Phil Mushnick, NY Post writer: Brooklyn Nets should be called 'New York Ni**ers' because of Jay-Z ownership

New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick provoked outrage this week as he used a racial slur in an insensitive rant against the Brooklyn Nets and their co-owner rapper Jay-Z. Opining that the team should consider changing their name to the 'New York Ni**ers' in what one can only assume is meant to be a dig at Jay-Z's use of the n-word in his lyrics, Mushnick argues that since the team has a new "urban" locale it should get the full "Jay-Z treatment.":
As long as the Nets are allowing Jay-Z to call their marketing shots -- what a shock that he chose black and white as the new team colors to stress, as the Nets explained, their new "urban" home -- why not have him apply the full Jay-Z treatment?
Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N------s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B----hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!
Mushnick's comments have already fueled a firestorm on Twitter, with numerous commentators in the sports world calling for him to be fired by the Post immediately.
The sports blog Bob's Blitz has posted a response from Mushnick to the backlash. He wrote:
Bob - Such obvious, wishful and ignorant mischaracterizations of what I write are common. I don't call black men the N-word; I don't regard young women as bitches and whores; I don't glorify the use of assault weapons and drugs. Jay-Z, on the other hand.....Is he the only NBA owner allowed to call black men N--ers?"
Jay-Z profits from the worst and most sustaining self-enslaving stereotypes of black-American culture and I'M the racist? Some truths, I guess, are just hard to read, let alone think about.

The Sandman Goes Down!!! Mariano Comes Up Limp Catching Fly Balls!!!

The beauty of the man has not always just been the right arm and the grace and the fastball and the ninth innings, has not just been a career that saw him become the Babe Ruth of Yankee pitchers, the beauty of Mariano Rivera was the boy in him. Even as he got older, even as he continued to close games into his 40s, he stayed young. It is why he kept chasing fly balls in the outfield in the afternoon before Yankee games. The baseball boy in him.
I would stand with him in front of his locker and say, “Who’s the best outfielder on this team, really?”
This year or any year.
Mo Rivera would smile and say, “You know the answer.”
And I’d tell him I wanted to hear him say it. So he would.
“I am,” Mo would say.
So that is where he was on Thursday in Kansas City, far from the pitcher’s mound and far from Yankee Stadium, chasing down another batting practice fly ball when his right knee gave out and he went down out there, with what is now reported to be a torn ACL.
It is one thing, even if it is a terrible thing, to watch a basketball kid like Iman Shumpert of the Knicks blow out a knee in a playoff game against the Miami Heat. It is another thing to watch it happen to the great Rivera at the age of 42, watch him get carted off the field in the first week of May in what many thought was going to be his last season in baseball.
“It’s bad,” Derek Jeter said. “Mo shagged every day. Been doing it as long as I’ve known him.”
“Mo’s a vital part of this team, on the field, off the field,” Jeter said. “He’s going to be missed.”
“Mo is Mo,” the captain of the Yankees said finally. “There’s no one like him, there’s never going to be anyone like him.”
No one is writing off the greatest Yankee pitcher of them all, the greatest baseball closer of them all, the greatest money pitcher there has ever been and will ever be in baseball. But he is 42 and is gone for the season now because his knee explodes on an evening in Kansas City.
And when he is finally knocked out of things, it doesn’t happen because somebody knocks him out of a ninth inning, it doesn’t happen with him trying to close one more game for the Yankees.
It happens before the game even starts.
When it happens to Rivera, it isn’t his right arm that gives out on him, it is his right knee. So much drama as to what happened in Kansas City, and so much irony, too. One of the biggest Yankees of them all gets carried out of the season, not in a way that anyone ever could have imagined.
He will be checked out again in New York, but doctors everywhere are hardly ever wrong about a torn ACL. Maybe the first one to know how bad it was was Mariano Rivera himself.
Even in the time of Jeter, another of this time who is on his way to the Hall of Fame and Monument Park, Rivera was always the best of all of them, closing all those games, breaking the record, being the last out again and again when the Yankees were winning all those World Series.
Obviously, this is a terrible blow to their chances this season, but it is as much a loss to baseball, because Rivera’s life and career have been a monument to the possibilities of the game, the possibilities that sports can still provide to a skinny kid from Panama.
And somehow, because of his grace and enduring excellence after he came through the outfield walls at the Stadium, the old Stadium and the new one, it always seemed fitting that he would be the last player in his game to wear Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 before that number is retired from good.
These past few years, we kept waiting for him to slip, to lose something off that cut fastball. But it never happened. The slip finally came in the outfield in Kansas City in the afternoon.
There was the day last season when I was sitting with him in front of his locker, because there has never been a better place to be and talk baseball with a Yankee, and I asked him how he would know when it was time to retire.
“No one will ever have to tell me,” he said. “No one will ever accuse me of hanging on. When it is my time to go, I will be the first to know.”
And then he would go out and get three more outs in the ninth inning, and look the same as he did in all the other years. He started to make you think he would stay young forever. It was why he was in the outfield again yesterday, a knee giving out before his right arm ever did.

