SJ Magazine - Feb 2011 by Sports Jabber

Magazine Layout by bbyao06 Designs

TABLE OF CONTENTS What is Sports Jabber? _______________________________________________4 One City, Two Teams: A World Apart! _______________________________5 MMA Pound-for-Pound Rankings __________________________________ 6 chiefsmom Says… The Winter Blues… _____________________________ 7 Greatest Rock Band Tournament __________________________________ 8 King Kong Bundy Meets His Godzilla: Michael Ciesielski _________ 9 Browns’ Dawg Pound ______________________________________________ 12 SJ’s Official NBA Power Rankings _________________________________ 13 Nascar 2011: Changes Blowing in the Wind _____________________ 14 The Rise of the NFC? _______________________________________________ 17 JD’s Corner: Random Observations _______________________________ 20 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Meets Matthew Grubisha _____________________ 21 So Over the ‘Melo Drama __________________________________________ 25 SJ’s Mock Draft Database _________________________________________ 27 Sports Jabber’s 2011 Mock Draft _________________________________ 28 The NFL vs. The NFLPA ____________________________________________ 29 Monta Ellis: Snubbed Again _______________________________________ 33 What’s New at SJ __________________________________________________ 34 SJ Personals Page __________________________________________________ 37 In Honor of Scott Wedell (NYSR) _________________________________ 38 3 Magazine ____________________ 41 SJ’s Social Networks & Home of SJ

Recognition ________________________________________________________ 43

SportsJabber.net provides complete coverage of the sporting world. While best-known for its alwaysactive forums, it is much, much more. SJ is a multi-verse of inter-connected sports fan sites. It's an assembly of contributing blogger-authors providing expert analysis of their chosen sports, leaving no event uncovered or lacking importance. SJ provides a platform and an extensive marketing channel to promote the authors' original works. SJ operates multiple interactive sites among the major social networks (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter) & our home platform, providing fun and informative sports exchange among our many thousands of subscribers, "friends" and followers. The weekly fun, informative, & interactive Sports Jabber Radio Show, "Cheap Seats Community" (think Myspace for sports fans) with its included blogs (yours & others) and "Graphics Showcase"), along with SJ's aforementioned social network sites are directly accessible via the "Sports Community" link on the home page. SJ operates one of the largest and most comprehensive NFL mock draft databases on the net. With our own mock draft, created & maintained by our cross-fan team of experts at its foundation, our database, unlike most, operates and is updated year-round. Of course, Jabberheads also unite in our highly interactive member forums, 24-7, for discussion of breaking sports news & daily events, enjoyment of competitive fantasy sports, & participation in fun & competitive prize-awarded contests. If you kick, throw, hit, or drive it...or enjoy watching it done, it's a jabber world made for you. Are you a Jabberhead? Do you want to be a Jabberhead? Step inside and join the fun.

Interested in Writing/Reading Articles? Interested in Intelligent Sports Discussion? Interested in Exploring the Wide World of Sports? Check out: 4

WWW.SPORTSJABBER.NET

The New York Giants and New York Jets ironically play in the New Meadowlands located in East Rutherford, New Jersey and compete for the fan base of the Tri-State area which consist of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut but they go about it two completely different ways and as history shows, they always have. The New York Giants, were established in 1925 and have been a family-owned and operated business since its inception. It maintains a low key to their business and attempts to keep its situations in-house and handled within the organization instead of having the public hear about it through the media. Their players have spoken little and have allowed their play on the field to be their voices. Now don't be fooled, the Giants have had extremely passionate players who have trashed-talked on the field but they have always showed respect for their opponents to the media before and after a game. The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925, but the only one admitted that year which still exists. The team ranks third among all NFL franchises with seven NFL titles: four in the preâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Super Bowl era (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956) and three since the advent of the Super Bowl (Super Bowls XXI (1986), XXV (1990), and XLII (2007). During their history, the Giants have featured 15 Hall of Fame players, including NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winners Mel Hein, Frank Gifford, Charlie Conerly, Y. A. Tittle, and Lawrence Taylor. The New York Jets was established in 1960 as the New York Titans until they adopted the Jets nickname in 1963 and have had multiple owners over the years. It has been known as the brash loud mouth franchise of the city. They were the first AFL team to defeat an NFL team as the Jets defeated the Colts 16-9 in Super Bowl III. The Jets seem to always have players who like to talk and it started with their franchise quarterback, Joe Namath. Namath guaranteed a Jets victory and lucky for him, his teammates helped to make his statement become truth. Not much to speak on for a franchise whose only championship was forty-two years ago but for the past two years, we have seen the Jets coaches and players talk more then produce. They have lost the last two AFC Championship Games, leaving them just hours from a Super Bowl appearance and have not been able to turn their brash, harsh, disrespectful trash-talking into championships. They talk big but play small in big games, even though competitive, down the road no one will ever remember who lost the Conference Championship Game. The Giants will forever own the hearts and souls of most New Yorkers just the same as the Yankees do during baseball season because they are a traditional franchise that works hard to please their fans. But until the Jets start5 raising more Lombardi Trophies, they will be an afterthought just like the Mets and will play second fiddle to the greatest orchestra better known as the New York Giants.

