NBA Thursday Night Smackraw

"Sources" have announced that LeBron will have a 1 hour special Thursday night at 9 ET on ESPN to announce what team he is going to. Who does this guy think he is, Brett Favre?

Also, Bosh has said he does not want to go to the Cavs so tough luck Cleveland with getting LeBron back. Chris Broussard, the man with the sources, said "the Bulls and Knicks are not dead yet."

A new challenger appears

While the biggest franchises in the NBA free-agent race are Chicago and New York, there is one team who is hoping to sneak under the radar and grab the biggest names in sports out from the noses of everyone. This team of course is well known to the public, and has been home to greats such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Of course I am speaking of the Harlem Globetrotters, who have entered the race to woo Lebron James and Dwyane Wade to their franchise. If they accept the globetrotter's offer they will both receive 51% of the merchandise revenue, as well as part of the team ownership. In fact the globetrotters are so confident that they will get the two superstars to join their ranks that they have begun selling their jerseys in their online store. If the globetrotters did somehow manage to nab the two biggest free-agents on the market I think it would be fair to say that Harlem should be allowed to play in the NBA, though i'm not sure where that would leave their rivals the Washington Generals. Perhaps they could try to pick up Chris Bosh.

NBA Free Agency Update

What we know so far:

• Everyone is meeting with everybody. 
• Rudy Gay is reportedly signing a long term deal to stay on the Grizzlies
• Joe Johnson is reportedly signing a long term deal to stay on the Hawks
• Paul Pierce may or may not have signed a deal to stay on the Celtics
• The "big free agents" will know their destination within the next few days
• Amar'e Stoudemire is reportedly close to signing a 5 year deal with the Knicks!
• The Knicks met with Dwyane Wade after talking with Amar'e and Wade has said he is "intrigued" 

2010 NBA Free Agency Preview

Note: These are not opinions of where we think players will/should go, they are just what we have heard.

The biggest free agency period in NBA history is only a little more than a day away. At Midnight Thursday morning EST, or 9 PM in the West, players and teams can start negotiating contracts. Not until a week later on July 8th can players actually sign any contracts. A complete breakdown of what we know about each star is after the break. 

Quick Recap of the World Cup's Group Stage

Here's 6 quick points about the Group Stage of the World Cup. Hit the jump for the rest.

1. FIFA refs are either garbage or corrupt, and they hate the USA. Neither "offsides" or "foul" calls that took away important USA goals weren't infractions and everyone but the refs agree.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday: ESPN

"His story is as well known as The Cat in the Hat.
He is as legendary in sports as Rocky Balboa.
He is as iconic as James Bond...


Brett Favre."

-ESPN

The NBA Finals Refereeing

I always joked about how "rigged" the NBA is. The word "Sternball" is thrown around a lot also. There was always some truth to that but I didn't think too much of it but now I am getting skeptical. If any part of this series of articles by former NBA ref (now rat) Tim Donaghy is true the NBA has a lot of explaining to do.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday: Michael Jordan

"Before you can succeed you must learn to fail."    -Michael Jordan

Vince Young Turns a Strip Club Into a Fight Club

Titans "QB" Vince Young was caught on video at a strip club in a private room attacking another member of the room. That's really all that is known as of now. The Yahoo! story can be found here.

Pic not totally related

The World Cup has been infested by Bees

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English Tea Party

Watch Jozy Altidore of the USA National Team kick down a fruity little tea party.

There are no words...

There are really no words which can describe how awesome this past season has been. I would like to personally thank the Toews and the rest of the Hawks for bringing glory back to the franchise and the great city of Chicago. All that can really be said is, FUCK YEAH!

Oh and to all of Philadelphia, you guys are the worst fans in sports. Seriously, your team lost and you decided to boo the Blackhawks for beating them fair and square. Go back to watching Baseball you drunks.

