Super Bowl Loss Hazardous to Health

I hope Arizona Cardinal fans subscribe to HealthDay, because over the weekend the site published an article comparing Super Bowl outcomes and death rates. According to the greatest University in the world, if your favorite NFL team loses the big game, chances increase that you're doing to die.

To come to this conclusion, a team from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, looked at death rates in Los Angeles County on the day of two Super Bowls that had decidedly different outcomes for the home team: 1980, when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Los Angeles Rams in what has long been considered one of the most competitive match-ups in Super Bowl history; and 1984, when the Los Angeles Raiders handily beat the Washington Redskins. The researchers also looked at death rates for the two weeks following each game. They then compared those statistics to death rates in the same county for the same period in the years between and after those Super Bowls.

As it turned out, they found that all-cause death rates rose significantly after the 1980 loss, and death rates declined after the 1984 victory.

This study was presented over the weekend at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting in Orlando. I guess it is a good thing that LA doesn't have an NFL team right now. Keck School of Medicine Dr. Robert Kloner has some advice for diehard Cardinals fans:

"Talk to your doctor, especially if you have cardiac risk factors. There may be pharmacologic agents, such as beta blockers, aspirin or anti-anxiety drugs, that could help. Or relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing. There are some things that can be done. And of course, it is very important to control the well-known cardiac risk factors, such as hypertension, cholesterol abnormalities, smoking and diabetes."

Manu Smooches Teammate

Manu Ginobili returned to the Spurs last week after missing 19 games with an ankle injury. Prior to his return and during a game vs. Golden State, Ginobili got picked for the kiss cam and shared an intimate moment with teammate Ian Mahinmi. Yahoo! Sports' "Ball Don't Lie" posted this video today via LarryBrownSports.com. Manu definitely doesn't flop on this play. It is good for a chuckle.

Stafford Passes "Final Exam"

According to Tony Pauline of SI.com, Georgia QB Matthew Stafford wow'd the Detroit Lions during a private workout today.

Per Pauline, Stafford had a “flawless” workout that was a major upgrade over his performance at his Pro Day workout and raised his stock with the Lions considerably.

"The draft's top quarterback was on point with all his throws throughout the session. He threw just about 40 passes and hit on all but three of them. Stafford fired the ball downfield, hitting receivers in stride, and threw accurately through the entire session."

Citing sources on-site, Pauline wrote that that Stafford’s performance makes it a “done deal” that the Lions will draft the QB with the first overall selection.

"Hoops Whisperer" Trains NBA's Best

In today's Wall Street Journal, Hannah Karp profiled personal trainer Idan Ravin, who works with NBA stars including Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Gilbert Arenas, and Elton Brand. The 38-year-old former New York lawyer with no basketball playing or coaching experience is known as “The Hoops Whisperer” and is the most sought-after personal trainer in the NBA.

Raised as an orthodox Jew in Washington, the 6-foot Ravin’s training method is incredibly unorthodox. Mr. Ravin’s goal is to create so much chaos and stress on a player during workouts that the physical game becomes less cerebral and more automatic. He uses a combination of humbling psychological tactics and exhausting, unorthodox and sometimes spontaneous drills. He’s been known to fire tennis balls at players while they’re dribbling or make them stare straight ahead while dribbling two balls in each hand in uneven rhythms and walking from side to side.

Countless NBA stars swear by Ravin’s training methods. Anthony and Brand both credit Ravin for improving their ball-handling skills, Paul works with him every summer to enhance footwork, and before Arenas returned to the Wizards’ lineup he rehabbed his knee injury with Ravin.

Mr. Ravin, doesn’t own a gym. He doesn’t have employees and advertises his services on a modest Web site. He doesn’t offer weights or strength exercises and focuses only on a client’s weaknesses. He works on a sliding scale, asking his clients to pay what they think is fair. Some players say they might pay $1,000 to $2,000 to keep him on retainer for a week, though Mr. Ravin says occasionally he gets paid in meals or shoes.

When Ravin isn’t training world-class athletes, he is wing-man to local singles. To make ends meet, Mr. Ravin operates a group of ethnic dating sites from his laptop — including Ethiopian Personals and Eligible Greeks.

Laid-Off Sheffield Will Make $14 Million

One homer short of 500, Gary Sheffield is out of a job. The Detroit Tigers released the 40 year old slugger today, however must still pay him $14 million for the 2009 season. What an amazing severance package for Sheff. He has always been about the dollars, so I assume he is perfectly fine with this sudden unemployment.

The Detroit Free Press says the Sheffield salary is the second-highest amount owed to a released player in Tigers history (Detroit paid n Easley $14.3 million after releasing him in '03).

With $14 million still owed to Sheffield, wouldn't it make sense for the Tigers to keep him around for '09? Especially with only 1 HR until he reaches the historic 500 plateau?

"The reason they gave me for doing this is versatility. They're going with versatility. But when I heard that word, I thought I'm probably the most athletic guy on the team. That's their opinion, though, and I have to respect it."

This spring, Sheffield hit only .178 in 18 games and last season he batted .225 with 19 homers and 57 RBIs.

