Pujols Is Salty That He Didn't Win The NL M.V.P.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols feels he should have won the National Leage Most Valuable Player Award over Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Apparently he feels that the M.V.P. should only be won by a player who's team makes the playoffs.

"I see it this way: Someone who doesn't take his team to the playoffs doesn't deserve to win the MVP."

Pujols did hit .331/49HR/137RBI's this season while leading the Cardinals to their first World Series title since 1982.

The voting is done prior to the playoffs so it could be done, but to think that just because a players team didn't make the playoffs couldn't become the M.V.P. isn't quite the answer. In this case someone should tell Joe Girardi that he's not Manager of the Year in the N.L. because the Marlins didn't make the playoffs.

Looks as if Pujols is just a little bitter that he lost the award. He did have the numbers, but couldn't obtain his second straight award this year.

One Man's Opinion - SI.com

R.I.P. Johnnie Bettis

The father of former Steelers Running Back Jerome Bettis has died. According to a spokesman for the former Steeler, Johnnie Bettis suffered a heart attack while he was driving in suburban Detroit late this afternoon. Bettis was found slumped over the wheel of his car. No one else was in the car with him at the time; and the spokesperson says Bettis was not involved in an accident.Bettis had no history of heart problems; and the spokesman says his death was completely unexpected. KDKA

Ben Wallace Is Realizing The Bulls Own Him And The Way He Dresses On The Court

The Chicago Bulls apparently have a "no headband policy" and that is a separate policy from the NBA. Yes the NBA has a dress code on wristbands and that they can't be worn too high up on the forearm or a player will be fined.

Wallace who signed a 4 year/$60 million contract this offseason to join the Bulls, was benched this past Saturday because he was wearing a red headband during the game. This is a rule that was made by Bulls GM John Paxson, because he apparently didn't like the fact that the Bulls were wearing them under then GM Jerry Krause.

"It’s not meant in any way to stifle anybody’s individuality or creativity," Paxson said. "It was just simply part of a structure we were trying to create."

You have to wonder was he benched because of the headband or was it because he's averaging 5.5 ppg and 9.2 rebounds a contest all while the Bulls defense is worse than when he arrived. Or is it because Wallace has, according to media sources, not been happy with the Bulls on other issues since arriving and now Bulls management is fed up and this latest incident was the straw that broke the camel's back?

"I knew that we weren't allowed to wear the headbands," Wallace said. "If you know the rules and break them, you expect to be punished. I can't try to put myself above the team or anybody else and wear a headband like I did. I'm man enough to take the punishment. But I'm not sorry."

Has the NBA has gone overboard with this whole dress code thing? It's nice that they have to travel and sit on the bench when they are injured in a suit. However, to dictate whether a player can wear a wristband/headband or not is a bit harsh. The NBA should be more concerned about the basketball product that it puts on the floor than policing headbands and wristbands.

Ben Wallace is learning a thing or two about being the highest paid player on a team now. As well as the Bulls pretty much have control over their $60 million man.

Wallace: I'm Not Sorry - Chicago Tribune
Bulls downplay benching Wallace for wearing headband - Rocky Mountain News

Amato Done As N.C. State Coach

Chuck Amato was fired yesterday as head coach of the North Carolina State Football Program.

"No Wolfpack fan can question the excitement and enthusiasm that Chuck Amato brought to the N.C. State football program when he came here in 2000,"Athletic Director Lee Fowler said. "However, because the results on the field in two of the last three seasons have fallen far below where we feel our program should be at this point, we have decided to take the program in a new direction."

Amato had a 47-39 record with N.C. State in during his tenure, but was 25-31 in A.C.C. play and never finished above fourth place.

This should pose an interesting question, who will replace Amato? It's looking more and more like Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach Bill Cowher. He purchased a home in North Carolina, his wife is a former women's basketball player and alumni of N.C. State, he has no contract after this season with the Steelers, and he's said he wants to see his youngest daughter play once she is out of high school. All the cards seem to be in a row for him to take over, I'm sure N.C. State would love to have him and with the money that college coaches are making these days, many NFL coaches have made the transition to the college rankings.

This season the Wolfpack finished 3-9, losing their last seven games of the year and a 21-16 loss at Carter-Finley Stadium to East Carolina.

Also fired was Alabama coach Mike Shula, one season after the Crimson Tide finished 10-2 last season, but finished a disappointing 6-6 this season.



Shula, a former Alabama quarterback, was winless in four tries against Auburn, his team's biggest rival. The Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 22-15 on Nov. 18, leaving Shula to answer questions about his job security.

Shula finished 26-23 during his brief stint at Alabama.



Wolfpack coach fired one day after seventh straight loss - CBS Sportsline
Shula dismissed as head coach of Crimson Tide - CBS Sportsline

Since When Was Nick Lachey A USC Fan?

Must have happened when he started dating Vanessa Minnillo, Lachey from Ohio has been seen cheering on his Cincinnati Bearcats. Has he become a front runner, and will he go against his home state Buckeyes to please his lady friend if USC plays Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl? Weak!

It has come to our attention that he did attend USC for 1 year only, but did go closer to home to attend Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Tiki's Torched, Coughlin Counters

Other than saying the Wednesday night meeting went well, Barber refused to discuss it just two days before the Giants (6-4) were to play the Titans (3-7) in Tennessee. He also defended his decision to talk after being limited to 27 yards on 10 carries.

"You guys ask me questions and I tell you the truth," said Barber, whose 998 yards was the fourth best in the league heading into this week's action. "I tell you what's on my mind. I think if I said anything other than the truth, that would compromise who I am and that would be doing you guys a disservice."

Coughlin isn't a big fan of players going to the media.

Barber did it in the playoffs last year, saying the team was outcoached in a 23-0 playoff loss to Carolina.

Read the Story, SI.com

West Virginia Loses To South Florida in Morgantown

For all of the Big East Football Conference lovers out there, it's official. The conference isn't what it was cracked up to be prior to the Louisville-West Virginia matchup weeks ago.

