Stop it. Stop the goddamn madness. Why does every single loss have to be blamed on how the coach handled the clock? We are talking about a single case of supposed "time mismanagement" that happened on the THIRD to last possession of the game. There were literally two scoring drives that happened after that third down incompletion. That's why a professional "analyst" believes the Patriots lost. An incompletion that happened before the last 10 points of regulation were scored. If we weren't talking about time management do you know what we would be talking about?  We would be talking about the Patriots playing scared. I, for one, am tired of watching NFL teams tuck their dick between their legs when all they need is one first down. We are in the golden era of offensive football. Teams slanging the rock up and down the field. 300-400 yard passing games, and 5,000 yard passing seasons. Then the clock hits three minutes and teams start playing like it's 1947? You know how often three straight runs up the middle, that result in about 4 yards total, end up backfiring? Conservatively speaking I'll go on record as saying every single fucking time. I tip my hat to the Patriots, and to Bill Belichick, for playing to win the game, instead of playing not to lose it. Partly because it ended up creating a more entertaining ending, but mostly because I am tired of watching professional risk takers turn into insurance agents when the games on the line. Fuck the co-pay. Until yesterday the Patriots were undefeated because they constantly bet on themselves, and I'll take ten wins per one loss over the odds of playing safe every single time. 

The Players' Tribune-

Dear Basketball,

From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:

I fell in love with you.

A love so deep I gave you my all --
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.

As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one. 

And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.

I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.

You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.

This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have. 

And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.

5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

​Love you always,
Kobe



Let's forget about on-court performance. Let's forget about the constant airballs, that are equally as sad as they are humorous. Let's forget that Kobe Bryant can barely get through back to back games, despite his youthful appearance, without looking every last bit of his age. Obviously you can look to Kobe Bryant's ineffectiveness on the court is a major reason that he needs to retire. However, it's his off the court demeanor that I find the most telling. Saying that he's playing like shit and laughing about it? Being personable, honest, and funny? This isn't the Kobe Bryant we all grew to love, or grew to love to hate. That Kobe would never let a bad performance, or two, or ten sway his overly competitive spirit. That Kobe would never, ever take comfort in a defeatist attitude. While it's been semi-refreshing to see Kobe Bryant converse with the media like a rational human being this year, it's also been kind of sobering watching someone that we have all had strong feelings about lose what made him such a polarizing figure. You can no longer criticize Kobe Bryant, because he's essentially admitted that he's deserving of criticism. Those laughs and jokes that people were enjoying at his expense are now a thing of the past, because let's face it, the last 66 games of his career aren't enough time to bestow upon him every compliment he is deserving of. He's no longer the guy that's playing too long and ruining his legacy (even though I think that narrative is ridiculously overhyped anyway), but he's the guy biding farewell to the game of which he was such an integral part. He should be commended for realizing his tank is on empty and committing himself to helping the Lakers youth, but the weirdest part, to me anyway, isn't thinking of him as something other than a basketball player, it's seeing him as a vulnerable personality. 

In a shocking turn of events, I actually agree with Brandon Browner. The kids that are cursing into 'Call Of Duty' headphones are likely the same people that are trash talking professional athletes on Twitter. They are immature, misguided kids who don't realize that the people that they don't know personally, that they are anonymously trash talking through a video game console or social media site, have feelings too. Sure, there are definitely a couple of of-age idiots that should know better mixed in, but generally speaking, that demographic is made up of juvenile children. Does that make it right? Of course not, but it is certainly more understandable when you consider the source.

Which really begs the question, if prepubescent idiots trashing an athlete on Twitter are the actions of a child playing a virtual reality game then what is a professional athlete repeatedly trashing his fans on Twitter analogous to? My best guess would be the same type of person that would nearly assault a reporter for asking a teammate a completely valid question, but don't quote me on that, that portion of the SAT's always gave me trouble.