"Final Exam" Day for Stafford

Today is huge for Georgia QB Matt Stafford as he is finally taking part in a private workout with the Detroit Lions. According to John Niyo of the Detroit News, today's workout is “final exam” time for Stafford even if the Lions may have already decided what they’re doing with the #1 pick.

Unlike Stafford's Georgia pro day sesh, the Lions will have control over this workout and will lead the QB through drills and tests. Detroit offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and quarterbacks coach Jeff Horton will run today's workout. Lions coach Jim Schwartz said:

“We can direct it. We can tell him exactly what to do on a play. We can make him throw into the wind. We can say, ‘Hey, these are the throws we want to see. When somebody else is scripting it, they can accentuate a positive. I can’t sing, but probably a good producer could put me in a studio and at least hide it a little bit.”

Regardless of how Stafford performs today, I agree with SI's Peter King that the Lions should draft Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith with the first pick.

FNL Can't Lose!

Maria Elena Fernandez of LATimes.com reports that indeed "Friday Night Lights" will return for two more seasons!

NBC and DirectTV have worked out another deal to keep "Friday Night Lights" on the air for two more seasons, according to sources close to the show. The deal calls for the production of 26 episodes to air over the next two seasons in 13-episodes installments, sources close to the show said.

The news seasons will air first on DirecTV's 101 Channel and then on NBC.

Beer Me: Tecate to Sponsor Pacquiao/Hatton Fight

Tecate announced today that they will sponsor the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton bout on May 2nd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The beer brand plans to launch an extensive integrated marketing program around the fight. Tecate will produce commemorative 24-ounce cans featuring images of both fighters and a $20 mail-in rebate discount for the HBO PPV event with the purchase of a 12-pack or larger.

Nathan Scott to the NBA!

For all you "One Tree Hill" fans out there (I might be the only one), there is some exciting news coming out of North Carolina. During halftime of Saturday night's Charlotte Bobcats vs. New York Knicks game, camera crews filmed a scene where Nathan Scott (the show's basketballer) makes it to the NBA and is introduced as the Bobcats' starting point guard.

More FNL Insight

Earlier today, SI.com's Jimmy Traina posted a long Q&A with Friday Night Lights' Zach Gilford. Topics include the show's future, Saracen's move from QB to WR, and Gilford's very attractive girlfriend. Check out the full Q&A here

SI.com: There have been rumblings about the show coming back for two seasons. Is there anything new on that? Anything you can tell us?
Gilford: Everyone I talk to at DirecTV or NBC or from the show says, "You know, it looks good, but we don't know." So I've heard the same thing that's been in the news, which is kind of frustrating because I wish you had an inside scoop or something.

SI.com: Is there a timetable for an announcement or non-announcement?
Gilford: NBC usually announces its fall lineup the second week of May. So within the next month we'll know -- hopefully.

SI.com: If the show returns, would you definitely be back next season?
Gilford: I don't know. They kind of left it open. They told me, "We're not sure what we're going to do if we come back, yadda, yadda, yadda." So I have no clue. I can see it going either way. Matt can go off to college or he can stay and take care of grandma. They have options. It's just a matter of what they feel like doing.

HUGE Day for FNL!

According to Cynthia Littleton of Variety, NBC and DirecTV are expected to decide today on a two-season, 26-episode pickup of "Friday Night Lights."

Earlier this month, all signs were pointing to the Peacock and the satcaster were closing in on a deal to save the Imagine TV/Universal Media Studios series, but then early last week there was a hiccup over money -- what else? -- specifically the fee that DirecTV would pay for the right to air the episodes first, commercial-free, as the marquee offering on its 101 Network channel.

Hopefully FNL fans will have some good news to share later today.
"Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose!"

10 Biggest First-Round Busts

With less than four weeks until the draft, NFL teams are currently hosting prospects for private workouts. Personnel executives and scouts are taking an extremely close look at each player to ensure they make quality selections in '09. Sporting News put together a list of the 10 biggest first-round draft busts of the last 20 years.

10. Adam "Pacman" Jones, Titans (No. 6 overall, 2005)
9. Heath Shuler, Redskins (No. 3 overall, 1994)
8. Peter Warrick, Bengals (No. 4 overall, 2000)
7. David Klingler, Bengals (No. 6 overall, 1992)

Check out the full list here

Guitar Hero Does it Again!

Bob Knight, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski are featured alongside Metallica in Guitar Hero's new TV spot. The commercial ran over the weekend during the Elite Eight. I guess with A-Rod and Phelps getting into some trouble over the past few months, GH needed some new faces for their campaign.

“Obviously it’s a parody of ‘Risky Business’ that we’ve all seen and kind of imagined yourself doing it, although you can’t tell your players and your family that you’ve imagined doing it,” Krzyzewski told a cameraman. “So getting the opportunity to be a part of that is kind of a really cool thing. And then to do it with Coach Knight, and Roy and Rick—that made it even better.”



Check out behind the scenes footage from ESPN:

Another Crazy LeBron Shot...From "60 Minutes"

Dude makes every shot look so easy. Tune in Sunday night for LBJ on "60 Minutes"

Dwight Dances to "Single Ladies"

Superman finally launched his website, DwightHoward.com last week and one of the coolest features is "Dwight TV." Fans can view exclusive videos of Howard, where he shows off his dance moves, wears funny costumes, and does impersonations (Dwight's "Stan Van Gundy" is hilarious). There are also links to each of Howard's social networking pages on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Dwight has his own YouTube channel for "Dwight TV" and I just had to post this video.

