Sports Articles

2011-04-28 | Jim Murphy

The Miami Heat finally took care of a pesky Philadelphia 76ers team, winning Game 5 at home to take the opening round NBA Eastern Conference series 4 games to 1. Dwayne Wade scored 26 points and Chris Bosh added 22 points and 11 rebounds as Miami turned back a determined Philadelphia side 97-91 and will now advance to the inevitable showdown with the Boston Celtics who ignominiously ended LeBron James’ season—and his tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers—in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals.

2011-04-28 | Jim Murphy

Philadelphia Phillies righthander Roy Oswalt has briefly left the team for personal reasons. He’s returned home to Mississippi to check on his family after a series of tornadoes struck the area several days ago. Three large storms rampaged through central Mississippi last weekend causing widespread destruction and at least three deaths. Assuming all is well, Oswalt is hoping to rejoin the team in time for his next scheduled start though the Phillies have made clear that there’s no specific timetable for when they expect him back in the lineup.

2011-04-28 | Jim Murphy

The New York Knicks took on Chauncey Billups at midseason as a ‘throw in’ in the deal that brought Carmelo Anthony to the ‘Big Apple’ but they ended up getting a very valuable playmaker that provides valuable veteran leadership in their backcourt. On Wednesday, they ‘put their money where their mouth is’ and picked up Billups’ option for the 2011-2012 NBA season. New York had the opportunity to buy out his contract for $3.7 million but with the option will pay Billups $14.2 million for next year.

2011-04-27 | Jim Murphy

The Vancouver Canucks were on the verge of sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks, holding a 3-0 lead prior to Game 4 at the United Center. Since then, they’ve been in freefall and now face a decisive Game 7 tonight on their home ice. They looked awful in Games 4 and 5 and although they played better in Game 6 there were plenty of mistakes to go around. Canucks’ GM Mike Gillis isn’t focusing on his team’s shortcomings in trying to explain Vancouver’s predicament, opting instead for the tried and true—he’s blaming the officiating.

2011-04-27 | Jim Murphy

The University of Florida has long suffered from a reputation as a program that condones criminal behavior among their players, but that may be changing under new head coach Will Muschamp. On Tuesday, Muschamp announced that All SEC cornerback Janoris Jenkins has been kicked off the team after his second drug related arrest in the past three months. The coach met with Jenkins early in the morning and made the decision to give him the boot shortly thereafter.

2011-04-27 | Jim Murphy

The Chicago Bulls and their fans are breathing a big sigh of relief with the news that superstar guard Derek Rose appears to have avoided serious ankle injury and has started Game 5 of the best of 7 opening round series against the Indiana Pacers. Rose injured his ankle in the Bulls’ Game 4 loss though remained in the game playing through the pain. He remained ‘questionable’ until gametime on Tuesday night but early indications were that he was moving well without much, if any, discernable pain.

2011-04-25 | Jim Murphy

At the time it seemed like a natural move for Rich Rodriguez—leaving West Virginia for one of the highest profile jobs in college football at the University of Michigan. Unfortunately, it became something of a nightmare for ‘Rich-Rod’ and he was fired after three seasons and a

2011-04-25 | Jim Murphy

The Washington Capitals are a team used to regular season success, but now they appear to be ready to translate that into playoff victories. On Saturday the Caps defeated the New York Rangers 3-1 to win their opening round Eastern Conference series in five games. It’s the first time since Bruce Boudreau became head coach that they’ve finished a series early, with all four of their previous playoff appearances going a full seven games.

2011-04-25 | Jim Murphy

Suspensions for fighting are a more common occurrence in pro hockey, but the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic will each play Game 4 of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series a man short due to that very reason. Orlando will be without guard Jason Richardson, while Atlanta will lose the services of center Zaza Pachulia for their involvement in an altercation during the closing moments of Game 3 won by the Hawks.

