Sarah Jones is getting a reality show

The Cincinnati Enquirer as well as the sports site the Big Lead, are reporting that former Ben-Gal Sarah Jones will be starring in a reality show produced by the producers of the Jersey Shore.

The former cheerleader and teacher admitted to having sex with a student in court earlier this year.  It is unknown if the student will be involved, but the report suggests it will follow both of their lives after the court case.

Good ole reality TV out here glorifying criminals. Cant say I'm surprised. 

James Harden traded to the Rockets

Yahoo sports is reporting that the Thunder have traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin and a few future picks.

Harden turned down a $52 million extension from the Thunder recently, and was clearly in search of a max deal. Still surprising that Oklahoma City would trade him before the season even begins, but he may get the deal he was looking for in Houston.

This means that Serge Ibaka will likely stay with the Thunder, as it was essentially a take-your-pick situation for them.

Marcus Lattimore's horrific knee injury

If you havent seen this yet it is pretty gruesome. South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore was knocked out of the game earlier today with a sever knee injury.

The video is below but be warned it is nasty.

It is now being reported that Lattimore broke his femur as well as tearing all four ligaments in his knee. Our prayers go out to him as he copes with his injury.

Beating the Heat

Last year the big three experiment in Miami gave south beach what they expected, an NBA title. And LeBron finally got his ring so the media and stop doubting him. They finally learned how to play together, and even through injuries they ran through the playoffs and hung up a banner. This year with the addition of Ray Allen, Wade's knee healthy and a few other signings they look to be even better than last year, which is a scary thought. But this begs one question. Can any other team in the NBA beat the Heat?

Regardless of what Celtics fans will tell you, they have taken a step back. Peirce and Garnett have gotten another year older and they lost Ray Allen in free agency to Miami. They drafted Jared Sullinger, and undersized big man with back issues, and Fab Melo who was suspended at Syracuse and wasn't projected to be drafted. They will need Rajon Rondo to be their main scoring option and he isn't always reliable, but he can go off like we witnessed in the playoffs last year. Add in Avery Bradley who is coming off injury and they have a number of questions. They could be very good if everything clicks, but the could also be a disaster. With their combination of aging stars and rookies, they will struggle at some point and possibly break down because of age in the playoffs. They can't keep up with the Heat and have no one that can check LeBron. The Celtics are in decline, and cannot beat the Heat.

Another team that probably has the best shot of winning a series against Miami is the Oklahoma City Thunder. They made a solid run last year and made it to the NBA finals, but fell to the Heat. They are a very young team and in a year or two if they keep all their pieces together they could be poised to win a title, but that is a big if. James Harden and Serge Ibaka will both want max contracts and Harden could even be traded before seasons end if Oklahoma City decides not to give him the deal he wants. They are a very good team, but are too young and can't handle the defense the Heat throw at them which was proven in the finals. They just aren't there yet, and it will be hard for them to keep the team together. They can't beat the Heat.

The Lakers? With an aging Kobe and already aged Steve Nash, a hurt Dwight Howard, and a crazier than ever Ron Artest? Child please.

The Gold Standard

Last Friday night, the next chapter in the John Calipari dynasty began. Highlights of the past years, and past teams that he has brought in flashes on the Rupp Arena floor and goosebumps ran down the arms of everyone in attendance. Highlights of John Wall's dunk in Bloomington, Demarcus Cousins put back in the SEC tournament, and of course the one shining moment montage of Kentucky's 2012 title run. Complete with a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist smile.

After that UK students chanted the names of incoming recruits, and possible recruits in attendance. Not to mention the show put on by the likes of Archie Goodwin, Alex Poythress and Nerlens Noel. Even Ryan Harrow and his mini-flat top got in on the dunkfest on Friday night. It was a celebration of the greatest tradition in college basketball, and no one does it like Kentucky. The front page of ESPN was a shot from Big Blue Madness. Think about that, all the while MLB playoffs, college football and the NBA preseason were happening the front page belonged to Kentucky simply for a practice. A PRACTICE. That is the definition of the Kentucky effect. Cal has made this program into a dynasty, as promised.

