My Boys Tuesday

Dude, My Boys is back with an all new episode tonight at 10:30 PM/est on TBS (right after The Office). So now we finally get the answers we have been looking for. Will Bobby marry the Swedish nanny? Or will he fall back with P.J.? And what about Stephanie and Kenny? Will their lust turn into something more?

To catch up on some of last year’s episodes click here. Or just watch the recap below



Oh and a happy birthday shout out to my mom!

Take a look at the new Yankee Stadium and CitiField

With only a few days before Yankee Stadium and CitiField open their doors for exhibition games on Friday, the Bergen Record has given its readers a sneak peak at the new Ballparks before they open to the general public. (Ok, well before Yankee Stadium opens to the general public, CitiField hosted its first ever baseball game on Sunday.)

Click here for Yankee Stadium

And here for CitiField

(Photos: AP/Getty Images)

Entering the Final Countdown

Baseball: CitiField hosted its first ever event, and no the Mets were not one of the participants. Instead Georgetown took down St. John's. The Mets will play their first game at the new Ballpark on Friday...Kevin Gregg will be the Cubs closer. Sorry Carlos...Brett Gardner will take a stab in centerfield for the Yankees, edging out Melky Cabrera...Could it get any worse for the Tigers and Dontrelle Willis? I don't know, they did just play the lefty on the DL with an anxiety disorder...After playing for Puerto Rico in the WBC, Bernie Williams is mulling over a return to the Big Leagues...Here's one good thing to come out of the Madoff debacle (besides the rock bottom prices on Palm Beach mansions), Bernie's tickets will be hitting the open market. Apparently it's a little hard to attend baseball games at CitiField when you're serving time in prison. You learn something new everyday!...Talking about prison, this whole debacle with Pirate prospect Jose Tabata's wife stealing a baby is getting creepier by the day!
(Photo: AP)

Basketball: Three late free throws by the Hornet's Chris Paul sunk the Spurs, 90-86...The Hawks held Kobe Bryant to just 17 as they cruised to a 86-76 win...The Cavs blasted the Mavs, 102-74 for their 12th straight win...Even twitter is not scared. The NBA handed Mavs owner Marc Cuban a $25,000 fine for his twitter post criticizing the refs.

College Basketball: If your final four bracket had UCONN, UNC, Michigan State and Villanova, well things are looking good for you. Updated Bracket here...Could John Calipari be headed to Kentucky?...And is Rick Pitino leaving Louisville for Arizona?...Seth Curry is transfering from Liberty to Duke.

Football: Brett Favre retired and that is fine by Jets new head coach Rex Ryan who did not want him as QB...Sad news, former NFL player, coach and president of the New York Yankees Lou Saban has died. He was 87.

Hockey: Tim Thomas stopped 45 shots as the Bruins edged the Flyers, 4-3...Ryan Suter broke up a three-three tie to give the Predators the 4-3 advantage over the Red Wings...The Blues hit five straight wins thanks to a 5-2 rout of the Blue Jackets...The Canucks blanked the Blackhawks, 4-0...Speaking of shutouts, the Senators held the Lightning scoreless in their 3-0 victory...Marian Hossa would like to stay in Detroit.

Nascar: Congratulations to Jimmie Jonhson on taking the checkers at Martinsville. Just don't expect Denny Hamlin to be placing a congrats phone call anytime soon...Click here for complete results...And here for updated standings.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Best of the Rest: Tigers Woods picked up his first win since coming back injury, rallying to win The Arnold Palmer Classic at Bay Hill...Scary news, 19 died after a weekend stadium stampeded in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The spectators were on hand for Ivory Coast's 5-0 victory during a World Cup qualifier.

Check this out: Click here to see the 13 best TV/Movie Frats and Sororities.

Friday Night Lights Friday

Another great episode of Friday Night Lights awaits us tonight at 9 PM/est on NBC. *Minor Spoiler Alert* After last week’s defiance by J.D. McCoy will things finally come to a head between the QB and his father Joe? And now that we know that Buddy has blown Lyla’s college fund, how will that effect her going to college? Tune in tonight to find out!

To watch last week’s episode click here.

Winona Strikes Again

I mean England and Chelsea captain John Terry’s mother and mother-in-law strike again! Both Sue Terry and Sue Poole were arrested for loading £800 of stolen goods into a car at the Brooklands shopping centre in Weybridge. Odd for two ladies whose son and son-in-law respectively makes £135,000 a year.

A source told the Sun: "Everyone was gobsmacked when the police realised they had arrested John Terry's mum and mum-in-law.

"They're women who want for nothing, yet they were accused of taking cheap gear without paying. They seemed at a loss to explain.

"One said she had no idea why she'd taken sports gear as she didn't even like wearing the stuff. They seemed shaken up."

The pair lives in separate single standing homes purchased on the same street of Oxshott, Surrey by Terry.

I blame this all on Winona Ryder. She goes all five finger discount in a Saks Fifth Avenue in LA and all of sudden everyone wants to start stealing things they are completely capable of buying on their own. Whoever the Oprah of England is, they should totally have two of them on for the compulsive stealing show. Total must watch TV.