​This is now the third game week in a row that Brandon Browner has taken to the internet to voice his displeasures. Am I to believe that the organization that pays him, far too much for his actual performance might I add, hasn't told him to tone it down online? Something tells me that's inherently false. Something tells me that Brandon Browner doesn't realize that with a multimillion dollar contract comes the responsibility to tune out criticism, whether it's warranted or unwarranted. I am not defending people using the guise of Twitter handle to chastise those whose job it is to entertain them. However, I am also not defending Brandon Browner for not being able to shut the fuck up when he is one of the major reasons why his team is in the midst of season so disappointing that it's fans almost feel required to be outspoken. Anyone with a brain knows that disrespectful people on social media don't deserve the time of day. That's why Brandon Browner making a habit of responding to them only makes him look worse than his play on the field already has, and trust me, that's unbelievable hard to do. 

I am going to be honest. Yesterday, for the first time in years, I missed a Saints game. As it was the last day of the Thanksgiving break, and thus the last family day until Christmas, I couldn't bring myself to sit in a random bar by myself wallowing in my sorrows. And that's kind of the whole point. I felt comfortable not watching the game, because I was 99% sure I knew how it would turn out before it even started. When the live updates showed Brian Hoyer, another sub par quarterback, carving up the Saints defense, I wasn't surprised. In fact, I wasn't even score checking out of curiosity, I was score checking as to reassure my doubts about this team. Brian Hoyer going ass-to-mouth on the Saints defense? Predictable. The offense struggling to make plays and protect Drew Brees? Predictable. Sporting a 4:1 pass to run ratio despite Mark Ingram appearing to be highly effective on his limited carries? Predictable. Predictable, predictable, predictable, the whole fucking team isn't just a disaster, but it's a disaster that can be seen from afar. I refuse to waste my time rubbernecking when there's better things to do like not getting emotionally involved in a 53 player pileup. Will I tune in next week? Undoubtedly. After all, it is basically the Saints one chance throughout the rest of this season to do something of note against the undefeated Panthers. However, I can almost promise that I will hate myself for it after.

After beating the Falcons, Colts, and Giants, this team hasn't even looked moderately respectable against the Titans, Redskins, and, I am assuming from the result, the Texans. Scapegoating the defensive coordinator, that surely deserved to be scapegoated, didn't change anything, and I am not sure there is anything else that will until massive change takes place over the offseason. I don't know Sean Payton's future, but if this run continues it just might seal his fate. You simply can't be this incompetent of a football team with a Hall Of Fame quarterback. I know the New Orleans Saints lack talent, but unlike earlier in the season they now look like they lack heart, desire, and effort. Unfortunately, that's much more alarming than their 4-7 record. A 4-7 record that feels a whole hell of a lot more like 1-10. The most enjoyable weeks of this season were the bye week, and this week when I didn't watch a single snap. That's not a good sign for anyone's job security.

I know that response was tongue in cheek. I know that it was just a part of Adam Henrique's continued effort to become one of the faces of the 'new' New Jersey Devils franchise. Adam Henrique, his oft-humorous social media quips, and the fanfare surrounding his lip sweater are making this team exponentially more fun to watch, as well as cover. So yeah, his appearance is mostly about bringing attention to a great cause, but there still is a little bit of truth to his completely ridiculous comment. There are only select few that can pull off a good old fashioned mustache. Generally they are older men, creepy younger men, or those with an unbelievable, and sometimes irrational, sense of confidence. Adam Henrique might not fit the first two categories all that well, but he fits the third one to be an absolute T. 

I'm not saying that a clean shaven Adam Henrique doesn't make that pass, but I am saying a mustachioed Adam Henrique is infinitely more likely to. Look at the times in which Adam Henrique has let his razor collect dust for a prolonged period of time. The 2012 playoffs where he scored two series ending overtime goals, with the most notable ending the hated New York Rangers season and sending the Devils to the finals, and the last month of this season. A month in which his prolonged hot streak has the Devils looking like a brand new organization. Literally the two most offensively proficient stretches of Rico's career directly correlate with when he had nickname-appropriate facial hair. Sure, some would say a fully healed wrist after offseason surgery could be responsible for a peak in his production, but nothing says renewed self confidence like a sweet set of handlebars. Honestly, does a man that is not feeling cocky make a drop pass on a breakaway? Riddle me that, because I haven't seen a pass that pretty and unexpected come off the stick of a Devils player since the days of the 'A Line'. That mustache may not have eyes in the back of it's head, but maybe, just maybe, it's helping the player that sports it pretend like he does. After all, does someone that isn't feeling untouchable sport something like this?