Why? Rutgers gets blown out by Cincinnati, now West Virginia, which many deemed as having the most potent offense in the country, with Pat White and Steve Slaton, bows down to South Florida. Let's give the Bulls some credit though, they did come into the game 7-4 and 3-3 in the Big East, it's not like they were Temple.

South Florida completely shut down Steve Slaton, holding him to only 43 yards on the ground today. That's 115 yards below his season average per game. West Virginia, just looked like the were in a haze today, and the outcome was a 24-19 loss. Not only that but USF held West Virginia without a first half touchdown, which no team had done in 17 straight games vs. the Mountaineers.

"That's the worst our offense has played all year. Some of our best runs today, we're losing yards," said West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez.

West Virginia will still have to play Rutgers next week, which could be their third loss of the season if they don't prevail, tough for a team that had a many gave a longshot to get into the BCS, even with their loss to Louisville.

West Virginia Stunned By South Florida - Tampa Bay Tribune

USC vs. Notre Dame For All The Marbles

Tonight, USC takes on Notre Dame at The Colisseum in Los Angeles.

This game is huge for both programs. Notre Dame can spoil USC's National Title hopes with a victory and Brady Quinn and revenge his three previous losses to the Trojans.

While USC with a victory tonight and next weekend vs. rival UCLA can potentially move ahead of Michigan in the BCS rankings to take on Ohio State for the National Title in the Fiesta Bowl.

SportsRx choice tonight, USC, it's just too tough for the Irish to go into Southern Cal and grab a victory, yes Notre Dame is hot right now, with winning streak after the Michigan debacle. USC has the home crowd, title game hopes and Pete Carroll on their sideline, who's taken his team down this road before. Nothing against Weis and the Irish, but they don't have enough to do it this year.

USC 35, Notre Dame 24

Below is the recap of the final drive that orchestrated by Matt Leinart and USC that did in Notre Dame last season.

Big Shock, Not Really: Larry Coker Shown The Door By The Hurricanes

No surprise here, Larry Coker has been given his walking papers by The University of Miami.

Coker was informed of the decision by athletics director Paul Dee early Friday. Coker has three years remaining on a contract that pays him nearly $2 million annually, and the school will owe him between $2.4 million and $3 million in a buyout.

Coker had a 59-15 record, a winning percentage of nearly 80 percent, and won a national championship in 2001 and played for another title the following season.

Miami barely salvaged a .500 season this year with a win last night over Boston College putting the 'Canes at 6-6 for the 2006 season. Not only were the 'Canes unsuccessful on the field, there were several distractions this season, including the on field brawl with Florida International, the shocking and tragic death of defensive lineman Brian Pata, and the mere appearance that Coker had lost complete control of his program.

Will Coker ever coach again, he is 58 years old and did have some success with the Hurricanes, although it was mostly with former coach Butch Davis' talent. Who will be next in line, will it be Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano? South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier? Does anyone want to touch a program in such shambles at the moment. We shall see.

Coker fired by Miami after .500 season - ESPN

Coker Must Go - These people finally got their wish

Happy Thanksgiving

Today's the day we jam as much food as we possibly can in our stomachs, have a few beers, and sit down and watch some meaningless NFL football games.

Don't get us wrong, it's nice to see our families and eat some bird. But it will be interesting to see what puts us to sleep first the turkey or the football games on today.

Below are the games that will be on today in the NFL:

Miami @ Detroit - 12:30 PM on CBS
Tampa Bay @ Dallas - 4:15 PM on Fox

Game that people who only have NFL Network, which we do not:

Denver @ Kansas City - 8:00 PM

We would like to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving.

'72 Miami Dolphins Still Celebrating Or Are They?

With the Indianapolis Colts losing this past weekend, the '72 Dolphins can continue to parade their undefeated season, the only one in NFL history of course.

Nick Buoniconti says it's ''preposterous'' how some people nationally believe the undefeated '72 Dolphins get together as a team to celebrate the last unbeaten team losing. Buoniconti says there has been no toast since Indianapolis lost Sunday and there won't be one until Dick Anderson joins the Dolphins Honor Roll Dec. 3.

Most years, Buoniconti said only he and Anderson do a toast. ''I know guys like Jim Rome criticize us,'' Buoniconti said. ''Why is there so much animosity toward the '72 team?'' His response to Rome? ''Hey pal, stick it in your [behind].''

Nice way to show a little class, yes the '72 Dolphins were the only undefeated team and as we all know it's not an easy thing to do. However, one must admit, the NFL has so much parity these days that there will most likely never be another undefeated team, never say never, but the odds are definitely stacked against it.


Orange Bowl selection committee has tough task choosing a team - Miami Herald

Torpedo Deep-sixed Swimming Career

Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe (a.k.a. "the human torpedo") retired from competitive swimming Tuesday at the age of 24, saying breaking records "wasn't as inspiring as it should have been."

Thorpe, who held a news conference at a hotel in Sydney, Australia, said he decided at "2:53 on Sunday afternoon" not to swim at next year's world championships in nearby Melbourne and to end his pro swimming career.

"None of my goals included breaking any more world records. I knew how to do it, but it wasn't as inspiring as it should have been."

Thorpe, who won five Olympic gold medals and 11 world titles, did not entirely rule out a comeback.

Source

Life Saving Sack

Washington quarterback Johnny DuRocher was knocked out of their November 11th game against Stanford with a concussion. The concussion was considered severe enough to have DuRocher transported to the UW Medical Center for further observation. What the doctors found was a lot more than a simple concussion.

"They found a tumor the size of a golf ball," DuRocher told Dawgman.com Sunday night. The week after the Stanford game, he ended up having three CAT scans, as well as an MRI, and did not travel for Washington's final regular-season game against Washington State on November 18th.

DuRocher will have surgery to remove the tumor on November 30th. The tumor is not expected to be cancerous in nature. The fourth-year junior is done playing football, but it sounds like he could be cleared for baseball if the surgery is successful.

