Author: Vin

Vin is a Philly boy who shouldn't be invited into your house because he'll judge you on your book and music collection. He owns Dawkins, Utley, Iverson, and Lindros jerseys, which is all you really need to know about him. He can be reached at [email protected].

Categories
Miami Dolphins

Marcus Vick sued for sexual battery

…but I LOVE you

A 17-year-old is suing Marcus Vick for $6.3 million accusing him of sexual battery upon a minor, fraud, and other chargers (too slow in the 40?).  According to the lawsuit, the girl started a two year sexual relationship with Vick when she was only 15 and he was at Va Tech.   Does she (and her grandma) want Marcus thrown in jail for statutory rape?  Nope, they want cash for “psychological trauma associated with the child sexual abuse perpetrated by defendant Marcus Vick.”

First off, while it’s illegal and reprehensible for Vick to take advantage of a high school girl, this lawsuit smells of a  shakedown.  Second, why does this surprise anyone?  Remember, before the 2004 season, Vick was arrested for providing underaged girls with marijuana, liquor,  and pornography.  You gotta figure he got around to nailing them.  It’s a simple  equation folks, marijuana + underaged girls + pornography = sex.  Or at least that’s what R. Kelly says.  The girl filing the lawsuit is one of the girls in the 2004 incident.  At the time, she invoked the 5th Amendment Rights at the trial  Now, she just understands it’s time to get paid.

She also accuses Vick of fraud because he told her her loved her to get her to have sex with him.  Holy Christ!  If she wins that argument, any man who’s lied to get laid (and that’s just about every man who’s gotten laid) is in serious trouble.

Links:
[Yahoo]: Girl suing former Virginia Tech QB for $6.3 million

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Starter Watch ’07

Rock the Vote

1.  All-Stars  
The first batch of returns from the All-Star balloting are in and the fans have spoken.  In the East, it’s Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Shaquille O’Neal.  The West leaders are Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Yao Ming.  Oddly enough, if Iverson gets traded to a Western Conference team he won’t make the starting five.  A.I. is sitting pretty in the East as the number one guard with 595,200 votes, about 8,500 votes ahead of Wade.  However, in the West he would be well behind both Bryant and McGrady.  In fact, Iverson would be almost 73,000 votes behind McGrady.  There’s no doubt that Iverson would make the team in the West, but it would be the first time in a long time that he didn’t start in the game.  But don’t worry A.I. fans; you still have until January 21 to stuff the ballot box full of votes for The Answer.

2.  Big Bullies
Since the news of Allen Iverson demanding a trade broke, the story has dominated the headlines.  During the entire hubbub, it seems that the Ben Wallace vs. Scott Skiles feud has cooled a bit.  Big Ben has stepped up his play and proven that he’s more than just a headband.  In the Bulls last game, Wallace had 15 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks.  That sounds more like the Ben we all know and love.  The Bulls are rallying around their high-dollar, off-season acquisition and have won nine out of their last ten games; pulling to within two games of division leaders Detroit and Cleveland.  With Wallace focused on defense and Ben Gordon providing some serious firepower off the bench, Chicago is finally beginning to look like the team that many projected to win their division and possibly their conference.

3.  Deflated Balls
Having trouble handling that slick ball?  Are you hand’s bleeding from cuts received while dribbling?  Well, you’ve probably been using the microfiber ball that the league is currently using.  Now that the league has decided to return to the old, leather ball, you can too.  That’s because Spalding, the maker of the composite ball, is giving refunds for returns of the ball.  You can get $115 for sending back the ball that NBA players love to hate.  So, if you wasted your money, like David Stern did, here’s you chance for redemption.  And in the future, don’t forget, leather is better.

Thursday’s Player of the Day:  Yao Ming @ Golden State 41 min, 38 pts (FG: 15-32, 3FG: 0-1, FT: 8-8), 18 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk

Friday’s Game to Watch:  Houston (14-8) @ Los Angeles Lakers (15-7) Houston lost to the Lakers on Tuesday after making an incredible comeback to make things interesting, but it wasn’t enough as L.A. won, 102-94, in Houston.  Now, the teams get to do it again in Los Angeles.  The Lakers are 12-3 at home this year, but will be missing a key piece as Lamar Odom sits for a month.  That means Kobe Bryant has to pick up the scoring load, and that is always fun to watch.  Tracy McGrady is questionable for the game but if he manages to play, this game could be become a shootout between the two stars.

