NBA Stars Put On Exhibition

Locked out NBA stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul headlined an exhibition game last night at Morgan State University in Baltimore and reminded fans what they're missing during the current basketball work stoppage.

In front of 4,500 fans, Durant dropped 59 points to James' 38, but James' squad, the Melo League All-Stars got the 149-141 victory over Durant's Goodman League All-Stars.

Here are a few highlights from last night.

Stanford Teams Up With Google & YouTube

Stanford University has reached a deal with Google and YouTube that includes the launch of "The Cardinal Channel," a site that will feature original video content for all 35 of the school's sports programs.

Stanford Athletics will produce features, interviews and content such as the football-themed web series "The Program."

The Cardinal Channel will also broadcast a live pregame show 90 minutes before each Stanford football home game that will include features on Stanford sports, fan contests, and live interviews with alumni, fans, Stanford student-athletes and coaches.

Stanford’s Olympic sports programs will also be featured via The Cardinal Channel on a regular segment titled “19 hours,” a web series that gives each sports team 19 hours to feature its program and student-athletes through short films.

Shockey Saves Choking Teammate

Although newly signed Panther tight end's Jeremy Shockey and Ben Hartsock haven't played together for very long and are competing for playing time, they now have a deep bond moving forward.

Hartsock credited Shockey with helping to save his life yesterday after he choked on a piece of meat and couldn't breathe in the team's lunch room.

Hartsock's agent Mike McCartney said a piece of pork tenderloin got caught in Hartsock's throat and he tried drinking water to clear his throat, but that didn't work.

"He started to go to the bathroom, and I don't know if he collapsed, but he couldn't breathe," McCartney said. "Some new guy came and tried to give him the Heimlich. It didn't work. Then, Shockey hit him in the back pretty hard and out came the meat. The Panthers told me it was really scary."

"He said to me a little while ago, 'I really hope this doesn't get out, but if it does, it's going to be a funny story.' "

Artest & Solo to Dance With Stars

ABC last night announced the network's "Dancing With The Stars" contestant lineup for the upcoming season and the athlete participants include Lakers F Ron Artest and U.S. women's national soccer team G Hope Solo.

Artest told the LA Times that he plans to donate the money he earns on the show to the Cancer Research Foundation in honor of his 8-year-old daughter, who was diagnosed with a type of kidney cancer in 2007.

Artest said that he will donate the $125,000 appearance fee and any additional money he earns should he advance in each round.

"That's the only reason I'm doing it," Artest said. "I'm doing it for a cause."

Season 13 of "Dancing with the Stars" kicks off on Sept. 19 and other participants include Ricki Lake, Nancy Grace, David Arquette, Chaz Bono, Rob Kardashian, Kristin Cavallari, Elisabetta Canalis, J.R. Martinez, Chynna Phillips and Carson Kressley.

NFL Net Moves Eisen Off Total Access

NFL Network will announce today that "Total Access" host Rich Eisen will no longer lead the show but instead the broadcast will feature multiple co-hosts.

According to the Sports Business Daily, Eisen will continue to host the on-site pregame and postgame shows for the network's Thursday night games and on-air Sunday marathons involving pregame shows and postgame highlights.

Eisen said that the reduced airtime will allow him to focus more on his 'Podcast' show.

NFL Network will also announce plans to install at-home cameras for eight of its analysts including Brian Billick and Michael Irvin.

Metta World Peace is Official Today

Not only will Lakers F Ron Artest officially change his name to Metta World Peace today, but the outspoken defender says he plans to switch his jersey number to 70 next season.

Artest told Yahoo! Sports: “It’s about love, world peace. Everybody can relate to that, whether it’s in the same community or the same state or the same country or whether it’s a country going to war. It’s about world peace. You know what I mean? The kids need to know that, and they know that now.”

Artest currently wears #15 for the locked out Lakers but this won’t be his first number change. During his time with the Bulls, Pacers, Kings, Rockets and Lakers, Artest has also worn #23 (to honor Michael Jordan), #91 (to honor Dennis Rodman), #93 and #96 (to honor his hometown of Queens, N.Y.) and #37 to honor Michael Jackson. Artest’s goal is to wear 10 numbers before the end of his career.

“I’m changing it to 70 because it’s like something to do with the universe. Everything kind of repeats itself. The universe is one. It’s the same thing. Healthy minds, just keeping the kids positive”

Artest said he is still interested in playing for the Cheshire Jets of the Britain Basketball League but won’t make an official decision until after Nov. 22, assuming the lockout hasn’t ended. Artest’s agent recently told the Los Angeles Times that the Jets have yet to offer Artest insurance to play.

