"Team DC vs. Team Philly" For All The Bragging Rights

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Featuring professional players Kevin Durant (OKC Thunder), Tyreke Evans (Sacramento Kings), Demarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Jarrett Jack (New Orleans Hornets), Sam Young (Memphis Grizzlies), Hakim Warrick (Phoenix Suns), Lou Williams (Philadelphia 76ers) and more.

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When: 6:00 pm (Saturday) Oct. 15, 2011

The Battle of I-95 Continues

The Trash Talking has begun Minnesota T-Wolves Michael Beasley is making a guarantee that his D.C. team will beat Team Philly on Oct. 15 in Washington D.C., in what is being deemed by some as “The Battle of I-95 Continues.” The game will be viewed via live streaming by fans around the world on www. iLinkSports.com. The NBA lockout isn’t stopping players from playing the game they love and giving their fans treat.

No Coming Home Party for Michael Vick

With Mike Vick in the locker room with a concussion the Eagles were forced to turn to backup Mike Kafka to try and mount a comeback in Atlanta.
Kafka completed seven of eight passes on his two-plus possessions, but his one incompletion bounced off Jeremy Maclin’s hands on a fourth down play from the Falcons 23 yardline with less than two minutes to play and ended the Eagles chance to go 2-0 for the first time since the Super Bowl season of 2004.
Philly-area native QB Matt Ryan was harassed all night but still managed to throw for 195 yards and four TDs. RB Michael Turner scored with 4:48 left on his way to a 114-yard game to lead the Falcons to victory.
Ryan's favorite target was tight end Tony Gonzalez. The ageless one caught seven balls for 83 yards and two TDs.

D.C. set for another star-studded exhibition with Kevin Durant, John Wall and Jeff Green

Summer league and pro-am basketball are over, and with the NBA lockout prohibiting players from team training facilities for the usual pre-training camp workout sessions, they are looking for other options. So when local trainer Hanif Hill called Jeff Green last week to see if he would be interested in playing a charity game in the District featuring only NBA players, the Hyattsville native and former Georgetown star was eager to have a chance to stay sharp – and stay home.


You ready for more? (Patrick Smith - GETTY IMAGES) “I was all in,” Green said in a telephone interview on Sunday. “It gives us something to do as far as coming together, bringing the NBA to D.C. and continue the competition that we have with each other. Playing summer basketball, man. We love the sport, we love our job, and we just want to continue until things get solved.”

Hill, a former coach at Cardozo High in Northwest Washington, has rounded up some of his clients and other NBA players to play in a game that will surely draw a nice crowd and raise some money for a good cause. Billed as “Clash of the Superstars,” the game will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Calvin Coolidge High School in Northwest. It will feature Kevin Durant, former Georgetown stars Green and Greg Monroe, Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, Oklahoma City guards James Harden and Eric Maynor, Charlotte Bobcats draft pick Kemba Walker, New Orleans guard and Fort Washington native Jarrett Jack, Dallas guard Corey Brewer and Cleveland forward Samardo Samuels, among others. John Wall is expected to play, but will make an appearance even if he doesn’t, Hill said.

“I don’t train with all of them, but all of them know me and I have a great relationship with all those guys,” Hill said.

The Beltway area has been the center for star-studded exhibition games this summer. And, after the much-hyped pro-am league duel between the Goodman League and the Drew League at Trinity University and the exciting battle featuring Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul at Morgan State, another is on the way.

Hill has trained several NBA players at the Boys & Girls Club 10 in Northwest — including Durant, Monroe, Minnesota forward Michael Beasley, Sacramento guard Tyreke Evans and Golden State guard Monta Ellis — and organized the event in less than a week. He first got a commitment from Durant, then added Goodman League commissioner Miles Rawls to serve as commentator. Tickets will be sold at the door only for $30 general admission and $20 for youth. Hill said that it only took for hours to sell 40 floor seats worth $100. Balcony seats are $50.

