The Dolphins lightning fast weapon

Wide receiver Clyde Gates was drafted by the Miami Dolphins this year in the fourth round. Although he hasn’t done much for the team so far, his combination of catching and speed will soon show as he becomes a more active player. The team has high hopes for him as a receiver and a returner.

Gates had the fastest 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL Combine and his coach finds that kind of speed as a way to improve the team’s offense. With Gates' catching skills and his immense speed he can easily get down the field and make a big play as a wide receiver. He can also use his speed to his advantage while returning punts.

Before Gates was with the Dolphins he played for Abilene Christian where he had a season of 66 passes for a total of 1,182 yards and 13 touchdowns. At first, he was hesitant to join the football team(he wanted to play basketball), but with some persuading by his cousin he agreed to join the team. Even with no high school football experience, Gates did an amazing job in a Division II team.

Gates is at a clear disadvantage in the NFL. Not only was he in a Division II college football team, but he wanted to play basketball more than football. Gates is going to have trouble adjusting to this new level of competition.. "It's different playing receiver on this level. Everything is a little faster. I've got to stay in my books."

Gates currently has played a total of seven games, with only eight receiving yards and only one solo tackle. He hasn’t made a huge difference offensively or defensively so far, but he still has time to improve. “It’s a lot of learning," said Gates, “I’m trying to take as many mental reps as possible watching the veteran guys.”

The team sees Gates as a persistent player as he keeps pushing no matter how tough the challenge. "He competes. He don't back down from nothing," cornerback Vontae Davis said. The Dolphins need an explosive player that can get to the downfield quick for a good play and the team hopes that Gates will deliver just that.

The absence of the Colts ultimate weapon

The Indianapolis Colts have always been a great team both offensively and defensively, but who knew that without their star quarterback, Peyton Manning, the team would collapse. Manning is sitting out this year due to a neck injury and the team is suffering heavy damage. The Colts are playing at their worst this season and it doesn’t look like they will be having a comeback anytime soon.

Even with a 53 active man roster, the Colts are having a dreadful season with a record of 0-10. You would think that in those 53 players, 11 or so could play well or at least better than they are now. After the shocking loss against Jacksonville Jaguars, the Colts look like they have given up all hope of winning.

The importance of Manning being with the Colts is apparent during the season. Without this four time MVP quarterback, the Colts are being slaughtered every game. He is the reason why the Colts have been doing so well in the past years, but now that Manning is out the Colts are being pummeled to the bottom of the NFL. "I hate it for Peyton," said Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday, one of Manning's closest friends. "You want him to be healthy, you want him to be back, but you want him to take care of it, too. It's sad when players face tough times, but I know he's strong enough to get through it."

Perhaps it isn’t just Manning’s skill on offensive or defensive, but his ability to be a leader. The team relies on Manning to carry them to victory, which is a lot of pressure, but Manning always seems to deliver. He gives the Colts the spirit to continue fighting even when they are at a loss. Just as an army without its general is unorganized and scattered, a team without its leader is hesitant and inefficient.

The team hopes that Manning will be able to play next year, for without him, they can’t even win. It is surprising how the absence of a single player can affect a team this much. The Colts are still playing their games, but it seems like they aren’t putting much effort into it. Maybe they don't have their star quarterback, but their wide receivers and defenders can't be that bad and they should be able to play offense and defense well even without Manning. The team has to learn to play without relying on him , because he isn't going to be on the Colts forever. The only productive thing they can do now is train a younger quarterback to fill Manning’s position.

Manning is the Colts' ultimate weapon, and the team needs him more than anything, but for now the team just needs to survive this season. The Colts will most likely have a winless season this year and they can’t do much about it. They just have to get past this season and hope that Manning will return strong next year. “Hopefully Peyton will be back, but if he's not maybe I can be one of the guys that can help this ball club," Collins said. "The biggest draw for me coming here was just being with a team that I have a lot of respect for and a lot of history with, and really to be with a great team and play with one of greatest quarterbacks of all time."

The Jets burn while taking to the air

Rex Ryan, the head coach of the New York Jets, has made some major changes to their offense since last season. With LaDainian Tomlinson nearing the end of his career, the pressure has been moved to the Jets’ passing game, with quarterback Mark Sanchez having to throw the ball more than ever.

