LeBron James Says He Would Have Done 'The Decision' TV Special Differently

by FanHouse Staff

Filed under: Heat, NBA Media Watch, Sports Business and Media

LeBron James doesn't regret his decision to go to Miami, but he does somewhat regret "The Decision."

James was highly criticized for the hour-long ESPN special, the show that featured his choice to leave the Cavaliers and join the Heat back in July.

James did not go into specific detail into what he would have changed. But from the sound of it, James would have gone a different route.

"If I had to go back on it, I probably would do it a little bit different," James said to reporters on Sunday in New Jersey before his Heat played the Nets. "But I'm happy with the decision I made. There's always going to be a misunderstanding. I don't know what I would [have done], but I definitely would have changed it."

James also admitted that the Heat were always his first love.

"Not really," James said, when asked if he came close to signing with another team. "It was some meetings that were better than others. But at the end of the day, this was the team I felt like I had the best opportunity to win for a long period of time. I didn't have a list, one through six or one through five, whatever the case was."

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/10/31/lebron-james-says-he-would-change-the-decision/

Joanna Krupa Joanne Montanez Jodi Lyn OKeefe

Kasey Kahne: 'It Was Time for Me to Move On'

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, NASCAR Rumors, Sprint Cup, Red Bull Racing, NASCAR

Discussing his abrupt departure from Richard Petty Motorsports this week, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne insisted Friday morning that it was a mutual decision. He dismissed reports that he was owed money from the team and challenged anyone to question his commitment despite the late-season split.

"It was time for me to move on,'' Kahne told reporters Friday morning at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, where he'll begin his tenure in the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

"It definitely went down differently than what a lot of people people expected, including myself. It's a big change for myself. I'm been doing the same thing for six and a half years. ... and now everything's different, but I'm looking forward to it. I've been looking forward to next year and now I've got a quicker start on it.

"I think it's good for me that it happened. And I think it's good for RPM also.''

Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye concurred and acknowledged the timing certainly benefited them as well. Kahne was already set to run the full 2011 season with the team before taking over the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2012. With one of Red Bull's lead drivers, Brian Vickers recovering from a blood clot, the No. 83 was available for Kahne now.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/10/22/kasey-kahne-it-was-time-for-me-to-move-on/

Tila Tequila Tina Fey Tricia Helfer

Corey Miller, Cubs Bullpen Catcher, Busted With 8.4 Pounds of Marijuana

Filed under: Cubs, MLB Police Blotter

Longtime Cubs bullpen catcher Corey Miller was caught with 8.4 pounds of marijuana in a vehicle that was stopped for speeding by Nebraska State Patrol while he was driving through Lincoln last Saturday, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.

Miller has been with the team since 2007.

Miller told the trooper who pulled him over what he did for a living according to the report. "I asked what he did for a living and he said that he was a catcher for the Cubs," the affidavit states.

Miller was reportedly accompanied by 26-year-old Maria Myaskovsky, and an infant . Myaskovsky accepted responsibility for the marijuana, and a background check revealed that she had prior arrests, one time being hit with a charge for intent to deliver.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/10/30/corey-miller-cubs-bullpen-catcher-busted-with-8-4-pounds-of-ma/

Lucy Liu Luján Fernández Magdalena Wróbel

FOX, Cablevision Reach Deal in Time for World Series Game 3, NFL Sunday

Filed under: MLB Playoffs, World Series, Sports Business and Media

The dispute between FOX and Cablevision that has kept the network's programming off the air in New York and Philadelphia in recent weeks was finally resolved Saturday.

The deal came just in time to allow viewers affected by the showdown over carriage rates to watch Game 3 of the World Series between the Giants and Rangers and a day before Sunday's Jets-Packers game on FOX that would also have been blacked out if the stalemate continued.

Viewers already had missed out on the entire NLCS and the first two games of the World Series along with NFL games the last two Sundays.

It wasn't difficult to determine the victor in the agreement that emerged. A statement released by Cablevision made the company's feelings abundantly clear.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/10/30/fox-cablevision-reach-deal-in-time-for-world-series-game-3-nfl/

Eliza Dushku Emilie de Ravin Emma Heming

Magic Eager and Confident to Face Miami

Filed under: Heat, Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Magic coach Stan Van Gundy can say it until his face turns blue -- like he tried to Thursday night -- but Friday's night's matchup against the Miami Heat is not just one of 82 games on the schedule.

It's not for any other team in the league this season. And it's especially not for the Magic, whose in-state proximity, whose personal distaste for the team president, and whose growing resentment continues to build, making the matchup a classic in October.

