By now it is more than obvious that Roger Clemen's will be pursued by Federal authorities and the Justice Department will open a case against him. But will the Rocket do jail time for perjury?

    In a legal system that seems to always bend for athletes and celebrities, can the public really count on justice being served (if Clemens is guilty). As of late it seems that athletes, unlike their celebrity counterparts, have been handed lengthy jail terms. Just look at Michael Vick, some people thought he wouldn't be found guilty let alone serve time and now he's in the can for almost two years.

    If Clemen's did lie under oath, will the Justice Department give him a slap on the wrist for telling a fib or will they condemn him to prison for lying to the United States Congress. It is very difficult to predict how this will end up. Clemens is a very wealthy man with alot of resources and alot of fans/friends as we saw at the House Committe hearing. We witnessed two different schools of thoughs on Clemens when it came to the Republicans and the Democrats. Will this affect a possible future trial?

    Clemens is in real deep and there is no question that despite throwing batting practice in Florida for the Astros, he is soley focused on clearing or defending his name. What does the future hold for Roger, one of the most successful pitchers in basbeball history, will he go down in flames or will he rise above?

    As of five o'clock, a Fox Sports Poll indicated that 73% of those who responded believed Clemens is more likely to end up in jail than the hall of fame, total votes were 22,918. Out of 7,059 voters 72% viewed Clemens the same way as Barry Bonds.

Note: This is America. You are innocent until proven guilty.

*I have no opinion on Roger's guilt or innocence.

    Darren McFadden, who holds both single-season and career rushing records for the Razorback's, went to a bar in Arkansas underage. I know what you're thinking. So did every other twenty year old that attends college. The one difference is McFadden is going into the NFL draft. This brings up a serious issue for teams who may potentially draft him.

    We live in an age where football players are continuously making poor decisions off the field. Darren McFadden chose a terrible time to make a big mistake. With less than a year until he turns twenty-one and the NFL draft approaching at the end of April, McFadden decided that he had to go to a bar on January 10. I say big mistake not because it is so horrible that he was underage drinking, although it is a problem, but because he should know how much is at stake and how closely those entering the draft are scrutinized. This is simply a case of poor decision making.

    This has to lower McFadden's stock in the draft. Just look at what happens to teams who draft off-the-field troublemakers. Marcus Vick was dismissed from Virginia Tech football; the University sited a "cumulative effect of legal infractions and unsportsmanlike play." Vick was signed by the Dolphins in 2006 and was later released May 1, 2007, he is currently unsigned. What about Pacman Jones? After several legal incidents the NFL suspended Jones for the entire 2007 season. The Bengals had a record amount of players in legal trouble over the past year, look how that team did. Then, of course, there is Michael Vick.

    MCFadden, obviously, cannot say to himself, "OK, I'm entering the draft, I'm not of legal drinking age, and everyone is watching my every move. I won't go into the bar." If McFadden cannot make simple decisions such as this, there is no telling what other stupid situations he will get himself into. We have to bear in mind that this is a very young man at twenty-years-old. He may be very impressionable and this is very dangerous, as Michael Vick has shown us.

    Several college players go to bars underage and we never hear about it. However, in this occasion a fight broke out and though there is no claims that McFadden was involved, he was still handcuffed temporarily; that does not look good.

    In all likelyhood, McFadden will be drafted early and no one will say a peep about it. Of course some NFL teams could care less about the risk because the NFL is a business looking to earn money. But think about this, should an NFL franchise really take the risk? History has shown us that these troublemakers dont pay off because they end up unable to play. Hopefully, this will serve as a wake-up call for McFadden and he wont end up burning his team in the future.

 

 

*** Because so many people are not reading the entire article, I must put this disclaimer up! I don't like or dislike McFadden! I understand many people are very opionated about this young man, I wish him the best! I am simply stating that he made a bad choice, that's fine, i make bad decisions all the time. Please read the entire article before posting something about me hating McFadded, thank you. My intent was to generate thought-provoking conversation and for the most part it was succesful

    The Cowboys acquisition of Zach Thomas is a good reminder, for die-hard football fans who wont see a game until August, that there is still alot to be excited for besides the combine. Although he missed much of this past season,due to migraines and concussions, the Cowboys felt comfortable signing Thomas for a year.

    This isn't just good news for Thomas, its good news for all us football fans. We are headed into the dismal time of NFL off-season. A time when we must get by with little or no action in respect to football. We are left inspecting vertical jump numbers and which guy dropped the most passes today at the combine. I, myself, never realize until late-February how fascinated I am with the 40 yard dash. Did you hear the latest tidbit? Players may no longer go topless! How starved we become for a little NFL scoop.

