Los’s Blog

The crown jewel of the NFL’s unrestricted free agent market, the veteran defensive end signed a six-year contract with the Chicago Bears on Friday. The package is worth up to $91.5 million. Peppers will earn a record $42 million in guaranteed money according to his agent with $20 million to be paid in the first year and $40.5 million over the first three.

The 6-7, 283-pound Peppers has 81 sacks since 2002, third-most in the NFL over that span behind Jason Taylor (88) and Dwight Freeney (84). Peppers’ pass-rush ability and athleticism helped earn him a spot in the NFL’s all-decade team for the 2000s even though the five-time Pro Bowler has often been criticized for uneven play.

“I’m looking forward to doing big things,” said a beaming Peppers at a press conference in Lake Forest, Ill.

“Getting to come to a place with a deep-rooted tradition in winning is a great thing for me, it’s a wonderful thing. I’m happy to be here.”

The Chicago defense could be monstrous again in 2010 with Peppers teaming alongside former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris, who should now face fewer double teams. Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher is also on schedule to return from a broken wrist that cost him nearly all of the 2009 season. Perennial Pro Bowl weakside linebacker Lance Briggs has been the unit’s only consistent performer in recent seasons.

“I would see myself coming in as just another piece to add to what’s already in place,” said Peppers, who admitted the allure of playing with other defensive Pro Bowlers and all-pros appealed to him.

Peppers spent his first eight years with the Carolina Panthers, who drafted him with the No. 2 pick of the 2002 draft. He became that franchise’s greatest player over the next eight years.

Playing under the franchise tag in 2009, Peppers earned a $16.7 million base salary, second-highest in the NFL to four-time MVP Peyton Manning ($21.2 million). He followed up a career-best 14½ sacks in 2008 with 10½ last year.

“We talked about improving our pass rush,” said Bears head coach Lovie Smith. “We’ve done that.”

Peppers was never able to reach a long-term extension with Carolina, which would have had to pay nearly $20 million to franchise him again in 2010.

His departure combined with yesterday’s release of longtime quarterback Jake Delhomme would seem to usher in a new era of Panthers football.

Peppers indicated last year that he wanted to play for a team that runs the 3-4 defense, believing that scheme could better showcase his unique talents as an outside linebacker. But the Bears run the 4-3 Tampa 2 scheme that Smith favors and has long taught.

“I’m focused on doing what I was brought here to do,” Peppers said, acknowledging he won’t be playing linebacker in Chicago, a fact that hardly seemed to faze him Friday.

Peppers was the centerpiece of a bountiful free-agent haul in Chicago.

The Bears also plucked running back Chester Taylor away from the division rival Minnesota Vikings with a new four-year contract. He could push for starting duties after Matt Forte’s disappointing sophomore season.

Blocking tight end Brandon Manumaleuna was signed as well, opening the possibility that Greg Olsen could be on the move since tight ends traditionally have not thrived as receivers in new offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s system. Manumaleuna played under Martz with the St. Louis Rams early in his career but spent the last four seasons with the San Diego Chargers.

“I think you have to have days like this where you improve the ballclub,” Smith said. “I think everyone would say that the players we added will help us have better days ahead.”

The Bears are coming off a disappointing season despite the ballyhooed acquisition of quarterback Jay Cutler last April.

“When you go 7-9 of course you need to make some changes,” Smith said at the NFL scouting combine. “You need to change some things up.”

Free agency seemed to be the franchise’s best option to again be competitive in the NFC North, where the Vikings have reigned the past two seasons and the Green Bay Packers have the look of a rising power.

“You don’t win in March, you build in March,” said general manager Jerry Angelo.

The Bears do not have a pick in the first two rounds of the 2010 draft after trading their first-rounder in the deal for Cutler and parting with their second-rounder last October for former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Gaines Adams, who died in January due to a heart defect.

For the second time in a year, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is being accused of sexual misconduct, with police investigating him Saturday for an alleged assault at a nightclub in a Georgia college town.

Police in Milledgeville were examining the claim of a 20-year-old student, who told an officer that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her early Friday. The police department had no plans to comment further until Monday at the earliest.

The case comes as Roethlisberger faces a lawsuit filed last July by a woman who says he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel and casino, an allegation he strongly denies. Roethlisberger, who was not in custody, has not been criminally charged in either case and has claimed counter-damages in the lawsuit.