Hill said proceeds would go to the Boys & Girls Club 10, the Calomiris YMCA, National Capital YMCA and Capital Elite Academy. About 200 at-risk youth will also be allowed to attend for free. “For these young kids to see this, this is like a joy,” Hill said in a telephone interview. “I’m so happy. I’m most happy that it’s in D.C. It means a lot to me to help those kids and to raise money for these non-profit organizations.”

Hill added that he is still waiting for commitments from other NBA players — he’s holding out hope for Evans, Beasley and/or Ellis — and will organize the teams later in the week. “It’s good to have guys come in and play a game and still try to stay competitive and keep that edge going,” Green said. “It’s going to be a fun game. I look forward to it.”

By Michael Lee

Did LeBron Finally Shave His Head?

This picture has been making its round around the net since yesterday, even though it's probably fake still worth a good laugh.

Gore signs new deal with the 49ers

By Anthony Caruso III

Frank Gore has signed an extension with the San Francisco 49ers.

Gore has agreed to terms on a three-year, $21 million contract extension. The deal includes $13.5 million guaranteed.

He will make $4.9 million this season. And the new extension will make the overall package a $25.9 million over four years.

Gore hoped to get $21 million guaranteed, like DeAngelo Williams received from the Carolina Panthers.

Johnson, Titans agreement could come this weekend

By Anthony Caruso III

Chris Johnson could report to the Tennessee Titans in the very near future.

Johnson has been in a contract dispute with the Titans over a contract dispute. Both sides already met in Nashville, but they could not agree to a contract.

Now, new information says the Titans are ready to make the offer that Johnson has been waiting for. There are reports that a contract could get a contract done before this weekend.

Sports Agent Joel Segal has his undivided attention on getting a contract done for Johnson after working on a lengthy deal for Michael Vick.

Berkman hopes to stay put with the Cards

By Anthony Caruso III

Lance Berkman does not believe he’ll have another home this season.

Berkman does not believe he’ll be traded before the August 31st waiver deadline. Berkman is eligible to be traded to any team after passing through waivers.

However, he believes the Cardinals have no intention to trade him to a contender. The Cardinals have been shopping Berkman around, even before the non-waiver deadline on July 31st, but could not strike a deal.

The Texas Rangers have been rumored as a possible suitor.

"I’m not going to get moved," said Berkman. " I think the ship has sailed. I really do."

Ramirez could miss the rest of the season with his latest set back

By Anthony Caruso III

Hanley Ramirez has been sidelined again.

Ramirez was forced to leave his High-A Jupiter rehab appearance after just two plate appearances. He left the game with discomfort in his troublesome left shoulder.

Ramirez will be flying back to Miami for an evaluation on his latest set back. The Marlines hoped that Ramirez would come back off the disabled list after this game, but that’s not true now.

It is highly unlikely now that he’s going to return to the Marlins this week. He could miss the rest of the season now.

Adelman has no contract from the Wolves in place

By Anthony Caruso III

Rick Adelman will not be named the Minnesota Wolves head coach as of now.

Adelman met with the Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor on Tuesday, but has returned to Portland without an offer or a promise of the head coaching job.

Adelman also met with other team representatives last week. Adelman had dinner with general manager David Kahn and with Taylor at his home, before flying back to Oregon.

The Wolves do not expect to interview any more candidates after Adelman. A decision is expected to come in the near future on who will be named head coach.

Retaliation caused Crittenton to allegedly murder a woman in Atlanta

By Anthony Caruso III

More information has come out about the sad case involving former NBA player Javaris Crittenton.

Crittenton is accused of shooting a woman to death in Atlanta. Crittenton was recently arrested in Los Angeles after refusing to turn his self in after the FBI and Atlanta police were looking for him in regards to this incident.

Now, there are reports that Crittenton shot the woman as retaliation for being robbed of $55,000 in jewelry, according to police. Crittenton was robbed by two teenagers when leaving a barbershop on the evening of April 21st.

One teenager held Crittenton at gunpoint and ordered him to give up everything that he had. Crittentown, reportedly, handed over a $25,000 black diamond necklace, a $30,000 black diamond watch, an iPhone and $25 cash, according to the report.