NFL Practice Jerseys to Include Sponsor Logos?

According to Jim Corbett of USA Today, the NFL is considering adding sponsor logos to team practice jerseys. This topic was addressed at the owners' meetings this week and will be explored further at the NFL's meetings in May.

Dallas Cowboys Executive VP Stephen Jones, a member of the league's business ventures committee, said the new practice uniforms "would be similar to logos worn on pro soccer jerseys."

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti also gave his input. “The prototype they showed us was no different than the patches they would put on the Pro Bowl jerseys. The uniforms in NFL Europe, they had a big logo. That’s not what we’re talking about."

“We’re talking about something unobtrusive that when the guys are being interviewed, people can can see the sponsor logo on their jerseys. But it’s no bigger or more obtrusive than the patches worn for the Super Bowl logo.”

NFL players would not wear the logos on their jerseys during pre-season or regular season games and teams might also be able to rotate sponsors at different times of the year. At this point, NFL owners are trying to get any extra money they can. I'm curious to hear what Reebok thinks about this possibility. As the NFL jersey manufacture they are the only logo appearing on uniforms.

Quick Update on FNL's Future

A few quick notes on the future of NBC's "Friday Night Lights." Via The Big Lead, TVFanatic.com posted a quick Q&A with Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly that sheds light on upcoming seasons of FNL.

Q: What's the word on Friday Night Lights?

A: The two-season pickup (26 episodes) will be announced any day now. Unfortunately, it looks like Tyra will only be appearing in a handful of those 26, as (future CSI: Miami guest star) Adrienne Palicki is not expected back full time next season.

Ditto Minka Kelly, who was recently cast in the CW pilot Body Politic opposite Veronica Mars' Jason Dohring. Both will likely be given multi-episode arc send-offs a la Gaius Charles' Smash and Scott Porter's Jason in the coming season(s).

LenDale Drops Weight Class

Tennessee Titans running back LenDale White is known for throwing back a few cheeseburgers and has even rapped about taking a nice young lady to Taco Bell. Over the past few seasons, his weight has been a major topic around Nashville but with the emergence of Chris Johnson, White seems to be taking his nutrition and fitness a little more seriously.

The Titans are a week into their off-season program and strength and conditioning coach Steve Watterson is very impressed with White's progress. Reports are that White is more than 20 pounds less than his off-season weight last year. White is listed at 235 pounds on the Titan's site, but ballooned to around 270 a few seasons ago.

Watterson did not give White’s actual weight, but said, “He reported last week. He was more than 20 pounds less than what he reported last year.”

Dinner Time News: The Greatest Stadium Food Ever Created

Class A Minor League baseball team the West Michigan Whitecaps is offering perhaps the most incredible stadium food item ever created. "The Fifth Third burger," named after the Whitecaps' ballpark is the newest item on the menu. This giant of a burger has been recently featured on SportsCenter, The Today Show, and countless sports sites. I had to share the recipe and below video. To salivate over additional burger details, check out this article from The Grand Rapids Press.

"The Fifth Third Burger"
8-inch sesame seed bun (1 pound of dough)
One cup of chili
Five one-third pound hamburger patties
Five slices of American cheese
Doses of salsa, nacho cheese and Fritos.
Top it off with lettuce, tomato and sour cream
Total Cost: $20, nearly 5,000 calories, and 300 grams of fat

Fifth Third Ballpark Burger

Arenas Will Return to Basketball, But Retire From Blogosphere

The NBA's blogosphere king Gilbert Arenas plans to return to the court on Saturday, but says he is retiring his laptop...for now. Arenas has missed the entire season thus far after his third knee operation in 18 months. Upon his return, Arenas will be all basketball, all the time.

"I started looking at it as, before, it was fun, and everybody has fun reading it. And then it's like everything I said, everybody started using it as firepower, instead of saying it's just entertainment. You know, people started using it, trying to take bits and pieces instead of enjoying the blog," the three-time All-Star said. "So once I started seeing that, I just started visualizing, eventually, this is going to be the double-[edged] sword thing. It made me and it's going to kill me, so I might as well stop."

For those keeping track, Arenas hasn't updated his blog since November.

Harrison Thinks NFL Making Game "Soft"

Voted by NFL coaches as the dirtiest player in the league, New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison called into The Dan Patrick Show this morning to express his dismay with the league's new rule changes. Hoping to decrease head and neck injuries, the NFL announced a few new rules going into effect next season.

Rule 1: The initial force of a blindside block can't be delivered by a helmet, forearm or shoulder to an opponent's head or neck. An illegal blindside block will bring a 15-yard penalty.
Rule 2: Initial contact to the head of a defenceless receiver also will draw a 15-yard penalty.
Rule 3: On kickoffs, no blocking wedge of more than two players will be allowed. A 15-yard penalty will go to a violating team.
Rule 4: On kickoffs, the kicking team can't have more than five players bunched together pursuing an onside kick. It will be a five-yard penalty.

