December 19, 2009
In the wake of the Twitter phenomenon exploding onto the sports scene last year, with players like Charlie Villanueva and Shaquille O’Neal tweeting during games, I understand what David Stern was doing in banning the use of Twitter during “game time”, which the NBA has determined to be between 45 minutes before and after the game.
But that still doesn’t justify the ridiculous $7,500 fine the league handed down to rookie sensation Brandon Jennings in the wake of a tweet he posted after a game last week against Portland.
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Uncategorized | Tagged: AC Milan, Adolph Rupp, Alabama, Bob Knight, Brandon Jennings, Carlo Ancelotti, Carlos Dunlap, Charlie Villanueva, Cincinnati, David Beckham, David Stern, Florida, Indiana, Inter Milan, John Calipari, Jose Mourinho, Kentucky, Manchester United, Massachusetts, Memphis, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, Roman Abramovich, Shaquille O'Neal, Urban Meyer | 
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Posted by tbontemps1
December 5, 2009
As Charlize Theron and whoever was alongside her began to draw the names for each of the eight groups for next summer’s World Cup, I was convinced that the United States would find itself drawn into this year’s version of the “Group of Death.” But, much to my surprise, the United States found itself as a favorite to advance from its group, which includes England, Algeria and Slovenia – as favorable a draw as they could have asked for.
But as the happiness faded, and once Theron unfortunately faded from view, the stark truth of the situation the U.S. found itself in was unavoidable. Without question, the first three games of next summer’s World Cup will be the most important 270 minutes of soccer in this country’s history.
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Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Algeria, Brazil, Charlize Theron, Confederations Cup, England, Italy, Ivory Coast, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Netherlands, New England Patriots, New York Yankees, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, World Cup | Permalink
Posted by tbontemps1
October 28, 2009
For the first time in a long time, things were really looking up for the Los Angeles Clippers. Baron Davis had lost 15 pounds over the offseason after a miserable first season, and seemed re-energized. Eric Gordon had a tremendous rookie season, and had settled into the starting two-guard role. They had strengthened their bench by acquiring Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith and Rasual Butler, and they had even managed to deal away Zach Randolph for a bag of basketballs (well, it actually was for Quentin Richardson, but given he was traded several times this offseason, it might as well have been for a bag of basketballs), and eliminated a cancer from their locker room.
But all of those moves were secondary to the Clippers winning the NBA’s Draft Lottery in May and getting the chance to select the clear top talent in June’s draft, Blake Griffin. The former Oklahoma power forward scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds a game last season for the Sooners, and seemed like as close to a guarantee as one can find in the draft. Some went so far as to compare him to Karl Malone.
But, after all, this is the Clippers … so, like last offseason when they thought they were going to get both Davis and Elton Brand, only for Brand to ditch them and sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it did this week, when we learned that Griffin is going to be out for at least six weeks with a fractured kneecap.
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Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Baron Davis, Blake Griffin, Chris Kaman, Craig Smith, Elton Brand, Eric Gordon, LeBron James, Los Angeles Clippers, Marcus Camby, Philadelphia 76ers, Sebastian Telfair | Permalink
Posted by tbontemps1
October 7, 2009
With the Minnesota Twins finally claiming the final spot in baseball’s postseason with last night’s 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers to claim the American League Central title, the playoffs have finally been set. Of course, that means only one thing: it’s time to make predictions!
Of course, those predictions will likely go up in smoke almost immediately after I post them, but so be it. Someone has to be willing to make them – I might as well put myself out there and endure the ridicule.
With that out of the way, its on to the predictions: Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: A.J. Burnett, Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols, Andy Pettitte, Boston Red Sox, Brian Fuentes, CC Sabathia, Chris Carpenter, Clay Buchholz, Colorado Rockies, Denard Span, Detroit Tigers, Ervin Santana, Francisco Rodriguez, Jason Kubel, Joel Piniero, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Jorge Posada, Jose Molina, Josh Beckett, Justin Morneau, Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Holliday, Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Franklin, St. Louis Cardinals, Victor Martinez | Permalink
Posted by tbontemps1
September 29, 2009
After posting Tuesday’s piece about whether or not Tony Romo is any good, I started to think about whether or not I would place Romo ahead of Eli Manning, as I mentioned I might in the piece, and then I tried to rank him amongst all of the quarterbacks in football.
That process led me to decide I needed to create a list of all of the quarterbacks in the league, who I ranked into nine tiers. Here is my list, starting with No. 32 and progressing up to No. 1: Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Brady Quinn, Brett Favre, Carson Palmer, Chad Pennington, David Garrard, Donovan McNabb, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Jake Delhomme, JaMarcus Russell, Jason Campbell, Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco, Josh Johnson, Kerry Collins, Kurt Warner, Kyle Orton, Marc Bulger, Mark Sanchez, Matt Cassel, Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Ryan, Matt Schaub, Matthew Stafford, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Shaun Hill, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Trent Edwards | Permalink
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July 30, 2009
For years, people wondered just who was on the list of 104 names who tested positive during baseball’s trial run of steroids testing back in 2003. But because the names were supposed to be kept private, and the players’ association was told it could be destroyed, everyone figured that it would never make it into the public eye.
That was the case, of course, until the stunning report from Sports Illustrated that Alex Rodriguez – until that point the “clean” pursuer of the all-time home run mark that Barry Bonds currently holds – was on the list, and had used performance-enhancing drugs. In the months that have followed, further leaks have come from that list. First was Sammy Sosa, who, given his Popeye-like arms with the Cubs and ridiculous home run totals, came as little surprise to many. But then a bigger shock to the system came today, when the two biggest characters on the 2004 Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, were said to be on the list in a report by the New York Times.
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Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Bud Selig, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Mark McGwire, Michael Weiner, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa | Permalink
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July 8, 2009
I have no problem with people telling me that Steve McNair, who was renowned for his ability to fight through injuries to get onto the football field every Sunday, was one of the toughest men to ever play in the National Football League.
I have no problem with his teammates saying he couldn’t have been a better friend and teammate throughout his career.
I have no problem with people saying he’s one of the most influential and important athletes from the past 20 years, both because of his impact on both the quarterback position as well as being successful coming from little Alcorn State, one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCU’s.
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Leave a Comment » | NFL, Society, Uncategorized | Tagged: Brad Hopkins, Eddie George, Jeff Fisher, Steve McNair, Tennessee Titans | Permalink
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