<![CDATA[PureTalkForum Debate & Discussion Forum - Sports]]> http://www.puretalkforum.com Discuss all of your favorite sports, leagues, teams, and anything else sport-oriented. en Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:25:47 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.puretalkforum.com/images/monkeybatter/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[PureTalkForum Debate & Discussion Forum - Sports]]> http://www.puretalkforum.com <![CDATA[Chad Ochocinco Talks 'T. Ocho Show']]> http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/chad-ochocinco-talks-t-ocho-show-7359.html Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:25:05 GMT Chad Ochocinco Talks 'T. Ocho Show', Says Goodell Is 'Like My Dad'


9/07/2010 9:00 AM ET By Ryan Wilson



It was only a matter of time. Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens, teammates in Cincinnati who refer to themselves as Batman and Robin, are joining forces for their own weekly national NFL talk show on Versus. It's called "The T. Ocho Show." Think a "Pardon the Interruption" format but, as Ochocinco told FanHouse recently, "...a lot more raw."

"The T. Ocho Show" premieres Oct. 12 on Versus, but the network will air sneak-peak segments for five weeks before, starting Tuesday, Sept. 7 on "The Daily Line." In the meantime, Ochocinco sat down with FanHouse's Ryan Wilson for a wide-ranging interview that touched on everything from Roger Goodell, social vs. mainstream media, Chad's various off-field entrepreneurial endeavors, and, of course, T.O.

Enjoy. And don't forget: get a glimpse of "The T. Ocho Show" on Versus tonight and each week until the premiere on Oct. 12.
5 percent of the time, the other 15 percent you're on your own.
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* Wish I can see see his show.
Though seasonal,it should be a hit !

:itsme: ]]> Sports ash1280 http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/chad-ochocinco-talks-t-ocho-show-7359.html Nyjer Morgan Charges Mound http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/nyjer-morgan-charges-mound-7340.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:24:44 GMT Nyjer Morgan Charges Mound, Setting Off Brawl Between Nationals, Marlins


9/01/2010 11:07 PM ET By FanHouse Staff



    • FanHouse Staff
Washington Nationals center fielder Nyjer Morgan found himself at the center of his biggest controversy yet Wednesday night, when he charged the mound and threw a punch at Florida Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad to kick off a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams in the sixth inning of the Nats' 16-10 loss to Florida.

Morgan was angered when Volstad threw a pitch behind him, the second time the Marlins hurler appeared to take aim at the speedy outfielder. As that second purpose pitch flew past catcher Brad Davis and to the backstop at Sun Life Stadium, Morgan paused briefly, then tossed his bat aside and rushed toward Volstad. Morgan's punch appeared to glance off the side of Volstad's head, and almost immediately thereafter he was clothes-lined by first baseman Gaby Sanchez and pummeled by a number of his other Marlins teammates.

"He hit me the first time, so be it. But he hit two other of our guys? All right, cool. But then he whips another one behind me, we got to go," Morgan said of the events that pushed him over the edge. "I'm just sticking up for myself and just defending my teammates. I'm just going out there and doing what I have to do."

Morgan and Volstad, who had a bruise on his face in post-game interviews, were tossed from the game along with Marlins pitcher Jose Veras and manager Edwin Rodriguez. Nationals manager Jim Riggleman and pitcher Doug Slaten were ejected later in the game when Slaten hit Sanchez in the hip with a pitch.
Despite the multiple ejections, it is Morgan who is certain to be the talk of the incident.

He has been a lightning rod over the last week. He was suspended for seven games by Major League Baseball last Wednesday for throwing a ball into the stands that struck a fan in the face at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, a punishment he is appealing. Then over the weekend he angered Riggleman and his own teammates for a perceived cheap shot on Cardinals catcher Bryan Anderson as he came across the plate to score. Riggleman wound up apologizing to St. Louis.

But his actions over the last 24-plus hours have taken his antics up another notch.

On Tuesday, he barreled into Marlins catcher Brett Hayes in the 10th inning of Washington's 1-0 loss to Florida. Hayes was diagnosed with a separated shoulder as a result of the collision, which some Marlins players thought was dirty, and is likely out for the year.

