July 2009 Archives

Editors Note: I know the summer is not over, but all the important moves have been made and anything after Odom resigning isn't front page news...Well other than Boozer being traded...which still isn't that big of deal....

Professional basketball fans across the nation were able to enjoy a pretty active Off-season for their beloved NBA. Certain franchises felt the need to improve, while others decided to pursue mediocrity for various reasons.

So, here are some things that I took from the summer that was.....

Sources close to Lamar Odom have told BSO that Odom will re-sign with the Lakers.

Odom will sign a 4 year 33 million dollar contract to stay with the champs.

Brett Favre is Jay Z. Like Hova, he has a fanatical following to whom he has given classical performances. Favre is considered by some, the greatest quarterback of all time. Yes, he has his share of haters, but his numbers are proven and the gunslinger is arguably better than most of his younger peers.

On the flipside, while no one has ever questioned his talent, throughout the years he has produced some duds, lost a few battles, and had some questionable dealings with management. But, even though it appeared harder for him to sustain his brilliance, he could drop a classic at anytime, and always commanded respect from his opponents.

On August 4, 2009, we will be hosting an online auction to raise money in order for Golden Sierra Life Skills to continue to teach and guide those in need. The auction will be hosted online by MissionFish.org - a site that is partnered with eBay and eBay Giving Works to fundraise and conduct auctions for non-profit organizations.

To kick off the online auction, six items will be up for bid including:

Lamar Odom holds not only his fate, but the fate of the whole league in his hands. If he resigns with the Lakers they are clearly the favorites to repeat. And if he decides to take the offer from the Miami Heat that could change the balance of power in the East.

Obviously, Odom would prefer to stay with the Lakers. The Miami Heat offer has been on the table the last couple of weeks and hasn't changed. The only thing differennce is D. Wade has flown to LA to try and recruit Odom, but the money has stayed the same. And reports are that Lakers owner Jerry Buss has actually dropped his initial offer.

Everyone is assuming that the exchange of Ron Artest for Trevor Ariza makes the Lakers a better team. Right now Artest is a better all-around player than Ariza, but may not be a better fit for the Lakers. Ariza knew his role as a defender and spot of 3-point shooter and didnt demand the ball fir perfectly with a team that has Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Artest likes and needs the ball in his hands. How is he going to fit in the triangle offense? Artest is not a great stand still 3 point shooter. So thinking that Artest can take the place of both Odom and Ariza is comincal when he may not even be as good a fit for the Lakers as Ariza was.

ESPN RISE Announces 2009 Boost Mobile Elite 24 Event

Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Tristan Thompson Lead First Roster Reveal

ESPN RISE will hold the fourth annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 event, the nation's premier elite high school boys basketball event for underclassmen, Saturday, August 22 at New York City's Rucker Park, 7 p.m. E.T. Featuring 24 of the top high school basketball players from across the nation, Boost Mobile Elite 24 players are selected by a committee of high school basketball experts: ESPN RISE Magazine, ESPN Scouts, Inc. and other leading talent evaluators. Players are selected based on their performance at AAU tournaments and national summer camps.

Leading the first 12 players selected for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 are Harrison Barnes, a class of 2010 shooting guard from Ames High School (Ames, Iowa), No. 1 in the ESPNU 100; Jared Sullinger, a class of 2010 power forward from Northland High School (Columbus, Ohio), No. 4 in the ESPNU 100; and Tristan Thompson, a class of 2010 power forward from Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), No. 2 in the ESPNU 100. Barnes will make his debut in the 2009 event, while Sullinger and Thompson will return for a consecutive appearance. Thompson's Findlay Prep played in the ESPN RISE National High School invitational in April 2009; he and his team won the tournament's championship game.

After weeks of dunk contests, ten semifinalists have been selected from among amateur dunkers across the U.S., and it is now up to the fans to select which four dunkers will go on to compete in the first-ever Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown at NBA All-Star 2010 in Dallas, Texas.

