Archive for September, 2017

Packers Defeat Bears In Historic Rivalry, Illegal Hit On Adams, NBA’s Lottery, Golf Most Boring Sport

FOOTBALL

Thursday night football featured the historic rivalry between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. It was the 195th time they’ve played, and the Packers made the most of it by pounding the Bears 35-14. The Pack now lead this historic series 95-94-6.  A number of Packers players went down with injuries during the game, but the scariest moment came when Packers’ receiver Davante Adams got hit in the head and had to be taken out on a stretcher.  The hit was illegal, and the Bears’ Danny Trevathan was called for a penalty, but many are hoping the NFL will invoke their new “catastrophic” hits rule which would mean Trevathan would get suspended for the next game. According to Packers’ coach, Mike McCarthy, Davante is fine and there were no neck or head injuries, but no word yet on any extra punishment for Trevathan.

BASKETBALL

The NBA made a change in their lottery system to try and reduce teams tanking at the end of a season in order to increase their chances of getting a better lottery pick. Currently, the worst team in the league has a 25% chance of getting the first pick with the second worst team getting a 19.9 % chance. Starting in the 2019 season, the three worst teams will each have a 14 percent chance of selecting the top pick in the draft.

GOLF

In a recent poll conducted in Britain, Golf was voted the most boring sport in the world. Golf even beat out cricket and bridge. Yes, even more boring than bridge!

 

 

 

Share
No comments

Pitino’s Leave, LeBron’s Best Friend, Vonn Competes W/Men, Manning Senate Seat

BASKETBALL

A day after a federal investigation into corruption charges in college basketball, the University of Louisville placed Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino on unpaid leave (essentially firing him). The Justice department claims an executive from Adidas bribed the coaches to steer top athletes to Louisville. Pitino and the basketball program were already on probation by the NCAA for a sex scandal involving a former director of basketball operations at the University who helped recruit players with strippers and prostitutes.

It’s official, Dwayne Wade will join his buddy LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers. When LeBron was asked how he felt about Wade joining, he said, “It’s kind of like when you start school and you walk into the classroom and you’re not quite sure who your classmates are. And when you walk in there and one of your best friends is in there, you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is going to be fun. It’s going to be a good class.’ That’s the type of feeling I got.”

SKIING

Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn is requesting the International Ski Federation allow her to compete against men in the FIS World Cup event. According to Vonn, “I know I’m not going to win, but I would like to at least have the opportunity to try. I think I’ve won enough World Cups where I should have enough respect within the industry to be able to have that opportunity.” FIS race director understands it’s a difficult decision and stated, “So if the ladies are allowed to race with the men, then also the men need to be authorized to ski with the ladies, and I’m not sure this is a direction we want to go.”

FOOTBALL

After Bob Corker announced he’s going to retire from his Tennessee Senate seat, many speculated future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning might run. According to Manning, “I certainly have an interest in politics and in our country. I just have zero interest in being a politician.” Manning may decide it’s too soon for him to run for Corker’s seat, but he could decide to run for Senator Lamar Alexander’s seat if Alexander chooses not to run in 2020.

Share
No comments

Corruption Charges Agst Basketball Assistants, Wade To Sign With Cavs, DirecTV Offers Refunds For Anthem

BASKETBALL

Federal prosecutors in New York are charging four basketball assistant coaches from Division 1 schools (Oklahoma State, Auburn, Arizona and USC) with corruption for accepting bribes in exchange for steering basketball players towards agents, advisors, and apparel companies (specifically Adidas who is accused of paying recruits to sign deals when they turn pro). The FBI has stated this investigation is ongoing and many more individuals and companies could be exposed.

Former Chicago Bulls All-Star, Dwayne Wade, plans to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers when he clears wavers on Wednesday. According to reports, he will sign for a one year veterans minimum of $2.3 million to play alongside his pal, LeBron James.

FOOTBALL

DirectTV is offering refunds for fans who are interested in canceling their NFL Sunday Ticket package if they say they are canceling due to the national anthem protests. It’s unclear how many fans are canceling, but one fan who called DirecTV  said,  “I explained to them I was tired of politics in sports, and it’s not how I want to spend my Sunday, watching all that transpire.” According to the fan, the DirecTV representative “insinuated there was a high volume of calls calling into cancel.”

 

 

Share
No comments

Jerry Jones Kneels, Impressive Prescott, Russell Delivers Fan Nachos, Judge Breaks Rookie Record

FOOTBALL

Monday night football between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals began with a big statement from Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones. Jones is a well-documented Trump supporter but joined his team and took a knee on the field before the anthem to make a statement for unity and equality.  Afterward, the team all stood with arms linked as the National Anthem was played.  According to Jones, the NFL knew about the plan ahead of time. He said,  “And that big American flag, it came down that field, and we all stood toes-out on the field and recognized and respected the American flag and the national anthem. So it was a coordinated effort. It was planned and it was executed at the same time that our team was getting ready to play this Cardinal team. I’m very proud of it.” Trump responded via social media Tuesday morning by tweeting, “Ratings for NFL football are way down except before game starts, when people tune in to see whether or not our country will be disrespected!”

