The Lions beat Donovan McNabb and the Redskins for their second win of the season while the Jets were shut out and lost their second to injury-plagued Green Bay.  The Bills took it to OT but lost to K.C. while the Cowboys were humiliated in Jerry’s house by the Jaguars. BTW, McNabb was benched for the two-minute drill in the final quarter. Here are the full recaps from NFL Week 8.

San Diego Chargers 33 Tennessee Titans 25: The Titans began with a safety off a blocked punt and pounded the Chargers for 200 yards of offense in the first half. Tennessee limited Chargers QB Philip Rivers so SD had to take to the ground for two first-half TDs. Rivers went to work after half-time and the Chargers scored four times (2FGs and 2TDs) to take an eight point lead with 7:00+ to go in the 4^th quarter. Vince Young went out with a leg injury and gave back-up QB Kerry Collins a chance to drive downfield with a few minutes left in the game. Collins got his team to the 12 yard line but on a 4^th down and two, Chris Johnson dropped a pass and the Chargers pulled out a tough one at home. Rivers went 27-36 with 305 yards through the air.

New England Patriots 28 Minnesota Vikings 18:  Gimpy Brett Favre was protected well in the first half and Adrian Peterson saw a lot of action. Nonetheless, the Vikes were down 21-10 half-way through the 4thQ when Favre was sacked with a bit of helmet to the chin. He was bleeding and helped off the field. In came Tavaris Jackson for his first work of the season. He threw a TD and a two-point conversion getting Minnesota to within three points. The problem then became one for the Vikings defense which couldn’t stop NE on a long and time consuming 4^th Q drive. Randy Moss had only one catch for eight yards and was doubled covered 95% of the time and Favre ended up going 22-of-32 with one pick and no TDs.

Tampa Bay Bucs 38 Arizona Cardinals 35: This was the wildest game of the afternoon, with the teams trading scores in the second half. The Bucs began the day with two first half defensive TDs, on picks of Cards’ QB Max Hall. Hall was pulled after that for Derek Anderson who had a chance to win the game for the Cards on a late 4^th Q drive but was picked for the second time in the game. Tampa Bay leaned on rookie RB LeGarrete Blount in the second half. He scored two TDs, the last of which put the Bucs in the lead for good and ended up with 120 yards for the game. Larry Fitzgerald scored twice, one from each of the Cards QBs.

Oakland Raiders 33 Seattle Seahawks 3: The Raiders held the Seahawks scoreless in the first half while Jason Campbell hit Marcel Reese, rookie from Syracuse for a score. Old reliable, Sebastian Janokowski kept kicking FGs, a total of four on the afternoon, while Seattle only looked longingly at the end zone. Matt Hasselbeck got picked once but was sacked five times and ended up 13-of-32 for only 160 yards. Olindo Mare’s FG was all the scoring for the Seahawks. Jason Campbell continues to show he is comfortable in the starting role as he threw two TDs without a pick.  Darren McFadden extended his hot streak with 111 yards on the ground.

In OT, Kansas City Chiefs 10  Buffalo Bills 10: What a game! The Bills hoping and praying for their first win on the season fell short, but QB Ryan Fitzpatrick sure gave it all he had.  Misfiring early, the young QB found his rhythm late and tied it up with a four yard TD late in the 4^th. The teams traded missed FGs in OT and then punts. KC broke the Bills’ heart with a late drive and a FG with less than 5 seconds on the clock.

San Francisco 49ers 24  Denver Broncos 16:. The 49ers got to London early in the week to deal with the jetlag, but took until the fourth quarter to wake up. This week’s QB, Troy Smith scored twice, one on the ground and one through the air. Maybe San Fran has found the right QB for their team. Kyle Orton had a great statistical day with 369 yards on 28-0f-40 passing but could only manage one TD. Tim Tebow made his London debut and scored on a one yard TD run.

Green Bay  Packers 9  New York Jets 0: Rex Ryan faked a punt and almost converted a 4^th and long in the first half, so you knew what kind of game this was gonna be.  There were challenge flags all over the field, with Rex Ryan losing both of his in the first half. That kept him from being able to challenge what was called a Charles Woodson INT that on replay video looked suspicious. The Packers capitalized with their second FG, added a third with seconds on the clock and the Jets lost their second of the season. Fireman Ed was not pleased.

Jacksonville Jaguars 35  Dallas Cowboys 10:  Jon Kitna was picked off four times but it was the Cowboys D that made this an easy victory for the Jaguars. David Garrard, just back after being concussed, threw four TDs, making hay off the Cowboys turnovers. When he added one on the ground late in the 4^th Q, the boos rang out in the Cowboys’ home stadium. Isn’t Wade Phillips responsible for the defense on the Cowboys? I thought that was why they were keeping him around.

St. Louis Rams 20  Carolina Panthers 10: Scoreless until 10:08 of the second Q  the pace of the game picked up, but not for the Carolina Panthers.  Matt Moore threw three picks and was 23-of-37 through the air with one TD. Rams QB Sam Bradford did his bit with two TDs and no picks. Josh Brown contributed two FGs and that was all the Rams needed to get to 4-4 on the season.

Detroit Lions 37 Washington Redskins  25: The Lions were looking for their second victory of the year and they got it. With a bit more than three minutes left in the game, Matt Stafford threw his 4^th TD pass, third of the day to Calvin Johnson, to put them ahead and a FG gave them a 6 point lead. Then it got ugly. Donovan McNabb was benched for the final drive and on the first play, his replacement Rex Grossman coughed up a fumble and it was returned to the house by Mr. Suh. Trouble in D.C.?

Miami Dolphins  22  Cincinnati Bengals 14:  TO scored twice in the first half, one by accident, but the Bengals will take it. After that the Cincy offense took the rest of the day off. They got close late in the 4^th Q but Carson Palmer was picked off deep in the red zone. Miami’s kicker accounted for 15 of the team’s 22 points with Ricky Williams running it in for the only Dolphins TD. Chad Ochocino was the recipient of a helmet hit but got up and wobbled off the field, sort of the tale of the game for the Bengals.

More than the scoreboard lit up whenever the San Francisco Giants knocked a ball over the fence during the first two games of the 2010 World Series. Whenever a Giants batter hit a homerun, the ReLeaf Herbal Center in San Francisco distributed FREE MARIJUANA to patients who are authorized to partake in enjoying a doobie to battle their medical issues.

You see, ReLeaf is a medical marijuana dispensary, one of many that sell pot legally in the state of California. Jumping on the opportunity to attract patients to their place of business ReLeaf ran the promotion that was synced up with the Giants World Series against the Texas Rangers.

In Game 1 on Wednesday night, Juan Uribe launched a three-run shot into the stands that brought the crowd at the ball park, and we have to assume the line at ReLeaf Herbal Center, to its feet. Another homer was hit in Game 2 and at this pace you have to wonder if Giants’ fans may be wanting their team, who leads the series two games to none, to lose a game in Texas so they need to return for at least one more in The Bay.

Also available were samples of a drink ReLeaf calls its Giants Punch. The liquid is laced with THC and comes in Giants orange. While a patient can get parched from taking a drag off the free joint, some may battle their cotton mouth with a belt of Giants Punch.

ReLeaf created a ton of media buzz for its promotion, including the local CBS affiliate in San Francisco. It is driving traffic to the dispensary’s Facebook page and here is a recent post there:

“Ready for game 2??? ReLeaf is ready…with our medicated Giants Punch which we will again be sampling to our patients during the game and a a good stack of joints ready to hand out to patients present at our collective during each home run!! Go Giants!!!”

There is no word if the person who wrote that had already sampled the punch. Also available for patients are lollipops in all kinds of fruit flavors and pizza pocket-sandwiches. If you need a dessert, there’s cheesecake and chocolate mousse in take home packs to munch on. . . emphasis on “munch”.

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

Ron Artest shook the hand of NBA Commissioner David Stern as he accepted his championship ring for being a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, during last season’s run to glory. He spoke to the crowd, introduced the next teammate to trot out and take his own bling and later, led the fans in the countdown to the unveiling of the new championship banner.

He started to point to the wrong wall of the Staples Center and was helped out of his mini-jam by Derek Fisher who calmly sidled up to Artest and turned him a bit to the left. The countdown was a bit backwards as well, with Ron-Ron counting up from 1 to 3 as opposed to the traditional, “3, 2, 1..”

In that few moments, all experienced the many facets of the new Artest. He’s still a bit loopy but no one or thing is hurt in the process. Now when you say that he means well, you don’t have to look around for the fallout from a mistake.