Still, to hear it on the airwaves in Pittsburgh, this latest situation seems to have shaken fans of the star quarterback, a man who has never hidden the fact he enjoys the nightlife. He has been spotted gambling in Las Vegas and is sometimes seen in public with small groups of friends and bodyguards.

The latest accusation came early Friday in downtown Milledgeville, about 85 miles southeast of Atlanta and about 30 miles south of the lake home the player owns. Roethlisberger, who turned 28 on Tuesday, and two or three friends went to Buffington’s bar earlier Thursday night to watch the University of Pittsburgh men’s college basketball game, said Paul Kurcikevicus, a 24-year-old college student.

He said the group was friendly, at first joking that Roethlisberger was not the NFL player. Kurcikevicus said Roethlisberger bought shots for him and some other people in the bar: “O-Bombs,” a mixture of energy drink and flavored rum.

The group later went to The Brick restaurant nearby, owner Frank Pendergrast said.

“He was very polite with everybody,” Pendergrast said. “He was down here from about 11:30 until about 1:30 having a good time, talking to a lot of people. Looked like he was signing autographs and letting people take pictures. Other than that, it was really uneventful.”

The building which houses Capital City nightclub (lower left, below the red strip).
John Amis

Roethlisberger was later seen at Capital City, a popular nightclub for students at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville.

One patron at the bar on Friday night, 21-year-old college student Brandon Harris, said he saw Roethlisberger come in the night before with two or three big men who were keeping other club goers away. Harris said the group went into a curtained VIP area in the back of the club, and some women were let inside.

Amber Hanley, a 21-year-old college student, said she and a few friends were also in the VIP area with Roethlisberger. She said she asked the quarterback to take a photo with her friend, who was a fan, but he seemed disappointed that’s all she wanted. Hanley said she rolled her eyes, and Roethlisberger called her an expletive and walked away. Later, Roethlisberger was aggressively hitting on another girl, Hanley said.

Deputy Police Chief Richard Malone said Friday that Roethlisberger had been with three other people who were mingling with another group that included the alleged victim. Malone said the woman and her party contacted a nearby police officer following the alleged assault.

“He’s been identified as being at the scene and there are allegations naming him as the perpetrator,” Malone said. The nature of the assault was not described, but Malone did say it was being termed a sexual assault, not a rape.

Roethlisberger and the alleged victim were interviewed and the woman was taken to a hospital, where she was treated and released, Malone said. The woman was not identified by police and The Associated Press does not generally identify possible victims of sexual abuse.

Police said Roethlisberger and his attorney were cooperating with investigators. He was not in custody.

The player’s agent, Ryan Tollner, said in a statement he was skeptical of the motive of the alleged victim in Milledgeville because of the previous Lake Tahoe allegations. Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett said the team was gathering information and had no comment.

As Pittsburgh’s first-round draft pick out of Miami of Ohio in 2004, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to Super Bowl victories in 2006 and 2009. He has frequently donated time and money to charities, and his charitable foundation awards a police dog to a department near every Steelers road opponent.

However, with his championships and $102 million contract have come several off-the-field problems. In 2006, he defied his coach’s orders and rode his motorcycle without a helmet - and wound up with a concussion, broken jaw and other injuries after a wreck.

And while Roethlisberger has a reputation for patiently signing autographs and posing for pictures while out in public, he also is known for occasionally inelegant behavior in Pittsburgh. Early in his career, he was photographed — obviously after imbibing in alcohol — wearing a T-shirt reading “Drink Like a Champion.” Restaurant owners in Pittsburgh have complained he has tried to skip out on bills, arguing he brought business to the establishment.

The public largely supported him when he was accused of sexual assault in Nevada. But radio shows in Pittsburgh have been flooded with calls since Friday’s allegation — few of them sympathetic, with many wondering if the new case indicates a troubling pattern of behavior.

Qualifier for the 2010 US Skeleton team, Noelle is awarded additional points for participating in one the the craziest winter sports in existence. In 2005 she was hit with a renegade bobsleigh and got a titanium rod put in her leg, but still managed to bounce back and compete at the international level.

An American Freestyle skiier, Michelle placed 18th in the Women’s moguls at the 2006 winter games and is considered a top contender for the 2010 Women’s team. If things don’t work out, she can always fall back on her all-natural fragrance company or mining degrees.

Bonus points for playing the “twins” card, Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux will add a beautiful but deceptively forceful punch to the Team USA Hockey roster in 2010 games. They’re like the Bash Bros. from Mighty Ducks, but hot.

