This was predictable. I thought there was no way that the season would get under way before January/February and even that was being generous. 

Looks like we're going to lose the year. 

Serena Williams is pathetic.

It is just beyond shameful at this point. It is the same old "look at me!" attitude but people continue to give her a pass just like they did for Tiger Woods all those years. I don't understand why people feel the need to apologize for her. She was wrong. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. She broke a rule and got penalized for it. She then went on to threaten the chair umpire. It was a repeat of the disgrace from two years ago.

 I saw a ton of people calling anyone who criticized her (including me) a racist. Really? Why is there a need to play the race card there? The cause of African-American athletes would go a lot further if people didn't become apologists over stupid stuff like this. There was no conspiracy against Serena. She was at fault. She is the one who acted like a little baby. The broadcast crew gave her a total pass with the exception of Mary Carillo briefly mentioning that Serena did break a rule.

 Watch for yourself.

Are you ready for some football?

Who are you picking to make the playoffs this year? Here's how my picks shape up.

NFC Division Winners - Saints, Packers, Eagles and Rams
NFC Wildcard Winners - Lions and Falcons

AFC Division Winners - Jets, Chargers, Ravens and Texans
AFC Wildcard Winners - Patriots and Steelers

AFC Championship Game - Jets over Ravens
NFC Championship Game - Packers over Saints

Super Bowl - Packers over the Jets

Who are you picking?

The problem won't go away until they stop serving alcohol at the games (which will never happen). Liquid courage emboldens people. 

This week in golf started off as being all about Tiger Woods but he ended up dropping out of contention in a hurry but coming into the final round of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, 19 year old rising star from Japan Ryo Ishikawa is just one stroke behind the leader.

Why should the casual fan or even someone who doesn't like golf care? Earlier this year Ishikawa announced that he would be donating all of his prize money from 2011 to help relief efforts in Japan in the aftermath of the Tsunami from earlier this year. According to ESPN he has earned $247,636 so far on the PGA Tour this season. He is not a member of the PGA Tour and a win here would also help him earn a spot there. The winner here will get $1.4 million which will obviously go a long way towards helping relief efforts in Japan. A win here for Ishikawa would also make him the youngest winner on the PGA Tour since 1911.

By the way, Rory McIlroy is also in contention here.

Interesting move from the Patriots. I didn't see this one coming though. They like to run a tight ship and I don't see Ochocinco shutting up. 

We are about an hour away from the MLB All-Star and one big story surrounding this game is just how many "All-Stars" there are.

By now the list is up to 84 players. At any given point in the season there are only 750 active players. This means that this year one out of every nine player is an all-star. I understand the need for the expanded rosters and have no complaints about it. What I do find stupid is how replacements for injured or ineligible players are named. Jon Lester was named as an injury replacement just because MLB rules for the next highest vote recipient to be named as the replacement. The problem there is that Lester is on the DL and obviously not able to pitch but since he got named as a replacement he gets his all-star bonus. Ricky Romero got selected as a replacement for him but couldn't they just have selected him the first time around? Of course not. There is way too much money involved. What an absolute joke.

Speaking of jokes, lets get to C.C Sabathia and Derek Jeter. We've spent the last two weeks listening to stories about Jeter being a class act and and ambassador for baseball. You guys already know where I stand on that. Derek Jeter should never have been voted into the game in the first place. His batting average was below .270 when the teams were announced yet Yankees fans had stuffed the ballots for him. Him getting named as an all-star starter was a joke. Him skipping the game is a bigger one. Jeter is skipping the all-star game because he is tired. Ok, I have no problem with him deciding against playing (since his season is hardly all-star worthy) but he should be in Phoenix as the ambassador for the game that he supposedly is. That is not happening. Jeter is staying at home and still collecting a $500,000 bonus. Disgraceful. I'll throw Sabathia into the same boat. He was named an all-star but is not showing up but took a trip to the Bahamas instead. Yup, he will be getting any all-star bonus in his contract as well.

But Selig said today that if he was Jeter he would have done the same thing. This guy isn't serious right? This is the commissioner of baseball? Why are we still sucking up to Derek Jeter? Instead of calling out the players   Bud Selig is actually condoning this? How does he justify this when MLB wants the All-Star to matter?

How do you resolve this? Any player named to the team and skipping the festivities has to skip the first series back from the break. Even pitchers who aren't eligible to pitch in the game because they pitched on Sunday must still show up.

If you ever catch a baseball worth something make sure you ask for cash so at least you're able to use it to pay the taxes on it. 

Would Derek Jeter seriously get so overrated if he didn't play in New York?

I highly doubt it. Don't get me wrong, he's had a good career but to call him an all time great is a joke. The guy hasn't even been the best player on his own team throughout the career. A year by year breakdown shows one maybe two years where he was the best player on his own team. I have felt for a long time that there are three primary reasons why Jeter gets so overrated. 1) New York City 2) Rich Garcia making a horrible call in RF 3) Jeremy Giambi not knowing how to slide (he should have still been called safe because the play was a tie at worse).

In casual conversation yesterday I was coming up with a list of position players in the American League alone who I would take ahead ahead of Jeter from the past 15 years. I came up with the following list that included the likes of Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez. Going a bit down to the next level and guys like Jim Thome, Ivan Rodriguez, David Ortiz make real strong cases. I'm sure if I put more thought to I'd come up with a longer list. All this is even before we start to get into pitchers like Roy Halladay and Pedro Martinez. Again, this is before going into a list of guys in the National League.

Please don't give me any b.s about "playing the game the right way". Jeter's not the only guy who goes into stands to make catches or back up throws from the outfield. Don't give me the garbage about him being a loyal guy either. Just because he's played his entire career with the Yankees doesn't make him a loyal guy. If he had this loyalty to the Yankees and New York he wouldn't have held them hostage for every last penny last off season after the Yankees had overpaid him the last time around. Don't give me any crap about him being a leader or making others better. Just where has he shown any of those characteristics? The guy made A-Rod's life miserable when he first arrived in New York. Heck, if Jeter was this big team guy wouldn't the best shortstop on the team (A-Rod) be playing shortstop?

I went year by year from 1996 to 2010 to look at guys on the New York Yankees who outplayed Jeter in that particular year. Here is what I came up with.