Rankings as of: 2/8/11 1. Anderson Silva 28 - 4 - 0 6'2" (188cm) 185 lbs (84kg) 2. George St. Pierre 21-2-0 5'10" (178cm) 170 lbs (78kg) 3. Jose Aldo 18 - 1 - 0 5'7" (171cm) 145 lbs (66kg) 4. Jake Shields 26 - 4 - 1 6'0" (183cm) 170 lbs (78kg) 5. Frank Edgar 13 - 1 - 1 5'6" (168cm) 154 lbs (70kg) 6. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua 19 - 4 –0 6’1” (184cm) 205 lbs (93kg) 7. Nick Diaz 24-7-0 6’1” (184cm) 170 lbs (80kg) 8. Fabricio Werdum 14-4-1 6’4” (193 cm) 239 lbs (108kg) 9. Jon Fitch 23-3-0 6’1” (184cm) 170 lbs (77kg) 10. Alistair 6Overeem 34-11-0 6’5” (196cm) 266 lbs (121kg)

The Winter Blues Personally, I hate February.... Look out your window. For the majority of us, that means seeing snow, grey skies, endless piles of frozen white masses that may or may not melt some time within the next month, or two.... These thoughts are depressing to the average person, but to someone with Seasonal Affective Disorder, approaching mid-February in the conditions that have swept across our Nation this year is akin to falling backwards into a pit, farther and harder day by day, until they have no desire to take the time or effort to climb out of it. Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as the Winter Blues, is defined by the Mayo Clinic as being a "mood disorder, in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the late fall and winter, repeatedly, year after year." Many experts, though at one time skeptical about SAD, have done serious documentation on the subject. Symptoms include lack of appetite, sleeping too little, (or occasionally too much) and lack of energy. It still stumps the experts in many ways, although certain medications and types of light therapy have been known to help. 70-80% of those with SAD are women, and the common "onset age" is around 30 or so. Polar placement seems to have a difference with some people. for instance, one person may not experience SAD while living in St Louis, and MAY if they make a move to Toronto, and another may experience SAD in New York City, and may not after a move to Miami. Although not diagnosed with SAD, I DO have problems this late in the winter, when I have not seen the sun for days on end, and feel as though I never will again. I am sure that there are a few of you who tend to feel the same way, and for those of you who don't, please be patient with your friends who tend not to function as well during the winter months. There may be a reason why.

chiefsmom 7

Greatest Rock Bands Tournament! Set to (roughly) coincide with the upcoming Tournament Season, SJ will be running its very own Rock and Roll Band 64 band tournament. Rock and Roll bands will be seeded by strength in four brackets and voted on by SJ members in a single elimination tournament to determine SJ's Greatest Rock Band of All Time. Look for it in upcoming weeks in the Movies Games and Music Forum, and be prepared to defend your favorite band's right to be SJ's first Rock Tourney Champion. To see the bands that were nominated: Nomination Thread.

King Kong Bundy was one of the most feared pro wrestlers to ever live. He once fought Hulk Hogan in a steel cage, in the main event at Wrestle Mania 2. He is a living legend in WWF, now WWE folklore. Michael Ciesielski is a legend in his own right in the Baltimore area. He is one of the better semi-pro football coaches. And this Tank Abbott look-alike is also a former legendary bouncer who worked the nightclub scene for several years. He has the same fighting blood in him as King Kong Bundy. Also Michael Ciesielski is a cousin to (Motley Crue) Tommy Lee bodyguard, Renzo Gracie blackbelt and the founder of MMA in Maryland, John Rallo.

Tim Lumber with the Legendary Michael Ciesielski

Bundy and Ciesielski were bound to meet, face-toface one day. And it happened around the year of 2004. I was actually washing dishes at the time for a nightclub called Malibu's. I was also going to pro-wrestling school and I had helped get them a show at the nightclub I worked at. I made my only appearance in a pro-wrestling match at the end of the main event (which also happened to feature Bundy). The ref was knocked out so I got to deliver the decisive 3 count. But the real action would happen outside the ring that day. The ring was set up outside the club, in the backyard near the water. It had the perfect scenery. The back windows leading to the ring were taped up so you had to pay to see the action. Inside were regular customers who were either at the bar or in the dining room area. I was backstage, and Immediately, King Kong Bundy and another former WWF superstar, "The Patriot"(he once fought Brett Hart in the main event on a pay-per-view during WWF's US vs. Canada rivalry). These two did not get along. There were some harsh words exchanged. Bundy believing he was a bigger Legend looked down on the muscular Patriot. The locker room was actually used as a private party room. Bundy was pissed over a food bill. My friend Kenny Zellers, who was the chef at that club, cooked up a big meal for the 500 lb Bundy. Once Bundy saw his bill, he was furious. He immediately wanted to fight the chef. That’s when the Patriot stepped up. He told him to back down and just pay the bill. Bundy went out of the locker room before the fights even started. He crossed into the restaurant where customers were eating. He was cussing, and wanted to find the cook. The Patriot started arguing with him. It made the scene wild because here was this 500 lb wrestler in his trunks and another wrestler, both wrestling celebs, and they wanted to fight 9 for real. There were three bouncers at the club that day. Two of them seemed very hesitant to stop the 500 lb monster in Bundy. They both went for the muscular Patriot. The Patriot wasn’t even that mad, they didn’t have to fight him.

Then there it was! Two tough living legends. This was about to be something everyone there that day, would talk about still some 7 years later. Michael Ciesielski, the Malibu's legendary bouncer told King Kong Bundy to "Calm down, you’re disturbing the customers.” Bundy just stared at him, looking like Michael was a joke. King Kong Bundy then came after Michael Ciesielski. The football coach/bouncer Ciesielski used his real wrestling skills (MMA style). He grabbed Bundy and slammed the big man against the bar. Bundy was screaming, "Let Me Go, Let Me Go". King Kong Bundy looked like he was going to try to throw a punch and immediately Ciesielksi took him down to the ground. He rendered Bundy helpless. An average Joe had just taken down and destroyed a WWF living legend. They say it takes beating a legend to become a legend. And Michael Ciesielksi was now a LEGEND!! I recently caught up with this bad*ss bouncer and semipro football coach, to ask him about that incident years ago, which made him a legend. Here is what he had to say..... Tim Lumber: Years ago, we worked at a local nightclub in Maryland where you were a bouncer. That day, WWF Legend King Kong Bundy was there doing a wrestling match. Have you ever watched Bundy on tv prior to that day? Michael Ciesielski: YEAH, I WATCHED THE W.W.F. BACK THEN....BUNDY SPLASHED EVERYBODY!

