NFL No-No's

Back to his old antics - Two big no-no's took place recently regarding two NFL defensemen, one former and one current. It was learned several weeks ago that Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor was arrested on rape charges after police raided a Holiday Inn hotel and found the 51 year old Taylor with a 16 year old run away female prostitute. According to the girl who was paid $300 for sex, she was dropped off at Taylor's hotel in up-state New York and was struck by her pimp. Taylor faces numerous charges such as third-degree statutory rape which is a felony and third-degree patronizing. Both of which are related to the girl being a minor. The rape charge carries a maximum of 4 years in prison and the prostitution charge carries a maximum of 1 year in jail.

While Taylor's bail is set at $75,000 and his preliminary hearing is set to take place on June 10th, Taylor's attorney says he denies all charges. However, he's not the only one being convicted as a second man, 36 year old Rasheed Davis, was arrested on charges of unlawful imprisonment, assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Police say Davis drove the girl to Taylor's hotel and told her she had to have sex with him. Police went on to say Taylor cooperated with officials and that he was not intoxicated as no drugs or alcohol were found in his hotel. Police gained knowledge of the girl's whereabouts when she began sending text messages to her uncle who later called and sent for the police.

Shockingly, this isn't Taylor's first run in with the law or controversy. Drinking played a huge role in his party lifestyle, but his obsession with crack cocaine would do a brunt of the damage. LT failed a number of drug tests in 1987 before later checking into rehab, only to be arrested twice over a three-year span for attempting to buy cocaine from undercover officers. Taylor also claims he would hire and send prostitutes to opponents' hotel rooms the night before a game in attempt to tire them out. LT was also arrested in November of 2009 for fleeing the scene of a car accident.

Taylor, who's married and has three children, was once upon a time the most feared defeseman in the entire NFL and is often regarded as the greatest defensive player of all-time. The 10-time Pro Bowl LB who spent his entire 13 year NFL career with the New York Giants, was named a First-Team All-Pro on nine separate occasions from 1981-89 and a Second-Team All-Pro once in 1990. Taylor won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year Awards along with one MVP Award and helped lead the Giants to two Super Bowl Championships before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and having his number retired. With everything that's been going on and continuing to deteriorate what's left of Lawrence Taylor's public image, I doubt we'll be seeing him on ABC's 'Dancing With The Stars' or those Nutrisystem ads anytime soon...


Cushing's failed test - Maybe not as severe as rape charges, Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing will be suspended for the first 4 games of the 2010 NFL season for testing positive for having elevated levels of hCg in his system. The hormone was detected in a drug test in September of 2009 and violates the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy. Cushing, the winner of last season's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, was in danger of having the award stripped away by the AP. But after a revote, the former USC Trojan received the most votes again, retaining his award. Aside from earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, Cushing was also named a starter to the 2009 Pro-Bowl and was an All-Rookie Selection.

Chris Johnson M.I.A

Hold out, wait a minute! - Last season saw the breakout of one of the NFL's most electrifying players the game has seen in quite some time. Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson became just the 6th running back in NFL history to reach the highly coveted 2,000 yard mark last year and eventually set a new record for single season scrimmage yards with 2,509 surpassing the previous record held by Marshall Faulk (2,429). However, last year's recipient of the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award doesn't plan to take the field next season without a pay raise. Johnson says he isn't pleased with his current contract and is asking for a new one. Something that's a lot easier said than done which is why Johnson plans to do what ever it takes to get his hands on a new one including skipping voluntary workouts.

Selected out of East Carolina as the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, Johnson signed a 5-year, $12Million dollar contract with the Titans. The speedy running back is under contract for a paycheck of $550,000 next season and is even threatening a hold out in hopes of a new deal. We seen San Francisco 49ers highly talented rookie WR Michael Crabtree do the same thing last season after being drafted 10th overall in last year's Draft and disagreeing with the contract his counterpart Darius Heyward Bey received from Al Davis' Oakland Raiders. After becoming the longest rookie holdout in franchise history in September of '09, Crabtree and the 9ers agreed to a six-year deal worth $32 million. Heyward Bey on the other hand signed a five-year deal worth $38.25 million despite being selected three slots earlier in the draft. As for their play on the field, Crabtree finished with 39 more receptions, 500 more receiving yards and 1 touchdown more than Heyward Bey.

Johnson received some advice from former running back and St. Louis Rams great -- Marshall Faulk, the same player who's record of single season scrimmage yards was broken by Johnson. Faulk, also a hold out victim told Johnson to hold out for as long as he can for as much money as possible. But considering how big of a role Johnson played in last year's mid-season turnaround from an 0-6 record to an 8-8 finish, the team would be anything but smart if they didn't have their Pro-Bowl RB to start the season. But after the career year he had in '09, it won't be cheap. Believe it or not, Johnson isn't the only one who skipped out on the first of NFL OTA's (Organized Team Activities) to protest his contract. 2008-2009 league leading receiver and Pro Bowl WR Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans didn't report until three days after expressing his disinterest in his current deal which still has 5 years left on it. After ending his holdout of three OTA sessions, Johnson made an appearance where he stated, "Me sitting out is not going to help so I decided to come back."

Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was also absent from OTA's just one year after the team made him the highest payed defensive player in the sport by inking a seven-year, $100 million contract just a season ago. Some leader he is...

Zito's Hot Tub Time Machine

During MLB's winter meetings of the 2007 offseason, the San Francisco Giants and left-handed pitcher Barry Zito inked a seven-year deal worth $126 million. Since the blockbuster deal, let's just say the Giants haven't quite gotten their moneys worth in his first three-years with the ball club. Since joining the Giants in '07, Zito has compiled a record of 20-wins and 30-losses and owns a rough 4.6 ERA. However, the former 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner and 3-time All-Star has gotten off to a blazing hot start to begin his 2010 campaign and is beginning to look a lot like the Zito of old.

Zito, who's now in his 10th year in the big leagues, has never been known for starting the season off strong. In fact, he's been a notorious slow starter since making his big league debut in 2000 with the Giants' bay area rivals -- the Oakland Athletics. But for Zito, the first month and a half of the 2010 season has rang a different tone. Through his first eight games, Zito owns a 6-1 record and an ERA of 2.15. Both of which are a career-best 8 starts into a season. After finishing last season with a record of 10-wins and 13-losses, Zito addressed his mechanics and made a few minor adjustments.

Zito's stellar season this year, started in Spring Training when he sent a message to his fellow teammates and coaching staff after throwing a beam ball at Brewers slugger Prince Fielder in retaliation for his walk-off celebration last season. Many including myself believe Zito's role in the rotation is an important one, given Matt Cain and 2-time defending Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum have pitched brilliantly for the club and have been depended on quite a lot. Not to mention the unripe Jonathan Sanchez who is yet to live up to his potential at the young age of 27. With the aforementioned names, the Giants starting pitching staff has already become one of the leagues best, but with a retro Zito in the mix, they can also become one of the leagues most feared from top to bottom.

Giants fans have been waiting to root for Zito since his arrival, but it's been a hard task granted how much weight was put on his shoulders after signing that huge contract. But if Zito can continue his dominance, the Giants faithful just might have a place in their heart for the $126 million dollar man.

The Fight to Save Boxing

After improving his undefeated record to 41 wins and 0 losses by defeating Sugar Shane Mosley earlier this month, Floyd Mayweather was asked the million dollar question. During a post-fight interview, the media seemed to be more curious about the possibility of a much anticipated bout with Manny Pacquiao in the mere future than the night's fight itself. When the question that never seems to get old was asked again, Mayweather continued to state that a fight between the two wouldn't take place unless Pacquiao's camp agreed to a blood test in the days leading up to it.

Pacquiao who was against the idea of blood being drawn for testing just months ago when both fighters first arranged a bout, is now consider a blood test 14 days prior to the fight as long as his opponent does the same. Pac-Man changed his stance of a blood test 24 days before the fight to 14 days in hopes of "helping the sport of boxing" he says. We all thought a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao was finally going to take place early this year, until negotiations fell threw and the fight was later called off due to these exact same blood tests. Instead, Pacquiao went on to fight Joshua Clottey at the new Cowboys Stadium where he won every round along with the fight in a unanimous decision. So as talks between both camps heat up once again, could we finally be in store for the fight of the century?

"Stick it A-Rod!"

The Unwritten Rule - Several weeks ago, Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics made the news for one of the games more bizarre, yet funnier reasons. In an afternoon game at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland against the defending world champion New York Yankees, one of baseball's unwritten rules were broken according to the left-handed Braden. With Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez on first base, Robinson Cano stood at the plate. Cano hit a high pop-up into foul territory, resulting in Rodriguez to trot around the bases nearing third. Once the ball drifted out into the stands, A-Rod was forced to return to first. When doing so, he decided to take a short cut by crossing the pitcher's mound. Something Dallas Braden wasn't too fond of.

The two began exchanging words when Braden yelled out "Get off my mound!", sending him into a tirade after the inning where he furiously threw his glove upon reaching the dugout. In a post-game interview, Braden talked about the incident, calling it a classless move by a player from what many have considered to be the classiest team in sports. He went on to say, "If I've got the ball in my hand and I'm on the mound, that's MY mound. There will be repercussions if it happens again." A-Rod fired back, claiming he never heard of such nonsense and ridiculed Braden's career record of 18-wins and 23-losses by saying, "I was a little surprised, I never quite heard that, especially from a guy who has a handful of wins in his career."

What I want to know is why Rodriguez would step over the mound to begin with? As stupid as it sounds, he risked injuring himself. But then again, A-Rod's been known for doing some very questionable antics in the past, whether they include distracting and shouting "Mine!" behind a Blue Jay player trying to field a routine pop-up or trying to slap the ball out of former Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo's mitt. After nearly three weeks of silence, Braden let it be known that he wasn't finished steaming about the incident that took place weeks earlier. Braden told CSN Bay Area, "There are things that are going to have to happen, possibly ending with knuckles." Again, Rodriguez shot back saying, "Look, I really don't want to extend his extra 15 minutes of fame." And if you asked me, I'd say Braden held his own since then by responding in the biggest of ways.

27 Up, 27 Down - Last Sunday as most celebrated Mother's Day, Braden threw the rarest of the rare -- a perfect game. Braden's gem was the 19th perfect game in Major League history (7th by a lefty), as he became only the second Athletic in franchise history to reach the feat. The other -- Catfish Hunter in 1968. Coincidentally, Braden's remarkable achievement comes on Mother's Day, the same day his mother died 8 years earlier from skin cancer while he was a senior in high school. Braden, a 9th round pick out of Texas Tech University in 2004, struck out six batters and needed only 109-pitches to make history. Braden became the first pitcher to ever throw a perfect game against a team that entered the day with the best record in the majors. With his grandmother in attendance, a touching moment of the two hugging on the field was shared after the celebration that mobbed Braden. "Stick it A-Rod!", Said Braden's grandmother.

After trying to hold out from extending Braden's "15 minutes of fame", Rodriguez found himself center stage surrounded by the media once again, being bombarded with questions regarding Braden's record setting day. "He threw a perfect game, good for him. And better yet, he beat the Rays." In a game against the arch-rival Boston Red Sox, A-Rod would make history of his own by connecting for his third home run of the season and the 586th of his career, tying him for 7th on the all-time list with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. Braden, the guy that A-Rod said only had a handful of wins, now has something only a handful of players have accomplished. With a no-hitter, a perfect game and a 20 inning game already in the books this season, the only thing missing is a good 'ol brawl. Something we could expect when A-Rod and Braden meet again in July. At least that's what I'm hoping for... *DING DING*

Another Dumb Philly Fan

Zap Yo Dumbass! - Philadelphia fans already have a bad reputation for being some of the harshest fans in sports for numerous reasons. Need an example? How about throwing snow balls at Santa Clause or batteries at once upon a time draftee of the Philadelphia Phillies -- J.D. Drew. And if those don't take the cake, maybe booing while an injured Michael Irvin is being escorted off the field in a stretcher will. However, those are just a handful of reasons why the City of Brotherly Love is the home of those at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to sports. So we know they're among the most cruelest of fans, but can they be the dumbest too? After their most recent incident, the Philly faithful are putting up a pretty debatable fight in that category as well.

In the eighth inning of a Phillies-Cardinals game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, a 17-year old fan decided it would be fun to hop the fence and prance around the outfield. He even called his father and asked for permission prior to doing the unthinkable. His dad's answer -- "I don't think you should son, it's not the best of ideas." With that being said, the young man did it anyway. After outrunning the much older and out of shape security guards that were on duty, a Philadelphia police officer took action by firing a tazer at the 17-year old boy. After falling to the ground and being placed in handcuffs, the young fan was escorted off the field and taken into custody. Many including myself think the whole use of a tazer thing was a little much, considering the kid posed little to no threat. But then again how was security supposed to know that?

This isn't the first time a fan ran onto the field and it definitely won't be the last. As a matter of fact, one night after the incident, another Phillie fan decided to run onto the field in the ninth inning. Luckily for him, it didn't end in the same fashion as he was apprehended without the use of a tazer or any other weapon for that matter. But instead of oo's and ahh's the tazer incident attracted amongst the fans the night before, the Philly faithful began booing with the chants of "Tazer!" With Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels on the mound and a 1-0 lead at hand, Hamels seemed to have been bothered by the 10-minute delay the fan had caused as the lefty gave up the lead and his shut-out was soon diminished five pitches later. The Phillies would eventually win the game 2-1 however, thanks to a walk-off home run off the bat of catcher Carlos Ruiz.

