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Donte Greene Dunks On New York (VIDEO)

2009-11-26T10:32:18Z

Last night's matchup between the Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks may have featured two mediocre teams, but viewers who lasted until the third quarter were rewarded with a monster dunk. Leading by fifteen with just over seven minutes remaining in the quarter, Kings forward Donte Greene took the ball to the hoop for an intense jam. Greene finished with 24 points in a 111-97 victory over the Knicks.

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Allen Iverson Retires: A Look Back At Career Highlights (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

2009-11-26T09:07:48Z

Reports of Allen Iverson's retirement have surfaced, which, if true, would mark an end to a prolific 14-year career that saw him win an MVP award and lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001. Below are photos of Iverson starting in 1995 with his Georgetown days. Also included are some memorable video highlights, such as his crossover against Michael Jordan, his infamous "practice" rant, and footage of him dominating at football in high school.

The crossover:

High school football:

Practice:

Tearing up while talking about his scholarship program:

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Jamie Moyer Hospitalized: Groin Surgery Symptoms Land Moyer In Hospital

2009-11-25T23:54:21Z

PHILADELPHIA — Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer has been hospitalized due to recurring symptoms from groin surgery in September.

The team announced Wednesday that Moyer has been admitted to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital but did not give any more information about his condition.

Allen Iverson Retires: Guard Announces Retirement, Report Says

2009-11-25T23:45:02Z

Stephen A. Smith's web site reports that famed guard Allen Iverson will retire. According to Smith, Iverson's statement begins with a bittersweet note:

I would like to announce my plans to retire from the National Basketball Association. I always thought that when I left the game, it would be because I couldn't help my team the way that I was accustomed to. However, that is not the case.

Read the rest of the statement at Smith's web site. Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies this year but the team and Iverson agreed to terminate his contract after just three games. Rumors later swirled that Iverson would join the New York Knicks, but it did not pan out.

Developing...

Happy Gilmore Shot Illegal, Canadian Judge Rules

2009-11-25T23:28:09Z

A Canadian judge has ruled the "Happy Gilmore" golf swing has "breached the standard of care owed to other players on the course."

Hedo Turkoglu, Scot Pollard Go Thanksgiving Shopping (VIDEO)

2009-11-25T22:53:38Z

Toronto Raptors forward Hedo Turkoglu was born and raised in Turkey, so he did not grow up celebrating Thanksgiving. Former NBA big man Scot Pollard aimed to change that by taking Turkoglu shopping for a Thanksgiving feast. Watch as they load up on turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes and pumpkin pie.

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Daniel Adler: Committed To Losing

2009-11-25T22:08:38Z

In the New York Times, economist Richard Thaler discussed Swoopo.com, a so-called “entertainment shopping” site. The premise is relatively simple and somewhat diabolical. Unlike normal auctions sites such as eBay—which operates as a modified second price auction—Swoopo.com bidders pay to place each bid in addition to the final selling price. Though the items sell for far less than retail price, the aggregate of money spent on bids is huge. Some auctions go in 1 cent increments, so the site rakes in 61 times the final sale price (60 cents for each cent the bid goes up and the actual price).

Richard Thaler wrote my favorite sports economics paper, but this issue has an even greater connection to the world of sports. In the article, Thaler talks about the psychological principle of commitment, one of Robert Cialdini’s weapons of influence. Basically, once we start playing, we hate to lose.

While reading the article, I suddenly realized that little separates me as a sports fan from the Swoopo.com bidder who just spent $1000 on a $200 camera. As a fan of the Cleveland teams, I am a prime example of a person with a commitment problem—too much commitment. With each game I went to as a child, each hat I bought, each bag of peanuts I devoured, I was pulling myself deeper and deeper into the spiral of commitment. Now, I am stuck rooting for teams that have not won a championship since 1964.

