Clarence the Blue Puppet

i think it sets a dangerous precedent though. obviously he's guilty and will either take a deal or be convicted but not letting athletes play and then having them be proven innocent or having the charges dropped could potentially cost a lot of people a lot of money, and it's not like they cna recover damages from the gov't. an example, to a lesser degree, is the duke case. those kids were kicked out of school and now it looks like they've done nothing wrong

One could say that they put themselves in the position. If you want strippers, go to the club. I'd never trust a stripper or a prostitute in my own home. I don't care how many people are there.

he hasn't been convicted yet.

he is under house arrest.

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com//gen/mi...1/cf167619.html

GO YANKS!!!!

I am so excited for baseball season to start.

I live about 2 hours from Wilkes Barre/Scranton. I'm going to have to get to some games this summer.

GO YANKS!!

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6436876?MSNHPHMA

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indianapolis Colts' first Super Bowl appearance made Calvary Temple want to party like it never had before.

 

The church planned a Sunday shindig for about 100 young adults, complete with snacks and a big screen TV to watch the game.

 

"It's just a good opportunity to get everybody together, have some fellowship and fun and watch the Super Bowl," business manager Bill Kaler said.

 

But temple leaders scrapped the idea after learning the NFL stopped a similar get-together at another Indianapolis church, saying it would violate copyright laws.

 

"I didn't realize the Super Bowl was a copyrighted thing," Kaler said.

 

Neither did several congregations around the country that have since curtailed or abandoned party plans to avoid ending up on the wrong side of the law.

 

Church leaders say the Super Bowl has turned into an annual way to connect with their community.

 

In suburban Chicago, Poplar Creek Church plans to host about 100 people to watch the game on a big-screen TV in the sanctuary. Pines Baptist Church north of Miami plans to host flag football games before guests gather to eat and watch Sunday's Colts-Bears game, Pastor Luis Acosta said.

 

"It's nothing different than a bunch of guys coming together at somebody's house ... it's just a church thing," Acosta said.

 

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said these gatherings are fine, as long as the churches stay within certain guidelines. That's where Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis went wrong.

 

The church planned to charge admission to cover the food tab for its party and show the game on a big screen using a projector. It also promoted its "Super Bowl bash" on the church Web site.

 

Those are some copyright no-no's. The league's long-standing policy is to ban "mass out-of-home viewing" of the Super Bowl except at sports bars and other businesses that televise sports as part of their everyday operations, Aiello said.

 

Places are prohibited from charging admission to watch the Super Bowl, and the law prevents them from showing the game on a TV bigger than 55 inches.

 

The idea is to honor the NFL's contract with networks that provide free broadcasts of the game and to protect the Super Bowl trademark, Aiello said.

 

Major League Baseball and the NCAA have similar policies.

 

Aiello said the NFL has had to inform theaters, schools, museums, casinos and hotels about these limits. Officials also have talked to hundreds of churches in the past.

 

"They say 'Thanks' and they have their Super Bowl viewing parties within the rules," he said.

 

Others have spiked their plans.

 

In suburban Houston, members of the Cypress United Methodist Church decided Thursday to cancel their Super Bowl party after being told the gathering would violate the league's copyright.

 

The church planned to charge a small admission fee to raise money for its youth mission activities.

 

"We felt like we were offering a wholesome environment for the youth," church administrator Quinn Edmondson said. "We were, frankly, pretty shocked."

 

In Indianapolis, Fall Creek Baptist Church Pastor John Newland said he's received about 200 e-mails since The Indianapolis Star first reported about the NFL's letter. Some told him to hold the party anyway and dare the league to sue him.

 

"We think the law is wrong, and it discriminates against people of faith while opening up an exception to certain businesses who stand to make millions," he said.

 

Even so, he has no intention of breaking the law. Instead, he wants to tell people about it to motivate change.

 

"We have to teach our kids that just because you don't like a law, that doesn't mean you have to break a law."

 

Calvary Temple's Kaler also preaches respect.

 

"If that's the way it is, that's the way it is," he said. "I think being a church and a Christian organization, you've got to do what's right."

I can understand the law against charging admission, but why the law against the size of the tv?

I SAY NO!!!!

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6430112

MIAMI - Tank Johnson said the only people he has ever hurt belong to the ranks of quarterbacks and running backs. In fact, the longer you listen to the Bears' defensive tackle, the more he sounds like a kind and gentle soul running for cover in a world gone mad.

 

 

People doing harm to others? "It all stems from the violence on TV and in the music," Tank said.

 

Men who solve disputes with guns? "Too many people are just cowards," Tank said.

