Boozer Plays H.O.R.S.E., Wins Local High Schools Athletic Grants

Carlos Boozer engulfed by the Crusader Crazies

In anticipation for the Gatorade Replay Series "Replay 3", Carlos Boozer of the Chicago Bulls stopped by Brother Rice High School's gym to play a little game of H.O.R.S.E.

He along with honorary coaches Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard, were on hand for the showdown between Brother Rice and Bloom Township.

All three NBA players have taken part in events and festivities leading up to the game. Wade and Howard met and practiced with the teams they helped coach. Boozer took the time to visit and take part in a pep rally at both schools. He also played a game of HORSE with a player from each team.

Vince Greene of Brother Rice and Joe Chapman of Bloom each beat Boozer in a game of HORSE that gave their respected high schools a $5,000 grant towards their athletic programs.

Here is a clip of Boozer battling Vince Greene of Brother Rice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mVk3BXEfnw

Bill Simmon's Book of Basketball New Tour Dates

In July 2008, Simmons announced that he would be taking 10 weeks off from writing columns for ESPN.com's Page 2 to concentrate on finishing his second book, The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy, which was released on October 27, 2009.

The book tries to find out who really are the best players and teams of all time and the answers to some of the greatest "What ifs?" in NBA history. It debuted at the top of The New York Times Best Seller List for non-fiction books.

He has just announced that he is coming out with a new paperback version with extended info and new entries. To coincide with his new release, he has added a book tour.

He is one of my favorite writers going right now and I wish I could attend one of his tour dates. 

Here is a link to his new tour dates:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/2010tourdates

 The ESPN series 30 for 30 will be culminating their documentary series this Saturday, Dec. 11 at 9 PM with their story, Pony Excess.

Apparently it covers the Southern Methodist University's (SMU) rise to the no. 1 team in the nation in the early 80's and their subsequent downfall due to numerous recruiting violations.

From 1981-1984, SMU was one of the most dominant football powerhouses college football had ever seen. They then were caught in scandal after scandal regarding recruiting violations for many of their players at the time. The NCAA sanctioned their school's athletic program with some of the harshest penalties ever imposed on a college football program.
This should definitely bring light to a situation that has been in the media a lot lately and open some eyes. I know I won't miss it.

Here is a link to the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwtX-4fXOyk

Conan's Triumphant Return

Conan O'Brien hosted the Late Show for NBC for 16 years and garnered a cult following during this process never seen before.

I'm sure you all know the story of how he was made the successor to the late night, Tonight Show. After seven months on the air as the Tonight Show host, he had the show ripped out from underneath him by NBC and given back to Jay Leno.

All I can say is that Conan handled this PR crisis by NBC with ultimate grace and positivity throughout the entire ordeal and has come out stronger than ever.  He has signed on with TBS to bring his late night show to their network and hasn't looked back.

Here is a clip of his farewell speech from his final show on NBC that exhibits Conan's grace and humility:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isfHFfI81xU

Vick's Return

Michael Vick has been reviled for the past three years as a monster for his participation in a dogfighting conspiracy.

He was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison and was allowed to finish the final few months under house arrest.

He has served his time and came back to the NFL that had shunned him not two years earlier. He is having an MVP-caliber season for his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles, and is trying to do all of the right things to become a productive member of society.

Now, I am in no way condoning his heinous acts of animal cruelty, but I believe in second chances. He has been incredibly humble throughout his return and is tirelessly working to raise awareness against animal cruelty. He has continued to work with humane societies and children's charities to promote his cause and seems to be genuine in his attempts. Hopefully he can continue his crusade and turn this disaster into something positive.

LeBron Spurns Home Town Cavs and Becomes Public Enemy # 1

Oh, LeBron what have you done?

 LeBron James was revered as a basketball deity in his hometown of Akron, Ohio since grade school. He then took over his local professional franchise, the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers, and turned them into a perennial powerhouse almost overnight. He became the face of that team, city, organization, and then the entire NBA. LeBron was a hero to so many for seven years.

That all changed when he decided to sign with the Miami Heat in July. He was immediately looked at like the Benedict Arnold of the 21st century as he backstabbed his hometown team. It wasn't necessarily why he did it, but how he did it. LeBron waited to the very last minute to break the news to Cavs fans and everyone alike in an hour long press conference at the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, CT.

This has left the city of Cleveland and its franchise with a gaping hole where the frigid, Cleveland winds blow swiftly through. He has gone from undoubtedly the most popular player in the league to the most hated in a single hour. He promised to bring his hometown team a championship, instead he jumped ship to sign in sunny Miami with two other superstars in Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

Here is the controversial decision:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20kVck0u5Cw&feature=related

Gatorade Replay Series Comes To Chicago

It’s hard not to love stories of second chances and the fight for redemption, and the Gatorade Replay series takes that concept to the next level. The idea is to look back into recent history to find legendary high school games with controversial outcomes, and then replay the games to determine the winners once and for all.


Here's the link to check it out
http://www.replaytheseries.com/pages/about_season3