NBey6's Blog

Friday, December 18, 2009
Updated: December 19, 1:52 PM ET
Cuban upset with officiating

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

DALLAS -- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said after Friday's loss to Houston that the Mavericks will be filing an official protest with the league office because of at least three contentious calls during Dallas' 116-108 overtime defeat.

"We will definitely protest," Cuban said, "because we felt there were multiple misapplications of the rules."

The Mavericks contend the referees in charge -- Ken Mauer, Brian Forte and John Goble -- did not have the license to review a flagrant foul on Houston's Aaron Brooks in overtime that led to a technical foul being assessed to the Mavericks' Erick Dampier.

Because it was Dampier's second technical, Dallas' starting center was ejected with 1:01 to play in overtime and Houston leading by six points.

The Mavericks argued that the review, which resulted in an eight-minute delay, should not have taken place because Brooks was originally called for Flagrant Foul Penalty 1 as opposed to a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2.

Dallas has 48 hours to formally file the protest, which costs $10,000. Cuban said the Mavs will formally send in the protest paperwork Sunday.

Cuban would appear to have a clear case against the review of the Brooks foul in overtime, as league rules state that only a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 can be reviewed.

Whether the league office concurs that the Mavs' case is sufficient to force a portion of overtime to be replayed remains to be seen.

NBA officials could not be immediately reached for comment late Friday.

There were at least two other calls, Cuban said, that Dallas plans to include in its protest filing.

The first was a clear-path foul called in the fourth quarter on Jason Terry, who was guarding Houston's Kyle Lowry as Lowry quickly dribbled up the floor. Cuban argues that Terry beat Lowry into the frontcourt, meaning that the clear-path call -- giving Lowry two free throws and possession back to the Rockets -- should not have been made. With 7:37 left in regulation, Trevor Ariza made both free throws and Luis Scola followed with a scoop shot to make it a four-point possession to extend the Rockets' four-point lead to 88-81.

Then with the score tied at 100 with 10.5 seconds left in regulation, Brooks -- defended by Mavs forward Shawn Marion -- drove the lane to shoot for the win. The clock stopped with 0.4 seconds to go when Brooks fumbled the ball out of bounds, but the Mavs argued that time should be added to the clock.

The play was reviewed, but no time was added to the clock, even though televison replays appeared to show that a full second remained on the clock when the ball bounced out of bounds. With just four-tenths of a second to work with, Dallas tried an out-of-bounds lob pass from Jason Kidd to Marion at the regulation buzzer, but Marion couldn't get the shot off, sending the game to overtime.

During the lengthy review of the Brooks foul in overtime, Dampier was deemed to have intentionally elbowed Brooks after the play, resulting in his second technical.

Rockets coach Rick Adelman then chose Dallas' Kris Humphries to come off the bench and shoot Dampier's free throws, with Humphries making 1 of 2. Brooks then made his technical free throw to restore the Rockets' six-point lead at 111-105.

"Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him and to let him know that you trust him."

- Booker Washington -

Thursday 12-17-09

298, 047, 532, 509, 774, 032, 233, 482, 260, 000

6053, 1149, 2558, 6300, 6054, 6369, 1262, 2923

9370, 3691, 3692, 3995, 5292, 3932, 9530, 9164

Updated: December 17, 2009, 11:22 AM ET

Report: Wife to divorce Woods

ESPN.com news services

Elin Nordegren, the wife of Tiger Woods, will seek a divorce, ABC News.com is reporting.

A source close to Nordegren told the Web site on Wednesday that a "divorce is 100 percent on."

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Scot TuckerElin Nordegren and Tiger Woods have been married for five years and have two children.

Nordegren was recently photographed pumping gas without her wedding ring.

Woods and his wife have been married for five years and have a 2-year-old daughter and a 10-month-old son.

Woods announced late last week he was taking an indefinite leave from public life and golf while he works to fix his marriage after multiple allegations of infidelity.

