Tiger Hiding in the Woods

The day after Thanksgiving, in the early hours of the morning, Tiger Woods left his house in his Escalade and crashed it into a fire hydrant and a tree. Oddly, there was no alcohol involved and Woods has not publicly spoken on what happen. To add to the confusion, his wife, Elin Nordegren, was at the scene with Woods when the ambulance came even though she had not been with Woods in the accident. Suspiciously, Woods told Florida Highway Patrol that his wife had come to the scene after hearing the crash from inside their house, then, he claims, that she took one of his golf clubs to break out the windows to pull him out from the truck.
With too many unanswered questions, Woods has still decided to not speak openly on the situation. He was scheduled to compete in the Chevron World Challenge, an event that he was supposed to host, because of the injuries suffered in the accident. Until Tiger opens up on what actually comes forward with the truth he's only leaving himself embarassed and the public dissapointed.

Has his Mo-Jo

Maurice Jones-Drew is probably the smartest running back in the league. And adding him to your fantasy football team is probably the smartest move, or not- depending on who you ask. Some would suggest that the UCLA graduate made an idiodic play by taking a knee at the 1-yard line instead of walking it in for the touchdown to seal the game against the Jets last week, while most claim that it was a selfless play that showed his importance of the team. At any rate, no one can deny his beastly stats- 13 TDs, almost 1000 yards, and about 6 yards per carry- through 10 games, and to say the least, Jones-Drew is the ultamite hybrid running back. He can be best described as a tank and a Lamborghini fused together, and what you get on the field is a player that batters through defenses, breaks tackles, and reaches game-breaker speed in seconds. At 5'7 and 208 lbs, his center of gravity is so low that he hugs the ground as he runs, slipping right under the defenders nose- and legs for that matter. In only his fourth season 'Mo-Jo' is becoming the premier back in the NFL.

Not So Fast...

After putting on an unbelievable performance at the IAAF World Championship Track and Field in Berlin, there has been talk of Usain Bolt using his awesome speed for the NFL.
There's only a slew of problems though. First of all, football is absolutely non-existant in Jamaica, which means he would have to be taught the game from scratch at his age. More importantly, speed on the track does not translate to the football field where there is grass and you also have twenty pounds of bulky pads to slow him down. Usain Bolt is also a very thin man. At 6'5 Bolt weighs a pathetic 190 pounds- in the NFL you must be at least 200 pounds to carry around the cooler. In addition, the proposed position that he would play his wide reciever, the position where guys make money with their hands. Bolt has been making a living off of his legs- batty but legs nonetheless- and we have no idea whether he can catch a football, let alone a deep bomb from Peyton Manning. It's now safe to put the brakes on this idea.

The Perfect Fit for Vick

Quickly after Michael Vick was reinstated by Roger Goodell, Vick and his agent Joel Segal made it a priority to redefine the tainted 'Micheal Vick' brand. So far their work has been flawless. First, the pious Tony Dungy was reported as Vick's personal advisor. A move that was genius to start off Vick into his new life - being that Dungy is the most respected man throughout the league, and having him guide Vick's decision making through his life post-imprisonment is a great look for Michael's image.

Now, Vick has been granted a second chance at a career with the Philadelphia Eagles and there isn't a better place that this fallen star could have landed. As much sense as this acquisition makes concerning the on-the-field aspect- having a deadly option to throw or run the ball in a wildcat offense- this signing is bigger than football, by reason of the Eagles' quarterback.

As there are only a few black quarterbacks active in the league today, the list of successful black quarterbacks is even smaller- actually only one, Donovan Mcnabb. Michael Vick has already expressed his great respect for Mcnabb, also stating that they are friends off the field. Furthermore, now that Vick and Mcnabb are on the same team, two of the most dominating black quarterbackacks ever will play together, a monumental scenario. But before the two even lace up together there will be a serious reconditioning of Vick's character with the help of Donovan Mcnabb and Tony Dungy. Additionally, as black men, Vick will willingly absorb the teachings, direction, and leadership that they will give him. With everything in his life now square these two have an opportunity to reinvent Vick into a complete quarterback and a man.

Vick Signs 2-Year Deal with Eagles

After Tony Dungy told ESPN earlier this week that Vick is going to be close a deal in the near future, Vick is now flying with a new flock. Vick will be joining a stable orginization that he will be more than happy to play for.

