Florida Sports Net

SEC Tournament: Alabama advances

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:35:00 +0000

NASHVILLE, TN — “When we were 18 down, we had them right where we wanted them,” quipped Anthony Grant as he walked to the media room at Bridgestone Arena Thursday afternoon after Alabama came from behind to knock off South Carolina, 68-63, in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

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Rose: Bulls Can Lure Top Free Agent

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:17:48 +0000

by Tim Povtak

Filed under: Bulls, Magic, NBA Rumors

ORLANDO, Fla. — It often takes a star to get a star, which is why point guard Derrick Rose believes his Bulls are on course to land one of the big-name, high-profile free agents this summer.

Either Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh or Joe Johnson could be coming to Chicago soon.

“It would be huge for us. It would make us a serious contender,” Rose told FanHouse Thursday afternoon before the Bulls played the Magic in Orlando. “I think we can get one of them. We have other things to worry about right now, getting into the playoffs, but I can’t wait for that day (landing another star) to come.”

By trading away John Salmons and his $6.4 million contract last month, the Bulls became one of eight teams that can offer a maximum salaried contract to one of the free agent stars this summer.

James, Wade and Bosh all have had their interests linked to the Bulls at some point this season.

Photo Gallery: 7on7 practice

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:00:00 +0000

CITRA — Players from north-central Florida gathered for a 7-on-7 football practice on Saturday, March 6 at Wrigley Fields Park in preparation for the Badger Sport Tournament that will be held March 13-14 in Tampa.

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No slacking! GPA speaks for Shipman

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:56:00 +0000

NASHVILLE, TN — Ray Shipman had a whole lot of explaining to do. It was August of 2009 and they wanted to know if they needed to drive up to Gainesville to pack him up and bring him home to Miami for his lack of effort in the classroom in his first semester on campus at the University of Florida.

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Ochocinco Dating Show Coming To VH1

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:51:05 +0000

If there is one thing I can say about OGOchoCinco he is a hustler.
He is always doing something to market himself which is a good thing because being an NFL player has a short shelf life.
From the OCNN network, to the name change, Dancing with the Stars and now this.
Chad is getting his own dating show on VH1, but with a twist. Moving away from the Flavor of Love & Love of Ray J style of show, this is actually a tournament to win Chad’s affections. Here are the details:
Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco (formerly Chad Johnson) is using his off-season to pursue happiness off the field in his new VH1 reality show The Tournament (working title). The series is a mix of Ocho Cinco’s on-field charisma blended with the drama of the dating pool played out in a bracket-style dating tournament. The 10 episode, one-hour series is set to premiere in July 2010.
The Tournament will start with Ocho Cinco finding his “first 85″ by traveling all over the country meeting women that may be interested in dating him. Then, during the first episode, he will narrow the playing field down to the sweet sixteen – four women from each of the four regions of the country – Northern, Western, Southern and Central Divisions. The sixteen chosen women will be invited to join Ocho Cinco for the rest of the tournament-style dating competition.
Once the competition begins, Ocho Cinco will follow a tournament bracket where each of the ladies will have an opportunity to spend quality time with him while also facing off against one another in double-dates. The winner of each dating face-off will receive a game ball from Ocho Cinco and move on to the next round of the tournament, while the loser goes home. Ultimately the sweet sixteen will be narrowed down to eight and then the final four. In the end, the championship date between the two remaining women will result in Ocho Cinco awarding his chosen love the coveted Championship Ring. Hopefully, she turns out to be his greatest catch this season!
While I have grown bored with a lot of the VH1 reality shows, this at least is creative enough for me to check it out. Ocho is entertaining enough that he could definitely make it interesting and I am always curious what females will be chosen to get their 15 minutes of fame in.
Is this something you are interested in watching?
Related posts:

Chad Ocho Cinco Condoms Coming To A Store Near You?
Chad Ochocinco Will Be Next NFL Player On Dancing With The Stars
Video: Why Is Chad OchoCinco Running Naked In The Woods? Have I Been Punked?

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Now That’s A Brawl!

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:13:00 +0000

I just saw this over on LoHud and had to share it with you guys. It’s been making the rounds across the interwebs so you may have already seen it, but if not, it’s a huge brawl that happened in during a game in Cuba on February 28th.

Shades of the Juan Marichal-John Rosenboro fight back in ‘65. Here’s an explanation on the events the took place prior to the fight from Peter C. Bjarkman (hat-tip to Big League Stew):
The Sancti Sp

How Good Is Kobe In The Clutch?

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:10:23 +0000

TrueHoop has a piece that outlines Kobe’s performance in crunch time, which for the purposes of this post is a shot that has a chance to tie or win the game in the last 10 seconds of regulation or overtime.

- This season, Bryant has made seven of the 12 shots, with a chance to win or tie the game, in the last ten seconds of regulation or overtime.
- Bryant’s the only player in the last decade who has made seven such shots in a season.
- Bryant has made 26 of the 89 potential game tying or game-winning field goals he has shot over the last decade. That’s 29.2%, which is slightly above League average.