In the game itself, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was on fire with three touchdowns including one rushing TD that turned into a flip in the end zone for a 28-17 win.

BASEBALL

One of the charming stories from Monday night was seeing Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell delivering a plate of nachos to a fan who lost his first plate when Russell dove into the stands to try and retrieve a ball. The Cubs beat the Cardinals 10-2 and are one win away from clinching the National League Central division.

In other MLB news, Yankees Aaron Judge broke the rookie home run record by hitting his 50th home run on Monday. The record was previously held by the Oakland Athletics Mark McGuire in 1987.

 

Share
No comments

Trump’s Comments Overshadow Sports, Von Miller’s Playful Mistake, Wade & Carmelo Moving

FOOTBALL

All sporting events this weekend were overshadowed by President Trump’s comments Friday night in Alabama where he criticized any player who kneels for the National Anthem. He said he wants fans to boycott and owners to respond by saying, “Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, he’s fired. He’s fired!” Trump’s comments caused an eruption this weekend, with many NFL players linking arms, kneeling or sitting during the anthem. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks went even further by choosing not to even take the field during the anthem. It wasn’t just NFL either, a high school football team in Seattle took a knee and singer Stevie Wonder sank to two knees at a music festival in New York.  And, in a first in baseball, Bruce Maxwell, the Oakland A’s catcher took a knee.

Many fans expressed their disappointment in how the players are expressing their anger. One fan, Derek Zumbahlem, told CNN, “(It’s a) show of disrespect, not only for those who have fought and died for our country but for those serving,”

Trump didn’t just upset the football world, he took on one of the most popular basketball players in the world right now, Steph Curry. In response to Curry’s deliberations on whether or not to attend a White House ceremony celebrating their championship win, Trump rescinded the invite and caused a firestorm of players to respond including LeBron James who said, “U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going! So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!”

In other NFL news, one particular game talked about this weekend was the controversial “unsportsmanlike” call against Denver Broncos’ Von Miller. With 8 minutes left to play, Von Miller playfully taunted his friend Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor on a big defensive play. Both players were laughing, but the official called a very costly “unsportsmanlike conduct” penalty on Von Miller costing the Broncos the game. Bills 26, Broncos 16.

For wrap-ups on all games, click here.

 

BASEKBALL

Dwayne Wade is on his way out of Chicago after the Bulls bought him out of his contract. Wade and LeBron are buddies, so many think the Cleveland Cavaliers are favorites to pick him up.

After months of speculation, Carmelo Anthony is finally leaving the NY Knicks and heading to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

 

 

Share
No comments

Rams/Niners Shootout, Hernandez Stage 3 CTE, Barkley On NBA Caving

FOOTBALL

Thursday night’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers did not disappoint. The shootout was a battle of offenses where the Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff threw for 3 touchdowns and zero interceptions and running back Todd Hurley ran for 113 yards and 3 TD’s. The 49ers scored 5 touchdowns but a missed point and a tired defense led to their loss. The Niners are now 0-3 (ouch, not a great way to start the season). Rams 41, 49ers 39.

The NFL is on the hot seat again after reports emerged that former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez (who hanged himself in prison after his arrest for murder) had stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). At only 27 years old, the advanced stage of CTE is considered unusual, and Hernandez former fiancee and daughter is suing the NFL for $20 million claiming the NFL failed to “disclose, treat or protect him from the dangers of such damage.”

 

BASKETBALL

NBA Hall of Famer and outspoken basketball analyst,  Charles Barkley,  expressed his annoyance that the NBA “caved” into the demands of current players by announcing they will accommodate them better by having fewer back to back games.  He told the Dallas Morning News, “The private jets and four-star hotels aren’t enough.  I’m so angry at the NBA for telling these guys, ‘Wait a minute, we’re paying you guys $30-, $40 million and you can’t play basketball two days in a row?’ I think it’s a travesty that the NBA can’t just tell these guys to play basketball two days in a row. It’s just a joke to me. We flew commercial, and we were able to play back-to-back. I’ve sat with older guys who took trains and played three days in a row. The NBA caved in.”

 

 

Share
No comments

Draymond Sued And Magic Subpoenaed, Durant Apologizes For Tweet

BASKETBALL

Draymond Green is being sued for an alleged assault last July against a former Michigan State football player, Jermaine Edmonson. Green originally agreed to a plea deal where he paid a fine for noise violation and civil infraction. Edmonson and his girlfriend clearly weren’t happy, so they filed a civil lawsuit. Edmonson said in a news conference,”I think about what happened with Draymond every day. I still feel his hand on my jaw. There are nights where I wake up crying.” LA Lakers President of Operations, Magic Johnson, has been subpoenaed to testify in the trial after a tweet he sent out stating Green felt apologetic.

