Queen of Sports

Prince Fielder Signs $214-Million Deal With Detroit Tigers

Free agent first baseman Prince Fielder has just become the fourth man in MLB history to sign a contract worth more than $200 million.

The former Milwaukee Brewers player agreed to a nine-year deal with the Tigers yesterday after having spent his entire career with the Brewers. Fielder is a three-time All-Star who hit .299 with 38 home runs and 120 runs batted last season.

Fielder joins the above $200 million club which already consists of Alex Rodriguez and his 10-year $275 million deal with the Yankees, $252 million deal with the Rangers, and Albert Pujols‘ recently signed 10-year contract with the Angels worth $240 million.

Athletes In Costume

Happy Halloween! Many athletes have been getting into the Halloween spirit, dressing up and sharing the pictures on Twitter. Here’s a round-up of a few athletes in costume:

Carmelo Anthony and son Kiyan both put on scary silver masks, but Kiyan’s trick-or-treating costume was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Shaquille O’Neal posted this “Happy Halloween” message on Twitter via Tout.

New York Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire dressed up as King Solomon.

Phoenix Coyotes hockey player Raffi Torres caught some criticism for his Jay-Z costume, complete with a “pregnant” Beyonce sidekick (his wife), because of his use of face paint.

Where’s Waldo? Rick Fox dressed up as Waldo while wife Eliza Dushku was Carmen Sandiego.

Happy Halloween from Queen of Sports. If you’re dressing up tonight as an athlete, send us your pictures and we will post them here on the site!

All photos: via Twitter

Sneak Peak Of “Bodies We Want” From ESPN The Mag

In anticipation of ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue hitting shelves this Friday, ESPN has posted a gallery of their “Bodies We Want 2011″ photos on their website.

Some of the athletes who posed nude for the photos (in strategic poses to cover any parts that could make the photos X-rated) provided commentary and some behind-the-scenes footage of their shoots. To check out behind-the-scenes videos from Blake Griffin, Gretchen Bleiler, and Jose Reyes, go here.

Photo: ESPN The Magazine

All About The Ring

The guys over at Funny or Die put together this pretty funny video aligning sports with getting engaged. Our favorite part is the end scene showing the women celebrating their friends engagement. Very clever.

Check it out:

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Shaquille O’Neal May Be Joining ‘Inside The NBA’ Crew On TNT

TNT has not yet confirmed the hiring, but according to sports business insider Darren Rovell of CNBC, Shaquille O’Neal has agreed to join the cast of “Inside The NBA” on TNT. Currently, the analysts on the show include Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith. O’Neal has been joking since his retirement that he’s “coming for” Johnson’s job.

The addition of O’Neal will be interesting in terms of the chemistry between he and Barkley. Barkley’s loud personality along with O’Neal’s could either work great or be a disaster. Stay tuned.

Photo: PRN / PR Photos

American Desiree Davila Finishes Boston Marathon In Record Time

American runner Desiree Davila may not have won the Boston Marathon, but she still a broke a record. Davila finished the marathon with the best time ever achieved by an American woman. She finished in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 38 seconds, just 2 seconds behind Kenyan winner Caroline Kilel. Davila was attempting to become the first American woman to win the marathon since 1985. The total prize money purse for the Boston Marathon is $806,000.

In the men’s races: Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai won, beating the former world record and all previous course records. He is taking home $225,000 in prize money.

Tiki Barber and Plaxico Burress Returning To Football- Who Will Sign Them?

Both Tiki Barber and Plaxico Burress were New York Giants players who left under less-than ideal circumstances. Tiki Barber announced his retirement suddenly, to the surprise of the Giants team and fans, in 2006. After retirement, Barber called out ex-teammate and Giants quarterback Eli Manning, questioning his leadership skills. Barber pursued a career in broadcasting following his retirement, but just yesterday filed paperwork to come out of retirement. While the Giants still retain the rights to Barber, the Giants plan on releasing him once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached. Barber turns 36 next month.

Plaxico Burress, on the other hand, was suspended without pay in 2008 following the now infamous incident that took place at a New York nightclub when he shot himself in the leg. Burress was sent to prison on weapons charges and will be released in June. Burress will turn 34 the following month. He was officially released from the Giants in 2009, so he will be on the market when he gets out of prison.

Both players are in their mid-30′s and come with some baggage in terms of their past behavior. However, they both made a significant impact on football during their careers: Burress caught the game-winning touchdown for the Giants in Super Bowl XLII and Barber became the all-time leader in rushing yards in Giants history during his career. So who will sign these two? Michael Vick, in his early 30s was able to make a comeback so maybe one of these two can also?

Iran Considers 2012 London Olympics Logo ‘Racist’

Iran has warned of a possible boycott of the Olympic games following objections to the 2012 logo they say is racist because it appears to spell out “Zion.” Zion is a biblical term sometimes used to refer to the Israeli capital of Jerusalem. Iran believes the use of the disguised word represents a pro-Israeli conspiracy. If Olympic organizers do not replace the logo, a jagged representation of the year 2012, the Iranian government says it will boycott the games. The logo, which was unveiled in 2007, has been said to represent a number of things including a swastika, but the IOC stands by the logo’s intended meaning, stating, “The London 2012 logo represents the figure 2012, nothing else.”

Joe Flacco Does Polar Bear Plunge For Charity

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco joined 16,000 other people this weekend at the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland to jump into 32 degree water. Flacco and the others are not insane they were actually helping to raise money for the Special Olympics Marlyand. The annual Polar Bear Plunge event raised over $3 million in its 15th year. Flacco was the headliner of the event, and was joined by Pauly D from MTV’s Jersey Shore who was on the 1′s and 2′s. Pictured above is, ironically, Flacco this past Halloween dressed as a Jersey Shore dude.

Photo: Twitter

Power Balance Releases Statement About Bad Press

We told you about the corrective advertisement Power Balance was forced to release in Australia. The large amount of bad press about the company following the release of the statement on the company’s Australian website was followed up by a class action law suit filed in the US that claims consumers were mislead about the wristbands supposed benefits.

The bad press led the company’s President, Keith Kato, to respond. Kato said in the statement, “Power Balance stands by our products. Millions of people around the globe are wearing Power Balance products and are thrilled with the results. Dozens of high profile professional athletes swear by the results they’ve experienced from wearing our products. CNBC recently named Power Balance as the “Sports Product of the Year for 2010.” Our bracelet was also one of Amazon’s ‘Top 5 Best Sellers’ during the recent holiday shopping season. We are the clear leader in the market for performance technology accessories and we owe it all to our customers who wear and believe in the product.”

He goes on to say that contrary to what’s been said in the press, Power Balance had made no claims that their products are ineffective. The class action lawsuit is asking for $5 million from the company to right their wrongs.