The Jets’ rushing game has taken a pounding since the beginning of the season. Tomlinson was the star of the beloved “Ground and Pound” routine. Now the spotlight shines bright on running back Shonn Greene, who has failed to live up to expectations. From strictly a statistical point of view, Tomlinson had 435 yards in the first five games of being a starter in the 2010 regular season; whereas, Greene barely made half of that in the first five games of the 2011 season. Although stats don’t usually prove a player’s worth to a team, in this case they can’t be ignored.

Jets' quarterback Mark Sanchez warming up before a game.
Credit to Marianne O'Leary on Flickr.

While the rushing game was left in the dust, the pressure of scoring fell onto the shoulders of the Jets’ supposed-to-be-star quarterback. Sanchez has been the only one to throw the ball for the Jets in the regular season thus far, and he hasn’t taken them far. Although he has two full seasons of experience under his belt, he still doesn’t seem to be adapted to playing in the National Football League. He makes mistakes that are typical for rookie quarterback such as overthrowing the ball and taking sacks instead of throwing it away.

The lack of scoring from both the passing and rushing game could also be the mistake of the Jets’ offensive line, which has been having trouble blocking the opposing team’s defense. The line is still anchored by their star center, Nick Mangold, who is arguably one of the best centers in the NFL, but somehow Sanchez keeps on getting sacked and Greene keeps on getting tackled behind the line. The lack of chemistry could be a factor for the weak line. From last year, there have been many changes in personel. The players on the line are not used to working with each other, which has provided the quarterback with little protection.

The offense of the Jets has taken a turn for the worse this season. From passing to rushing to blocking, not much has gone right for them this season. For the Jets to have any chance at making the playoffs, Greene needs to be able to find and exploit holes in the defense, Sanchez needs to connect with his receivers, and the linemen need
to work together and protect the guys behind the line.

UFC 140: Jones versus Machida

On December 10, 2011 for the next Light Heavyweight bout Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida will be replacing Rashad Evans to fight Jon “Bones” Jones live for the UFC 140 main event.

Jones is only 24 and is currently the Light Heavyweight Champion. He beat Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the belt on March 19, 2011 by TKO and then defended it on September 24, 2011 by beating Quinton “Rampage” Jackson by submission.

Machida is going to be the second person to take a shot at Jones for the belt, but Jones’ explosive kick boxing skills is a huge obstacle for Machida to become the next champion. Jon Jones is three inches taller and has an incredible 10 inch reach advantage. These attributes would help him prevent Machida from his common fighting tactic where he goes in, punches and gets out of trouble.

Even though Jones has the advantage in reach Machida is known for his abnormal fighting style, using Shotokan Karate in his kick boxing game. Not only is it uncommon to see a MMA fighter using such a style, this also gives him the upper hand. This will be the first time Jones will fight someone using this style.

This is a great match up. No one really knows what both of their weaknesses are at this time, and this fight will reveal it. Machida’s fighting style fits in well in this match. He can give Jones trouble and this might be the first time Jones will fight against someone with similar tactics. But at the end of the day, Jones is extremely elusive and has the arm reach to have Machida struggling to win this match.

China's team disapoints fans again

The fans cheered their country on as the spirits in the air were high. The match between China and Iraq was highly energetic and the game was the decision maker. China was in second place and Iraq was in third, but if Iraq won this game it would catapult them into second place right behind the top team, Jordan. Only the top two teams were allowed to proceed, so in order to stay in second China had to win this game.

However, China’s fans were disappointed again when their team lost to Iraq at an Asia Qualifier. The fans were enlightened with hope after their team had beat Macau 9-1; however, when the end of the game neared, AFC Asian Cup MVP striker Younis Mahmoud scored a goal for Iraq making the final score 1-0 in favor of Iraq.

China’s hope for the World Cup however, also ended there since this had been a crucial game and the loss had put Iraq in front of China. With only the top two teams moving on, China's hopes to be in the World Cup were gone. Even the 4-0 win against Singapore after losing to Iraq made no difference.

Any dreams depend on Iraq losing their next two games against Jordan and Singapore; however, the chances of Iraq losing to Singapore are fairly small and not many fans are dwelling on it. With China beating Singapore 4-0 the challenge for Iraq to do the same is not great and only with a miracle will Iraq lose letting China go to the round robin.