Fans can visit NBA.com/dunk to watch dunks from each of the ten semifinalists and vote on who they think should be flown to NBA All-Star in February to compete for the chance to be crowned the Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown Champion. The winner will receive a grand prize of $10,000 and will attend the Sprite Slam Dunk contest during NBA All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 13, 2010.

Today while driving home from work, listening to sports talk radio (Keep up the good work Mike Missanelli), I heard breaking news that Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away. He lost his fight with melanoma. A somber, and sad way for the birds to start their training camp. He will be missed.

Its clear even at the early stages of the fight that Cotto is the underdog here, and that many people see Manny even stopping Cotto. Personally, I wouldn't count out Cotto just yet. I hope Cotto make this underdog thing to heart like in the fight he had with Quintana. He was a true beast that night after taking some devastating punches from Quintana.

Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush broke up. That is unfortunate hopefully it will improve his on field performance. But that is not what is important now, since she is a free agent I have decided to make an offer. Hopefully she won't take as long as Lamar Odom to make up her mind, but here are my Top 10 Reasons why Kim Kardashian should date me.

1- I am Robert Littal.

The Dog Whisperer is finally free to sign with an NFL team after Roger Goddell finally laid down the hammer on him. Here are the stipulations per our friends at ProFootballTalk.com

"He is eligible to participate "without delay" in training camp, and he may play in the final two preseason games played by the team with which he signs.

The league also announced that former Bucs and Colts coach Tony Dungy has agreed to work as an advisor and mentor to Vick."

I am going to be honest when I first saw this picture (after I checked out the girls) this is what I thought.

Have you ever read something and it sent chills down your spine? When I saw this tweet from now deceased former welterweight champion Vernon Forrest I felt sick.

My first thought was maybe it was just one of those fake twitter pages.

A lot of people start accounts under celebrities or athletes names just because they don't have anything better to do.

The page does not have a lot of followers (only 242 at the time I am writing this) so my first thought was it was a fake until I saw a tweet from July 23rd.

I will not post the picture associated with the Tweet, but it stated:

Details are very limited at this time, but this is what is being reported by the AJC:

I remember an interview with Allen Iverson shortly after Kobe Bryant was accused of rape. They were asking A.I. if he could believe someone with such a "clean cut" image as Kobe could commit such a crime. His answer was so simple yet so profound that I find myself using the quote often. He simply said:

"Everyone has a little dirt under their fingernails."

So Lebron smoked the "Ricky Williams" in high school and this is news why?

Very similar to the ESPN Outside the Lines crew who seem perplexed about what goes on in strip clubs, high school kids smoking weed is not a phenomenon.

As Michael Vick gets ready to return to the NFL, either this coming season or the one after if he's suspended by Roger Goodell, there's has been and will be a great deal of chatter over who should take a chance on him, who shouldn't, and what role he will play. And a lot of that will hinge on perception of just how good Vick was as a QB before he got in trouble. The battle lines have seemingly been drawn already; Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio is on the side of those who think Vick should settle for nothing less than a full time quarterback slot for an NFL team while ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd can be counted among those who believe that Vick wasn't very good before and shouldn't be given anything more than a limited role when he comes back. So what's the truth here? Was Vick a great QB or an average one? Or neither? Is his past perfromance worthy of an eventual starting gig, or should he be permanently relegated to a Wildcat role? (I will be so glad when that offense is out of style; I hate hearing stupid radio people talk about it. It's up there with 'bling bling' right now for me). What does the evidence say?

There is nothing wrong with going to strip club. It's perfectly legal and since Michael Vick is now a free man he can do whatever he likes.

With that being said when I heard that Vick was spotted at a strip club with Allen Iverson of all people three words came to mind:

The NCAA may finally have met their match. Former UCLA superstar and NCAA champion Ed O'Bannon filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA looking to get a piece of the licensing pie. O'Bannon in his lawsuit isn't asking for the players to be paid while they're in school, but for them to be able to get some form of compensation for the use of their images, jerseys etc. after they're out of school.