Source

Looks Like The Red Sox Really Are Serious About Signing Matsuzaka

The Red Sox have until Dec. 15 to ink Matsuzaka to a contract after they paid $51.11 million to the Lions to acquire exclusive negotiating rights with Matsuzaka.

It appears that they are serious about signing him now, at first most thought that the Sox just put in the highest bid, knowing they would get their money back if a deal was not struck, to stop the Yankees from signing him.

“I have a feeling I want to come (to Boston) next season and I hope I can be (in Boston) in a good environment,” Matsuzaka told Japanese reporters in Los Angeles after his weekend dinner with top Red Sox brass at chairman Tom Werner’s house.

Matsuzaka also toured the Nike Facilities in Beaverton, Oregon and attended a Laker game. This looks positive for Boston Fans that they may get a deal done, we will see in the next three weeks.

Matsuzaka Likes Sox First Pitch - Boston Herald
Red Sox Offer $51.1 Million To Negotiate For Matsuzaka - SportsRx

Morneau Locks Up AL M.V.P.

Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins yesterday won his first AL M.V.P Award narrowly over Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter.

Morneau had stellar numbers (.321/34HR/130RBI) on a Twins team that was overshadowed by it's pitching staff. The Twins had the best record in baseball during the second half of the season but were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Oakland A's.

But was Jeter more deserving of the award? Jeter's batted .343, had 18HR and 97 RBI's and won a Gold Glove Award, on a Yankee team that was banged up all season and Jeter pretty much carried the Yankees to a division title and to the playoffs.

The questions should be raised. Would the Twins have made the playoffs without Morneau and would the Yankees have made the playoffs without Jeter?

Both are deserving of the award, but has the MVP award strayed away from awarding the "Most Valuable Player" to awarding the "Best Player". Surely Morneau had the best stats offensively, but Jeter's leadership and the way he carried his team could have made him more "valuable". Congratulations to Justin Morneau.

Morneau Wins MVP Over Jeter In A Close Vote - N.Y. Times

Urban Meyer Fuming Over New BCS Rankings

Florida coach Urban Meyer is sounding off about the BCS standings and his reaction to the potential for a Ohio State vs. Michigan rematch for the BCS National Title.

''If they do that [rematch], there should be a playoff system next year,'' Meyer said Sunday. ``I think if that [rematch] happens, I think it's over. All the presidents would need to get together immediately and put in a playoff system -- like now!''

''I think that would be unfair to Ohio State and I think it would be unfair to the country. I don't believe [a rematch] is the right thing to do,'' Meyer said. ``You're going to tell Ohio State that they have to beat the same team twice and that is extremely difficult. I think they had their chance. Someone else should have a chance to go get No. 1.''

When asked if Michigan wins the potential rematch would it be ludicrous, Meyer responded:

'Absolutely [there would be no national champion]. If I'm Ohio State I go get a bunch of rings and say, `We won the national championship.' That's not right,'' Meyer said.

It's damn near impossible to beat a team twice in the same season especially back to back. The point should be raised, should a team that doesn't even win their conference be allowed to play in the national title game? Isn't the BCS supposed to be the best teams from the BCS conferences along with an at-large team. Are the computers even working?

On the other hand, you have to think Meyer is fighting for his Gators to get in the championship, but at this point they will have their hands full with SEC West Champs, Arkansas.

This point will be irrevelant if USC takes care of Notre Dame, which will be no small feat, and UCLA.

BCS Rankings Perplex Gators - Miami Herald
College Football Fans Show Their Thoughts On The BCS - SportsRx

MLB Agents That Have Players On The Market Should Be Licking Their Chops

Well the Chicago Cubs finally decided to pony up some big money this off-season and sign some free agents.

Today the Cubs signed former, Yankee, Ranger, and National, Alfonso Soriano to an 8 year/$136 million contract, which is the fifth largest in MLB History.

But is Soriano worth it? Yes he did hit 46 home runs and steal 41 bases last year for the lowly Nationals', while driving in 95 RBI's with a .277 average. But Soriano will be 31 in January. That might not mean much in the first few years of his contract, but look at the back end. The Cubs will be paying him almost $18 million a year when he is 37 or 38 years old.

This is following up last weeks resigning third baseman Aramis Ramirez to a 5 year/$75.

We must say we would never have thought the Cubs would shell out this type of jack to Soriano or anyone at all for that matter. Current free agents should be salivating with a contract like this being completed this early in the off season. Look for other large contracts to follow if this is a sign of the times in the 2006-2007 free agent market.

Cubs Splash Out For Star Soriano - BBC Sport

McNabb and Rodgers Down For The Count

The Eagles took a significant blow yesterday when they lost Donovan McNabb to an ACL injury during their 31-13 loss to the Titans. They say it could be anywhere from eight months to a year until McNabb sniffs the field again.

"It's an unfortunate thing," said Jeff Garcia, who replaced McNabb. "Donovan is a competitor, a leader and he was having a great season. He'll be missed."

Were pretty sure Garcia isn't disappointed by this one. Although he probably didn't want McNabb to go down this way, he's surely happy to be playing. It appears that the Eagles can begin packing their bags for the end of the season now.

Another note Aaron Rodgers, backup for Brett Favre in Green Bay, finally get's his shot as Favre went down with and elbow injury early during yesterdays game. You would like to see the guy who's supposed to be the future for the Packers take full advantage. Unfortunately, he ends up breaking his foot and is done for the season. Tough break for Rodgers.

That's Gonna Hurt - CNN/SI

Packer Rodgers Breaks Foot - Yahoo Sports

Rutgers Takes One On The Chin From The Bearcats

Last night proved that the hype on Rutgers will now come to an end. The 30-11 beat down they took in Cincinnati just took another undefeated team off the list.

With Ray Rice being shutdown by the Bearcats defense Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel needed to do something and put the team on his back to victory. He didn't exactly do that either, for the first three quarters of the game he ended up being 12-26 for 86 yards and 4 interceptions.