2011-04-19 | Jim Murphy

Although the verbiage being used by both sides makes it unclear who wanted him out, the sum total is that Rick Adelman has been fired as coach of the NBA’s Houston Rockets. Adelman’s contract is up in June and although neither side is characterizing it as a ‘dismissal’ the bottom line is that his deal won’t be renewed and he’s no longer the team’s coach. The Rockets finished 43-39 this season and missed out on the playoffs by three games. Adelman has 945 career victories as a head coach, good for 8th place on the NBA’s all time wins list.

2011-04-19 | Jim Murphy

It’s not uncommon for a head coach to criticize the officiating after a loss. It’s somewhat unusual to hear criticism of an arena. Following Washington’s Game 3 loss to the New York Rangers Caps’ coach Bruce Boudreau unloaded a barrage of vitriol at an unusual target—the Madison Square Garden arena itself. He also had some harsh words for the Rangers’ fans, but his primary gripe was the decrepit conditions in the World’s most famous sports arena.

2011-04-19 | Jim Murphy

The Orlando Magic may be down a game to the Atlanta Hawks in their opening round NBA playoff series, but on Monday they had something to celebrate as center Dwight Howard was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for an unprecedented third straight season. Howard led the league in ‘double/double’s’ this season and put up some very impressive numbers: 14.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and a career-high 1.3 steals per game this season.

2011-04-12 | Jim Murphy

New Jersey Nets’ point guard Deron Williams has been hampered by a nagging wrist injury for much of the season, but until now he’s missed only a few games as he played through the pain. On Monday, Williams finally got the surgical treatment he needed. The prevailing theory had been that Williams was suffering from a strained wrist that would require several weeks—if not months—of rest to fully heal. After a second opinion, it was decided that the situation was more serious than a mere sprain and surgery was called for. The Nets are out of the playoff hunt and have only two games remaining on their schedule for the season.

2011-04-12 | Jim Murphy

The Minnesota Wild has been competitive in the tough NHL Western Conference for their entire ten year existence, but that hasn’t translated into postseason success. They’ve only made the playoffs three times and after being eliminated from this year’s postseason play have now failed to qualify in three consecutive years—the biggest drought in team history. Head coach Todd Richards was at the helm for two of those seasons and on Monday became the third coach fired since the NHL regular season ended on Sunday.

2011-04-12 | Jim Murphy

Uncle Mo has been the presumptive Kentucky Derby favorite ever since his victory in the 2010 Breeder’s Cup Juvenile. Despite only one early Derby prep race—more of a glorified workout than a competitive race—he’s remained the top choice for the Kentucky Derby among the horse racing betting public and the members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Mo entered the weekend as the futures betting favorite at Nevada and offshore sportsbooks, and was favored in the Churchill Downs based Kentucky Derby Futures betting pool. He entered Saturday’s Wood Memorial at Aqueduct as a whopping 1-9 post time favorite. All of this served to make Toby’s Corner’s victory in the Wood one of the biggest upsets in the history of thoroughbred racing.

2011-04-12 | Jim Murphy

Nick Diaz is a polarizing figure among MMA fans. Some are drawn to his ‘anti-hero’ persona while others are turned off by his petulance and lack of social graces. There’s no doubt, however, that he’s one of the best ‘pound for pound’ fighters in the world and last weekend added another successful title defense to his resume with a first round stoppage of British striking specialist Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley. Diaz chose to pit his superior technical boxing skills against his opponent’s heavy hands and survived a first round knockdown to earn a first round TKO victory.

2011-04-12 | Jim Murphy

Since taking ownership of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, Hall of Famer Michael Jordan has focused on cutting salary and improving the team’s financial position. That may soon pay dividends as the team looks to attract their first ‘A list’ free agent. New Orleans Hornets’ point guard Chris Paul will be a free agent after the season and sounds very enthusiastic about heading to North Carolina to play for Jordan. He tried to suggest that his only priority at the moment was the Hornets’ upcoming playoff run, but he was less than convincing in his comments as he tried to evoke a bit of Zen Buddhist philosophy:

2011-04-12 | Jim Murphy

His connections are framing it as ‘standard procedure’ following a disappointing performance, but there’s a good deal of intrigue surrounding the decision to subject Kentucky Derby favorite Uncle Mo to blood testing. Uncle Mo suffered a stunning upset in last weekend’s $1,000,000 Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Raceway in New York. Mo went off a 1-9 post time favorite but could only manage a third place finish behind winner Toby’s Corner and runner up Arthur’s Tale.