Right now the NCAA doesn't allow former or current players to receive any money from the billion dollar licensing business they run. This includes: video games, jerseys, DVD's sold and whatever other way the NCAA can find to make money off of these players images. The lawsuit says that the players are forced as freshman to sign over their rights for use of their likeness. They either sign the paper and agree to this or they can't go to school and play ball. So the NCAA basically takes advantage of young kids who really have no concept of what they're signing over. Think about all the championship DVD's that you see advertised every year after someone wins the championship. All that additional revenue doesn't go to the players. This is an additional billion dollar industry aside from the basic television contracts that the NCAA benefits from.

This video is courtesy of Ebaumnation.com.

They definitely get all the credit on this one. They scooped TMZ.com with a lot better quality video.

Am I the only one who thinks this Lebron video is taking on a "Blair Witch Project" feel? Maybe once TMZ.com debuts the video (6:45PM Eastern) they can turn their attention to some other great mysteries.

Did John Wilkes Booth have help killing Abraham Lincoln?

Was there really someone on the grassy knoll?

What role did the FBI play in the murder of Martin Luther King?

Why in the Disney Cartoons Goofy could speak, but not Pluto? They were both dogs. (that has been bothering me for years)?

Most importantly I want to know:

Here are some quick thoughts about what's going on in sports news. I'm offering my opinion on some of the topics out right now from the Erin Andrews video to Mike Vick to my non-sports beef. Enjoy.

I am going to break this down in two sections so we can clear up some misconceptions. First let me say I am getting most of my info from the great Mike Florio at Profootballtalk.com who does an outstanding job getting all of the inside scoop.

Somebody needs to help me out here. Like most people, I drank the 'Joe Dumars is an excellent GM' Kool Aid. Well, this summer has made me pour my glass right down the drain. His moves have defied logic to the point that his entire tenure needs to be re-examined. That whole Darko Millicic pick is looking more and more like the norm and not the exception now. Is Dumars another Isaiah Thomas, or am I hitting him a little too hard here? When it's time to evaluate GMs, you look at a few things: draft picks (not just who they took but when they did it), free agency (who they signed and who they let leave), and trades. And then you look at the wins and losses. You can make smart picks but if they add up to a losing team then you failed. So how does he fare? Let's see:

Trades:

Overall, he's done a good job here. Three of the starting five on the 2004 title team were acquired by trades, so he clearly knows what he's doing here. He was able to turn what was looking like a free agent loss in Grant Hill into a sign and trade that landed Ben Wallace. Rip Hamilton was acquired for Jerry Stackhouse, who was a better individual player but didn't fit in as well with his teammates. And he got Rasheed Wallace in a three way deal for essentially a bunch of bench players a first round pick. Nothing to hate on there. Trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson did what it was supposed to - create cap space for this summer and beyond. There have been other deals, but these are the most significant ones. Top to bottom, Dumars grades out well here.

Nearing the trade deadline (7/31), MLB teams will be shopping and selling players to help improve their clubs. Good teams will be interested in acquiring talent to help make a push for the post season and possibly a championship. Lousy teams will be interested in acquiring young players who can turn the team into a contender down the line. Average teams have the luxury of choosing whether to compete now, rebuild, or do nothing.

Michael Jordan has finally made it to the Hall of Fame!! In celebration, Gatorade released a Limited Edition Jordan series package. The package is dedicated to MJ's soar to greatness and is titled "23 Then. Now. Forever." Only 23 tastemaker packages were created. The package includes a Gatorade "G" sports towel, six limited edition Gatorade bottles signed by Michael Jordan and an exclusive Sony portable reader system with a special message from MJ himself.

Yes you read correctly, Ben Roethlisberger from Super Bowl champ to accused rapist. According to ProFootballTalk via MSNBC,

In the civil suit, which Cornwell confirms was served on Roethlisberger over the weekend and a copy of which our own Gregg Rosenthal has obtained, McNulty alleges that Roethlisberger asked her to come to his hotel room to fix the television, and that he thereafter forced her to have sex with him.

No suspension. No punishment. No banishment. Nothing should happen to Michael Vick now that he has finished his nineteen month sentence for financing a dog fighting ring.

It is over. No matter what PETA says, no matter what ESPN says & no matter what you think. It is over.

Is Dog fighting wrong? Absolutely.

Did Michael Vick deserve nineteen months in jail for it? Absolutely not.

Shaq, always the entertainer, has a new reality show set for August 18 on ABC that pits him against other top athletes in their own sports. According to the AZ Central,

Filming begins Wednesday in Pittsburgh, where Shaq takes on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in football. Future hourlong episodes will pit him against Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, retired boxer Oscar De La Hoya, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, tennis pro Serena Williams and beach volleyball Olympians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh

"I'm not trying to buy her off. She just has a lump sum to help her move on."

I looked at that statement by Richard Jefferson in regards to the six figure lump sum he paid to his former fiancé' Kesha Ni'cole Nichols.

The same Kesha Ni'cole Nichols that Jefferson left standing at the alter by breaking up with her via email.

For a long time as I stared at the statement I had the Chris Webber face.

Here is the video that made Pacman Jones a household name. It shows the events leading up to the unfortunate shooting. I will let you be the judge and jury.

Thanks to Dimewars.com and ESPN for the clip.

The Red Carpet of the 2009 ESPYs was the place to be to get up close and personal with some of your favorite athletes. BlackSportsOnline was on the scene on a very bright and very hot day in Los Angeles.

One of the first people I was able to speak to was fellow Ohio State Alumni Santonio Holmes. At first we chatted a bit about the life and times on High Street in Columbus, Oh, but then got down to whether the Steelers could repeat. Santonio said he was looking forward to the upcoming season and believes that this could truly be his break out year.

Terrell Owens had a VH1 premiere party in LA at the Sky Bar in the Mondrian Hotel. It was star studded affair.

Our friends at Radaronline.com was able to get an exclusive interview with T.O. here is a transcript of that.

www.blogtalkradio.com/jmkcool2002

JK Live will be talking to the commissioner of the United Football League Michael Huyghue about the state of his league, the relationship he plans to have with the NFL and other things like that which pertain to his league.

When we talk about athletes we speak about "aura" a lot.

It is obvious to see what separates the legends from the very good. Vince Carter is a very good player, but Kobe Bryant is a legend. Chad Pennington is a very good quarterback, but Tom Brady is a legend. In essence some people just have a star quality that outshines their competitors.

The same could be said in regards to women. I will be the first to admit I have been blessed to have met and befriended some beautiful women in my day.

Honestly the young lady who helped me cover the ESPYs killed 99% of the ladies on the red carpet (sorry no picture but you can follow her on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/StilettoJill). The young lady who I went to the after party with (http://www.twitter.com/stepupangie) people kept stopping us because they thought she was Kim Kardashian (no one thought I was Reggie Bush by the way. Shocking isn't it).

At UFC 100 on July 11, Brock Lesnar convincingly defeated Frank Mir in front of a hostile crowd and millions of viewers at home to unify the UFC heavyweight championship. By now you have probably heard about Brock Lesnar's post-fight rant at UFC 100 on Saturday night. What you may not know is what may have led up to that rant.

Let me introduce (or re-introduce to hardcore tennis fans), Richard Gasquet.

He has been cleared to play again by the International Tennis Federation, who had banned Gasquet for 75 days due to some doping violations. He tested positive for cocaine.

The circumstances behind his drug use is where the story gets funny....borderline hilarious.

