This is Brian Wilson

To kick off the 2011 MLB season, ESPN has dropped the network's "This is SportsCenter" ad with Giants P Brian Wilson. The outspoken and stylish closer explains to Josh Elliot and Jay Harris why they should "fear the beard."

Tebow's first Jockey ad

Over the summer, we posted on Broncos QB Tim Tebow becoming the new face of Jockey and the backup signal caller's first TV spot has finally hit the Internet.

The boring commercial below promotes Jockey's staycool t-shirts, which appartently were developed for NASA, helping you feel up to 3 degrees cooler.

Tebow's TV spot will debut on April 4.

New John Wall Dance

During the Wizards-Heat game last night, John Wall and Zydrunas Ilgauskas were ejected after a little confrontation where the #1 pick took exception to Big Z's elbow.

Check out the replay at around 1:10, where you can see Ilgauskas’ elbows and Wall's punch punch.

Although Wall showed heart in his scuffle against big Z, the Heat won 123-107.

MLB Prop Bets

Although we aren't the biggest baseball fan in the world, today is opening day and to honor America's pastime, here are a few entertaining BoDog.com prop bets for the 2011 season.

Derek Jeter: Will he get engaged to Minka Kelly in 2011?
Yes: +150
No: -200

Will Brian Wilson shave his beard completely during the 2011 Regular Season?
Yes: 5/2

What will be the longest hitting streak of the Season?
Over/Under: 27 1/2

Will any Player hit 4 Home Runs in a game in the season?
Yes: 12/1

Will any pitcher pitch a no-hitter in the season?
Yes: -550
No: +375

Will any pitcher pitch a perfect game in the season?
Yes: +325
No: -450

(via Hot Clicks)

YouTube star earns spot in NCAA dunk contest

YouTube sensation Jacob Tucker, a 5'11" guard from Division III Illinois College, has earned a spot in the NCAA's annual dunk contest taking part this weekend during the Final Four activities.

Tucker's dunk audition tape went viral earlier this month and has received more than 2.6 million views on YouTube. He earned a spot in the contest by winning a Facebook fan poll, in which fans voted for one non-Division I-competitor to join the contest.

He will be facing Pitt's Gilbert Brown, St. John's Justin Burrell, Memphis' Will Coleman, East Tennessee State's Justin Tubbs, San Diego State's Billy White, Cincinnati's Darnell Wilks and UNC Asheville's John Williams.

"I feel with the dunks I have practiced and the dunks I have in my arsenal, I have a chance," Tucker said. "I'm not going to leak them out. I will say there's a couple dunks you haven't seen me do before or some you've never seen before."

The contest will air Thursday night on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET.

Melo Will "Be Heard"

Boost Mobile today announced a partnership with Knicks F Carmelo Anthony has that will focus on New York-based media and marketing activities. This is Melo's first endorsement deal since joining the Knicks in a midseason trade.

The official telecommunications partner of the Knicks and MSG Network revealed a 128-foot billboard near Madison Square Garden featuring Anthony that featured the company's new ad campaign, "Be Heard."

Other elements of the campaign include local radio, billboards, in-store merchandise and giveaways

ESPN Debuts Corporate Blog

ESPN today is launching its new corporate blog, ESPNFrontRow.com. The site will be updated daily and will be managed by the network's Communications department.

According to the Sports Business Daily, the blog will be a collaborative effort among ESPN personnel and Sheldon Spencer will be the site's primary voice. Spencer most recently served as an NFL editor for ESPN.com, where he worked with NFL blogs.

The goal of the blog is: "To feed the appetite of those who want to know who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Our aim is to reflect an authentic company culture and engage all of you with fresh content multiple times a day. The blog is a collaborative effort featuring a variety of voices, opinions and perspectives and will also serve as a channel for leaders from around the company to address issues that are making news."

The site debuts today with a series of photos depicting "A Day In The Life" at ESPN.

How "Amazing" TV Spots Were Made

In January, we posted a few "Where Amazing Happens" TV spots that featured footage of current NBA stars before they made it to the league.

The creative commercials combined archived footage of the players with conversations about today. So how did they do it?

Check out the guys at DIME Magazine exploring how Steve Nash's commercial was made. Alley-oop to Game On!

Hurley's "60 Minutes" Story

For those basketball fans who were drained on Sunday night after two incredible Elite Eight games and missed out on Bob Hurley's "60 Minutes" story, I highly recommend you take 12 minutes to watch the below video.

Hurley has been head basketball coach of St. Anthony in Jersey City for the last 39 years and in that time, he’s won 24 state championships and 3 national titles all without recruiting players or even having his own gym.

The craziest part of the Hurley story is that he has never earned more than a $9,000 annual stipend and has passed up many lucrative college jobs in order to stay at St. Anthony to change the lives of his inner city players. Check out his story below:

Ochocinco's lackluster soccer debut

Last week, we covered Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco's long anticipated MLS tryout with Sporting Kansas City and the outspoken receiver finally hit the pitch for a real match.

As more than 3,000 fans watched via the club's live internet stream, Ochocinco's first action came yesterday in Sporting KC's reserve match against Premier Development League side Kansas City Brass.