Ortiz is ready to return to the Red Sox

By Anthony Caruso III

Big Papi is very close to returning to the Boston Red Sox.

David Ortiz has been dealing with a heel injury. But is expected to return to the starting lineup tonight against the Texas Rangers.

Ortiz was able to be cleared by team doctors on Tuesday night. Ortiz had to run the outfield, under team doctors supervision, to get cleared to return.

Ortiz has been out since August 14th.

Orioles outfielder sent to the hospital with chest pains

By Anthony Caruso III

Adam Jones has been hospitalized.

The Baltimore Orioles outfielder was taken to the hospital for tests after experiencing shortness of breath and mild chest pains. The Orioles believe that Jones' condition is more muscular or structural in nature.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Jones felt weak once after being removed from the game. All the tests that have come back so far are negative.

Jones could be back in the Orioles lineup on Wednesday if there's no problems at the hospital.

Drury retires from the NHL after 12 seasons

By Anthony Caruso III

Chris Drury has decided to walk away from the NHL.

The 35-year-old center was bought out by the New York Rangers this off-season. The move will cost the Rangers $3.716 million against the 2011-12 salary cap and $1.667 million against the 2012-13 salary cap.

Once being bought out, Drury became a free agent. But after having an injury-plagued 2010-11 season, no teams were showing Drury any interest.

Drury appeared in 892 regular season games with Colorado, Calgary, Buffalo, and the Rangers. He had 225 goals and 615 points.

In the playoffs, he had 47 goals, including 17 game-winners, and 89 points in a 135 games. He also won the Stanley Cup with the 2001 Colorado Avalanche.

Rodriguez expected to be activated on Sunday from the DL

By Anthony Caruso III

Alex Rodriguez could return as soon as Sunday.

The New York Yankees third baseman felt good during his workout on Friday. But the team is not expected to activate Rodriguez from the disabled list until Sunday. If there's a mishap, he will be activated on Tuesday.

Rodriguez is expected to be ready to return to the lineup. But Yankees manager Joe Girardi is not taking any chances with him.

When Rodriguez returns, he could be placed in the DH role, before returning to third base.

Chipper Jones will return for the 2012 season

By Anthony Caruso III

Many thought Chipper Jones would not return this season.

But they were wrong when he came back from a serious knee injury to start the season. Now, they are going to be surprised when he comes back for next season.

Jones has announced that he will be returning to the Atlanta Braves next season. There was speculation that Jones would retire after this season.

"I’m playing next year," said Jones, who will make $14 million in 2012 in the final guaranteed year of a three-year, $42 million contract. "I still feel like I can go out there and play a good third base and be a threat, at least, at the plate. I’m having a good defensive year and the [batting] average is on the rise."

He has struggled to stay healthy, but he has produced when he's been in the lineup. He has a .271 batting average with 11 home runs and 55 RBI's in 92 games.

Baldwin loses his head and loses a week 1 starting job with a fight

By Anthony Caruso III

The initial reports about Jonathan Baldwin having a broken wrist is inaccurate.

Baldwin, a Kansas City Chiefs rookie, has a broken thumb. Baldwin got into a fight with his teammate, Thomas Jones, earlier this week in practice.

The fight began when Baldwin got into a heated exchange with Jamaal Charles in Tuesday's practice. Jones and Baldwin later came to blows after Jones couldn't stand Baldwin's sense of entitlement.

Baldwin is expected to be out several weeks. And this injury has affect Baldwin's chance of being a Week 1 Starter.

Cardinals lost Williams for the season with a patellar tendon injury

By Anthony Caruso III

The Arizona Cardinals took a huge blow to their offense.

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt has revealed after Friday night's preseason game that Ryan Williams has a torn patellar tendon. Williams, a rookie, had to be carted off the field after a six-yard run in the third quarter.

This is a season-ending injury. It is also a potentially career-threatening injury, depending on Williams' recovery process. But the good news in regards to this injury is that Williams is just 21-years-old and should be able to recover from it.