Just when you think we've had enough domestic drama of pro athletes this month(or in the case of McNair and Gatti ex-athletes), we have Richard Jefferson of the Spurs calling off his weddding which he dropped $2 million on hours before it was set to begin. According to the NY Post

"He called about two hours before the wedding. It was nuts," said one Jefferson pal.

Jefferson's guests made good use of the credit card to party on their pal's dime.

Steve McNair isn't a Hall of Famer

I know this probably isn't the best time to go here, but I had to because we all know that there's a tendency to overstate people's greatness when they pass on, especially if it's early. There was some discussion of McNair's Hall of Fame worthiness when he retired, with the verdict coming down against. Now some chatter came up again, and it needs to be said definitively that he isn't, and that the sportswriters who choose not to vote for him aren't being racist. When you look at all the metrics that we can measure him by, he come up short across the board. No rings, no eye popping stats, a .500 playoff record, and only three Pro Bowls. The only things in his favor are his MVP award in 2003 and his 30,000 passing yards, which don't mean as much as they used to (28 other quarterbacks have at least 30,000 passing yards and only half of them are or will be Hall of Famers). He was very good, often great, but he just didn't pass the necessary benchmarks to cement his case.

There is a golden rule in #manlaw that you do not break when engaging your enemy in the 'Art of War' and that is don't talk about his momma or wifey.

In attempt to resuscitate his career gagging on the days when he use to rock shows with the general 50 Cent and the G-Unit army, The Game has been reduced to attempts to make 'songs cry' in imaginary beef inducing freestyles in front of crowds in Paris,France and Madrid,Spain while in Europe on his Lamborghini Tour. After "letting Jay-Z's old ass slide" for calling him out in a bar during a show in Vegas, The Game decides to up the ante with a few bars taking shots at "Gay-Z" and wife, Beyonce and a bevy of NBA and NFL teams.

So the Blazers signed Paul Milsap to an offer sheet; I'm really not sure what to think of that. He's a good player, and the money wasn't ridiculous (4 years, $32 million), so it isn't a bad deal really. But I do wonder where he's going to play. LaMarcus Aldridge is the starting power forward, and Milsap isn't big enough to play center. Do they plan on moving Aldridge to center? He's not big enough for that, and they already have a capable starting center in Joel Pryzbilla and a backup they invested a first round pick in (Greg Oden). I do think that paying $32 million for a backup power forward is a bit much, so they must have something else in mind. But that isn't my real topic here. That would be the question the Blazers front office will have to ask themselves soon: do they stick with the youth movement they have going on or do they scrap it and get old to win big in the short run?

The roster they've assembled argues pretty well for the former, but history rules in favor of the latter. The Blazers have an oustanding collection of young players; of their nine regulars, only two are older than 25. They won 54 games last season, and were a tiebreaker away from having a top three playoff seed. You factor in the age on West rivals like San Antonio and Dallas, and you could make an argument that the Blazers should just stand pat for a few years and let these two teams (along with other outfits that will be old soon, like the Lakers) die off as title contenders while they mature into an elite team. Centerpiece Brandon Roy is already an All Star, LaMarcus Aldridge could be one soon, and they have a slew of youngsters that will makeup an potentially great rotation in a few years (Nicholas Batum, Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw, Jerryd Bayless, and Martell Webster, all of whom are between 20 and 24 years old). Time is clearly on their side, right?

I have been asked by numerous people to put back on my detective hat to help solve the Arturo Gatti Murder. So I believe I have cracked the case. Here is what we know so far.

It was a great night in Atlanta for a party and Ryan and Doug Stewart did not disappoint. On Saturday, July 11th these two brothers, known by most sports fans as the 2 Live Stew's in over 24 national radio markets, held their First Annual Stewpendous Awards Post-Party and everything was done up in stupendous style!

Just when the Steve McNair murder/suicide (I am still not buying it) was dying down a bit news came in that Boxing great Arturo Gatti was murdered in Brazil under some suspect circumstances. Here is what we know so far.

