Each National Hockey League franchise has dreamt of landing the first overall pick at the NHL Entry Draft at least once in their existence. It’s inevitable. When the time does come, management must disarm their short-term aspirations and insert thoughts about what blue chipper is worthy of their enviable position in the draft order. Whether it’s a […]

It was February 15, 2011, when Theoren Fleury glided off the ice for a short breather during intermission at a charity old-timers’ hockey game. In a dim hallway, the Stanley Cup andOlympic champion calmly addressed local media types about the impact Playing With Fire(2009) has had on his life. “I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I […]

Raul Ibanez has certainly learned his fair share of things on the baseball diamond, and he has learned a lot away from it as well. After a stint with the Kansas City Royals, Ibanez returned to the Seattle Mariners – the team that drafted him in 2004 – and took note of the notable charitable efforts […]

Between my sophomore and junior years of high school in 2006, my parents came to me and asked if I would be okay with a foreign exchange student living in our home for a year. I quickly agreed that it would be a wonderful experience, as did my little brother. That summer we received a […]

Baron Davis is an unpredictable man. So unpredictable in fact that when the Jungle Book 2 shows up listed in the filmography of his IMDB profile, it prompts little suspicion. Over the past half decade, in addition to his work running offenses in the NBA, Davis has emerged as a promising young film maker and producer, even acting occasionally on television and in […]

Entering the 2010-11 regular season, Mark McNeill wasn’t even on the radar as a potential first-round draft pick for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. In fact, the Prince Albert Raiders center wasn’t even listed on Central Scouting’s preliminary rankings of the top 25 North American skaters last November. He was absent from International Scouting Services’ October, 2010 top […]

Among usual NHL and NBA playoff intensity and the progression of baseball season as June approaches, this spring has the added wrinkle of an ongoing NFL lockout making it a unique one for sports fans in many cites. One of those cities in a maelstorm of activity is Chicago. A city with a loyal fan […]

It wasn’t always this way, but that doesn’t mean this way isn’t better. Maybe Tyson Chandlertells himself this as he sprints down the the American Airlines Center court to beat his man to the block. Then again, maybe he’s moved on. The faces that surround him these days aren’t the faces he set out with a […]

When the Tampa Bay Rays shipped Scott Kazmir to Los Angeles in 2009, they did so for two prospects and a player to be named later. That player turned out to be Sean Rodriguez. It’s no secret that players with the “named later” tag aren’t exactly the foundation of the deals in which they’re included, rarely sticking with […]

Less than one year ago, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert boldly proclaimed, “I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA Championship before the self-titled former ‘King’ wins one. You can take it to the bank.” At the time, it seemed ridiculous, and as this past season progressed, it seemed to become even more outlandish. By the […]