August 2008 Archives

• Beanie Wells get well soon. Seriously like right now today we need you homie.
• USC is the best team in the country.
• Speaking of USC do they have ESPN on their payroll? Yes I am talking to you Mark May.
• Lou Holtz in HD. Not a good look.
• Props to Alabama for crushing Clemson but I loathe the fact I am going to have to hear that Nick Saban is a god. He maybe an asshole, but he is a damn good coach.
• Clemson will never been a threat under Tommy Bowden.
• No one can stop the Missouri Offense (put up 52 on Illinois) unfortunately the Missouri defense doesn't look like they can stop anyone (Illinois put up 42 on them).
• Can Juice Williams get some Heisman Hype?
• Dave Wannstedt maybe the worst head coach ever.
• No upset this year for Appalachian State.
• Speaking of upsets the Michigan Wolverines looked lost trying to run the spread offense. It will be a long year in Ann Arbor.
• How old is Joe Paterno and why do I get the feeling he will get ahead of Bobby Bowden in the overall wins race this year.
• Everybody be safe down in the Gulf Coast.

Every year there are teams that make miraculous rises in the NFL standing from the previous year and those that go from the penthouse to the outhouse in equally surprising fashion. And every year both the self described experts and the rest of us try to figure out ahead of time just who those teams are going to be. At the same time there are teams whose record from the previous was misleading one way or the other, and it's just as much fun figuring out which playoff team was a total mirage and which 6-10 squad wasn't as bad as their final record suggests. It's my turn at bat, so here are a few of my picks for who will fall and rise, and who deceived us in 2007 and is in for a reality check of some kind in 2008.

Fraud: The Cleveland Browns Yes, they finished 10-6 and missed the playoffs only because the Colts mailed in their last game of the season and allowed the Tennessee Titans to win and claim the last playoff spot. So of course they are a sexy pick to stay in the double win range and maybe even take their division from a Steeler team that looked awfully unimpressive in their wildcard defeat in last season's playoffs. But their QB Derek Anderson really started to struggle in the latter part of the season when people had him figured out a little, and the front office really wants Brady Quinn to take the job from him so expect every slip up to get blown out of proportion there. And oh yeah, they still have no defense. The schedule this season is downright horrible (NFC East, AFC South) so they won't have the luxury of beating up on bad teams and padding their record. 6-10 looks a lot more probable than 10-6.

Week 1 of the College Football Season is here and all year I will be picking the top 5 games of the week. Going forward I will be shooting a weekly video to break down the picks but we are just getting warmed up. Last year I hit at a 65% success rate, so you better get your student loan money ready click on the Betus.com banner below and sign up tell them Robert Littal sent you.

Season: N/A
Last Week: N/A

#20 Illinois 30 vs. #6 Missouri 38
#18 Tennessee 17 vs. UCLA 24
#24 Alabama 10 vs. #9 Clemson 26
Appalacian State 17 vs. #7 LSU 40
Youngstown State 10 vs. #2 Ohio State 50

I am not political. I am not democrat or republican. I am an independent. I am a free thinker. I don't like politicians I think the majority of them are liars. I didn't care Bill Clinton got head in the White House (I was a little envious). I find it funny George W. Bush can't read a teleprompter.

At the beginning of the Democratic race for President I was leaning toward Hilary Clinton simply off the strength that I liked Bill Clinton and thought he was a good president.
I was aware of Barack Obama but seriously a black man being president that is like saying there will be a black owner of a NFL team seemed like a fantasy.

But slowly but surely you saw the rise. In sports you see often the team or the player getting into the zone. Barack Obama has been in the zone for 18 months and after watching his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination for president it is so obvious you are watching greatness.

That speech was Jordan over Russell in 1998:

I am a sports writer. BlackSportsOnline will never be confused with CNN. But one thing I understand is "Change". On such a smaller scale I have been trying to "Change" the bias sports media for years so it resonates with me that Barack is trying to "Change" the way America thinks.

In the month of August BlackSportsOnline has had over 100,000 visitors to the site. The reason you come to the site is for a "change", a breath of fresh air and a different perspective. Just remember that when you cast your ballot November 4th.

I am proud to be black. I am proud to be an American. I am a proud supporter of Barack Obama. I believe in fate and I believe in karma so I don't think it isn't coincidence that Obama's speech came on the same day of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

For many years Dr. King's dream has been a nightmare not just for African-Americans but Americans in general, but maybe just maybe it is time for a change. Do I think we can do it?

I always felt that Shawne Merriman wasn't the brightest player in the NFL. Maybe it was the lack of steroids that has made him lose his mind and think he can play with a torn PCL and LCL (you can look it up if you want to know exactly what ligaments those are) after four specialists told him that he should have surgery or risk career ending injury. But this isn't about Merriman who is a football player and is doing what football players have been trained to do forever, play through injury. This is more about the Chargers organization and specifically general manager AJ Smith.

I am going to leave Norv Turner out of this because in essence he is just a figure head with no power but AJ Smith has proven to be a grade "A" asshole. I understand the desire to win and I understand the window to win a Super Bowl in today's NFL is very small, but at what point does the long term health of a player becomes more important?

The Chargers should immediately put Merriman on IR because the chances that he cripples himself are much greater than him helping them win a Super Bowl. He is going to be a target every week because when an opponent knows you are injured they are going to exploit it.

It is good to know that AJ Smith cares much more about himself and his job security as oppose to the long term health of his players. That is definitely an organization I would like to play for. Commish Goddell while he is running around playing cop should step in immediately and stop this before it becomes a disaster.

Imagine if Shaq was told he couldn't play basketball because he's too big? Sounds crazy doesn't it? Well that's sort of what has happen to 9 year old Jericho Scott, the kid pitcher that plays in a Youth Baseball League in Connecticut. Apparently the kid has a 40 mph fast ball which would be amazing for a 12 year old. Even though he's playing with kids his age, inexplicably the young fella has been told that he can no longer pitch in the league and if his coach pitches him they'll disban his team. They even went as far as to begin to spread the remaining team members amongst other teams in the league. Of course the kid doesn't understand and thinks everything is his fault.

The parents of the kids on Jericho's team are crying "ball" and of course the parents of the kids who are getting dominating are yelling "strike." Lawyers are getting involved and of course potential civil rights issues are being discussed. It doesn't take much thought to understand that this is just wrong from whatever angle you try and look at it.

My biggest problem with this is the message that's being sent to children. Things have long changed from the days when there was simply a winner and a loser, the good and the bad. You know, whether you worked on Wall Street or played Little League baseball you had to earn your keep. The so-called adults who think that Jerico Scott should be banned from the league because their little Johnny can't get a hit when he's pitching, need to get a grip on reality. This type of nonsense is running rampant these days and comes from how these kids are being raised today. They coddle these kids and try to convince them that everyone is a winner, everyone can play, and there are no losers - pizza for everyone! Essentailly, what they're saying is we're going to stunt the growth of a kid that's really good at something because the other kids are just average. With this type of stupid logic how about the other kids parents just tell Jericho how many strikes he's allow to throw because a no-hitter is definitely unacceptable.

Make it Rain is back in the building. After navigating numerous legal entanglements and somehow ending up with the highest profile team in the league Pacman errrrrrr Adam "Make it Rain" Jones has been fully reinstated by Commish Goddell.

Pacman has absolutely no room for error. Any slip up will have him kicked out of the league for good. He is on a great team, he has a great owner, he has great teammates and if he plays well he will get paid. If he behaves he becomes the poster child for making a second (or 23rd) chance work out which means endorsements. With all that being said this is Pacman we are talking about and he could be involved in a shooting as we speak, but for his sake I hope he keeps the rain down to just partly cloudy.

1. The Ohio State University

Sorry everyone, the Buckeyes are going to be good again. National title game good. There's still a very, very, doubtful fan base that figures Ohio State will get blasted by USC and couldn't give Georgia a good scrimmage. I, for one, don't feel that way. Look for the Buckeyes to again return to the BCS title game again this year.

Ten starters are back on offense and the one new face, OT Bryant Browning, will be a welcome addition. The offensive line is the best in the nation led by Alex Boone. The quarterback position is manned by senior Todd Boeckman. In his first season as the starter, Boeckman threw for 2,379 yards and 25 touchdowns. He did seem to fade at the end of the season, but another year under his belt should solve those problems. Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline lead one of the deepest groups of receivers in the Big Ten.
The star of the offense is Heisman trophy candidate Beanie Wells. He finished the season with 1,609 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. The backfield has nice depth with Mo Wells and Brandon Saine. Maurice Wells provide a different look with his smaller size, but his athleticism and speed provide a nice option for a third down back. Saine has tremendous speed and is useful in the passing game as he showcased in the loss against the Tigers.

The Ohio State defense is loaded. The front seven is the best in all of college football from top to bottom. Lawrence Wilson returns from injury and many had him pegged as better than Vernon Gholston before last season. Doug Worthington, Cameron Heyward, and Todd Denlinger round out the group. Little Animal (James Laurinaitis) is the heart of the Buckeye defense, and his style of play puts him in on almost every defensive play. If little Animal is the heart, then Marcus Freeman is the soul. In some circles he is considered the better pro prospect of the two. Malcolm Jenkins may be the top cornerback in the nation and is a leading candidate to win the Thorpe Award. He intercepted four passes last season and teams often choose to throw away from him. The one trouble area for the Buckeyes is the safety positions. Inconsistent play troubled them all season long, and it my look to continue unless someone steps up.

2. Georgia
Georgia's 2007 season was supposed to be a prelude to a breakout 2008 season. Unfortunately, no one told the Bulldogs. In 2007 the Bulldogs were in the national title hunt up until the last week of the season. After not being selected to play in the BCS title game, The Bulldogs went out and flat out embarrassed Hawaii. Look for the Bulldogs to again be in the hunt for a title again this year, and not be voted out.

Considering Georgia's history of great running backs, it's saying a whole lot that Knowshon Moreno may be the best Bulldog runner since Herschel Walker. The defense that finished in the top 20 in the nation gets nine starters back, Matthew Stafford is thought by many to be the best NFL quarterback prospect in college football, and the offensive line could grow to be among the best in school history.

With a majority of the impact players returning, the Bulldog 'D' might be even better this year. The front line must replace end Marcus Howard, but the other three starters return. If there was a weak spot in the defense last year it was at corner where sophomores Asher Allen and Prince Miller were fighting to stay afloat in the SEC. Now that they have adjusted, this could turn into strength real quick.

3. USC
Here is a big surprise; USC is going to be really good again. Granted the team hasn't won the national championship is a couple of years, USC is still USC and they will be in the thick of things all year.

It's really hard to find a weakness on the offensive side of the ball, but the O-line may be the weak link. Jeff Byers is set at left guard and Kristofer O'Dowd is a bet at center, but after that, it's up for grabs who will play the remaining spots on the line. The Trojans took a big hit when Matt Sanchez hurt his knee in spring ball, he looks ready to go but the training staff will look to get him back before the game against the Buckeyes. The amount of talent at running back is bananas. Last year's leading rusher, Chauncey Washington bolted, but Stafon and Joe McKnight return. McKnight has the look of the next great USC back. The receivers are just as talented, but have more to prove. Patrick Turner is supposed to be the next big time receiver, but he has yet to produce on that level.

The defense last year was amazing and this year they look even better. Linebackers Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga are back. Josh Pinkard, Kevin Thomas and Shareece Wright will man down the corners. Taylor Mays is a beast at safety plain and simple. He is built like a linebacker and runs like a corner. He will be looked at to lead the defensive backfield.
If the Trojans can get by the early season match-up against the Buckeyes, look for the Trojans to be playing for the National title in January.

4. Florida
I really don't think it is too much of a shot in the dark for the Gators to win it all and for Tim Tebow bagging his second Heisman. As far as his weapons go, Percy Harvin is a jack of all trades player for the Gators. Hopefully his heel injury will not keep him out too long. Since Tebow and Harvin were the top two rushers on the team last year, the running back position is often looked at as a weakness. Kestahn Moore returns as the starter, but Emmanuel Moody, a transfer from USC, has the fans' vote.

Like last year the main trouble spot for the Gators is their defense. The pass defense had as many holes as swiss cheeses last season. Having three underclassmen starting in the secondary was part of the problem, but this year they are all back and more experienced. Brandon Spikes is the star of a defensive unit that is capable of great things. The front line is set to start two freshman who will be looked upon to free up space for Spikes to roam in. If Omar Hunter and Matt Patchan fail to keep offensive linemen away from Spikes and his running mates, things may blow up in smoke real fast.

5. Oklahoma
Offense features an offense that will give opposing teams headaches before even lining up on the field. Sophomore quarterback Sam looks to improve on his 3,121 passing yards, 36 touchdowns debut season. The entire offensive line is back and running back DeMarco Murray is healthy. The receivers are led by Juauin Iglesias and tight end Jermaine Gresham and they look to wreck total chaos on their opposition.
There are just enough concerns on the defensive side of the ball to keep the Sooners from playing for BCS championship, but as long as they do what they set out to do and win conference, everything else might fall into place. The talent is there and the schedule isn't a killer.

6. LSU

Wow did this team reload in a hurry. Even without All-Universe DT Glenn Dorsey, the D line could be even better with Ricky Jean-Francois, who missed most of last year with academic issues, he will team with Al Woods, Marlon Favorite and Tyson Jackson on a stacked front line.

The offense will depend on the tested offensive line led by Ciron Black and Herman Johnson and the group of steady running backs. Keiland Williams is the team's top returning rusher, but Richard Murphy will look to push him hard for carries. As usual at LSU, the quarterback does not have to be a superstar; he just has to manage the game. The same can be expected from this year's starter, Jarrett Lee or Andrew Hatch. Overall there is enough talent here to win another National Championship, but a group of inexperienced players better be better by the time the conference games come around because this team may not get the same breaks it got last year.

7. Missouri

The Missouri Tigers bust through on the national scene last year by winning the Big XII North and staying around in the national championship chase until December when they lost to the conference championship game to Oklahoma. The Tigers boast 14 starters returning, a potent offense and one of the leagues best defenses.