Watch out Sue and Sue because the popo are on your tail!
(Photo by Michael Thompson for W Magazine; source)

Friday Funnies

It appears "Scott Hartnell Wig Night" was a rousing success, if you leave off the part about the Flyers losing 4-2 to the Panthers. Otherwise a huge hit!

(Photos: Getty Images)

sweet like candy

Baseball: CC Sabathia will be starting on Opening Day on the road and home for the Yankees...Derek Jeter will be leading off for the Bombers...Update your fantasy roster, the A's Justin Duchscherer will likely start the season on the DL...And the Tigers Joel Zumaya will likely begin the season in the minors...Get well wishes got out to Aaron Boone who underwent heart surgery...Miguel Tejada was given a year probation for misleading congress...The Padres introduced Jeff Moorad as their new CEO and vice chairman. Moorad and a group of investor that includes former Cowboys QB Troy Aikmen purchased 35 percent of the team and in five years are expected to own 100%.

Basketball: Kobe Bryant had 30 points in the Laker's 92-77 victory over the Pistons...Portland rolled past Phoenix, 129-109...The NBA has approved a rule change for too many men on the court...Set your DVRs, LeBron James will be on 60 Minutes on Sunday.



College Basketball: Memphis and Duke went down last night. Click here to see the updated bracket...After falling in the NIT, Billy Gillispie's status as Kentucky's head coach is unclear...What is clear is that B.J. Mullens is over college. The 7-foot Ohio State freshman is going to the NBA...Paul Westhead has been hired as the new women's head coach at Oregon.
(Photo: Getty)

Football: A member of the popo who detained Texan running back Ryan Moats while his mother-in-law was dying is very sorry for the incident...Plaxico Burress is really trying to avoid jail time. Which is good because the Giants really need a wide reciever and apparently have no shame.

Hockey: The Rangers blew a 4-1 lead on their way to a 5-4 SO loss to the Thrashers...Unlike the Rangers who gave up a lead and lost, the Canadiens were able to beat the Lightning with Saku Koivu's overtime goal....The Blue Jacks decimated the Flames, 5-0...The Panthers ended their slide soaring past the Flyers, 4-2...The Predators edged the Sharks, 3-2...As per commissioner Gary Bettman, the Coyotes, who are bleeding money in Phoenix, are not going anywhere. Um..ok?

Nascar: If the NFL extends it season like Roger Goodell would like, does that mean the Daytona 500 could end up on the same day as the Super Bowl? Probably not if the NFL gets takes the one or two extra preseason games and turns them into regular season games like it has been discussed...A new study suggested that Darlington Raceway brings in $54 million to the South Carolina each year and provides 874 jobs.

Best of the Rest: Congratulations to Evan Lysacek on becoming the first American in 13 years to win the World Figure Skating Championship...Robert Ryan has been arrested for allegedly stalking gymnast and Dancing with the Stars contestant Shawn Johnson. Watch out Robby, because the popo are on your tail!

Check this out: Apparently Americans are spending again and I would have to say I am personally a part of that group of spenders. And to the clubhouse store outside inside Disney's Wide World of Sports, you had some great Braves t-shirts and your welcome!

My Boys Is Back

Because of the craziness that has been work for the past few days, I have been totally neglecting this here blog (and don’t even get me started with my Braves’ blog, I promise Spring Training redux will be up soon!) and for that I am sorry. But here’s something that should make you smile, My Boys will be back with all new episodes starting Tuesday March 31st on TBS. It’s on right after The Office at 10:30. For those fans that just can’t wait until then, here’s a sneak preview of next week’s show.



And check your local schedule because TBS has been airing episodes from season 2 all week!

sixteen candles

Baseball: John Smoltz threw his first bullpen session since undergoing surgery last summer. Smoltz called the session akward but did not report pain, so that's awesome news...Kind of like hearing Chipper Jones had two homers in the Braves 6-3 loss to the Nats. At least Chip is feeling better...Not so good news, the Rays are sending David Price down to the minors. Although it's to monitor his workload...Or the sight of Torri Hunter leaving Wednesday's game after getting hit in the nose by a fly ball. He's listed as day-to-day...Scott Lewis and Anthony Reyes have made the Indians starting rotation...Miguel Tejada is scheduled to be in federal court on Thursday for sentencing...The Catholics are up in arms over the Tigers home opener which is scheduled to take place on Good Friday during Holy Hours. [Insert joke here because I do not want the wrath of the Catholics]...I may need to take a road trip to Grand Rapids, MI just so I can have a bite of the West Michigan Whitecaps 4,800 calorie burger. One bite, what would that be, like 400 calories?...Sad news in New York, Yankees catcher Johnny Blanchard died of a heart attack at the age of 76...And former Yanks and Mets excutive Arthur Richman passed away at the age of 83.





Basetball: The Magic earned themselves a playoff spot and the Southeast title after dodging the Celtics, 84-82...The Cavs reached their franchise best 58th win after taking out the Nets, 98-87...Tony Parker's 42 helped earn the Spurs a 102-92 win over the Hawks...Maria Jimenez, former housekeeper for Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa is suing mad.
(Photo: Getty Images)

College Basketball: We've got the final two teams that will meet in the NIT final four, Notre Dame and San Diego State.

Football: Don't look for Terrell Owens to be at Bills voluntary workouts, because he won't be there...I hope you're sorry for what you have done recently freed Michael Vick, because otherwise you're not getting back in the NFL...The Lions are passing on Aaron Curry.

