Since you were probably too smart to venture out on Black Friday, you’re probably set to look for some good deals today on Cyber Monday. Check out all the guides out there and you’ll find some great stuff. Bullz-Eye.com included some sports gear in the Guy Stuff section of their Holiday Gift Guide, including these badass sneakers from Adidas.

The NBA may be a mess with the lockout (now resolved), but weekend warriors are always looking for the latest gear as they head into battle on the court. The new adiZero Rose 2 basketball shoes from Adidas and Derrick Rose offer a badass design as Rose asked that the 3-Stripes be placed toward the heel so defenders would see the iconic Adidas branding as he blasts past them and slam-dunks. The rest of us will settle for some easy layups but you get the picture. The shoes feature a super-lightweight, breathable build and welded sprint frame support. It’s great for serious athletes and the casual ballplayer alike, and either way anyone who wears them will at least look good.

Do your research with some other gift guides around the web for more sports gear and other cool gift ideas. Check out the guides from Esquire and from Active.com.

The news is getting interesting in Washington, as more a more members of Congress are coming around to the notion that the restrictions on Internet gambling are senseless, particularly at a time when it could be regulated and taxed to provide more revenues for the federal government and state governments.

Recent hearings in the House suggest the tide is turning.

But lawmakers and industry players at a Tuesday hearing on Internet gambling seemed to be in broad agreement that the time has come to let the nation’s casinos, cardrooms and racetracks operate online as a regulated industry.

Bono Mack noted that some form of gambling is already legal in every state except Hawaii and Utah.

“I learned to play poker, believe it or not, in the Boy Scouts,” said Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), who introduced legislation this summer that would legalize and regulate online poker. “If you learned something in the Boy Scouts, it has to be a good thing.”

Other lawmakers are looking to the powerful deficit reduction committee which is looking for new revenues. Some predict it could generate $40 billion in tax revenues over ten years!

So many people enjoy playing online poker and online slots, this should be a no-brainer. We’ve all seen how foolish it is to restrict something that’s so popular. Hopefully the officials in Washington come to their senses.

Yes – Canadian fans like to dress up like idiots as well. These guys are fans of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, as if that’s not reason enough to make fun of them.

The preseason game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers was marred by disgusting violence against some fans. The game will probably be cancelled for future seasons which is a shame.

On a lighter note, we decided to post some pics of the cheerleaders from both teams, in a hopefully more civil competition. Which ones are better?

Check out more photos after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Anna Kournikova hits the red carpet at the NBC Universal TCA Press Tour All-Star Party. She still looks great . . .

Seth does a decent job with the monologue, though nothing compares to Norm MacDonald’s monologue back in 1998.

While the NFL owners and players continue to battle in court about how to split the $9 billion pie, some fans are not sitting idly by waiting to find out what happens. Brian Frederick, the executive director of SportsFans.org, is one of those who is literally fighting on behalf of the fans–the fans like you who continue to get shafted by greedy sports team owners and overpaid players. We had the chance to ask Brian a few questions recently about SportsFans.org and some of the current issues affecting fans:

The Scores Report: First, if you can tell me briefly about how you started your organization and some of the things that you stand for?

Brian Frederick: Sports Fans Coalition was founded in 2009 by the chair of our board, David Goodfriend, a former Clinton White House staffer. He put together a great board, including a member of the Bush White House. I was brought on in August of 2010 to be the first full-time employee. We were founded to give sports fans a voice on public policy issues; to bring the voice of the fan to the halls of power. We are concerned about issues like media blackouts, stadium construction, ticket prices, work stoppages and the lack of a college football playoff.

TSR: I read that you were trying to earn a seat at the initial labor negotiations. Did anyone respond to you at all and if so, what did they say?

BF: After one of the mediation sessions in DC, DeMaurice Smith asked to speak with me and he and I walked back to his office and chatted. He said we had written a great letter and he was interested in some of our ideas. He saw no reason, for instance, that a new CBA couldn’t include language ending blackouts. I am still hopeful that he will try to include that in whatever the new CBA looks like, but I am not holding my breath. I never heard from Roger Goodell.

TSR: Now that the appeals hearing is set for June 3 and a ruling might not come down until a month later, do you think any games will be missed?

BF: It depends on the ruling (and further appeals). I’ve always felt that we are likely to lose some early games but not the whole season. That’s not to say that there’s not a chance the whole season will be lost, it just seems unlikely because this is just over how to divide revenue within a structure that works. The NFL doesn’t have the deeper problems that the NBA does, for instance. If the owners win their appeal, I think we’re looking at some lost games. If the players win, I think there’s a better chance for football in the fall.

TSR: Do you think the NFL has done enough damage to this point that will make fans boycott, at least to some degree?

BF: The NFL is certainly damaging its brand every day this dispute drags on. I don’t think it’s caused enough harm yet that fans will boycott. Only after games are missed will there even be a chance of enough fans uniting to take action. This is unfortunate, of course, because that is what the NFL and NFLPA are counting on — that fans won’t care until games are missed. But that attitude (like a game of chicken) is exactly what leads to missed games. There’s this sort of attitude among fans that it will get worked out — “they always work it out.” Well, they don’t always work it out. Sometimes there are games missed and even whole seasons.

TSR: When players and owners say how important the fan is, do you believe them? Why or why not?

BF: I believe that they believe the fans are important in the sense that they are important to their bottom line. They are interested in treating fans as loyal consumers and they don’t want to jeopardize that relationship. They want the fans to have an enjoyable experience and to pay as much money as they are able to in order to have that experience. They don’t mind that they lose fans who can’t afford to follow anymore. That’s troubling. Sport doesn’t have to be that way. At SportsFans.org we’re trying to empower sports fans and fight for a different way of thinking about sports — one that places what’s great about sports (passion, camaraderie, fair competition, athleticism, etc.) ahead of huge profits.

For more information about Sports Fan Coalition and SportsFans.org, please visit Sportsfans.org.

Hey TSR readers, you now have an opportunity to win $200 and stick it to me just for putting your fantasy baseball knowledge to the test for one day. One day! Win one day of fantasy-filled fun, win $200 and prove that you’re better than me in fantasy baseball. That’s it. Two hundred dollars. Stick it to me. It’s easy, fun and you’re going to love it.

What do I have to do to win $200 and stick it to you, Anthony?
Sign up at FanDuel.com and enter the ScoresReport.com $500 Contest. It’s easy to sign up and the entry fee is only $5. Once you’re signed up, FanDuel will give you the opportunity to select nine players from the following April 1 MLB games (click here for more detailed rules, or see below). If you beat me and fellow TSR members (and longtime fantasy baseball enthusiasts) Jamey Codding and David Medsker, you’ll win $5. If you finish in the top 7, you’ll win even more cash, up to $200.

What are the rules?
- Each player has a salary, and you only have $35k to spend.
- You must pick the following positions: P, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF
- The game starts Fri 1st Apr at 1:05pm EDT so enter before then.
- Again, if you manage to finish above our three experts you win an extra $5

How does the scoring work?
Once you’ve selected your team, they’ll be awarded these points in these categories: Hitters: 1B = 1pt, 2B = 2pts, 3B = pts, HR = 4pts, RBI = 1pt, R = 1pt, BB = 1pt, SB = 2pts, Out = -.25pt Pitchers: W = 7pts, ER = -1pt, SO=1pt, IP = 1pt.

Can I win a cash prize if I come in second?
Yes, $100, as well as for third place ($75), fourth place ($50), fifth place ($30), sixth place ($25) and seventh place ($20). So for signing up for a $5 contest, you could win $20 as long as you come in seventh. You can finish in at least seventh place right? Right? Right?!

What’s the catch?
No catch. Sign up is easy, the entry fee is only $5 and all you have to do is beat me in fantasy baseball for one day…ah, so there’s the catch. There’s no way you’re beating me in fantasy baseball.

Sign up for the ScoresReport.com $500 Contest.

This year, Infiniti is proud to team up with coaches to help raise up to $500,000 for Coaches vs. Cancer. They’re offering six chances to win a trip to the 2012 Final Four and all you have to do is fill out a CBSSports.com Round by Round bracket. Every correct pick you make helps out a great cause.

Please visit the Infiniti Round by Round Coaches vs. Cancer contest to sign up. For more information, check out the video below.

- Tiger Woods battled some rough conditions to shoot an even-par 72 in Dubai. (Golf.com)

- The labor agreement delay may cancel any free agency movement in the NFL and force free agents to stay with their current teams. (SI.com)

- Packers give general manager Ted Thompson a well-deserved contract extension. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

- Is Matt Holliday willing to take a paycut to help the Cardinals re-sign Albert Pujols? (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

- LeBron James gets into it with a fan after said fan mentioned LeBron’s momma. (ESPN)

- Hey, the Cavs finally won a game! (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

- The Penguins and Islanders racked up 351 penalty minutes in one game last night. Yikes. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)