“I’m definitely going if I’m not playing [in the NBA],” Artest said. “…It’s pro basketball. It’s going to be fun. Small gym – I want to go somewhere nice and small. I’ve had other opportunities to make more money in other places, but I want to play in a small area.”

UPDATE
TMZ Sports reports that Artest cannot change his name for at least 3 more weeks, because a judge ruled that the Laker must clear up his outstanding traffic ticket warrants. The new hearing is set for September 16.

Youkilis x Biz Markie Car Commercial

In one of the best local car dealership commercials we've seen in a while, Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis sings a Biz Markie "Just a Friend" duet with Boston car mogul Herb Chambers and they get some help from the rapper himself.

This is a perfect match, since "The Greek God of Walks" uses Biz Markie's famous track as his walk-up music at Fenway Park.

Love Loses Beach Vollyball Debut

Although Timberwolves F Kevin Love's lockout plan is to work to finish his degree at UCLA, the rebounding machine isn't having the same success on the beaches of Southern California.

Love and his partner Hans Stolfus lost their first match on the pro beach volleyball tour yesterday at the Manhattan Beach Open. The duo fell 21-16, 21-15 to top seeds Sean Scott and John Hyden.

"Obviously getting beat is never fun, but being competitive, playing against the best team in the country, a team that hasn't lost all summer, was a lot of fun," said the 6'10" Love said.

Ironically, Love was trained by Jesse Rambis the son of fired Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis and because of the current NBA lockout, Rambis' mom, Linda couldn't attend the match because she is a Lakers employee.

Packers' Playbook Scattered on Streets

Pages from the Packers' playbook were scattered on the streets of Green Bay earlier this week when a waste management truck lost part of its load.

The papers were from the Packers' special teams playbook from Friday night's game against Arizona, so nothing earth-shattering or extremely sensitive was exposed.

It took crews from Brown County, Waste Management, and the Allouez Street Department about an hour to bag things up.

The Packers declined an on-camera interview with ABC Green Bay but said they're not too concerned about the playbook mishap.

Maybe the defending Super Bowl champs should mirror their NFC rivals in Tampa Bay, who have downloaded their playbooks on iPad 2s and distributed them to each of their 90 players. The Buccaneers can use the tablet computer to reference video files of games, and practice and situational videos of any NFL team.

Nova Coach Flash-Mobs to Katy Perry

At a back-to-school welcome gathering in the middle of campus yesterday, Villanova basketball coach Jay Wright took part in a flash-mob dance set to Katy Perry's "Firework."

Wright and school president Father Peter Donohue were featured dancers in the middle of the mob and showed off pretty spiffy moves.

Check out the fireworks below via CBS Sports.

NBA2K12's "NBA Greatest" Mode

Although the NBA lockout looks to have no end in site, fans can still watch (and play as) the best players in the league today in addition to Hall of Famers in 2K Sports' NBA2K12.

Hitting stores October 4, the new game allows fans to play in "NBA Greatest" mode featuring 15 historic teams and their best players, such as cover athletes Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Patrick Ewing, Oscar Robertson and Julius Erving among others. The full roster can be viewed here.

"NBA basketball is about the history and the future of the game," said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing at Take-Two's 2K Sports. "We love the current game and are looking to optimize it."

Check out the latest trailer for NBA2K12's "NBA Greatest" mode and see how many former NBA stars you can spot.

Griffin's Funny Or Die Internship

Over the last few weeks, we've featured posts on locked out NBA players finding work through other avenues such as movie roles, TV cameos and overseas gigs.

Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin is is learning video production at Funny or Die, the website founded by actor Will Ferrell and director-writer Adam McKay. Griffin has acted in a FoD video earlier this year and is expected to write, edit and act again.

Griffin said he’s a big comedy fan and counts “Old School,” “Wedding Crashers” and “Anchorman“ as his favorite films.

So what will be the Slam Dunk Champ be doing at FoD this lockout?

"Just to get an inside look at how things are run here is exciting to me,” Griffin said. “I don’t know what interns at Funny Or Die are like, but I’m about to find out, I guess.”

Mike Farah, president of production at Funny Or Die, said that Griffin will be treated like other interns.

“We’re going to put him to work,” said Farah. “He’s shooting a series of videos, and he’s also coming to meetings. He’s basically doing everything that an intern does.”