He has found the acceptance and success he has craved his entire career, only six years after the infamous violent riot in the stands between Detroit fans and Pacers players in the Palace at Auburn Hills.

It must have been a moment of pride for the player and his closest circle. Although outside that circle, Commissioner Stern had to be feeling proud as well. His decision to suspend Artest for an entire season was his statement to the world that his sport would not be the poster child for thugs in uniforms.

That season seemed to be the catalyst for the harsh penalties and fines meted out since for bad behavior both on and off the court. You might say that commissioner-in-training of the NFL, Roger Goodell, looked at the NBA as an example of how to rein in the element that frightens commercial sponsors and a fan base that comes from a different world than many of super stars in the league.

There is no one who can honestly say they are happy with the extent to which the NBA has cracked down on innocent actions by players on the court, which lead to suspensions. The rule about crossing the sidelines onto the court to assist a teammate in a bit of a squabble has been taken to ridiculous lengths.

We all remember the Phoenix Suns being effectively removed from a playoff series a few years ago, when Amar’e Stoudemire, without intent to join a fracas, stepped one foot over the sideline to see if his teammate was injured, resulting in a one-game suspension.

Nonetheless, after looking at the reclamation project known as Ron Artest, you have to admit that in the case of this player, a rude awakening worked its magic. It hurt the Indiana Pacers badly as well as individual teammates of Artest.

He publicly apologized to them after the game 7 victory over the Celtics in June, in a way that demonstrated he understood how much he affected that team’s chances to make a playoff run. That makes up for nothing in the scheme of things but it speaks to the heart of Artest who has been rehabilitated in a way that might only be surpassed by the acceptance of Michael Vick’s success in the NFL.

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

Ms. Lisi Monro, a fan of the NHL Edmonton Oilers is upset that they team has decided to make the bold move to create a cheerleading squad. We’ve heard it all before. The use of beautiful women in skimpy costumes objectifies women and is offensive to fans of all genders, but mostly women.

It isn’t a novel argument. In fact it is one steeped in the era of the creation of the Playboy empire. Are we still hashing through the reason why people enjoy seeing cheerleaders at sporting events? We are in Canada, especially when they become attached to an NHL franchise. It will be a first for any team in the league located within that country’s confines.

Monro has put a petition on line to gather signatures in protest. Despite that, the team’s CEO and President, Patrick LaForge told the Montreal Gazette he thinks “a little extra spice and sparkle” will be created by a new cheerleading squad for his team.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers and several other teams have had ice girls in place for several years and it seems the Oilers are following their lead.

Frankly the Oilers need something to jump start the 2010-11 season. They are in last place in their division, but Ms. Monro is concentrating on keeping the ice pure so that her favorite players can spill blood on it.

Her plea is posted at petitiononline.com. It is quite formal and long, but here are the basics of what you need to know to understand her reasoning:

“We, the undersigned, believe that men AND women are Edmonton Oilers fans, and that cheer teams are perceived by some members of both sexes to be demeaning and contributing to the objectification of women.”

“We the undersigned, hold the ownership and management of the Edmonton Oilers to a higher standard, in trusting them to make decisions that will not negatively affect the experience of attending a National Hockey League game by using gimmicks and excessive in-game entertainment that would take away from the game itself.”

CEO LaForge thinks women and men who are fans of the Oilers are winners in this. “A cheerleading team is a way for the Oilers organization to stay current, and comes at the request of male and female fans. It’s an entertainment idea. I appreciate that some people can take it the wrong way, but it’s added entertainment during breaks in the game.”

As of this writing there are a bit more than 1,100 signatures on the petition, hardly enough to bother the Oilers’ management. Today, the team is hosting an open meeting to announce the process for choosing the members of the cheerleading team. Auditions are expected to begin later this week.

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 Week 7 scores are in and while the Chicago Bears Mike Martz offense sputtered out in the Windy City, Colt McCoy and the Cleveland Browns pulled off the upset of the week in New Orleans.  

Washington Redskins 17 Chicago Bears 14: DeAngelo Hall with four catches was the second leading reciever for the Bears, problem is, he was wearing a Redskin jersey. Two QBs, two poor performances. Donovan McNabb and Jay Cutler both threw pick-sixes and only one TD each. Ryan Torain kept the chains moving for Washington with 125 yards on the ground while the Bears and their fans are becoming too familiar with Mike Martz’ offense consisting of sacks, more interceptions and very few yards on the ground. The Bears only rushed for 66 yards in this one. When the Redskins win, it’s ugly and the Bears win and many times lose the same way.

