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Phelps is a Hero and A-Rod's a Villain posted by Colin Linneweber

Gamecock Should Be Hung By His Grundle 

Legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps stated Wednesday to The Baltimore Sun that he can not commit to competing in the 2012 Olympic Games in London in wake of British tabloid photos that apparently capture “MP” blazing cannabis from a bong during a party last November at the University of South Carolina.

"This is a decision of mine that I'm not going to make it today and I'm not going to make tomorrow," said Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals last summer at the Beijing Olympics.

The most decorated Olympic athlete ever continued, “It's going to require a lot of time and energy and a lot of thinking for myself - but also talking to [my coach Bob Bowman] and talking to my family and just deciding what I want to do."

Phelps, who was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in his youth and qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics at the age of 15, seemed genuinely contrite and saddened by his most recent public embarrassment.

"This was stupid, and I know this won't happen again," the former Michigan Wolverine assured. "It's obviously bad judgment, and it's something I'm not proud of at all.”

The 14-time career Olympic gold medalist continued, "I will say that with the mistakes that I've made in my life, I've learned from them. Every one of them. And I've become a better person. That's what I plan to do from here."

“The Baltimore Bullet” said he is particularly disappointed that he again let down his fans and his mother, Debbie, nearly five-years after a drunken-driving arrest in 2004.

Puff, Puff, Let It Pass posted by Andy Goldstein

Everyone reading this entry has done something in their past they are not proud of, and I mean each and every one of you.

Whether you stole a pack of gum from a convenience store or hit a parked car without leaving a note, you felt guilty the next day.  But you learned from your mistakes, and hopefully you earned the forgiveness of those you hurt.

So many of the people we honor and respect on a daily basis have done stupid and terrible things in their past, but it seems we’re willing to turn a blind eye to it as long as they’re in the warmth of the limelight.  We have granted passes to presidents, actors, musicians, athletes, writers, etc.  

It’s a fact that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has smoked or snorted anything and everything that could alter his mind, including his father’s ashes, and he is still a worldwide treasure.  Before the Super Bowl, reporters seemed to forget about the restraining order against Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald for alleged abuse against a former girlfriend.  And how many photographers does Sean Penn need to assault before he serves any significant punishment?

This writer is not above the scrutiny.  I have both Avril Lavigne and Bananarama in my iPod, yet I contribute to society and lead a shame-free life.  Well, almost. 

So why is Michael Phelps taking such a beating for the photo that shows him hitting a bong?

If I had the time and subsequent desire, I would poll 100 people to find out how many have tried marijuana in their youth, and I would be willing to bet the computer I’m using over half would say they have at some point in their lives.  I did when I was 19, and I got so sick you couldn’t lift my head out of the trash can with an overhead crane.  I’m now 29, and haven’t even thought of touching it since.  I don’t condone the usage of marijuana, but I understand that most college-aged kids are going to try it.  That’s just the way it is.

To an Athlete Dying Young posted by Jordan Newgard

We always here about things like this happening in another town in a different county or in a different state altogether; events that have no bearing to our lives whatsoever. We walk into another school while on a basketball trip and see a glass case perched on a wall close to the entrance which has an asortment of different items arranged around a picture set in the middle. The pictures differ from town to town, sometimes it may be just a normal school picture of a student with small heirlooms hanging around the image, other times it may be a student's athletic picture and his or her varsity letter nearby. There always seems to be a small passage included that can be read, describing the person's life and passions. In every case though, the glass case holds the same meaning, a memorandum of a life taken too early.

I'll be the first one to admit that I cannot fully put Turner Price's life into perspective. I've only really known him for about three years, starting on the football field after school at practice my senior year and his freshman year. Once a week I had the pleasure to be guarded by him on either those painfully hot August/September days or those blistering cold October/November days. Every Wednesday would be when both the varsity and JV practiced special teams. I was on the punt team occupying my usual position of receiver, and he was lined up opposite me looking to try and slow my pursuit. Usually this is the time when the nasty upperclassmen would take advantage of the slower and weaker underclassmen, but I never tried to embarass him. Sometimes I'd take it easy and let him get in a good block here and there, and somehow my acting was decent enough for the coache's to notice, because I can remember many times when we would come back to our respective huddles and he would get great praise and I would get critisized. It didn't matter to me, I could tell that it made his day and he would gain more confidence each and every week when he was probably barely 5'5" and maybe 120 lbs. I barely knew the kid, but I could tell that he was someone that never gave up and always gave his all no matter the circumstances. 

