NBA Commissioner David Stern is playing hard ball at the negotiating table against his league’s players and their NBPA union and the outcome may not be pretty.

Stern’s latest?

The players have until Wednesday to accept the owner’s latest offer or that offer will drop to 47% at that league-imposed deadline.

NBPA president Derek Fisher’s response?

“Right now, we’ve been given the ultimatum, and our answer is that’s not acceptable to us.”

Although the next offer was promised to be much less than the 51% the league says it has offered the players, in reality that’s not how negotiations normally pan out. When CBA talks grow bitter like these and sides get torn apart it’s everybody’s loss and while lockouts drag on, past offers always seem to resurface.

That said, enough of the sticking out the chest attitudes. These sides need to put their egos away if they want to come to common ground.

Will it happen?

With the history of Stern being…well, stern, NBA fans may not see a tipoff in all of 2011 at the least and may be in jeopardy of losing their entire season.

In addition to that, the players have suggested moving forward with a strategy that includes disbanding the union and taking the owners on in court; a standoff that could drag on for several months.

So the owners are placing their so-called final offer on the table with a Wednesday deadline and the players are discussing strategies that include disbanding the union and taking the owners to court, a standoff that could drag on for months.

The goods news for LeBron haters?

The Heat would have to wait yet another year to get a run at the NBA Championship.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

A former defensive coordinator for Penn State faces disturbing accusations of sexually abusing eight boys and these charges also led to charges of perjury to the school’s athletic director and an administrator. Prosecutors say these administrator’s actions protected their sexual predator coach.

The former coach is Jerry Sandusky, 67, and he was cuffed, and booked then released on $100,000 bail after being arraigned on 40 criminal counts. The others involved are AD Tim Curley and a Penn State V.P. Gary Schultz, 62 and both are expected to voluntarily turn themselves in on Monday.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno was not charged but being the head coach, many will wonder if he ever suspected Sandusky of wrong-doing or was ever aware of these incidents prior to the time he reported the abuse to Curley.

After directing his teenage to early twenties squad of defensive players, Sandusky retired in 1999 but continued to work with; you guessed it, children. Sandusky was charged with a laundry list of counts including corruption of minors, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful contact with a minor.

The allegations include oral and anal sex and several of the victims testified they were in their early teens when Sandusky allegedly assaulted them.

While this news contaminates what was perceived as a well-respected program, Sandusky is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday but his lawyer told reporters it would likely be delayed.

Sandusky has suggested he is innocent but Attorney General Linda Kelly called the former coach “a sexual predator who used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys.”

If that is proven to be the case; what is expected to be Joe Pa’s final year after decades at Penn State may more be remembered as the year of the sex scandal.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

NASCAR President Mike Helton met with Kyle Busch and Sprint Cup and Nationwide car owner Joe Gibbs then broke the bad news. Busch is barred from driving the rest of the weekend after performing an intentional dangerous incident on the track Friday night.

The incident occurred when the hot-headed Busch deliberately slammed championship contender Ron Hornaday Jr. into a wall during a caution lap in the Truck Series in Texas.

After the news came down, it was announced that Michael McDowell will take over in Sunday’s race for Busch, seventh in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship standings.

Sore loser?

What makes this maneuver by Busch look even more tacky is the fact he was sitting 50 points out and 7^th in the standings. He knocked out a contender and is it because he was sitting behind, sucking up Hornaday Jr.’s exhaust?

Busch issued a letter of apology last night but remember it was a letter that he, or a PR person wrote, so fans may take it as one lacking sincerity since it wasn’t a face-to-face statement in front of a camera.

NASCAR may not be done with Kyle. Helton didn’t rule out more penalties for Busch after the series leaves Texas this weekend but stated barring Busch was necessary to show how serious NASCAR felt about the wreck that was deliberately caused on Friday.

BTW, Denny Hamlin, another Gibbs driver, took over the wheel for Busch’s Nationwide car on Saturday and came in second after starting in the back of the field. And Busch will be watching from his couch this Sunday; and maybe for a much longer time.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Hard to say if the “Tebowing” craze will survive after Tim Tebow and his Denver Broncos came out on the losing end of a 45-10 score at home this week but my guess is it will not.

