Danny Green Attempting NBA Comeback Through D-League

Filed under: Cavaliers, NBA D-League, Erie BayHawks

Danny Green, the 46th overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, will be attempting his NBA comeback through the NBA Development League. A league source told FanHouse that the former North Carolina Tar Heel has signed a D-League contract and is expected to clear waivers on Tuesday.

Green, a 6-foot-6 wing out of North Carolina, played two games in November with the San Antonio Spurs after being released in the preseason by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his brief NBA career, Green has averaged just over five minutes of action in 22 games played with his career high in points being just six.

Though this will be new territory for Green, as he's never played professionally without an NBA contract because he's sat out since being released by the Spurs earlier this season despite a couple of reported overseas opportunities, it won't be the first time his career has taken him to the D-League.

Green, 23, played in two games for the Erie BayHawks last season while posting outstanding averages of 25.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 4.0 steals and even a block while on assignment from the Cavaliers. The former North Carolina standout probably won't be returning to the BayHawks this season, however, as he will have to go through the D-League's waiver process.

Though Green likely won't standout in the D-League this season like he did last year because his defense is his most NBA-ready skill, it's highly unlikely that he won't be claimed by either the Sioux Falls Skyforce or Dakota Wizards -- the top two teams currently situated on the D-League's waiver wire.

 

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Ideeli

Oh my...

Seeing this top on Ideeli...

...made me laugh because of this post.

Six months later and, still, no one wants it.

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Violated

Violated, originally uploaded by Karyn Bosnak.

Someone stuck their finger up Beverly's butt yesterday. It was the vet. She was not happy about it. (Beverly, that is. I'm not sure how the vet felt about the whole incident.)

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Charles Barkley, Steve Kerr Join NCAA Tournament Telecast Mix for CBS, Turner

by Milton Kent

Filed under: March Madness, Media Watch, Sports Business and Media

When news broke in April that CBS and Turner had joined forces to lock up the rights to the NCAA men's basketball tournament for 14 years, one of the first pieces of speculation turned to whether the always volatile Charles Barkley would be added to the announcing mix for one of the more staid telecasts in the business.

Not only will Barkley be one of the studio analysts for the tournament in March, but the two entities announced Thursday that NBA analyst Steve Kerr will join Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg for a three-man booth at the Final Four.

CBS Sports President Sean McManus said, during a conference call to promote the network's AFC Championship Game coverage, that Barkley, whom he spoke with Wednesday during a Turner function, will be a key part of the telecast.

"Charles is excited about it," McManus said. "He's obviously a student of the game. He loves the game of college basketball. Our goal was to take the best of CBS and blend in the best of Turner. I think we've done that."

 

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Gale Sayers Talks Bears-Packers Game, Lovie Smith's Future

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFL Interviews, FanHouse Exclusive

NEW YORK -- Gale Sayers, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who played seven seasons with the Chicago Bears, knows exactly what the Packers need to do in order to keep the Bears at bay in this Sunday's NFC championship game.

"I think if Devin (Hester) gets his hands on the football," Sayers told FanHouse, "the Green Bay Packers will be sorry."

Sayers, who himself returned six of his 91 career kick returns for touchdowns, knows just how important Hester is to the Bears success.

"You don't give him a chance for returning a kick for a touchdown," he said. "I'm thinking the Packers will not kick near Devin Hester. He is so quick, so fast, and he has great peripheral vision. He can see the whole football field."

The only circumstance in which Sayers would opt to kick toward Hester would be if it were snowing or raining, giving Hester an opportunity to fumble the ball. Seeing as the weather reports on Sunday are calling for a 20-degree, cloudy day with only a 20-percent chance of precipitation, Sayers considers the forecast a "decent" one by Chicago's standards.

"I think they'll have to do something to keep the ball out of his hands," he said of Hester.

 

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George Karl Resumes Recruiting Carmelo Anthony to Stay in Denver

Filed under: Nuggets, NBA Rumors

DENVER -- George Karl looks primed to get back into the Carmelo Anthony recruiting mode.

At the start of the season, the Nuggets coach talked with his star forward about why he should stay in Denver and at times looked to be working for the chamber of commerce. But with games piling up and trade talks heating up, Karl took a step back.

