Jamie McCourt earned a large victory in her divorce case on Tuesday when Judge Scott Gordon ruled that the marital property agreement signed by her and husband Frank in 2004 is invalid so until any appeals or future rulings take place, Jamie is no longer shut out of any ownership claim to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The couple’s divorce has been nasty from the beginning with allegations of wrong doing on the part of Frank and marital infidelity on the part of Jamie. Frank actually evicted Jamie from her stadium office after he fired her from her executive position.

The whole time, in the middle of this fight sat the power and money grab for the Dodgers, the largest asset belonging to the couple.

Judge Gordon’s ruling, as reported in the L.A. Times read:

“The court finds that the marital property agreement is not a valid and enforceable agreement,” Gordon wrote in his ruling. “The court orders that the marital property agreement is set aside.”

During her case, Jamie McCourt said she was entitled to co-ownership of the team and that was bolstered after the testimony of the couple’s former attorney in Massachusetts. The attorney drafted a property agreement while the Dodgers purchase was grinding through its final stage and that, according to his testimony in the divorce trial, was supposed to give Frank control of all the business assets.

Jamie reportedly wanted to separate the couple’s real estate holdings in fear that business creditors might attach their homes in an attempt to get at their assets. The attorney botched the most important schedule to the agreement that set forth what was supposed to state the sole assets of Frank McCourt.  The couple signed documents that were incorrect in part and unbeknownst to them, a revised attachment was inserted into copies of the agreement.

Only last month Jamie refused to accept a proposal by a court-ordered mediator to settle the dispute. Now we know why. In the end, the judge agreed with David Boies, lead counsel for Jamie, that the intent of the couple was unable to be determined with the dueling versions of the contract.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

New Orleans Saints beat Cincinnati Bengals 34-30:  The Bengals almost shocked the NFL by squeaking by the Saints, until they followed their theme for the year and found a way to lose. Despite two TDs from RB Cedric Benson and a decent day for QB Carson Palmer (23-of-33, 249 yards, 1 TD 0 INTs), Cincy couldn’t manage the clock on a final drive with less than a minute to go in the game.  New Orleans started slow with only 10 pts in the first half but turned it around with two 4^th Q TDs from Drew Brees–one each to Colston and Meacham.

Kansas City Chiefs beat Denver Broncos 10-6: Another ugly AFC West battle saw the Broncos fail to score a TD while QB Kyle Orton completed only nine passes out of 28 throws. Only three points were put on the board the entire second half when Matt Prater kicked his second FG of the day for Denver.  Neither team scored a running TD despite big days from Knowshon Moreno (161 yds.) and Jamaal Charles (116 yds.)  Matt Cassel threw for the only TD of the game on a two-yard strike to Leonard Pope in the first quarter.

Jacksonville Jags top Tennessee Titans 17-6: For the second week in a row, Chris Johnson didn’t smell the end zone and the Titans continued their offensive slide into oblivion.  Tennessee started Kerry Collins who still looks injured.  He was 14-of-32 with two picks and no TDs on the day despite being sacked only once. The Jags did enough with Mo Jo Drew clawing out 186 yards on the ground and QB David Garrard finding pay dirt for one TD. The Jags’ D held the Titans to a total of 220 offensive yards.

Minnesota Vikings over Buffalo Bills 38-14: Two wins in a row for the Vikes and interim head coach Leslie Frazier.  This one came off the arm of QB Tavaris Jackson after Brett Favre was knocked out of the game early with a shoulder injury. Sidney Rice is officially back with two TDs and hello again to Adrian Peterson who scored three times. The Bills turned the ball over five times and scored only one offensive TD that came in 4^th Q garbage time. Ryan Fitzpatrick had his worst day in weeks going 15-of-25 for 158 yards, one TD and one interception while Jackson threw three INTs in a winning effort.

Green Bay Packers beat San Francisco 49ers 34-16: Aaron Rodgers played pitch and catch with Greg Jennings again as the two connected for two TDs on 122 yards through the air. The Pack may have found a runner in James Starks who gained 73 yards on 18 attempts.  The 49ers limited mistakes to one TO but went three-and-out so often they only possessed the ball 22 minutes on the day.  The highlight for San Fran was a Troy Smith-Vernon Davis TD hook up that covered 66 yards.