Quarterback Chase Daniel threw for 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns as a junior and will return again to lead Missouri. Daniel's favorite target, Jeremy Maclin, is back after having a remarkable freshman debut and other capable big play receivers will join him as well.

The Tiger's main strength is their defense. Stryker Sulak and Ziggy Hood do a good job getting disrupting opposing backfields and all three starting linebackers return, headed by Sean Weatherspoon. The secondary needs to replace a couple of starters, but William Moore returns and he looks to lead this unit on the field and off.

8. Clemson

Clemson is the early favorite to win the ACC title. While there are a few issues, the defense should be a beast of a unit, the skill players that the Tigers possess are the best in the ACC, and the time will never be better to finally turn the corner and become a premier powerhouse again. The question mark that will follow this team around is, "Can they handle the pressure?"

The Tigers offensive line is young and very raw, but that might not matter because of the talent at running back. RB James Davis and CJ Spiller form an almost unstoppable one-two punch out of the backfield (think of then as McFadden and Jones lite). QB Cullen Harperand WR Aaron Kelly, are near the top of their positions on a national level as well.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers return eight starters to a team that put the fear into every ACC team they faced last season. The pass defense was wonderful last year and the starting defensive backfield led by Michael Hamlin is all back to wreck havoc again

9. Texas

Coming off back-to-back 10 win seasons, the Texas Longhorns have very few areas to improve on to be get where many expect them to be. One big issue is the Longhorns lack of an elite secondary. The Big 12 may boast the best aerial show in all of college football, and the Longhorns need to find a way to slow someone down. On the plus side, the offense will have its own weapons that will give teams fits. Quarterback Colt McCoy will look to put up numbers like his freshman year again. Speedbacks Vondrell McGee and Foswhitt Whitaker will combine with Chris Ogbonnaya form a very capable trio of backs. The offensive line returns a year older and the Longhorn faithful are counting on them to provide protection and open up hole better that they did last season. The strength of this team lies with the offense, however the Texas defense has all the potential in the world to step up in a big way.

It looks like Dennis Northcutt of the Jaguars has taken a page out of the Rae Carruth book of "How to deal with A baby mama and a baby that I dont want in the first place".....Allegedly.

According to the Associated Press, A pregnant woman has filed suit against the 4th option Receiver on Madden 2009 for allegedly organizing an assault on her due to the fact that she wouldnt abort the baby. The documents state that Northcutt had his cousin do a real good number on her, causing injuries to her. No charges have been filed.

...But I wonder if the plan worked, seeing that she is now 7 months pregnant.....

....And the Golden State Warriors season just got worse!

The Golden State "Savior" Monta Ellis will miss 3 months of action due to a severely sprained ankle. Dont worry though. Chris Mullin has informed the associated press that he will use some of that extension money he received a month go, along with the hopes of the franchise, to keep his leg elevated.

With him being sidelined for a month, that doesnt bode well for the Warriors. We learned this past season that every game counts in the Wild Wild West. Its sad to say, but Nellie's Warriors could be out of playoff contention by Thanksgiving.

Indianapolis Colts

The Questions:

1) Can the Indianapolis Colts overcome injury (Peyton Manning) and adversity (Marvin Harrison) and stake their claim to another division title?
2) How will the return of Dwight Freeney impact the Colts' defense? Will he be the same as before or have we seen the last of Freeney's dominance in the league?
3) Does Tony Dungy have the desire to win another championship?

The Answers:
1) Earlier this off-season, it was announced that Manning would need to have surgery to clear up an inflamed bursa sac issue in his knee. For those who have followed #18, this is the same bursa sac issue that gave him troubles as a senior at Tennessee. While Manning hasn't taken a snap in the preseason, most prognosticators think that Manning (who also owns a 172 game starts streak) will be just fine in the regular season. I'm one of the few who believes he needs a few snaps in a live game just to get back in rhythm with his receivers, especially Harrison who hasn't really been in the mix in a while.

Speaking of Mad Marvin, it's strange how quiet the gun case has been in the mainstream media. Not a peep from ESPN. There's been barely a blip on the radio. But Mad Marvin keeps his mouth shut and gets a free pass. Beyond the gun, Harrison is returning from a knee injury himself; one that cost him most of the 2007 season and greatly limited him in the Colts lone playoff game. While Reggie Wayne is now the clear #1, Harrison can still be a force when he's right.

Let's just cut to the chase the only reason that Michael Strahan is not in a Giants uniform today has nothing to do with his passion or commitment to the game of football. It has everything to do with an appeals judge saying that he doesn't have to cough up another 7 million and $18,000 a month in child support.

Don't be fooled. In the immortal words of Deion Sanders "Must Be The Money" was all the motivation that Strahan needed to stay in Greece with his "new woman".

If you are Giants fan look at it this way you got Strahan back for one year because of the ridiculous divorce ruling and in that year you won the Super Bowl. Now that the ruling has been corrected you honestly didn't think you would be as fortunate to have him come back again.

As for Strahan's wife she should feel lucky to get what she got out to of the settlement and move on. All women should pay close attention to this quote from the judge in siding with Strahan.

The judges today said it was unfair Strahan was required to pay 91 percent of the child support since his ex-wife, Jean Strahan, was well-educated and employable.

"Both parents have a shared obligation to support their children," wrote Judge Lorraine Parker.

Jean Strahan's "employment opportunities were, in all likelihood, enhanced by her celebrity marriage. There is no question that as a healthy, educated, 41-year-old, (she) is capable of earning her own income," wrote Parker, who was joined by Judges Rudy Coleman and Thomas Lyons.

Preach!!!

This is Grant Hill rapping about big butts at his wife's(singer Tamia) concert in DC at the Lincoln Theatre. Not only can he not rap but he can't dance that great either. I know he'll retire in about a couple of years and is thinking about his post basketball career but I can tell him right now he can scratch "Rapper" off his list. Even Shaq's rap about Kobe earlier this summer had a better flow. Maybe Shaq and Grant can have a "rap battle" in the Suns lockerroom this fall...

Every once awhile I am wrong it doesn't happen often but when it does I have no problem manning up and telling you. I was 100% sure that Matt Leinart would end up being a better quarterback that both Vince Young and Jay Cutler who were all drafted in the same draft class.

I was a little off on that one while Young has not been great he has lead he team to the playoffs. Cutler has at least shown flashes of being a good QB. Leinart has been a flat out bust. The nail in the coffin was losing his starting job to 400 year old Kurt Warner after being handed the starting job in mini-camp.

It appears that Leinart is heading the way of David Carr and Alex Smith. At least he has those ballroom dancing classes to fall back on.

Reggie Bush you are on the clock!!!

1- THOU SHALL ALWAYS STUDY YOUR DRAFT SETTINGS, RULES, ROSTERS & SCORING SYSTEM.

I cannot emphasize this enough, if you don't know the rules of your league you are going to fail. None of the other commandments matter if you have no idea how your league is run. If your league starts 2 QBs then QBs become a premium. If your league gives 1 point for reception, then RBs who catch the ball out of the backfield have to bump up in your rankings. If your Commish only allows 50 roster moves a year, you have to be very careful who you pick up on the waiver wire or how many trades you make. These are just some of the scenarios you have to take into account. Every league is set up a little different, so knowing your league inside and out will help you come draft time and during the season.

2- THOU SHALL ALWAYS DRAFT AS LEAST 2 RUNNING BACKS WITHIN THE FIRST 3 ROUNDS OF THE DRAFT. (WELL NOT ALWAYS ANYMORE).

In Fantasy Football RBs are Gods. It is as simple as that. It is not necessarily that they are the top point producers (QBs and WRs routinely make it into the Top 10 Scorers); it is that there are very few good ones and even the good ones get injured. Most leagues start 2 RBs and sometimes a flex and to be honest in a 12 team league it is very difficult to find 24 quality RBs and damn near impossible to find 36. While it maybe tempting to use your first 2 picks on Tom Brady and Terrell Owens, it won't look that great when you're starting RBs are Selvin Young and Matt Forte.

*Amendment*

This has been my #2 rule for every year I have come out with the Fantasy Football Commandments, but it is time to make a small change to it. You still absolutely must pick at least one running back in the 1st two rounds of the draft, but if you are in the second round don't pass up an elite WR or QB to take a RB you are not 100% sure is going to be the primary ball carrier for their team. The way teams are using a time share system with their RBs it makes more sense to take that elite WR or QB in round two and take a risk on a time share RB in round 3.

3-THOU SHALL NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER DRAFT A QB IN THE 1ST ROUND UNLESS HIS NAME IS TOM BRADY OR PEYTON MANNING.

Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are the exceptions to the rule all other QBs should be ignored (to be honest I still wouldn't be comfortable drafting a QB in Round 1 but that is just me) and let me tell you why. First while QBs are normally top point producers, in most leagues you can only start one, which diminishes their value. Secondly seasons like the one Brady just put up are anomalies. Thirdly you can get quality QBs from a fantasy perspective in the 4th, 5th or 6th round.

4- THOU SHALL NOT WORRY ABOUT WIDE RECEIVERS.

If Running Back is the hardest position to fill, Wide Receiver is the easiest. If you don't have a starting WR by round 4 don't worry because at that point their will still be quality WRs on the board. There will still be starting Wide Receivers as deep as the 10th round in most drafts, so don't panic if there is a run on receivers.

5- THOU SHALL ONLY BE CONSIDERED A REAL FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE IF IT STARTS INDIVIDUAL DEFENSIVE PLAYERS.

Fantasy Football is much more fun with IDP because one it includes both sides of the ball and two it involves more strategy from the owners. When drafting IDP the most important thing to remember is know your league's scoring system. If it rewards a lot of points for tackles go Linebacker heavy, if it rewards sacks more go Defensive Line heavy. You get the idea. Remember defense wins championships.

Now we get to the teams that have a legitimate shot of making a BCS bowl if things roll their way during the season. These teams start of the season in a great spot, because if anything was proven last season it was the fact that it doesn't matter where you start its where you finish.

14. Auburn

Kodi Burns and transfer Chris Todd look to lead the Tigers attack this season. The Tigers look to showcase a a high tempo offense this year similar to the one Troy runs. Usually the expectations would not be so high with a new offense being put in, but there's no reason the Tigers can't be in the middle of the SEC title chase in a year when almost everyone in the West is rebuilding in some way.

The defense has the potential to be every bit as strong as last season's group that led the league in points allowed and was second overall. The defensive line has a is not star studded, but should still be solid. Replacing Quentin Groves, Pat Sims and Josh Thompson will not be easy, but Antonio Coleman and Sen'Derrick look up to the challenge. With all three starting linebackers returning, the Auburn run defense should be fine as long as Raven Gray, Mike Blanc and Jake Ricks hold things down.

13. West Virginia
Even after putting up 1,335 yards on the ground, throwing for 1,724 yards, and totaling 28 touchdowns, the Mountaineers might need more from QB Patrick White this season. Without playmakers Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt, and Darius Reynaud, West Virginia is searching for weapons for its dynamic quarterback. The most likely to step up is RB Noel Devine, who erupted for 627 yards and six touchdowns on only 73 carries as a rookie.

The defense was a big factor for the Mountaineers success last season, allowing just 300 yards and 18 points a game. The problem this year may just be living up to expectations. It will be hard for West Virginia to catch anyone by surprise this season as they go into the season as an early favorite to win the Big East.

12. Tennessee

Tennessee will look different without quarterback Erik Ainge and coordinator David Cutcliffe. The Vols will troy out a strong team with plenty of athletes and enough talent to beat anyone in the SEC. Four starters return to an offensive line that only gave up four sacks. That's four sacks on the entire season. Guard Anthony Parker is the best of the bunch and should be looking at All-SEC honors when its tiem to hand out post season hardware. The same can be siad for running back Arian Foster. If you don't know who he is, by the time the season is half way through, you will. Foster is on the border of superstar status. After pounding out 1,193 yards on the ground and 14 total touchdowns as a junior, Foster will be the main part of the offense.
T
he strength of the defense will be led by a ball hawking and hard hitting secondary. The unit will be led by all frosh playmaker Eric Berry. The front seven will be under the microscope after not really producing the way it has in the past. This task will not be easy considering they lost Jared Mayo to the NFL draft. Look for the defensive line to finally live up to their lofty expectations this year.

11. Texas Tech

If experience means the world from one year to the next in college football, then this veteran team should go crazy. With ten starters returning to the nation's second most prolific offense, Texas Tech hopes to be able to outscore anybody they play. Graham Harrell is a three-year starter and the leader of the nation's best passing attack. He had two games last year with under 400 passing yards. The only loss on the offensive side of the ball is wide receiver Danny Amendola. However, with sophomore Michael Crabtree, who caught 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns as a freshman, Eric Morris and Edward Britton returning, finding downfield targets will not be a problem for Harrell.

The Red Raider defense will need to be well conditioned because the offense will be scoring early and often. On paper the Red Raiders don't appear to be anything special, and that might be the way they like it. While it doesn't have the talent to be among the best in the Big 12, the defensive line is stacked and the backers and secondary have the speed to run an aggressive style that should do just enough. A BCS game is not out of reach for this team.

10. Wisconsin
The Badgers head into the season looking to stake a claim to the Big Ten title and possibly much more. Th strength of the Badgers attack is the ground game. Junior P.J. Hill rushed for over 1200 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns. Hill is a big load coming out of the backfield at 225 pounds and the Badgers have some backs to keep fresh legs to keep pounding away at opposing defenses. Zach Brown and Lance Smith are both capable of stepping in, but Hill will be the lead back. The offensive line is loaded with experience which gives the unit the opportunity to keep the ball moving on the ground. This is very important considering the quarterback situation is shaky at best. There really isn't much separating Allan Evridge and Dustin Sherer. Their basic job will be to manage the game and hand the ball off and get out of the way.