Ochocinco played the last 30-plus minutes of the match for the Sporting KC reserves and didn't do too much. According to Yahoo! Sports, "his crosses were off target, his attempts to muscle past defenders were largely unsuccessful and his overall tentativeness kept him from making an impact despite a good number of touches. By the end, he looked tired and spent, but he clearly enjoyed every second of the experience." After the match, Chad spoke with the AP about his lackluster debut and his overall experience with Sporting KC.

I've been away from the game since I was a little kid," [Ochocinco] said. "I'm just having fun. The skill set is not there like it should be. All I can do out here on the pitch is probably just run fast. Other than that, I just enjoyed it."

"I'm satisfied," he said. "My dream has been answered, to be able to come onto the pitch and play for an MLS team. It doesn't have to be against someone professional. Just to be out here was enough for me. I can go home. I can die tomorrow and be satisfied. I can go to heaven and tell God, 'Man, I played professional soccer and I'm good."'

"It's been a dream come true for me to be on the pitch, man, with so many of these guys who are elite athletes at the top of their game," Ochocinco said. "I enjoyed it."

Here are a few "highlights" of Ochocinco's debut yesterday:

Next round of Madden cover bracket

EA Sports and ESPN have announced the 16 NFL players that have advanced to the next round of the "Madden NFL 12 Cover" bracket contest, hosted exclusively by ESPN.com and "SportsNation."

Over 6.8 million votes were cast on ESPN.com's "SportsNation" during the first week of the campaign and below is a list of the second round matchups. So who do you like to take home the cover?

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers vs. Rams QB Sam Bradford
Giants WR Hakeem Nicks vs. Patriots RB Danny Woodhead
Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles
Browns RB Peyton Hillis vs. Falcons QB Matt Ryan
Chargers QB Philip Rivers vs. Vikings RB Adrian Peterson
Jets QB Mark Sanchez vs Saints QB Drew Brees
Eagles QB Michael Vick vs. Texans WR Andre Johnson
49ers LB Patrick Willis vs Steelers WR Hines Ward

Jay-Z Surprised Kentucky Locker Room

Adding to the excitement of Kentucky's first Final Four appearance since 1998 was a surprise locker room visit from a hip-hop mogul who took part in the team's celebration after Sunday's victory over North Carolina.

Jay-Z surprised the Wildcats by shaking hands, snapping pics and congratulating the squad on their Final Four birth.

"That in itself was a pretty nice experience to add on to (the Final Four)," guard Darius Miller told the Louisville Courier Journal. "Going to the Final Four (is bigger) by far. But still, Jay-Z. It's crazy. This whole day has been crazy. I'm still taking it all in."

Shady or not, coach John Calipari's connections with celebrities like Jay-Z, Drake and LeBron James sets him apart in the recruiting world, no matter what school he coaches.

ManU returns for MLS All-Star

Major League Soccer today announced that English Premier League leader Manchester United will return as the MLS All-Star Game opponent this summer. The match-up will go down on July 27 at Red Bull Arena and will be broadcast live on ESPN2, Galavision and TSN (in Canada) starting at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The 16th All-Star Game in League history will be a rematch of ManU's victory in the 2010 match in front of a sellout crowd of more than 70,000 fans at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.

ManU features a lineup full of international stars such as EPL scoring leader Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria), Wayne Rooney (England), Javier Hernández (Mexico), Nani (Portugal), Patrice Evra (France), Nemanja Vidić (Serbia), Rio Ferdinand (England) and midfielders Ryan Giggs (Wales) and Paul Scholes (England).

“We are pleased to host Manchester United again for our marquee summer event,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. “Our All-Star Game has become a true celebration of soccer, and our best players look forward to the challenge of competing against one of the top clubs in the world.”

Brockness Monster Trick Shots

Bucks F Jon Brockman is the latest athlete to create a trick shot video, but this time the former Washington Huskies star is challenging fans to submit their best shots.

Brockman will pick his favorite to take him on in a game of H-O-R-S-E at the Bucks Training Facility in St. Francis, WI. Winners will also receive two tickets to a Bucks game.

Check out the Brockness monster's trick shot repertoire.

Upper Deck Goes Digital

Although there might not be a NFL season in 2011, Upper Deck has taken their training card game to the next level. The brand has officially unveiled its "Evolution" video trading cards, which will appear inside packs of football cards starting on April 12.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, Cowboys QB Tony Romo, Eagles WR DeSean Jackson and 49ers LB Patrick Willis will be featured in the initial release, which include video footage from the players' collegiate days.

"From the onset, it was important to us that this new insert was a trading card first, otherwise it would just be a video player," said Jason Masherah, Upper Deck's vice president of Marketing. "The cards are built like our premium booklet trading cards with a video monitor built into the card. The beauty behind these cards is that they are self-contained. You don't need any other gadgets or a computer to play them. You simply open the cover and press play. A video screen with 60 seconds' worth of highlight reel footage of the player immediately starts playing. The card also has a port so it can be recharged as well."

Upper Deck is currently running a series of "Evolution" banner ads and has created a special landing page devoted to the product's debut next month. Check out a quick video teaser for the "Evolution" launch below.

