I AM THE ONE

That is One Video Scottie Pippen might want to watch.

During an interview with ESPN radio last Friday, Scottie Pippen said that Michael Jordan “is probably the greatest scorer to play the game” but LeBron James “may be the greatest player to ever play the game.”

After watching James and the Heat begin the celebration early, only to blow a 15-point fourth quarter lead to the Dallas Mavericks during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals last night, Pippen may be thinking about taking back his rather questionable statement from a week ago.

And if LeBron’s un-Jordan-like performance from last night wasn’t enough to convince Pippen that M.J., among several others, is still greater than James (six rings to zero, by my count), perhaps this video will do the trick.

Quarterback Michael Vick has signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, his agent, Joel Segal, confirmed to ESPN.com.

Vick arrived in Philadelphia Tuesday morning and remained there Wednesday evening. The Eagles will hold a news conference on Friday morning to announce his signing. The first year of the deal is for $1.6 million deal with an option for the second year at $5.2 million, FoxSports.com reports.

Vick was the No. 1 draft pick in 2001, and once the highest-paid player in football. But he has not played since 2006 when his career came tumbling down. He was convicted in August 2007 of conspiracy and running a dogfighting operation, sentenced to 23 months in federal prison and suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

But after serving his time and being released from home confinement July 20, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally lifted Vick's suspension, allowing him to sign with a team.

Vick can immediately take part in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games.

Once the season begins, Vick may participate in all team activities except games, and Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6 (Oct. 18-19) at the latest.

Vick filed for bankruptcy protection last July, listing assets of about $16 million and debts of more than $20 million.

Vick pleaded guilty after his three co-defendants had already done so. They told of how Vick participated in the killing of dogs that didn't perform well in test fights by shooting, hanging, drowning or slamming them to the ground.

Vick's appearances at federal court in Richmond, Va., prompted large groups of protesters to gather outside. Many were with PETA and held signs depicting photographs of pit bulls ravaged in dogfights.

Still, there were supporters who wore his No. 7 jersey.

The Eagles travel to meet Vick's former team, the Atlanta Falcons, in Week 13 on Dec. 6.

Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL anlyst. ESPN's Sal Paolantonio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LAS VEGAS – Kimbo Slice, the controversial heavyweight who in 2008 headlined the most-viewed mixed martial arts card in history, will be one of 16 contestants on the forthcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s reality TV series.Dana White, the UFC’s outspoken president, has repeatedly mocked Slice for his lack of fighting ability. Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, became a cult figure by competing in street fights that were posted on YouTube. Slice’s “bouts” drew tens of millions of views and led him to turn professional.He fought for the now defunct Elite XC, garnering massive media attention but getting mocked by White and others affiliated with the UFC for a lack of ability.White has called him a “joke,” a “bum” and “not a real fighter,” among other less than kind descriptions. He said that Slice would “get murdered if he fought in the UFC” and suggested that his lightweight champion, 155-pound B.J. Penn, would “annihilate” the 230-pound Slice.The UFC president has repeatedly insisted he would not allow Slice to compete in the UFC unless he won his way onto the show by competing on “The Ultimate Fighter.”Slice has called White’s bluff and will appear on Season 10 of the highly rated Spike TV series, White has confirmed. Fighters live in the same house and train together, and then fight during the show in a bid to earn a UFC contract.His appearance, along with that of former UFC light heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans as coaches, should guarantee massive ratings.“It should be interesting, given some of the things I’ve said about him,” White said.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Suspended NFL star Michael Vick left a Kansas prison before dawn Wednesday to begin home confinement in Virginia, one of his attorneys said, the latest step on a journey that Vick hopes will lead to his reinstatement.

Vick, who turns 29 in June, slipped past waiting cameras and reporters undetected to leave a federal penitentiary in Leavenworth after serving 19 months for financing a dogfighting ring. He was headed to Virginia by car to begin two months of home confinement at his five-bedroom house in Hampton before a scheduled released from federal custody on July 20.
He was accompanied by his fiance, Kijafa Frink, and they were traveling back to Virginia with several members of a security team arranged for by Vick's team of lawyers and advisers, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Full Story Here-->http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9588528/Vick-released-from-Leavenworth,-heading-home

WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin got his first playoff hat trick. Sidney Crosby matched him, but his was too little, too late.