Oakland Raiders 59  Denver Broncos 14: Before the Broncos fans had fully settled into their seats, the Raiders were up by three TDs and tacked on more after that. Four turnovers, two by Denver QB Kyle Orton had the Broncos down 38-7 at the half.  Oakland RB Darren McFadden scored three TDs, QB Jason Campbell threw for two and you wondered what the Broncos would do in the second half. The answer was not much. The teams traded TDs in the 3^rd quarter as the score reached 45-14. The last time the Raiders scored that many points was in 2004 and Al Davis was a spry senior citizen. When McFadden took it in for his 4^th TD, on a 57 yard run from scrimmage, to make it 52-14, you thought you were at a bad NCAA football game. When the Raiders reached 59 points and it wasn’t the 4^th quarter yet, it was mind numbing.

New England Patriots 23 San Diego Chargers 20: Turnovers and untimely penalties have plagued the Chargers this season and this game was no different in the first half. San Diego had four turnovers and only three points on the board at half-time. But it wasn’t that the Pats were setting the world ablaze. The Chargers D sacked Tom Brady four times in the first half and limited the Pats to one TD and two FGS. In the second half, San Diego made one of their patented charges, scoring 17 points, even recovering an on-side kick to get to within three at 23-20 with four minutes to go. Philip Rivers drove them down to FG range after the Pats turned it over on downs. A false start penalty pushed the team back and the FG was now a 50 yard attempt for Kris Brown, a one week pick up after SD’s kicker Nate Kaeding got injured. The ball hit the upright, bounced off to the right and the Chargers lost another one in a miserable way.

Seattle Seahawks 22 Arizona Cardinals 10: Arizona’s third string QB, Max Hall wasn’t up to the task against the Seahawks and in came Derek Anderson, whose concussion had kept him on the sidelines for more than a week. He led the Cards to their first score of the day in the third quarter to make it 16-7.  The AZ defense held Seattle to a FG in the 3^rd quarter and another in the 4^th but the Cards offense only managed a FG in the second half. Seattle is 4-2 in a division that boasts of the Cardinals, Rams and 49ers, not one of which is .500 for the season. Oh boy!

Kansas City Chiefs 42 Jacksonville Jags 20: Third-stringer Todd Bouman was just what the doctor ordered for the Jags. He kept getting his team down field and threw for one TD in the first half. The Chiefs two-headed RB monster, Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles each scored to give their team a one-point lead at half-time. But the Chiefs came out throwing and Matt Cassel to Dwayne Bowe for two TDs, a pick-six and a running TD blew the game open for the Chiefs who climb to 4-2 on the year.

Baltimore Ravens 37  Buffalo Bills 34: The Ravens D couldn’t hold down that future Hall of Famer, Ryan Fitzpatrick. Who knew? He tossed three TDs and the Bills were up by 14 with less than a minute left in the half. But the Ravens D finally awoke and got their offense a chance to score 23 points, unanswered going up by 11 as the 3^rd Q ended. The Bills wouldn’t go away, scoring twice to tie it up at the end of regulation. The teams coughed the ball up to each other in OT with Ray Lewis getting the final turnover to allow kicker Billy Cundiff  to win it.

Tennessee Titans 37  Philadelphia Eagles 19:  CJ2K had another tough day gaining only 66 yards without a TD.  Kerry Collins was having trouble standing upright in the first half.  He was sacked 3 times and threw 1 pick. But Jeff Fisher let Kenny Britt out of the doghouse just in time for three TD catches that got the win for the Titans. Kevin Kolb threw a lot, completed more than 50% but only managed one TD on the day. The rest of the Philly scoring came from David Akers four FGs

Cleveland Browns 30 New Orleans Saints 17:  Cleveland D coordinator Rob Ryan is sick of his brother Rex getting all the headlines. His defense shut down the Saints and intercepted Drew Brees four times, two for pick-sixes. The Colt McCoy experiment is still just that but with their running game and the toe of Phil Dawson, the kid only needs to avoid mistakes for his team to have a chance, if Ryan’s defense keeps it up. The Saints fall to 4-3, Cleveland 2^nd win of the year.