Artest hits stage on "Lopez Tonight"

Over the last year or so, we've closely followed the up-and-coming music career of Lakers F Ron Artest and last night's visit to "Lopez Tonight" provided one of the best moments in recent memory.

Artest, Lopez, Fat Joe, B-Real of Cypress Hill, and many others performed their new single "Go Loco" on the show last night.

Are you more impressed with Artest's lyrical skills or his "Peanut Butter" t-shirt?

McGee vs. Griffin Part 2

One night after Wizards C JaVale McGee turned in probably the block of the year against Blazers G Wesley Matthews, the Slam Dunk runner-up didn't disappoint in his match up against Blake Griffin and the Clippers last night.

Check out McGee sending a Griffin layup attempt into the 5th row at Staples Center.

Unfortunately for the shot blocker, the Clippers came out victorious with a 127-119 W in two overtimes.

Thunder players ruin Montell

Oklahoma City Thunder players James Harden and Eric Maynor really shouldn't quit their day jobs. Check them out at a recent season ticket holder event butchering Montell Jordan's classic jam, "This Is How We Do It." The best performer might just be the little kid in a white Kevin Durant jersey who not only fist pumps throughout the song, but also raises the roof.

Ochocinco's MLS Tryout

One NFL player that won't be bored during a potential lockout is Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco. When he is not filming reality shows for VH1, the outspoken receiver is watching soccer.

He is such a fan of the game that MLS side, Sporting Kansas City is giving him a four-day tryout this week.

"We're always searching for players who can help our team and bringing in new talent,” Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes said. “We know that Chad is an exceptional athlete and that he loves the sport of soccer, and he did play a lot when he was younger. We're excited to see how his skills will translate once he arrives next week and begins training with our team."

Ochocinco's first training with the club is today and although it is closed to the public, fans can watch via http://www.sporting85.com/.

Block of the year?

Every once in a while, you see a play that you haven't seen before. Last night, Slam Dunk runner-up JaVale McGee of the Wizards didn't just block Wesley Matthews shot, he literally grabbed it out of the air.

Blazers C LaMarcus Aldridge perfectly described the play: “I thought it was going to be a top 10 dunk, then it turned into a top 10 block.”

The next great sports reality show

With rumors of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being the leading candidates to be featured on HBO's "Hard Knocks" series this summer, some sports fans might actually hope for a NFL lockout.

Thankfully, Showtime is here to the rescue with a new series, "The Franchise," which follows the World Series champ Giants during the offseason and through spring training.

The incredible cast of characters should make this the most entertaining sports reality show in years and will no doubt get fans fired up for the season. A preview of the series airs on Showtime on April 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

(Hat tip to #1 G-Men Fan, ST)

Real March Madness Brackets

Anyone else over their March Madness brackets or need entertainment in the days in between NCAA Tourney rounds?

Well, yesterday we tweeted an incredible bracket challenge featuring cast members from MTV reality shows, "The Real World," "Road Rules" and "Fresh Meat Challenge." For those who aren't as obsessed with these shows as we are, here is another entertaining bracket.

EndlessSimmer.com has ranked all 68 NCAA tournament teams using the best late-night food item from a local hot spot near each school. Check out a few of our favorite eats below, including Kentucky's "MegaHo Burger," UCSB's "BBQ Sauce Nachos," North Carolina's "Chicken Cheddar Biscuit" and San Diego State "Sigma Pi Burrito."

(Major hat tip to Hot Clicks)

Casting the NBA Movie

The guys over at The Basketball Jones recently went on a mission to find out how NBA players would cast their life stories. Who would play them in a movie and most importantly, who would they pick as their leading lady.

Will Smith and Denzel Washington were favorites for the lead actor position and Halle Berry was the most popular leading lady, however Suns big men Channing Frye and
Marcin Gortat had the most interesting answers.

TBJ exclusive: NBA players go Hollywood from The Basketball Jones on Vimeo.

Nash Pumps Up Whitecaps Crowd

Suns G Steve Nash is giving his former boss, Mark Cuban a run for his money as best owner in sports. The former back-to-back NBA MVP is an investor in the Vancouver Whitecaps MLS team and pumped up the crowd prior to kickoff of the club's inaugural MLS game over the weekend.

Stanky leg is back!

U.S. National Team forward Charlie Davies scored twice for DC United in his MLS debut and showed off his famous stanky leg celebration.

This was Davies’ first competitive match since he suffered life-threatening injuries in an Oct. 2009 car accident.

After watching his two goals below, you should check out this emotional post-match interview with Davies after he lead DCU to a 3-1 win over Columbus.

Gumbel forgets his network

Oops, leading up to yesterday's Duke vs. Michigan game, CBS announcer Greg Gumbel made an on-air error when he said, "That's coming up next here on ESPN."

Gumbel did work for ESPN as a reporter, Sportscenter anchor and play-by-play guy from 1979 to 1988.

Of course, Gumbel made the natural reaction to his on-air mistake.

"ESPN? Good grief, Charlie Brown."