 

Critics and haters who write up the perps? "Demons," Tank said. "A lot of people are out here just to get people, just to hurt people."

 

Johnson is 6-3, 315 pounds, and he is afraid. Not of Peyton Manning. Not of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Not of Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes.

 

Tank is afraid of you. He is afraid that you believe he has no business playing against the Colts in Super Bowl XLI.

 

That means he's afraid of me, too, and millions of right-minded Americans who are sick and tired of the rich and famous, the athletes and movie stars, living by a set of rules never available to the ordinary Joe.

 

No, Johnson shouldn't be part of the biggest Sunday in sports. He shouldn't be playing football in front of 100 million viewers.

 

He should be forced to watch the game on TV, and to check in with his probation officers during the hyped-up commercial breaks.

 

But a judge in Cook County (Ill.) liberated him to chase Manning all over Miami, reviewing the terms of Johnson's house arrest before granting him a free pass to cross state lines and have a world of fun in the South Florida sun.

 

John J. Moran Jr. called this audible, and Lord knows why. Tank Johnson has been arrested three times in the last 18 months, and police have reportedly been called to his home anywhere between 10 and 20 times for one disturbance or another.

 

In December, Johnson allegedly violated his probation when police found marijuana, some 550 rounds of ammunition, and six guns and rifles in a raid of his home. Johnson's three-year-old and one-year-old daughters were present at the start of the raid, right there with the alleged stash of weapons and drugs.

 

This followed a February incident outside a Chicago nightclub, where a police officer trying to issue a ticket to Johnson's limousine driver ended up in a physical confrontation with the football player, who reportedly told the officer, "You ain't the only one with a Glock. If it wasn't for your gun and your badge, I'd kick your [butt]."

 

The cop used mace and the help of other officers to subdue Johnson; the charges were eventually dropped when the arresting officer declined to pursue the case. Three months before that incident, Johnson was sentenced to 18 months' probation and 40 hours of community service on a misdemeanor gun rap.

 

After the December arrest on gun charges (Johnson's best friend and housemate, Willie Posey, was charged with marijuana possession), Johnson was reportedly warned by Bears officials to stay clear of trouble. One night later, Johnson went to a nightclub with his friend, Posey, who was shot dead after an apparent altercation with another man at the scene.

 

The Bears put Johnson on the inactive list for a game, and they suspended him for another. They should've suspended him for the balance of the season. They should've told him to get his life in order before he ever thought of getting back in his helmet and pads.

 

But the Bears didn't do that, not even close. With Tommie Harris out of the lineup, Johnson becomes a more critical piece of the Chicago defense. He becomes a player who improves their unlikely chances of going all the way.

 

Moran, the judge, decided Johnson could best serve society in the Bears' huddle. Though the tackle said he was calling probation officers up to 10 times a day, Moran didn't ask Johnson to make a single long-distance call from Miami.

 

Tank Johnson is free to terrorize Peyton Manning like he did Drew Brees in the NFC Championship Game. (Jamie Squire / FOXSports.com)

 

"The judge gave me full reign to take a trip like my team would," Johnson said. "I don't have any kind of confinement. I've been out to dinner, I've been able to do a couple of things....I've had a great time out here."

 

Wonderful. Just perfect. Tank's really going to learn from his mistakes now that he's been forbidden to party anywhere but South Beach.

 

Oh, I forgot. Moran did warn Johnson that he'd better not screw up again "or dire consequences will result."

 

Forget it, Judge. That train has pulled out of the station. Even an ex-Bear the likes of Gale Sayers, who would love to see the home team upset the Colts, has been quoted saying Johnson should've been waived off the roster, never mind suspended for the Super Bowl.

 

But the professional football player caught a break that wouldn't have been given a professional landscaper, actuary or broker. Now Johnson says he's gotten rid of the three pit bulls that were in the same home as his daughters, the pit bulls that were scaring the neighbors straight.

 

He says he's leaning on the Bible more. He says he's probably through as a gun owner.

 

"I don't like violence in this world," Johnson said. "I can't stand it."

 

I can't stand a world of double standards, and Super Bowl XLI will be the home office for those.

http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=2744222

Colts claim Super Bowl title

The high-flying Colts secured their first NFL title since moving to Indianapolis by throwing early and often against a Bears defense that looked almost nothing like their previously-dominant selves, beating Chicago 38-27 in Super Bowl XLI.

Peyton Manning finally shook the label of "big-game choker" for once and for all, leading scoring drives of 81, 78, 76 and 71 yards while throwing for three touchdowns. His lone mistake was an interception late in the second quarter that led to a Chicago field goal, but otherwise the Colts' signal-caller was near-flawless, completing 28 of 36 passes and deftly managing the Indianapolis offense against a team that exhibited a stifling defense earlier in the season.