Previous years were bad for China and not a single year have they played at the World Cup. Their closest reach was in 2004 when they were runner up. In 2002 they received bad press after they had reached the World Cup finals and failed to score a single goal.

This year China’s team had also hired head coach Jose Antonio Camacho in best effort to finally win the World Cup. Some fans are angered by the last minute coach change which might have decreased the chance of the team going to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Former coach Gao Hongbo had one of the highest winning percentage (65%) for a Chinese manager. The replacement of former coach Gao therefore brought much confusion to why he was replaced by current head coach Camacho.

Chinese Soccer Administrative Centre vice-president Yu Hongchen explained, "The qualifying stage of 2014 World Cup is just a temporary task for him. Even if the task is failed, Camacho will not lose the job. When we started to find a new coach for the national team, we mainly focus on European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. First of all, they have advanced football concepts, and secondly they have a productive youth training system, which we can learn from. We hope he can help us to find a suitable style."

Will Power resumes driving

Will Power. Photo courtesy from insidetherace

After about a month without a car, IndyCar driver Will Power is returning to driving. Power injured his back for the second time in the IndyCar Series finale at Las Vegas, but has received medical clearance to get back in a race car.

Power was hospitalized with several other drivers including Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon who had died from the accident. "It was so hard, comprehending everything that happened, really, that someone had actually been killed," he said on SportsIllustrated.com. Power’s car hit Alex Lloyd’s car from behind which caused him to fly in the air. Knowing there were other drivers severely injured, Power climbed out of the car and had an ambulance to take him to the hospital. "There were a lot of damaged cars, a lot of fires," he said on Al.com. "I knew I damaged my back but there were other drivers who needed help more."

On November 14^th, Power tested the new 2012 IndyCar for Chevrolet. He ran 115 laps at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, and said he felt better and showed improvement. "Physically, I felt absolutely fine, great, no soreness at all where I hurt my back," Power said. "I felt bloody good."

Power believes the car is good on road courses. "On the road courses, the car is quite nice," he said. "The car no question is faster and has more grip. But it still needs some work. It still needs to get working a little better." However, Power would like to see IndyCar make changes on the oval tracks. "It's too dangerous. The cars are too close together," he said. IndyCar officials are said to be making improvements on safety.

Power is looking forward to racing again. "I was very much looking forward to getting back in the car, just getting back in the swing of things,” he said on ESPN.com. Power says he is committed to IndyCar and he will not leave. He believes he’s going to be a better racer now that he has more experience. “I feel much more confident. I know what to expect and what I want from my car. I gained a lot of experience.”

Greg Salas, a new hope for the St. Louis Rams

St. Louis Rams Wide Reciever, Greg Salas. Photo by
Johnny Andrews | jandrews@post-dispatch.com

    The St. Louis Rams have not been doing very well this season, but one of their new rookie recruits, Greg Salas, is keeping their team afloat. Salas played football at his high school in Chino, California, and then went to the University of Hawaii where he was a spectacular wide receiver. He was chosen as third team All-American by the Associated Press and selected for countless other awards. He became the fifth round pick for the St. Louis Rams in the 2011 draft.

    Salas currently leads the Rams with 27 receptions over the course of just six games and is second on his team with 264 yards, just 31 behind Brandon Gibson. Despite his efforts, Salas had not been able to lead the Rams to a victory. The Rams stand 1-7, and they aren’t stepping up their game. Salas, however, has been improving. He started off the season with just one reception, but now he is averaging five receptions a game. Unfortunately for Salas, just as he was beginning to become a key player, his season was cut short.

    On November 6^th, the St. Louis Rams were playing the Arizona Cardinals, it was their eighth game of the season and the Rams were the closest they had been to a victory in a long time. Salas had been playing well the whole game, amassing six receptions. As he caught the seventh ball of the game and ran down the field, he was tackled by Arizona linebacker Darryl Washington and broke his fibula. The Rams coach, Steve Spagnuolo, said on Tuesday, “Somebody fell on him. The guy who was tackling him got underneath ... I’m not so sure there was anything Greg could do about that. The guy tackled him and fell on his leg.”

    The loss of Salas is going to be a major setback; he was starting to impact the team every game and would probably have led the Rams to a long awaited victory. He had become the Rams inside slot and was a favorite target of both quarterbacks Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley. It is going to be tough to replace Salas, so everyone is hoping for a speedy recovery.