My friends at Youbeenblinded.com sent me an email about Dallas Cowboys Tight End Martellus Bennett.

You might remember Marty B from "Hard Knocks" on HBO last year (keep it high and tight) or from his god awful freestyle rap on YouTube that got him fined by the Cowboys or his somewhat humorous blogs for the Dallas Morning News (the one about his boy ditching his date at the movies was very funny) .

When I saw the title of the email:

The 2009 season was supposed to be one of redemption and a fulfillment of promises for the New York Mets. The signing of K-Rod was thought to be the move that put the Mets over the hump. Even playing in the same division as the World Champs from a year ago, The Philadelphia Phillies, still had many fans and pundits predicting great things for the 2009 Mets. Unfortunately, things have gone the way many would have liked. The Mets stand at 40-44 and 5.5 games back of the division lead. Let's take a look to see how the Mets have gotten to this point.

The one thing I am not is a BonaFide UFC Expert, so I brought in an expert The CUTman to break down UFC 100. We will also be doing a live stream as well

CUTman's UFC 100 preview for Blacksportsonline.

All Opinions from CUTman's brain, and only Cutman's Brain

Main Event:

Brock Lesnar HW Champ VS. Frank Mir Interim HW Champ

Overview:

"'In the sports story system the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups. The bloggers who investigate crime, and the "businessmen" who aided the offenders in their crime. These are their stories."

This one is real simple everyone. Anderson Varejao signs a 6 year, $50 Million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. I guess everybody has to eat.....

What disturbs me is that everyone in the league has been talking about making cost-cutting moves. If the economic state of the league wasn't as such, Trevor Ariza wouldv'e been able to sign a Rashard Lewis-type deal. Thats an opinion based off of precedent.

The question has to be asked in situations like these, what exactly are they paying for? Varejao only made 42 starts last season, and averaged a little over 8 points a game. So if my math is correct, He is getting about $8 million a year, to be average?

Furthermore, I know every move that Cleveland makes is criticized due Lebron James, but did they make any significant moves this free agency? Artest is a Laker. Ariza is a Rocket. Hedo is a Raptor. Maybe Lebron should have hit the recruiting trail like the Celtics did. Yeah they traded for Shaq, but did that really mean anything? If anything, Cleveland will be the front part of a TNT double header at least 70% of the time this season.

If/when Lebron James contract is up next summer, Anderson Varejao will be the highest paid Cleveland Cavalier......I'll let that marinate for a while.

We will charge Anderson Varejao with Theft by Deception.

Ponder this question for a second. Once the league's landscape smoothes itself out (relatively) after the inevitable and much discussed 2010 free agent class materializes, what single player will be looked at as the biggest winner of this generation?

Most basketball people would say Lebron James quicker than a geographer can shout out the capital of Texas, but what if the chosen one, as amazing as he is, doesn't win a championship?

So there's the rumor going around that LBJ got dunked on by a college player in a pickup game. So what? I say rumor because we won't be able to see it thanks to Nike yanking the tapes. Well, as far as we know Nike decided to yank the video evidence. Or did they?

I waited, I waited, I waited and then I waited some more. I've been struggling with this since Saturday night when I got the first text from a close friend in Nashville:

"She didn't do it."

I was a groomsman in a wedding on Sunday and while the bride and groom were saying ironically to death do us part, I was getting a message from someone in NYC with connections to McNair:

"She didn't do it."

Sunday night I got in touch with someone who plays in the NFL and told him simply:

"This doesn't sound right."

His response was:

As you may have heard Steve McNair was a victim of a murder-suicide which is pretty much what most of us have suspected. I'm not going to make moral judgments here because frankly what's the point? As a Colts fan, I was never a fan of McNair I respected his toughness but he was the QB of the divisional rival and he was a worthy one. I still remember him playing which makes this even more surreal. However what makes this even more tragic was that weeks before his death McNair filmed a suicide prevention ad. According to the Nashville Post,

Sources say the advertisement was filmed, and editors were working on taglines and voiceovers when the deaths were discovered.