"It's so hard to be at your best each week, and we weren't at our best tonight," coach Greg Schiano said.

Last night Rutgers looked like the Scarlet Knight teams of the past and with a matchup vs. West Virginia coming up, it could only get worse for them. While it is hard to be at your best, even if the Knights would have played half as good as they've played all year, they may have had a chance to win.

Cincinnati 30, Rutgers 11

Ohio State Silences Doubters

We ran a poll the last week on the Ohio State-Michigan battle and found that 71% of people felt that Michigan would go into Ohio State and defeat the Buckeyes. Apparently the consensus was wrong.

Our heads still hurt, probably from the number of beers we drank and our ears are still ringing from the celebration that happened yesterday in Columbus, as Ohio State defeated Michigan 42-39 in a long battle last night at Ohio Stadium.

Will there be a rematch? Who knows, with USC winning big against Cal and if they roll Notre Dame next week, Ohio State will likely play USC it would appear. Is Michigan the second best team in the nation still? Probably, but does anyone really want to see a rematch besides Michigan fans?

Interestingly enough at the postgame news conference Michigan RB Mike Hart was saying how he didn't see anything special about the Ohio State defense and he wasn't impressed by them. However, wasn't it Michigan's Defense that was tops in the nation and not Ohio State? Yes, Ohio State was the leader in defensive points scored but they certainly didn't have the defensive line that UM possessed. The Wolverines were putting a lot of pressure on Troy Smith, but at times it appeared that Smith was standing back there for a while maybe having a sandwich, waiting for his receivers to get open.

There will be some interesting questions that will loom in the upcoming weeks. It could all work itself out if USC and Florida don't take care of their business. Then there will surely be another matchup.

UM Would Welcome Rematch

Bo Schembechler Passes At Age 77

One day prior to one of the biggest showdowns in the history of the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry, former University of Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler passes away. He collapsed this morning during a show taping in a studio in Michigan. Schembechler has had heart trouble in the past, including two heart attacks and quadruple bypass surgery.

According to WXYZ-TV in Detroit, Schembechler was preparing for the taping of the "Big Ten Ticket" show at the studio on Friday morning when he collapsed. He was taken to Providence Hospital in Southfield and later died. He was 77 years old.

During his 21-year tenure at Michigan that ended after the 1989 season, Schembechler posted a 194-48-5 record. His teams won or tied for 13 Big Ten championships. In his 27-year coaching career, he posted a mark of 234-65-8.

Regardless if you are a fan of Michigan, Ohio State or any other football program you have to have total respect for Bo. The man is a true legend and made a significant impact on college football.

Source

Pitt Kick Returner Revis Gets By With A Little Help From His Blockers

This punt return could arguably be the best we've seen in a long time, if ever.

With all the talk about how great Steve Slaton and Pat White are for West Virginia, this return was the most exciting play of the whole game. Pitt lost 45-27 to West Virginia but watch the block by Derek Kinder that opens the way for Darrell Revis to take it 73 yards for 6. Revis definitely did a lot of work on his own to get in in for the TD. A truly unbelievable play.


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Chocolate Milk.....It's What's In You

Who doesn't like a big glass of chocolate milk once in a while? A group of scientists found out that it could be the best thing out there for today's athletes, no not Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin Water, or even H2O, that's right chocolate milk.

A study was conducted at Indiana University on a few athletes to prove this theory.

The small group of fit athletes who took part in the study were asked to work out strenuously on a stationery bicycle, then drink low-fat chocolate milk, a fluid-replacement drink like Gatorade and a carbohydrate replacement drink like Endurox R4. A few hours later, they were asked to cycle again until they reached exhaustion.

The athletes that drank the chocolate milk had around 50% better endurance than those on the energy drinks, hmm, then why were we always told to lay off the chocolate milk as a kid, cause it's bad for you?

"My way of explaining it is, there's really nothing magic about the powder in a can that you mix with water," cycling coach Scott Saifer said of the carbohydrate drink. "It's water, carbs, proteins, maybe minerals and electrolytes. What's in chocolate milk? The same thing. There's no reason it shouldn't be as good for recovery as a carb drink."

Ladies and Gents, it appears that you should now buy your favorite childhood drink instead of what the pro athletes tell you to drink. It will be interesting to see which if any professional athlete will land a sponsorship from this one.

Read Full Article

Lloyd Carr and Jim Tressel Showing The Love

With the biggest game of the entire football season going down on Saturday in Columbus, which is sure to be a barnburner, it looks like Jim Tressel and Lloyd Carr aren't exactly shall we say buddies.

Both coaches are so intense about the rivalry that they don't appear to be friends. It may be because this game can make or break each coaches career at their respected schools.

It sure did the same for former Buckeye coach John Cooper, who was deemed an "outsider" of the Buckeye program since he was never a coach at the Ohio State University and many felt he didn't understand how important this rivalry really was to everyone associated with it.

It could be the same for Carr, though he's been with the Michigan program for years and is Bo's guy, if he takes an L on Saturday in this bitter rivalry, many will question whether he truly is the man for the Michigan program, getting them oh so close, but no cigar.

"I think we’ve always had an extremely professional relationship," Carr said of Tressel. "But I do think that the rivalry is so intense … sometimes you have closer friendships than others. I don’t think you’re going to see the Ohio State and Michigan coach going to parties together."
Former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler said of the two, "I don’t think they’re friends."

Friends or no friends it's all going to come out on the field in two days and we will see which undefeated team can take their show to the National Championship. In fact, it only fuels the rivalry when the relationship is this way, who says they have to hang out and have beers together? This is what the last game of the season for both of these teams is supposed to be all about.

Source

Kirk Herbstreit Calls Steve Breaston "Worthless"

Portis Put On The Shelf For The Remainder of Season

As if no one could tell that the Redskins season was over after last weeks loss, it only seems to get worse. With an adjustment at quarterback, Jason Campbell replacing Mark Brunell, now RB Clinton Portis is done for the year.