Was Jonathan Baldwin a good choice?

Jonathan Baldwin, a rookie wide receiver playing on the Kansas City Chiefs, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh where he led his team to the top. Baldwin was a first round pick in the 2011 National Football League Draft, and now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. He comes from a family filled with former football players such as his father, Jeffrey Baldwin and his cousin, Charles Fisher.

Teammates, along with the coach of the Chiefs complain Baldwin is not able to get open for catches and not only that, but he is very cocky. This is leading him to a restricted amount of play on the field. Nick Wright of 610 radio in Kansas City said, "What I'm hearing on Baldwin: 'He's as advertised. Diva, spoiled, doesn't wanna listen. Can run a go and a slant, and doesn't wanna work.” Baldwin got into a fight with Thomas Jones, running back of the Chiefs in the locker room, and suffered a broken wrist causing him to miss the whole preseason.

Despite his negative behavior, Baldwin showed his capability when playing against the San Diego Chargers. Throughout this game he caught five passes for 82 yards and had one touchdown. In those five catches, two of them put his team in the field goal area. Baldwin played in another game against the Denver Broncos on November 13th, where he caught an amazing pass. It would've probably been the offensive catch of the day, if it wasn't a penalty. This shows he isn't just a cocky ‘new kid,’ who doesn't know what he is doing.

Baldwin needs to show some sign of improvement in his ability to get open as well as being more humble. If he does show some of these signs then he will have more appearances in games. Baldwin should also try to stay out of fights so he doesn't influence his fans as well as the coach.

As Giants surge, so does Williams

Rookie linebacker Jacquian Williams has been a success for the New York Giants this year, more than they could have hoped for. Williams was drafted in the 6th round by the Giants this year out of South Florida and has not shown any N.F.L. jitters.

In Week 3 of the 2011-12 season, the Giants played their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia is a team that has haunted the New York Giants and their fans for the past few years due to a memorable Giant collapse. On the first play of the game, Michael Vick, the QB for the Eagles, started running with the football. Williams brought him down. “That first play when I chased him out, I didn't realize he was going to get up field that fast," Williams said. "He shook my hand and told me 'good job,' so I'm pretty sure he knows I'm kind of fast too.” The Giants went on to win the game and finally defeat the Eagles, with help from the 10 tackles that Williams collected, all of them solo.

Williams has not had a problem fitting into the Giants club at all. The Giants are winning with him and that is all that matters. At the end of the first half of the football season, the Giants have an impressive 6-2 record. "We definitely got used to knowing each other and understanding how we all are," Williams said of his fellow linebackers. Williams has gathered 40 tackles this year and even without forcing a turnover, that is an impressive feat for a rookie. The Giants hope Williams can keep up the good work throughout the rest of the year and bring the Giants back into the playoffs for the first time since the 08-09 season.

The beginning of Mason Foster's career

Rookie linebacker Mason Foster was chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 3rd round of the draft. With his 41 tackles, Foster is showing a lot of promise.

Barret Ruud, the previous linebacker for the Buccaneers, had the experience and knew how to play the game, but what he missed was the violence and toughness that is needed for good linebacker play. That’s what Foster has.

Already in the preseason, Foster got his first fine. He got it because of a dangerous tackle on Chad Ochocinco. The fine was on $20,000, however Ochocinco offered to pay it because he thought that the tackle wasn’t dangerous, but the way that the game is meant to be played. "Great hit last night, if u're fined I'll reimburse u boss. That's the way the game should b played. Stay healthy n have a good yr," wrote Ochocinco on Twitter.

The accident isn’t going to change the way that Foster plays. "The only way I know how to play is like that. If they're going to fine people, I can deal with it. But my objective is to play hard as I can," Foster said.

In the third game that the Buccaneers played in this season, Quincy Black, the Buccaneers captain of the defense, was out of the game because of an injury, therefore Foster got the transmitter, which is used for calling out what is happening in the game to the other team players, that ended with him getting 10 tackles, 1 sack and a forced fumble in that game. "It felt pretty natural. I've played linebacker my whole life. So getting the calls and making all the checks, we've got other linebackers out there, too. It's not just me. It's the whole defense. You've got Geno Hayes, Sean Jones, so they helped me out a lot. But it felt good to be out there in charge of the defense," he said.

