Archive for August 31st, 2011

WATERCOOLER CHAT: LEBRON & DURANT IN LOCAL GAME, GORE GETS CONTRACT, DOLPHINS’ GIMMICK

BASKETBALL

It was a very exciting local game for the natives of Baltimore. On the court of hometown Morgan State, LeBron, Carmelo, Chris Paul, and Kevin Durant all came to play.  And keep in mind that these teams were comprised of local players.  One day you’re shooting around in the gym, and the next your dishing it off to LeBron James.  One team had Kevin Durant (a Baltimore native) and the other team was completely stacked.  Granted, there wasn’t much defense on display, save for the one-on-one matchups between the stars, so it was pretty much a dunk fest.  Kevin Durant scored 59 on the night, but it wasn’t enough to top his peers.  After the game, the stars said it was a great time and they hoped to do it again soon.  LeBron’s Team 149, Durant’s Team 141.

FOOTBALL

And in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers have finally shored up a major problem.  Throughout training camp, long-time 49er running-back Frank Gore has complained about a contract extension.  Gore has been a productive running back for the Niners since 2006.  But, like most star players, he wanted an extension.  New head coach Jim Harbaugh has many problems to worry about heading into the season.  Panicking about whether or not his powerful running-back would be on the field come Week 1 is not something he had time to think about.  So Tuesday the Niners organization gave Gore a three-year $21 million contract extension.  That will put him in a good mood, and make him ready for the season.  Unfortunately for San Fran, they have some serious problems at quarterback.  They’re going into the season with Alex Smith at the helm… again.  In case they didn’t realize… that doesn’t work.

Finally, some more interesting news out of the NFL.  Since the Miami Dolphins are not doing well financially, they are pulling out all stops to bring fans into the stadium.  Their latest gimmick:  Honoring the University of Florida’s 2008 National Championship Team — a team that included golden boy Tim Tebow.  This ceremony will conveniently take place when Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos visit Miami.  It’s a nice gesture, and should pull all the die-hard Florida Gator fans to the stadium, but this PR gimmick has seriously annoyed one specific college: The University of Miami.  Sure Miami has been in some hot water as of late, but it’s kind of a slap in the face that the Florida Gators will be honored in the stadium that the Hurricanes play in.  They are quite sore about that considering these two teams are bitter rivals.  Then again, to the Dolphins, it’s all about bringing in fans.

 

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