With a possible trade to New Jersey having fallen apart earlier this week and it not appearing Anthony will be dealt imminently, Karl wouldn't mind returning to that role soon.

"If that can be worked into the program, I'd love to have that conversation,'' Karl before Friday's game against the Lakers at the Pepsi Center. "I'd love to have that conversation to talk to him about (staying in Denver). What I'd like to do is talk to all his people. I want to know who's advising him on these other things.''

Karl said Anthony missed Friday morning's shootaround due to personal reasons. But he had little doubt Anthony would play against the Lakers.

Karl said the timing now is difficult to talk to Anthony with the Nuggets playing Friday and Sunday and then leaving Monday on a five-game trip. But he's already resumed his recruiting pitch through the media.

 

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The MMA sched is light: Let's watch people steal hats and Dana White dance

The fellas over at Fightlinker can always fill the slow periods in the mixed martial arts schedule. Things heat up again next weekend with Ultimate Fight Night 23 from Ft. Hood, Tx. and then Strikeforce: Diaz vs. "Cyborg" on Jan. 29. Until then, let's kill some time with these videos.

What's more entertaining? Fans stealing hats or Dana White "jamming" on stage with Snoop Dogg in Las Vegas?

Tip via Fightlinker. Enjoy the GIFs as well.

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UFC pulls rabbit out of the hat with TUF 13 'Lesnar vs. dos Santos'

The UFC looked like it was backed into a corner for Season 13 of "The Ultimate Fighter." The bantamweights weren't an option. Chael Sonnen's away-from-the-Octagon nonsense dashed the plan of having him coach against Wanderlei Silva.

What was left?

It was pointed out earlier in the day that Brock Lesnar made sense, but could Dana White get the cranky former champ to spend seven weeks in Las Vegas? Not only did White pull off the coup of Lesnar on TUF 13, he also got Junior dos Santos as the other coach.

Lesnar and dos Santos will hit the ground in Las Vegas some time in the next two weeks to begin taping for TUF 13. They'll oversee a crew of welterweights.

The TUF 13 Finale comes on June 4 in Las Vegas. Lesnar and JDS will meet shortly after that on a pay-per-view card in June. White said everything came together when Velasquez went down for 6-to-8 months because of shoulder surgery.

"There were a lot of people we were looking at, and then, boom. Cain Velasquez gets hurt," White said. "And I was literally driving to work one morning and I said, 'You know what? This makes sense. Let's see if we can do this.'"

White hinted that getting Lesnar to commit to what will turn out to be a massive time commitment wasn't easy. He also knows the work of managing the big guy's mood has just begun. 

"I'm already prepared mentally – it's going to be a tough season," White said. "I deal with Brock in very short spurts. The guy fights two to three times a year, and it's always tough. It's going to be an interesting six weeks of filming. ... (Brock) is not exactly a happy-go-lucky guy. Who knows what's going to happen this season. I do know it's going to be very interesting to see."

White told the media today that the deal was finalized about 10 days ago. He was thrilled to see all the speculation especially in regards to Lesnar's hunger to fight on after his rough loss to Velasquez. Lesnar has a chance to prove he can take a punch without turning and running. JDS is one of the top strikers in the world at heavyweight. The winner of their fight is slated to meet Velasquez upon his return.

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'Fight For Your Right Revisited': Inside Scoop From Sundance

We got a first look as the Beastie Boys short starring Elijah Wood, Seth Rogen and more premieres with a comic take on the 1987 classic.
By Eric Ditzian

Danny McBride
Photo: MTV News

PARK CITY, Utah — The description seemed deliberately vague: "After the boys leave the party ..."

That was how Adam Yauch described his Sundance entry "Fight for Your Right Revisited," a short film that tells the story of what happened to the Beastie Boys following the events of their 1987 music video of the same name.

We knew Elijah Wood would play Ad-Rock, Seth Rogen would portray Mike D and Danny McBride would slip on a leather jacket to become Yauch's MCA. But would the short be a music video? A more traditional comedic exploration? No one seemed to have a clue.

Even McBride and Wood didn't know what the heck the short was all about when we caught up with them before the Sundance premiere on Thursday night. "I'm just as curious as you are what this is going to be!" McBride laughed.