Cleveland Browns squeak past Miami Dolphins 13-10: The Browns continued their mid-season win spurt to climb to 5-7 by continuing a bad habit for Miami this season – another home loss. The Dolphins’ turned the ball over three times, all off the arm of QB Chad Henne who returned to the lineup with a 37.8 QB rating performance (16-of-32, 174 yds. 1 TD). Despite the worst day in memory for Browns’ RB Peyton Hillis that totaled 57 yards and 0 TDs, QB Jake Delhomme (yes…that Jake Delhomme) threw for one TD on 24-of-34 passing for 217 yards on the day.

Chicago Bears over Detroit Lions 24-20: Lions’ third-string QB Drew Stanton acquitted himself admirably as he ran for one TD and threw for another on 16-of-24 passing for 178 yards and no picks. Unfortunately for Detroit, Jay Cutler was just a bit better, connecting on 21 of 26 passes without a pick. Cutler’s lone TD throw went to Brandon Manumaleuna in the 4^th Q. After that the Bears D shut down the Lions for a close but decisive win.

New York Giants blow out Washington Redskins 31-7: The Giants’ WR’s are all banged up except for Mario Manningham. He was covered all day and NY had to go to its running game, which provided all four of the team’s TDs. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs each scored twice.  While Donovan McNabb threw for big yards without much success, Eli Manning had a rough outing (15-of-25 for 161 yds; 1 INT but with the Skins unable to stop the run, he walked away with the win.

Dallas Cowboys down Indianapolis Colts 38-35 in OT: Cue the “Twilight Zone” theme…Four picks of Peyton Manning; two were pick-sixes gave Dallas its third win in four games under interim coach Jason Garrett.  Dallas, who lost Dez Bryant for the season to a fractured ankle, gained more than 200 yards on the ground with Tashard Choice returning to the lineup and picking up 100 of those.  That took pressure off QB Jon Kitna who had an efficient day going 18-of-26 for 167 yards one TD and 0 INTs. Manning has been picked at least three times in the last three games. He got no run support as the Colts were held to just 40 total yards on the ground, although at the goal line Javarris James punched in two scores. There was a lot of head shaking going on under the helmet of No. 18 when there were multiple incidents of miscommunication between the QB and his WRs.  The Colts fall to 6-6, that is not a typo, 6-6 for the year.

Oakland Raiders beat rival San Diego Chargers 28-13: The Raiders scored early and often in the first half as they went into half-time leading 21-3. The Chargers D could not stop Oakland when it counted.  In the 4^th Q, with San Diego within one score, they allowed the Raiders to score on a 62 yd. drive that took almost 5 minutes off the clock to put the game out of reach. Philip Rivers managed only one TD on 23-of-39 passing for 280 yards and one INT.  Oakland scored three TDs on the ground, with QB Jason Campbell adding one through the air. The Raiders won both games against the Chargers this season, tying the teams at 6-6 in the AFC West.

Atlanta Falcons top Tampa Bay Bucs 28-24: Matt Ryan led his team on the road to a fourth quarter TD and challenged young Josh Freeman to follow suit. The Bucs QB tried but was picked on a final drive and the Falcons ran out the clock to seal the win. The scored see-sawed until the final quarter when Atlanta scored twice and held the Bucs scoreless for the final 10 minutes of the game. Atlanta’s Michael Turner ran for 88 yards and a score and LeGarrette Blount scored once for the Bucs on 103 yards on the ground. The Falcons climb to 10-2 for the best record in the NFC.

Seattle Seahawks top Carolina Panthers 31-14: Down 14-3 at the half, the Seahawks rode the legs of Marshawn Lynch, who found the end zone three times. Add that to pick-six given up by Panthers QB Jimmy Clausen and you’ve got a beat down when Carolina had hope they could pull one out in Seattle. The Panthers’ RBs, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson scored all of their team’s points on the day and Matt Hasselbeck, despite having a lousy day (17-of-30, 0 TDs 2 INTs), took the “W” and moved on. With the win, Seattle climbs to 6-6 as it keeps pace with the Rams at the top of the NFC West.