"We were developing a PSA but it never reached the point of being aired and it seems broadcasting it now is not only inappropriate but doesn't serve the community, his family or memory, or the issue we hoped the PSA would help address," said Jill Hudson, the department's communications director.

Little did he know he would become another statistic for this ad. Maybe there will be some solace in that respectfully this ad may be aired so it can prevent something like this from happening in the future.

RIP Air McNair.

The most important star of course would be me your BonaFide Sports Expert Robert Littal who will be in attendence, but I digress.

Chris Berman, Jeff Gordon, Omar Epps, Wyclef Jean, Seth Meyers, Marisa Miller, Rashida Jones, Miranda Kerr, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Danica Patrick, Zachary Quinto, Condoleezza Rice, Andy Samberg, Stuart Scott, Venus Williams, Will.i.am named presenters for the 17th Annual ESPYs Televised Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPNHD.

Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest is an interactive baseball theme park and the largest baseball fan event in the world. Visiting St. Louis for the first time ever in 2009, Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest features activities and exhibits for families and fans of all ages.

Now in its 19th year, Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest will transform America's Center into a celebration that captures the thrills and excitement of Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest will feature interactive exhibits and attractions, Major League clinics and seminars, free autograph sessions with Cardinals legends and Hall of Famers, memorabilia and much more.

After hearing the news of the tragic murder of Steve McNair, I have been reading several articles about him, his life, and the legacy he leaves behind. I've read some very sympathetic articles, and some that are very critical of his actions with "Jenny".

We get on Magic Johnson a lot, but always in a playful way because it is hard not to like Magic even when he is butchering the English language.

I thought he had the most memorable story from the Michael Jackson Memorial service at Staples Center (we will ignore why Kobe was there) today.

You know the deal BlackSportsOnline will be streaming live UFC 100: Brock Lesner vs. Frank Mir 10PM Eastern

As always donations are greatly appreciated (Via PayPal). To help pay for the PPV

Follow me on Twitter for the latest updates on our live streams:

http://www.twitter.com/BlkSportsOnline

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I am not a detective, but I have watched every Forensic Files ever made and I know when something isn't right. I am going to go over three points of the Steve McNair murder case that makes absolutely no sense to me:

1- How and why did she get the gun?

A little over four years ago I decide to create a website that was design to bring you the truth in sports. That is what is at the core of BlackSportsOnline.

Today I bring you a website that has been created to bring you the truth in relationships. That is what is at the core of Pimp Focus.

I have put together a team of writers so diverse that we cover everything in regards to the opposite sex.

Check it out and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. I will keep your PimpFocus Strong.

According to Boston.com and ESPN, Rasheed Wallace has committed to signing with the Boston Celtics. I must say this was expected but it also makes the 2010 favorite to win it all up in the air. Is it the Cavs with Shaq/LeBron?(which I personally do not feel will happen seeing as how LeBron will be gone in 2010 and everyone knows it), the Lakers with Artest(I personally think this move was not a good one but I digress), the Magic with Vince Carter(who I think makes them worse) or the Spurs with Richard Jefferson(who I think doesn't have nearly as much to give as many think). Then there are the Celtics with this move. This upcoming season will be interesting to see who really does come out on top hopefully it will be as interesting on the court as it seems to be off of it.

Steve McNair and Miss Kazemi were found dead in his downtown condo this afternoon. McNair was shot multiple times in the head and Miss Kazemi had one shot to the head.

The police have ruled out McNair's wife as a suspect in the killings. It has also been reported that McNair's wife had not heard from him in the last 48 hours.

According to The Tennessean McNair met Miss Kazemi at a local Dave and Busters where she was working and they had been seeing each other for a couple of months.