    With the Thomas deal begins the early signing period in football were deals are attempted to be made quickly and there are a slew of rumors going around. Firstly, Randy Moss, fresh off his Super Bowl loss; will Randy really want to stay in New England or will he use his record setting season as incentive for other teams to put up some serious cash? Several gabby-gusses are imagining the unholy union of T.O. and Moss together on the Cowboys. Imagine the mayhem!

    In my opinion, the most important player up for grabs is Asante Samuels. There are talks that he is being courted by the Saint's who had an up-and-down season. There is no doubt, however, that many teams will make a pass at the pro-bowl back.

    How about the Jet's? After a horrendous season not only are they going to get in some good draft picks but one knows they are working out deals as you read this. Speaking of bad teams, Bill Parcells is going to turn the Dolphins roster upside down and there is no telling what kind of talent the Big Tuna will bring in. Remember Parcells likes veterans.

    So, If you are like me, and hunger for a little NFL action; just imagine all the drafts, trades, signings, and weird occurences that we have left to come. As soon as your team makes a move let your imagination run wild!

"We got him! That's exactly who we need to make a playoff bid." It's a rough time for us fans we might as well make the best of it.

 

Feel free to post any comments regarding your teams signings, trades, rumors, or let your imagination run wild. Dont be afraid to add some crazy-super-unlikely wish you may have for your team.

    The Cleveland Cavaliers have accomplished something that has proven, for them, more elusive than an NBA title. A big time trade before the deadline to give themselves some publicity amongst the Western Conference media dominance.

    As oppose to the West, the Eastern Conference has only three realistic contenders for the championship title. The Boston Celtics are league favorites to begin with, the Piston's who have experience and depth, and the Cavaliers who until Thursday have been riding the excellence of LeBron James. Now the Cav's can claim to be a true threat.

    Many have diminished the size of this trade agreement with mention of Ben Wallace's lackluster performance since being signed to Chicago. Also, sharpshooter Szczerbiak has been dealing with recent ankle injuries. What everyone fails to notice is the true potential of this half-court expanding offense.

    LeBron can get it done from any area of the court and demands a double team, in some cases he has been tripled team. Now, take into consideration Wallace's presence in the paint. There are two aspects to this for the Cav's. Defensively, shot blocks and rebounds can lead to advantageous fast-breaks for James. Offensively, Wallace's dominance under the rim can lead to second-chance shots and kick backs to the three-point marksman Szczerbiak.

    This is the same idea the Sun's had with aquiring Shaq, only the Cav's have taken a younger, quicker, and currently more dominant player in Wallace. The loss of Gooden obviously is painful given his chemistry with James, but now LeBron has big names around him for the first time in his career. More importantly, besides having big names, these are unselfish players who know how to work as a team. Who could have predicted a Piston's victory over the Lakers? A keen observer in teamwork!

   This new grouping may need some time before proving to be lethal but there is no way that this will not wind up being beneficial to the Cleveland organization. LeBron has already lead the Cav's to a win over the Celtic's this year; now imagine the potential.

    Gary Sheffield surprised the media today when he opened his big mouth. Sheffield, who is ever more famous for speaking his mind, had some words about former agent Scott Boras.

     "My family has been trying to get me to walk away for a while now because they don't like the negative stuff that comes my way. I love it," Sheffield said. "I try to explain it to them, but they think that's some psychotic thing."

    It's beginning to seem like "some psychotic thing," because Sheffield cant seem to miss an opportunity to run his mouth.  Shef called his former agent a "bad person" claiming that Boras wants money he does not deserve. Sheffield has been involved in a legal suit with Boras and claims that when it's over he will reveal "ugly things" on several subjects.

    It's time for a reality check Gary! First of all, everyone knows that Boras has a marred reputation. A-Rod hasn't spoken to Boras since his Yankees opt-out disaster. Kenny Rogers fired him for negligibly shopping him around the league when Rogers' wanted only to negotiate with Detroit. This isn't to say that he is in fact a bad person, just a simple observation. I frankly don't care one bit about Boras and the rest of the public doesn't need Sheffield to make up their minds for them.

    Sheffield is simply a guy who wants attention. He must perceive himself as a noble vigilante, when he in fact is just a public agitator. Sheffield has made headlines with comments regarding the steriod probe as a "witch hunt" to nail Barry Bonds and Joe Torre treating black players differently than whites. How many more headline attempts will he make until he is satisfied with himself?

    At one point Sheffield seemed to have reached a point of enlightenment when he said, "Actually, I'm not supposed to be talking about this at all," too good to be true. He followed this good idea with,  "But, I am anyway."