This phenomenon does not just present itself in the world of sports fandom. Sports teams fall prey to the commitment principle. Frequently, they fail to understand the idea of sunk costs. Once they have committed, they are reluctant to drop a player. Take the Houston Texans, who were faced with a decision about quarterback David Carr after his fourth season. The team had already sunk a first overall pick and $21.75 million into the former Fresno State star and it was clear he was not a very good player. To retain Carr’s services for three more seasons, his contract called for an $8 million option bonus (in addition to his salary during those seasons). If they did not pay the option bonus, they would have to release Carr or try to get him to renegotiate his deal. Already deeply invested in Carr, the Texans exercised the option and ended up spending $13.25 million to keep David Carr around for a fifth season. They dropped him the next year.

If I was starting over, I would probably choose to root for more successful teams, but this is the hand my hometown has dealt me. Will it be that much sweeter if/when a Cleveland team finally wins? I can only commit to hoping that is true.

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Brittney Griner Dunk VIDEO: Griner Becomes 7th Woman To Dunk In College Game

2009-11-25T22:04:51Z

(AP) WACO, Texas -- For Baylor freshman sensation Brittney Griner, it was just another dunk. Something she is used to doing.

*** SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO ***

Except for an audible "Yes!" when she finally slammed one down for the eighth-ranked Lady Bears, the 6-foot-8 Griner was pretty nonchalant when she became only the seventh woman to dunk in a college game with a one-handed slam Tuesday night in a 104-45 victory over Jacksonville State.

"Sometimes I'll dunk, I get pumped up. Sometimes I really don't feel the dunk. I'm real particular on my dunks," said Griner, who dunked routinely in high school. "If I slammed it two-handed, I probably would have gotten more riled up. ... I got more excited on the blocks."

But this was the first dunk by a collegiate female since Tennessee's Candace Parker on Feb. 3, 2008, against Kentucky. Parker had a record seven dunks in her college career, and is the only woman with two in a game - a mark that Griner appeared to have chances to match though she didn't get a chance to attempt any more.

Griner missed one-handed dunk attempts in each of Baylor's previous two games. This time, she converted on a set play about 5 minutes into the game, getting a lob pass from Kelli Griffin and slamming it home to put the Lady Bears (3-1) ahead 17-3.

"Oh yeah, it's real good in college to now have it under my belt," Griner said. "I can look back on it and grow on it."

Griner finished with 20 points, six rebounds and eight blocked shots in 21 minutes.

Morghan Medlock, Baylor's only senior, had 18 points and seven rebounds, while Ashley Field had 17 points. Zenobia Pitts led Jacksonville State (0-4) with 11 points.

Griner became a YouTube sensation with her dunks at Houston's Nimitz High, where in 32 games as a senior last season she had 52 dunks and averaged nearly 12 blocks a game. She had seven dunks in one game.

Griffin was one of Griner's AAU teammates in Houston, so she had assisted on a few dunks in the past. This one came on Baylor's first offensive play out of a timeout, after Shanay Washington blocked a Jacksonville State shot.

"It must have been that play I hadn't been calling," coach Kim Mulkey said. "Let me say this, so we can correct it: Coaches don't really call plays for a dunk. The defense dictates if a dunk ever happens. She had an opportunity to dunk it."

Well, the play worked as designed, leaving Griner wide open. She did the rest, taking a quick step and taking the ball to the rim before a defender even got close.

"I was at Trinity in San Antonio for 13 years, we ran that same play, not of course for a dunk, that overhead play," Jacksonville State coach Becky Geyer said. "Good for her. Unfortunately, it was against us."

Before coming out of the game for good with 10 minutes left in the lopsided game, Griner had blocks on consecutive shots by Jacksonville State and was in position for a third on the same possession when the shot clock expired. Her last basket came with 11:52 left when she had a putback on her own miss.

Following an extended break after her dunk, Griner came back with two quick baskets. The first was a breakaway layup out of the timeout when Jacksonville State wasn't set and Griner took a pass from Lindsay Palmer, but opted for the short shot rather than take an extra step and dunk it home.