Brits Are Stupid and Apple Fanboys

If you haven't read this list yet get ready to be angry. Tesco Mobile polled England's public about the greatest inventions of all time and they put the iPhone at 8th. That's higher than the toilet, cars, refrigerators, the combustion engine, the mobile phone itself, etc!

Britain be up on Steve Jobs nuts worse than America is.

STEPHEN "SAVIORBURG" STRASBURG (Oh, And Some Other Guys Too)

June 8, 2010 was a historic night for baseball. Strasburg's debut for the Nationals exceeded all expectations and possibilities. Despite his ridiculous hype analysts still predicted he would have a normal debut. The common line was about 6 innings, 3 runs and 5 strikeouts. Ha! Savioburg laughs at you non-believers! His debut after the jump.

The MLBs New Young Guns

Tonight is the long awaited debut of Stephen Strasburg. If you don't know who he is let me use a metaphor to describe this 21 year old kid from San Diego. Hit the jump.

We Have Eminem, England Doesn't

Eminem's new album, Recovery, leaked today. I'm still going to buy a hard copy after it releases, but I am excited to listen to it now. Download it here.

America Rules, England Sucks!

America Rules England Sucks - Watch more Funny Videos

Bash England Week

In celebration for the kickoff of the 2010 World Cup, where the U.S. will be playing England in their first match, we here at 18-1 have decided to show our support for our boys on the ivory coast by bringing back America's favorite pastime: Bashing England.

Throughout the week expect posts related to the topic of making fun of America's original nemesis. It only makes sense that U.S.A's road to victory start out against our rivals from across the pond, and for once we are the underdogs in the competition. However, if there is one thing America knows how to do it's overcome the odds, so we aren't giving up hope on our boys yet.

                        

Bartman V2!?

Looks like the Rangers now have a scapegoat to blame if they do not win the World Series. This must be the result of some sort of "curse."

On a side note; spite is beautiful. 

Nobody's Perfect

Let's get this straight. Fans out there want Bud Selig to over-turn Jim Joyce's call and give Armando Galarraga a perfect game for his effort on June 2nd against the Indians. He shouldn't, plain and simple. Here's why after the jump.

Michael Jordan On Cover of NBA 2K11

Thursday Take-Two Interactive officially announced that the greatest man to ever play basketball will grace their cover. I find it strange that he will be on the cover since he hasn't allowed a virtual representation of himself in a video game since about 2002. Finally players may be able to use him on the 1990's All Star Team and in other game modes. MJ's cover (and the actual game) will be out October 5th. Hopefully it looks just like this:

The Kid: The Awesome Career of Ken Griffey Jr.

Recently sports fans witnessed the end of an era when Ken Griffey Jr. announced his retirement from Major League Baseball at the age of 40. Recently his play has not been very good, but that is normal for older players that DON'T USE STEROIDS. Griffey may be the only "Steroid Era" slugger who has never been involved with a steroid scandal. Critics note his sweet swing, his slim frame (before he became old and chubby), and his natural decline with age as reasons why his name was never dragged through the dirt and questioned. Many young fans only know the mediocre Jr. but he was arguably the best player in baseball for a decade. Injuries tragically plagued this stars' career, but let's stick to the great parts of his career after the jump. 

UFL Draft: Hartford Colonials

The Colonials had the 2nd overall pick in the 2010 UFL draft and to little surprise they picked Uconn running back Andre Dixon. He looked great at their training sessions and clearly impressed the coaches too. He could really make an impact this year and look to move onto the NFL after the UFL season ends. Earlier this year he attending NY Giants training camp but was hampered by a strained hamstring. Now he has a chance to prove his worth in the UFL and possibly upgrade to the NFL in the late Fall.

Why a Lakers-Celtics finals is bad for the NBA (and good for the NHL)

Though it is one of the most storied rivalries in all of sports, the showdown between the Lakers and Celtics in the 2010 NBA finals will do nothing, but harm to the league. The 12th meeting between the two teams in the Finals leaves much to be desired, as it is the least wanted outcome out of all the possibilities when entering the NBA playoffs.