Gold medalist in Giant Slalom at the 2006 games, Julia Mancuso weaved and bobbed her way into an endorsement deal with Lange. The resulting ad campaign answered the wishes of every male who saw her on that podium and this year we’re hoping for a repeat and even more exposure.

This petite (5′2) skater managed to pull out a silver medal at the 2006 Winter games, but has been out of competition for the last couple of years. The figure skating male world is eagerly awaiting her return, but if she doesn’t make the team at least her flexibility gives her a variety of pole related options to fall back on.

Another silver medalist from the 2006 games, Tanith Belbin is yet another Canadian on this list that has pimped themselves out to the US Olympic team (the twins are the other offenders). Tanith gets a lot of attention every time she competes, probably because her dirty ponytail-wearing male partner looks like a troll by comparison.

Headliner for the 2010 US Snowboarding Team, Gretchen Bleiler gets bonus points for attaining such a level of hotness despite having a name that makes you picture a beastly figure. She won a silver medal at the 2006 games, but an FHM photo spread is how she won her way into our hearts.

Although she likely won’t be competing in the 2010 games, Kristi has a good following among the X-Games crowd because of her passion for videos and her record of being the first woman to land a 720 rodeo flip. Also, her reputation isn’t hurt by the fact that she’s quite easy on the eyes.

The only Canadians on the list not snagged up by the US Olympic team, sadly their Olympic team has passed on her as well. Don’t worry about Sarah though, Gunaxin will always leave a spot open for her on our team… in bed.

Former figure skater, attempted singer, and full-time hottie, Anna Semenovich retired from competition in 2001 to focus on creating a career out of her cleavage. Sure, she’s only barely an athlete but doesn’t take away from her other contributions to the world of babe sports stars.

Tiger Woods is closer to competing again.

Woods is back home after a week of family counseling in Arizona and is trying to get back into a routine that includes fitness and his first significant practice in 15 weeks, a person with knowledge of his schedule said Tuesday.

Woods returned to his home near Orlando on Saturday and has been hitting balls on the range at Isleworth, not far from where he ran his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree in a middle-of-the-night accident on Nov. 27 that set off shocking revelations of infidelity.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because only Woods is authorized to release such information, said golf’s No. 1 player still has not decided when he will return to competition.

Woods was photographed hitting balls at Isleworth on Feb. 18, the day before he ended nearly three months of silence by speaking to a small group of associates at the TPC Sawgrass in a 13 1/2-minute statement that was televised around the world. Those photos of Woods were arranged to counter the paparazzi trying to follow his every move since Thanksgiving.

Woods has not practiced in earnest since winning the Australian Masters in Melbourne on Nov. 15 for his 82nd victory worldwide.

“I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don’t know when that day will be,” Woods said in his statement at Sawgrass. “I don’t rule out that it will be this year.”
Woods said he had attended inpatient therapy “for the issues I’m facing” for 45 days, from the end of December to early February. He said he was leaving the next day for more therapy, without saying what kind. The person who spoke to The Associated Press said he went to Arizona for a week of family and marriage counseling with his wife, Elin.

Woods said at Sawgrass of his infidelity, “As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss; however, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.”

News of him getting back into a routine is sure to begin speculation when he might return to the PGA Tour. Woods announced on Dec. 4 that he was taking an “indefinite break” to try to salvage his marriage.

To date, he has missed only two tournaments he typically would have played — Torrey Pines and the Match Play Championship — although he had been leaning toward playing Pebble Beach this year because it will host the U.S. Open in June.

Woods is not likely to play next week in the World Golf Championship at Doral, where he has won three times.

His next possibility on the PGA Tour is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where he is the defending champion and a six-time winner. The Masters, which Woods has played every year since 1995, would follow. Augusta National officials have not indicated whether they expect Woods to compete.

“When he does come back, I hope it’s in the Masters, and I hope he’s in great form,” Masters champion Angel Cabrera said Tuesday on a conference call.

The fallout from Woods’ sex scandal has been immense. He already has had three sponsors drop him — Accenture, AT&T and, most recently, Gatorade — while other companies like Gillette have suspended promotions of Woods while he takes his break from golf.

When he does return, he will have a different logo on his golf bag, replacing AT&T, if he can find a deal.

Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins provided another memorable moment in Syracuse’s storybook season.

The Orange’s fifth-year seniors held aloft an unlikely prize Tuesday night — the Big East championship trophy — after Syracuse beat St. John’s 85-66 in its first game in two decades as the No. 1 team in the nation.