As expected, Harrison is not a fan of the new rules. "It's crazy. You've been taught since you were six and seven years old to finish the play. Football is supposed to be a man's sport. The game is going to slow down and it's going to get softer. It's like patty-cake right now."

What's really crazy is that Harrison didn't think Marcus Pollard's hit on Tom Brady was dirty. Harrison said that Brady is a "second effort guy" and Pollard just wasn't giving up on the play, which is what football players are taught from their youth.

Harrison is definitely an old school footballer, but his rugged style of play is finally catching up to him. Shoulder and knee injuries the last few seasons have decreased the safeties productivity and value. As a free agent, if Harrison wants to extend his career, he is going to have to tone-down the late hits and adhere to the new rules. No team is going to pay for the services of an over the hill, injury-prone, yellow flag magnet.

Let's Get It On

This week's Sports Illustrated has six regional covers featuring Sweet 16 squads. The cover boys are Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo, Michigan State's Kalin Lucas, North Carolina's Ty Lawson, Pittsburgh's Levance Fields, and Syracuse's Jonny Flynn.

Ali vs. Tyson in EA's "Fight Night" Trailer

Check out the trailer for EA Sports' "Fight Night Round 4" video game, featuring an epic bout between Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. "Fight Night" includes 40 licensed fighters such as Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao, Rocky Marciano, Tommy Morrison, Lennox Lewis, and Roy Jones Jr. EA will release the game over the summer for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Who do you like in this bout?

Lance "Tweets" From Surgery

Lance Armstrong is one of the most popular athletes currently on Twitter. For those who haven't seen this video, Armstrong had a pretty rough Monday as he broke his collarbone in a crash during the first stage of the Tour de Castilla y Leon in Spain. "About 2 hours ago," Armstrong posted a pre-op photo to his Twitter page http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong. What's so cool about Armstrong is that he doesn't just post gibberish or random photos to his page. He actually gives fans an inside look at his life, both the good and the bad. Since his crash on Monday, Lance has posted updates on his condition, test results, doctor prognoses, and a timetable for his return. He definitely uses Twitter for the right reasons, giving fans unlimited access to his life.

About to head in. See y'all in a few. Livestrong.

Not a Powerade Commercial

Who Will Win NCAA Tourney MOP?

How are those brackets looking? Although the Sweet 16 doesn't start until tomorrow, you can now put money on who you think will earn the Most Outstanding Player award. BodogLife.com has a full list of odds here.

UNC's Tyler Hansbrough is 5-1, Pittsburgh's Sam Young is at 6-1, UConn's A.J. Price and UNC's Wayne Ellington are 7-1, Louisville's Terrence Williams is 12-1, and Oklahoma's Blake Griffin is 15-1. Bodog has North Carolina as the 3-1 favorite to win the title followed by Louisville at 4-1. Arizona and Xavier are the longest shots at 50-1.

NFL Announces Plans to Highlight AFL's 50th Anniversary

The NFL announced today that it will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the AFL next season during “Legacy Games." During one home and one road game, the eight original AFL teams “will meet head-to-head while wearing their chosen historic uniforms.”

The original eight teams are Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs (played as the Dallas Texans), New England Patriots (played as the Boston Patriots), New York Jets (played as the Titans of New York), Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans (played as the Houston Oilers).

Game-worn jerseys and signed memorabilia will be auctioned at NFL Auctions throughout the season, with the money raised going to the NFL Player Care Foundation.

Top International Soccer Clubs to Visit U.S. for Inagural World Football Challenge

This summer, four of the best soccer teams in the world – Chelsea Football Club, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Club America – will compete in the United States in the inaugural World Football Challenge, a six-city round robin tournament.

The World Football Challenge will give soccer fans the opportunity to see superstars such as John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Ronaldinho, Kaká, Julio Cesar, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Andrea Pirlo, Pavel Pardo, Guillermo Ochoa and Adriano play live in the U.S.

The tournament is July 19-July 26 and the four clubs will face off at the Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.), the Georgia Dome (Atlanta, Ga.), MT&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, Md.), Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.), Stanford Stadium (Palo Alto, Calif.) and the new Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, Texas).

Check out WorldFootballChallenge.com for tournament details.

WORLD FOOTBALL CHALLENGE MATCH SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 19
Club America vs. FC Internazionale Milano at Stanford Stadium (Palo Alto, Calif.)
7 p.m. EST on ESPN2

Tuesday, July 21
Chelsea FC vs. FC Internazionale Milano at the Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
11 p.m. EST on ESPN2

Wednesday, July 22
AC Milan vs. Club America at the Georgia Dome (Atlanta, Ga.)
7 p.m. EST on ESPN2

Friday, July 24
AC Milan vs. Chelsea FC at M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, Md.)
8 p.m. EST on ESPN

Sunday, July 26
AC Milan vs. FC Internazionale Milano at Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
5 p.m. EST on ESPN2

Sunday, July 26
Chelsea FC vs. Club America at Cowboy Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
7 p.m. EST on ESPN2

Shaq vs. LeBron

Shaq and LeBron have been going back and forth the past few days on which player has the best starting lineup intro dance. Shaq called out LeBron's "photographer" intro as weak and said, "I've got 100 million intros in my abdullah oblongata. Everybody always talks about LeBron's weak intro, so I challenge LeBron to intros. Alright? So he does his little camera thing, we did our bowling thing, we'll let the people decide. If he changes his intro, then I'm going to change my intro."