Portis, who was placed on the injured reserve list yesterday after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand Monday, will undergo additional surgery soon to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, which was partially dislocated on the opening drive of the preseason.

"You know in football you're going to have nicks and bruises, and it's only a matter of time" until a serious injury arises, Portis said. "If you play long enough, it's going to happen. If I ran out of bounds every play I'm sure I'd be a lot happier, but at the same time I'd be getting bashed for running out of bounds. You can't win in this situation. It's going to happen, and my time is going to come to an end one day, eventually. And before it does I want to get the most out of this game, and if my carries pile up, I'm going to have the opportunity to walk away on top of this game with money."

Portis is only 25 and with a full recovery we are sure he will be back to dominating the league next season. We are just going to miss his postgame newsconferences.

Source

Red Sox Offer $51.1 Million to Negotiate For Matsuzaka

The figures are finally out and they are pretty obscene for the cost it will take to negotiate with Japanese Baseball pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka to play in the U.S .

The fact that is more amazing is that this guy will only pitch every five games and on top of that hasn't faced the caliber of hitting that he faces today in Japan.

To spend $51.1 million on a player that is this unproven to just negotiate a contract. This should be a good look as to how the free agent contracts will go this off-season. Through the roof!

"I was very surprised when I heard the figure," the 26-year-old said Wednesday before flying to the United States. "It shows that they really appreciate my ability. I know there will be a lot of pressure, but that's something I'm used to and something I enjoy."

But not as surprised as we are.

Is this a sign of desperation for the Red Sox, that they are willing to throw this much jack at a guy to just simply negotiate? Yes they get it back if he doesn't sign but that's a ton of money for someone who a pitcher who is unproven against MLB talent.

"We have long admired Mr. Matsuzaka's abilities and believe he would be a great fit with the Red Sox organization," Boston general manager Theo Epstein said at the general managers' meetings in Naples, Fla. "Clearly, we believe Mr. Matsuzaka is a real talent."

No kidding, but are you going to give him an Alex Rodriguez contract or are you just trying to hold him from the Yankees? Only time will tell.

Source

Kobe Bryant Being Hit With Lawsuit

Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant is being sued by an Arkansas man, who claims the Los Angeles Lakers star deliberately elbowed him during a Memphis Grizzlies' game last year.

Bill Geeslin sat in the stands when the Lakers played in Memphis last Nov. 14. His three-page federal lawsuit filed Tuesday claims that Bryant came off the court during play, landed on Geeslin and "without provocation" committed assault and battery when he struck Geeslin with his elbow.

Geeslin claims seeks more than $75,000 in damages for unspecified injuries that required medical attention.

We're sure that this fan did nothing to provoke Bryant if in fact he did elbow him on purpose which remains to be seen. It's amazing to see that people will file lawsuits on anything at all in the U.S. What did it slip their mind to do it say 9 months ago, or did they file suit when he realized he might actually have to pay a medical bill? The lawsuit comes a year and a day after the incident occurred.

Source

Testaverde Back In The NFL

It's only been about 20 years and 261 interceptions (35 in 1988) later since Vinny Testaverde entered the league with the lowly Buccaneers in 1987.

Well, the New England Patriots are looking for a veteran who has a ton of experience but no rings to help mentor a three time Super Bowl Champion and Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady and get him through his current funk.

The Patriots have lost two games in a row and Vinny will most likely be the third string QB. Belichick and Testaverde have a long history together with their days in Cleveland and New York Jets. Testaverde had a workout with the Pats back in late September but apparently nothing surfaced from it until yesterday. Will this guy ever hang it up for good? You have to wonder if he will have any skills at all, if injuries should start to happen in New England.

Testaverde's Career Stats

Minor League Hockey Player Booted

We are not huge hockey fans as evidenced by our lack of posts on the sport. Nothing against the teams, players, organizations, coaches, etc...well maybe one player.

A Dayton Bombers hockey player was arrested Monday for soliciting sex from Warren County Cyber Crimes Task Force detectives posing as two 13-year-old girls on the Internet.

Daniel A. Knapp, 23, of Beavercreek was arrested after he arrived at Kd's Market, 4471 N. Ohio 48 in Clearcreek Twp.

Knapp, who told officers he wanted to be a kindergarten teacher someday, was charged with two counts of importuning and two counts of attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison.

The Bombers released Knapp on Tuesday after learning of the charges. It's sad to think what really would have happened to this guy had he become a school teacher.

Source

Does The Media Loves To Hate Bobby Knight?

The media is out against Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight again. This time for pushing up the chin of one of his players during the second half of their game in Lubbock, TX last night.

Television replays show Knight using his hand to push Texas Tech forward Michael Prince's chin during a timeout, as if to make him look the coach in the eye.

The player at the center of the latest uproar over Bob Knight says he had no problem with his coach's actions during Monday's game.

"It was nothing," Prince told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "He was trying to teach me and I had my head down, so he raised my chin up.

"He was telling me to go out there and don't be afraid to make mistakes. He said I was being too hard on myself."

Look, these days it appears that if you so much as lay a finger on a player, the media will be all over it. However, since Bobby Knight has such a past, you can't help but wonder if he's a target in this case. It's not like smacked him, or threw him down on the bench. If this were any other basketball program with a big time head coach would this issue be raised?

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Seriously Isiah Thomas, You Are Now A Coach, Act Like One

Isiah Thomas in his playing days had a reputation of being a hard nosed, tough player. Now he's an NBA coach and seems to think he can still carry that attitude towards the players on the opposing teams. The latest events with San Antonio Spurs forward Bruce Bowen on Saturday showed us why.

Bowen accused Thomas of threatening him during the game, saying the coach said he would "break his neck." Thomas became upset because he felt Bowen was intentionally sticking his foot under Jamal Crawford as the Knick guard was leaving his feet to take a jump shot, a tactic that Bowen has been accused of by Vince Carter and Ray Allen. Both Thomas and Bowen were called for technical fouls.