That was enough to garner some retaliation from Volstad on Wednesday. He successfully plunked Morgan in the fourth inning before throwing behind him in the sixth. After getting hit, Morgan fanned the flames further by stealing second and then third base in the fourth, at which point the Nationals were down 14-3, a margin of 11 runs.

"That was garbage. That's just bad baseball."
-- Nyjer Morgan on Chris Volstad throwing behind him in the sixth inning
"That was garbage. That's just bad baseball," said Morgan. "It's only the fourth inning. If they're going to hold me on, I'm going to roll out (and steal a base). The circumstances were kind of out of whack, but the game was too early. It was only the fourth inning. If it happened again, I'd do it again. It's one of those things where I'm a hard-nosed player. I'm grimey."

Riggleman said after the game that he didn't think the stolen bases led to Volstad's second attempted plunking of Morgan because the Marlins were planning to go after him all along.

"I'm glad Nyjer stole those bases, to tell you the truth," he said. "They hit him, he went to first base, he took his medicine. I don't know that yesterday's play (on Hayes) was right or wrong, but we were going to let it go and Nyjer went to first base. ...

"If they hit you and you feel like you didn't do anything wrong, which that's the way Nyjer felt, ... that's his business. We decide when we run, we don't let anybody else decide when we run. Whatever their reason was for throwing at Nyjer again, I've got no problems with what took place after that."

But the Marlins were pretty clearly irked by Morgan's perhaps unnecessary aggressiveness on the basepaths.

"I cannot stand when a guy shows somebody up. There's no place in baseball for that. You're going to get what's coming to you if you do that. Tonight, we had to show him that we weren't going to put up with the way he was treating us after last night," said Marlins third baseman Wes Helms.

"I can't really say anything good about a guy that doesn't play the game the right way and doesn't play for the integrity of the game," Helms added. "I know he's stealing bases out of his own doing, he's trying to get back at us. That's the only reason we went after him the second time. If he wouldn't have stole the bases, I think it would have been over with, but since he stole the bases it kind of pumped us up a little more."

Awfully strong words all around, and this one might not be over. The Marlins head up to Washington next weekend for a three-game series at Nationals Park from Sept. 10-12.

Morgan, for his part, seems unconcerned about his reputation suffering after this recent string of incidents.

"People are going to have their own opinions. I know what kind of player I am. I'm going out there balls out," said Morgan. "I'm not going to go out there and take anything for granted. I'm going to show that I'm a hard-nosed ballplayer, and that's the way it is."

His teammates seem less sure.

"He's definitely done some things over the past couple weeks that are a little questionable, I think," Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said.

"But the whole thing in Philly, whatever. He shouldn't be thought of any differently for that. I didn't see the play, but I seriously doubt he turned and threw a ball at somebody's face. People throw balls in the stands all the time. But the thing with St. Louis was out of line, and we told him that. He's still learning the game. But the St. Louis play was really the only play that, I think, is in question. The play last night was, I think, clean."

With one suspension pending, and another one now to come, it's unlikely Major League Baseball will be as understanding.

Information from the Palm Beach Post and NatsInsider.com was used in this report.
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* Perhaps a PTF membership would cool him off. * :biggrin: :itsme:
 ]]> Sports ash1280 http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/nyjer-morgan-charges-mound-7340.html Brandon Spikes Video http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/brandon-spikes-video-7338.html Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:10:14 GMT Brandon Spikes Video From Chatroulette Leads to NFL Investigation


9/01/2010 5:00 PM ET By Tom Herrera


    • Tom Herrera
    • Senior Producer
And now for something completely different. The NFL is investigating the explicit video of Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes that was leaked onto the Internet, apparently to determine whether Spikes violated the league's personal conduct policy. "We are looking into it," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the Boston Herald.

At first we were left with questions whether it was in fact Spikes engaging in sexual acts with another woman in the video, but Spikes' agent, Terry Watson, has since come forward to apologize on his client's behalf and called it an "embarrassing situation."

"It was something that occurred before he became an NFL draftee and a New England Patriot. I think for anyone it would be an embarrassing situation," Watson told ESPNBoston.com. "Brandon has shown to many people the kind of person he is before and after being drafted in the second round. He's hoping to put this behind him and looks forward to having a great football season."



