Detroit Tigers and Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch first showed his love for sports when he was cranking up his Little Caesars Pizza chain of restaurants back in the 70’s and he gave back to Detroit by sponsoring elite hockey teams from the Mite to the Junior divisions.

As an onslaught of investors helped him expand his pizza-flipping business, Little Caesars evolved to a successful enough chain for the mogul to fork over about $8 million to purchase the Red Wings in the 1980’s. After adding the Tigers, historic Fox Theatre and the Motor City casino to his collection, Ilitch now is hot on purchasing the Detroit Pistons which would make him a Trifecta owner of pro sports teams.

Detroiters are holding their breath as they await the outcome of this Pistons’ sale. Ilitch actually jumped on board when talk of the possibility of moving the team out of Detroit began to circulate through the sports gossip world.

In a recent interview, Ilitch showed his passion for his hometown and why he is the right guy to own the team.

“When I read in the paper there was the chance that this great sports town could lose one of its professional sports franchises, I just didn’t see how we could let that happen. The Pistons, just like the Red Wings, Tigers and the Lions, have a rich and storied tradition in this community.”

Ilitch was born in the Detroit area and has been very instrumental in rebuilding the downtown area over the past few decades. With ex-Pistons star Dave Bing currently sitting in the Mayor’s seat in Motown, Ilitch buying the team feels as sure as a LeBron James slam-dunk.

Ilitch is said to have presented a bid to Karen Davidson, current owner of the team, and there is no formal deadline for that bid to be accepted or rejected. Davidson did however comment how she expects the deal to be done before this upcoming NBA season meaning the docs would be signed and a deal approved before October.

The NBA does have a multifarious procedure for selling a team. After the current owner takes bids, the prospective owners get grilled by the league’s Board of Governors to confirm the buyer has the funds and no skeletons in his closet.

We have to assume Ilitch is clean since in today’s day and age of Internet scandals we certainly would have heard and seen any gossip news on him by now. So it would just be a matter of the pizza mogul’s bid being acceptable to Davidson and him showing her the money.

After he would pass that hurdle, the 30 NBA owners would then vote on the sale.

If Ilitch succeeds in obtaining the team, it would be the second time an owner has pulled that off. The other happened in Atlanta when Ted Turner owned the Atlanta Braves, NBA Hawks and NHL Thrashers.

Final note, Forbes estimates the Pistons’ worth as the 4^th highest in the NBA at $479 million.

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Usain Bolt used to be the fastest man on the planet until yesterday when American Tyson Gay streaked past him to win a 100-meter race.

It was Bolt’s first loss in over two years and although the Jamaican isn’t in his top shape, many still refer to him as the fastest man on the planet and expected him to win this sprint in Stockholm on Friday.

This was a match-up pairing the two fastest runners in the world and when it started, Gay had a slim lead over Bolt until the halfway point of the race. That’s when the American, Gay, pulled away and went on to set a meet record of 9.84 seconds and dethrone Bolt for the first time in his career.

Bolt time of 9.97 seconds was enough to secure second place in the event and although that would be impressive for most runners, it was actually Bolt’s second slowest time ever in a final.

Ironically, Bolt’s last loss in competition was also in Stockholm and occurred in July 2008.

After the race Bolt told the media it was “just one of those days” and went on to say “I told you I’m not unbeatable. I did not train as hard as in past years, so I can’t complain. And it was Tyson Gay. My congratulations to him. I’m not in my best shape and he is in great shape…. I simply wasn’t ready enough for that clash.”

This certainly sets a competitive tone for the 2012 Summer Olympics scheduled to be held in London.

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The NBA Eastern Conference champions Boston Celtics just got 325 pounds bigger after signing free agent Shaquille O’Neal to a contract yesterday.

With NBA rings earned while playing with the Miami Heat and L.A. Lakers, the 7-foot-1 Shaq goes to Boston the year after failing to win a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James last season.

The two-year deal is said to be worth around $3 million and will take one of the NBA’s most popular players to the end of a 20-year career.