The game was no contest from the start as the Detroit Lions (6-2) sacked Tebow seven times while converting his two turnovers into touchdowns. Lions’ defensive back Chris Houston returned a poor decision by Tebow into a 100-yard interception return and defensive end Cliff Avril turned one of his sacks into a strip/touchdown return of 24 yards as the Lions defense outscored the Broncos Tebow-led offense.

While a few have supported Tebow in the debate as whether or not he is ready to take on the responsibilities of being as starter in the NFL, that debate may come to an abrupt halt. When an opposing team’s defense outscores you at home it’s considered more than a bad sign.

Tebow ended the day with 18-of-39 passing for 172 yards one interception and a QB rating of 56.8 but don’t let those stats fool you; his performance was much worse than it looked on paper.

His rival from his SEC days, Matthew Stafford came into the game nursing a sprained ankle and made it look like a practice drill all day long, carving the Broncos defense on 21-of-30 passing for 267 yards three TDs and a 130.8 rating. Stafford spent the last quarter sipping Gatorade on the sidelines, savoring snapping his team’s two-game losing streak.

So now that John Fox has given in to fans and media pressure to play Tebow, can he revert back to being an NFL coach and do the right thing; yanking Tebow and putting him on the sidelines where he belongs?

Over two games, he has shown he is far from ready to start and with arms like Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn on the sidelines, it’s hard to imagine Tebow getting another start any time soon.

Yeah, he pulled off what some are calling a miracle last week in Miami but the first 54 minutes of that game he was 4-of-14 for 40ish yards; stats that mirrored his performance against Detroit until the Lions second and third stringers players were in playing a prevent type defense.

Drop to a knee all you want but the bottom line is, if you’re mechanics and ability to read defenses in the NFL, it’s not going to work and Tebowing had nothing to do with the 0-16 bound Dolphins imploding that particular afternoon.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

The saying “built it and they will come” did not apply to the recent workout that Terrell Owens set up at Calabasas High School in California. The audition was designed to showcase to the NFL teams that the veteran wide receiver has some gas left in the tank and is ready for game action after surgery on a torn ACL.

Normally auditions have an audience and unfortunately for T.O. and his agent Drew Rosenhaus, there was not a single member in the crowd.

The 38-year-old Owens is used to being surrounded by media in and around camps, in locker rooms and even during any past scheduled or unscheduled press conferences so this had to hurt; like a kick square in the nuts.

The Batman of the former Batman & Robin tandem that fizzled out in Cincy said he wasn’t bothered by the empty house but what else would we expect a player with his competitive nature to say when his ego is in the dirt.

The media that attended reported that they saw no signs of the knee struggling to perform and the veteran wideout also seemed to be in decent physical condition.

But the opinion of the media doesn’t matter; what matters is if there is any team hard up enough to take a shot on an aging veteran coming off surgery when there are younger players who may fill in a third receiver as well or better…and by the looks of the turnout and response, that isn’t happening.

Regardless how this plays out, Owens did have a decent year with the Bengals last year, catching 72 balls for 983 yards and nine touchdowns but along with that potential he brings a distracting demeanor into locker rooms as well and that may be part of the sticking point for some coaches and teams.

So where will batman end up?

Analyst Brian Billick guesses the Titans or Raiders while others have speculated him landing in Washington to fill in for the loss of Santana Moss.

My guess?

Mike Shanahan recently eliminated a cancer (Fat Albert) from his locker room so the ‘Skins won’t be interested in another media circus but those Raiders sure seem like a nice fit. We may see a few more Carson Palmer to T.O. TDs coming our way.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

The Dan Patrick Show is getting in the news with the Occupy ESPN GameDay buzz but that’s not the only issue making him a frontrunner in the sports news this week.

While interviewing Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski earlier this week about the accusations that are “occupying” the Boston Red Sox locker room regarding drinking before and during games, Pierzynski admitted to Patrick that he has had a drink before and during games before.

After the interview, Dan Patrick’s website posted the audio of the interview and wrote:

“Pierzynski said he would drink during a game some times. He pointed to “rally beers” when you need a lift if things aren’t going your way. And he said he’s done shots before a game”

This came just days after Boston Red Sox starters Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and John Lackey were accused of drinking beer and playing video games in the clubhouse during games while their team was imploding on the field; orchestrating the biggest collapse in MLB history down the stretch.