He will need to undergo major knee surgery and his NFL rookie season is washed out. If he recovers properly, he should be healthy by the start of the 2012 training camp.

Beanie Wells is expected to receive more carries with Williams being lost for the season.

Broncos lose newly-signed Warren for a significant time

By Anthony Caruso III

The Denver Broncos now has a gaping hole at the defensive tackle position.

Broncos' Ty Warren is out indefinitely. Warren torn his triceps on 9-on-7 drills on Monday.

"I knew he was fired up and showed a lot of emotion because he got back on the field after a year off," Kevin Vickerson said. "I know it's kind of messing with him a little bit just because he's going through an injury like this, but hopefully it's not a season-ending injury and he can come back soon."

Warren is expected to miss significant time this season. He missed all of last season with a hip injury.

Warren signed a two-year, $8 million dollar contract recently. Warren was released by the New England Patriots after the new CBA.

Polanco has been played on the disabled list, but is expected to return in five days

By Anthony Caruso III

The Philadelphia Phillies are going to be without Placido Polanco for a short time longer.

Polanco has been placed on the 15-day disabled list. The move is retroactive to August 7th, with a sports hernia.

Polanco has not appeared in a game since August 6th. He is eligible to return to the Phillies in five days.

Polanco is expected to undergo surgery to repair the sports hernia at the end of the season. If it gets worse, he would have to immediately undergo surgery, delaying his return.

Driver may take a demotion to stay with the team instead of being released

By Anthony Caruso III

Donald Driver is willing to take a lesser role with the Green Bay Packers to stay with the team.

Driver is willing to accept a demotion out of the starting lineup. But Driver believes it has not gotten to that point yet.

The Packers have treated him with respect throughout his career. But Driver is putting the team in a tough situation by holding younger players back.

Jordy Nelson and James Jones are both capable of taking Driver's starting position from him.

Culpepper will get a second tryout with the 49ers on Monday

By Anthony Caruso III

Daunte Culpepper could be back in the NFL in no time.

Culpepper had a three-hour practice with the San Francisco 49ers. And after the practice, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has said the team is going to bring Culpepper back on Monday for an additional tryout.

"We're going to have Daunte in for a workout and kick the tires," Harbaugh said. "I'm looking forward to that."

Harbaugh has made it clear that the 49ers does not have a clear-cut starter, between Alex Smith and rookie Colin Kaepernick. Culpepper last played in the NFL with the Detroit Lions in 2009.

Culpepper was the No. 11 overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft. He spent the majority of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, where he played in three Pro Bowls. Culpepper was with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League last year.
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Schilens will be evaluated by the Raiders on a week-by-week basis

By Anthony Caruso III

The Oakland Raiders will have to evaluate Chaz Schilens on a week-to-week basis.

Schilens sprained his knee in the Raiders pre-season opener. Schilens was limping off of the field on Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals.

"You get a player, right now, with no offseason, no training, all of a sudden a guy gets hurt, it takes a little bit to get a guy back, and we're going to be cautious," Jackson said. "We're going to be cautious in getting people back, so we'll take our time, and we'll get him back and we'll be ready to go."

Schilens had participated in every Raider practice in training camp leading up to the pre-season opener.

Skelton is now comfortable as the Cardinals back up quarterback

By Anthony Caruso III

Former Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback John Skelton has become comfortable with his new role.

Skelton said he was clueless when he signed with the Cardinals a year ago as their fifth round pick out of Fordham. He says he never expected to lead the Cardinals as their starting quarterback for four games last season.

"I went into the season thinking I wasn't going to play, just sit back and learn as much as I can," said Skelton. "But for one reason or another I ended up having to play, and those four games I did at the end of the year were really an invaluable experience."

Skelton is now the back up to new Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb. Skelton says he is 10 times more familiar with the Cardinals offense than his rookie campaign.