St. Louis Rams beat Arizona Cardinals 19-6: The Cards are dismal no matter how you cut it. Without a good QB, they are powerless to move the football into the red zone, never mind the end zone. The embattled Derek Anderson played until Cards’ head coach Ken Wisenhunt couldn’t stand what he saw any longer. He was 7-of-20 with one INT. In came Max Hall for a series. He promptly got picked after going 1-of-3 for 10 yards. Backup to the backup, John Skelton was a bit better, 3-of-6 for 45 yards, but Arizona seemed to be going in reverse. The Rams ran Steven Jackson for the only TD of the game and finished with 115 yards, 102 of those on the ground.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Lisa Howe is a lesbian and had no trouble keeping that to herself while acting as an educator to young women as the women’s soccer coach of Tennessee’s Belmont University. Her record was 52-48-16 and her team won its conference regular season title in the 2009 season. But the story surrounding this successful coach took a turn recently when Howe told her students she was welcoming a baby into her life. Since that announcement, Howe has lost her job.

After the school discovered their coach had made the announcement, Howe was given the opportunity to resign rather than be fired. She opted for the resignation route and left a final message on the chalkboard for the athletes that read “No regrets.”

Howe may be a victim in many attorney’s eyes. She had no idea that she was about to reach the point of no return when she had informed Mike Strickland, the Athletics Director, about the arrival of a baby into the life of her and her partner. Realizing her students would learn of the good news at some point she elected to treat them like young adults and told them directly about it.

According to the school, she violated a policy in doing so. Sari Lin, the soccer team’s captain, told the Tennessean newspaper that in a meeting she requested with Strickland, that the A.D. told her “we have a don’t ask, don’t tell policy” which Howe violated by indirectly announcing her sexual preference. News of a baby coming into her life with a partner was comparable to saying she is a homosexual according to Ms. Lin’s version of the meeting.

Because the state of Tennessee does not recognize sexual orientation as grounds for protection under the state’s Human Rights Act, Howe may not be able to take advantage of legal action on that score. It still remains unclear if the university has a specific policy that demands silence about one’s sexual identity. Whether it does or not, some lawyers may tell her she can charge that she was pushed out the door and wrongly terminated then let the situation play out in court.

On December 2, after the student newspaper broke the news of her situation, the school responded by announcing that Howe resigned of her own volition. The following day the school changed the script:

“…there was a mutual agreement that it would be in the best interests of both Coach Howe and the university for her to conclude her employment as coach.”  In other words, she was not fired and did not resign but is no longer the women’s soccer coach.

Have to imagine that this one will be continued. . . .

For more sports related legal stuff visit Jocks Behind Bars

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

After a hot start this season, the Los Angeles find themselves in the midst of a losing streak that has hit four games after their loss on Wednesday to the Houston Rockets. Adding fuel to that fire is the fact that the Rockets played without Yao Ming and regular Lakers-killer Aaron Brooks yet still defeated LA 109-99.

The two most interesting stats may be that no Phil Jackson coached Bulls or Lakers team had ever lost four straight and won the championship that same season.

Since the arrival of Pau Gasol in February 2008, the team has not fallen four times in a row until now. In fact, the Lakers had not racked up three losses in a row during this Gasol era except for one time prior to the playoffs this spring. After that stretch, the team called a closed door meeting then came alive for a second straight NBA crown.

The Technical Foul Police help Lakers lose to the Suns

The last two seasons analysts had predicted doom for LA if the team continued playing down to its competition or waited to “turn it on” when faced with elimination. The Lakers defied all those predictions and have the NBA Championship rings to prove it.

So with this recent streak questions are being posed about the team that only a month ago was being hailed as deeper than the two that won the championship. Early on they played with passion and the bench was a revelation with the addition of point guard Steve Blake and forward, Matt Barnes.

Since then they are finding themselves losing to teams like Memphis, Indiana and Houston, three teams not considered to be loaded with near as much talent as the Lakers. The usual suspects are being dragged out for flogging–Kobe shoots too much, Gasol is playing too many minutes, Bynum isn’t on the court and Ron Artest isn’t performing on the offensive end of the court.

Phil Jackson knows that repeating as champ is tough enough but three-peating is much more challenging and the season is a marathon, not a sprint. The four game losing streak stat will loom over all of this, but those who are familiar with the team won’t be surprised if it becomes meaningless by the time this season comes to close.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell slapped Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison with yet another fine on Tuesday. For those not keeping score that increases Harrison’s total to $125,000 this season for tackles considered outside of the boundaries of current rules in the NFL.