Derek Jeter

1996 - O'Neil, Tino, Bernie, Pettitte, Wetteland and Rivera
1997 - O'Neil, Tino, Bernie, Pettite, Cone and Rivera
1998 - Bernie and Rivera
1999 - Rivera
2000 - See Below
2001 - Mussina, Clemens, Rivera
2002 - Giambi, Soriano, Bernie,
2003 - Rivera, Giambi, Posada, Soriano
2004 - A-Rod, Matsui, Sheffield,Rivera
2005 - A-Rod, Sheffield, Rivera
2006 - See Below
2007 - A-Rod, Posada
2008 - A-Rod, Abreu, Mussina and Rivera
2009 - Sabathia, Rivera and Teixeira
2010 - A-Rod, Teixeira, Cano, Swisher, Sabathia,

In 1997 I left Davild Wells off the list despite him winning 16 games because his ERA was high. Heck, Chad Curtis in 334 less ABs hit for the same average, more HRs, just 20 less RBIs and significantly higher OPS. No, I'm not saying I'd take Chad Curtis over Jeter but just put #s into perspective.

In 1998 I left off Tino off the list despite him driving in 123 runs and O'Neil despite him driving in 116. I'll leave Cone off despite him winning 20 games. I left Wells off despite him going 18-4 with a 3.49 ERA. I left off Orlando Hernandez and his 3.13 ERA because he only started 21 games. I'm being pretty generous with 1998.

In 1999 I say he's a push with Bernie and you could make a strong case that Jeter's .349 with 24 HRs and 102 RBIs deserves top spot but Rivera had 45 saves with a 1.83 ERA and a WHIP of .883 I probably won't complain if someone wants to give Jeter 1999 but Rivera was definitely better.

In 2000 yes Jeter his .339 and you could make a case for him but a case for Bernie can easily be made. He hit 30 HRs with 121 RBIs despite only playing in 141 games.

In 2001 I left Tino off the list despite him getting 34 HRs and driving in 113.

In 2002 I left Pettitte and his 3.27 ERA off because he only pitched in 22 games.

In 2003 I left off I left Mussina and his 17-8 record with a 3.40 ERA off the list.

In 2004 I left Posada off the list despite him having a significantly higher OPS and more RBIs in 200 less ABs just because he hit only .272. I also left off Orlando Hernandez who went 8-2 3.30 ERA because he only started 15 games.

In 2005 I left off Giambi and his 32 HRs because he drove in just 87 and hit for a low average. I even left off Matsui's 116 RBIs because he "only" hit .305 and had only 23 HRs. Matsui still had a better OPS and more extra base hits. Again, I'm being fairly generous here.

In 2006 there is a strong case for Jeter again. He hit .343 and drove in 97. Arguments against Jeter? Cano hit .342 and drove in 78 despite having 140 fewer ABs. A-Rod also hit 35 HRs and drove in 121. Giambi ht 37 HRs and drove in 113. Rivera, Mussina and Wang also had great years. I'd give Jeter a push with Cano but people can make a case for A-Rod being right there too.

In 2007 you could make a case for Cano as well. I'm leaving 100+ RBIs from Matsui and Abreu off the list.

In 2008 I am leaving off a 32 HR season from Giambi.

In 2009 Jeter hit .334 and you can make a case for him but 5 other guys in the starting lineup alone matched his OPS. How can argue against Teixeira hitting 39 HRs and driving in 122? I'll leave A-Rod off the list because he only hit .286 to go along with 30 HRs and 100 RBIs. Every other player in the starting lineup drove in more runs then Jeter despite having fewer Plate Appearances (Cano was only one with more ABs and he had just 3 more ABs). Everyone but Melky Cabrera had more HRs. Everyone but Cabrera had more extra base hits as well. How can you hit .334 in over 600 ABs and only drive in 66?

In 2010 I am leaving off Pettitte's 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA because he only started 21 games. Heck, someone could make a case that Gardner and/or Posada (edit: also editing in Granderson here) had years that were just as good if not better.

Biggest reason I couldn't care less about Jeter is because how ridiculously over the top Yankees fan get with him. Jeter was almost never the best player on the team. He spent few years being at best the 3rd or even 4th best SS in the American League alone (no matter how much Yankees fans want to claim that he was better then Nomar those years). Yesterday Yankees beat writers were posting quotes placing Jeter in the top tier of Yankees historically. Have these people heard of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle? At best he is on the 3rd tier of Yankees.

Being a good player is not a knock on a guy. Yesterday YES Network guys were already taking about him getting to 4,000. Can we settle down please?

My Los Angeles Angels called up 19 year old Mike Trout to the majors earlier today. He was listed as top prospect in baseball earlier this year by MLB.com

I can't confirm or deny that I seeded this just so I could point out that Mike Trout will be playing in the same outfield where Tim Salmon once played. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love NBC Sports and their presentation of sports but tape delay in the 21st century is stupid. 

If the NBA loses anything less than half its games next year I'll be shocked. The system is broken in a major way. There are way too many bench players making way too much money. The cap situation needs to be fixed as well. 

Jim Riggleman will get a bad rap here but the Nationals are quiet stupid not to have picked up the option to begin with. What sense does it make to have a lame duck manager? 

One year ago today Landon Donovan scored arguably the most famous soccer goal in American history.

I don't even know if I should put "arguably" because I really can't think of another goal that had a bigger impact on American soccer fans. I was sitting in the waiting room at St. Peter's Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ and it was cool to see doctors,nurses and other hospital staff filling the waiting room in the final minutes of the game against Algeria. When Donovan scored the place got pretty loud, well louder then it should have gotten in a hospital but it was one of those moments. I wrote about the American soccer in detail at the time.

Hats off to Bart Scott. As a sports fan (I'm actually a Rutgers fan who's had season tickets) this is great to see. 

Bart Scott's "Can't Wait" interview with ESPN spread like wildfire on YouTube earlier this year. The Jets star later applied for a trademark on the phrase. Now he is putting that phrase to good use.

Bart Scott has announced a clothing line, proceeds from which will benefit Eric LeGrand of Rutgers. The Jets take a lot of unnecessary criticism from people around the NFL so it is definitely nice to see one of their guys get recognition for some good work. If you aren't familiar with LeGrand, he was paralyzed last year in a game against Army. Rutgers launched the "Eric LeGrand Believe Fund" in order to help the family with the medical bills.

I am somewhat surprised that Rutgers is only the 11th Football Bowl Subdivision school to sell their stadium naming rights. 

While it sucks as a traditionalist this is the new reality in sports. As a season ticket holder I loved the new expansion to the stadium and obviously ticket sales alone weren't going to pay for that. 

What a great story it turned out to be the last time he took over the Marlins. Yes, he was helped by the arrival of Dontrell Willis and Miguel Cabrera but that team still over achieved. 

The countdown is on for the coronation of Rory McIlroy. NBC goes on the air at 1:30 PM Eastern but McIlroy won't tee off until 3:20 PM. There is rain in the forecast but hopefully it stays away. 

