NFL Draft 2010: St. Louis Rams Pick Sam Bradford

Sam Bradford heard his name called as the first pick in the NFL draft, collected a new St. Louis Rams jersey with his surname on the back and took the obligatory pictures with commissioner Roger Goodell. The Rams, desperate for a revival, were undoubtedly convinced. Although St. Louis general manager Billy Devaney wouldn't publicly declare that Bradford was the pick before the draft — even on Thursday, hours before the prime-time event — the team gave the quarterback the heads up. And for weeks, draft analysts projected Sam Bradford as No. 1.

The Rams – who finished a league-worst 1-15 in 2009 and have just six wins in the last three years - were sold. They're prepared to guarantee Bradford upwards of $50 million, and then hand him the keys to a franchise that has definitely fallen on hard times. For Sam Bradford, who stands 6-4 and weighs 236 pounds, it's likely he will take over as the starting quarterback immediately, and he will become the face of the Rams. 

 

Sam Bradford completed 67% of his throws over two-plus seasons at Oklahoma, and his 88-16 touchdown-interception ratio is certainly impressive. He has a big-enough arm, has demonstrated that it's healthy, and as long as he can learn to take better care of his body and avoid the kind of hits that knocked him out of the lineup last year, Sam Bradford should be just fine at the next level.

"That's pretty cool because I know the Big 12 has been getting a lot of slack lately, People for some reason didn't think that we played much football in the Big 12 and sure didn't think we played much defense, so for two defensive tackles to go in the first three picks is a credit to the Big 12." said Sam Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner.

"That was really cool, I actually still have the Heisman ballot from when they read that off. So I'll be able to add that to the collection and be able to look at it years from now." Sam Bradford added at the backstage.

Still, with the Rams not engaging in serious contract talks with Sam Bradford's agent, Tom Condon, to seal a deal before the draft, the quarterback was only so assured. NFL veterans who have been down this path before, Sam Bradford said, warned him to never rest assured about the selection until it happened. And he listened to that advice.

The predraft highlight? Sam Bradford took the 17-member entourage, which included his parents and grandparents, to the Top of the Rock, an observation deck at the top of Rockefeller Plaza. "It's probably one of my favorite things to do," he said. "You get up there and you can see clear across all of New York City".

With that formality handled, the Rams will get a man eager to get on the field again. The motivation of proving that he's a worthy selection and can make the NFL transition is boosted by the incentive to make his comeback complete from the shoulder injury.

"I'm ready," Sam Bradford said who dressed in a tan suit with a sky-blue shirt accented with a green tie, Sam Bradford sure looked and sounded like a man prepared to face all the pressure and challenges that await. 

 

Does he expect to start on Week 1 as a rookie?

"I can't answer that," he said, chuckling. "I haven't been presented a playbook yet. But I'm going to do everything I can to get on the field as soon as possible."

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UFC Warriors Silva And Maia On Brazilian Talk Show

This weekend's post-fight brawl at the Strikeforce: Nashville event finally edged Anderson Silva's disrespectful performance at UFC 112 out of the media's spotlight. That did not stop MMAFighting.com from getting their hands on a video of an April 18th Brazilian talk show appearance made by Anderson Silva and his UFC 112 opponent Demian Maia. In the following translated quotes from the Domingão do Faustã appearance, Anderson Silva plays it characteristically safe and Demian Maia reacts coolly when questioned of the bout.

Anderson Silva and Demian Maia each complained that he had been disrespected by the other at UFC 112, but a week later the two appeared on a Brazilian television show, shook hands and were civil – if not exactly warm to each other. And Anderson Silva indicated that he doesn't have anything to apologize for in the way he approached the fight with Demian Maia, which has been criticized by many members of the media, MMA fans and UFC President Dana White. 
  

"I think I fought well, executed my game plan and disrupted Demian's game, I couldn't fall to his game because he's a Brazilian jiu jitsu specialist. Even though I train BJJ as well, I don't even come close to his BJJ level.Said Anderson Silva in an interview.

"I have nothing against any of my opponents, have nothing against Demian. I respect his work a lot." Anderson Silva added.

