• Other Incidents of Athletes Who Have Shot Themselves in the Foot

    December 1st, 2008 | By Daniel Posted in Uncategorized



    Now that Plaxico Burress has written the latest chapter of “When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong”, he has insured a legendary ranking among the dumbest shootings ever. He avoids a Darwin Award for surviving, but gets major negatives for shooting himself (at least Dick Cheney shot a lawyer). This of course presents a perfect excuse to review which athletes have significantly shot themselves in the foot in recent history:

    Kellen Winslow Jr


    Ever since his “soldier” days at Miami, Winslow knew he was invincible and completely full of himself. Then he missed all but 2 games of his rookie year in the NFL with a broken leg. It could happen to anyone, but The Chosen One was meant to be special. So in the spring before his second year, Winslow tested his invincibility on his Suzuki and proceeded to break his ankle–costing him his second year and a staph infection. While he has a set of legs to stand on now, its clear he’s also lucky to miss a Darwin Award like Plaxico.

    Kobe Bryant


    Kobe won all 3 of his NBA championships riding the coattails of Shaquille O’Neal, so it makes perfect sense that Kobe would drive Shaq out of Los Angeles so he could win another. In 2004, Bryant said he was “tired of being a sidekick” and his decision to stay in Los Angeles depended on what the Lakers would do with Shaq. Bryant even considered signing with the Clippers but ultimately stayed with the Lakers the day after O’Neal was traded to Miami. During Kobe’s rape charge he also told police that Shaq pays his mistresses up to $1M to keep quiet. Shaq reciprocated by turning around an awful Miami franchise to win another championship, while Kobe is still trying to get his first Shaqless NBA title.

    Chad Ocho Cinco


    Aka Mr. Chad Johnson, Chad thought he had the most original self-promotional marketing plan for the 2008 season: he legally changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco so he could boost his jersey sales. Only problem–the NFL put in their order for the seasons jerseys back in April. That means this year Ocho Cinco fans will be stuck with uniforms that now legally have the wrong name. It’s already hard enough to sell jersey given that he plays for the Bengals. If he’s stuck in Cincinnati, the best way to make a Bengals jersey fashionable is to bring back Zubaz

    Rafael Palmeiro


    The only thing worse than getting caught using performance enhancing drugs is getting caught using PEDs 5 months after swearing against them under oath in front of congress while emphatically waving your finger on national tv. Palmeiro effectively jeopardized if not completely nixed his Hall of Fame chances with that stunt despite a career that included over 500 home runs, 3 Gold Gloves, and 4 All Star appearances.

    Jay Williams


    Jay Williams left Duke with a National Championship, a Naismith award, and Wooden Award. Soon after, the Chicago Bulls drafted Williams as the second overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. Life was looking good for Williams, until he decided to race a Yamaha crotch rocket through the tree lined streets of Chicago. In what could best be described as a E Hollywood true story, Williams had a nasty crash, fractured his pelvis, severed a nerve in his leg, and blew out his left knee. Williams required months of rehab, just to be able to walk. He never returned to an NBA court again.

    Sid Vicious

    The 6′9″ 320 lbs. Sid Vicious was a wrestling phenomenon, but his wrestling game was simply pure power. The suits at the WCW thought that Sid would be more marketable with some areal moves, so they pushed him to attempt a high risk move. During Sid’s match with Steiner, he jumped off the middle turn buckle and attempted to deliver a leg kick. What happened was truly unexpected: Sid landed on his left leg, instantly blowing out his tibia and fibula. This was all caught on camera:

    That was basically the apex of a wrestling career that fell even faster than its meteoric climb. Vicious never had a major match again, and wrestled his last match in front of 657 fans.

    Jayson Williams


    He was an NBA all-star for the New Jersey Nets. In 1999, he retired from the NBA, and took a job as a studio analyst for The NBA on NBC. Williams had been lucky in his life. In 1994, it was rumored that he had shot a semi-auto in the parking lot of the Meadowlands. In 2000, Williams wrote in his autobiography that he nearly shot New York Jets wr Wayne Chrebet at his skeet-shooting range. Unfortunately, Williams luck ran out. In 2002, he shot and killed his limo driver. Reports state that Williams was playing with his shotgun, when the gun accidentally fired, killing Gus Christofi. Christofi’s family settled with Jayson for $2.75 million. Williams still faces a retrial on reckless manslaughter charges.

    Rory Sabbatini


    There’s nothing wrong with a little trash talk (hell, thats why we made IGN), but trash talking Tiger Woods before playing against him is a new category of stupid. On day 3 of the 2007 Wachovia Championship, Sabbatini led the field by one stroke and said about Tiger, “The funny thing is, after watching him play last Sunday, I think he’s more beatable than ever.” By the end of the day Sunday, Woods finished up 5 strokes on Rory and won the tournament.
    But thats not all. Later that year, Tiger went on to crush Sabbatini by 8 strokes in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Then a few months later Rory entered a tournament hosted by Tiger and became the first person in the history of the Target World Challenge to withdraw early. It was due to a convenient case of “personal reasons” that had nothing to do with being in last place.