Hockey: Evgeni Malkin had two assists as the Pens blanked the Flames, 2-0...The Blackhawks edged the Sharks with a 6-5 SO win...Marion Gaborik had two assists as the Wild routed the Islanders, 6-2...Good news Buffalo, Ryan Miller will make his first start since getting injured by Scott Gomez on Friday...Not good news, Avs center Paul Stastny could miss the rest of the season with a broken foot...Things are not as bleak for Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival who will miss 7-10 days with a lower body injury...Leafs goaltender Martin Gerber will miss three games after abusing referee Mike Leggo.

Nascar: Car owner Rick Hendrick is backing Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Eury, Jr.'s pairing...The final segment in the All-Star Race will be a ten lap shoot-out. Can they just leave the event alone for two consecutive years?

Best of the Rest: Former #1 ranked tennis star Kim Clijsters has announced she's coming out of retirement...The Senate will hold an anti-trust hearing on the BCS. Really, there is nothing else going on like say the horrible economy, apparently the drug cartels in Mexico are a big problem, nothing that you senators would like to focus on other than the BCS?

Check this out: Fine I admit to loving lots of things I probably shouldn't like Rupaul's Drag Race which just got a second season and Chelsea Handler who got a three year contract extension at E!. Go ahead, make fun of me. But at least I admit it!

Puffy Eyes

Baseball: Manny Ramirez hit his first homerun of the Spring in the Dodgers 8-6 loss to the Mariners...Derek Jeter made his first appearance with the Yanks since the WBC in their 7-1 rout of the Red Sox...Dice-K is scheduled to return to the BoSox on Wednesday...Cole Hamels was back on the mound after missing some time with an elbow injury...Oakland A's manager Bob Geren received a one year extension with a club option for 2011...The Yankees reportedly sold 170,000 tickets through midday Tuesday, the first day the Yanks put single game tickets onsale. And if you have $2,625 to spend, the Yanks still have tickets available for their home opener on April 16th...Speaking of the Bombers, they will make $10 million from the selling of pieces from the Old Yankee Stadium...Sad news, Hall of Fame third baseman and Tigers broadcaster George Kell has passed away at the age of 86.

Basketball: The Lakers pounced on the Thunder, 107-89...Even without an injured Derrick Rose, the Bulls bested the Pistons, 99-91...The Spurs are back on top in the southwest after outlasting the Warriors, 107-106...It's looking good for Gilbert Arenas return to the Wizards on Saturday...Child support cases can get plain ugly. Right Chris Bosh?...Allen Iverson is out $260,000.



College Basketball: UCONN may be in big trouble....With a two point win over Auburn, Baylor has advanced to the NIT semis...Joining Baylor will be Penn State who took out Florida, 71-62...Good news for UNC, Ty Lawson will play in the Sweet 16 against Gonzaga...On the Lady's side, Michigan State dropped number one seed Duke, 63-49. Click here for updated brackets.
(Photo: AP)

Football: The NFL has passed four new rule changes...Who wants to be QB of the Cleveland Browns? Because according to coach Eric Manginin, it's anyone's job to take...Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez still wants to leave...Apparently Plaxico Burress is afraid of going to jail. I would say that's a pretty rational feeling. After all you can't hide a gun in your sweatpants in prison...Browns WR Donte Stallworth says he flashed a pedestrian with his car's headlights before fatally striking him with his car. The pedestrian was not using the crosswalk at the time of the accident.



Hockey: Scott Gomez had the difference maker in the Rangers 2-1 victory over the Wild. Why is it whenever I see the Wild in action I think Christmas?...The Red Wings scored three times in the third for a 3-2 victory over the Oilers...Alexander Ovechkin got his 51st goal of the season but it was not enough as the Caps fell to the Maple Leafs 3-2 in a shoot-out. Curtis Joseph who replaced Leafs goalie Martin Gerber stopped eight shots in OT and three in the shootout...Alex Tangauy collected five points in the Canadiens 6-3 rout of the Thrashers. The win ended the Habs five game losing streak.
(Photo: AP)

Nascar: Jeffrey Earnhardt, son of Kerry and grandson of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. is expected to make his Naitonwide Series debut on April 4th at Texas. No pressue, kid.

Best of the Rest: Good news/Bad news for Lance Armstrong fans. His injury is worse than originally thought, but he plans on getting back on the course in May.

Check this out: Click here for EW.com's 26 shows that were cancelled way too soon.

Darn this cold weather!

Baseball: Ichiro Suzuki came up with the game winning hit in the 10th inning, giving Japan a 5-3 lead and the eventual World Baseball Classic title...Curt Schilling is calling it a career. Gee I hope this does not mean he'll stop blogging...The Cardinals added two pitchers Shawn Hill and Luke Gregerson to complete their trade with St. Louis for SS Khalil Greene...The Phillies are not sure who their number five starter will be, but they know it won't be Kyle Kendrick who was sent down to the minors...Brad Penny pitched three hitless innings in his spring training debut with the Red Sox...The Marlins have finally gotten the go-ahead to build a new retractable roof stadium. The Stadium is scheduled to open in 2012.