Hogan taking down the Giant Tim Lumber: You became kind of famous for holding back King Kong Bundy at that nightclub. Bundy is a big guy. The other bouncers appeared to be afraid of him. I know he was cussing out the Patriot inside the restaurant area, near the customers, causing a big disturbance. Do you remember what he was saying before you grabbed him up? Michael Ciesielski: NOT REALLY...THE GUY WAS KIND OF FURIOUS...I THINK THE PATRIOT TOLD HIM SOMETHING LIKE YOUR FAT ASS ORDERED ALL THAT FOOD NOW YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT … I GUESS BUNDY THOUGHT HE WAS EATING10KENNY Z-MAN'S GOOD COOKING FOR FREE AND REALLY GOT ANGRY WHEN HE SAW HIS BILL.

Tim Lumber: And last but not least. How strong was King Kong Bundy, and how did it feel pinning a wrestling legend against the bar? Michael Ciesielski: NOT THAT STRONG...SHOULD HAVE GOT 6 POINTS FOR THAT TAKE DOWN....WHEN I HAD HIM ON THE GROUND, HE SEEMED NON-COMBATIVE LIKE HE DIDN'T WANT ANY PARTS OF THE CHEWSTER..... I GUESS TAKING HIM DOWN AND BENDING HIM UP A LITTLE BIT CHANGED HIS MIND ABOUT BEING AGGRESSIVE ?? SH*T, I SHOULD HAVE RECIEVED A CONTRACT TO WRESTLE... I GUESS I WAS LUCKY HE DIDN'T FALL ON TOP OF ME...HAHAHA WITH ALL THE CUSTOMERS EATING AND IN THE DINING AREA AT THE TIME, I HAD TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE SITUATION...WITH HIS SIZE, BALD HEAD, AND SCREAMING, HE WAS SCARING EVERYBODY.....YOU HAVE TO ADMIT HE IS INTIMIDATING ... BUT IT ALSO HELPS THAT I HAVE A STRONG WRESTLING BACKGROUND… THAT IS A MEMORY THAT YOU DON'T FORGET… TAKING DOWN A FORMER W.W.F. WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION..

The Take-Down

Browns 4-3 Dilemma? It’s Not What You Think All over the net Browns watchers are fretting about the team’s eminent change to the 4-3 defense. “They have to draft a lineman! They have to draft a lineman!” Please. For starters, the cupboard isn’t as completely bare as some people seem to think. In fact many observers are having trouble with the math. Before the consensus was that the Browns needed ONE defensive end in their 3-4 scheme. Now suddenly, Ahtyba Rubin is a man by himself and needs a tackle partner. Which is it? When it comes to ends, people mention Jayme Mitchell, Matt Roth and Marcus Bernard as possibilities then claim the Browns only have ONE true end and that’s Matt Roth. For starters, Mitchell’s more than a possibility, he played the position in Minnesota’s 4-3 so if Matt Roth can also play end then the Browns have 2. With Bernard playing 3rd downs, something he was doing in the 3-4 anyway, that’s a 3 man rotation. The line could definitely stand an upgrade but what’s the best way to upgrade. Recent history says free agency. More of the top 4-3 lines are assembled rather than drafted. Mike Holmgren should know this better than anyone. On his Super Bowl winning Packers team, NONE of his starting D-Linemen were drafted by the Pack. Reggie White, Gilbert Brown, Sean Jones and Santana Dotson all started their NFL careers wearing different colored jerseys than the green and yellow. The 2000 Champion Ravens team featured 3 out 4 defensive linemen from other teams, Tony Siragusa, Sam Adams, and Mike McCrary. Only Rob Burnett, was drafted by the then Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens. The 2002 Tampa Bay Bucs brought in ends Greg Spires and Simeon Rice. Holmgren’s 2005 Seahwaks had a line of Grant Wistom, Bryce Fisher and Chatric Darby to go with Rocky Bernard. The reason there are so many assembled or pieced together lines is that defensive linemen in the first round have the highest bust rate of any position in the last decade. A whopping 50% of them turn out to be no good. The best “home grown” 4-3 line is the NY Giants. Nearly all of their major contributors came after the 1st round, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Barry Coffield all came in the 2nd round or later. Only Mathias Kiwanuka was taken in the first round. This coming free agency period (whenever it starts) features a ton of 4-3 ready players like Tamba Hali, Ray Edwards, Cliff Avril, and Barry Coffield. If the Browns want to open up their checkbook, they should have no problem filling out the line. The real problem in the 4-3 is the linebackers. The linebackers have to do more in a 4-3 because there are fewer of them and they are responsible for much more real estate. A good Mike Linebacker is especially hard to come by. Ends are available every free agency period but a Mike Linebacker is the quarterback of 4-3 and those players are highly valued. The Sam and Will backers are also very hard assignments. It’s in the linebacker position, not the front line where the Browns are in the most trouble. There’s no proven Mike Linebacker candidate and Scott Fujita is the only backer proven in a 4-3 scheme. Unlike the line there is very little help available through free agency and not that much help in the draft either. No Mike Linebacker prospect has a first round rating. Nearly all the first round linebacker candidates are 3-4 rushers. It’s this area that’s going to be the real headache for the 12 Browns moving forward. It’s the area people should be watching carefully come draft time. Casey Matthews anyone?

Once again, brought to you by Golden_State_of_Mind, Reg, Janna “Tilly” Florie, and mrtxstar. The way it works: Each member that participates submits their own ranking to Janna “Tilly” Florie which are then aggregated and combined into one Official SJ NFL Power Ranking. However, if for any reason, there are any ties, they are broken by the point system (how they are ranked on everyone’s polls).