Big Daddy, 38 years old, will be teamed up with several other aging but productive players on the parquet floor including Kevin Garnett, 34, and Ray Allen, 35.

Shaq was originally drafted No. 1 overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic after a successful college stint at LSU.

 Playing on 6 teams, his career numbers include 28,255 points (5^th overall), 12,921 rebounds (14^th overall) and 15 All-Star appearances.

 O’Neal’s playoff experience is sure to help the Celtics but the big man does bring some baggage with him in the form of brick-throwing from the free throw line.

When I was living in Orlando, while Shaq was imploding at the line with the Magic, I had my wife come out to the neighborhood hoop and asked her to “stand on that white line right there” and see how many shots she could make into the hoop. She hit her first 6 out of 10 for 60% meaning her percentage was better than Shaq’s currently was at that time for the Magic. Could she do that again? Probably not since that was the first time she shot a basketball since her gym class in high school but it makes a good story.

If you would like to get personal with Shaq, you can follow him on Twitter at his account; @THE_REAL_SHAQ.

MORE NBA:

See LeBron’s “Loyalty” tattoo

How to find NBA Players on Twitter

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The New York Rangers traded two American-born players this morning moving enforcer Donald Brashear and his contract along with Patrick Rissmiller to the Atlanta Thrashers for forward Todd White.

The Rangers add the 35-year-old White after he recorded 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 65 games last season. In all, White has collected 136 points (43 goals, 93 assists) in 221 games with Atlanta since being signed as a free agent on July 1, 2007.

Overall, the Kanata, Ontario native’s NHL career numbers include 140 goals and 239 assists for 379 points in 635 games with Chicago, Philadelphia, Ottawa, Minnesota and Atlanta.

Rissmiller, (20g, 27a, 47 pts.) in 69 AHL games last season with Grand Rapids and Hartford, also appeared in two NHL games with the Rangers. The Belmont, Mass., native was originally signed by the Sharks as a free agent on Sept. 23, 2002.

Overall, the 6-4, 215-pound left wing has tallied 45 points (18 goals, 27assists) in 182 career NHL games with San Jose and the Rangers.  He has appeared in 30 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Sharks, posting seven points (three goals, four assists).  Rissmiller’s best season was the 2006-07 campaign when he recorded a career-high 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 79 games with the Sharks. 

One of the league’s most feared enforcers, Brashear, 38, appeared in 36 games with the Rangers last season, recording one assist and 73 penalty minutes. The Thrashers placed Brashear on waivers right away and expect to buy out the remainder of his contract if no other team picks him up. Imagine that, Brashear was teammates for a day with Eric Boulton, pictured here fighting Brashear.

The 6-3, 240-pound left wing has posted 205 points (85 goals, 120 assists) and 2,634 penalty minutes in 1,025 career NHL games with Montreal, Vancouver, Philadelphia, Washington and the Rangers.  He has nine points (three goals, six assists) and 121 penalty minutes in 60 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

The Bedford, Indiana, native was originally signed by Montreal as a free agent on July 28, 1992.

Exclusive Interview with Eric Boulton – Sports Climax

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There were expected to be two high-profile NHL arbitration cases on Thursday but one of those players signed a deal shortly before his meeting.

While the Atlanta Thrashers were inking forward Andrew Ladd, the Chicago Blackhawks weren’t as fortunate and will be biting their nails to the bone while they await an answer that will come on Saturday concerning how large a salary bump goaltender Antti Niemi will be awarded.

Niemi, who led the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years, and the team sat through an arbitration hearing Thursday morning, a hearing that is expected to cause Chicago GM Stan Bowman more salary cap headaches.

Chicago GM Stan Bowman said after Saturday’s ruling comes down, his team will have 48 hours to accept the increased salary figure, trade the goalie with the new salary number or just let Niemi go entirely as a free agent.

After winning the cup, Niemi is expected to walk away with a contract near or over the $2 miilion mark after making just $800,000 last season.

