Eye on the Tiger

I wake up Friday morning and get ready for some college football and thanksgiving left overs. I'm warming up my food and turn to the Auburn versus Alabama game. I'm watching Auburn give Alabama all they can handle in the first quarter and then my heart drops. Breaking news, Tiger Woods was in a car accident. With the way his highlights were being played I thought Tiger Woods was going to die. Things sounded sketchy as no one really had factual information. All they knew is that he crashed into a fire hydrant and a neighbor's tree. Hearing those details and seeing how early the accident was. The first thing that came to my mind was drunk driving. Then I thought it's Tiger Woods, he wouldn't do that and I was right because officers said it looked like alcohol was not involved with the accident. So then I thought that Tiger was puffing the putting greens and then I wondered why would he do that knowing he's the most powerful role model to date right now, but then I thought like a grown up and said this seems to weird. Something has to be up and certainly it was because as the days went by more facts were coming out. It appears that Tiger Woods was having an affair and he and his wife were arguing about it. Sources said Tiger told a friend he was about to get a "Kobe Special" before he rushed out of the house and hit everything except the car path. Tiger is free to do what he wants, but cheating does show poor character. So if he is getting chased around the house by his wife holding a golf club then let it be known. Other reports were made saying that Tiger's wife Elin told officers that she was chasing Tiger around the house with the same club I guess she used to save him from the SUV. Other statements came out that Tiger Woods told an officer said that he didn't get those lacerations from the car accident. Look Tiger, whatever happened that Friday morning is between you, Elin and that golf club. You may be ruling the golf courses with it, but Elin is betting the house that she can get to you in under three strokes. I'm happy he was not drinking and driving and I'm glad he released a statement of him taking responsibility for his actions. Even though Tiger didn't give out every detail he gave the right one. That he is not perfect and like him nobody else is.

USC's Donward Spiral

This is a sad season for Trojan fans all over the world. This season USC showed us that they are in a rebuilding year and they need more work to be done with their team. With me being a real USC fan I am totally disappointed with this Pete Carroll team. Pete had to see something brewing with him wanting Jet's quarterback Mark Sanchez to come back and play another year. The Trojans of 2009 started off the year great. They beat the Spartans of San Jose in there tune up game and then went to Ohio State and won the battle of the highly ranked teams, but the team fell with true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley. After he went down against Ohio State the following week was a true disaster and this is what got me. Aaron Corp was the starting quarterback till he broke his femur in practice, so why was it when he was the starter against the Washington Huskies he looked like the true freshman. Also why didn't Pete play Mitch Mustain a transfer from Arkansas. He could have probably did better than Aaron Corp against the huskies. Not to mention that the head coach and defensive coordinator had the upper hand by leaving the Trojan's staff just a year ago, but still that is no excuse. So after that bump in the road USC went on a four game winning streak and was back in the top ten of the BCS rankings I just wanted to see USC and Boise State play each other in a BCS bowl game, but SC hit a wall. They first got man handled by the Oregon Ducks and was later embarrassed by the Stanford Cardinals. Look I have great respect for Pete Carroll he has won the Pac-10 conference title almost every year he has been there and has won every big game except for the Rose Bowl against Texas. Pete has put more players in the NFL than any other colleges combined. Carroll has done a great job with a true freshman quarterback and has kept the Trojans in the hunt, but I must admit that I am spooked for the rest of the season. The Trojans plays UCLA today who seems like a decent team when they are working on all cylinders and an Arizona team that is putting in work and almost beat the Oregon Ducks. USC has a great tradition and like all good things they came to an end this year, but maybe just maybe the Trojans of USC can be back in full force next year and make a run for the national title.

Another Wrong Answer

After fourteen years of awesomeness Allen Iverson has chose to retire from the National Basketball Association. One of the greatest offensive scorers in the league, and lets not forget his dynamic defense. Iverson was a three time season leader in steals. He was quick to anticipate the passing lane, exploit it and get the steal for the lay up. Allen Iverson was a player that could score from all over the court and as a team leader put his body on the line to get that "and one". This is the guy who crossed over Jordan and didn't just cross over Jordan, he made the shot. Allen single handily led the Seventy Sixers to the NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. He was the only reason the Sixers won the first game and now after a couple appearances with a few teams Allen is being forced into retirement. Look, no matter what anybody says I believe Allen when he says he still has some gas left in the tank. I know everybody else is arguing how when he was complaining about practice. Plus he didn't want to come off the bench and I feel he shouldn't have to. Depending on the team he goes to and I have three right answers for Allen Iverson. Number one, like I said before if Allen was a Laker he would have to come off the bench and that wouldn't be a bad thing for him. If you look at the Laker games and you see Phil put the second unit in. The only person who can actually score right now is Odom and Shannon Brown when his three pointers are on. Allen would sure up that second unit by running the triangle like Kobe and score all his points in spurts and at the end of the game when the Lakers up by twenty. Plus he would probably start from time to time over Derek Fisher. Second is the Cleveland Cavilers because they have no real two guard. I mean they start Anthony Parker. Put Delonte West on back up duty as he gets his self together and start Allen Iverson. Finally he could run the two and lead a surging Oklahoma Thunder. I know they are not a championship contender, but he could start there. I understand why teams are apprehensive to sign him. They don't want Iverson to just be a cancer to their team and I know they've seen that Iverson is having a little trouble finishing around the rim. Allen Iverson shouldn't be sitting out this year or playing overseas in some European League. Iverson should be playing in the NBA continuing his legacy and fighting to win a championship. If Allen Iverson is the question, then retirement is another wrong answer for Allen Iverson.