Syracuse captured the Big East regular-season title with its win over St. John’s.
Kevin Rivoli

“It’s a blessing. I’ve been here five years and it’s the first time my mom’s seen me play here,” Onuaku said. “It’s just special. We came in the same day, and we were two guys that they felt wouldn’t be much, underrated guys. We came here, worked hard, and it’s paid off.”

Onuaku finished with a season-high 21 points and had eight rebounds and Rautins had 14 points and seven assists as Syracuse won the Big East title outright for only the second time (1990-91).

“I really couldn’t think of a better way to go out,” said Rautins, who was accompanied by his dad, Leo, a former Syracuse star, in pregame festivities on senior night. “We’re not going to be satisfied just yet.”

Wes Johnson had 13 points, four assists and four blocks, and reserves Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine combined for 23 points for Syracuse (28-2, 15-2).

D.J. Kennedy led St. John’s (15-14, 5-12) with 19 points, while Paris Horne had 18.

The Orange were coming off a raucous 95-77 victory over No. 9 Villanova on Saturday night before an NCAA-record on-campus crowd of 34,616 to move from No. 4 to the top spot on Monday. It was the first time the Orange were there since a six-week stint in 1989-90 and they apparently like the view.

Syracuse closes the regular season on Saturday at Louisville looking to finish 9-0 on the road. Their only losses this season were at home to the Cardinals and Pittsburgh.

“To win this league outright is a tremendous accomplishment,” said coach Jim Boeheim, whose Orange were picked sixth in the preseason conference poll and were not ranked. “They deserve to be called champions. They played like that all year long.”

St. John’s dropped to 0-7 against ranked teams this season, but the Red Storm beat Louisville at home and Notre Dame on the road in consecutive games just over two weeks ago and kept pace with the Orange early.

Horne hit two 3-pointers and Kennedy hit another to move St. John’s within 23-20 with 8:27 left. But the Red Storm lost their second-leading scorer and top outside threat midway through the first half when Dwight Hardy twisted a knee and was carried off the court by two teammates.

Syracuse finished the half on a 19-8 run, and Rautins led the way. After driving and dishing off to Onuaku for a layup, Rautins hit a 3 from the top of the key and set up Joseph with a perfect lob to boost the lead to 33-22 with 4:55 to go.

“It’s hard to come off a game like Villanova,” Jardine said. “I think we did a great job as far as keeping our composure and getting out and playing Syracuse basketball, getting out running and filling the lanes and playing defense.”

St. John’s found some openings in the Syracuse zone at the outset as Anthony Mason Jr. and Justin Brownlee converted lobs from Malik Boothe. But the Orange began to extend their defense and the Red Storm struggled, getting called for a shot clock violation and backcourt violation on consecutive possessions.

“Syracuse did what they do best,” said Justin Burrell, who had eight points, five rebounds and four steals for the Red Storm. “They turned it up, blocked shots, forced a lot of turnovers, forced us to take tough shots and got out in transition.”

Syracuse, which outscored St. John’s 22-4 on the break, extended its 42-28 halftime lead to as many as 16 points in the first five minutes of the second when Brandon Triche hit a pullup 3 in transition to make it 52-36 with 16:27 left.

After Horne hit his fourth 3 of the game to cut the margin to 11, Jardine negated it with a three-point play, and Onuaku’s follow of a missed 3 by Rautins gave the Orange a 59-44 lead with 12:27 left.

Johnson’s soaring slam dunk and four straight baskets by Onuaku — a slam off a pass from Johnson, a putback, and consecutive layups off feeds from Rautins and Jardine — had Syracuse up 72-54 with 7:31 remaining.

Boeheim pulled Onuaku with 2:47 left as the Carrier Dome crowd roared its appreciation and Rautins followed just over a minute later.

“I’m just so glad they did good,” junior forward Rick Jackson said. “I’m going to miss those guys. We’ve been through a lot. Hopefully, we can win a championship together.”

The Winter Olympics held their closing ceremonies last night in a display so grandiose and over-the-top that it would have made any gay pride parade look like business casual Friday. Pretty much every Canadian that you’d ever heard of that wasn’t involved in the opening ceremonies was there, including actor Catherine O’Hara, Alanis Morrisette, Michael J. Fox (I got his autograph once) and Nickelback.

Canada, after a slow start, set a Winter Games record with 14 golds and sparked public enthusiasm in Vancouver that veterans of multiple Olympics described as unsurpassed.