Basketball: Dwyane Wade broke his own Miami single-season scoring record during the Heat's 94-82 victory over the Grizzlies...The Magic rallied in the fourth to down the Knicks, 106-102...Gilbert Arenas may or may not be back with the Wizards this weekend. Please try to be more vague in assessing the siutation!...Stan Van Gundy thinks the Knicks are not treating Patrick Ewing with the proper respect he deserves.


College Basketball: Stephon Curry had 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists in what could amount to his final college basketball game as Davidson fell to St. Mary's, 80-68 in the NIT...In other NIT action, Kentucky edged Creighton, 65-63.

Football: The NFL schedule is out and opening night will feature a match up between the Tennessee Titans and Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers...Terrell Owens did not show up for an optional offseaon conditioning program with his new team the Buffalo Bills...This Jay Culter situation is not getting any better...The Lions are looking to take Jason Smith as their number 1 overall draft pick.



Hockey: Ray Whitney's overtime goal was the difference maker in the Hurricane's 3-2 win over the Panthers...Mike Cammalleri tallied a goal and two assists as the Flames burned the Wings, 5-3...The Flyers handled the Devils, 4-2...A welcome sign for the Sabres as they continue to hold out hope for a playoff spot was Ryan Miller taking his first practice since being violated by the Rangers Scott Gomez.
(Photo: AP)

Nascar: Nascar drivers are not looking to adopt F1's new point system.

Best of the Rest: Get well wishes go out to Lance Armstrong who broke a collarbone during stage 1 of the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon.

Check this out: Both Bruce Willis and David Letterman took the plunge in the past couple of weeks. Click here for more details on Willis's nuptuals. And here for Letterman's. Oh and apparently Harrison Ford popped the question to long time girlfriend Calista Flockhart. Congratulations to all!

Note: Hey kids, I was hoping you all could bear with me a little bit. I am incredibly swamped at work and will not be able to update the blog as much as I have in the past. Hopefully everything will go back to normal in the upcoming weeks when stuff starts to calm down. But do check back everyday, I will at least be doing the daily crawl and maybe a few things extra! Thanks for your patience - Kate

The Return Issue

Baseball: The magical run of Team USA in the World Baseball Classic came to a screeching hault on Sunday after falling to Japan 9-4...Japan will take on South Korea, who defeated Venzuela, 10-2 on Saturday, in the WBC final...Trevor Hoffman's hopes of being ready by Opening Day have gotten very dim...And so has Joe Mauer's...And B.J. Upton's. Gee my fantasy team is already taking a beating and the season hasn't started!...Pudge Rodriguez tallied a single in his spring training debut with the Houston Astros. Pudge signed a one year, $1.5 million deal last week...The White Sox and pitcher Gavin Floyd agreed to a four year, $15.5 million deal...Andruw Jones may remain with the Rangers as a reserve.

Basketball: The streak continued for the Cavs after they rolled over the Nets, 96-88...The Rockets took the southeast lead after edging the Spurs, 87-85.

College Basketball: After the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament, you're brackets look something like this...Defending Champs Tennessee has been ousted by Ball State, 71-55...Click here for the updated lady's brackets.

Football: Oakland Raiders tackle Cornell Green was arrested on a domestic violence charge on Sunday. Watch out Cornell, because the popo are on your tail!

Hockey: The Rangers missed an opportunity to capitalize on the Penguins 3-1 loss to the Flyers on Sunday and move up in the standings. Instead they were beaten by the Senators, 2-1...Boston clinched the northeast division, downing the Devils, 4-1...The Ducks decimated the Coyotes, 6-2...Minnesota blanked the Oilers, 3-0.

Nascar: Congratulations to Kyle Busch for winning at Bristol. His teammate Denny Hamlin came in second...For complete results click here...And click here for updated standings. Note from here on out, the top 35 will be determined by this year's points standings...Citing lack of sponsorship, Yates Racing has closed the number 28 team.

Best of the Rest: Congrats to Retief Goosen who picked up his first tour win since August 2005...Congrats also go out to Rafael Nadal who defeated Andy Murray in straight sets to take the Indian Wells title.

Check this out: I don't think it surprises anyone that the Twilight DVD sold 3 million copies on its first day. And if it did surprise you, you must not know the buying power of tweens and teens.

Buck up Kid

I’ll be back next week, just in time for the start of March Madness. Until then, don't forget to watch Friday Night Lights on Friday and try to avoid the popo!
(Photo: AP)

Spartans Winston pleads guilty then gets suspended

So a while back I mentioned a frightening story that involved Michigan State running back Glenn Wilson who was involved in an off-campus fight with Spartan hockey player A.J. Sturges that has left him unable to play until at best 2009-10. Well, Wilson has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor aggravated assault and misdemeanor assault and battery. He faces up to a year in jail and fines; sentencing is set for April 29th.

In addition to possible jail time, Wilson has been suspended by the school indefinitely.

Watch out Glenn, because the popo are on your tail!
(Source)

Friday Night Lights Friday

Yes, I am completely aware that it is not Friday but rather Wednesday. And you will all discover this soon enough, but even bloggers have to take vacations, which I am totally going to do come tomorrow and through most of next week. But I couldn’t leave this here post without pleading to my loyal readers to watch this week’s all new episode of Friday Night Lights at 9 PM/est on NBC (even though rumor has it DirecTV is looking to renew the show for another two seasons - can I get a cheer from the crowd for that news?)

