The Victor Cruz world tour continues at the Grammys.

Cruz and Mario Manningham presented an award, and of course they made Cruz Salsa (Mario was a little salty there at the end).

He is going to cash out this summer with endorsements and appearances.  I hope he milks every single dollar out of it he can, just remember the success and attention came from the fact he was a monster on the field and the Giants were winning.

He has to keep that hunger, if he does he is not just going to be a star, but a megastar in pop culture.  Hopefully he listens to those who have been there before and also observes the mistakes others have made.

He is a good kid I think he will be fine.  I will be rooting for him, because it is a very positive story and we definitely needs more of those.

Eventually though he is going to need a new dance, can’t salsa forever.

Metta World Peace just dropped an atomic bomb on Lakers head coach Mike Brown.

Even though this isn’t the first time I have heard this, it isn’t something that you should take to the media.  Here is what he had to say.

“I’m trying to win,” World Peace told CBSSports.com. “And right now, coach is a stats guy. His background is video coordinator or whatever. So he’s all stats. But Ron Artest is all feel. He doesn’t understand that. Having me in (Thursday night’s Celtics) game at the end, he was worried about me shooting bad from the free throw line. And I was like, ‘I could care less because I’m gonna get a stop at the end of the game.’ He didn’t understand the rhythm that we had—me, Fish (Derek Fisher), Kobe (Bryant), Pau (Gasol) and Drew (Andrew Bynum). I’ve been through games where I would have two points, go 1 for 9 and we’d win. That’s what matters. Stats are for people who need stats.”

“If I could count how many times another team went away from the best player when I was on him, I’ve got to be like No. 1 in the league,” World Peace said, per CBS Sports. “That’s not a stat, and coach doesn’t … you would have to play basketball to feel that. When Phil Jackson was here, that’s why I was in the game, because he understands that. Philly and Utah, I was on the bench because of stats. … I think he just has to get a better feel of the players.”

Before we get to his claims, it is important we go over the factual and circumstantial evidence.

T.O was productive and on his way to one of his better seasons before getting injured last year (72 catches, 983 yards and 9 TDs).  For the last couple of years he hasn’t been an issue in the locker room, even when he has been in some losing situations.

Owens does have a history that he only has himself to blame for.  His dealing with the media, quarterbacks, coaches and teammates, has led to a reputation of being a disruptive force.

At the age of 38, coming of torn ACL, no teams were willing to give him a look.  The question begs what was the real reason why?  I have a theory, but here is what T.O. had to say.

“(The reason) I didn’t get picked up was that a lot of general managers bought into the fact that the media thinks that I’m this bad guy, this rebel guy, this disruptive guy that divides and messes up team’s chemistry. They won’t allow me to turn over a new leaf. They won’t allow me to be a better person,” Owens said.

“Anytime anything is brought up about me, they keep talking about things that happened five, six, seven years ago. Why don’t I get a pass? I’ve kind of fallen into that villain category and I can’t get out of that box.”

Hard to be a killer if you can’t make free throws.

One of the reasons Shaq and Kobe worked so well when they weren’t trying to beat each other up, was that Shaq could dominate for 44 minutes and Kobe could come in and close the show.

I wonder at times if Dwight even knows what type of player does he want to be.  I appreciate him wanting to embrace the killer role, but you can’t just talk about it you have to demand it.

“I do want the ball more in the fourth quarter,” a frustrated Howard told FOX Sports exclusively after the game. “I want to become a closer. The only way you get there is by getting the ball and have coach have the confidence in giving me the ball.

“That’s how Kobe (Bryant) and the rest of the great fourth-quarter players got that way. It’s trial and error. When Kobe first got in the league, it took him a while to become the killer he is in the fourth quarter now. That’s because he went through that phase where he had to learn what shots to take and just get confidence in taking shots in the fourth quarter.

“That’s one thing that I want for myself, so I can become the guy who finishes games for my team. I want to be that guy whose team wants him to close games out for them. Coach just needs to have confidence in me.”