Company puts lien on Michael Jordan's new home

One can only assume this was due to an accounting error.A report says that a Texas company put a lien on a $20 million house that Hall of Famer and Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is building in Jupiter, Fla. The house is atThe Bear's Club, a Jack Nicklaus golf community.


Writes Jose Lambiet of gossipextra.com:


The Dallas-based Southwest Progressive Enterprise, which specializes in fancy stone-wall finishes, claims the six-time world champion has yet to come up with $81,000 to settle the $202,600-contract. ...


The lien filed with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts shows the debt has been owed since January, which is about the time he sold his mansion in Chicago for $29 million.

Amare' Punches Miami's Ticket To The Next Round

MIAMI — It wasn’t just the Heat, it was the stupidity.

Amar’e Stoudemire may have literally punched the Miami Heat’s ticket to the second round after the Knicks’ power forward, in a show of frustration and selfishness, suffered a lacerated left hand during a postgame tirade immediately following the Heat’s 104-94 Game 2 victory Monday night.

A Knicks official confirmed that Stoudemire had cut his non-shooting hand when he punched a small glass door that protects a fire extinguisher just outside the Knicks’ locker room. Stoudemire’s hand shattered the pane and he needed an undetermined number of stitches to close the wound.
Stoudemire later offered an apology via Twitter, apparently in a one-handed tweet:

@Amareisreal "I am so mad at myself right now, I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start."

He did not comment as he exited the arena with his girlfriend and one of his children.

Tyson Chandler said that Stoudemire was “out” for Game 3, and it is unlikely he  will play for the rest of the series. Stoudemire’s hand was heavily bandaged and his arm was placed in a sling.

The Knicks will host the Heat in Game 3 Thursday at the Garden.

“It’s far from over,” Carmelo Anthony said after the Knicks matched an NBA record with their 12th straight playoff loss. “We believe that and I believe that.”

Anthony, standing on the blood- stained carpet inside the Knicks’ locker room, pleaded ignorance when asked about the Stoudemire incident. It’s unclear if Stoudemire was upset over the Knicks being in a 0-2 hole to the Heat or the fact that he took nine shots in 41 minutes, making six, while Anthony took 26 shots in 45 minutes, making 12.

“I don’t know what happened, to be honest with you,” Anthony said. “I haven’t seen him.”

The scene outside the Knicks locker room and near the team bus was chaotic, beginning with paramedics being called to treat Stoudemire. Most of the players exited through a back door while the injured forward snaked his way out of a side exit and underneath the seats and toward the bus.

When members of the media tried to intercept Stoudemire, arena security and some team officials began screaming for unauthorized personnel to leave the area.

Mike Woodson, who had announced before the game that the team would practice on Tuesday, canceled the workout.

Woodson and the Knicks are facing an almost impossible task with Stoudemire likely finished for the series. The Knicks are already without rookie guard Iman Shumpert, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Game 1 and will be sidelined for the next six to eight months, and Jeremy Lin, who is coming off knee surgery.

With Shumpert, one of the league’s top perimeter defenders, unavailable, Dwyane Wade scored 25 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Chris Bosh added 21 while LeBron James finished with 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Miami’s much-maligned supporting cast also played well, with Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller and Shane Battier combining for 35 points. For the second straight game, the Heat never trailed in the second half.

Meanwhile, Anthony scored 30 points,  including 15 in the first quarter. He spent most of the final three quarters missing shots and looking frustrated with Miami’s aggressive defense.

Anthony and Stoudemire lost their sixth straight playoff game with the Knicks and the notion that they cannot succeed together is gaining momentum. The Knicks have had a losing record with both players in the lineup since the day Anthony was acquired from Denver last season.