2011-04-04 | Jim Murphy

Heading into Sunday’s NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway in West Virginia, the assumption was that either Jimmie Johnson or Denny Hamlin would take the checkered flag. After all, they’d combined to win nine straight races at the tricky short track. As it turned out, they weren’t even among the drivers battling for the victory at the end of the race. Kevin Harvick passed Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with four laps remaining to earn the first Martinsville victory since 1995 for his Richard Childress Racing team. Earnhardt was looking for his first win since June 2008, but had to settle for second place.

2011-04-04 | Jim Murphy

The New York Knicks are one of the NBA’s most historically successful franchises, but they’d like to forget much of the past decade. During those years the team has been mediocre at best, not reaching the playoffs since 2004. That dubious run is now over—on Sunday the Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 123-107 to clinch a postseason berth. Amare Stoudemire scored 28 points, with Carmelo Anthony chipping in 25 and Chauncey Billups contributing 24 in New York’s convincing win. The victory leaves the Knicks in 7th place, though they’ve got a shot at running down 6th place Philadelphia.

2011-04-04 | Jim Murphy

In a matchup of two NBA Western Conference teams in very good form, the Denver Nuggets denied the Los Angeles Lakers their 10th straight victory by defeating the defending World Champions 95-90 at the Staples Center on Sunday. The win increased Denver’s winning streak to 6 games and helped solidify their lock on 5th place in the Western Conference standings. The loss dropped the Lakers to 2.5 games back of the West leading San Antonio Spurs who had little trouble defeating the Phoenix Suns earlier in the day.

2011-03-21 | Jim Murphy

New Jersey Nets pointguard Deron Williams has been bothered by a strained right wrist even before his trade from the Utah Jazz. His injury went from bad to worse on Friday night when he aggravated it in a 110-95 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks while driving to the basket late in the third quarter. He remained in the game, but afterwards admitted that he may be done for the season since the only thing that will make his wrist better is rest.

2011-03-21 | Jim Murphy

Colonial Athletic Conference entrant Virginia Commonwealth didn’t get any respect from the NCAA selection committee heading into this year’s tournament, being subjected to a ‘play in’ game against USC. They should have plenty of respect all around after demolishing Georgetown University out of the powerful Big East Conference. The Rams led 35-24 at halftime before cruising to a 74-56 win that was Georgetown’s worst defeat in the NCAA tournament since 1996.

2011-03-21 | Jim Murphy

The Villanova Wildcats slumped badly down the stretch in Big East play but had hoped that a ‘step down in class’ in the opening round of the NCAA tournament would improve their fortunes. It didn’t work out that way. George Mason University started to evoke comparisons to the school’s 2006 Final Four team by erasing a six point halftime deficit to eliminate Villanova by a 61-57 final score. Luke Hancock hit a decisive three point basket with 21 seconds to play to cap the Patriots’ comeback and end a season that started with a lot of promise for Big East entrant Villanova.

2011-03-14 | Jim Murphy

When a team sets a franchise record of any sort it’s a big deal. When that team is the Boston Celtics, with the most storied history in NBA basketball—if not all sports—it’s especially significant. On Sunday night the Celtics defense decimated the Milwaukee Bucks en route to a 87-56 blowout victory. The 56 points scored by the Bucks was the lowest allowed by a Boston team since the NBA started using the shot clock in 1954. Milwaukee set a franchise record of a more dubious variety—their offensive output was the lowest point total for a Bucks’ team in history.

