Today, ESPN's Doug Gottlieb was filling in for Colin Cowherd for his ESPN Radio show, "The Herd."
One of his guests was former NFL head coach/NFL Network analyst Jim Mora. Gottlieb decided ask Vick's former head coach about his recent play as of late in regards to how he played for him in Atlanta and then decided to ask him about how fans should react to Donovan McNabb return to Philadelphia.
Let's just say Jim Mora didn't like those questions:
Recently, the interwebs have been buzzing with this clip of a wedding introduction where Joey Kocur and Bob Probert decided to throw-down hockey fight style wearing Chicago Blackhawks/Detroit Red Wings jerseys.
So, I figured it's time for it to make a appearance on this site. So Enjoy!
It's been widely known that Lebron James has been rocking Dr. Dre's headphone line called Power Beats.
Recently, they did a commercial for it which featured Lebron and Dr. Dre working out at a gym with actor Affion Crockett playing the role of the scamp:
Baseball is in its final week and while a few teams have solidified their spot in the playoffs, others are in an all out battle for the last few.
Football is going at full blast into the 2010 season with the fourth week upcoming and surprises galore all around the league.
While both of the sports are currently active and playing meaningful games, they cannot compare to the anticipation of one sport that is almost ready to tip off: basketball.
This NBA off-season has been one of the most important and influential ever in the history of the NBA. Here are the top five reasons why the sport of basketball is at the forefront of everyone’s attention.
1) The Heat Is On
If there was a vote to determine the biggest sports moment of the year, the highest percentage of votes would go to the spectacle of the Lebron James’ decision. In a close second would be watching he, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh put on the Heat jerseys and getting on the court against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, October 26th.
Heat tickets at home or on the road will be the hottest commodity anytime they are in town. Miami will have a giant target on its back and be hated by all crowds they face when going on the road. Despite that, checking in on them will be fun to watch all season long to see how the big three handle the heat.
2) Carmelo Anthony Will End Up…?
The James situation has had a reverberating effect on the NBA world. Other free agents waited anxiously like domino tiles to see where the first piece would fall. Despite training camp beginning and the free agency period come and gone, the James effect is still being felt.
The one person who has felt it lately has been Carmelo Anthony. The smooth-shooting small forward has been trying meticulously to get out of Denver.
Various articles have been published about possible locations where Melo may end up. With no deal set in stone and questions running rampant about a trade for the former Syracuse star, the team Anthony ends up with will be the second most intriguing squad to watch this season.
3) Lakers Lost In Translation
With all the hoopla over the new Heat team, Amar’e Stoudemire leaving Phoenix for the big apple and Anthony’s drama in Denver, there has been one team that remained steady and submarine-like by staying below the radar: the reigning back-to-back champs Los Angeles Lakers.
The team was stealthy in keeping the nucleus intact (only losing Jordan Farmar and Josh Powell) and upgrading with new acquisitions (signed Matt Barnes and Steve Blake). Although the NBA is topsy-turvy after the off-season, it is the Lakers that are the quiet and safe pick for a three-peat.
4) What’s Eating Gilbert’s Grape?
If there is one person who can hope to feed off the attention Michael Vick is now receiving after his miraculous comeback, that man is Gilbert Arenas. He returns back to the Washington Wizards after being suspended for most of the 2009-10 season after a gun altercation occurred in the locker room.
It will be interesting to see how Arenas will bounce back after a tumultuous year. The point guard witnessed his power over the squad become diminished with the addition of number one pick John Wall. The biggest question facing him: will he remain a Wizard and if he does, can he find a way to co-exist with the rookie from Kentucky?
5) New Changing Of The Guard In The NBA
This season more so than any will feature a new dynamic, teams that were on top dropping down and teams on the bottom moving up. While most sports feature a cyclical power change for teams year in and year out, basketball is one sport where teams remain on top for years.
Of course, there are teams that will remain at a high pedestal (such as the Lakers, Celtics and the Magic), but many top teams will drop this season. In the East, the Cavaliers were the top team last year but that was with James as the leader. They will most likely drop out of the playoff picture.
The West is where the change will be noticed the most. San Antonio is no longer the fearful team of years past with age creeping upon them. Denver is influx with front office and coaching turmoil to go with the Anthony issue. Phoenix lost a big piece of their puzzle when Stoudemire headed to New York.
Other teams will hopefully be able to move up the power ranking depth chart this season. The Bulls, Knicks, Heat and Wizards should be much improved in the East, while the Thunder, Blazers, Clippers and Kings appear to be contenders in the West.
With more stories and scenarios to go along with the ones described above, this season will prove to be the beginning of a brand new road never traveled in the NBA.
Good thing for them, the season hasn’t even started and they have everyone’s utmost attention.
Normally, I wouldn't think that a Pee Wee Football game was something to brawl over but the coaches from the Pearland Patriots and the Pearland Hurricanes in Texas decided to brawl anyway.
