Queen of Sports

Athlete Sighting: Matt Kemp

Los Angeles Dodger slugger Matt Kemp was spotted at The Grove in Los Angeles today taping an appearance for the entertainment show EXTRA.

Nice shades Matt!

Photo: WENN

Dodgers Hold Press Conference Announcing Matt Kemp’s Eight-Year Deal

Matt Kemp shook hands with the most hated LA sports owner, Frank McCourt, this weekend at a press conference at Dodgers Stadium announcing the landmark eight-year $160 million deal between the team and the slugger.

Concerns about how a bankrupt team can afford to pay a player so much were addressed by Kemp’s agent who told reporters Kemp will take less payment in the first year of his deal to provide the club with more flexibility to bid on some of the top free agents in the market.

Kemp said in the press conference, “Another eight years in LA. That sounds good. I love this city and the fans. I definitely want to spend the rest of my career here. I know how unbelievable LA is when you’re winning baseball games.”

Photo: PRK/PR Photos

Matt Kemp Agrees To $160 Million Deal With Dodgers

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp has agreed to a deal that will become the most expensive in team and NL history. The 8-year, $160 million deal is equal to Mark Teixeira‘s deal with the Yankees which is the fifth-richest contract ever signed.

Ironically, the Dodgers are in bankruptcy and are up for sale. However, moves made by the Dodgers do not have to be approved by the federal court handling its bankruptcy case. Creditors could object to the large sum of money being paid, however that’s unlikely considering the players’ union is one of the co-chairs of the creditor’s committee.

The deal will be officially announced either today or tomorrow.

When  he was asked if he had considered signing with any big money teams on the East Coast, Kemp replied, “The East Coast, to me, it’s too cold over there, man. I like the West Coast. The West Coast is sunny.”

Photo: Image of Sport / PR Photos

Dodgers And Red Sox Dominate In Gold Glove Awards

The Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers were both big winners in the 2011 Gold Glove awards, winning the most titles of any team in their respective leagues.

Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier of the Dodgers were all named NL Gold Glove winners, while Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, and Jacob Ellsbury of the Red Sox were named AL Gold Glove winners.

Other winners in the American League: Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox, Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles, Erick Aybar of the Los Angeles Angels, Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers, Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals, and Nick Markakis of the Orioles.

In the National League, winners were: Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips of the Cincinnati Reds, Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies, Placido Polanco of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Gerardo Parra of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The award is given to individual players who show excellent fielding performance in their respective fielding position. The managers and coaches of each league vote, but managers can not vote for their own players.

Rihanna Back With Matt Kemp?

Rihanna has been linked to two different boxers in recent weeks. She’s been seen out with Dudley O’Shaugnessy and more recently David Haye.

The pop star showed up to Stringfellow’s Gentlemen’s Club in London with Haye, but rumors the two have been dating were quelled when Rihanna got into a car to leave. Former beau and Dodgers star Matt Kemp was sitting in the front seat.

Now that Kemp is in the off-season he must have some time to try to work things out with RiRi again.

Photo: source

ESPY Men On The Red Carpet!

Athletes and entertainers collided last night at the Nokia Theater at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles. The 19th annual ESPY awards brought everyone together to celebrate the past year in sports. The red carpet was littered with media all vying for a shot and interview with an athlete or celebrity. Here are some of the highlights from the red carpet!

2011 Heisman winner Cam Newton looking very studious on the red carpet:

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook:

NBA Champion, Dallas Maverick center Tyson Chandler looking dashing:

Denver Broncos player Tim Tebow:

Super Bowl Champions, Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers:

NBA Rookie of the Year and Los Angeles Clipper Blake Griffin:

Los Angeles Laker forward Matt Barnes:

Los Angeles Dodger slugger Matt Kemp:

Stanley Cup winner, Boston Bruin Tim Thomas:

Looking good fellas! For a complete list of the ESPY winners, click here.

Photos: PR Photos

2011 MLB All-Star Game Final Voting In Effect

Voting for the 2011 MLB All-Star Game is almost closed. Baseball fans get the last say in choosing the final player for each league’s roster. The All-Star Game is less than a week away. Taking place at Phoenix’s Chase Field this year on July 12, the game will feature some of the league’s best players from Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz to Matt Kemp and Jose Reyes.

Players nominated for the final spot on the roster in the American League are: Alex Gordon, Adam Jones, Paul Konerko, Victor Martinez, and Ben Zorbist. For the National Leagure, nominees are: Andre Ethier, Todd Helton, Ian Kennedy, Michael Morse, and Shane Victorino.

Vote here and don’t forget to tune in to the game next week!

Gene Simmons Throws Out First Pitch At Dodgers Game

KISS bassist and star of his own reality show Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels, Gene Simmons, threw out the first pitch at yesterday’s Dodgers game against the New York Mets. Simmons’ longtime girlfriend, Shannon Tweed was there along with the couple’s daughter Sophie.

Simmons gave the horns while posing with Matt Kemp who followed along sheepishly.

Photo: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Hot Or Not: Matt Kemp

Photo: Image of Sport / PR Photos

Matt Kemp has had his fair share of the spotlight this past year after dating pop sensation and style icon Rihanna. However, despite all the media attention, people don’t know much about the man in blue who Dodgers fans call “The Bison”. So, let us teach you. His nickname “The Bison” comes from Atlanta Braves television announcer Don Sutton who said during Kemp’s second major league game of his career that Kemp looked “like a big buffalo running around the bases.” Matt Kemp is 6’3″ and 225 pounds and can run fast; hence the analogy. The word “buffalo” was changed to “bison” and the moniker stuck.

Matt Kemp is 26 years old, he was born in Oklahoma and played both baseball and basketball in high school. He was teammates with Candace Parker’s husband and Denver Nuggets player Shelden Williams on his high school’s varsity basketball team. Kemp lives in L.A. now, and is a Lakers fan.

So, what do you think? Now that Matt Kemp is a single man is he hot, or not?

Rihanna And Matt Kemp Part Ways

Pop star Rihanna and Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp were together for a year: longer than most had anticipated the romance would last. Rihanna was bouncing back from an abusive relationship with pop star Chris Brown. Us Magazine is reporting that over the last few weeks the couple decided to call it quits due to Rihanna’s “crazy travel schedule” which Kemp had a hard time dealing with. “Matt’s sick of always following after her like a puppy dog all over the world,” a source told the magazine. “He wants something more normal.” Rihanna was spotted partying until the early morning on Wednesday with friends at a locals club in her hometown of Barbados. We’re sad to see this stylish pair have split but maybe Kemp does deserve a little more normalcy when it comes to romance.

Photo: Splash News