Spikes, a second-round draft pick out of the University of Florida, became subject to the policy once he was selected in the NFL Draft. Assuming it's true that the video was recorded off chatroulette while Spikes was still in college, it would be pretty ridiculous to dock him anything beyond a small fine (and even that is debatable). Before the video surfaced, he'd done nothing but impress this preseason, racking up tackles in the Patriots' three games.

Spikes' cousin, Rakeem McSwain, told the Boston Herald that a woman could have put the video online without Spikes' knowledge, which is usually how these things seem to happen. "I don't think he'd do something like this," McSwain said. "He's got too much to lose. He's a good guy."

For those if you not in the know, chatroulette is a website on which you can have webcam-based conversations with random strangers. Some use it for things of an adult nature. It's debatable how many actual "conversations" happen on the site.

This whole mini-controversy should fade away before the Pats take the field for real football on Sept. 12 against Cincinnati. The lesson to be learned is clear, just like it was when defensive tackle Darnell Dockett was viewed showering online back in May: Keep your high-profile belongings off the web.
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* Extra curricular activity outside the NFL is prohibited. * ]]> Sports ash1280 http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/brandon-spikes-video-7338.html Uefa Champions league 2010 - 2011. http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/uefa-champions-league-2010-2011-a-7316.html Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:54:47 GMT I would like to support Juventus this season officially. Hopefully... ah... the better they do the better I will do with my debating, yes? The black and white corresponds with the kit of a lot of teams too. I think it crosses over to my native team Orlando Pirates too, giants of Zud Afrikanse soccer too... oh yes! I would like to support Juventus this season officially. Hopefully... ah... the better they do the better I will do with my debating, yes?

The black and white corresponds with the kit of a lot of teams too. I think it crosses over to my native team Orlando Pirates too, giants of Zud Afrikanse soccer too... oh yes! ]]> Sports Charlatan http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/uefa-champions-league-2010-2011-a-7316.html Tiger Woods marriage ends in divorce http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/tiger-woods-marriage-ends-divorce-7285.html Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:35:01 GMT Nine months after Tiger Woods caught in adultery, his marriage ends in divorce
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
03:31:10 PM (ET), Monday, August 23, 2010
Tiger Woods and his Swedish-born wife officially divorced Monday, nine months after his middle-of-the night car crash outside his home set off shocking revelations that the world's most famous athlete had been cheating on his wife.

"We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future," Woods and Elin Nordegren said in a joint statement released by their lawyers.

The divorce was granted in Bay County Circuit Court in Panama City, Fla., about 375 miles away from their Isleworth home outside Orlando. The couple had married in October 2004 in Barbados and have a 3-year-old daughter, Sam, and a 19-month-old son, Charlie.

Terms of the divorce were not disclosed, except that they will "share parenting" of their two children.

The divorce was finalized by Bay County Circuit Judge Judy Pittman Biebel during a brief hearing in a conference room in her chambers, according to Biebel's judicial assistant Kim Gibson. The hearing was very brief, only about five or 10 minutes. Both Woods and Nordegren were present, along with their lawyers, Gibson said.

"I don't comment on active cases," Thomas J. Sasser, Woods' divorce attorney, said. When asked why they chose to file in Panama City, Sasser said only it was a joint decision by the lawyers.

The petition said the marriage was "irretrievably broken" and that Woods' wife asked to have her maiden name _ Elin Maria Pernilla Nordegren _ restored.

The couple signed a marital settlement agreement on July 3 and July 4, the weekend of the AT&T National outside Philadelphia, where Woods failed to break par in a PGA Tour event for the first time in 11 years.

The sordid sex scandal cost Woods three major corporate sponsors _ Accenture, AT&T and Gatorade _ worth millions of dollars, and he lost his image as the gold standard in sports endorsements. A month after the scandal became public, Woods spent two months in therapy at a Mississippi Clinic with hopes of saving his marriage.

"While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us," they said in the statement. ... "The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern."

Woods is to play this week at The Barclays, where he needs a good performance to extend his PGA Tour season and try to show he is worth picking for the Ryder Cup. It will be his first tournament as a single man since he finished ninth in a World Golf Championship in Ireland in October 2004.