Let's go back a week. The Devils were coming off an underwhelming 1-2 road trip against mediocre, at best, competition. They had a very winnable home game against the Blue Jackets on deck, followed by a looming home-and-home against one of the best teams the National Hockey League has to offer. It was one of those stretches that say a lot about a team. A stretch that begun with an extremely controversial, disheartening loss. A stretch that wasn't looking too much better after blowing a two goal lead at home and losing in a shootout. A stretch that looked like a goddamn nightmare two and half periods into road game in Montreal.

Somehow, the remainder of that stretch reminded Devils fans why this team is different. Coming back from two down, and notching a beautiful overtime goal to steal a win in a hostile environment, was about so much more than turning a disastrous 0-2-1 run into a relatively impressive 1-1-1 run. It was about proving that this team has no quit. It was about showing that they can absorb the up and down nature of an NHL season. Devils teams of years past would have folded like a cheap suit. They would have let a bad call and a demoralizing loss linger into the next game. They would have let the disappointment of a blown lead be noticeable in the ass end of back-to-back games. This team has made resiliency it's calling card. While they probably aren't the team that's going to run roughshod on the Blackhawks like they did earlier this year, they aren't the team that's going to let the Columbus Blue Jackets start hammering a nail in their proverbial coffin. John Hynes has this team fighting tooth and nail every night, and that's why my belief in them being a playoff team remains unwavered. It's a long season, and sometimes it's success isn't just measured by long winning streaks, but also by an ability to stop the bleeding. This team has shown a proclivity to do just that. Now if they could just get some of that timely goal scoring against the lowly bottom dwellers on their schedule then my optimism wouldn't have to be so subjective. 

I'll admit it. A part of me was a little bit happy when Chris Laviano lay writhing in pain. I was a little excited when Hayden Rettig came into the game to replace him. I couldn't have been more disappointed when Kyle Flood put a quarterback, who looked like he was destined for a surgical table no more than 90 seconds earlier, back in the game after just one play. I may not have voiced my displeasure like the fans that mercilessly booed Chris Laviano's return, but I can certainly relate to how they felt at the time. That doesn't mean I endorse openly disrespecting a kid that has given his all, even though that's not saying much, for Rutgers football. In fact, even after 5 hours of tailgating, I was extremely vocal in telling those around me to quiet down as they made fools of themselves and the University. The problem I have isn't that the booing wasn't warranted, it's that it wasn't the right time for it. I actually felt bad for Chris Laviano, obviously less so after this completely misguided Instagram post, but still, he was put in an impossible situation. His Head Coach was so stubborn in his support of him, even after his repeated failures, that the fans almost had to boo. As hard as it may be for Chris Laviano to believe, those boos weren't directed at a quarterback who has struggled for a large majority of the year. They were directed at a head coach that never had the sense to relieve him of his duties when it likely would have taken some of the pressure off of him.

I have always bought into the 'F.A.M.I.L.Y.' mantra that Kyle Flood has continuously stood behind. It seemed like a nice rallying cry for a university, and it's fan base, that has experienced so much disappointment over the years. The idea that the coaches, the players, and even the fans were thought of as one united entity was something that made it easier to stand behind Rutgers during the tough times. Unfortunately, Chris Laviano's frivolous use of social media has shown that's not truly what existed behind closed doors. I don't know what Kyle Flood slipped in their 'Kool-Aid', but this whole 'F.A.M.I.L.Y' thing is starting to feel more like a cult mentality between the coach and his players, than a slogan that the people who support them can embrace. 

Chris Laviano saying he doesn't give a fuck about the fans, that make it possible for him to get a free education playing football, shows that Kyle Flood had instituted an 'us against the world' attitude. An attitude in which the people that wanted the best for the program were also thought of as the enemy. Successful college athletics, more so than any other sport, are predicated on having a strong, loyal following. Spitting in that following's face, proverbially speaking, is how you lose their undying support. Kyle Flood didn't just sacrifice meaningful football games by standing behind a faltering quarterback, he drove a stake between the team and their fans. I understand why Chris Laviano felt so wronged when his supposed health was met with verbal animosity, but it was symbolic of so much more than that. It was the culmination of Kyle Flood's failures as a head coach. It's a shame that a young player that doesn't know any better had to feel that wrath, but his decision to voice his displeasure to the masses was just another sign that the coach that was in his corner needed to be fired. I won't find a new team, and if Laviano really believes that's the answer then he should ready his walking papers, because the person that let him get away with this stupidity already got served his.