Blake's best dunk that didn't count

In the fourth quarter yesterday against the Suns, Blake Griffin drove to the basket and threw up an insane one-handed dunk over Marcin Gortat. Unfortunately for the Slam Dunk champ and Clippers fans, the referee called an offensive foul, giving Griffin his 6th foul. Reacting to the gutsy call, the All-Star couldn't keep his cool and earned a technical foul.

Reacting to the dunk, Suns Coach Alvin Gentry said: "I don't care if it was a charge, that might be the best dunk he's had since he was in the league."

Dunks and techs aside, the Suns went on to win 108-99.

Fans to select Madden Cover

Although there might not be an NFL season next fall, the Madden video game franchise will live on and fans will be more involved than ever in the next cover selection.

EA Sports announced today that similar to the NCAA Football 12 selection process, NFL fans will have the opportunity to chose the next cover athlete for the video game.

Kicking off today and continuing through April 27, fans can participate in a bracket-style voting campaign on www.ESPN.com/MaddenVote and choose among 32 candidates (one representative from every NFL team) to appear on the cover of Madden NFL 12.

Fans’ votes will determine which NFL players advance through the seeded bracket, culminating in the reveal of the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete on ESPN’s “SportsNation” on April 27.

Among the candidates are: Packers quarterback and Super Bowl XLV MVP Aaron Rodgers, former Madden NFL cover athletes Saints QB Drew Brees and Eagles QB Michael Vick along with Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Vikings RB Adrian Peterson and Bears DE Julius Peppers.

The full Madden NFL 12 cover athlete bracket will be unveiled today during ESPN’s “SportsNation” today at 4pm ET.

Tourney ratings highest in 20 years

For the first time ever, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is being broadcast across four channels (TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV) and after day one, it seems as if this new strategy is paying off.

According to Nielsen, the four networks' combined first round coverage Thursday drew an overnight TV rating of 5.7, up 24% from the 4.6 for CBS' solo coverage in 2010.

USA Today reports the 5.7 rating is highest for the first Thursday since 1991.

Here is the game schedule for today:

12:15 PM (13) Oakland vs. (4) Texas (CBS)
12:40 PM (9) Tennessee vs. (8) Michigan (truTV)
1:40 PM (15) Akron vs. (2) Notre Dame (TBS)
2:10 PM (9) Villanova vs. (8) George Mason (TNT)
2:45 PM (12) Memphis vs. (5) Arizona (CBS)
3:10 PM (16) Hampton vs. (1) Duke (truTV)
4:10 PM (10) Florida State vs. (7) Texas A&M (TBS)
4:40 PM (16) UT-San Antonio vs. (1) Ohio State (TNT)
6:50 PM (16) Boston University vs. (1) Kansas (TBS)
7:15 PM (15) Long Island vs. (2) North Carolina (CBS)
7:20 PM (14) St. Peter's vs. (3) Purdue (TNT)
7:27 PM (11) Marquette vs. (6) Xavier (truTV)
9:20 PM (9) Illinois vs. (8) UNLV (TBS)
9:45 PM (10) Georgia vs. (7) Washington (CBS)
9:50 PM (11) Virginia Commonwealth vs. (6) Georgetown (TNT)
9:57 PM (14) Indiana State vs. (3) Syracuse (truTV)

Buzzer Beater of the Day

There were a few buzzer beaters yesterday in the first round of NCAA Tournament, but my favorite player in the country, Matt Howard of Butler had the best game winner of the day against Old Dominion.

Whitecaps model goes topless

With the MLS season kick off competing for viewership this week with the opening games of the NCAA Tournament, teams are doing everything they can to get eyes on their matches.

Check out what the Vancouver Whitecaps are doing to promote their first MLS regular season match and their new kits. You're welcome.

Dunk + Dance of the Year?

Forget about that Blake Griffin dude in LA, check out what Dwyane Wade did to Kendrick Perkins last night on ESPN.

Wade's spin move dunk posterized the new Thunder center and should be in contention for the best dunk of the season. His cabbage patch dance definitely was the best celebration so far this year and paid homage to Heat teammate and former Fab Five member Juwan Howard.

In ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary focusing on the famous Michigan basketball squad, fans were treated to Howard memorable dance after the Wolverines beat Ohio State and advanced to the 1992 Final Four.

Unfortunately, Wade's dunk and dance wasn't enough for the Heat as they fell 96-85 to the Thunder.

White House Bracketology

March Madness has yet again taken over the White House and for the second year in a row, President Barack Obama is picking all #1 seeds to advance to the Final Four.

For the third straight year, Obama has filled out an NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com senior college basketball writer Andy Katz and believes Duke, Kansas, Ohio State and Pittsburgh will advance to the men's Final Four.

The President's full men's bracket along with his choice for national champion, will be revealed on the noon (ET) "SportsCenter" today.

He correctly picked North Carolina to win in 2009 but last year, he went with Kansas, but Duke ended up taking home the trophy.

adidas goes "all in" with new campaign

This week, adidas launched the brand’s largest marketing campaign to date and for the first time ever, connected their sports, music and fashion categories into one high-energy TV spot.

