Amaro to Serve as Boston Red Sox’s New First-Base Coach

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Rubén Amaro Jr. is heading back to the plate…

The 50-year-old part-Mexican and part-Cuban American former-professional-baseball-player-turned-general-manager will be making a rare transition in 2016.

The former Philadelphia Phillies general manager will return to the playing field as the Boston Red Sox‘s new first-base coach.

A baseball source confirmed the pending hiring, which was first reported Saturday by the Boston Globe.

Amaro took over as the Phillies’ GM shortly after the team won the 2008 World Series and held the role until September, when incoming president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail announced the club would not be renewing his contract.

The Phillies have hired Los Angeles Angels assistant GM Matt Klentak as Amaro’s replacement, a baseball source confirmed to ESPN.com, although they have yet to make a formal announcement.

Amaro, the son of former big leaguer Ruben Amaro Sr., spent eight years in the major leagues as an outfielder with the Angels, Phillies and Cleveland Indians. He was a .235 career hitter in 485 games with those three clubs from 1991-98.

Last month, Nick Cafardo of the Globe reported that Amaro had retained Bob Lamonte, a prominent agent for NFL coaches and executives, to help promote him as a potential GM or manager to MLB clubs.

Amaro replaces former Red Sox first-base coach Arnie Beyeler, who was not retained for the 2016 season.

Alonso Undergoes Surgery and Should Return for Play This Season

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like Kiko Alonso will be heading back on the field this season…

The 25-year-old Cuban/Colombian American linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee earlier this week and will be able to play again this season, according to an NFL source.

Alonso, who injured the knee in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, could return to the Eagles as early as a few weeks from now, the source told ESPN.

It was originally thought that Alonso had suffered a significant ACL tear, but further testing showed that was not the case.

The main reason he’s expected to play again this season is that there is good stability in his left ACL, the source said.

Eagles coach Chip Kelly said Wednesday that Alonso was rehabbing the knee and that the team would see him Friday.

Kelly has been asked a few times about the injury since Week 2, but only would say that Alonso had a sprain.

Rodriguez’s “Jane the Virgin” Returning to the CW on October 12

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez is bringing Virgin back one week earlier…

The CW’s comedy Monday lineup, including the 31-year-old Puerto Rican actress’ hit series Jane the Virgin, will launch a week earlier than originally planned.

Jane The Virgin will debut on Monday, October 12, instead of October 19 as previously announced, along with new hourlong comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

The decision was made after CW affiliates, including the station in the No. 1 market, New York, informed the network of NFL pre-emptions on October 19.

Feeling that it was crucial to make the two premieres available to all fans for sampling on opening night, the CW moved them up a week.

Episode 2 of both shows will now air on October 19.

Guardado Leads Mexico to 3-1 Win Over Jamaica in CONCACAF Gold Cup Title Match

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Andrés Guardado is returning south of the border as Mexico’s new soccer hero…

The 28-year-old Mexican futbol player, who plays for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven and the Mexico national team, scored his fourth goal of the knockout rounds to help propel Mexico to its seventh CONCACAF Gold Cup title Sunday with a 3-1 victory over upstart Jamaica.

Jesus Corona and Oribe Peralta contributed goals as El Tri scored twice early in the second half to ensure this match wouldn’t come down to any calls in the final minutes.

It was a convincing performance for coach Miguel Herrera and his team after some rough play and contentious moments in the previous two games.

Jamaica had made a rousing run to the final, stunning the U.S. in the semis to become the first Caribbean nation to reach the Gold Cup’s championship match. And they looked as though they belonged in the opening minutes, keeping the pressure on Mexico with several promising scoring chances but never putting a shot on goal.

Jamaica hadn’t trailed since early in the second half of its Gold Cup opener before a yellow card helped lead to Mexico’s first goal.

Darren Mattocks scored in the 80th minute to pull the Reggae Boyz within 3-1.

El Tri will face the U.S., the 2013 Gold Cup champions, on October 9 for CONCACAF’S spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.

The only way Mexico had been able to score in the knockout rounds before Sunday had been on penalty kicks, all three by Guardado. And two of those came on late, questionable calls.

Against Costa Rica in the quarterfinals, a scoreless game was moments from going to a shootout when Guardado converted his penalty in the final minute of extra time. Mexico had been the better team that day, but that wasn’t the case in the semifinals. Down to 10 men, Panama was on the verge of victory when a disputed hand ball set up a penalty for Guardado in second-half stoppage time, and he scored on another for the winner in extra time.

