Archive for February, 2015

Peyton Manning May Be Back, Cowboys Mull Re-Signing Dez Bryant

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Peyton Manning At the end of the season, rumors were swirling that 39 year old Denver Broncos’ QB Peyton Manning would retire. According to sources with knowledge of the workings of the Broncos’ organization, it looks like Manning will be back. GM John Elway will likely need to renegotiate Elway’s contract to free up some salary cap money and, of course, Elway will need to pass his physical on March 5th, but looks like the highest paid player in football history will be back on the gridiron.  Manning has broken most NFL record for a QB but still wants at least one more shot of winning the Super Bowl!

The Dallas Cowboys are still mulling whether to take a risk on re-signing receiver Dez Bryant. Bryant was cleared in a 2011 incident in a Walmart parking lot at 6:00 am where his girlfriend was dragged across the pavement. It’s unclear whether Bryant was the one dragging her. He was also arrested for allegedly striking his mother in 2012.

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Lebron James Jr Recruited For College At Age 10, Louisville Guard Thrown Off Team For Rape And Sodomy

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Lebron James JrLebron James’ son is getting recruitment letters and even scholarship offers from college. Not a big surprise, but wait, he’s only 10 years old. Watch this highlight video and you’ll see the talent.

In college basketball news, Louisville Cardinals guard Chris Jones was officially thrown off the team for rape and sodomy charges. The alleged assaults against two different women took place on Saturday night and one of the women was hospitalized. Coach Rick Pitino and the University immediately dismissed him from the team. There is currently a warrant out for his arrest.

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Browns’ New Logo Is Boring, Olbermann Suspended For Pitiful Penn State Comment

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Browns' LogoCleveland Browns’ fans lit up twitter feeds with complaints that the Brown’s new logo is boring. The organization explained the new logo by stating that “The orange is brighter and richer and matches the passion of our fans and city. The brown is unchanged.” Hmmm…looks just as boring as the old logo but someone took a lot of time picking out what they thought were the best shades of orange and brown.

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Speaking of twitter, ESPN sportcaster Keith Olbermann has been suspended from his show for a week after his tweets caused a bit of a backlash. Olbermann called Penn State students “pitiful” after they tweeted that they had raised over $13 million for pediatric cancer research. In another exchange he tweeted  “At this rate your diploma won’t be recognized, Moron” and then “get your $ back – you didn’t learn how to read. PSU students are pitiful because they’re PSU students – period” ESPN sent out a statement distancing itself from Olbermann’s views. Even though Olbermann won’t be coming in to work for the week, he is still getting paid. Kind of sounds like vacation not suspension to me……

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Moncada Going To Red Sox, Panthers Part With Williams, Michael Sam In Dancing With Stars

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In a follow-up story about the big bidding war over Cuban baseball phenom Yoan Moncada, it appears that there is now a winner for his services.  It costs them just over $61million dollars, but the Boston Red Sox have won the rights to this incredible 19-year old switch hitter.  Years ago the Yankees would have paid an exorbitant salary for a player like this, but they have been slow to overpay for players in the modern day.  In fact, the Yanks are sort of going the way of the Kansas City Royals, developing their young talent and hoping to compete.  Moncada should be an instant jolt to a Red Sox club that had a lackluster season in 2014. Red Sox fans are thrilled.  Sure, he will play in the minors for a bit, but if he makes an impact at that level, he will be brought up to the big league.

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The Carolina Panthers have decided to part ways with their longtime running back DeAngelo Williams.  Williams was at one time the hero of many fantasy football teams, and it’s likely that he has just a little left in the tank.  There may be a team out there that can use his services.  He’s over 30 now, and will be fighting the perception that he’s “done”, but a team like the Patriots could use an occasional burst of speed now and then.
Dancing with the StarsFinally, the first openly gay athlete to ever be drafted in the NFL, Michael Sam, may not have ever made an official team roster, but that doesn’t mean that he is leaving the spotlight.  It looks like Michael Sam will join Dancing With The Stars next season.  I’m sure he’d rather be playing on a team next season, but maybe if he stays in the spotlight, a team might come calling.

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Kurt Busch Domestic Violence, Lebron Sets Another Record, Yoan Moncada Bids Skyrocketing

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Kurt BuschStar driver Kurt Busch has been suspended by the league for a serious domestic violence charge.  He is one of the best drivers in the sport, who had a fantastic, wholesome image, but clearly we don’t know everyone’s true character.  Busch is awaiting a sentencing and will have to undergo a lot of therapy sessions. As of now, there is no timetable set for his return.

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In the NBA, LeBron James set another landmark this weekend, passing Allen Iverson, and moving to #22 on the all-time scoring list.  It will be interesting to see how high LeBron can climb on this list assuming that he has at least 5 – 7 good years left in his career.  LeBron has become quite the team player at this stage of his career, and that could seriously affect how many points he scores.  He is focused primarily on winning championships, not personal stats.

BASEBALL

The game has become all about international scouting — primarily in Latin American countries.  There is a phenom named Yoan Moncada in Cuba, and teams are salivating to get their hands on him. Bids for Moncada have eclipsed $20,000,000.  According to reports, the teams most interested are the Yankees, Red Sox, and Padres.  The Padres could use a star player in their city just to draw some attention to their otherwise invisible ball club.  This guy must be truly amazing to garner so much money before ever playing a major league game.

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NBA Trade Mania, Raiders And Chargers Want Stadium In LA

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In the NBA, just hours before the trade deadline, we saw a volcano of trades.  It went from being quiet to seemingly every player in the NBA switching teams.  Here are the major headlines:

Kevin Garnett is headed back to Minnesota where he will act as a mentor to a group of young players.  This way he can retire as a Timberwolf, and Minnesota can retire his jersey and finally have a name in the rafters.

Goran Dragic is headed out of town, and landed in… Miami.  Yep, Pat Riley stole the great point guard, and most highly coveted trade target from the league, and now, with a true point guard, the Miami Heat suddenly look very competitive.  They could make a run in the East.

Phoenix also shipped their star 6th man, Isaiah Thomas, to Boston.  This gives the Celtics a solid point guard to run the offense, and a possible building block or trade piece when they bring in all their draft picks next year.  Simultaneously, the Suns shockingly got star guard Brandon Knight from the Milwaukee Bucks in one of the most surprising moves of the day. Knight is a great player, and it’s odd that the Bucks were willing to part ways.  The Bucks blew everybody’s mind, however, by nabbing Michael Carter-Williams, last year’s rookie of the year, from the Philadelphia 76ers, which caught many people by surprise.

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Oakland RaidersIn the NFL, the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers revealed a plan to build a privately financed $1.7billion stadium and complex to share in Los Angeles — specifically Carson, CA.  This is not a done deal, but both teams have been trying to figure out a workable financial solution to move to Los Angeles.  Splitting the stadium and complex would be the smartest idea.  However, you can’t rule out that the St. Louis Rams won’t get there first.

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Minnesota Wants Garnett, Dragic Doesn’t Trust Suns, Manziel Making Progress

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Kevin GarnettIn the NBA, with the trade deadline, everything is going wild.  One of the most interesting items being discussed is that the Minnesota Timberwolves are making a push to land Kevin Garnett.  Garnett is clearly at the end of his career, but he had all of his glory days in Minnesota, and they would love for him to give his last ounce of energy to the city.  Minnesota has great young talent, and having a role model like Garnett could really bring the team to the next level.  They likely won’t be in the playoffs, but just having him as a leader would put them in good position next year.

Elsewhere, it appears that Goran Dragic’s relationship with the Phoenix Suns is going to end.  They have been dangling headlines out there that Dragic isn’t part of their future plans, and now Dragic has said that he “doesn’t trust the Suns anymore”.  He went on to say that it’s tough to be the point guard leader of the team, to make plays, to help the team win games, when the team wants you off the court.  Dragic definitely won’t be back in Phoenix next year, and will likely have a new uniform on by this weekend.

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Johnny ManzielFinally, in the NFL, Cleveland Browns’ head coach Mike Pettine has said that he is proud of Johnny Manziel’s progress, but that the search for the starting quarterback in Cleveland is ongoing.  They might take someone in the draft or search for a free agent.  For example, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is looking for a fresh start.  He just can’t seem to stay healthy.  Pettine says that there are too many unknowns with Manziel at this point, and he needs to look toward the future.

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NBA Trade Deadline Moves, Kobe Bryant Doesn’t Have Real Friends

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The headlines of the day came out of the NBA with the trade deadline approaching, and teams looking to fill their weaknesses.  First up, it looks like Phoenix will part ways with their star guard Goran Dragic.  He is a rising star in the NBA, but Phoenix already has two great point guards in Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas.  Dragic will likely either go to his former team, the Houston Rockets, to give them some point guard depth, or perhaps the Lakers, as a building block for a stronger team they intend to put together next year.

And it’s being reported that the Detroit Pistons are very interested in former Brooklyn Nets’ all-star Joe Johnson.  Johnson is still a solid player and a great shooter, and if the Pistons hope to have any chance in the playoffs, they will need another guy who can put up 25 points in a night.  Johnson would be a good fit.  Plus, it looks like the Brooklyn Nets are looking to have a fire sale and start all over.  They have star guard Deron Williams and their center Brook Lopez on the trade block.  All of these guys could be assets elsewhere.

Kobe BryantFinally, GQ published an interview with Kobe Bryant conducted by the great writer Chuck Klosterman.  In the interview, a typically cagey Bryant revealed quite a bit.  He admitted that he doesn’t have any ‘real’ friends, citing that it’s tough considering how much time he puts into his game, and that the other people he’s close to are equally obsessed about their craft.  There simply is no time to hang out.  He says he texts with LeBron and Dwayne Wade sometimes, but that’s about it for close NBA relationships.  It’s a great interview, and worth the read.  You can check it out here:

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Amare Stoudemire Leaving Knicks, Kobe Bryant Wants Career Rebirth, Giambi Retires

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Amare StoudemireIn the NBA, the Knicks have parted ways with Amar’e Stoudemire.  Stoudemire was brought into New York a few years ago to give them a star presence and he had amazing first year. Unfortunately, injuries kept him in and out of games the past few seasons.  Now, for financial reasons, and the fact that the Knicks won’t be making any playoff noise this year, they have decided to let Amar’e go.  Amar’e said that New York will always be his home.  It’s reported that the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns are looking to enlist his services.  If the Mavs get him, Amar’e could have a shot at winning a title.

Elsewhere in the NBA, many think that Kobe Bryant should be retiring soon.  The last two years have resulted in injuries that ended his season quite early.  But, according to an interview with Bryant during All-Star weekend, he said that he has no plans of retiring.  In fact, Kobe said that he wants to have a career “rebirth” and cited the San Antonio Spurs’ success.  Kobe said he thought that those guys were “done”, but they still keep winning.  He thinks that the Lakers could build an organization like the Spurs full of young guys, role players, and veterans that could make a deep run in the playoffs.  Kobe is just a guy who never says die.

BASEBALL

MoneyBallSpeaking of retirement, Jason Giambi is calling it quits. Jason came up through the Oakland Athletics organization and was known as one of baseball’s big sluggers.  He was part of their underdog glory run — which was featured in the movie ‘Moneyball’.  Then, he was one of the lucky few who got a big contract with the New York Yankees.  He bounced around to Colorado and Cleveland, and had a great career (even though it was plagued by performance enhancing drugs allegations).  Giambi said that ever since he was 5 years old he wanted to be a baseball player, and he thanked all the organizations he played for for making it possible.

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NBA All Star Weekend: Curry Wins 3 point, LaVine Stuns In Dunk Contest

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Stephen CurryIn the NBA, it was All-Star weekend.  As always, prior to the game, was the skills challenges, and this year anticipation was high for these events.  First up, it was the 3-point competition featuring an array of incredible 3-point marksman like Stephan Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver, and Kyrie Irving.  But, in the end, Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors took home the crown.

Then, the main event on Saturday night:  The Slam Dunk Competition.  This year featured Mason Plumlee from the Brooklyn Nets, Giannis Antetokoumpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic, and Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves.  The old school rules were in effect, meaning more dunks and more fun for the fans.  Oladipo had some amazing dunks, but LaVine’s dunks were arguably some of the best and most acrobatic of all time.  LaVine won in a landslide check out his dunks on Youtube.

Then, on Sunday, it was the actual all-star game.  All the best stars dunking, assisting, shooting 3’s, and playing absolutely no defense.  Perhaps that’s why this was the highest scoring all-star game in history with a total of 321 points.  It was close at the end, but the West All-Stars’ had the advantage.  Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook took home MVP Honors, and came just one point shy of matching the highest scoring total in All-Star game history, set by Wilt Chamberlin at 42.  Westbrook was nothing short of marvelous however, and took home the prize.  Unlike in baseball, the NBA All-Star team has no influence on the NBA finals.

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