MLS All-Star Week

Although the NFL lookout seems to be FINALLY over, we are taking the week off from blogging to attend the MLS All-Star Game and surrounding activities. We plan to cover a few different events including:

M.L.S. PK Challenge presented by Adidas: The M.L.S. All-Star team, Manchester United personnel, celebrities, former World Cup players, Red Bulls players and local youth players will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for most consecutive penalty kicks, in Herald Square at West 34th Street and Broadway in Manhattan.

Legends Game: The Red Bulls will be hosting a Legends Game at the Harrison Soccer Courts (at the corner of Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. and Jersey Street) in Harrison, N.J. The Legends side, including Tab Ramos, Tony Meola and John Harkes, will be taking on a selection of some of the best high school players from the Harrison area at 8:00 p.m.

Empire State Building lighting: At 3 p.m., all-star players and Manchester United players will flip the switch and light the building’s lights in M.L.S. (green, blue and white) and Manchester United (red) colors.

adidas Autograph Signing: M.L.S. All-Stars Juan Agudelo of the Red Bulls, Shalrie Joseph of the New England Revolution, Nick Labrocca of Chivas USA, Tally Hall of the Houston Dynamo and Jamison Olave of Real Salt Lake will be at the Adidas Sport Performance Store on Broadway and Houston Street on from 4:30 to 5:30pm to meet and greet fans and sign autographs.

Here are a few shots from MLS All-Star week so far. Follow us on Twitter for updates from New York this week and tune in on Wednesday at 8:50 pm ET to see the MLS All-Star vs. Manchester on ESPN2.

MLS All-Star Trophy on display

David Beckham and Thiery Henry filming "Good Morning America" segment

Brek Shea of FC Dallas and Dax McCarty of the Red Bulls hookup a few Twitters followers with some adidas gear.

The world's biggest foosball table at the MLS All-Star Hub in 82 Mercer

Official MLS All-Star gear at the Hub

US Soccer Trio Signs B of A Deal

Although the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team lost in the 2011 FIFA World Cup final last Sunday, star players Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan still look to be winners off the pitch.

According to USA Today, the trio has reached an agreement on a marketing deal with Bank of America, to serve as spokespeople for a charitable program around the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October. The deal will be officially announced today.

The trio have been on a week-long media tour since returning to the States. They've appeared on NBC's Today show, kicked soccer balls with David Letterman on CBS, walked the red carpet at HBO's Entourage premiere and filmed ESPN commercial promos.

NBA 2K12 Honors Jordan, Bird & Magic

2K Sports announced yesterday that the cover for "NBA 2K12," will feature not only the return of Michael Jordan but also covers showcasing NBA legends Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Each player will be shown separately on three different covers of the video game packaging.

Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports, said after the huge success of Jordan on the cover for "NBA 2K11," the company signed MJ to a multiyear partnership. But he said the company wanted to give fans more than just a repeat.

"We are constantly focused on breaking the mold, not falling into any sort of pattern," he said. "We wanted to make a big statement and a big departure and continue to evolve and grow this franchise, which has been such a great level of success for us."

Whether or not there is a NBA season, "NBA 2K12" will hit stores Oct. 4, 2011 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Wii, PSP and Windows PC.

Twins Manager Loves Japan Soccer

Before Sunday’s Women's World Cup final, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire made a bet with Japanese shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka over the outcome of the championship game.

The loser had to wear a shirt that said he loved the other country’s soccer team and here’s Gardenhire supporting the World Cup winners.

Nash's Parking Lot Dance-Off

In his latest Toyota Canada TV spot, Suns G Steve Nash shows us what he does after practice.

The two-time MVP takes us along for a ride in his Prius, beats out an elderly woman for a space in a wide open parking lot and then taunts her with some incredible dance moves.

ManU-Sounders Space Needle Coin Toss

Ahead of their friendly tonight in Seattle, Sounders FC captain Kasey Keller was joined by Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic and defender Rio Ferdinand atop the historic Space Needle for the ceremonial coin toss. Check it out below.

Polamalu Gets A Trim

In a recent Head & Shoulders viral video, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and his $1 million hair are "attacked" by a pair of clippers.

Check out how the reigning Defensive Player of the Year reacts when he "loses" a chunk of his famous locks.

(Hat tip SBNation via ST)

Some Air Left for MJ

At 48-years-old, Michael Jordan still has a little bit of hops left in his legs.

Check out MJ dunking yesterday during a fantasy camp for Charlotte Bobcats season-ticket holders.

Britt handcuffed by Brit

Titans receiver Kenny Britt wasn't arrested last night, but still ended up in handcuffs in Nashville.