The next Buccaneers game Foster is also going to have the transmitter. “In the beginning, I was trying to take stuff off his plate to ease it for him; to slow it down for him. And he's embracing a bigger role than I even anticipated, and it's been beautiful,” said coach Raheem Morris. Foster has proven that the Buccaneers made a good draft choice.

Chris Washburn: The legend burning to be

    Chris Washburn was going to be a legend of his time. He was picked third overall of the 1986 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately his talent wouldn't make it far past college because like his fellow draft-mates, he fell victim to the lure of drugs and alcohol.

    Washburn was always told how much of a spectacular kid he was. Throughout his youth he could do anything he wanted without any sort of punishment. “Anything that I did that was wrong, someone would take care of it,” Washburn recalled in a Yahoo news report. “Not having brothers and sisters, everything I did, I had to learn on a first-hand basis. When I did something dumb, instead of me taking the fall for that, they would keep cleaning it up, allowing me to have more rope.”

    He was accepted to N.C. State University on a basketball scholarship, despite scoring a 420 on the SAT, 400 of which were just for writing his name. Hours before practice you could find Washburn smoking Marijuana and drinking alcohol. He would show up to practice drunk and high, yet he would still manage to succeed. He scored 26 points in a game against the draft’s number one pick that year, Brad Daughtery.

    Washburn announced to his fellow teammates that he would be leaving N.C. State two years early so that he would be eligible for the NBA draft. Bennie Bolton, a teammate of Washburn, said in an interview at the time, “I think he is ready physically. But I think a lot of things will be thrown at him in pro basketball and I think Chris is going to have to be strong mentally. Chris is the type of person that likes to experience a lot of things. I’m concerned about Chris.”

Chris Washburn after being accepted to the Warriors. Photo
from Bleacher Report.

    Despite his teammates concerns, he decided to stick with his decision. The Golden State Warriors would draft Washburn, but George Karl, the team’s new coach wasn’t entirely optimistic, "We looked at Ron Harper, we looked at the rest," said Karl. "We saw this 6'11" guy with talent. We had to take him. And I think he'll be a good player, maybe, in three years. If he works. If he changes. But sometimes I wonder if we drafted the kind of player who will always break your heart."

    Washburn's time at Golden State left the team heartbroken. He lasted three months with the Warriors before he ended up in a drug rehab facility for a cocaine addiction. The Warriors would trade him to the Atlanta Hawks the next season. He didn’t do any better, averaging a mere two points per game. The drug problems didn't stop there either, in the 1988-89 season he would be suspended for a year after failing his drug test. In June of 1989 he was kicked out of the NBA for life after failing yet again another drug test.

    Washburn would try to clean up his life, but he couldn’t. He was either homeless or in a rehab center for the next ten years. Washburn’s mother asked him to carry around the address of her house so that police would know where to ship his body when he was found dead. Eventually Washburn became, “sick and tired of being sick and tired,” and decided to clean up his act for real this time. He swore off drugs and alcohol, and decided to open up his own mortgage business in Dallas. He now speaks regularly at drug addiction centers across the United States.

    Let Washburn’s story be a cautionary one to anyone interested in playing professional sports. His tale shows how drugs can quickly take you from the top of your game to rock bottom, with no way to get out.

Josh Hamilton, then and now

In 2001, Major League baseball player, Josh Hamilton, began to use drugs at the age of 20 to cope with a car accident he and his parents had. Hamilton felt the use of drugs was his only way out.

Hamilton’s parents were there for him at every game, and the night of the incident brought changes to him and his whole family. The accident left his mother, Linda Hamilton, suffering major injuries and Josh with back injuries. His parents returned to Raleigh to get medical treatment. Hamilton, alone, began to hang out with a group of people at a tattoo shop. They weren’t bad people, according to him, but they would drink and smoke. Eventually he became addicted to cocaine and excessively drank alcohol.

“I had my first drink of alcohol and did my first line of cocaine in the same night,” he said. “I can’t say why I did it, other than just curious about both of them. When I first got into drinking and using drugs, it was because of where I was hanging out, it was whom I was hanging out with. You might not do it at first, but eventually, if you keep hanging around long enough, you're going to start doing what they're doing,” Hamilton said on CBN.com.