Inbound link contest winner announced! posted by Earn Money Blogging

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

The whole purpose of this contest was to get our bloggers networking with other webmasters and to start to build up their inbound links which will help their traffic.  Even a few links can help you with the search engines as they will see you as more of an authority on your topic the more inbound links you have.

To learn more about marketing your blog check out this post: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html#my_faq_2971

Marija's blog can be found here.  If you're a Knicks fan, check it out: http://www.newyorkknicksnews.com/marijak

The original post announcing the contest can be found here: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/bloggers/weblog/2984.html

And if you're not already signed up with Google AdSense and making money from your blog, check out our Revenue Share FAQ page: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html

The Olympic Spirit posted by Hoai Tran

                                           
                  Thank You Alain Bernard, You Brought Back The Olympic Spirit

                 
                                    And Another Victory For Good Over Evil

I'll admit it.  I really wasn't into the Olympics.  Seriously, name two gold medals winners from the last summer games.  (You can't use Michael Phelps.  So take him away and name two more.)  Okay, name the city where the last games were played.  (Up til this week I couldn't tell you either.)  Pretty much the only thing I remember about the Olympics was that the USA Basketball team got spanked by some Euro team but I can't remember which one.  Contrast that with what the Olympics used to be.  Who can forget the Carl Lewis's and the Mary Lou Rettons and the original Dream Team?  (The whole "Dream Team" thing is a perfect example of something that was "fun the first time, but now I'd wish it would go away".  Kinda like smoking.  At first you think it's cool and everyone is into it.  Next thing you know you are paying $7.50 a pack, hacking up your lungs, getting kicked out of every restaurants, and to top it off, no ones wants to be around you because you stink.)  Those days might as well be ancient history.  With the internet generation, fans don't like to wait til the next Sunday for football much less another four years to see the best in the world. 

Looking too far ahead posted by Randolph Charlotin

With the first practice under their belt, it's a good time to name the starting lineup for the 2008 season. OK, it's just my projected starting lineup. As expected, there will be a few changes from last year. Those will be highlighted with an explanation to follow:

Offense

LT Matt Light
LG Logan Mankins
C Dan Koppen
RG Stephen Neal
RT Ryan O'Callaghan
QB Tom Brady
RB Laurence Maroney
FB Heath Evans
WR Randy Moss
WR Wes Welker
TE Ben Watson

Defense

LE Ty Warren
NT Vince Wilfork
RE Richard Seymour
OLB Mike Vrabel
ILB Tedy Bruschi
ILB Victor Hobson
OLB Adalius Thomas
CB Ellis Hobbs
CB Fernando Bryant
FS James Sanders
SS Rodney Harrison

The only name absent from last year's offense is Nick Kaczur. I'm having doubts about whether he will remain with the team. It's not just about his off-field issue, though that does play a role. More than anything else, it's his ability to pass protect. I believe Kaczur has problems with speed rushers. Besides New York Giants' defensive end Michael Strahan beating Kaczur for two sacks in Super Bowl 42, I remember Baltimore used special teams LB Antwan Barnes to rush the passer and he beat Kaczur for a sack. The recent signing of Anthony Clement doesn't bode well for Kaczur.

On the defense a lot of people believe  rookie first round pick Jerod Mayo will start alongside Bruschi. Count me in the minority. Because Mayo will be part of the rotation inside, he will get plenty of playing time. And for that very same reason is why I feel he will come off the bench. Mayo has to learn the roles of both ILB positions. His head is already swimming trying to get a hold of one spot. Hobson has played inside and outside for the Jets. Learning Bruschi's responsibilities won't be hard for the free agent. Mayo though will have to learn one position at a time. Whether Mayo is deployed in certain packages or Hobson and Bruschi alternate for breathers, the latter two will spend a lot of time on the field together.