The announcement came two weeks after Woods crashed his SUV into a tree outside his Florida home, setting in motion a stunning downfall for the world's No. 1 player who for 13 years rarely made news off the golf course. One woman who said she had a 31-month affair with Woods shared a voice mail that she said Woods left her two nights before his Nov. 27 accident.

"I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children," Woods said in a statement released last week. "I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try."

Woods has not been seen in public since the accident. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has contacted Woods about appearing on the show.

"We have reached out to Tiger Woods' representatives, but nothing is confirmed," Harpo Productions told the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday.

Police: Bengals' Henry dies day after dispute

Posted: Today at 9:59 a.m.
Updated: 3 minutes ago

CHARLOTTE, N.C. &mdash

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry has died, one day after falling out of the back of a pickup truck in what authorities described as a domestic dispute with his fiancee.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Henry died at 6:36 a.m. Thursday. Henry was 26.

"It is with great sadness to learn Chris has passed away," Henry's agent, Andy Simms said in a statement. "For those who knew Chris, he was nothing like his public perception. A loving and caring individual, he was thankful for what he had in life, and proud of what he had overcome."

Henry was rushed to the hospital Wednesday after being found on a residential road. Police said the dispute began at a home about a half-mile away, and Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his fiancee was driving away from the residence.

Police said at some point when she was driving, Henry "came out of the back of the vehicle." They wouldn't identify the woman, and no charges were immediately filed.

Police spokeswoman Rosalyn Harrington said homicide detectives have been assigned to the case but had no further information. Police have not released the 911 tapes, and Harrington wouldn't say if the woman was present at the scene when police arrived.

Authorities have not announced the cause of death. Mecklenburg County medical examiner investigator Carol Cormier said they were expecting to receive the body later Thursday.

Henry is engaged to Loleini Tonga, and the couple has been raising three children. Tonga's MySpace page identifies herself as "Mrs. C. Henry" and has a picture of her next to a person who appears to be Henry. She also has a post from Tuesday talking about buying wedding rings. A neighbor said Wednesday that the Tonga family owns the home where police say the incident began. Charlotte is home to his fiancee's parents.

"We ask that you keep Chris' family - especially the young children he leaves behind - in your prayers," Simms said. "It is tragic when a life is taken so young. He was a man just realizing his potential, not just in football, but in life"

Henry was away from the team after breaking his left forearm during a win over Baltimore on Nov. 8. He had surgery and was placed on season-ending injured reserve following the game.

Throughout his career, his temper and poor decisions got him in trouble.

He was ejected from a game and suspended for another at West Virginia, where former coach Rich Rodriguez told Henry that he was an embarrassment to himself and the program. His reputation was already costing him - the Bengals were the only NFL team to bring him in for a pre-draft visit in 2005.

They found that his demeanor didn't match his reputation. Henry was shy and spoke in a quiet voice. They warned him that he had to stay in control if he was going to stay in the NFL. Then, they picked him in the third round.

In a sense, it was already a second chance.

"I'm worth the chance," Henry said, when he showed up the following weekend for a rookie minicamp. "I'm just happy they took me."

Henry become a vital part of the offense as a rookie, helping the Bengals reach the playoffs in 2005 with his ability to run past defenders to grab long passes. In the final month of the season, he also showed his other side, getting arrested for marijuana possession. After a playoff loss to Pittsburgh, he was arrested on a gun charge in Florida.

Henry and former Tennessee cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones became the league's two most trouble-bound players. Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended both in 2007 - Jones for a full season, Henry for half of it - as part of a toughening of the league's conduct policy.

When Henry was arrested for a fifth time following that season on an assault charge, the Bengals decided they'd had enough. At his arraignment on April 3, 2008, Municipal Court Judge Bernie Bouchard called Henry "a one-man crime wave." He was released by the Bengals the same day.

It was a jolt to Henry, who had dreamed of an NFL career since high school, when he got the NFL logo tattooed on the back of his right hand. No team showed an interest in bringing him back. His career seemed finished.