Buzzer Beater:  Baron Davis has been stepping up in a big way for Golden State all season long.  Last night against Houston was no different as Davis went off for 34 points and eight assists.  He also drained the winning three-pointer in Shane Battier’s face with one second left in the game. Despite having one of his best seasons as a pro, Davis is currently tenth in All-Star voting for Western Conference guards.  NBA fans, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Categories
NFL General

TO’s got problems

From the Wiki entry for Paranoid Personality Disorder:

1. suspects, without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or her
2. is preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates
3. is reluctant to confide in others because of unwarranted fear that the information will be used maliciously against him or her
4. reads hidden demeaning or threatening meanings into benign remarks or events
5. persistently bears grudges, i.e., is unforgiving of insults, injuries, or slights
6. perceives attacks on his or her character or reputation that are not apparent to others and is quick to react angrily or to counterattack
7. has recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding fidelity of spouse or sexual partner.

Check check check check check check and uh… maybe check.

Here’s the latest from Little T’s Paranoid Mind:

Owens remains upset that someone within the organization has been airing his dirty laundry… Although T.O. has a good idea of who is snitching — “This is not a situation where someone is hiding out in the bushes,” he said — he won’t confront the suspect until ‘the time is right.’
 

We can’t hardly wait.

Links:
[MSNBC]: A snitch among Cowboys, accuses Owens

Categories
Boston Red Sox

Is Daisuke Matsuzaka worth $103M?


Well folks, it’s official. Matsuzaka and his puffy furry coat have signed with the Red Sox for $52M for six years. Add that in to the $51M they paid the Seibu Lions for his rights and you have a whopping $103M contract for 6 years or over $17M per. While it’s a pretty big number, it’s still doesn’t break A-Rod’s per year deal.

CBS4 in Boston is also reporting that two 17-year-old girls greeted Matsuzaka with a sign that said “WELCOME HOME DAISUKE”. Let’s just hope this wasn’t like the recruiting trip that Jesus Shuttlesworth took when he visited Rick Fox.

Check out the links below for reaction from around the blogosphere. Oh by the way, “Dice-K” seems to be the nickname of choice.

Links:
[CBS4 Boston]: Daisuke Matsuzaka Officially Signs With Red Sox

[Red Sox Talk]: Matsuzaka deal finally inked
[Baseballistic]: Matsuzaka’s Deal is a Win-Win-Win-Win
[Boston Sports Media Watch]: Sox Get It Done
[Call of the Green Monster]: After Losing Battle on Matsuzaka Contract, Boras Plans to Stop Christmas from Coming
[Red Sox Times]: Good Things Come…

Categories
Boxing

Dec 14 in Sports History: The first black heavyweight champion


In 1908: Jack Johnson became the first black world heavyweight champion in boxing by knocking out Tommy Burns (who had to be paid $30,000 because he initially refused to fight a black man) in Sidney, Australia. Accounts from the fight say that Johnson literally knocked the much lighter Burns out while Burns was still on his feet and the fight had to be stopped. Johnson had a career record of 79-8 with 46 knockouts, 12 draws and 14 no decisions (which some believed were attributed to biased judges). Interestingly, he would become a fugitive for several years (while still champion) for transporting a white woman across state lines “for immoral purposes.” He was charged in court by Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, the future first commissioner of baseball. His story is documented on a PBS special called “Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson”.

In 1988: The Miami Heat, much like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, set a standard for expansion futility when they lost their first 17 games in the NBA. The got off the schneid by beating the equally pathetic Los Angeles Clippers 89-88. The Heat were built to suck that year, as they featured a starting lineup anchored by Rony Seikaly and Pat Cummings; and no player made more than $650,000. They finished 15-67. A little trivia: which division did the Heat play in that first year?

In 1984: ABC’s “Monday Night Football” became a lot less controversial, but also a lot less interesting as commentator Howard Cosell retired. Whether fans loved him or hated the former New York lawyer, they always tuned in to watch him. Many believe that MNF went downhill after Cosell left because a good replacement was never found (simply because there was only one Cosell). Cosell always had to “tell it like it is“, whether raging about the “jockocracy,” or calling a player an idiot. His most memorable moments during MNF were suddenly announcing the murder of John Lennon during a game and calling Redskins receiver Alvin Garrett a “little monkey.” Cosell died in 1995. A few other interesting facts about Cosell: he never announced a Super Bowl and he once hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live.”

Categories
NBA General

Where will Iverson end up?



Looks good

The question on everyone’s mind is: where will Iverson end up? Well, here are the latest rumors and conjectures from around the league:

Philly Inquirer: “A source indicated last night that Denver was willing to part with center Nene as part of a package for Iverson and that George Karl had expressed no problems with coaching Iverson…The Nuggets would also be willing to deal injured forward Kenyon Martin, but the Sixers have no interest in the surgically susceptible forward. Martin is out for the year following a second microfracture knee surgery in November and still is due $59.75 million after this season.”