Lendale White Released

You know you're bad when you get cut from the Seahawks when you've been on them for only a month. Maybe he should focus on getting in shape and becoming a better player instead of bitching all the time.

The NBA Super Friends

Reportedly LeBron James, Joe Johnson, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh have all gathered together to talk about free agency. Joey J said that they all "wanted to see what each other was thinking."

Next Dwade expressed that he would have "no problem signing along-side another superstar."

Can we just sit an imagine what they are conjuring up? Maybe they will all take massive pay cuts and form a Super-Team owned by Shaq. They would be call the America Bald Eagles and they would fight terrorists on their off days, if they had off days.

Interview With Hartford Colonials Head Coach Chris Palmer

We also saw an impressive tryout from former Uconn running back Andre Dixon. He seemed to be a step ahead of everyone else on the field.

Manly Monday: Steve Nash and Duncan Keith

This weekend Nash re-established himself as the Manly Man/Crazy Canadian of the NBA. During game 3 he was on the receiving end of a headbutt from Derek Fisher. The hit broke Nash's nose but didn't slow him down. He just snapped it back into place to the disgust of his teammate Grant Hill. This isn't his first face injury and the rest of the pics are after the jump.

Hartford Colonials Logo

Today the Colonials revealed their official logo at the XL Center in Hartford. I'm glad that the league is letting teams choose their own color schemes instead of only using the colors from the UFL logo like last season.

Oddities During the Celtics Game

Many strange things happened last night during the Celtics game. I say Celtics game because it was not a Celtics-Magic game since the Magic refuse to show up in this series. Stan Van Gundy getting run over by KG was hilarious but the real "highlight" was Rajon Rondo's hustle. I applaud him from out hustlin' Jason "Wigger" Williams, but no one on ESPN, NBA TV or any websites are pointing out that Rondo's play was a BLATANT TRAVEL. It is in the rules that you cannot get up from being on the ground with the ball without dribbling. Rondo just slid from his stomach to his knees to his feets. That is 3 travels, but not like it mattered since the Magic didn't deserve to get that call because their lack of effort was embarrassing.

A few other things happened that were not covered in this video including: Paul Pierce knocking the ball back up through the hoop and pretending the basket didn't count, and during the broadcast they zoomed in on two Laker fans and next to them was a Celtic's fan with the BEST unibrow I have ever seen.

Lance Armstrong is Thrown Under the Wheels of the Bike

Floyd Landis finally admitted that he used steroids throughout his whole career (suprise!), including during his 2006 Tour De France win. That's not a big deal, no one likes Floyd Landis. What is a big deal is that he is accusing other cyclists such as America's Uni-Hero Lance Armstrong of using steroids and PEDs. Though he did say he has no documented evidence of this it has clearly cause quite a stir in the sports world.

What do you think? Is Lance clean or a user?

North East Baseball Fans

I realized today that Yankees fans are like Catholics, they think the Yankees are the best no matter what and everyone else should be a Yankees fan or they are committing sin.

Mets fans are like Jews, they are used to suffering and take a lot of crap from people and are never satisfied with their team.

And Red Sox fans are like extremist terrorists, they only live to hate the other religions.

Roy Williams: One man's descent into madness

UFL and the Hartford Colonials

The UFL will be starting its second season this fall with 2 new teams. The Omaha Nighthawks and the Hartford Colonials (replacing the New York team) bring the league total to 5 teams. We here at Eighteen-One have decided to become an unofficial column for the Hartford Colonials since they are out of our home state of Connecticut. Each week during the season you will see posts about the Colonials or the UFL in general. We even may go down to Danbury on May 22nd to cover the UFL tryouts which have already drawn thousands of participants in other cities. Of course our primary concern here is the NFL, but we think the opportunity to be one of the few sites that cover the UFL is a great one.

Secret Agent James: The Real Story of Cleveland's Failure

This is the true story of what happened during the Cavs-Celtics series which caused Lebron James to stop playing like himself. It is severely classified, and those who do not wish to hear the disturbing truths which are being concealed by the government should stop reading now. For those who wish to know the truth, hit the jump.

Stay Calm Magic Fans

You may be worried if you are a Magic fan or anyone besides a Bawstoner after game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Don't fret NBA fans, the game may not have went as well as you wanted but there is no reason to be worried. The Magic will still win this series. They played as poorly as a team could play on offense and they were still in the game. They shot such low percentages, especially from 3 point range. The Magic are a great 3 point shooting team and when they get on track things could get ugly for the Celtics. Also Dwight played particularly abysmal on offense but he was definitely Superman on D.

Delonte West: Milf Hunter?

Rumors are swirling that the reason LeBron played so poorly was because he found out before game 4 that his teammate Delonte West had been having an affair with his mom. That's right, this guy:

He's ugly as hell and not very good at professional basketball. Either he used some magic spell or Gloria James is a floozy.

Also, this looks shopped. I've seen a few photoshops in my day and this is shopped. You can tell by the pixelation.

Is LeBron Already Gone?

Last night was a debacle. The #1 seed in the playoffs cannot lose a game 5 of a tied series by 32 points and feel comfortable moving on. This was LeBron's 2nd worst shooting performance of his NBA career. He only went 3-14 from the field and 0-4 from 3 point range. Skip Bayless is going to have a FIELD DAY with this crap. More after the break.

The Perfect Game

Dallas Braden of the Oakland A's has just thrown the 19th perfect game in MLB history. If you are asking youself, "who?", I don't blame you. This is his 4th season in the MLB and going into the game he was a below average pitcher. He has a career 4.62 ERA and a 17-23 record. It is not like he is having a breakout year either as he was 3-2 with a 4.14 ERA. Somehow he throws a perfect game vs. the team with the best record in the MLB. Shit's crazy.

JaMarcus released, Oakland rejoices

Move over Ryan Leaf, there's a new sheriff in the town of NFL Draft Busts. Despite being picked first overall in the 2007 draft, being given a 6-year contract worth up to $68 million with $31.5 million guaranteed, JaMarcus Russell has been released by the Oakland Raiders. Al Davis' golden boy ends his career in silver and black after starting only 31 games in three seasons, and passing for only 18 touchdowns, while throwing 23 interceptions. It is the earliest a first overall pick has ever been released by the team that drafted him. Apart from his inability to play quarterback, JaMarcus was constantly overweight and failed to attend team meetings, instead going to Vegas to throw away the ridiculous amount of money that was handed to him by the Raiders for doing..well...nothing.

Whether he is a bigger draft bust than Ryan Leaf is still up for debate, as Leaf passed for only 14 touchdowns in his 25 game career across two teams (Chargers and Cowboys). However, Leaf's contract with the Chargers for 4-years was only worth $31.25 million with an $11.25 million signing bonus. Yes, JaMarcus was given just as much money to sit on the bench as Ryan Leaf was supposed to earn over four years. If he isn't the biggest bust in terms of skill, JaMarcus is certainly the biggest financial bust of all time.

Good Day L.A. This Is Your Kobe

I've seen some gay things, and then I saw this    For some reason it reminds me of this guy.
and realized my definition needs fixing.

In case you forgot, Breesus is still awesome

It has been awhile since the NFL season ended with Drew Brees'us' leading his Saints to a Superbowl victory over the Colts. Of course anyone who is frequent visitor to 18-1 knows that we consider Drew Brees to be the coolest man in the league, if not the entire world. Seriously, the guy saved the soul of a city single handily, and I like to imagine that if Brees were on the Saints before Katrina that he would literally have saved everyone who was stuck in the flood by holding back the water with pure awesomeness. More after the jump.

Eminem - Not Afraid

Eminem's first single off his upcoming June album, Recovery, is titled Not Afraid. It was released today on Sirius Radio and now is all over the internet. I can tell you I have NEVER been this excited for an album. This should really make up for Relapse. Download link and full lyrics after the break.