After two players got into a fight during a Patriots touchdown, the coaches decided to take Pee Wee Football to a new brawlin' level:
I don't know what's more depressing that both teams don't get to participate in the playoffs or that the coaches acted this way.
During last Saturday's game between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats, Gators defensive-back Will Hill was expecting to cover and possibly hit a Kentucky wide receiver.
Well after the pass was overthrown, Hill still got the contact he desired as he collided with a guy sitting in a wheel chair on the sidelines:
When the New York Yankees take the field Sunday evening, in the third and final game of a pivotal series with the Boston Red Sox, they face the reality of losing five games in a row with the American League East and the AL Wild Card still hanging in the balance.
But prior to dropping a 7-3 decision to the Red Sox, which dropped them to one and a half games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the division, the Yankee organization invited a respected former National Football League head coach into their locker room to give the team a pep talk intended to reverse their recent fortunes.
According to NYPost.com, NBC’s Football Night in America studio color analyst Tony Dungy delivered a five-minute message to the Yankees about the coping mechanisms that should be employed as the pressures associated with playing down the stretch build to a crescendo.
"I talked about family experiences and hanging together down the stretch. It's not necessarily the team with the most talent that wins but the team that executes the fundamentals," Dungy said before the Yankees’ third consecutive loss. "It's nothing they haven't heard before, but I have a son that doesn't listen to anything I say."
With all due respect to Dungy, a best-selling author and a national spokesman for Family First’s fatherhood program All Pro Dad, it’s quite likely the Yankees weren’t listening to much of what Dungy had to say either; and it’s highly debatable whether Dungy should have been brought in to speak at this stage of the season.
After getting acclimated to playing in the New York City pressure cooker and indoctrinated to the rich tradition of Yankees baseball, which has resulted in a record 27 World Series Championships, Derek Jeter and company are no doubt well versed on how this time of the year drastically differs from any other.
There is very little a former NFL head coach can impart in five minutes that will significantly impact how the Yankees have been playing over the past several days. A visit during spring training would have been a nice touch, as was the one from Olympic gold medal sprinter Michael Johnson, but when the pennant races grow increasingly tight it is the manager’s responsibility to provide the guidance and leadership necessary to maneuver a team through the rough patches.
Is it possible that Yankees manager Joe Girardi needed to hear Dungy’s words to help him navigate through a rough patch of his own?
Girardi welcomed Dungy’s appearance, a man who has drawn his admiration, according to the Post report. "He talked about team and family and the things athletes go through at this time of the year," said Girardi, who read Dungy’s book and subscribes to his website.
On the flip side of the coin, coaches and managers go through just as much at this time of the year, especially those of the most valuable sports brand in the world.
And considering that Girardi’s third year as the Yankees skipper has been the most trying of his managerial career, it could be argued that Dungy’s visit was as much for Joe Girardi as it was for the team HE should be addressing with inspiring pep talks.
Either way though, if the Yankees director of mental conditioning felt the need to bring in Tony Dungy to motivate the team, a little over one week before the MLB playoffs begin, then the Bronx Bombers are in more trouble than can possibly be imagined.
Click here to read the rest of this article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special video presentation.
^ Notwithstanding the claims of any website to be your “home for Sunday morning injury report news,” nothing beats Google News – nothing. Entering a player name into this search engine trumps any other means of gathering information because it culls the data from an unbelievably wide variety of sources.
^ Especially earlier in the season, it’s always good to refer to a strong baseline of where players should have been drafted – and nothing beats FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2010.
^ Unless there are any injury questions, we never discuss “gimme” players. Such core players should be started week in and week out unless there is any question surrounding their playing status. Winning teams only need to worry about “playing the matchups” with one, two or (at the most, during bye weeks) three spots in the lineup. With a full slate of games, and players drafted in a certain order for a multiplicity of reasons, we especially don’t advocate much juggling for the first two weeks of the season. Some websites promise you a crystal ball for how to manage high-risk, high-reward juggling during the season. We don’t. We play the percentages. That approach may be boring, but it’s highly effective and much more intellectually honest in what we promise you.
^ By the way, here are your core players who should not be benched if healthy or available (players listed in their order on our draft board):
QB: Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Tony Romo
RB: Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew, Frank Gore, Steven Jackson, Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams, Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Mathews, Jamaal Charles, Knowshon Moreno, Shonn Greene, Matt Forte, Beanie Wells, Cedric Benson, Jonathan Stewart, LeSean McCoy, Ronnie Brown
WR: Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Roddy White, Miles Austin, Greg Jennings, DeSean Jackson, Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall, Anquan Boldin, Marques Colston, Steve Smith (Carolina), Chad Ochocinco, Calvin Johnson, Steve Smith (NY Giants), Dwayne Bowe, Michael Crabtree, Donald Driver, Vincent Jackson
TE: Dallas Clark, Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis, Brent Celek, Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, Jermichael Finley
^ Here are the players who have been added to the list this season:
QB: none
RB: none
WR: Wes Welker
TE: none
^ Here are the players who have been removed from that list this season:
QB: none
RB: Ryan Grant
WR: Pierre Garcon, Mike Wallace
TE: none
^ Links for each game take you to the NFL.com home page for each game, with stats and analysis.