Then, Bengals owner Mike Brown - who refers to himself as "a redeemer" - changed his mind and gave him another chance.

"If you only knew him by hearsay, you'd think he's some kind of ogre," Brown said, during the Bengals' appearance on HBO's "Hard Knocks" series this summer. "It's not true. He's a good person. When you see him up close, you'll find that you'll like him. He'll be a soft-spoken, pleasant person."

This time, Henry seemed determined to stay out of trouble. After only 19 catches and two touchdowns in 12 games in the 2008 season, he set about making himself a topflight receiver again. He got into top shape and worked out with teammates in the offseason, showing more resolve than at any point in his career.

Henry also changed his personal life, spending more time with his fiancee and the three children they are raising. Teammates noticed a pronounced change in his demeanor.

"He's a great kid with a great heart," quarterback Carson Palmer said as training camp started. "He's changed his life around. He ran into some trouble, made some bad decisions, and realized that. He's sorry for them, apologized for them, and has done everything he can to make himself a better person. I'm just proud of him."

Before the 2009 season, Henry got a new tattoo that matched his new outlook. Below his left ear, in flowing one-inch script, was the world "Blessed."

"I kind of felt like I dug myself out of the hole and started doing the right things," Henry said in an interview with The Associated Press as training camp opened. "People say, 'How you feeling now Chris? You doing all right?' I just tell them I'm blessed. That's why I got it."

He caught a touchdown pass in each of Cincinnati's four preseason games. A thigh injury slowed him early in the season, and he had 12 catches for 236 yards - his 19.7-yard average per catch leads the team - when he broke his left arm during a win over Baltimore on Nov. 22, ending his season.

When he showed up in the locker room for the first time since surgery to fix the fracture, Henry sounded confident he could get through the latest setback.

"It just comes with time, you know?" he said. "I learned to handle all situations, so I'll be all right."

Wednesday 12-16-09

444, 122, 217, 974, 529, 990, 917, 599

062, 800, 569, 659, 381, 704, 807, 333

9540, 2881, 8122, 5767, 9934, 8475

Midday 12-16-09 Evening

** until 12-20-09 **

230, 123, 322, 323, 342, 532, 362, 327, 382, 923

078, 178, 782, 378, 487, 587, 786, 778, 886, 879

000, 222, 333, 444, 555, 666, 777

Wednesday 12-16-09

926, 379, 646, 142, 782, 871, 470, 810, 319

901, 684, 022, 866, 168, 174, 560, 065, 010

Midday 12-16-09 Evening

** until 12-19-09 **

2420, 2421, 2422, 2423, 2424, 2425, 2426, 2427, 2428, 2429

9660, 9661, 9662, 9663, 9664, 9665, 9666, 9667, 9668, 9669

7970, 7971, 7972, 7973, 7974, 7975, 7976, 7977, 7978, 7979

4110, 4111, 4112, 4113, 4114, 4115, 4116, 4117, 4118, 4119

This number has been jumping out at me for about a week now. I went to WalMart on 12-14-09 and a lady in front of me had a total bill of $10.10 and this morning I looked at the clocked, like I did several days last week, and the clock read 10:10. So, I decided to get quick picks from LP generator at that moment, to see what would come of this and here are the numbers. I will watch and see if they fall and/or show up in my workouts. Do you see what I see?? Well, good luck all!!!

0183 3403 8531 9096 6610 2864 0101 7956 1463

 6619 7070 6349 9606 0621 7067 3619 0311

 8406 9682 3518 6922 2113 0292 8611 4521

"Prejudice is the child of ignorance."

