Water Cooler – August 18th, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
Yes. YES! Another one of the rumor mill’s most tedious stories looks like it will end today. We lead off the daily news with Mr. Favre.
NFL news: Favre returning to Vikings; press conference today
Brett Favre is scheduled to speak after Vikings practice today – and may have already spoken by the team you read these words. But the bottom line is that he’s been coaxed into returning to the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota dispatched the “Woo Favre” team of Ryan Longwell, Jared Allen and Steven Hutchinson to Hattiesburg, Mississippi on Tuesday. Their goal: don’t return without their quarterback. Sure enough, Favre hopped aboard the Vikings’ private jet and arrived with the trio at the team’s practice facility. It’s big news for the Vikes – Bernard Berrian Tweeted “Brett Favre for President!” – but bad news for now-backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson plus the Green Bay Packers.
Another guy who will waver about retirement after this season: Tony Gonzalez. The Future Hall-of-Fame tight end told Fox Sports on Monday that he’s 50/50 to return for the 2011 season.
Eli Manning may not suit up for the New York Giants again until late in the preseason or maybe even the regular season. He needed 12 stitches to close the gash he suffered against the jets on Monday night and the cut rests right where his helmet would rub against it. That means no helmets – or contact football – for Eli until the cut closes.
MLB news: Braves to acquire Derek Lee?
Derek Lee vetoed a trade-deadline deal to the Los Angeles Angels last month but may be having a change of heart when it comes to the Atlanta Braves. Perhaps he just wanted to wait it out so he wouldn’t have to spend as much time away from home?
The Braves, desperate for infield help after losing Chipper Jones for the season, are working hard to acquire Lee from the Chicago Cubs. He has the right to veto the deal, of course, but reports suggest he’s willing to since the Braves are a first-place team.
NBA news: LeBron, Dan Gilbert continue war of words
How long before a neutral party steps in to give LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert a timeout in the corner?
The verbal jabbing rages on. This week, James told GQ that he doesn’t think Gilbert ever cared about him. He added:
“You will see the light of people when they hit adversity. You’ll get a good sense of their character. Me and my family have seen the character of that man.”
UFC news: Shane Carwin implicated in steroid scandal
It’s been a banner year for the UFC, with Brock Lesnar returning, Anderson Silva redeeming himself in a legendary title defense and MMA getting legalized in New York and Ontario.
But is Shane Carwin about to give the UFC a black eye?
Here are the facts so far. Michael Bennett of Applied Pharmacies services had been found guilty in a steroid-supplying case involving 22 athletes. He apparently shipped Trenbolone, Testosterone, Stanozol injectable and Nandrolone to a Colorado-based fighter with the initials S.C.
Gulp. Mr. Shane “SC” Carwin fights out of Colorado. He hasn’t spoken publicly on the accusation yet.
Comments are welcome below!
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