Injuries took a lot of the sting out of the Badger defense last season. The defense returns six starters and looks to rebound from a modest showing. The loss of Jack Ikegwuonu is a big hit to the defense as a unit and not just the secondary. The defense will look to a youth movement to get them by before old injuries heal up and the upper classmen return.
The Badgers toughest games come early in the season when they go to Michigan to start their Big Ten schedule and then host Ohio State the following week. The Badgers catch a break this year as they play Ohio State, Penn State, and Illinois at Camp Randall Stadium where they have always been strong.

Contrary to what some of his detractors, many of whom have no idea what they're talking about, have said, Upshaw was a damn good union chief. Michael Wilbon said it best in his most recent column that Upshaw knew exactly how leverage the players had (and did not have) with the owners and used that knowledge to get everything for his people that was feasible. Let me run down the list and enlighten those who may have forgotten:

Free Agency: NFL Players had no real free agency until 1993. That's right, 1993, after every other major sports league except maybe the NHL (I don't know when they got theirs). There was no free agency of any kind until 1989 when Plan B free agency was instituted, and even that allowed every team to protect 37 of its 50 to 60 players from being able to leave, even if they weren't under contract. Those of us out in the workforce have no idea what it's like to be unable to leave your job for a better one because our current employer owns our rights. Imagine having your eye on a better job, at a company that wants to hire you, and being unable to go because your current employer doesn't want you to leave. Even though you don't have any biding contract. That's what NFL players faced until 1993, and it was under Upshaw's leadership that they were finally able to break that.

Hmmm looks like Shaq isn't out of the woods yet...

Just as we thought things were finally getting back to normal in The O'Neal household with Shaq & Shaunie giving their marriage another try, a restraining order was granted Thursday against Shaquille by Alexis Miller, a budding Independent Atlanta rapper, alleging that he stalked her.

Now according to Miller, 23, aka Mary Jane (her stage name) , she felt the need to file the order after Shaq not only threatened to halt her music career, but cause her great bodily harm. She also alleges that he intimidated her by making calls & then breathing heavily into the phone. Among the paperwork sent to the court is an email, in which O'Neal allegedly stated, "I dnt no who the $#@@ u think u dealin wit u will neva be heard from one phone call is I gotta make now try me. Sho me." . She further alleges that he's even willing to go as far as paying performers $50,000 each not to work with her. Apparently he didn't agree with her decision to end their year and a half relationship last month.

Per the restraining order that Judge Richard Hicks issued, O'Neal is prohibited from having any contact or even coming within 200 yards of Miller or her 19-month-old son (the child is unrelated to Shaq). The scheduled hearing is set for Sept. 4 with O'Neal , who resides in Florida, to appear before Judge Karen Woodson.

As I was reading about this around the net, I thought that the name Alexis Miller sounded familiar... So I did my research and wouldn't you know I have her saved as a friend on MySpace after running into her at the clubs in ATL? I made an attempt to see if Ms. Miller would care to share her side in an exclusive for BSO so I'll keep you updated on that. From what I know, MaryJane certainly likes the celebrities, especially football players *whistles* It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out and what this means for the O'Neals' reconciliation *eyebrow raised* It's a small world indeed.

So the USA women's gymnastics team lost to a bunch of 14 year old Chinese gymnasts. Get over it. You lost, woman up and move on. It isn't like the US hasn't bent a rule or a 100 with our athletes over the years. I am tired of all this whining and complaining after you lose. So the Chinese chicks were 14 or 15 as oppose to 16 so what? Stop falling off the balance beams and you would have won no questions asked.

It is blatantly obvious the Chinese kids were underage, but if was a big deal all the other countries should have pushed harder for an investigation before the games started instead of crying after they got their asses beat.

There was no way the IOC was going to overturn those results. Have you checked out the Chinese Army lately? That was never going to happen so be happy with your silver medal and Lebron's "Pimp Focus" on your asses (those over 18 of course).

According to TMZ.com, "a Georgia woman just got a restraining order against Shaquille O'Neal, alleging he threatened to hurt her and harassed her with heavy-breathing over the phone. Alexis Miller claims they had an affair and that when it ended, Shaq threatened he'd wreck her career if she told anyone. According to court docs Shaq wrote her one email that reads, "I dnt no who the fuk u think u dealin wit u will neva be heard from one phone call is all I gotta make no try me. Sho me." O'Neal is scheduled to appear before a judge on Sept. 4. Of coures Shaq's people have said nothing on this matter. Personally I do not know what to believe all I do know is that last week I posted about how Shaq and Shaunie have gotten back together and now this throws a wrench into things. Either way it should be interesting to see if she goes all the way or accepts a settlement.

The Summer Olympics are on the way and since I know all the readers of BlackSportsOnline have "Bona Fide" sports knowledge on the Olympics, we are going to give you a chance to use that knowledge to get hooked up.

We have partnered with "Hey! Nielsen" to present the "Olympic-Trivia-Thon". Test your Olympic knowledge against other sports experts all over the world and possibly win this crazy prize package:

One (1) grand prize winner will receive the following: one (1) video game console and accessories (estimated value: $400.00); a game package of popular sports and entertainment titles (estimated value: $450.00); and one (1) gift card (estimated value: $150.00).

You can either click the pic above or go to http://www.heynielsen.com/trivia for your chance to win.

So how does Mr. Articulate get back at Ms. Wolfe? You would think with his vast knowledge of the English language that he could have came up with something better than trying to slide in calling her a "c*nt" on live tv. I guess he thought since we were all out picking cotton that we wouldn't be smart enough to notice. Better yet since he is a D- star on the NBC roster he realized that only 5 people were probably watching at the time. Either way Tiki it was low class and I still hate your guts.

No matter how many times this video gets taken down I have the source copy so there will always be a live version up on this site. Tiki Barber is a fraud and he deserves to be exposed.

UPDATE!!! UPDATE!!! UPDATE!!!

Someone asked why do I hate Tiki so much. Read this retro BSO Article to find out why.

It seems like Charles Barkley has been in the news all summer. First, his highly publicized gambling debt, then sending a busboy to college, and I recently posted about his new reality show on the Golf Channel. Now, he's going to have a televised colonoscopy, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. This is for the "Stand Up to Cancer" special that will be simulcast on CBS, NBC, and ABC which will air on September 5th. He will undergo this procedure this Friday in Alabama and said he was happy to do this so he can promote awareness in getting colonoscopies. Leave it to Charles to put it all out there.

For those that do not know, the Director of the Players' Union for the NFL has passed away at age 63 of Pancreatic Cancer. He was also a Hall of Famer who played for the Oakland Raiders and won two Super Bowls. According to ESPN, he found out he was sick this past Sunday. While this is a huge shock to his family and the rest of the NFL, his passing also makes the NFL fan wonder about the state of the NFL from here on out. This is not good for the Collective Bargaining Agreement. As much trouble as there was with Upshaw, at least there was a leader and figurehead. Now, there will be Matt Stover who was expected to oust Gene Upshaw and it will take lots of time to get a new union head - and the candidate that they select will set the tenor for how negotiations go. In 2010, it is expected to be an uncapped year and well don't be surprised if there ends up being a strike in the near future once that happens.

The new kid is at it again, this time dishing on the 100m & 200m finals at the 2008 Summer Olympics..Check out the video and leave your thoughts.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the relaunch of my site, kami2hot.com, coming in October 2008..Its going to have a few surprises..*wink*

In the meantime, you can catch me on Myspace or you can call me at 404-496-5773 & we'll chop it up!:)

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Last season ended disappointingly for the squad from Steeltown with a home playoff beat down thanks to Jacksonville. Mike Tomlin's first year as head coach was a booming success. With another division title in their hats, Pittsburgh enters the 2008 season as the favorite to win the AFC North.

Predicted Record: 8-8

Upgrade Special: Rashard Mendenhall, RB - in the playoff loss to the Jags, the glaring weakness of depth behind Fast Willie Parker reared its ugly head. The Steelers lost all offensive balance and ultimately the game. Look for Mendenhall to get about 1,000 total yards this year.

Biggest Strength: Pounding the Rock - Alan Faneca may left the squad, but this team just added one of the most NFL-ready backs to come out of the draft to an attack that finished third in the NFL in rushing in 2007. Deep threat Santonio Holmes will stretch the field to keep defenses honest.

Exploitable Weakness: The Schedule - Again, this is not a bad team, or a bad year. It is just a rough schedule. The AFC North as a whole plays a both divisions in the league that placed three teams in the playoffs in 2007 NFC East and AFC South). Adding the Patriots and Chargers to the mix is distressing in itself.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Santonio Holmes, WR - Everyone knows who he is, but this, his third season, should be the year that Holmes becomes one of fantasy football's elite receivers. Hines Ward is getting long in the tooth and his days of stretching the field is long gone.

Baltimore Ravens (5-11)
After 9 years of Brian Billick, which included 4 trips to the playoffs and a Super Bowl victory, the Ravens start the year with a new head coach. The Ravens fell to 5-11 after winning the division in 2006. Nagging injuries and lackluster play tormented the Ravens from the start of the season. Usually after a team drops off as fast as the Ravens did in 2007, big changes are to be expected. The 2008 version of the Baltimore Ravens will be almost exactly the same team that took the field in 2007. That's not good news for their fans. Add the fact that the Ravens will likely look to put rookie Joe Flaco on the field as soon as possible, (which would be a huge mistake considering they have a serviceable leader in Troy Smith), the Ravens could be in for another long year.

Predicted Record: 6-10

Upgrade Special: Ray Rice, RB - The former Scarlet Knight has looked the part of a star in the making early on in the preseason. Considering the injury history of Willis, Ray could be a steal.

Biggest Strength: The All Name Team - The most novice of football fans know the names of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Trevor Pryce, and Terrell Suggs. The old timers on this defense have been to many battles on the field together, so that has to count for something. The Ravens defense alone could easily dominate a few games this year.

Exploitable Weakness: Quarterback - Everyone knows that Joe Flacco is the Ravens' answer for the future of their passing attack, but very few people know what that has to do for 2008. Whoever gets the nod is looking at blitzes from opposing teams right after the National Anthem.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Joe Flacco, QB - When he gets a chance to play later on in the season, the Ravens will more than likely be behind and have to throw the ball.

Lets get this off the top. Usain Bolt broke one of the most coveted track and field records ever in impressive fashion. He should be praised and congradulated like every other world-class athlete on the big stage putting on a show. Understand, Bob Costas (go figure) and the rest of the media has this one dead wrong. Damn the fact that this kid is running as if he has a nitro button in his pocket. I mean the first thing I think about when I see Bolt run is "Beep Beep.." and all I can do is laugh in disbelief that a man can move this fast on two legs.

The thing that bothers me about Costas and anyone who says he's showboating is that why isn't breaking the record good enough? These self-proclaimed "judges" or "perfectionist" have somehow forgot that these people are human. So your essentially telling a kid, 21 years of age, who's existence up to this point is to be an Olympian and try to win a gold metal for his country that he can't get happy or be excited about his accomplishment? What?! 'Please oh please' Associated Press at least explain to people why you are so mad?

I'm sure Bob Costas never experienced the excitement you get when you've achieved something in sports but somehow he has the rule book on how athletes should act. We all know that old Bob couldn't say with a straight face that all his heros in his favorite past-time never showboat when they hit home-runs. But then again, I bet that's alright because that's the sport he loves. This reminds me of the obligatory criticism of Team USA basketball every 4 years getting called arrogant because they can jump higher, dunk harder and play with flair. You know, it's almost like Wade is not suppose to do reverse dunks if the european players can't, or Kobe shouldn't make his man look bad with a crossover because that's somehow showing off. Basically getting penalized for athletic superiority. I hate to bring the "R" word into this but underneath all the layers of bs I think it definitely plays a part in all these ridiculous notions. I wish I was wrong.

First off Bob Costas needs to shut the hell up. ESPN needs to shut the hell up. Every person in the bias sports media who has criticize Usain Bolt during these Olympics for "showboating" needs to shut the hell up.

Why is when Americans celebrate aka "showboating" after victories (see the Michael Phelps after the relay race) they are just showing "emotion" but when Bolt who has crushed his opponents has done it, it is "disrespectful" to the games?

Nothing Bolt has done has been disrespectful or any different than the many American athletes have done during these games. You want to shut Bolt up then beat him and that isn't happening.

I never thought Michael Johnson's 200 meter record would be broken in my lifetime but Bolt did it going away. He is the first sprinter since Carl Lewis to pull off double gold in the 200 and 100. He is the first sprinter ever in the history of the Olympics games to break the world record in the 200 and 100. Let that sink in for a minute.

He should be as celebrate as much as Michael Phelps but because of the super American bias and the perception that he is nothing more than a glorified Chad Johnson it will be put on the back burner. Even after these tremendous feats look at the last line of the story on ESPN.com

"The performance marked Bolt as one of the breakthrough stars of these Summer Games, coming on the heels of his victory in the 100 Saturday night. He bettered his own world record in that race by winning in 9.69 seconds -- despite slowing down over the final 20 meters to showboat."

Give me a break. Get off your high horse and realize you are watching greatness and just because it isn't draped in red white and blue and for that matter isn't blond with blue eyes doesn't make it any less of an accomplishment. Stop being hypocrites, stop being bias and stop being haters.

Just when you thought Cincinnati was safe from the police blotter, Chris Henry has returned to the Bengals according to ESPN. Of course he has a 4 game suspension that he has to serve in the beginning of the season so technically he won't be around till Week 5. Now this is the same franchise that said a few months ago when they cut him they couldn't tolerate his brushes with the law and they wanted guys of high character. Of course what they really meant was: "We can't have you here because it makes our franchise look bad but if we are really despearte we will call you". Well folks, they're desperate because Ocho Cinco got injured in a preseason game and it looks to be rather serious because with him out and TJ "Who's Yo Mama" nursing an ankle injury. Not to mention two WR's they drafted but haven't really done anything they decided to go with a deep threat that knows the system: enter Chris Henry.

Just when you thought he was gone from Cincy forever he makes a triumphant return a few months later. Just goes to show that winning is all that matters in the NFL. I mean say what you want about Jerry Jones he gets whoever gives his team the best chance to win, he could care less about your rap sheet, and he does this without all the "moralizing". It will be interesting to see what he does with another chance he has been given to prove himself.