There has been a lot of talk around concerning Vick after he was reinstated and folks have been insisting that if he goes somewhere it needed to be a stable orginization. The radio personalities and ESPN talking heads have been suggesting that Vick is this savage athlete who has just gotten out of prison and needs a stone cold team to play under. As if Vick is this uncontrolable being that needs the toughness of a Belicheck or a Tom Coughlin to tame him. This isn't the case at all, Vick has learned his lesson after 2 years in a federal prison. Michael is just happy to get out and get a job and he has been so fortunate that Goodell let him back in. Vick would have been just fine wherever he went because this is the NFL where guys make millions to play a child's game and he was looking to take anything that the world would give him.

Boy Stop

Coming from yet another hot-shot, diva wide receiver, I shouldn't be suprised by the latest news from Michael Crabtree. First, Crabtree is holding out by not signing with the San Franciso 49ers because he feels that the rookie contract they're offering is not enough. This is coming from the same Crabtree who had a statistically poor final season with Texas Tech, had not run the 40 at the combine, and had been called 'soft' by his teammates.

Crabtree and his advisor/cousin are now saying that Michael will sit out the entire 2009-2010 season and then re-enter the draft.

Wait, for what? So that you can get drafted even lower and make even less money? Crabtree's stock will only go down because of the obvious time off, probable lack of focus, and his attitude. Michael report to training camp now.

Tiger's Back

After being tied for 95th after the first round, Tiger stormed back to win the Buick Open by 3 strokes.

This is coming after Woods dissapointingly did not make the cut for the Open Championship a couple weeks before. " I feel good," he said, "The win helps."
Tiger is back and is thirsty for another major. This was a warning shot to the golf world.

Phelps 'Flys' Past Cavic

Michael Phelps shut-up his Serbian rival today. Milorad Cavic made comments before the race mocking Phelps' Speedo LZR Racer Suit, suggesting that it is inferior in competition. Well, Phelps suggested otherwise by swimming the 100 butterfly in record breaking time in 49.82 seconds, Cavic in 49.95. Both men went under the record of 50.01 seconds Cavic established on Friday as well as the vaunted 50-second barrier.

The mini-fued ended when Phelps touched the wall and looked up to see the final times on the scoreboard. The firey American defiantly punched the water with both hands, then spit water through his teeth and slapped his own chest in much the same way Cavic often slaps his own before races. After he put up one finger and saluted his mother and sister in the stands, Phelps then glided from lane five past Cavic in lane four and slapped hands with Rafael Munoz, the Spaniard who won the bronze medal swimming in lane three.

Juice Bros.

Today, the New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt dropped two more names from the list of Major League Baseball players that tested positive in 2003- Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. The two sluggers who lead the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007 to a World Series title. In a time where every team in the league had 'juicers', with managers, owners, and GMs in on it, there is no room to say that the Red Sox 2004 title should be stripped. Everyone was a cheater in this 'steroid era', these guys were just better.

Speedo Needs to Catch Up

Tuesday at the world swimming championships Michael Phelps came in second to Germany's Brian Biedermann in the 200 free. Bierdermann also snatched Phelps' world record in that event. Bierdermann used a new 'super-suit'-not made by speedo- that was more buoyant and apparently beat out Phelps' Speedo LZR.

Disgusted by swimming deregulation, Phelps' swim coach Bob Bowman said, ""I'm done with this," referring to competitions that allow swimmers to wear anything but an Evinrude. "The sport is in shambles right now, and they better do something, or they're going to lose their guy who fills these seats."
Bowman is hinting that Phelps will boycott swimming internationally until FINA makes a regulated swim suit that doesn't give swimmers an advantage.
The only thing Phelps needs to boycott is the idiot suit designers that aren't creating him a suit that propels him to victory everytime. And FINA does not need to put any kind of limit to the advancement of technology for their sport. Every sport has companies that make gear for athletes that makes them faster, safer, and agile. It's time for Speedo to make their number one endorser a suit to compete with the rest.

No Buzz for Hornets' Offseason

In an offseason with a big shift of players, with the Spurs adding Richard Jefferson, Dajuan Blair, and a healthy Manu Ginobli back, the Magic adding Vince Carter, the Cavs picking up Shaq, and the Lakers adding Ron Artest, the New Orleans Hornets haven't upgraded, they have downgraded.

Today the Hornets traded away Tyson Chandler to the Charlotte Bobcats for Emeka Okafor. Yes, that is zero-impact Emeka Okafor who stunk it up in Charlotte. They dumped their defensive stopper for an undersized power forward, role-player at best. The management in the 'Big Easy' is making it hard for Chris Paul. He is the best point guard on the planet and is trying to make it work with a fading David West and James Posey. Picking up Okafor is going to add it the mediocrity of the team and the Hornets will miss the playoffs again. What New Orleans needs is a long wingman who can score, and who more perfect for the job than free-agent Lamar Odom?