Henry Abbott breaks down why Kobe is good in the clutch:

At that time of the game, there’s value in being able to create scoring opportunities. Bryant may shoot those difficult fallaways that often miss, but he’d be a far worse player if he couldn’t get a shot off at all. And that’s the situation some lesser players would find themselves in.

In 2008-09, 82games reports that Kobe was the best in the clutch, which, by their definition, is the last five minutes of regulation or overtime, and neither team ahead by more than five points. (I’m not sure why 82games doesn’t provide league-wide clutch stats for the current season since they do have those numbers on the individual player pages.) Last year, Bryant scored at a rate of 56.7 points (per 48 minutes) and this season he is posting 48.1 points. He shot 45.7% last season compared to 43.2% this year.
Kobe hits a lot of game-winners for a few reasons: 1) he’s really good at getting off a decent shot even though the defense knows he’s getting the ball, 2) he takes a lot of game-winners, and 3) he has supreme confidence in his ability to score when the game is on the line. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that he doesn’t take the ball to the hole when the game is on the line, probably because refs have a tendency to swallow the whistle and let “the players decide the outcome.” He’s not an “and one” guy on the same level as LeBron, so he’d rather shoot a fadeaway and take his chances.
Photo from fOTOGLIF

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Jason Heyward: Uber Sleeper or Over Hyped?

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:45:46 +0000

If you haven’t heard the name Jason Heyward yet, you’re clearly not reading or watching any coverage of 2010 Spring Training.
Heyward has been the offensive story of Spring Training so far (with all due respect to Milton Bradley, he’s not the offensive we’re talking about here). Heyward is the unanimously named number one prospect in baseball, even ahead of Washington’s Stephen Strasburg. He doesn’t turn 21 until early August, but he might be an impact fantasy player you should seriously consider this year.
The only problem with considering Heyward is when to select a rookie phenom.
First, let’s talk about what Heyward brings to the table for the Atlanta Braves.
MLB.com says, “He’s got great bat speed, with the ability to hit for average and power. He has an excellent knowledge of the strike zone. He’s got a plus arm from the outfield, runs well and is an excellent base-runner.”
ESPN’s Keith Law says, “Heyward will be a middle-of-the-order bat with power and patience while playing above-average defense in right with a plus arm. He has an advanced approach at the plate… strong, quick wrists that let him commit later to pitches while still driving the ball to all fields. He gets good leverage in his swing and has plenty of loft to eventually produce 30-plus homers a year, and so far hasn’t shown any tendency to expand the zone because he’s trying too hard to hit for power.”
Baseball America says, “ Jason Heyward, Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year, will give the lineup a major jolt when he arrives in 2010.” BA also put Heyward on the cover of their 2010 Top 100 Prospect issue.
The guy can hit. Last year in Double-A, and again we must emphasize that he was only 19 until August, Heyward put up exceptional numbers in only 362 at bats. He hit 16 home runs, drove in 63 and stole 10 bases in 99 games. Another great plus, which Law mentions, is his eye; he walked as many times (51) as he struck out last year. His .402 OBP is exceptional, but his .963 OPS is what jumps off the page.
Right now, it appears Heyward has the inside track on the starting spot in right field to begin Bobby Cox’s final season in Atlanta, and his left-handed bat could find a comfortable spot somewhere around Chipper Jones and Troy Glaus in the middle of the Braves’ batting order. If he can replicate the 450-foot home run he hit early in Spring Training in Atlanta, and continues to draw comparisons to a young Ken Griffey, Jr, he’ll be a name you see as much on SportsCenter as anyone in the game.
Now that devil’s advocate argument: how much stock can you put in a kid?
Setting expectations for Heyward to become the .300-35-100 guy analysts say he will eventually be would be naive. Every rookie has hot and cold stretches, and the biggest adjustment that young hitters need to make comes after there’s an established major league scouting report on him; pitchers will adjust to him, and then he’ll need to show what he’s worth.
The Braves should have a pretty decent batting order this year, with Jones and Glaus headlining a group that includes Nate McLouth, Brian McCann, Melky Cabrera and Yunel Escobar. Don’t buy into what you see in Spring Training too much, but if you’re looking for a fourth outfielder late, Heyward is a worthy gamble. He has the greatest upside of any rookie coming out of Spring Training this year, and his position in a veteran lineup should help him grow into a major league powerhouse.

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Tomlinson Will Visit Jets On Friday

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:20:51 +0000

The recession has hit every hard including LaDainian Tomlinson. The former Chargers running back is still on the job hunt and visiting the Vikings today. Tomorrow, LaDainian will visit the Jets so long as he doesn’t close a deal with the Vikings after his visit today. The 31-year-old could provide some much-needed depth to [...]

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Gators track teams seek NCAA titles

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:00:00 +0000

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Florida head track and field coach Mike Holloway knows that opportunities like those awaiting the Gators’ men and women at this weekend’s NCAA Indoor Championships don’t come along often. The meet takes place Friday and Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the University of Arkansas campus.

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