"Ya Girl" is back for another year of kicking the so-called BonaFide Sports Expert ass at NFL picks. But before we get that started, here is a preview video with my 2008 NFL Predictions (you might see Robert pop up as well).

If you are interested in being in my fantasy football league, email me at afox@foreverafox.com and I will be sure to send you out an invite.

To all my Chicago Bears fans, I will be in the Windy City with all of the FoxDen Models August 23rd and 24th for Glamourcon. You can find out more information about the event at Glamourcon.com.

I can't wait for the season. So make sure you are checking out BlackSportsOnline for all your sports news and ForeverAFox.com if you want to learn more about me.

Be sure to check out our sponsor Betus.com. Be clicking on the banner below. Tell them AFox sent you and get a discount on signing up.

**Special shout-out to fellow Writer Carl Davis for his in-depth breakdown of the preseason Top 25.

Ahhh...It's that time of year again. School has started for colleges across the nation. That means 3 things: 1) Buck-wild Co-eds; 2) The Pursuit of Education by Co-eds; and 3) The start of the college football season.

If last season was any indicator, this upcoming campaign will be just as memorable. How many #2's lost last year? The Les Miles Saga? LSU's Houdini act in the fourth quarter?

Michigan versus Appalachian State? With the 07 season a not-so-distant memory, College Football fans, your time is coming in a matter of days.

Here you will find the Good, Bad, Ugly (I channeled my inner Eastwood), and The No-Doz Pick of the Year (Which means you shouldn't sleep on this selection) for the Major Conferences and the step-children known as the mid-majors. My top 4 preseason Heisman Candidates, My BCS Bowl Predictions, and observations about the upcoming season.

The NFC North looks to be one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL this upcoming season. With Brett Favre gone, it may also be the division with the least amount of proven talent at the quarterback position. Here is a look at each team:

#1: Green Bay Packers

Last year's division champions are starting a new chapter in their history as the Aaron Rodgers era is set to begin. The Pack's offense will likely be more run-oriented as the first-time starter is eased into the starting role. How he performs will be key in determining just how good Green Bay will be this year. The defense should be solid again as not much has changed in terms of personnel on that side of the ball. Packer fans would be thrilled with another 13-3 season. It is unlikely; however if Rodgers can limit his mistakes, the defense and running game is strong enough to give the Packers a chance to win the division.

#2: Minnesota Vikings

After a transcendent season by rookie Adrian Peterson turned the Vikings' running game into a dominant force and the addition of Pat Williams made them very difficult to run against, Minnesota looked to address their remaining weaknesses this offseason. Adding Jared Allen should upgrade a pass defense that was far inferior to the run defense last year.. Newcomer Bernard Berrian will also provide a deep threat that has been sorely missing ever since the departure of Randy Moss. However the key to the season in Minnesota will be the development of QB Tarvaris Jackson. The organization has put their faith in him, and his decision-making is said to be much-improved. With solid play from the QB position, the Vikes loom as a potential powerhouse. After a dismal 2-5 start last year, they still managed to finish 8-8, winning five straight games at one point. Anything less than double-digit wins this year would be a disappointment.

#3: Chicago Bears

The good news out of Chicago is Rex Grossman will NOT be the starter at QB. It has been painful watching Lovie Smith "stand by his man" week after week as Grossman consistently made bone-headed plays that jeopardized the Bears' chances of winning games. Kyle Orton has embraced the term "game manager" (i.e. promised not to take stupid risks that step outside the gameplan) and will focus primarily on keeping the offense on the field for as long as possible, which means lots of runs. The key for this team as it has been for the last few years is the health of the defense. When everyone is available, this is still one of the best defenses in the NFL. Another interesting story is the development of Devin Hester at WR. The organization is excited about his potential at the position and he could give the offense another boost.

#4: Detroit Lions

The Lions are likely bringing up the rear of this division. They do have a lot of young talent on offense, including rookie Kevin Smith, who will have a great opportunity to make a name for himself as they look to run more this season. 36-year-old Jon Kitna returns at QB. They may want to start developing a replacement. The backup QB's, Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton, are 25 and 24. If the Lions get off to a bad start, Kitna's season could be done early. With Atlanta and San Francisco being 2 of their first 3 regular season matchups, Detroit does have a chance to get some wins and keep hope alive for a while at least. However, the inexperience and lack of top-flight talent on defense, is going to make it difficult for the Lions to contend for the playoffs.

19. Illinois

The Illini are coming off their best season since 2001. Their exciting zone read offense averaged about 28 points per game last season, and Juice Williams was a big part of their success. Williams, a junior, made some decent progress as a passer last season, but he still struggled for the most part. Should he ever struggle, Eddie McGee is waiting in the wings. Williams will need to cut down on the 12 interceptions he threw last year. The dual threat of the run/pass that Juice brings to the offense will be the key for the Illini this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Illini have six starters returning. The defensive line is deep and ranks near the top of the Big Ten as a whole. Sophomore Martez Wilson brings speed to the outside linebacker spot. This kid has NFL written all over him. Junior Vontae Davis possesses shut-down skills at CB, and is also a great tackler.
After early struggles, head coach Ron Zook is finally starting to get the pieces he needed to succeed. However, a real tough schedule might do this team in.

18. Boston College

Boston College finished second in the nation in rush defense last year and it could be even better this season. As long as the team can find replacements for corner back DeJuan Tribble and free safety Jamie Silva, the defense will be at the top of the ACC once again. That alone will lead to a successful season, but the new faces at the skill positions will have step up if the Eagles hope to repeat last year's accomplishments.
Senior QB Chris Crane is a big key to the Eagles season. Nobody really expects this guy to come in and replace Matt Ryan; they don't expect him to perform like a total bum either. If he can quickly jell with WR Rich Gunnell, the offense will be better off. Although he won't blow you away with his size or speed, the guy simply makes play after play. He finished last year with 64 receptions for 931 yards and seven touchdowns.

17. Penn State
For all the bashing the Big Ten, received over the past couple of years, its easy to forget that the Nittany Lions have beaten an SEC team the last three years in a bowl game. I just wanted to put that out there.

The Nittany Lions have the potential to shock a lot of people this year if their senior class decides to play up to their much hyped potential. (Yes, I am talking about you Derrick Williams.) The Penn State receivers are loaded with talent. Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood have been hyped up since they came to Happy Valley as freshmen. Their play depends on the arm of Daryll Clark or Pat Devlin. If Paterno decides to go with a spread offense, then Clark will win out, or if the coach wants the more conventional offense, then Devlin is his guy. The O-line returns all five starters so they won't be an issue.

The offense will be fine with either Clark or Devlin under center, but the real issue could be the linebackers. After hitting the field with the trio of Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor and Sean Lee, it's time to rebuild. Le

The line will take care of most of the work, but for Penn State to be decent; it might need Hull to step up big time. The defensive line is going to once again be dominant. The loss of star tackles Chris Baker and Phil Taylor, who were suspended, will hurt. Even though they're out, it's not a big loss since Abe Koroma and Ollie Odrick are more than good enough to clog things up in the middle, while Maurice Evans could be the best defensive end in America.

16. Kansas

After a shocking 2007 season that finished with a victory over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, Coach Mark Mangino and Kansas are poised to take the next step and prove that the last year was not a fluke. Quarterback Todd Reesing threw for 3,486 yards and 33 touchdowns last season. He is simply a guy who does not make mistakes and keeps his team in every game. The offense may not be as good as last year because the line has more than a few holes to patch up. Despite the loss of all world corner Aqib Talib, the defense as a whole has the chance to be even better. Nine starters return to the unit and there is plenty of depth and experience around to handle just about any situation.

15. Oregon
The loss of Dennis Dixon and running back Jonathan Stewart look on paper to be a duo that can't be easily replaced. However, the injury to Dixon last season kind of speeded up the rebuilding period. By the time the bowl game rolled around the Ducks looked just as good as they did earlier in the year. In that game quarterback Justin Roper threw for 180 yards and four touchdowns. so needless to say the qb job is no longer an issue.
The secondary looks to be the strength of the defense led by corners Walter Thurmond and Jairus Byrd and strong safety Patrick Chung. Thurmond and Byrd combined for 12 interceptions on the season and both are still only juniors. The return of linebackers Jerome Boyd and John Bacon provide stability. The Ducks should grow into a strong Pac 10 force by the middle of the season.

Boy, not to be too preachy but consequences, consequences, and more consequences (whether good or bad) will occur with whatever decisions one makes. No one knows that better right now than Michael Vick. From poster boy of the NFL to poster boy of what not to do if you are a professional athlete. Despite what your opinion is on the severity of his sentence, and I know that is a hot topic, Michael Vick could have avoided that issue all together had he just made the decision to make some changes in the company he keeps and his thought process as a celebrity.

Not only did he lose his rights for at least 2 years or so, but now we hear that due to some poor decisions as to whom he invested his money with and who he entrusted to help him out of his current financial situation: Translation, he is flat broke.

Enter the upstart United Football League that is planning to throw millions of dollars at Michael Vick once he is released from prison. Michael Vick deserves this chance to redeem himself.

My email box has been flooded from both Packers and Jets fans asking the same question:

"Where is the Brett Favre coverage?"

To answer that question, let me borrow a line from "Gone With The Wind".

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

ESPN among other outlets bludgeoned us to death for two months about "God" Favre and the fact of the matter. I was sick of it. Especially considering, I have been saying the same thing about Favre and the Packers Organization for three years (Google Brett Favre and BlackSportsOnline).

I am not going to talk about Favre running a lap in practice when we have people winning 8 gold medals and Lebron "pimp focus" on ass is going on. I am not going to talk about Favre in a meaningless preseason game as if it was the Super Bowl.

Favre is a great Quarterback and he will make the Jets better, but I'd rather talk about other things going on in the world of sports that the "God". When he starts winning games against the Patriots, then we can talk.

You know greatness when you see it. When you were watching MJ you saw it. When you were watching Montana you saw it. When you were watching Ali you saw it. Greatness doesn't have a question mark behind it. It is known to everyone not just sports fan, but everyone. Your grandmother knows it, Your wife who hasn't watched a sporting event all year knows it; you kid who normally watches Noggin 24/7 knows it because greatness transcends; it permeates. It is its own zone. It's own atmosphere. It's own feel.

As you watched Michael Phelps in the 2008 Olympics, you knew you were watching greatness. You knew you were watching something special. Sometimes we get caught up in thinking that the only great athletes are the ones who can catch, shoot, run or hit a ball, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Because one of the greatest athletes of our time or any time never stepped on a "field".

Try to do anything 17 times in 9 days and see how you feel? Now try to do that against the best competition in the world, many of whom haven't did anything before competing against you and themselves are considered at the top of their sport. Then on top of that, try to accomplish something that has never been done in the history with a bullet on your chest. What do you think the chances are that you would succeed?

One of my favorite quotes of all time is from the great Ric Flair (queue my Ric Flair gif please).

"To Be The Man You Have To Beat The Man"

Everyone wanted to beat Michael Phelps. But no one could. Even when they thought they won, they came up a little bit short.

Sometimes you can tell more about how great an athlete is by the reactions of their opponent. To a man, they all have the same face after the lost to Phelps. Some disgust, some admiration, but above, all just look in awe and disbelief. They all come in with the belief that they can win and they all walk away with nothing but silver or bronze.

The last thing we need before the USA Basketball team captures gold is for Bean to sabotage the entire thing because of his lust for the white booty. Now, we all know Misty May-Treanor has a donk (queue the Soldier Boy Youtube for those who don't know what a "Donk" is).

Off topic, but has there ever been a more perfect porn name than Misty May? Even when she got married, it still sounded pornish. But I digress.

We need Darth to focus of the court, not for the next episode of "AssWatchers". You know when Vanessa sees this picture, he is going to have to come off "A Milli" on a diamond necklace or something. Kobe, fight the temptation; homie, fight the temptation.

As far Lebron, go for it!!!! Check out how Lebron is completely oblivious to what Chris Paul and Jason Kidd are talking about. That is the type of ass focus that pimps are legendary for.

*Edit* Emails have been flying in saying that isn't Misty May, but hey, it is much cooler to say Misty May, isn't it? If anyone can ID the athlete hit me up.

Let me just get this out here now. These rankings are based on how good the teams are going into the season and not how they're going to finish. These rankings also differ from what the AP released, as well. Oh, and by the end of this, if your team isn't ranked as high as you want, reply and I will tell you why and how I put them there. Here are teams, 25-20. Enjoy.

25. Michigan
The new look Wolverines have many questions on the offensive side of the ball with just three returning starters from 2007. With the implementation of the spread offense, it may be nice that Rodriguez can choose players that fit his style without the weight of keeping high-profile stars happy. The decision of Ryan Mallett to transfer schools, may be a blessing in disguise for Rodriguez's regime. Freshman Steven Threet, a transfer from Georgia Tech, has experience in the spread offense and is the favorite to run the offense. Sophomore Nick Sheridan and freshman Justin Feagan bring up the depth chart.

On defense, the defensive line could possibly grow into one of the best in the country. The defense has eight returning starters including six seniors. Much pressure is on the defense to hold the team together and keep them in games. The defensive line returns all four starters and should be one of the better units in the Big Ten. Seniors Terrance Taylor and Will Johnson will start at the tackles. Taylor is a monster in the middle of the line who can stuff the run and keep blockers off the linebackers. The Wolverines will get nice pressure from the defensive ends. Senior Tim Jamison finished 2007 with 5.5 sacks, and junior Brandon Graham led the team with 8.5 sacks last season. The secondary will again be solid with Morgan Trent and Donovan Warren manning the corners

24. Virginia Tech

The best news for Tech is on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterbacks Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor split some time last season and may do so again this year. Glennon has the better arm, but Taylor can create magic with his feet. Between the two of them, they are a pretty solid, all-around quarterback. The line returns four starters and that will keep the offense rolling. Tackle Ed Wang, center Ryan Shuman and guards Nick Marshman and Sergio Render were not the most dominating group in the conference last year, but the year of experience should help. And there is plenty of talent available to take the other starting tackle job, most notably heralded redshirt freshman Blake DeChristopher.