"We can make a statement (Friday),'' Magic center Dwight Howard said after his team crushed the Washington Wizards in their season opener Thursday. "They (Heat) have to match up against us.''

While the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are rightfully bothered by being overshadowed by the Heat and their trio of stars, no one in the league has taken the praise/hate/attention in Miami as personal as the Magic, a good team mostly forgotten.

"We better get used to it,'' sighed Magic forward Rashard Lewis. "It's all anyone talks about. If ESPN is not talking about Miami, you think there's something wrong with ESPN. It just adds fuel to the fire for us.''

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/10/29/magic-eager-and-confident-to-face-miami/

Hayden Panettiere Haylie Duff Heidi Klum

Bruce Bochy: Cody Ross Starting Over Jose Guillen 'a Baseball Decision'

Filed under: Giants, Rangers, MLB Playoffs, World Series

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy said that Cody Ross was going to be the Giants postseason starting right fielder over Jose Guillen because of Guillen's injury and ineffectiveness, despite reports that Guillen was left off the roster because he was the subject of an investigation for receiving HGH.

The Giants have not made any comment on reports about HGH, but Bochy indicated that was not the reason the Giants played Ross, who ended up becoming a postseason star and winning MVP of the NLCS.

"It was a baseball decision," Bochy said before Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday. "Cody was swinging the bat very well. He was getting some spot starts there even though he was struggling earlier (in September). You could see him coming on. More than anything, it was evident that Guillen had a neck issue. He admitted it. He was trying to be a warrior going out there, but he wasn't perforning like he could because of the neck issue. That decision was made as we were setting up the roster that we didn't feel that Jose was 100 percent with the treatment. Cody Ross was going to be on the roster and starting in right field."

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/10/30/bruce-bochy-cody-ross-starting-over-jose-guillen-a-baseball-de/

Jules Asner Julia Stiles Julianne Hough

MLSsoccer.com introduces "Pro Soccer Picks" fantasy game

Ready to get your fantasy on?Just in time for the MLS Cup Playoffs, MLSsoccer.com introduces our first fantasy game, Pro Soccer Picks.Playing Pro Soccer Picks is as easy as side-footing in a sitter. All you have to do is make your picks and you?re automatically in contention for some great prizes,...

Source: http://dcunited.com/node/14024

Ana Beatriz Barros Ana Hickmann Ana Ivanovi

NFL Two-a-Days: Packers at Jets

Filed under: Jets, Packers, NFL Video, FanHouse Previews, NFL Analysis

A bye week can make a difference at this point in the season -- the Jets are coming off one; a beaten-up Green Bay team could use one.

The Packers, a sentimental preseason Super Bowl pick, have to overcome a ton of injuries to defensive players if they are to live up to the preseason hype, says LeCharles Bentley in this version of NFL Two-a-Days.

Click below to watch:

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/10/30/nfl-two-a-days-packers-at-jets/

Rachel Blanchard Rachel Hunter Rachel McAdams

LeGarrette Blount Packing a Punch in Buccaneers Backfield

Filed under: Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla. -- Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris is known for his up-tempo, competitive and fiery practices, so there have been a couple times things have gotten heated under the blazing Florida sun and rookie running back LeGarrette Blount has been in the middle of the fray.

That's when quarterback Josh Freeman intervenes.

"Hey, LeGarrette!" Freeman likes to shout. "Whatever you do, don't hit him!"

And he laughs.

Better yet, Blount laughs, too.

"It really doesn't bother me anymore," Blount said.

Maybe not, but for however long Blount lasts in the NFL -- and certainly well after that -- he will always be linked with it.

"He made a mistake," Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik said. "And he paid a great price for it."

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/10/29/legarrette-blount-packing-a-punch-in-buccaneers-backfield/

Zhang Ziyi Zoe Saldana Zooey Deschanel

Danroy Henry's Memory Foremost for Pace University, Loss is Secondary

Filed under: Fans, Police Blotter

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- While Pace University football players warmed up to resume their football season Saturday afternoon, the speaker system at the Setters' intimate home field played the usual sports anthems.

They included "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen ("... they pass you by ...'') and "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses ("... I wanna watch you bleed!").

But not all music Saturday was part of the common playlist. It had been two weeks since cornerback Danroy Henry died from police bullets in a car in a restaurant parking lot after Pace's homecoming game.

So a new tune was added Saturday by a man wearing kilts and carrying bagpipes. He walked onto the field after the national anthem and played "Amazing Grace," a hymn of redemption and forgiveness in a time of deep despair.

Once the game began, New Haven (8-1) scored a solid 58-19 victory over Pace (0-7). But afterward, Henry's teammates seemed buoyed by the chance to play together again in a game he loved after canceling the previous one to mourn.