Which intro do you like best? I'm really into Shaq's bowling intro. I'm a fan anytime Louis Amundson is involved.

Marlins New Crib

The Florida Marlins' website announced that after ten years of debate, Miami-Dade County commissioners finally voted in favor of a retractable-roof ballpark for the Marlins on the Orange Bowl grounds. Miami approved $515 million to spend on the new stadium and another $94 million for parking lots at the old Orange Bowl. The retractable-roof stadium will seat 37,000 and opens for the 2012 season. Until then the Marlins will continue to play at Dolphins Stadium.

SC Finds a New Home

The Houston Texans today signed free agent defensive tackle Shaun Cody to a three year deal. Cody was Detroit's second-round pick in 2005 and started four games last season. In his four NFL seasons with the Lions, Cody recorded 63 tackles in 53 games.

Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports & Entertainment negotiated the deal, expected to be worth $6 million. Cody was formerly represented by National Sports Agency's Harold Lewis, who won Cody over in Spike TV's 2005 reality show, “Super Agent."

According to Professor John Clayton of ESPN.com, in Houston's defensive, Cody can play the nose tackle and "three-technique" defensive tackle. He will compete for playing time next season with Amobi Okoye, Travis Johnson, DelJuan Robinson and Frank Okam.

Hatt's New Tatt

In preparation for his May 2nd bout with Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton got some new ink. He is no Olyphant, that's for sure.

In other Hatton/Pacquiao news, Manny's trainer Freddie Roach informed British sports media about why his fighter ran away from home at the age of 14 and became a boxer. Pacquiao's father killed Manny's dog, fried it, and ate the animal right in front of his son.

Roach said that "pushed Pacquiao toward stowing away on a ship bound for Manila, where he lived in a cardboard box in a slum and sold doughnuts to survive."

"The Philippines is a poor place, there’s no welfare, no health system and if you don’t have a job or money then you do anything to survive," Roach said. "Manny arrived in Manila and ended up in a boxing gym."

Michael Lewis Sports Film News

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that actor Quenton Aaron will participate in spring practice with Georgia Tech's football team to prep for his role as former Ole Miss offensive lineman Michael Oher. The 6'6'' 350 lb. actor recently appeared in "Be Kind Rewind" and joins the Yellow Jackets for non-contact agility drills this spring. Based on Michael Lewis' best-seller, "The Blindside" chronicles Oher's journey from homeless kid to NFL prospect. Sandra Bullock will star as the matriarch of the family that adopts Oher.

In other Michael Lewis sports film news, producer Rachel Horovitz told the NY Daily News that the script is being written for a movie based on the Lewis' book "Moneyball," which has been optioned by Sony Pictures, and it "promises to be much more than just a bunch of baseball execs sitting around a table evaluating high school and college ballplayers. The movie will be on the field and in the front office.” Variety reported a few months back that Steven Soderbergh will direct "Moneyball" and Brad Pitt will star as Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane.

Kobe To Tell Time With "Black Mamba" Watch

According to Ray Smith of the Wall Street Journal, Switzerland-based watchmaker Nubeo has partnered with Lakers G Kobe Bryant to "create a limited-edition line of high-tech sport watches starting at about $21,000 and topping out at $285,000."

The "Black Mamba" series will be shown this week at a watch and jewelry show in Switzerland, and will go on sale in the U.S. this fall. The company will make only 1,074 of the Kobe watches timepieces and Nubeo describes the watch as featuring a 48 mm case made of titanium treated with DLC. The bezel is ceramic. Rubber is used on the crowns, pushers and strap. Water-resistance is 100 meters. And it will be available starting at $25,000.

NBA to Partner with Cartoon Network

The NBA announced today that the league is partnering up with Cartoon Network "to develop long- and short-form basketball-themed content across a wide variety of platforms, including online, mobile, VOD and on-air."

The first NBA/Cartoon Network project will be the short form series called "My Dad's a Pro." The show will debut around opening day next season and will feature the lives of the children of NBA players. There should be plenty of kids to chose from...very curious to see what youngsters are featured.

Next fall, CartoonNetwork.com will also launch a basketball section of its website, featuring exclusive multimedia content.

Devendorf Embraces the Hate

The tattoos, trash talking, swagger, and rocky past of Syracuse's Eric Devendorf easily make him one of the most hated players in the NCAA tourney field. Pat Forde of ESPN.com featured Devendorf yesterday after Syracuse beat Arizona St. 78-67. The 6'4'' junior guard has been on fire since the Orange lit up the Big East tournament a week ago. Devendorf scored a game-high 21 points against the Sun Devils, including two three-point shots to seal the deal late in the game.

The Big Lead recently compiled a list of the five most hated players in this NCAA tournament, and Devendorf was number 1 (followed by Tyler Hansbrough, Greg Paulus, Hasheem Thabeet and Jon Scheyer). Interesting to note that fiour of the five most hated players are white. They must follow in the J.J. Reddick or Adam Morrison mold. "They probably think I'm an a-hole, man," the Syracuse shooting guard said with a smile on his face. "I know they do. I know everybody thinks I'm an a-hole."