Running back Branden Ore is gone and that means a freshman will likely take over the job. Darren Evans and Josh Oglesby are the likely candidates, but true freshman Ryan Williams will compete for carries if the two redshirt freshmen should stumble.
Virginia Tech prides themselves on good defense. And their ongoing success this season will depend on the defense replacing a ton of talent. On the line, they lost Barry Booker, Chris Ellis ,and Carlton Powell. The linebackers lost Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall and the secondary will have to do without Brandon Flowers and D.J. Parker. Even with a system that continually builds great defenses, that is a ton of talented players to replace.

23. South Florida
The Bulls look to prove that last year's rise to the number 2 spot in the rankings was not a fluke. With 16 returning starters, the Bulls should expect bigger and better things than last year's 9-4 season. Quarterback Matt Grothe returns and looks stronger than ever. He has slimmed down and seemed poised to have a big year based on spring ball. Grothe will get help on the ground from RB Mike Ford, who broke out with 645 yards and 12 touchdowns. The passing game features a talented receiving corps that includes Carlton Mitchell, Jessie Hester, and Taurus Johnson, who each caught four touchdown passes. Grothe, however, needs to help himself by improving his reads and cutting back on a high interception total.

The Bulls' defense is led by consensus All-American defensive end George Selvie. Coming off his killer 14.5-sack, 31.5-tackles for loss season, Selvie will be hard-pressed to repeat those numbers. But, end Jarriett Buie should benefit from opposing offensive linemen paying Selvie extra attention. Senior linebacker Tyrone McKenzie also is a key component on defense. However, the Bulls have three huge holes in replacing cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams and linebacker Ben Moffitt.

22. BYU
After two straight 10-2 seasons and two consecutive Mountain West titles, BYU is looking for even better things this time around. With a dynamic offense returning and enough weapons on defense to work with, Coach Bronco Mendenhall and company are one of the few non-BCS teams who are thinking about a BCS Bowl. They seem to have everything going in their favor leading up to the season.

Max Hall had a good debut season as the starting quarterback for the Cougars, throwing for 3,848 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. If he follows the jump most quarterbacks make going into their second year running the show, the BYU offense will be very hard to stop. Running back Harvey Unga rushed for 1,227 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman. Look for the Cougars to get him the ball early and often.

If this team has any question mark, it's the defense. Only three starters return for a team that ranked 10th in the nation in total defense and ninth in points allowed.

21. Pitt
The Dave Wannstedt program has gone on for three years and Pittsburgh has not reached a bowl game. That little streak will not be extended to four years. In fact, with a majority of the teams in the Big East doing a little scrambling, the Panthers could seriously be looking at a BCS Bowl.

The Panthers begin and end with LeSean McCoy. Just a sophomore, McCoy drew comparisons to the legendary Tony Dorsett last year when he rushed for 1,378 yards and a school-record 14 touchdowns. Bill Stull won the quarterback job in the spring and Wannstedt looks for him to pick up where he left off when he was injured and missed the 2007 season. If he can, it will solve a lot of problems. The defense is experienced and deep, led by middle linebacker Scott McKillop, whose 151 tackles led the nation last year. Pitt's total defense might not rank fifth in the nation again this year, but they will not fall much further than that. The question for this team is how big of a stride can the offense make? With McCoy and Stephens-Howling in the backfield, it should give the quarterbacks every possible opportunity to shine. If the passing game does come around, look for Pitt to make a run towards the Big East title.

20. California
If anything, Cal is a bit of a forgotten team in the college football world because of its shocking second-half fade last season. The Bears, however, might deserve a closer look for 2008.

Cal's problems can be traced to their shaky quarterback play. The quarterback play should be improved this year, through the competition between Nate Longshore and Kevin Riley. RB Jahvid Best, receivers Michael Calvin, Nyan Boateng, and Jeremy Ross, along with TE Cameron Morrah, are the standout skill position players looking to have a breakout year.

The defense was decent last year, but returning a majority of their players should shift the focus to them. The Golden Bears have spent some practice time in a 3-4 look and will likely at least use it at some point this season. With linebackers Worrell Williams, Zack Follett and Anthony Felder returning, it makes sense to focus on the linebackers and try and fit in one more starter.

The defensive line did not do a noteworthy job last year in pushing the tempo, but another year under their belt should improve their production. The secondary has the most holes to fill with the departure of safety Thomas DeCoud and corner Brandon Hampton.

I can't tell you how happy I am to have the old Ocho Cinco back. The one from this summer was a little disturbing to me. I much prefer the fun loving, grill wearing, trash-talking and horse-racing Chad.

Earlier this week, Viva Shetty told you how Chad is thinking about legally changing his name to Ocho Cinco which, of course, I think is the coolest thing ever. I would be first in line to buy one with the Corporate Low Limit Not Quite Ballin Paypal BSO MasterCard. As my boy F350 says:

"The marketing aspects would be sick."

But even better than that is Ocho's latest boast that he would like to take on Aquaman aka Michael Phelps in a swimming contest. Here is the quote from Chad:

"Where I'm from -- Liberty City -- I know a couple of people who can beat Michael Phelps right now. Seriously. I'm telling you. And I'm one of 'em."

Chad also claims that he was the three-time Charles Hadley Pool champion in Liberty City, Miami. Of course no records of this exist, but fact-finding takes the fun out of the story. I am begging for someone to put this event together and put it on PPV. You have my $49.95.

*UPDATE*

The good people at WHEREISTAND.COM has provided us with a video of Chad making his boasts.

Here's a video of LaDainian Tomlinson featuring Kimbo Slice in an old-school method of training. You'll see him punch a fridge and bench press a couple of AC's while he's at it. I do not know much about the MMA but this is definately an unlikely combo considering the clean-cut image LaDainian has compared to Kimbo Slice. I guess he wants to seem tougher to his NFL opponents. However, it works and is bound to be a YouTube sensation soon enough.

For all of you crying that Michael Phelps didn't win as much as Milorad Cavic lost the 100 meter butterfly, in the immortal words of the Rock.

"Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth"

Simply put, great athletes always find a way to win even if that means capitalizing on an opponent's slightest mistake.

The ironic thing was that Cavic didn't make a mistake per se. It was Phelps who was caught in mid stroke which is normally a big no-no. I don't care how great you are, you need a little luck to pull off the type of accomplishment that Michael Phelps is about to pull off. But there is no luck involved in being 7th at the turn and tracking down everyone to win a gold medal. That, my friend, is the definition of a "Serial Killer."

Now that we're a few weeks removed from the latest Hall of Fame class and a few weeks away from the start of a new season, I thought it would be interesting to look at a few players who are either retired or have had a good run in the league to see how they stack up in terms of their chances at future enshrinement.

Now, I'm only talking about people who aren't obvious. We all know that Emmitt Smith, Marshall Faulk, and Jerry Rice are in. No need to discuss or debate anything there. But there are some players who have quietly put up the numbers to warrant at least a look and others who people may think should get in, but for whatever reason aren't talked about much for the highest honor. So just who are some of these guys? Let's see:

A few years ago the AFC West was one of the toughest divisions in the NFL and it is now one of the weakest. Here is the projection for the AFC West for the 2008 Season.

San Diego Chargers- The team that has won the division the past two seasons has found new and inventive ways to underachieve despite all that talent. They were able to make it to the AFC Championship game only to fall to the Patriots (again). It is now or never for them to win it all.

The Pros: Great defense with a pass rush from Shaun Phillips and Shawn Merriman. Along with the secondary of Antonio Cromarite and Quentin Jammer. Also have a good running attack with LaDainian Tomlinson. A great receiving corps of Antonio Gates and Chris Chambers. On talent alone, they should be a dynasty.

The Cons: Phillip Rivers isn't an elite QB which is what you need to win in the AFC, but he does well with what he has. However, he talks too much trash for anyone to respect him on the field. LaDainian seems too soft to be a reliable threat in the playoffs. Folks seem to forget Michael "The Burner" Turner did a lot of the work. He's not there anymore so it will be interesting to see what LaDainian will do on his own. Of course, we can't forget Norv Turner who, honestly, not many people trust to get this done. However, despite all that, he still has two more wins than Marty as head coach of the Chargers.

Prediction: This is the year they win it all and they will have a regular season record of 12-4. And Norv will end up getting a contract extension that he probably does not deserve.

According to USA Today, Charles Barkley is going to take part in a reality show on the Golf Channel called "Fix Charles Barkley's Swing." The show will begin taping in Dallas in two-weeks where the premise is that Hank Haney, Tiger's swing coach, will help him with his golf swing while the entire process is filmed. The YouTube clip shows the ugly state of Charles' swing. It doesn't matter what Sir Charles does, he will always find a way to make it entertaining.

Unfortunately, I don't know if the Lord himself can fix that atrocious swing. It looks like his body was invaded by a robot and, not just any robot, but a drunk robot. You just want to scream at the screen, "QUIT!!!". If anything, it will be funny to watch.

For those who haven't heard, according to various media outlets: Yahoo, MSNBC etc, Shaq and Shaunie are reconciling. This of course does not surprise me. Shaq probably totaled up all the child support he would have to fork over to her. In addition, I'm sure there are sideline hoes he does not want the public to know about. He then realized its much cheaper to keep her. And why not? It worked up until this point. I'm baffled why they even considered getting a divorce. We all know Shaunie knows of Shaq's extracurricular activities and, allegedly, she has her's too. So whatever! That being said, I don't expect Kobe to get an apology anytime soon for being blamed for Shaq's divorce which apparently is not going to happen after all.

The more important question is: Will Kobe make a YouTube rap asking Shaq "How His Ass Taste?" considering Shaq did the same thing that Kobe did when he was caught raping...excuse me cheating.

In the end it looks like Shaq read Robert Littal's 10 Cheating Commandments and came to the conclusion to use Littal's Commandment #4

IV- THOU SHALL ALWAYS REMEMBER IT IS CHEAPER TO KEEP HER.

Simply put, who would you rather have deciding where your funds go: you or a judge? Much better to pay now than later. So if your wife sees you on TMZ.com with four strippers in a hot tube popping bottles it is better to just give her the American Express card than to have her visit the lawyer's office the next day. Take the hit and move on.

From Super Bowl winning head coach to helping the FBI bust a blackmailer.

According to TMZ.com, Howard Dean Simpson of Philadelphia (must be an Eagles fan) allegedly threatened to make Coughlin's life "a living hell by doing something to his family" if he were not paid $30,000 to keep a sex scandal out of the headlines. The problem is: this sex scandal did not exist. Simpson supposedly wrote letters to Coughlin pretending to be women who hooked up with the coach while he was on the road in Philadelphia. However, since Coughlin knew there was no such thing, he alerted the Feds. Now Simpson faces up to two years in the slammer and a 250 K fine. Just goes to show, you can't underestimate Tom Coughlin off the field anymore than you can on it.

The funny thing to me is that the Mr. Simpson would think that anyone would believe that Tom Coughlin would be involved in a sex scandal. Seriously, look at the dude. I don't even believe his wife has slept with him in the last twenty years. Did you see his face during that playoff game in Green Bay? Mr. Simpson, you failed!

I rank the the San Diego Chargers as the best defensive team in the League. Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips are an unstoppable pass-rushing tandem. Merriman draws all the attention and Phillips makes opponents pay.

The Kansas City Chiefs, are, on my list, the next to the worst team defense. Losing Jared Allen Hurts because it means that Alphonso Boone could get exposed as a mediocre player. Tamba Hali, while now probably a 12-sack guy, won't have a big impact in run defense. Derrick Johnson is a great athlete who is yet to flourish into a fulltime force. The key for the Kansas City Chiefs will be getting better play from the young safeties.

Out of all 32 teams in the NFL, I rank the Atlanta Falcon as the worst defensive team in the League. DE John Abraham is a big-name athlete who suffers from a lack of heart. Jamaal Anderson is strictly a run-stopping DE. He had no sacks as a first-round rookie in '07.The Falcons lost a great player in DeAngelo Hall; losing him hurts. With Erik Coleman starting at S and Von Hutchins working opposite Chris Houston at CB, this secondary is frighteningly weak.

In case you haven't heard, according to MJD, Chad wants to legally change his last name to "Ocho Cinco". Apparently he has taken the first steps to making this change by filing papers in the State of Florida.

I don't know whether to be amused or annoyed. I mean the man has the right to change his name if he wants to. I mean, who are we to judge? He could be doing a lot worse. But, what if he goes through with this change and then switches numbers? Will he change his name again?

If Chad Johnson ever wants to be taken seriously, stuff like this does not help his cause. It could be worse though. He could change his name to "Seis Nueve".

We all know that when it comes to fan interest, the NFL is king right now. Over the past five to ten years, they've pretty much managed to knock every other sport out there into relative also ran status. Yes, plenty of other sports draw well and put up decent ratings, but they're nothing compared to what the NFL is putting up right now. And for all intents and purposes, they're untouchable. No matter what seems to pop up, they ultimately come away unscathed.

Spygate did zero damage to them whatsoever. They have more criminals earning paychecks than all the other leagues combined, but are held up by the public in higher regard than the 'thugs' of the NBA. But nothing is more outrageous than the way they continue to trick us out of our time and money over things that don't warrant much of either. Just think about these things, how trivial they should be to us, and how important we make them out to be:

I know you all must have missed me, but yes I'm back. Stronger than ever with this sports report on the sports reporter Erin Andrews. I am going to sum up this whole story so that I can tell you my views of this from a woman's point of view.

Recently, Erin Andrews was kind of bashed about how the players look at her when she's trying to cover a story or even do an interview. Things are said about how she is dressed and that it isn't professional and that she is basically trying to draw attention from the ball players to herself.

For goodness sake, she's a sports reporter. I'm pretty sure she's not trying to hit on these men while on the job. Who cares how she is dressed as long as the job gets done. Am I right? I know men always sneek a peek when women wear low cut shirts at an office job, but that doesn't stop the work from getting done. If it does, then you need not to work.