Pace senior running back Jason Washington said he dedicated his touchdown on a kickoff return to Henry and was so energized during his 95-yard run that he could not remember any details.

And senior linebacker Jonfrey Sanchez seemed emotionally moved by a postgame ceremony during which players, fans and cheerleaders gathered on the 12-yard line in honor of Henry's number 12.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/30/danroy-henrys-memory-foremost-for-pace-university-loss-is-seco/

Bianca Kajlich Bijou Phillips Blake Lively

Fifty Years Later, Plenty of Pain Lingers From Cal Poly Plane Crash

Filed under: FCS

Who lived, and who died, was as random as a pregame coin toss.

Just minutes after 10 p.m. on Oct. 29, 1960, a twin-engine World War II-era cargo plane carrying the California Polytechnic College football team began to taxi down the runway at Toledo Express Airport. That afternoon, the Mustangs had been pummeled by Bowling Green, 50-6. Now, entombed in a fog so thick that all taxi service had been suspended in Toledo for the evening, the Arctic Pacific Airlines flight accelerated blindly into the night.

Fate hinged on a row number. Sometimes less.

Bill Dauphin, a 19-year-old sophomore offensive tackle, lived. Three teammates sitting in the row in front of Dauphin, another three in the row behind, and two alongside him all died.

Fullback Carl Bowser survived. The offensive lineman who had coveted his aisle seat, pushing Bowser from behind as they boarded the plane in a successful attempt to wrest it from him, perished.

Curtis Hill, the Mustangs' NFL-caliber wide receiver, asked to switch places with the sophomore quarterback just before take-off. Hill died. The quarterback, Ted Tollner, survived.

"Whether it's fate ... there's no explanation," said Tollner, now the quarterbacks coach of the Oakland Raiders. "I don't have an answer. I don't think there are any answers."

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/29/fifty-years-later-plenty-of-pain-lingers-from-cal-poly-plane-cr/

Salma Hayek Samaire Armstrong Samantha Mathis

Super Bowl Ads Already Sold Out

Filed under: Super Bowl, Sports Business and Media

FOX has sold all of its commercial time for the broadcast of this year's Super Bowl, which will take place on Feb. 6 in Cowboys Stadium, according to the New York Times.

Not only did FOX sell out its commercial time months in advance, the spots are priced higher than what CBS charged this past February for Super Bowl XLIV. FOX reportedly sold its commercial time for an estimated $2.8 million to $3 million for approximately 30 seconds of advertising. CBS charged $2.5 million to $2.8 million last year.

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More: Watch Ads From Super Bowl XLIV

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/10/29/fox-broadcasting-sells-out-super-bowl-commercial-time-months-in/

Melissa Sagemiller Mena Suvari Mia Kirshner

Friday college roundup: Maryland rolls, Cal survives and more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoccerByIves/~3/b2ZZLX4J4WU/friday-college-roundup-maryland-rolls-claifornia-survives-and-more.html

Liz Phair Lokelani McMichael Lori Heuring

Rickie Fowler Came of Age in Ryder Cup

Filed under: Ryder Cup

NEWPORT, Wales -- Next to the Europeans, who may still be swigging champagne from golf shoes following their 14 ½-13 ½ victory over the United States on Monday at Celtic Manor, the week's biggest winner was American youngster Rickie Fowler.

The 21-year-old PGA Tour rookie, still without his first pro victory, was under a lot of scrutiny after being added to the U.S. team as a captain's pick by Corey Pavin. Now he's all but a given for future stardom.

The first PGA Tour rookie to ever play Ryder Cup competed in three matches, losing one and halving two to score a modest single point for the U.S. But his homestretch performance Monday in singles play was stuff that launches careers.

Down four to Italy's Edoardo Molinari early in the back nine, Fowler birdied the final four holes to tie the match and keep America's hopes alive in the next-to-last group to finish.

"Rickie turning that match around, birdieing the last four, was awfully incredible and very impressive," Tiger Woods praised.

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/10/05/rickie-fowler-came-of-age-in-ryder-cup/

Ivana Bozilovic Ivanka Trump Izabella Miko

Giants Surprise Even Themselves With Suddenly Potent Offense

Filed under: Giants, Rangers, MLB Playoffs, World Series

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hensley Meulens, who now looks like he has raised the dead, swore he wasn't surprised.

But other Giants admitted to being as stunned as the rest of the world at scoring 20 runs in the first two games of the World Series -- more than they managed in six NLCS games.