Thomas also shouted to his players that the "next time (Bowen) does that, break his --- foot."

The incident came one day after Thomas said before the Knicks-Rockets game how he would have reacted during his playing days if someone had used a similar method.

"I'd beat the --- out of somebody," Thomas said Friday. "Really, I would --- murder them. ... There's certain things you don't do."

Sure Bowen certainly does things during games that are questionable, but for a coach to say he was going to break his neck, that's going overboard.

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Houshmandzada Lit Up

Below you will find the knockout hit laid by Chargers safety Marlon McCree yesterday in the Chargers 49-41 win over the Bengals. Just listen to the pop, it's an obvious pass interference call, but did McCree us his helmet, it doesn't appear so and will he be fined?

Are You Packin'? Most Pro Athletes Are

It must be tough to be professional athlete today. You make millions of dollars, are adored by fans who want to talk to you, get your autograph or a picture taken. Apparently, many of them feel it's necessary to pack a little heat when they are off the court or field.

Shaq is know to be packin' so are many other American sports figures, including NBA stars Paul Pierce and Vince Carter, NFL standouts Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, and Daunte Culpepper, and New York Yankee pitcher Carl Pavano, according to players and a Globe review of concealed weapon permits in states where the names of license holders are public record. Players and team officials estimated a vast majority of NBA and NFL athletes carry firearms -- legally or illegally -- and that the number of handgun owners among them has reached an all-time high.

"I would say about 90 percent of players in the league have guns to protect themselves," said New England Patriots receiver Jabar Gaffney, who holds a Texas license to carry a concealed weapon.

In the NBA, the figure "is closer to 100 percent than it is to 50 [percent]," said a team official who requested anonymity.

Now isn't it tough enough to raise kids these days? Most kids grow up idolizing professional athletes for their fame and fortune. Are these players sending the wrong message to the kids out there by carrying weopons on their person. Especially what would happen if these athletes were to get into an altercation with someone who is trying to rob or harm them?

"Fortunately, nobody has gotten killed" in recent years, said Boston Celtics center Theo Ratliff, who said he does not carry a firearm but has seen handgun ownership rise among NBA players during his 11 seasons in the league. "If something like that happens, it would put a big X on the situation."

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Paterno Will Not Be At The Stadium Against Temple

Coming off a brutal hit on the sidelines last week and a torn ACL and broken leg against Wisconsin Joe Paterno will not be in attendance against Temple this weekend.

Heeding his doctor's advice, injured Penn State coach Joe Paterno will not be in the stadium tomorrow when the Nittany Lions play Temple at State College, Pa. -- missing his first game since 1977.

Paterno had missed only one game in his 41-year head-coaching career -- after his son, David, was involved in an accident. He also missed one game as an assistant in 1955 after his father died.

Paterno is hardcore, he wasn't exactly a model patient this week and has been extremely stir crazy in the hospital demanding to get out so he can go back to the sidelines for this weekends game. Many have questioned why he's still on the sidelines at 79 years old, well this should sum it up for you, he still has the fire in his belly to do the job. We're pretty sure if it was a team that other than Temple that Penn State was playing this week, Paterno would have to be carted on the field.

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Rutgers Fans Have Earned The Right To Go Crazy

In case you were sleeping last night and didn't see the Louisville-Rutgers game last night, Rutgers made an 18 point comeback in the second half and to beat Louisville on a game winning field goal with less than 20 seconds left to win 28-25.

It's nice to see a football program who was the laughing stock of college football show some life and have a dream season like Rutgers with it's 9-0 record. The stadium looked surreal last night and it was hard to believe you were watching a Rutgers football game. We, like most thought Rutgers would rollover last night on the spotlight, we were wrong.

Rutgers Shocks Louisville

Someone Tell John Daly To Stop Shelling Out Rings

We are huge fans of PGA Professional John Daly, but this has gotten out of control......

Two-time major champion John Daly and his wife have filed for divorce, four months after she finished serving a federal sentence involving finances from an alleged drug and gambling ring.

Mrs. Daly pleaded guilty in November 2004 to a charge of conspiracy to structure a transaction to evade the reporting requirement. She began serving a five-month sentence Jan. 25, the day before Daly teed off in the Buick Invitational.

Daly's autobiography — "My Life In & Out of the Rough" — was released in May. He went into lurid detail about his gambling and drinking addictions, and he devoted one chapter to his three ex-wives that was titled, "All My Exes Wear Rolexes."

This will be divorce number four for Daly! There has to be a point in a man's life when he realizes that maybe he's better off to not being married. Let's hope for John Daly he's learned his lesson about being a married man. For all the stuff he's been through in his career, you have to feel for the guy, but someone stop him from giving out rings like Halloween candy.

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The Biggest Game In School History For Rutgers Tonight

It's hard to believe that it's taken almost 100 years for a school that played in the first ever college football game, to have their biggest game in school history. Well, considering Rutgers football program history, it might not be that hard to believe.

Tonight host Louisville the only other team in the Big East who is undefeated. If Louisville wins, they could breeze to the conference title and a potential national championship bid, if they win out. For Rutgers, they would still have to face West Virginia along with winning out to win the conference title.

Who will it be tonight. Although we would like to see the underdog Scarlet Knights bring one home, it just looks like Louisville is too strong. Louisville 42-31.

George Steinbrenner Knows How To Handle Sheffield's Whining

George Steinbrenner is no dummy when it comes to buying players to make a winning team. Apparently he's not going to talk to outfielder Gary Sheffield about his desire to stay in the pinstripes for the future.
Gary Sheffield said he's being blocked by "middle men" from speaking with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner about his desire to stay in New York and will comply with the team's request to form a list of clubs he'd prefer to be traded to.

Since Steinbrenner collapsed in public back in October, Sheffield feels that he is unable to reach out to Steinbrenner and his being blocked is because of his health issue.

"If it wasn't for his health, I'd have made that conversation happen, but my situation ain't worth that to me," Sheffield said, adding that "you've got middle men blocking him. ... They get in the way and their personal feelings get in the way."

Sheffield doesn't like the fact that he's being replaced by Bobby Abreu either, he had these words to say:

"He's a good player, but like I say, you can draw it up any kind of way, he ain't me, and that's the bottom line," Sheffield said. "I understood them having to make this move for the remainder of the season but ... I always was told that you leave because somebody's better than you, and I don't think that's the case here."

Well, it's seems like a done deal that Sheff, will not be in a Yankee uniform past this year even if they decide not to trade him. It's funny how this has made Sheffield look like a whiney, bitter, old player. Who knows where he'll land next season, whomever it may be, good luck.

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LeBron James Expresses His Feelings On The New NBA Basketball

The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost two games in a row, to arguably two of the worst teams in the NBA, the Charlotte Bobcats and now the Atlanta Hawks last night. Before the game last night in Cleveland, LeBron sounded off on his thoughts on the new NBA ball and some of the new rules implemented by commissioner David Stern.

"It's not a good basketball, it kind of feels like a basketball you buy for your kids at Christmas or something."

"Sometimes it feels good, sometimes it doesn't, it's got no consistency."

"Sometimes you can grip it, and sometimes during the game it sticks to your hand," he said. "It won't bounce, it will just roll on you. I don't know why we can't get used to this ball. But it's just not good."

He feels that the ball is hindering how the game is being played everyday. We have to agree to change the foundation of the game by changing the feel of the basketball seems to be a bit extreme, not too many players seem to feel that the new ball is a positive change, if any at all feel that way.

"You can shorten our shorts, tell us how to wear wristbands, things like that. Change the dress code. But the one thing we care about is the basketball," he said. "When you start changing the thing we play with every single day, it doesn't make sense to me -- at all."

"Technicals are being thrown like Peyton Manning passes," James said. "You have to watch you say and me being an emotional player, I've always been passionate about the game. So I've got to be cool."


We're not sure if anyone caught the end of the game last night vs. the Atlanta, but James was so furious that with 8 seconds left on the clock, he pulled a Randy Moss and walked off the court in the middle of play towards the locker room. Of course, the Cleveland media who is all about James and walks on eggshells in fear that he will leave town on the drop of a hat, didn't mention one word of it.

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University of Miami DT Pata Shot and Killed

As if the University of Miami hasn't gone through enough this season with their football program, a tragedy has now struck their program.

University of Miami defensive tackle Bryan Pata was shot and killed in the parking lot of his apartment building Tuesday night, about two hours after he left practice, school officials said.

Miami-Dade police were called to the scene of a shooting at the Colony Apartments, 9315 SW 77th Ave., at approximately 7:30 p.m. When officers arrived they found Pata a victim of multiple gunshot wounds.

Pata, a 6-4, 280-pound defensive tackle, had started all but one game this year, recording 26 tackles and two sacks. The converted defensive end had started 15 games in his four-year career and was on pace to finish the year with his best individual season, which prompted his stock to rise for April's draft.

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Three Tennessee Volunteers Busted

Another case of college athletes gone wrong happened this weekend, this time in Knoxville, TN. Three Tennessee football players, including starting running back Arian Foster were arrested for disorderly conduct and underage drinking, after trying to drink off their loss to LSU this past weekend.

Coach Phillip Fulmer has disiplined the players for their actions:

Foster will be suspended for the first half of the Arkansas game on Saturday. Fullback David Holbert will be suspended for the entire game. And safety Antonio Wardlow will be suspended for the Arkansas game and the Vanderbilt game on Nov. 18.

Foster was arrested, and about 10 minutes later, police found Holbert and Wardlow in an altercation with each other outside, DeBusk said.

"The defendant was yelling and attempting to fight in the parking lot and street. The defendant squared off with another male and began to throw punches," according to the affidavit.

Holbert was advised of his rights and "admitted to drinking alcoholic beverages inside of Good Fellas," according to the report.

Wardlow was charged with public intoxication because he had an odor of alcohol, "slurred speech and an unsteady walk," police said.

What constitutes a one player from being suspended a half a game, a full game, and for two games. If we had to guess, it' s because of the amount they played before the incident. Foster is a starter, so it's as if the Vols, don't want to miss him from their lineup.....at least it appears that way. It appears that the extra public intoxication charge to Wardlow did him in and gained him the extra game suspension by Fulmer.

"The three young men who were arrested let their teammates, coaches, administration and great fans down," Fulmer said. "Their behavior is an example ... (of) when immature male ego mixes with alcohol and stupidity."

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No More Bottled Beers For Ohio State Students

Prepping for what could be a national title deciding game vs. Michigan in a little less than two weeks. Columbus is preparing their United Dairy Farmers stores by only selling canned beer at their stores near The Ohio State University campus.

Three convenience stores near the Ohio State University campus have agreed to stop selling domestic beer in glass bottles through the end of the school year, at the university's request.

"Our students drink cheap beer, so the foreign beers are not a problem," he said. "You never see those bottles in the neighborhood."

"Beer bottles are lethal weapons when thrown empty, and cans don't hurt you, empty," Young said.


Really, not one?, that's let's see some data to back that up. Isn't that like saying that rich people only drink fine wine or the best scotch in the world? It is a known fact that college students drink Busch Light and Natural Light, but we're sure there are some kids out there with "silver spoons" at The Ohio State University who do choose to drink some quality beers. I guess they'll have to go away from campus to buy their beers. We feel bad for the hippies, that love their dank beers out of the bottles too.

It's well known that when the Buckeyes have beaten Michigan in the past it's been complete chaos on and near campus. We wouldn't expect things to change too much if they win their next two vs. Northwestern and Michigan.

