Plaxico Burress' Custom-Made Chopper Has Philadelphia Eagles Hue

After spending 20 months cooped up in an up-state New York prison, Plaxico Burress, the former-NFL wide-out was probably more than ready to hit the open road on his custom-made motorcycle, yesterday.  Curiously, the green and silver-flamed chopper has an uncanny resemblance to a Philadelphia Eagles helmet.

One day after his release from the Oneida Correctional Facility, Burress spent time with his family at their home in Light House Point, Fla., before getting his Easy Rider on.

A lot has been made about where Burress could end up playing once, or when,  the NFL lockout ends.  Much chatter has Burress joining another convicted felon, Michael Vick, on the Philadelphia Eagles.

When the former- New York Giant walked out of prison on Monday morning , he was sporting a Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap.  It had people speculating about whether or not it was a subtle hint as to what city he wants to resume his football career in.  Burress has said nothing except he is ready to play once again.

Just about every NFL team is in the hunt for Burress's game-breaking services but the front-runners look like the Eagles,  St. Louis Rams or Miami Dolphins.

Burress caught the game-winning touchdown in the Giants 2008 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots nine months before he was arrested for accidentally shooting himself inside a Manhattan nightclub.

Burress looked fit while showing off his fully tricked-out Harley with it's Eagles color-scheme.

Coincidence?  I'd be more comfortable seeing his scooter decked out in Giants blue with red trim.

The NFL lockout prevents Burress from talking with any teams right now, but if he signs with the Dolphins; Burress can tool around on his V-twin ride year round.  Then again, if he joins the Eagles, Burress' two-wheeler won't need a new paint job.

Badminton World Federation Shelves Sexy Outfit Makeover; Does The Sport Need It?

The Badminton World Federation has reversed a decision making it mandatory for female shuttlers to wear skirts in an effort to raise the profile of the sport.  China--that leader in human rights-- led the world-wide outcry, along with other major badminton countries, calling the original ruling sexist and unfair and sparked the BWF to bow to the howls of protests.

The sport has been an Olympic event since 1992 and is one of the most popular activities in the world besides men looking at sexy women.

The controversial ruling which proposed making it compulsory for women to wear only skirts instead of shorts or tights was initiated to get more people (i.e. men)  interested in watching the sport.  Look at what the hotties from  the Danish and Swedish curling teams did for that sport in the last Winter Games.

It could be that the marketing men for the BWF weren't thinking with shuttlecocks in mind.

The BWF (shouldn't it be called the World Badminton Federation anyway) Deputy-President, American Paisan Rangsikitpho, explained the importance of forcing girls as young as thirteen wear skirts to draw more leering eyes to the sport.

"We just want women to look feminine and have a nice presentation so they'll be more popular," he said.

Old Rangy might be on to something.  I always wondered why men watched women's volleyball.  Was it for the action or when the six-foot spikers wipe the sand from their skimpy bikini bottoms.  I figured it out when I reached puberty.   

Even Danica Patrick has resorted to peeling off her fireproof jumpsuit and do scantily-clad photo shoots and suggestive ads for GoDaddy.com: even if it's just to remind men that she is all women.  That's right after she is done talking smack and shoving the male drivers in the racing pits.

Venus and Serena Williams have no qualms about leaving little to the imagination by showing a little leg.  Think the stodgy old folks at Wimbleton don't turn the other cheek when the sisters wow us with their get-ups and ratings?  Women's tennis seems sort of dull without the Williams' risque fashion style and 100 mph serves.

And don't forget the Women's Lingerie Football League.  Slap some Victoria's Secret satins on badminton champions Shixian Wang and Lee Chong Lei and watch young men flock to the BWF faster than the "Hangover 2" on opening weekend. 

Heck, start the Anthony Weiner Badminton Cup.  Let's even out the badminton playing field by throwing some BVD's on the men and bring in those 50 year-old cougars.  Oh wait, isn't that already the core audience.

It's not surprising that China led the protests against the sexy dress code.  The top 300 or so players in the world are Chinese and why would those leftover Communist officials want to change the retro Mao-issue uniforms from the good old days.  Nothing says conformity like unflattering red bloomers.

China okay, but the the tops badminton countries in the world--Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India--should get their Lady Gaga on.  Denmark is one of the fastest growing competitive badminton countries on the planet.  Remember what your girls did for curling?

