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      Experiencing Saturday at the 2011 Final Four

      April 3, 2011 /

      Jamey Codding of Bullz-Eye.com got the opportunity to attend the Final Four thanks to Infiniti! Read about his experience below.

      When complete strangers start chucking mini foam basketballs at you on your way down an airport escalator, you know Final Four fever has settled in. Houston was buzzing already, and we were still more than 24 hours away from the tipoff of the Butler/VCU game. Fans were moving through the George Bush Intercontinental Airport with their team affiliations proudly displayed on jerseys, t-shirts, hats, luggage and, of course, directly on their bodies with temporary tattoos and skin paint. Houston was ready to party. And so were we.

      After getting settled at the Magnolia Hotel in downtown Houston, we met with our trusty Infiniti rep for the weekend, Ray Daniels, and headed to Cabo for a quick bite to eat and a couple of cervezas. Great way to start a great weekend. A few hours later, we found ourselves at the Sambuca Jazz Cafe for some dinner — the lobster enchiladas come very highly recommended — and stuck around after the meal for a few more drinks and some great live music. If you ever are in Houston looking for a place to spend an evening out, Sambuca should be on your short list.

      Of course, Saturday was game day, and after grabbing a quick burger, we hopped onto the shuttle bus and headed over to Reliant Stadium (home of the NFL’s Houston Texans) to check out Infiniti’s Tip-Off Tailgate event, with all sorts of games, activities and, of course, food and drinks. We milled around the tailgate section for an hour or so, our celebrity radar already on high alert since we could safely assume that some big names would be in attendance to take in college basketball’s biggest weekend. Sure enough, just before we made our way to the gate, we saw former NFL defensive lineman Warren Sapp hanging with a group of people in a tucked away corner of the event, but we wisely resisted the temptation to snap a quick picture. We’ve made a point of not irritating 300-pound former NFL players, and it’s worked well for us so far so why deviate now?

      Read the full article.

      College Basketball, March Madness

      Raiders’ Louis Murphy arrested for Viagra possession

      April 3, 2011 /

      Here’s one you don’t read everyday.

      Raiders’ wideout Louis Murphy was reportedly pulled over for a loud stereo on Sunday morning. First he ignored the officer, then he refused to show his ID or put his hands behind his back. When he finally consented to a vehicle search, officers found 11 Viagra pills in a bottle with the label torn off because he apparently didn’t want his girlfriend to know that he needed the little blue pills to, uh, perform. (Cat is out of the bag now, Louis.)

      According to the Gainesville Sun, it took three officers to place Murphy into custody. This is the former Gator’s second arrest in Gainesville, with the first coming in 2006 when he was taken into custody for possession of marijuana.

      According to a Sports Illustrated article, Murphy vowed to turn his life around when his mother was diagnosed with cancer a second time in 2007. She died in on Valentine’s Day 2008. He grieved in the butterfly garden at UF’s Museum of Natural History when he worked there as an intern for part of his sports event management degree. He was also captain of UF’s football team that year, scoring a touchdown from a Tim Tebow pass in the BCS championship game.

      Murphy volunteers in his off hours. Last year, he spoke with inmates at the Pinellas County Jail annex in Clearwater, telling them that everyone deserves a second chance.

      Being arrested for possession of Viagra without a valid prescription is more embarrassing than an indication that Murphy is a bad egg. But there’s a lesson to be learned here: When a police officer pulls you over for cranking your tunes too loudly, just comply and apologize. Even if “It’ll never happen again, officer” is a flat out lie, tell them what they want to hear and get on with the rest of your day.

      Maybe then you won’t make the papers for being arrested for something as stupid as not having a prescription for Viagra, and your girlfriend won’t find out that the wood you’ve been sporting is performance-enhanced.

      External Sports, NFL

      Championship Game Preview

      April 3, 2011 /
      Connecticut Huskies’ Kemba Walker reacts after making a basket against the Kentucky Wildcats during their semi-final NCAA Final Four college basketball game in Houston, Texas, April 2, 2011. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      Connecticut vs. Butler…who would have thunk it?

      Roughly 50% of the bracket-playing population had the Bulldogs losing their first round game against Old Dominion, so for Butler to still be alive is nothing short of shocking. Sure, they made the title game last year, but they lost their best player (Gordon Hayward) to the NBA and at one point during they season, they were 14-9 and coming off a three-game losing streak to UW-Milwaukee, Valparaiso and Youngstown St. Needless to say, what Brad Stevens and Co. have done over the past two years (10-1 in the tournament, 11-0 against the spread) is nothing short of amazing, especially for a mid-major.

      On the flip side, it isn’t mind-blowing that UConn made the title game, especially with the way Kemba Walker played in five straight games in the Big East Championship. Freshman Jeremy Lamb has been a solid sidekick, and the Huskies proved on Saturday night that they can play some lockdown defense as they held Kentucky to just 34% shooting from the field. They’re more athletic than the Bulldogs and they will have the best player on the court in Walker.

      But there is something about Butler that gives them the edge in a tight game. In many ways, the team has taken on the personality of the unflappable Stevens, so as long as they can keep the game close, there’s a good chance that they’ll figure out a way to pull out a win. How do they do it? Matt Howard outworks opposing big men while shotmaker Shelvin Mack is something of a poor man’s Walker. When the Bulldogs need a bucket, he usually delivers.

      This is probably going to be another white-knuckle finish, and if that’s the case, I’m going with my heart and taking the Bulldogs. Considering I picked VCU and Kentucky in Saturday’s game, I’m probably putting the hex on the underdogs.

      College Basketball, External Sports, March Madness

      Rays’ Longoria to miss at least three weeks with strained oblique

      April 3, 2011 /
      Tampa Bay Rays’ Evan Longoria (L) reacts in front of Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters as he strikes out swinging during the ninth inning of their MLB American League baseball game in St. Petersburg, Florida, April 1, 2011. REUTERS/Brian Blanco (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      It has not been a great start to 2011 for the Tampa Bay Rays, who were just swept by the Orioles in their first series of the season. Adding injury to insult, the club also had to place star Evan Longoria on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique.

      The early diagnosis on Longoria is that he’ll be out at least three weeks so best-case, he won’t be back before late April. Sean Rodriguez will replace him in the lineup, while Ben Zobrist will play second base and Matt Joyce will start in right. Felipe Lopez was also called up from Triple-A and will likely see some at bats over these next three weeks as well.

      Rodriguez replaced Longoria at third base on Saturday before the start of the sixth inning. He was then evaluated on Sunday and it was determined that he would have to be placed on the DL. While he doesn’t believe that he’ll be out for the full three weeks, players are generally overoptimistic when it comes to injuries.

      The Rays scored a total of just three runs at home against the Orioles, dropping 4-1, 3-1 and 5-1 decisions from Friday through Sunday. Longoria has started off the year 0-for-5 at the dish with one walk and one strikeout.

      External Sports, MLB, News

      Joe Flacco upset Ravens haven’t begun long-term contract talks

      April 3, 2011 /
      Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) tries to avoid Cleveland Browns Joe Haden (26) during in the fourth quarter of their NFL football game in Cleveland, Ohio December 26, 2010. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Joe Flacco expressed some disappointed on Saturday that the Ravens aren’t planning to begin long-term contract talks with him until after the 2011 season. He told the Baltimore Sun that he would like talks to start this year.

      “I think I’ve established myself,” Flacco said at Haruki Nakamura’s Japan relief charity event at Ripken Stadium Saturday. “If you’re not confident with who I am, I’m not sure what a year is going to make.”

      Flacco added, “Ideally for me, I would like to start talks this year. Next year, I feel like they would have to throw something in front of me that’s going to be pretty legit in order for me to not play out my fifth year. If you don’t sign me this year, you’re making me play a whole year of my contract with no security. If you want to sign me after next year, what’s playing six more months.”

      “Ideally for me, I would like to do something as soon as possible because I feel like I deserve it,” Flacco said. “If you don’t feel like I’m going to be your quarterback for the next 10 years, what’s one year going to make. I don’t know what the deal is. We’ll have to let this play out and see.”

      “Personally and for what I’ve done, you would think they would feel comfortable with me,” he said. “Not that signing something next year wouldn’t say we feel comfortable with you. But the problem with that is you’ve just made me play another year.”

      “I would feel that after three years, you can make a decision on whether you want me to be your future quarterback or whether you don’t. It’s your decision,” Flacco said. “I wish and hope they would do what they want me to do, which is stay here. Obviously, I want to stay here no matter what. I would want them to do something as early as possible.”

      Flacco does raise some good points although in the Ravens’ defense, there are many teams that wait until a player is heading into the final year of his contract before approaching extension talks. It’s in teams’ best interest to wait as long as possible before heading to the negotiating table, just in case an injury occurs.

      Of course, that doesn’t give Flacco peace of mind. He deserves a new deal and although he needs to show some patience because of the CBA mess, it would behoove the Ravens to make their young quarterback happy. As Flacco noted, if he’s the guy that Baltimore wants under center for the next 7-10 years, then lock him up and show him you’re committed to him financially.

      External Sports, NFL

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