The Ron Artest Affect

The Lakers are the returning champions for this new season and with new seasons are always new additions. The Lakers felt they had a great team to make a run for another championship, but things were quickly derailed when Trevor Ariza and his agent were trying to play hardball with the Laker's General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Not only that, but Laker fans thought Lamar Odom would be gone as well. I remember talking to my friends about who we should pick up in the off season and a few names came to mind such as Rasheed Wallace, Charlie Villanueva and the always troubled Ron Artest. My friends was like hell no! Why would the Lakers get Ron Artest who got physical with Kobe in that playoff series against the Houston Rockets. I didn't care we needed to become tougher and I felt Ron Artest and his defence was able to do so. I saw Carlos Boozer pushing around Gasol, Bynum and any other big men we had and the year we lost to Boston the Celtics did the same thing. So as I'm walking into my local YMCA and my friend behind the counter quickly tells me the Lakers just signed Ron Artest and the reason was to get him before the Cleveland Cavaliers did. I was so happy I started high fiving everybody I came in contact with because I knew this would ensure our back to back championship. I mean Trevor was a great defender and could shoot the three, but Ron Artest is a fierce defensive player and has the skills to go for at least twenty-five a night. Look I knew the media wouldn't like this acquisition, but I didn't think it would be so negative. I don't know why I didn't expect it though. I mean sports writers are hammering Ron Artest and I think they're doing it to get Ron to blow up and destroy the chemistry of the Laker team. All I have to say is this, Ron was playing on a bunch of teams that really had no chance of winning a championship. Now he is on a team that has won one the year before and is playing with arguably the best player in the NBA. Ron's antics are small and trivial. So what he came out half naked on Jimmy Kimmel. Dennis Rodman wore a dress and make up. The problem is we love the troubled athlete, but are quick to judge them when we feel they do something we don't approve of. Ron has been a great addition and is being a warrior on the court and a good Samaritan off of it. He's giving away tickets on twitter and now he's trying to speak against violence with the guy from the "Malace at the Palace". Even though I couldn't blame because no one should get any kind of beverage throed on them. I don't care if they are a professional or not. Getting disrespected is a tough pill to swallow, But we can see Ron is taking it in stride. He just needs to run the triangle offense, play "exquisite D" and try his best to help the Lakers win a championship without any major incidents. Lets just let Ron be Ron.

A Tale of TwoQuarterbacks

When the New York Jets drafted Mark Sanchez Jets fans were happy and skeptical. The Jets of New York traded up in the draft to pick Sanchez fifth overall. After that Sanchez was quick not to make any brash promises or predictions and chose to let his play do the talking, but before he even stepped on the practice field he was being dubbed as " the new Broadway Joe" when he posed like David Hasselhoff in Baywatch. Sanchez took the good ribbing and when the season started Sanchez showed he should have been a top draft pick at quarterback and he made the right decision to leave USC after only playing one season. He started off the regular season even better by leading his team to a 4 and 0 start as New York named him Mark Franchize. The media was praising Rex Ryan for the coaching job he was doing on both sides of the ball and then it happened. Darren Sharper in a comment before the Jets and Saints played each other he said he's been studying film and Sanchez has a few tales before he makes a decision. Well Sharper must have been right because during that game Sharper had two interceptions and returned one of those for a touchdown. The Jets went on a three game losing streak and it took no time for the mild manner New York fan and media start to question Sanchez and the Jets ability to win. It looked like Sanchez got his swagger back when they ran up the score on the Oakland Raiders, but we realized that it's the Oakland Raiders and they only play hard against teams that have a great chance of reaching the playoffs. Then Rex Ryan cried and then Jets fans cried and the team was on the skid again. Look Sanchez is a winner because he came from that great USC tradition. He's showed more skill than Jamarcus Russell, Brady Quinn and Mark Stafford, but is a rookie so he showed some immaturity. Rex Ryan was doing a great job when he was keeping Mark in his rookie bubble and wasn't making him win the game, but as soon as Ryan opened up the offense more and more it seemed Mark kept messing up throwing interception after interception. All I have to say is Mark has had two different halves of his rookie season. The first half he was a lock at Offensive rookie of the year, but now he isn't even close. Mark shows to much trust in his arm right now thinking he can squeeze the ball in coverage or throw the ball with more touch than he really can. Those areas of trouble will change with time will and next year Mark Sanchez will be back to Mark Franchize and every Jets fan will be back on the bandwagon looking forward to the playoffs.

Hot Seat Charlie

Another Saturday of college football's rivalry week, beer and Notre Dame football. I must admit I'm like Hank Hill from the show "King of the hill" because my day feels perfect when Notre Dame football loses. Don't get me wrong I love the tradition of Notre Dame football you know Joe Montana, Tim Brown and lets not forget the great Ricky Waters, but I'm just totally upset when Weis comes in flashing his Super Bowl rings, talking cocky and then ends up with terrible seasons after his two BCS appearances. I mean this coach was saying, I could get hoodlums and criminals and when tomorrow. I won't do it that way". I mean how could you support a guy like that? I can't. You see I know America would love to see more "white players" and so will I, but that is no excuse for that kind of talk. I just wish Charlie should have went with his first mind and headed straight to the hood and start recruiting, because if he did that he would have won something better than the Hawiian Bowl. Look Charlie Weis was a great offensive coordinator, hell he might even be a good head coach, but he's not living up to expectations or that lucrative contract they gave him. Notre Dame paid less to Ty Willingham and he took them to two bowl games and was bounced after two years even Bob Davie took them to their first BCS appearance and bunch of bowl loses as well, but even though they lost those bowl games I felt Notre Dame was actually on the map. Not waiting for next season and thinking to myself will Weis and Notre Dame ever make it back to the BCS series. It looked like after Ty Willingham's recruiting classes left Charlie's team got real suspect. The funny thing about Notre Dame getting rid of the two previous coaches is them and Charlie Weis has the same winning percentage. All I have to say is first I wasn't going to even write this until after the season, but after a lost to Navy two out of the last three years, then this lost to Uconn and then Charlie said he has no thought of resigning. I knew I had to get on this quick because he might not make it to Palo Alto. I'm not saying that Charlie Weis should really recruit criminals because look where it got Kiffin, but watch the big talk and get back to your winning ways with the next team you coach at.

