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      Peppers doesn’t show for Panthers’ minicamp

      May 1, 2009 /

      As expected, Panthers’ defensive end Julius Peppers didn’t show for the start of Carolina’s three-day minicamp.

      The stalemate continued Friday with the four-time Pro Bowl selection, who wants to play elsewhere. But the Panthers have placed the franchise tag on him, limiting his options in free agency.

      Because Peppers has not signed Carolina’s one-year, $16.7 million tender, he can’t be fined for missing the mandatory minicamp.

      General manager Marty Hurney says Friday he’s had several conversations with agent Carl Carey and they’ve been “all positive.”

      Second-round pick Everette Brown of Florida State got more reps in Peppers’ absence

      Peppers not showing up for minicamp is hardly a story, but it could be a telltale sign that he won’t show up for training camp, which would make headlines. Carolina hired Ron Meeks in January to replace Mike Trgovac as defensive coordinator, so one would think that Peppers would be in camp come July in order to learn the new scheme.

      But while head coach John Fox doesn’t seem concerned about his star defensive end not attending camps until July, at least one Carolina believes that he’ll show up until after the padded work is complete.

      It would be very Michael Strahan of Peppers if he did that.

      NFL

      Couch Potato Alert: 5/1

      May 1, 2009 /

      The NBA and NHL playoffs are heating up, as the Boston Celtics/Chicago Bulls series could go down as maybe the best first round series ever. The Detroit Red Wings will again battle the Anaheim Ducks, who have defeated them in consecutive playoff series. They defeated the Red Wings in the 2003 Western Conference quarterfinals, it marked the first time since 1952 that a defending Stanley Cup champion was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.

      All times ET…

      NBA Playoffs
      Fri, 8 PM: Atlanta Hawks @ Miami Heat (ESPN)
      Sat, 8 PM: Chicago Bulls @ Boston Celtics (TNT)
      Sun, 1 PM: Miami Heat @ Atlanta Hawks* if necessary (ABC)
      Sun, 3:30 PM: Dallas Mavericks @ Denver Nuggets (ABC)

      NHL Playoffs
      Fri, 7 PM: Anaheim Ducks @ Detroit Red Wings (Versus)
      Sat, 1PM: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Washington Capitals (NBC)
      Sat, 9 PM: Chicago Blackhawks @ Vancouver Canucks (Versus)
      Sun, 2 PM: Anaheim Ducks @ Detroit Red Wings (NBC)
      Sun, 7:30 PM: Carolina Hurricanes @ Boston Bruins (Versus)

      MLB
      Sat, 3:40 PM: New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies (Fox)
      Sun., 1:30 PM: Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays (TBS)
      Sun., 8 PM: Chicago White Sox @ Texas Rangers (ESPN)

      Boxing
      Sat, 9 PM: Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao for the world junior welterweight title from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena (HBO PPV)

      Horse Racing
      Sat, 4 PM: Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.(NBC)

      Boxing, Couch Potato Alert, MLB, NBA, NHL, Television

      Friday MMA Review 5/1

      May 1, 2009 /

      Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

      – Congenital amputee Kyle Maynard’s MMA debut went about as well as we thought it would.

      – Clearly bored with the garbage-ass challengers he’s been getting in the UFC’s middleweight division, 185-pound king Anderson Silva will go up to light-heavyweight again to face Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in August. Meanwhile, Nate Marquardt and Demian Maia will be facing off to determine who really deserves the next middleweight title shot.

      – Gina Carano looked hot at Kevin Randleman’s wedding.

      – Despite some intense infighting, Team U.S. was able to put its first victory on the board on the last episode of The Ultimate Fighter, while coach Michael Bisping vanished into thin air.

      – Japanese promotion DREAM is putting together the greatest MMA freak show in history with their “World Superman Championship,” which will feature steroid-snitch Jose Canseco, pituitary case Hong Man Choi, Bob Sapp, and five more warriors, hopefully fighting to the death.

      – Speaking of freak shows, Fedor Emelianenko used his 70-pound weight advantage to toss around Shinya Aoki in a grappling exhibition at the last M-1 Challenge event.

      – Less than two months after Nick Diaz and Scott Smith scored victories at “Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz,” the two will be fighting each other at “Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields.”

      – Sign of the apocalypse #783: Kung Fu Football.

      – Kim Couture’s wife pulled out of her upcoming fight against Miesha Tate, and Tate responded by telling everyone that Kim and The Natural are getting a divorce. Real classy.

      – By forcibly retiring Chuck Liddell, is Dana White looking out for his friend’s health or his company’s wallet? Little from column A, little from column B?

      Mixed Martial Arts

      Boldin reports for physical, could be in minicamp

      May 1, 2009 /

      Despite being upset about his contract situation, Anquan Boldin was at the Cardinals’ facility on Wednesday to get a physical, which could indicate that he plans on attending the team’s minicamp.

      I’m not sure where Anquan Boldin’s head is in terms of his contract, but in terms of the mystery (if there ever really was one) of whether he would come to minicamp, he indeed was at the facility today to get his physical. Doesn’t make much sense to do that if he isn’t going to come to minicamp. We’ll have to double-check tomorrow, but with Boldin and Darnell Dockett both coming today, it looks like there won’t be any absences for the mandatory minicamp.

      Now, whether Boldin practices, we’ll have to see. He came down with a sore hamstring at last year’s minicamp — about the time his contract issues first reached a boil. There might be some maladies for those seeking new contracts. Again, we will see. At least the drama of a missing guy will be avoided, and I would assume Boldin — and to a lesser extent, Dockett — will be tops on the media’s interview list after practice.

      There were countless rumors heading into the draft that Boldin would be traded, but it appears that the Cardinals never really had any desire to deal their dynamic wideout in the first place. GM Rod Graves seems to be trying to wear Boldin and his agent out and the one weapon in Graves’ arsenal is that he knows Anquan loves playing football. It’s hard to envision Boldin holding out and while he may air his frustrations, he’s not going to allow a contract dispute interfere with him playing football.

      My guess is that Anquan Boldin is going to be an Arizona Cardinal until his contract runs out at the end of the 2010 season.

      NFL

      Artest says Brandon Roy is better than Kobe and LeBron

      May 1, 2009 /

      Craig Sager conducted an interesting interview with Ron Artest on Wednesday. In it, Artest says that Brandon Roy is the “best player” he’s played against, including Kobe and LeBron.

      Artest: “They are doing a good job, they are well coached. (Brandon) Roy is probably the best player I’ve played against, to me he is the best shooting guard. Not on defense now, defense is kind of suspect. He’s the best player I’ve played against.”

      Sager: “He’s a better player than Kobe Bryant, better than LeBron James?”

      Artest: “He’s the best player I’ve played against.”

      Sager: “Are you saying that just because he’s your opponent in this series?”

      Artest: “No, he is. He’s the best player I’ve played against, outside from a guy from my hood in Queensbridge, a guy named Mike Chafley. He went to jail a couple of years when he was 15 or 16 years old, but he was the best player I played against and now it’s Roy.”

      You’ve got to love Artest’s flair. His team is primed for a matchup with the Lakers and he gives Kobe bulletin board material. (Like he needs the extra motivation.) And I love the reference to Mike Chafley in Queensbridge…did Artest play him before or after he went to jail? If it was before, then he’s saying that some 14 or 15 year-old is the best player he’s ever played against. If it was after Chafley got out of jail, why isn’t this cat in the NBA?

      Humor, NBA, NBA Finals

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