Forde pointed out a nice comparison to former 'Cuse star guard, Gerry McNamara. In some ways, McNamara and Devendorf are the same guy: stone-cold shooters who excel in the clutch and succeed at a high level in part on moxie and swagger. But McNamara's the guy who shows up in Madison Square Garden to watch his old team in an argyle sweater. Devendorf is the guy who looks like he's a rougher version of fellow Michigan product Eminem.

"I don't know if it's because of the tattoos or my competitive spirit," Devendorf said. "But sometimes people can get the wrong idea about a person. Off the court I'm a whole different person.

Off the court, Devendorf seems to be a horrible person. In November, he assaulted a female Syracuse student and was temporarily kicked out of school. Devendorf allegedly struck her in the jaw with an open hand (Smith's lawyer later said Devendorf did not hit her, and his client's version of the events was misconstrued on the police report). That incident got the Bay City, Mich., native briefly suspended and nearly ended his season.

Devendorf's lawyers claim that Eric acted in self-defence against Smith and he was briefly suspended from school (he was already on probation for assaulting a student last Spring), but reinstated after missing only two games this season. Sounds like another case of special treatment for athletes.

Regardless of how Devendorf is perceived by fans, he in on fire right now and the Orange are peaking at exactly right time. Their Sweet 16 matchup with Blake Griffin and Oklahoma will surely be a battle and expect Devendorf to mix it up with Sooner guards Willie Warren

NFL Offseason Up For Review?

NFL owners are gathering this week in Dana Point for their annual meetings and of course the economy is a major topic of conversation. The NFL’s Competition Committee will present a number of rule updates to impact games, but the word is that owners will discuss off season scheduling changes, including moving the dates for the postseason all-star games, the Scouting Combine, the draft and veteran free agency. This week's issue of Pro Football Weekly features an article describing the possible schedule changes. The main theme of these scheduling conversations is of course cutting costs. Commissioner Roger Goodell did take a 20% pay cut in his annual salary and the league laid off around 170 back in February

For instance, the draft has been held in late April or early May since 1977. However, there are a number of movers and shakers in the league who believe that veteran free agency should follow the draft, and with the CBA still to be agreed upon for the next contract, this issue could be a bargaining chip for owners.

Those same league insiders would like to see the draft moved to late February, with free agency to commence following rookie minicamps, most likely in mid-to-late March.

Obviously, moving the draft to late February would decrease the player evaluation time, but hosting the All-star games and Combine around the same time and location would cut travel cost considerably. This change would give teams and scouts to opportunity to see all prospects at around the same time and place.

The earlier draft would allow teams to select for need with younger players first, then see what they’ve got in minicamps before deciding whom to pursue in free agency. The system currently encourages teams to fill roster needs with veteran free agents before the draft.

This would be a good move for teams, as they can evaluate their young talent after the draft during rookie minicamps, etc. and then decide if they want to pursue any big money free agents.

Where Have You Been Ed O'Bannon?

14 years ago, Ed O'Bannon led UCLA to a 32-1 record and a 89-78 victory over Arkansas in the NCAA title game. In 1995, Ed was a consensus All-American, Wooden Award winner, and UCLA retired his #31. The New Jersey Nets selected Ed with the ninth overall pick in the '95 draft but after a few seasons in the league, he vanished.

After such a stellar senior season and solid overall college career, many were surprised with Ed's lack of productivity. He did have a major knee surgery earlier in his UCLA career, but dominated as a senior. His size, versatility, and athleticism foreshadowed a solid NBA career. But why couldn't he make it in the league?

Former Net teammate Armon Gilliam believes, Ed was kind of thrust into a situation that was not ideal for him, At UCLA they played an open court, up-tempo, finesse-type of basketball. Then he's playing half-court, bump-and-grind, East Coast basketball. It wasn't what he was built for. He's a guy who didn't find his niche in the NBA. He wasn't in the right situation to grow and develop. He never got the opportunity to prove what he could do."

Regarded as one of the all-time NBA busts, O'Bannon made the move overseas and played professionally for seven years in Italy, Spain, Greece, Poland and Argentina. At the age of 30 and after another knee surgery, Ed retired from basketball.

SI.com caught up with O'Bannon, now a car salesman in Las Vegas. Paul Gutierrez's article is a MUST read

Ed's 30 point, 17 rebound National Championship game vs. Arkansas

Shaq Keeps Promise and "Tweets" at Halftime

We posted last week about Milwakee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva "tweeting" at halftime of a game. After Villanueva got in trouble with his coach, athletes using Twitter got a lot of coverage with sports media. Since Shaq loves being the center of attention, he decided to get in on the action. Arguably the most entertaining "tweeting" athlete today, Shaq posted "Attention all twitterers I'm a tweet at halftime and not get fined like vill a new wave a whteva his name is."

A reporter mentioned Shaq's halftime tweet plans to Coach Alvin Gentry before the Suns game yesterday and he responded very un-Skiles like. "If he gets 25 and 11, he can do anything he wants. He can Twitter, he can Facebook, he can -- whatever the hell the other one is, MySpace ... he gets 25 and 11, he can do just about anything he wants."