Ovechkin broke open a tie game with a pair of goals less than 3 minutes apart in the third period Monday night, leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins and a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Story continued---> http://espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=290504023

Craziest Football Shit you will ever see

"I'm not worth 8 Mill"

If you haven't already heard, Jason Taylor was on the Junkies on WFJK this morning and offered a fairly scathing assessment of his own season, concluding with this:

"I'm a realist. You can tell me the truth, and I'm fine with that. Because at the end of the day, most of us know the truth and some times some guys are just afraid to admit it, but I'm not worth 8 million dollars....You know what, I'll tell you, I may not be worth 8 million dollars, but I know one thing, this dog can still hunt. This dog can still hunt. Put me in the right situation, the right position and I'll hunt all day."

He was also asked if he'd be surprised if ties were severed between him and the Skins in the offseason.

"Would I be surprised? No. If I'm not back, I wouldn't be surprised," he said, as the $8 million figure was brought up. "And I'm not worth it," he said, "so I would not be surprised at all."

But when asked whether there were one-on-one matchups he hasn't won this year, he seemed less critical of himself.

"Are there times? Yes," he said. "And there's been times throughout 11 years that yes, I've not beaten one-on-ones, because that other guy does get paid, too, he's gonna win one-on-ones, too. But there hasn't been as many as people think. If people really put the tape on and watched defensively the situations we get ourselves in, you know there's a lot that goes into getting after quarterbacks."

Earlier, he discussed the injuries that have sidetracked both him and his team, saying that he probably should have sat out more time with his leg issue but that he was being "hard-headed."

"Number one, every team is hurt," he said. "That's a fact, every team is hurt. Now, there's a difference between stating a fact and issuing yourself an excuse. So if you state a fact and say, 'We're a banged-up team, we've got a lot of guys hurt,' then that's a fact. If you start using that as a crutch or an excuse, that's kind of when it becomes a problem. You asked me in particular what my problem is. Do I think I'm too old? No. Have I been hurt? Yes, I've been hurt. I've had two surgeries in the last two months, and haven't had but one in 11 years. But at the end of the day, I'll be the first to tell you, I stink right now. I need to play better. I need to get comfortable and play better."

Two more notable bits. His "put me in the right position" thing smacked of dissatisfaction at his role, and the Junkies followed up with a question about that, asking whether this was an ideal system for his skills.

"I'm not here to complain," he said. "I'm just a player, and this is the scheme, and I've got to fit into it and find a way to make me successful in it. It's not the ideal, if I had my druthers, but it is what it is. It's fine."

And he was asked about the rumors about Jim Zorn's job security.

"I've never seen a situation where a first-year coach would be worried about his job with seven wins," he said. "I understand that things are done differently up here....[but] I wouldn't expect it. I've heard on the radio some people say they wouldn't be surprised if it happened or they expect it to happen, but that's tough. And it's tough for Coach Zorn to have to worry about that at this point right now...to have to worry about your job in your first year when you've won seven games. And I understand we were 6-2 and we should be a lot better off, however, that's still tough working conditions for him."

NBA Top 10 Plays Last Weeek

1.Steelers
2.Titans
3.Panthers
4.Giants
5.Colts
These are the top 5 click link below for the rest

Fedor Emelianeko, considered to be one of the best MMA fighters in the world not currently under contract to UFC, issued a statement challenging new UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to a MMA fight. Here is the official statement, released by the company Fedor is signed to, M-1:

M-1's Official Statement on Brock Lesnar's victory

M-1 would like to congratulate Brock Lesnar on his UFC heavyweight title victory as well as acknowledge Randy Couture's return to active competition after a layoff that lasted over a year.

Couture and WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko had publicly acknowledged a desire to fight each other multiple times over the course of the past year. While M-1 and Fedor remain interested in a match against Couture, we would also like to publicly state for the record that we would welcome a superfight between Fedor and Lesnar that would be held as a co-promoted event between the UFC, M-1, and Affliction Entertainment.

We've invited the media to speak with us today to not only make it clear we would welcome a Fedor vs. Lesnar matchup but to act in a preemptive fashion to address the possibility that UFC officials will try and position Lesnar as the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, much like they have tried to use a marketing ploy to brand Anderson Silfva as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

In the past, UFC president Dana White and Zuffa, LLC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have tried to claim that Fedor was "overrated" and that his "record was irrelevant." They make these claims in spite of the fact that Fedor holds career victories over UFC champions past and present. While we have tremendous respect for the contributions Mr. Fertitta and Dana have made to this sport, we do not believe they are sincere in their statements.

It is the position of M-1 that the UFC has adopted an anti-Fedor policy because multiple attempts to sign him have not been fruitful. For a company that has tried to market itself as the number one promotion in the world, they are unable to accept the fact that the number one fighter in the world does not reside on its roster of contracted fighters.

We believe that the UFC has determined that it's much more inexpensive for them to use their marketing resources to use smoke and mirrors to brand a fighter as the pound-for-pound best as opposed to actually paying the pound-for-pound best what he is truly worth on the open market.

While Brock Lesnar is an accomplished athlete and a talented fighter, we do not consider him to be the number one heavyweight in the world. Until someone beats him, we strongly believe that Fedor should continue to be recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. In a match between Fedor and Lesnar, we do not feel that at this stage Lesnar would be able to make it out of the first round.

For those who feel our statements in regards to Fedor are self-serving, we'd like to refer you to a video interview on the website RawVegas.tv in which at his UFC 91 after-party Couture himself acknowledges that "Fedor would probably tear Brock up at this point."

As the Cleveland Cavaliers relentlessly try to accumulate talent to surround MVP favorite LeBron James, the unending question is this: Do they dare mess with a franchise on a collision course with the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals?

The Cavaliers have had ongoing discussions with the Miami Heat about an Anderson Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak for Shawn Marion trade, a league executive familiar with the discussions said.

So, here is what the Cavs are asking themselves now: Do we dare?

Miami has had discussions with several teams lately on Marion, including the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings, sources say, but Cleveland could deliver the most intriguing proposition. Marion has struggled with the Heat – averaging well below his career averages in scoring and rebounding – but several league executives believe he’ll be more motivated and valuable with a championship contender. That’s the reason Cleveland is entertaining the possibility. GM Danny Ferry and coach Mike Brown are wondering whether Marion could be the difference in a conference final against the Celtics.

Nothing is imminent, but it’s an intriguing possibility. Since Marion’s trade to Miami for Shaquille O’Neal last season, his value has steadily declined. Before the season, his agent, Dan Fegan, turned down a three-year, $30 million extension. Marion will be lucky to get more on the market this summer. Marion, 30, makes $17.8 million this season.

For the Heat, Szczerbiak has a $13 million expiring contract, and Varejao has a player’s option on $6.2 million. He’ll likely opt out. This leaves Miami with a chance to negotiate a new contract with Varejao, or let him lapse and allow the Heat even more cap space for the summer.. Still, Cleveland is 20-4 and hesitant to mess with the chemistry. Nevertheless, the Cavs are trying desperately to win a championship with James prior to 2010 free agency.

Brown loves to play big lineups with Varejao on the floor, but Marion could give the Cavs the versatility on defense that he did the Suns. In the same series, Marion could cover Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Against the Celtics, Marion could spend time on Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett. For the Cavs, it’s something to consider as the days and weeks churn toward the Feb. 17 trade deadline.

League executives say that the agent for ex-Hornets shooter Jannero Pargo is trying to create a market for the exiled guard in the NBA.

Because the Moscow Dynamo have been slow to pay the guard and his agent this season, Mark Bartelstein could have grounds to terminate Pargo’s contract with the elite Russian team based on late payments to his $3.8 million contract. Multiple teams have interest, but the New York Knicks are considered the favorite because so few teams are willing to significantly increase payroll in these economic times.

After New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn made general manager Jeff Bower withdraw an offer to keep Pargo over the summer, the free agent guard’s best chance for a payday turned out to be the Dynamo. Yet now, most Russian teams are struggling to meet payrolls on time, what with money transferring so slowly through the banking system. The decline in oil prices has dramatically hurt most basketball ownership groups.

Nevertheless, sources close to Pargo say that the Dynamo will make sure Pargo gets all of his money, and that they’ve worked hard to take care of him. The Dynamo have ultimately met their payments to Pargo but have been consistently late, one league source said. That’s happening everywhere in Europe, where several stateside agents say they’re still waiting on Russian teams to pay agent’s fees on contracts.

As one agent for a prominent company said, “I’m guessing that Russian salaries for players will go down by as much as 30 percent next season. You’re going to see fewer guys jump over there.”

For all the discussion about Philadelphia GM Ed Stefanski’s old New Jersey Nets ties to Eddie Jordan, one source close to him thinks there’s a much better chance he pursues television analyst Mark Jackson this summer. Jackson was a Nets broadcaster while Stefanski was the assistant GM. … Sacramento Kings players had grown tired of listening to Reggie Theus tell them that whenever he did get fired, he’d have a good college job waiting for him. Maybe so, but they didn’t care. After his firing Monday, he can go back to campus. … The Celtics have offered their first-round pick, J.R. Giddens, around the league for a future first-round pick. So far, there are no takers. Giddens is playing for the Utah Flash of the NBA Developmental League. … The Bulls are actively shopping several players, including forwards Thabo Sefolosha and Tyrus Thomas. … The NBA Retired Players Association made a terrific choice when it hired Charles Smith as its new executive director.