2012 NFL COMBINE: RG3 = FAST

By: Yolanda Hugg
@yolihugg
02/26/2012


WOW! Baylor QB Robert Griffin III aka RG3 was crazy fast at the 2012 NFL Combine today when he ran an unofficial 4.38 on the 40-yard dash.  The Cleveland Browns would be crazy not to snatch him!

Another high profile quarterback, Standford's QB Andrew Luck ran an impressive 4.59 on his 40-yard dash. Wisconsin's Russell Wilson had the 2nd fastest time with a 4.50 and Jordan Jefferson of LSU ran a 4.59. 


The 2012 NFL Draft will be an interesting one for sure!

LINSANITY IS OVER: The New Orleans Hornets beat The New York Knicks 89-85

By: Yolanda Hugg
@yolihugg
02/17/2012


Well it turned midnight at Madison Square Garden for Linderella when the Hornets beat the Knicks 89-85. I love the story around Jeremy Lin and think he will continue to contribute to his team the rest of the season, but all the turnovers (not just his) doomed the Knicks against the Hornets. The Hornets took full scoring advantage with those turnovers and ended the Knicks’ 7 game winning streak.

The Hornets played smart basketball, taking advantage of all the turnovers and controlling the tempo of the game. Lin alone had 9 turnovers, tied for the most in the NBA this season.

The Hornet’s Greivis Vasquez had a great game playing defense against Lin and had a double-double by the end of the first quarter. Vasquez finished the game with 15 points and 10 assists.  Trevor Ariza scored 25 points and Marco Belinelli scored 17 points for the Hornets. The Knicks’ top scorers were Jeremy Lin and Amare Stoudemire, both with 26 points.

To sum it up, the Hornets came to play and didn’t let the Madison Square Garden fans and the Linsanity and Linderella hype get to them.  They are on a 3 game winning streak now and looking to get 4 in a row against The Oklahoma City Thunder  on Monday, February 20, 2012 at 7pm CST.

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout / Daytona 500 Preview

By Guest Blogger:  Aaron Murphy
@adm_217
02/16/2012

After an off-season full of changes and breaking news, the good ol’ boys (and girls) of NASCAR officially kick off the 2012 season this Saturday when they take to the high banks of the famed Daytona International Speedway.  All NASCAR races held at the Daytona International Speedway are what are called restrictor plate races.  For those who don’t know, a restrictor plate is an aluminum plate that is installed on the engine’s intake manifold that reduces the amount of air the motor can take in leading to significantly restricted engine performance.  This restrictor plate actually serves two functions on the engine.  First, the restrictor plate “levels the playing field” by dropping the horsepower of the motors from the normal 750hp down to approximately 450hp.  In doing this it actually accomplishes its second task which is the more important of the two.  The restrictor plate also acts as a safety mechanism by reducing the speeds of the car enough it helps prevent the car from becoming airborne in the event of a high speed accident.  While restrictor plate racing produces some of the most exciting racing in NASCAR, it also produces some of the most dangerous.  It is not uncommon to have a restrictor plate race in which there are well over 50 lead changes, however the tight, evenly matched packs of cars often get into trouble in the form of a big wreck nicknamed the “Big One.”  The “Big One” routinely wipes out half of the field and alters the outcome of the race in a major way.  Drivers and spotters are constantly working to avoid getting caught up in the Big One or becoming collateral damage from the resulting mess; however in restrictor plate racing it is not a question of if the Big One will happen, but more of a question of when the Big One happen?!


 As stated earlier, the pavement pounding Sprint Cup machines will hit the track in the Budweiser Shootout this Saturday at 7p (Central) in the Budweiser Shootout on FOX.  The format of the race is the same as the 2011 Shootout, 75 laps (187.5 miles), and is broken into two segments.  The first segment is 25 laps followed by a 10 minute pit stop and the final 50 laps.  In typical NASCAR fashion, both green-flag laps and yellow-flag laps will count, however there are some major changes for this race that are not enforced in a typical race.  During the 10-minute pit stop crews will be able to change tires, add fuel and make chassis adjustments; however teams will not be allowed to change springs, shocks or rear end gears.  The other big difference is how the starting line-up of the race is decided.  The Shootout does not use the typical time trials (qualifying) format.  Instead the starting grid will be set by a live blind draw on the SPEED Channel, Friday, Feb. 17, 2012 at 830p (Eastern).


Next up for the Sprint Cup Series is the Super Bowl of the NASCAR season….The Daytona 500.  While most sports end their season with their marquee event, NASCAR begins its season with its biggest race.  Dubbed “The Great American Race” by CBS Sports’ Ken Squier, the Daytona 500 is the one race all NASCAR drivers dream of one day winning.  Recently, Chevrolet has had a stranglehold on winning the Daytona 500.  Since 2003, Chevrolet has won 6 of the 9 Daytona 500 races.  The few exceptions have the Ford’s of Matt Kenseth in 2009 and of Trevor Bayne in 2011 as well as the Dodge of Ryan Newman in 2008.  Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is set for Sunday, February 19th at 12p (Central) on FOX and the remainder of the field will be set at the Gatorade Dual at Daytona on Thursday, February 23 at 1p on SPEED.  


In closing, trying to pick winners for the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500 without seeing any practice is definitely an inexact science, but I’ll give it a shot!  My pick for the Budweiser Shootout is Kyle Busch and for the Daytona 500 is Tony Stewart.  Let me know who yours are….See you at Daytona!

2012 NBA ALL-STAR ROSTER

By: Yolanda Hugg
@yolihugg
02/09/2012








EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Carmelo Anthony - New York
LeBron James - Miami
Derrick Rose - Chicago
Dwyane Wade - Miami
Dwight Howard - Orlando
Chris Bosh - Miami
Luol Deng - Chicago
Roy Hibbert - Indiana
Andre Iguodala - Philadelphia
Joe Johnson - Atlanta
Paul Pierce - Boston
Deron Williams - New Jersey


WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Kevin Durant - Oklahoma City
Blake Griffin - LA Clippers
Kobe Bryant - LA Lakers
Chris Paul - LA Clippers
Andre Bynum - LA Lakers
LaMarcus Aldridge - Portland
Marc Gasol - Memphis
Kevin Love - Minnesota
Steve Nash - Phoenix
Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas
Tony Parker - San Antonio
Russell Westbrook - Oklahoma City


Well there you have it.  Miami with the most representing in the Eastern Conference and LA, whether it be the Clippers or Lakers, with the most representing in the Western Conference.

Being a New Orleans Hornets fan, I am sad they aren’t being represented this year.  But I am not surprised.  Chris Paul aka CP3 was an all-star last year representing the New Orleans Hornets and is returning this year representing the LA Clippers. The Boston Celtics only have one representing them this year and that is Paul Pierce, who recently passed Larry Bird on the Boston Celtics all-time scoring list in the team's last game. And for the current Champions the Dallas Mavericks, they also only have one player, Dirk Nowitzki, to be selected to this year’s All-Star Roster.

This is always fun to watch! I am ready for the Slam Dunk Contest!  What will Blake Griffin do to out do himself from last year?  Jump over a car set on fire? We shall see!

The 2012 NBA All-Star Games will be on February 26, 2012 in Orlando, Florida.