2011-03-14 | Jim Murphy

The Golden State Warriors continued their solid play at home on Sunday night by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-77 and in the process held T-Wolves forward Kevin Love without a double/double for the first time in 53 games. Love had recorded a double/double in every game since November 19,2010 but was only able to muster 6 points and 10 rebounds against an improving Golden State defense. For Golden State, Stephen Curry just missed a double/double as he led the Warriors’ effort with 24 points and 9 rebounds.

2011-03-14 | Jim Murphy

The Los Angeles Lakers dodged a bullet on Saturday night when an ankle injury suffered by Kobe Bryant turned out to be less severe than originally expected. Still, the team is taking no chances. Team officials are calling the injury a ‘sprain’ and while it’s not considered serious he may not be immediately available. On Sunday, Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson said that Kobe would be a ‘game time decision’ for Monday night’s game against the Orlando Magic.

2011-03-13 | Jim Murphy

For the #6 San Diego State Aztecs, the third time was the charm as they won the Mountain West Conference championship with a resounding 72-54 victory over the #8 ranked BYU Cougars. The Aztecs take the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA basketball tournament, though BYU will almost certainly receive an ‘at large’ bid to join them. San Diego State will take a 32-2 record into the ‘Big Dance’, with their only setbacks on the year courtesy of the Cougars. BYU is 30-4 though will be at a disadvantage without Brandon Davies—their best low post player on both ends of the court—who was suspended last week for violating the school’s ‘honor code’.

2011-03-13 | Jim Murphy

When the University of Connecticut lost their last game of the season to Notre Dame—and with it a first round bye in the Big East Tournament—most assumed that the path the Huskies faced to win a championship was just too arduous. It was a tough road, necessitating five wins in five days, but that’s exactly what the UConn Huskies did—they finished the tournament gauntlet on Saturday with a 69-66 win over Louisville in the championship game.

2011-03-13 | Jim Murphy

After the ownership and training braintrust behind Uncle Mo decided to pass on the Tampa Bay Derby and other more competitive prep races for his three year old debut, the general wisdom was that anything other than a rout would undermine his status as Triple Crown favorite. Uncle Mo did his part ‘taking care of business’ by easily dispatching a forgettable field in the $100,000 Timely Writer at Florida’s Gulfstream Park.

2011-03-11 | Jim Murphy

The slumping Miami Heat had lost five straight games and desperately needed a big win. They got one on Thursday night, beating the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Heat got strong performances from their ‘Big Three’ of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to break open a close game with a 26-18 fourth quarter en route to a 94-88 victory in front of a boisterous crowd at American Airlines Arena. For the Lakers, the defeat ended an eight game winning streak and marked the second time this season they’d lost to Miami.

2011-03-11 | Jim Murphy

After a start to the season during which they appeared to do everything write, many have dismissed BYU’s chances to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament due to the suspension of forward Brandon Davies. Davies was booted from the team for the rest of the year due to an honor code violation, but the Cougars have kept winning. In their opening game of the Mountain West Conference tournament they did experience a tougher than expected challenge from seemingly overmatched TCU, but survived to post a 64-58 victory at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2011-03-11 | Jim Murphy

Even though both 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta have retired to produce a new generation of champions, their rivalry continues. Just days after Rachel Alexandra’s owners announced that she was pregnant, Zenyatta was also confirmed to be ‘in foal’. Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, wife of trainer John Shirreffs and the racing manager for owners Ann and Jerry Moss, made the announcement ‘in character’ as the superstar mare on ‘her’ website at Zenyatta.com. The 7 year old Zenyatta was bred to 2006 Preakness Stakes winner Bernardini two weeks ago and the pregnancy was discovered on Thursday morning after a routine ultrasound.

2011-03-04 | Jim Murphy

Pro football fans and NFL betting enthusiasts tonight have been holding their collective breaths over the state of the league labor situation. A ‘worst case scenario’ is a possible lockout that could delay or cancel the 2011 NFL season. The collective bargaining agreement was scheduled to expire on Thursday but the NFL and the Player’s Association agreed to a 24 hour extension as negotiations continued. Now there’s strong suggestion that a longer extension could be possible which would allow negotiations to continue between players and owners.