Do you agree or disagree with this week’s rankings? Want to make some predictions of your own? SJ’s NBA Week 16 Rankings

Want to see past weeks’ rankings? SJ’s 2010-2011 NBA Rankings Archive Edition 13

The Nascar off-season is usually filled with drivers changing teams, and not much else. This offseason was filled with so many changes that didn't involve drivers that it made for a 2 month whirlwind of excitement. Lets look at the major changes and how they will affect the upcoming racing season. 1. Daytona got repaved - For the first time in over 30 years, the racing surface at the "world center of racing" got new asphalt. In the tire test in December, speeds were up and all the drivers spoke positively about the amount of "grip" that they had on their cars. Practice speed were up over 197 MPH. This necessitated Nascar to go to a smaller restrictor plate to cut speeds down. The Speedway is also painting lane lines in the corners to help the drivers when they are running 3 wide. 2. Drivers can only run for points in 1 series - Drivers typically run races in all 3 series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series) due to sponsor commitments. This has made the "double/triple dippers" almost unbeatable. In fact, the defending Nationwide Series Champ is a Sprint Cup driver. Nascar made a change which makes the drivers choose which series they will accumulate driver points. They can still run in the other 2 series, and win races, but they will not accumulate championship points. This has some of the drivers that run the full schedule in both Sprint Cup and Nationwide rather upset. However, this will allow the Nationwide Series in a few years to go back to what it is supposed to be, the series where drivers get their experience before moving up to the Sprint Cup. 3. Qualifying has changed AGAIN - Last year, all the teams in the Top 35 in Owner Points went out first (since they had guaranteed starting spots) and then the "go or go homers" went. This was to allow the drivers not in the Top 35 to see what kinds of speeds they would need to run to make the race. Well this year, Nascar has changed qualifying again. Now the qualifying order will be set by practice speeds as opposed to a random draw. The slowest car will go out first, and the fastest practice speed car goes last. This will make a level playing field. If qualifying gets rained out, the starting order will be set by 14 Practice Speed (the Top 35 still get a guaranteed spot in the field). If both practice and qualifying are rained out, then they will use owner points to set the field.

However, Nascar has decided that if they use owner points to set the field, cars outside the Top 35 will not get any points (they had in the past), but they will still get an additional qualifying attempt credited to them. 4. Closed loop fuel system - Last year in the truck series, they changed to a closed loop fuel system, which eliminated the need for a "catch can man,"(he stuck a can into the over flow vent and caught the excess fuel). It is considered the most dangerous of the pit crew positions since you stand behind the car and can get hit by the car behind you rather easy. This will drop the number of the "over the wall gang" from 7 members down to 6. Pit road is a fast-moving chaotic place and anything that can be done to enhance safety for pit crew members is a step in the right direction. 5. Big changes to the points system - For the first time since the 1970's, the points system has undergone a major simplification. In the past, they used a "sliding scale" points system, now they have changed to a much easier to understand system for the casual fan. Since there are 43 drivers in each race, the winner will get 43 points and each subsequent car will get 1 point less down to the last place car getting 1 point. There will still be bonus points given. The race winner gets 3 bonus points, each driver that leads 1 lap during the race will get 1 bonus point and the driver that leads the most laps during the race will get 1 bonus point. So if the driver that wins the race also leads the most laps he would get a total of 48 points for that race. 6. The Chase for the Cup had been revised - Instead of completely doing away with the "Chase for the Cup"(the final 10 races), Nascar has tweaked how the drivers get into it a bit. The Top 10 in points automatically will be in, but positions 11 and 12 will go to the next 2 drivers in the Top 20 in points with the most wins. You have to be in the Top 20 to be eligible for the last 2 "wild card" slots. So that means that if you are 16th in the standings and have 2 wins, and no one else in places 11 to 15 have more wins than you, the 16th place driver would get into the final Chase. If none of the drivers in places 11 to 20 have more wins than each other, then places 11 and 12 will still get into the Chase for the Cup. When they reset the field for the final 10 races, the cars in the Top 10 will get bonus points for their wins in the first 26 races, but the wild card drivers will not get any bonus points. Nascar also announced this week that the Chase races will start at 2pm, so they don't go head-to-head with the NFL early games. 15

Here are the drivers that I think will make the Chase (in no particular order): 1 - Jimmie Johnson (Will he win 6 titles in a row?) 2 - Kevin Harvick 3 - Denny Hamlin 4 - Kyle Busch 5 - Tony Stewart 6 - Jeff Gordon 7 - Jeff Burton 8 - Kasey Kahne (running a lame duck season for Red Bull Racing before going to Hendrick Motorsports next year) 9 - Kurt Busch 10 - Jamie McMurrey 11 - Dale Earnhardt Jr 12 - Martin Truex or David Reutimen (one of the Micheal Waltrip Racing Cars will make the field this season)

It’s a new decade and is the NFC rising again to dominate the Super Bowl? They’ve won 3 out of the last 4 after the AFC went 8 out of 10. Is this the start of another sea change in the NFL? The trend is even more amazing when you look at who is doing the winning and who is doing the losing. All three defeats were by previous Super Bowl winners; Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and now Ben Roethlisberger. In the previous 40 Super Bowls, there were only 5 instances where a winning QB returned with the same team only to come up short. Roger Staubach did it twice in the 70’s both times losing to the Steelers. Joe Theisman followed up his Super Bowl victory with a blow-out loss to the Raiders in the mid 80’s. Brett Favre also followed up a win with a loss to the Broncos in 1997. And Kurt Warner lead the Rams back to the Super Bowl in 2001 only to lose to Tom Brady and the Patriots. Not only that but two of the losing QBs had multiple Super Bowl wins. No one had ever lost a Super Bowl after posting two or more wins without a loss until Brady did it in 2007. Big Ben has now joined him in that ignominious category. Before 2007, only Staubach had lost a Super Bowl despite winning more than one in the past. What’s also amazing in this streak is that each time, the winner was making his first Super Bowl appearance. That had only happened once before in 2001 when Warner was upset by Brady. Staubach lost both times to Terry Bradshaw. Theisman lost to Jim Plunkett. And Favre lost to John Elway. Now Eli Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers have come away winners despite debuting against veteran, championship-winning QBs. That defies all football logic, so what’s happening? There’s no clear answer right now but there are several possibilities. The Bright Lights Are Overrated: I think one cliché we can retire right now is the one about how the “media circus” of the Super Bowl will overwhelm the newcomer. That may have been true in the past but that was before we entered the internet fueled, 24/7 media world we live in now. Is there a starting QB in the NFL now whose life ISN’T a media spectacle? Jay Cutler’s still has a million cameras aimed at his knee caps every time he steps out in public. Mark Sanchez and Brett Favre continue to make headlines well after the season is over. A few clowns at a press conference are supposed to rattle these guys now? If these guys were going to implode under the scrutiny they would have done so well before this stage, see Vince Young. Is Past Winning a Good Thing?: The AFC right now belongs to 3 teams, the Patriots, the Steelers, and the Colts. Since 2000, only two other teams have represented the conference in the Super Bowl, Baltimore and (incredibly) the Raiders. That used to be a sign of dominance. That dominance used to carry over into the Super Bowl. Look at the 80’s and early 90s where the Niners, Redskins and Giants went to the Super Bowl 10 times and won 9 of them. But instead of dominance, today’s AFC juggernauts just seem tired when the postseason rolls around. Never was this more apparent in this postseason where both 17 the Colts and the Pats honked home playoff games to the upstart Jets. Taking nothing away from the Jets, it was shocking to see both Brady and Manning in those games. Both QBs are known for

their fiery competitiveness and grace under pressure and they exhibited neither of those traits. There was a lack of urgency on offense. They settled for what the defense was giving them instead of seizing the moment and making a play when it counted. Both Brady and Manning are shoo-ins for the Hall of Fame and that might be the problem. Neither of them has anything left to play for at this point in their careers. It’s possible that sports psychology isn’t keeping up with today’s culture. Even back in the 80s, the Niners, who were one of the first teams to employ sports psychology, acknowledged the difficulties in keeping players motivated after they’ve won. It’s only gotten worse. In this age, when you have a microphone constantly stuck in your face, success might be the worst thing for a QB. Brady, Manning and Roethlisberger don’t have to answer questions about why they can’t win the big one and will never have to answer those questions, something that the other 29 starting QBs have to answer every single press conference or interview. That can be a great comfort. But does that comfort breed confidence or take away the edge. Maybe it’s the urge to shut up all those nagging writers and bloggers that fuels today’s champions. Maybe now it’s the “unproven” player who has the edge. He has the motivation to push himself farther, while the past winner still has those laurels waiting for him at home in case he loses. Parity. Especially at the Most Critical Position: The old 80’s style NFC dominance will probably never be seen again. The huge talent gulf between the conferences in that period was manifestly obvious on the playing field. It often looked like Alabama pounding on Mineral State University. But free agency leveled the playing field quite a bit. During the AFC dominance period from 1997 to 2006, there were only two real massacres during the Super Bowl. The NFC was noticeably softer than it had been but it never devolved into a total collection of cream puffs. But during this period, the one area the AFC was noticeably superior in was the QB position. It’s appropriate that the AFC win streak began with John Elway. During the 80’s, the quarterbacking in the AFC was second to none with Elway, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Boomer Esiason and Bernie Kosar. It was the teams around them that couldn’t measure up. From ’97 to ’06, the NFC had the exact opposite problem. They had the personnel on their roster to match up against the AFC teams (usually) but they were relying on Rex Grossman and Chris Chandler to throw passes. The AFC meanwhile had two of the best young QBs in 18 the league, Brady and Peyton Manning, battling it out every year. But since 2005, the quarterbacking situation in

the NFC has improved drastically. The next wave of QBs have already taken over on the NFC where as Philip Rivers, Mark Sanchez and Joe Flacco are still struggling to get over the hump on the AFC side. This Isn’t the NBA: All the arguments sighted above have no bearing on basketball. In the NBA, a winning pedigree counts for a lot. First timers have won exactly twice in recent memory. But their best out of 5 and best out of 7 system promotes that kind of stability. Fluke wins even out over the long haul. One loss isn’t the end of the line. Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan have time to shake off bad nights and find the fire inside them. Football, by its nature, is more unstable. Any Given Sunday isn’t just a saying. That’s why little things matter much more, especially in this pass friendly game we’re playing today. If Roethlisberger makes that pass to a wide open Mike Wallace in the third quarter, this is a completely different discussion. The league wanted a more wide open, exciting game and that’s exactly what it got. But as a consequence, games now hang on the narrowest of margins. Unlike basketball, slight mistakes will cost a team the championship. They certainly cost the Steelers a seventh crown.

Howdy Jabbers . . . Glad you made it through the Super Bowl, a horrible half-time show, a flubbed National Anthem, angry ticket holders without seats, and snowpocalypse 2011. I congratulate the Packers and their loyal fans. I for one, am happy for the fact that spring is inching closer and closer. I can almost hear the engines roaring at Daytona right now. I think I hear a cold beer opening... yup! I always get childishly excited around Bike week, nothing like the sound of Harley Davidson on a balmy Saturday night. This past month has been an emotional one here at S.J. and I want to wish the family and friends of Scott Wedell my deepest Sympathy for their loss. With that being said, I wanted to comment on internet friendships and the power of the web. I started blogging and posting to some sports message boards around two years ago, and prior to that, I presumed only freaks and nerds spent their time chatting online! I could not have been more wrong. I met a group of folks and soon I started posting my own threads, which surprisingly enough, became popular places to gather, share information, and get to know each another. I learned of children being born, a job being lost, additions being built, plans for the weekend, tragedy and even death. I learned that my feelings ran deeper than I ever imagined within my virtual world, where I was the all-powerful Oz, and like Oz, I was not much different from the people who came to seek out something they felt they needed or wanted and quite possibly, always possessed. The world seems to become a smaller place every day. In Cairo, Egyptian’s are using the internet to communicate and coordinate their protests and send their very desperate message across the planet. The power of the web and freedom of speech seem strange bed fellows at times, but a marriage til the end I hope! I can’t imagine having my internet taken away, or my ability to communicate with large networks of people and organizations at the push of a button. Is it ok to give the world a hug when it needs it? I say yes! Where else can you Tweet, text, sext, stalk, organize, entertain, educate and mesmerize an exponentially growing population of users. Is the internet the new “opiate of the masses?” Or will it have the opposite affect? Organize and educate the poor and oppressed? In closing to this month’s random observations, I ask that everyone reach out to their loved ones. Tomorrow never comes as I see it! It is always today, it is today right now and will be today, tomorrow! Follow your dreams no matter20the consequence; love and respect others and it will be returned! Today is the day to laugh, today may be the day to cry, but today is the only way to fly!

