Tebow charged $160 bucks for his signature at an autograph session in his hometown of Jacksonville Saturday. (Pic via thewholegardenwillbow.wordpress.com)
Tim Tebow’s professional career probably won’t be very memorable, but his legacy as a Florida Gator has led to world-renowned fame and, apparently, the leverage to charge his fans $160 dollars a pop for his signature.
This story could be viewed as another discouraging sign that society is taking a turn for the worse. From a more optimistic point of view, it might be a sign that the pesky economic recession is finally ending, since at least 400 people were willing wait in line at a mall before handing their over hard-earned cash.
The cash-only autograph session provided more fodder for the growing collection of Tebow-haters. Sure, he has every right to charge for autographs; he is a professional now. But in his hometown? Before he has even been drafted?
Tebow has every right to get it while the gettin’ is still good. Soon he will be riding the pine for a couple years before seeking refuge in the CFL or switching to another position.
Sahman and the Gaels are burst their bubble Monday against the Zags. (Pic via rushthecourt.net)
Saint Mary’s entered Monday night’s West Coast Conference title game on the bubble for a second consecutive year. The Gaels won’t be have any anxious moments on Selection Sunday this year after a convincing win earned them an automatic bid to the Big Dance for the sixth time in school history.
The Gaels led by a single point at halftime but used a barrage of 3-pointers from Ben Allen and Tournament MVP Mickey McConnell to leave the Zags in the dust. When it was over, Saint Mary’s held a 51-33 scoring advantage in the second half.
Who needs Patty Mills?
Some NCAA Tournament prognosticators, including ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, already had the Gaels in the NCAA Tournament–but just barely.
Now that the Gaels are in the field, let’s take a closer look at their resume:
Saint Mary’s Gaels (26-5) WCC Tournament Champions
Quality wins: Gonzaga, San Diego State, Northeastern
Close Calls: Lost 72-70 to Vanderbilt early in the season
Projected Seed: 11
Key Players: Mickey McConnell and Omar Sahman provide a nice 1-2 punch. Sahman dominated the WCC in his senior season, averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds. McConnell shoots 51 percent from 3-point range and teams with Aussie Matthew Dellavedova to provide consistent perimeter scoring. Indiana transfer Ben Allen provides size and outside shooting to compliment Sahman’s game.
Analysis: Saint Mary’s has terrific size for a mid-major, with a much-improved Sahman anchoring the middle and flanked by 6-11 Ben Allen, and 6-7 swingman Clint Stiendl. The Gaels won’t be intimidated by size and have played in big games, so expect them to put up a fight no matter the opponent. Saint Mary’s could potentially struggle against quick, penetrating guards and needs Sahman to stay out of foul trouble.
Projection: Obviously difficult to forecast without knowing opponents or seeding, but Saint Mary’s is legit and could certainly win a game or two in the Big Dance.
The well-traveled Barnes was called a monkey by Lamar Odom following Sunday's win over the Lakers.
Lamar Odom is retracting his characterization of Matt Barnes as a “monkey”–sort of.
Odom told the OC Register that the comment was merely a reference to the rivalry between alleged rapper Rick Ross and horrendous rapper-slash-actor 50 Cent, in which Ross calls 50 a monkey.
Go figure.
Barnes certainly got under the Lakers’ skin Sunday, creating the potential for a interesting rematch with Kobe & friends.
Sadly, the meeting might have to wait until next year; an NBA Finals rematch isn’t out the question, but appears to be wishful thinking given the Lakers lack of toughness this season and Vince Carter’s tendency to wilt when it really matters.
Smith’s column reads like a bizarre cry for help, but his connections throughout the NBA suggest that the column is 100 percent accurate. Finally there appears to be an explanation to AI’s strange demise in recent years.
According to Smith, Iverson has been banned from casinos in Detroit in Atlantic City. Long known for playing as hard as anyone in the NBA, his dispassionate and shockingly bad play in the last two years raised eyebrows around the league. Either Iverson had aged rapidly or something else was going on–it looks like the latter based on today’s news.
Like his career, Iverson’s marriage has experienced some tough times and is coming to an end. Iverson’s wife Tawanna has been separated from the father of her five children and filed for divorce last week in Atlanta, saying the marriage has been “irretrievably broken.” Tawanna had stuck with AI through thick and thin, including the 2002 incident where he allegedly threatened to kill her and forced her out of their house while she was completely naked. They had been married for roughly 8 1/2 years and together since high school.
Iverson’s vices have clearly led to his downfall. His legacy has already been tarnished and will continue to be tainted as more details emerge regarding his downward spiral.
Meanwhile, David Stern is hoping AI’s gambling issues quietly go away.