“To be simplistic it’s going to depend on what the number is,” Bowman said. “Basically, our cap situation is tight, as is probably well documented. That will drive the boat. We have plans mapped out, strategies based on how to go, but it’s hard to speculate on any of that.”

While Chicago anticipates the outcome of their situation with Niemi, the Thrashers can relax after re-signing their restricted free agent forward Ladd to a one-year deal to avoid the arbitration sit-down.

Ladd, 24, appeared in all 82 games for the Chicago Blackhawks last season, posting 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists).  He registered a career-high in goals (17), ranked third on the club in even-strength goals and was eighth in points.  Ladd earned his first career NHL hat trick on March 7 vs. Detroit and added six points (three goals, three assists) in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games, while helping the Blackhawks capture the 2010 Stanley Cup Championship.

The 6-2, 200-pound left wing has registered 149 points (63 goals, 86 assists) in 321 career games with Chicago and Carolina and brings 53 games of experience to the Thrashers young roster. In those 53 playoff games, Ladd has tallied 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) and been on two championship teams, the 2006 Hurricanes and last year’s Blackhawks.

Ladd was originally selected by Carolina in the first round, fourth overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

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Another NHL arbitration was avoided when the Atlanta Thrashers agreed to a contract with restricted free agent forward Ben Eager.

Eager, 26, appeared in 60 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season, earning 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) and a team-leading 120 penalty minutes and added one goal and two assists in 18 Stanley Cup Playoff games in Chicago’s journey to win the championship.

The Ottawa, Ontario native has carrers numbers that include (27 goals, 25 assists, 52 points) and 621 penalty minutes in 255 career NHL games with Chicago and Philadelphia.  Eager has also posted five points (two goals, three assists) in 37 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Blackhawks and Flyers. 

The 6-2, 230-pound left wing tallied 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) and 509 penalty minutes in 123 career AHL games with the Philadelphia Phantoms from 2003 to 2007.  He collected three points (one goal, two assists) in 19 AHL playoff games and helped the Phantoms capture the 2005 Calder Cup Championship.

Prior to his professional career, Eager recorded 139 points (59 goals, 80 assists) in 243 career Ontario Hockey League games with the Oshawa Generals from 2000 to 2004.  He also tallied four points (one goal, three assists) for Team Canada at the 2002 Under-18 World Junior Championship.

Eager was originally selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, 23^rd overall, of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

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The Atlanta Thrashers released the following statement to the media regarding signing free agent goaltender Ondrej Pavelec to a deal:

The Thrashers have re-signed restricted free agent goaltender Ondrej Pavelec to a multiple-year contract, according to General Manager Rick Dudley.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Pavelec, 22, appeared in 42 games during his first full NHL season, posting a 14-18-7 record with two shutouts, a 3.29 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.  The 6-3, 220-pound goaltender made a career-high 50 saves in a 3-1 victory on Oct. 31 at Ottawa and  recorded his first career shutout, with a 38-save performance, on Nov. 13 vs. Los Angeles.  Pavelec was also a member of the Czech Republic team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Kladno, Czech Republic, native has earned a 20-28-7 record with two shutouts, a 3.33 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage in 61 career NHL games over three seasons with the Thrashers from 2007 to 2010.  Pavelec posted a 51-36-5 record with five shutouts, a 2.69 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in 92 career games with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League from 2007 to 2009. 

He also appeared in 24 post-season contests with the Wolves, registering a 16-8 record with two shutouts, a 2.34 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage, while helping Chicago capture the 2008 Calder Cup Championship.

Prior to his professional career, Pavelec earned 55-29-0 record with four shutouts, a 2.52 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage in 90 games with Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2005 to 2007.  He also spent two seasons with the Kladno organization in the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2005. 

Pavelec has represented his native Czech Republic in International Competition four times, including the Winter Olympics (2010), World Championships (2010), World Junior Championships (2007) and World Under-18 Championships (2005).

Pavelec was originally selected by the Thrashers in the second round, 41^st overall, of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

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After weeks of negotiating and a melodramatic roller-coaster ride that traveled coast-to-coast, Ilya Kovalchuk will remain with the New Jersey Devils.