___
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* Now the compensations... * ]]> Sports ash1280 http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/tiger-woods-marriage-ends-divorce-7285.html Strikeforce: Houston Preview Show http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/strikeforce-houston-preview-show-7272.html Sat, 21 Aug 2010 08:58:13 GMT Strikeforce: Houston Preview Show

8/21/2010 8:51 PM ET By Ariel Helwani

HOUSTON -- On Saturday night, Muhammed Lawal will look to successfully defend his Strikeforce light heavyweight title for the very first time against Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante. This will mark just the eighth pro fight in Lawal's career, and while the sky appears to be the limit for the former Oklahoma State University wrestling star, one wonders how will he preform with the bulls-eye on his back for the first time.

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* Wish I can afford this match up on PPV.
It's going to be good ! * ]]> Sports ash1280 http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/strikeforce-houston-preview-show-7272.html Giants Manning http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/giants-manning-7265.html Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:36:43 GMT Giants Manning
By The Associated Press

11:10:11 AM (ET), Wednesday, August 18, 2010
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -Eli Manning is back on the field.

The New York Giants quarterback joined teammates for stretching on Wednesday morning at training camp at the University at Albany.

Manning needed 12 stitches to close a gash on the left side of his forehead on Monday night in a preseason game against the Jets. The 29-year-old also lobbed a couple of passes before stretching with teammates.

It's not clear whether Manning will play in the Giants' preseason game against Pittsburgh at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Saturday night. The seven-year veteran has said that he is all right, but the Giants have not said whether doctors cleared him to play after taking a battery of tests to rule out a concussion.


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* Watched the game on ESPN.
Seen the play.
Seen the injury.
I will be surprised to see Manning play this Saturday.
On a lighter note it was a good game.
The Giants at the end has claimed the rights of the new Meadowlands Stadium as there home. * ]]> Sports ash1280 http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/giants-manning-7265.html Dennis Rodman http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/dennis-rodman-7251.html Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:43:39 GMT Will Dennis Rodman Worm His Way Into Hall's Heart?


8/13/2010 3:45 PM ET By Chris Tomasson


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- He promises he won't wear a dress. But anything beyond that looks to be fair game.

There are some who wonder what might happen at the induction ceremony if the outrageous Dennis Rodman ever becomes a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Rodman, who once wore a wedding dress to an autobiography-signing event, doesn't sound as if he would don a coat and tie.

"People expect me to show up (Thursday) in a dress or (Friday) in a dress,'' Rodman said in an interview with FanHouse after an autograph session Thursday at the Hall and before he will attend former Chicago teammate Scottie Pippen's Friday induction. "We'll keep it cool (Thursday) and (Friday). If I do get inducted, I'm going to do something kind of crazy. No dress. But I'll do something wild.''

A look at his statistics would seem to indicate the 6-foot-7 Rodman is Hall-worthy. Playing from 1986-2000, he won seven rebounding titles, twice was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year and won five title rings, two with Detroit and three with the Bulls.

But then there's all that other stuff.

"I hurt my chances when in 1999-2000 I said I was going to walk out of my last game nude,'' said Rodman, whose celebrity status crossed over from sports thanks to dying his hair a multitude of colors and covering his body with tattoos and piercings.

Rodman actually didn't end up doing that. So he's OK there, although there certainly have been some rough spots, including an apparent flirtation with suicide, head butting a referee and kicking a cameraman. And his romances with Madonna and Carmen Electra offered up plenty of tabloid fodder.

"Hopefully, they can overlook that he's really not a bad guy,'' Rodman's longtime agent, Darren Prince, said of the Hall of Fame selection committee. "Off the court, he's had some issues. He's had some run-ins with the law (including arrests for DUI and domestic violence), but he never hurt anybody or killed anybody.

"But it's happened with a lot of guys. Michael Irvin got inducted (in 2007 to the Pro Football Hall of Fame) and look at the problems he had (including drugs). ... (Rodman will) hear the disputes about his off-the-court behavior, but you'll never hear (a negative word) about his rebounding ability. Nobody will ever tell you he isn't the hardest-working guy out there.''