The recently troubled Titan attended last night's Britney Spears concert in Tennessee, made it on stage while the pop star sang "Lace and Leather" and ended up with his hands tied behind his back and her legs wrapped around his head.

Check out the photos below via BlackSportsOnline.

Can the NFL lockout end already?

Shields' Super Bowl Tattoo

Although the NFL lockout has prevented Packers players from receiving their Super Bowl rings in a public ceremony or making a trip to the White House, players are finding creative ways to showcase their championship bling. Check out Packers DB Sam Shields' latest ink.

No word yet if Dallas Mavericks G Jason Terry is adding on to his NBA championship tatt.

Women's World Cup Media Tour

After an emotional defeat on Sunday in the 2011 FIFA World Cup Final, the U.S. women’s national soccer team is back stateside and today made appearances on all three network morning shows.

On ABC's "Good Morning America," forward Abby Wambach said, “The bitter part is obviously not winning and not bringing home a Cup for our country. The sweet part is the reception that we’ve gotten all across this nation. We got back here to Times Square yesterday, couldn’t believe the crowds. It was amazing and honestly, as tough as it is to lose, it’s making us all feel a little bit better just knowing how much this country supported us”

Goalie Hope Solo said on NBC's "Today Show," “I think we showed America everything that they finally wanted to see in a final.”

The Wambach-Solo duo will appear on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman" tonight and Solo graces the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated, hitting newsstands later this week.

Sakic's $1 Million Ace

Former NHL star Joe Sakic sunk a million dollar hole-in-one at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe over the weekend.

Sakic's ace earned him $500,000, with the other half going to Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation.

Sakic used an 8-iron on 162-yard 17th hole at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

Actor Jack Wagner defeated Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo for the title.

World Cup Sets Twitter Record

Soccer fans around the world tuned into yesterday's FIFA Women's World Cup final between Japan and the United States either via TV, computer or mobile device. Twitter says the dramatic end to yesterday's Final even broke the record for tweets per second.

For those who didn't watch or follow on Twitter, Japan rallied twice to tie the U.S. 2-2 after extra time before winning a penalty shootout.

According to Twitter, the exciting finish drew 7,196 tweets per second, which broke the previous record of 6,939 set just after midnight in Japan on New Year's Day. Other huge Twitter moments in 2011 include Osama bin Laden's death (5,106 per second) and the Super Bowl in February (4,064).

It was a huge day for soccer on Twitter, as Paraguay's penalty shootout win over Brazil in a Copa America quarterfinal came close to beating the U.S. - Japan drama with 7,166 tweets per second.
Not only did U.S. super sub Alex Morgan become a Twitter trending topic during the 2nd half yesterday, but her followers also went up 70% since the game started, beginning the match at 77,000 and ending at up to almost 131,000 after penalty kicks. Her total is at nearly 147,000 at last count.

Weezy Details Sports References

Lil Wayne’s new mixtape "Sorry 4 The Wait" recently hit the Internet (you can download it here), and of course, it’s full of sports references.

During his recent ESPN "First Take" appearance, Weezy spent some time backstage breaking down a few of them, including his Jimmer Fredette and Stan Van Gundy name drops.

Check out the video below via SLAM:

D.Wade Loses at Knockout

NBA lockout aside, it has been an interesting summer for NBA superstars at their own basketball camps. While some big names have dunked over campers or talked smack about other shoe companies, Dwyane Wade lost in a game of knockout, even after turning on some lockdown defense. Check him out earlier this week at his All-Star camp at Nova Southeastern University.

Another Real Madrid Vehicle Blunder

Real Madrid shouldn't be allowed anywhere near vehicles. After winning the Copa del Rey trophy back in April, the team boarded a double-decker bus for a celebration parade but defender Sergio Ramos dropped the trophy and the bus ran it over.

Yesterday, before a training session at UCLA (the club is in LA to play the Galaxy on Saturday), Real Madrid players were being driven across campus when a female fan decided to jump in front of the team's golf cart. See what happens in the video below.

Asian Food Truck To Debut Inside Coors Field

The Rockies and concessions partner Aramark today will introduce "Wok In The Park," a mobile Asian food truck that will be stationed on the Coors Field main-level concourse.

According to the Sports Business Daily, this is believed to be the first use of such a food truck inside of an MLB ballpark.

"What's more topical right now than the whole mobile food truck craze?," said Richard Hesse, Aramark regional director for the Denver area. "It's hit Denver in a big way, just like in so many other places, so we're very optimistic about this."