Being attractive does get Erin Andrews the interviews she needs. But that doesn't mean she is sleeping around or anything with the players. People are always so quick to assume that just because of the way she dresses that automaticlly puts her in their bedroom. A lot of women go through this. So the bottom line is: "Believe noting of what you hear and only half of what you see."

CLICK HERE For my personal blog

20 Years of Madden: Here Are My Top 5 Greatest Moments:

1- Bo Knows

In case you didn't know, your Bona Fide Sport is an only child. So growing up, video games were a big part of my life. Madden 92 was my obsession. I was dominating and consistently beating my best friend, Leslie Days, on a daily basis. He never beat me but one day he played the perfect game. Playing as the San Francisco 49ers, he led 38-35 with three seconds left in the game. With the Los Angeles Raiders, I mounted a furious drive down to the 6 yard line. With an opportunity to tie the game or go for the winning score on 4th down, I did what any pre-teen would do.

TOSS SWEEP TO BO JACKSON!!!!

At the 3 yard line, Bo took a leap of faith and with the entire 49ers defense crashing down on him Bo inched the ball across the goal line for the victory. Leslie has never defeated me to this day and refuses to count this victory as he states Bo was inches short of the goal line. I term this victory "the miracle leap." Simply put, 16 years later still my greatest game in Madden history.

2- The Dating Game

When "Ya Boy" was a sophomore at The Ohio State University, he met the girl of his dreams (well at the time she was), Ms. Kimberly Hurley. Talk about a perfect woman. She was smart, funny and, my goodness, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen on the OSU campus. After an initial meeting that went well, we decided to go out on a date. One problem though, "Ya Boy" was broke. I was stealing clickster pencils from the book store broke. Pops was out of town on a business trip so I couldn't borrow any funds. So I did what I did best: Hustle rich white boys playing Madden.

I stayed in Morrill Tower across the street from the Horseshoe for those familiar with the OSU campus. On a Thursday night with just $20 to my name, I went to gamble ($20 a game, winners stay, losers go to the back of the line). Starting at 10pm and going on to 4 in the morning, I won 6 games in a row. $140 richer, I showed my 1st love the time of her life on Friday night and had plenty left over to by my clicksters' pencils on Monday (I was a rapper and I needed those pencils).

Ironically, after being with her for 6 months or so, I relayed the story of my Madden exploits to her and how that funded our first date. She explained that the deal was already sealed when I carried her books from the bookstore to her dorm the first time we met and the date really meant nothing in terms of her deciding if she was going to get with me. How sweet!

What happens when a married man is constantly thrown in front of thousands of women who want to be more than just a fan, even if it is just for one night only? It can be a little overwhelming when a spouse or significant other is the highlight of a Monday night on T.V or the center of the flashing lights on the red carpet. Especially when infidelity has become as common in the world of sports as ESPN is popular.

However, this problem goes largely ignored by coaches, managers, and other sports personnel. Often encouraged by fellow team-mates, it seems to have become almost a rite of passage for the newly drafted. Athletes as well as other industry professionals deal with issues which may lead to sexual indiscretion including peer pressure, ego-embellishment, entitlement, boredom, and curiosity. The most powerful urge may be that of sheer opportunity. Needless to say, for these men, access to women mimics the ease of getting fast food in any US city.

We often hear of numerous accounts of sexual exploits committed by athletes and other celebrities, but we rarely know how the women in their lives are affected. Generally, there are three different stages experienced by women who are the victims of adultery.

Stage one is an emotional roller coaster. One minute she may be angry and blaming herself. The next, she is depressed and reminiscent about how the relationship used to be. Often for wives of public figures, the affair is detailed in the media which adds humiliation to the long list of emotions felt at this time.

In the second stage, she is less emotional and may try to make sense of the infidelity by obsessing about details of the affair. Scorned wives may retreat physically and emotionally from the relationship while reaching out to others for help. After the initial shock of the affair has worn off, the wife has an important choice to make: fight or flight? Does she fight for the relationship by learning to cope with the infidelity or does she take flight and leave the past and the cheating husband behind her?

Sports wives' responses to adultery tend to vary by their motives for getting involved with a public figure in the first place. Women who were drawn to the marriage for the glamour of being with an athlete and the perks that come with it more than for love or the actual relationship tend to be more accepting of their husbands' or significant others' affairs. They fear losing financial security and the "lifestyle". Women who married before their husbands obtained celebrity status are sometimes likely to not tolerate long-term extramarital affairs; although, many choose to deal with their spouses' "one-night stands", because it "meant nothing" and involved no emotional intimacy.

Wives generally feel less threatened and more likely to forgive their husbands if their husbands were not 'in love' with the other woman. They may take into account their children, economics, general survival, and religious views when evaluating the random affairs. In most cases, the sports wife does not have a career of her own, so she often feels pressured to stay in fear of being unable to provide for herself or her children. The reason for accepting the infidelity in any case can also be as simple as a lack of self esteem for some.

Hit me up with your thoughts up @ 404-496-5773 or on myspace @ myspace.com/kami2hot.

Just like many of you, I watched in amazement as the USA 4x100 freestyle swim team made a dramatic comeback of epic proportions against the trash-talking French Team (see the link below for the entire race). The last time I was that excited about a sporting event Eli Manning was throwing his Hail Mary to David Tyree.

While the accomplishment in it of itself is amazing, I would also like to give a special shout to the Cullen Jones the second African-American swimmer to medal in the history of the Summer Olympics. By all accounts, Jones is a very classy individual who is well liked by all his teammates. He is a great role model for young African-Americans who now know that sports extend out to more just football, basketball and baseball. While I was very proud to be an American as I watched them all take the medal stand, I was even prouder as a Black American to see Mr. Jones receive his gold.

Watch The US Swim Team and Cullen Jones Make History.

Watch Cullen Jones talking to Meredith Vieira on The Today Show about the thrill of winning Gold in such exciting fashion.

Two quick things about the Olympics before getting to the story of Bean and his Chinatown love:

1- The United States better not ever go to war with China.

Did you see those opening ceremonies? You should be concerned about meeting on the battlefield any country that can put on that type of display for a show. Just imagine what they could do if they decided to go bomb some countries. In essence, the USA is like Brett Favre. We have a lot of records and we are very talented, but when push comes to shove, we have a little bit of a gunslinger mentality that normally gets us in trouble. China on the other hand is like Montana to Rice. Deadly efficient, no wasted motion, in essence a serial killer. We don't want to deal with that, but while we are on serial killers.

2- Is Michael Phelps human?

There is a running debate with some friends of mine that he is actually Aquaman (not the somewhat weird Aquaman from the Super Friends days, but the cooler one from the Justice League days). The theory is that at night he jumps in the ocean and communicates with dolphins. In what was supposed to be his weakest event, the 4*400 Medley, he simply destroyed his competition and the world record. After it was over he wasn't even breathing hard. Unless one of his teammates screws up in the relay races, those eight gold medals are a lock.

Now to the story at hand. Who knew that Darth was the next ruler of the Chinese Empire? The reaction that Kobe has gotten since he arrived in Beijing has been eye opening to the point that even American journalist are puzzled by it. In the first game of the Olympic Basketball competition you would have thought Kobe was playing for the Chinese National team. What could be the explanation? My theory is that this generation of Chinese people had a lot more access to the NBA than say the Michael Jordan generation and who gets more coverage than any player in the NBA Kobe Bean Bryant. Unlike in the USA, where ESPN & a million of internet blogs (mine included) and sports-talk radio stations can corrupt a fan's perception of a player in China, all they are seeing is the raw beauty of Kobe's play.

So the next time Kobe's contract comes up, maybe instead of those overseas teams, he should check out the China Garden.

The NFL stands for "Not For Long" and this tag is espcially applicable to incoming Heisman quarterbacks as of late. Look no further than two NFC West quarterbacks in Matt Leinart and Alex Smith if you need further proof that being an elite college quarterback does not guarantee professional success.

On the eve of Team USA playing host nation China in the Beijing Olympics, two of the league's biggest superstars may be looking toward international play as their next option.

Both gold medal hopefuls Bryant and James, have said this week that they would listen to offers to play overseas. Im sure this news has David Stern's proverbial panties in a bunch.

Its been a few weeks since former Atlanta Hawk Josh Childress decided that playing in Greece would be a better career move financially instead of settling for a league-induced cap. Since, then other mid-level players such as Earl Boykins and Carlos Arroyo have decided to jump across the water and take what they feel are better offers.

It is on this very site that a few of the writers said it was nothing for us to worry about. Those are my teammates (and we carry the BSO flag proud), but now that the pride and joy of the league has put it in the atmosphere that they would consider the foreign market, I think we should definitely take notice.

NCAA president Myles Brand offered up his opinion over on HuffingtonPost, and needless to say it was in line what we usually hear from the NCAA side on the whole debate about certain athletes getting paid to play.

He's against it, and goes on to state that athletics are nowhere the cash cow that people tend to think that they are. He brought up how basketball and football are the only revenue generating sports in all of intercollegiate athletics and that a lot of schools don't even make a profit off of those while the ones that do have to subsidize the other sports that the school fields teams for.

Now, it possible that he's telling the truth because I went to a small school where the basketball team didn't draw enough to make any money and there was no football team. However, I find myself wondering just what is the right way to handle the whole "pay-for-play" problem.

carmelo's way trailer

Carmelo Anthony will have a reality show that will premiere soon on BET-J called "Carmelo's Way". There will be cameras following Melo for about four months during his offseason training. Along with viewing other sides to the man from participating in community events to hanging out with his crew, you'll see appearances from Lebron, AI, and other family and friends.

I saw the trailer and it looks like its worth checking out. However I usually think it's a bad idea for celbs to have a reality TV show. But as long as Melo isn't being taped getting busted for a DUI or visiting any Chinese brothels, he should be fine. Check the trailer above.

If you think that Brett Favre's going to the Jets is the last we've seen of this soap opera taking over the NFL and every other sports media outlet, you are sorely mistaken.

Instead, Favre has transferred himself from the Land of Cheese to the Land of 24/7 media attention. Of course. given the attention he has already received, this will only get worse at this point. ESPN might as well give him his own channel: "All Favre all the time". He'll be a fixture on ESPN like the Yankees/Red Sox and every other athlete from the Eastern Seaboard. (My Personal Sour Grapes).

Favre-mania has already struck the Big Green Apple, according to TMZ.com. He broke the single day record of jersey sales and he hasn't even played yet. Maybe he'll be a hit in New York City. Right now it's the honeymoon period, but once the season starts its fair game. New York won't care about you when you mess up. Just ask Eli Manning, the QB on the world champs.

If you get off to a roaring start, they'll embrace you like they did Eli after the Super Bowl. Brett Favre could end up loving being a Jet. Or maybe, he'll live to regret this decision. Either way, he is, after all, the current Madden cover boy. Everyone will be tuning in to see the latest twist of "As the Favre Turns".

The Good

It's hard not give the #1-spot in the AFC East to the New England Patriots. They went 16-0 during the regular 2007 season and managed to keep 90% of their team in place for the 2008 season. The secondary, which was the weakest link on the field, lost both Randall Gay and Asante Samuel to free agency. This means nothing to the Patriots, whose organization reminds me of Phil Jackson's triangle offense. You plug another player in the scheme and the wheel keeps on rolling. Tom Brady is focused and so are Randy Moss and RB Laurence Maroney. This terrific trio = points, points and more points! They've also added RB Lamont Jordan to the roster who'll run the screen play nicely.

The success of the Buffalo Bills will begin and end with Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch. Edwards must continue to improve on his performance from last year and pull some games out with his arm. Lynch must be feeling mighty lucky to be on the field vs. the court room. He will need to improve one aspect of his game and become a dual threat out of the back field. To start, he needs to study Thurman Thomas' old tapes. It works, baby; it works.

The only sign of life down in Miami was the naming of Bill Parcells as the Executive Vice President of Football Operations and Tony Sparano as the head coach for the Dolphins. Bill Parcells still possesses the passion for the game and understands what it takes to build a Super Bowl contender and Tony Sparano believes in Bill Parcells.

The NY Jets have acquired the rights to future Hall-of- Fame QB Brett Favre for a conditional fourth round draft pick, enough said!!!

The Bad
The Buffalo Bills lost two, hard fought games in the 2007 regular season by 1-point. This had a lot to due with the immaturity of its players. They're still young, but having a successful season under their belt should increase their confidence.

*Side Note:* Brett Favre was traded to the NY Jets after I finished my article.

The NY Jets need a quarterback. Yes, both Kellen Clemons and Chad Pennington are on the roster, but neither is playoff ready. The WRs are speedy and the Jets need a quarterback that can get the ball down the field to Laveranues Coles. Adding Pro Bowlers Alan Faneca (G) and Tony Richardson (FB) should increase the possibilities. They can help with increasing Thomas Jones' yardage as well. Jones has yet to show that he can hold the #1 spot. On the defensive side of the ball, Captain Jonathan Vilma is now a Saint, but LB Calvin Pace should fit in nicely. He's ready to put his nightmare years in AZ behind him.

The NY Jets have acquired Brett Favre. If they don't make the playoffs, expect for hell to freeze over!

The New England Patriots offensive line was beat up and exposed during the Super Bowl. The NY Giants showed the rest of the league how to get it done against this high powered offense. With offensive lineman Nicholas Kaczur being popped in April for having 202 Oxycontin pills in his possession, will he be punished? Isn't that a violation of the leagues' substance abuse policy and illegal?

The Ugly
The Miami Dolphins are going to suck this year. Regardless of the fact that Bill Parcell's is the Executive V.P. of Football Operations. He can only put the personnel in place; he can't help them perform on the field. I'm a football fan first and foremost, but after scanning the roster of the Dolphins there were only 4 names that I recognized: Ricky Williams, Ronnie Brown, Ernest Wilford and Josh McCown. Noticeably absent? A notable defensive player. With 40 new players added to the Miami Dolphins roster, maybe they'll 5 games?