Maybe it was just a coincidence that rain steadily poured down on the remaining few proud Rutgers fans that stayed for the culmination of the collapse on Saturday. However, the weather was somehow poetic in watching the eventual end of the unmitigated disaster that the Kyle Flood era has become. It wouldn't have felt right watching him sprint off the field, for the last time, on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. The depressing, cold, damp atmosphere somehow felt like it was a sign of the black could that has hung over this football program since early August.

I don't think Kyle Flood is a bad guy. I don't even think he is a bad football coach. He is, on the other hand, unquestionably a bad HEAD football coach. He has been in over his head from day one, and while that was masked by a successful inaugural season in the Big Ten, it really became more evident with each and every passing day this year. Whether it was academic scandals, or player arrests, or just an overall unwatchable brand of football, Kyle Flood proved he has no business being in charge of a team at this level. Everything broke right last year. Rutgers won the games they should have and lost the games they shouldn't have. They overcame a 25 point deficit to beat Maryland on the last game of the season, and ultimately won themselves a bowl game in convincing fashion. This season was everything last season wasn't. Everything went wrong, and it's fitting that it was capped off with that very same Maryland team reminding Rutgers fans what this team has been under Kyle Flood. Disappointing, inconsistent, and undisciplined (both on and off the field). All problems that are a direct reflection of it's leader.  

If you want to know why Kyle Flood needed to be fired then look no further than his very own list of reasons that he shouldn't have been fired...

Ultimately, the aspirations of a program coming off it's second year in a Power 5 conference should be higher than bowl eligibility. Bowl eligibility that Rutgers so valiantly failed to achieve this year. They should be higher than simply competing, and in most of their games against actual high level competition, Rutgers didn't even do that. This program should be trying to work it's way up, not feeling complacent stranded in mediocrity. Kyle Flood represents mediocrity, and his acceptance of it, as well as Julie Hermann's, is what ultimately led to their termination. Well, that and enough off the field troubles to make people forget where Ray Rice went to school...

BSO- According to the club promoter, Ron King, Hardy’s people reached out on Monday and called the whole thing off … explaining, “Greg can’t do the party anymore.

“Greg’s people said he was catching heat for having the party so he couldn’t do it … now I have to find some other big name Cowboys to sponsor it on short notice,” King says.

​
​I know what you are thinking. Greg Hardy can't afford anymore negative publicity. That him canceling a night club appearance on Thanksgiving is the first sound, rational decision that he has made on behalf of his reputation. I want to let those people in on a little secret. Almost everyone has a friend that goes to the strip club on the night of Thanksgiving. Most of you probably don't even know that to be true, but chances are there is a person in your life that stuffs themselves with a shitload of carbs and goes to watch a bunch of women from broken homes dance around half naked in feathered headdresses. The reason you can neither confirm nor deny that statement is because we generally don't give a fuck what the other people in our lives are doing on Thanksgiving. You don't keep Greg Hardy from making a club appearance forever. At some point that morally bankrupt idiot is going to find his way on stage and likely commit a felony, so why not have him do it on a night when no one is paying attention?

It's difficult enough for me to ration my time towards football, turkey, and booze, you think I am going to put one second of my overly gluttonous day towards thinking about a domestic abuser? I can barely keep my eyes open while nursing my narcoleptic food fetus, you think I am going to scour the internet checking out Greg Hardy's itinerary? Hell no. Do what you want Greg, just try not to beat any women. I promise that this is the one day a year when the only football related news people care about is taking place on the field. If you want to pop bottles to celebrate the holiday then be my guest, just try not to break them over anyone's head when you get to the bottom of them.