"Not in the least," Skelton said. "The coaching staff said that, 'John, honestly we need to bring someone else in. That doesn't change the role that we want you to play. We want you to come in, compete and learn as much as you can."

Redskins release veteran Shayne Graham

By Anthony Caruso III

The Washington Redskins have released their veteran kicker in camp.

The Redskins released Shayne Graham. Now, the Redskins have Graham Gano as the lone kicker in camp.

The older Graham is the third most accurate kicker in NFL history. He struggled in practice leading up to the game, and missed a 49-yard field goal against the Steelers.

Gano was ranked last in the NFL in field goal accuracy last year. However, he was 3-for-3 in field goal attempts against the Steelers.

Colston returns to the Saints

By Anthony Caruso III

The New Orleans Saints got a big boost to their offense.

After a week off from practice, Marques Colston has returned to the practice field. Colston has been suffering from a knee injury.

Colston did not practice because he was waiting for the irritation and swelling in his surgically repaired knee to subside. Colston is expected to play in his first pre-season game against the Houston Texans later this week.

The pre-season game is going to be a indication on how far long he is. If he struggles against the Texans, he could miss another week or two to fully recover.

Schnellenberger set to retire at the end of the season

By Anthony Caruso III

Howard Schnellenberger is retiring from college football.

The Florida Atlantic head football coach announced his retirement. He was asked about his future in recent weeks about the media. However, his retirement is not effective until the end of the 2011 season.

Schnellenberger will stay on with the FAU Athletic Department once the 2011 season ends. He will become an ambassador for the school.

Schnellenberger's contract expires at the end of this season. FAU would like to have a new coach in place by late November or early December.

"This was done now to make it as seamless as we could make it," Schnellenberger said. "Let this season stand on its own ... and do it in what I would call a civil way."

The Royals finally find out about Davis' arrest on Tuesday morning

By Anthony Caruso III

Kyle Davies' secret has been revealed.

In the hours leading up to his release by the Kansas City Royals, he was arrested for disorderly intoxication in the Tampa area. Davis was released by the Royals on Wednesday.

“I embarrassed myself and my family,” Davies said. “I made a foolish mistake. I’ll learn from it, and I’ll get past it.”

Davis' arrest and his continued failures at the big league level caused his release.

Davis, who is just 27-years-old is seeking another starting position with a new organization.

Stern believes the 11-12 NBA season will not be canceled

By Anthony Caruso III

NBA Commissioner David Stern has predicted that there will be an NBA season.

Stern has gone on record to say that he expects an agreement will be made between the owners and players that will save the 11-12 season. The NBA recently filed an unfair labor practice charge against the NBA Players Association to prevent them from a decertification.

“I expect that we’ll make a deal because the alternative is very destructive,” he said. “It’s destructive of $2 billion worth of player salaries and it’s destructive most important to our fans of the game. And if it spirals badly everyone gets hurt. But in some ways I worry because the players have more to lose, especially those in the later stages of their career. So we’re going to do everything we can when the rhetoric slows down to get this thing back on track.”

The NBA does not want to see what happened with the NFL. The NFL recently agreed to a new labor deal after having a four-month-long lockout.

“I would say that we have very smart players who recognize that this system is very good to them,'' he said. "You've got 13 players on a roster averaging $5 million apiece, that’s $65 million and what the owners have said is, ‘we’re going to try very hard as we reset this thing to keep you as close to that number as we can.’

“The NFL, which is usually profitable as opposed to the NBA, which isn’t, got the double-digit [revenue] reductions from their players. Our players will understand that when the rhetoric stops and they will understand that the owners are trying to do the right thing and our players always try to do the right thing.”

Houston to host the 2013 NBA All-Star game

By Anthony Caruso III

It usually takes a decade or more for a team to host an All-Star game again.

But that's not the case with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have been named to host the 2013 NBA All-Star game.

The 2013 All-Star game will be played on February 17th. The Rockets last hosted a game in 2006.

The last NBA All-Star game had an economic impact of $80-90 million dollars. LeBron James was named the 2006 NBA All-Star game MVP.