Unfortunately, all Shaq "tweeted" at halftime was, "Shhhhhhh." I guess he just wanted to show his fans that indeed he could "tweet" at halftime and not get in trouble.

After a a 128-96 victory over Washington, Shaq responded to the Twitter questions by saying, "My intention wasn't to create this attention, to create problems or anything like that. I was trying to do something harmless. I respect the team rules. If other guys do it, all power to them."

Stafford is a Genius

Matt Stafford performed well last week at his Georgia pro day and has now shown NFL scouts that he is a top prospect in the classroom as well. The NFL released Wonderlic scores for all Combine participants and Stafford was at the top of the QB list. Stafford lead all QB1's with a Wonderlic score of 38. USC's Mark Sanchez scored 28 and Kansas State's Josh Freeman 27. All are pretty good scores for signal callers. Last year, Matt Ryan reportedly scored 32, and Joe Flacco posted a 27.

Some other scores to note include: Michael Crabtree (15), Darrius Heyward-Bey of Maryland (14), Percy Harvin of Florida (12), Arizona's Eben Britton (31), Eugene Monroe of Virginia (24), Jason Smith of Baylor (23), and USC's linebacker trio Clay Matthews (27), Brian Cushing (23) and Rey Maualuga (15).

The Wonderlic measures problem-solving ability and features 50 questions and a 12-minute time limit. Prospects get one point for each correct answer. According to SI's Paul Zimmerman, examples of average scores for each position are:

Offensive tackle - 26
Center - 25
Quarterback - 24
Guard - 23
Tight end - 22
Safety - 19
Linebacker - 19
Cornerback - 18
Wide receiver - 17
Fullback - 17
Halfback - 16

Although unconfirmed by the NFL, it is rumored that Buffalo Bill QB (and Harvard grad) Ryan Fitzpatrick scored a perfect 50 points on the Wonderlic. Eagles WR Kevin Curtis also scored high on the test with a 48.

Check out a few sample questions here. To put the test into real life context, Wonderlic, Inc. claims a score of at least 10 points suggests a person is literate and the average professional scores a 24. Examples of scores from everyday professions included:

Chemist - 31
Programmer - 29
Journalist - 26
Sales - 24
Bank teller - 22
Clerical worker - 21
Security guard - 17
Warehouse - 15

Bolt and Ronaldo: Pen Pals and Training Partners

The track & field and soccer worlds will collide in May as Usain Bolt meets up with his penpal, Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo. The fastest man in the world is a huge United fan and wrote to Ronaldo about an upcoming Manchester trip. As part of the buildup to the European outdoor season and world championships, Bolt will compete in a 150 meter street race in Manchester on May 17. This trip will also give Bolt the opportunity to watch his favorite soccer club in person and train with star player Ronaldo.

Bolt collects autographed soccer jerseys and according to The Telegraph, he wrote to Ronaldo asking for a ManU kit and Cristiano responded requesting some training tips. Ronaldo, himself a big fan of Bolt, was only too happy to oblige but had a request of his own. In return, he said, he would like some advice from the world record-holder on how to improve his own speed on the football pitch.

Bolt’s agent confirmed that his client and Ronaldo will spend some time together in May. The very best at their respective crafts training together should also work on their celebration routines.

We Readyyyyyyyyyyyy

Bulls Launch 'Rose For ROY' Campaign

The Chicago Bulls announced today the launch of DRoseROY.com, a website promoting star point guard Derrick Rose for the Rookie of the Year award. I've been talking up Rose for ROY honors all season, so I'm very thankful the Bulls are stepping up. OJ who?

“We are extremely fortunate to have Derrick Rose as a part of our organization,” said Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson. “He’s obviously an integral part of our future, and the sky is the limit for a player of his ability and character. In an impressive class of rookies, it’s clear that Derrick has established himself as the cream of the crop, and he’d be very deserving of Rookie of the Year honors.”

The site features Rose stats, awards, player/coach quotes, photos, and videos. Through today, Rose is averaging 16.5 ppg, 6.2 apg and 3.7 rpg in 36.8 mpg. Rose has earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month twice and become ever to win the Skills Challenge during NBA All-Star Weekend.

New iPhone App Allows Fans To Find Local Sports Bars

Eric Fisher of The Sports Business Daily reports that sports social networking outfit SportsFanLive has released "Fan Finder -- Sports Bar Locator." This new iPhone application uses GPS to find nearby sports bars where games of a user's favorite team are being shown.

"Fan Finder" is a free application, sponsored by Panasonic and backed by a large national database of sports bars and team affiliations. iPhone users can find this app among the "new and noteworthy" items in the iTunes App Store.

"This really adds a new dimension to what we're doing," said SportsFanLive Founder David Katz. "In a lot of ways, it's cooler and more useful than what's online. This is something that leverages the power of the iPhone, and we think is unique in terms of a having a significant sponsorship tied to it. And to be featured on the App Store like we have, that's literally real estate you cannot buy."