^ All times listed are EDT.
^ Teams listed as “All-In” have a combination of all of the above players and any marginal players reaching a status where QB/RB1/RB2/WR1/WR2/TE all should be played.Teams listed as “All-Out” should have only the above “locks” for their team in a fantasy lineup, with all marginal players being benched.
^ All advice is relative, because there are exceptions to every rule.There are no marginal players who absolutely should be played or benched, but the ones we refer to here should be in the vast majority of circumstances.
^ Of the non-gimme players we like this week, the stronger plays are the ones in all caps.
As summer continues its gradual metamorphosis into autumn, the complete playoff picture in Major League Baseball is slowly beginning to take shape. And no collection of fans should be more enthusiastic than those of teams slated to take the diamond well into October.
In the American League, the Minnesota Twins clinched the Central Division with ten games to spare all while interjecting themselves into the race for home-field advantage, which once appeared to be a two-team competition between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Speaking of the Rays and Yankees, who have been neck-and-neck for the past several weeks, it’s a virtual guarantee that one of the two will lay claim to the American League East Title, with the second-place finisher taking home the consolation prize in the form of the AL Wild Card. Meanwhile, in the AL West, the Texas Rangers’ magic number to clinch the division stands at 2 entering Saturday’s action.
Over in the National League, the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies, barring any major collapses, have the NL Central and the NL East locked up respectively as the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants take turns being leaders in the NL West on a daily basis.
The National League Wild Card race is equally as tight as the NL West with the Padres a half game ahead of the Atlanta Braves and four games up on the fading Colorado Rockies.
So with all of the aforementioned teams in the thick of the playoff hunt, it would seem logical to conclude that fans of these clubs are coming out to the stadiums in droves to show their appreciation and support. This isn’t necessarily the case.
Although the numbers at the gate have been down compared to recent years, for the fourth time in five years the New York Yankees will rank first in average home attendance at the end of the season. In addition, for the fifth consecutive season, the Yankees will rank in the top ten in home attendance percentage (average attendance/stadium capacity).
This season, the only other teams among playoff contenders to rival the Yankees’ success are the Giants, the Phillies and the Twins, who also rank in the top ten in average home attendance and home attendance percentage.
However, Cincinnati, San Diego and Tampa Bay rank in the bottom half of baseball at the box office. And surprisingly, the Rays, owners of the best record in the American League, place in MLB’s bottom quarter this season in both of the aforementioned categories.
In addition, gate results for playoff pretenders like the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Angels and the St. Louis Cardinals have been much more favorable than for teams such as the Braves, the Rangers and the Rockies, who arguably weren’t expected to be a significant factor at this point in the season.
So are these enlightening statistics a product of how the recession has impacted differing regions of the United States or merely a function of the importance of baseball in various cities and states in the wake of the Steroid Era?
The jury is still out on these issues but the certainty here is that the Giants, the Phillies, the Twins and the Yankees will especially appreciate the friendly confines of their home stadiums this postseason, where their respective fan support will be taken to an entirely new level.
Will the same be said for the Padres, the Rangers, the Reds and the Rays in a couple of weeks? If it can’t, the fans of these teams will only have themselves to blame when talented free agents bolt for greener pastures or decide against bringing their services into town.
2010 MLB Average Home Attendance
1. New York Yankees – 46,418
2. Philadelphia Phillies – 45,021
3. Los Angeles Dodgers – 44,175
4. St. Louis Cardinals – 40,961
5. Los Angeles Angels – 40,060
6. Minnesota Twins – 39,783
7. Chicago Cubs – 37,792
8. Boston Red Sox – 37,614
9. San Francisco Giants – 37,288
10. Colorado Rockies – 35,992
2010 MLB Home Attendance Percentage
1. Philadelphia Phillies – 103.5%
2. Boston Red Sox – 100.9%
3. Minnesota Twins – 100.7%
4. Chicago Cubs – 91.9%
5. San Francisco Giants – 89.8%
6. Los Angeles Angels – 88.9%
7. New York Yankees – 88.7%
8. St. Louis Cardinals – 87.4%
9. Milwaukee Brewers – 81.0%
10. Los Angeles Dodgers – 78.9%
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special video presentation.
Standby folks, this Eagles’ flight has finally steadied after going through some rough turbulence.
After taking off with the Atlanta Falcons as the number one pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, the Michael Vick flight was on a smooth ride for six great seasons.
Three Pro Bowl Seasons.
A big playoff win over Brett Favre’s Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field.
The richest contract for an NFL player at the end of 2004.
Despite the great take off and cruising at a nice altitude, the seat belt sign flashes on as a heavy amount of turbulence was ahead for him.