Vince Carter obviously couldn't read the characters in Ron Artest's new 'do, which say "defense" in three languages. (Pic via LATimes.com)
Phil Jackson wanted increased focused on the defensive end from his Laker team, and he got it–until the game started at least. Ron Artest’s latest hair style features the word “defense” inscribed in purple characters within a Laker-gold dome. The inscriptions are in three different languages: Hindi, Hebrew, and Japanese. The early returns on the Rodman-esque masterpiece are not good–Vince Carter dropped 25 noisy points on Ron-Ron Sunday to lead the Magic over the Lakers.
Jennings debuted his "red stripe" fade in Saturday's win over the LeBron-less Cavaliers. (Pic via jsonline.com/AP)
Brandon Jennings has worn some crazy-ass fades since he burst onto the scene in high school a few years back. He topped it all Saturday when he took the floor in Milwaukee with a look that would make the Steve Urkel and skunks across the world proud. His new ‘do features his customary high-top fade with a red stripe down the middle. Jennings hit five 3’s en route to scoring 25 points to help the Bucks win for the ninth time in 10 games.
I wonder what Scott Skiles thinks of Jennings’ new look?
Gallinari and the Knicks were historically awful while losing to the woeful Nets. (Pic via slamonline.com)
Just when it appears the New York Knicks can’t get any worse, the unthinkable happens: they descend even lower into basketball hell.
The Knicks lost to the Nets Saturday in Madison Square Garden, improving New Jersey’s record to 7-55 on the season and making history along the way.
The Knicks finished the game 0-18 from 3-point range, setting a new record for most attempts without a make.
Al Harrington was the primary culprit, missing all five attempts from long distance. Tracy McGrady missed both of his 3-point attempts and finished with just two points in 23 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Nets ran all over the Knicks in the second half, shot 50 percent from the field for the game, and connected on 14 3-pointers. The Garden crowd was almost too disinterested to even bother booing.
Don’t think the NBA’s marquee free agents are lining up for the opportunity to play with the likes of Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. It will take much more than LeBron to lift the Knicks above mediocrity.
Stunning Surprise: Kuric reminded college basketball fans everywhere what makes the game so great Saturday in Louisville. (Pic via hellinthehall.wordpress.com)
Louisville’s Kyle Kuric came into Saturday’s game against top-ranked Syracuse as a blip in the game notes and an afterthought in most people’s minds. No one knew he would author a stunning final chapter in the storied history of Freedom Hall.
Kuric scored 22 points in the second half on a variety of 3-pointers and soaring finishes at the rim to lift Louisville over No. 1 Syracuse 78-68.
Through an unlikely opportunity made possible by a thumb injury to senior Jerry Smith, Kuric started the second half and quickly sent shockwaves through Freedom Hall by splashing back-to-back 3-pointers in the second half. He showed off his athleticism by cutting to the rim and ramming the ball home. The crowd got louder with every basket, pushing Louisville farther ahead of what many consider to be the nation’s best team.
What Kuric did would be a big deal regardless of the circumstances, but the setting on Saturday elevates his performance to legendary status.
Playing in front of a ravenous crowd including many of the best former players in school history, the kid from Evansville stole the show. He turned what was simply a close game into a spectacle that had viewers on the edge of their seats. Casual observers became excitable cheerleaders as they watched the sophomore hit 9-of-11 shots over the final 20 minutes.
Suddenly, the fact that Freedom Hall’s 54-year run was coming to an end became a side note. It didn’t even seem to matter that Louisville, a team barely off the bubble, was about to hand the No. 1 team it’s first road loss since last season. All that mattered was a dude named Kyle Kuric making buckets from all over the floor.
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Odom backs off “monkey” comments aimed at Matt Barnes
March 9, 2010 · Leave a Comment
The well-traveled Barnes was called a monkey by Lamar Odom following Sunday's win over the Lakers.
Lamar Odom is retracting his characterization of Matt Barnes as a “monkey”–sort of.
Odom told the OC Register that the comment was merely a reference to the rivalry between alleged rapper Rick Ross and horrendous rapper-slash-actor 50 Cent, in which Ross calls 50 a monkey.
Go figure.
Barnes certainly got under the Lakers’ skin Sunday, creating the potential for a interesting rematch with Kobe & friends.
Sadly, the meeting might have to wait until next year; an NBA Finals rematch isn’t out the question, but appears to be wishful thinking given the Lakers lack of toughness this season and Vince Carter’s tendency to wilt when it really matters.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Los Angeles Lakers · NBA · Orlando Magic
Tagged: Kobe Bryant Matt Barnes feud, Lakers-Magic rivalry, lamar odom, Lamar Odom call Barnes a monkey, Lamar Odom monkey comments, matt barnes, Matt Barnes Lamar Odom conflict, Matt Barnes monkey, More, Odom calls Barnes monkey, Odom monkey comments reaction, Vince Carter