Earmuffs! Earmuffs! Hide your kids! Cam Newton is up to the same old antics. You'd think he would straighten up his act after he was widely criticized for teaching the youth of America how to be a poor sportsman by performing a dance move. It appears nothing will get through to this guy. Bullying is the single biggest problem kids face in schools today, and Cam Newton is readily endorsing it?! Doesn't he realize that picking on people can have long term ramifications? Doesn't he know that lightheartedly teasing an official for his stature could lead to depression. Sticks and stones Cam, but please, I beg of you, leave the words out of this. Maybe that referee is insecure about his height. Maybe he cries himself to sleep thinking about all the times he wasn't tall enough to go on a ride at Six Flags. That's a problem that a 6'5, 250 pound quarterback will never be able to relate to. If only he would stop dabbing and blabbing for two seconds and realize that the things he says and does can effect the young, impressionable minds of the next generation. It's almost like he thinks he's just some athlete that is allowed to have some fun with his job. Hasn't anyone told him that he's singlehandedly responsible for the actions of every prepubescent child that has ever watched him play football? Cam Newton should be the one that's forced to sit in timeout. He should be the one serving detentions. After all, he's the person that showing children that it's okay to get a laugh at the expense of another person's feelings. It's time we blow the whistle on people that are taking jabs at professional whistle blowers. Isn't there a hashtag that can solve all this? #CamYouNot? #BullyingIsNotNewton? Something, no, anything, that will help to remind kids that Cam Newton is bad person, that is deserving of only terrible things in life, and is not to be imitated.


Oh yeah, and I am just going to leave this right here...

P.S. The saddest part about this isn't that there are still not-so-subtly racist people out there that actually think this way, it's that I can't genuinely hate the quarterback of a division rival without looking like I am taking their side.

Listen, I don't wat to take undue credit. I am just saying, the last Devils game I attended was when Patrik Elias netted the 400th goal of his illustrious career. Maybe it's a coincidence that the next one I am attending happens to be the one where he is returning from an injury that has sidelined him for the entirety of the season up until this point. Maybe it's a coincidence that only minutes after packing my 'Elias' jersey, instead of my 'Larsson' jersey, for the trip home to New Jersey it was announced that he was making his return to the lineup. It's very possible that this is completely serendipitous. However, the thing about a coincidence is that it takes a little bit of luck, and you need to be lucky to be good, so maybe I am just that good? I don't know, I am just spitballing here.

Personally, I can't wait to welcome Patrik Elias back to the ice. Let's forget about the actual game for a second. Let's forget that Patrik Elias could solidify a 3rd line that has only been offensive in it's prolonged ineffectiveness. At the end of the day the Devils are just welcoming back a 39 year old who is coming off an injury after one of the worst seasons of his career. However, tonight is about more than hockey. Admit it, as surprising as this start has been for the Devils, it's also been extremely weird. Not just because the Devils were supposed to be terrible, but because the team were watching is completely foreign (and I don't just mean European). Outside of a couple overtime playoff goals by Adam Henrique, the team we have seen thus far literally has no ties to the most memorable moments in Devils history. While that has certainly been refreshing given the how stale the team had become in mediocrity (that's definitely being generous), it will still be nice to see a friendly face....  

A friendly face that now solely represents this franchise's greatness. A friendly face that has never made it about him. A friendly face that is the personification of "play for the logo on the front, and not the name on the back". A friendly face that will always be underrated, despite being a borderline Hall Of Famer, because of what he sacrificed to stay in New Jersey. A friendly face that has sat out and been almost eerily quiet (must still be drinking leftover Lamoriello 'Kool-Aid') about his status. Tonight is going to be special. Not 'Martin Brodeur Retirement Night' special, but special none-the-less. Let's face it, the number of which he claims ownership will eventually be the next one raised to rafters. But for now I'm more focused on watching him play out the rest of a career that only Devils fans can truly appreciate. Not just because Patrik Elias is still one of the top 5 most talented players on this team, but also because he will always embrace what it means to be a New Jersey Devil. That can only help a team that is already overachieving. I feel like watching Patrik Elias step on that ice tonight will be like walking into your favorite watering hole that just underwent a full renovation and seeing the same old bartender, and I am prepared to 'Cheers' him when he does. He may be experiencing some 'Growing Pains', but I can't wait for him to show me that smile again...

ABC- Hours after telling reporters that he saw a video of American Muslims in New Jersey cheering on Sept. 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center's twin towers fell, Ben Carson's campaign apologized for the remarks, saying he "doesn't stand behind" them and that they were "a mistake."

When asked by ABC News if American Muslims were cheering on 9/11 -- as has been suggested by Donald Trump -- Carson said “Yes.”