Then came the onslaught:
Shocking revelations of irreprehensible treatment to dogs.
Illegal activity with the money earned from that “richest player in the NFL” contract.
Federal investigations and trials.
To say that the former Virginia Tech quarterback was in a swirling mass of controversy is an understatement. The superstar completely fell off the face of the earth as he went from being one of the most loved athletes to being one of the most loathed criminals.
Everyone believed that the former Falcons quarterback would be done from football with no ability to stay in gridiron shape with a 23-month prison sentence slapped upon him. With such negative press, mental anguish and bankruptcy issues weighing heavily upon him, there was no way Vick would make it back to the NFL, let alone become a starting quarterback again.
Three years later, Vick has come full circle and emerged as the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles in his second year with the team.
First off, the down-on-his-luck quarterback should be praised and commended for working hard to get back to where he has gotten to. No matter what the future may hold for this guy, he has successfully gotten his flight pattern back on track.
To go through what Vick has since everything came out and end up back on top is unprecedented. Most human beings would have crashed and burned immediately once the storm started brewing, including most athletes.
Flight number seven has kept his wings up high and continued to push through all the turbulence since rejoining the NFL.
He humbly accepted being the third string quarterback on a team with one of the greatest quarterbacks even in Donovan McNabb and a young apprentice in Kevin Kolb anxiously awaiting his turn at the Eagles helm.
His play early on was some of the worst quarterbacking the public has ever seen from Vick. He appeared no longer to be the nearly invincible running machine he once was loaded with one of the strongest arms at his disposal.
Despite the dreadful performances, Vick vehemently worked hard to improve as a quarterback. He patiently studied his playbook as much as possible and honed his ability to become a better quarterback, especially in his passing accuracy.
He also worked to reduce the off-the-field problems that were a part of his life before his jail time. Although there was a nightclub shooting incident he was supposedly involved in (but later relieved from the investigation), his life outside of football appears to have matured.
In one crazy flight that has spanned three years, Vick has gone through a variety of conditions to now the possibility of becoming better than ever. Only time will tell if he can remain the starter in Philadelphia or if his career will continue to ascend higher than its current position.
No matter what though, Michael Vick can say he has landed victoriously after a turbulent trip.
One thing that I have learned about the Japanese culture is that they are pretty self-expressive regardless of whether it makes sense or not.
Well, one Japanese soccer announcer decided to pull a Gus Johnson will celebrating Japan's second goal in the U-17 Women's World Cup semifinal against South Korea:
After viewing numerous football games, you would assume that I have seen it all but this play made by Brandon Brown of the Granite State Panthers takes making a catch to a whole other level.
At least Tyrone Prothro was able to see the trajectory of his ball:
According to ESPN.com, Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards was arrested early Tuesday morning on Manhattan’s West Side for driving while intoxicated (DWI). Police officers initially stopped Edwards for excessive tinting on his white Land Rover but Edwards’ bloodshot, watery eyes and the strong smell of alcohol in the vehicle prompted further investigation.
Subsequently, Edwards consented to and failed a breathalyzer examination where it was determined that his blood alcohol content was 0.16, twice the national legal limit of 0.08, leading to his arrest. Among the four passengers in Edwards’ vehicle at the time of the arrest were teammates D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Vernon Gholston.
General manager Mike Tannenbaum said in a statement released by the team:
"We are very disappointed in Braylon’s actions this morning. The Player Protect program is in place for our organization to prevent this situation. Braylon is aware of this program and showed poor judgment.
We are reviewing the information with the league and will impose the appropriate disciplinary measures."
PlayerProtect is a 24-hour full-service security and security driving company that works exclusively with professional athletes. PlayerProtect agents are current or former law enforcement officers. Services include security driving for trips to New York City, dinners, clubs and media and social events.
Stallworth was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and second degree manslaughter in April 2009 and, after pleading guilty to the charges, received a sentence of thirty days in jail, 1,000 hours of community service, two years under house arrest, and eight years probation. In addition, Stallworth received a lifetime suspension of his Florida state driver's license.
Prior to his release from prison in July 2009, Stallworth and the Reyes family reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount to circumvent a civil lawsuit.
On August 13, 2009, National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Stallworth for the entire 2009 season without pay. However, since his reinstatement after Super Bowl XLIV, Stallworth has found a home again in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens.
Although his punishment should not be as severe, the NFL and the New York Jets must act swiftly to discipline Edwards for behavior that could have easily led to the same tragedy that befell the Reyes family when Stallworth got behind the wheel of his car with a lower blood alcohol content than Edwards had at the time of his arrest.
As it stands, if he’s convicted or pleads no contest, Edwards’ arrest for DWI could be viewed as a second violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, leading to a possible suspension.
In October 2009, Edwards was accused of punching a man outside of a Cleveland nightclub. The victim was an acquaintance of LeBron James. Edwards pleaded not guilty at the time, but he ended up pleading no contest to misdemeanor aggravated disorderly conduct. He received probation and a $1,000 fine.