This was after a Magic win.  Wonder what he would have said if they would have lost.

Right now, it doesn’t matter what Howard says about the Magic or Stan Van Gundy because we all know that………..

DWIGHT GONE!!!!!!

Call me crazy, but I think retired Ricky Williams will be more interesting than NFL player Ricky Williams.

Without any filter, he can pretty much say and do what he wants. Then again, his wife doesn’t appear to be that cool on him telling all his information.

Ricky is also now promoting his new favorite website, Access Consciousness , and their class on Access Bars.

According to the class description:

There are 32 Bars of energy that run through and around your head. They store the electromagnetic component of all the thoughts, ideas, attitudes, decisions and beliefs that you have ever had about anything. There are Bars for healing, body, control, awareness, creativity, power, aging, sex and money; just to name a few. Each thought, idea, attitude, decision or belief that you have fixed in place solidifies the energy and limits your capacity to be generative in that area and to have something different show up in your life with ease.

Any time you can say you “RAN BARS” on your lady, you have won.

Ricky’s wife wasn’t pleased (by the Tweet that is) and threatened to make Ricky delete his Twitter account, but cooler heads prevailed and Ricky is still Tweeting away.

Terrible news.

Thoughts and prayers to Harris, his wife and their family and friends.  Hopefully she will pull out of it.

The wife of Chargers defensive lineman Tommie Harris has been hospitalized and is on life support.

Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Harris’s 29-year-old wife, Ashley, suffered a stroke or brain aneurysm. She is in a hospital in Oklahoma.

A friend of the family is quoted as saying, “We are holding on for a miracle.”

I thought Iverson said he was willing to do anything to get back into the NBA?

I guess anything except humble himself and go to the D-League for a couple of weeks to prove he can still play.  This is according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

Iverson was nearly a member of the Lakers, according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, but he apparently wasn’t willing to meet their demands. Not only he have had to practice, according to Smith, he would’ve had to do it while wearing the jersey of their D-League affiliate L.A. D-Fenders.

The Lakers also put in a waiver claim on Jeremy Lin, but teams with worse records were ahead of them.

AI, in my mind, doesn’t really want to put in the work to get back in the league in my opinion, he still sees himself as the Allen Iverson’s of old, but that isn’t the case.

Shane Mosley is getting these big money fights just off name recognition, because he has looked terrible in all his fight since beating Antonio Margarito in 2009.

Saul Alvarez needed to be on the card because it is Cinco De Mayo and he has a strong Mexican following. Pairing him with a big name like Mosley is going to help draw in even more viewers to the event.

Shane Mosley, the former pound-for-pound king, three-division champion and probable Hall of Famer, knows he has not looked good in recent fights. In fact, the 40-year-old Mosley is 2-3-1 in his last six bouts and 0-2-1 in his last three since his major upset of Antonio Margarito in 2009.

But Mosley, still with one of the most recognizable names in boxing, is getting what figures to be his last title shot after he and junior middleweight titleholder Saul “Canelo” Alvarez came to terms Friday night.

They will meet on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in the co-featured fight on the pay-per-view card headlined by Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KOs) moving up to junior middleweight to challenge Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs) for his version of the 154-pound title.

It is my opinion Shane is just cashing checks at this point, but at least we get to see his fiancée Bella Gonzales.

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Part of being the Villain isn’t just making the shot, it is what you do after the shot.

Kobe Bryant can miss 100 shots, but when he hits that one it is something special and the reason why? He has the villain role down pact.

Watch Darth, nail the baseline jumper and then stare down the Raptors’ bench. It is the Raptors so it is kind of funny, but still this how you hit a game winner.

Does anyone know why Boozer is painting on his hair to look like Malcolm X, back when he was Malcolm Little?

Inquiring minds want to know?

Is it because his son is a Heat fan? How long before Lebron starts using this?

We need Robert Stack (RIP) to come back because this is a true Unsolved Mystery. Get on your job Bulls media.

*UPDATE*

As the game went along Jermaine Jackson errr Boozer’s hair began to melt.

Lebron is 100% correct.

Fans can pretty much say anything they want, but as a player there isn’t much you can do.  I believe if a fan threatens you or challenges you to a fight, you should be able to kick their ass.

Because at the end of the day, we are all men and if you want to talk with your chest out, you should be able to defend yourself.

Unfortunately, because of the society we live in,  athletes are handcuffed and there is no reason to lose millions of dollars because a fan has beer muscles, but if they were allowed to beat up a few, many others wouldn’t be as bold.

Deadspin.com notes an NBCWashington.com report with details of the exchange.

LeBron just got into a verbal altercation with a fan. Spoke to the fan. Wanted to give Heat PR time to comment on the LeBron fan altercation. I’ll update you if they end up doing so, but here’s the story.

I saw a Wizards fan and LeBron in a heated conversation on the sideline during the game Friday night. I spoke to the fan and got his side.

Fan Bob Moore made a comment to LeBron about Delonte West and LeBron’s mom… [According] to Moore, LeBron said “The only reason you talk s*** is because you know I can’t come off the court right now and beat your a**.”

Also according to Moore, LeBron continued “But if I had a free pass, I’d kick your a** right now. Moore replied “I’m right here baby. Let’s go” before security stepped in.

As I have said before Lebron is an easy target because he doesn’t stand up for himself. He is too busy trying to be politically correct.

What he told the fan is how he really felt, but if the media asked him what he thought about fans who heckled him, the answer would be a lot different.

I understand because Lebron’s net worth is based off his image, but at some point you have to let players, fans and media know you can’t be walked over.

He needs to learn that lesson before he can truly develop the killer instinct he needs to win a title.

Common sense tells you that once Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire come back that Jeremy Lin will have to take a back seat.

He isn’t going to be able to get off 20 plus shots like he has been doing.

What you hope is that Melo and Amar’e see what is going on and blend into the system, because what they were doing before wasn’t working.

Lil Wayne who has shown he knows nothing about sports, decided to rain on General Lin’s parade.

Hard to take someone who wears white fuzzy UGGs seriously, but this is just Wayne’s opinion. All Lin can do is keep playing at a high level and that is best way to quiet critics.

It is always a little strange to see people party, so shortly after someone’s death, but I don’t fault anyone for it.

Clive Davis who put Whitney Houston on the map had his Pre-Grammy party last night and many celebs still attended.

Including Kim Kardashian and Serena Williams, who both looked very good in their evening attire.

The whole Hall of Fame process is flawed.

Some members have way too much power and personal biases have kept people out of the Hall of Fame for a long time (see: Art Monk).

If personal beefs did not exist both Terrell Owens and Randy Moss would be first ballot Hall of Famers when they come up from enshrinement, but I have been told by people much more connected than me, that T.O. may never get in and Moss is iffy for 1st ballot.

Cris Carter has been a lightening rod for a lot of people.  Cris Carter is a hall of famer, I don’t hesitate when I say that,  but he can’t seem to get in, is it because some of the members have a personal bias against him? Philadelphia Radio Host Howard Eskin seems to believe so.

Many a theory has been put forth to explain why Cris Carter was once again snubbed for the Hall of Fame. One possibility: that Carter is being kept out of the Hall for some personal reason. Many have theorized that Carter’s prickly relationship with the press over the years might be playing a role.

That notion gained more credibility today thanks to a tweet from Philadelphia radio host Howard Eskin. Eskin’s tweet reads, “WR Cris Carter didn’t make the Pro Football HOF I was told b cause female voter has personal problem w CC. Cost 4 votes. Missed by 1.” The female voter with the CC problem isn’t identified but only two women are listed as Hall of Fame voters at the present time: Nancy Gay of FoxSports.com and Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

I think once Kobe Bryant retires people will appreciate how great he was.