Problems for Mangino at Kansas

After a wonderful football season last year the Kansas Jay hawk'S football team is in turmoil right now. Not only are the Jay hawks sitting at a five and five season and a chance at missing a bowl game. The Kansas football team is now looking into the conduct of their head football coach Mark Mangino as certain present and former football players are accusing him of mistreating them by verbally abusing them and physically abusing them. Of course Mark Mangino denied all of these allegations, but that didn't stop Kansas Jay hawk's athletic director Lew Perkins from opening an internal investigation. Mark later showed no further intentions of admitting to anything by saying all he expects to do is coach against the Texas Longhorns this weekend, but there's to many allegations to ignore. Most of the people that played for Mangino at Kansas or Kansas State says that Mangino would take your personal information and use it against them. They said that he would embarrass them by putting information they shared with him in confidence believing he would keep it secret, but later he would put it out in front of the team. One former player told Mangino that his father was an alcoholic and he wanted to further his education and become a lawyer. Later on Mangino was talking to him in front of the team and asked him if he was going to be a lawyer or become an alcoholic like his father. Another incident occurred when a player dropped a pass and was talking on the sideline Mangino told him to shut up or he will send him back to St. Louis where he can be shot with his homies. Former players said that Mangino would grab them, shake them and poke them with his finger. One time a player fell asleep in a film session and players said Mangino pushed him out of the chair and kicked him in his butt as he tried to get up. Look coaches do a lot of things to players that we as athletes don't like. They do grab us or push us, call us all kinds of names if we mess up and they do go to far. My brother had a scholarship out of state to a division two university, but he quit the team because the coach was highly disrespectful by calling him and other players from California that he thought wasn't playing to their ability California vagina's (You use the other word for that.)and football players from Florida the Florida retards. My brother still attends that school and will get his degree in December, but I feel it's wrong when you go to college to get a taste of the NCAA football life and it is cut short due to a coach demeaning you and expecting you to take it. Why would you want to continue to play for a person like that. As I mentioned earlier I choked out a coach. We were playing a team that was blowing us out and a friend of mind had a vicious hit on one of the players from the opposing team and me and a friend of mine were laughing at that player and giving props to our teammate. Quickly an assistant coach came out of no where and told us to shut the (explicit) up. I told him I wasn't his kid and he should never feel comfortable talking to me like that. After the game that assistant went to the head coach and told him what I said. The head coach politely told me to get the (explicit) off of his field. I through my shoulder pads and helmet and stormed off the field only to have the coach chased me down and grab me. I turned around and grabbed him by his neck telling him to never ever get the urge to grab me again. All I have to say is this, coaches need athletes else they wouldn't have a job. Most coaches just blow smoke up your butt to have you come to their college only to treat you like crap when they feel you are useless to them. We just need to have coaches that will be considerate to their players and treat them with the same respect they feel they deserve from their players.

Thierry Hands France the Victory

It was a great soccer game. France and Ireland played hard and forced the game into extra minutes. The winner of this game would qualify to the next round of the world cup, but the goal that has France qualifying to the next round is under intense scrutiny. Thierry Henry was driving towards the goal, made a good soccer move, but the ball touched his hand before he passed it off to fellow teammate William Gallas who scored the game tying goal. Right after the game Thierry admitted that he used his hand illegally, but some people think he was saying it was an accident. If it was an accident how did he accidentally touched it twice. Media and soccer fans are comparing this goal to the goal by Argentine soccer player Maradona called "The hand of God" where Maradona punched the ball in the goal. With everything that's going on and this comparison to Maradona the soccer fan has two people to blame. First you blame the referees, how can a referee be running with Thierry and couldn't see that he touched it with his hand twice. Second you can blame FIFA for one not using replay to correct this in the first place and second for not replaying the game. Look Soccer is a sport loved by the whole world and the World Cup is the biggest sporting event ever and it should not be tainted by cheating. Now watching the replay I can't say that he deliberately used his hand to control the ball, but I can say that the referees missed the handball call. Thierry did the right thing though. He admitted it and said that France should be out of the World Cup and also said that France and Ireland should play the game over. I on the other hand just think this call was missed and a replaying of the game should not happen, but if it was to happen it should start a minute before Thierry hand balled or like Thierry suggested advance Ireland. I strongly suggest that instant replay should be allowed in FIFA soccer or any other sport. Instant replay should be used in every sport because our world has the technology to make it work. We have high definition televisions and cameras. We have the ability to put things in super slow motion and freeze frame everything. Sports fans aren't just happy with the "It was a great game to watch" excuse anymore. No, us as sports fans don't want to put our whole hearts into rooting for a team only to see our team lose or get eliminated due to a bad call that could easily be overturned by a simple ten seconds to a minute watching a replay. All every sports fan wants is to see a fare game called right and played competitively.

Elizabeth Lambert Might be Right

A few weeks ago sports fan around the world and maybe some computer junkies who were looking for a nice beat down to laugh at saw the University of New Mexico Lobos female soccer player Elizabeth Lambert get rough and rugged with a couple of female soccer players from Brigham Young University. She was pulling hair, throw girls to the ground and even elbowed someone in the back. Oh yeah lets not forget when she kicked the soccer ball into a player's face. On Friday of that week head coach of the females lobo soccer team Kit Vela said that Elizabeth Lambert was suspended indefinitely for her actions. Elizabeth later released a statement saying her actions were uncalled for, her emotions got the best of her in a heated situation and she takes full responsibility for actions. She finally added that she would accept any punishment delivered by the coaching staff and the school administration, but a week later Elizabeth had another statement to follow after the first one. Lambert said that those actions did not show her good side and doesn't define her as a soccer player. She went to make a point that if she was a male soccer player she wouldn't have gotten that much flack for her actions. I sat back and thought she might be right. We love physical play and what sports fan doesn't love full contact, but some of those plays were uncalled for, but some of them were just typical soccer plays. The scissors at the legs of the other player was a good and hard play and the elbow to the back of the player was given after that player elbowed her in the stomach. Look soccer is a great sport, but at times can be real physical. Players get leg whipped, head butted and could be kicked any where on the body, but the pulling of the hair was way too much. I feel she should be forgiven because a collegiate player has only four years to win a championship for their universities and write their names in greatness and will be the toughest they can if they feel it will win them a title. I mean the Oregon running back was let back on his team and Florida's middle linebacker was suspended a half and was man enough to sit out a whole game. If she was a senior then she graduates and moves on to better things, but if she has another year to play then she should be allowed to play her scholarship out. Even though she gave us this that wasn't me she had no idea who that person was, i would feel so much better if her or any sports athlete that messes up say that that person was me and I let it get the best of me. People with that competitive edge have no idea of how far they'll go to get that trophy. Elizabeth Lambert took the punishment and made the apology, don't let her career end like this. She deserves better.