Pittsburgh Steelers 23 Miami Dolphins 22:  The Steelers D only gave up one TD and held Miami to FGs all day long. But they mount up after a while. Dan Carpenter kicked five and it looked like enough to overcome two Big Ben TDs. With a bit more than two minutes left in the game, Roethlisberger ran to the goal line, fumbled, but Miami didn’t recover in the end zone, giving Pittsburgh’s Jeff Reed time to kick his third FG on the day.

Tampa Bay 19 St. Louis Rams 17: Sam Bradford did his thing, throwing for a couple of TD’s without an interception and the Rams D took away any running game the Bucs hoped to have. That was all in the first half. The second half was all Tampa Bay as they came back for a 19-17 win by holding the Rams scoreless down the stretch. Josh Freeman sealed it with 10 seconds left in the game, with his first TD pass of the day to Cadillac Williams.

Carolina Panthers 23 San Francisco 49ers 20: The teams were evenly matched in the first half as both young QBs threw for a TD. Then Alex Smith was sacked and injured his shoulder, ushering in David Carr. He was ineffective  and the passing game was over for the 49ers. Carolina got a great day from Matt Moore as he went 28-41, two TDs and one pick. John Kasay’s 3^rd FG of the day won the game in the final minute and the Panthers are no longer winless for the season.

Atlanta Falcons 39  Cincinnati Bengal 32: The Falcons came out and punched the Bengals in the mouth on offense and the D followed suit, holding Cincy to 2 FGs through the late 3^rd quarter. A late surge by Carson Palmer with 2 TDs got the Bengals close and a big strip and fumbled recovery by Adam Jones put Cincy ahead after four straight scores. But Matt Ryan found his comfort food, WR Roddy White, for their second score of the day and they connected a third time, as the Falcons held off a final late game charge to beat the Bengals.

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 Vikes win the “Desperation Bowl”, the 49ers notch their first win of 2010 and the Saints look like last year’s model during Week 6 in the NFL.

Here are the game recaps and final scores:

Minnesota Vikings 24 Dallas Cowboys 21: The Vikes came out winners in the “Desperation Bowl” with some help from the Cowboys who continued to rack up stupid penalties. Brett Favre, possibly nursing a sore elbow, threw only 19 passes on the day, completing 14 with one TD. The Vikings rode the back of Adrian Peterson’s ground game and a kickoff return TD by Percy Harvin. Dallas’s running game could only muster 94 yards while Tony Romo threw three TDs. But Romo’s two picks coupled with the excessive flags sent the ‘Boys to 1-4.

Philadelphia Eagles 31 Atlanta Hawks 17: Kevin Kolb had a stellar day with 23-29 passing for 3 TDs and a pick. That included two to the house to WR DeSean Jackson who left with what was described as a “severe” concussion. The Philly D held on after holding the Falcons to only 7 points in the first half, limiting the running game to 66 yards on the day. Matt Ryan to Tony Gonzalez for two TDs was the bulk of Falcons scoring.

Seattle Seahawks 23 Chicago Bears 20: The Seahawks did it with defense and two castoff RBs, Justin Forsett and Marshawn Lynch who each scored one TD. Like in recent years, offensive coordinator Mike Martz’ running game appears to be fizzling out with Matt Forte gaining just 11 yards on the ground. Jay Cutler was only 17-39 without a TD, but he did fumble for a safety during one of his 6 sacks. Devin Hester tied an NFL record with his punt return for a TD that made the game look closer than it actually was.

New York Giants 28 Detroit Lions 20: Another QB got knocked out for the Lions and in came third-stringer Drew Stanton who acquitted himself well. He tossed an 87 yard TD to Calvin Johnson and only turned the ball over once, but unfortunately that was during the crucial final drive of the game deep inside Giants territory. The Giants limited the Lions running game to 34 net yards aside from Stanton scrambling for 30. The Giants ran the ball down the Lions throats with two TDs for Brandon Jacobs and 133 yards for Ahmad Bradshaw.

St. Louis Rams 20 San Diego Chargers 17: You have to wonder if the insane Chargers fans who graced the pages of YouTube last week may come back for an encore after another loss to a rebuilding team. The Chargers can’t run the ball and so if Philip Rivers has an off day, which he had, they are toast. The Rams are for real on defense and Sam Bradford again, does just enough to not lose the game. Steven Jackson had another solid day with 109 yards and one TD. The Chargers couldn’t convert enough on third down and that was the name of the game, on this day.