I didn't get to watch his round live yesterday but caught up late night courtesy of the DVR. There is no way McIlroy blows this. This is not the same situation as the Masters. Yes, he had a four shot lead going into the final round there but that lead was gone by the time he was on the 2nd hole because Charl Schwartzel was shooting lights out. The lead is just too big here. He showed yesterday (I believe it was the 3rd hoel) that he would play it safe when need be when he just chipped out to the fairway.

There is already talk of him being the one to potentially chase down Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors. Padraig Harrington mentioned it this week too and McIlroy was asked about it yesterday. McIlroy's response? 

"Oh, Paddy, Paddy, Paddy,I'm still looking for my first one. That's all I can say. I'm looking for my first one. I've put myself in a great position to do that (Sunday), and then we'll see what happens from there."

He said all the right things including  but if there is a guy on the tour today who will chase down the record (or come close) it will be McIlroy. Yes, everyone talks about him shooting 80 but lets not forget that coming into this US Open he had played in eight majors and already had three 3rd place finishes. In those eight majors he has four top 10 finishes and 6 top 20. Keep in mind that he is just 22.

I absolutely loved the "Lets go Rory" chants yesterday. To me his is the anti-Tiger which is one of the biggest reasons so many (including me) have become big fans in such a short time span. The way he handled his letdown at The Masters can only be described as classy. Even in the aftermath of the disaster at Augusta I thought he would return to greatness. He is great with the media and even better with the fans. By the way make sure you follow Rory McIlroy on Twitter.

I know we've been here before. Sergio Garcia was hyped up as a potential Tiger rival (and the thought wasn't crazy at the time) but I don't think Garcia ever had the mental makeup for it which is a shame because I absolutely loved watching him play.

By the way, Oakley which sponsors (and dresses) McIlroy is busy selling shirts that he is wearing here at the US Open although like pretty much everything else they are available for cheaper on Amazon. 

Day 1:

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I have been saying for a while that I'd be shocked if the NBA doesn't miss half a season again. The system is broken in a major way. The salaries for marginal players has become absurd. 

Congratulations to the Boston Bruins on ending their three decade long drought for the Stanley Cup. Remarkably the teams representing the Boston area have won championships in each of the four major sports in the last 7 years. Is there another city that has done so in such a short time frame?  I can't think of one.  Remarkably the Patriots now have the longest championship drought in the Boston market. On twitter we came up with a few who had 3 in short period of time.

Mets, Jets and Knicks won in 69-70

Oakland had Warriors, Raiders,A's 74-77

Mets, Islanders, Giants did it 83-86

Yanks, Giants and Rangers from 91-96.

Any others?

Darren Rovell of CNBC points out that up until 1993 the longest drought Canada had was five years but now they haven't won one since 1993.

As I mentioned two weeks ago, Mark Cuban was a major reason why I didn't have a problem with the Mavericks winning the NBA championship this year.

He is the kind of owner I would love all of my favorite teams to have. He is a real fan and isn't afraid to act like it. In an era when we have gotten used to rich men owning sports teams just because they can and not because they're passionate about the game Mark Cuban presents a refreshing change of pace. He's not like other owners sitting upstairs in some luxury box (when they actually show up to the games) he is sitting in the stands and actively involved in the game the way any fan would be. His habit of being outspoken has gotten him in a lot of trouble with the league over the years but that hasn't made him back down one bit.

I really wanted the visual of David Stern handing him the NBA trophy but Cuban had something else in mind. He honored the former owner of the Mavericks Don Carter and let him accept the trophy on behalf of the team. Cuban wasn't done making news though as he announced that Mavericks would not be getting championship rings but he wouldn't reveal what else he had in mind. Is there any doubt that it will be something big?

His announcement today regarding the parade is what me write this right now. Mark Cuban announced that he will pay for the championship parade instead of the city of Dallas which like most of the country is facing a budget crunch. Again, what a refreshing change of pace. We've gotten used to billionaires hosting cities and states hostage so they will help them build stadiums and arenas off of which the owners will get richer. Has there been another sports owner who has done something similar? I honestly can't think of one.

You should follow Mark Cuban on twitter @mcuban and read his blog "Blog Maverick".

Love this. I play "Beat the Streak" on a regular basis and it is great to see Colbert take up the challenge. It will be kind of funny to see Colbert tweeting from the @mlb account though. 

It will eliminate division rivalries but it'll be great for competitive balance. A team like Toronto which doesn't have a chance right now competing against the Red Sox and the Yankees would once again be in the playoff hunt. 

He's far from being the most likable guy but managing 5,000 games in the MLB is a hell of an achievement. 

NBC will broadcast every event of the 2014 Olympics live on one of its platforms. This comes in the aftermath of them securing the broadcasting rights for all Olympics until 2020. ESPN and Fox who were competing against NBC had vowed to show every event live if they had secured the rights.

All I can say is that it is about time. I've written about this in the past as well because they tape delay their tennis coverage as well. They took it to an extreme this past weekend during the French Open final when they tape delayed the trophy presentations to fit in extra commercials after having showed the matches live! I was talking to my brother in Canada as the trophy presentation started here and he told me it was about to end there.

Tape delayed coverage in the 21st century made no sense to me whatsoever. I don't think NBC's prime time ratings will be hurt all that much by airing events live during the day because the people who were at work or school will still tune in to watch the prime time show. NBC has way too many platforms for them not to be to show everything live. Between NBC,MSNBC,CNBC,Bravo, USA,Syfy and Versus they have more enough options. Heck, I'm sure I missed a couple more.

I hate tape delayed coverage because next to locking yourself into some room without any piece of technology it is next to impossible for something to not be spoiled for you. News shows up on twitter before it does anywhere else. I have a ton of friends who are sports fans so a text message or a facebook post can easily spoil a score. Turning on ESPN or even something like MSNBC or CNN is out of the question because they would report on the events. Going to pretty much any news site would leave you with the same problem as well.

Is there anyone out there who developed a good strategy to not have result spoiled?

More then likely he will never actually step on the field in a game but a nice gesture by the Rangers. It'll probably lead to a job for him in the organization somewhere. 

The Astros did something similar later in the draft as well. 

FIFA continues to be a joke. Absolutely ridiculous position to take. 

This is definitely on my bucket list. Would love to have the opportunity to attempt this one year. An 18,000 mile road trip over 5 weeks that lands you at all 30 MLB stadiums. 

The moment a large chunk of NBA fans were dreading has arrived. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh are playing in the NBA Finals in their very first season together.

LeBron James became public enemy #1 in the eyes of many in the aftermath of "The Decision" but as I said it then I find that stance from people quiet funny. I said back in July that I had no problems with LeBron leaving for Miami and remains true to this date. Unlike most I always wasn't rooting against them in the playoffs. What do you think of his decision to leave Cleveland now? Is it the same as it was back in July?