At a Chicago White Sox game against the visiting Kansas City Royals in 2002, a 34-year old man and his 15-year old son ran onto the field and attacked the first base coach of the Royals. The 54-year old Tom Gamboa escaped with only minor cuts and bruises thanks to the Kansas City players who came to his aid shortly after he was slammed to the ground. Thankfully only punches were thrown as the scene could have ended much uglier as a folded up pocket knife was found on the ground by White Sox outfielder Aaron Rowand. Both fans were under arrest and still face charges to this day. With that incident in mind, there's no telling who's in danger when an intruder reaches the field.

If you ask me, I'd say they need to get younger and more healthier security guards to avoid situations like these. If it wasn't for the tazer, they'd still be chasing after him. The funniest thing about of all this, is the kid's response to his father, "But dad, it would be a once in a lifetime experience." And unless he plans on doing something equally as stupid like being banned from baseball games in your home town or getting tazed, it'll be just what he had in mind...A once in a lifetime experience. The Phillies have since released a statement saying that they're adjusting their security approach for the future.

After hours of pondering, the only thing I could come up with is maybe these fans got caught up in the New Era commercials and thought just because they were wearing what the pros wear that they could be one for a day?

Throwback Thursday x Ernie Harwell

MLB is mourning the loss of one of Baseball's giants after receiving news of the death of long time Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell. With 55 years of broadcasting under his belt and 42 of which with Detroit, Ernie has earned the suitable moniker of 'The Voice of the Tigers'. Most notably remembered for his days in Motown, Harwell also served time announcing for several other Major League teams. The Brooklyn Dodgers (1948-49), New York Giants (1950-53), Baltimore Orioles (1954-59), Detroit Tigers (1960-91, 1993-2002) and the California Angles (1992). Harwell's broadcasting career began in the Minor Leagues with one of the leagues most successful franchises, the Atlanta Crackers.

Harwell's transition from the Minor League to the Major League came in the most intriguing of ways, when GM Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers traded a minor league catcher to get him in 1948. A trade that to this day is yet to have been matched, as Harwell remains the only MLB broadcaster acquired in a trade for a player 62 years later. Harwell also called the TV broadcast for one of if not the most famous calls in not only baseball history but in all of sports -- Bobby Thomson's 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' in 1951. But with a large cast of broadcasters calling the game, Harwell's call would be overlooked and left in the shadows as Russ Hodges' call would earn the most notoriety.

Harwell was named Michigan Sportscaster of the Year 19 times and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1989. Harwell is also a proud member of numerous Hall of Fame's including the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Radio Hall of Fame. The Baseball Hall of Fame honored Harwell in 1981 as he became the fifth broadcaster to receive its Ford C. Frick Award. An award that is given to a broadcaster for their major contributions in baseball. Harwell was also set to receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting in New York City, just one day after his passing.

Comerica Park held an open casket ceremony for Harwell and allowed fans to pass his casket in a public viewing held, as some 10,000 fans showed up to pay their respects to the late broadcaster. Already a proud owner of a statue of himself outside the stadium, a flag with Harwell's initials is expected to be raised at the Tigers home field of Comerica Park, prior to Monday's game against the Yankees.

R.I.P William Earnest Harwell
January 25, 1918 - May 4, 2010

Arizona's new immigration law & its impact on Arizona sports

Arizona Sports takes a Blow - Many like myself believe politics and sports shouldn't mix. But with everything that's been going on in the state of Arizona, it was only a matter of time before the two crossed paths. With the states new immigration law set to take place come August, the world of sports will surely feel an impact, especially baseball. How so? Today, close to 30% of Major Leaguers and 48% of Minor Leaguers are born outside of the United States. Most of which are from a Hispanic background. And for those who live and play in or around the state of Arizona will soon be familiar with the new immigration law if they aren't already. The law states that you could be pulled over starting in August and asked for documentation if police think you're a person of suspicion.

With the MLB All-Star game set to take place in Anaheim, California this season in July, the torch is expected to be handed down to Arizona in 2011. The Arizona Diamondbacks who have been in existence since 1998, are yet to host an All-Star Game. And with the states new law at hand, many think commissioner Bud Selig should take a stand by moving the game's mid-summer classic out of Arizona. If so, the voice of the MLB as a whole would be heard. Either direction Selig decides to take, one side is going to be left offended. Whether it's the state of Arizona by taking the game elsewhere, or the Latin players for keeping it there. It's basically a pick your poison type of situation. But baseball isn't the only sport aware of the state's immigration law. The NBA is also doing its part.