Hamilton could not control his drug use. He failed the MLB drug test multiple times and got suspended for 25 days and eventually didn’t play baseball from 2004 to 2006, suffering a fine of about $25,000. “I sat out three years and played only 15 games last season in A-ball,” said Hamilton in an ESPN.com article.

Eventually, Hamilton decided he needed to get his life together. He decided to visit his grandmother where he had dreams about his addiction. “Within my first week of sobriety in October 2005 -- after I showed up at my grandmother's house in Raleigh in the middle of the night, coming off a crack binge -- I had the most haunting dream. I was fighting the devil,” said Hamilton. “I GET cravings, and I see it as the devil trying to catch me in a weak moment. The best thing I can do is get the thought out of my mind as soon as I can, so it doesn't turn into an obsession. When it happens, I talk to him. I talk to the devil and say, ‘These are just thoughts, and I'm not going to act on them.’”

Hamilton continuously fought against his temptations and after a couple of months, he learned to be completely resistant.

After five years, Hamilton has been doing well in his career and has been drug-free. He won the BBWAA Most Valuable Player award in 2010. "I would say a 99 percent chance that this would never happen. It's an absolutely great honor. I think about where I was at my lowest time and how God has brought me through that and sustained me,” he said.

Hamilton is glad that he was able to go through everything, yet manage to earn his position in the MLB. “This may sound crazy, but I wouldn't change a thing about my path to the big leagues. I wouldn't even change the 26 tattoos that cover so much of my body, even though they're the most obvious signs of my life temporarily leaving the tracks. You're probably thinking, Bad decisions and addiction almost cost him his life, and he wouldn't change anything? But if I hadn't gone through all the hard times, this whole story would be just about baseball. If I'd made the big leagues at 21 and made my first All-Star team at 23 and done all the things expected of me, I would be a big-time baseball player, and that's it.”

The 'Best' drinking addiction

Many people look up to athletes; they become role models to people everywhere, but to see a role model destroying their life with drugs and drinking is a horrible sight. For an athlete that was capable of being a legend to destroy their career, their life, and their game is a waste of talent. One of these athletes destined for greatness was George Best.

Best was a skilled player on Manchester United, but his habit of drinking and partying denied him the path of becoming a legend. People say Best was going to be a star, but they never would’ve guessed that Best would ruin his career.

Best had a spectacular career as a winger. He would easily blow past defenders with his amazing speed and quickness while having complete control of the ball. His ability to cross, pass, and shoot with speed was an extraordinary skill.

Best would continue to drink and soon he was in need of a liver transplant. He was lucky to have survived when he got the transplant and he promised never to drink again. Best; however, wasn’t strong enough to fight his addiction and soon he was seen drinking in bars again. He was even arrested for starting a fight with a reporter at a pub.

Best’s drinking lead to the decline of his game. He became slower and he couldn’t do as much as before. Being a winger you have to be fast enough to get past defenders while maintaining control, but Best wasn’t able to do that as well anymore. He got heavier and slower which affected his game. He couldn’t get across defenders as easily anymore and he couldn’t control the ball as well either.

Best wanted to stop drinking because he knew what it was doing to him. He realized that drinking was just killing him and there was no reason to drink. "I know that I will never drink again," he said. "The only reason I would is because I want to kill myself or I want to go through this again - and I don't want either, so there's no reason to drink.” Best was in a depressed state, he felt as if he let his fans, his wife, and himself down and he couldn’t get away from drinking.

Today he is remembered as one of the greatest soccer players ever and he is considered as a legend. In a sense he was pretty successful, but he could’ve achieved much more if he didn’t get addicted to drinking. Best never thought his final match would be against drinking as he died on November 25,2005. "Drink is the only opponent I've been unable to beat," Best wrote in his second autobiography “Blessed.”

The giant drinker

Every time you wanted a good show, you would expect to hear these words, “Standing at seven feet and four inches tall, weighing in at 540 pounds, the Eight Wonder of the World, Andre the Giant!” With his opponents trembling with fear, and his fans with widened jaws, Andre Roussimoff would give one hundred percent in the ring. He came in giant proportions and let out sheer power and aggression.