By the way how much crazier does Dan Gilbert's rant sound now? Unless you count University of Virginia's lacrosse title the Cavaliers will not win a championship before the Heat.

I actually wouldn't have had a problem with any of the conference finalists from this year winning the NBA Championship. I don't know if I am cheering for the Mavericks or the Heat because I honestly wouldn't have a problem with either of the two winning. A Miami win would be fun because of uproar it will cause from hypocritical NBA fans. I call them hypocrites because very few of them would have had a problem with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh signing with their teams. Now I'm supposed to buy into their arguments for hating these guys? I have encountered plenty of Knicks fans here in the NJ/NY area who have knocked LeBron for his decision to sign with Miami but I can guarantee not one of them would be saying a thing. It becomes even more laughable when many of those same Knicks fans are fans of the New York Yankees who's entire business model revolves around signing the big free agents from around the league! I'm not trying to make this into a New York thing at all. Most of the people knocking LeBron happen to be Kobe Bryant fans. Yet again though they don't see the hypocrisy in their views. For whatever reason they have chosen to forget that Kobe basically forced his way to the Lakers after being drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. LeBron James honored his contract and took the franchise to heights it had never before seen.

Dirk Nowitzki has been one of my favorite players in the league for quiet some time. I definitely would like to see him win a championship and that is why part of me leans towards the Mavericks this year. The three guys in Miami will have plenty of chances to win a title, this could very well be the last time Nowitzki has a shot. Plus, how cool would it be to see David Stern hand the trophy to Mark Cuban? I couldn't care less about Jason Kidd though. I get that he's a future Hall of Famer and generally well liked player but that doesn't change that he is an idiot.

Have you heard about the "Cavs for Mavs" fan group?

I have said it repeatedly that I have no problem with LeBron James leaving Cleveland to go play in Miami but I think this is pretty cool. 

The highly anticipated Sports Illustrated piece on the Tressel resignation. 

If this is true it is somewhat surprising news. I just saw a tweet from Faizan Lakhani of GEO News saying Shahid Afridi is retiring from international cricket.

I guess we should have seen it coming given the public comments that were being made by Shahid Afridi and the Pakistan Cricket Board. I was definitely on Afridi's side in that fight though. It makes no sense to me that the captain doesn't get to decide the squad he will take the field with. How do you expect someone one to lead if you aren't giving them the tools they need? His is a career that was ruined because of the incompetence of the PCB.
Pakistan missed the boat big time on Afridi in the early part of the last decade. He was in and out of the team far too often. I have always said and will continue to say that the PCB dropped the ball on him as a test player. His test average of 36.51 is no joke. Lets not forget that most of those test opportunities were long before he really matured as a cricketer. He took his ODI and Twenty20 game to new heights with his bowling and fielding and I have no doubt he would done the same had he been given a proper chance in test cricket. He should have been playing as a 2nd spinner on the test team consistently.
His ODI career was mishandled as well. Pakistan has struggled to find good opening batsmen for a decade now. Shahid Afridi should have been used as an opener much more frequently. As a fan I was willing to take the gamble of him getting hot over pretty much anything else Pakistan cricket has had to offer for the past decade. I would have let him wreak havoc with fielding restrictions in place, it certainly wouldn't have produced results worse then what we got with the guys Pakistan has trotted out.

Today just wasn't a good day to be leading a race on the final turn. Earlier today J.R Hildebrand crashed into the wall on the final turn of the Indianapolis 500. Later in the day Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of fuel on the final turn of Coca Cola 600. What are the odds of both of these events happening on the exact same day?

Hats off to the race officials though for not brining out the yellow flag on that crash during the second to last lap. It was cleared in time the lead pack came around for the final lap.

Both cars are sponsored by the National Guard. How's that for a Memorial Day tie in?

I have watched a lot of open wheel races in my life but today's Indianapolis 500 definitely provided one of the craziest finises ever.
I was flipping back and forth between the race and the French Open all afternoon and thus missed the news that Danica Patrick was low on fuel when she took the lead. It is a shame she is going to NASCAR because I am more of an open wheel race fan. Would have loved to see her win.

How can you not feel bad for 23 year old rookie J.R Hildebrand? He was leading the race on the final turn of the race when he crashed into the wall trying to pass a car that he was about to lap. What a shame.
Where does this crash rank all time in sports history? I can't recall ever watching something similar. It is surely one of the biggest choke jobs ever right? Heck, it probably is a bigger choke job then Rory McIlroy at The Masters this year.

Congratulations to the Miami Heat on making it to the NBA Finals. As I mentioned last summer I had no problem with LeBron signing with the Heat and this trip to the finals helps vindicate his decision. 

Tiki Barber has proven over and over again that he is an idiot. This obviously is no different. 

Great gesture from Barry Bonds

Jorge Posada is an idiot.

There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. When you are making $13.1 million to play baseball and you ask out of the lineup because you got demoted in the lineup you need to get in touch with reality in a hurry. Reports out of New York are saying that an hour before the start of the game Jorge Posada asked out of the lineup for tonights game against nemesis Boston Red Sox because he got dropped down to 9th in the batting order. Just what was going through his head? In 109 at bats this season Posada is hitting only .165 (he is 0-24 against left handed pitching) and being in the last year of his contract likely would not play next year. According to Buster Olney of ESPN the Yankees are keeping all options open and that includes a possible suspension. Jack Curry of the YES Network quoted Posada's father saying that Posada should have played today.

 Late in tonights game word came out that he asked out of "back stiffness" but several baseball reporters are quoting sources who are denying that. The Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman himself went on the record earlier tonight and said that it was not an injury issue.

"There is no injury, obviously I've talked to Jorgie. I'm not going to comment on my conversations with Jorgie on it. That's the only thing I've got to tell you."

Posada's wife got into the mix too commenting on the story via twitter.

Jorge loves being a Yankee > anything. He's trying his best to help his team win. Today, due to back stiffness he wasn't able to do that.

Yes, the Yankees are being hypocritical in demoting him when guys like Jeter and Teixiera are also struggling but being a major star does earn you that pass. Everyone has heard stories about him and Joe Girardi not getting along but again that doesn't excuse this at all.

I am not discounting the great charitable work he has done on behalf of the "Jorge Posada Foundation" but him asking out of the lineup tonight is inexcusable.

I don't know how many people are aware of the pivotal role he played in Roy Halladay's career. In 2000 Halladay's ERA had balooned to over 10 and he was demoted all the way down to Single A and Mel Queen came out of retirement to work with him......the rest is obviously history. 

He was Blue Jays pitching coach for a four year stretch in the 90s during which Roger Clemens and Pat Hentgen combined for 3 Cy Young awards. He was actively involved in the Jays farm system as well and helped develop guys like David Wells, Jeff Kent, Chris Carpenter, Shawn Green and Mike Timlin among others. 