Manning got the Colts off to a roaring start by leading the team 76 yards down the field following the opening kickoff, ending the drive with a 17-yard strike to Marvin Harrison to put Indy on top early, 7-0. After the Bears picked up a couple of first downs before being forced to punt, the Colts moved down to the Chicago 25 for an Adam Vinatieri field goal to up the lead to 10-0.

Chicago responded with a nice drive as the oft-maligned Rex Grossman, who was solid for most of the day, picked up a couple key third-down conversions with nice completions. Thomas Jones capped the effort with a 12-yard run up the middle for the touchdown, but the Colts bounced right back with an 81-yard drive that ended with Joseph Addai's TD romp around right end.

Trailing 17-7, Chicago moved downfield and got a Robbie Gould field goal, and after Manning misfired a pass into the hands of Bears DB Nathan Vasher, the Bears needed only 15 yards to get into field goal range and boot a kick with three second left in the half to cut the Indianapolis lead to 17-13 at the break.

Chicago took the lead for the first time in the third quarter as the Bears moved 73 yards in just five plays, with Grossman finding Muhsin Muhammad from 23 yards away to give his team a 20-17 lead. The Colts were undaunted, however, and struck twice in a row, as Manning hit Dallas Clark for a 36-yard score just three minutes later, and then hooked up with Reggie Wayne for a 32-yard TD pass to make it 31-20 after the Bears punted.

Bernard Berrian made a circus catch of a Grossman pass for a six-yard score just three minutes into the fourth period to pull the Bears to within four, but after the teams traded punts, Manning and the Colts milked the clock on a 12-play, 78-yard drive that ended with Addai's second TD of the game. The Bears turned the ball over on downs deep in Colts territory on their ensuing drive, giving Indy the chance to run out the clock and celebrate their championship.

Chicago Bears

PASSING RUSHING RECEIVING FANTASY

SLOT PLAYER C/ATT YDS TD INT CAR YDS TD REC YDS TD POINTS

QB Rex Grossman 22/38 231 2 1 2 4 0 0 0 0 15

RB Thomas Jones 0/0 0 0 0 24 101 1 5 49 0 20

RB Cedric Benson 0/0 0 0 0 12 39 0 2 4 0 3

WR Muhsin Muhammad 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 72 1 13

WR Bernard Berrian 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 37 1 9

WR Rashied Davis 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 41 0 4

TE Desmond Clark 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 28 0 2

Team 22/38 231 2 1 38 144 1 22 231 2

KICKING FANTASY

SLOT PLAYER MADE MISSED FG XP PTS POINTS

K Robbie Gould 33-36 2/2 3/3 9 9

Indianapolis Colts

PASSING RUSHING RECEIVING FANTASY

SLOT PLAYER C/ATT YDS TD INT CAR YDS TD REC YDS TD POINTS

QB Peyton Manning 28/36 383 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 25

RB Dominic Rhodes 0/0 0 0 0 8 32 0 0 0 0 3

RB Joseph Addai 0/0 0 0 0 16 59 2 2 21 0 19

TE Dallas Clark 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 84 1 14

WR Marvin Harrison 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 102 1 16

WR Reggie Wayne 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 73 1 13

WR Terrence Wilkins 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 33 0 3

WR John Standeford 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 21 0 2

WR Aaron Moorehead 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 17 0 1

Team 28/36 383 3 1 25 93 2 28 351 3

KICKING FANTASY

SLOT PLAYER MADE MISSED FG XP PTS POINTS

K Adam Vinatieri 42 1/1 5/5 8 9

The Super Bowl game was simulated through the EA SPORTS Madden game engine in a CPU versus CPU format. The Madden game engine includes a multitude of variables, including real team playbooks, coach tendencies based on official NFL scouting reports, current rosters updated daily, and artificial player intelligence based on player rankings, scheme reactions, and individual and team matchups, and more.

It was a great game......... followed by a shitty one

Yeah no shit. What is wrong with Jagr? He hasn't done shit lately.

:worshippy: :worshippy:

I loved that goal. :worshippy: :clap:

I think he's still upset about the kidnapping of Snowflake.

I heard David Lee was getting back with Van Halen.

I agree Lukes going down didn't help either. It was definetaly a combination of the two. Luke was having a good season and had the false starts in check. He was finally looking like the player we wanted from that first round pick. And Eli was confident in the pocket, willing to stay in there and keep his mechanics in line.