Saina Hehwal the cute, third-ranked 21 year-old badminton title-holder from India is the Maria Sharapova of the sport--except she actually wins--and could be the face which takes badminton from Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte Arena to Cowboys Stadium.  Coming soon to E! TV--"Keeping Up With the Nehwals."

Think the WNBA would dare to try to impose the mandatory skirt rules in their league?

Plaxico Sports New Phillies Cap After Release From Jail And It Means Nothing

Plaxico Burress is planning to play in the NFL, but only after getting to spend lost time with his family.  The former-New York Giant's was headed home to Florida to hold his daughter who was born during Burress' 20-month prison sentence.  Burress sported a brand new Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap when he walked out of the gates of the Onieda Correctional Facility on Monday morning and it got people wondering about it's significance.

The first person to greet Burress was his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who jumped into his client's arms during his walk to freedom.  Rosenhaus told reporters there were a lot of NFL teams interested in Burress' services.

"I just want to thank God for bringing me through one of the most trying times in my life," said Burress.  "It's a beautiful day to be reunited with my family.  I want to go home and spend quality time with them."

Burress has a wife and two daughters living in Florida.

The NFL lockout prevents Rosenhaus from speaking with any teams , but expect quite a few to take a chance on Burress; who was considered one of the top NFL wide-outs before he was sent to prison for a gun charge in 2009.

The 34 year-old was released by the Giants after his November 2008 arrest for shooting himself in the thigh outside a New York City nightclub.

The Giants later reached out to Burress while he was locked up.  Owner John Mara visited his former player in prison last year and Giants quarterback, Eli Manning made a public statement last month saying he would welcome back one of his favorite targets.

Burress, who caught the winning touchdown in the Giants last minute Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in 2007, will be on parole for two years.  One of the stipulations of parole is getting work.  That should be no problem for a high-caliber wide-out, unless the lockout shuts down the season.  Most teams will be lining up for the services of Burress, even though he is not in game shape.  The lockout means most NFL players aren't in game shape either.

The Baltimore Ravens, St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles all seem like logical fits and front-runners for a game-breaker like Burress.  Rams coach Steve Spagnuola worked with Burress when they were both with the Giants.

Right now every one is concluding that Burress might be joining another ex-con, Michael Vick, in Philly.  Burress' transition back to football will be a little less controversial than Vick's.  Burress won't face the protests and scorn Vick endured when he rejoined the NFL after his conviction for animal cruelty.  Burress' crime was onto himself.

Burress is anxious get back on the field.  "As far as football is concerned, if and when everything gets settled, when they get back on the field, I'll be ready," he said this morning.

Eagles fans shouldn't get too excited about the symbolism of the Phillies cap.  Remember, LeBron James was spotted many times, and criticized for it, flaunting a New York Yankees hat like it was a Miss USA crown right before he was a free-agent.  Knick fans took that hat as a sure sign that King James was headed to Madison Square Garden. 

Little did they realize, it was just a hat.

Mark Jackson On Long List To Replace Walsh As Knicks GM

Mark Jackson, the former NBA point guard and current analyst for ESPN and ABC, is having his name bandied about once again for the position of general manager of an NBA franchise.  This time, New York's favorite son, Jackson was on the list of GM candidates to assume control of the New York Knicks for departing team President and GM Donnie Walsh.  According to reports, Walsh submitted Jackson's name to owner James Dolan a month and a half ago.

Since 2007, Jackson's name pops up every time there is an opening in an NBA front office or head coaching position and he has still yet to take one of the jobs.  The New York-bred Jackson would be a lot more welcome at Madison Square Garden than Knicks boomerang Isiah Thomas.  Thomas' shadow is always lurking behind Dolan.

Jackson's name has already been tossed around this year for GM positions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and he is considered a finalist for the Golden State Warriors head-coaching job.

The former Knicks guard had been mentioned as a candidate for the Memphis Grizzlies GM post in 2007 and the Atlanta Hawks last season and has yet to leave the broadcast booth.

The question that is louder than an NCAA women's softball game is why is Jackson in such high demand?

There is no question about Jackson's NBA pedigree.  He was the 18th pick coming out of St. John's and was Rookie-of-the-Year with the Knicks in 1987.  In his 17-year career, Jackson acquired the third highest career assists total and was known as a tremendous leader on the floor.  He even led the sickly Los Angeles Clippers to the playoffs...twice! 