Bosh & Anthony Heading to Law & Order

It sounds like Thunder F Kevin Durant won’t be the only NBA star heading to Hollywood during the lockout. Yesterday, we told you that the two-time scoring champ will star in a basketball themed film and now a NBA duo will head to the silver screen during the basketball work stoppage.

TV Guide is reporting that Heat F Chris Bosh and Knicks Carmelo Anthony are both slated to appear on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

The duo will make cameos in the opening scene and the episode’s climax. The episode, titled ‘Personal Fouls,’ focuses on a youth basketball coach (The Wonder Years’ Dan Lauria) who is suspected of being a sexual predator. Anthony and Bosh's episode is slated to air on Sept. 28.

Carroll Punks Brock

Since his days at USC, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has been known to pull pranks on his players (see Lendale White, building incident) but now PC has taken his Punk'd skills to the pro level.

In a recent Seattle team meeting, Carroll pranked DE Raheem Brock with the old unpaid hotel bill trick.

Police officers and hotel staffers pulled Brock out of the meeting, stating that the defender (under the alias "Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson") didn't pay his $3,000 hotel bill.

After the cops walked Brock out of the meeting, Carroll told the rest of the team about the prank and they gave Brock a nice welcome back into the meeting.

Great prank target choice by Carroll, since Brock was arrested in June for forgetting to pay a $27 nightclub bill.

ESPN's new MNF Spot

ESPN tonight will debut the network's first "Is It Monday Yet?" TV spot to promote the new "Monday Night Football" season.

The ad, titled "Animal Control," is the first of three 30-second and two 15-second spots created by ESPN Consumer Marketing and Wieden + Kennedy, N.Y.

Other upcoming spots – “Plumber,” “Construction Worker,” “Food Inspector,” and “Police Officer” – will play off a similar theme and debut closer to ESPN’s Sept. 12 regular-season doubleheader.

Check out a sneak peek below via Sports Business Daily.

Crazy Minor League Triple Play

Ending a week full of baseball triple plays (see Boston and Milwaukee), the Brewers Triple-A affiliate Nashville Sounds turned in a pretty crazy three-bager of their own.

Check out how the retired the side in the 3rd inning against the Omaha Storm Chasers.

Durant the Movie Star?

When he is not dominating summer leagues across the country and putting on insane scoring displays, Thunder F Kevin Durant is busy planning for possibly a year without NBA action.

According to the Oklahoman, Durant is on the verge of finalizing a deal to star in a major Warner Bros. film, which will feature a basketball subplot and is scheduled to go into production in mid-September.

Filming location for the unnamed picture has been narrowed to Oklahoma City and Baton Rouge, La. Neither Durant nor his representatives could be reached for comment.

NBA training camps are scheduled to open at the end of September, but it is doubtful that owners and players will ratify a collective bargaining agreement in time to start the season on time.

Durant and the Thunder are scheduled to begin preseason Oct. 12 at Utah and they're regular season opener is slated for Nov. 1 on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Woodhead Destroyed

After running 63 yards on only five carries, Patriots do-it-all running back Danny Woodhead got beheaded in the 4th quarter while covering a punt against Tampa Bay.

The petite player layed on the ground motionless for a few seconds but got up on his own power.

"I feel fine," Woodhead said, before declining to answer more questions.

In his post-game press conference, coach Bill Belichick was asked about Woodhead and had a typical Patriots answer regarding player injuries.

"I saw him in the locker room and he seemed OK," he said.

Check out the viscious hit below. The Patriots won 31-14 with Tom Brady going 11-19 for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half.

Djokovic imitates Sharapova

Not only has Novak Djokovic been dominating the tennis world in 2011, but he has become viral star as well.

In April, we saw him volleying on the wings of a plane and now Djokovic does his best Maria Sharapova impression in the video below.

The clip is part of HEAD’s new YouTek Instinct campaign and Sharapova's original version is here.

Diddy is a Bruin for the day

UCLA had a star-studded football practice yesterday when Diddy showed up with his son, Bruins recruit Justin Combs along with an entourage of former UCLA basketball players Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook and Baron Davis.

Diddy's son is a cornerback at Iona Prep in New Rochelle, N.Y. and has offers from Illinois, Virginia and Wyoming.

Although most of the UCLA football players mobbed Diddy looking for autographs, head coach Rick Neuheisel was more interested in getting Westbrook, Love and Davis on the field.

"A tight end, a wide out and a strong safety," Neuheisel said, pointing first at Love and then at Westbrook then at Davis as the three tossed around a football.