So what do I have to tempt your little clear eyes and full hearts? Well how about Vanity Fair’s up close and personal interviews with Scott Porter (Jason Street), Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen) and Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins)? Not enough you say. Well New York Times Magazine just declared Kitsch and Gauis Charles (Smash Williams) as two TV stars to watch out for. Click here for the accompanying video. Still on the fence? Check out EW.com's blog post from Porter, Jesse Plemons (Landry Clark), Gilford, Charles and Connie Britton (Tami Taylor).

Still not convinced, well you can watch old episodes from all three seasons right here.

Now what are you waiting for?
(Photo: Wenn Photos; NY Times article via Give Me My Remote)

Hump Day Hair

Apparently there has been some sort of conspiracy theory amongst Jimmie Johnson’s biggest fans regarding his new facial style. They believe that since the three time Cup Series champ began sporting his new casual beard, his performance has taken a beating (31st at Daytona, 9th at Fontana, 24th at Las Vegas and 9th at Atlanta).

Johnson isn’t blaming his bad luck on the beard, instead he said, "I disagree on the unlucky thing. We've created most of the issues we've had. It hasn't been the beard."

Then adding, “If momma likes it, it's staying."

It appears momma (his wife Chandra) is in favor of it, because Johnson’s beard remained on his face at Atlanta. I do hold out hope that by Bristol it will be gone, not because I mind seeming him stumble, but because it’s creepy looking.

Johnson currently is sitting in 13th place just 177 points out of 1st place and only 18 points out of a spot in the Chase with 22 races to go before the Chase beings in September.
(Photo: Getty Images ; source)

Your Soccer Story for the First Quarter

Oh it seems like ages since I’ve had a soccer story on this here blog and to oblige all four of you out there (I am talking about Americans, I know it’s truly the biggest sport in the world) I bring you this amazing quote from United star Cristiano Ronaldo:

“Will I ever play in Italy? Never say never in life," the World Player of the Year told Tuttosport. "I do gladly travel there, like I did last summer, because there are the most beautiful and sexiest girls in the world - joking aside I admire your football, you're the world champions."

Well at least he has his priorities straight. Cute girls first, good football club second.

This has been your soccer story for the the first quarter. Come back sometime in the next three months when I bring you another senseless story about the world’s biggest sport. And if you’re lucky, I will maybe even have a clue what is going on beyond the MLS, but I make no promises.
(Photo: Reuters; source)

New Giants and Jets Stadium plugging along

Giants and Jets owners sign final steel beam at the new stadium

A 40-foot steel beam adorned with a Giants and Jets flag on either side of an American flag was put in place on Tuesday, marking the final piece in the $1.6 billion stadium puzzle. The New Meadowlands Stadium as it is being called until it can attract a title sponsor will have 82,000 seats and feature wider concourses, more restrooms and about 2,000 video screens and individual monitors.

NMS is said to be about four months ahead of schedule, but still too far behind to be ready for a 2009 opening, which is good for those season ticket holders who are unable to afford the personal seat license being put in place for the new Stadium. So it’s 2010 or bust. I am so excited to see what the new Stadium is like, if I can get my hands on some Giants tickets that is!
(Video via nj.com; source)

Bubbling Over

Baseball: The Red Sox have signed 19 players including Jon Lester to one year deals. Guess Jon was right...The Yankees will not be making any trades to pick up an A-Rod replacement at third. Let's just hope he comes back strong this season...Manny Ramirez will be making his spring training debut on Thursday...Nationals prospect Jordan Zimmerman stretched his scoreless innings streak to 8 1/3...The US Consulate in Santo Domingo is asking Major League Baseball to check out 42-44 recent amatuer player signings to see if these guys are who they say they are...WBC Round-UP: The Netherlands shocked the Dominican Republic, 2-1 in 11 innings, knocking them out of the tournament...Italy also got the boot, falling to Venezeula, 10-1...Cuba advanced to the second round with their 5-4 rally over Australia.

Basketball: I know one thing, I would not want to play against the Jazz anytime soon after they captured their 12th straight victory, pacing Indiana, 112-100...The Bobcats win streak ended at six with their 100-86 loss to the Spurs...The Cavs over came a 19 point defecit in the fourth quarter to take out the Clippers, 87-83...Lamar Odom was suspended one game for leaving the bench during Monday's Lakers game against the Blazers.



College Basketball: There are three more teams that feel like dancing. That would be you Cleveland State, Western Kentucky and North Dakota State...UCONN's women's team remains undefeated after embarassing Louisville, 75-36 to take the Big East title...UCLA's Darren Collison is probable for the Pac-10 conference tourney...But UNC's Ty Lawson's availability is still up in the air...Good news, 98 year old legendary basketball coach John Wooden has been released from a hospital after a bout with pneumonia.
(Photo: AP)

Football: LT is staying in San Deigo...And Alex Smith is staying in San Francisco...But Orlando Pace in not staying in St. Louis after being cut by the team...Things are not going well for Jay Cutler's relationship with the Broncos.