The truck is licensed to sell food throughout Denver County, but will be permanently stationed at Coors Field for the rest of the 2011 season

Mavs are ESPYs Big Winner

The NBA champion's magical summer continued last night as the Dallas Mavericks were the big winners at the ESPYs, winning best team, Best Male Athlete (Dirk Nowitzki), Best NBA Player (Dirk again) and Best Coach/Manager (Rick Carlisle).

Here is the full list of winners.

For the second year in a row, host Seth Myers' opening monologue featured some great zingers, this time at the expense of the NBA/NFL lockouts, the Dodgers and a certain NBA car sponsor.

If you missed the 2.5 hour show last night, here is Myers' opening.

Shaq to Turner is Official

Turner Sports today confirmed rumors that Shaquille O'Neal is taking his on-air talents to TNT where he'll join Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson on Inside the NBA and contribute to a variety of other NBA coverage. Here is the official word:

Turner Sports announced today a multi-year agreement with 15-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA Champion Shaquille O'Neal, to serve as an analyst across its portfolio of NBA assets. Beginning with the 2011-12 season, O'Neal will join TNT as a full-time analyst on the network's Emmy Award-winning studio show, alongside Ernie Johnson (host), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Charles Barkley (analyst), and will be a part of the network's exclusive NBA All-Star weekend and NBA Playoffs coverage. In addition, he will be a key contributor to NBA TV and NBA.com, providing analysis and commentary throughout the regular season, as well as for The Finals, All Star Weekend and the NBA Draft.

According to USA Today, Shaq's multi-year agreement includes a development deal with Turner's entertainment and animation networks.

Harrison Goes Off in Men's Journal

The August issue of Men's Journal hits newsstands on Friday, but Paul Solotaroff
profile of Steelers All-Pro linebacker James Harrison has already made waves on the Internet.

Harrison not only calls out NFL commish Roger Goodell but also takes a shot as his own QB1, Ben Roethlisberger.

Here are a few gems from the Harrison interview.

On his relationship with Goodell:
“But up until last year, there was no word of me being dirty — till Roger Goodell, who’s a crook and a puppet, said I was the dirtiest player in the league. If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn’t do it. I hate him and will never respect him.”

On Roethlisberger's 2 INTs in last year’s Super Bowl:
“Hey, at least throw a pick on their side of the field instead of asking the D to bail you out again. Or hand the ball off and stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain’t that and you know it, man; you just get paid like he does.”

On the Patriots' cheating ways:
“I should have another ring. We were the best team in football in 2004, but the Patriots, who we beat during the regular season, stole our signals and picked up 90 percent of our blitzes [in the AFC title game]. They got busted for it later, but, hey, they’re Goodell’s boys, so he slapped ‘em $500,000 and burned the tapes. Was he going to rescind their Super Bowls? Man, hell no!”

Showtime's "The Franchise" Premieres Tonight

"The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants" makes its highly anticipated debut tonight on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET and below is a speak peek of the premiere episode.

Reviews of the series are all positive, and the tone seems to be more serious than HBO's "Hard Knocks," especially when focussing on how the Giants' travel schedule impacts their families.

The clip below via SI's Hot Clicks, features the gruesome early season injury to catcher Buster Posey.

NateRob to the NFL?

While some NBA players are spending their time during the current work stoppage competing at the World Series of Poker, doing stand-up comedy or producing movies, Thunder guard Nate Robinson is looking to be more active during his time away from the hardwood.

The former University of Washington defensive back is looking to get back on the gridiron if the NBA lockout continues. Robinson told SLAM:

“I might go play football. Do something that nobody’s tried to do.”

Robinson initially attended Washington on a football scholarship but after one season at DB for the Huskies, he focused on hoops.

Robinson continued:
“If I can, I would love to play football a little bit. I’ve been doing a little bit of training. Why wouldn’t you want to have an NBA player that can play football try out? That’s a lot of publicity for your organization."

However, if the NFL lockout wipes out the entire 2011-12 season, Robinson does have a backup backup plan.

“If their lockout (the NFL) goes the whole season, then I’m gonna go play basketball overseas.”

FNL Coming to ESPN

Although "Friday Night Lights'" amazing five-season run on NBC/DirecTV concludes on Friday, the Dillon Panthers and East Dillon Lions will live on thanks to ESPN.

Beginning tonight, ESPN will air FNL's first two episodes back-to-back in primetime and then roll out a season one marathon on Thursday/Friday on ESPN Classic. Starting July 21, the show will air every Thursday night at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET.

“At its core, Friday Night Lights captures the blend of drama, excitement and heartache that embodies what it means to be a sports fan, leading to its very loyal and passionate following among viewers,” said Connor Schell, vice president and executive producer, ESPN Films and ESPN Classic. “We recently created a home on ESPN Classic for ESPN Films on the weekends and we believe Friday Night Lights further enhances our mix of long-form sports storytelling. We see this as an opportunity to deliver the series to a whole new audience.”

To help build excitement for the show's new home, Bill Simmons’ ESPN-owned site www.grantland.com will publish a "Friday Night Lights" oral history on Thursday told through the words of the entire cast and crew.

Gillette Honors Jeter With Fan Card

To honor brand ambassador Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit, Gillette has placed a 15 foot tall greeting card in Grand Central Station today for fans to sign and congratulate the Yankee captain on his historic feet.

For fans not in New York City, they can tweet their messages using the hashtag #GilletteJeterCard or post a message to Gillette’s Facebook page. As fans tweet and send messages, they can watch a live streaming video from Gillette’s Facebook page (http://on.fb.me/GilletteJeterCard) where messages will be printed on the card in real-time.

Gillette will present Jeter with the fan-generated congratulatory card as well as a $50,000 donation to his Turn 2 Foundation later this month.

ESPNU's Inside Look at "NCAA Football 12"

EA Sports and ESPNU have partnered to give college football fans a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the "NCAA Football 12" video game.

Premiering this week, ESPNU will air a four-part mini-series entitled "The Making of EA Sports NCAA Football 12" that will take fans inside EA Sports studio in Florida.

Here is the initial schedule of dates and times the series will air on ESPNU:
•Episode 1: July 14, 7:00pm EDT
•Episode 2: July 21, 7:00pm EDT
•Episode 3: July 28, 7:00pm EDT
•Episode 4: August 4, 7:00pm EDT

adidas Football to Debut Berry Spot

Although the NFL lockout is still going strong, sports brands are finding ways to activate around their football stars. Nike brought a few of their past and present studs to their grassroots program "The Opening" this week, Skechers signed Patriots RB Danny Woodhead and adidas is set to debut a national TV spot starring Chiefs Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry.

Berry's :30 spot features glimpses of the planet’s fastest elements and highlights what happens when you combine the 6.9 oz. adiZero 5-Star, the lightest football cleat in the game, with the NFL’s premiere young defensive back.

JT Loves College

In preparation to present the Capital One Cup trophy at the ESPYs next week, Justin Timberlake tried his hand at a few different NCAA sports to see what it takes to win the inaugural award.

Check out JT attempting to play field hockey, wrestling, lacrosse and volleyball, set to Joe Esposito's classic jam, "You're the Best Around."

The ESPYS air on ESPN on Wednesday July 13, 2011 at 9 PM.

Marvel Teams With Cowboys

Although there is a work stoppage in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys are still finding ways to make money.

Marvel Entertainment and the Cowboys announced an agreement that allows the team to license Marvel characters and to develop co-branded merchandise featuring Captain America, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, and other Super Heroes.

The Marvel/Cowboys collection for infants, kids, and adults will include T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, caps and onesies and will debut this summer at retailers as well as at Cowboys Stadium and Cowboys fan shops.

This isn't the first time that Marvel has connected with pro sports teams. Earlier this year, the company partnered with the Lakers, Knicks and Celtics to produce NBA-themed apparel in conjunction.

Hawk Goes Disney

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk has taken his talents to the Disney Channel for a singing lunch lady cameo on this Sunday's episode of "So Random." Check out part of his extremely uncomfortable appearance below.

Search for World Championship Baby

The World Series champ Giants' TV partner, Comcast Sports Net Bay Area is hosting one of the most creative campaigns of the year.

CSN Bay Area is on the hunt for the first baby conceived after the team's championship celebrations back in November. The lucky parents of the baby born nearest to 7:54 p.m. PST, August 1 (exactly nine months after the G-Men won the title) will be awarded a birth certificate signed by the team, a commemorative brick paver at AT&T Park with the baby's name and the "Comcast SportsNet 2010 Giants World Championship Baby" title, and a $2,010 gift card.

From the CSN Bay Area press release:
Giants fans worldwide erupted in celebration. Over five decades of pent-up hope led to euphoria and heart-pumping delirium throughout the ranks of the Giants Faithful. Fireworks lit up the night, champagne corks popped, elation filled the streets and, no doubt, some people chose to celebrate more…privately. On August 1, 2011, the nine-month anniversary of that magical night, a Giants World Series Championship baby will be born somewhere, and Comcast SportsNet will celebrate that majestic birth with "The Search for the World Championship Baby."

Expecting parents can enter the contest here and post images of their baby bumps and/or ultrasounds.