After practice, Diddy joined the NBA trio in a class, as the former Bruins are spending the lockout working on their degrees. Check out a photo that Love tweeted during class.

DirecTV Teams Up With PlayStation for NFL Sunday Ticket

Attention Fantasy Football Owners: With the NFL season kickoff only three weeks away, DirecTV announced that they will offer "NFL Sunday Ticket" to PlayStation 3 users, even those who don't subscribe to the satellite service.

According to Variety, PlayStation users can pay the "Sunday Ticket" rate of $339.95 to access the weekly game package of out-of-market games. In addition, those who subscribe to DirecTV will be able to watch "Sunday Ticket" on their PS3s by paying $50, turning their consoles into additional DirecTV receivers.

"Sunday Ticket" will continue to be available on such digital platforms as iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, Blackberry, Samsung Galaxy, Palm Pre/Pixi and Motorola Xoom and Android.

"We are constantly looking at new ways to enhance the NFL viewing experience and create more value for the loyal fans," DirecTV senior veep of product management Tony Goncalves said. "With the growth in mobile and connected consumer electronics devices, we believe it makes sense to enable viewers to watch their favorite team on more of those devices, like gaming consoles, whose users include legions of NFL fans."

DirecTV is also cornering the fantasy football league market with a digital application that will allow owners to view their personal teams and scores on their TV sets, via connected set-top boxes. A one-touch "Watch Now" feature will help fans jump to broadcasts of games in which members of their fantasy teams are playing.

Roenick Recreates "Swingers" Scene

Former NHL star Jeremy Roenick stars in person and in video game form in a recreation of the famous SEGA hockey scene from "Swingers" where Vince Vaughn made Wayne Gretzky's head bleed.

In the remake, Roenick is joined by Bernie and Pizzi from FoxSports.com and FuelTV's Cubed.

Kobe Hits Game-Winner Over Harden

When he's not snatching cell phones from photogs at church, Kobe Bryant is hitting game-winning jumpers at the Drew League in Los Angeles.

Check out Bryant big shot last night over Thunder F James Harden and in front of a packed gym.

Kobe's 43 points lead his purple squad to a 139-137 W and the Lakers star got mobbed at center court after the win.

SI's NCAA Football Preview

With the college football season kicking off in a few weeks, Sports Illustrated's season preview hits stands this week and five players from SI's top 25 teams share the cover.

No. 1 Alabama (RB Trent Richardson), No. 2 Oklahoma (QB Landry Jones), No. 4 Stanford (QB Andrew Luck), No. 7 South Carolina (WR Alshon Jeffery) and No. 9 Nebraska (DT Jared Crick) are represented on the preview issue.

Messi Pukes and Scores

Reigning World Player of the Year Leo Messi of FC Barcelona took "puke and rally" to a whole new level this weekend.

In the first half of Sunday's Supercopa first leg against Real Madrid, Messi had some tummy issues and sprayed the pitch with his pregame meal.

After his Willie Beamen moment, Messi scored a go-ahead goal just before halftime and played the entire 90 minutes.

Check out both highlights below.

Sanchez Shirtless in GQ...Again

For the second time in his young NFL career, Jets QB Mark Sanchez appears shirtless in GQ, but this time "Broadway Mark" graces the magazine's cover.

In the September issue, J.R. Moehringer details Sanchez's rise to stardom in the league's biggest market, Sanchez talks about the difficulty of dating in New York City and his crush on Jennifer Aniston because "she's experienced."

Females aside, the most interesting portion of the story is Sanchez's relationship with Jets coach Rex Ryan and how the QB1 admits he "wanted to fight" Ryan last season after the coach told the press he considered benching him in favor of Mark Brunell.

Check out an exclusive preview on GQ.com and look for the September issue on newsstands August 23.

Kimbo is Knockout in Boxing Debut

Former YouTube street fight sensation/MMA bust Kimbo Slice made his boxing debut over the weekend and knocked out James Wade in only 10 seconds.

Sporting a trimmed down beard, the 37-year-old Slice had no problem taking out Wade, who was fighting for only the second time.

Team Kimbo promotional advertiser Jared Shaw told MMAjunkie.com that Slice took the first step toward his future and is likely to return on Oct. 15.

"We realize this is a climb, and Kimbo is serious about making a run in this sport," Shaw said. "Before to can walk, you crawl. Before you reach the roof, you climb, and that is what we are doing. We are working our way through the division and plan to matriculate up the rankings."