NY Daily News: “One of the deals King was strongly considering is with Golden State, for point guard Baron Davis, center Andris Biedrins and a third unidentified player. In addition to Iverson, the Warriors would get backup center Steven Hunter. While a source close to one of the players involved called the deal “done,” the Sixers remain quiet about where they will be sending Iverson.”

Golden State of Mind: “One of our sources in close touch with an Eastern Conference scout said that the last thing they heard was that the Warriors upped their offer to Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Ike Diogu and a 1st rounder for Allen Iverson and presumably some other 76ers players. It’s not clear whether this heavy offer was made before or after Bucher’s earlier TV report that the Warriors were out of the running.”

Boston Globe: “With the asking price for Allen Iverson too high, the Celtics‘ interest in the former NBA MVP may have cooled, according to league sources. Boston knows what Philadelphia wants, but is reluctant to put certain players, and possibly draft picks, on the table. Gerald Green and Paul Pierce are off limits. And Al Jefferson may have joined Green and Pierce as players executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge will not deal.”

Detroit News: “Minnesota: The Timberwolves appear to have fallen to the end of the line. Randy Foye has some value to the Sixers, but apparently that’s where the intrigue ends for King.”

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: It’s Showtime!



Out for a month+

1. Lame-ar Odom
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently leading the Pacific Division by ½ game. Now that Lamar Odom is expected to miss at least a month of action, the Lakers can expect to fall a bit in the standings. Phoenix is finally getting going after a slow start and the Clippers are playing unusually bad compared to recent years. Both will try to take advantage of the Lakers misfortunes, but Kobe Bryant will have something to say about that. For some reason, I don’t think Kobe will have a problem hoisting up an extra eight to ten shots per game. But Odom was the team’s leading rebounder and assist man, that’s a role that will probably not be taken over by Bryant. The Lakers will have a difficult time continuing their winning ways without the team’s second best players as they go on the road for 15 of their next 25 games.

2. Artest’s Advice
Allen Iverson got some support from someone else who knows what it’s like to demand a trade and then have to wait for the process to unfold, Sacramento King Ron Artest. The NBA’s bad boy said that he can sympathize will Iverson during this ordeal, but he also said that A.I. should get the trade over with as soon as possible and get back onto the court. Artest sat at home for nearly a month before Indiana shipped him to Sacramento. But if Artest is hoping that Iverson will join him with the Kings, he might want to think twice. Team owners, Joe and Gavin Maloof, both said that the team was not interested in a trade for Iverson. But, then again, the two high-rollers also said Artest wouldn’t be coming to Sacramento either. The next day, Artest was posing for pictures in his new Kings jersey.

3. Golden Nuggets
Where does Golden State keep getting these guys? First it was Monta Ellis. Then it was Andris Biedrins. Now, it’s some guy named Matt Barnes. Not to say that these guys aren’t good to begin with but, Barnes has averaged 4.3 points and three rebounds per game over his past three seasons in the league. Last night, however, Barnes exploded against Sacramento for 32 points and 11 rebounds. Baron Davis is doing a great job of distributing the ball to these relative unheard-of’s, but the credit has to be given to coach Don Nelson. Nellie has always been superior at getting the most out of his talent. This year in Golden State has proven no different. Unfortunately, you can squeeze every drop of game out of this roster and they’re still going to miss the playoffs.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Matt Barnes vs. Sacramento 44 min, 32 pts (FG: 13-22, 3FG: 6-9), 11 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Los Angeles Lakers (15-6) @ Dallas (14-7) Dallas has been struggling of late after running off a 12 game winning streak. They are 2-3 since then but can find comfort in the fact that they are 8-3 at home. Los Angeles has been mediocre on the road this season where they are 3-3. This will be the first game for the Lakers without Lamar Odom and you can expect to see a show from Kobe Bryant in his absence. Don’t forget that last year Kobe scored 62 against Dallas, and he didn’t even play in the fourth quarter.

Buzzer Beater: Scott Padgett sure does know how to bum out a home crowd of 18,392. Last night with 1:16 left in the game, Padgett went to the line with two shots and his Rockets trailing the Lakers, 94-92. Padgett proceeded to brick both attempts which lead to an eventual 102-94 loss for Houston. If he plans to ever average more than 12 minutes per game, he has to produce when given the opportunity to do so. However, after that showing, he had better get comfortable on the bench. Enjoy riding the pine, Padgett.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Ill Will in Indiana


1. Reaction Jackson
Stephen Jackson just can’t get any positive publicity these days. His latest incident involves a heated exchange with Indiana coach Rick Carlisle. Jackson became upset and said something to Carlisle when he was benched early in the second quarter of a blowout loss to the Cavaliers on Saturday. Whatever he said was enough for Carlisle to send him to the locker room for the rest of the game and then suspend him for last nights game. The outburst is just his latest accompaniment to go along with weekly parades through the courthouse and before the judge. “I don’t want people to lump this with other things that have happened,” Jackson said. Sorry, Stephen, it’s hard to lump it into your nonexistent pile of good deeds and behaviors.