Just saw the video for this on SportsCenter. It was actually pretty funny to watch. At least he saw the humor in it.

Here is the YouTube link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWTXoNzuk8c

If LeBron James' move to Miami made him a villain to some, fans like dressing as a bad guy.

Remember how everyone hated LeBron James just 9 months ago?

http://sahyder1.newsvine.com/_news/2010/07/08/4640753-some-thoughts-on-lebron-james

Masters officials apologized to sports columnist Tara Sullivan of The Bergen (N.J.) Record on Sunday evening after a security guard denied her entry to a locker room for a post-tournament interview.

Augusta National spokesman Steve Ethun said the guard acted improperly in stopping Sullivan, since club policy is to provide equal access to all reporters. The club has no female members, but several female reporters at the tournament confirmed they had made numerous trips to the locker room for interviews in the past without incident.

What an absolute joke. What a way to ruin what was a great day for The Masters. Keeper her from doing her job in the year 2011 is pathetic and disgraceful

I don't remember the last time I felt his bad for a pro athlete. The kid will be back though. He's just 21 and already has four Top Ten finishes at major tournaments. He is the next dominant player in golf.

Masters Sunday is always one of my favorite sports days of the year but the back and forth action today was even better then usual. Hats off Mr. Schwartzel. I really feel bad for Rory McIlroy but the kid will be back.

In light of today's reports that Manny Ramirez is retiring due to an issue with a drug test, do you think he is a Hall of Famer? Do you think he will go in? Do you think he has any shot at being a first ballot Hall of Famer?

I have to say he still belongs first ballot until we know when he began to take it. He had some great years in the 90s. He was the most feared right handed hitter of his era.

What do you think?

What a shame. Was arguably the most feared right handed hitter of his generation. Makes sense that he would retire rather then sit out a 100 game suspension at this point though.
Counting down to weeks of Yankees fan calling WFAN about Red Sox championships being tainted despite Yankees having Pettite, Clemens, Jeff Nelson, Grimsley, Jose Canseco, Glenallen Hill, David Justice, Chuck Knoblauch having played for championshio teams in Bronx.

Also, Kevin Brown, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and A-Rod played for them.

.....and I'm sure I'm still missing guys.

Gloria James, the mother of Miami Heat basketball star LeBron James, was arrested by Miami Beach police after she reportedly assaulted a valet worker because it was taking too long to have her car delivered.

What an idiot. This woman needs some major help.

There are few more mesmerizing talents in golf than Japan's Ryo Ishikawa, the 19-year-old who has already won seven times on the Japanese professional tour. Ishikawa, though, is drawing more attention as he heads into his third Masters for what he is doing to aid victims of last month's earthquake and tsunami in his native country: namely, donating all his prize money from 2011 to relief efforts.

An impressive gesture from the 19 year old. In an era when so many athletes don't use the platform they have for good it is great to see Ishikawa do this.

Definitely rooting for him this year.

An NHL spokesman on Wednesday refused to comment on a story that Chicago Blackhawks backup goaltender Marty Turco placed a wager with a fan during Tuesday's game against the Canadiens in Montreal.

Is Marty Turco really that stupid? Why on earth would you put yourself in a position like that?

How much of a lowlife do you have to be to do something this? Hopefully these guys get caught fast. This disgusts me as a sports fan.

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was forthright when asked about the New York Mets' usage of left-handed specialist Pedro Feliciano last season, calling it "abusive."

Did I miss something? Did someone force the Yankees to sign Feliciano? What a joke. Did the Yankees not know how much he had pitched in the last few seasons? What about the guys like Scott Proctor that the Yankees have "abused" in the past?

Happy for Sachin Tendulkar. Couldn't care less about the rest of the team. Tendulkar deserved one World Cup win.

Happy for Sachin Tendulkar. Couldn't care less about the rest of the team.

We get a lot of "selfish" athlete stories on a fairly regular basis. We hear about athletes who just don't get "it" on a fairly regular basis. We hear about ignorant athletes fairly regularly. We see athletes in prominent positions who shy away from using their name to do good.

So anytime someone does take a step forward I do my best to spread the word.

Here is how I see all the 2011 MLB Season playing out.

AL 

East
Red Sox
Yankees
Blue Jays
Rays
Orioles

Central
Twins
Tigers
White Sox
Indians
Royals

West
Angels
Rangers
Athletics
Mariners

MVP - Adrian Gonzalez
Cy Young - Jon Lester
Rookie of the Year - Kyle Drabek
Manager of the Year - Mike Sciosca

NL

East
Phillies
Marlins
Mets
Braves
Nationals

Central
Brewers
Reds
Cardinals
Cubs
Astros
Pirates

West
Giants
Rockies
Diamondbacks
Dodgers
Padres

MVP - Prince Fielder
Cy Young - Roy Halladay
Rookie of the Year - Aroldis Champan
Manager of the Year - Ron Roenicke

Playoffs
Angels over Yankees
Red Sox over Twins

Phillies over Brewers

Giants over Reds

Red Sox over Angels
Giants over Phillies
'
Red Sox over Giants

How do you see the 2011 season playing out?

Sounds like a fun gig if they do it right. Would love my own fan cave.

ESPN is giving cricket the front page treatment and what better way to do it then on the day of the biggest game in years (if not ever) and featuring one of the all time greats.

Sporting events don't get much bigger than this. It will be one of the most widely watched TV events in history. There are 1.5 billion Pakistanis and Indians in the world and a large majority of those will be watching. This is as big as it gets in the world of sports.

The only way to watch the NCAA tournament in a relaxing manner is not having a bracket! Just tore up mine. Now I'm free to root for the underdogs. Go Butler!

Let me just say that I will be rooting for Marcus Thames this year just because this writer acted like a big clown. What a joke. I don't think I've read anything from Simers in the past but if this is a sample of his work....it doesn't look like I missed anything.

Kudos to Mr. Showalter for taking on the Yankees and the Red Sox.

During the regular season, its 16 teams (counting also-rans like DePaul and Rutgers) went 34-19 against N.C.A.A. tournament entrants from outside the conference. This compares favorably, for instance, to the Atlantic Coast Conference, whose teams went 19-29 against tournament competition.

I agree completely with Nate Silver. Questioning the Big East like a lot of College Basketball fans and pundits seem to be doing is ridiculous.

A good read on the possibility of baseball helping Japan heal like it did for the US after 9/11.

I was familiar with the story but didn't know he was in the finals again up until last night when I saw a clip on Sportscenter. Great stuff.

Very impressive start to the tournament for Barack Obama. Being in the top 1% of all ESPN entires is pretty cool.

Its really cool that Obama does this for the Womens Tournament too.