Inbound link contest - Win $100! posted by Earn Money Blogging

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

We're going to impose some restrictions on the types of links you can get so please see below for the full list of links that do NOT count.

To get started simply go to Google and find other websites and blog that are about the sports and teams that you write about. Email the website owner and ask them for a link by explaining that you think your blog would be a good resource for their readers. Or offer to write a guest post for them with your by-line and URL at the bottom of the article. Or offer to exchange links with them by writing a quick write up of their site and a reciprocal link back to them. Some webmasters will be happy to add you to their blog roll even if you don't give them a link back (which is ideal) but some may want you to link back to them - you can easily do this with a quick blog entry on your blog about their website.

To learn more about inbound links and marketing your blog in general check out this post:

What It Takes To Be A Fan posted by Ben Nissim

As the first post to this blog I thought the best place to begin would be to discuss what it means to be a New York Jets fan.  While it may be simple to define what exactly a ‘fan’ is, we Jets fans have a far more complicated relationship with our team then the word allows.  Dramatic irony be damned, hope springs eternal on Woody Johnson’s brow.  Having seen failure at every turn we give in to our anger, at once comforted by the hope of the preseason but confident enough in our knowledge of history to be assured of a good draft pick come spring.  The struggle is masochistic; a perversion, but a pleasure nonetheless.

The nature of our relationship to the Jets is paradigmatically different then New Yorkers have with their other sports teams.  There is a requisite level of expectation that comes along with rooting for a team in this city.  The Yankees success is well recorded, the Giants are one of the flagship organizations of the NFL and the Knickerbockers and Rangers have had their days in the sun.  Even the New York Metropolitans have tasted the sweet nectar of victory.  Our pride is built off an entirely different foundation.

What do we as Jets fans have?  We have the struggle.  Founded in 1960 as the New York Titans, the team has managed only a .448 winning percentage in the last 48 years, a number remarkable only in its inadequacy.  When I compare the Jets’ success to the highs of the Yankees and the Giants a dull throb of pain starts to grow in my temple.  This number begs the question—how does a team, in a league which prides itself on parity, consistently produce so poorly? The question has myriad well documented answers. A long history of draft failure, terrible coaching (see: Rich Kotite), the ignominy of playing in a stadium named after another team etcetera, etcetera.  Our failures cut a wide breadth; our disappointments are always around the next corner.

Cubs Off to Slow Start--So What Else Is New? posted by richard Kagan

The Chicago Cubs lost another close one at Wrigley today and now their record is 1-3.  This is not cause for panic--yet. It is an observation of wonderment. How else would the Cubs start the season?  If they were 3-1. Chicago would be hyperventilating -- with images of red, white, and blue, bunting decorating the field. Well, it's not post-season yet. Not by a long shot. Not to be decided now, nor in May, or June. Unless Soriano pulls a double-hammy.

The Cubs are finding their way. Eventually, they will get to .500, likely in the second week of the season...and then begin in earnest, the journey to making the post-season in consecutive years.  Which is akin to swimming Lake Michigan doing a backstroke. Poets and playwrights have lamented about the Cubs. Harry Caray, has stumbled about the "Cub." This season they put a statue of Ernie Banks, at Wrigley --  the great Mr. Cub, in case anyone would forget him.

Forget him. No, Ernie Banks is the still the Cubs. There were times I would rush home from school and put on the Cubs game, and there was Ernie facing Juan Marichal or Spahn. It was always late in the game, and Jack Brickhouse, was the Cubs' announcer then, announced each pitch like it was the 7th game of the World Series.  Sometimes Ernie would send one deep to left and Jack would proudly say, "Atta Boy Ernie!" As Banks slowly raced around the bases sending those who saw the hit into delirium.  That is why I still follow the Cubs. Waiting for someone to hit one deep late in the game, and win it.  These days, the Cubs tie it in the 9th, and give it away in the 10th. Why not just win it in the 9th, how about tying it in the 9th and winning the game in the 10th!

Shaq's reality TV show gets renewed (AP)

Shaquille O'Neal says his reality television show "Shaq Vs." has been picked up by ABC for a second season. Among O'Neal's highlights in the first season was a football competition against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a swimming race against Michael Phelps and a boxing match against Oscar De La Hoya. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports