The Checkdown

We should have seen this coming, right? Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner, was fined $25,000 Sunday for negative comments he made regarding the officiating (or apparent lack of it) in a game between the Mavs and the Denver Nuggets.

But this wasn't in a post game interview in print or television, Cuban posted his grievances on Twitter...

Ever since Seger's piano chords first summoned a briefs-wearing Tom Cruise into his living room, the unforgettable scene from Risky Business has been parodied to death. So much so, that when video-game phenomenon 'Guitar Hero' recreated the scene for a series of commercials, it was already bordering on cliché.

A foursome of college basketball legends in bleach-white tube socks have just slid it over the edge....

Practice. Yup, they're talking about practice. Jerseys that is.

I caught a post from profootballtalk.com (PFT), which was referencing a blog entry by Jim Colbert of USA Today (what, you think I have time to actually report this stuff myself?) saying the NFL was expanding their sponsorship horizons in terms of adding corporate logos to practice jerseys....

It's a busy Thursday in the sporting world... it's just too bad very few of the headlines have to do with actual sporting events.

Legal troubles, T.O. drama and sad endings are the highlights, er, lowlights of the list....

When the final seconds roll off the clock at this year's Final Four, the winning coach need not fear the Gatorade shower; He should be on the lookout for a cooler of Vitaminwater.

After a dodging a potential PR-nightmare a few weeks back, Vitaminwater has flipped the script and become a multimillion-dollar sponsor at this year's NCAA Tournament....

NFL owners passed four new safety regulations today at its annual meeting reports ESPN's John Clayton. Forearm blows, crack backs and "wedge" style onside kicks will now be illegal.

But those are put in the shadow to what has already been dubbed "The Brady Rule."...

Last week, Le Anne Schreiber ended her two-year, contracted tenure as ESPN's resident ombudsman. She was charged with the task, by ESPN, to critique ESPN in their coverage.

It's a unique, important, and mostly overlooked, angle - one from which this site is obviously trying to take the lead....

We see a lot of great athletes, both current and retired, pass through the media booths.

But most of these guys are memorable sports stars who are forgettable as commentators. But nevertheless, CBS and other stations will continue to cycle through talent, which means one day we'll explain to our children that the former-athletes they're watching now were great during our time....

Welcome to the first edition of "Leading Off." Originally envisioned by our own Danny Nicklin, this quick-hitting post breaks down the headlines from one of our favorite sports media outlets.

On tap today, ESPN.com (as of 1:00 PM, 3/23/09):...

Some Americans were sitting on their sofas last night awaiting President Obama's arrival on Jay Leno and others were chewing their fingernails down to nothing, waiting for upsets that could ruin every NCAA bracket in the nation.

Yesterday's 16 games started the NCAA tournament with a bang. As I had previously written, I felt the talent this year was way to good to think that any team had it easy through their bracket. Last night proved it. ...

Since Josh McDaniels' hiring in mid-January, the Mile High city has lost the scent of its fresh, thin air. Instead, traces of a musty odor can be detected throughout the capital.

Late night sightings of McDaniels have been reported, as he strategically wanders from tree to tree, marking his new-found territory like a dog in fire hydrant heaven...

Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva created waves across the sports media world Tuesday, when he posted a "tweet" to his Twitter account during halftime of the Bucks game. Coach Scott Skiles promptly banned locker-room twittering and Villanueva has obliged, sort of.

But this incident got me thinking, "What other sports figures would I like to "follow" on the microblogging mega-site?"

Here's six (plus the point-after)...

"It's only spring training!" That's the rally cry of homers who see their team's top guys facing injuries prior to the start of the regular season. And they're right: Most will make a full-recovery.

But it's tough to ignore that injury indicator next to a player's name as you prepare to click that big "DRAFT" button, assembling your 2009 fantasy rosters....

Well, everyone has put their oysters on the table. Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler and new head coach Josh McDaniels are playing a slick game of chess with, you guessed it, multiple media members as their pawns in efforts to win over the ever-so important court of public opinion in their "he said, he said" debate.

Danny Nicklin delves into the media circus surrounding the Mile High drama....

This year's NCAA Tournament should be one of the craziest tournaments we have seen in a while. The Big East and ACC are made up of some of the strongest teams this year... but don't be fooled into picking the "strongest" teams too quickly.

You'd think that when a team keeps a running back that's rushed for over 1,100 yards in eight consecutive seasons it wouldn't be considered shocking news, let alone a mistake.

I should have known, once I saw the golden boy Tim Lincecum on the cover, that this was going to be a doozy. Keep in mind I understand that the average video game fan is hard pressed to like any baseball game, heck, I even have a hard time playing baseball games; From the length, to the realistic approach, and the repetitive in-game commentary.

But with MLB 2K9 one word came to mind: Wow...

If you've flipped on ESPN recently to find baseball games, no, those aren't spring training exhibitions. It's the World Baseball Classic and the boys in red, white and blue are fighting to take back their rightful place among baseball's elite.

In our efforts to cover sports coverage, we would be remiss to overlook the social-networking phenomenon and how it too relates to sport.

We're seeing a Facebook career-casualty with the now former Philadelphia Eagles employee, Dan Leone, getting fired from his job for his negative post about the football club on his Facebook page....

Baseball is game of averages and, over the course of a season, there's a pretty large group of players that average-out to be solid performers.

Terrell Owens has been released by the Dallas Cowboys, as reported by Michael Smith of ESPN. The move has been the subject of speculation for some time, but was made official Wednesday night.

Owens' release comes just one year after the Cowboys signed him to a 4-year/$34 million deal, with $12 million in signing bonuses. Owens is known for his brash antics and "me first" attitude, but according to several statements by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, T.O. appeared to be safe...

I knew it. If I put together a mock draft for the upcoming NFL draft, I definitely would have put the Carolina Panthers taking David Veikune, the defensive end from Hawaii at the 59th pick... in the second round.

That's exactly who Wes Bunting of the National Football Post (NFP) has penciled in (at least I hope he is using pencil) in his fifth mock draft of the year. You read that correctly - fifth. I'm pretty sure that woke Mel Kiper Jr. up in his film room chair....

It started with a brilliant stroke of cryptic genius: Sports and entertainment figures in stark black-and-white, describing the power of "G." Interest was piqued as "What is G?" became the most-searched term on Google.

The big reveal was the Super Bowl; But it was NBA All-Star weekend when Gatorade's journey into the advertising unknown began....

There's a pleasant hint of irony in this scenario: Tom Brady suffers a season-ending injury and his back-up Matt Cassel is a solid performer, becoming a highly-sought-after QB.