- William Hazlitt -

Tuesday 12-15-09

193, 237, 183, 532, 212, 121, 101, 001, 367

290, 079, 824, 206, 596, 526, 713, 482, 713

142, 291, 310, 923, 293, 203, 006, 791, 295

0071, 1100, 1010, 7755, 7788, 8877, 6611

3366, 3363, 4484, 4422, 7097, 6148, 9355

As of December 14, 2009

AP Top 25

1. Kansas (61) 9-0 1,620  

2. Texas (1) 8-0 1,512  

3. Kentucky (1) 10-0 1,486  

4. Purdue 9-0 1,426  

5. Syracuse (2) 10-0 1,388  

6. West Virginia 7-0 1,315  

7. Duke 7-1 1,137  

8. Villanova 9-1 1,107  

9. Tennessee 7-1 1,104

10. North Carolina 8-2 1,039

11. Georgetown 8-0 1,008

12. Michigan State 8-2 922

13. Florida 8-1 864

14. Connecticut 6-2 762

15. Gonzaga 8-2 505

16. Texas Tech 9-0 492

17. Kansas State 9-1 391

18. Ohio State 7-2 383

19. New Mexico 10-0 364

20. Mississippi 8-1 334

21. Butler 7-3 257

22. Georgia Tech 6-1 253

23. Texas A&M 8-2 221

24. Washington 6-2 179

25. Cincinnati 6-2 174

Updated: December 15, 2009, 12:39 AM ET

Report: Doctor being probed for PEDs

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- A Canadian doctor who has treated golfer Tiger Woods, swimmer Dara Torres and NFL players is suspected of providing athletes with performance-enhancing drugs, according to a newspaper report.

The New York Times reported on its Web site Monday night that Dr. Anthony Galea was found with human growth hormone and Actovegin, a drug extracted from calf's blood, in his bag at the U.S.-Canada border in late September. He was arrested Oct. 15 in Toronto by Canadian police.

Using, selling or importing Actovegin is illegal in the United States.

The FBI has opened an investigation based in part on medical records found on Galea's computer relating to several professional athletes, people briefed on the inquiry told the Times on condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing a continuing investigation.

The anonymous sources did not disclose the names of the athletes, and Galea told the newspaper "it would be impossible" for investigators to have found material linking his athletes to performance-enhancing drugs.

According to the newspaper, Galea has developed a blood-spinning technique -- platelet-rich plasma therapy -- to help speed post-surgery recovery.

Galea visited Woods' home in Florida at least four times in February and March, the newspaper reported, to provide that platelet therapy after his agents were concerned by his slow recovery from June 2008 knee surgery.

Asked about Woods' involvement with Galea, agent Mark Steinberg told the newspaper in an e-mail: "I would really ask that you guys don't write this? If Tiger is NOT implicated, and won't be, let's please give the kid a break."

Woods announced Friday he is taking an indefinite leave from golf to work on his marriage after allegations of infidelity surfaced in recent weeks.

A message was left by The Associated Press late Monday night seeking comment from Steinberg.

Torres told the newspaper Galea found a previously undiagnosed tear in her quad tendon.

"Excluding draining my knee, he has never treated me, but I did see his chiropractor who did soft-tissue work on my leg," she said in an e-mail to the Times. "That was the extent of my visit with him."

Her agent, Evan Morgenstein, told the AP that Torres was not available for comment Monday night.

Brian H. Greenspan, Galea's criminal defense attorney, said an investigation will vindicate his client.

"Dr. Galea was never engaged in any wrongdoing or any impropriety," Greenspan said. "Not only does he have a reputation that is impeccable, he is a person at the every top of his profession."

Galea, who acknowledged he has used human growth hormone himself for 10 years, told the newspaper he never gave any athletes HGH, which is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. And Galea told the Times he has never combined HGH or Actovegin with his platelet treatments.

"All these athletes come see me in Canada cause I fix them, and I think people just assume that I'm giving them stuff," he told the newspaper. "They don't have to come to me to get HGH and steroids. You can walk into your local gym in New York and get HGH."

Galea is also being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for smuggling, advertising and selling unapproved drugs as well as criminal conspiracy, the Times reported.

"I must lose myself in action, lest I wither in despair."

- Alfred Lord Tennyson -