The 46 year-old Jackson has the court savvy and intellect only an all-time NBA player could gather and has become one of the finest analysts on television--in any sport.  The problem, naysayers always bring up, is Jackson's lack any front office or coaching experience whatsoever.



There must be something behind Jackson's curt assessment of what he sees on the court which gets NBA teams' hearts aflutter whenever an opening arises.

Nobody knows the NBA as well as Jackson.  After all, Jackson's calls a game like he played it--back to the basket, dribbling, slowly pushing his way to the hoop, then finishing with a flair.  They instituted "the five-second rule" because of his get-off-my-back style and it still goes by the "Mark Jackson Rule."

Maybe teams believe Jackson's playing traits and smarts, which made Jackson's transition into a formidable analyst look easy, are the same intangibles which bring success to a GM or coach--even without management experience.

Could Jackson help the Knicks?  It could be a rough ride for the Knicks and their fans.  Walsh's sudden, but not totally unexpected, departure has left a big void.  The team sold playoff tickets for the first time in seven years and, although the Boston Celtics brought broomsticks, there was an exciting buzz around the Garden once again.

Stability and a young guard could take the team to the next level in 2012 said the believers.  The Knicks then suckered wishful fans into paying more money for their seats next year.  But even more frightening to the fans than that 49% rise in ticket prices is the possible resurrection of Dolan's lap-dog Thomas.

Yesterday, Thomas said words that sent chills all throughout the Knicks nation.  When asked if he would return, Thomas grinned and said, "Never say never about anything.  All my doors are open."

That sound you just heard was 19,000 fans--including Spike Lee--nailing the Garden's entrances shut.

Jackson may not be a front-runner for any GM position and rolling the dice on a front office newbie is a risky venture especially for the Knicks right now.  But it's about time he took one of the offers and put to rest any questions of whether or not he is capable of running the show.

The only qualms holding him back in New York might be personal grudges he has against the Knicks organization.

In 1992, New York traded the popular Knick to, what was then, an eternity in hell--or more commonly known as the Los Angeles Memorial Sport Arena--home of the Clippers.  Fast forward seventeen years, when the Knicks needed a head coach, and opted for Mike D'Antoni.  Jackson was a little peeved after he found out his name was listed as number three on the Knicks coaching wish list.

When Walsh wanted to hire another St. John's star Chris Mullin as his GM last year, the idea was shot down by Dolan because it was rumored that the owner still had the hots for Thomas.  Chances are, he still does. 

Funny, that prophet who miscalculated the day of reckoning changed the new day of Rapture to October 21.  Isn't that the first day of the Knicks season?

New York Yankees Off-Season Acquisitions Get Passing Grades...So Far

New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman didn't land the the two big studs he had hoped for in the off-season and had to settle for a mish-mosh of cast-offs, over-priced players and more old guys.  One-third through the 2011 season and it's time to grade Cashman's big winter pick-ups.

The Yankees missed out on landing the class valedictorians Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford and ended up settling for the Sweathogs.  The Yankees still have a slim lead in the AL East and can attribute some of their success to a couple players in this unlikely group.

The Yankees lost Andy Pettitte and the starting rotation still got older.  Contributing to that math is the addition of 38 year-old Bartolo Colon and 35 year-old Freddy Garcia.

Both pitchers were picked up for bargain-basement minor-league contracts and looked like they were headed down to the farm until no young arms rose to the occasion in spring training and Phil Hughes later went down with "dead arm."



Colon, coming off a a season-and-a-half layoff has been sensational for the most part.  He is coming off a complete game shutout against the Oakland A's and has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio of his career.  The hefty rightie has a 3-3 record with a 3.26 ERA and 62 KO's against only 15 walks.  Colon's remarkable recovery from arm troubles is being scrutinized by MLB because of the controversial stem-cell procedure he underwent last year.  That's one demerit. He still hits 96 mph on the radar gun and has become the Yankees #2 starter.  Gets extra credit for comeback of the early season.

Bartolo Colon:  Grade B-plus.

Garcia won the fifth spot in the rotation, but hasn't been as over powering as Colon.  He came over from the Chicago White Sox where he was 12-6 last year.  Garcia threatened to dump his contract if he went to the minors but has been a capable #5.  He didn't get his first start until the third week of the season, but has gone 4-4 with a respectable 3.34 ERA and 41 strikeouts.

Freddy Garcia:  Grade B-minus.   