Here is Slice's quick appearance in the right Saturday night.

Dick's Tackles Concussions

Dick's Sporting Goods today will launch a new program aimed at preventing concussions in student athletes and treating them properly if they occur.

The first TV spot stars former NFL running back Jerome Bettis holding a helmet and saying, "You wouldn't get on the field without this – and you shouldn't get on the field without a baseline concussion test either."

According to the New York Times, through a program Dick's calls Protecting Athletes through Concussion Education, or PACE, the retailer will pay for schoolwide neurocognitive testing of athletes across more than 3,300 schools, totaling more than a million students.

The commercial, which closes with Bettis saying, “Let’s bench concussions with the help of Dick’s Sporting Goods,” is scheduled to be introduced today. The campaign was produced in-house and also includes digital advertising, online-only videos and social-network marketing.

Dick’s will donate $1 to PACE every time consumers buy a pair of shoes at one of the retailer’s 449 stores or online, check in at a Dick’s through Foursquare or Facebook Places, click a button to share information about the program with friends on Facebook or send a message over Twitter that includes the hashtag #DSGPACE.

In addition, current and retired professional athletes, including Bettis and Ali Krieger of the United States women’s soccer team, are appearing at Dick’s locations across the country throughout August at concussion-awareness events.

Check out Bettis' commercial below.

T.O. Signs With TV Team

Although free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens' NFL career might be over, the former Bengals wideout is returning to the gridiron for USA Network's "Necessary Roughness."

Owens is booked to guest star in the football series' season finale on Sept. 14. According to The Hollywood Reporter, T.O. will play star defensive back Kevin "The Minefield" Minnifield who will be main character TK's (Mehcad Brooks) arch rival in the playoffs.

The series, which is averaging 4.5 million total viewers, is centered on Long Island psychotherapist Dr. Dani Santino (Callie Thorne) who works with the fictional New York Hawks football team and loose canon star wide reciever TK.

ESPN Gives Away Pies

For the third season in a row, ESPN gave away 1,000 branded pies at Finsbury Avenue Square in London to promote the ESPN Goals app in conjunction with the English Premier League season kickoff.

Fans had to download the free mobile app in order to get a pie and had a choice of Steak and Ale, Chicken and Mushroom or Feta and Spinach.

ESPN Goals gives fans access to live scores, video highlights, league standings and all the latest news from the top English and European Soccer Leagues including EPL, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, Champions League and Europa League.

UCLA NBAers Go Back To School

Although it pains me to give props to anything UCLA-related, four locked-out NBA players and former Bruins are heading back to Westwood this offseason to work on their degrees.

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, Hornets forward Trevor Ariza and Cavaliers guard Baron Davis are hitting the books during the lockout and since they're not under scholarship anymore, tuition and books are coming out of their own wallets.

Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears recently featured the four Bruins and a few other NBAers who are going back to school.

“Being a regular student is kind of fun,” Ariza said.

Ariza said he is learning more now than as a freshman because he has a “different appreciation” for college. While he is also considering playing in Spain, China or Serbia if the lockout drags into the fall, he is currently focused on his coursework at UCLA.

“I’m really going back for my two sons,” Ariza said. “Eventually they’re going to realize that their dad fulfilled his dreams doing what he wanted to do and still got his degree. For them to see that will be a great example for them to follow.”

Donovan & Márquez Are EA CoverBoys

MLS stars Landon Donovan of the LA Galaxy and Rafa Márquez of the New York Red Bulls faced off last night in the US v. Mexico friendly, but the duo hasn't seen the last of each other.

Prior to last night's 1-1 draw, Donovan and Márquez were announced as coverboys for EA Sports’ FIFA Soccer ’12, joining Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

“Landon and Rafa have been the heart and soul of their national teams, and we have long admired their passion, dedication and exceptional performances,” said Matt Bilbey, vice president and general manager of Soccer, EA SPORTS, in a statement. “They are two of the most respected and recognizable players in North America, and they will play an integral role in helping us launch FIFA Soccer ’12 to soccer fans across the continent. With the addition of Wayne Rooney on the cover, it is truly a blockbuster lineup.”

The video game will hit stores on September 27.

Take Swings Off Lincecum

Red Bull has launched a promotion allowing one fan to get a chance to take swings off Giants ace Tim Lincecum during Spring Training next year.

In the "Red Bull Ultimate" challenge, the two-time Cy Young Award winner has challenged fans to duplicate his unorthodox pitching delivery on video and upload their entries to his Facebook page.