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Sorry Cal Fans You Will Now Have To Pay To See Your Beloved Bears

Many Cal football fans have watched their beloved Bears from an area located about the stadium called Tightwad Hill. Well, the university now wants to break a tradition that has been going on since 1920 with some new renovations to Memorial Stadium which would block the fans view of the game.

Fans are pissed:

"They're screwing with tradition from the 1920s," said Marc Gantz, 51, a Berkeley native who has been watching games on the hill since he was in elementary school. "How can they not have the foresight?"

The history behind Tightwad Hill is as follows:

In the early 1920s, engineers excavated the rocky flanks of Strawberry Creek to make way for the stadium, and fans soon claimed the handiest ledges for watching games. Tightwad Hill was born.

Apparently when there is a winning season for the Cal Bears the hill will have about 300 fans hanging up there and during the rivalry vs. Stanford there are about 500 fans hanging out.

Well, we guess these fans will just have to buy some tickets to see their team just like the rest of college football fans out there. The world has lost another freebee, Cal football from Tightwad Hill.

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Larry Johnson Wins Madden 2007 Game vs. Chad Johnson

We are big fans of Chad Johnson, if you can't already tell. But this is what makes him even cooler, he puts his money where his mouth is. He was fined $5,000 by the NFL for his "Ocho Cinco" name badge on the back of his jersey during warmups vs. Atlanta on Sunday. But now he has to pay a debt to Chiefs running back Larry Johnson when he lost in a Madden 2007 game 24-23.

As part of a new gaming show on MTV called “Settle the Score,” LJ played a game of “Madden 2007” against the Bengals’ Chad Johnson last week on the Internet (Xbox Live).

As the game progressed, Chad and Larry increased their wagers for each other from autographed footballs and memorabilia to their actual motorcycles and then finally to this: If Chad won, Larry would have to create a mini-Mohawk on his head and dye it Bengals orange; if Larry won, Chad would have to dye his blond Mohawk a Chiefs red.

LJ was in trouble late in the game, trailing 23-21 with 1 minute, 27 seconds left and the ball on his 20. But LJ methodically drove his team down to the 8 and delivered the game-winning field goal with 3 seconds left.

Chad honored his wager by immediately dying his Mohawk red, though he subsequently shaved it altogether after losing a bet last Sunday to the Falcons’ DeAngelo Hall.
LJ also apparently will be getting Chad’s motorcycle, which was to be shipped from Cincinnati to Kansas City.

The show premiers on MTV on November 13th.

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Louisville Dominates WVU

In what many are deemed the biggest game in college football so far this season Louisville stomped West Virginia 44-34 on their home turf.

One question we have is where was West Virginia star running back Steve Slaton when he was needed in the 3rd quarter last night. Apparently he was nursing as wrist injury that was discovered after he was stripped 2 times in as many carries, leading to Louisville recoveries and the momentum shifter.

This was the biggest game of the season and his career. He needed man up, sure you've got a wrist injury, but many guys would suffer through it to give their team a fighting chance, especially when Slaton and QB Pat White are pretty much then entire offense.

Once Slaton was out of the game, Pat White just pretty much took snaps and started to run, even when he was trying to throw you knew he was going to run. It was predictable but still effective, but not enough to win the game.

With WVU out of the national title picture, Louisville travels to New Jersey to face an undefeated Rutgers team to keep their BCS hopes alive.

Winslow Running His Mouth Again, Should We Be Surprised?

Looks like NFL Soldier Kellen Winslow, Jr. is up to his old antics. Looks like he's pretty charged up for the game against San Diego this weekend and had some choice words to say about his own play:

"When I looked on the schedule, I always knew I'd be back for this game,"

"I look at it as a heavyweight match. It's me vs. Gates," Winslow said Wednesday. "I want to be the best tight end out there, and I've got to go do it on Sunday. You know, Tony's right behind me, Gates is right behind me. So I've got to stay on top."

"I said I was the best. I am the best. And I'm going to prove it on Sunday," Winslow said.

Winslow acknowledged that he has not silenced his critics.

"Not at all," he attests. "You've got to keep going because when you play for the Browns, right now you don't get a lot of pub [publicity]. I don't even think they know what I'm doing. So I've got to prove it against a good team like the Chargers, [and] the Ravens. I've got to ball up."

"I've got all the respect for Gates. But my father, he's on a whole other level. He made the tight end position," Winslow said.

"I think I'm a different type of breed," Winslow continued. "I'm not really a tight end, I'm not really a receiver. I'm kind of a 'tweener. And they figure out ways to give me the ball. Tony's more big body, big frame, like my dad. I'm kind of in between."

Big words from a man who hasn't even played 10 NFL games. Nevermind the rest of the team, it's just Antonio and Kellen on the field on Sunday. Keep in mind the Browns have not won back to back games since 2003.

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We Guess The NBA Isn't Messing Around: Rasheed Wallace Ejected In Opener

The Detroit Pistons lost their opener last night to the Milwaukee Bucks 105-97 at home. Rasheed Wallace was shown the door with an ejection during the game. Not surprising since he had 16 technicals last season, though considerably down from years past. It appears, however, NBA officials were setting an example to Wallace and others that they are taking the newly implemented rules very seriously.

Wallace, notorious for bantering with officials and reacting demonstratively to their calls, might have trouble adjusting to a new NBA point of emphasis.

He was called for a foul late in the first quarter. When he reacted with his eyes wide, mouth open in disbelief and his arms out at his sides, official Ken Mauer whistled him for a technical.

Official Luis Grillo ejected Wallace with a second technical after twice motioning -- with his finger across his neck -- for him to stop complaining about a call against teammate Mohammed.

Players are fined $1,000 for each of their first five technicals, an amount that increases by $500 for each five after that, capped by a $2,500 penalty for each one starting with the 16th. A one-game suspension also comes at that point and for every other technical thereafter.

Could we see a change in Sheed this year, when it comes down to the money, or will the Sheed continue to do his thing regardless of what the league says. Honestly, we think that Wallace should just go on doing what he does, it's certainly more entertaining regardless of what David Stern has to say.


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