Currently, Edwards can only face discipline under the NFL’s substance abuse policy, in which he faces a maximum fine of $50,000.
Therefore, all eyes will focus intently on the Jets organization and how they deal with Edwards as an important divisional game against the Miami Dolphins looms on the horizon; and the team as well as the NFL can ill afford unmerited leniency when several of those eyes belong to the family of Mario Reyes.
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special video presentation.
Over the weekend of college football, The Ohio State University had a rather ho-hum win over Ohio University but there was enough action before the game to wet your football appetite.
The Ohio Bobcat decided to take aim at Ohio State's mascot, Brutus Buckeye and it was on....
To be honest, New York Mets fans have had a pretty rough time as of late and it wouldn't surprise me that one of them would take to the YouTube to vent their frustration.
In this classic mock commercial, the Mets are looking to hire for any position:
^ Notwithstanding the claims of any website to be your “home for Sunday morning injury report news,” nothing beats Google News – nothing. Entering a player name into this search engine trumps any other means of gathering information because it culls the data from an unbelievably wide variety of sources.
^ Especially earlier in the season, it’s always good to refer to a strong baseline of where players should have been drafted – and nothing beats FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2010.
^ Unless there are any injury questions, we never discuss “gimme” players. Such core players should be started week in and week out unless there is any question surrounding their playing status. Winning teams only need to worry about “playing the matchups” with one, two or (at the most, during bye weeks) three spots in the lineup. With a full slate of games, and players drafted in a certain order for a multiplicity of reasons, we especially don’t advocate much juggling for the first two weeks of the season. Some websites promise you a crystal ball for how to manage high-risk, high-reward juggling during the season. We don’t. We play the percentages. That approach may be boring, but it’s highly effective and much more intellectually honest in what we promise you.
^ By the way, here are your core players who should not be benched if healthy or available (players listed in their order on our draft board):
QB: Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Tony Romo
RB: Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew, Frank Gore, Steven Jackson, Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams, Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Mathews, Jamaal Charles, Knowshon Moreno, Shonn Greene, Matt Forte, Beanie Wells, Cedric Benson, Jonathan Stewart, LeSean McCoy, Ronnie Brown
WR: Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Roddy White, Miles Austin, Greg Jennings, DeSean Jackson, Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall, Anquan Boldin, Marques Colston, Steve Smith (Carolina), Chad Ochocinco, Calvin Johnson, Steve Smith (NY Giants), Dwayne Bowe, Michael Crabtree, Donald Driver, Vincent Jackson
TE: Dallas Clark, Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis, Brent Celek, Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, Jermichael Finley
^ Here are the players who have been removed from that list this season:
QB: none
RB: Ryan Grant
WR: Pierre Garcon, Mike Wallace
TE: none
^ Links for each game take you to the NFL.com home page for each game, with stats and analysis.
^ All times listed are EDT.
^ Teams listed as “All-In” have a combination of all of the above players and any marginal players reaching a status where QB/RB1/RB2/WR1/WR2/TE all should be played.Teams listed as “All-Out” should have only the above “locks” for their team in a fantasy lineup, with all marginal players being benched.
^ All advice is relative, because there are exceptions to every rule.There are no marginal players who absolutely should be played or benched, but the ones we refer to here should be in the vast majority of circumstances.
^ Of the non-gimme players we like this week, the stronger plays are the ones in all caps.
"You know man, I think you put women reporters in the locker room in positions to see guys walking around naked, and you sit in the locker room with 53 guys, and all of the sudden you see a nice woman in the locker room, I think men are gonna tend to turn and look and want to say something to that woman. For the woman, I think they make it so much that you can't interact and you can't be involved with athletes, you can't talk to these guys, you can't interact with these guys.
And I mean, you put a woman and you give her a choice of 53 athletes, somebody got to be appealing to her. You know, somebody got to spark her interest, or she's gonna want somebody. I don't know what kind of woman won't, if you get to go and look at 53 men's packages. And you're just sitting here, saying 'Oh, none of this is attractive to me.' I know you're doing a job, but at the same time, the same way I'm gonna cut my eye if I see somebody worth talking to, I'm sure they do the same thing."
- Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis
“All I can do is LOL at the jets Female Reporter! She walks into a locker room full of men and think someone not gonna say nothing LMFAO!!!”
“I don’t know what was said to her or whatever but u just have to know u going into a TEAM LOCKEROOM, and if its that serious WOMEN STAY OUT!”
- Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Darnell Dockett via Twitter
"If you come into the NFL dressed the way that she is dressed you are just asking for it. I think she brings it upon herself. I don't know how you let her on a practice field (looking like that)."
"Listen, these are painted on jeans. She's got a shirt that is just glued to her body. If you want her to walk up there and do an interview with Mark Sanchez, put her in a room with Mark Sanchez. Don't take her through the locker room."
This controversial stance stems from the argument that Sainz, who is an extremely attractive and curvaceous woman by all accounts, was dressed inappropriately for the assignment and is more style than substance when it comes to her journalistic integrity.
So although Sainz was dispatched by Mexico’s TV Azteca to the Jets’ practice facility in Florham Park, New Jersey and was credentialed by the team to conduct the interview with Sanchez, there is a widespread view among men that she didn’t belong on the field and in the locker room due to her attire, which consisted of a form-fitting white blouse and tight blue jeans, and, as a result, Sainz should have expected the treatment she received.
Interestingly, this begs the question would these opinions be held as firmly when the following scenario is taken into consideration:
One night, a young woman, with a reputation for being promiscuous, goes to a seedy bar and becomes extremely intoxicated. With the jukebox playing, the woman does a provocative dance and begins flirting with a male patron in the bar's back room.
The man, who is also drunk, picks the woman up, lays her down on top of a pool table, and begins to assault her. The other men present in the back room encourage the assailant and, when he’s finished, two more men take their turns assaulting the woman. Finally, she escapes and runs weeping out onto the highway, crying for help.
The aforementioned scenario is a brief synopsis of a 1988 film called The Accused starring Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis, which was based on a true story.
Did the woman get what she deserved because of a combination of how she was labeled, the way she dressed and the way she conducted herself?
Although it’s a huge leap from verbal abuse to physical abuse/rape, the basic premise is the same; men holding to the belief that talking to and treating a woman in a disrespectful fashion is justified based on the way they act and/or dress.
Is this how men really feel in the 21st century; men who are brothers, husbands and fathers to women who could be easily on the receiving end of this type of treatment? If so, this is a sad commentary on how far the gender has come in their attitude toward women.
However, there remains hope that change can be effected; but it must come from within before it can be manifested without.
More importantly though, these women should not be judged and treated by the appearance that belies their true character and they deserve the dignity and respect that is so easily afforded to their male contemporaries.
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special video presentation.
The definition of baseball dominance can be summarized with a crown, a Triple Crown that is.
One of the greatest accomplishments to win as a baseball player is to be the best in three statistical categories; for hitters it’s to have the most homeruns, RBIs and the best batting average while pitchers long to lead the league in ERA, wins and strikeouts by season’s end.
As the 2010 season rolled along, baseball announcers and analysts were keeping tabs on individuals flirting with a chance at sporting the crown. Players like Albert Pujols, Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera and Josh Hamilton were in the discussion of possibly being bestowed with the prestigious title.
Despite their strong efforts throughout the summer, all four players have fizzled out as a top leader in one of the essential categories.
Pujols currently stands number one in the NL in HRs and second in RBIs, but is far from the top of the list according to batting average with Carlos Gonzalez more than 30 points ahead of him.
Cincinnati Reds slugger Votto is a bit closer to Gonzalez, but still trails by twenty points behind him. He is also five homeruns behind Pujols and shares second place with him in the RBI category.
Tigers first baseman Cabrera had the most realistic shot at the crown when he led all three categories in the middle of the season. Now, he has dropped to thirteen homeruns behind the AL league leader and just under 30 points for the batting title despite being the current leader in RBIs.
Hamilton, on the other hand, has a hold of the batting title witha .361 AVG, but has really fallen off the pace in HRs (fourth in the league, sixteen behind the leader) and RBIs (tied for tenth, 21 from the top).
All four players were once in the discussion because becoming a Triple Crown winner is a feat that is nearly impossible. This is why the discussion of a hitter winning it becomes a hot topic at the midway point in the season and why the cameras stay focused upon them until they appear out of contention.
What is more interesting is that pitchers have won the award more frequently lately, but don’t have the same attention as the hitters do.
Why does that happen?
For most pitchers in baseball, being dominant across the board is easier to accomplish than being the best for a season in the three offensive categories.
In the history of baseball, there have been nearly twice as many pitchers who have won the Triple Crown (38) than hitters’ (16). Within those totals, only two hitters have won the prestigious honor twice while seven pitchers have been crowned twice (Sandy Koufax even won it three times).
To put it another way: pitching is easier to dominate than hitting.
That dominance is obvious when looking at the previous winners. There have been eight pitchers who won the award as a pitcher since the last batting Triple Crown winner in 1967.
A big reason for that are the characteristics and styles of those pitchers makes it easier for them to win the award.
Jake Peavy, Johan Santana, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens and Dwight Gooden are all the same type of pitchers: power pitchers who can place their fast ball in the high 90s, but still have a wide variety of pitches that leaves hitters off balance.
Being a power pitcher is essential because the hardest category to reach for the Triple Crown is strikeouts. Only a handful of players have the ability to over power hitters and K them consistently. All six of the pitchers listed above have that skill in their repertoire.
With high strikeout totals comes the low volume of runs they allow to cross the plate. This helps them keep their ERA at a meager level. With fewer runs given up comes a higher total in the win column.
While winning the pitching Triple Crown is easier to achieve, hitters find it nearly impossible.
The most recent hitter who won the Triple Crown did so over 40 years ago. Carl Yastrzemski won the title as a Boston Red Sox first baseman and outfielder in 1967 with a .326 AVG, 44 HRs and 121 RBIs.
Those totals wouldn’t even win him the award this year in either league.
A big reason why a batting Triple Crown is nearly impossible and why there hasn’t been a winner in over 40 years is the discrepancy among the various types hitters.
While being a power pitcher gives them a better chance to win the award, the three categories for hitting do not connect the same way as the pitching categories do depending upon style of player.
Pitchers with a high strikeout total have a great chance to keep a low ERA total and accumulate a high number of wins. For hitting, being a power hitter does not necessarily make them a strong hitter for average and vice versa.
Also, when it comes to RBIs, hitters need to have other teammates who get on base at a high rate. Smashing homeruns or spraying hits all over the field will not guarantee a high number of RBIs. The only way to increase those totals is for others to get on at a high rate in front of them.
While a pitcher like Ubaldo Jimenez and David Price appear to be possible pitching triple crown winners in the next few years, hitters like Votto and Cabrera will probably be cursed as hitters with the potential to reach that plateau, but sadly never will.
The crown that hasn’t been placed on a hitter’s head in over 40 years and that trend looks likely to continue for another 40 years.
Week One in the NFL typically is known as, well, week one.
Most teams are not defined by the opening game regardless of how they do. Players and coaches will usually stand in front of the press and digress that this is only the beginning with more football left to be played.
But is week one really just week one?
Surely for other sports, opening day doesn’t define the rest of the season.
If this year’s Miami Heat lost their opening game, the humiliation would be magnified throughout the public. Yet, that microscope focusing on the loss would be removed quickly with 81 other possible victories ahead of them.
The 2010 New York Yankees came out the gates with a loss to their nemesis, the Boston Red Sox. 88 wins and 58 losses later, the squad appears to be headed to the postseason.
Despite other sports having little emphasis on opening day, football is on a separate island when it comes to the importance of the first week.
With only a sixteen game season and one game played a week, the inability to win a game becomes a huge setback for a team. The only thing worse than losing a game during the football season is losing the very first game of the season.
This is especially true when looking at the trend for playoff teams from the seasons before.
In the past two seasons, at least four playoff teams from the season before have lost in the first week. Of those first week losers, more than half of the teams were unable to reach the playoffs.
During the 2008 opening week, playoff teams from the previous season (Indianapolis, San Diego, Jacksonville, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington) all suffered losses. Only Indianapolis and San Diego were able to bounce back and make the playoffs again that season while the other four teams became spectators.
In 2009, the opening week showcased losses for previous playoff teams (Tennessee, Miami, Carolina and Arizona). Of the teams who lost, only one rebounded and returned to play in the postseason (Arizona).
This season, seven of last year’s playoff teams lost their opening games (Minnesota, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Dallas, New York Jets and San Diego). If history is doomed to repeat itself, at least four of these teams will not be playing in January for a chance at the Super Bowl.
While some playoff teams from last year are off to a bad start, another trend was going on in most of the games: teams who couldn’t resist throwing the ball a lot.
Many teams tried to win the game by putting mileage on their quarterback’s arm. The only problem for most of those teams was that throwing the ball over and over most likely cost them the game.
Within all the games from the first week, fifteen of those teams aired the ball out at least 35 times in their games. Of those teams, only five were able to come away with victories.
While Baltimore, New Orleans, New England and Chicago were able to win by throwing at least 35 times, San Diego, Oakland, Cleveland and Carolina were not so lucky despite having the same number of throws.
What is even more interesting are the other seven teams who threw 40 or more passes. Only Arizona beat out their opponents while throwing over 40 times. Dallas, San Francisco and Atlanta all lost with 40 or more attempts. Indianapolis, St. Louis and Cincinnati threw at least 50 attempts and they all lost as well.
The first week of football is usually only that; just the beginning of a long, hard-hitting season that lasts through the winter and culminates at the grandest game of them all, the Super Bowl. Evaluating the team in the first week is usually difficult to envision.
Although a team can’t judged by the first week, it can definitely be a visual for things to come.
For some reason, high school football players running into stuff never seems to get old on the interweb and blogosphere.
This clip comes to us from a game between Madison and Yorktown in Virginia. Madison's Andy McGuire went back to receive a kick-off and didn't take into account the goal posts behind him:
Usually here at Outside the Boxscore, we love to check in with our neighbors to the north and feature a clip from the Canadian Football League.
During last week's Toronto Argonauts/B.C. Lions affair, B.C. quarterback Casey Printers was hit and fumbled the ball which ended up in the hands of Toronto defensive end, Ronald Flemons.
Flemons has what appears to be a clear path to the endzone with no one in sight, what could possibly go wrong?
In response, the National Football League has launched an investigation to verify the complaint’s legitimacy. Meanwhile, team officials are doing everything within their power to diffuse the situation as expeditiously and painlessly as possible.