The Buffalo Bills will travel to Canada to play eight games -- five regular-season contests and three exhibition games -- in Toronto over the next five years. I was born and raised in Buffalo, and until the Sabers got hot, the Bills were all we had. The NFL's decision to allow these games to be played in Canada is testing the market. It's no secret that owner Ralph Wilson wants to sell the team. Seeing how 50% of the stadium is filled with folks from the North...it's only a matter of time before the team moves there too.

The Brett Favre soap opera in Green Bay has mercifully come to an end. The legendary QB was dealt to the Jets for a draft pick. The pick will be higher the better the Jets perform next season.

With a revamped roster, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines, the Jets are feeling optimistic despite a 4-12 record last season. Adding Favre further signals that they are focused on winning now. A division title is likely out of reach with the Patriots still around, but they have a good shot of coming in second and possibly making the playoffs.

For the Packers, the Aaron Rodgers era is now unquestionably underway. Even after Mike McCarthy's declaration on Tuesday that Favre would not be with the team this season, players expressed sentiments that the Packers' QB job was Favre's by-right. This move puts an end to those ideas.

Green Bay was also able to keep Favre out of the NFC North, after rumours that both the Vikings and Bears were interested in his services. Tampa Bay was another rumoured destination, and the Packers will face them on September 28. They do not face the Jets this season, which makes this deal even more attractive than a marginally better offer from a team like the Bucs.

Throughout this saga, the Green Bay front office has gone with the mantra "out of sight, out of mind" when it comes to Brett Favre. The debate has raged in the media about whether this is an appropriate way to treat the Hall-of-Famer, and Favre does not appear to appreciate the approach. Either way, it was time to move on, and now both sides can get back to business.

FoxSports is reporting that Brett Favre has been moved to the N.Y Jets for a variable draft pick. The draft pick is dependent on the production that Favre creates.

This would seem like a win-win for both parties involved, as the Packers ship Favre out of the conference to a team they likely wont face unless Favre is out there in a wheelchair ( 2012 ). The Jets get an extra quarterback on a squad that spent extensive money creating a powerful offensive line and tweaking an offense that was: (1) paltry at best last year; (2) that was lead by 2nd-year quarterback Kellen Clemens.

The question is now how does this fit work for the Jets, who play in a division led by the best of the best ( New England Patriots), the worst of the worst (Miami Dolphins) and the most mediocre ( Buffalo Bills) team in the league. They now, arguably, pose a wild card threat with a now bolstered air attack led by veteran Lavereneus Coles and breakout player Jerricho Cotchery.

More on this as it develops on your favorite sports blog, The Almighty BSO.

You know whats amazing to me? Bill Self can sign a 10-year 30-million dollar contract and no one will blink or bat an eye. John Calipari signed a contract extension through the 2012-13 season that includes an annual raise of $500,000 and a $5-million bonus if he stays through the end of the contract. Brandon Jennings shuns the NCAA and their ridiculous rules and he is criticized for making a decision that will allow him to take care of his family.

There are reports that Lebron James would listen to offers from European teams starting at 50 million dollars per year. Hold on let me insert the proper gif now:

Now lets talk about the reality of the situation.There is no way Lebron or any high profile basketball player is going to leave the United States for Europe. It makes sense for the Josh Childress types to make the move, but from a financial standpoint, it makes no sense for a Lebron, Kobe or DWade to make the switch simply because the marketing aspects and exposure in the United States will always be much greater.

So while it is fun to speculate, the closest Lebron will get to International ballin is those Chinese Brothels he and the crew have been visiting.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big fan of the "I already get special attention for being an athlete, but I should also be able to do whatever I want whenever I want" types in the sporting world. But, it's about time that we stop heaping all the blame on them for their behavior and start blaming the team management for allowing it to happen in the first place.

These hypocrites are the ones who allow guys to get away with counterproductive behavior like missing meetings/practices, blowing off charitable events, cussing out coaches, and throwing their teammates under the bus publicly. Then, when it's no longer convenient for them, or when the public/media finally gives them the necessary hall pass to get rid of said-player without ripping them for it, they not only trade/release the player but trash his reputation as well by putting everything that went on out there for the public to chew on.

More than likely the best division in football will be the NFC East... once again. The division known for it's physical play and fierce rivalries will definitely not disappoint this season. As we get closer to the season here are a few observations bubbling in my favorite division.

Philadelphia Eagles

Reasons To Be Optimistic
1. McNabb is healthy. Donovan is definitely a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback and an absolute beast when he's healthy. Always played at a high level even with average players around him. "5" knows this is possibly his last season in the Philly so he'll be motivated to play well and make team management think long and hard before they try to sell to the Philly fans that this team is better off with Kevin Kolb at the helm.

2. Impressive depth. The importance of staying healthy in the NFL simply can be the difference between winning and losing, coaches keeping their jobs or not. I think the injury factor is sometimes overlooked. The Eagles have really good depth at key areas like DB and defensive line and when the injuries hit (which they always do), they'll be more prepared to obsorb key losses than others.

3. Desean Jackson. The Eagles were terrible last year in average starting field position. This can be the difference between a bad offense and a decent offense. This can make a good offense a great offense. I don't know how much the undersized CAL receiver will flourish at wideout in his rookie season, but you'd have to think he definitely gives them a boost in the return game. If he does that he can be a difference maker.

Wide receiver Josh Jarboe was dismissed from the football team by coach Bob Stoops after a video of him rapping about guns and shooting people appeared on YouTube.

"We are disappointed in this outcome, but our complete review and this final decision is in the best interest of our program," Stoops said in a statement. "We outlined for Josh the expectations we had for him when he arrived and, unfortunately, those expectations have not been met. Josh needs to learn from this experience."

Let's stop right there....
Before anyone goes rushing into judgement on whether Stoops deserves kudos for dismissing this "distraction" from the team, let's get a little deeper in this issue.

Before signing with the Sooners, Josh had been arrested for bringing a stolen gun to his Georgia high school campus. He eventually pleaded guilty on two felony gun counts that a judge reduced to misdemeanors under Georgia's First Offender's Act, allowing Jarboe to initially keep his scholarship under OU policy.

*Pause*

Josh was ranked the 10th best receiver in the class of 2008 and ranked No. 69 overall by Rivals.com. He was widely considered one of the premier prospects in the Sooners recruiting class, which was ranked No. 6 by Rivals.

*Pause*

So, Stoops knew previously about the gun rap and still signed the kid. Jarboe was allowed to keep his scholarship after felony gun charges were lowered to misdemeanors. He was even promised a jersey number and a shot to start immediately.

So now the prize recruit makes a rap about what's heard all the time in "mainstream-rap" music and is booted off the team.

This is a strange turn from the coach who said, "Kick a guy off the team for what? We're starting to talk about everything kids say and do. Now we're in people's homes, in their private spaces."

This is a big joke. I honestly can say that if Stoops would have come out and said, "We as a University and a football team could not stand by the actions of a freshman who has not contributed to the program. I mean, c'mon this isn't Adrian Peterson we're talking about here. It's not even Dusty Dvoracek." I really could have handled that better than the outright PR mess that he spit out.

My biggest problem is that Josh didn't direct the freestyle at anyone, and there is no direct threat involved. Was it a very stupid thing to say, yes. However, the kid took no further action that would lead you to believe it was serious. The fact of the matter is that it was simply a horrible freestyle that he never should have done in the first place. To me, that alone isn't enough to kick someone off the team.

It's the typical double standard that unfortunately most schools use when dealing with discipline.

So, to sum up the Oklahoma reasoning, carrying a gun is okay, but rapping about it gets you kicked off the team...

Preseason isn't about winning or losing. It's about evaluating the players, and certainly the Giants have some tough decisions they'll need to make by the end of the month when the final rosters need to be formed. So don't get too hung up over the final score.

Look for the starters to play maybe a dozen snaps or so. It's all about the young kids who are looking to add depth to the team and for the team to emerge from the preseason opener relatively healthy. The outcome doesn't matter. What's more important, besides the coaches getting a chance to evaluate players, is that the team emerges from these preseason games as healthy as possible.

With David Tyree (knee/PUP) likely to start the season on PUP, Hixon, who also doubles as a kickoff returner and who has been seeing some work as a punt returner, seems to be well on his way to nailing down a roster spot, possibly as the third receiver behind Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer.

Meanwhile the original trio I thought would compete for the third receiver spot have struggled either with their performance or with health. Mario Manningham and Steve smith have missed practice time with injuries and Sinorice Moss, while healthy, has been inconsistent and has dropped some easy catches.

Kenny Phillips is making a strong case to earn playing time with the one's, and last week he finally did crack into the one's thanks to his aggressive play. Incumbents James Butler and Michael Johnson, who are currently penciled in as the starters, are not about to go quietly into the night although it would seem inevitable that Phillips, who thus far has shown to be an upgrade at the position, will be in there sooner than later.

QB David Carr found himself behind the eight ball when he opened up camp on the PUP list with a foot injury. Since returning to action, Carr has looked skittish in the pocket and often times unsure of himself as he goes through his reads. Head coach Tom Coughlin said that Carr knows the offense, but so far he hasn't been able to consistently translate that knowledge onto the field. He'll need a strong performance to move up the depth chart, and with Carr scheduled to see his snaps after Anthony Wright. It will be interesting to see how he does behind a makeshift offensive line when many of the players might not last beyond the first cut down date.

Safeties James Butler and Michael Johnson are penciled in as the starters, but rookie Kenny Phillips has been getting noticed for his aggressive play and his uncanny ability to be in the right position to knock balls away (not to mention knock people down), Phillips is making a very strong case for a starting role. Meanwhile, veteran Sammy Knight was added in the off-season as insurance and he too has been having a strong camp. Johnson and Butler certainly have their hands full with these two worthwhile challengers.

The Giants are still trying to find their punt and kickoff returners. Among the candidates for kick returner are Domenik Hixon, Michael Jennings, Craphonso Thorpe and Ahmad Bradshaw. The punt returner candidates include R.W. McQuarters, Bradshaw, Jennings and Hixon. The criteria, of course, are ball security first, breakaway speed second, so this will be an area worth keeping an eye on.The Giants are 18-20-1 vs. Detroit and 4-9-1 in preseason. The last time these two teams met was in 2007 when the Giants beat Detroit 16-10 at Ford Field.

The soap opera overtaking the NFL to the point we might as well call it the National Favre League, has taken another turn. On Sunday, as I was watching the Hall of Fame game to cheer on my Colts in what was nothing but a mere exhibition game, they kept continuously interrupting the telecast with Favre's plane landing in Green Bay. With the coverage that was getting, you would think the President arrived. But no, it's Brett Favre who was going to be reinstated by Roger Goodell and added to the Green Bay roster.

There was supposed to be an open competition between Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. That, however, never happened because Brett Favre met with the Packers about his future and Brett said that he didn't want to compete with Aaron for the starting gig. So now, Aaron Rodgers is the starter of the Green Bay Packers, for now at least.

Apparently Brett and the Packers are at a stalemate and it looks like for now he's going to be traded since they are at a stalemate. Frankly at this point, I hope they send Brett Favre to Siberia because the NFL is being hijacked by this soap opera. There are other teams and players far more interesting and talented to cover, but no, they are all taking a backseat to Favre.

I don't care how this ends. Just let this end. This is truly the worst Madden Curse EVER! Of course with Favre he could change his mind entirely and accept the backup gig by the time you finish reading this post.

Check out the video:

During this entire offseason soap-opera starring Brett Favre, a lot of talk has been made about how the situation has affected Aaron Rodgers. Many people talk about how Rodgers doesn't deserve to start over Favre, and many others say that he is getting a raw deal.

When you are a first-round pick and all you've done is play a handful of snaps over the past 3 seasons while still collecting on that 5-year $7.7 million contract, there is nothing to whine about. As far as I'm concerned, Rodgers has it made. However, in all the talk about possible trade destinations for Favre, one man continues to get disrespected at will:

Minnesota Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson

The former second round draft choice from Alabama State (and previously the University of Arkansas) begins his 3rd season with one eye clearly peeking over his shoulder pads. He's been criticized as the weak link on a team with Super Bowl aspirations. He doesn't have stellar numbers, but he really hasn't had much to work with considering that his 'best' receivers were Bobby Wade and Sidney Rice last season.

Not exacly the '98 Vikings in terms of receiving talent. Yet everyone in the world believes Favre will somehow be the ultimate difference for the Vikings. Somehow, it's ok to dismiss Jackson and stunt his growth at a position that requires game experience and practice reps to improve. Jackson is easily dismissed because he came from an HBCU and the mainstream media know little about him. And while Jackson has maintained a positive outlook on the situation, he can't be too happy about his team possibly pulling a "Charlie Brown" on his starting job.

Let me make one thing clear. I don't think Aaron Rodgers is going to be a good NFL quarterback and I think Brett Favre gives the Packers to the best chance to get to the Super Bowl. Now with that being said, if I was Rodgers I would punching the Packers Management in the mouth "Steve Smith" style for all the BS they are putting him through.

This is the equivalent of a woman who has told you for years that she loves you and she wants to be with you, but just didn't have the stomach to get rid of her long-time boyfriend. Finally, after going back and forth with the boyfriend, he finally decides that he wants to move and she is relived because she can finally start the life with you she has been promising you for years.

Of course months later, the ex-boyfriend has a "Change of Heart" ala the Game's girlfriend and wants to come back.

Your new woman whispers all these sweet nothings in your ear about no matter what the ex-boyfriend says, she is committed to you and will do her best to get rid of the Ex. So she tries to pass him off on one of her ugly friends (Jets or Bucs), but he wants the really pretty friend (Vikings). She tries to offer him a yearly one-stand for the next 10 years just so he will go away, and she even threatens to force him to watch you two play "bedgammon" while he sit on the sidelines.

In the end though, you knew just like she knew and he knew that they were destined to get back together, and you were going to get screwed. That my friends is the situation Aaron Rodgers is in. The bad part is he will be the one sitting on the sidelines while his girl is all "hugged" up with her ex. In the immortal words of Mike Tyson, I am sure Rodgers would love to "Fade to Bolivia" right about now.

Why would the Nuggets send off Camby for nothing when they know Martin and Nene will visit the IR as early as their next sudden movement? To save money? They would have dumped Kenyon or Nene to save money this season if they could have, but they couldn't, because no one wants them.