    I say Gary shouldn't be allowed to talk about anything from now on.

    With the excitement of the NBA All-Star game behind us, NBA fans are being treated to another thrill with the Sun's, and newly acquired Shaq, taken on Kobe and the Lakers. But tonights game will be more than just two bitter rivals going head-to-head.

    With the trade deadline approaching, the Western Conference has made several headlines with many big name trades. Namely, Shaq to the Pheonix Suns, Pau Gasol to the L.A. Lakers, and Jason Kidd to the Mavericks. While there is still time for another big move this seems to be enough to rule the sports world for now. What is bigger news than all these moves though is tonights mathcup.

    The Western Conference currently has only a five game difference between the current 8 seed and the current 1 seed. With only half a season left to play, every game is going to count. It's no wonder that all these teams are making such big deals, each NBA team wants to distance themself from the pack. If things continue to go the way they are, a very good team will not make the playoffs. This is a heavy contrast to the Eastern Conference in which all rides pretty much on the Celtics, Pistons, and Cavs.

    Aside from the obivous question, who will win Kobe and Shaq, this matchup will provide some really important answers to questions like: Is Shaq worth it for the Suns? Is the Pau Gasol move the best trade? Most importantly, though, will the Laker's step up to the team they are behind or will Shaq prove to be that key aspect to win the Sun's their first championship?

    With the Lakers only a game behind their Pacific Division rivals Sun's, this would be an important step, for either team, towards the coveted number 1 seed. Tonight's matchup will begin the second half of the season and in turn the scramble to not be left in the dust. So aside from Shaq vs. Kobe we are witnessing what will be an intense path to the finals.

     Hank Steinbrenner has commented that he doesn't understand why the MLB is being "singled out" in regards to the highly publicized steroid accusations surrounding baseball. Steinbrenner then went on to say that "football is tailor-made for performance-enhancing drugs".

    All this is is a cheap cop-out by the Yankee's owner's son. This poor attempt to pass the buck is a sad indication of how negligible the MLB has been with its knowledge of steroid use. With their backs in the corner Basbeball people are scratching and clawing to get the spotlight taken off themselves.

    What is more irritating about the situation is the finger-pointing Steinbrenner began. In attempting to take some pressure off (the Yankees had the most names in the Mitchel Report) Steinbrenner decided to throw the NFL under the bus. He should be ashamed of himself. Instead of facing the problems that he has as part of Baseball's greatest dynasty he as attempted to circumvent the problem with blame shifting. As if to say, "I know it's wrong, but they're doing it too and no one is saying anything."

    Admittedly, the NFL does have some drug issues of their own but they have been publicly punishing atheletes caught using drugs, remember Shaun Merriman was suspended for five games last season for steroid use. Furthermore, one might say that the NFL is a little too strict in their enforcement of drug use. Leading rushers like Travis Henry and Ricky Williams have both been suspended for marijuana use; this is recreational not performance-enhancing.

    Debating about drugs aside, the NFL has done more in the public eye about drug use than baseball has. Wether or not NFL players use performance-enhancing drugs more than baseball players is unknown to us and most importantly unknown to Hank Steinbrenner. All the public knows is that their is a list naming more than 80 baseball players who have been involved with steriods and HGH. No such list exist in the NFL, where videotaping seems to be the subject of interest at this point in time.

    Steinbrenner doesn't really wonder why he's being singled-out; he is just trying to take some pressure off. The MLB is being singled out because for years the public has been told, by former players and trainers, that players have been abusing these drugs for decades without reprecussions. More importantly, several of these abusers hold high positions on Baseball record lists, most notbaly for wins, single-season homeruns, and career homeruns.

    I in no way condone the use of drugs in any sport  but when players begin talking about the rampant use of steroids in football, then Steinbrenner will have a scapegoat. Until then he should just worry about fixing the problem within his organization and keep his mouth shut

    Gone were the days of the nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat Slam Dunk Contest, were one would watch living legends take to the sky and make us believe they could fly. Gone until Dwight Howard brought it back this past Saturday in New Orleans.

    The Slam Dunk Contest was a thing of beauty. No one could predict the incredible feats that would be achieved through the air by America's favorite basketball players. In 1984, when the NBA began its own contest, Dr. J did the unthinkable by taking off from the free-throw line. This was never seen before. As time passed, more innovations were witnessed during the All-Star Break.  Dominique Wilson, one of the greatest dunkers ever, attempted to repeat as champion in 1986 when his teammate Spud Webb upset him, standing at a mere 5 feet 7 inches. And then came Michael Jordan, whose efforts were challenged to the wire by Wilkens. Jordan won back to back in '87 and '88.