Although Rodman played his last NBA game in 1999-2000, Prince said his eligibility for the Hall of Fame, which requires a five-year retirement, was delayed because he played in 2003-04 with the Long Beach Jam of the minor-league ABA. So this year's class is the first in which Rodman was eligible and not selected.

"Look at Joe Namath. Look at Lawrence Taylor. All these people did these things off the court and they're all in the Hall of Fame. And I'm like, 'What do I need to do to get in the Hall of Fame?' If I don't get in, what can you do?"
- Dennis Rodman
"You look at the history of sports, and there are guys that have more off-the-court antics than I have,'' said Rodman, nicknamed "The Worm.'' "Look at the Babe Ruths. Look at the DiMaggios, and people back in the day that were heavy drinkers and heavy partiers.''

Not that Joe DiMaggio is a good example of a bad boy, but Rodman is on a roll.

"Look at Joe Namath,'' Rodman continued. "Look at Lawrence Taylor. All these people did these things off the court and they're all in the Hall of Fame. And I'm like, 'What do I need to do to get in the Hall of Fame?' If I don't get in, what can you do?''

Rodman was asked how badly he wants to be enshrined.

"The only reason I want to get in, the only major reason is for my kids,'' said Rodman, who has four children, ranging in age from 8 to 22. "I respect the Hall of Fame. I respect all the players. I respect the coaches. But I want to get in for my kids. That's about it.''

As Rodman spoke, he was surrounded by Hall of Fame displays for the Bulls, who won titles with Rodman in 1996, 1997 and 1998, the Pistons, who won it all with Rodman in 1989 and 1990, and the San Antonio Spurs, although they won their four titles after Rodman already had departed following a 1993-95 stint with the team.

"Honestly, that's funny,'' Rodman said. "I'm looking around. I see Michael (Jordan, his former Bulls teammate) there and the old team I used to play for right there and then the old team I used to play for right there.''

One thing that wasn't recently funny, though, was Rodman being involved July 31 in what could have been a serious accident. Rodman was a passenger in an SUV that had a tire blow out near his Fort Lauderdale, Fla., home and flipped over. Rodman walked away unhurt, as did another passenger. The driver was hospitalized with a gash on the head that wasn't serious.

"I've been through worse,'' Rodman said. "It was just more like, it's part of my life (flirting with danger). I was like, 'Wow, you can't get rid of me that easily' ... It's my third (of nine lives). In my life, most of the things I've done are a lot worse. I'm still here.''

And still playing basketball. Rodman, who turns 50 next May, will fly to Japan on Sunday to take part in two exhibition games.

Rodman is mostly retired. But Prince said he really wanted to play for the fans in Japan.

"Look at his body,'' Prince said of the well-sculptured Rodman. "He's in incredible shape. He works out twice a day.''

Even though Rodman hasn't played an NBA game for a decade, he certainly hasn't been forgotten. A long line wrapped around the upstairs of the Hall as fans waited to have Rodman sign items, which he did for an hour.

Fans brought the usual assortment of jerseys, magazine covers, basketball cards, programs and photos. One guy with an artificial limb took it off and had Rodman sign it.

"At least you know that will never end up on eBay,'' the fan cracked.

So you thought Rodman had seen everything.

"That was a first,'' Rodman said of signing a prosthesis. "That was fun.''

Prince and Rodman's girlfriend of six years, GiGi DeLeon, both said Rodman has a lot of fun interacting with his many fans.

"It's Michael Jackson syndrome,'' DeLeon said. "Everywhere he goes, people come up to him. At the gas station. ... They're so excited. He makes their day. He really loves kids. And if somebody is disabled, he will go out of his way and to talk to a person in a wheelchair.''

It's the second straight year Rodman has shown up at the Hall of Fame for an induction of a Bulls legend. Last year it was Jordan and this time it's Pippen. Jordan and Pippen also will be enshrined Friday as members of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, with all 12 players from that team scheduled to be on hand.

"I'm basically here to support them,'' Rodman said of the two.

Jordan and Pippen handled the scoring for the Bulls. But Rodman took care of the glass, winning his final three rebounding titles with the final three Chicago title teams.