Directed by Romain Gavras and featuring the song “Civilization” by French electronic band Justice, the new commercial features NBA stars Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard, soccer stars David Beckham and Lionel Messi, pop icon Katy Perry, hip hop artist B.o.B., University of Notre Dame football and skateboarders Silas Baxter-Neal, Lem Villemin and Jake Donnelly.

The diverse adidas stars are front and center in the “all adidas” campaign, which celebrates their “game faces” and passion for their crafts. Along with the :30 and :60-second TV spots, fans can continue the conversation online through social platforms including www.facebook.com/adidas and www.YouTube/adidas.

The heart of the “all adidas” campaign is the celebration of the "game face" and the brand is asking fans to submit their own best game face photo for a chance to be on a special TV commercial with other adidas stars during the MTV Movie Awards on June 5. Fans can visit www.facebook.com/adidas to submit their photo. Howard and B.o.B. have even released videos of their own, encouraging fans to share their game faces.

Check out the :30 and :60 "all adidas" TV spots hitting the airwaves today.

Hooters launches National Play Hooky Days

Hooters is declaring March 17th and 18th "National Play Hooky Days," encouraging college basketball fans to skip school/work and watch the NCAA Tournament first round games at their fine establishments.

Fans can visit HootersHookyDay.com to download a doctor's note and redeem a free appetizer coupon for this Thursday and Friday during tourney games.

"If you've got basketball fever, then Hooters is where you have to be on March 17th and 18th," said Mike McNeil, VP of Marketing for Hooters of America, LLC. "We are hoping for an epidemic this year as we build on the success from 2010."

Hooters has partnered with long time spokesperson and college basketball analyst, Dick Vitale for a national TV commercial, alongside "Nurse Ashleigh", on in store point of sale and Hooters season menu.

Hooters will also donate $1 per new Facebook Like to the V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Grant, up to $10,000.

March Madness Moments Lego-ized

If you need some inspiration filling out your NCAA Tournament brackets today, check out the video below via Tauntr.com.

The guys over there have recreated some most famous NCAA Tournet moments in LEGO form.

Former UCLA coach Jim Harrick is probably the best dressed LEGO in the history of toys.

Wilson Chanlder?

Major bummer for Nuggets guard Wilson Chandler last night. The high-flying guard is still getting situated in Denver since being traded from the Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony deal, and his new squad couldn't even spell his very simple last name correctly his jersey vs. the Hornets on Monday.

Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reported that the Nuggets corrected the error at halftime and to start the second half with his new uniform, Chandler hit five of six shots (including four 3-pointers) on his way to 21 points and seven rebounds in the Nuggets' 114-103 victory.

Photo via Ball Don't Lie

Fennville Wins District Championship

The Fennville High School basketball team's magical run in the Michigan state tournament continues. Only a few days after star player Wes Leonard died of a heart attack immediately following hitting the game-winning shot, Fennville returned to the court to play its first playoff game.

Here is ESPN's Bob Holtzman reporting on Fennville's playoff progress and how the team and community is honoring Leonard.

Zbikowski wins in 1st-round KO

Ravens safety/boxer Tom Zbikowski has his NFL lockout plan already in full motion.

Boxing for the second time as a pro, Zbikowski stepped into the ring Saturday night and knocked out Richard Bryant in just 1:45 of a scheduled four-round fight on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Ricardo Mayorga title fight.

Zbikowski, who last fought while still attending Notre Dame, earned $50,000 and dropped Bryant with a left hook to the body. Referee Russell Mora waved the fight to a close after Bryant got up at the count of seven.

"I was looking to get a little more work but you take a win any way you can get it," Zbikowski said. "I know I hurt him with the hook, you could feel the air come out."

Zbikowski plans to fight next on March 26 in Atlantic City, N.J. "I wanted to get the ring rust off in this fight," he said. "Right now this isn't a second career for me. It's a first career."

Leading up to his fight on Saturday, Zbikowski appeared on The Dan Patrick Show to discuss which NFL player he'd like to get in the ring.

Ochocinco"[Chad] Ochocinco talks like he can box," Zbikowski said of the Cincinnati Bengals receiver.

Ochocinco, who incorporates boxing as part of his offseason training, responded to Zbikowski via Twitter.

"You [want to] go nite nite, you want to box me, for 1 your feet are [too] slow and you've no hand speed to even be competitive," Ochocinco tweeted.

No word if Zbikowski vs. Ochocinco is in the works for this offseason.

Sports Biz Award Nominees

The SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily will host their fourth annual Sports Business Awards in New York on May 18 and the outlet announced the nominees this morning.

According to the SBJ, there are a record 73 nominees across 15 categories selected by committees of the editorial staff from SportsBusiness Journal/Daily and the nominees include 37 companies or individuals being nominated for the first time. The top nominees are ESPN and Turner Sports with four each and below are the final nominees in the 15 categories.