2011-03-04 | Jim Murphy

Oklahoma City Thunder fans feared the worst when NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant went down with a sprained ankle earlier this week. He sat out of practice on Thursday and was originally considered unlikely to play in the Thunder’s Friday night game against the Atlanta Hawks with the timetable for his availability beyond that unknown. They got some good news earlier today when Durant was upgraded to ‘probable’ on the official league injury report for Friday’s game against the Hawks. Details of his improvement haven’t been reported, but clearly this upgrade wouldn’t have been made had the ankle injury been more serious than first anticipated.

2011-03-04 | Jim Murphy

Pimlico Race Course is the host track for the Preakness Stakes and Black Eyed Susan and they’ve announced a partnership with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The Komen Foundation is the world’s largest breast cancer organization and a perfect tie in for the Friday card highlighting the big race for fillies. This will be the second year that Pimlico has partnered with the Maryland branch of the charity on Black Eyed Susan day, raising money for breast cancer research and raising awareness among horse racing betting enthusiasts.

2011-02-24 | Jim Murphy

How quickly things have changed for the Utah Jazz—in just two weeks longtime coach Jerry Sloan abruptly quit and now the team has traded their franchise player. On Wednesday, Utah sent All Star point guard Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for guard Devin Harris, forward Derrick Favors, a pair of first round draft picks and cash. The Nets had been hoping to acquire Denver’s Carmelo Anthony, but Williams—arguably the best point guard in the NBA—is a very good ‘consolation prize’.

2011-02-24 | Jim Murphy

The long running Carmelo Anthony soap opera is over in Denver. On Tuesday the Nuggets shipping the malingering offensive machine to the New York Knicks in a huge three team, 13 player deal which also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves for salary cap reasons. The Knicks received Anthony, guard Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman from the Nuggets and Corey Brewer from the T-Wolves. Denver received Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton and Timofey Mozgov from the Knicks along with draft picks and cash. The Knicks sent Eddy Curry (and his expiring contract) and Anthony Randolph for Brewer which freed up the cap room needed to ink a deal with Carmelo.

2011-02-24 | Jim Murphy

In a deal that was definitely overshadowed by the monumental transactions involving Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams, the Atlanta Hawks shook up their struggling backcourt by acquiring Kirk Hinrich from the Washington Wizards. The Hawks also received forward Hilton Armstrong in exchange for guards Mike Bibby and Jordan Crawford, forward Maurice Evans and a first round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Atlanta is hoping to shake up a lineup that started the season strong but slumped heading into the All Star Break.

2011-02-21 | Jim Murphy

There’s something fascinating about NHL hockey being played outdoors—it’s a special experience not only for the spectators but the players as well. US fans got their annual dose of outdoor hockey on New Year’s Day and this weekend it was Canadian fans’ turn with the Heritage Classic between the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens. The game was played at McMahon Stadium in Calgary—better known as the home of the CFL Calgary Stampeders—and it was a good night for the home team as the Flames shut out the visiting Habs 4-0.

2011-02-21 | Jim Murphy

It’s conventional wisdom among NASCAR fans that restrictor plate tracks like Daytona and Talladega are the province of experienced drivers. The unique style of racing on these superspeedways favors those who’ve done it before and typically offer a harsh learning experience for young drivers. Rookie Trevor Bayne apparently didn’t get the memo—in only his second career NASCAR start and first on the high banks of Daytona he pulled off a monumental upset by winning the season opening Daytona 500. Bayne turned 20 years old the day before the race, making him the youngest winner in the 53 year history of the Daytona 500. In the process, he made the previous youngest winner—25 year old Jeff Gordon in 1997—look downright elderly by comparison.