The entry period runs through Sept. 16 and the fan videos will be judged in multiple rounds based on creativity, originality, performance and skill level.

Lincecum is 10-9 with a 2.69 ERA and 165 strikeouts this season for the reigning World Series champs.

Ochocinco To Crash With Local Fan

Although he has vowed to adhere to the Belichick way, new Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco is still finding ways to stay unique. The outspoken wideout announced yesterday that he’s going to pick one local fan to stay with for the first two or three weeks of the season to live with until he gets acclimated to the area.

“I’m going to do something different — I’m going to stay with a fan, probably for the first two, three weeks of the season, so that should be fun until I get myself acclimated and learn my way around and just find a place,” Ochocinco said after practice on Tuesday.

Of course, there are a few prerequisites for Ochocinco's new roommate.

“I’m not sure how many Boston fans I have, but I’m just going to pick someone. I’m not sure how it’s going to work, They have to have Internet and they have to have Xbox. That’s about it,” he said.

No word on how Ochocinco's "Basketball Wives" fiance Evelyn Lozada feels about her man bunking up with a local fan. She didn't look too pumped to be at the Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway on Sunday night.

Giants' "Star Wars Day"

The World Series champs are bringing Han Solo to AT&T Park this fall. On September 4, the Giants are hosting “Star Wars Day" featuring a costume contest, screening of "The Empire Strikes Back" and most importantly, they're giving away limited edition “Brian Wilson in Carbonite” statues.

Here are the details on the incredible Wilson giveaway item:
The giveaway item included with the Star Wars special event ticket is “Brian Wilson in Carbonite” statue. The statue is three sided, with one side featuring the iconic Han Solo in carbonite pose featured in “The Empire Strikes Back.” A second side features Brian Wilson, in his trademark post-save celebration pose, frozen in carbonite similar to Han. The third side features graphics celebrating the Giants and Star Wars.

Williams filming A&E Show

Unemployed NFL safety Roy Williams is still looking for a new team, but in the meantime the former 1st round draft pick is filming an A&E reality show, "Storage Wars: Dallas."

“My agent is trying to find me a team,” Williams said in a text message to ESPNDallas.com. “I’m not retired, but I am filming Storage Wars here in Dallas, which I’m having a blast doing.”

The show features professional buyers and their "teams" going through repossessed storage units in hopes of finding valuable goods.

Williams hopes a NFL team believes he is a valuable good and gives him a shot during the shortened training camp. He spent the last two seasons playing for Cincinnati, appearing in 12 games and recording 59 tackles, a sack, an interception and three fumble recoveries.

The nine-year veteran spent his first seven seasons with the Cowboys, playing in five Pro Bowls.

Deion & Snoop's Hall of Fame Collabo

For the first time in NFL Hall of Fame history, an inductee thanked his family, former teammates, spiritual advisers, a major sports brand and two of the most famous rappers ever. Deion Sanders' Hall of Fame speech was surely one for the ages, but his unique take on the festivities didn't end with him putting a do-rag on his strange looking bust.

Before Hall of Fame weekend, Sanders and his pal Snoop Dogg recorded a track called "Hall of Fame Swagger" and the duo performed it after the ceremonies on Saturday.

Here is the chorus and below take a listen to the full track.

I've got my Hall of Fame swag on/lock 'em down, I'm the wrong player to pass on

Money bags stacked on my back/don't never stop chasing in the game/now I made it to the Hall of Fame

Worldwide player with the mic now I'm showing you all this game/I got my money now I'm headed to the Hall of Fame

Real Madrid vs. 109 Kids

Fresh of their U.S. tour for the World Football Challenge, Real Madrid traveled to China for a special match up again a few kids.

In honor of the club's 109-year history, Real Madrid took on 109 Guangzhou children and won by a score of 2-1.

The youth theme continues with Real Madrid as they have signed a 7-year-old Argentine soccer prodigy who goes by the name of Leo. Leonel Angel Coira signed with the Spanish club and will begin training Sept. 6. Here is his highlight reel.

Check out the highlights below of Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over 109 kids. Video via Dirty Tackle.

Steelers Film "Dark Knight Rises" Scene

Although the Steelers lost to the Packers in last year's Super Bowl, it looks like the team will have their Hollywood ending after all. Over the weekend, players and fans filmed a scene for the most anticipated movie of 2012, Christopher Nolan's final Batman installment, "The Dark Knight Rises."

Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller, Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, Troy Polamalu, James Farrior and Casey Hampton were among the Steeler players who took part in the scene, along with more than 10,000 fans at Heinz Field, which was transformed to the home stadium of the "Gothan Rogues."

Even former coach Bill Cowher returned to the sidelines for the first time since the 2006 season and Kevin Colbert, the Steelers director of football operations, joined him as an assistant coach for the Gotham Rogues.

Without giving away too much info about the football game scene, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that during the football scenes, Batman vehicles Tumblers rolled onto the field and special effects teams set off quite a few explosives.

So how did this cameo come about? Roethlisberger has become close with Thomas Tull, the film's executive producer who joined the Steelers ownership group two years ago. Tull helped influence the shooting of the movie in Pittsburgh and he's been trying to get the Steelers involved.

"I'm kind of getting everybody together," Roethlisberger told the Post-Gazette. "I heard it's going to be a neat thing at the stadium. I don't think it will be a big part, it's not like we're chasing Batman down or anything. It's something neat that in 10 years or 20 years we can tell our kids we were in a movie. Thomas does movies big and I'm sure it will be a big-time movie and something fun to be part of."

Below is video of fly over of Heinz Field to see how it was transformed for the "Dark Knight Rises" filming and check out Deadspin for a few fan photos from the set.

In addition, here is a fight between Batman (Christian Bale) and villain Bane (Tom Hardy) shot after the football scene at Heinz Field on Saturday.

Barnes & Beasley Get After It

While some NBA players are spending the lockout showing off their scoring prowess in summer leagues (see Durant, Kevin and Wall, John), Lakers F Matt Barnes and Timberwolves F Michael Beasley are having some anger management issues. The duo was involved in separate altercations during games on opposite coasts last night.

According to KGO-TV in San Francisco, Barnes got into a fight at a Pro-Am game in the Bay Area. The brawl went down at the Kezar Pavillion during a game between Barnes' Dream Team and a team called East Bay. Barnes apparently punched an East Bay player in the face, but the refs didn't see it and Barnes wasn't ejected from the game.

In New York last night, Beasley got into it with a fan. According to the AP:
In the second half of a summer league game at Dyckman Park in Washington Heights, Beasley was jawing back and forth with a fan who was getting on his case. Then Beasley shoved the fan’s face and security intervened. A guard and teammates led the former Kansas State star away from the fan, though Beasley later shook the fan’s hand.

Cooking with Belichick

Long before Bill Belichick was leading the Patriots to Super Bowls, he was a mediocre coach with the Browns. At some point during his early 90's stay in Ohio, he appeared on a local cooking show to detail how he makes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Enjoy this YouTube gold.

NFL to Launch First Post-Lockout TV Spot

Trying to get back in the good graces of football fans, the NFL is launching an estimated $10 million ad campaign themed: "It's Good to be Back. Back to Football."

USA Today has an exclusive sneak preview of a :30 TV commercial from Grey Advertising that breaks this weekend. The spot shows everyone from high school football players to office workers throwing a pigskin around to welcome the new season.

According to USA Today, the spot will air for three weeks on the NFL's national network TV partners: NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN and NFL Network during the day and in prime time.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says this is the earliest the league has ever launched ads to promote a new season. Typically, the league doesn't roll out ads until preseason games are under way. In addition, the league's network TV partners are also preparing their own promotional spots urging fans to tune in for the new season.

Former 49ers defensive back Dwight Hicks stars is in the spot and the 4-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champs was actually cast without the producers knowing he was a former footballer. Once he got the gig, he told them he was a former 49er star.

Check out a first look at the commercial here. Major hat tip to USA Today's Game On! blog.

NBA 2K11's "NBA Greatest" Mode

Last week, we featured the multiple covers for "NBA 2K12" featuring NBA legends Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and today, 2K Sports announced that its basketball video game will include an "NBA Greatest" mode featuring 15 historic teams and their best players, such as Jordan, Bird, Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving.

"NBA basketball is about the history and the future of the game," said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing at Take-Two's 2K Sports. "We love the current game and are looking to optimize it."

"NBA 2K11" is scheduled for multiplatform release on Oct. 4 and check out a preview of the game's "NBA Greatest mode."

Rex Explains New Ink

On Monday, outspoken Jets coach Rex Ryan received a ton of media attention for the brand new tattoo he was sporting on his right leg however; he kept the public waiting on the true meaning of his new ink until the team released a video on Facebook yesterday.

"A new 'tat' means believe in yourself, which I've got no problem doing," Ryan said in the Facebook video.