Retire 23 For What?

So Lebron James tried to get the attention off of his 2010 free agency questions by starting another debate that's just as pointless. We all know if Shaq don't win a ring for the king Lebron will put himself in exile and flee to another team and if they at least get to the NBA finals he will stay for a couple more years nothing long term, but that's not the issue right now. Right now Lebron James said he is changing his number from 23 to his Olympic number 6 next year and he feels that no one else should be able to wear the number 23 in the league. Yeah right, and as I said in the title for what? Look Michael Jordan was a great player winning six NBA champions with six NBA finals MVP trophies, five NBA season MVP trophies and bunch of other accolades including all-star selections, all NBA and all NBA defensive teams. With all of these accomplishments and people saying how he transcended the game of basketball his jersey should not be retired through out the league. Did Michael Jordan become the first black player in the National Basketball Association? No. Did Jordan win more rings than Bill Russell? No. Did Jordan even surpass the Captain Kareem Abdul Jabbar on the all time scoring list? No. So why would we not retire their jerseys around the league, but retire Jordan's. Is it because he made Nike more prosperous than any other athlete or because he got everybody drinking Gatorade and they don't even play sports or maybe because he was the first basketball player to star in his own movie. Look either way it goes all of those have nothing to do with basketball. Micheal Jordan franchised himself not the NBA. I mean still to this day you see Jordan golfing doing Hanes commercials and now has other basketball players on his Jordan Brand label. All I have to say is that Jordan was one of the greatest players of my era with Bird, Magic, Barkley and Dominique Wilkins just like the era before mine had greats like Erving, Gervin, West and Dawkins and the greats before that such as Wilt, Russell and Cousy. All of these players I named and some I didn't name were great players and contributed greatly to the development of the NBA, but there is no way they're going to retire all of these people's jerseys. Lets just retire his jersey and give him a statue in Chicago which they did and do what Pat Riley did which is hang Jordan's retired Bulls jersey in the rafters. We can pay homage to Jordan in so many ways other than doing for him what they won't do for everyone else that we consider to be great.

What's the Difference

As we all know in the beginning of the NBA preseason the league decided to go with replacement referees. These replacement referees were a combination of WNBA, NBA Development League and other referees that use to work in the NBA before. The Commissioner Daniel Stern and the referee's union were unable to come to an agreement about there contract. So when the preseason started league officials promised that the replacement officials would be just as prepared as the regular referees, but when the season started fans, players and media saw it a different way. In the opening preseason game the referees were criticized for missing what is called routine plays. They were also downed for not blowing a play dead after an air balled free throw and sending the wrong person to the free throw line. I understand these complaints, but at the same time we have to realize that this was the replacement refs first season with the National Basketball Association. Of course their going to have first game jitters and make a few blunders calling the game it's normal, but the complaints just kept coming during the preseason. Well after the preseason and before the regular season the referee's union and the NBA came to an agreement to bring the regular referees back. After a few regular season games were played everybody was praising the regular referees on how much of a better job they have done, but I on the other hand see no difference in the way the games are being officiated right now. In fact these referees are just as worse as the replacement referees. Yeah the replacement referees made some bone head calls and didn't comprehend some of the rules, but with a little more real game experience they would've been just as good as the regular season referees. Look either way it goes referees are going to miss some calls and even make game deciding mistakes, but both of these referee groups would not be criticized so much if they were one thing, consistent. Consistent in fouls on both ends of the floor charge or block. Consistent with the traveling calls, that's why the league had to clear up the traveling rule this year. There should be no home court advantage calls or superstar treatment. There should be one way to call the game, fair. I've been watching a lot of NBA games this year and it's one thing I hate to see, if a ticky tac foul is being called on one end and right after that call on the other end the same thing happens and that call is not made or vice versa. So yes all this leaves me to ask what is the difference between replacement referees and the regular referees? You know what the answer is, nothing. Nothing at all because at the end of the day both group of referees are inconsistent, so if everybody wants to criticize the replacement referees criticize the regular season referees as well.

Titan's Owner Fined 250K

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon the Tennessee Titans were giving the Buffalo Bills all they could handle and the owner of the Titans Bud Adams gave the fans and the League's commissioner Roger Goodell all they could handle. I guess Tennessee versus Buffalo is a rivalry game, but you would definitely think it is the way Bud Adams was giving the double bird to the fans of the Buffalo Bills. Seriously towards the end of the fourth quarter after Commissioner Roger Goodell had breakfast and sat in the luxury box with Bud Adams. Goodell saw Bud Adams flicking off fan after fan after fan as he sat in the stands with regular blue collar football fans. Roger Goodell who also said earlier that week that he wanted to make every football stadium family friendly only to see this owner happily and repeatedly giving the finger to all of his haters and didn't stop there. After the game Bud Adams made it down to the field to show off his middle finger some more. So with a day to take Bud Adams actions into consideration and hear every sports television and radio station comment about it. Roger Goodell gave Bud Adams a fine that I feel set the bar for any other owner that tries to follow suit. Roger Goodell gave Bud Adams a whopping 250,000 dollar fine for what the League's spokesman Greg Aiello said was conduct detrimental to the NFL. Look this fine was a good decision, but on the other hand I understand why Bud Adams flicked off the fans of Buffalo. Picture this if you will, you're a owner of a professional sports team and every time you go to a different stadium you see your team get disrespected and heckled and sometimes you yourself gets the same treatment. You come to Buffalo a so called rival and fans are yelling at you as you're sitting high in your luxury box, "hey Bud when are you going to retire?" or "where you in your right mind when you drafted this loser Vince Young?" and not only does Vince Young and the Titans beat the Bills, but demolish them. You wouldn't get a certain urge to flick these critics off? I know Goodell wants each and every stadium to be family friendly, but is he going to fine or kick out every fan that uses profanity or uses his finger as a sign of disrespect. All I have to say is this, we are all human and I feel no man is better than the next if they got 50 million dollars or 50 cent we are susceptible to that urge to say,"hey I'm the man and there's nothing you can say or do about", or "you was talking all that smack. Now look at me." Now I'm not saying that Bud Adams was wrong, I'm just saying I understand completely. You went from 0-6 made a season saving decision to put Young in the starting line up and now it looks like it's paying off. Just put that money towards that hefty fine.

Pacquiao vs. Cotto

Pacqiaou vs Cotto fight starts great, but ends badly. On Saturday night I went to a friends house to watch the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. We bar-b-qued, drank beers and watched the under card fights in anticipation for the main event. We gave our opinions on who would win the fight and if Floyd Mayweather should fight the winner. After watching exciting under card fights including Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. upping his record to 41-0-1 and the main event was ready to be seen. We took our seats like we were at the fight as everybody crowded around the television waiting to see what boxer and country would be victorious. Would it be the hard hitting Manny Pacquiao and the Philippine nation or the strong brawler Miguel Cotto and the beautiful country of Puerto Rico. With video cameras going around the MGM Grand Garden Arena we seen celebrities such as Derek Jeter, Mark Walberg and Fat Joe, but with all those celebrities there was no one there who was more important than Paquiao's father. Pacquiao and his father have been separated for some time and this was the first time he was able to see his son fight. As the fight started we saw Cotto come out ready to punish a hesitant Pacquiao that gave too much respect, but as round after round ended we saw Pacquiao's punching power prevail. With Pacquiao knocking Cotto down in the second round the whole house stood up and began to yell, but quickly quieted down as Cotto took the third round. It seemed as Cotto got his mojo back coming into the fourth round until I yelled out,"yeah Cotto just don't go down" only to have him knocked down seconds later for a second time. You see Cotto was leading the fight each round, but after that second knockdown Pacquiao showed less respect for Cotto's punching power. For the rest of Pacquiao showed off his speed by quickly punishing Cotto causing cuts to his face. Look this was a great fight and was way more exciting than Mayweather vs. Marquez. Even though I was highly upset the referee stopped the fight in the final round with just minutes left I can say each round was action packed. After watching Pacqiao make history by winning his seventh title in seven different divisions all I have to say now is when is Mayweather vs. Paquiao coming or Cotto vs. Paquiao two?

Three University of Tennessee Football Players Arrested

Three players from the University of Tennessee football program was arrested for attempted robbery. Wide Receiver Nu'Keese Richardson, safety Janzen Jenkins and defensive back Mike Edwards were attempting to rob three people off campus with a pellet gun just before 2:00am on a Thursday night. The victims said that they were sitting in their car at a gas station and two people in hoodies brandishing a handgun and demanded give us everything you got. After the victims said they had no money the two hooded people ran, jumped in a Toyota Prius and drove off. Later that night police pulled over that Prius with the three football players. As they searched the vehicle the police found a pellet gun, hooded sweatshirts and a bag of marijuana. Richardson is still being held in jail, Edwards was released on bail and Jackson on his own recognizance. Enough of this story lets get down to the real reason why I'm writing about these idiots that did not take advantage of the opportunity they were given. Look these three boys obviously don't understand the validity of the situation. Yes these teens are young, but that is no excuse for their actions. I'm pretty sure these youngsters were raised by parents or a parent that taught them right from wrong. I'm also sure that where these boys grew up they've seen or heard about people going to jail for armed robbery, robbery or any other criminal offense. It seems to me these kids were high off marijuana and thought it would be funny to rob people with a pellet gun. I am highly upset with these boys actions and have no other opinion but to expel these boys from school, have them arrested and prosecuted to the fullest existent of the law. The fact that Coach Lane Kiffin and the Tennessee Athletic Director Mike Hamilton are caught in between keeping these boys on scholarship or if they will play. To me this is complete nonsense. There are thousands of high school athletes that would love to play collegiate football and know right from wrong. All I have to say is that there actions sickens me and this time a second chance is not warranted.

Byron Scott Fired by Hornets

So the New Orleans Hornets finally fired Byron Scott. After all the speculation and assumptions that he was on his way out the door the New Orleans Hornets held a press conference yesterday. Byron Scott was hired as the seventh coach in Hornet's franchise history in 2004 after being a assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings in 1998 and being the head coach of the New Jersey Nets from 2000 to 2003. During Byron's first year with the Hornets he lead his team to a dismal 18 and 64 record. After two more sub .500 seasons Byron finally broke through and lead his team to an amazing season. Scott lead them to a 56 and 26 record which had them sitting nice at the number two spot in the western conference and clinched the southwest division title. During this wonderful season the Hornets beat the Dallas Mavericks four games to one, but lost in the second round to the San Antonio Spurs. The following season he lead the Hornets to another postseason appearance, but was bounced out in the first round by the Denver Nuggets. Now this year the New Orleans Hornets have been getting beat up this year and are now 3 and 6 after getting pounded by the Phoenix Suns by 20 points. This early season debacle has Hornet's fans calling for his head and the organization let it roll. Look Byron Scott is a good coach. He was doing the best he could in a powerful western conference and it is too early in the season to determine that the Hornets will have a losing season. Byron Scott has turned organizations around, he did it in Sacramento, New Orleans and New Jersey. He lead the Nets to two straight NBA finals appearances, but was wrongfully fired because the team had a 22 and 20 record which was above five hundred and we all know that's good enough to make the eastern conference playoffs any year. In 2008 Byron Scott was named the coach of the western conference all-star team and was named the NBA coach of the year. Due to all these accolades in 2008 Byron Scott was given a two year extension only to have it snatched from him a year later. Why fire a coach in the middle of a season? No new coach is going to turn that team around right now. Only to have an interim coach just to get through the season and hire someone else that keeps riding around on this NBA coaching carousal.

The Answer for The Answer

Allen Iverson is in downfall. A spinning whirlwind. A black hole that has him lost and confused. Iverson has been one of the greatest players in his era. He has been a prolific scorer and a defensive staple to his team as a Philadelphia Seventy Sixers, but now it seems Allen Iverson has been sent to no win situation to no win situation in the past two years. Allen Iverson was drafted number one overall in 1996 by the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers after he played a great two years at Georgetown University. At Georgetown Allen Iverson won the NCAA Big East Rookie of the year in 1995 and back to back Big East Defensive player of the year awards in 95 and 96. While playing ten years for the Seventy Sixers Allen has been the leagues Rookie of the year in 1996 and MVP 2001. He has been selected to the NBA All-Star game nine straight times 2000 - 2009 and won two All-Star MVP trophies in 2001 and 2005. Not to mention that Iverson won scoring title after scoring title in 1999, 2001-2002 and 2005 with a bunch of defensive player of the year accolades. Allen Iverson in 2001 led his team to a finals appearence against the defending Los Angeles Lakers, but was defeated. With all of his great success as a Seventy Sixer he had just as many problems. He had problems with coaches Larry Brown, Jim O'Brien and Maurice Cheeks. Also with practice and showing up to events. After that Seventy Sixers chairman Ed Snider announced the team is looking to trade Allen Iverson away after he was told not to play or attend any other games. The Sixers traded Allen Iverson to the Denver Nuggets for Andre Miller, Joe Smith and two first round in the 2007 draft. His short lived career in Denver was plagued with opinions of him being a cancer or taking to many shots and was traded to Detroit for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb. In Detroit we all know what happened, he was asked to come off the bench for the first time of his career and rightfully so had a problem with it. That problem caused Allen to take a leave of absence and not return to the Pistons. This year Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies where again he was asked to come off the bench and again was upset and took a leave of absence. Look we all know Allen Iverson for being a warrior on the court, but at the same time questioning the importance of practice. Allen Iverson is on a decline. With him sacrificing his body on the floor time after time and playing through many minor injuries Iverson is just not the same. Of course he still put the ball in the basket, but it seems like he's not finishing like he used to. Knowing this I understand why he wouldn't want to come off the bench, Iverson is a leader and knows how to win. Why would he want to come off the bench on a team that is struggling to find themselves. Iverson needs to be on a winning team where he would feel comfortable to come off the bench. My teams he would be a great fit at is the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Miami Heat. I think he could start in Miami, but on the other teams he could come off the bench and run the second unit. Any way it goes Iverson should be able to continue his career, but only if he can check his ego at the door.

Karrem's Fight Against Leukemia

Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia last December.Kareem who is the all-time NBA leader in points is considered to be one of the greatest centers of all time. Born as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor in Inwood, New York was a gifted and determined athlete. At Power Memorial High School to three state championships and a 71 game winning streak. He finished his high school career with a 79-2 record. After high school Kareem continued his tradition of excellence at UCLA with legendary coach John Wooden. As a Bruin Kareem led his team from 1966 to 1969 to a 88-2 record and received many accolades being named player of the year in 67 and 69, received first team all-American votes the three years he played and was named the first ever Naismith college player of year in 69. He was the USBA college player of the year, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association player of the year in 68 and won the Helms Foundation player of the year award three times as well. Jabbar received all these honors while he lead the Bruins to three straight NCAA titles. Kareem left more than his mark on the game of college basketball by having the NCAA banned the dunk because of his dominance and still leads UCLA in many different scoring statistics till this day. After his illustrious college career every team wanted the big man to play for there team. The Harlem Globetrotters offered him 1 million dollars, the Milwaukee Bucks drafted him to the NBA and the New Jersey Nets drafted him to the ABA. Kareem made the decision to go with the Bucks where he won the Rookie of the Year Award by averaging 28.8 points a game and 14.5 rebounds per game. He then won final's MVP in 1971 and back to back season MVP trophies in 71 and 72. Kareem was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where he continued his legacy by winning one more finals MVP, four more season MVP and five more championship trophies. Look we all know Kareem for his sports goggles, his patented sky hook and his role in the movies Airplane and Game of death, but after a twenty year basketball career he has done many different coaching jobs and even written a book titled My Life. I'm glad to have been to Laker's basketball games to see such a great player and person. I am super happy to hear that at 62 years old Kareem's leukemia is not life threatening and he will not have to make drastic changes to his lifestyle. This way Kareem can continue to mentor young basketball athletes and spread his knowledge of the Harlem Renaissance.

Deangelo Hall vs. Mike Smith?

What is going on with the world when a corner back and a head coach get into it on the sideline. Sunday Washington Redskin's corner back Deangelo Hall and Atlanta Falcon's head coach Mike Smith got into a scuffle after Hall tried to pull his teammate LaRon Landry from the Atlanta Falcon's sideline. Deangelo Hall has been giving the Falcons bulletin board material by talking about how he was totally upset and disappointed about how the Falcons treated him by trading him away. Deangelo said that while he was trying to help his teammate Landry get away from the sideline after hitting Falcon's quarterback Matt Ryan a strength and conditioning coach Jeff Fish grabbed him. He said after Jeff grabbed him other players started grabbing at him until Mike Smith grabbed him and started cussing at him. Look, we need to keep this simple. Altercations happen on the field all the time, but when a coach and a player get into it that's just going to far. I don't care who says what or who does what everyone needs to keep their composure. That's why they are called professionals. I can't get mad though because through my years as a football player I have been into skirmishes of all kinds. I've laid out a guy who ran to my sideline, I've grabbed a guy by his neck and pulled him to the ground during a offensive play I was blocking for and I even choked out a head coach because he didn't give me anytime during a blow out game. Deangelo Hall plans to file a complaint with Roger Goodell because he said that Coach Smith and Jeff Fish was cursing him and putting their hands on him in a way that he felt was disrespectful. Deangelo said, " I'm going to get on the horn with commissioner Goodell and we're going to figure out away how to nip this in the bud." Some Atlanta officials said that Mike Smith did his best to try and break up the altercation by separating the fighting sides. Coach Jim Zorn agreed that the dispute got of hand, but was handled properly. I just have to say that no one got hurt or threw a punch, so Goodell let this altercation go and don't fine anybody.

Chiefs Release Larry Johnson

Farewell Larry Johnson said the Kansas City Chiefs today. The Chiefs organization told the former pro bowler that they no longer needed his services after he served a two week suspension. Larry Johnson posted on his twitter page about the competence of his head coach Todd Haley. Larry wrote, "my father got more credentials than most of these pro coaches...google my father! He also posted on twitter, "my father played for the coach from Remember the Titans. Our coach played golf. My father played for the Redskins briefly. Our coach nothing." Larry Johnson's agent Peter Schaffer said that Johnson was trying to promote his own father and not trying to discredit the Chief's coach. Yeah right. We don't even know who his father is and why would he compare his father who isn't a NFL coach with a person that is. Also to add insult to injury Larry Johnson use a gay slur to reporters in the locker room and again on twitter. Look I am happy that the Chiefs released Larry Johnson. Everybody tries to cause conflict or division in a team by saying and doing negative things to try to get a new contract or out of one. Larry Johnson was a back to back 1700 yard rusher. He has been nothing but a hard worker since he came to Kansas City until he's been through losing season after losing season and seen a player like Tony Gonzalez go to a playoff contender in Atlanta. So what does he do? He exposes his ignorant side by going on crazy rants with gay slurs and disrespectful messages about his coach. Why would this great organization want a person like that to break the all time Kansas City Chiefs rushing record held by Priest Holmes. Larry Johnson should be done period. Don't get me wrong,I believe in second chances, but why give it to a guy that after a great season in 2006 have been nothing but trouble. He sat out after that season by holding out and asking for more money. Larry received a six year deal worth 45 million and 19 million guaranteed and what does he do with it? In 2008 Coach Herm Edwards suspended him for violating team rules, then he was suspended by Roger Goodell for violating the league's player conduct policy and finally he was sentenced to two years probation for two counts of disturbing the peace. Now this season he only averaged 2.7 yards a carry which is the lowest of his career.

Clippers Win

So I got free tickets to the Clippers vs. Memphis basketball game on Saturday and I was kind of like whatever. Don't get me wrong I'm a Clippers fan because I was born, raised and reside in Los Angeles and love every team in this wonderful city, but every time I go to a Clipper's game they lose. I mean last week on Halloween I went to the Clipper's game against the Dallas Mavericks. The game was a good game, but like always the Clippers find away to fall apart in the fourth quarter. Well this game was a different situation. First off I was highly upset due to the fact that Allen Iverson was not playing and wasn't even in the building because of personal matters, but we all know the real reason why he wasn't there. Allen Iverson is deteriorating slowly. He has fallen hard since the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers traded him to Denver. Then after that he's been asked to come off the bench by the Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies. Even though Allen Iverson wasn't playing I was extremely happy because of the seats we had. We were right behind the basket which allowed my friends and I to heckle Zach Randolph and give Al Thorton a shot of confidence in his game. I can honestly say that it was a good game. It wasn't a game where the Clippers were losing the whole game. A game with nothing but ignorant fouls and bone head turnovers. The Clippers played hard with a look of confidence in their eyes. Like they knew they had a chance to win. Of course they would against the Grizzlies, but that's beside the fact because Memphis has the potential to be a good team in the Western Conference. Baron Davis showed his leadership even though that game he was always in foul trouble. Sebastian Telfair got the standing ovation he deserved for stepping up to plate and leading the charge as Baron was on the bench. When the Clippers needed a stop the two big men Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby came up with big blocks and hustled hard for those defensive rebounds, and finally in the fourth quarter the Clippers were able to finish the game strong. The game came down to the last seconds, but the Clippers made a great comeback. After taking the lead with less than five minutes left the Clippers kept their composure and played like that game was their's to win. Look, the Clippers looks like they have the talent and ability to make the playoffs this year and could give anybody in the playoffs a hard time, but if they let these fourth quarters keep slipping away then they can say good bye playoff spot and hello top first round pick. I think with return of Blake Griffin the Clipper team can only get and play better.

Yankees Win

The long season is over and we finally have a winner. Coming full circle through spring season, summer nights baseball and finally to the fall classic. The average baseball fan has endured through the singles, doubles, triples and home runs. Yes, the loyal fan has watched strikeouts to pop outs, doubleheaders and double plays with the occasional triple play, and not to mention the great catches. Diving catches, one handed catches and the all ways graceful home run nabbing catch. We can all agree that the season has brought us the joy of America's great past time. We've watched the resilient Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim make it through adversity all the way to the American League Championship Series. And where would baseball be without the steroid controversy I mean the Mitchell report named big stars such as Big Poppy David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez Miguel Tejada and Alex Rodriguez. Fans survived through all the blown calls by umpires and a questionable home run by Alex Rodriguez, but we still were able to watch the best teams of each division. The returning World Champion Philadelphia Phillies with big batter Ryan Howard and former MVP Jimmy Rollins against a team with nothing but great tradition and future greats like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera. Baseball fans bear witness to Chase Utley's run at post season history by tying Reggie Jackson's record of hitting five home runs in five games. The baseball season came to a glorious conclusion on a cool November night with the Yankees winning in six games 7 to 3. Look most fans are just happy the season is over. Most people say the season is way too long. The postseason took forever to finish with too many days off between post season games. Fans were glad to see how Alex Rodriguez got out of his so called post season slump by hitting home run after home run and game winning RBI after RBI. All I have to say is that George Steinbrenner checkbook finally payed for a World Series title. Bringing in Ace pitchers C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and super slugger Mark Texiera the Yankees have made it to the mountain top. The Bronx Bombers blasted home runs out of that cookie cutter stadium at almost a record breaking rate due to wind tunnels carrying fly balls out into the crowd. All in all we know who the champs are and happy to see that organization be triumphant one more time and guess what my great baseball fans we only have to wait three more months till this dog and pony show comes back around.