"I can't say I'm not surprised," second baseman Freddy Sanchez said. "Definitely you've got to be a little bit surprised that we were able to put up those runs. But we'll take it."

The Giants are the second team ever to open the World Series with at least nine runs in each of the first two games. The other was the 1998 Yankees, who swept the Padres (managed by current San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy).

But that Yankees team was a juggernaut from April on. These Giants scored a total of 30 runs in their 10 postseason games before the World Series. They scored six or more runs in an inning five times in the regular season, fewer than once a month.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/10/29/giants-surprise-even-themselves-with-suddenly-potent-offense/

Alecia Elliott Alessandra Ambrosio Alexis Bledel

NHL Notebook: Lose the Shootout, Not CHL 9-Game Clause; Best Goaltenders

Filed under: NHL Fans, NHL Coaching, Junior Hockey

The Shootout is Dead

They decided another hockey game with a one-on-one skills competition in Calgary on Tuesday, and it was the perfect illustration of why NHL general managers devalued the shootout in the offseason. The Oilers-Flames game was also the latest example of why the shootout has to go soon.

Down 4-1 to their provincial rivals in the Saddledome, the young Oilers valiantly battled back. The exciting future of the franchise was on display. Jordan Eberle scored with 17 seconds left in the second period to make it 4-2. Magnus Paajarvi and Tom Gilbert tied the game before the third period was half-over. In the thrilling final stanza, Edmonton out-shot Calgary 17-10.

What a wonderful game, the kind of mid-week October dazzler the NHL can proudly point to and say, "How often does the NBA provide this for its fans? How about MLB"?

The overtime was a blast. No, it wasn't a classic display of end-to-end, tape-to-tape magic. Overtime at the Saddledome was chaos, with a handful of scoring chances stopped by Miikka Kiprusoff and Nikolai Khabibulin. When it was over, fans of both teams roared. It was over too soon, which is the problem.

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2010/10/28/nhl-notebook-lose-the-shootout-not-chl-9-game-clause-best-goa/

Shana Hiatt Shania Twain Shanna Moakler

Game 2 of World Series Sees Another Drop in TV Ratings

by FanHouse Staff

Filed under: Giants, Rangers, MLB Playoffs, World Series, Sports Business and Media

Game 2 of the World Series produced another slide in television ratings compared to last fall, with a drop of 26 percent from its 2009 counterpart.

The Giants' 9-0 win over the Rangers drew an 8.5 rating for FOX and was watched by 14.1 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research. That was the second-lowest number ever for a Game 2, trailing only the 8.1 rating drawn by the Rays-Phillies matchup in 2008.

Last year's Yankees-Phillies Game 2 garnered an 11.5 rating.

Viewership was down slightly from Wednesday night's Game 1 broadcast, which drew an 8.9 rating.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/10/29/game-2-of-world-series-sees-another-drop-in-tv-ratings/

Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Marcil Vanessa Minnillo

The Works: Where Is the Love?

by Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller

Filed under: Kings, Nets, Nuggets, Pistons, Timberwolves, NBA Referees, Sports Business and Media, The Works

In The Works today: interrogating NBA finance; how the techs were won; the cool, cool world of Melo's free agency; and the League Pass Cup begins.

But first, the season's first big question about the Minnesota Timberwolves, featuring their one good player.

New Dawn Fades

The season is exactly one game old for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Kevin Love is already getting disrespected by his coach. Fitting that Love's new blog for GQ is called Love Will Tear Us Apart, because he's doing just that to the Twin Cities. Wolves coach Kurt Rambis sat Love for the final 8-1/2 minutes of Minnesota's tight opening night game against the Kings (who were without star guard Tyreke Evans). Why, pray tell?

He told reporters he liked what Anthony Tolliver was doing defensively. So he sat his best player.

The opponent Rambis needed Tolliver for was Carl Landry, who ended up dropping seven points in less than nine minutes in the fourth on Tolliver. The supposedly great defensive team Rambis wanted to put on the floor when Love came out allowed 18 points in 16 possessions (before the Wolves were forced to foul with 23 seconds left). Again, Landry had seven of those and rookie center DeMarcus Cousins added another five. That's 12 of the 18 points through the critical stretch of the game against Rambis' defensive frontline that Love is apparently too poor a defender to be featured in.

In the end, Tolliver played 28 minutes to Love's 24, and I'm sitting here wondering how long it will be until K-Love is run out of town the way Al Jefferson was. Think about it: Minnesota traded Big Al for two mid-to-low first-round picks and Kosta Koufos because Al and Love couldn't play together. In the first game of the post-Al era, Love is benched because he can't defend Carl Landry. Meanwhile, the replacement has trouble guarding Carl Landry because -- surprise! -- Carl Landry is a pretty good scorer.

