player: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Best NBA Player: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Best WNBA Player: Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks
Best NFL Player: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Best NHL Player: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Best MLS Player: Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy
Best Male Action Sports Athlete: Shaun White, Skateboarding/Snowboarding
Best Female Action Sports Athlete: Maya Gabeira, Surfing
Best Bowler: Norm Duke
Best Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Best Fighter: Manny Pacquiao, Boxing
Best Male Golfer: Tiger Woods
Best Female Golfer: Lorena Ochoa
Best Jockey: Calvin Borel

The Mike O’Mera Show was an afternoon radio show on WJFK in Washington, D.C. On July 14th, 2009, CBS announced the station would change formats from talk to sports talk and the show would not carry over with the new format. This is sure to be very disappointing to fans that the show has been canceled.

Subscribe to our blog

The Bachelorette finale spoilers are coming out of the woodwork, if Bachelorette finale spoilers can even be believed. The Bachelorette finale spoilers are being leaked throughout the Internet, leaving aside whether these Bachelorette finale spoilers are real or not. However, The Bachelorette finale is still two weeks away, so people have a lot of time to dissect these supposed finale spoilers. With The Bachelorette finale set up last night, the spoilers will be off and running for the next two weeks.

In the next-to-last Bachelorette episode last night, Bachelorette Jillian Harris voted off Reid Rosenthal from the final three, leaving just two competitors left for the big finale. Kiptyn Locke and Ed Swiderski will be the finalists competing for The Bachelorette’s heart one last time.

However, next week ABC is just showing a Bachelorette special, dragging out the finale to another week. But by the time The Bachelorette finale airs in two weeks, fans may have already found out the end, if the finale spoilers are to be believed.

According to several spoiler reports, it is alleged that Ed Swiderski will win The Bachelorette and take Jillian’s heart. But as for Kiptyn Locke, he will win as well – by becoming the next Bachelor when that series returns to ABC.

Even Reid Rosenthal is not gone for good, as he is rumored to be the “shocking twist” in the Bachelorette finale. According to reports, Rosenthal will return to confess his love for Jillian Harris, only to get shot down.

The finale of The Bachelor shocked many, at least those who did not read finale spoilers. Jason Mesnick set tongues wagging when he revised his pick in the final ceremony, choosing runner up Molly Malaney over winner Melissa Rycroft. The Bachelorette finale spoilers do not indicate that such a reversal will be made this time, and Jillian Harris’s choice will be final.