“I saw the film of it, yeah,” he said and cited "the newsreels" of 9/11 coverage at the time.
However, Carson made a 180 a short time later.

"He doesn't stand behind his comments to New Jersey and American Muslims," said campaign spokesman Doug Watts said. "He was rather thinking of the protests going on in the Middle East and some of the demonstrations that we're going on in celebration of the towers going down.

"He doesn't stand behind his references and apologizes for the mistaken references. It was a mistake on his part and he clearly wasn't really thinking about New Jersey, he was thinking about the Middle East."



​Okay, timeout. I was a New Jersey resident for my whole life up until about 9 months ago. While our Indian population may be on a steady incline, and some neighborhood might not be the safest, I refuse to let someone sit here and mistake it for the Middle East. You want to call it the 'armpit of America' then I can brush that completely untrue insult off my shoulders, but I draw the line at calling it 'a hotbed for terrorist activity'. I know you are anti-abortion Ben Carson, but this is just one of those times where you are going to have to agree to tighten up those lips. 

This is why Donald Trump is winning. These goddamn Republican nominees are literally in an arms race of stupidity. Donald Trump says something, that is completely and utterly false might I add, and Ben Carson feels the need to have an opinion on it. I mean, come on now. Do we really believe that Donald Trump has stepped foot in Jersey City since the turn of the century? Even if he did, do we believe he let himself get close enough to a significantly large group of individuals that were cheering on the terrorist attacks of 9/11? What are we even talking about? I feel like the Presidential nomination is like a group of middle school boys sitting around and lying about what base they got to with a girl. It's like a bunch of college freshman exaggerating how much they drank after the first night of orientation. None of the shit being spewed by Donald Trump is even close to being rooted in fact. Yet he's so loud and boisterous about it that it make idiots like Ben Carson agree to have seen a video that NEVER EVEN FUCKING EXISTED. Donald Trump literally won an exchange in which he completely fabricated a story that every single person with a functioning brain knew was untrue. That may sound ridiculous, but he actually got another nominee to admit that he can't tell the difference between a city that resides a waterway across from the most important city in the United States and a third world wasteland. Anything Trump says somehow looks intelligent, because his competition is too goddamn dumb to see what he's doing. Fuck running for President, how in the world is someone like Ben Carson, whose head has taken up permanent residence in the clouds, authorized to take a knife to someone's brain? 

Source- In an apparent attempt to mislead officers, a woman called 911 sending a police car away from her location so she could drive home intoxicated, police said Thursday.

​Hayley Oates reported to 911 dispatchers that a woman was being assaulted at a bar in northern New Jersey. Oates said the assailant was in a blue truck and quickly ended the call, according to a police statement.

Police investigated the report, but found no evidence of assault or witnesses. Later security cameras confirmed that no assault had occured. 

Oates reportedly posted to social media:

"lmao.. 2 mins later the cop peals out.. silly piggies tricks r for u." following the false report.

Police claim that Oates intentionally called 911 so she and her companion could drive home intoxicated undetected.

According to NJ.com, detectives were tipped off that the call was a false report and later found the social media post that lead them to Oates.

She was charged with filing false reports to law enforcement and creating a false public alarm, police said.



The last thing I want to do is sit there and commend a woman for finding an innovative way around the law when the law in question is one designed to prevent the existence of innocent victims. You shouldn't drink and drive, nor should you be applauded for doing so in a manner that leaves you less likely to face the ramifications of your actions. That being said, can we just enter the trust tree together for one minute and admit that we are impressed? Put aside your moral compasses and examine this purely from an efficiency standpoint and it's hard to describe this strategy as anything other than ingenious. Especially coming from this drunken piece of white trash. Who knew she had something this smart up her sleeve? 

That, however, was her biggest problem, because until she pieced this plan together I bet even she didn't realize that she was capable of something this clever. Think about it this way, it's never the straight 'A' student that is pinning their test results up on the fridge. Rather, it's the 'C' student that somehow lucked into an 'A' just that one time. This girl messed around and accidentally thought outside of the box for the first time in her life, she had no choice but to broadcast it to the rest of the world. Leading a bunch of cops on a wild goose chase while she swerved home uninterrupted was basically this girl's version of getting into college. What did you expect her to do? Keep it to herself? Even in getting herself busted through the use of social media this chick came out a winner. The charges for filing a false report and creating a false public alarm are nothing compared to penalties faced for getting a DUI, and on top of that she got to show all her FaceBook friends that she's not as dumb as she looks. Although, if we are being totally honest that's not saying all that much. 