People now are realizing they are watching one of the greats wind down his career.  Kobe has been in the league for 16 years and came in the league when he as 17.

Many of us grew up with Kobe and for these younger athletes they know more about Kobe than Jordan.  Brandon Spikes maybe was a bit over excited about meeting Bean, but as he says let him have his moment.  Here are a few quotes from his Twitter account.

BrandonSpikes55
Man I was almost in tears ….. U guys should just let me have my moment! !!! Yooooooo I can’t believe this !! This can’t be life

BrandonSpikes55 
I love fu*king Kobe Bryant !!!!!!!!! #PoWwWwW!

BrandonSpikes55 brandon spikes
I just talked with a god !!!!!!! #TeamKobe

Settle down a bit sir.

I am glad Kobe was able to get him out of his Super Bowl loss malaise.   He played the game of his life and should be proud of that.  I give him credit for people his ummmm feelings about Kobe out for the world to see.

Times are tough when you have to woo Gilbert Arenas.

I find it a bit odd, that there are reports that Kobe sabotage a potential Dwight Howard trade, but is pushing for Gilbert to come.

Maybe, because Gilbert is no threat to Kobe’s Alpha Dog standing on the team, but at this point Kobe needs to figure out a way to get a marquee player to the Lakers if he wants that 6^th ring.

According to Ken Berger of CBS, Kobe Bryant has contacted Gilbert Arenas, recruiting him to the LA Lakers.

There have been reports that the Lakers are considering Gilbert, but now that their ringleader has reached out to him, it seems like a real possibility.

The Lakers have had a sub-par season thus far, and the point guard slot is clearly their weakness.

Anything is better than Derek Fisher and Steve Blake at this point, but with Gilbert it is either going to be a success or he will flame out miserably.

I think those are the options the Lakers are weighing.

I get you don’t want to have reporters camping out at your home.

But considering an alleged child molester has been able to get bail, it is something you are going to have deal with. One thing you can’t do is try to run them over with your car.

I doubt that is going to help anything and get public perception in your favor.

96.1 Kiss has an additional phone interview up on their site with reporter Courtney Brennan. Courtney states that Dottie Sandusky revved her engine before nearly plowing into her and her cameraman. That’s…not good, I would say.

Hines Ward has had a very good career.

Couple of Super Bowl rings, nice stats and a rep as one of the toughest wide receivers ever.  He isn’t a Hall of Famer (Hall of the Very Good) in my opinion, but he has been an integral part of the Steelers success.

But just a good sitcom his shelf life with the Steelers seems to be over.

Jason La Canfora of NFL Network reports that the Steelers won’t bring back veteran receiver Hines Ward for a 15th season with the team.

In 2011, Ward slid down the depth chart, which makes him way too expensive for his current contribution level.  Also, even if he cuts his pay down to the veteran minimum, he’s in danger of occupying a position that ordinarily would require the wideout to play special teams.

Never been a fan of Whitlock. Actually that is not true, I used to be a fan of Whitlock until he became the black Skip Bayless and decided to become more of character than a journalist.

As you know, I think people are too sensitive, so while I am not defending Whitlock, people need to chill. Not chill with slandering Whitlock, I encourage that, the more slander the better.

But calling for him to be fired is silly.

There have been many questionable jokes about Jeremy Lin, but that is all they are, jokes. People need to lighten up and if you made a joke about Whitlock having paid half of his yearly salary on hookers and Popeyes, you can’t also call for him to be fired.

Continue with the jokes, chill on the high horsing.

I am sure ESPN didn’t mean to show this.

I am also sure someone is going to get offended.

My messages to those people, stop being so sensitive and enjoy the General Lin ride.  Sometimes you have to understand the intent, before you get your panties in a bunch and the intent was to celebrate Lin’s skills, not offend anyone.  Lin had a monster game against the Lakers and if Kobe didn’t know who he was before, he knows him now.