2. A.I. to 90210
Since the news of Allen Iverson’s demand for a trade became public, a virtual tidal wave of trade rumors has swept over the NBA. Boston, Minnesota, Golden State, Orlando, Denver, Cleveland, Seattle; the list goes on and on. But one of the more interesting trades resides in the City of Angels, and it doesn’t involve the Clippers. Phil Jackson left the door open to a possible trade for Iverson when he said, “I wouldn’t just say outright we have no interest.” While the scenario is unlikely, the possibility is quite incredible. Two of the greatest scorers in the history of the game together in one of the leagues most storied franchises. Western Conference perimeter defenders are cringing at the thought of A.I. joining Kobe Bryant in the purple and gold and the offensive outbursts that would ensue. The two currently average 57.6 points between them; in comparison, Charlotte only scores 90.5 points per game as a team.

3. Gray Matter
ESPN reporter Jim Gray was one of the first to break the story about the Philadelphia/A.I. split, but he might not have gotten the news from Iverson. Gray went public with the story on Friday after talking with Iverson, or at least someone he thought was Iverson. Turns out that Gray had been talking with an imposter, or did he? Follow me here. On Friday, Gray reported that Iverson said his first choice was Minnesota and the deal was in the works. Later on, Gray received a phone call from Iverson’s agent, Leon Rose, who told Gray that he had spoken with an A.I. imposter causing Gray to publicly withdraw his comments. Could it be that Rose created the story about a fake A.I. in order to keep Gray quiet about the deal, and that Gray actually did speak with Iverson? It all depends on who you talk to.

Monday’s Player of the Day: Vince Carter vs. Memphis 40 min, 37 pts (FG: 14-30, 3FG: 9-20), 8 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Los Angeles Lakers (14-6) @ Houston (14-6) Tracy McGrady will miss the game tonight, but two MVP candidates aren’t too bad. Yao Ming will have to step up without T-Mac if he is going to keep the Rockets’ impressive home record of 8-1 intact. The Lakers have only played five games on the road this season, going 2-3, but Kobe Bryant has been averaging 29.3 points per game during the team’s last three road games.

Buzzer Beater: He’s often left off the list when people ask who the best coaches in the NBA are. He’s often forgotten about amongst the other veteran coaches like Pat Riley, Don Nelson and Phil Jackson. But last night, Jerry Sloan finally got some recognition for his 22 years of coaching when he picked up win number 1,000. Sloan is one of the finest coaches in the history of the game and until 2004; he had lead the Jazz to playoffs for 15 consecutive years. Who knows, if it wasn’t for Michael Jordan, Sloan might have a couple of championship rings on his fingers.

Categories
Texas Rangers

Dec 12 in Sports History: A-Rod’s big payday



Broke the bank

In 2000: Free agent shortstop Alex Rodriguez cashed in big time, with a 10-year, $252 million dollar contract from the Texas Rangers. Of course, it broke every conceivable record for amount of money paid to any athlete in any sport. In 2004, he was traded to the Yankees, and A-Rod is still waiting for his first World Series ring. According to our sources, the money never bought him a hug, either.

In 1981: Wayne Gretzky set another of his untouchable records, this one the fastest to reach 50 goals. The Great One’s goal going into the year was to score 50 in 50 games, but he was way off. It only took him 39, and he accomplished it at the old Auditorium in Buffalo. Gretzky went on to smash Phil Esposito’s mark of 76 goals in a season and ended up with a mind-boggling 92.

In 1965: While everyone is talking about Bears’ rookie Devin Hester’s performance last night against the Rams with two kick returns for touchdowns, his performance doesn’t quite match the great Gale Sayers. The Kansas rookie set a record with six touchdowns in a game against the San Francisco 49ers. Played on a muddy Wrigley Field surface, Sayers’ scores included an 80 yard reception, a 50 yard run and an 65 yard punt return. His 22 touchdowns in 1965 are an NFL rookie record.

Categories
NBA General

David Stern says screw the animals



Welcome back old friend

On Tuesday, David Stern will announce that starting Jan 1, the league will switch back to the old leather balls. All the player complaints about the feel of the ball finally added up and Stern swallowed his ego and decided to make the switch. However, the switch probably wouldn’t have been made had Stern not had an opportunity to save face. Players started complaining about cuts on their hands because of the high friction synthetic material. When players are sustaining injuries, it’s easy for Stern to pull the trigger with the players health in mind.

While changing the ball in the first place (rumored to be because of the Rockets owner’s wife’s animal activism) was a terrible move, Stern showed the good sense to fix his mistake and show why he’s currently the best commissioner in sports.