HARRISONBURG, Va. – Broken glass on a driveway led to a call to police that eventually evolved into riot gear, tear gas and 30 arrests at the annual block party near James Madison University this weekend.

The event that normally brings in 1,000-2,000 people was said to have been promoted on Facebook so this year it attracted about 8,000, meaning there was a lot more alcohol consumed and students were a lot more shit-faced.

The rowdiness led to a large bonfire, a few fights and before the event was over, police were on the scene shooting tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Lt. Kurt Boshart of the Harrisonburg Police Department said they were called after fights broke out and when they tried to break up the crowd, they were pelted with bottles and rocks, forcing them to resort to using tear gas.

One resident, Danny Woodruff, told ABC affiliate WHSV:

“Helicopters, ambulances, police cars…police cars came into our neighborhood after someone called and complained about a broken bottle in the driveway.”

Woodruff also said Saturday’s block party left residents with the chore of cleaning up broken glass, beer cans and removing the stench of urination off their property.

The College Prowler website rates JMU with a B- for nightlife and says, “The cool thing about Madison parties is that they’re hardly ever exclusive; the more the merrier! JMU parties are also a spiffy place to rub elbows with peeps from neighboring schools.”

. . . and of course the local police in riot gear.

The 30 arrested were booked with charges pending.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

Pittsburgh Penguins pest Matt Cooke has a history of hitting players in the head and was suspended twice for it in 2009. This time he got KOed by a rookie. WARNING: Don’t blink or you’ll miss the knockout!

Last night Cooke took his act to Atlanta and in a meaningless game and decided to chase Thrashers rookie Evander Kane around challenging and harassing the youngster. Evander Kane, who is named after Evander Holyfield, finally accepted the invitation and the pair dropped their gloves. In a split second, in Holyfield fashion, Kane leveled Cooke with a right hook and knocked him out cold.

You could almost hear the cheers coming from Boston as Cooke laid on the ice with doctors tending to him and bringing out a stretcher.

Cooke is also the player who delivered the headshot to Boston Bruins star Marc Savard on March 7 that has sidelined the Bruins’ player ever since. Cooke, now a villain in Beantown, avoided any suspension for the Savard hit and has continued to be the pesky player Pittsburgh fans love and opponents love to hate.

After a long break, Cooke refused to be carted off and got up onto his feet and skated off on his own but is listed as day-to-day with a concussion.

When asked about the fight Thrashers coach John Anderson said, “Clearly Cooke came after an eighteen-year-old rookie. What goes around comes around.”

Since he’s a rookie who answered the call, Kane’s one-punch knockout joined our classic NHL brawls videos section.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

AUGUSTA, GA. – Charles Barkley ripped on Billy Payne, one of the execs from The Masters golf tournament, referring to Payne as being a “punk-ass” and calling him an “Uncle Tom” and a “Master on the plantation”.

Midway through his rant he added, “I wish somebody would just walk up to him and just punch him in his face.”

‘Sir Charles’ knows all about punching people in the face.

In 1991, the ex-NBA star was arrested after breaking a man’s nose during a fight after a game when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Barkley found similar trouble again in 1996 when during a night out on the town with the U.S. Olympic Basketball team, he was arrested for getting into a fight at a Cleveland dance bar.

Just for honorable mention sake, we’ll make quick mention of the incident in Orlando when he was charged with assault after being accused of throwing a man through a plate-glass window on Church Street.

Back to Charles’ rant against Payne.

Yeah, Charles, the PGA and golf in general is an arrogant and smug sport but let’s not slug a guy in the face just for saying that Tiger Woods, “did not live up to the expectations of the role model we saw for our children” because society expects certain behavior from guys like you and Woods when you’re raking in mega-millions of cash over your careers.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the biggest news to come out of Washington since the Health Care Bill passed, the Philadelphia Eagles traded Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb to their division rival Washington Redskins in a move that dropped the jaw of many NFL insiders around the league.

In return the Eagles will get this month’s Redskins 2nd round draft pick (37th overall) in the NFL Draft and another later round pick next year that will be determined later.

New Redskins coach Mike Shanahan signed Rex Grossman earlier in the year and with this move may be expected to move Jason Campbell who has been the starter for more than three seasons.

Shanahan takes over a team that underachieved last season and this move frees up the #4 overall pick to fill another hole on the team. Prior to this trade for McNabb, the Redskins were almost certain to take Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen with that selection.

When asked for an explanation for trading McNabb to a division rival they will be facing two times per year, Eagles’ coach Andy Reid said “You can’t say that we didn’t think about that. We did, but this was a decision that we thought was best for Donovan and, at the same time, the compensation was right for us. We certainly took into consideration Donovan’s feelings here, too.”