Coincidentally, the Knicks have been better with Anthony playing power forward, which is where he would now play assuming that Stoudemire is unavailable.

“Amar’e is a huge piece to this team,” Chandler said. “Without him, it’ll make it more difficult. We already lost one player in the starting lineup. That’s two players out of the starting lineup. It makes it tougher.”

Stoudemire finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, including 12 points in the second half. He took six shots over the final two quarters compared to eight for Anthony.

If Stoudemire is frustrated, that is understandable. He’s been injured for much of the season and recently returned from a back injury that the Knicks originally feared would cost him the season.

And yet, for him to lose control of his emotions at such a critical point of the season will not go over well with the fans or Garden chairman James Dolan, who has not seen the Knicks win a playoff game since April 29, 2001. The club’s 12-game postseason losing streak matches the NBA record set by the Memphis Grizzlies.

“Your emotions run high,” said Chandler, trying to sound diplomatic. “In a split second, a decision can alter things. You can’t fault anybody. We’ve got to deal with the repercussions."

Brooklyn Nets Release Their New Logo And Uniform Colors

NEW YORK -- New name. New borough. New arena. New logos, too.

The Brooklyn Nets unveiled their brand-new logos on Monday morning.

The Nets will have a black and white color scheme, which pays homage to the old New York subway signage system.
The Nets will have a pair of primary logos. The first features a shield and the name "NETS" accompanied by the letter "B" inside a basketball and "BROOKLYN" underneath. The second features the letter "B" inside a basketball wrapped around "BROOKLYN NEW YORK."

"Hello Brooklyn! I've been waiting a long time to say that," center Brook Lopez said at the team's formal logo unveiling at the Modell's Sporting Goods store across the street from the team's new home, the Barclays Center. The Nets will move into the $1 billion arena at the start of the 2012-13 season.

"We've been waiting a long time for this," CEO Brett Yormark said. "The Brooklyn Nets are finally part of the conversation."
Yormark said that the Nets' circular logo will be at center court at the Barclays Center. Yormark referred to the shield as "the shield of Brooklyn," and it will appear on the team's shorts.
Team part owner Jay-Z played an instrumental role in the design of the logos.
"The Brooklyn Nets logos are another step we've made to usher the organization into a new era," Jay-Z said in a statement. "The boldness of the designs demonstrate the confidence we have in our new direction. Along with our move to Brooklyn and a state-of-the-art arena, the new colors and logos are examples of our commitment to update and refine all aspects of the team."
The hip-hop mogul and Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, the majority owner of the Nets, were not in attendance.
A spokeswoman for Prokhorov said he "loves" the new logos. According to the spokeswoman, the logos began being designed a year ago, and discussions were still taking place as of a few weeks ago.
Brooklyn has not had a major league sports franchise since the Dodgers left in 1957. Developer Bruce Ratner, who pushed for the move to Brooklyn beginning a decade ago, said the curse of former Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, who moved the team to Los Angeles, is dead as of "(Monday)."
The Nets will unveil their new uniforms sometime in the fall. They are the only team in the league to have a black and white color scheme.

NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver isn't going to root for the Nets, per se but believes it's important for the team to get off to a good start as it begins to cultivate an identity in Brooklyn.
"They'll get it done. They were unlucky last season, and it didn't help that they were playing in a temporary arena and about to make a move," Silver said. "Cementing their identity in Brooklyn, I believe, will help in player recruitment as well."
General manager Billy King wants the team to be competitive immediately.
"We're not gonna build slowly," King said.
Coach Avery Johnson said that hopefully, "at his time next year you guys will be in my press conference for the 2013 playoffs."
King has a lot of work to do. The Nets wrapped up their 35th and final year in New Jersey with a 22-44 record. They have not made the playoffs since 2006-07.

Superstar point guard Deron Williams has reiterated his intentions to opt out and become a free agent. Williams said he'd like to come back and be part of the first team in Brooklyn Nets' franchise history, but he's expected to be heavily courted by a number of suitors, most notably his hometown Dallas Mavericks.

Lopez, a restricted free agent, wants to stay with the organization that drafted him. Small forward Gerald Wallace has said he'd like to return but plans to opt out because he wants a multiyear deal. Power forward Kris Humphries is an unrestricted free agent.

MarShon Brooks, Anthony Morrow, Johan Petro and Jordan Williams are the only Nets who have guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season.