Mexico had gone 272 minutes since one of its players scored on anything other than a penalty when Guardado put El Tri ahead for good Sunday. Jonathan dos Santos found Paul Aguilar out wide on a free kick, and Aguilar crossed it to Guardado, whose left-footed volley made it 1-0 in the 31st minute. It was his sixth goal of the tournament, one behind Clint Dempsey of the U.S.

Guardado came off to a thunderous ovation from the pro-Mexico crowd of 68,930 at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL‘s Philadelphia Eagles.

Alba to Make Cameo Appearance in “Entourage” Film

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jessica Alba is joining an extra special entourage…

The 33-year-old half-Mexican-American actress is set to make a cameo appearance in the highly anticipated Entourage movie.

Nearly 5-years after the HBO series ended its run, Vinnie Chase and his posse are coming back. As this new trailer reveals Vince, Turtle, Drama, E and former super agent and now studio boss Ari Gold are back and larger than ever on the big screen.

The Warner Bros. film looks to be living up to its tagline of “Dream Large. Live Larger.” In addition to original cast members Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, and Jeremy Piven, the film also stars Alba, NFLers Russell Wilson and Tom Brady Liam Neeson, Voice coach and mega-producer Pharrell, Star Trek’s George Takei, Andrew Dice Clay, beloved billionaire Warren Buffett, Armie Hammer, Kelsey Grammer and Modern Family’s Ed O’Neil.

The Entourage movie opens in theaters on June 5.

Romo Rallies the Dallas Cowboys in Final Minutes to Beat the New York Giants

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Tony Romo has a giant(s) second half to lead his team to victory…

The 34-year-old Mexican American Dallas Cowboys quarterback made critical plays in the second half to beat the New York Giants on Sunday night.

Romo threw two touchdown passes to Dez Bryant, the winner from 13 yards with 1:01 remaining, lifting the Cowboys to a comeback 31-28 victory.

“You gain an understanding that you’re never really out of it,” Romo said. “You are comfortable being in uncomfortable situations. That comes from having been through it and going out and finding a way to win. Once you do that a few times, the team can believe in that.”

Romo could’ve written a book on winning drives while staging this one; he never was pressured in leading the Cowboys 80 yards to the winning score.

“Any time you’re afforded the amount of time at the end of the game, it’s huge,” he said. “They (the offensive line) are a special group of guys who work their butts off and deserve a lot of credit for this game and this season.”

Romo threw for two TDs in the third quarter and Barry Church‘s interception helped turn things around for the Cowboys. But the Giants (3-8), trailing 24-21, staged a 93-yard drive capped by Adrien Robinson‘s first career TD catch. That 1-yard score with 3 minutes remaining could’ve snapped New York’s slide that now stands at six losses.

Dallas (8-3) roared back. Romo found Bryant in the back of the end zone to win it, setting up an NFC East showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving Day for first place.

“Now we have another challenge coming up real quick,” Romo said. “Philly is playing great football so we’re going to have to play better than we did tonight to win that game.”

Dallas, which was treated to chants of “Let’s Go Cowboys!” in the second half from hundreds of fans in Cowboys garb, is 5-0 on the road. New York was eliminated from division contention.

Romo was 18-of-26 for 275 yards and never appeared bothered by back problems that sidelined him for one of the Cowboys’ defeats this year.

Rivera to Compete on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” This January

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Geraldo Rivera will be reporting for apprentice duty in early 2015…

The long-in-the-can seventh installment of NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice, with the 71-year-old half-Puerto Rican talk show host among the competitors, will premiere on January 4 in the reality series’ previous time slot, Sunday 9:00-11:00 pm.

The Donald Trump-created series will then move into its new time slot, Monday 8-10 pm ET, filling in for The Voice while the singing competition is on winter hiatus.

The network also officially revealed the celebrity cast of Season 7 that will join Donald Trump and his children Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric in the boardroom.

In addition to Rivera, this installment includes two-time World Series champion Johnny Damon; actor/comedian Gilbert Gottfried; Deadliest Catch star Sig Hansen, musician Kevin Jonas; actor Lorenzo Lamas; NFL great Terrell Owens; actor Ian Ziering; Gold Medal Olympic snowboarder Jamie Anderson; actress Vivica A. Fox; TV host Leeza Gibbons; reality star Brandi Glanville; reality star Kate Gosselin; Olympics gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson; reality star Kenya Moore; and actress Keshia Knight Pulliam.

Taking a page from the playbook of ABC, which announces the celebrity casts of Dancing With The Stars on Good Morning America, the cast of The Celebrity Apprentice was unveiled on Today.

Escobar Shines in the Dallas Cowboys Victory Over the New York Giants

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a memorable NFL Sunday for Gavin Escobar with the Sporting News asking if he could be “the Cowboys next big thing.”