SPORTS EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
George Bodenheimer ESPN/ABC Sports
Chip Ganassi Ganassi Racing
David Levy Turner Broadcasting System
Kevin Plank Under Armour
Pat Riley Miami Heat

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Bob Bowlsby Stanford University
Tim Curley Penn State University
Chris Del Conte Texas Christian University
DeLoss Dodds University of Texas
Chris Hill University of Utah

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUE OF THE YEAR
Major League Soccer
National Basketball Association
National Football League
National Hockey League
Ultimate Fighting Championship

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR
Ganassi Racing
New York Jets
Orlando Magic
Pittsburgh Penguins
San Francisco Giants

SPORTS EVENT OF THE YEAR
ING New York City Marathon – 2010
NBA All-Star Game – 2011
NCAA Final Four – 2010
Winter X Games – 2011

SPORTS SPONSOR OF THE YEAR
Papa John’s
Phillips-Van Heusen
Subway
T-Mobile USA

SPORTS FACILITY OF THE YEAR
Amway Center
Arrowhead Stadium
Consol Energy Center
New Meadowlands Stadium
Red Bull Arena
Target Field

BEST IN SPORTS MEDIA
CBS Sports
ESPN
Fox Sports
National Football League
Turner Sports

BEST IN SPORTS TELEVISION
ESPN Networks
Fox Sports
HBO Sports
NBC Sports
Turner Sports

BEST IN DIGITAL SPORTS MEDIA
CBS Interactive Media
ESPN Digital Media
MLB Advanced Media
Turner Sports

BEST IN SPORTS TECHNOLOGY
Daktronics
Fanvibe
IOMedia
MLB Advanced Media

BEST IN CORPORATE CONSULTING, MARKETING AND CLIENT SERVICES
GMR Marketing
GroupM ESP
IMG
Octagon
Team Epic
Wasserman Media Group

BEST IN PROPERTY CONSULTING, SALES AND CLIENT SERVICES
AEG Global Partnerships
CAA Sports
Home Team Marketing
IMG

BEST IN TALENT REPRESENTATION AND MANAGEMENT
Boras Corporation
CAA Sports
IMG
Octagon
Wasserman Media Group

BEST IN SPORTS EVENT AND EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
BaAM Productions
BeCore Promotions
Intersport
The Marketing Arm
Momentum Worldwide
SportsMark

Overstatement of the week

Former NBA center (and 2010 Republican candidate in Oregon's Gubernatorial election) Chris Dudley recently appeared on a "NBA Cares" commercial as a “NBA Legend.”

As the worst free throw shooter in NBA history and with career averages of 3.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists per game, do you consider him a "NBA Legend?"

Photo via The Big Lead

Kobe Doin Extra Work

Kobe Bryant took last night's 94-88 loss in Miami so hard that he decided to return to the court after the game to practice shooting for more than an hour.

The reigning back-to-back NBA Finals MVP missed his last three shots and had two turnovers in the final three minutes of the Lakers' loss to the Heat.

Once Bryant finished receiving outlet passes from stadium staff and getting his basketballs rebounded by Heat ball boys, #24 hit up the weight room.

Pitt got Kemba'd

Check out UConn star Kemba Walker's ridiculous crossover and step-back game winning 3 pointer yesterday against #1 seed Pitt in the Big East quarterfinals.

Walker's Huskies move on to the semifinals to take on Syracuse on tonight. The last time these two squads met in the postseason was the historic six overtime game back in 2009.

John Conner the Movie Star

Jets FB John Conner became a fan favorite this season after "The Terminator" was highlighted on HBO's "Hard Knocks" and now almost a year after the Jets drafted him in the fifth round, a documentary chronicling the former Kentucky Wildcat's journey to the NFL is set to be released.

NY Daily News reports, director Evan Marshall chronicles the path of Conner and four others in "Late Rounders," which will debut Sunday at the Washington D.C. International Film Festival.

The documentary focuses on the entire draft process but provides an inside look at the three days of the NFL draft. Conner's agent Greg Linton admits in the doc that it was "a complete and utter surprise" that the Jets drafted Conner. They believed that the fullback was headed to the Chargers, Ravens, Lions, Cowboys or Chiefs. Moments after the Jets called Conner to let him know they were selecting him, he broke down on camera.

Conner is penciled in to be the Jets' starting fullback in 2011...if there is a season.

Melo: "I Do This!"

The Knicks nearly wasted a 17-point lead against the Grizzlies last night, but Carmelo Anthony hit his first game winner as a member of the team by nailing a step-back J in Tony Allen’s face with 0.5 left. Anthony celebrated by yelling to the Memphis bench, “I Do This!”

Rutgers gets robbed

St. John’s beat Rutgers 65-63 yesterday in the Big East Tournament but the Scarlet Knights got royally screwed by the refs.

In the closing seconds, a St. John’s player steals the ball, attempts to run out the clock, but runs out of bounds in the process and throws the ball into the stands. The clock should have been stopped with a second or two remaining but the referees ran off the court to the locker room and Rutgers' season officially ended.

Check out what the Big East commissioner said later:
"The Big East Conference acknowledges that two separate officiating errors occurred at the conclusion of the St. John's vs. Rutgers game," Commissioner John Marinatto said of the performance by referees Jim Burr, Tim Higgins and Carl Walton in a statement issued by the Big East. "Both missed violations should have caused the game clock to stop and a change of possession to occur prior to the end of the game. Neither error is reviewable or correctable under NCAA playing rules."