With his largest fine totaling $75,000 earlier this year, this latest $25,000 punishment was for a tackle on Buffalo Bills QB, Ryan Fitzpatrick, during Sunday’s game that was won by the Steelers in overtime. According to the NFL offices, Fitzpatrick was a defenseless player when he was struck by Harrison. This hit qualified for a 15-yard penalty on the field for roughing the passer, but it isn’t necessary for him to have his bank account flagged yet again.

Although these fines sound life-changing, the Steelers’ salary chart reveals that Harrison is earning more than $13 million this 2010 season.

NFL shouldn’t fine Steelers for latest rules infraction

In the post game presser, when asked about the hit, Harrison told the media:

“I hit him the same way I did the quarterback from Oakland [Jason Campbell] and I got the same flag but I didn’t get a fine.… I’m expecting the same thing on this.”

How wrong was he?

At the rate this is going, the 6-ft, 242 pound linebacker who has always been known as a hard hitter may have to incorporate video editing techniques to determine when he has justified another fine.

The lack of outrage in the press after this latest fine announcement may mean the recent actions of the NFL punishment machine is starting to take its toll. When players believe they are powerless to effect change, does the league think it is better off? Being familiar with Harrison’s personality and his strong support by his head coach and fellow players, it might just produce the opposite of a desired result. If Harrison is convinced he can’t control how his actions are perceived by the league then it won’t take much to convince him to let his freak flag fly.

And what happens when two players rip each other’s helmets off and stand toe-to-toe throwing haymakers in the middle of a televised Sunday afternoon game then get slapped on the wrist with a $25,000 fine and no suspension? Then the same afternoon another player accidentally targets his helmet a little higher than the allowed area and gets fined more than the two did for fighting?

It’s in the best interest of the defenseless players the league says it must protect, to try to gain some support from James Harrison. Perhaps in the process, it might realize that the minuscule differences between one helmet angle and the other aren’t helping the situation at all.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Green Bay Packers 31 Minnesota Vikings 3: Brett Favre struggled to find words to describe the beat down at home against his former team the Packers. Aaron Rodgers played pitch and catch with Gregg Jennings (3TDs) and James Jones (1TD) as the Packs’ ‘D’ held Adrian Peterson out of the end zone and to only 78 yards on the ground. Even the return of Sidney Rice couldn’t make Favre a winner (17-of-38, 1INT).  Rice caught three balls for 56 yards and he was the top receiver on the day for the Vikes.  Minny falls to 3-7 and the Tavaris Jackson watch is on.

New England Patriots 31  Indianapolis Colts 28: Peyton Manning threw an INT on the Colts first drive and played catch up all day. Driving to tie or win, Manning threw his final pass for another INT and the game was over. He had the better day as he threw for four TDs on 38-of-52 passing, but without more than a whiff of a run game, Indy was doomed. Brady only had to throw two TDs because his backfield of the “Law Firm” and Danny Woodhead each found the end zone.  Pats keep pace with the Jets at 8-2 and Indy falls to 6-4.

New York Jets 30  Houston Texans  27 : Mark Sanchez to Santonio Holmes for the game winner looks like it might become a habit. A week after a winning TD pass and catch in OT, the duo hooked up with seconds on the clock. The Jets blew a 16 point lead in the 4th. They came back to down Houston, who looked like they would send the Jets to 2-3 record at home. Sanchez threw two scores to Holmes and one to Braylon Edwards. Matt Schaub was a bit gimpy and it showed. He ended up with only one TD on 19-of-33 passing.

Washington Redskins  19 Tennessee Titans 16 in OT: The teams swapped TDs in the first Q and then combined for seven field goals between them, the last a game winner for Washington. The Titans lone touchdown was thrown by 3^rd stringer Rusty Smith who came in after Vince Young tore a thumb tendon. Donovan McNabb had a 30-of-50 day for 376 total yards and one INT, with the offense stalling in the red zone throughout the game. Chris Johnson ran for 130 yards and for the Redskins, Keiland Williams and Clinton Portis racked up 100 yards rushing combined.

Jacksonville Jaguars  24 Cleveland Browns  20: Break up the Jags!  They are tied with the Colts for 1^st place in their division after the close win over the Browns. Aren’t all Cleveland games close and no cigar? Seems so.  MJD had another monster game with a TD and 133 yards on the ground plus 87 yards receiving. Good thing since David Garrard threw three picks with two TDs. Browns’ Peyton Hillis had more than 140 all purpose yards and one TD.

Buffalo Bills  49 Cincinnati Bengals 31 : The Bengals have lost seven in a row and with their talent, that just shouldn’t be. It’s time to wonder if Carson Palmer needs a new home after being outplayed by Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Bills are known for their come backs this season, most of which end in defeat.  Not this time as they scored 28 unanswered points in the second half and their D held Cincy scoreless.  Bills double their win total as Fitzy threw for four scores on 21-34 and 316 yards. Palmer found the two divas, T.O. and Ochocino for a score each but threw two picks and finished with only 230 yards passing.

Tampa Bay Bucs 21 San Francisco 49ers 0: The 49ers lost at home in an awful way. I’m sure Mike Singletary is ready to fall on his sword after the team dropped to 3-7 in front of the home fans. Troy Smith fell back down to earth after last week’s win on 16-of-31 passing for 148 yards and one INT. Josh Freeman  threw for two scores and Cadillac Williams found pay dirt once, for the second week in a row. The Bucs look for real at 7-3.

Kansas City Chiefs 31 Arizona Cardinals 13: The Chiefs’ scored two by air and two on the ground as the Cards struggled to score from the red zone all day. You couldn’t tell from Derek Anderson’s numbers, 1 TD to Larry Fitzgerald on 25-of-46 passing for 295 yards through the air. The Cards RBs even topped the 100 yard mark between them Hightower and Wells. The Chiefs got two scores from Thomas Jones and Matt Cassel added two to Dwayne Bowe.

Atlanta Falcons 34 St. Louis Rams 17: The Falcons scored seven times on four FGs by Matt Bryant and three TDs. Michael Turner scored one and Matt Ryan found Justin Peele and Brian Finneran for one each.  The Rams couldn’t stop Atlanta and Rams’ QB Sam Bradford couldn’t muster more than his average performance this season: two TDs, one INT on 233 yards through the air.

New Orleans Saints 34 Seattle Seahawks 19 The Saints rolled to their 3^rd win in a row despite Drew Brees throwing two more picks. On the good side, he tossed two TDs on 382 yards, two each to Meacham and Colston. The Seahawks still struggle to find the end zone which they only did once on a Hasselbeck toss to Ben Obomanu. The Seattle QB avoided picks and sacks all day but with New Orleans’ D holding the team’s RBs to under 50 yards on the ground there was no hope for a victory

Pittsburgh Steelers  35 Oakland Raiders 3: The refs were “letting them play” until Oakland’s Richard Seymour threw a haymaker at Ben Roethlisberger who went down to the turf.  Ben had the last laugh as he ran for a score and threw for two more. The Raiders put both QB’s on the field and neither Gradkowski nor Campbell could move the team. Each passed for under 100 yards and one pick. Plain ugly.

Dallas Cowboys 35 Detroit Lions 19: The Boys are having a party in Big D as they win their second for interim coach Jason Garrett. Bryan McCann ran back a punt for 97 yards and a score after last week’s 101 yarder. Jon Kitna knows his Christmas has come early as he threw for three scores, two to Miles Austin and one to Dez Bryant, even adding one on the ground for himself. Shaun Hill was 32-of-47 for 289 yards. Two TDs and a pick but his running game was non-existent with a total 75 yards for the game.

Baltimore Ravens 37 Carolina Panthers 13: Brian St. Pierre got out alive and frankly, didn’t perform as poorly as some expected. One week a stay-at-home Dad, the next the QB of the struggling Panthers.  He got sacked three times, picked twice (one for a pick-six by Ray Lewis), but did throw a score to WR David Gettis. The Ravens got a one TD day from QB Joe Flacco on 24-of-33 passing for 301 yards and Ray Rice found pay dirt once.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The Lions lose on the road to the 0-8 Bills, Dallas gets a shot of adrenaline with a new head coach Jason Garrett and “The Sanchize” and his Jets squeak out another OT win.

Indianapolis Colts 23 Cincinnati Bengals 17: The Bengals wide receiver divas take turns having tough weeks. This Sunday was TO’s turn to seem disinterested and clueless while Ochocinco tried like heck to redeem himself.  Despite holding Peyton Manning to 0 TDs and 185 yards through the air, the Bengals found ways to lose.  The Indy D took Carson Palmer to the house for one TD, forced 5 turnovers and stopped the Bengals twice in the final three minutes. It’s over in Cincy.