    Unfortunately, after all the excitement of the 80's contest came the dullness of the unimpressive 90's. This marks a dark time in the history of the contest as the NBA's top players, for whatever poor excuses, chose to avoid the game. As a result mediocre players were crowned such as Harold Miner and Brent Barry, lame! Dunks were boring and hardly innovative, the excitement wore off with the exception of Isaiah Rider and Kobe Bryant's contest wins. In 1998 the NBA axed the contest and the following year a hold-out was in place cancelling the All-Star weekend. So throughout the 90's we had only to worth-while throwdowns.

    When the Slam Dunk Contest returned in 2000, we once again saw its true potential when Vince Carter took on his cousin Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis. This was a battle to the end but Vince Carter prevailed with truly amazing dunks (which if you haven't seen, you might want to head over to youtube). So the Contest in 2000 promised a bright future, right? Wrong,  once again the big-name stars refrained from giving the people what they want. Sure, there were some great dunks here and there but not like the days of old. Nothing truly spectacular or shocking and once again it looked like the Contest would be cancelled.

    In 2006 that all changed when 5'9" Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks straight-up wowed the crowed, soaring through the air and completing unimaginable dunks for a man of his height. He topped his Contest victory by dunking over former champion Spud Webb, as one five-footer passed the torch to another. The following year Gerald Green captured the crown with some impressive dunks but nothing crazy like that of Robinson. However, in 2007 there was the dunk by Dwight Howard who placed a sticker of his smiling face onto the backboard as he dunked. The sticker was a whopping 12 feet 6 inches of the ground! With that Dwight Howard set to change the fate of the Contest.

    This year Howard revitalized the contest with new innovative dunks, costumes, and sheer tenacity. His first dunk, which I found most impressive, was a dunk from behind the backboard. He bounced the ball from out of bounds, off the back of the backboard, caught it in mid-air and dunked it in. This is something you dont see a 6'11" guy do everyday. What won the contest for Howard was a near-dunk in which he took off a step after the free-throw line in a Superman outfit and cape. In slow-motion one can see that despite the ball going in, Howard technically didn't dunk having not touched the rim. The image was so impressive, however, that it will most likely go down in history with the Jordans, Wilkins, and Webbs.

    Greater than the notoriety that Howard created for himself is the rivival of the Slam Dunk contest. Lebron James, who has never participated, and Kobe Bryant were all seen jumping out of their seats with a look of amazement. Howard has revitalized the one event that allows a single player to shock and amaze his peers and most importantly the fans. Maybe now with all the talk going on we will finally see King James step up and slam down. Maybe now the big names will return. What about a Kobe Bryant/LeBron James showdown. This is what the fans want to see. Big names doing big battle in the air with BIG DUNKS! There is no question in my mind that after Howard's stunning performance we will get to see even more big names come out and mark their spot in this sports history. Let's just hope it doesn't fade again. The contest is a highlight for the fans, it's designed for the fans, who are now the deciding voters of the final round of the contest. The players must recognize this aspect of the contest. It's All-Star Weekend and we want to see All-Star's dunk!

     Unfortunately the Antonio Pierce story seems to be a case of the media stereotyping black athletes as pet/animal abusers. Although the abuse of animals is serious and wrong, this story appears to be the victim of the twenty-four hour news cycle.

    If Antonio Pierce did neglect his dog, that is wrong but its not sports news. Why don't journalist focus on the fact that while Roger Clemens faces accusations on Capitol Hill, Barry Bonds - a man who has been accused of using steriods for years - sits at home looking for a new contract. Furthermore, why wasn't there a stink about the Patriots, who were caught cheating, attempting a perfect season with almost no reprecussions. Stories of Pierce abusing his pet are merely headline attempts in the wake of the Michael Vick scandal. Sports journalism should stick to exactly that, sports!

    Let's say Antonio Pierce's dog was truly found sick and underweight. Okay! Let whatever humane society is in charge of this situation investigate. In all likely-hood he wasn't home because he was preparing for the SuperBowl and the person in charge of taking care of his dog in that time was not responsible. What if he didn't leave anyone in charge of taking care of his dog you say? Well ok, let that humane society/organization fine him for his wrong doing and move on.

    It would be wrong to drag this story out, this dog was not part of a dog-fighting ring and he did not put it to death. He made a mistake like everyone else. It is the responsiblity of journalist to refrain from racial profiling and stereotyping. Let the story play out before we start pointing fingers and talking of Michael Vick.

    As the owner of two wonderful and healthy purebreed dogs, I find it insulting that people would jump to conclusions with Antonio Pierce because another black athlete KILLED his pets. Let's be responsible and wait and see how this plays out.