2011-02-21 | Jim Murphy

Sunday’s NBA All Star Game didn’t offer much in the way of surprises—there was no defense, for example—but was highly entertaining thanks to a titanic duel between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. LeBron posted a ‘triple double’ consisting of 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists but Kobe—playing in front of his hometown fans at The Staples Center in Los Angeles—scored 37 points and led the West to a 148-143 victory over the East. Bryant was named the game’s MVP for a record tying fourth time in his career.

2011-02-10 | Jim Murphy

Shocking news out of Salt Lake City where the longest tenured coach in US professional sports—Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz—is expected to resign effective immediately on Thursday afternoon. The team has scheduled a 2 PM Pacific press conference to address a flurry of media reports that Sloan, along with longtime assistant Phil Johnson, are calling it quits. Sloan agreed to a one year extension just a few days ago but since then confrontations with point guard Deron Williams and team president Kevin O’Connor have apparently resulted in a change of heart.

2011-02-10 | Jim Murphy

The Portland Trailblazers have been hit hard by injuries this year, but on Wednesday the team got some much needed good news as superstar shooting guard Brandon Roy practiced with the team for the first time since being sidelined ‘indefinitely’ with knee issues. Despite his return to the practice floor, the team insists that there’s no timetable on his return to NBA game action.

2011-02-10 | Jim Murphy

The New York Islanders have had a rough season any way you look at it. The team had just started to play better in recent weeks only to suffer a rash of injuries to their goaltenders. First, starting goalie Rick DiPietro was lost for up to six weeks and on Tuesday they lost his backup, rookie Kevin Poulin, for the rest of the season after a freak knee injury he sustained during warm-ups for the Islanders’ game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Third string goalie Nathan Lawson, who had been called up from the minors in December, was already out of action with a knee injury though he’s getting close to a return.

2011-02-08 | Jim Murphy

Aaron Rodgers passed for three touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers took advantage of three Pittsburgh Steelers’ turnovers to win Super Bowl XLV 31-25. Rodgers for 304 yards without an interception and was named the game MVP, significant vindication for a quarterback that spent three years as backup to former Packers’ starter Brett Favre. Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger answered with two touchdown passes and 263 yards passing, though threw two costly interceptions that had his team playing from behind from early in the contest.

2011-02-08 | Jim Murphy

Despite severe winter weather in the Dallas area, Super Bowl XLV went off without a hitch on Sunday with only a few minor glitches. That was likely little consolation to 400 fans that arrived at the game to find that they didn’t have seats when the temporary seating area wasn’t completed in time. Other fans had to be moved after fire marshals declared their temporary seating unsafe. Although the aforementioned 400 fans had to watch the game from standing room areas, they received a very generous compensation for their inconvenience.

2011-02-08 | Jim Murphy

The Atlanta Falcons were eliminated from the NFL playoffs by the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers this year, but as something of a ‘consolation prize’ they may be about to get a very high profile individual joining their ownership team. Team owner Arthur Blank has confirmed that he’s been in negotiations with rock musician Jon Bon Jovi, who’s looking to purchase as much as 15% of the team for $150 million. Both Blank and Bon Jovi have downplayed the story, but several sources have since reported that negotiations between the two men are ongoing.

2011-01-31 | Jim Murphy

The NFL Pro Bowl has a rap for being the most irrelevant of all professional sport all star games, and the 2011 contest will do nothing to change that perception. In a game largely devoid of defense or intensity, the NFC built a 42-0 halftime lead before coasting to a 55-41 victory in the game played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. MVP DeAngelo Hall pulled in five interceptions and returned a fumble for a touchdown, providing the spark for the NFC’s opening half rampage. The Washington Redskins’ cornerback picked up a new Cadillac Escalade for his efforts.

2011-01-31 | Jim Murphy

The Tennessee Titans parted ways with head coach Jeff Fisher late last week, and they look to be preparing to do the same with mercurial quarterback Vince Young. Young and Fisher feuded during the much of the 2010 season and following the coach’s dismissal there was speculation that the move signaled that the team was siding with their quarterback. That’s apparently not the case, and indications are that they’re going to try to trade Young as opposed to releasing him.