Jennings on "Royal Pains"

A year ago, we posted on Packers WR Greg Jennings making his acting debut in an episode of CBS' "Criminal Minds." With the NFL lockout still going strong, the Super Bowl champ continues to expand his acting resume with an appearance on USA's "Royal Pains" tonight in a football-themed episode at 9 p.m. ET.

"OK, honestly, I don't want this to become a career for me, but I'm out there having fun," said Jennings. "In this case, I was just thrown out there and did a lot of impromptu stuff. I was definitely out of my comfort zone."

Check out a preview on tonight's episode featuring Jennings.

Nelson Breaks Backboard, Face

Oregon State guard Roberto Nelson and 14 other Beaver student athletes traveled to Skopje, Macedonia this summer as part of a "Beavers without Borders" service based trip where they constructed a second story addition for a local family in need.

The scariest moment of the trip was during a pickup basketball game when the sophomore-to-be Nelson shattered a backboard and got a little bloody.

Skip ahead to 2:11 to see the dunk and gash that required 20 stitches.

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout

A fake movie trailer from website FunnyOr.Die.com titled, "Field of Dreams 2: Lockout," debuted this morning on ESPN's "SportsCenter." The video is a spoof of the famous 1989 movie "Field of Dreams" and features Taylor Lautner reprising the role of farmer Ray Kinsella while Ray Liotta (Shoeless Joe Jackson from the original "Field of Dreams") plays NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

NFL players Ray Lewis, Dwight Freeney, DeSean Jackson, Tony Gonzalez, Steve Smith, Kirk Morrison, Antonio Cromartie all make appearances in the trailer and there is even a surprise cameo at the end of the clip. Check it out here.

Woods' Japanese Heat Rub Commercial

Although he has had trouble getting back into top form on the links, Tiger Woods' off-the-course marketing life is starting to turn around. Case in point, Woods has been hired as a pitchman for a Japanese heat rub used to relieve muscle and joint pain.

Woods' first endorsement since he was caught in a sex scandal toward the end of 2009, the deal with Kowa Company Ltd. is geared only toward the market in Japan and will include television, print and Internet ads.

Check out Woods' "Lost in Translation"-like TV commercial for Vantelin Kowa:

ESPN's Women's World Cup Docs

As part of ESPN and ESPNW's coverage of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, the network will air a series of six soccer documentaries called "HERoics" which were made by women and about women.

According to ESPN, the short films tell stories of courage, perseverance, barrier-breaking and redemption.

The series includes a doc directed by broadcaster Hannah Storm, which highlights how English soccer star Kelly Smith overcame alcoholism and depression heading into the World Cup.

Here is a clip from Storm's "Moving the Goal."

The Science of Chestnut

Joey Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs today to capture his fifth title in a row in Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, NY.

"Winning tastes pretty good. I feel great," Chestnut said. "It was hot out here but that didn't really affect me."

So how does Chestnut put all those hot dogs down? ESPN's Sports Science examines the champ's strategy.

Rodgers' Music Video Debut

A few weeks ago, we told you about Packers QB Aaron Rodgers' new job as a music mogul. During the NFL lockout, the Super Bowl MVP has already formed his own record label called "Suspended Sunrise Recordings," signed a band called "The Make" and shot a music video.

Rodgers even made a cameo in the band's music video, which debuted this week. See if you can spot the mustached Packers signalcaller around the 3-minute mark.

Hat tip to Larry Brown Sports

NBA Lockout Tips Off

You know it is going to be a long offseason when NBA.com's second lead story is, "WNBA MVP race heating up."

As soon as the NBA lockout officially began at 12:01am ET this morning, NBA.com transformed to a stripped-down version with no pictures, videos or text of any current players.

One condition of the lockout was that all those player images and videos had to disappear off NBA-owned digital properties.

Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com's True Hoop explains the digital aspects of the lockout.

"...the moment the clock strikes midnight on the current CBA, all those images and videos of NBA players have to disappear off NBA-owned digital properties. Depending on how you interpret "fair use," the prohibition could include the mere mention of a player's name on an NBA-owned site, though different teams have different interpretations of this particular stipulation."

However strict the boundaries, overhauling the architecture of these sites is a painstaking process that has a lot of talented web people around the league very stressed out. The NBA has built and furnished each team with a website "wire frame" that will take the place of the existing, much more sophisticated site. The wire frame is a rudimentary version of the site, without a lot of the snazzy technology we've grown accustomed to seeing. As a result, each of the 30 team sites will look virtually identical.

“We're going back to the stone ages of the Internet," said one team website administrator. "It's all going to be very dumbed down.”