So they sent Camby, the only one that they could. Since joining the Nuggets, Martin has only appeared in 49 percent of his team's games. Nene, in the past four seasons, has appeared in only 41 percent of the games. Making matters worse is the fact these guys might hold the two most untradeable contracts in the league. Right. And that's why they moved Camby.

You don't have to like the fact that the Camby trade was the purest of pure salary dumps. No one does. But you DO have to acknowledge it. Particularly when you're trying to immerse yourself into the Nuggets's logic. Martin is owed roughly $45 million over the next three seasons. Nene is on the hook for four more years and $43 million.

What's going on here? Do the Nuggets actually believe these guys are good enough to play big roles, and that they'll hold up physically? No. They f*cked up. The guy responsible for the first f*ck-up got fired, and the guy responsible for the second is being mandated to tidy it up. The Marcus Camby trade was part of the collateral damage. I feel like I'm repeating this, but it's somewhat integral. Above, you correctly identify Nene and Kenyon Martin as very untradeable contracts.

First, let me say this information is coming from the Chinese version of the National Inquiry so take it for what it is worth. Secondly, the best thing about Melo, DWade and The King getting some "Love Me Long Time" affection is that Kobe Bryant wasn't with them because, if he were, that would have been an international incident. See your BonaFide Sports Expert will travel continents to provide you with stories you just won't get anywhere else. Now I got this as a tip from a Chinese reader who obviously though I could read Chinese because the story is in Chinese. Thanks to the handy "Google Translator," I can bring it to you in English. If the USA doesn't bring home the Gold Medal, we can all blame the Chinese prostitutes.

Jon Koncak, Atlanta Hawks. The Damage: six years, 13 million dollars. The Legacy: Believe it or not, the Hawks haven't always been the NBA's biggest joke.
There was a time when Atlanta didn't have to throw free Hammer concerts to draw fans. And there was a time when Atlanta's owners didn't interfere with trades or draft picks.

Bryant Reeves, Vancouver Grizzlies. The Damage: six years, 66 million dollars. The Legacy: Good teams make smart decisions, while bad teams make terrible decisions. For example, the Vancouver Grizzlies, the worst team in NBA history, gave Bryant Reeves a 66 million dollar contract extension.

Jim McIlvaine The Damage: 5 years, 35 million dollars. The Legacy: Jim McIlvaine destroyed the Seattle Sonics. Who? Jim McIlvaine! His contract set off events that destroyed the great Sonic teams of the 1990's.

Juwan Howard: 108 million dollars Howard hasn't done much since scoring a huge deal with the Bullets/Wizards in 1996. There's always Michigan. Keith Van Horn: "Max Contract " He was the NBA's version of Where is Waldo? Van Horn did time in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, New York, New Jersey and Dallas. He's now out of the NBA.

Raef LaFrentz: 63 million dollars Dan Issel tortured him in Denver. Of course, Dallas gave LaFrentz 63 million dollars even though he didn't fit in with former Mavs' Coach Don Nelson. He's apparently in Portland, but I didn't see him last year.

Anfernee Hardaway: 87 million dollars Phoenix gave him a monster deal based on his years in Orlando. Penny did nothing in the desert before ending up in New York. Whatever happened to those Lil Penny commercials? Yogi Stewart: 24 million dollars Erick Dampier: 63 million dollars 'Damp' had some decent years in Golden State. Dallas gave him 63 million dollars. The Mavs and Mark Cuban should ask for a refund. Allan Houston: 100 million dollars After inking a mega-deal with the Knicks, Houston injured his knee. The fan favorite was never the same and retired a few years ago. Apparently, the former sharp-shooter is scheming on a comeback. Brian Cardinal: 37 million dollars He makes nice money for a 12th man.

Cardinal's contract wasn't one of Jerry West's finer moments. Even The Logo makes mistakes-just don't tell Kobe Bryant! Howard Eisley: 41 million dollars Allan Houston $100 million dollars Jerome Williams $51 Million dollars Michial Dickerson $ 43 millions Jayson Williams $ 90 Million

According to TMZ.com, Paul Pierce was pulled over at 3:30 AM when police noticed he was "driving erratically". The cops smelled alcohol coming from the car. He took a Breathalyzer test which he passed. Despite committing an illegal lane change, the cops let him go because it was a minor thing. So if there is no DUI what's the story?

The story is that, since he won an NBA title, he's letting this newfound fame get to his head. Its one thing to declare yourself the best basketball player in the world, but it's another to get behind the wheel after tossing back some alcohol and quite possibly endangering not only your life but the lives of others on the road.

Dude you are worth millions of dollars. How hard is it to pay someone to drive you wherever you go? I mean isn't that the perk of being rich to be able to pay people to do things for you? The Celtics made an investment in you to not get caught up in this sort of thing. The least you could do is oblige. Just because you weren't legally drunk this time does not mean you will be so lucky the next time.

Hail to the Redskins!

Words cannot describe how it feels to see two of my favorite players ever, Darrell Green and Art Monk, get their just due Saturday night with their Hall of Fame inductions. It was, most definitely, a burgundy-and-gold night; even Emmitt Thomas has some 'Skins ties because he was a longtime assistant and was Green's position coach.

The crowd was full of Skins fans, and it was lovely watching our team finally get some real love from national TV and not just bashing of the owner and speculation on who he might blow some money on next. (Seriously, it gets tired hearing Dan Snyder's name come up every time a big name player becomes available or disgruntled).

It was especially heartwarming to see Art get his. One of my first pieces here on BlackSportsOnline was about Art's continued snub by the HOF voters and how his career was every bit as notable as dudes that had already gotten in like James Lofton and Lynn Swann. Now that he's in, I won't have to go on and on about how stupid I think so called experts like Peter King and Dr. Z are. Congrats fellas, and Hail to the Redskins!

I would personally like to apologize to Carolina Panthers cornerback Ken Lucas. When the news first spread that he was beat down by Steve Smith, I assumed it was a fair fight. But after about 30 or so emails from people across the nation, I have now learned that Lucas was indeed "sucker punched" by Steve Smith. Nothing funny about that, and I hope the injuries he sustained don't affect his season.

As far as Steve Smith goes, he was suspended for two games by the Carolina Panthers which I applaud them for doing. In reality, after getting the details of the altercation, I would have kicked him off the team. This isn't the first, but the second time Smith has "sucker punched" a teammate and seriously injured them. I don't care how good a player he is, that isn't the type of player that I would want on my team. He is a coward and a punk in my opinion, and someone who surely should be classified as one of the "bad" guys in the league.

The Queen of BlackSportsOnline, Ms. Amber Fox, graces the pages of the latest issue of Show Magazine which is on news-stands right now. Ms. Fox talks about her love of football and her work with BlackSportsOnline. Since Amber is supporting us, I am asking you to support her by going out and picking up a copy of the mag.

But, there is more. Amber is also is being featured in an exclusive photo shoot at PLAYBOY.COM. Now I would post those pics, but the FCC would shut me down immediately. They are that hot! So go to PLAYBOY.COM and sign up for their member section to see Amber in all her glory.

Finally, you can always catch Amber at her own site:

According to ESPN.com, Josh Howard was arrested for drag racing back in his hometown of Winston-Salem, NC. He is charged with speeding (94 mph in a 55 mph zone), careless and reckless driving, and speed competition. He has now been released from the Forsyth County jail on a written promise to appear in court Sept. 23.

One would think that Josh Howard would've learned something from his comments about publically admitting to smoking the ganga during the offseason. Now if you want to smoke weed, that is your personal business. I do not find it to be worse than alcohol as far as side effects are concerned. However, one would think that you would not admit something like that publically given how weed is a no-no in the NBA.

Then it was revealed you were having a big birthday party before your elimination game in the playoffs. Now, partying is not that bad but it does not help counter the image that you are a lazy bum.

Now, you have really done it by drag racing and being busted for it. Normally, if you want to drag race, I would not care. But, you are a professional athlete where your arms and legs make your bread and butter. I do not get how you or any pro athlete are so willing to throw it all away by being reckless?

Did you not see how Ben Roethlisberger almost died by riding a motorcycle without a helmet? Or how Jay Williams destroyed his career by doing the same thing? Look if you want to do this instead of play basketball, then retire. But until then, you need to stay out of this sort of thing. You are starting to be more trouble than you are worth, and if I am Cuban, I would seriously consider counting down the days till your contract is up so I can dump you.

Steve Smith has anger issues and not normal anger issues. He has like OJ anger issues. Smith laid the "smack down" to Ken Lucas at Panthers' practice today. Now when I say Smith laid the smack down, I mean Lucas had to be carried off on a cart.

*Hold Please*

Sorry, I am back now. Had to get that off of my chest. Let's go over the tale of the tape for our combatants:

Steve Smith: 5'9" 185 pounds

Ken Lucas: 6'1" 200 pounds

*Hold Please*

Let's go over the details of the fight. Here are some quotes from ESPN.com & Profootballtalk.com.

Carolina Panthers cornerback Ken Lucas was carted off the field with an ice pack above his left eye Friday after a fight with teammate Steve Smith.

In the end, Lucas had a large gash under his eye and a bloody face.

*Hold Please*

In all seriousness though, Steve Smith has a problem. This isn't the first time that he has beat down a teammate. In 2002, he punched teammate Anthony Bright in the film room. If I were the Panthers, I would suspend him for at least two regular season games, but, of course, they won't do that because he is their entire offense. And there is a double standard when it comes to star players and discipline.

On a related note, and I don't know how many times I can point this out. I thought T.O., Chad Johnson and Randy Moss were the bad guys? Can you imagine the media attention if this were Terrell Owens as opposed to Steve Smith. Just remember the media will try to manipulate you into believing who is a "bad" guy and who is a "good" guy, but it is never that clear. It is obvious Steve Smith needs some serious help, but I guarantee this story will be forgotten by next week. It isn't a black or white thing. It is a "who-the-media-likes" thing. And, honestly, that is the sad state of the biased mainstream media.

According to ESPN.com, there was a skirmish today at Carolina Panthers camp. Apparently there was a fight between receiver Steve Smith and cornerback Ken Lucas. Lucas had to be carted off the field with ice pack over his eye.

This is Smith's second-time prescribing ass-whoopings to his teammates. Back in 02, he even got sued by the teammate, Anthony Bright, after he hit him. My suggestion is that they better leave Steve alone.

We hear about child support everyday. For those of you who are not familiar with child support, the true definition of child support is: funding for the child. Well, Tracy McGrady's babymama was granted $54,000 a year.

Get this though. At first, Ms. Pearl Vega wanted $204,000 a year to match McGrady's $21.6 million annual income. The reason for all of that is because she felt like McGrady's other children in wedlock were getting more such as a 16,000 birthday party for 40 kids with a magician, clown, face painter, games and music. Also his other children go on trips and do more fun things.

I mean that's what families do,am I correct? The whole thing in a nutshell is that she is trying to live a lifestyle that she never had. Getting child support from McGrady will change her whole life around because she plans to use the money to attend college as a fulltime student, get a full-time nanny and other domestic help because she knows that McGrady shares a six-bedroom, 23,000-square-foot house with a pool outside Houston with his wife and three children. He spends $5,000 per month on a chef and $1,732 for a housekeeper and his FAMILY spends about $45,000 per month for personal travel, sometimes on private jets.

My personal thought is: Why isn't this out of wedlock child included in any of these activities? Reguardless of the fact that it isn't his wife's child, its still his child and he/she should know her extended family. Correct? Maybe it's just me, but in the long run, sisters and brothers will need each other in the future. As far as the babymama, just goes to show that she isn't a "go getta". There are financial aid programs and grants she can get to further her career. Come on now Pearl, don't use your baby as a excuse to live your fantasy lifestyle.

Iyuana

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What are you waiting for? Learn more about the beautiful Iyuana at her website.

With the NFL and College Football rapidly approaching (1st NFL Preseason Game this Sunday), BlackSportsOnline has you covered. In the month of August we will be on an all-out Buddy Ryan 85 Bears football blitz. What can you look forward to?

THE RETURN OF AMBER FOX VIDEO NFL PICKS IN THE SUPERMODEL VS. BONAFIDE SPORTS EXPERT CHALLENGE.

THE BONA FIDE SPORTS EXPERT ROBERT LITTAL WEEKLY MR. T GOLD CHAINS BONAFIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL LOCKS.

THE 10 FANTASY FOOTBALL COMMANDMENTS.

THE LOVING IYUANA GRIT & GRIME GOSSIP COLUMN NFL STYLE.

PREVIEWS OF ALL 32 NFL TEAMS AND THE MOST EXTENSIVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW ONLINE FROM THE OUTSTANDING WRITERS OF BSO.

ROBERT LITTAL'S 5 GUARANTEED LOCKS FOR THE NFL SEASON.

SUPER BOWL AND BCS TITLE PREDICTIONS FROM ALL OF YOUR FAVORITE BSO WRITERS.

THE ONLY POLL THAT MATTERS: THE BLACKSPORTSONLINE BONAFIDE 10 COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL.

That is just a tip of the iceberg. So make sure you're checking the site every day because, I know, you know, and the whole world knows, that nobody and I mean nobody covers the world of sports like "Ya Boy" Robert Littal and BlackSportsOnline.

Not the Boston Red Sox! They wanted to trade Manny Ramirez so badly they sent him and $7 million to the Dodgers. And, Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss went to the Pirates. All they got in return was Jason Bay, a two-piece snack with a biscuit, no cole slaw and not even a cup of water!

Manny's annoying but that annoying? The Boston Red Sox have effectively closed the books on their postseason. There is no way they're getting deep in the playoffs without Ramirez protecting Ortiz! The Yankees can walk Papi now with impunity! What are the Red Sox going to do? Threaten them with Jason Bay?

Don't get me wrong. Bay is having a great year! Actually he's having a better year statiscally than Manny is. But come postseason I don't see the Yankees, Rays, or Angels' even remotely fearing the idea of pitching to Bay straight up.

But that's not the only head scratching trade today.