And The Madden 2012 Cover Goes To….

ESPN and EA Sports teamed up to run a contest for the next cover athlete for the Madden 2012 video game.  It had a total of 32 players going up head to head with the fans voting to decide who moves on.  The finals came down to Peyton Hillis, the number 10 seed and unlikely candidate, and Michael Vick, the number 3 seed.  Hillis won suprisingly getting 66% of the votes, which means Vick received 34% of the votes.

During this process, there were almost 13,000,000 fans that voted.  Hillis’ road to the championship wasnt easy, he had to go through players like Ray Rice, Matt Ryan, Jamaal Charles, Aaron Rodgers, and Michael Vick.

University of Florida- The New Thug U?

Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins was charged on possession of Marijuana, which would be the second time this year.  An officer spotted Jenkins in a parked car smoking a marijuana cigar.  He was charged with a misdemeanor and was released after signing a notice to appear in court on May 12th.  This would be the third time Jenkins has been arrested during his time at UF.  He is also one of many UF players that have run into trouble with the law in recent years.

Breaking News

Commissioner Bud Selig just announced that Major League Baseball will take over all aspects of business and day-to-day operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  There has been plenty of fighting within the organization ever since Frank and Jamie McCourt filed for a divorce.  Frank accused Jamie of having an affair with her driver/bodyguard and then later fired her from her position within the Dodgers organization.

Bud Selig will appoint someone to oversee the everyday operations of this baseball team.  Meanwhile, Frank McCourt is said to be preparing to sue the MLB.

The Balk of the Year

If you haven’t seen this play, you must.  It looks as if Justin Verlander, starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, throws diliberately at the batter David DeJesus.  But apparently he was trying to pick off the runner at first base and got caught up between throwing the pitch… Take a look.

“The LeBrons”

LeBron James’ cartoon series was launched this week and can be found on YouTube.  The show features four LeBron characters (Kid, Business, Athlete, and Wisdom) that were originally in some Nike ads a few years ago.  Each episode will have a moral lesson for the young fans.  The premiers lesson is based on “two wrongs dont make a right” which could be a subtle jab at the Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert.

Whether their right or wrong, the critics looked deeper into the cartoon and found some more subtle messages:

The Dog: Why are they being chased by a dog… Could it be a Cavs season ticket holder?

The Lion: Mike Bibby??

ZING!

Al Golden took a shot at Gainesville this week.  When asked about the lack of fans at games last year and spring games this year compared to other schools, Golden responded-”I know this– we have a better chance of filling our stadium than Gainesville has of putting an international city right outside its city limits.”

Pay to Play

According to sportsbybrooks.com, tomorrow night there will be a special on HBO Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel regarding college football players getting paid to play.  It apparently will have former Auburn players talk about their recruitment and how they were offered money, girls etc.  It looks like Auburn is going to have their hands full once this segment is released tomorrow.

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/ex-auburn-players-claim-systematic-pay-to-play-29592

His Iconic Smile and Laugh

Here is a very interesting article on one of the best and most consistent hitter in Major League Baseball’s history.  I encourage anyone to read this article, and if you are a baseball fan you should definitely read it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=6257656

Here is a quick summary:

Tony Gwynn, former San Diego Padre right fielder, used to show up to field everyday with a pinch of smokeless tobacco in his mouth.  It calmed his nerves, he was addicted.  Not even two tumors in his mouth stopped him.  But then another tumor was found, and he had gone to far.  It was cancerous.  This tumor was wrapped around his nerve, so he lost feeling and movement on the side of his face.  He couldnt laugh or smile.  However, after months of chemotherapy, he was able to beat the cancer and regain his laugh and smile once again.

Sebastian The Ibis Makes Top 10

In case you missed this shot, Sebastian the Ibis hit this half court shot during monday’s game against Missouri State.  Little does the audience know that Sebastian does this every game, and probably takes within 15 or more behind the back half court shots.  This was the first time I ever saw Sebastian make one.  But hey, when do you see a mascot make the Top 10, usually its the Not Top 10.

Bad quality, but click here to watch video…

Bruce Pearl “You’re Fired!”

Bruce Pearl, head coach of Tennessee’s Mens Basketball Team, was informed today that he will no longer be head coach for the Volunteers. With all the recruiting sanctions and another early exit from the NCAA Tournament, there was just too much baggage for Tennessee.
In his six year tenure, He compiled a record of 145-61 as head coach. Pearl led the Volunteers to their first No.1 ranking and their first NCAA tournament regional finals in 2008. He was unlike any other coach, he was once found at a Lady Vols basketball game with his bare chest painted orange.
Bring Pearl to the U, he wouldn’t have to retire his orange suit. He would have an immediate impact on Miami basketball, not only would the team improve but also the fans interest would improve. However, because Frank Haith’s job was said to be safe and the tainted past of Pearl, it will be very unlikely to see him as a head coach at Miami. I guess Miami fans can only continue to dream… Thoughts??