Not long after we chatted with the cast, MTV News sat down to take in "Fight for Your Right Revisited," and now we can finally answer those lingering questions (beware of spoilers below).

The short film, which runs about 20 to 25 minutes, is part music video, part improv-heavy comedy. It begins directly after the conclusion of the '87 video, with the Beasties crawling out of the party-mad apartment in a cloud of smoke, the original tune playing in the background. They head down the stairs and immediately run into the parents of the kids whose party they crashed. Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci play the parents.

From there, Rogen, Wood and McBride head out onto the New York City streets — the film was apparently shot in three days on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles — looking to keep the party going. They bust into a bodega, steal a couple six-packs of beer and head back out. At that point, the short transforms into a music video, with the Beasties rapping into the camera and guzzling beer as they walk.

"It felt super cool," McBride told us earlier. "The moment you start rapping into a fisheye lens, you realize you've been training for it your whole life."

The film continues to alternate between music video rampages and dialogue-heavy comedic scenes. It's also overflowing with a staggering number of celebrity cameos. One of the short's biggest takeaways — beside the fact that the Beasties can still deliver top-notch tunes — is that Yauch can call up pretty much anyone and get him or her to do the favor of appearing in his film. Celebs making appearances include Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Ted Danson, Alicia Silverstone, Will Ferrell, Rainn Wilson, Jack Black and John C. Reilly.

The short takes surreal turns at times, as when the Beasties end up in a limo with two metal music fans played by Dunst and Maya Rudolph. They all drop acid, Wood gets stabbed in the belly and it turns out that Ferrell is driving the car. Such delightful weirdness peppers all of "Fight for Your Right Revisted."

"There was just an air of fun to it," Wood explained.

The short's chief pleasure is simply that it exists, that Yauch is revisiting a song the band largely swore off back in the '80s. Some scenes crackle with comedic verve, thanks to the talents of some of Hollywood's most reliable improv talents. Other scenes could have benefited from a trim or two in the edit room. The music is vintage Beastie stuff; fans won't be disappointed on that front. As the Beastie Boys themselves, Wood, McBride and Rogen don't so much channel their real-life counterparts as simply seem to be having an utter blast. The audience at the premiere was right along with them.

The short reaches a bizarre climax when the Beasties encounter a "Back to the Future"-esque DeLorean. Parked inside are older versions of the group: Black as MCA, Ferrell as Mike D and Reilly as Ad-Rock. Turns out, they're from the future and claim to be the true Beastie Boys. The only way to settle the dispute, apparently, is with an old-school hip-hop dance-off. Their LOL-inducing dance moves lead, not entirely strangely at this point, to the six men in a contest, each one, literally, spraying their cohorts with steady streams.

The short wraps up with the appearance of the actual Beastie Boys, dressed up like cops. They shove the two competing sets of Beastie Boys in a paddy wagon and drive off. A title card reads, "To be continued. Check back in 25 years."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Related Videos

• MTV Rough Cut: 2011 Sundance Film Festival
• 2011 Sundance Film Festival Video Highlights

Related Photos

• Celebrities Hit The Ground At The 2011 Sundance Film Festival

Related Artists

• Beastie Boys

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Strikeforce Challengers 13: Woodley's game shows holes in clinch-fest win

There's been some talk of Tyron Woodley facing Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz in the near future. That hype may need to be dialed down a bit. Tarec Saffiedine didn't win tonight in Nashville, but he showed that Woodley needs a little more seasoning before he faces a top 10 welterweight. Woodley used his wrestling to keep the fight in close quarters and take a unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers 13 in Nashville, Tenn.

"Tarec's a very tough guy. He's got some power, got some pop. I endured, I pressed him," Woodley told Showtime's Mauro Ranallo. "The game plan was to be dynamic, in and out."

There wasn't much out as Woodley worked his clinch game throughout the fight. He couldn't get the fight to the ground on several occasions, and Saffiedine scrambled so well off his back that Woodley couldn't take advantage of top control.

Woodley (8-0) got the slight nod in the first two rounds, but all that work along the cage sapped him, not Saffiedine. Originally from Belgium, Saffiedine was able to land the better strikes on the feet in the final round and threatened slightly on the ground as he worked for a kimura from the bottom.