    Coaches Honorable Mention:

    Mike Price - Alabama’s football coach from December 2002 - May 2003. After landing the dream job that effectively makes him the Archbishop of Alabama, Price was fired after being seen at a strip club and allegedly having a woman in his hotel room not named Mrs. Mike Price.
    George O’Leary - Notre Dame football coach for 5 days in 2001. O’Leary landed one of the great coaching jobs in sports until it was revealed that his resume included a masters degree from an imaginary school “NYU-Stony Brook”, and 3 varsity letters from the University of New Hampshire football program, where he never played a down.

  • NBA MVP: Historic List of NBA MVPs

    November 24th, 2008 | By InGameNow Posted in NBA

    Today’s featured Yardbarker Quiz was “name the last 10 NBA MVPs”.

    Guess what? I got all 10 and that got me thinking - how far back could I have gone. I would have definitely gotten David Robinson and had already gotten Malone… Jordan is a gimmie. I think the 1993-1994 MVP by Hakeem Olajuwon would have stumped me purely because of available time (I do remember the Rockets breaking my Orlando Magic & Shaq loving heart though).

    All Time NBA MVPs Ever
    2007-08 - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
    2006-07 - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
    2005-06 - Steve Nash, Phoenix
    2004-05 - Steve Nash, Phoenix
    2003-04 - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota
    2002-03 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio
    2001-02 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio
    2000-01 - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia
    1999-00 - Shaquille O’Neal, Los Angeles Lakers
    1998-99 - Karl Malone, Utah
    1997-98 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
    1996-97 - Karl Malone, Utah
    1995-96 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
    1994-95 - David Robinson, San Antonio
    1993-94 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
    1992-93 - Charles Barkley, Phoenix
    1991-92 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
    1990-91 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
    1989-90 - Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
    1988-89 - Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
    1987-88 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
    1986-87 - Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
    1985-86 - Larry Bird, Boston
    1984-85 - Larry Bird, Boston
    1983-84 - Larry Bird, Boston
    1982-83 - Moses Malone, Philadelphia
    1981-82 - Moses Malone, Houston
    1980-81 - Julius Erving, Philadelphia
    1979-80 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
    1978-79 - Moses Malone, Houston
    1977-78 - Bill Walton, Portland
    1976-77 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
    1975-76 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
    1974-75 - Bob McAdoo, Buffalo
    1973-74 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
    1972-73 - Dave Cowens, Boston
    1971-72 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
    1970-71 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
    1969-70 - Willis Reed, New York
    1968-69 - Wes Unseld, Baltimore
    1967-68 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
    1966-67 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
    1965-66 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
    1964-65 - Bill Russell, Boston
    1963-64 - Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati
    1962-63 - Bill Russell, Boston
    1961-62 - Bill Russell, Boston
    1960-61 - Bill Russell, Boston
    1959-60 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
    1958-59 - Bob Pettit, St. Louis
    1957-58 - Bill Russell, Boston
    1956-57 - Bob Cousy, Boston
    1955-56 - Bob Pettit, St. Louis

    Get Real-Time Lakers Scores and Lakers Rumors

  • Obama Tax Plan: Which Supporters Will Leave?

    November 5th, 2008 | By Dan Winter Posted in NBA, Uncategorized

    We all heard the debates between the two main candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. McCain favored giving tax breaks to corporations and an individuals, even the very rich, in hopes of sparking the economy by creating more spendable funds. Opponents claimed that these tax breaks simply help the rich and ignore the inequality between the rich and everyone else.

    Barack Obama’s plan calls for the increase in tax rate for the top two tax brackets to 36% and 39%. So, one could ask, how does this tax plan effect some of Obama’s biggest supporters? InGameNow asked this question, and specifically for the ones that play in the National Basketball League. Does Obama’s tax plan spell doom for the NBA and mean that some of the league’s stars are going across the pond in coming years?

    Greg Oden - The Portland Trail Blazers potential star is making $5.0 million in 2008. I say potential star because Oden has to be one of the most unlucky draft picks ever - two seasons, two injuries. One was season ending, we will see about this year’s. Speaking of ending, with Obama’s tax plan, is Oden’s attempt at playing professional basketball in the United States over? The election last night just increased Oden’s taxes by around $200,000. Well, at least he just loses a nice, new car. So, InGameNow says that Oden is…

    Baron Davis - Where to begin? Baron is a huge Barack supporter, and even has written, “I know he said he’s gonna raise the taxes on the top income bracket, Gil, but if he uses that money to improve our schools then you won’t have to worry about some kids trying to sell pictures of your pool online cause they couldn’t get a better job. LOL” So, at least he knows what he is getting into. Even though his take home salary will decrease by around $450,000, Baron Davis is…