New England Patriots 23 Baltimore Ravens 20: Ravens RB Le’Ron McClain committed a personal foul that resulted in his team being unable to convert on third down in OT. They handed the ball back, Tom Brady drove down the field and the Pats kicker, Gostkowski kicked a short FG for the win. Deion Branch got into the way-back machine with Brady and caught a TD on 98 receiving yards during his return to the team.

New York Jets 24 Denver Broncos 20: LT continues to look like he drank from the fountain of youth as he ran for 2 TDS on 55 yards on the ground. The Jets D held the Broncos runners in check, except Tim Tebow. That’s right, he made his presence felt on 6 plays, one of which resulted in a 5 yard TD. The Jets also held prolific QB Kyle Orton to 1 TD on 209 yards passing.

Indianapolis Colts 27 Washington Redskins 24: Peyton Manning ran the Redskins D ragged with the no-huddle offense in the first half. He threw for 2 TDs on 307 yards but the Colts were sloppy and lucky too. The Skins had the ball for a final drive in the waning seconds and Donovan McNabb threw a pick. Ryan Torain was outstanding with 2 TDs on 100 yards running as a sub for the injured Clinton Portis.

Pittsburgh Steelers  28  Cleveland Browns  10: Big Ben looked a bit rusty early but shook it off to throw 3 TDs on efficient 16-27 passing. Cleveland’s young rookie, Colt McCoy survived with his head still on his shoulders and performed admirably for a first NFL start. He threw for 1 TD on 23-33, 281 yards passing. The Steelers D limited Peyton Hillis to a mere 41 yards on the day.

Miami Dolphins 23 Green Bay Packers in Lambeau  20: This is the second full game in which the Packers offense has stalled in two losses. Their running game is clearly not right and Aaron Rodgers turned in an average to poor day for him on 18-33 passing, 1 pick and 1 TD, adding another on a 1 yard dive into the end zone. The Dolphins had a great balanced day with 150 yards on the ground and 231 yards through the air.

New Orleans Saints 31 over Tampa Bay Bucs 6: All is right in the world of the Saints as they trampled the Bucs, allowing only one TD all day. Even Tampa’s kicker had a rough day as he missed both FG tries. Drew Brees spread around the love to Meacham, Moore and Colston with the first two catching TDs. Chris Ivory ran wild as the primary RB on 158 yards on 15 carries.

Houston Texans 35 Kansas City Chiefs 31: Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson won a second game this year in the final seconds for the Texans. Matt Cassell had a good day at QB for the Chiefs, 20-29 and 3 TDs but their D couldn’t hold Houston when it mattered. KCs runners, Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles both performed well with 100 and 93 yards respectively.

San Francisco 49ers 17 over the Oakland Raiders 9: The 49ers won their first game of the season with defense and a day on which Alex Smith actually didn’t throw one pick. He went 16-33 on the day and 2TDs to his monster offensive weapons, Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. Raiders QB Jason Campbell couldn’t move his team and ended the day with a QB rating of 10.7….that is NOT a typo folks.

Lions are the NFL’s  Best Sparring Partner – Sports Climax

Are Chargers Driving Their Fans to the Brink of Insanity? – Sports Climax

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

Last winter, Gilbert Arenas was humbled and embarrassed after his arrest and guilty plea to a weapons charge in Washington, DC. It got him a 50 game suspension from the NBA and his team, the Washington Wizards considered the question of whether he should be cut or traded.

The incident that provoked it all was one of the biggest boneheaded moves in a world of athletes and earned Arenas the Sports Climax Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week back in January 2010.

The Wizards guard never considered rules or common sense when he took guns from home to keep them away from his kids, and put them all in his locker. The NBA has specific rules on weapons in the workplace. They don’t allow them in the building. The District of Columbia has strict laws against gun possession.

When he engaged in a bit of “whose got the bigger gun?” horseplay with former teammate Javaris Crittendon, it was the final straw. It defined him as ignorant or just unable to behave without dancing to his own beat. With no trade market that would get the Wizards anything close to similar value in return for him, the team stuck by him, while stripping his image from their marketing materials.

As you would expect, he promised to stick to business without any shenanigans in the future, but trying to instruct adults about how to exercise good judgment, after a lifetime of acting to the contrary is a losing proposition.

Everyone knows Arenas means no harm even though he produces it, and his leash just got shorter after he lied this week about being injured. It had nothing to do with him being a malcontent or hesitant to get back on the court and face the home crowd for the first time in months. According to Arenas he felt sorry for teammate Nick Young, because he hadn’t gotten a chance to be in the starting lineup.

He stepped aside to give the kid a break, he says, and now he’s being punished for doing so. Arenas pleaded knee pain and Nick Young demonstrated his considerable talents by being high scorer for the Wizards with 20 points. Here is Arenas’ explanation of the decision care of the Associated Press:

“I told [Young] I’d sacrifice playing tonight so he can get some time in because I know he’s kind of frustrated he’s not getting a chance to crack the [small forward] position, especially since we’re going three guards,” Arenas said Tuesday, smiling. “So I told him I’ll go and fake an injury or say something’s wrong with me so you can start.”

The NBA didn’t think much of his generosity and Arenas was fined on Wednesday. The league knows that paying customers, especially for a pre-season game when the starters don’t stay on the court all that long, are dying to see the stars. Arenas is surely that in DC and his return was eagerly anticipated.

Head coach Flip Saunders saw it as an insult to him personally, felt he had been made to look foolish and now has a big trust issue with Arenas. Who can blame him? You know what Gilbert had to do to prevent the latest mess? He could have just shut up and no one would have been the wiser. We all would have thought he had a bum knee, no big deal. He has lashed out at media, of course, because he believes it has been blown out of proportion which it has not so that again earns a second Sports Climax Bitch Slap of the Week honor.

Congrats Gilbert, on becoming the first athlete who has gotten our attention in this column twice during its existence.

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 NBA players union is taking legal action against the NBA for their recent practice of calling technical fouls for even the most minor altercations between players and referees. The Associated Press released a statement from union boss Billy Hunter that said the union or union members were never consulted about the radical change. He called it “an unnecessary and unwarranted.

The claim comes one day after Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett was sent to the showers early during a preseason game for simply performing his duty as team captain; talking with officials about a call, in this case one involving Jermaine O’Neal being assessed a techncial.

While this was happening on the east coast to the Celts, over on the west, the NBA Champion Lakers played the Sacramento Kings where more T’s rained down. After Lamar Odom was T’ed for raising his hand after a foul, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson approached an official to raise objection to it and was waved an additional T.

According to the league, the new rule is written to address overt physical demonstrations and it appears that refs are getting whistle-happy with it during preseason play possibly to make a point.

Former NBA referee, Tim Donaghy was asked his opinion of what brought about the change:

“The NBA wants and needs a more professional image as they have lost many fans to other sports. No other sporting event has the problems with the officials, players, coaches and owners.”

Donaghy, author of “Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal That Rocked the NBA” should know.

“During the pre-season games, the referees play by the book, including the new rules because nothing is at stake. As the regular season starts, the refs will back off,” told me in a recent interview.

“Nobody pays that kind of money to see LeBron James on the bench.”

The talk supporting this change stems from fans growing tired of complaining and whining by some of the players. The practice has been noticed and mentioned by analysts and play-by-play announcers on a regular basis as well.

Regardless you have to wonder about the timing of a lot of this on the eve of a season that might end in a lock-out or strike.

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

Deanna Favre, Brett Favre’s wife, wrote a book published in 2007 entitled, “Don’t Bet Against Me! Beating the Odds Against Breast Cancer and in Life.” It was an account of her life with Brett as well as coping with tragedy on many levels. She lost her brother, her father-in-law and dealt with breast cancer all in the span of about a year’s time. But it is the nature of her relationship with the icon we know as Brett Favre that might be more important at this point in time.

She is credited with getting him clean and sober twice during their marriage. What happens in that part of his life, after the dust settles about the recent allegations of salacious behavior, might have more of a lasting effect on him as a man than any punishment meted out by the NFL.

Deanna wrote that it wasn’t hard to see that the fame, fortune and adulation that came along with Favre’s career, left him vulnerable to all the temptations life has to offer.  Brett and Deanna weren’t married nor did they live together in Wisconsin until Brett had been with the Packers for a few years.  Although they were a couple since high school and parents since their college days, she operated as a single mother, living with family while completing college and working part time. Being without Deanna and his daughter during football season seems to have contributed to him living the life of a carousing footballer who ultimately got addicted to Vicodin.