Woodley was tired in the final round and took a lot of sloppy shots. He was also putting himself at risk by dropping his hands. These things happen when you're gassed. 

Before anyone gets too down on Woodley, this was probably a case of Saffiedine showing off his own skill-set. He's a versatile kid and proved a lot by grappling on an even level with a former NCAA All-American wrestler.

The 24-year-old fighting out of Dan Henderson's Team Quest camp in Temecula, Calif., is now 10-3.

It was a night filled with decisions.

After a 2010 highlighted by awesome knockouts, Ovince St. Preux ran into a much better challenge than expected against Ron Humphrey. The former Tennessee linebacker still won, but the fight went the distance. It was the third win since the beginning of November for St. Preux, who admitted he may need a little break.

Daniel Cormier (7-0) remained unbeaten, but he also failed to finish veteran Devin Cole.

The night was stolen by the lone female fight as Amanda Nunes destroyed Julia Budd.

Nunes charged hard at the start of the fight and blasted Budd, a Muay Thai specialist, with a straight left. Budd hit the ground hard and her head slammed on the mat. Nunes was a killer. The 24-year-old Brazilian jumped on top and unloaded seven hammerfists. The ref jumped in to save Budd, who had gone limp. All that in just 14 seconds. Maybe Nunes could be a challenger down the road for 145-pound champion Cristiane Santos.

MAIN CARD (results courtesy MMAjunkie) 

Tyron Woodley def. Tarec Saffiedine via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Ovince St. Preux def. Ron "Abongo" Humphrey via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Daniel Cormier def. Devin Cole via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Amanda Nunes def. Julia Budd via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:14
Rhadi Ferguson def. John Richard via submission (heel hook) - Round 2, 2:00

PRELIMINARY CARD

Thomas Campbell def. Jeremy Wallace via sub (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 1:26
John Salter def. Casey Huffman via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:59
Dustin Ortiz def. Matt Horning via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 2:10
Dustin West def. Daniel Schmitt via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:09
Charles McTorry def. Krishaun Gilmore via submission (rear naked choke) - Round 2, 3:46
Chris Barnhizer def. Karl Willis via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 2:35
Jason Blackford def. Jeremy Boczulak via submission (heel hook) - Round 2, 1:54
Luke Sanders def. Josh Jarvis via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:15
Stoney Hale def. Gerric Hayes via split decision (28-29, 29-28. 29-28)

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Video: The Crunchies Song!

Those of you who attended the Crunchies last night or watched the live stream were lucky enough to see Jonathan Mann perform a new song that he wrote specifically for the event. "The Crunchies Song" sums up the event pretty nicely. Find both Mann's live performance and his official video for the song below. You'll note that this is actually Mann's 750th song on YouTube. Yes, he has created a song everyday for over two years now. You might recall some of them, as we've posted a number of them ? like the one he wrote about me, the one he wrote about Steve Jobs, the one he wrote about the iPhone 4 antenna (which Apple even played at their press conference), the Steven Slater song, and, the one that first put him on our radar, the Bing Jingle (and the follow-up). Mann even wrote a song to congratulate us on the AOL deal.

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Five Years Later, Kobe Bryant Reflects on Scoring 81

Filed under: Lakers, Raptors

DENVER -- His shoes from the epic night are in the Hall of Fame. He still has his uniform from then.

But five years since Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a Jan. 22, 2006 game against Toronto at the Staples Center, he's still in the dark about how he was able to do it.

"I still don't know how in the hell it happened,'' Bryant said after shootaround Friday at the Pepsi Center in preparation for the evening game against Denver. "It was just one of those things, I guess.''

 

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Report: Rays to Sign Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez

Filed under: Rays, AL East, MLB Rumors, MLB Hot Stove, MLB Free Agency

The Rays did a lot of subtracting this winter, but they have finally gotten around to making some additions -- big ones.

Tampa Bay has agreed to terms with both Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, SI.com reports. The deals are pending physicals and could be officially announced Saturday. Damon actually signed his contract Friday, according to Newsday.

Both are signing at bargain rates, especially relative to what they have earned many seasons in their long careers. Damon will make $5.25 million and could add $750,000 more in attendance bonuses. Ramirez will play (the Rays hope) for a mere $2 million.

Aside from serving as an instant reunion of the 2004 Red Sox, the twin signings should give the Rays some offensive help and perhaps a boost in attendance -- two much-needed quantities after a winter spent watching much of the core of their 2008 and 2010 AL East title teams depart.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Unexpectedly Fire Offensive Line Coach Pete Mangurian

Filed under: Buccaneers, NFC South

When is good, not so good? Pete Mangurian seemed to work wonders with a beat up Tampa Bay offensive line in 2010, but the Bucs' offensive line coach was fired Friday. It was unexpected outside the Bucs' building, to say the least.

Evidently, it was no surprise inside the building, or in the executive offices. Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times said this morning that there was a difference in philosophy between offensive coordinator Greg Olson and Mangurian, which led to the dismissal.

"This is Greg Olson asserting himself," Holder said.

Mangurian was with the Bucs two seasons. He was in place when Olson was hired quickly before the 2009 season after Jeff Jagodzinski was abruptly fired.

The Times is reporting that Tampa Bay will hire former Minnesota offensive line coach Pete Morris.

The Tampa Tribune caught up with veteran Jeff Faine, who seemed surprised by the move.

 

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The MMA sched is light: Let's watch people steal hats and Dana White dance

The fellas over at Fightlinker can always fill the slow periods in the mixed martial arts schedule. Things heat up again next weekend with Ultimate Fight Night 23 from Ft. Hood, Tx. and then Strikeforce: Diaz vs. "Cyborg" on Jan. 29. Until then, let's kill some time with these videos.

What's more entertaining? Fans stealing hats or Dana White "jamming" on stage with Snoop Dogg in Las Vegas?

Tip via Fightlinker. Enjoy the GIFs as well.

NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MOTOROLA MOODYS MISCROSOFT OFFICE MICROSOFT MICROSEMI MICROS SYSTEMS MICRON TECHNOLOGY

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Unexpectedly Fire Offensive Line Coach Pete Mangurian

Filed under: Buccaneers, NFC South

When is good, not so good? Pete Mangurian seemed to work wonders with a beat up Tampa Bay offensive line in 2010, but the Bucs' offensive line coach was fired Friday. It was unexpected outside the Bucs' building, to say the least.

Evidently, it was no surprise inside the building, or in the executive offices. Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times said this morning that there was a difference in philosophy between offensive coordinator Greg Olson and Mangurian, which led to the dismissal.

"This is Greg Olson asserting himself," Holder said.

Mangurian was with the Bucs two seasons. He was in place when Olson was hired quickly before the 2009 season after Jeff Jagodzinski was abruptly fired.

The Times is reporting that Tampa Bay will hire former Minnesota offensive line coach Pete Morris.

The Tampa Tribune caught up with veteran Jeff Faine, who seemed surprised by the move.

 

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Mustafa Shakur Called Up to Washington Wizards

Filed under: Wizards, NBA D-League, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Tulsa 66ers

Mustafa Shakur, a 6-foot-3 point guard, is expected to be called up from the NBA D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers to the Washington Wizards for a 10-day contract, according to a source close to the situation.

Shakur, in an interview with FanHouse on Friday night, said that he expected to be available to play in Washington's game Saturday night at home against the Boston Celtics.

"Hopefully, if everything goes right with my flights, I'll get there and get situated and then be ready to play against the Celtics," Shakur told FanHouse.

Shakur (shown right with the Tulsa 66ers) learned of the call-up Friday night after scoring 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting for the Vipers in Bismarck, N.D., against the Dakota Wizards after his Vipers overcame a first half deficit to pick up a 102-100 victory, their ninth in a row.

"I think when you come to the D-League, you have to just focus on what you're doing, try to be professional and play to your strengths while helping your team," Shakur said. "You can't really think about the call-up aspect of it because if you think about that, then it's hard to focus on playing and performing every night."