However, less than one day later, Sainz provided new perspective on an incident that has taken much of the focus away from Gang Green’s Monday Night Football home opener at the new Meadowlands Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens.
According to the New York Post, in a piece that ran for the Mexican television station DeporTV Sunday evening, the former Miss Spain said she never felt offended and that the whole situation was taken out of context.
"In my opinion, I never felt attacked, nor that they reacted grossly toward me," Sainz said. "I arrived in the locker room and there were comments and games. One of the other reporters came up to me and apologized for what was happening, but I thought the players were joking around."
Sainz did confirm that during the portion of practice open to the media, Jets head coach Rex Ryan and defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman purposely overthrew passes so they would land near her.
Following practice, several players allegedly bellowed and howled their approval when Sainz entered the locker room, prompting a colleague to ask if she was OK when the behavior being exhibited became a glaring embarrassment.
But although Sainz is attempting to write this off as simply a case of ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ and a board member from the Association of Women in Sports Media has accepted an invitation from the Jets organization for an educational session within the next couple of weeks, disciplinary action must be taken if there is any truthfulness to the allegations against the Jets because their behavior was inexcusable, unacceptable and unprofessional.
In addition, the NFL would set a negative precedent by indirectly approving of conduct that should be long out of the systems of grown men who are, in most cases, husbands, fathers and/or role models.
"Thanks everyone for your support," Sainz wrote on her Twitter page Monday morning. "I already spoke to the NFL, which will decide if there will or will not be consequences. I can say that at the time I didn't want to pay attention to what was happening but the rest of the media heard clearly and in solidarity have denounced what happened, hoping that there is always a respectful climate."
And in the grand scheme of things, the NFL and all the teams under its banner are obligated to provide a respectful climate to the male and female members of the media. In turn, the media has an obligation to be respectful of the privacy and time of the athletes it covers on a daily basis.
This would be the case in a perfect world. But when dealing with imperfect people, in a day and age where self-gratification rules, this ideal has become virtually impossible to attain.
God help us all.
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special video presentation.
During yesterday's Lions-Bears week one tussle, Lions wide-receiver Calvin Johnson appeared to receive the game-winning touchdown from Lions back-up quarterback, Shaun Hill.
However, the play was eventually called not a touchdown due to the fact that Johnson didn't retain possession through-out the entire play.
As evidenced by the HBO reality documentary series, Hard Knocks, the New York Jets walk a fine line between arrogance and confidence when it comes to assessing their chances of representing the AFC in the Super Bowl this season.
But if there is any veracity whatsoever to a stinging report about the team, then there can be absolutely no question that the boldness and brashness with which head coach Rex Ryan and company carry themselves inexcusably transformed grown men into dumb, immature jocks.
According to ESPN.com, the NFL is investigating a complaint made by the Association for Women in Sports Media against the Jets after a television reporter was subjected to footballs being thrown in her direction at practice and, later, players' catcalls inside the locker room.
In accounts provided by the New York Post, Jets defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman purposely overthrew footballs to players during a drill for defensive backs so that the passes would land near Sainz on the sideline.
This was followed by defensive lineman Jason Taylor, a husband and father of three children, volunteering to take part in the drills even though he isn't part of Thurman’s unit.
Jets head coach Rex Ryan, a husband and father of two sons himself, also got involved when he had Thurman run a pattern near the sideline and intentionally overthrew him in Sainz's direction.
If this wasn’t enough, Sainz was greeted by catcalls and hooting in the Jets locker room at the conclusion of practice to which defensive tackle Kris Jenkins declared “This is our locker room!” when Sainz was asked if she was OK.
"I die of embarrassment!", Sainz wrote in Spanish on her Twitter account. "I am in the locker room of the Jets waiting for Mark Sanchez while trying not to look to anywhere!"
Statements released by the Association of Women in Sports Media and the New York Jets indicated their clear intention to work closely with the NFL as this matter is investigated further.
Unfortunately, this general sense of entitlement on the part of today’s male professional athlete is a significant contributing factor in players like Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie fathering eight children with six different women and the divorce rate for NFL players averaging between 60 and 80 percent, which is higher than that of the general population.
What’s even more disappointing is that Rex Ryan and Dennis Thurman, the head coach and an assistant coach respectively, initiated and encouraged the aforementioned sophomoric behavior from the players they’re supposed to be leading both on and off the field.
If the allegations are true in this matter, a refreshing gesture on the part of Ryan, Thurman, Kris Jenkins, Jason Taylor and anyone else involved would be to own up to their hormone-induced lapse in judgment and individually apologize to Sainz for their unprofessional conduct.
But it’s more likely that arrogance and pride on the part of Gang Green won’t result in the adult and mature responses demanded because, as is always the case in professional sports, success on the field takes precedence over social responsibility.
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a video example of where another Jets representative made it difficult for a female reporter to do her job.