New York Jets 26 Cleveland Browns 20 in OT: The Jets have made history with two OT wins on successive weeks on the road. Ok, it’s an obscure record but how about Rex Ryan beating twin Rob in the “Lap Band Bowl”?  Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes connected for the winning TD in OT, after Sanchize ran in for one and found Jerricho Cotchery for another.  Peyton Hillis had a modest day for him with 1 TD and 82 yards on the ground.

Chicago Bears 27 Minnesota Vikings 13: Percy Harvin got over his migraines and was the top WR for the Vikes on Sunday with one TD and 64 yards receiving, 53 coming on one play. Brett Favre was picked three times; Adrian Peterson was limited to 51 yards on the ground and no TDs. The Bears shut down Minnesota after a FG at 8:14 of the 3^rd Q and that was all she wrote for the Vikings. They fall to 3-6 and Favre was giving a post-game press conference about his legacy. Oy!

Miami Dolphins 29  Tennessee Titans 17: The Dolphins won at home which was a novelty for them, despite losing both Chads who play QB. Pennington, named as starter lasted two plays and reinjured his repaired shoulder and Henne looks like he is gone for the season with a knee injury. The Titans weren’t immune either. Their starter Kerry Collins left and brought back the slightly hobbling Vince Young.  The Titans D, on a day they should have made mince meat out of the Dolphins, couldn’t get their act together. When Tyler Thigpen, Miami’s 3^rd string QB threw a TD, you just had to shake your head.

Jacksonville Jaguars 31  Houston Texans 24: A Hail Mary, which the Jags claim they don’t practice, actually won a game with seconds on the clock in regulation. David Garrard’s heave was batted down by the Texans but right into the arms of Jags’ WR Mike Thomas. Garrard threw for another on 342 yards, Texans’ QB Matt Schaub also threw for two TDs on 314 yards through the air and Maurice Jones-Drew owns the Texans. He scored twice and ran for 100 yards.

Buffalo Bills 14  Detroit Lions 12: Buffalo played a ragged game but so did the Lions. The Bills will take it since they won their first game of 2010, thanks to Fred Jackson. He scored both of the teams TDs, one through the air and another on the ground while running for 133 yards. The Lions almost tied it up with seconds left on the clock but missed on a two point conversion when QB Shaun Hill threw the ball out of the endzone.

Tampa Bay Bucs 31  Carolina Panthers 16: Panthers QB, rookie Jimmy Clausen didn’t have a bad day. He was 16-29, without an INT but also without a TD.  The Panthers running game was all on Mike Goodson, without the team’s regular backs on the sidelines with injuries. He came through with 100 yards; still not enough to beat a team that has better players who aren’t rookies. Josh Freeman tossed 2 TDs without a pick, LeGarrette Blount and Carnell Williams scored a TD each. The Bucs move to 6-3 in the NFC.

Denver Broncos 49  Kansas City Chiefs 29 KC QB Matt Cassel had one hell of a day with 469 yards passing and four TDs.  Oops, still not enough without the running game the team has relied on. The Broncos limited Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones to 44 total yards on the ground without a TD. Kyle Orton went wild with his own 4 TD performance and that unknown rookie from FL, Tim Tebow scored twice; one on his first NFL TD pass and the other on his usual goal line push-in.

San Francisco 49ers 23  St. Louis Rams 20 in OT: The 49ers may have found their new QB and his name is Smith, Troy Smith. A great performance with 356 yards passing and 1 TD. The San Fran D held Steven Jackson to 81 yards on the ground and one TD. Sam Bradford again had a good but not spectacular day and didn’t turn the ball over.  Joe Nedney, San Fran’s kicker contributed three FGs, one in OT and the 49ers pulled one out at home.

Seattle Seahawks 36  Arizona Cardinals 18: Both starting QBs had good days, with only one INT between them and both throwing for more than 300 yards, yet only one TD for each. It was Olindo Mare’s day with five successful FGs and the Seattle D contributed by holding AZ runners to 41 total yards on the ground.

New England Patriots 39 Pittsburgh Steelers 26: The Steelers were picked to pieces by Pats QB Tom Brady, throwing three TDs to a rookie tight end on a 30-43 passing performance totaling 350 yards.  He added insult to injury by running in another. Big Ben was picked once and threw his own three TDs but the Pats D, pretty much a new squad held the mighty Steelers in check when necessary. The Heinz Field crowd uncharacteristically booed their players, particularly kicker Jeff Reed who missed one of two FGs.

