the buzz log
Two Strikes for Clemens?
And the hits keep on coming. Not for country crooner Mindy McCready, who last topped the charts in 1996, but rather for pitcher Roger Clemens, whose reputation continues to take a beating in the press.
Mr. Clemens, already in hot water for alleged steroid use, has been accused of additional off-the-field shenanigans. Earlier this week, the New York Daily News reported that Mr. Clemens had a decade-long affair with Ms. McCready. Ms. McCready, more known for her brushes with the law than her singing, was 15 when the supposed affair started. Clemens was 28, married, and had two kids.
Mr. Clemens has denied the rumors, saying the two are just friends. Alas, those dismissals have done little to stop the buzz. Searches on both parties have skyrocketed and several articles speculating on the possible impact of the allegations have rocketed to the top of the Buzz.
A piece from People.com explains that Ms. McCready has admitted to the relationship with Clemens. "I can't refute anything in the story," she says. Still, some doubt her sincerity. An article from the New York Post mentions her need for a comeback. Could this be the first step?
No matter what the motives, no matter what the truth, these unseemly accusations are likely to stay with Mr. Clemens for a long time. And the hits keep on coming...
Filed under: Baseball Players
Mitchell Report Rocks MLB
His judgment cometh, and that right soon. -- The Shawshank Redemption
After 20 months worth of interviews and investigations, former senator George Mitchell presented his report on steroid use among Major League Baseball players.
In the days leading up to the big reveal, searches on the touchy topic arched upwards. Following the report's publication on Thursday, lookups on the accused players surged to new heights.
So, which players are listed on the "PDF heard 'round the world"? Roger Clemens was called out, rocketing his searches upwards. Other notable big leaguers include Miguel Tejada, Eric Gagne, Gary Sheffield, and Andy Pettitte. Retired players David Justice, Mo Vaughn, and Kevin Brown were also mentioned. Not surprisingly, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco were listed as well.
Stay tuned to the Buzz as we're sure the report's effect on Search has just begun.
Filed under: Drugs, MLB, Baseball Players
Everyone Loves Ellsbury
Already a fast food folk hero, Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury bashed the Buzz this weekend after helping his team win the World Series. It was Ellsbury's stolen base in Game 2 of the Series that earned every person in America a free taco, and his thievery led to big spikes for the cheesy chain. Searches on "taco bell," "taco bell locations," and "taco bell free taco" are still sizzling in Search thanks to Ellsbury's basepath derring-do.
In games three and four of the Series, the young Sox star busted out his bat and etched his name into postseason lore. The 24-year-old rookie played like a seasoned vet and scored with folks curious about his backstory. Searches on the speedy outfielder jumped 160% after the Red Sox clinched the crown. Female fans are curious about his love life. We weren't able to track down any hard evidence of a lady friend, but undaunted searchers looked for "jacoby ellsbury girlfriend."
Red Sox Nation's cult hero of 2007 also owns another unique claim to fame. He's the first person of Navajo descent to play in the majors, and his heritage led to queries on "jacoby ellsbury navajo" and "jacoby ellsbury bio."
And with searches on "jacoby ellsbury shirtless" and "jacoby ellsbury jersey" on the rise, we can tell that the man who earned tacos for a nation has also earned a permanent spot in the hearts of searchers.
Filed under: Sports, Baseball, MLB, Baseball Players
Bonds Buzz Not So Big
Searches on Barry Bonds jumped by 51% after the beleaguered basher tied the all-time home run mark with his 755th blast. Even so, the momentum wasn't enough to lift the buff slugger into our top 10 sports searches. Perhaps his prickly personality is the reason for the reticence, but whatever the case, more folks searched on Formula One and the X Games over the weekend than the presumptive home run king.
The ongoing slog toward immortality (or infamy?) has been tarnished by the taint of performance enhancing chatter, but searches perked up a bit when the burly slugger finally crushed the record-tying homer. Queries on "barry bonds 755 home run" (+160%), "barry bonds career stats" (+75%), and "barry bonds rookie card" (+63%) all rounded the bags of Buzz. But those searchers were counter-balanced by lookups on "barry bonds steroids" and "barry bonds before and after."
Bonds' run for the record has resulted in one positive—revived Buzz on Hammerin' Hank Aaron. The legendary Braves slugger who's held the home run title for over thirty years has been the subject of intense search interest. Queries on Aaron jumped 81% after Bonds tied his mark and related searches on "hank aaron stats," "hank aaron home run record," and "henry aaron."
Filed under: Sports, Baseball, Barry Bonds, MLB, Baseball Players
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nidal Malik Hasan | Breakout! |
| 2 | Fort Hood Shooting | Breakout! |
| 3 | Tyrannosaurus Rex | Breakout! |
| 4 | Fort Hood | 43518% |
| 5 | Tropical Storm Ida | 4377% |
| 6 | Willie Aames | 3325% |
| 7 | Shannon Dedrick | 3299% |
| 8 | Gretchen Rossi | 2702% |
| 9 | Epic Mickey | 2583% |
| 10 | Lee Harvey Oswald | 1907% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danica Patrick | +194 | 207 |
| 2 | Fort Hood | +185 | 185 |
| 3 | Angelina Jolie | +114 | 164 |
| 4 | Rihanna | +39 | 157 |
| 5 | New York Yankees | +54 | 154 |
| 6 | Alicia Keys | +139 | 153 |
| 7 | +1 | 153 | |
| 8 | NFL | +6 | 138 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.