Ryan further described how he got the tattoo: "I was on vacation in Hawaii (early last month). I've got a couple of tattoos before. I just felt like it. The guy that I went to had given me tattoos before and it's just something that I wanted to do."

"It's a mountain, some waves and some sharks," Ryan said of the ink that cover his calf from the ankle to the knee.

Ryan was asked how long it took for the tattoo to be completed: "After I got through crying? The tattoo is nothing, guys. It's fun. That's why I did it. It took probably an hour and a half."

Shaq Talks Twitter on Conan

Shaquille O’Neal appeared on TBS’ “Conan” last night where he talked about his social media strategy and joining TNT as an NBA analyst.

Host Conan O'Brien said of O’Neal’s Twitter feed, “You send out good tweets. You don't just say, ‘I'm at the market. Boy, those look like good oranges,’ like some celebrities. You're not wasting our time. You actually try and entertain people with your tweets.”

O’Neal responded: “I try to make people laugh 60% of the time, 30% of the time I try to inspire people and the other 10%, I'm just trying to sell stuff. That's my formula.”

Check out the full interview below. Skip ahead to the 10-minute mark and watch the Shaq try to drive a tiny car.

Nnamdi's SI Cover

New Eagles CB Nnamdi Asomugha graces the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated as the magazine examines the top NFL free agent signings and showcases what they look like in their new colors.

If you can't wait until the issue hits newsstands on Thursday, SI's Facebook page is offering an exclusive look at the cover story.

Check it out here.

Gatorade Signs Hope

The endorsement portfolios for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team stars continue to grow and goalie Hope Solo has signed a multi-year deal with Gatorade, according to the Sports Business Journal.

This is the second major post-World Cup partnership for Solo who along with teammates Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan, signed a deal with Bank of America last week.

Since returning from Germany, Solo has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, been on a long media tour, drove the pace car at the Brickyard 400 and appeared at various events, including the "Entourage" season eight premiere .

Solo's agent, Richard Motzkin of Wasserman Media Group told SBJ:
Being on the cover of Sports Illustrated helped her awareness with the general public," Motzkin said. "She has an opportunity to become well-known not just in the soccer scene, but in the public mainstream as well."

Durant lights up Rucker

Although the NBA lockout seems to have no end in sight, Thunder F Kevin Durant is in mid-season form.

In his first visit to the hallowed Rucker Park courts in Harlem, the NBA scoring champ dropped 66 points, connecting on 9-of-11 3-pointers, including five straight from well beyond NBA range.

Durant lead DC Power to a 99-93 win over the Sean Bell All-Stars at the Entertainers Basketball Classic.

Check out a few highlights from KD's performance last night. Looks like he has added some swagger to his game, which will definitely pay dividends for his Thunder, whenever the NBA lockout ends.

Kobe stars in Hamm's Charity Soccer Match

The fourth annual Mia Hamm & Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge kicked off in Washington DC yesterday and the star-studded rosters included Lakers G Kobe Bryant, U.S. Soccer star Alex Morgan, Celtics F Jeff Green and Redskins DB DeAngelo Hall.

Hamm's Foundation organized the Garrett Game to honor her late brother, Garrett, who died in 1997 from a bone marrow disease. The funds raised from the match go directly to bone marrow transplant patients and their families.

A global ambassador for FC Barcelona, Hamm moved her charity match to D.C. to coincide with Barca's visit to face Manchester United in a friendly match part of the World Football Challenge.

In the end, Hamm's side her team’s first ever victory in her charity's history with a 13-12 victory over her husband Garciaparra's squad. Here are some highlights below:

Yahoo! Sports replaces Sporting News Radio

Yahoo! Sports has signed a joint venture with Gow Broadcasting Inc. to create the new Yahoo Sports Radio network, replacing Sporting News Radio.

According the Sports Business Journal, the new Yahoo! network will feature some of the same shows as Sporting News, including "The Steve Czaban Show" and "The Tim Brando Show" but also will create opportunities for the site's own writers and experts to promote their work.

The network "creates a national and local outlet for our brand and talent," said Yahoo! Media Network VP Ken Fuchs. "Our partnership with Gow Broadcasting will provide more access to our users and solutions to our advertising partners."

The Yahoo! Sports Radio Network will be heard in more than 180 affiliate stations, including WFAN-AM in N.Y., WSCR-AM in Chicago, and KBWF-FM in S.F., Sirius Satellite Radio and several other digital and mobile outlets.