The three officials who worked Wednesday's St. John's-Rutgers game have voluntarily withdrawn from the Big East tournament in the "best interests of the tournament and their colleagues," a conference source told ESPN.

"Things Fall Apart" Trailer

Remember when photos surfaced last year of rapper/actor 50 Cent looking extremely skinny? He lost over 55 pounds to play cancer-stricken football player Deon Barnes in
Mario Van Peebles' "Things Fall Apart." 50 co-wrote the screenplay and stars alongside Van Peebles, Ray Liotta and Lynn Whitfield. Check out the unofficial (and out of focus) trailer below:

Blake Blackmon?

NBA Slam Dunk champ Blake Griffin recently filmed a strange promo video for NFL Draft prospect Jordan Cameron where the Clippers rookie paid homage to Spike Lee's famous Mars Blackmon character from Michael Jordan's old Nike spots.

Cameron, an athletic TE prospect who played both football and basketball at USC, showcases his leaping ability in the promo and the duo even pokes fun at Griffin's KIA dunk. Check it out below via Deadspin.

Artest is cool with crying

With all the talk the last week or so about Heat players crying after tough losses, the most emotional player in the NBA hit the airwaves to voice his very strong opinion.

Lakers F Ron Artest appeared on NBA TV to chat about the emotions of a NBA season. The outspoken forward fully supports letting your emotions run over, “to let things out.”

“In my psychology sessions, I sometimes cry with my therapist. We cry and hug each other; hold each other and talk. I think it’s a good thing to cry and let your emotions out rather than keep it inside.”

Artest added that he hoped someone was there to hug the Heat players who were crying after losing to Chicago on Sunday, saying “I would have hugged them and got some ice cream.”

Here is the full NBA TV interview below via the OC Register's Lakers Blog.

Shaun White signs with Stride Gum

The off the ramp/slope marketing portfolio of Shaun White continues to grow. Two months after signing a deal with BF Goodrich Tires to learn how to drive professionally, "The Flying Tomato" will now endorse Kraft Foods' Stride Gum.

The brand announced a two-year endorsement deal today with the X-Games and Olympic champ skateboarder/snowboarder. White becomes an official brand spokesperson and will take part in a variety of promotional activities in the coming months.

The Sports Business Journal reports that the agreement will see the British company's American confectionery subsidiary, Cadbury Adams, 'develop and market and extension of its Stride gum brand that will include packaging and perhaps even a name based on White.'

In the coming weeks, Stride will announce specific engagement activities featuring White, including giveaways, digital and social media campaigns and PR efforts.

D.Rose's "Coming Attractions"

Check out this feature on Bulls PG and MVP favorite Derrick Rose as he narrates his own "movie trailer".

Michigan H.S. wins in first game without fallen star

Only a few days after star basketball player Wes Leonard died of a heart attack immediately following a high school game in which he hit the game-winning shot, Fennville High School (Michigan) returned to the court to play its first playoff game last night.

Fennville took to the court arm-in-arm, with players entering the arena in groups of three. They were led by Mitchell Leonard, Wes' younger brother, who is currently an eighth grader at Fennville middle school.

Fennville beat Lawrence 65-54 but check out the video report below from Fennville's local station, WOOD TV8 for the full story on this incredibly strong team and community:

Ponytail'd Brady Dancing at Carnival

Patriots QB Tom Brady is spending the offseason preparing for a year without football in 2011. Check out a quick video below of the ponytail'd signal caller dancing at Rio de Janeiro’s annual Carnival.

The MVP was taking part in some promotional activities for Oral-B and Pantene with his wife, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Not only is the NFL MVP wearing his hair up, but he is able to "dance" with a cast on his surgically repaired right foot.

SBnation blogger Spencer Hall put it best when he Tweeted: “Tom Brady with a ponytail is two agelines and going commando in pajama pants away from being a creepy pottery instructor."

(via SI.com's Jimmy Traina)

The Science of Distraction

The below "Sport Science" segment is a must-watch for any NCAA basketball fan gearing up for March Madness. Check out host John Brenkus examining the "science of distraction" to determine which methods are more effective -- sights or sounds:

"Fab Five" 30 for 30

With March Madness right around the corner, college basketball is front and center in the sports world. Conference tournaments are tipping off and experts' bracketology will dominate the headlines leading up to Selection Sunday on March 13.

ESPN's "30 for 30" is leveraging the Big Dance excitement by premiering their latest sports documentary, "The Fab Five" on March 13 at 9 pm ET. The much anticipated film showcases the famous Michigan freshman class of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King and how they not only impacted college basketball but pop culture in general.

Over the weekend, ESPN released a trailer for the documentary. Check it out below and be sure to set your tivos for Sunday night.

Athlete Thank You Letters

In the continuing trend of athletes writing good-bye/thank you notes to fans after being traded or released, two big names in the NBA and NFL drafted letters this week.

Former Bears DT Tommie Harris was released by the team on Monday after seven years with the club and "The Real Deal" sent a heartfelt thank you letter to Chicago fans. Check out his newspaper ad below.



Knicks F Carmelo Anthony posted a shorter note on his website yesterday, thanking Nuggets fans for his time in Denver.