The 23-year-old half-Puerto Rican professional football player – a second-year tight end for Dallas – logged the first two-touchdown game of his NFL career on Sunday in his team’s 31-21 over the New York Giants, including a spectacular grab between defenders on his second touchdown of the day.

Escobar’s first scoring catch came in the first quarter, when he caught a 15 year pass from Tony Romo to give the Cowboys the first points of the game.

No. 89 then followed it up with his second score of the game in the third quarter with a spectacular catch in the end zone to break a 14-14 tie.

By the end of Dallas’ win, Escobar had a more impressive stat line (3 catches, 65 yards, 21.7 average, 2 TDs) than fellow tight end Jason Witten (2 catches, 27 yards, 13.5 avg., 0 TDs). Plus, Escobar was targeted three times, one more than Witten.

After the game, tight ends coach Mike Pope, fired by the Giants’ Tom Coughlin last winter, was given the game ball.

“You know he was loving this,” Escobar told reporters.

Escobar’s improved performance comes after ESPN reported that his role in the Cowboys offense was decreasing. But it looks like the second-round draft pick is stepping up his game in the face of adversity.

In the past couple weeks, Escobar has risen to the occasion in crucial moments for Romo, and has a good chance of becoming a key component of the team’s offense moving forward. He has found the end zone three times in two weeks, and clearly has the trust of Romo.

As a result, the San Diego State University product has been rewarded with more playing time by head coach Jason Garrett, and now he’s being heralded as the Cowboys next big thing.

Romo Helps the Dallas Cowboys Roar Back to Beat the St. Louis Rams

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Tony Romo is Dallas’ “Comeback King”…

The 34-year-old Mexican American NFL quarterback stayed cool, calm and collected in the late stretch to help lead his Dallas Cowboys to a massive come-from-behind win against the St. Louis Rams.

“No one ever comes that wide open,” Romo said of his 68-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant that was among the big plays that helped the Cowboys erase a 21-0 deficit and stun the Rams 34-31 on Sunday. “You want to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

Romo’s impressive performance down the stretch help the team match its biggest comeback in franchise history, and helped give him his own franchise best record.

The Cowboys (2-1) had plenty of time to chip away, and no one panicked about the cushion they’d spotted the Rams.

“We never blinked, I can honestly say that,” Bryant said.

Romo has 21 comeback victories in the fourth quarter or overtime, a franchise best.

“Tony went out there and did what Tony do,” Bryant said. “He was poised and he knew what he wanted to do.”

Terrance Williams scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and Bruce Carter returned an interception 25 yards for a TD on the next snap, capping the rally.

DeMarco Murray‘s 1-yard run late in the first half began the comeback.

Dallas also rallied from a 21-point deficit in 1984 against the New Orleans Saints and 1999 against the Washington Redskins, although both of those wins came in overtime.

It tied the second-largest lead blown by the Rams (1-2), who slowed Murray but got burned everywhere else. Among other breakdowns was a flubbed snap by center Scott Wells, who didn’t realize Austin Davis was in the shotgun, resulting in a lost fumble, and a. They settled for a field goal.

“I feel like I let this game slip through my hands and it’s my fault,” said Jared Cook, who dropped a touchdown pass that could have put the Rams up 28-21

Romo was 4 for 5 for 40 yards and scrambled 16 yards on third-and-13 on the go-ahead drive. His second-half play overshadowed a third costly INT of the year.

“We were able to execute under pressure or whatever you want to say, blah, blah, blah,” Romo said. “We got it done.”

Bündchen: The World’s Top-Earning Model of 2014

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no doubt Gisele Bündchen is a top model…

The 33-year-old Brazilian supermodel has been declared the highest-earning model of 2014, according to Forbes.

The financial magazine estimates Bündchen’s fortune at “$47 million before taxes and fees in the last 12 months.”

It’s the eighth year in a row that Bündchen, who was named the new face of Chanel No. 5 in May, has topped the list of top-earning models.

Bündchen’s lucrative contracts with fashion brands like H&M and Chanel, as well asgigs with Pantene, have helped her build a massive empire.

Bündchen, who is married to NFL quarterback Tom Brady, far outpaced the next highest-earning models, Doutzen Kroes and Adriana Lima, whose earnings were pegged at $8 million each.

Lima, a Victoria’s Secret Angel since 2000, is the lingerie giant’s longest-running model.

The two Kates — Kate Moss and Kate Upton — Miranda Kerr and Liu Wen all pulled in $7 million.

Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl Upton is the highest-earning newcomer on the list.

Meanwhile, Alessandra Ambrosio comes in at No. 8 on the list. With her own clothing line and deals with H&M and Victoria’s Secret, the Brazilian supermodel raked in $5 million in 2014.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: NFL