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/10/28/the-works-where-is-the-love/

Kylie Bax Lacey Chabert Laetitia Casta

Americans Abroad: A Look Ahead

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoccerByIves/~3/mvc26Ya2uDU/americans-abroad-a-look-ahead-3.html

Kristanna Loken Kristen Bell Kristin Cavallari

Heath Slocum Wins McGladrey Classic as Fall Finish Plays On

The PGA Tour, amid much fanfare and self promotion, ended its season two weeks ago. You think Heath Slocum cares?

The Fall Finish means golf, much like telemarketing, never shuts down. So while Slocum's final-round 68 and 14-under finish Sunday in the McGladrey Classic at St. Simons, Ga., may not have earned center stage, it needs no apologies.

"I mean, I think that's why we play golf is to win," Slocum said. "I mean there's just no other feeling like it. "

The last time Slocum won was the 2009 Barclays, when a birdie on the final hole gave him a one-shot victory over Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Steve Stricker. It came in the FedEx Cup playoffs and vaulted Slocum into the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup hoopla. In contrast, Sunday's victory came against a field that featured only four players ranked among the world's top 50.

Guess what?

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/10/10/heath-slocum-wins-mcgladrey-classic-as-fall-finish-plays-on/

Kristanna Loken Kristen Bell Kristin Cavallari

Monday Movers: Ups and Downs From World of Golf

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

Each week, FanHouse will look back on the previous week in the golf world to see whose stock is rising and who will likely be heading back to the range. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Monday Movers.

On the Rise

Rocco Mediate -- By winning the Frys.com Open, the 47-year-old became the oldest wire-to-wire winner on the PGA Tour since records were kept in 1970. In a dramatic finish, Mediate holed out from 116 yards for eagle to regain the lead and calmly sunk a four-foot par putt on 18 for the one-stroke win. The hole out was his fourth of the week (one each day), including an ace at No. 3 in the first round. His first win on tour since 2002 guarantees his exempt status for two more seasons.

Graham DeLaet -- The former Boise State standout notched his second top-10 finish in three Fall Series starts at the Frys.com Open. His final round 67 tied for the low score of the day and moved him into a tie for sixth place. More importantly, the Canadian jumped from 122nd to 109th on the money list, guaranteeing him a spot on the PGA Tour in 2011. Just a year ago, DeLaet made only one Nationwide start and spent the season on the Sunshine Tour.

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/10/18/monday-movers-ups-and-downs-from-world-of-golf/

Taylor Swift Teri Hatcher Teri Polo

Notre Dame Tower Collapse Given Perspective by Plane Crash Survivor

Filed under: Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- On Wednesday afternoon I was in my Mishwaka, Ind., hotel room and on the phone with Dr. Gil Stork. Outside the skies were clear, but wind gusts shook the trees and sent autumn leaves scurrying. Nearly 50 years ago to the day, Dr. Stork, a center for the Cal Polytechnic College football team, had survived a plane crash that killed half of his teammates.

"We were joking as we boarded the plane about the weather conditions," said Stork, now the president of Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, Calif., as he described the heavy fog that blanketed the Toledo Airport on Oct. 29, 1960.


Just as Stork said those words, a tweet came across my feed saying that a video tower at Notre Dame had fallen. I saw the photo and instantly suspected the worst. Because the tower fell on a Wednesday afternoon, some student manager -- 20-year-old junior Declan Sullivan, as it turned out -- was probably atop it videotaping practice. When I saw the photo showing that the tower had landed on pavement and estimating that the tower scales at least 40 feet skyward, I began to pray for a miracle.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/27/notre-dame-tower-collapse-given-perspective-by-plane-crash-survi/

Marley Shelton Mary Elizabeth Winstead Megan Ewing

Joe Girardi, Yankees Reportedly Agree to Three-Year Deal

Filed under: Yankees

Joe Girardi will remain the manager of the Yankees after reportedly agreeing to a three-year deal with the team. According to reports, the deal is worth $9 million and could be announced Thursday.

Despite some speculation that Girardi could have left New York to take over the Cubs, as well as harsh criticism lobbied at Girardi for his management style in the postseason, his future was never in much doubt. Both Girardi and the Yankees expressed interest in getting a deal done quickly after the Yankees were eliminated in the ALCS.

The new contract gives Girardi a bump from his last deal, which totaled $7.5 million over three years.

Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/10/28/joe-girardi-yankees-reportedly-agree-to-three-year-deal/

Zhang Ziyi Zoe Saldana Zooey Deschanel

Pats' WR Deion Branch Bothered By Hamstring

Filed under: Patriots, AFC East

New England Patriots' wide receiver Deion Branch was limited in practice Thursday with a sore hamstring after having practiced in full the day before, but he spoke to reporters in the locker room and didn't enlighten the situation.

Joining him in limited action was safety Patrick Chung, also with a knee, and wide receiver Matthew Slater with an ankle injury. Both players were hurt in the win at San Diego last week. Running back Fred Taylor (toe), safety Jarrad Page (calf) and defensive end Mike Wright (knee) did not practice while quarterback Tom Brady (right shoulder) practiced in full.

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/10/28/pats-wr-deion-branch-bothered-by-hamstring/

Lisa Marie Lisa Snowdon Liz Phair

Big Ten Harvest: Whither Wegher?

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

Only one running back, Wisconsin's John Clay, has more carries this season (160) than Iowa's Adam Robinson (153). But when you consider that the Badgers have run the ball 59 more times than Iowa this year (340 to 261), you realize that no back carries more of the load for his team than Robinson (58.6 percent, as opposed to 47.1 percent for Clay).

The question is why? Two reasons: the absences of Jewel Hampton and Brandon Wegher (right).

Hampton, who set a school freshman rushing touchdowns record two years ago with seven, was lost for this season with an ACL tear in the Hawkeyes' third game at Arizona. Hampton missed all of 2009 for the same reason.

Wegher's absence is more cryptic. Last season, the Dakota Dunes, S.D., native had 967 all-purpose yards as a true freshman, including a team-high 113 rushing yards in the Hawkeyes' Orange Bowl win. However, Wegher has been AWOL from Iowa this year. Wegher is still enrolled there, though, and the most that coach Kirk Ferentz has said in regard to his absence is, "He's not feeling it, for lack of a better term."

Attempts by FanHouse to reach Wegher in Iowa City were unsuccessful.

Wegher's father, Rick, is a former All-American running back at South Dakota State. "All I can tell you is that it's a family matter," said Wegher, who runs a construction company in Sioux City, S.D. "Brandon is down in Iowa City, taking care of what he has to. He's there and we're here."

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/27/big-ten-harvest-whither-wegher/

Robin Tunney Rosario Dawson Rose Byrne

Talladega Welcomes Michael Waltrip Back to Sprint Cup

Filed under: Michael Waltrip, Talladega Superspeedway, Sprint Cup, Michael Waltrip Racing, FanHouse Exclusive, NASCAR

Seeing as it would be just his fourth start of the waning 2010 season, is Michael Waltrip worried about shaking off any rust when he rolls onto the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway for Friday's first practice?

Hardly.

"Especially at Talladega because I've won there before, I feel like I know that place as good as anybody," Waltrip told FanHouse.com Tuesday. "It's just something that I have no apprehension about in terms of how we're going to perform. I'm just ready to go after it."

The longtime Sprint Cup driver and two-time Daytona 500 champion will attempt Sunday's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega, his first since racing in the April event at the Alabama behemoth. Waltrip won at Talladega in 2003, one of his four career wins. He currently serves as an analyst on Showtime's Inside NASCAR television program.

His last time out at Talladega looked promising after he drove to the front and led twice for a total of four laps. But on lap 84, just 14 laps after finding the lead a second time, Waltrip was caught in a 10-car crash on the frontstretch tri-oval.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/10/26/talladega-welcomes-michael-waltrip-back-to-sprint-cup/

Haylie Duff Heidi Klum Heidi Montag

NBA Agent Keith Glass Stands Up to Poaching

Filed under: Kings, Sports Business and Media

Keith Glass was lucky.

That's the first thing he wants to make clear.

Quincy Douby, 2007

Sure, his rare victory in this case of agent-on-agent crime was the product of a number of factors, from the tireless work of his lawyer to the testimony of his son to the advantages that came with his own reputation being far more spotless than that of the accused, Andy Miller.

But if the client in question, former Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors guard Quincy Douby, hadn't faxed Glass' termination letter just blocks away from where Miller's office was located back on April 26, 2007, the decision that might spark change in the way the player-agent relationship is handled in the NBA might never have happened.

Douby, who Glass would later assert was coerced to change agents by Miller and his high school coach, Jack Ringel, had spoken with Glass not long before firing him. And even if he didn't know it yet, Glass' three-year process of firing back had officially begun.

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/10/28/nba-agent-keith-glass-stands-up-to-poaching/

Camilla Belle Carla Campbell Carla Gugino

Pink Slip Index: Will John MacLean Be First Under the Axe?