Browns Owners vs Protesting Fans

The story of the week seems to be that two Cleveland Browns fans Mike Randall and Tony Schafer are loathing over the way the Browns are playing this season. This year did not start off on the right foot. Their only win came in the worst game ever on television. They beat the Buffalo Bills 6 to 3, neither team had over 300 yards. But lets start at the beginning the owner of the Bengals Randy Lerner hired Eric Mangeini, then he traded Kellen Winslow and finally let Mangini keep his great Quarterback secret of Quinn or Anderson till it was leaked by one of his players. I mean being a Cleveland Brown got so bad that wide receiver Braylon Edwards had to punch somebody just to get out of there and now two angry fans are asking other season ticket holders not come to the game til after the first quarter. That's pretty good if you want the NFL to start blacking out their games. That could be why Randy granted a meeting with these two long time fans. Look, this is the greatest thing a owner can do. Of course most critics are going to say what's his problem? Why would a owner waste his time meeting with two fans that are just another dollar signs to him. That's what a great owner does. He doesn't look at these fans like dollar signs. He looks at them as regular people who have the power to cost him major money. I mean really how many owners from any sport will take time out of there busy schedule to work a great public relations ploy to help keep money in his wallet. You have to tip your hat to a owner what people want. An Answer. All these fans are saying is that America is going through some tough times and coming to Cleveland Brown's Stadium is helping them forget about their worries, but are only having their issues compounded by watching a team get demolished week after week. All you have to do is just put a team that competes out there and fans will have no more quarrels or protest against you.













































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Tom Cable 20 years Ago

The head coach of the struggling Oakland Raiders is having more problems off the field then on. After starting the season with allegations of him punching his assistant coach Randy Hanson and breaking his jaw. Not to mention the star of another dismal season(2-6). Now Tom Cable doesn't only have to deal with the inability of JaMarcus Russell's passing game. He now has to deal with the inability to keep his personal life private. Two woman came forth to talk about how Tom Cable abused them years ago. One of him was his wife Sandy Cable and the other was a girlfriend by the name of Marie Lutz. Cable's wife Sandy said she was abused over twenty years ago and Tom acknowledged that he did. He told reporters,"I became aware that my wife Sandy had committed adultery. I became very angry and slapped her with an open hand. What I did was wrong and I have regretted and felt sorrow about that moment ever since". On the other hand his ex-girlfriend Marie said that Tom hit her between three and four times. She also brought up a story where Tom had another woman in his house and she demanded to meet her. That's when Tom grabbed her by her arm and pushed her outside of his door. Tom Cable said that Marie came over uninvited and he was cleared of all charges against him by the proper authorities. Look why does the NFL need to investigate these problems. For one they were twenty years ago and two he wasn't even apart of the NFL when these things happened. He was cleared of all charges. His wife didn't press any charges back then and why bring it up now. This has much a do about nothing. So they say they want to bring up that he has a history of violence. Of course he does he played football. They all have a history of violence. I used to have a thing I called post season aggression. After the football season was over I still needed that physical contact. I'm not saying i condone abusing a women, but I am saying these are incidents from his past that has know leverage on what's happening now. The police already said about the confrontation with Hanson that it was all a misunderstanding. We just need to understand that we all have done things in our past that we aren't proud of. If he learned from those altercations and is a better man for it good, but if another incident comes up that he was physically harming to anyone put him in anger management classes and have take a permanent or temporary leave of absence. Tom please stay out of trouble.

Florida's Linebacker and the SEC

On Saturday afternoon Georgia Bulldogs played the Florida Gators in a so called rivalry game. Most people call this a rivalry game now due to about two years ago when the Georgia team scored a touchdown the whole team ran on the field to celebrate. Since then Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators have been out for revenge. During the end of a game last year Urban called two timeouts so they can pile on points against the bulldogs. So on this Saturday when Georgia's running back Washuan Ealey was tackled by the Florida defense and got his eye gouged by linebacker Brandon Spikes. Before I get to the laughable punishment that was giving to him for this horrible and tasteless offense I'll talk about the act. The act of gouging an opponents eye is an extreme act of brashness. How is it that eye gouging is only excepted in the WWE. I mean come on they were winning the game convincingly. Now I must admit playing football I have done a lot of things on the field that may be considered wrong for example pinching, punching and head locks, but eye gouging was something I never thought was except able. That's like hitting someone in the back or below the knee it could be career ending or just in poor taste. Look knowing all this it is unbelievable that the SEC agreed with this ghastly suspension for one half. This is a joke and this situation should be taken over by the NCAA and suspend him for at least two games. Do you think if a Georgia player gouged Tebow's eye they would be happy with a half game suspension? Come on. This lets me further know that the Sec is helping and hoping that Florida make it to the BCS championship. With a few game deciding calls for Florida was made and a light suspension for this incident Tim Tebow's legacy will stay in tact. Tewbow hit the media with this kiddy excuse saying," I don't think we did anything in that game that they didn't do",and with the way the SEC handled it, it goes to show that Florida team will be able to get away with whatever they want until they win this year's BCS championship.

Brett Farve

So Brett Farve ran onto Lambeau Field to a chorus of boos. He took the field ready to prove a point and show everybody that doubted him why he came back. Brett came out of the tunnel smoking leading the Vikings to a 17 - 3 halftime lead. He then finished the game with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. His final stat line was 17/28 244 yards with 4 touchdowns in all. After beating up on the Packers in Minnesota he came back home to the Stadium where he lead the Packers to one Super Bowl ring and a multitude of playoff appearances. The team he played for for 16 years and set every major passing record along with a consecutive starting streak of 275 only to demolish them again. Look with all that he's done for the Packers he still put them through the ringer over flip flopping on retirement and the Owner of the Packers did do him dirty by forcing him out to start Aaaron Rodgers. All in all Brett Farve showed why he wanted to comeback and got his revenge rather he wanted to admit it or not on the Owner of the Green Bay Packers. Brett Farve is playing at a MVP level and passing better than most quarterbacks half his age. Brett Farve still showed he plays the same way all day everyday with passion, excitement,love and respect the game of football.