Shakur, a fourth-year pro out of Arizona, is averaging 18.4 points, 6.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals this month while making 51 percent of his field goal attempts. In his 69 game D-League career, the consistent point guard is averaging 18.4 points, 6.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals. His play last season in the D-League earned him an end of season call-up to the Oklahoma City Thunder as well as a training camp invite with the New Orleans Hornets this past preseason.

The Wizards have currently been playing with just two point guards, rookie John Wall and veteran Kirk Hinrich, since releasing Lester Hudson earlier this month.

"They were actually interested in me since last year but I ended up signing with Oklahoma City," Shakur remembered. "They've shown a lot of interest in me since then."

Knowing Washington might have a need for a third point guard, Wizards Vice President of Basketball Administration Tommy Sheppard scouted last week's D-League Showcase where Shakur earned Second Team All-Showcase honors.

"They're bringing me in because they like me, I guess. We haven't really talked about what I'll focus on yet, but I'm excited to go," Shakur said. "As soon as I get there I'm going right to the gym so we'll probably go over plays and get right to it."

Shakur is the third D-League call-up of the season, joining Larry Owens (San Antonio Spurs) and Zabian Dowdell (Phoenix Suns) in the NBA.

 

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2011: Year of the Heavyweight

by Michael David SmithIf 2011 goes as planned, we'll see more good, competitive, high-level mixed martial arts fights than we've ever seen in any year of the sport's existence.

Strikeforce's eight-man heavyweight tournament was getting all the headlines last week, but the UFC did a nice job of bouncing back with the news that Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos will coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, that Shane Carwin expects to return in June, and that Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne are slated for May.

Assuming a best-case scenario for both promotions, we'll have good heavyweight fights from Strikeforce, the UFC or both every month for the next 10 months or so, culminating with the return of Cain Velasquez and the Strikeforce tournament final toward the end of the year. Remember, I started this with an "If": Looking ahead to fights that we hope to see in the future is always risky business. But below we'll look at the fights that will make this the year of the heavyweight.

 

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Betty White?s advice for Lindsay Lohan ? ?Stay professional!?

With more than 65 years in the entertainment industry under her belt, Hollywood veteran Betty White has plenty of wise words for hard-partying young starlets, like Lindsay Lohan, who have been criticized by colleagues for unruly behavior. ?Stay professional! Respect the business that you are in,? she told In Touch when asked about her advice for the Mean Girls actress. Betty was celebrating her 89th birthday with TV Land and the cast of her latest sitcom, Hot in Cleveland, at Le Cirque in New York on January 18. ?You are lucky to do what you love ? respect it and enjoy it.? The sassy octogenarian, who continued her birthday festivities with David Letterman on the Late Show later in the evening, is clearly adored by her TV Land castmates ? but isn?t always wholesome on set herself! ?We get to listen to her crack dirty jokes,? co-star Wendie Malick laughed.

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Jim Washburn on Leaving Titans: 'I Just Thought It Was About Time'

Filed under: Titans, AFC South

As Jim Washburn saw it, the timing was just right.

Washburn, who spent 12 seasons coaching with Tennessee Titans, left the franchise this week to join the Philadelphia Eagles as defensive line coach. He told Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean he just needed "to get invigorated a little bit.

"It wasn't anything in particular, I just thought it was just about time,'' Washburn said. "It is no reflection on the state of the Titans or anything. As a matter of fact, the Titans having the troubles is the one thing that made me want to stay.

"It almost kept me here. I'd like to be with them to fight their way back to the top. So I don't want it to look like I am running out.''

Washburn, 61, told Wyatt he didn't want to offend anyone while leaving, and spoke highly of the Titans' organization.

"Everyone is trying to read different things into it, but I have choices and I feel good about it," Washburn said. "I have no buyer's remorse or anything. I am not going to be ugly about anything. I want to leave here with a clean break and don't want to have any sour grapes and I shouldn't. It was a really good 12 years, most of them anyway. Maybe one or two of them (stunk), but I enjoyed it.

"I was frustrated when we didn't play good. But my contract is up. So I don't understand how anyone could fault me. Life is about choices. No one is going to put me on a guilt trip because I went over there and worked as hard as I could every day and I enjoyed every minute of it. Now I just wanted to do something a little different.''

Washburn specifically told Wyatt he was happy with how Titans coach Jeff Fisher treated him.

 

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