 

When Luke went down and that old slow fucking retard Whitfield came in and he was more interested in bopping someone rather than protecting Eli, Eli took a lot of hits from behind. I don't care what quarterback you are talking about, getting beat up every game is going to wear down a QB.

 

Oh and that is Bo.

That seems to be the attitude of most players in the league now. They'd rather make a big hit, than actually do their job. How many times have you seen a tackler just lower the shoulder instead of trying to wrap a guy up. Blockers do it too.

Really? Bjac has always been a more productive runner than Tiki was for me, Plax actually gives a damn in Madden, Shockey can catch the damn ball, and Eli actually hits his receivers in the hands not the ground. Toomer is a great possession receiver but the Madden draft is pretty good at getting receivers you can quickly develop.

 

That and once Moss gets into the open field he is near-unstoppable. If you see him get past the corner covering him toss it up. If he is covered by a LB ignore everyone else.

Jacobs fumbles a lot when I use him. I use a lot of 2 receiver sets to set up the play action. Works a lot against my friends, not so much against the computer. However, ever since Tecmo Bowl I'm still convinced the computer cheats.

I hope he comes back or my Madden game will surely suffer.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2741682

Updated: Jan. 24, 2007, 7:30 PM ET

Giants' Wilson robbed of wallet, jewelry at gunpointESPN.com news services

 

 

 

New York Giants safety Gibril Wilson was robbed at gunpoint Monday while he was outside a party in Manhattan, ESPN's Jeremy Schaap reported.

 

According to police, the robbery occurred outside of The Boulevard Club, site of a party for Smooth magazine. Wilson was in his 2007 Mercedes when some men in another vehicle pulled alongside Wilson's car. One of the men allegedly said, "Nice ride," then the men demanded Wilson's jewelry at gunpoint. They took Wilson's jewelry, wallet and the keys to his Mercedes. The car was not taken.

 

The value of the stolen items is not known.

they took the keys but left the car?

Ok so the coach I want to vote for isn't on that list and I can't vote Other because I can't believe you did not list him.

 

Charlie fricken Weis. How could you not include him?

I don't know if I want Charlie Weis. Yeah he brought Notre dame back up, but he hasn't beaten anybody. This year will show his whether or not he is the real deal, having to build up a new quarterback. I hope he does well because I like him and want him to succeed. He just hasn't convinced me yet.

If I had to pick from the list, I'd say Belichik. He's a proven winner. Parcells has kinda lost me as a coach, but he makes me laugh during his press conferences.

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/...sp&c_id=nyy

NEW YORK -- If Roger Clemens returns to the Yankees later this year, his old uniform will be waiting for him.

All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano has volunteered to give up his No. 22 for this season, according to a Yankees official, likely anticipating the possibility that Clemens will arrive in the Bronx to reclaim it at some point.

"I was happy to give up the number to a future Hall of Famer if he comes aboard," Cano said in Tuesday's edition of the New York Post. "Hopefully, he will be one of my teammates; I'll have the pleasure of playing with him."

Within the past week, Cano told clubhouse personnel that he would switch to uniform No. 24, a change that has been officially executed on the Yankees' roster.

With Spring Training less than three weeks away, uniforms are in the process of being tailored. The Yankees did not ask Cano to switch numbers, the official said.

At the 18th annual Baseball Assistance Team dinner in New York on Tuesday, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada shed some light on Cano's thought process.

"His dad's favorite player was Jackie Robinson, and he was named after Jackie Robinson," Posada said. "He wanted [No.] 42, but he couldn't have it, so he went with [No.] 24."

Clemens, 44, wore No. 22 for most of his five-year stay with the Yankees from 1999 to 2003, though he originally wore No. 12 -- a reversal of the uniform number he wore with the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. He made the switch from No. 21 because that number was issued to Paul O'Neill when Clemens joined the Yankees.

No. 21 has remained unassigned by the Yankees since O'Neill's retirement following the 2001 World Series.

But Clemens appears to hold a special affinity for No. 22, even negotiating his 2006 contract to contain a reference to the number -- had Clemens played a full season with the Houston Astros, his contract would have been worth a reported $22,000,022.

hot stove

Complete coverage >

As it was, Clemens earned a pro-rated percentage of that salary after joining the club in late June, going 7-6 with a 2.30 ERA in 19 games for Houston.

The right-hander would not be expected to reach a decision regarding his playing future until at least after Spring Training. If Clemens plays, he is expected to choose among the Astros, Red Sox and Yankees.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

As much I want to see Clemens back at the same time I just want him to retire already. If he can help the Yanks win a title great, but if I bitched about his antics last year and the way he went about coming back, I have to do the same this year if he pulls the same stunt.

I'm torn.