“I’m really excited about my future with the Washington Redskins,” said McNabb. “I’m eager to work with Coach Shanahan. He’s been a very successful coach with a couple of Super Bowl victories on his resume. While it’s been my goal to win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, we came up short. I enjoyed my 11 years here and we shared a lot more good times than bad.”

In his 11 years donning green in the City of Brotherly Love, the 33-year-old McNabb is a 6-time Pro Bowler and guided the Eagles to one Super Bowl appearance and 5 NFC championship games. He holds most of the team’s records at his position including 32,873 yards passing, 2,801completions, a 59% completion percentage and 216 TD passes. On the ground the elusive slinger has rushed for 3,249 yards and 28 TDs.

Kevin Kolb is the new starter after only starting two games and Michael Vick goes into preseason expected to be the backup.

On paper it appears the Redskins got a steal in this move. Last season, McNabb had the 3rd highest QB rating in his career (92.9) and threw for 3,553 yards and 22 TDs.

Mike Shanahan is considered one of the elite minds in the NFL and may be able to convert the Redskins into a contender as soon as this upcoming season.

“Donovan is an accomplished quarterback who has been a proven winner in the National Football League,” said Shanahan. “I have long admired his competitiveness and feel he will be an outstanding addition to the Redskins and our community. He knows our division and the roadmap to success in the NFC East.”

Yes he does and that roadmap may also include a playoff match-up against his former Eagles and the fans in Philly who have long been screaming for his removal.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

Could LeBron James be New York City’s newest landmark?

LeBron James to New York? Miami? Chicago – Feature on Sports Climax

ATLANTA, GA. – The Atlanta Thrashers are in a must-win situation every night as they trail the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadians for the final No. 8 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Last night in Washington, the Thrashers not only lost the game 2-1 to the Capitals but will also lose the services of one of their hottest scorers (4G-3A-past 9 Games) going down this stretch.

Forward Colby Armstrong has been suspended by the NHL for two games, without pay, for using his elbow to deliver a blow to the head of Capitals forward Mathieu Perreault.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Armstrong will forfeit $24,870.47. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Armstrong was assessed no penalty for the hit, which occurred 12:40 into the second period.

Perreault was injured on the play but returned later in the game.

Armstrong will miss Saturday’s game at Pittsburgh and Tuesday’s home game vs. New Jersey. He will be eligible to return April 9 at Washington.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler Bulldogs’ trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis was made possible after stepping up in the underdog role and playing great defense to knock off No. 1 Syracuse 63-59 and No. 2 Kansas State 63-58.

In the Syracuse win the Bulldogs took Orangeman guard Andy Rautins right off his game, never giving him a chance to set the pace and holding him to 15 points and against Kansas State they held guards Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente to a combined .366 shooting percentage from the floor and a lone basket in the entire first half.

With all the games in the Final Four expected to be tight contests, the Bulldogs (32-4) are expected to again turn to defense to get past their next opponent Michigan State (28-8).

“You’ve got four teams that very much believe in their teammates, that very much believe in the systems and styles of play and they very much believe in defending. That’s obvious,” said Butler coach Brad Stevens.

The Michigan Sideline agrees. With their star and leading scorer, Kalin Lucas (15.2 points-per-game), in street clothes on the sideline nursing a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, they are also expected to come into the game thinking defense.

With Lucas on the bench, the Spartans’ leading scorer is averaging just 11 points a game.

Michigan State has gotten this far in the season by holding their opponents to 40.8 percent shooting and many games have dominated the boards.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has taken his team to the Final Four 6 out of the past 12 years and knows it will take a team effort to pull off a trip to the championship game.

“It’s going to be a little bit refreshing to have to watch and say, ‘How did that team do that?’ Not, ‘how did Magic Johnson or Carmelo Anthony do that? It really speaks to what team sports are about.”

Tip-off is Saturday at 6:07EST in Indianapolis.

In the other match-up the West Virginia Mountaineers (31-6) take on the Duke Blue Devils (33-5) with that tip-off at 8:47 EST.

Like the MSU and Butler game, this match-up is also expected to be physical and a lot about defense.

“It’s not going to be about fast breaking and beating you in transition,” said West Virginia guard Da’Sean Butler. “Playing ‘D’ rebounding, playing a rugged style that no one wants to watch. We usually win when we do those things.”

The Mountaineers are on a great roll and have won every game since Feb. 22.

On the other sideline, Duke is the only No. 1 seed left in the tournament. The Blue Devils were able to overcome under-achieving scoring performances by their top players in a few of the games leading up to this Final Four and advanced with stellar defensive play and by crashing the boards.

Surrounding their 7-foot center, Brian Zoubek, with several more players at 6-8 or taller, the Blue Devils had a 560-443 advantage this season on the offensive boards.