DA Wants Plax Behind Bars

Manhattan's district attorney,Robert Morgenthau, wants former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress to serve time in jail. While at a nightclub last November, Burress shot himself in the leg with an unlicensed gun. Burress's lawyer has said Plaxico has agreed to serve a year in jail but prosecuters are pushing for two years.

Burress was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and faces up to 3 1/2 years in prison. Burress has pleaded not guilty and is free on $100,000 bail. The Giants released Burress in April.
Plaxico, I don't know what is more ridiculous about this story, the fact that you pulled out an unlicensed gun, that you shot yourself in the leg, or that your name is Plaxico.

Vick 'Conditionally Reinstated'

Early Monday afternoon NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent Michael Vick a letter of reinstatement, granting Vick a chance to play in the league once again, but under his heavy-handed provisions. Vick was 'conditionally' reinstated- meaning that he could go to all of the team functions and practices but now games until six weeks into the season. If signed, Vick could report to training camp immediately and engage in all team activities including practices, team meetings, training camp, and he is allowed to play in the last two pre-season games- for whatever reason.

However, Goodell has suspended Vick for the the first five weeks and on the sixth week he will asses his condition and decide whether to "fully" reinstate Vick. Why suspend him for another five weeks? He has spent twenty-three months in prison, lost hundreds of millions of dollars in salary and endorsements, and ruined legacy. Is missing these first five games going to teach him a lesson Mr. Goodell? The man has paid dues to society and is still paying. He deserves to come back immediately because there have been players who have done things a lot worse and they have gotten second chances- Ray Lewis killed a man and Pacman Jones left someone paralyzed. I love Goodell's iron fist on player discipline but Vick has been through hell and needs this chance to show the world he has changed.

Young Pitchers. Old Arms

In a recent article by the New York Times, there have been studies conducted that show that kids throwing curveballs is not as stressful on the arm as thought. Since at least the 1950s, orthopedic surgeons have doomed curveballs as murderous to a young arm because the their elbows and joints are still developing. The quirky, violent motion that the elbow,wrist, and shoulder go through when thrown do put a strain on those young arms-obviously. But the reason why,now, kids are getting ligament removing surgery that used to be operated only on professional athletes is because the pitch count that is being run up on their arms. In their critical growing years, kids aren't supposed to be throwing for long amounts of time. From their parents to coaches and peers, young athletes in general are being pressured to play at an elite level, earlier. Kids are being pressured to be the best and to do whatever it takes to get better, which includes throwing harder and longer. Athletes in the Little League World Series are pitching complete games and leaving the field completely drained. Pitching at that high of a level doesn't give their arm a chance to grow or heal and what end up happening is you have a whole breeding of young pitchers who were fire-ballers in youth leagues and high school but come to the league with shredded arms.

Becks and Hecks

The L.A. Galaxy's David Beckham was fined $1000k by the MLS for confronting fans during halftime for heckling Becks. Note, these were L.A. Galaxy fans,not only Galaxy fans, but they were a rowdy group called the "LA Rioting Squad". At the start of halftime Beckham approached the group gesturing for them to come down and challenge him, yelling explitives, and making an effort to hop over some advertising fence before team security stopped him.
"At the end of the day, I play my game, whether I get booed or not doesn't matter to me," he said.
"I think it was disrespectful, some of the things that were being said and also some of the banners, but it is what it is."
The Beckham Experiment has gone tottaly awry, proving that soccer-or Beckham for that matter- doesn't have a chance in the United States.

Roethlisberger Facing Serious Accusation

This afternoon, Pittsburg Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger held a press conference to discuss the allegations against him claiming that he raped 31 year-old Andrea McNulty at the Harrah's Hotel in Reno, Nevada. The casino hostess claimed that the rape occured in his hotel room.
Law enforcement has said that they're not going to start a criminal investigation because of the lack of a crime scene and time that has passed. These accusations are very serious. Rape is not like a DUI or parking tickets for professional athletes-this could possibly ruin Big Ben. There is very little evidence at this point and there is no trial in place yet so I have no opinion on this but, from following his career thus far, he doesn't seem like a monster that would do this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYoLq_c1loI

Roethlis-'burger' does look like he's got beef with this girl.

