Timmy Jernigan Boosts FSU Class; Brent Calloway Finally Signs With Alabama

Filed under: Alabama, Florida State, Recruiting, Prospects

Two four-star studs made their college choices official at 11 a.m. ET Wednesday, as DT Timmy Jernigan (6-2, 275, Lake City, Fla., Columbia HS) chose Florida State over LSU, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.

"Florida State offered me when I was in eighth grade," Jernigan told ESPNU. "My relationship with (FSU defensive line coach) Odell Haggans over there has been strong, and even though I grew up a Gator fan, God works in mysterious ways. I followed my heart, and my heart is in Tallahassee."

Jernigan is coach Jimbo Fisher and Florida State's 26th commitment, further solidifying what is the ACC's No. 1 recruiting class and what many feel is the nation's best recruiting haul.

 

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Barry emotionally wins unanimous decision at Fight for the Troops 2

Pat Barry leg kicked his way to a unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 over Joey Beltran at Fight for the Troops 2 in Texas on Saturday night.

Beltran controlled Barry throughout the round using the clinch, and even landed a few shots to the groin before the two were separated and Barry was given time to recover. Beltran stayed close enough to keep Barry from throwing many damaging kicks, which clearly frustrated Barry.

In the second round, Beltran started with a series of punches and completed a takedown, but also absorbed several punishing leg kicks from Barry. By the end of the round, Beltran was limping, but still ended the round with a flurry of strikes and knees. 

Beltran continued to use the clinch in the third round, battering Barry's face for the beginning of the round, but Barry didn't let Beltran stick around too long. He continued to use leg kicks, and at one point, pushed off Beltran's face to throw a kick. He inadvertently poked Beltran in the eye, stopping the fight for the doctor to come in.

When the bout was re-started, Barry found a second wind, landing kick after kick on Beltran's already wary leg. Beltran tried for a takedown to avoid the kicks, but Barry used his position on the ground to hammerfist Beltran's tenderized leg. Barry returned to his feet and landed several more kicks as the final horn sounded. Beltran collapsed to the ground, his leg clearly in pain. 

Barry was emotional after the fight, speaking of his father, a solider who died 25 years ago. Several of Barry's family members served in the military, giving his bout at Ft. Hood extra meaning. He said that he was surprised that Beltran contnued to come forward.

"That dude is a zombie. I hit him in the face 300 times, and he kept coming forward," Barry said of Beltran.

This win was Barry's first time back in the Octagon since breaking his hand and foot in a loss to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Beltran has now suffered his second loss in a row, after dropping a unanimous decision to Matt Mitrione at UFC 119.

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Winter Storm Crippling National Signing Day Ceremonies Nationwide

Filed under: Notre Dame, Recruiting, Prospects

Of all things that could put a dent in National Signing Day, the massive winter storm that has blasted much of the country with snow and ice is wreaking havoc with plans to celebrate college choices.

Schools in the Chicago metro area are closed due to blizzard-like conditions that have made roads impassable -- the first such closing for city schools in more than a decade.

Less than two hours away in South Bend, Ind., Notre Dame's school official in charge of verifying national letters-of-intent being faxed into the Fighting Irish athletic department was initially unable to make it to campus before a snow-suitable vehicle was dispatched to fetch him.

Schools throughout Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York were also affected -- as was the signing ceremony of a consensus Top 5 prospect. Five-star OT Cyrus Kouandjio (6-7, 322, Hyattsville, Md., DeMatha HS) was initially set to sign at 8 a.m. ET, but ice and snow has pushed his ceremony back to noon.

And for those athletes who aren't at school today and don't have a fax machine at home during the storm? At least one Big Ten school has come up with another solution -- sending out online maps indicating the location of several available fax machines within a 20-mile radius of each player's home, just in case the schools are closed and players don't have access to a school fax machine.

 

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Vote for Beverly!

Mama needs a new chair! (Or table!)

Modernica's "Pet's on Furniture" Contest

She's #2

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The Works: All-Star Game Alternatives

Filed under: NBA All-Star Game, The Works

Today in The Works: How to fix the All-Star Game. For real.

