Talk about Sports

Norv Turner received a note last week from Josh Whitman, a former player for the San Diego Chargers and now the athletic director at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. Whitman played only one season under Turner, in 2001, when Turner was the offensive coordinator, but Whitman wanted to thank him for everything he'd done for him. "On the bottom of it he said, 'you changed my life,'" Turner told reporters Monday during his final press conference after being fired by the Chargers. "And that's what you're trying to do as a coach." They call it "Black Monday" in the NFL. There's breathless speculation and posturing leading up to it, and a race to report the news. There are fans hoping for the news their coach gets fired, with the Chargers' faithful using the hashtag #FireNorv on Twitter for a long time now. But behind all of the names scrolling across the bottom of the screen or popping up on Twitter feeds are human beings who just lost their dream jobs. Well-paid human beings who just... more... - CarlC, spelling expert from Bookmarklet

Many teams in the Canadian Hockey League have a Teddy Bear Toss game in early December. The idea is to collect thousands of bears to be distributed to kids in need. They could be something to hold on to for kids in the hospital, or a friend to cuddle at an emergency site (car crash, house fire). It’s a great event that packs the house each year. We packed up the boys for the Calgary Hitmen’s 2012 Teddy Bear Toss experience and it didn’t disappoint. The anticipation in the arena is like an overtime game. Every close call is met with a huge OOOOOHHH!! from the crowd. I was surprised there wasn’t an itchy trigger finger in the house as the Hitmen swarmed Kootenay wanting to get the goal early. Eventually it came when Padakin scored at 13:27 of the first period and 25 000 teddy bears were tossed from the rafters: - CarlC, spelling expert

It took nearly 45 minutes to scoop the Teddy Bear Toss bears up. They are loaded into HUGE plastic bags, and then tossed in the back of pickup trucks driven onto the ice. The home team has a lot of fun posing for pictures in the animals and helping fill the bags, while the visitors head to the dressing room to wait out the long delay. With the nets now up in the end zones of modern... more... - CarlC, spelling expert

http://www.buzzbishop.com/blog... - CarlC, spelling expert

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - South African cyclist David George, a former teammate of Lance Armstrong, has tested positive for blood-boosting EPO. South Africa's Institute for Drug-Free Sport said Tuesday that George, who cycled with Armstrong on the U.S. Postal Service team in 1999 and 2000, failed a doping test on Aug. 29. George has been provisionally suspended and faces a doping tribunal. "His biological passport indicated suspicious activity and that triggered a targeted test for EPO,'' SAIDS chief executive Khalid Galant said. "A subsequent urine test came back positive for the banned EPO drug.'' EPO, or Erythropoietin, increases the red blood cell count and increases an athlete's oxygen carrying capacity. Last month, Armstrong was banned for life by the International Cycling Union and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles because of his role in a doping scandal, which was outlined in a report by the U.S. Anti-doping Agency. George won silver in the road race at the 2006... more... - CarlC, spelling expert from Bookmarklet

Not surprised about the latest news on cycling. I suspect that this is just the beginning of outing of other professional cyclists....unfortunately. - CarlC, spelling expert

At various points over the past two years, we've described NBA legend Allen Iverson's attempts to find a roster spot. The days of The Answer's all-encompassing basketball celebrity are long gone — teams have decided that he never transitioned out of superstardom particularly well and consider him a less-than-stellar veteran presence. So while Iverson still harbors dreams of playing in the world's best league, he also realizes he probably has to ply his trade at another level of the game. Not all those options are bad, though. In fact, A.I. claims to have plans to play in China if the NBA doesn't come calling. From the Chinese publication NetEase, as translated by HoopsHype (via PBT): Iverson replied: "I definitely want to return to the NBA, but if I can't get back there, I'm hoping to play ball here (China)." With regards to his team of choice, Iverson chose to reply obliquely, saying: "I'm not leaning towards any one team, and there's no 'first choice' like what the others say."... more... - CarlC, spelling expert from Bookmarklet

However, these quotes suggest that Iverson would not be content treating a career in China as a functional victory lap for a job well done in the NBA. If his primary concern is to feel wanted as a basketball player, then Iverson clearly still considers himself to be a valuable talent with the ability to help a franchise towards very real goals. Playing in China wouldn't be a branding... more... - CarlC, spelling expert

Poor Yao Ming. They cut his head off in the pic. - CarlC, spelling expert