According to BloodyElbow.com the Silva-Maia fight has gotten more attention in Brazil than any other UFC fight in history. Some of that attention has been negative, but Silva was cheered by the crowd when he was introduced on Domingão do Faustão, and he said his antics in the Octagon shouldn't be interpreted as disrespectful toward Maia.

After Anderson Silva said that, Demian Maia was introduced and brought on stage, where he shook hands with Silva and answered questions from the show's host, declining to say whether he was still angry with Silva over the way the fight transpired. 

 

In the teeth of demonstrating quite the opposite at UFC 112, Aderson Silva maintained that he holds no grudges against his opponents and has no problem with Demain Maia in particular. Demain Maia seemed to be a bit less willing to let bygones be bygones and would not give away his personal feelings towards Silva.

"I don't have much to say, it was what happened, The fans saw what happened." Demain Maia said.

All that there is to be said of the bout has been said by now. What is left is to look forward to and ask questions about Silva's next bout with Chael Sonnen. Questions like, will Anderson Silva have an answer for Sonnen's grinding wrestling offense? Or, can Sonnen get inside Silva's striking range without having his face Picasso'd? With their bout rumored to take place at UFC 117 this summer we won't have to wait too long for the answers.

I'll put here my two cents: Anderson Silva needs to get it straight. It's not about showboating per se. Or about trash talking. What it is about is whether it's all in the nature of the sport and ultimately in good fun. Brock Lesnar obviously didn't understand that w/ Mir, and it remains to be seen if he'll pick up on it. The Diazes obviously didn't understand that with Miller and it was a joke that the Strikeforce event turned into a brawl.

But there are plenty of fighters who are pseudo-psychos in a quirky way that works. If Silva had been coming across this way during the fight, or even said things like this after and congratulated Maia for his gutsiness, it'd have been totally different, showboating or not. 


Click the whole interview here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA2jv71N2gw&feature=player_embedded

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LA Lakers Wins In Game 2; Kobe Bryant Finishes 39 Points

All-Star basketball player Kobe Bryant scored 39 points and the Lakers pushed themselves away from the Oklahoma City Thunder, 95-92, in Game 2 of their first-round series last night at Staples Center. It wasn't easy, the game coming down to Jeff Green's missed three-point attempt at the buzzer, but the Lakers took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Lakers, however, took another tight one from the Thunder, Kobe Bryant making 12 of 28 shots and 13 of 15 free-throw attempts, just enough to move age and experience past youth and innocence.

Kobe Bryant had 15 points in the fourth quarter, seven from the free-throw line. Pau Gasol was the only other Lakers player in double-digit scoring, finishing with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Ron Artest missed eight of 10 shots and Lamar Odom missed seven of nine shots. The Lakers could have made things a little easier in the end, but Bryant and Gasol each missed one of two free-throw attempts in the final 15.1 seconds, allowing the Thunder to stay within striking range.

On the Thuders side, Kevin Durant had 32 points and Russell Westbrook had 19 to lead the Thunder. The Lakers led after three quarters, 73-69, but the loudest roar up to that point came when Craig Calloway, a 29-year-old from Compton, won $235,000 by making a halfcourt shot before the fourth quarter in a promotion sponsored by The Mirage hotel. Getting the ball inside was part of the Lakers' game plan after they went over video from Game 1. 

 

Rusell Westbrook carried the Thunder early in the third, and Durant scored their final five points to leave them trailing 64-56 going into the final 12 minutes. Fisher, Artest and Odom were in foul trouble and Bryant scored a single point on a free throw as they played to a draw in the third.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers 26-20 in the second quarter, when Los Angeles got away from the inside game of Bynum and Gasol and settled for jump shots instead. Their 17-point lead dwindled to 47-39 at the break.

Pau Gasol made eight of 14 shots, but Andrew Bynum had only six shots going into the fourth quarter. When he got the opportunities in the fourth, he didn't take advantage, finishing with six points on three-for-nine shooting. Andrew Bynum ignited the Staples Center crowd with a monster one-handed dunk over a defenseless Nenad Krstic in the second quarter that pushed the Lakers’ lead to 17.

The Lakers came out blazing against the overwhelmed Thunder, pounding the ball inside to Bynum and Gasol while shooting 54 percent and taking a 27-13 lead in the first quarter. In the playoffs for the first time since moving from Seattle two years ago, the Thunder shot 26 percent, leading to their fewest points in an opening period all season.

However, Oklahoma City settled down the rest of the way, but never got closer than six points against the defending champions, who are seeking a third straight trip to the NBA finals.

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Edwin Valero Wants To Fight With Manny Pacquiao

Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero, who committed suicide on Monday in a jail where he was held for killing his wife, was a "sensational" fighter who was being groomed to fight the boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum said who co-promoted Edwin Valero's last two bouts, told Reuters that Valero (27-0) would have made an outstanding opponent for world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, another of his fighters.

A 28 year old Edwin Valero was the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title though it had recently declared him "champion in recess" after being detained in March for mistreating his wife and then receiving treatment for alcohol abuse. Bob Arum said he did not know Edwin Valero very well, but despite hearing rumors of drug and alcohol troubles for the Venezuelan had not seen evidence of that himself during several meetings. 
 

"He was a sensational fighter, sensational, He was just electric. A complete crowd-pleasing style. I was grooming him as a great future opponent for Manny Pacquiao. That would have been a sensational fight." Bob Arum said in an interview from his Las Vegas office.

"The times I met with him, he was very polite, very reasonable, I had heard stories about drug and alcohol abuse ... but I never realized the magnitude of it. The few times I met with him he seemed perfectly normal." Promoter Bob Arum added.

 Some skeptics may suggest that it is a particularly convenient excuse as Margarito would provide extremely stiff opposition for Manny Pacquiao. Although, that is not the only contentious issue, there seems to be a difference of opinions between Freddie Roach which is Manny Pacquiao’s promoter and Bob Arum who was very keen on Manny Pacquiao meeting Margarito whose also promoted by Bob Arum’s “Top Rank” promotions as his next opponent.

As much as boxing fans have expressed their desperation to see Manny Pacquiao vs. Edwin Valero (27-0-0). However, Manny Pacquiao has a wealth of experience, has fought at the highest level for many years and Edwin Valero is still considered as being relatively untested. Edwin Valero’s last outing against Antonio DeMarco certainly showed his potential against a higher caliber of opponent, but Manny Pacquiao is the top fighter in boxing and Edwin Valero has a long way to go before he can consider himself a true contender to Manny Pacquiao’s Pound for Pound crown.

The Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero boasts an incredible record, with all of his wins coming by way of knockout, no matter what is said about his potential frailties his record should not be taken lightly, regardless of the opponents he has faced to date.

Bob Arum may not be as enthusiastic about this fight as Freddie Roach, Edwin Valero is surely Arum’s future poster boy and having him systematically taken apart by Manny Pacquiao might not be the best idea. Having said that Edwin Valero has been very vocal in wanting to fight Manny Pacquiao and now that Roach has mentioned his name, the word will travel and I am positive Edwin Valero will pressure Bob Arum to make that fight happen.

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Danica Patrick Finished 16th In the 36th Toyota Grand Prix

Danica Patrick seemed to fall further from relevance. The most popular driver of the IZOD IndyCar Series, and the only woman to win a major closed course car race, Danica Patrick finished 16^th in the 36^th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. It's the third time in four races Patrick has failed to finish better than 15^th; she took seventh at St. Petersburg in the second race of the season. Danica Patrick qualified 20^th and was one of only three drivers to incorporate a three-stop strategy.

In her last five races of 2009, she had only one top-10 finish. Though she finished 5^th in the series championship, she was closer to 10th place than she was 4^th place. Over her last 9 IndyCar races, she has two top-10s, including sixth in last year's race at Motegi, site of her historic victory in 2008, when Helio Castroneves ran out of fuel on the last lap. However, seven of her last nine finishes have been 12th or worse. And that doesn't include her performances in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where she finished 35^th at Daytona, 31^stt at California Speedway and 36th at Las Vegas.

And that doesn't include her performances in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where she finished 35^th at Daytona, 31^st at California Speedway and 36th at Las Vegas. The next race is at Kansas Speedway, where she finished 5^th last year, and then Indianapolis, where she has been exceedingly strong. 

 “Today’s race was definitely challenging, and the result doesn’t show how hard the GoDaddy crew worked. It’s been a frustrating weekend all around for the #7 car. But I’m so happy that my teammate Ryan (Hunter-Reay) won. His win is great for the #37 guys and Andretti Autosport as a whole.” said Danica Patrick, who became a media sensation with a fourth-place finish in her inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 2005.

Danica Patrick's teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay became the first American driver to win an IZOD IndyCar Series race since he won in July 2008 at Watkins Glen, which was his first career victory.

Below are the results Sunday of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.968-mile Streets of Long Beach circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out: 

 

1. (2) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
2. (3) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
3. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
4. (8) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
5. (6) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
6. (15) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
7. (4) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
8. (5) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
9. (10) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
10. (16) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
11. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
12. (12) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
13. (11) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
14. (9) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
15. (17) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
16. (20) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
17. (13) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running 
18. (19) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running 
19. (21) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running 
20. (18) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running
21. (7) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 65, Contact 
22. (22) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 58, Contact 
23. (23) Mario Romancini, Dallara-Honda, 58, Contact
24. (24) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 45, Mechanical 
25. (25) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 10, Handling

Ryan Hunter-Reay, is the newest member of the Andretti Autosport quartet, received a bear hug from the CEO in Victory Circle. That meant a lot coming from a racing champion - Michael Andretti.

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NFL News: Oakland Raiders New Players And Injuries

No one would have ever guessed there were quarterbacks both dropping and popping up in NFL. Oakland Raiders signed Cal product Kyle Boller pretty much as Cable spoke, it was announced later. Then Thursday night, it was learned that Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski tore a pectoral muscle while lifting weights on Wednesday night.

Bruce Gradkowski will undergo surgery for the injury on Friday but is expected to be fully healed by the start of training camp in July, his agent, Ralph Cindrich, confirmed in an e-mail. The injury was first reported by ProFootballTalk.com. Bruce Gradkowski provided an immediate spark after replacing Russell, leading Oakland to comeback victories in two of his first three starts. 

He got hurt midway through his fourth start, suffering a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and a partially torn MCL in his right knee, and did not play the rest of the season. He completed 54.7 % of his passes with six touchdowns and three interceptions on the season. 
 

Meanwhile, Bruce Gradkowski set to compete with JaMarcus Russell for the starting job, will have surgery today, a league source said. He is expected to resume throwing in four weeks. The team did not say if Boller, 29, would have a chance to compete with Russell and Gradkowski. Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in 2007, lost the job midway through last season. Gradkowski started three games and Charlie Frye, who is also back, started three games.

Kyle Boller has 50 interceptions and 48 touchdowns in 46 career NFL starts for Baltimore and St. Louis, has one thing going for him. The former first-round pick has a history with new Raiders offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who was Baltimore's quarterbacks coach in Boller's last season there, 2008. Kyle Boller was the starter in the preseason before sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury. Of course, the Ravens had drafted quarterback Joe Flacco that year to eventually replace Boller, the 19th overall pick in 2003. His best season was 2004, when he started every game and passed for 2,559 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

"He's here. He's working, He's doing everything that everybody else is doing. ... That's all I can tell you." Raiders head coach Tom Cable said.

Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable calmly walked to the podium Thursday, addressed the beat writers in a predraft chat and then was on his way. Earlier, Cable broke away from his just-draft talk mandate to praise receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who struggled in his rookie year.

"You guys will be excited when you see ... the improvement Darrius has already made, That guy has jumped out at us since winter ... just the quality of work he's done. Probably no one is more excited about a guy on our team than Darrius right now. He really, really has taken this thing leaps and bounds, further probably than what we thought we could go with it this quickly. It will be nice to get him on the field and get him into coverages and get him into route concepts.” Raiders head coach Tom Cable added.

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Clippers Wins Against Lakers With 107-91

Bad day for the Lakers, who lost another player to injury, got drilled by their cross-town rival and angered the NBA basketball All-Star forward on the team they'll face in the first round of the playoffs. Since the LA Laker's Ace star Kobe Bryant sat out for the fourth time in five games to rest several injuries, including a swollen right knee and a broken finger on his right shooting hand and a Andrew Bynum missed his 13th straight game with a strained left Achilles'.

Clippers star player Steve Blake scored 23 points as part of his first career triple-double, Chris Kaman added 22 points and the Clippers beat the Lakers 107-91 Wednesday night. Steve Blake finished with 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the Clippers, who ended with a 29-53 record to miss the postseason for the 15th time in 17 years. Interim coach Kim Hughes' contract ends June 30, and he doesn't know if he'll be back next season.

"It was a great way to end the season,We were a well-balanced team all the way around." Steve Blake said.

On the Lakers side, Lamar Odom led the Lakers with 21 points despite being in foul trouble. Pau Gasol had 18 points and 17 rebounds, and Shannon Brown added 18 starting in place of Kobe Bryant. However, Sasha Vujacic didn't return after spraining his right ankle in the second quarter. Lakers spokesman said it was severe, although X-rays were negative. He'll have an MRI on Thursday. He left the locker room on crutches and was driven off in a cart.

The Lakers finished the regular season with a 3-6 skid and lost Sasha Vujacic to a high ankle sprain when he landed on the foot of Clippers guard Mardy Collins after a shot with 2:51 left in the second quarter. Sasha Vujacic was helped off the court by trainer Gary Vitti and reserve guard Jordan Farmar, who sustained an injury of his own the previous night with a strained left hamstring and played 1.3 seconds against the Clippers so he could officially say he played all 82 regular-season games. 

 

"He could miss the first round, It'll hurt." Said LA Lakers coach Phil Jackson. The Lakers finished with a 57-25 record and the No. 1 seed in the West. The defending champions have lost six of 10 heading into the playoffs. They will face No. 8 seed Oklahoma City beginning Sunday at Staples Center.

"I said at the start of the season if we don't win 60 games, we'll be disappointed, and we're disappointed in our team's effort at the end of the season," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

The Clippers dominated the fourth quarter, hitting four 3-pointers — three by Blake — to pull away in what was a tight game until early in the third. The Lakers trailed by three to start the third quarter, but were outscored 15-5 as the Clippers built the first of two 13-point leads. From there, the teams each scored 11 points to close the period, with the Clippers ahead 78-65.

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75th NFL Draft 2010 Kick Off

The NFL draft will kick off in prime time for the first time in 2010, it was announced Thursday. The first round of the 2010 NFL Draft will start on Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the second and third rounds on Friday, April 23 at 6 p.m. ET, followed by Rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 24 at 10 a.m. ET. The draft will continue to be televised by ESPN and NFL Network site. The 2010 NFL Draft -- the 75th draft in NFL history -- again will be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

"We continue to look for ways to make the draft more accessible to more fans, Moving the first round to prime time on Thursday night will make the first round of the draft available to fans on what is typically the most-watched night of television." NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.

McCoy To Enter NFL Draft

Oklahoma Sooners Defensive Tackle Gerald McCoy gave us all shocking information that he will enter his name into the NFL draft. After his Sun Bowl game Gerald McCoy will prepare for this NFL career. This kid is being talked about like he could end up being one of the best ever at his position. I have heard that way to many times before so I will wait and see before I anoint him the best tackle ever.

Campbell to Enter Draft

Alright this guy from what I read is like the ultimate warrior of the weight room. Players and coaches nicknamed him “Zeus” but the kid can not stay out of the trainers room. No this is not because there is a hot nurse either, the dude is always injured. Bruce Campbell announced today that he will leave Maryland to see how he can fair in the NFL. Guy could be special if he can stay healthy and it should be interesting to see where he lands.

Top 5 NFL Draft Prospects

Here are my top 5 NFL Draft prospects as of today.

• 
  
  
  Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, Defensive Tackle

• 
  
  
  Eric Berry, Tennessee, Safety

• 
  
  
  Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State, Wide Receiver

• 
  
  
  Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma, Defensive Tackle

• 
  
  
  Joe Haden, Florida, Cornerback

This list will obviously change as the NFL Draft approaches but I see these guys as the best available. I plan on having my Draft Board done by the Latest Tuesday Evening, so stay tuned for that.

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NBA Star Kobe Bryant Will Not Play For Final 2 Game

Shortly after proclaiming to reporters Sunday he would play the Lakers' final two regular-season games, guard Kobe Bryant sent a text message at 8 p.m. to LA Lakers Coach Phil Jackson that suggested otherwise. He sat out games last week at Denver and Minnesota to rest his finger, along with a swollen right knee and a sprained ankle. 
 

That means the next time Kobe Bryant suits up will be Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoffs, an absence a team spokesman said was because of Bryant's four-month-old fractured right index finger. After the Portland game Kobe Bryant told reporters he planned on playing in Los Angeles' last 2 games this week to "sharpen up" against Sacramento and against the Clippers but the 12-time All-Star changed his mind Sunday night, relaying in a text message to head coach Phil Jackson that he "probably shouldn't play the last two games the way he felt," Jackson said. 
 

LA Lakers 12-time All-Star Kobe Bryant, who didn't talk to reporters after Monday's practice, has felt dinged up all season, playing through assorted injuries including a fractured right index finger, back spasms, a sprained left ankle and a sore right elbow. He recently sat out two games because of a swollen right knee, only to return Sunday in the Lakers' 91-88 loss to Portland. In that contest, Bryant scored 20 points on only eight of 23 shooting and missed two key free throws in the final minute. 
 

LA Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has also played through a strained right elbow, lower back spasms and a strained groin at various points of the season. Kobe Bryant ticked past the vaunted 1,000 career-games plateau this season and has played 44 playoff games over the course of the past two postseasons, in addition to his service to USA Basketball in the 2007 FIBA Americas championship in Las Vegas and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

He ended his consecutive games played streak of 235, the fifth longest among current NBA players at the time, because of his left ankle injury, missing five games plus the NBA All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium, a spectacle played in front of the largest crowd ever to witness a basketball game.

"A lot of it I think was Kobe's choices of shots, specifically referring to his guard's 8-for-23 shooting total Sunday, stretching Bryant's three-game shooting slump to a dismal 21-for-70 (30 percent). "He's taken some tougher than natural or normal type of shooting chances and I think that's contributed to his poor shooting." LA Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.

Kobe Bryant has an avulsion fracture, in which a tiny fragment of bone tears away near a tendon or ligament. The former MVP has been slowed by the injury since he first broke it in a game against the Timberwolves in early December. Kobe Bryant hurt the top joint on the index finger on his right hand while reaching for a pass along with Minnesota's Ryan Gomes.

The defending champion LA Lakers are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Kobe Bryant was the highest vote getter in the Western Conference. He will be replaced by a hometown player — Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks. Also out is Allen Iverson, due to a family matter, to be replaced by the Knicks David Lee.

Kobe Bryant sprained his ankle when Lamar Odom stepped on his foot during the LA Lakers win over Charlotte. He sat out the next three games, saying his ankle was too sore to push off and run on. The Lakers still won those three games, with Pau Gasol leading the way and improved Lakers defense over all.

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The Worst Fight Of Maia; Silva Still Hold The Middleweight Title

The UFC broke new ground all night long in with its first show in Abu Dhabi and its first show outdoors. Until Anderson Silva hit the cage, at least. That's when Dana White should've told everyone, "You can leave if you want, we're going to show the champ's fights from UFC 90 and UFC 97”. Silva, clearly not challenged nor feeling threatened at all, by Demian Maia, danced, clowned and fooled around for the United Arab Emirates' royal family and the fans who paid up to $1,007. But he didn't do what the truly great fighters do: Go for the finish. 

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