A minute into the second half, Griner appeared to be trying to go up for another slam, but was fouled by 5-foot-9 Danielle Beneby. A couple of minutes later, Griner was inside when she bobbled a pass from Griffin, and had to settle for a layup.

The six college women who dunk before had only a total of 15, and the 25th anniversary of the first is next month. Georgeann Wells of West Virginia had the first one Dec. 21, 1984.

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Len Berman: Len's Holiday Eve Top 5

2009-11-25T21:36:25Z

Happy Wednesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for November 25, 2009 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.

1. Quick Hits

It's unanimous. Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cards wins the National League MVP award for the second straight year. It's his third overall.

The NFL and concussions. The co-chairmen of the league's committee on brain injuries have resigned. This issue continues to blow up.

The NBA's longest tenured owner, Abe Pollin of the Washington Wizards, has passed away at the age of 85.

A team grows in Brooklyn. The New York State Supreme Court rules that the Nets can use eminent domain to throw out homeowners and businesses which get in the way of their new arena. The Nets are now 0-14 after losing to Denver last night. The NBA record is 0-17.

Tomorrow's Turkey Day NFL menu:

Green Bay at Detroit 12:30PM Eastern FOX

Oakland at Dallas 4:15PM Eastern CBS

Giants at Denver 8:20PM Eastern NFL Network

2. Political Football

Who better to help the BCS tidy up its image than Ari Fleischer? Just about everyone hates the BCS system, the way they choose college football teams to play in bowl games. So Fleischer has been hired to help 'em out. It's a perfect fit. He was a press secretary for President George W. Bush. If he could help explain what W. was doing, then the BCS should be a piece of cake. (Oh calm down Republicans, we're just funnin').

3. The Answer

For those of you who can't find anything good to say about Allen Iverson who got shunned by the hopeless Knicks, here's a positive. The Memphis Grizzlies had planned "Allen Iverson Jersey Night" before they got rid of him. As for the jerseys, they're being sent to impoverished children in Tanzania. Nothing but net!

4. Friday Mailbag (Short Week)

In the continuing debate on the "fairness/unfairness" of the NFL overtime rule, M.M. writes: "What would people say if baseball had a coin toss, and the game ended as soon as someone scored? I can see it now. The Yankees win the toss, and the next batter up, A-Rod, hits a home run to end the game."

From subscriber K.V. "I along with thousands of Knick fans send well-wishes and prayers to my old buddy, Dean 'The Dream' Meminger." Editor's Note: Amen. Dean, the former Knick, suffered smoke inhalation in a Bronx fire on Sunday.

In response to my being a "great" judge of character (Jayson Williams and O.J. Simpson were too of my favorite interviews), J.C. writes: "Don't feel bad. The center fielder on our temple softball team was Madoff's auditor. Never approached us, who knew?"

As for the Mets finally getting around to saluting the Mets at Citi Field, G.F. scoffs: "So the Mets want to pay tribute to themselves? Start with a statue of Timo Perez. He taught the Mets not to hustle and they still practice that fine art 10 years later."

And R.B. suggests a new Ben and Jerry's flavor in honor of the late Phil Rizzuto: "Huckleberry Pie."

5. Turkey Awards

And while I've been collecting your votes at www.ThatsSports.com.

For what you consider the greatest moment in sports, in conjunction with my new kids book, subscriber John D. thinks maybe there should be a book called "The Not-so Great Moments in Sports." He would include Tonya Harding trying to maim Nancy Kerrigan, Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield's ear, and Juan Marichal bashing Johnny Roseboro with a bat. All that violence? John admits it's more of a "kids horror story." And thats sports!

Happy Birthday: Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. 33. Bonus Birthdays: The Bush twins, Barbara and Jenna. 29. Joltin' Joe DiMaggio would have been 95 today.