When Sh*t Hits The Wall

Former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamines in May and was suspended indefinately by NASCAR officials. Mayfield has denied his use and claims that NASCAR's drug testing is fraudulent. Although, his step-mother Lisa has come forth and testified to seeing Mayfield use methamphetamine approximately 30 times throughout the years, including at least once before a race. She said "she has personal knowledge of Mr. Mayfield using and even manufacturing methamphetamine, including his usage of methamphetamine before a race as far back as a decade ago."

"I first saw Jeremy using methamphetamine in 1998 at Jeremy's shop on Jackson Road in Mooresville, North Carolina," she said. "Jeremy cooked some of his own methamphetamine in his shop by the house until the stores took pseudoephedrine off the shelves. In addition to making methamphetamine for his own use, I am aware that Jeremy has bought methamphetamine from others."

Wow. Well, it only makes sense that a driver is using meth- three hours driving around a track at speeds up to 200 miles per hour with few breaks. Meth is known to give its users the feeling of super-human strength and stimulates the brain to keep it operating at a high level for long periods of time- the endurance that these guys need for an event.This guy is completely guilty. He is 40 years old and looks like he is in his mid-50s,another effect of meth, and the accusations against him are pretty damning.

Umps Blunder Calls for Some Proactivism

Another major league game was robbed last night after an umpire called Minnesota Twins' Michael Cuddyer out on a game-ending play at home plate. Cuddyer is seen clearly sliding under the tag but is called out, retaining the Athletic's one run lead, and giving them the win. Now,one can argue that the Twins deserve this loss because they gave up a ten run lead to leave the score 14-13 ,at any rate, this has nothing to do with the horrible officiating error. This play has stirred up talks for the Major League to add to their use of instant-replay in plays at the plate, but a lot of 'purist' baseball fans are very complacent and argue that it would ruin the tradition of the game and waste time . Look you baseball junkies-well for one- your league is the slowest when it comes to advancing its sport and no tradition would be lost but progression gained. As for the delaying of the game, please. Baseball games have fireworks after homeruns and a '7th inning stretch' where the park turns into a circus and karaoke stadium- save it fans.

But the bigger picture here is Bud Selig's reluctancy to push his sport into the 21st century by using the technology we have to call games the right way. The NBA and NFL have made the switch and games- big playoff games- have been decided with the use of instant replay. Catch up MLB, you're losing your credibility. Now Bud, after you've seen your umpires 'drop the ball' you need to pick up that camera.

When is Enough, Enough?

All professional athletes live a life where their actions are magnified due to their money, status, and influence they have because of their play on the field. In addition, many athletes take this power and turn in into a celebrity and abuse it, giving them a 'bad-boy' image and even in trouble with the law in some cases. But no other league has had its players in more severe legal cases than the NFL. Cases that involve violent and lewd behavior.
How many clubs will they go to? How many gunshots have to be fired? How many lives have to be lost? How many investigations will they undergo? How many arrests have to be made? How many trials have to be scheduled? How many suspensions have to be handed out? How many lifes have to be ruined before NFL players end their dangerous,selfish and reckless lifestyles?

Farve

On July 30 Brett Farve will give word to the Minnesota Vikings on whether or not he will be playing again. Again. Brett Farve pulled the same gag last summer after he 'retired' from the Packers in March and then dominated a whole month of news with his dramatic signing with the Jets. And after a horrid season with the Jets,he we are once again listening to Brett as he changes his mind week to week on whether he'll come back.Brett: did we not see this whole charade a exactly a year ago- you getting off the plane in Mississippi and practicing with some high school football team for the summer because you cant handle mini-camp?

While the Vikings hold his hand through the whole process.

The Lean Mean (Clean) Hitting Machine

The most hallowed record in all of sports,the homerun, has been tarnished in recent years due to the accusations steroid use- which has also made the game far less popular and turned fans away from the game completely. Baseball's biggest sluggers including Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, and Manny Ramirez and have tested positive for different kinds of human-growth hormones and anabolic steroids, and since Major Leauge Baseball instituted a testing progam the home-run numbers have gone down drastically. Attendance for ballparks is down 20 percent from last year, popularity for the game is simply bleak, and fans are looking for a savior.
There is good news: Albert Pujols is here and making fans watch again. Pujols' home-run mark is at 30 on July 1st, making for an intriguing 62 homer season watch. Pujols has told reporters that he is the one to trust,that he is not juicing, and the sporting world has seemed to believe him, being that he doesnt act or look like a typical juicer - a bulked up and moody, distant team player. With his 30 homers before the all-star break, he is on his way to breaking Roger Maris' single-season record, making for the first apparent clean slugger to break that record.