Hockey: The Penguins hit seven straight wins after beating the Panthers, 4-3 in a shoot-out. Now why can't the Rangers get on a roll like this?...Johan Franzen's goal in OT gave the Red Wings the 3-2 advantage over the Coyotes...Marty Brodeur is inching closer to the all time win total for a goalie thanks to the Devils 3-2 victory over the Flames...The Canadiens rallied to a 4-3 win over the Oilers giving their new head coach Bob Gainey is first win since taking over...Steve Mason earned his league leading 9th shut-out as the Blue Jacks blanked the Bruins, 2-0. Goodness the Bruins are chosing a crappy time to become human again...Lightning winger Gary Roberts announced his retirement after 21 years in the league...NHL GMs want to curb fighting right after a face-off.

Nascar: Jimmy Watts, member of Marcos Ambrose's pit team who chased after a tire during Sunday's race at Atlanta has been suspended four races.

Best of the Rest: Congratulations to Lindsey Vonn who captured her second World Cup women's overall title.

Check this out: Click here because who doesn't want to look at hot people in bathing suits enjoying the warm sunny weather instead of the gross misty rain that is sprinkling around the northeast?

Separated at Smush

This photo says it all especially after Duaner Sanchez was cut by the Mets on Tuesday. Maybe John Maine can soothe his pain.

Vick’s Mansion hitting the Open Market

So you don’t have $8.5 million to buy Manny Ramirez’s condo, but for a mere $3.2 million you could have a chance to get Michael Vick’s suburban Atlanta home. I know, it’s not quite as infamous as his Virginia abode, but at least you don’t have to deal with the bad karma. Plus the home features 8 bedrooms, 11 baths, a four car garage, pool room, movie theater and an indoor golf ranger. What more can you ask for?

Now all you have to do is go over to Gwinnett County and get your paddles ready, because the big catch is that you’ll have to bid over other people in a live auction on Tuesday.
(Photo: AP; Source)

Wow Don Cherry,

I don’t know if I have every seen you so underdressed. I mean compared to your usual fair, this red velvet blazer and ode to Canada tie is practically like me throwing on a pair of skinny jeans and white hanes t-shirt and heading out to grab to lunch with some friends. I like it Don, I really really like it! Although the oversized collar could go and I would not miss it at all.
(Photo: AP)

That will probably need stitches

Baseball: Take a deep breathe Twins fans, it's just an MRI. Joe Mauer may be just fine...Because even Chipper Jones has proved injuries don't last forever...Johan Santana will make his first start on Thursday...The Dodgers will continue to owe Manny Ramirez money until 2013...The Jon Lester $30 million news announced yesterday, well it's not true according to Lester...The Mariners lost $4.5 million in 2008. Not exactly GM money but money just the same...WBC Roundup: Italy eliminated Canada with a 6-2 victory...Puerto Rico advanced to the second round with a 3-1 win over the Netherlands...Mexico knocked out South Africa, 14-3.

Basketball: The Blazers 111-94 win was marred by a scary injury to Rudy Fernandez...Dwyane Wade nailed a 3 pointer with seconds remaining to give the Heat a 130-127 2OT victory over the Bulls...The Pistons held off the Magic, 98-94...The Hornets ended a seven game win streak after falling to the Hawks, 89-79...The Lakers and Celtics have the highest salaries in the NBA.

(Photo: Getty Images)

College Basketball: UNC is back at number 1...Gonzaga, Tennessee-Chatanooga, Sienna and Virginia Commonwealth are all going to the big dance.

Football: Jacksonville has signed left tackle Tra Thomas...Meanwhile, their WR Matt Jones is in jail after allegedly violating the terms of his probation. Maybe if he's lucky he'll get the hottest new fashion accessory, an alcohol-monitoring anklet...Of course it could be worse, he could have been stabbed in the neck by his crazy girlfriend like Bucs LB Geno Hayes...Remember people, Facebook is not some diary you lock and shove under your mattress, it's a public enitity that anyone can look at. Too bad no one mentioned that to former Eagles employee Dan Leone.

Hockey: The Rangers snapped a three game win streak with a 3-0 loss to the Hurricanes. In this case, three is not the magic number!...Jarret Stoll scored twice in the Kings 3-2 victory over the Canucks...The Senators edged the Leafs, 2-1 as Curtis Joseph allowed his 2,500th career goal. Probably not a milestone he would like to be reminded of...The Canadiens have fired head coach Guy Carbonneau. He will be replaced by Habs GM Boby Gainey for the remainder of the season...NHLPA chief Paul Kelly would really like to ban intentional hits to the head. Yeah, that (Photo: Getty Images)

Nascar: No sport would be affected more than Nascar if GM goes under, which has got some of the drivers worried.

Best of the Rest: Bids from France, Italy, Turkey and a joint proposal from Sweden-Norway are in the running to host the European soccer championships in 2016. My choice is Sweden-Norway although you may have already guessed that if you're a regular to this blog.

Check this out: The Real Housewives of Atlanta will have a new housewife, Grammy award-winner Kandi Burruss. She will be replacing DeShawn Snow who was far to normal to be on a show with four crazy ladies! Click here to learn about the newest housewife.

Barkley is Out Already

Charles Barkley did the crime and as of Monday at 8 AM, he has also served his time. Sir Charles spent three days at the Tent City jail after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor DUI charges. While incarcerated, he received what I like to call the Paris Hilton treatment:

“He was housed in a separate tent from the other inmates for his safety, and meals were brought to him.”