Today in Sports: Yankee catcher Thurman Munson wins the AL Rookie of the Year award. 1970. Bonus Event: "You'll go down in history!" Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer hits the music charts. 1949.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone. Len's Top 5 will resume Monday November 30th.

Soccer Match-Fixing Scandal: UEFA Names Five Suspected Clubs

2009-11-25T21:23:52Z

NYON, Switzerland — Five clubs in Albania, Latvia, Slovenia and Hungary are suspected in European soccer's biggest match-fixing investigation.

The European soccer governing body identified the clubs Wednesday as KF Tirana (Albania), KS Vllaznia (Albania), FC Dinaburg (Latvia), NK IB Llubljana (Slovenia) and Honved (Hungary). They allegedly fixed seven qualifying round games in the Champions League and Europa League between July 16 and Aug. 6.

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino described match-fixing as a "cancer we need to eradicate." He said the seven matches were among 40 in continental club competitions previously identified as being under suspicion.

About 200 matches are being investigated in a criminal probe led from Bochum, Germany.

Infantino said UEFA opened its own investigation into the activities of three referees and one official connected to UEFA. No member of UEFA's administrative staff is suspected, he said.

"We don't know if this is the end of the story," Infantino said.

UEFA officials met Wednesday with national association leaders from the nine countries – Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey – to share information about the investigation.

"At the start people were certainly shocked about the magnitude (of the scandal)," Infantino said after the three-hour summit at UEFA headquarters. "At the end of the meeting there was much more reassurance because we are working together."

UEFA is cooperating with the Bochum prosecutor's office, which has targeted domestic league matches across nine countries. German-based betting syndicates are suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and other officials to fix games. The suspected leaders are believed to have made at least $15 million, authorities say.

Police arrested 15 people in Germany last week, including Ante Sapina, a Croatian national who was convicted in Germany's match-fixing scandal in 2005 that involved referee Robert Hoyzer. Another man was arrested in Croatia on Tuesday.

UEFA will ask for access to the criminal case files and agreed with its nine national members not to disclose details of matches and people under suspicion.

Belgian FA general secretary Jean-Marie Philips said he has confidence in UEFA's handling of the investigation. In a joint statement, UEFA promised strong action against any player, referee or club official implicated.

"He will be out of football, this is very, very clear," Infantino said.

SC Verl, a fourth-tier German team, said Wednesday it has suspended two players suspected of manipulating two games. The players have not admitted to any wrongdoing.

A third player suspected in the match-fixing is no longer with the club, according to Verl president Jochen Scholz.

Swiss second-division clubs Gossau and Thun have both suspended a player who was questioned by police.

UEFA said soccer authorities would work with state justice departments to share information and file criminal complaints, acknowledging that its investigative powers could not tackle organized crime.

UEFA routinely monitors Europe's top divisions and domestic cup competitions for evidence of suspicious betting patterns.

Peter Limacher, its head of disciplinary service, said the betting fraud detection system had been widened across Europe in July and helped make the investigations possible.

Andruw Jones Signs With White Sox: Jones, Chicago Agree To One-Year Deal

2009-11-25T21:08:16Z

CHICAGO — Andruw Jones agreed Wednesday to a $500,000, one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox.

Jones hit .214 with 17 homers and 43 RBIs in 82 games with Texas this year while making 53 starts as the designated hitter, 12 in left field, five in right field and four at first base.

A five-time All-Star who has slumped in recent years, Jones was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers in January and signed with the Rangers the following month.

He agreed to a $36.2 million, two-year contract with Los Angeles in December 2007. Now 32, he can make an additional $1 million in performance bonuses under his agreement with the White Sox.

"This is an opportunity to add a power bat to the roster while improving our outfield depth," White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said. "With the addition of Andruw, Mark Kotsay and Omar Vizquel, we feel our bench is taking shape to be a strong asset heading into the 2010 season."

Vizquel, a 42-year-old infielder, agreed Monday to a one-year deal. Earlier, the White Sox re-signed Kotsay, another utility player who can play the infield and outfield.

Jones is a career .257 hitter with 388 homers and 1,174 RBIs. He earned Gold Gloves in his final 10 seasons with Atlanta while playing for the Braves from 1996-07 and has seven seasons of at least 30 homers, including a career-high 51 in 2005. He has also had five 100-RBI seasons.

Charles Barkley On "Jay Leno" VIDEO: Trashes Reporters, Talks Sammy Sosa, Politics And More

2009-11-25T20:57:16Z

Charles Barkley stopped by the "Jay Leno Show" last night and touched on a range of topics with his typical candor. Barkley expressed his interest in becoming a NBA GM, and struck back at people who have questioned his fitness for the job:

"It's funny, people talk about you like you're dead, they're like, 'he's not gonna want to work hard.' Dude, I'm in the basketball Hall of Fame. Ain't no lazy people in there. Funny thing about it, it's like reporters calling me lazy. Reporters are the laziest people in the world. They're going to call me lazy. I've actually accomplished something in my life."

He singled out Skip Bayless and Jay Mariotti, calling them "idiots" and criticizing them for being excessively negative. Asked what happened to his desire to run for governor of Alabama, Barkley told Leno that "politics have become a scumbag business." He also told Leno which reporters he likes and discussed Sammy Sosa's skin. Watch the rest of the interview below.

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Schumer Calls On Adidas To Keep Making NBA Jerseys In US, Save American Jobs (VIDEO)

2009-11-25T20:09:03Z

WASHINGTON (Associated Press) - The official uniforms for NBA players could soon be made in Asia, a move drawing sharp criticism from a New York Democratic senator.

Sports apparel maker Adidas plans to end its contract with American suppliers and move production of NBA jerseys to a factory in Thailand. The move could cost about 100 jobs at a factory in upstate New York that makes more than half the uniforms worn by Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and other NBA players.

Sen. Chuck Schumer said the switch would blemish more than a century of history for the marquee American sport. He called on Adidas to reverse its decision and keep making the uniforms in the U.S.

"To do anything else is an insult to the American worker and sports fans everywhere in America," said the New York Democrat, who is a longtime New York Knicks fan.

American Classic Outfitters of Perry, N.Y., has been making NBA jerseys for 40 years.

Adidas is in the middle of an 11-year merchandising deal to be the official uniform and apparel provider for the NBA, WNBA and the NBA Development League.

In a statement, Adidas said it was consolidating its supply chain and moving production closer to the source of uniform materials.

"The Adidas Group continues to produce uniforms for professional, college and other amateur teams at more than 30 facilities in North America and will continue to do so moving forward," Adidas said.

A spokeswoman for the NBA did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

NBA players' jerseys have always been manufactured in the United States.

Rob Knoll, senior vice president at American Classic Outfitters, said his company had a multiyear contract to make professional basketball uniforms for Adidas. But last month, he said, Adidas officials told him they were moving operations overseas. The New York plant had invested more than $1 million in facility improvements and equipment to produce the jerseys.

"It's a blow because the work that was in house and scheduled for production is gone now," Knoll said. "If they want to change their mind, we'd love it."

Adidas also had contracts with two other U.S. companies to make the official NBA jerseys.

German-owned Adidas is the second largest athletic shoe and apparel company in the world. Its U.S. subsidiary, Adidas America, has its U.S. headquarters in Portland, Ore.

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Michael Pina: Phoenix Suns: A Futile Reclamation Project

2009-11-25T20:03:22Z

The late, brilliant author F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote there are no second acts in American lives. Despite having a Canadian point guard and two bench players from Brazil and Slovenia, the Phoenix Suns are currently pushing as hard as possible to make Fitzgerald's famous aphorism a false prophesy.

With a new coach (Alvin Gentry) and a new stable of trigger happy, deadly accurate long ball snipers who know their role and fill it splendidly (Channing Frye, Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley) the Suns are back to where they once were.