He started to drink alcohol when in the Japanese Wresting League. This continued when he joined the WWF in 1972. A man of enormous stature, he consumed beer in massive quantities. All of his associates had stories about his wild drinking and his need for alcohol. During the one month shooting of the movie “Princess and the Bride”, Roussimoff had a $40,000 bar tab. He was said to sit in his hotel room and just order beer after beer. His rival and later friend, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, once said, “[Andre the Giant] once sat with us in the bar of a hotel and drank 156 beers.”

Roussimoff became a dominant force in the WWF elevating his status to championship contender. He competed in many of the early Wrestlemania events. Before these important matches, Roussimoff would drink record amounts. He once drank 16 bottles of wine and went to wrestle in a 20-man match. He won the match and didn’t even stagger. He drank a lot, but it appeared to never affect him in the ring; however, he would actually pass out after matches because he drank so much.

He left the WWF for a short time because of a broken foot. While home, he started drinking uncontrollably. This time at home ultimately damaged Roussimoff. He developed heart and liver problems because of his size and drinking problem. He started losing his edge and became an in-ring villain. He went on a rocky losing streak for 3 years. Roussimoff made a huge comeback in 1990 after attacking his stable partner, Haku, and slapping his manager, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Throughout 1990 and 1991, he made in the WWF after that. His last WWF appearance was in 1992. After that, he returned to Japanese wrestling until December 1992.

His death surprisingly didn’t come from liver failure. On of January 27, 1993 in a Paris hotel room, he died from congestive heart failure in his sleep, shortly after attending his father’s funeral. Even though drinking didn’t kill him; he was dubbed as, “The Greatest Drunk in History.”

Managing a Lockout

It has been over three months and the owners aren’t close to making a deal with the players. Deals have now reached near a 50-50 split of revenues, but issues concerning attempts to balance teams such as the luxury tax are delaying a final agreement. An agreement anytime soon is unlikely even with the numbers getting closer.

The most recent offer given by the owners is 50% of basketball related income for both sides. This offer also includes a luxury tax of $1.75-1 to start coming into effect after $70 million has been surpassed. and increased to $2.25-1 after $75 million.

Owners have decided to stay put on the basketball related income split, but negotiations over things like a salary cap are still open for discussion. The players union has refused a 50-50 split on basketball related income. They feel the players deserve more than 50%.

The longer the lockout lasts, the better the deal will be for the owners. This would benefit owners of less valued teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, but owners of teams like Miami Heat and the L.A Lakers would prefer to settle as soon as possible. To make matters worse for a resolution, the majority of the owners are thinking it’s better to fix the system and get more money than to actually try to contest the big teams and gain money through that path even if it takes a season.

Egos are a big part in negotiations between rich people. Despite a deal that is almost balanced for both sides, neither wants be the loser. Whether it will take a week or a season, the deal has to be one that makes both owners and players alike feel like the victor.

High flying fall

Jeffrey Nero Hardy, known as Jeff Hardy, is wrestling with a drug addiction. This professional wrestler has been through a lot of pain, both physical and emotional, throughout his life. His mom died when he was nine, and he hopelessly arrived to his house being burnt down with his dog trapped inside. These events made Hardy’s childhood a traumatic experience and might have been the cause for his problem with drug addiction.

Hardy gained multiple minor titles in the World Wrestling Entertainment and elevated himself to a point where fans were demanding he receive the WWE Championship. He finally got his chance to possibly contest the champion back in 2008, but blew it by testing positive for drugs.

His 60-day suspension from the positive test for drugs dropped his rank in the business, but Hardy still received a title match at the 2008 WWE pay-per-view Armageddon after working his way to the top again. His high flying fighting style caused him many defeats before and few people thought he would prevail; however, he proved them wrong when he landed a Swanton Bomb, his finishing maneuver, off the turnbuckle to win the championship.

His title reign was a fast one and Hardy’s career track became more rivalry based after losing it. Hardy had to recover from injuries, so the WWE decided to make his last match a rivalry match for his contract. The rivalry against Phillip Jack Brooks, known as CM Punk, was based around Hardy being a drug addict. Ironically, Hardy was arrested for drug trafficking just days after his contract expired.

Despite not having served time for drug trafficking charges, Hardy signed a contract with TNA. TNA fans were ecstatic when they saw the high flying extremist make his return. Unlike the WWE, TNA felt Hardy didn’t need to start from the bottom due to his popularity.