Filed under: Devils, Panthers, Senators, Wild, NHL Coaching

NHL teams change coaches about as often as a college kid changes jeans -- about every week or two. Throughout the NHL season, Kevin Schultz will be taking a look at the coaches who are most likely to be next up on the chopping block. Consider this fair warning.

We're a week away from making it through October without any coaches being let go. Everyone's made it through training camp and the preseason are we're only just starting to get an idea of who these 30 teams really are. However, quite a few that were projected to be very good have so far been very bad, the prime candidate being the New Jersey Devils. I was having a tough time figuring out who should top the list, but this weekend, John MacLean gave me an early birthday present. Thank you, John, you make my job an awful lot easier.

Here's your premiere edition of the Pink Slip Index for 2010-11. Beware falling axes. Consider this your warning.

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2010/10/25/pink-slip-index-will-maclean-be-first-under-the-axe/

Kristin Cavallari Kristin Kreuk Kristy Swanson

Dikembe Mutombo: Carmelo Anthony Should Remain With Nuggets

Filed under: Lakers, Nuggets, NBA Rumors

DENVER -- Dikembe Mutombo said it wouldn't be appropriate to tell Carmelo Anthony he should stay in Denver since he now works for the NBA office.

That's OK. Mutombo will just tell the media.

"I don't think himself, (Anthony is) really ready to give his kingdom and to move to somebody else's kingdom,'' Mutombo said.

The longtime NBA center who played for the Nuggets from 1991-96 and concluded his 18-year career in 2009, was in Denver for a ceremonial first tip before the Nuggets' Wednesday night opener against Utah. Mutombo is now an NBA global ambassador and special assistant to commissioner David Stern.

Most of the talk about the Nuggets these days is whether Anthony, who has yet to sign a $64.47 million contract extension offer and who can opt out of his contract and become a free agent next summer, will end up being traded. There is fear from the Nuggets about losing Anthony after the season for nothing.

Well, Mutombo can speak from experience. After becoming a free agent in 1996, he bolted from Denver for Atlanta, leaving the Nuggets with nothing.

Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/10/27/dikembe-mutombo-says-carmelo-anthony-should-remain-with-nuggets/

Thalía Thandie Newton The Avatars of Second Life

David Stern: Players Get 'Masters in Complaining' in NBA

Filed under: Celtics, Heat, Lakers, Rockets, NBA Referees, Sports Business and Media

LOS ANGELES -- Despite the colossal amount of hype surrounding LeBron James and the Miami Heat this season, David Stern passed on attending the battle in Boston on Opening Night. Instead, he fulfilled his duties as commissioner by showing up for the Lakers' home opener at Staples Center. The reason was simple.

"I'm here to give out some rings," Stern said.

Stern met with the media prior to L.A.'s 112-110 victory over the Rockets, and even though he spent close to 20 minutes fielding questions on a variety of topics, there wasn't really anything earth-shattering to come of it. Stern dropped plenty of interesting bits of knowledge just a week earlier during his annual season tip-off conference call, so the amount of new information to come out of this meeting was minimal at best.

But there was the opportunity for some clarification.

One of the biggest topics of interest in the ongoing labor negotiations that Stern has addressed is the possibility of contraction. But as the commissioner was quick to point out, it's not a stand-alone item that the league wants to consider. It's just that the conversation has to happen when the subject of revenue sharing is introduced, particularly when you're talking about cutting a substantial check to a team that may not be profitable even after that level of financial assistance.

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Pollakoff: Role Players Lead Lakers on Opening Night

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/10/27/david-stern-players-get-masters-in-complaining-in-nba/

Monica Bellucci Monica Keena Monica Potter

Spotter's Stand: Jeff Gordon vs. Kurt Busch Tops Martinsville Drama

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

Maybe this is what NASCAR's Robin Pemberton had in mind in January when his "Have at it, boys" line became the buzz phrase of the 2010 season.

In fact, it may have been even better.

Sunday at Martinsville, Va., couldn't have been scripted more perfectly in terms of drivers leaving the .526-mile bullring irritated with each other and how the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship battle is setting up with four races to go.

Oh, and some guy named Dale Earnhardt Jr. managed to have the South Central Virginia crowd roaring for the 90 laps he led -- the most he's paced all season.

But Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch -- personalities who have little crossover appeal within their separate fan bases -- provided the most interesting episode.

Gordon's most recent history with Busch came a quarter-lap before the ultimate payback, but their past history this season includes a cut tire on Busch's No. 2 that left him steamed at Gordon after finishing 32nd on the Infineon road course in June.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/10/25/spotters-stand-jeff-gordon-vs-kurt-busch-tops-martinsville-dr/

Georgina Grenville Gina Carano Gina Gershon

Jaguars' Injury Report Extremely Short, Adding Bright Side to Struggles

Filed under: Jaguars, AFC South

The Jaguars may be struggling on the field, but they're getting a lot more healthy.