2011-01-31 | Jim Murphy

Memphis Grizzlies’ guard O.J. Mayo was suspended by the NBA for 10 games without pay for violating the league’s anti-drug program late last week after testing positive for a legal, widely available supplement that can be purchased over the counter at any major department store or drug store in the United States. Or, in Mayo’s case, any gas station. Mayo has suggested that his positive test was the result of an energy drink purchased at a local gas station—which is actually a very plausible scenario.

2011-01-28 | Jim Murphy

Longevity as a professional sports head coach is in short supply today, and the NFL has just lost the longest tenured head coach in league. The Tennessee Titans announced on Thursday that Jeff Fisher wouldn't be returning for this 17th full season at the helm of the NFL club. The move was somewhat of a surprise due to the length of Fisher's tenure as head coach. After reports surfaced that that the team was negotiating a buyout of the one year remaining on Fisher’s contract, the team made it official within a couple of hours. The ‘official’ spin will indicate that Fisher is leaving by ‘mutual agreement’ but that doesn’t change the fact that he was essentially dismissed by the Titans.

2011-01-28 | Jim Murphy

Supposedly, the purpose of sports league policies against ‘performance enhancing’ drugs is to prevent players from ‘cheating’ by using illegal steroids. That doesn’t seem to apply to Memphis Grizzlies’ guard O.J. Mayo who was suspended by the NBA for 10 games without pay for violating the league’s anti-drug program. Mayo tested positive for a legal, widely available supplement that can be purchased over the counter at any major department store or drug store in the United States.

2011-01-28 | Jim Murphy

If the Pittsburgh Steelers are to win their 7th Super Bowl in franchise history they’ll have to do it without starting center Maurkice Pouncey. Pouncey injured his ankle in the AFC Conference Championship victory over the New York Jets. What was initially thought to be a high ankle sprain has proven to be something more serious with most recent reports indicating that he’s also got a broken bone in the same ankle. This revelation makes what was already an unlikely scenario for him to play in the Super Bowl almost impossible.

2011-01-24 | Jim Murphy

The Pittsburgh Steelers will make their eighth appearance in the Super Bowl this season thanks to a hard fought 24-19 victory over the New York Jets in the AFC Championship on Sunday. The Steelers built a 24-3 halftime lead but had to hold off a furious Jets’ comeback effort in the second half to preserve the victory. Rashard Mendenhall ran for 121 yards and a touchdown as he had little trouble with the Jets’ vaunted rushing defense. Pittsburgh will face the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV on February 6 in Dallas, Texas.

2011-01-24 | Jim Murphy

Several years ago the Green Bay Packers cut longtime quarterback Brett Favre loose after his first abortive retirement in favor of Aaron Rodgers. It’s become very evident that they made the right decision. While Favre continues to diminish his legacy with poor on-field play and a variety of off-field shenanigans, Rodgers has become one of the most feared quarterbacks in the NFL. On Sunday, he led the Packers to a 21-14 win over the Chicago Bears that wasn’t really as close as the final score indicates. Green Bay will now face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Texas on February 6.

2011-01-24 | Jim Murphy

The Portland Trailblazers have played well despite the absence of shooting guard Brandon Roy but they definitely can’t wait to get him back in the lineup. Roy had arthroscopic surgery on both knees last Monday, but the three time All Star is hoping to return to action this season. Neither the team nor his doctors have put any sort of timetable on his return, however, and Roy says that he’ll follow the advice of his medical professionals and not rush things. Portland has won five straight and seven of the last 10 games.

2011-01-21 | Jim Murphy

Tom Brady was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season despite playing with a stress fracture in his right foot. With the Patriots eliminated from the postseason last weekend by the New York Jets, Brady has taken the opportunity to make sure he’s 100% next year. On Thursday, Brady had surgery to stabilize his injured foot at a Boston area hospital. The procedure was not considered serious and he’s expected to make a full recovery well before the start of training camp for the 2011 NFL season.