Kings of Leon go Mad for March

CBS and Turner Sports will debut a March Madness-themed ad campaign today featuring rock band Kings of Leon. The spot highlights past NCAA tournament footage weaved into the music video for “The Immortals,” a song off of the band’s latest album, "Come Around Sundown."

The overall campaign includes digital billboards, elevator ads, cable, radio, print and online activation, plus the music video, which will run in 5,800 U.S. movie theaters through March 17.

In addition to the program, Kings of Leon will perform at the Coca-Cola Zero Countdown concert in Houston during Final Four weekend. Take a look at their commercial below.

Vote on EA's NCAA Cover

Appearing on the cover of EA Sport's annual NCAA Football video game is a huge endorsement for former college players turned NFL rookies. For the first time, EA Sports is allowing fans to pick their cover athlete for NCAA Football 12, which is set to hit stores this summer.

Auburn DT Nick Fairley, Alabama RB Mark Ingram, Washington QB Jake Locker and Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray are the four candidates and fans can vote via EA Sports' Facebook page starting today up until April 4. The player with the most votes wins.

Check out the campaign video here, where each player tells fans why they should be selected.

The winning cover athlete will be announced on April 19th.

Taylor Swift signed jersey sells for $1K

For some reason these stories always interest me. Back in December, we posted
regarding a Tom Brady jersey that was autographed by comedian Dane Cook and sold on eBay for 77% less than a normal Brady jersey.

CBSSports.com's online auction has now sold an autographed, authentic Kansas basketball jersey that was made exclusively for Grammy Award-winner Taylor Swift.

Swift signed this jersey and gave it back to Kansas to support her friend and current Jayhawk swimmer Abigail Anderson. All proceeds from this auction will directly benefit the Jayhawks swimming and diving program.

The lucky winner paid $1,005 for the autographed jersey.

Sports crazies hit Late Night

The two craziest celebrities/athletes (this side of Mr. Sheen) both appeared on late night TV on Wednesday.

Boxer turned actor Mike Tyson appeared on NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" to promote his new Animal Planet series about competitive pigeon racing, "Taking on Tyson," debuting Sunday. The two chatted about growing up in upstate New York, "The Hangover 2" and of course Tyson's deep love for pigeons.

At the end of the interview, the duo faced off in a game of Rock'em Sock'em Robots. Check out the result.

Lakers F Ron Artest stopped by "Lopez Tonight" to chat about the second half of the NBA season and to promote his new single, "Go Loco" featuring Fat Joe, B Real, Lenny & Max from Aventura, Taz, and Lopez himself. You can download the song here.

The highlight of the appearance however, was Lopez presenting Artest with a decked out Lakers Hyundai owed to the forward from a previous interview. Check out Ron's new wheels here.

Long-Snapping Trick Shots

Over the last year, we've been treated to a few awesome basketball trick shot videos (courtesy of former Ohio State walk-on/blogger Mark Titus and Duke F Kyle Singler) and as of late, the football videos have started to trickle in (via quarterbacks Johnny McEntee of UConn and Alex Tanney of Monmouth).

For the first time, sports fans are now treated to a trick shot video from a long-snapper. 2011 NFL Draft prospect Zach Enyeart of Washington State has released his own video highlighting his between-the-legs skills. Pretty impressive stuff, but will it be enough to Enyeart drafted in April?

Anniversary of Wilt's 100

49 years ago today, Wilt Chamberlain dropped 100 points on the New York Knicks in a 169-147 victory.

Chamberlain, then a member of the Philadelphia Warriors, was 36-for-63 from the field and 28-of-32 from the free-throw line.

During the 1961-62 season, the Hall of Famer averaged a ridiculous 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds.

Paea's record bench press

Oregon State DT Stephen Paea set a new NFL Combine record over the weekend by bench pressing 225 pounds 49 times this weekend. The previous record was 45, held by by three players: G Mitch Petrus, DE Mike Kudla and DT Leif Larsen. Although this stat doesn't necessarily translate to NFL success, it is still pretty impressive to watch.

Cardinals strength and conditioning coach John Lott runs the bench press every year at the Combine and continues to inspire competitors and entertain viewers. "We got a live one here!"

Ward to dance during NFL lockout

Last night, ABC unveiled the Season 12 roster for "Dancing With The Stars," and four sports figures will compete this spring: Steelers WR Hines Ward, former boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, former USC basketball player/rapper Lil Romeo and former WWE wrestler Chris Jericho.

Ward is the third active NFL player to take part in the show, joining Jason Taylor who was the Season 6 runner-up and Chad Ochocinco, who finished fourth in Season 10 last spring.

This might actually be a smart offseason move for Ward as the NFL is expected to have a lockout next season with the Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring at 11:59pm on Thursday. However, it looks like Ward could use some help with his dancing skills. I wouldn't put my money on him to win this season.

In addition to the quartette of athletes, the sports world is also represented by Kendra Wilkinson (wife of Vikings WR Hank Baskett) and "Karate Kid" star Ralph Macchio. Other castmembers include actress Kirstie Alley, talk-show host Wendy Williams, actress Chelsea Kane, radio personality “Psycho” Mike Catherwood and model Petra Němcová.