After spending last week dealing with week-long issues at the quarterback position -- and after not having either of their top two players available at the position in a loss to Kansas City -- the Jaguars were practically completely healthy on Wednesday as they prepared to play the Dallas Cowboys.

Todd Bouman, last week's starting quarterback, was the lone player not practicing full. He practiced on a limited basis with a finger injury.

David Garrard, who is expected to return to his starting quarterback role after missing last week's loss to Kansas City with a concussion, returned to practice on a full-participation basis Wednesday, as did backup quarterback Trent Edwards, out last week with a thumb injury.

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/10/27/jaguars-injury-report-extremely-short-adding-bright-side-to-st/

Adriana Lima Adrianne Curry Adrianne Palicki

Student Manager Killed as Notre Dame Video Tower Collapses

Filed under: Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A 20-year-old student manager at the University of Notre Dame died on Wednesday when the mobile scissor-lift tower atop which he was standing blew over due to strong winds.

The student manager was identified as Declan Sullivan, a junior from Long Grove, Ill. who lived in Fisher Hall. Sullivan's sister, Gwyneth, is also a student at Notre Dame.

The accident occurred at approximately 4:50 p.m., when the mobile hydraulic-lift tower, which is used to videotape practices, blew over as winds gusted upwards of 40 mph. The tower fell across an eight-foot high chain-link fence that abuts the north side of the LaBar practice complex and landed on the service road. The tower, at its most extended, rises at least 50 feet into the air.

Sullivan was transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, where he later died.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/27/student-manager-killed-as-notre-dame-video-tower-collapses/

Lokelani McMichael Lori Heuring Lorri Bagley

MLS Eastern Playoff Preview: The Sprint to the Cup Begins

Filed under: MLS, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, San Jose Earthquakes

After playing 30 matches over the course of seven months, eight MLS teams now find themselves just four games away from the league title.

It's like having the eight leading runners in a marathon restart the race 10 yards from the finish line. Absolutely anything can happen, and previous MLS Cup tournaments suggest that it probably will.

In each of the past two years, the eighth seed has advanced to the championship game. In 2008, the New York Red Bulls shocked the Houston Dynamo in the first round, won the Western Conference crown and were defeated by Columbus in the final. Last year, Real Salt Lake turned the tables on the Crew before winning both the Eastern Conference and MLS Cup on penalties. RSL managed just one goal over the 240 minutes of semifinal and final play, yet walked away with the title.

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2010/10/25/mls-eastern-playoff-preview-the-sprint-to-the-cup-begins/

Christina Applegate Christina DaRe Christina Milian

Thank you from Jaime Moreno

Fans,

What more can I say: you truly are the best. My number 1 fan and long time friend Oscar Zambrana and the Barra Brava, The Screaming Eagles, La Norte, District Ultra's and everyone here that has been supportive of myself and D.C. United over the years. I don't have enough words to thank you...

Source: http://dcunited.com/node/13926

Stacy Keibler Summer Altice Summer Glau

Missouri Takes Significant Step With Upset Of BCS No. 1 Oklahoma

Filed under: Missouri, Oklahoma, Big 12

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Thumbing through the Gary Pinkel years at Missouri, there is a lot of high achievement for a program that had lost its way much of the 1990s.

You have a string of bowl games, a couple double-digit winning seasons and -- most significantly -- a sustained presence toward the top of the Big 12 North Division. Still, that signature that puts the rest of the nation on notice that you are indeed a power program had been conspicuously missing from the Tigers' resume.

Missouri finally broke through Saturday night, standing toe-to-toe against the newly crowned BCS No.1 Oklahoma during a showdown of undefeated Big 12 schools at Faurot Stadium. After all of the ups-and-downs of a college football game had been realized, the No. 11 Tigers walked away with a 36-27 upset of an Oklahoma team that was named the nation's top team in last week's first BCS poll.

"This isn't the national championship, certainly, but it's a big for a our football program, it's big for a lot of reasons," said Pinkel, who led Missouri to its first win over a No.1 ranked team. "I had refused to talk about how big this win would be leading up to the game. The bottom line is you have to do it. You can talk about it forever, but you have to do it and we did it.

"Hopefully that will give us a lot of confidence as we continue the season."

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/24/missouri-takes-significant-step-with-upset-of-bcs-no-1-oklahoma/

Xenia Seeberg Yamila Diaz Yvonne Strzechowski