Do Something New

Every year, the All-Star Game happens, and every year, there are angry fans galore at the players selected. Some do so out of rank homer-ism; others, a inflated sense of morals and justice. Just as bad, though, is the stale nature of the game itself. For too long, the West was the best, and the East got slaughtered every year. Now, things are leveling out, but it could still use a shake-up.

Bigs vs. Smalls: Red Auerbach's Celtics teams used to play regular big vs. small scrimmages, which the guards and wings usually won on the strength of their quickness and passing. Those contests informed Don Nelson's entire coaching philosophy, for better or worse, and the NBA certainly looks like a game of speed and skill rather than brute force these days. On the other hand, tall stars increasingly find themselves playing outside of the paint -- whether it's Kevin Durant as a wing scorer or LeBron James as a do-everything beast.

Those new realities suggest that a contemporary matchup between big and small stars wouldn't necessarily go to the guards. Divide teams by the median height -- let's assume it's 6-foot-8, give or take an inch -- and enjoy the bizarre matchups like LeBron on Chris Paul, or Kevin Garnett on Kobe Bryant, or a swarming turnover-based attack by the smalls that leads to as many fast-break points as possible. It might be hard to set up systems in time to make this game as interesting as possible, but it's experiment worth trying. It'll entertain and teach us something about where basketball stands in the modern age.

 

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Herschel Walker vs. Scott Carson Fight Video

by Michael David Smith

Herschel Walker improved to 2-0 as an MMA fighter with a first-round technical knockout victory over Scott Carson on Saturday night at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg. The fight video is above.

Walker, the former NFL star who was a Heisman Trophy-winning running back at Georgia and also dabbled in Olympic bobsledding, made short work of Carson, who could do little more than cover up and try not to get too badly hurt.

Walker indicated after the fight that he hopes to fight for Strikeforce again. At age 48, he's not ready to quit fighting.

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More Coverage: Diaz vs. Cyborg Results | Diaz vs. Cyborg Pictures

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Chris Warren 3-Pointer Buries No. 10 Kentucky at Mississippi

Filed under: Kentucky, Ole Miss, SEC

Chris Warren hit a deep, contested three with 2.9 seconds remaining to lift Ole Miss to a huge upset win over visiting Kentucky, 71-69.

Warren's three came after Kentucky took a brief one-point lead after trailing by as many as 11 in the second half. He took a ball screen, went left and fired the shot over the outstretched arm of Terrence Jones.

A 13-0 Ole Miss run gave the Rebels a nice cushion early in the second half, but a run led by Kentucky's trio of freshmen pulled the 'Cats back into it. Two free throws from Jones gave Kentucky a brief lead with just over a minute to play.

Ole Miss (14-8, 2-5) has had trouble in conference play so far, but it will have a significantly easier schedule in the second half of the season.

Warren led the Rebels with 22 points and fellow senior Zach Graham added 16, including a perfect 7-for-7 from the line.

No. 10 Kentucky (16-5, 4-3) was led by Jones with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Doron Lamb added 20 and Brandon Knight had 15.

How it was won: Execution. Not only did Ole Miss shoot the ball well, it also forced several turnovers and got the short-benched Wildcats into early foul trouble. In addition, the Rebels were able to stay afloat after Warren went to the bench early with foul trouble.

How it was lost: It would be easy to hang this one on UK's turnovers, but it lay more in the play of Kentucky's upperclassmen. Earlier this week, John Calipari called on Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins and Josh Harrellson to guide the young Wildcats on the road. Tuesday night, the three freshmen combined for 57 of UK's 69 points.

Botched late possession: After Kentucky took the one-point lead, the Wildcats were able to get the ball back after stopping the Rebels on the other end. Late in UK's possession, Miller seemed to have a wide-open look at a three but he passed it up, penetrated and finally kicked it out to Liggins, who didn't realize the shot clock was winding down. He was forced to hoist a wild three which didn't hit the rim, setting up Ole Miss for the game winner.

Where to from now: Just as Ole Miss' schedule lightens, Kentucky's gets much tougher -- which is bad news for the Wildcats, seeing as how they have not been good on the road. They play at Florida Saturday night before getting Tennessee at home and then another tough road game to Vanderbilt.

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Eva Longoria?s divorce is finalized

Eva Longoria is ready to move on officially from ex hubby, Tony Parker, with the couple?s divorce being finalized today. A friend of Eva?s confirms, ?The divorce documents will come through today, she is happy and moving forward with her life.? Tony and Eva were married for three years before splitting because of his alleged infidelity last November. Tony denies cheating on Eva.

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Sports & Me

This is how I'll be during Sunday's football games.

Onion SportsDome

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Big Ben Tries to Charm Through Media Day

Filed under: Packers, Steelers, Super Bowl

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Tuesday, February 1, 2011.

You might forget this day, but Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and legendary NFL knucklehead Ben Roethlisberger won't.

This was the greatest day for Roethlisberger since he survived smashing his head against the windshield of a car five years ago after he crashed his motorcycle while not wearing a helmet.

Actually, this was the greatest day for Roethlisberger since he avoided charges of allegedly raping a woman a year ago in Milledgeville, Ga., along the way to a six-game suspension by the NFL that was reduced to four. This was after he was named in a woman's civil suit two years ago in Nevada that claimed he sexually assaulted her.

Whatever the case, this was Media Day at Cowboys Stadium for Super Bowl XLV, where a sometimes awkward but mostly sincere Roethlisberger was successful during what he admitted to me was a deliberate attempt at gathering sympathy before many of the credentialed 5,000 folks for Sunday's game who wandered by his podium.

He had jokes.

Well, he tried.

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Chris Harry: Older, Wiser Charles Woodson Leading the Pack
JJ Cooper: Breaking Down Green Bay's Offensive Line
FanHouse TV: Mike McCarthy's Pittsburgh Ties | Big Ben's Redemption?

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UFC 126 picks, Vegas-style: Jones-Bader and Griffin-Franklin

UFC 126 betting odds (Courtesy Lagasse's Stadium):

Vitor Belfort (+220) vs. Anderson Silva (-300) - UFC middleweight title
Forrest Griffin (+130) vs. Rich Franklin (-160) - Light heavyweight
Ryan Bader (+300) vs. Jon Jones (-400) - Light heavyweight
Carlos Eduardo Rocha (+280) vs. Jake Ellenberger (-360) - Welterweight
Antonio Banuelos (+325) vs. Miguel Torres (-450) - Bantamweight
Demetrious Johnson (-110) vs. "Kid" Yamamoto (-120) - Bantamweight

The Venetian will post the remaining fights on Thursday. Also check MMAFix.com to shop the odds.

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RuPaul?s Drag Race star Shangela - ?It?s time for me to shine!?

After being voted off RuPaul?s Drag Race on the season two premiere, gorgeous southern belle Shangela is back for seconds on the Logo hit?s third season. ?I left a little too early, and I knew I had more to give. I auditioned again!? RuPaul?s potential ?Next Drag Superstar? Shangela tells In Touch. In an exclusive interview, the drag queen diva dishes about the catfights, the competition and lip-syncing for her life, round two! Check out the new season of RuPaul?s Drag Race on Logo at 10 p.m. on Mondays. For more on Shangela, click here or visit www.shangela.com.

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Melvin Guillard Brutalizes Evan Dunham

by Michael David SmithMelvin Guillard has started 2011 looking the best he's ever looked.

Guillard destroyed Evan Dunham at the UFC Fight for the Troops 2 event at Fort Hood, winning in a first-round technical knockout in dominant fashion, with hard punches and brutal knees knocking Dunham to the canvas and forcing the referee to stop the fight at 2:58 of the first round. The last of the knees Guillard landed appeared to come after Dunham had already gone to the ground -- which would have made the knee illegal -- although Guillard already had Dunham all but finished before that.

"I'm very happy," Guillard said afterward, thanking the troops at Fort Hood who had turned out to watch the fight and noting that he comes from a military family.