Catcher Russell Martin was coveted by the Red Sox but chose the Yankees because he said they seemed to want him more in the Bronx.  The Yankees are glad he is in pinstripes.  The 28 year-old Martin has been hot and cold but has made fans forgetting about Jorge Posada being behind the plate a little easier.  The former Los Angeles Dodger All-Star has showed no signs of last year's bum hip and performed capably behind the plate and beside it.  He is only batting .242 but has hit 9 home-runs and knocked in 26 RBI's--typical Posada numbers when he was in his prime.  Martin also has stolen 6 bases.  Martin is also a nice catching bridge until the team can bring up Jesus Montero--if he's not traded.

Russell Martin:  Grade B. 

Andruw Jones has seen limited time in the outfield and at DH, but has shown he still possesses the power he wielded at the plate.  The 34 year-old slugger has less than 60 at-bats, and with Nick Swisher finally starting to show some pop in his bat, it looks like Jones will only be replacing Posada against lefties most of the time.  Jones has gotten his few hits in critical situations and has 4 HR's and 10 RBI's which makes his .230 average a push.

Andruw Jones:  Grade C. 

Utility infielder, Eric Chavez, has seen limited time and is more valuable to the Yankees as Alex Rodriguez's replacement when he tweaks a hammy or hits in the DH spot.  The 34 year-old veteran is batting .303 and has knocked in 6 RBI's.  He gets extra credit for understanding his place on the team.

Eric Chavez:  Grade C. 

Last but not least is the class clown Rafael Soriano.  The $35 million set-up man has been nothing but trouble since Cashman reluctantly signed him to a three-year contract.  Soriano has been disrupting the classroom ever since.

The moody pitcher is currently on the DL for 6-8 weeks but not after blowing crucial saves, avoiding the press and, when he does utter something, says such bon-mots like "I don't think the bullpen is the problem right now.  I think it's the hitters," after he self-destructed on the mound.

Until Soriano gets over his elbow and mouth issues, he gets detention for joining a long list of Yankee newbies unable to handle the New York media.

Rafael Soriano:  Grade Incomplete.

All-in-all, Cashman did a respectable job filling in the pieces with questionable and recovering players.  It's a passable class with a lot of repeat seniors.  More like the scrappy vocational guys in auto shop than the academics concentrating on their SAT's.  It remains to be seen how long Colon and Garcia hold out.

For the record, so far this year, Carl Crawford is spotting a C and Cliff Lee is looking at a soft C-plus for being the teacher's pet.

A-Rod's Banned Drug Mule Spotted On Yankees Road Trip

Major league baseball is looking into New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez's relationship with his steroid-supplying cousin Yuri Sucart after the admitted drug mule was spotted at the team's San Francisco hotel during the Yankees series against the Oakland A's.

Like bedbugs and Katie Couric, Sucart isn't easy to get rid of.

According to a team source, Sucart was seen at the St. Regis Hotel Tuesday night during the Yankees two-game series across the bay.  Sucart has been banned by the Yankees from any team-related activities after Rodriguez admitted that his cousin supplied and injected him with performance-enhancing drugs while he was with the Texas Rangers in 2001-3.

The source said Sucart, Rodriguez's mysterious "trainer" and "personal manager,"  has accompanied the Yankee third-baseman on numerous road trips over the past two seasons and the Yankees and MLB aren't too happy about the donkey's alleged resurrection.

Sucart was Rodriguez's constant companion during A-Rod's playing days with the Rangers, the Seattle Mariners and the Yankees.  He was banished, by the Yankees in 2009, from any Yankees team flights, stadiums or training facilities where the team was located.  Unofficially, Sucart's banishment does not apply to team hotels or sitting in the stands as a spectator.

After a 2009 Sports Illustrated story reported that Rodriguez tested positive during a 2003 drug test, he confessed how Sucart would pick up the steroids (or "boli" as it is sometimes called) in the Dominican Republic and inject the drug into both him and his cousin when he played for the Rangers in 2001-3.

Since 2003, Major League Baseball has had it's own ban on personal trainers and managers who are not affiliated with the teams and is once again looking into A-Rod's questionable relationship with Sucart.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman had no comment on the allegations, but can't be too happy about his star player bringing another distraction to the team.  MLB is already interested in the miraculous "stem-cell procedure" that has revived Yankees starting pitcher Bartolo Colon's arm.

The 48 year-old Sucart has seen better times since his Yankee banishment.  He is in foreclosure on several real estate properties according to his lawyer and feels he took the rap for A-Rod's misdeeds.

"Everybody wants a scapegoat," the dejected Sucart once said.

Maybe that's a step up from being a mule.

Yankees Bartolo Colon: The Round Mound on the Rebound

Out of all of the New York Yankees off-season scrap-heap pick-ups, was there a more questionable signing than pitcher Bartolo Colon?  The righthander  had not pitched since injuring his arm in 2009 and showed up at camp with a body that made Rosie O'Donnell look svelte than the 2005 Cy Young winner he once was.  The sight of Colon in a major league camp, never mind pinstripes, must have appeared to be some kind of joke.

Signing the rotund Colon may one of the best moves in an off-season of questionable moves by Yankees GM Brian Cashman.  Maybe Yankees bench coach, Tony Pena, should get the credit.  After all, it was Pena who phoned Cashman, after seeing Colon in the Dominican Winter League, and recommended bringing the fastballer to spring training and giving him a look-see.

Now, with Phil Hughes dead arm and Ivan Nova looking at a hitch in the minors, signing Colon may be the best move by Cashman so far this year.

The Yankees signed Colon for the bargain basement price of $900,000 and, while he won't make anyone forget the non-signing of Cliff Lee, he's taken out a little of the sting.

After throwing a masterful complete-game, 4-hit shutout victory over the Oakland A's on Monday, the 38 year-old seems to have found the fountain of youth.  And that makes people talk.



How is it a pitcher who's 2009 elbow MRI resembled a pile of pick-up sticks and sat out a full season come back and rebound like that?

Colon has been steady so far this season.  He is 4-4 with a 3.14 ERA and has 62 strikeouts with only 15 walks.  His fastball is consistently in the mid-90's and even his final throw against the A's was clocked at 95 mph. 

The fountain of youth is in Florida and resides in Boca Raton.  Dr. Joseph Purita is the orthopedic surgeon who may hold the future of sports medicine in his skillful hands--stem-cell procedures.   It could be the new Tommy John surgery and it now has tongues wagging.

Dr. Purita performed the controversial stem-cell procedure on Colon's tattered elbow and shoulder in the Dominican Republic eighteen months ago.

Colon went to Dr. Purita as a last resort for a partially-torn rotator cuff and elbow which constantly sent pain stinging up and down his arm.

The stem-cell operation, headed by Dr. Purita, was a procedure which drew fat (no Colon jokes) and healthy cells from Colon's bone marrow and inserted them into his bum shoulder and elbow.

The doctors claim they did the procedure without Human Growth Hormone--which can be used to hasten the healing.

MLB said Colon is part of an investigation into Dr. Purita's past practice of administering HGH to his patients.  Since other major league hurlers are looking into the doctor's procedure, expect more inquiries.

Dr. Purita swears that his team did not use HGH and said he is willing to take a lie-detector test to prove it.  He claims Colon wanted to avoid the scrutiny of the MLB substance abuse cops and went through the whole procedure HGH-free. 

The Yankees are no strangers to the scandal of HGH.  There's a virtual All-Star line-up of Yankees wearing or about to adorn those damaging scarlet letters.  Beginning with Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez and ending with Roger Clemens.  Having the procedure done in the Dominican Republic didn't due anything to silence the truth-seekers

While Cashman said he wasn't aware of the scope of Colon's off-season stem-cell procedure, don't expect the Yankees to open up a can of worms with any investigation regarding Colon's resurgence.  They'll take the doctor's words--and supply the polygraph machine.

For now, Colon may be the steal of the season.  With Hughes and Nova hurting and A.J. Burnett reverting to his old inconsistent self, Colon finds himself as the #2 starter behind CC Sabathia.

The Yankees know a healthy fastball from a hefty 38 year-old is a valuable, but fragile, commodity and manager Joe Girardi (the heat-miser) will monitor Colon's innings, throws or any other stat he can muster to prolong Colon's health.  Girardi will begin by giving Colon an extra day of rest in this rotation.

"You have to be careful, but we have not seen his stuff drop off,' said Girardi.

Whether or not Colon is a freak of nature or a the new Frankenstein of modern medicine is yet to be seen.  The re-animated Colon has given the Yankees life for the first two months of the season and, combined with the team's other junk-pile bargain Garcia, have kept the Yankees in the thick of the AL East.