When LeBron James held his ‘official’ NBA championship celebration, he did it in Las Vegas and with his favourite music man, DJ Steph Floss, doing his thang. . . . Betcha didn’t know DJ Steph is from Cleveland. . . . And you thought King James was through with Cleveland! . . . Richmond blogger T.C. Chong claims that Steve “Nash says rumours he is changing his name to Ron Artest are false.” . . . “The hot rumor is that Van Halen will be the featured act come February,” writes the Sports Curmudgeon, referring to the 2013 Super Bowl. “If that is the case, I will have no difficulty at all in ignoring the halftime show.” . . .
“Lost in the kerfuffle over the Louis Freeh report on the outrageous conduct of the Penn State University administration in the Jerry Sandusky scandal,” writes Ron Judd in the Seattle Times, “is the price paid to Freeh’s firm: $6.5 million. For a little over half a year’s work? That’s Chone Figgins money.” . . . More from Judd: “If the NCAA had any stones, it would administer the ‘death penalty’ to Penn State football. Has there ever been a more textbook, blatant example of ‘lack of institutional control?’ ” . . . Judd is right, but the NCAA won’t whack good ol’ PSU. . . . Why not? Isn’t it always about the money? . . . Former Kamloops Blazers goaltender Jon Groenheyde, who has used up his WHL eligibility, has decided to attend Fredericton-based St. Thomas U and play for the Tommies. . . .
Here’s Larry Post of the New York Post, after the NHL made an offer to the NHLPA last week: “This is not an initial good-faith proposal. This is a shot across the bow of the union and at the players by a war machine that went scorched-earth last time and can pledge to do it again any day commissioner Gary Bettman feels like it.” . . . Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun proves he has a sense of humour: “Let me see if I have this right: The NHL wants the players to take an 11 per cent cut in revenues. So, I presume, ticket prices will be cut 11 per cent across the board. Or not.” . . . If you’re a bettor, place your money on the NHL not starting on time but being back before Jan. 1. Wouldn’t want to lose the TV exposure gained by the Winter Classic now, would we? . . .
Some atheists have a convention scheduled for the St. Paul, Minn., area in August. So the St. Paul Saints, an independent baseball team, decided to tie in a game promotion. For their Aug. 10 game, the team will be known as the Mr. Paul Aints. . . . You may be aware that Kobe Bryant has said this year’s U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team could beat the Dream Team of 1992. To which Larry Bird tweeted: “They probably could. I haven’t played in 20 years, and we’re all old now.” . . .
Kurt Overhardt is a prominent agent who represents a number of NHL players. And what did he think of the NHL’s first offer to the NHLPA? “It’s unfortunate,” he told Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun. “I think it’s really short-sighted. It’s pure arrogance and it’s pure greed. It’s draconian. It’s misplaced. Everything they proposed defies sports labour law history.” . . . Well, that about covers it, doesn’t it? . . . Have you stopped laughing at the NHL yet? The Minnesota Wild gives 13-year, $98-million deals to Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. Then the NHL enters negotiations with the NHLPA by asking the players for concessions right across the board. Five days later, the Philly Flyers sign Shea Weber to an offer sheet calling for 14 years and $110 million. . . . Go ahead, Mr. Bettman, you explain it. . . .
In case you missed it, the NCAA ordered Cal Tech — aka the California Institute of Technology — to forfeit victories for using 30 ineligible athletes in 12 sports. Uhh, this is the school whose men’s basketball team ended a 310-game conference losing streak last season. “The baseball team will vacate all wins during a period in which it went 0-112,” wrote Bill Plaschke in the L.A. Times. “The men’s water polo team will vacate every win achieved while going 0-66. Caltech (is) the school that couldn’t succeed at sports if it cheated.” . . . The answer, according to Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, is: “Dolphins receiver Chad Ochocinco married trash-TV’s Evelyn Lozada, and he tweeted continually during the ceremony, which was recorded for the upcoming VH1 reality series Ev and Ocho.” . . . The question, according to Cote: “Why do so many people around the world seem to hate America?” . . .
After quarterback Drew Brees got a $100-million deal, with $60 million guaranteed, from the New Orleans Saints, Jimmy Fallon of NBC-TV pointed out: “That’s even better than Katie Holmes’ deal.” . . . The other night, while calling a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Phillies, Vin Scully offered this on the Philadelphia manager: “Charlie Manuel was born in a car on the way to his grandmother’s house. He once played for the Dodgers. Charlie Manuel, out of West Virginia.” . . . Gems like that show that Scully, at age 84, hasn’t lost his stuff. . . .
So the football fans of Saskatchewan, all 50,000 of them, will have a new $278-million stadium in 2017. The province will cough up an $80-million grant. The City of Regina is in for $73 million. The football team pledges $25 million, perhaps to come from the sale of naming rights. The other $100 million? A 30-year loan from the province will cover it. . . . Can hardly wait to see the price of tickets. . . . The 40th annual KIBT, which wrapped up Sunday with another victory by the, uhh, home team, the Seattle Studs, was a success. But for how long can five wonderful citizens of this community be expected to shoulder the entire load of running this thing? . . . Jack Todd, in the Montreal Gazette: “As by far the most powerful figure at his university, (Joe) Paterno had the ability to see to it that (Jerry) Sandusky was stopped — or to cover it up in order to protect his own football program. Not only did Paterno orchestrate the cover-up, he also negotiated a fatter contract for himself while the scandal festered. It was the ultimate illustration of the coach-as-god mentality that prevails on too many American campuses.” . . .
“A recent study says failed marriages among the over-50 set have more than doubled since 1990,” notes R.J. Currie of SportsDeke.com. “It’s gotten so bad, Mother Nature has filed for divorce from Father Time.” . . . One more from Currie: “Newly designed talking urinals are being installed in U.S. pubs in a campaign to stop drunk driving. When Charlie Sheen heard about it he said, ‘Talking urinals are new?’ ”
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