 

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Strikeforce burning question: Who the heck is Scott Carson?

Everyone's favorite invincible football-player-turned-Olympian-turned-fighter, Herschel Walker, will take on Scott Carson at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg on Saturday. As famous as Herschel Walker is, Carson is unknown.

Walker will turn 49 in March, but will fight in just his second bout. Carson isn't much more experienced, despite starting his career in 1999. He won his first four fights over a three-year period, ending with a submission over Bryson Haubrink at the very first WEC event.

Carson then took a nine-year hiatus from MMA, returning in June of 2010 to fight Lorenz Larkin at Pandemonium at the Palladium. Carson was knocked out in the first round.

He's looking at the bout with Walker as an opportunity to show what he capable of. 

"I feel fortunate to get this fight and I hope to make the best of it. I’m definitely prepared and ready for a fight," Carson said at Thursday's pre-fight press conference. "Fighting such a legendary name has certainly added a lot of hype to the fight, but I have worked very hard in training camp. I’m looking to see this fight go into the later rounds where it will be a war of attrition.’"

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Byron Scott Has Been Through Worse Than Cavs' Losing Streak

Filed under: Cavaliers, Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. - This isn't the worst thing to happen to Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott. It's not even the worst basketball thing.

Not even close.

Scott may have won three NBA championships as a player and reached the NBA Finals twice as a head coach, but he is no stranger to tough basketball times.

Scott and his Cavs lost their 20th consecutive game Sunday night, 103-87, to the Magic, leaving them just three away from the NBA record for consecutive losses - set by a team on which Scott played a key role.

Scott may have found fame playing alongside Magic Johnson as part of the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers, but he also spent one miserable season with the first-year expansion Vancouver Grizzlies, which lost 23 consecutive games during the 1995-96 season.

 

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Experienced Prangley wary of another jiu-jitsu ace from the Gracie clan

Trevor Prangley is not a young man, so at this point in his fight career he's looking for challenges. It doesn't matter if it comes at light heavyweight or his more natural weight class, middleweight. That's why he didn't hesitate in taking a fight against former heavyweight Roger Gracie at 205.

Prangley, 38, will meet Gracie on Saturday at Strikeforce in San Jose (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET/PT).

The South African downplayed a huge edge in MMA. He has 30 pro MMA fights to Gracie's three. Prangley told Strikeforce.com:

"I think it will play a little bit of a part. But the guy has been on the world stage in jiu-jitsu so many times that I don’t think it will be as big of an advantage as people might think. He’s competed at a high level in jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling all over the world, and it’s the same concept, really. But Roger’s never really been hit, and I’m going to put it on him."

Prangley isn't the most technical boxer, but he's a hard puncher. His striking wore down Keith Jardine at Shark Fights 13.

Prangley, a former Division I wrestler, knows he probably needs to keep the fight standing. His submission defense is solid, but Gracie, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, is off the charts. Prangley:

"A guy like him is so good, that I can train basic stuff, but if he gets me in a bad position, its going to be a matter of fighting hard and never stopping my movement. There are no secrets that I’m going to pick up in the last few weeks before that fight that’s going to help me avoid getting submitted I just intend to not give him the opportunity to get a submission. That’s what I’m focusing on. Not the submission defense itself, but stopping him from getting into position to get an opportunity to submit me."

Prangley is banking on the fact that he's catching Gracie early in his career before he turns into a complete fighter. He also knows time is short and without a win here, future fights with the big promotions are going to be harder to come by.

"I’m going to win this fight, and I have to win it because it’s a 'do or die' situation for me. Roger’s really early in his career, so a loss for him won’t be that devastating, but for me it’s devastating. And so I’m not going to allow it to happen. So the fans can expect a win from me."

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Griffin says he won't quit on himself this time

Forrest Griffin has been away from the Octagon for 14 months. It's given him a lot of time to think. What did he come up with? He sounded pretty critical of his mental game during this interview with MMADieHards.

Griffin talked about a fighter's mindset entering a fight. 