Dan Patrick's Celebrity NCAA Pool

After day one of the NCAA Tournament, Adam Sandler leads Dan Patrick's celebrity pool with all 16 correct picks. You can check out Final Four predictions from such folks as Sandler, LaDanian Tomlinson, Brooklyn Decker, Reggie Miller, Maurice Jones-Drew, Jerry West, and G-Mac (Gerry McNamara). "Friends of Dan" NCAA Tournament pool:

Topless Recruiting is Key for Kiffin

Lane Kiffin believes his infamous shirt-ripping stunt on Tennessee's Junior Day was "the best story you could ever have" for recruiting football players to Knoxville.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Michael Carvell says, "The topless topic was perhaps the most creative and most bizarre recruiting strategies in SEC football history. Tennessee had many of the nation’s top 2010 prospects on campus, and the Volunteers went to extreme measures to make sure they remembered the trip."

Kiffin had a ton of the nation's top prospects on campus for Junior Day and his staff went to extreme measures to make an impression. After coaches spoke about the importance of special teams at UT a few ripped of their shirts. Additional assistants and a few players ran into the room shirtless and chanting "U-T, wild boys … U-T wild boys." However recruits have said that Lane kept his shirt on. After the chants and shirtless men calmed down, Tennessee recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron gave a typical intense pep talk, which caused the whole room to erupt once more. Coach O is known for stripping down, but apparently his pep talk was fully clothed. “The last time, everybody was hyped up and feeling it,” Loganville High School tailback Storm Johnson said, “people were jumping all over the place. It was rocking. You should’ve seen it. Even the podium got knocked over.”

So was UT's strategy successful? I guess we will have to wait and see how their 2010 recruiting class looks. The intensity out in Knoxville is definitely putting UT back on the recruiting map, as the Vols needed some new fire power after firing Phil Fulmer last year.

Kiffin told CBSSports.com:
”It’s the best story you could ever have. You can’t get all these recruits on your campus. You’ve got to convince them to take an official visit. What better way when they read about this.”

“We had numerous kids the next day [say] this was the best junior day I was ever at. They had a blast. They said, ‘These coaches are so intense, so high energy. You can tell they’re going to win here. Tennessee is at the top of my list now.’”

Devin Hester Gives You Wings

Add another endorsement to Devin Hester's list. CNBC's Darren Rovell reports the Chicago Bears speed demon has inked a deal with Red Bull. Hester already has deals with Under Armour and EA, but as he gets more balls thrown his way, I'm sure his people will be pitching him for more deals.

We're told that Hester will be making personal appearances at non-traditional events that Red Bull sponsors, including the BC One, an international breakdance competition that Red Bull created.

During Super Bowl week, Red Bull announced the signing of New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush. I would love to see a commercial of them racing each other. Who would win?

Anything Else Go Down in Sports Today?

Of course all eyes were on the NCAA tournament, but what else happened in the sports world today? The only other story I had my eye on was University of Georgia's Pro Day. This was a big day as it was the first time NFL scouts had the chance to see Matt Stafford throw the ball this off season.

According to Gil Brant of NFL.com, Stafford chose to stand on all of his Combine workout numbers and was accurate on 47 of 50 throws during the scripted session. He threw every type of pass, including a 35-yd bomb to Demiko Goodman. Scouts really liked what they saw today and every NFL team was represented in Athens, GA. Brandt's feedback:

If Stafford has one fault, it’s that he throws the ball a lot like Brett Favre. Because he has such a strong arm and is such a great athlete, Stafford takes chances on throws that he shouldn’t attempt. It’s not because he doesn’t understand coverages; it’s just that he has superior confidence in his arm and ability.

“That’s a fault that can be corrected. Some say Stafford is an underachiever, but I think that’s an unfair label. He won at Alabama in overtime. You don’t win those kind of games unless you’re a competitor

Stafford Pro Day highlights and Todd McShay analysis

Official Ladder of NCAA Tourney?

Darren Rovell of CNBC posted an article today highlighting one of the strangest NCAA tournament sponsors, Werner Ladders.

Werner is the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of ladders and ladder accessories, as many professional contractors know, but the company wanted to be more top-of-mind with everyday consumers, said Kathy Cianci, Werner's marketing channel specialist.

According to Rovell, Werner's championship ladder is exactly nine feet so that a six-footer can comfortably stand on the ladder on just the right step to cut the nets.

The partnership is re-signed on a year-by-year basis, but Cianci says Werner is very happy with it. And the company isn't just hoping you'll notice their logos as "One Shining Moment" is playing. They've purchased online banner ads on school fan Web sites and, for the second straight year, they are sponsors of Mike & Mike's "Sheet of Integrity" Challenge on ESPN Radio.

Werner's webite has a nice NCAA tourney trivia challenge here

NBA Stars Pick NCAA Winners

Coming off a year that featured three adidas teams in the Final Four including eventual champion Kansas, the brand looks to take Brotherhood one-step further for the 2009 NCAA Tournament by bringing current NBA stars back to school at the top-ranked college programs.

KG, Dwight, T-Mac, and Josh Smith star in the adidas “March is a Brotherhood” video series sharing their admiration and respect for the college game. Although these guys leaped the college ranks, they are now reflecting on the purity of the game and celebrating the NCAA basketball brotherhood.

Garnett speaks to the UCLA’s history

Howard sings Rock Chalk, Jayhawk

McGrady makes his Louisville tourney prediction

Smith blasts Pitt's fight song.

Let the Madness Begin!!!

Watch all tournament games live via your computer here