Her realization of that and her insistence that he get clean was behind her husband’s decision to go public with his problem and news of entering a rehab facility. Only after getting sober did he propose and they married in the summer of 1996. The timing of his recovery can’t be ignored. After that he led the Packers to two Super Bowls, winning one, making one wonder what might have been his legacy and career stats had he continued down the road he was on.

That didn’t do the trick, however, and within three years, the post-Super Bowl Brett Favre, made his way through many a bar and late night-early morning arrivals at home. Brett asked her to be his keeper and monitor his alcohol consumption. As you would expect, that didn’t work and it led to her ultimatum in 1999. Deanna said, in her book, “He kept telling me, ‘I want to stop all this, you’re going to have to help me. Whatever you do, don’t let me drink.’ ”

She packed his bags, left them outside their home and called his agent to say she was done. As she tells it in the book, “I said, ‘Take your stuff and go. I’m done,’ ” she remembers. He begged, refusing to leave, so she called his agent. “You need to come get him, I’m not putting up with this anymore. He needs to get out of my house or I’m calling 9-1-1,” she said.  According to Deanna, that led to good times, “And it totally changed the quality of our life.”

Sports journalists who covered the Packers and Favre at the time of his second stint in rehab say that he was vocal about his fear of getting through life without Deanna at his side. Roll the tape forward to 2010 and we have the allegations that while alone in New York, playing for the Jets, he was on the make without conscience.

If the allegations of any unprofessional or sexual harassment acts between Favre and Jennifer Sterger that were first reported by Deadspin.com hold true, perhaps Deanna Favre will not tolerate a third-strike. If so, you can expect Brett Favre’s life to be radically altered in a way that mere punishment by the NFL would not produce. That is the other side of this story that hasn’t been getting much air time. Be prepared to have that other shoe drop if some or all of the news we have heard is true.

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

ESPN The Magazine’s second annual “Body Issue” hit the stands with more titillating shots of incredible athletic bodies. At least one of the photo subjects is presented in a light, so different and new, it makes you appreciate what artistic photography can accomplish. Despite that, some might say it’s all too much information.

Photos were taken of the New York Knicks’ Amrar’e Stoudemire, WNBA star, Diana Taurasi, Team USA goalie, Tim Howard, golfer Camilo Villegas, Dutch wheelchair tennis player, Esther Vergeer and last but certainly not least, the entire USA Women’s Water Polo Team.

More than one cover shot was produced and used, so that you don’t know which one you’ll see when you open up your mailbox to find the magazine. In homage to Playboy there is a full color pull-out of the cover suitable for framing, or just admiring in any way you see fit.

No delicate body parts displayed in full, but it is clear that the photo subjects are completely naked. As with any nude modeling shoot, subjects have been expertly directed how to use their arms, hands and legs to obscure the “money shot” so to speak.

What might shock some is the seeming ease with which the athletes display their many assets without much between them and the camera lens. The athletic bodies are works of art in and to themselves and in at least one case, that of Ms. Taurasi, her beauty is seemingly discovered once she rids herself of a basketball uniform and her on-court ponytail.

“Doing the shoot was something (new), and I had fun with it,” Taurasi claims. We can all attest to the reasoning behind her participation as expressed by her agent, who says that fans and the public will see his client in a new light; no pun intended.

The women’s water polo team is captured in an underwater ballet setting with strategic placing of water bubbles. Amar’e Stoudimire and Tim Howard utilize their large hands to cover their privates and Camilo Villegas executes that unbelievable push-up maneuver to look at break on a green prior to his putts, without anything between him and the grass.

The amazing transformation of Taurasi, from plain Jane hoop star to glamorous photo subject is similar to the reaction to last year’s stunning cover photo of tennis star Serena Williams. Glamorized and lit in the most favorable way, Serena’s body is as sculpted as any classic marble piece of art in a museum. It makes you realize that while in action at their respective sports, we are missing a whole heck of a lot.

The usual critiques have erupted about the message that nude photos send to the many young fans of these athletes. It’s not clear what that message is, other than the fact that these folks got paid for taking off their clothes and the shots are as far removed from “sexting” digital phone shots as one can get.

With the hoopla still swirling about the latest crotch photos of someone who is purported to be Vikings QB Brett Favre, the stark contrast between that kind of nasty stuff and The Magazine’s cover shots is plain for all to see.

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