Merchandise featuring the Brooklyn Nets' new identity is available at Brooklynnets.com and the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue.

Ex NY Knick Is Being Charged With Felony Assault For Choking Girlfriend

HOUSTON -- Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill faces a felony assault charge after an incident with his girlfriend in Houston.

Hill is charged with allegedly shoving and choking 28-year-old Darlene Luna, about 1 p.m. on Feb. 29 at his Houston apartment. Luna told police that the two had been dating for about two years. He was charged by Harris County prosecutors in March.
Hill will have to make an appearance in Houston to face the charge -- third-degree felony for assault on a family member by choking -- the Houston district attorney's office said.
The district attorney's office said that Hill faces a sentence of two to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. After paperwork is complete, a warrant for his arrest will be issued.
Hill is currently in Los Angeles, sources tell ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher. The Lakers have an off day in their first-round playoff series against the Nuggets before hosting Denver Tuesday.

Hill was part of the trade that sent Derek Fisher to Houston March 15. The Rockets had a game the date of the incident but Hill did not dress for that game.

As word of the charge, which was first reported by KTRK in Houston, began to spread, two messages were posted on Hill's Twitter account: "Wowwwww," and "Unbelievable!!!!!!!!"
The Lakers issued a statement later Monday.
"We are aware of the media reports alleging an incident involving Jordan Hill from two months ago when he was a member of the Houston Rockets," the statement read. "We do not have any details regarding these reports and therefore, as well as due to the personal and legal aspects, it would not be appropriate for us to comment. Any further inquiries regarding this should be directed to Jordan's representative."

Hill is in his third year in the league out of Arizona. He has career averages of 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and had 10 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's Game 1 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Nike/LBJ Shoe Designer Taunts Derrick Rose After Injury

A Nike shoe designer mocked Derrick Rose's season-ending ACL injury on Twitter on Sunday, igniting a firestorm of criticism on the social media website.

Jason Petrie, who designed LeBron James' signature sneakers, tweeted that Rose should have signed with Nike after the Chicago Bulls superstar tore his ACL in the final minutes of Game 1 of Chicago's Eastern Conference quarterfinals series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“

You got one guy only getting stronger, and one guy breaking down before our very eyes. You chose poorly Pooh... #shouldasignedwithNIKE #GWS

” -- Tweet from Nike designer Jason Petrie
on Derrick Rose's torn ACL Saturday

"You got one guy only getting stronger, and one guy breaking down before our very eyes. You chose poorly Pooh... #shouldasignedwithNIKE #GWS," Petrie wrote, referring also to James and Heat's 33-point Game 1 victory over the New York Knicks.

Rose signed long-term deal with rival shoemaker adidas in February.

Petrie's comments drew enough outrage that Petrie tried to assuage his followers, tweeting: "Y'all take sh#t too serious! Never want to see anyone get hurt- I hope DRose comes back stronger than ever, he's too good..."

FoxSports.com reported Sunday that Petrie then went back on the offensive Saturday, writing, "Just to set the record straight- if you ain't with me you against me, and if that's the case I don't give a F about you!"

On Sunday morning, Petrie apologized for his comments.

"Wow! Twitterverse I do apologize. It was really just tongue n cheek! Never meant any harm or disrespect!," he tweeted.

"As a brand that is passionate about sport, we recognize the intense level of play that every athlete has engaged in during this basketball season and respect the dedication it takes to compete," Nike said in a statement Sunday. "One of our basketball footwear designers posted comments online that we feel are inappropriate, and he has since apologized. We wish anyone who is injured a speedy recovery."

Rose suffered the injury while trying to leap off his left foot in the lane with 1:22 left in Saturday's playoff game against the 76ers.

Rose was helped off the court before the Bulls sealed their 103-91 Game 1 win. Rose had 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists when he was injured.

Team medical personnel immediately rushed out and tended to Rose for several minutes as he was writhing in pain near the baseline before helping him to the locker room. Rose was taken to the hospital, where MRI results confirmed the Bulls' worst fears.

The 23-year-old Rose played in just 39 of the Bulls' 66 regular-season games because of turf toe, back spasms, pulled groin and foot injuries. He hasn't played more than two games in a row since suffering a foot injury on March 12.