For the 3rd straight year President Obama has filled out NCAA Tournament brackets for ESPN. 

ESPN College Basketball analyst Andy Katz (you can find his blog post here) was at the White House yesterday to host the segment for SportsCenter and the other ESPN platforms. The video is embedded below. Two years ago he correctly picked UNC to win the NCAA Tournament. Last year his pick of Kansas got knocked out in the second round.

You can find Obama's brackets for both the Mens and Womens tournaments on the White House website. He will appear on SportsCenter again tomorrow morning with Doris Burke to unveil his Womens Tournament bracket. Earlier today on Sportscenter John Buccigross and Doug Gottlieb said that Obama's signed bracket from two years ago is displayed in the ESPN cafeteria. I'll post my bracket at some point between now and tip off on Thursday. Really struggling with it this year and coming out with a lot of chalk results and that is why I am not really surprised that Obama is going with the four #1s

ESPN has entered Obama's bracket as an entry into their Tournament Challenge. How well will he do? In a usual year I may have criticized Obama for going chalk with his bracket but in talking with other college basketball fans most of us are coming out with brackets very similar to his.

Neil Best of Newsday pointed out, it is worth noting that Obama picked Kansas to win it all again. They are the only one of his Final Four teams that doesn't play in a battleground state. Reid Wilson noted earlier today that one of Obama's first round upsets is Marquette over Xavier (the alma mater of Speak John Boehner). I am not a of over analyzing the bracket from a political angle but sometimes it just can't be helped.

What I absolutely have to laugh at is those who criticize Obama for filling out a NCAA bracket. A large chunk of the people criticizing him are probably in a office pool of their own. Just take a look at this clip from Fox "News".

Just because Obama spent a small part of his day with ESPN we are to believe he is not paying attention to what is going on in the world? That sentiment is even more ridiculous when Obama asks people to donate to help the victims in Japan as part of his segments on ESPN. How many people do you think Obama reached out with that message by going on ESPN? I just don't understand the people who act as though just because he is the President he shouldn't do anything "normal". I always point people out to this (and this).

One of the things I wanted to do on the show was, as people are filling out their brackets -- this is obviously a national pastime; we all have a great time, it's a great diversion.  But I know a lot of people are thinking how can they help the Japanese people during this time of need.  If you go to usaid.gov -- usaid.gov -- that will list all the nonprofits, the charities that are helping out there.  It would be wonderful for people to maybe offer a little help to the Japanese people at this time -- as they're filling out their brackets.  It's not going to take a lot of time.  That's usaid.gov.  It could be really helpful.

That is what Obama told ESPN about the events that are unfolding in Japan. What more do people want him to do?

Houston Chronicle takes a look at just how hard it is to predict the NCAA Tournament. ESPN also takes an interesting look at the NCAA Tournament. I honestly had forgotten that it has been nine years since a #15 beat a #2.

There is a segment of the Conservative part or the population that as always is criticizing the President for wasting his time on a NCAA Bracket. Those people are just being stupid as always. Nothing wrong with him taking some time to do what most of the people criticizing him are probably doing themselves today.

Obama went chalk, it didn't disappoint me as much as it regularly might given that I keep coming out with a bracket very similar to that one.

For the 3rd year in a row Barack Obama has filled out NCAA brackets for ESPN. I'm guessing the clips will air on SportsCenter tomorrow. He correctly picked North Carolina to win it all last year and his pick of Kansas last year got knocked out in a second round upset

So it begins. This will get ugly before it gets anywhere near resolved. How will Judge Doty rule?

President Obama welcomed the Stanley Cup Champions to the White House today.

Letter to the NFL fanbase from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Are you guys expecting the season to start on time?

Things are going to get really ugly in these negotiations before they get better. I doubt the season starts on time.

Right call here. They should be held out of the NCAA Tournament too. Although it quiet a joke that Jim Burr is sitting in the stands today. Can someone from the Big East send him home?

Watch the video first. Rutgers just got robbed in the second round of the Big East Tournament. Referees did not call two fouls on St. John's that could very well have been called, that was followed by the referees ignoring a travelling call and the Red Storms stepping out of bounds with time left on the clock. Top it all off with the referee walked off the court with time left on the clock. How did the referees not review this? What were Jim Burr and Tim Higgins thinking? They have a history of bad officiating. Google both of them. Much credit to Mike Francesa. He has had an anti-Rutgers bias in the past and is a St.John's alum but he is taking the Big East to task on WFAN right now. Shame that the officials have become the story and not first year head coach Mike Rice and his team who have done one hell of a job this season. Here is the statement from the Big East: The Big East Conference acknowledged that two separate officiating errors occurred at the conclusion of the St. John’s vs. Rutgers game. Both missed violations should have caused the game clock to stop and a change of possession to occur prior to the end of the game. Neither error is reviewable or correctable under NCAA playing rules. That makes no sense. I can understand that they can't review the travel call but how do you not review to see if there is time left? How do you not notice BOTH of his feet going out of bounds? Absolutely ridiculous. This reminded me of the Rutgers/Tennessee "clock game".">Watch the video first.

 Rutgers just got robbed in the second round of the Big East Tournament. Referees did not call two fouls on St. John's that could very well have been called, that was followed by the referees ignoring a travelling call and the Red Storms stepping out of bounds with time left on the clock. Top it all off with the referee walked off the court with time left on the clock. How did the referees not review this? What were Jim Burr and Tim Higgins thinking? They have a history of bad officiating. Google both of them.

 Much credit to Mike Francesa. He has had an anti-Rutgers bias in the past and is a St.John's alum but he is taking the Big East to task on WFAN right now.

 Shame that the officials have become the story and not first year head coach Mike Rice and his team who have done one hell of a job this season.

 Here is the statement from the Big East:

The Big East Conference acknowledged that two separate officiating errors occurred at the conclusion of the St. John’s vs. Rutgers game. Both missed violations should have caused the game clock to stop and a change of possession to occur prior to the end of the game. Neither error is reviewable or correctable under NCAA playing rules. 

That makes no sense. I can understand that they can't review the travel call but how do you not review to see if there is time left? How do you not notice BOTH of his feet going out of bounds? Absolutely ridiculous. 

 This reminded me of the Rutgers/Tennessee "clock game". 

Has he lost his mind? I'm guessing someone reached out to him and told him he was horrible as a TV correspondent? Or is this because of his divorce settlement?

A very good read on former journeyman Brian Daubach. Hopefully a highly rated guy like Harper can get some help from him and learn to not take his career for granted.

A great column from ESPN's Bill Simmons on the upcoming NFL work stoppage.

A great read about the Yankees players making generous donations to help the Red Sox first base coach with medical bills for his young daughter.