“Our team totally wants to rebound and play defense,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “It’s much different than some Duke teams of the past. But they’ve accepted what they are, which is good, and they’ve tried to become better at who they are.”

More March Madness: NCAA Bracket – NCAA.com

This is Why March’s Last Name is “Madness” – Sports Climax 

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Never has a 10-64 record been as celebrated as it was last night at the Izod Center in New Jersey as the dreadful Nets beat the hobbling San Antonio Spurs 90-84 to avoid owning the worst record in an NBA season in the history of the league.

That record for least wins will continue to be owned by the Philadelphia 76ers who did it in 1972 after finishing that season 9-73.

Much of the season, the Nets appeared as sure as a slam-dunk to take the record after starting the season with an NBA-record 18-game losing streak and actually played one game at the Izod Center in front of only 1,016 fans.

Monday’s game seemed like an unlikely time for the Nets to get the win they needed. The Spurs entered the game after consecutive wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics but that’s why we play the games.

In Monday’s contest, despite shooting a dismal .376 from the floor, the Nets ‘took over the game’ . . . did someone actually just say that? The Nets ‘took over the game’ in the 4th quarter; going on a 15-4 run. The win was the Nets’ first over the Spurs since the teams met in the 2003 playoffs.

After the final buzzer, the crowd celebrated as the Nets’ public address announcer yelled into the mic, “We got ten! The Nets win!” but the Nets treated the team’s 10th victory more like a relief than a celebration.

“We don’t want to be a part of the worst team in history, so it’s exciting to get 10 wins, but it is 10 wins, you know what I mean?” point guard Devin Harris said. “We’re not going to jump through the roof because we won 10 games.”

“It’s a relief, you don’t want to go down in history as the worst team ever,” Keyon Dooley said.

“It’s a big relief. It’s a big relief,” chimed in guard Courtney Lee. “Now we can go out and ball and have fun and play.”

Bitch-Slap-Of-the-Week N.J. Nets – Sports Climax

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

WASHINGTON, D.C. – When the Washington Nationals open their season at Nationals Park on April 5th, President Barrack Obama will have the honor of tossing the opening pitch.

This will be Obama’s first visit to Nationals Park and his ceremonial pitch will mark the 100th Anniversary of the inaugural Opening Day pitch thrown by a president. The first to do it was President Howard Taft on April 14, 1910.

A baseball fan at heart, the President is no stranger to the mound. He threw out the first pitch at the 2009 MLB All-Star Game at Busch Stadium on July 14, 2009 in St Louis.

The Nationals opener against the 2009 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies and will be broadcast on WDCW DC – 50. Start time for the afternoon game is 1:05pm.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

ATLANTA, GA. – The Boston Bruins came into Philips Arena Tuesday night clinging onto the final Eastern Conference playoff spot by just one point and at the final buzzer they left with a three-point cushion and a 4-0 season sweep over the Atlanta Thrashers.

Like in their last home game, a 5-2 win against the Flyers, the Thrashers came out playing physical, throwing several hard hits including a crunching check by Evgeny Artyukhin on Bruins’ center Vladimir Sobotka. Sobotka needed several seconds to get up on his feet and managed to glide slowly to his bench and never returned to the game.

Then at the 11-minute mark of the 1st period, Thrashers enforcer Eric Boulton squared off with Bruins forward Shawn Thornton for a slugfest with both players landing and taking several punches.

But although the Thrashers had a 6-3 edge in hits, the only goal in the period belonged to the Bruins’ David Krejci who put the puck past Johan ‘Moose’ Hedberg at the 9:25 mark for his 15th of the year.

That goal would prove to be the game-winner as the Bruins coasted to a 4-0 win.

In that first stanza, the Thrashers had several close-range quality scoring chances but shot the puck wide on several occasions and only managed 7 SOG against Boston rookie goaltender Tuukka Rask, the NHL leader in goals against average with 2.08.

Trailing 2-0 late in the 2nd period, Thrashers’ forward Colby Armstrong, who has been on a tear with 4 goals in 3 games, was awarded a penalty shot but failed to capitalize on the opportunity.

The Bruins responded by netting another goal with just 3 seconds remaining in the period to go into the second break with a 3-0 lead.

The Thrashers entered the game on a four game win streak and all those games were won after the team started with 2-0 leads. Atlanta is 4-28-6 when trailing after two periods and after falling behind by three against one of the NHL’s hottest goaltenders with just 20 minutes to play, there was no magic wand to wave on Tuesday.

After this home loss, the journey appears uphill from here as the Thrashers with just 9 games left find themselves 3 points behind that final playoff spot behind the Bruins who also have one game in hand.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™