"There's two things you need to know. One, that you won't quit on yourself and two, that I've done the work. I'm doing the work. I know that I won't quit on myself," said Griffin.

Griffin believes that he's bailed out mentally during some of his losses. 

"I've quit on myself before in fights. I'm not going to quit. I know how hard it is to live with it when you quit," Griffin said. "I won't quit. I've done the work. I'm not gonna break."  

The biggest thing for Griffin is avoid getting overwhelmed by the moment just before and during the fight. 

"It's just a fight. It's small. Of all the problems in the world, you getting in a fight is small," said Griffin.

Sounds like Griffin found some help with his mental game. Will it work against Rich Franklin? Griffin is the much bigger fighter at light heavyweight, but Franklin is a tough guy who'll push the former UFC light heavyweight champ the entire way.

Griffin's mental questions might be the reason Franklin actually opened as a sizeable favorite at minus-180. 

Tip via MMAMania

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Stock Photo Company Fotolia Pumps $750,000 Into Stock Music Site AudioMicro

Exclusive - Fotolia, a major online marketplace for royalty-free stock photos, has invested in stock music and sound effects site AudioMicro, TechCrunch has learned. Fotolia, itself massively backed by private equity firm TA Associates, has injected $750,000 into AudioMicro along with previous backers DFJ Frontier and an angel investor.

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Fred Graves, Pete Hoener Join Panthers' Coaching Staff as Assistants

Filed under: Panthers, NFC South

The Carolina Panthers hired wide receiver Steve Smith's college coach on Monday. Smith is on his last legs in the NFL so it is safe to say Fred Graves was hired because of Fred Graves, not Steve Smith. At least, that seems to be logical, we think.

Graves worked for the last four seasons in Tennessee for Jeff Fisher, which gives Graves immediate credibility. He has been a wide receivers coach in the NFL the last 10 seasons and before that was at the University of Utah for 19 seasons.

Graves, 60, should still have some influence over Smith, who will weigh his options as a free agent once the labor strife is over. Smith's numbers have declined the last two seasons and he took some shots during the 2-14 season at rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

The Panthers need him back. One significant reason Smith's numbers have declined is poor quarterback play the last two seasons. Carolina is trying to rebuild its wide receiver corps with young talent: Brandon LaFell, David Gettis and Armanti Edwards.

Head coach Ron Rivera also hired Pete Hoener as his tight ends coach, which was also significant because Hoener coached one of the premier tight ends in the NFL, San Francisco's Vernon Davis.

 

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X Years After, Memories of the XFL

by David Whitley

Filed under: Sports Business, Sports Business and Media

If you haven't already done so, get a calendar and circle Feb. 3. It's the 10th anniversary of a sports breakthrough that should not pass unnoticed.

The XFL sprang to life Feb. 3, 2001, with its first game. I know, most of you think that's like commemorating the birth of New Coke or "Rosemary's Baby" -- assuming Rosemary had a girl and dressed her in a G-string.

Sure, the brainchild of rasslin' king Vince McMahon had its flaws. But history shows it deserves some due. For one not-so-glorious spring, the XFL gave us a partial glimpse where football was heading.

It was eavesdropping on locker rooms long before "Hard Knocks." He Hate Me would have been a Twitter god. The league was heavy on sex, violence and personality. You know, all the things NFL fans love.

If only the football and its image hadn't stunk, the XFL might have had a chance.

"The quality of play wasn't the best by any stretch of the imagination, but that shouldn't have been a surprise to any football people out there or any writers," Jim Ross said. "It was like every team was an expansion team."

Ross was the TV voice of the XFL. He came over from the WWE Empire to lend some wrestling zest.

McMahon and NBC figured football and pro wrestling would make a nice mix. It turned too cheesy for football fans. There wasn't enough schmaltz for the Jesse Ventura crowd. If it had been a loser-leave-town match, the XFL would have been banished to Pluto.

"I think people expected somebody to jump out of the stands, get out on the field, grab the football and score a touchdown," LA Extreme punter Noel Prefontaine said this week. "They expected something pretty crazy."

 

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