Heard about him being hospitalized on Super Bowl Sunday. He had been to the first 44 Super Bowls. At least he got to watch one more Packers Super Bowl win.

A heck of a run. Having been at 44 Super Bowls is a remarkable streak. Wish him a speedy recovery. He is a Packers fan.

Tucker Carlson is an idiot but this beyond ridiculous even for him. I wonder if he even recognizes his moronic double standard. He supports Sarah Palin who kills animals for a hobby.

Professional athlete misses a game because he is sick and his roster spot goes to a hockey coach from a local college. No, that is not the premise for the next Disney movie. It happened last night.

The Phoenix Coyotes were at the Madison Square Garden in New York last night to play the Rangers. Earlier in the day they suffered a minor setback when starting goalie Ilya Bryzgalov came down with the flu. He was replaced in the starting lineup by his backup Jason LaBarbera but the Coyotes had no one available to back him up. There wasn't enough time to fly someone in from their Minor League affiliate in San Antonio so they reached out to a college coach in New York instead.

Tom Fenton a 26 year old coach for Manhatanville College lived out a dream last night and spent the night on the bench, in uniform at a National Hockey League game. He's from Sarnia, Ontario so I'm pretty sure like most Canadian kids he had dreamed of this moment his entire childhood. No, he didn't actually get to play in the game but he still has one hell of a story to tell for the rest of his life.

I loved this little piece from the NHL.com story. 

"My phone rang, I didn't pick it up," said Fenton, who had less than three hours to get to MSG but arrived in time to back up Jason LaBarbera. "I eventually saw who it was so I picked it up after the haircut and called them right back.

"They basically said I have to get my butt down to MSG as soon as I can.

According to that same story he hasn't played an actual game since his senior year at American International College last year. 

He spoke with Fox Sports Arizona before the game.

He also appeared on Sportscenter this morning with Linda Cohn. 

Cliff Lee just left $50 Million on the table in choosing to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies instead of the New York Yankees. Hats off to him.

"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."

Brett Favre's streak of 297 consecutive regular season starts (counting playoffs that number is over 320) as a starting Quarterback comes to an end tonight when the Minnesota Vikings host the New York Giants in Detroit. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I was skeptical of the story when it first broke. I thought for sure that this was yet another publicity stunt from Brett Favre.

The streak started way back on September 27th 1992. Just how long ago was that? A rookie head coach by the name of Bill Cowher was coaching the opposing Pittsburgh Steelers. George H. W Bush was still President. Princess Diana was still married to Prince Charles. Matt Ryan was 7 years old. Peyton Manning was in High School. Mike Holmgren was in his first year as Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers. Andy Reid, Steve Mariucci, Dick Jauron and John Gruden were all coaches on that Green Bay team . The NFL had only 28 teams. The Washington Redskins were the defending Super Bowl Champions and the Dallas Cowboys were actually good. In September of 1992 John Wall was 2 years old. The 2010 NHL #1 overall pick Taylor Hall wasn't even 1 yet and current teammate Percy Harvin was 4 years old.

I am far from a Brett Favre fan but the streak of 297 is still impressive. Yes, his ego and selfishness was terrible but 297 straight NFL games is still impressive. Peyton Manning is next in line at 205 consecutive starts. Can he stay healthy enough to make a run at the record? Ironically, Ripken's streak also ended against New York.

Will he just quietly disappear from the headlines?

20 years ago Nolan Ryan became baseball's first $1 Million man. Today, the average MLB player is making $3 Million. Wow.

The NFL is scrambling to find a stadium for Giants/Vikings. Game was already moved from 1 PM today to 8 PM tomorrow because of snow. Now they have to move to a different stadium because doom in Minny deflated because of snow. There is an open air college stadium nearby but the speculation is that they probably can't play there because the Giants most likely wouldn't have their cold gear packed for a dome game. Do they go to Detroit or Indy to play? Does the weather clear up enough so someone can fly out their gear?

I wouldn't be shocked to see the game played in New York either since there is precedent for it and obviously the best bet for the NFL to make money.

Will the Giants make it to Minnesota in time for the 1 PM Eastern kickoff tomorrow?

ESPN is currently in the middle of its annual "Jimmy V Week". For those who are not familiar with it, it one of the fundraising tools created by ESPN for "The V Foundation for Cancer Research."

ESPN does a fantastic job raising awareness for this charity and they money they raise for cancer research. You can donate directly to the foundation by going here. This is taken straight from the foundation's website,

Your donation to The V Foundation funds critical cancer research.  Give a 100% tax deductible contribution by completing the form below. The V Foundation awards 100% of all direct cash donations and net event proceeds to cancer research and related programs. Administrative and fundraising expenses are paid by our endowment.  The V Foundation's Federal Tax ID number or EIN is: 13-3705951.

You can also donate by calling 1-800-4JimmyV. You can also text "jimmyv" to 89544 to donate $10.

If for some odd reason you have not watched his speech from the 1993 ESPYs, you must do so now.

How many you have been watching the "30 for 30" series on ESPN? It is a series of 30 sports documentaries (most of them were an hour long) about sports related topics from the ESPN era (since 1979).

A DVD set which includes the first 15 documentaries goes on sale tomorrow. I highly recommend the series for all sports fans despite not having had the chance watch them all myself. The ones I did watch have all been good,. What I liked about the series was that despite being part of the "30 for 30" umbrella they were each directed by someone different and each told the story differently from the others.

"June 17, 1994" jumps back and forth with news and sports clips from a very busy day. The day included the O.J chase, a victory parade for the New York Rangers, a NBA Final game, the opening of the 1994 World Cup and Arnold Palmer's final appearance at the US Open. The pace of the documentary does a great job in capturing the chaotic day and includes a lot of news footage.

"King's Ransom" takes a look at the trade that brought Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to Los Angeles and the effect it had on both regions.

"Winning Time" takes at one of the more entertaining rivalries in recent NBA history. Reggie Miller versus the New York Knicks. The documentary looks specifically at the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals which included  him scoring 8 points in 8.9 seconds.

"The Sixteenth Man"looks at the South African Rugby team and their relationship with Nelson Mandela leading up to their 1995 World Cup win. The documentary covers events that also inspired the movie Invictus starring Morgan Freeman.

You can find more information on the series here.

The 15 documentaries on this DVD set are also available individually. Here is a full list in chronological order of release.

King's Ransom
The Band That Wouldn't Die
Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL?
Muhammad & Larry
Without Bias
The Legend of Jimmy the Greek
The U
Winning Time: Reggie Miller Vs. The New York Knicks
Guru of Go
No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson
Silly Little Game
Run Ricky Run
The Sixteenth Man
Straight Outta LA
June 17, 1994

Which of  the first 15 do you recommend?