Our friends at Profootballtalk.com reports that McNair's SUV was part of a DUI arrest of Miss Kazemi. It has been confirmed that McNair was in the car at the time of the arrest and was the one that bailed Miss Kazemi out.

There are a lot of crazy things going around surrounding the death of Steve McNair, but there is one thing we all need to remember.

Two people lost their lives today in what appears to be an avoidable situation.

They ask Biggie once how he felt about Tupac dying and he said something very prophetic:

"I wouldn't wish death on nobody there isn't any coming back from that."

So just remember while you are watching ESPN, CNN and etc that you don't forget regardless of what was going on in McNair's personal life there is no justification for murder. Just please keep that in mind.

Here are updated details from CNN.com:

Every NFL off-season we hear rumblings and rumors of rookies who will hold out on the teams that drafted them in order to try and negotiate a bigger, better contract than the guy picked in the same spot the previous year. All this posturing, chest puffing, and delayed productivity for the team that selects a player in the draft can be put to an end by having a pay scale for rookies. Knowing exactly how much you will make takes the leverage from both teams and players when drafting. I'm sure there will have to be compromises to get this to happen, but this fan says let it happen. There needs to be a structure in place to stop rewarding players who haven't contributed in a single professional football game.

I was able to get a sneak peak at the new Michael Jordan's Gatorade Championship Brand that will be debuting in stores across the country soon.

I think most would agree that the two brands you immediately think of when you think of MJ are Nike and Gatorade, so bringing him back into the fold is a no brainer in my opinion.

The "I WANT TO BE LIKE MIKE" Gatorade campaign was one if not the greatest campaign of all time.

Sources inside of Ron Artest's camp have confirmed with me a CBS Sports report that Artest has verbally committed to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers is true.

The person right now who is feeling sick is Trevor Ariza while he agent has been blowing smoke about him wanting out of LA privately I heard from his people that he didn't want to go.

He is definitely gone now.

This year's draft was a case study in the false gospel of upside. In the past I've referred to GMs and scouts as worshipers at the altar of potential, and they did not disappoint in 2009. I said a few days before the draft that my philosophy is always to pick people who can play, and to leave the upside drafting to someone else. I've been advocating that for years, and unfortunately very few people seem to be listening. Every June we have mock draft after mock draft full of prospects who are described as having tremendous upside, unlimited potential, etc. but need to 'learn how to play'. And as I always do, I look at these projections and say 'what?' How can you stake millions of dollars and a two to five year guaranteed roster spot on a guy who 'needs to learn how to play the game' or 'needs to learn the nuances of his position' or needs to learn how to play a new position entirely? Well, even in a down economy that you'd think would limit risk taking, NBA GMs and scouts apparently don't consider it to be a bad idea.

The Yankees are leading the Wild Card race in the AL as the season is approaching the halfway mark. It seems silly to think about the wild card so early in the season, but for the Yankees, it is never too early because they have had trouble keeping up with Boston the past couple of years.

Last year Boston and Tampa Bay made the playoffs in the AL. The $200 million Yankees stayed home and collected their checks. Tampa Bay and Boston are still strong and will be looking to keep the Yankees home in the postseason. It's possible that the 3 strongest teams in the AL are all in the AL East, and it is certain that one of those teams will have to miss the playoffs.

ESPN The Magazine's 2009 Ultimate Standings: Ranking of How Pro Sports Teams Pay Back Their Fans

Angels Baseball No. 1 Franchise

According to ESPN The Magazine's seventh annual "Ultimate Standings" the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the best major league sports franchise when it comes to paying fans back for their investment of time, money and passion: and the Los Angeles Clippers are the worst.

Because you know who/ did you know what/ with you know who/ yeah but just keep that between me and you.

Jay Z "The Takeover"

Right now a lot of athletes' nervous right now. As soon as they saw the title they were like:

"Not this guy Rob he can't be manipulated he might say anything and you know my wife reads BlackSportsOnline."