Puck Daddy- In early October, TSN’s Rick Westhead spoke to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, who acknowledged the league doesn’t test for cocaine “in a comprehensive way.”

The league’s drug test program is listed on its website and says the NHL tests at least two times per season for performance enhancing drugs.

From Westhead's report:

​One-third of the 2,400 player urine samples collected each year are screened more closely for drugs of abuse, such as cocaine. Those more comprehensive tests have shown cocaine use by NHL players is on the rise.

He also noted the NHL Players' Association executive director Don Fehr, "raised the issue of cocaine" last season warning players about the "health dangers and the consequences of being caught."

Look, I don't think it comes as much of a surprise to anyone that cocaine use runs pretty rampant in the NHL. After all, put a bunch of white guys with money in a room together for long enough and they are bound to convince each other to do some things they probably shouldn't. That's basically the entire concept behind a frat house. The popularity of the drug amongst the league was bound to become news sooner rather than later, so good for the NHL for attacking the story before the story attacked them. Who knew that a league that has always had such a hard time marketing itself had passed 'Public Relations 101'? 

Let's be honest, no franchise really cares about it's players using drugs, nor should they. As long as their employees can adequately do their jobs they should be able to do whatever they want, relatively speaking, on their "down" time. These leagues really only care about the public perception that comes with substance abuse, not the actual health of the abuser. That's why the NHL implementing a system that doesn't suspend first time offenders is actually genius. Prove to the viewing public that you are concerned, without actually taking away from the product on the ice. Who would have thought that the NHL would be the one league to address drug use in the least detrimental way to their sport?

Just take a look at the other examples of professional sports organizations cracking down on illegal substances. The MLB suspends players, many of them being the best the sport has to offer, extensive amounts of time for PED use. The NBA suspends players for marijuana use. The NFL suspends players, many times up to a quarter of their entire season, for both of those things. Nope, not the NHL. You want to play professional puck and dabble in the nose candy on the side then you are only going to inconvenience yourself by having to attend a substance abuse program. You damn sure aren't inconveniencing the league by taking an NHL caliber talent away from the game. At least not the first time anyway. Did the National Hockey League just prove to be the most liberal of all the four major sports? Talk about an upset! 

Fox Sports- Former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Corey White told TMZ.com he was, in fact, cut for not wearing a suit in the team's road trip to Tampa Bay last weekend. 

White told the website he wore "slacks and a button down," but that doesn't adhere to the team's dress code for road trips. A Cowboys coach told White he was cut because the cornerback wasn't wearing a suit, White reportedly told TMZ.com. 

"I'm not angry," White reportedly said. " ... It's the rules."



​You know what sucks the most about this story? The fact that it gives people another reason to be like "look how irrational the Cowboys are, they gave a domestic abuser with an attitude problem a job, but they cut a guy that violated the dress code". It seems that you can no longer discuss anything that has to do with the Cowboys in a rational manner anymore without someone bringing up Greg Hardy. While I understand he's a huge dickhead that doesn't deserve the seven figure paycheck he is undoubtedly receiving, there is going to have to come a time when we just accept that he is good enough to be in the NFL, and that's all that matters to Jerry Jones.

That's why Corey White's dismissal isn't even remotely comparable to Greg Hardy's employment. If you think Corey White was cut for showing up in slacks and a button down instead of a suit then you probably also believe that the NFL really cares about concussions. In fact, you might even have a fucking concussion. Seriously, go run through the protocol. I'm a Saints fan. I have watched Corey White play WAYYY more than I would have liked to. He got cut for no other reason than the fact that he's not very good at football. Don't believe me? Look at his response. You think a guy that feels like he deserves to be on the Dallas Cowboys roster is going to take being cut for not wearing a blazer in stride? What NFL player has EVER said "I understand why I was let go, rules are rules". Does that sound like something a professional football player would say? Fuck no. It does sound like something a professional football player that had a mutual understanding with the coach that cut him, and doesn't want to reveal that he's not capable of covering NFL wide receivers would say. We shouldn't be criticizing the Cowboys front office. Well, not for this move anyway. We should be applauding them for opening themselves up to more illogical Greg Hardy comparisons just to let the kid down easy and save his reputation. Jerry and the boys might not do right by women, but I'll be damned if they don't do right by young, mediocre, borderline talents that they no longer have a use for. The Dallas Cowboys are the employer that fired you for cause, but still wrote you a super nice letter of recommendation, and who doesn't appreciate having a boss like that?