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a Martial Art which focuses on a fighter's groundwork and self defense. Matt Grubisha is a purple belt practitioner of the discipline. Training at Steel City Martial Arts, Grubisha is also known to incorporate the Russian Martial Art, Sambo, into his game. He's agreed to answer some of our questions. How did you first get in to the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? I moved to southern California when I was almost 22 years old. Of course, the gym scene out there is ridiculous. It’s everywhere. So of course, I joined a large gym down the street from me, literally. I would walk there some times in the evenings to have that be my warm-up and cool down. The time to walk there was about 2-3 minutes, so as you can imagine, I was there quite frequently. About 2 years went by and I was becoming increasingly bored with just lifting weights. I was young and wanted something other than fitness to channel all my energy and effort into, but I didn’t see any sports I really thought I could excel at. I stand about 6’ 4” tall and am a horrible basketball player. It’s actually kind of embarrassing being this tall and not being a good player, but that’s when I found out about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. There was a coupon book on the front desk for a free BJJ class that was located inside a kempo karate studio down the street. I had a really good feeling that this might be exactly what I was looking for: a sport that I could start out doing with no prior knowledge or experience, and they said I didn’t even have to be in good physical shape to start! I thought, “Well that’s just great because I AM in the tip top physical shape of my life! This will also give me an advantage over the more experienced folks.” Sadly, I couldn’t have been more wrong. At the end of my first class, I was partnered up with some more advanced guys in the school. I was far bigger, stronger, and in way better shape than almost everyone there so I figured I would tear through everyone fairly easily. Let me tell you, those advanced guys beat the hell out of me, despite being just over half my weight. I was choked, arm locked, flipped upside down, cranked, twisted, and bent in every way the body was not meant to move. I asked for it though, I told them not to take it easy on me. I bought my first gi at the end of my first class, signed up, and told everyone I knew what happened to me (getting beat up). I knew I found what I was looking for, I just HAD to learn why these small guys were able to completely control me on the ground. That was my start into BJJ. What is your biggest strength and what is your biggest weakness? My biggest weakness would not be a particular submission or position, but it’s the temporary inability to train. Sometimes this happens before tournaments and I hate it. I am a full-time union construction worker who is also en route to becoming a commercial pilot, also while working on a bachelor’s degree. Fortunately, I have been able to 21 do this all while maintaining close to a 4.0 GPA. I guess you could say I get kind of busy from time, and training BJJ sometimes takes a back seat to the circumstances of life. However, that’s also linked up to my biggest strength which is my work ethic.

I’m very old school in that respect. I was always taught growing up to learn to work hard at whatever you do because sometimes that might be the only thing that will keep your head above water. That being said, when my schedule permits, I train quite frequently work very hard on any moves or positions I have been going over. What's your favorite submission to use in any fight? My favorite submission is a straight ankle lock from the leg knot position. This is a sambo move I learned from watching Reilly Bodycomb instructional dvd’s. Some people don’t like to bridge the gap between different grappling styles like sambo, BJJ, or catch wrestling. To me, a submission is a submission and a position is a position, regardless of what kind of grappler you refer to yourself as. When I come across a move that I like because it works, I start doing it regardless of how it is labeled. The leg knot is a very technically solid position that utilizes body mechanics to take away your opponents ability to stand up, make it extremely hard to be counter foot locked, and still leaves you with both your arms free to attack your opponents legs. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training must be intense. Can you tell us a little bit about what you do? Maybe like how long you train a week and possibly a few examples of things you do. I try to train about 3-4 times per week. A typical hour long BJJ class in most academies has three distinguishable parts: i. the warm up/cardio- this is usually about 10-15 minutes in length and involves jumping jacks, pushups, sit ups, stretching, etc. ii. The instructional- This is where an instructor will go over about 3 or 4 moves with the class. These are usually shown in a progressive sequence. During this time all the details of how to get the move to work are explained along with any questions. This usually lasts 30-40 minutes. iii. “Live” training, or “rolling” – During this segment, students and instructors spar with one another on the mat. This lasts about 10-15 minutes. Occasionally after a class ends an instructor may decide to stay for an extra ten minutes or so and continue rolling with students or other instructors.