Kovy was this summer’s hottest NHL unrestricted free agent after tallying 40 or more goals over the last six seasons, most of those with the Atlanta Thrashers. There was heavy speculation that Kovalchuk would be signing with the L.A. Kings with some of that chatter still going on yesterday.

News first broke that Kovy would be signing when Kovy’s agent, Jay Grossman Tweeted on his Twitter account that an announcement and decision was definitely coming today. Shortly after that message, the Devils announced they had signed the star left winger.

“Ilya is excited to be continuing his career with New Jersey and knows first-hand the team’s dedication and commitment to winning,” Grossman said.

“We all know that, even looking at him on another team, that he’s an exceptional talent,” said Devils coach John MacLean. “As I’ve stated before, I have not heard from anybody throughout the organization a bad word about him. He’s a tremendous teammate and addition. He’ll have no issues playing for the team. He signed here for a reason — to try to win a championship. This organization has a good history of that, so you know he wants to be part of the team. That’s what I’m excited about.”

After skating in Atlanta and only experiencing the playoffs one time throughout his entire career and playing in a series where his team was swept 4 games to 0 by the New York Rangers, Kovy will be lacing them up for an organization with a strong recent winning history.

Kovalchuk had 27 points in 27 games wearing a Devils jersey last year and totaled 41 goals and 85 points for the season. In the trade for the Russian skater, the Devils sent solid rookie forward, Niclas Bergfors and defenseman Johnny Oduya as well as a few other pieces. For New Jersey to come up empty-handed would have looked like a real boneheaded move so they stayed in the mix throught the past several weeks before finally landing the player.

No details of the contract were announced, but you have to assume the Devils will have to shuffle some players to stay under their $59.4 million salary cap before the start of the season.

NOTE: While playing with the Thrashers, the former No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft scored 328 goals and added 287 assists for 615 points in 594 games.

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Following Shaq and other pro athletes on Twitter can be an adrenaline rush for fans.

When Shaq sent a Tweet to his followers while in Orlando for a game in March 2009 saying,  “I’m at the fashion sq mall, any1 touches me gets 2 tickets, tag me and say yur twit u hv 20min.” the economy turned for the mall with the lots filling up and fans piled in trying to find the Phoenix Suns star. Shaq’s Twitter account, @THE_REAL_SHAQ  had 208,000 followers that day and at the time of this article had 3,010,357.

This past week some of the hottest news surrounding these Tweeting jocks was Chad Johnson, aka, @OGOchocinco on Twitter announcing he was paying out $10,000 to his 1,000,000 follower. Tuned in for a story, I sat on Twitter following Ocho-5 for much of Sunday morning as his follower numbers moved like a confused stock market on its shakiest day, going up then down then back up again.

Potential followers and maybe some of his current followers were removing themselves when the number got closer to the mill, hoping to re-follow at the right time and pounce on the opportunity to collect a free 10 G’s.

There are a lot of fake athletes on Twitter too like the Adrian Peterson impersonator that was called out by the real Warren Sapp whose account is @QBKilla. When the @AdrianP28 first started up, the account Tweeted a photo of A.P. running over D-back William Gay Tweeting this message along with the photo, “Trucking steelers William Gay!!”

Sapp was quick to discover the imposter,saying this in a response Tweet:

“No Real Player Would Ever Post Such a Thing. FAKE FAKE!!!! RUN!!! RT @AdrianP28: Trucking steelers William Gay!!

Later when a few others began following this @AdrianP28 account, Sapp kept the pressure on from him QBKilla Twitter account sending another Tweet that said:

“@AdrianP28 is a Fake!!! @Atlanta__Sports #Unfollow Him!!!!”

The following day the Adrian Peterson account was deleted.

Getting back to the real athlete accounts like NFL Green Bay Packers Clay Matthews. @ClayMatthews52 spills it out however he wants with one of his recent Tweets saying: “Bout 2 watch Alice n Wonderland. Some1 tell me… can I watch this w/out eating mushrooms and still enjoy it? Lol”

Some of the other verified pro athlete accounts include, @AaronRodgers12; @reggie_bush; @DanicaPatrick;  @terrellowens;   and @shawnemerriman.

If you’re looking to follow your favorite sports analysts, the verified accounts include @Troy_Aikman;  @JayCrawfordESPN; @RealSkipBayless; and @ESPN_Michelle the hot blond that stands alongside Colin Cowherd on SportsNation.     

Other accounts who clearly are fake but fun to follow have been @LeBronsElbow, an account that was The King’s injured elbow Tweeting to fans during the playoffs and a new one that just popped up, @Favres_Brain where fans can follow what Brett Favre’s brain is actually thinking as it makes its indecisive way into preseason.

Some Tweets from @Favres_Brain have offered a laugh including, “@FakeFatJamarcus Since you got your game going, wanna be my back-up if I play in Minny this season? We can endorse that “Purple” drink” and “Coach Chilly is cool. He lets me do whatever I want.”

Whether you’re following @OGOchocinco while he Tweets to his followers through all hours of the night or keeping tabs on @ChrisJohnson28 and his latest contract squabbles, enjoy your Twitter account and remember, people aren’t always who they say they are. And if you’re looking for your favorite NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL athletes to follow on Twitter, you want to find and follow the ones with the blue “Verified account” check next to their names.

BTW to follow the real Sports Climax account on Twitter click here.

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It’s that time of year again for NFL fans to climb aboard the Brett Favre roller coaster, buckle in and take a ride while we wait for “The Decision”. Question is, will ESPN have a prime-time special with Favre announcing his decision like they did with LeBron James? 

Artwork: Gener De Vera

With Favre it could be called “The Indecision”.

Favre, sitting across from host Jim Gray as the highest rated audience in cable history sits glued to their seats: “I’ve decided to do it again in Minnesota this season . . . maybe; if my health is okay.”

“So I’m signing next week for sure unless I decide to call coach Chilly in the middle of the night on Wednesday to let him know I’ve reconsidered and to move on without me. But again, I’m retired for sure–100% sure– so it’s going to be fun beating New Orleans that first week.”

Welcome to Favre 2010, the 3^rd annual roller coaster ride. Like an irresolute teenager deciding on a prom dress, Favre again is weighing in on going fishing or donning purple for another season in Minnesota. Speaking of proms, Favre has been zipping a few spirals to high school kids like he did last year.

This comes AFTER he explained his ankle needed to be rehabbed before he makes any decision and that came a week AFTER he announced how fun it would be to “beat New Orleans that first week”.

Over the past several years, Favre has owned the media this time of year. In fact as this keyboard clicks away, “Brett Favre” is the trending topic this morning on Yahoo! Search and Google trends and it’s only July 17. Wait until that roller coaster gets over the first hill and speeds closer to preseason.

Last year after announcing he was signing, he backed out just two days before camp, leaving the Vikings scrambling to decide what QB would be taking the snaps. Then a few weeks into preseason, Favre reconsidered and showed up to play ball, the rest is history.

Favre, who turned 40 years old during the season, had one of the greatest years in his entire career, tossing 33 touchdown passes and only 7 interceptions for a career-best QB rating of 107.2. Besides racking up impressive personal stats, the aging slinger led the Vikes to the NFC Championship game.

Favre’s numbers were staggering, especially for a guy known throughout his career of hitting the numbers of the wrong colored jersey. The year prior while playing for the Jets, he led the NFL with 22 INTs.

Favre has always been a warrior, taking vicious hits throughout his 19-year career, always able to get back on his feet. He holds the NFL record for consecutive starts at 285 games. You would MAYBE expect a kicker or punter to be able to pull that string off, not a quarterback getting blind-sided several times a week by 300-plus pound linemen running full speed.

Coming off this record-breaking season with his Iron Man streak still alive, Favre is expected to play another season but as we sit strapped in our seats awaiting “The Indecision” there are sure to be more hills ahead.

MORE: Full-size “The Indecision” caricature

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