Does anyone know when Volume 2 comes out? I really liked "Four Days in October." It took a look at the 2004 ALCS where the Boston Red Sox came back form 3-0 down to beat the Yankees on their way to their first World Series title in 86 years. I'll post more about the 2nd half of this series when that set gets released.

I have been saying for a while that I wanted the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in the US. It is definitely one of the sporting events that is on my bucket list and with games being right here it would have made things really easy. So yes, I was disappointed yesterday when Qatar beat out the US on the 4th ballot to secure the rights to host the 2022 World Cup. There are some out though who are taking this to an extreme and turning this into a hate campaign against Qatar.

The outrage is flat out ridiculous. Some are trying to turn this into a political thing. Why would you even want to start with that? Qatar's political landscape isn't like that of the US or England so somehow that makes them less qualified to host a World Cup? If sports were about politics only, I think it'd be fair to exclude the United States from hosting events for a while given the amount of innocent civilians who have been killed in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq thanks to the US military. If we want to make this about human rights lets exclude England from ever hosting anything because of what they did when they were an empire. There is no need to mix sports and politics. China just hosted the Olympics in 2008, South Africa had the World Cup this year, Adolph Hitler's Germany hosted an Olympics but people want me to be outraged because Qatar doesn't have diplomatic ties with Israel?

I've heard complain about the alcohol ban in Qatar. I understand that alcohol consumption has become a big part of sporting events but no one one ever died from not getting it at a sporting event. A few less drunk hooligans is a good thing, not bad. Muslims have survived without halal food at sporting events, Vegetarians without their food, etc. It's not that big of a deal. Anyways, there are bars and hotels in Qatar where consumption is legal. It is illegal to be drunk on the streets and the enforcement of that law is a good thing, not bad.

I've heard people try to turn this into a human rights issue because of Qatar's laws against homosexuality. I must have missed the part where the west became the beacon for equality as far as homosexuals are concerned. Again, why are people are ignoring the incidents in Baltimore, Seattle and Los Angeles. Should those incidents have been held against the USA bid? Why the hypocritical stance?

I have heard people complain about how weak Qatar's soccer team is. So what? Why is everyone forgetting that the US hadn't qualified for the World Cup in 40 years when they were named the hosts for the 1994 World Cup? Japan had never qualified for the World Cup when they were named hosts of the 2002 tournament.

The Qatar victory also looks like a major win for "green" technology.

Each of the five stadiums will harness the power of the suns rays to provide a cool environment for players and fans by converting solar energy into electricity that will then be used to cool both fans and players at the stadiums. When games are not taking place, the solar installations at the stadia will export energy onto the power grid. During matches, the stadia will draw energy from the grid. This is the basis for the stadiums' carbon-neutrality. Along with the stadiums, we plan to make the cooling technologies we've developed available to other countries in hot climates, so that they too can host major sporting events.

That is taken straight from their bid website.

People need to realize that sports are a business. It is the World Cup, not the America or European Cup. Qatar is spending $32.9 Billion on infrastructure for this World Cup. Sports in the Middle East are spreading fast. Cricket, Golf, Tennis and Formula One have all been smart to start tapping that market. The sponsorship money is huge.

It is one of the most highly anticipated yet meaningless December basketball games in recent memory. Tonight, LeBron James will "take his talents to Cleveland" as a member of the Miami Heat. 

As I said at the time, I have no problems whatsoever with the three of them deciding to team up. I was in the minority and didn't really have a problem with the concept of "The Decision" prime time special. I also seem to be in the minority as far as their 2010-11 season is concerned. So many people have already written this team off. They are hovering around the .500 mark but why are people forgetting that the season isn't even a quarter of way done yet? Would people really be shocked if they went 48-15 the rest of the way? This team has more than enough time to put together a good season and have a great playoff run. 

I am not a Miami Heat fan, as a matter of fact I despise Pat Riley and never really liked Alonzo Mourning. I am a Raptors fan who lost Chris Bosh to this team. 

How will the Cleveland crowd react tonight? Lets just hope they take somewhat of a high road and not embarrass their city. Don't get me wrong, I want to see them boo LeBron all night long for the rest of his career (Vince Carter still hears boos in Toronto) but don't disrupt the game. Keep your expletives to yourselves and don't humiliate yourself on national television. 

How will LeBron react tonight? He could go a long way towards calming things down today if he doesn't come out in a confrontational mode. He needs to just let his play do the talking or it could get really ugly tonight. Who knows, if he goes off for 50 points tonight in a masterful performance he might even get some of the crowd back on his side. 

Heck, even Barack Obama was asked about tonights game.

There will be a heavier security presence tonight at the Q. How ugly do some in the league think tonight will be? The Heat travel plans for this have been kept secret. 

In Cleveland, LeBron is now known as "Queen James"

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is on twitter. Looking forward to read what he has to say tonight. He did make a plea to the fans,

CavsFans: Remember 2 most import things 2nite: 1. That City, Fans, & all of us be our 'finest' w/eyes of world watching. 2. We get the WIN!

Who can forget his letter to Cleveland when LeBron left? 

Sports Illustrated provides a flashback to some recent "homecomings." How about these pictures from Cleveland?

Any predictions for tonight? ESPN's Streak for the Cash asks if LeBron will have more points tonight then the  Cavaliers will have field goals. I certainly would not rule that out as a possibility. It will be the first time this season that I will tune in to the start of an NBA game. The game tips off shortly after 8 PM Eastern on TNT.

The cancer that infected the Vikings when Brett Favre signed with them finally strikes.

Absolutely ridiculous that the University of Notre Dame did not report this alleged assault to police. How is the player involved still on the field without a proper investigation? Notre Dame needs to get off its high horse because their football program has stunk for years now. Great reporting from the Chicago Tribune here.

Next time an ignorant American sports fan wants to use the "soccer is boring because most of the time they are just standing around" card just send them this link.

Interesting read. Did yuh guys read the football study they did earlier this year?

The story that just won't go away. I've been saying it for 3 years and will continue to say it. Favre's career will not end well. He won't leave until he is forced out after being carted off the field.

If you follow baseball (and most likely even if you don't) you've heard of the "Shot Heard 'Round the World". Bobby Thomson, who hit that famous home run for the New York Giants has passed away at the age of 86. If you haven't seen the clip of the home run you can find it here as Ernie Harwell talks about it and the radio call from Russ Hodges.

The year goes from bad to worse for the Mets. What a PR nightmare this week has been for Francisco Rodriguez and the New York Mets. The closer injured himself hitting his girlfriends father and is now out for the year as a result of it.

Will the Mets try to get any money back from him? Will the succeed?

I'm a big fan of Tim Kurkjian's work on ESPN. Little quirks like this make him that much better.