No word on whether he blogged about this experience, but at the very least, I am hoping for a couple of diary entries!
(Photo: Reuters; Source)

The jumping ahead an hour edition

Baseball: Alex Rodriguez is undergoing surgery but he'll only be out 6-9 weeks...It may not be a great time to have the last name Santana and be a pitcher. Just ask Ervin and Johan...But it is a nice time to be a Lester pitching for the Sox, because he just got a $30 million extension...And a Baker pitching for the Twins, because he just got $15.25 million deal...The Brewers have released Eric Gagne so he can rehab his shoulder...Good news for the Indians, Grady Sizemore returned to the line-up after missing a few games with a sore groin...WBC updates: The USA pounded Venezuela, 15-6...While Cuba rolled by South Africa, 8-1...Australia decimated Mexico, 17-7...And South Korea routed China, 14-0.

Basketball: With Kevin Garnett still out, the Magic topped the Celtics, 86-79...The Jazz rolled to their 11th straight with a 109-101 victory over the Raptors...Tony Parker collected his fourth 30 point game in his last seven as the Spurs spurned the Suns, 103-98.

College Basketball: On senior night, UNC was able to beat their rival Duke, 79-71...Wake Forest nudged past Clemson, 96-88...Michigan State defeated Purdue, 62-51...With a 60-57 OT victory, Northern Iowa took the Missouri Valley conference and a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Football: Terrell Owens has found a home in Buffalo, for one year at least...The Chargers want to restructure LT's deal...The Cardinals have brought in Bryant McFadden with a two year, $10 million contract.

Hockey: Sidney Crosby was able to crawl out of his crib on Sunday to net the game winner in a 4-3 SO victory over the Capitals much to the DC fans chagrin...Nikolai Zherdev broke up a three all tie in the third to give the Rangers the 4-3 win in Sean Avery's first game back at the Garden since being picked up on waivers...The Avalanche ended their 6 game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Hawks...Carey Price made 31 saves on the way to a Canadiens, 3-1 victory over the Stars...Yann Danis made 40 saves in the Islanders 3-2 edging of the Coyotes. The win capped off a prosperous weekend for the Isles who also beat the Devils 7-3 on Saturday...Rick Nash registered an unassisted hat trick in the Blue Jackets 8-2 rout of the Red Wings.
(Photo: Reuters)

Nascar: A week after his little brother won, Kurt Busch took the checkers at Atlanta Motor Speedway...Click here for full results...Click here for updated points standings...Martin Truex, Jr. had quite an exciting weekend, between qualifying 23rd and finishing 10th, he passed a kidney stone. I don't know but this story seems a little TMI for me...Blaming the economy seems to be the thing to do.

Best of the Rest: David Beckham will be back with the Galaxy in July.

Check this out: Dancing with the Stars premieres tonight with two new replacements, Holly Madison (taking over for Jewel) and Melissa from The Bachelor (taking over for Nancy O'Dell). Click here for the complete line-up of stars.

Cheating doesn’t pay

That’s what Florida State University has learned the hard way. The NCAA has given the University four years’ probation and has forced the school to lose scholarships in football and forfeit games because of an academic cheating scandal that involved 61 men’s and women’s athletes from various sports. The cheating was done through an online test from the fall of 2006 through the summer of 2007. Students reportedly received improper help from employees who gave them the answers to tests and in some cases typed papers for the students.

Typed their papers!! I remember being a freshman at UCONN back in the day and I had a basketball player in my class that didn’t like computers so he hand wrote everything. I bet my professor would have been happy to have someone type up the paper just so she could read it. (Although I am assuming in the case of the FSU students, they got a little more help than just having someone type papers for them. I am betting it was more like that person came up with an idea, researched, built an outline, typed, edited, edited some more and then handed in the paper without the input of the student whose name appeared on the paper.) But I will say, he never missed a class and always handed in his assignments on time, so what if they were always on loose-leaf paper. Ah memories.
(source)

Happy weekend kids, because I am busting out of this joint a bit early!

Friday Night Lights Friday

Tonight’s Friday Night Lights marks the final episode for our beloved former QB Jason Street as he heads to my neck of the woods New York City. Jason’s storylines have always been kind of mixed for me. From his injury through physical therapy, his random trip to Mexico with Tim, his on-again off-again relationship with Lyla, at times his character seemed kind of like an after thought. But I have really been enjoying his storyline this season between his baby and his baby mamma heading off to the northeast and trying to flip a house with the Riggins brothers and Herc, it's been a nice arc for Street to end on. I've read and don't believe I am understating this, tonight's episode is the best of the year and possibly the best of series. So even if you have never watched an episode of Friday Night Lights in your life (and by clicking here you can change that) you must tune into NBC at 9 PM/est.

In a somewhat unrelated note, the new trailer for Wolverine has come out and it features a cameo from Tim Riggins himself, Taylor Kitsch, who plays Gambit in the movie that comes out May 1st.

Friday Funnies

Nascar Truck Series owner Billy Ballew was arrested for drunken driving at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Wednesday night. Yes, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, not on his way to Atlanta Motor Speedway or in the general vicinity of Atlanta Motor Speedway, but on the property of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ballew, whose #51 Truck was scheduled to be driven by Kyle Busch on Saturday in the American Commercial Lines 200, said he only had one drink before he was pulled over by cops.