Bulls lose Derrick Rose, and their chance at the Finals

The injury took place with 1:23 to play in the Bulls’ 103-91 win. Rose drove to the basket and came to a jump stop in the lane. As he was jumping, though, he appeared to be hit with a sudden pain in the knee, grasping it as he was passing the ball. Rose stayed on the floor and the arena was hushed, and with good reason.

Though the Bulls finished with a 50-16 record this year, and though there is still a strong chance that they can beat the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs, losing Rose pretty much puts an end to Chicago’s hopes of breaking through to the NBA Finals.

Backups C.J. Watson and John Lucas III have been impressive during the regular season. The Bulls were 18-9, after all, without Rose in this year.

But the team’s offense is too heavily built around Rose for Chicago to have any real chance here in the postseason. Watson and Lucas just won’t be enough to carry the Bulls to a championship, not without their reigning MVP.

After the game, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was asked why Rose was still on the floor. The Bulls were ahead by 12, with the game just about out of reach.

But, Thibodeau pointed out, Philadelphia had taken a 20-point Chicago lead and cut it in half in just a little more than three minutes. “I don’t work backwards like you guys,” Thibodeau said. “The score was going the other way. “

On the other side, Philadelphia coach Doug Collins removed Evan Turner, who has a slight hamstring injury, and veteran forward Elton Brand from the game with 4:54 to play and the Sixers down 18 points.

Collins, though, defended Thibodeau’s decision to keep Rose in the game. “Tom Thibodeau is the coach of the year,” Collins said. “He was last year and he is this year. And he knows what he is doing coaching his team. And so, Thibs is my buddy, I have the ultimate respect for him. From his standpoint, he wanted to finish that game the way he did. It’s awful that Derrick got hurt.”

Rose nearly had a triple-double in the game, scoring 23 points with nine rebounds and nine assists. He did struggle with his shooting, going 9-for-23, and committed five turnovers. Before he knew exactly what Rose’s injury was, Thibodeau appeared sullen, as if he was expecting the worst. He got it.

“It’s part of the game,” Thibodeau said. “There’s gonna be injuries. A guy can get hurt in practice, he can get hurt in the first five minutes of a game, he can get hurt at the end of a game. Can get hurt any time. You’ve got to deal with it. That’s part of this game. So, he has had a lot of injuries this year, it’s been unfortunate. But we do have more than enough to win with. Whatever the circumstances are, we’ll deal with it.”

Detroit Tiger Delmon Young Comes To NY & Catches A Case

Detroit Tigers outfielder Delmon Young was busted early Friday for assaulting a man in a drunken brawl in front of a Midtown hotel, police sources said.
An allegedly intoxicated Young, 26, was collared shortly after he shoved the man to the ground in front of the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Ave. about 2:40 a.m., the sources said.
Young — who has also been in trouble for his temper on the diamond — was taken to Roosevelt Hospital for detox before he was booked on assault charges at the Midtown North Precinct stationhouse.
Young, whose team is in town to play the Yankees this weekend, was waiting to be arraigned early Friday.
He hit the series-winning home run to knock the Yankees out of the playoffs last October — but is almost as known for his angry antics as his on-field performance.
While in the minor leagues, Young was suspended 50 games after a wild run-in with an umpire in 2006.
After being called out on strikes, he refused to leave the batter’s box — and, once he finally did, he turned and hurled his bat at the umpire.
The umpire was not seriously hurt but Young was disciplined without pay.
The cannon-armed outfielder has been in the major leagues since late 2006 but has shown only flashes of the promise that made him a highly touted prospect.
While he finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2007, he has already worn out his welcome on two teams after a series of clubhouse clashes.
Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays, he was later dealt to the Minnesota Twins, who last year traded him to the Tigers.
Young, whose older brother Dimitri had a 12-year major league career, hit three home runs against the Yankees in last year’s first-round series, including one that provided the winning margin in decisive Game 5.
The Yankees and Tigers play in the Bronx at 7 p.m. Friday. Young’s availability for the series is unknown.

Shaq: Lakers Attempted to Throw Games

It's been a while since we've had any controversy over teams trying to throw games. However, former NBA great and current TNT analyst Shaquille O' Neal says that during his time in Los Angeles, the Lakers asked him to skip games late in one season so the team could lose. This would affect seeding, and avoid a first-round match-up against Utah in the playoffs.

As odd as it seems, even though the Jazz has never won an NBA title - while the Lakers have multiple - Utah did sweep the Lakers in the 1998 Western Conference Finals to move onto the NBA finals.

So, does the question of teams throwing games now come up since Shaq's "Lake-show, no-show" claim, or is he just looking for shock factor here?

Derrick Rose Sick and Tired of Other Players Picking on Him

Reigning NBA MVP and superstar point guard for the Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose has missed the majority of this already condensed NBA season due to numerous injuries, but still continues to play through the pain. And with his injuries well known throughout the rest of the league, he feels the severity of fouls upon him is uncalled for and he's upset about it.

Last night, he and the record-leading Chicago Bulls pulled out an overtime win against the Detroit Pistons, but with 4:31 left in the 4th quarter, Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva committed a rather hard foul on Rose. Villanueva was given a flagrant foul after review and a technical for arguing with officials.

Rose expressed his dismay with Villanueva before heading to the sidelines to be treated for a bloody gash on his nose. He wore a band-aid for the rest of the game and spoke about the incident after the game.

"I was mad. I'm sick and tired of people trying to take cheap shots at me. You got to say something."

In a game early last month against the New York Knicks, Rose was fined $25,000 for criticizing the officials after the game because of the rough nature of play.

"I've gotta be the only superstar in the league that's going through what I'm going through right now", he said last month. "But I can't say too much about it."

Players are often given these hefty fines for speaking out of line towards the referees, but D. Rose felt it was necessary this time around.

"You got to," Rose said. "He didn't even aim for the ball. At least go for the ball. I felt like he didn't and that's the reason why I got mad a little bit."

He also feels that some players target him when he goes to the basket, but is unsure as to why.

"I really don't know. Probably because I don't say anything or whatever, but I'm a man, where in situations like that you have to say something."

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau stated that he was content with the explanation he received from the officials.

"Look, these guys are great officials. "So (the official) said 'it appeared to be worse than it actually was.' That's what he said to me. Usually when they say that, they know they've gotten a pretty good look at it, so I dropped (the complaining) right there."

Did Ozzie Guillen Back Pedal Or Was He Honest And Sincere???

MIAMI -- The Miami Marlins have suspended manager Ozzie Guillen for five games for comments he made in which he expressed admiration for Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
"The Marlins acknowledge the seriousness of the comments attributed to Guillen," the team said in a prepared statement announcing the move. "The pain and suffering caused by Fidel Castro cannot be minimized especially in a community filled with victims of the dictatorship."

Speaking in Spanish on Tuesday morning in Miami, Guillen apologized to the city, its Cuban-American community and all Latin Americans for the comments, which were published on Time magazine's website last week.
"I feel like I betrayed my Latin community," Guillen said, according to ESPN's translation of his comments in Spanish. "I am here to say I am sorry with my heart in my hands and I want to say I'm sorry to all those people who are hurt indirectly or directly."
"I'm sorry for what I said and for putting people in a position they don't need to be in. And for all the Cuban families, I'm sorry," he said, according to ESPN's translation. "I hope that when I get out of here, they will understand who Ozzie Guillen is. How I feel for them. And how I feel about the Fidel Castro dictatorship. I'm here to face you, person to person. It's going to be a very difficult time for me."
Major League Baseball was reviewing the situation, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.
Guillen told Time magazine for an article published last week that he loves Castro and respects him for staying in power for so long.
On Tuesday, Guillen said repeatedly that he does not admire Castro. He said when the comments were made, he was talking about how he was surprised Castro was able to remain in power so long, given the number of people he had hurt since taking power.
"The interpretation didn't come out as I wanted," Guillen said in Spanish, according to ESPN's translation. "I was thinking in Spanish and I said the wrong thing in English."
Asked how the statement "I love Fidel Castro" could be misconstrued, Guillen once again said he was talking about how surprised he was that Castrol had been able to stay in power for so long.
"Everybody in the world hates Fidel Castro, including myself," Guillen said. "I was surprised that he's still in power. That's what I was trying to say to the journalist. And that's the first thing that came out of my mouth. I admit it. It was the wrong words."

Leave A Comment And Let Us Know What You Think!!!

Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino Crashes Motorcycle With 25 Year Old Mistress

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long made it perfectly clear what he expects from his staff as he put coach Bobby Petrino on leave for keeping him in the dark about a sordid-looking relationship with a female employee.

"It's difficult any time that we have a coach, an employee that makes a misstep, it's disappointing to me," Long said. "We have high expectations. I think every coach and every administrator and every staff person knows we have high expectations. Certainly, I'm disappointed."

Those expectations are squarely in the spotlight at Arkansas and for Long, who told The Associated Press on Saturday that he continues to work on the review of Petrino's conduct throughout the weekend and likely into Easter Sunday.

Long didn't offer a timetable for the conclusion of the review, which is examining a variety of issues surrounding Petrino's motorcycle accident last weekend. Most notably, Thursday's revelation through a police report that the 51-year-old Petrino was riding with a 25-year-old female employee at the time of the wreck.

Petrino initially said he was alone during the accident before admitting to Long on Thursday that he wasn't.

As Long's investigation continued Saturday, so too did the speculation surrounding the exact nature and timeframe of Petrino's relationship with Jessica Dorrell, the football department employee who was riding with the coach.

Petrino, who is married with four children, was noticeably vague in his statement on Thursday — saying only that he had acknowledged a "previous inappropriate relationship" without naming Dorrell as the other party in that relationship.

Messages for the former Arkansas volleyball player and Razorback Foundation fundraiser, who was hired by Petrino on March 28, have yet to be returned. A former Razorbacks volleyball player and friend of Dorrell's, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Saturday the volleyball program's alumni have reached out to Dorrell.

University of Arkansas

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino admitted that football staff member Jessica Dorrell was with him during his motorcycle crash.

"We feel like we have to do all we can right now to protect her," the person said. "She's done so many great things, but all of that is wiped out in the eyes of some people now. She's not a bad person."

The person said Dorrell hasn't returned calls from friends since the police report was released Thursday.

"She's in safe mode right now," the person said. "Everyone has made mistakes. Everyone has dirty laundry, but not everyone has their dirty laundry shown on national television."

Like it or not, coaches are expected to be positive role models for their players and their programs. It doesn't always work out that way, though.

Warren Sapp Claims To Be Broke, Can't Afford Child Support...

We can add another highly popular and formally wealthy athlete to the ever-expanding list of sport stars gone broke. Warren Sapp has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Florida, claiming he owes $6.7 million to various creditors. The future NFL hall-of-famer says he’s even lost his 2002 Super Bowl ring.
Among his debts, Sapp says he owes more than a million in back taxes to the IRS. He says he even owes $2,858 in medical bills for “Corrective Speech and Language Therapy.” However, the worse debt is owed to his four baby mamas, who are all due thousands in back child support payments.
Sapp says he only has $6.45 million to his name, which would leave him good and destitute after he paid everyone off. Funny enough, among the assets listed, he included 240 pairs of Jordan sneakers and sandals. Maybe you can put that on eBay to pay for some pampers and Happy Meals?

FIU Fires Isiah Thomas as Head Coach

After a stint as head coach and an executive with the New York Knicks, NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas became the head coach at Florida International University in 2009. After posting a 26-65 record with the school in his three years there, the university has relieved Thomas of his duties.

FIU Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment Pete Garcia made the announcement today that Isiah Thomas has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the FIU men's basketball program.

"We want to thank Isiah Thomas for his three years here at FIU," Garcia said. "However, we have decided to take the program in a different direction."

A national search for the Panthers' next head basketball coach will begin immediately.

Coincidentally, the Knicks recently fired former head coach Mike D'Antoni, who was hired after Thomas was let go by the organization. Who knows where Isiah Thomas will end up next.

So Nice He Did It Twice!!! Blake Posterizes Pau Gasol 2 Times In 1 Game

Paul Pierce Green With Envy Over Rajon Rondo

Tension between fellow Boston Celtics teammates, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo is brewing. That’s because sources say Paul Pierce is jealous Rajon Rondo is landing all the spotlight. Don’t believe me.. Ask Doc Rivers.

Here’s the drop:

“Rondo and Paul Pierce are beefing heavy! When Doc Rivers allowed the team to stay in Atlanta because the team had a three day lay off, Pierce acted like an ass and didn’t want Rondo hanging out with him. But that didn’t stop Rondo’s game on the court.
Rondo is the break out star on the Celtics. Paul feels threatened by Rondo so their big brother, little brother relationship is over.”

Kobe Bryant vs Lebron James vs Michael Jordan Who's Better

Top 5 best layups in NBA History

Nick Young Epic Fail - NBA's worst layup 3/7/2012