Have you ever found yourself in a match where you have found a real fear? Actually yes. The first time I competed in a BJJ tournament was up near Los Angeles at a large high school venue, shortly after I had started training. I felt confident but when my opponent grabbed me and started shaking me and throwing me around I got very nervous and shaky. Despite my good physical condition back then, I wasn’t used to the “fight or flight” set of feelings that rushes in during tournament competition. Over years of competing, I have learned to focus more on the “fight” set of feelings than the “flight” portion. I was hyperventilating, my forearm muscles felt like they were on fire from gripping too tight, I had the sick twisting feeling in my stomach, and although I did barely win the match with a sloppy rear-naked choke, I almost threw up all over my opponent and the ref when it was all over. I gladly mention this because every guy wants to be tough; everyone wants to be as “fearless” as possible in any given set of circumstances. For me, I wasn’t tough when I started; in fact I was the opposite. I was terrified almost to the point of vomit and tears in my first tournament match. My point is that grappling, learning to fight well, and being tough or fearless is a science and it CAN BE TAUGHT. If someone wants to be a good fighter or fierce competitor, they can certainly do that, provided they are also willing to do the work and put their time in. Some people think that you are either born with some amazing killer instinct or you are not. I would personally say this is only partially true. By continuing to enter myself in tournaments, I constantly faced my fears and learned how to overcome those feelings and emotions that limited my ability. Do you have a nickname? If so, how did you get it? I don’t have any nick names that stuck. In my very early days back in San Diego, my first instructor called me “avalanche” because all I did was work out and train very aggressively. This lasted about 4 months until I learned I got beat up a whole lot less when I trained at a “normal” pace. Is there one moment in your career that really stands out for you? There have been several moments that stand out to me, but one worth mentioning is getting my purple belt in BJJ. It took me five years and a lot of hours of training. This was an important step for me because it was my goal when I first started grappling. To get an accredited black belt in BJJ usually takes about 8-10 years. I didn’t want to set my goals this high, so I made my grappling goal to be a good purple belt. After I finally got this belt, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment because I had truly fulfilled a long-term goal that I set. 23

What is your ultimate goal as an Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner? My ultimate goal in BJJ is to one day be a good black belt. I do not want to be a black belt because of the color of the belt or the prestige that it implies. Rather, I know by the time I meet that goal my grappling technique and ability will have far surpassed anything I thought possible for myself. When I first started training, a black belt seemed inconceivable. Once someone sees how detail oriented and specific you have to be on the mat, you quickly realize that a BJJ black belt literally takes about a decade of work and dedication to get. Once I do that, if I am still able, I would like to compete in black belt divisions on a national level. Who is your biggest inspiration? As far as BJJ, I would have to say my biggest inspiration would be my head coach Sonny Achille. My reasons are simply this: he has accomplished a lot of the goals that I still have for myself. He got his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well as other grappling arts like judo and has built Steel City Martial Arts to be the largest most successful BJJ school in the whole Pittsburgh area. Also, he did this while working a full time union job and was still able to have a family and raise kids. Like I said, those pretty much sum up my martial arts/lifestyle goals, and that’s a real inspiration! I’m not saying I don’t like watching the newest ADCC or grappler’s quest champions go at it, but I tend to draw my inspiration from the people I know and communicate with, not just someone I found on Youtube. Martial Arts is like any other sport, if you do it long enough and hard enough, your body pays a price for it. That being said, Sonny has been training martial arts for over 30 years, and he doesn’t actively compete like he used to. However, because of this he holds nothing back from his students. His motivation is to excel in BJJ through the people he teaches, not just his own competition record. He holds nothing back. I’ve never asked a question that I didn’t get a complete and comprehensive answer to. As a dedicated practitioner and veteran competitor, I couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s like having a walking encyclopedia of martial arts knowledge that can also smile at you, shake your hand, or crack a joke at you when you mess up a move. It’s great. He has gotten by several surgeries, built up an amazing BJJ school to train at, became an accredited Pedro Sauer black belt, faithfully worked a full time job all the way to retirement, and raised a family. If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is. When all is said and done, how do you want people to remember you? Basically, I want people to remember me in two ways: a tough, well seasoned BJJ practitioner on the mat, and a kind and compassionate person off the mat. In my later years, if this was the reputation that preceded me, I would be ecstatic. I obviously try to excel and accomplish as much as I can on the mat during training and competitions, but off the mat I just try to live a good life and help others, because I have been helped tremendously in my own life. I’ve even had the opportunity to do missionary work in Kenya for 9 months, which was a life-changing experience. When that was over, I may have been 25 pounds under my normal weight but I had a fresh new outlook 24 on life that still benefits me to this day. In my opinion, when you get the opportunity to help someone in need, you should take that opportunity as often as practicable, and that’s how I would like to be remembered.

Only two weeks left until that wonderful date of February 24th comes. Why am I celebrating the arrival of an average Thursday? Because it brings with it the NBA trade deadline, and with it an end to the endless speculation and headlines of “Where is Carmelo Anthony going this week?” Don’t believe me? Here are just SOME of the headlines we’ve had to put up with since the start of the NBA season. There have been many, many more. “3 team deals between Denver, Detroit and New York would send Anthony to the Nets” “Trade talks for Anthony advancing with Nets” “Denver’s 11 hour squeeze stalls talks” “Nets/Nuggets trade talks back on” “Per ESPN, ‘Melo agrees to sign extension with Nets” “Knicks shot at ‘Melo 50/50” “Walsh: nothing cooking with Nuggets” “Knicks have reached out to Memphis for 3 way trade that would send Mayo to Denver and Anthony to Knicks” “Deal with Nets, Nuggets and Pistons to be done ‘very soon’” “Anthony says he doesn’t want to talk to Nets” “Karl may sit ‘distracted’ Anthony” “Nets drop Anthony deal” “Anthony to Chicago rumor picks up steam” “Warriors owner wants to deal for ‘Melo” “Scuffling Knicks could take run for ‘Melo” “Knicks offer to Nuggets turned down” “Carmelo blames Nets for lack of a deal” “Knicks add names to ‘Melo mix-work on a 3 team trade” “Lakers making a play for Anthony?” “Lakers deny Melo to LA talks” “Anthony to sign with Denver after all?” Enough with the ‘Melo drama!! I stopped caring somewhere around week 3 of the season. How the Nuggets and Anthony have continued to play fairly well considering all the trade talks and speculation is a testament to the professionalism of those guys. I blame the press more than anything for this debacle. Anthony for the most part has kept silent. When asked (more times than I can count) on his thoughts, feelings, and opinions, time after time Carmelo has stated he was not 25 focusing on that. He was focusing on playing for the team he was with. Now, I’m sure some of that is an outright lie on his part.