With the Phoenix Suns hosting and battling it out with the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals, the team that calls Arizona its home decided to wear their 'Los Suns' uniforms on Cinco De Mayo in protest and in honor of the team's "Latino community, diversity of the league, the state of Arizona and our nation", says Suns team owner Robert Sarvar. Personally, I like the approach the Suns have taken with the whole jersey thing, considering it's the safest and smartest thing to do in response of the new immigration law. Prior to game 2 of the Suns-Spurs series, Phoenix's star player and 2-time league MVP Steve Nash who is also a foreigner, spoke out and expressed his disagreement with the law on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption. Hours before tip off, the visiting San Antonio Spurs were also planning to wear their Latin inspired uniforms which read 'Los Spurs' across the chest, but didn't receive them on time.

With the NFL still in its offseason, it'll be interesting to see what commissioner Roger Goodell decides to do, if anything. With the University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals football team already checked off the list for hosting Super Bowl XLII in February of 2008, It's unlikely the state of Arizona will be hosting the event anytime soon. Because if they were, transferring the nations most watched sporting event wouldn't be out of the question considering it's been done before. The state of Arizona owns a dark past in familiar situations as the National Football League pulled the plug on the Super Bowl in 1993. Arizona had plans to hold its first Super Bowl in the history of the state, until the late Evan Mecham who was governor of Arizona at the time, decided that Martin Luther King Day had been "illegally certified" as a national holiday. Mecham refused to acknowledge the holiday as such in his state, resulting in the NFL's decision. Mecham would later find himself impeached and removed from office a year later.

From Ireland With Love

With the 24th overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys found themselves selecting a wide receiver out of Oklahoma State -- Dez Bryant. Regarded as the best WR in the draft, Jerry Jones' Cowboys weren't the only team to show interest of coarse. With a trade just days earlier that saw WR Brandon Marshall ditching the high altitude of Denver, Colorado for the sunny beaches of Miami, the Broncos were in need of a young wide-out to help fill the void of Marshall's absence. With the 25th overall selection, the Broncos were just one pick away from selecting Bryant. But that was before his name was called one pick earlier by commissioner Goodell, as Denver would eventually settle for Florida Gator QB Tim Tebow.

But prior to the draft itself, Dez Bryant met with numerous teams in a pre-draft interview. One specifically was with the Miami Dolphins. Meeting with Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, Bryant was asked what his father did in the job-field, with Bryant answering, "My dad was a pimp." Ireland then asked Bryant what his mother did. Bryant answered, "My mom worked for my dad." Then came the million dollar question. "Your mom was a prostitute?", Ireland asked. The question angered Bryant and has been talked about ever since, creating quite the controversy. With ESPN and every other major sports network covering the story, it wasn't long before Bryant's mom received the news of Ireland's personal question. Mrs. Angela Bryant who was previously in prison on drug charges for selling crack cocaine in 1997, told the media that once they couldn't find any dirt on her son, that they brought up her charges of 12 years ago.

But after a wide-spread investigation, it's been learned that Mrs. Bryant has had more than one run in with the law and a lot more recent than 12 years ago. Records show she was also arrested in April of 2009 after selling crack cocaine to police informants. And in August of last year, she was found guilty for two felony counts for possession of a controlled substance and the manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance. In result, she was sentenced to 10 years' probation. Also worth mentioning is the young age she gave birth to her son. Dez's mother was only 15 years old at the time. Regardless of her more lengthy legal troubles than she admitted to, Angela Bryant demanded an apology from the Dolphins GM himself. Ireland has since then apologized as seen here:

"My job is to find out as much information as possible about a player that I'm considering drafting. Sometimes that leads to asking in-depth questions. Having said that, I talked to Dez Bryant and told him I used poor judgment in one of the questions I asked him. I certainly meant no disrespect and apologized to him. I appreciate his acceptance of that apology and I told him I wished him well as he embarks on his NFL career."

According to Bryant, Ireland wasn't the only one who asked him questions about his mothers past. He said he sat there and answered a handful of questions aimed towards his mothers drug use. My question is, so what if Mrs. Bryant was a prostitute, what does that have to do with anything football related? What surprises me most is that someone would even ask that question. And if Bryant's future wasn't at stake, I'm sure he would've taken the guys head off. At least that's what I'd do...