Pitchers Of The Season (So Far)

As the first month of the 2010 MLB season draws to a close I would like to recognize the pitchers of the year so far. It is only the first month, but since it's the start of the season I felt compelled to point them out. These 2 pros have started the season with near perfect efforts in each appearance. To start the season we have seen many pitchers keep a very low ERA and a get by without suffering even one loss. There's Tim Lincecum, Brady Penny, Francisco Liriano, and Chris Carpenter just to name a few. None of them have performed as well as these two guys, who will be of course announced after the jump.

Ben Roethlisberger Debacle Continues

You thought the whole Big Ben thing would be over once he was suspended 6 games and the Steelers announced they won't trade him. WRONG. There are two new fun tidbits that everyone should know! Find out what they are after the break.

Ex Nets Coach Swears on ESPN Live

Net's Ex coach Lawrence Frank was on ESPN First Take this morning to analyze some of the playoff games. They talked about how it could be bad that LeBron was taking so many shots, and Lawrence said "I'd take that bad, I'd still have a coaching job."

When they cut to Skip Bayless and the First Take team they had Lawrence rephrase what he said so they could hear it, he then said something like "Gimme that fucker over the shit we had to put up with!"

A minute later ESPN apologized stating that he "thought they were off camera."

In other news, Big Ben has been suspended for 4-6 games.

At least Tiger never raped anybody

The Celtics Are Dirty (Not the Good Kind)

I used to think it was just Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce who were the sorry excuse for professional athletes on the Celtics squad. Now we can add Kevin Garnett to that list after the break.

2010 Pre-Draft NFL Power Rankings

This is 18-1's Pre Draft Power Rankings. We are basing this off of last year's performances, off season moves to date, and random gut feelings that we have spewing out of us. Go Go Power Rankings! After the break.

The Jets Misfit Passing Game

With the recent acquisition of "high-profile" wide receiver, Santonio Holmes from the Steelers, the Jets have "enhanced" their receiving core. This combined with the addition of Braylon Edwards last season from the Browns, the Jets have made a name out of their pass offense to go along with their top ranked run game and pass defense. The question is however, does this name come from talent or trouble? Hit the jump to find out.

Tiki Barber, You Asshole

I supported Tiki when he abruptly retired and cried like a baby over Tom Coughlin's tough love coaching. I supported him still when the Giants won the 18-1 bowl the year after he left. I still thought he would have helped them win as he was a great running back. Now I take all those things back. Here's why after the break.

The Redskins are insane

As we reported earlier this week, Donovan McNabb was traded to the Redskins. One would think that this was a sign that Washington would either put McNabb in a Kurt Warner like position of taking over the team's helm and training his hopeless young lackey to fail once he retires, much like the position the Cardinals have found themselves in. However, the Skins have decided to avoid this league cliche of thinking that a possible future Hall of Famer could turn the cruddy backup into gold. For more details hit the jump.

Manly Monday: Clint Eastwood

Fuck you.

Fuck all you skinny jean wearing, emo havin', pussy-ass girly-men. Be more like Clint Eastwood

Hit the jump for some of Clint's best moments.

McNabb is a Redskin

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and his hopefully reliable sources, McNabb has been traded to the Washington Redskins. More as it comes up.

Update : For possible 2nd and 3rd round picks.

http://twitter.com/ADAM_SCHEFTER

The New League ovetime rules: McNabb Style

As many of you many have heard, the NFL is starting to reconsider their stance on their awful overtime rules. To establish these rules, they have brought in the foremost expert on how to handle situations like this, Donovan McNabb. For those who have the memory of a goldfish with a brain hemorrhage, McNabb is famous for his lack of knowledge on the rules of overtime, specifically the the rule on ties. Where the rule is that a game will end in a tie if the time in overtime runs out, McNabb thought that htgame would continue on until someone won, saying "I didn't even know you could tie." To fix these holes in the rulebook they have offered McNabb the floor on his wisdom for how to fix them.