It will be interesting to see how Bud Selig responds to these incidents and the Red Sox have already made one change. Two days after news broke about beers in the locker room, manager Terry Francona resigned with team options remaining on his 2012 and 2013 contract; this after his team finished 7-20 without consecutive wins in September.

The Patrick/Pierzynski interview can be heard on DanPatrick.com here.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Floyd Mayweather Jr. remained unbeaten with a controversial KO over Victor Ortiz at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. By the time the night was over, boxing received yet another black eye.

With about ten seconds left in the 4^th round of the welterweight bout, Ortiz backed Mayweather into the corner and wailed away. At the end of the flurry, Ortiz threw in a head butt, lunging forward and catching Mayweather on the chin.

Referee, Joe Cortez called time out and took the fighters to the center of the ring where he motioned for the judges to deduct a point for the infraction. This is where it got uglier.

While Ortiz looked to be apologizing to Mayweather and Ortiz was looking away at the judges, Mayweather threw a left hook followed by a right, flooring the unsuspecting Ortiz.

Cortez, looked clueless to what happened, stepped over and counted out Ortiz ( (29-3-2, 22 KOs) and Mayweather (42-0, 26 KOs) suddenly had another victory.

The crowd booed and showed disapproval of this debacle; it was a disaster. Mayweather appeared to hit Ortiz before the fight officially continued and Cortez, probably too shocked and confused by the moment, went through the motions and counted out Ortiz.

What happened in the ring was bad enough but it’s the post-fight interview between Larry Merchant of HBO and Floyd Mayweather that added even more embarrassment to the night.

The controversial Mayweather got aggressive with Merchant after the analyst rightfully questioned him for throwing the cheap-shot:

“You never give me a fair shake….you don’t know shit about boxing…”

Merchant, who just turned 80 years old in February, responded:

“If I were fifty years younger I would kick your ass…”

Boy would a lot of people love to see that.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Ron Jaworski may want to sit down and watch comedian George Carlin do his famous rant on the “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television”. Jaws dropped an S-bomb right in the middle of his broadcast of the MNF game on ESPN. Here’s the video:

Jaworski made a sincere apology shortly after being notified of the gaffe. Interesting to see a guy so relaxed he forgot his environment and reverted to sitting around in the comfort of a sports bar, chomping on sports with his buddies.

Bobby Knight also dropped an S-bomb during a recent NCAA telecast. You can see that one here.

And these guys have nothing on the king of the F-bombs, Rex Ryan.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Manny Ramirez mugshot has the look of a very unhappy man. It should. The former World Series MVP who was considered by many as the best hitter in MLB has gone downhill faster than an Olympic Luge gold medal winner.

After a 50-game suspension from the L.A. Dodgers for failing a drug test, the controversial player was moved to Tampa Bay where he once again….you guessed it; failed another drug test. That forced him into retirement where he has been spending his most recent time behind bars.

Ramirez was arrested in Weston, Florida, earlier this week for domestic abuse after allegedly striking his wife, Juliani and here is a look at his mugshot and the Broward County Sheriff Office’s police report.

And here is the mugshot:

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski did what some has expected him to do for quite a while; he nailed a record-tying 63-yard field goal through the uprights. The kick was the difference in a three-point 23-20 win over rival Denver Broncos on MNF.

After tying the record first set by Tom Dempsey in a game against the Detroit Lions decades ago, Janikowski said:

Photo/Wikimedia Commons

“To be honest, I didn’t hit it that good. It barely got over the bar. I hit a 70-yarder in pregame.”

The Raiders started off the season 1-0 and the victory is the team’s fourth in a row in Denver.

The battle included the debuts of new head coaches, Raiders’ Hue Jackson and the Broncos’ John Fox.

In the earlier Monday Night Football game, Tom Brady connected with Wes Welker for a record-tying 99 ½ yard touchdown reception. After the Patriots stopped the Dolphins on a 4^th and goal attempt at the half-yard line, Brady hit Welker on a slant the next play and Welker out sprinted the ‘Fins defense.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC