By ‘Duk

LeBron James was right: The people who run the Peoria Chiefs really did wake up on Monday morning with their usual host of personal problems.

Chief, uh, among them: How were they supposed to bring widespread publicity to their Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs without spending a lot of money — or any money at all, really?

Luckily, the defeated but smug Miami Heat star provided them with enough inspiration to make this an easy work week. Read More

By Henry Abbott ESPN.com

Hating LeBron James has become a passionate hobby for many NBA fans.

In Cleveland, it’s religion.

And here comes Kyrie Irving’s triple-threat to the status quo:
He is the new bedrock of the franchise.
He has long admired James.
He’s not going to lie about that.

Irving admits to just about idolizing James and Chris Paul.

“When I was younger,” Irving said shortly after being drafted Thursday night, “I used to watch countless hours of video of both of them working out. When I say…Read More

CLEVELAND — Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert got in one final shot after LeBron James fell short of an NBA title.

About 15 minutes after the Dallas Mavericks defeated James and the Miami Heat in Game 6 on Sunday night, Gilbert sent a message on his Twitter page to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban — a statement that included a jab at James.

“Congrats to Mark C.& entire Mavs org.,” Gilbert wrote. “Mavs NEVER stopped & now entire franchise gets rings. Old Lesson for all: There are NO SHORTCUTS. NONE.”

Last summer, after James announced he was leaving the Cavs as,….. Full Story Here

Updated: June 13, 2011, 2:49 AM ET
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

MIAMI – The guy’s moniker is Cleveland Todd. He’s 36 and a self-employed videographer. He’s obsessed with sports. He grew up in Greater Cleveland and now lives in Chicago.

And he hates LeBron James.

Really hates him. Hates him as a player. Hates him as a personality. He hates both the decision (James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer for the Miami Heat) and “The Decision” (James’ self-promoting ESPN special to announce the taking of “my talents to South Beach”).
As the NBA playoffs have churned this spring, Todd has rooted passionately against the Heat, only to see LeBron and company plow through the competition. It’s been depressing, he said.

On Tuesday afternoon, just hours,….. Full Story Here

By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports Jun 1, 8:01 pm EDT

Charles Barkley admitted on Wednesday that he “can’t root for” the Miami Heat. And Charles Barkley, for whatever this says about us, is the voice of the people.

He’s not some manipulative Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes-type, taking advantage of us on his way to (nearly) the top, and he doesn’t parse his words out carefully to make us feel as if we all have a friend as the top voice on radio and/or TV. He’s just a guy that, despite our obvious differences, seems to often say exactly what’s on our minds. Like, despite what the Miami fans in the comments section will tell you, what a lot of us are thinking about the Miami Heat.

Right or wrong, few are rooting for this team. I, honestly, am rooting for great basketball for,….. Full Story Here

By Kelly Dwyer
Thu Jun 09 11:45am EDT

TULSA, Okla. — Bob Knight criticized the NCAA and called the rule Ohio State football players broke when they sold and traded their personal memorabilia “idiotic.”

The former Indiana and Texas Tech basketball coach, and an Ohio State alum, spoke to reporters Monday night before the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Awards ceremony, where he was scheduled to deliver the keynote address.

“I understand what’s happened and there was a rule that was violated,” Knight said. “But it was an idiotic rule.”

Five Ohio State players, including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, were suspended for the first five games of the upcoming season after it was revealed they traded jerseys, rings, trophies and other items for tattoos.

“I think this NCAA that we’re currently involved with is so far out of touch with the integrity of the sport that it’s just amazing,” Knight said.

Jim Tressel recently resigned as Ohio State coach after he,…… Full Story Here

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jim Tressel fought back tears while announcing his resignation to his Ohio State football team Monday morning, an illustrious coaching career undone less than three months after his NCAA violations were first made public.
Following 10 years with the Buckeyes, seven Big Ten titles, a 9-1 record against Michigan and a national championship, Tressel was chased from his job by the scandal around his failure to be truthful with his bosses and the mounting public pressure that came with it.
Members of the team Sunday night received messages to meet Monday morning and feared what the news would be, and they were right. Accompanied by Athletic Director Gene Smith, Tressel announced…..

Full Story Here

By: Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer

From: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Published: Monday, May 30, 2011, 7:22 PM Updated: Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 8:26 AM)