The 2009 NBA... Laugh

From the money-grubbing owners scraping their cash around like low-level drug dealers, to the ever smarmy David Stern announcing the picks to a rowdy New York crowd, to the trifling depth in this pool of players- except Griffin- this years draft was worth a chuckle. After Tuesday night, May 19,the excitement for this year's draft deadend when the lottery was held and the world found out the L.A. Clipper's had the first pick. There was no question of who the best player was in Blake Griffin, and the Clip's management made it clear that they were going to take him number one.
After Griffin was picked the rest of the NBA teams seemed to have no idea what they were doing, making trade after trade for neither players nor picks- but cash. Yes, the owners have also been affected by this recession. Meanwhile, there was the NBA hopeful Brandon Jennings showing up late to his own draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves picking up three point guards-one being Ricky Rubio who now says he will go back to Spain because he didnt like the cold weather in Minnesota- and then there was from pick 15 on kids who you've never heard of. This embaressing lack-luster showcase by the NBA not only shed a light on how bad the the rookie talent is going to be this year but it also showed how college basketball is going to run in the future. There were 10 college freshman taken in the first round, an indicator than all of these 'one-and-done' players are making the collegiate level of play very transient because of the little time that people will see them develop and compete. This development makes for a very poisonous enviroment where you have college coaches caught in recruiting scandles and seedy agents scouting out these prospects at even younger ages. This however is not a laughing matter.

I'm Sorry Mr. Jackson

If you're a coach that doesnt coach can you be the coach? Bottom line Phil Jackson needs to make a decision to either continue with coaching the Lakers or retire. Yesterday afternoon on a Los Angeles radio station Phil suggested that, because of his health condition, assistant coach Kurt Rambis should coach road games next season while Phil would takeover the coaching duties in L.A. like a stay-at-home mom.This impairment to the team would leave the Lakers out-of-sync during the regular season-being coached by two different personalities- and would cause them to fall short of a playoff bid, leaving Phil to blame.Phil: we get it, you're the best at what you do and you just proved it to the sporting world by icing your tenth NBA championship. The world doesn't want you to leave the game in that kind of decline so Phil, save the Laker fans the greif by making this decision in June and not mid-season when you have a team that's dysfunctional and below .500.

Album Review : Relapse

Imagine growing up on the wrong side of Detroit in a trailer park where you are being beaten by your mother and constantly raped by your stepfather. Then somehow you find your niche in the world and figure out that you're really good at hip-hop. You have a baby with your high school girlfriend, while your rap career is blowing up at a fast rate and your fame is spreading like the flu. You put out three albums hailed in the hip hop community as classics, selling tens of millions of records worldwide and then in an instant it's halted. The horid past comes back to haunt you as your bestfriend is fatally shot, you divorce,remarry, then divorce your wife again, and you begin to consume perscription drugs at an obsessive rate. Then you put your life on hold for four years.
This is where one finds Eminem. After an almost five year hiatus from the top of the rap world Eminem is back with his new album Relapse. Like the Eminem of old, for the first single of the album he has hit us with the catchy pop-tune, "We Made You" which in contrary attacks the same people whom he shares a celebrity spotlight with. But despite the single, this is Eminem's most dark and personal release to date. Eminem has laced the tracks behind Dre's mean drums with his classic witty scenic wordplay mixed with his ' rat-ta-tat-tat' syllable stucture to create a tracks like the brutal, leveling "Insane" where he goes into explicit detail of how he was raped by his stepfather as a child and then " 3AM" where Em tells the story of waking up from an overdose on pills to a hospital in which everyone is dead- implying that he murdered them all. The other notable tracks on Relapse are two of his most introspective songs ever," Beautiful" and "Deja Vu".
In "Beautiful" he talks about his depression, his loss of love for hip-hop. This is probably the best song on the album with its tear-jerking chorus sung by Em. Its a perfect fit for a sold out arena on a final tour. Then you have the regret filled "Deja Vu", where Em sees himself blaming Proof's death for his pill addiction. 'So i take a vicodin splash it hits my stomach and ahh/A couple weeks go by it aint even like im getting high/now i need it just not to feel sick ya im getting by/Wouldn't even be taking this shit if deshaun didn't die/Oh ya theres an excuse you lose proof so you use'.
All fans and even non-fans will appreciate the latest work from Slim Shady, fans will be refreshed that he is back and hip hop head will be glad that one of the greatest came back behind the mic.