Dallas Cowboys 33 NY Giants 20: The newly appointed interim coach Jason Garrett of the Cowboys had one heck of a grin at the end of the game. His team played like they cared, limited mistakes and took it to the Giants in the Meadowlands. Jon Kitna had a complete turnaround with three TDs and only one pick on 13-22 passing for 327 yards.  Eli Manning threw two INTs, one for a pick-six of 101 yards. Dallas WR Dez Bryant caught three passes that totaled 104 yards and one TD and the Dallas D kept Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs out of the end zone.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Derek Jeter won a Gold Glove award on Tuesday joining two teammates, first baseman Mark Teixeria and second baseman Robinson Cano. Many are questioning this award going to the All-Star shortstop who is in negotiations with the Yankees for a new contract.

Jeter, 36 years old, is a shortstop without another natural position to play and with a hitting percentage that declined this year.

ESPN.com New York writer Wallace Matthews suggested that if you use traditional stat measurements then Jeter should win the award.

For those that opt to include how many balls he booted or couldn’t catch up to on a weekly basis because of that limited range, Jeter ranks near the bottom in the MLB at his position.

As Sports Climax MLB writer Brett Kettyle explained, “Jeter may be the player that stands out most as an undeserving winner. He has exactly one season (2009) in the past eight years in which he had a positive UZR. This year, he ranked seventh (out of ten) in UZR among all AL qualified shortstops.”

Since the award is determined by calculating votes by coaches and managers of MLB teams, there would be no reason to think a fix was in. Will the hardware add a little icing on the cake in the form of a million or two per year, or get him a longer term deal? Probably not since all it does is balance out the batting average that dipped last season after his impressive year in 2009.

Jeter knows he can’t go anywhere else, he’s a Yankee forever and he should be. The Yankeess aren’t ready to face the disdain of fans if Jeter isn’t on the field on Opening Day 2011.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Atlanta Falcons take Tampa Bay Bucs 27-21: Neither team scored in the 4^th Q, although they tried. When last week’s hero for the Bucs, RB LaGarette Blout couldn’t make it in from the one yard line with three minutes left then it was over. Matty “Ice” remained unbeatable at home. Michael Turner ran for 107 yards and two TDS and the Falcons intercepted Josh Freeman twice.

San Diego Chargers beat Houston Texans 29-23: The Chargers are on pace to pull their yearly act of coming back from the dead to contend. Their win over the Texans, on the road brought them to 4-5. Philip Rivers threw to subs, and still wound up with 295 yards and 4 TDs. He has thrown for the second-most yards passing through a team’s first nine NFL games. Arian Foster was the highlight reel for Houston, with two TDs on 127 yards. It is his fourth multiple score game of the season.

Minnesota Vikings top Arizona Cardinals 27-24 in OT: Grey and 41 years old, Brett Favre had the most prolific day of his career, throwing for 446 yards. In the process he threw two TDs, none more important than the one to TE Shiancoe to tie in up with 27 seconds left in regulation. The Cards were up 14 points after a Jay Feely FG, made it 24-10 early in the 4^th Q. Without much of a running game, the Vikes D shut Arizona down, sacking QB Derek Anderson six times, equaling their season total in one game.

New Orleans Saints crush Carolina Panthers 34-3: Ugly game for Carolina as their running game ended up on the sideline, after RB Jonathan Stewart joined DeAngleo Williams on the bench after an injury. Add that to QB Matt Moore exiting with an injury of his own and you’d have thought they would have invoked the mercy rule. Brees had a stellar day with 253 yards passing with two TDS and one INT but TE Jeremy Shockey ended up in the hospital after catching a TD in the early going.

Cleveland Browns upset New England Patriots 34-14: You’re not reading this wrong. A newly svelte Browns coach Mangini was able to run out to meet Bill Belichick after the game and smile while shaking hands so briefly, if you blinked you’d have missed it. The Browns D plus uncharacteristic mistakes by the Pats including turnovers made this game look lopsided.  The New England D, showed all its flaws as they allowed RB Peyton Hillis run wild for 184 yards and two TDs on 29 rushes.