Before Shaquille O'Neal and his hurricane ego came in and switched up the standing philosophy, before Mike D'Antoni got sick of his new boss' incessant neck breathing and punched a one way ticket to Broadway and before the insufferable Terry Porter era, the Suns were the talk of their sport. A group of castoffs who willingly bought into the ".07 seconds or less" offensive ideology and met unparalleled success.

From 2004 to 2007, Phoenix finished first in the Pacific Division while leading the entire league in points per game. Every year it was the same story. Dominant regular season followed by a heartbreaking playoff loss. Basketball analysts far and wide proclaimed the all offense, no defense way of life a great way to put fans in the seats and win a lot of regular season basketball games. But as the saying goes, defense wins championships.

In those three years, the Suns finished 30th, 27th and 23rd in opponent points per game. Phoenix didn't play defense and thus could never get over that hump.

After a dark, two year period that bottomed out with no playoff appearance last season, it looked like the curtain was finally closing on Phoenix's relevance.

With things looking like they were headed towards a dreaded rebuilding phase, Phoenix instead chose to shock the basketball world.

As of Nov. 24, the Suns are tied with two other teams for the league's best record at 11-3 and are scoring more points per game than anybody else (110.4). On the flip, they're also second to last in steals and 25th in opponent points per game (105.5). They're second in field goal percentage, second in three-point percentage and third in assists.

All of the offensive numbers are undoubtedly due to the elaborate, flashy scheme, but the man in the clouds, the puppeteer and irreplaceable piece, is Steve Nash.

An early MVP favorite yet again, he's the only player in the league averaging double digits in assists and his two 20 assist games through the first eight games is utterly ridiculous. Nash is their unquestioned leader and what he says goes. The organization's pulse thumps each time the ball travels from his fingertips to the hardwood.

The two-time MVP is a model leader. Someone who can relate to almost all of his teammates and psychologically dissect their needs as well as their weaknesses. He knows that Phoenix is not as talented or deep as Boston or L.A. but that doesn't mean he can't will his troops to a triumphant victory cigar against the best of the best. He's psychologically understanding of his team's mindset and the only way they can get to their mountain top.

"This is the type of team that's got to be humble and be an underdog throughout the whole season," Nash said. "The minute we say we're a certain caliber of team, there's a danger there. We just got to keep being humble and treating this like a project that's going to take the whole season."

Not to play devil's advocate or anything, but let it be said that Phoenix is right where they were to begin the 2004-05 season, holding a flame under the NBA's collective cushion. Running up and down the court, firing threes and making 100 points look like a lay-up. Unfortunately this doesn't make them a championship contender. No matter how successful they are during the first 82 games, it's a moot point until they can at the very least make a finals appearance.

During their footnote of prevalence, Phoenix was the biggest tease in sports. Bigger than Playboy putting Jessica Alba on their March 2006 cover with no inclusion of an actual photo shoot.

Maybe this is the year the system prevails and maybe the Suns finally shoot their ring fingers into a most coveted jewel. But history says it's not going to happen and as the saying goes, their first act is running on fumes.

Fitzgerald's sure of it.

Vince Young's High-Five With Referee Explained (PHOTO, VIDEO)

2009-11-25T19:57:25Z

A mini-controversy emerged after Monday night's game between the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans. It appeared that Titans quarterback Vince Young high-fived referee Jerome Boger as the game ended. According to the Houston Chronicle, the NFL says that the entire episode was a misunderstanding which began when Boger properly signaled the end of the play by elevating his right arm:

"As Young turned around, he saw Boger approaching the line of scrimmage with his arm raised. "As Boger moved toward the line of scrimmage, he started to bring his arm down. However, before he lowered his arm, Young, moving towards the referee, raised his own arm and the two exchanged what appeared to be a quick high-five," the spokesman added.

Check out the Chronicle story for more. Titans coach Jeff Fisher tells the Tennessean that "it's just one of those things that happens." Below, see a photo of the incident.

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