During TNA’s 2011 Victory Road pay-per-view, Hardy arrived in no state to wrestle and thus was forced to lose the main event in 90 seconds. Hardy’s embarrassing defeat was followed by his agreeing to serve his jail time. After his sentence of ten days in jail was finished, TNA urged Hardy to enter rehab as well. Hardy refused. If Hardy doesn’t take control of his addiction now, it is quite possible that he will see the same fate as his very first opponent, Scott Hall.

Darryl Strawberry's career of unfilled potential

Darryl Strawberry was one of baseball’s best power hitters, but still he had a lot of potential that he never fulfilled. "He can be the most exciting player in the game when he feels like it. The situation is whether or not he feels like it," teammate Mackey Sasser said to ESPN.com. The pressure and expectations he faced early in his career was too much for him. "The drinking and drugging, that was a way of punishing myself and the fans, too," he said.

Strawberry didn’t turn up for the Dodgers final exhibition game in 1994. He wasn’t found until the day after, where he admitted that he had a drug problem. He entered the Betty Ford Center, where he stayed for 28 days treatment. He was tested positive for cocaine and was suspended 60 days from the Major League Baseball.

In 1995, Strawberry signed a contract with the Yankees, but they made it clear that, they had an eye on him. In only a few years, Strawberry faced multiple setbacks, including that of cancer.

Before the World Series in 1999 he was suspended four months because of drug possession, but he came back in time to help the Yankees win it. Right after the series ended, he was again arrested for drug possession. This time he was suspended for a whole year. In that year he underwent a lot of surgeries because of his cancer. After four days of heavy drug abuse, Strawberry was sentenced to stay two years in a drug treatment center. After a year he was thrown out because he had repeatedly broken the center’s rules. He was sentenced to stay 18 months at Gainesville Correctional Institution. He rejoined the Yankees in 2003, but left only three months later.

Not only did he have problems with drugs and cancer, but his family life was also a mess. In 1985, he married Lisa Andrews, but only two years later she wanted a divorce, because she said he had broken her nose the previous year. In 1993, Strawberry was arrested for hitting Charisse Simons which ended with them marrying December that year. Even after he was arrested for a sexual relationship with another patient at the Gainesville Correctional Institution, his wife stayed with him.

Strawberry’s baseball career was problems after problems. After he retired though, he started the Darryl Strawberry Foundation, which works for raising autism awareness. Because of all the experiences he had with problems, he is doing all he can to help people with troubles in their lives.
“I do know that in my life, all my successes, failures and experiences have brought me to where I am today. My strength and the reason that I am here today is proven through the experiences and conditions I have endured. The bat is retired but the true passion and purpose for my life is just beginning,” said Darryl Strawberry.

Baseball by day, alcohol any other time

Mickey Mantle was one of the best baseball players of all time, the sad thing is he could have been better. Mantle was the Yankees hero of the 50’s and today is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. During his career, Mantle was a leader in home runs for multiple years, on base percentage in multiple years, had the highest batting average for a year, and was voted to play in the All Star Game many times.

Injuries mixed in with alcohol problems shortened Mantle’s baseball career and turned what could have been a great sports role model into a flawed hero. “Everybody tries to make the excuse that injuries shortened my career,” said Mantle in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “Truth is, after I'd had a knee operation, the doctors would give me rehab work to do, but I wouldn't do it. I'd be out drinking.”

Many athletes had alcohol problems for different reasons. Mantle used it to overcome his shyness and make him feel as he said, “more comfortable before all those personal appearances.” Drinking alcohol negatively impacts a players ability to perform, which makes it very surprising that an athlete who trains so hard to get to the top level would drink so much alcohol. Mantle, who retired at the age of 37, was told by doctors that his alcohol problem was becoming life threatening during his time with the Yankees.

Mantle always drank. He drank in the morning, the afternoon, and evening, often until he couldn’t drink anymore. “If I had to drink to start the day, I'd go through three or four bottles of wine in the course of the afternoon. White wine. Red wine. It didn’t matter, and I didn’t care about the quality, either. In fact, I thought if I was drinking wine, it wasn’t really drinking. To me, wine wasn’t liquor,” Mantle said. Even with these alcohol problems, Mantle was an unbelievable player who blasted over 500 home runs; however, he wasn’t a truly great American role model.
Mantle died in 1995 of liver cancer due to his alcohol problems.