    Tracy McGrady - McGrady is one of the best players in the league, but besides Adidas, Tracy isn’t the beneficiary of very many endorsement deals. Speaking of shoes, McGrady, along with Kevin Garnett, wore shoes last night in support of Obama. The problem is that Tracy is only the second most popular player on his team, behind Yao Ming, and probably the third most talked about (add Ron Artest to that list). With McGrady’s additional $845,000 in taxes, and the fact that his contract is up in 2010, Tracy McGrady will…

     

    LeBron James - King James is soon to become the real King of the NBA. He is already one of the most dominating, all-around players in the United States. And Europe definitely wants him! But Bron-Bron is only 23 years old and making $14.4 million a year in salary. He is probably paid at least that in advertising, so he figures to take an additional tax bill of around $1.2 million. At that rate, InGameNow says Lebron will…

    Kobe Bryant - So, now that we have predicted that Lebron takes the NBA Throne, that means that Kobe Bryant has to give it up. And let’s face it, Kobe is finally getting up there in years, has his Championship rings, and possibly another one on the way this year. So what do you do when you are forced to step down or take an estimated $1.7 million tax increase? A $50 million per year contract in Europe is a pretty good alternative. Therefore, we are sad to say it, but…

    Give your insight and follow their movement at InGameNow:

  • Guitar Hero 4 Commerical features ARod, Michael Phelps and Kobe

    October 25th, 2008 | By InGameNow Posted in MLB, NBA, Olympics

    Tony Hawk, Alex Rodriguez, Kobe Bryant and Michael Phelps…
    They are all great athletes. And only one of them do I really hate (ARod of course).

    But they also apparently love Activsion’s Guitar Hero 4, Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock n’ Roll” and some Tom Crusie like dance moves.

    Wow. Not sure how I feel about this… it certainly doesn’t make me want to buy the game, but it makes me want to watch the ad and laugh… over and over.

  • Sport’s Odd Couples

    September 27th, 2008 | By Sean Finerty Posted in MLB, NBA, NFL, Uncategorized

    Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos fans have hated each other since, like, forever.  It’s the kind of rivalry that doesn’t even take a break for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or the Second Coming.  So imagine the shock in Denver when the news broke that Hall of Fame Quarterback and two-time Super Bowl Champion John Elway is engaged to a former Raiders cheerleader.  But in the meantime while we at InGameNow wait patiently for our wedding invitations, here are some of the oddest couples we’ve seen in sports.

     

    1.  Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez

    The New York Yankees experienced some of their most successful seasons in franchise history during the Joe Torre years.  In fact, Yankees fans will have a long offseason to reminisce about those days.  Meanwhile, the rival Boston Red Sox won two World Series championships in the past 4 years, with Boston posterboy Manny Ramirez in left field.  It took a coast-to-coast move for the both of them, but now Torre and Ramirez look towards the postseason together like star-crossed lovers.

     

     

    2.  Terrell Owens and Bill Parcells

    This relationship didn’t last long, but it sure was an odd one while it lasted.  Owens kicked and screamed his way out of Philadelphia, despite a Super Bowl appearance, and found himself in the home of Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys.  Not a strange result given Jones’ desire for star players; but it was odd given that it was General Bill Parcells holding the clipboard on the sideline.  Parcells wouldn’t even refer to Owens by name, instead calling him “the player.”

     

    3.  Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson

    There was nothing odd about the first five years: 4 NBA Finals appearances and 3 consecutive NBA Championships.  It was their reconciliation after a messy divorce that was odd.  In his book The Last Season, perhaps the nicest thing Phil Jackson had to say about Kobe Bryant was that he was “uncoachable.”  But Phil’s return to the Los Angeles sideline resulted in relative success, as the Lakers headed into the 2007-2008 postseason as the West’s #1 seed and made it all the way to the NBA Finals.  Speaking of the NBA Finals…

     

     

    4.  Doc Rivers and the NBA Championship

    Before the 2007-2008 season, no one associated Doc Rivers with “NBA Championship.”  On the contrary, “hot seat” was always the first thing that came to my mind whenever Rivers’ name was mentioned.  That all changed when the Celtics dumped the long-time Lakers in the Finals to become NBA Champs.  Still, it’s not like you need to be Red Auerbach to lead the Garnett-Pierce-Allen Celtics to a Championship.

     

     

    5.   Brett Favre and the New York Jets

    Seriously.  What’s “odder” than seeing Brett wearing anything but a Green Bay Packers uniform?  At least for the sake of Packers’ fans and their emotional well-being, he’s not donning a Minnesota Vikings jersey.

     

  • Brian Griese Throws 67 Passes in Bears vs. Bucs Game

    September 22nd, 2008 | By InGameNow Posted in NFL

    if Brian Griese can throw 67 balls during the Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game…

    - why can’t Joba Chamberlain pitch more than an inning?
    - Kerry Wood or Mark Prior pitch a single season?

    Kobe Bryant and Brian Griese prove that ice can cure any dead arm.

    Griese threw 11 passes in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. His dad, Bob, threw 11 passes all day in quarterbacking Miami to a victory 35 years ago in Super Bowl VII.

 
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