The comeback by the Canadian athletes was mirrored by the determination of the Vancouver Organizing Committee. It struggled with a series of glitches and weather problems early in the games, adjusted as best it could, and reached the finish line winning widespread praise for an exceptional Olympics—albeit one tinged with sadness. –Y! Sports.

I doubt that American viewers feel the same way, between the tape delays and thin catalogue of games to watch that didn’t involve Lindsey Vonn or Shaun White or that guy with the racing stripe on his face, and then there was Team USA’s heartbreaking loss in the gold medal game to Canada in ice hockey. America will just move on to the remainder of their sports calendar: spring training, the Masters, and looking at boobs. Yeah, that’s a sport now, and we plan to cover it extensively.
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For a moment there, Zach Parise’s stature was almost on par with Mike Eruzione.

And then the kid took over.

Sidney Crosby’s game winning goal 7:40 into overtime gave Canada its much coveted gold medal, its second since 2002, and one of the greatest games the Olympic stage has ever seen. The 22-year-old hockey prodigy from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, put home the country’s biggest goal since Paul Henderson clinched the 1972 Summit Series.

“It doesn’t even feel real. It feels like a dream,” said Crosby during the postgame celebration. “Our team worked really hard in regulation time and they got that one by us in the end. But we came out in overtime and this is just an unbelievable feeling.”

Crosby’s heroics were the finishing touch on these Vancouver games, a back and fourth hockey game that lived up to its label as the most anticipated event at an Olympics since the Kerrigan-Harding saga of Lillehammer. In the end, the Canadians swept both hockey podiums, as they did in Salt Lake, and became the first team to win a gold medal on home soil since the “Miracle Men” of Lake Placid.

The “Miracle” that was on the back of everyone’s mind as the Americans tied the game with just under 25 seconds to go.

U.S. goaltender Ryan Miller was pulled with 1:27 to go in regulation, setting up a six-man attack with the three forwards that had carried them through the tournament in Patrick Kane, Jamie Langenbrunner and Zach Parise. With 30 seconds left, Kane shot the puck, deflecting off of Langenbrunner’s skate and hitting goaltender Roberto Luongo. The rebound trickled out to Parise who put home the game-tying goal.

The building and the entire Canadian nation was in a state of shock. The U.S. fans, vastly outnumbered by their neighbours to the north, shook Canada Hockey Place with chants of U-S-A, U-S-A, all as legends Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Mark Messier looked on.

But Crosby’s opportunity came in overtime when Brian Rafalski, who had carried the Americans defensively all tournament long, turned the puck over in the U.S. zone to Jarome Iginla. A backhanded pass later, the puck was on Crosby’s stick, beating Miller and setting off a parade of red and white jubilation in the streets.

“He’s just such a big guy on our team,” Patrice Bergeron said. “He’s the guy you want with the puck on his stick when it really counts. I think you saw that against Switzerland.”

That game against Switzerland, a game the Canadians needed a shootout winner by Crosby seemed so long ago. As did that look of stunned bewilderment on the streets of the Olympic city after last week’s 5-3 loss to the Americans, a loss that put the Canadians off the beaten path on the road to gold.

Crosby, who played just one shift in the third period of Game 7 of last June’s Stanley Cup final after taking a hit to the boards, adds this to a stellar resume that includes a pair of Stanley Cup trips, a championship ring and, on a league-wide scale, establishing the Winter Classic as one of the NHL’s must-see events.

Crosby’s game-winner in the first Winter Classic, like his goal to seal Olympic gold, came against Ryan Miller.

“He’s just such a special player,” said Joe Thornton. “For him to accomplish what he’s accomplish is just amazing. Great for the game and under the pressure is just amazing.”

Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal will have his injured right thumb examined Sunday by Dr. Thomas Graham at the National Hand Center in Baltimore.

An MRI Saturday confirmed the injury was a significant sprain. O’Neal, who was hurt during a win at Boston on Thursday, will miss Monday’s game against New York.

The team has not provided any timeline for his return.

With O’Neal out of the lineup, Anderson Varejao will continue to start at center. Former backup Zydrunas Ilgauskas, traded to Washington for Antawn Jamison, is now a free agent following a buyout from the Wizards. Ilgauskas is free to sign with any team, but will have to wait until March 21 under NBA rules should he elect to re-sign with the Cavaliers.

Cleveland also recalled rookie Danny Green from Erie of the NBA Development League. He was assigned to Erie on Feb. 24 and played in two games for the BayHawks.