"I am 100 percent sure that it will be dropped," Ballew told the paper. "It was only one drink. I was not drunk. I was on Atlanta Motor Speedway property. I was not on the highway."

We get it, you were on the property but that still doesn’t mean you should have a mixed drink in your car as you are driving around the friendly confines. An open Pabst Blue Ribbon or a Rolling Rock, fine, it works with the location, but a mixed drink? Did it have a pink umbrella in it too?

Ballew was booked on a DUI charge and later released on $1,506 bond. This just maybe the best action that happens all weekend.

Watch out Billy, because the track popo are on your tail!
(Photo: Getty Images; Source)

Maybe Kansas City isn't a viable option for the Islanders

A rumor that has been building steam for months – the Islanders moving out of Long Island and heading to Kansas City – was further flamed when the team announced it would take on the Kings in an exhibition game in the Midwestern city prior to the start of the 2009-10 season. The rumor was hardly squashed last night as I viewed team owner Charles Wang being interviewed on MSG+ during the Isles/Rangers intermission. (Although to be perfectly honest I only saw the first half of the interview because I was flipping between the MSG and MSG+ coverage during the commercials.) Even if the barbeque in Kansas City is delicious as Wang said it was, this report currently on the KMBZ-TV Kansas City homepage could be a little more sobering than the Islanders want:

“Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders said he's concerned the Chiefs and Royals could leave Kansas City because of the city's budget proposal.

Kansas City has an $85 million budget shortfall that has to be fixed by the end of the month.

Thursday, Mayor Mark Funkhouser put forward his plan, which includes eliminating nearly $2 million the city gives each year to the Truman Sports Complex.

Sanders said if the city pulls its $2 million annual contribution, it would break the lease and leave the city with no written guarantee keeping the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City for the long term.”

With the contracts broken both teams would be able to flea the city in search of the most attractive offer leaving the town without a major professional sports team to call home. That lack of entertainment would allow a very desperate city to entice a very desperate team to come west. The major sticking point would be the fact that Kansas City is broke and really could not afford to build the team that luxurious new arena they have been demanding Long Island to approve. (According to a report in Newsday, Wang has given Long Island the ultimatum, approve my $3 billion plan or I am out of here.) And so the saga continues…
(Photo: Getty Images; Source via cnn.com)

so nice I almost watched it twice

Baseball: The news is getting worse for Alex Rodriguez. A torn labrum on top of the cyst in hip my force him to miss four months...But there was some good news for Yankee fans, Mariano Rivera threw off a mound for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery...Rockies set-up Man Taylor Buchholz will miss a month with a sprained ligament in his throwing elbow...The Cardinals and Dennys Reyes have agreed to a two year, $3 million contract...The Giants have released veteran outfielder Dave Roberts...The WBC will probably be Moises Alou's swan song...Tommy Lasorda really wants the US to win the WBC...Sourth Korea's Lee Jin-young's grand slam helped the team crush Taiwan, 9-0.

Basketball: Carmelo Anthony sunk 38 points as the Nuggets took out the Blazers, 106-90...The Hornets blasted the Mavs, 104-88. I bet Mark Cuban has some ranting to do...Allen Iverson is willing to come off the bench if it will help the Pistons.

College Basketball: Villanova pounced on Providence, 97-80...Penn State's Taylor Battle sunk Illinois, 64-63, with a last second jump shot...Xavier earned its third straight Atlantic 10 title with its 76-59 victory over Dayton...SEC commissioner Mike Slive got a three year extension.

Football: The Broncos signed QB Chris Simms as a back-up to Jay Culter...Marshawn Lynch only got community service and probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge. Watch out Marshawn, because the popo are on your tail!

Hockey: The Rangers got a goal and an assist from Nikolai Zherdev and Chris Drury in their 4-2 victory over the Islanders. Nik Antropov registered an assist in his first game with the Blueshirts...The Flames burned the Flyers, 5-1...The Penguins broke out in the third period scoring three goals on their way to a 4-1 win over the Panthers...Alexander Ovechkin is listed as day-to-day with a heel injury that kept him out of the Capitals 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs...Lightning prospect Steve Downie will miss 20 games for slashing an official. Nice move moron!

Nascar: Former Nascar driver Dean Combs was arrested for having moonshine or as the law has called it "making non tax paid liquor." Talk about returning to your roots!

Best of the Rest: Alabama admitted it helped its students get free textbooks. Oh the horror, helping athletes better their education by getting them free textbooks. Lock them up and throw away the key!

Check this out: Now this is brillant. A man was arrested at Barcelona's aiport wearing a cast made of cocaine. The 66 year old Chilean man did actually have a fracture of two bones below his knees, but it is suspected that the injury was done just so he could wear the cocaine cast. That is way better than the clown made of cocaine in the movie Traffic. Click here for the details.

(Photo: AP)

Separated at Birth

Sadly Petr was traded yesterday to the Coyotes and I was a little too lazy to switch up the photos which I did a while back when he was still on the Rangers.

And I also wanted to mention that Warner Brothers just announced it will release season 2 of Everwood on DVD on June 16th. Yeah! And to hold you off, click here to view episodes on Fancast.