Mercury-  Early arrivals for the Cardinals' game against the Bengals in Glendale, Ariz., saw something a little unexpected — Arizona backup quarterback Matt Barkley running around the field in his underwear and not much else. 

Barkley lost this week's accuracy contest between Cardinals' quarterbacks, AZcentral.com said, and making the grand tour in his skivvies was the price of losing.

He had to run out and do a little dance at midfield while wearing a trash bag as a vest and two Gatorade towels as chaps.



That's okay, you don't have to be too proud to admit it, I completely forgot that Matt Barkley was still in the NFL too. That's why this bet that he willingly entered into, and ended up losing, was a genius PR move. We are talking about Matt Barkley here. The same guy that was once on a depth chart BEHIND Tim Tebow. When that guy enters an accuracy contest he is essentially just choosing to do whatever the decided upon punishment is. It's like betting Usain Bolt $100 you could beat him in a race. You might as well just give him the money before the race starts so you don't have to go and catch up to him after he burns you by the length of a football field. Matt Barkley stood no chance of not finishing dead last in that competition, and that's why I respect him for entering it. He just bought himself at least another half season of myself, and others, realizing that he is still alive. That's a huge accomplishment for any career backup. Untalented white quarterbacks can make a career out of holding a clipboard if the right people know that they still exist. Not only was he able to remind them, but he made it look like he "had to do it". Psssh, you ain't fooling me Matt. You know Matt Barkley has been dying to run onto a field half naked and scream "remember me!" since he caught on in the NFL. I'm about 99% sure he was the one that came up with the stipulations of this bet in the first place. Probably conjured it up as soon as he saw his fellow backup become a viral sensation for getting down on the sidelines last week. Can't just be the only Cardinals quarterback not known for anything (except sucking at quarterback). That wouldn't bode well for NFL longevity. Don't tell me these things happening a week apart is a coincidence...

Bleacher Report- Rap isn't that time-consuming for me, compared to an ordinary artist. I do not stay in the studio all day. I write a song in my down time and go in to record it, most times only taking a couple hours to record two or three songs. My DJ's studio (@mjthedj), Studio 14, is right around the corner from my home in Cleveland, so it doesn't take long to knock out a track. 

I've been rapping my whole career. I have hundreds and hundreds of songs, but no one would know unless I release them. Sad thing is, if I were to be a violinist, I would be more "respected" and "praised" for my "talent" off the floor. The flip side is being a violinist takes hours and hours and hours of preparation to become anywhere near good. It's not something you can do during the course of a basketball season.



You know what, I agree with Iman Shumpert. Why can't people just blindly appreciate the talents of others? Whether it's rapping or playing the violin, people shouldn't have to see or hear you perform before they just accept how great you are at certain things. I feel his pain. I have been singing in the shower for years, and not once has a person praised me for my angelic voice. If I didn't love reciting the words to other people's music so much I would have quit bellowing out Rick Astley lyrics while lathering my body years ago. I'm sure Iman feels the same way. Just creating hundreds and hundreds of tracks, that he doesn't feel comfortable letting anyone hear, without receiving so much as a "good job". Do you know how demoralizing it is to do something strictly for yourself and not have a bunch of strangers bow in awe of your expertise? It's almost like hobbies aren't deserving of accolades anymore. Like you have to actually prove you are good at things before people will acknowledge you are good at said things. What is a person's word worth nothing now-a-days? I want to live in a world where all shitty rappers, mirror-shattering shower singers, and truly gifted violinists are treated as equal. If kids finishing in last place in their soccer league can win a 'Participation Award', how come Iman Shumpert and I can't get an honorary 'American Music Award'? All music is subjective, right? How come our vote doesn't count?

P.S. After watching Iman Shumpert airball countless threes in last year's NBA finals I am infinitely more intrigued by his rap career than his basketball career, although I admit that's not exactly saying much.