"I will say for my size,'' Rodman said when asked if he agreed with a fan who called him the best rebounder ever. "Just being 6-7 and, at that time, I was 215, 220 (pounds). That's incredible averages (twice averaging more than 18 rebounds in a season and a career average of 13.1). And I played defense and did a lot of other stuff. You can't find that.''

Still, the Hall of Fame has yet to call. If it does, Rodman will look to make his mark even if it doesn't involve wearing a dress.

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* Mr. Rodman is making some noise.
Not ashame admitting he's one of my favorites.
Dial those digits to Mr. Rodman please. *
 ]]> Sports ash1280 http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/dennis-rodman-7251.html Reds-Cards Fight http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/reds-cards-fight-7247.html Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:51:45 GMT Three Suspended for Reds-Cards Fight


8/12/2010 12:58 PM ET By FanHouse Staff




Major League Baseball has suspended Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto for seven games, Reds manager Dusty Baker and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa for two games apiece and disciplined four others for their roles in a scuffle between the two teams in Cincinnati earlier this week.

St. Louis' Yadier Molina and Chris Carpenter and Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips and Russ Springer were fined an undisclosed amount.

A benches-clearing incident erupted Tuesday night when Phillips began jawing with Molina before his first at-bat of the night. A day earlier, Phillips, the Reds' All-Star second baseman, ripped the Cardinals.

"I hate the Cardinals. All they do is (complain) and moan about everything, all of them. They're little (expletives), all of 'em. I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear -- I hate the Cardinals," Phillips said.

La Russa and Baker were the only members of either team ejected on Tuesday night, but the stiffest punishment from MLB was reserved for Cueto, who was caught on television replays kicking at other players. Cardinals catcher Jason LaRue, one of those other players, suffered a slight concussion.

Cueto claimed he was just trying to defend himself after being trapped against the netting above the backstop at Great American Ball Park.

"I was trying to break it up," he said. "The next thing I know, 15-20 people were around me. I was up against the net. When 15 people are around you, you get scared. I had my back to the wall with my feet up."

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* I was telling the players about becoming new members of both PTF & RecoveryPlus.
I had no idea they all chosen the same screen name "Ich_Bin_Butler".So they took their anger out on the playing field.
They would of torn PTF apart if I told them Ich_Bin_Butler was already taken.
I will suggest Ich_War_Butler next time to prevent such scuffling.
I have no idea but I have seen the name somewhere. * :hmmmm2: ]]> Sports ash1280 http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/reds-cards-fight-7247.html <![CDATA[LeBron James' Tweet Aimed at Critics]]> http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/lebron-james-tweet-aimed-critics-7243.html Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:23:07 GMT LeBron James' Tweet Aimed at Critics


8/11/2010 3:50 PM ET By Robert Karpeles




King James hath spoken and he sounds angry.

After several weeks of backlash from fans, media, his former owner and other NBA past greats, LeBron James suggested he is ready to zip his critics up.

His message came via Twitter.

"Don't think for one minute that I haven't been keeping mental notes of everyone taking shots at me this summer. And I mean everyone," he wrote on his Twitter account.

Last month, James announced on a one-hour special on ESPN that he would be leaving his home state of Ohio for Miami's South Beach to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Since then, James has heard the negative reaction of many.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert ripped him in a letter, painting him as a traitor to his hometown franchise. His jerseys were burned in the streets of Cleveland. The gigantic poster of James next to the Quicken Loans Arena was stripped down. A couple of NBA legends questioned his decision to team up with Wade and Bosh. And some media critics even pondered if the whole signing of the Big Three was some conspiracy that the NBA should investigate.

A few weeks ago in Las Vegas, an ESPN reporter followed James around in a nightclub and tagged along with James on a night out. He described LeBron by saying, "The more you hang around James, the more you realize he's still a child wrapped in a 6-foot-8, 250-pound frame." ESPN spiked the article from its website a short time later, claiming the article should have never been published because the writer, Arash Markazi, "did not properly identify himself as a reporter."

But unlike ESPN, the rest of the world can't take its word back. LeBron has certainly been ridiculed by his choice to leave Cleveland. He admits that he has been taking notes. Now, we will just have to wait and watch.
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* Changes are hard to accept. *


]]> Sports ash1280 http://www.puretalkforum.com/f48/lebron-james-tweet-aimed-critics-7243.html