Speaking of social media, Kevin Durant found himself in hot water when he tweeted his reasons for leaving OKC in a response to a random fan. Durant was critical of his former coach Billy Donovan, and instead of making excuses, expressed remorse. He said, “That was just me being a total (expletive) idiot. I own up to it. I want to move on from it. It probably hit me probably harder than what everybody (thought). Everybody else was telling me to relax, to snap out of it, but I was really, really upset with myself more than anything. It’s not the fact that people were talking about me, because I deserve that, but I’m just more upset with myself that I let myself go that far, you know what I was saying? It was a joke to me at first. I was doing it all summer, and it went too deep. I went too hard… I haven’t slept in two days, two nights. I haven’t ate. It’s crazy, because I feel so (expletive) pissed at myself and I’m mad that I brought someone into it.”

 

Share
No comments

Manning “Sloppy” On MNF, LA Fans Not Showing Up, Bogut To Lakers

FOOTBALL

The NY Giants struggled on Monday night with a loss to the Detroit Lions. Detroit sacked Giants’ QB Eli Manning 5 times. Giants’ coach Ben McAdoo called out Manning saying he was “sloppy” on a key play in the 3rd quarter near the goal line. With the Giants down by 10, and in a position to score a touchdown on 4th and inches, the Giants had to settle for a field goal when their mismanagement led to a delay of game. The Giants are now 0-2. Lions 24, Giants 10.

We now have two teams in Los Angeles, but Southern California fans don’t seem to care. The Los Angeles Chargers (formerly San Diego) failed to sell out the Stubhub Center, and the Los Angeles Rams announced a disappointing showing at the LA Coliseum. The Chargers and Rams will share a stadium in 2020. An NFL spokesperson did not appear concerned and told reporters, “We remain confident that the city of Los Angeles can support in a very strong way two franchises, and we’re committed to making that happen as we work toward the opening of the new stadium.”

BASKETBALL

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Andrew Bogut to a one-year deal. Bogut had much success playing for the Champion Golden State Warriors, but then was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and suffered from injuries last season.

 

 

Share
No comments

Broncos Shut Down Elliott, Lynch Taunts Jets, Thomas 10,000 Snaps,

FOOTBALL

Highlights from the weekend:

 

The Denver Broncos crushed the Dallas Cowboys by shutting down running back Ezekiel Elliott to a career-low 9 carries and only 8 rushing yards. Denver’s QB Trevor Siemian more than did his job by throwing for 4 touchdowns and 231 passing yards. Broncos 42, Cowboys 17.

In another blowout game, the Oakland Raiders demolished the NY Jets on the field with Michael Crabtree’s three touchdowns (tying a career best), but what really added to the Jets’ embarrassment was the Raiders’ Marshawn Lynch (known as “Beast Mode” taunting the Jets with his sideline dance after his 2-yard touchdown run. Lynch came out of retirement to play for his hometown, and after his TD celebrated with a dance to “I’m really from Oakland,” by Vell and DJ Mustard. Jets’ linebacker Jordan Jones was clearly upset. He said,  “It irks my ever-living nerves. When I saw it happening, it was infuriating. … That pissed me off. I’m an old-school guy. I don’t like when things like that happen.” Raiders 45, Jets 20.

The Cleveland Browns lost again, but their left tackle Joe Thomas made history by recording his 10,000th consecutive snap. Thomas was selected 3rd overall by the Browns in 2007 and from his rookie season until now, he hasn’t missed a snap (unbelievable!). Ravens 24, Browns 10.

For more NFL news, click here.

 

 

 

Share
No comments

Indians 22nd Consecutive Win, Texans’ Deshaun Watson Bday Run

BASEBALL

The Cleveland Indians continue to make history! With their 22nd consecutive win, they now tie only the 1916 New York Giants for the longest win streak in Major League Baseball history. If you hear fans claim the Indians are in sole possession of the longest win streak, it’s because the 1916 Giants actually recorded a tie during their streak. Wait, a tie? It’s true! Baseball doesn’t record a tie, which is why games can go over forever. The only exception is when weather prevents a game from completing. In the case of the 1916 Giants, one game during their win streak was rained out and never resumed but was played the next day as part of a doubleheader. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the players’ statistics were recorded for the tied game, but it wasn’t recorded as one, so the record stands.

FOOTBALL

In an uneventful Thursday night football matchup, the Houston Texans barely escaped with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The only excitement during the game was quarterback Deshaun Watson’s 49-yard touchdown run. Thursday night was not only Watson’s first ever start, but also his birthday! Texans 13, Bengals 9.

Share
No comments

Next Page »