In 3 years Cal has taken his place on his throne in the bluegrass. Not one other program can do the things that Kentucky can. No one. Not Duke, not North Carolina, not Kansas. Ask Julius Randle. Cal showed his new championship ring to Randle and Roy Williams brought a box of 30 conference rings to show him. A week later Randle dropped UNC from his list. Williams looked desperate. Cal doesn't have to try and out recruit other schools, the recruits line up to play for him. He is the best recruiter of our generation, and now he has the best program to bring them to.

This program is the gold standard. Kentucky has become the cool place to be, the place where college kids become rock stars. Big Blue Madness draws them in. They see the bright lights and the way these fans go nuts for thier team. Add in coach Cal and you can't go wrong.

With the Big Blue Nation, John Calipari, and a shiny new championship trophy Kentucky is head and shoulders above any other program.

The sky is the limit for the Cats.

Catch an inside look at the gold standard program tonight at 7pm on ESPN when they air an all access look at the Kentucky basketball program.

It All Comes Down to Game 5

Momentum swings as easy as a ball takes a bad hop. One bad hop. One that Scott Rolen is usually as sure handed in fielding as anyone in baseball. One step. One safe call and a whole series swings the other way.

After taking two games in San Francisco the Reds were up 2-0 and headed home to a sellout crowd ant Great American Ballpark. After overcoming an injury to Johnny Cueto they stole a win from the Giants in Game one, and then the Bats came alive and they beat the brakes off of the Giants in game two. The Giants stole game 3 on the bad hop i described. Then they made the fatal mistake. They didn't have much choice but they started Mike Leake, who wasn't even on the playoff roster, in game 4.

Two pitches. It only took two pitches for the Giants to take over game 4. Angel Pagan took Leake deep in the first inning and even though the Reds recovered and tied the game at one, Leake and the bullpen couldn't stop the bleeding and San Fran busted it wide open to eventually take a 8-3 less and didn't look back. From there the Reds couldn't claw back and now everything rides on game 5.

They have to call once again on the hero in game 1 who begged to be out in after Cueto's injury, Mat Latos. Latos has been lights out as of late and stayed hot in game 1 as he shut down the Giants, who he very openly despises. With the offense of this team sputtering the pressure now falls onto the shoulders of Latos. In my opinion there is no one on the pitching staff that I would rather see pitching a decisive game. The guy has the fire and passion for the game more than any pitcher I've ever watched in Cincinnati. And he knows how to focus that aggression on every hitter he faces. He is a work horse, and the Reds will need every bit of his fire on Thursday afternoon, and I have no doubt that he will deliver.

Game 5 starts at 1:07 today, and the Reds playoff lives hang in the balance. I'm predicting Latos has a stellar outing and the Reds squeak out a win and advance.

Lets hope so.

Go Reds.

Calipari doesn't need to cheat

You hear it every day from fans of rival teams, uninformed sports fans, and even the occasional grumpy old coach in a red sweater. (I’m looking at you Bobby Knight) but the notion that John Calipari cheats to bring in top recruits is absolute nonsense. Why in the world would he even need to risk it? He puts countless players in the NBA, hangs up banner after banner, and makes 19 year old kids into house hold names. He makes these kids into rock stars. He doesn't  cheat, and he doesn’t need to not by a long shot.

John Calipari has everything he needs to lure top recruit after top recruit to the bluegrass. He has the marquee program in college basketball, with a rich history to match. He has made players millions by making them lottery picks after just one year. Oh yeah he is also friends with major music stars like Jay-Z and Drake. Not to mention he brings the likes of LeBron James into Rupp Arena to sit court side. Cal has all the bells and whistles. He runs an NBA factory. You’re telling me that Cal can give a kid the chance to hang out with people they have posters of in their rooms, but that he has to pay them to commit? If you believe that then you are simply fooling yourself. He gives these kids the opportunity to meet their idols while becoming one themselves. Ask John Wall or Anthony Davis how that feels. By March those kids were the center of college basketball, and quickly became superstars and number one draft picks. And they have Cal to thank.

I hear every day from the Cal haters that he must be cheating, he must be paying players because there’s no way he could get all the best recruits cleanly. Well he does, and to be honest people should be suspicious anytime a school other than Duke or North Carolina takes a recruit from Cal. Why wouldn’t a top talent go to Kentucky unless they went to a top level school? Why would a kid pick Maryland, Michigan or UCLA over the king of the mountain, Kentucky?  If these fans want the NCAA to go on a witch hunt, they should start with small schools that pull a top recruit out of nowhere.  Logically, and if all programs operate under the same parameters, then Cal should never lose a recruit to a school that isn’t a top tier program. Cal doesn’t have the incentive to cheat, everyone else does because they have to try and beat Cal.

On top of all that? Throw in a national championship. He has everything a recruit would want, so he doesn’t have to offer up anything extra. The NCAA can investigate players all they want and they can feed information to writers like Pete Thamel to try and dig up dirt. The proof is right in front of them. Cal has everything a recruit would want. He doesn’t have to cheat to make up for a lack of winning, or a lack of exposure, and surely not a lack of making players into lottery picks. Everyone else does. Cal has it all, and the recruits that come to Kentucky see it plain as day.

People are jealous. They don’t want to believe that John Calipari can stack top recruiting classes on top of each other year after year without using dirty tactics. They don’t want to believe that he is on his way to becoming of the greatest coaches of all time, quite possibly the greatest. People don’t want to believe that he is real.

He is real, and he is spectacular.

Let Nerlens be Nerlens

Last year Anthony Davis shattered the single season blocks record at Kentucky. This year it could already be broken. By the likes of one Nerlens Noel. Even as Davis put up huge numbers, analysts proclaimed Noel as an even better shot blocker. This couldn't be true could it? It looks as if it is. All reports coming from UK practice say that Noel is quicker off his feet, and has a shot blocking mindset that Davis lacked. However before we start comparing him to Davis, we need to let Nerlens be Nerlens.

Anthony Davis is a once in a decade talent in college basketball, he won just about every award imaginable. He set records and led his team to a national championship. To compare Noel to Davis is unfair, but it is the reality of Kentucky basketball. The highest of expectations are placed on players shoulders. We expect a championship every year. And while Noel has a chance to be every bit as good as Davis, let's not rush it.

While Noel may be an even better defensive player than Davis and can go up and get lobs just like him, the offensive game is where the comparison changes. Noel's shot is not nearly as polished as Davis's silky smooth jumper, and he also doesn't have the range of Davis, who can step back and occasionally throw up the three goggles. Noel isn't stagnant on offense, but he plays more a traditional big man offense compared to the all around style of Davis. I'm not saying Noel couldn't blossom into as big a star as Anthony Davis, but lets just wait and see. Let the big man carve his own path instead of fans forcing him to try and become Davis.

One thing they both have in common is a signature style of hair. Davis's unibrow caught on big time to the point that he even trademarked it. Nerlens rocks the flat top reminiscent of the Fresh Prince.

Can Nerlens bring home as much hardware as Davis? Can he hang a ninth banner in Rupp Arena? That remains to be seen. But if he does, he will do it his way. Not the way Anthony Davis or anyone else did.

We need to let Nerlens be Nerlens, and enjoy the ride.

Go Cats.

THE TOP: Quarterbacks in the NFL

 Welcome to the first post of The Top on The Flex. Every week i will be releasing a list of the top 32 (starting) players in the NFL at each position during the 2012 season. The first post goes out to none other than the quarterback, the most important position on the field when it comes to winning and leading a team to a Superbowl. As much as I would love to be biased in my opinion and make my favorites the best I decided to take the professional route and base my list on stats, how they manage their teams on the field, and potential seen in watching them play. Although some may disagree with my opinions i tried to keep it as fair as i could so bare with me. Lets get it started!

#32. Brandon Weeden

Cleveland Browns

 

#31. Ryan Tannehill

Miami Dolphins

 

 


#30. Russell Wilson

Seattle Seahawks

#29. Blaine Gabbert

Jacksonville Jaguars

 

  

#28. Jake Locker

Tennessee Titans

  

#27. Mark Sanchez 

New York Jets

#26. Matt Cassell

Kansas City Chiefs

#25. Ryan Fitzpatrick

Buffalo Bills

#24. Josh Freeman

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

#23. Christian Ponder

Minnesota Vikings

#22. Sam Bradford

St. Louis Rams

#21. Kevin Kolb

Arizona Cardinals

#20. Carson Palmer

Oakland Raiders

#19. Alex Smith

San Fransisco 49ers

#18. Cam Newton

Carolina Panthers

#17. Andrew Luck

Indianapolis Colts

#16. Matthew Stafford

Detroit Lions

#15. Jay Cutler

Chicago Bears

#14. Tony Romo

Dallas Cowboys

#13. Mike Vick

Philadelphia Eagles

#12. Robert Griffin III

Washington Redskins

#11. Andy Dalton

Cincinnati Bengals

#10. Philip Rivers

San Diego Chargers

#9. Matt Schaub

Houston Texans

#8. Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh Steelers

#7. Eli Manning

New York Giants

#6. Peyton Manning

Denver Broncos

#5. Joe Flacco

Baltimore Ravens

#4. Matt Ryan

Atlanta Falcons

#3. Aaron Rodgers

Green Bay Packers

#2. Drew Brees

New Orleans Saints

#1. Tom Brady

New England Patriots

You either love him or hate him but no matter what it is you cant deny Tom Brady is the best QB in the NFL. His mantle is full of awards and trophies and he continues putting up the numbers that show he will go down as one of the best of all time.

A New Era

A new era is upon us in Cincinnati. That became apparent last year with the drafting of Andy Dalton as our franchise quarterback, and the new face of the franchise. Dalton also got a shiny new weapon, the monstrous A.J. Green. Green was taken number 4 in the draft, and immediately became the Bengals top target. We knew from week one that we would see Andy to A.J. over and over for hopefully a decade. The Bengals got a new face, a new identity, and a young core of players to usher in a new era of football in the Queen City.

Before Dalton, fans had to suffer through 3 seasons of a very mediocre Carson Palmer. Once a top draft pick, and a savior to the city Palmer had suffered a terrible knee injury in the 2005 playoffs, and had never been the same since then. After the 2010 season, an unhappy Palmer demanded a trade, but of course the always stubborn Mike Brown refused to trade his franchise quarterback. Palmer decided not to play, he chose to sit out all off season and even into the 2011 season. While Palmer sat at home pouting, and probably overthrowing neighborhood kids in pick up games, the Bengals selected his replacement. They were tired of waiting on Palmer and signaled a changing of the guard by selecting the redheaded quarterback from TCU in the second round. Dalton was named the starter, and in week 9 the Bengals finally traded the disgruntled Palmer to the Raiders. With Carson gone, Andy became the big shot in Cincinnati. The quarterback spot was his for hopefully his entire career, and with a spectacular rookie season where he led the Bengals to a playoff berth, he made sure the city could forget all about Carson Palmer. The Red Rifle was born.

A.J. Green was a humble, hardworking, quiet, young receiver. Something that Cincinnati had not seen in a long long time. Instead, the had Chad Johnson. In the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Johnson was one of the best receivers in the league, and ans put up with his touchdown dances, his mouthing off, and his pouting. Once he stopped putting up numbers, the city and the team grew tired of his act. After multiple trade demands his skills diminished and Cincinnati found itself without a legitimate number one receiver. We thought we had something in T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but he bolted for the Seahawks and hasn't been heard from since. Before the draft, Johnson was shipped to the New England Patriots, and we fell in love with a tall receiver from Georgia named Adrial Jeremiah Green. He was drafted in he first round, and it didn't take long to see that the Bengals had found themselves a freak athlete, reminiscent of Randy Moss.

In a whirlwind of a few weeks the Bengals went from a baby of a quarterback to a young gun who the city could get excited about. Palmer had fallen from grace, shown his true colors and cut and run from is team. He proved what we had suspected, that he would never be the leader we wanted him to be. He was across the country, and the wide receiver that he and Marvin Lewis had to baby sit for 6 years was in New England bringing Gatorade to Tom Brady. Now they had a humble receiver who was the dynamic play maker they had been looking for for years.

Throw in the likes of Benjarvus Green-Ellis, the young Andrew Hawkins bursting onto the scene, and a revamped defense led by Mike Zimmer, and you can barely recognize any old faces from he Palmer years. This team looks like a young hungry team, looking to improve upon last season and a team that finally has the red headed leader they always yearned for. We expected that red head to be Carson Palmer, but we got Andy Dalton. What looked like a mess was quickly turned into something exciting. Old problems were flipped into new hope, and the players we worried about getting along were finally sent on their way.

It took too long. We had to be dragged through the mud, but it was worth it. The reset button was hit in 2011 and it has worked wonders. Now tied for the lead in the AFC North the Bengals look to be set up for another year of success.
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As for Palmer? He is overthrowing no name receivers in Oakland and making Kansas City defensive backs very happy. Chad Johnson? He was cut by the Dolphins before the season even started and is probably with T.O. taping a talk show in his basement.

I would say the Bengals made the right decision

Who Dey

The Awesomeness of Gus Johnson

If you could build an ideal announcer to call all of your favorite team's games, it would be Gus Johnson. He screams and jumps up and down with us, he gets as excited as the fans which makes it feel as if one of your friends in the living room is calling the game. He is essentially a fan with a microphone, and he is what more announcers should be like. In the most exciting moments of a game, he exemplifies that excitement and makes it that much better.

Announcers these days simply seem to not have a pulse while calling the game. I've heard countless Joe Buck calls of some of the biggest moments in sports in recent years, and it seems like someone is forcing him to watch the game. Unlike Gus, he doesn't seem to enjoy it or get into the game like fans do. Fans can relate to Gus because we scream and get crazy and jump out if our seats for big plays just like he does. Gus brings the highest energy to the biggest plays in each game that he calls, regardless of who is playing or what is at stakes. Whether it's a championship game, or a week two game that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things Gus keeps you interested and makes you feel invested in the game. He shows that the game means something to him, so you feel like it means something to you too. That is a rare talent in a sports announcer, especially nowadays.

Now simply being loud and yelling isn't the only thing that makes Gus spectacular, if that was true we would all love Chris Berman. Gus doesn't make incoherent noises as a running back breaks off a 20 yard run, he still calls the game very articulately he just expresses his enthusiasm while he does it. He isn't Berman who gives players silly nicknames for only reasons that he knows, and he doesn't yell at any random moment during a broadcast, he makes the big moments feel even bigger. Gus picks his spots and knows when to go over the top simply by paying attention and thinking like a fan. He sees a big play, and reacts. It seems very natural and he doesn't force it.

 Gus makes himself seem human, he lets us onto the fact that he is invested emotionally into these games, just as much as we are. That's why we love him. No he isn't always professional, but who cares. Professionalism doesn't always make for the best broadcast. Sports aren't about professionalism. Sports are about the highs and the lows, the excitement and disappointment that keep us coming back for more. I don't want some robot in the booth who sounds like his dog just got ran over, i want someone who expresses those highs and lows.

He goes overboard sometimes, but i don't want my announcers to be perfect, i don't want a robot. I want a human being who gets caught up in the moment just like we the fans do. No, its not professional and maybe not what our watered down society has come to expect but its fun. Its real fun. And at the end of the day if i have to choose between professional and fun, i don't know many fans who would choose professional. I sure wouldn't.

When it comes to announcers, you take your Joe Buck, your Bob Costas and your Jim Nantz. Ill take Gus. Any sport, anytime, any teams. Ill take Gus.