2011-01-21 | Jim Murphy

The New Jersey Nets reportedly were very interested in giving Denver Nuggets’ superstar Carmelo Anthony his wish by bringing him to the New York City area. According to Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, however, the petulant forward made little effort to hold up his end of the negotiation practice which ultimately led to New Jersey walking away from the deal. Now Carmelo is stuck in Denver for the time being and neither he nor the Nuggets’ fans are particularly happy about it.

2011-01-21 | Jim Murphy

Hall of Fame running back Gayle Sayers made headlines in the offseason with a scathing critique of the current Chicago Bears team that pulled no punches in calling out the players or coach Lovie Smith. Sayers, who played his entire career in Chicago, incurred the wrath of several players with his comments including linebacker Brian Urlacher. Questioned recently about the team’s strong 2010 regular season and berth in the NFC Championship game, he didn’t back off his earlier assessment of the team but admitted that he was surprised with the Bears’ success.

2011-01-19 | Jim Murphy

In a hard fought game typical of the rivalry the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens 31-24 to advance to the AFC Championship game. Ben Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown on a 58 yard pass with less than two minutes to go to set up a 2 yard Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run to break a tie score and give the Steelers the victory. The Ravens held a 21-7 halftime lead before they were outscored by the Steelers 24-3 in the second half. Pittsburgh will now face the New York Jets, who upset the New England Patriots in the other AFC Divisional contest.

2011-01-19 | Jim Murphy

The Atlanta Falcons finished the regular season with the second best record in the NFL. That is no doubt small consolation for the fact that they’ll be watching the NFC Conference Championship and Super Bowl from home. The Falcons were overwhelmed by the visiting Green Bay Packers on Saturday en route to a lopsided 48-21 loss at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons entered the game as one of the league’s best home teams and held a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter before the Packers exploded for 35 unanswered points. Green Bay will take on their longtime rivals the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field this Sunday for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

2011-01-19 | Jim Murphy

Tony Stewart is one of NASCAR’s most successful drivers, as well as one of stock car racing’s most infamous. He earned his nickname “Tony the Temper” honestly based on a number of altercations with other drivers and media members. His hot headed ways are now a matter of international knowledge following a run-in with a race track owner in Sydney, Australia recently. Stewart was questioned but not charged after being questioned by the New South Wales State Police on an assault complaint.

2011-01-03 | Jim Murphy

Although it wasn’t a surprise, the Carolina Panthers have announced that head coach John Fox won’t return next season after nine years at the helm. Fox’s contract was up after this season and the team has made it official that neither he nor his assistants will be renewed. Fox coached his final game for Carolina on Sunday as the Panthers lost 31-10 to the Atlanta Falcons. His final record as Panthers’ head coach was 78-74 including one Super Bowl appearance.

2011-01-03 | Jim Murphy

It’s not easy being a NFL head coach. The fundamentals of doing it successfully require a highly organized and efficient approach, and there’s little if any security in an extremely competitive league. The challenge is compounded by the need to deal with the media and serve as a public figurehead for the organization. Doing all of this in the demanding New York City market is an even more gargantuan task. Rex Ryan has, for the most part, been able to keep these plates in the air but he’s recently had to deal with allegations concerning his wife and their marriage. These questions intensified recently when a new series of sexually explicit photos were revealed featuring a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Michelle Ryan.

2011-01-03 | Jim Murphy

The Portland Trailblazers have already dealt with a number of injuries this season, but the latest could be the most devastating blow—the team announced that All Star shooting guard Brandon Roy will be out “indefinitely” due to sore knees. At the time of the announcement, Roy had already missed 9 games this year including the previous six due to his chronic knee pain and there is some concern that surgery will be required which would put an end to his season. The Blazers brass hasn’t provided any kind of a timeline for his absence, but every indication is that it could be a lengthy one.