Green Bay Packers take down the Dallas Cowboys  45-7: Whatever you thought of Dallas coach Wade Phillips’ efforts to keep his job had to fly out the window on Sunday night. Lazy tackling, inept QB play, lack of running yardage, mistakes and more, marked the Cowboys’ demolition in Green Bay.  Aaron Rodgers threw for three TDs on 289 yards and FB John Kuhn beat the heck out of the Dallas Defensive front.  Dez Bryant caught the only TD of the night for the Cowboys. The death watch is on in Dallas.

Chicago Bears over the Buffalo Bills 22-19: The Canadian Bowl was won by the visiting team. The Bills fell short again, but this time they didn’t make it as close as the score indicates. Ryan Fitzpatrick got picked as they were driving, up 19-14. Six plays later Cutler threw his second TD of the day. Bills fall to 0-8, but you can’t say they don’t try. The Bears climb to 5-3.

Baltimore Ravens beat Miami Dolphins 26-10: QB Joe Flacco went 20-27 resulting in two TDs, no INTs and 266 yards, the Ravens D held Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to 60 yards on the ground,  sacked QB Chad Henne twice and intercepted him three times. It was a statement game for Ray Lewis and company. Even Miami’s kicker had an off day, missing one of two FG attempts, after scoring 10 in the previous two games.

New York Jets top the Detroit Lions 23-20 in OT: Rex Ryan exulted at game’s end about his guys coming back from 10 points down in the 4^th Q. After last week’s shut out at the hands of the Packers, I guess it counts as a big deal. Sanchez had his usual up and down day but found Santonio Holmes when it counted, for a 52-yard catch to set up the winning 30 yard FG by Nick Folk in OT.  Matt Stafford reinjured the bum shoulder and set tongues wagging about his durability.

New York Giants destroy Seattle Seahawks 41-7: The Giants steamrolled a sad looking Seahawks team with Charlie Whitehurst at QB. Eli Manning threw for 290 yards and three TDs, while Ahmad Bradshaw saw the end zone twice. The Giants gained 487 yards on offense and Seattle’s performance made you wonder how the team is even at .500 for the season.

Philadelphia Eagles beat Indianapolis Colts 26-24: Mike Vick returned to QB, threw for one TD and ran for another, but the Eagles had to settle for four FGs the rest of the time they were in the red zone. Peyton Manning’s last second INT ended the Colts’ attempt at winning with subs at almost every important position. Edgerrin James’ son, Javarris punched it in twice for TDs. Manning had two INTs and one TD as the Colts fall to 5-3 at the halfway point in the season.

Oakland Raiders trip up Kansas City Chiefs 23-20 in OT: Janikowski’s 41 yard FG tied it at the end of regulation and won it on a 33 yarder, but it looked bleak for a while. Jason Campbell set up both of Janikowski’s scores with long passes at the right time to rookie Jacoby Ford.  The youngster also returned a kick for a TD to open the second half. The Chiefs won the toss but couldn’t make a first down.  KC’s running game was held to under 100 yards and Matt Cassel was sacked three times on the day.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The LA Lakers started out 2-0 this 2010-11 NBA season and the reason has a lot to do with the arrival of three players that make their bench deeper than when they repeated as NBA champions last season.

After parting ways with four players after last year’s victory parade, the Lakers dipped into free agency and as they demonstrated in their first two games, they are ready to give the newcomers significant minutes, even in crunch time.

The four let go were Adam Morrison, D.J. Mbenga, Jordan Famar and Josh Powell. To fill those spots, GM Mitch Kupchak acquired Theo Ratliff, Matt Barnes and Steve Blake, all of whom have seen floor time in both of the first two games this season. Ratliff may be 37 years old but he is in great shape and will rebound, block shots and take up space in the paint.

Ratcliff is the first true back-up center the Lakers have had in years. With Pau Gasol playing almost half his time at the center position, whether as a starter in place of oft-injured Andrew Bynum, he had more minutes than the team would like.

Blake’s arrival gives the team a player who can put in significant minutes to allow Fisher to rest for what he truly does best, make critical baskets in the playoffs. Finally, the acquisition of Barnes gives the team a combo forward who can drive to the hoop or shoot from long range. He’s another version of Trevor Arzia who departed a year ago to make way for Ron Artest.

Friday night in Phoenix during the Lakers win over the Suns, their coach Alvin Gentry was asked how he expected his team to counter the new wave of Lakers players who back up those who just won two rings. He shook his head said he hoped his guys would put up a good fight, but that after all, the rich just got richer. Ain’t that the truth?

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC