The preliminary list of modern-era nominees for induction in 2010 in the Pro Football Hall was recently released and it’s loaded with big names. Headlining the list are Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith, two of the greatest players in NFL history.
NFL greats Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are top contenders for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Other nominees include Tim Brown, Herschel Walker, Andre Reed, Cris Carter, Sterling Sharp and former commissioner Paul Tagliabue. (more…)
Each year there seems to be one or two baseball players who catch the attention of the sports world and stir conversation about the hallowed .400 batting mark.
This year, that talk has centered around Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who is currently hitting .363. History tells us that he’ll likely fall short – it’s arguably the most difficult record in sports to break.
The last player to hit .400 was the great Ted Williams, who achieved the feat in 1941. Williams entered the last day of the season with a batting average of .39955, which would have been rounded up to .400, making him the first man to hit .400 since Bill Terry in 1930. (more…)
I’m always amazed at the popularity of the Dallas Cowboys and their players. I book sports celebrities across the country and no team except maybe baseball’s New York Yankees even come close to matching the popularity of the Cowboys.
The Cowboys popularity isn’t just confined to Texas. It’s true they are the most popular team in every corner of the state, but their popularity extends across the country. They earned the nickname “America’s Team” for good reason. Ask football fans in Richmond, VA who their favorite team is and they’re just as likely to say the Cowboys as the Redskins. (more…)
When newly-inducted Hall of Famer Jim Rice stated last week at the Little League World Series that today’s players aren’t role models, he created front page news.
Said Rice, “”You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod, you see Jeter….Guys that I played against and with, these guys you’re talking about cannot compare.”
Rice later claimed that he was misquoted, but the truth is that many former players don’t relate to today’s players. Why is that? (more…)
Looks like Brett Favre is heading back to the Minnesota Vikings according to FoxSports. Although Favre turned the Vikings down several weeks ago, that didn’t stop Favre and Childress from continuing to talk.
One player had previously told FOXSports.com: “I’m telling you it’s already done … I don’t think anyone here doesn’t think that.” It now seems that the player could be right on the money.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress began informing the team of Favre’s imminent arrival on Tuesday morning, saying, “It’s a done deal,” one source told FOXSports.com’s Alex Marvez. (more…)
In the past for many football players, once their playing careers ended, they no longer had a way to stay involved with the game. Sure, some would go onto coaching or front-office positions, but the majority would have to get a “real” job and start a new career.
With the explosion of the NFL’s popularity and the continued growth of cable tv, many players are starting to pursuit broadcasting careers. There have always been broadcasting opportunities for a small number of former players such as Don Meredith and Frank Gifford, but the number of opportunities today is what makes a second career in broadcasting a viable option. (more…)
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steeler’s quarterback recently accused of sexual assault by Andrea McNulty, issued a 20-second long statement to the media, denying the sexual assault allegations against him.
Roethlisberger said, “I did not sexually assault Andrea McNulty.”
He went on to say that “Saturday was the first that I learned of her accusations. Her false and vicious accusations are an attack on my family and on me”
“I would never, ever force myself on a woman.”
“I will fight to protect my family and my reputation.”
“I’m not going to discuss my private life or this civil case in the media.”
“I’ll respond to her outrageous allegations in the appropriate forum.”
“I have an obligation to our fans, my teammates to my coaches and everyone in the organization to remain focused on the Pittsburgh Steelers and I will do that.”
“The allegations against me are reckless and false.”
“As much as I would like to answer everyone’s questions, I will respect the legal process and I am confident that the truth will prevail”
Ben Roethlisberger Press Conference Sexual Assault Charges. Watch video
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Of all the All-Star games, I enjoy watching baseball’s version the best. I’ve been fortunate to attend eight of the Mid-Summer Classics. It’s very exciting to see all of the current stars on the field at once.
Nothing will compare to last year’s All Star game in New York, which will go down in history as one of the all-time greats. First of all, anytime you have a big event in New York, it’s going to be special. Secondly, the night was filled with tributes to Yankee Stadium, which was being closed at season’s end to make room for the new ballpark next door. Lastly, the game was an absolute classic with the American League defeating the National League, 4-3, in 15 innings. The game took 4 hours, 50 minutes and was the longest All-Star Game in history.
Commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball have attempted to make the game relevant by giving home-field advantage during the World Series to the winning league. Back in the day, the game was full of intensity and it really meant something to the winning players. Over time, the game’s importance diminished as it became more of a show than a game. You hear a lot of debate as to whether this is good or not. Personally, I think it would be more fair to give the team with the best record home-field advantage but I don’t have much of an issue since it’s brought a bit of intensity back to the game.
A few of my favorite moments from previous All-Star games…
1) In 1970, Pete Rose, playing at home in Cincinnati, attempted to score but had to get past catcher Ray Fosse. The ensuing collision not only helped solidify Rose’s reputation as “Charlie Hustle”, it had the unfortunate consequence of injuring Fosse’s shoulder. Rose was called safe at home and the National League won the thriller, 5 -4. Fosse went onto play nine more seasons but was never the same.
2) In 2001, Cal Ripken Jr. played in the last of his 19 All-Star games. The game was basically a Cal Ripken lovefest. In the third inning, Ripken made his first plate appearance and was greeted with a standing ovation. Ripken then homered off the first pitch from Chan Ho Park and ended up with All Star MVP honors.
3) In 1999, baseball honored the All-Century Team prior to the game at Fenway Park, with such greats on-hand as Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson, Bob Gibson and Johnny Bench. However, the highlight of the evening occurred when the great Ted Williams was driven out to home plate and threw out the first pitch with the help of Tony Gwynn.
Will this year’s game produce any classic moments? I can’t guarantee that. However, St. Louis is rolling out the red carpet and, at the very least, I’m sure the pre-game ceremony will produce a goose-bump moment or two. Plus, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is having one of the greatest years in the history of baseball, so I assume he’s going to be a big part of the game and broadcast.
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July 6, 2009 – Nicole Bobek, the 31 year old former ice skating champion, made her first court appearance Monday by video from the Hudson County Jail. Bobek, who has homes in New York and Jupiter, Fla., was arrested in Florida last week. She is charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Hudson County. She was arraigned in Jersey City, NJ, on drug charges stemming from a case in New York. Bobek faces up to 10 years in prison if she is convicted.
Attorney Sam DeLuca entered a not guilty plea for Bobek. She was held on $200,000 bail and faces up to 10 years in prison if she’s convicted.
Prosecutor Edward DeFazio says so far 20 people have been arrested in connection with the ring.
“She played a significant role in this operation,” said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio of the probe that took down a methamphetamine ring and resulted in more than a dozen arrests, including Bobek’s. “She was actively involved in the upper echelon of this ring.”
Bobek is famous for winning the women’s U.S. figure skating title in 1995.
Bobek’s fondness for skating started at age three. She first came to national prominence by placing 2nd at the novice level of the U.S. Championships in 1989; Nicole was eleven years old. In the next few seasons, she worked her way up the competitive rankings at the national level. She was known as an athletic jumper and a charismatic performer, but an erratic competitor. For example, Nicole placed 4th at the 1992 World Junior Championships, but the next year dropped to 16th at the same event. She made her first appearance at the senior World Championships in 1994, as an alternate (after both Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding dropped out of the event), but failed to advance out of the qualifying round.
The following 1995 season brought Bobek her greatest competitive success; she won the U.S. title and placed 3rd at the World Championships. In late 1995, Nicole toured with an ice show production of The Nutcracker, rather than rehabilitate an ankle injury or train for the upcoming 1996 U.S. Championships. Said injury forced her out of the championships, and off the World team for that season. In both 1997 and 1998, she placed 3rd at the U.S. Championships. But at the 1998 Winter Olympics Bobek finished in a disappointing 17th-place. She withdrew from the subsequent World Championships due to another injury.
In November 1994, Bobek was charged with first degree home invasion after using an access code to enter a friend’s garage and home. She allegedly took cash from a purse, only to be foiled when the house owner arrived (at which point she returned the money). She claimed to have been given permission to enter the house and retrieve the cash by another member of the household. Bobek was 17 years old at the time; under Michigan law, anyone 17 or older may be subject to adult criminal laws and is no longer considered a minor for legal purposes.
She pled guilty under Michigan’s Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which directs defendants between 17 and 20 years of age to probation and counseling. If they complete their probation, they are excused from a more permanent charge and given a “clean” record, with all records of the prior charge sealed from the public.
On January 19, 1995, Bobek was given “youthful trainee” status, along with two years’ probation and a choice between fifty hours of community service and thirty days in jail. Information regarding her case was soon leaked by the media and spread widely through skating circles, as well as in the news media at large. Under the Youthful Trainee Act, cases are to remain confidential; so on February 16, she filed for dismissal of her case (though journalists and legal scholars have argued that Michigan law allows journalists to release information about juvenile criminals if there is “compelling public interest,” which could be argued due to her status as a figure skater in world class competition). She was given a closed (private) hearing, where the trial court granted her motion for probation discharge.
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