I’m 100% positive that Anthony has an opinion and preference on where he would like to end up. But overall, he has kept his mouth shut and kept playing. Perhaps that’s why I found it harsh when Denver fans booed him. I do not think Carmelo should the target that the fans ire should be directed towards. That anger and frustration should be directed to the front office. Denver has an asking price that seems a bit too steep for nearly any team to be willing to take. Most teams would be losing more than they would be gaining. The GM and owners have dragged out this situation far longer than they needed to. If they are that desperate to trade Carmelo, then make the trade happen by being reasonable. You know Carmelo is not totally happy where he is. While he’s not shut down on the team and continues to produce, you know this has to be annoying him. I’m a basketball fan and it has annoyed the hell out of me. “Anthony trade to the Knicks certain” “Nets/Nuggets trade a done deal” “Lakers making a play for Anthony” “Nets say Nuggets pulled trade after it was made public” “Nuggets say Nets owner misspoke” And on and on it goes. Make it stop already! Here’s my headline…”If Carmelo Anthony ACTUALLY gets traded before the deadline, and it’s done, he’s on the plane to his new team and in uniform, then I will care” until then…Please let the 24th come quickly so we can ALL be put out of our misery and the ‘Melo drama can finally end. Unless he’s not traded and we have to deal with the talk and speculation all through the off seasonbut I’ll cross that bridge if and when it gets here.

SPORTS JABBER PRESENTS: the

Sports Jabber Mock Draft Database The Sports Jabber Mock Draft Database is one of the largest and most comprehensive mock draft databases on the net. We are already focusing on the 2011 NFL Draft. Sports Jabber will directly link you to hundreds of NFL mock drafts and player profiles by the time it’s over. This database is updated daily to provide you with the most current projections possible. So, BOOKMARK this page now and check back often! SUBSCRIBERS TO (LISTINGS ON) THIS DATABASE ENJOY TREMENDOUS WORLDWIDE EXPOSURE & TRAFFIC TO THEIR SITES…FOR FREE! FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR MOCK DRAFT, INCLUDING PARTICIPATION IN THE HIGHER-TRAFFIC-PRECIPITATING “PREFERRED MOCKS” SECTION, CLICK HERE.

http://sportsjabber.net/mock-draft-database/

Sports Jabber Brings You... The 2011 NFL Mock Draft 1. Carolina (2-14) - Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn 2. Denver (4-12) - Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU 3. Buffalo (4-12) - AJ Green, WR, Georgia 4. Cincinnati (4-12) - Daâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson 5. Arizona (5-11) - Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, UNC 6. Cleveland (5-11) - Marcell Dareus, DE, Alabama 7. San Francisco (6-10) - Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska 8. Tennessee (6-10) - Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri 9. Dallas (6-10) - J.J. Watt, DT/DE, Wisconsin 10. Washington (6-10) - Cam Newton, QB, Auburn 11. Houston (6-10) - Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M 12. Minnesota (6-10) - Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas 13. Detroit (6-10) - Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA 14. St. Louis (7-9) - Julio Jones, WR, Alabama 15. Miami (7-9) - Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama 16. Jacksonville (8-8) - Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue 17. New England - from Oakland (8-8) - Nate Solder, OT, Colorado 18. San Diego (9-7) - Cameron Jordan, DE, California 19. New York Giants (10-6) - Tyron Smith, OT, USC 20. Tampa Bay (10-6) - Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa 21. Kansas City (10-6) - Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College 22. Indianapolis (10-6) - Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri 23. Philadelphia (10-6) - Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin 24. New Orleans (11-5)- Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State 25. Seattle (7-9) - Brandon Harris, CB, Miami 26. Baltimore (12-4) - Titus Young, WR, Boise State 27. Atlanta (13-3) - Allen Bailey, DE/DT, Miami 28. New England (14-2) - Muhammed Wilkerson, DE/DT, Temple 29. Chicago (11-5) - Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh 30. New York Jets (11-5) - Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State 31. Green Bay (10-6) -28Justin Houston, OLB, Georgia 32. Pittsburgh (12-4) - Mike Pouncey, OG, Florida *Updated 1/30/11*

The NFL and the NFLPA are engaged in a tit-for-tat war attempt to etch out their stake of the currently 9 billion dollar annual revenue for Pro Football. Presently, there is a complicated formula to determine who gets what and each side does not want to take less. The NFL feels that the last agreement they had with the NFLPA was unfairly sided in the NFLPA's favor. Now the NFL has taken the option to end that contract early in hopes of getting a better deal. There is a lot at stake and too many lawyers are involved in this battle between the Billionaire owners, and the Millionaire players. The NFL has openly stated that up to 1 billion dollars could be lost by the owners and players, if the contract negotiations are drawn out. A simple attempt at trying to describe what the owners want is another billion dollars. The present formula is that the union gets 59.5% of total revenue after 1 billion dollars is taken off the top for operating expenses. The NFL wants to make a change so that 2 billion dollars is taken off the top, to give them better leverage for improvements in stadiums and other investments to improve the NFL. One method to increase the amount of revenue the NFL sees, is to change the present 4 preseason games and 16 regular season games format to 2 preseason games and 18 regular season games format. While the overall number of games are the same, regular season games are much more intense and harder on a player than a preseason game where the players do not even play the whole game. Part of the reason for this change is that the NFL charges full fare to watch a preseason game, without providing the same level of entertainment. NFL fans baulk at having to pay the full ticket cost of a preseason game but have not been on the forefront to have 18 regular season games. The NFL has stated if the NFLPA does not agree to the 18 game schedule, there will still only be two preseason games. The arm twist on the NFLPA over this issue is that players are being offered 2 additional game checks for the proposed schedule, or 2 less preseason checks if they don't approve it. Part of the rationale for the NFL owners to get a bigger slice of the pie is that the NFL wants more money to be used for stadium improvements. This could back fire on the NFL because using the cost of stadiums will bite them in the ass. For the cities where the city/state is asked to pony up to have the team there, they will feel slighted. A few examples: 1. Minnesota is being asked to build a new stadium. If the NFL has done so well and they want more money for new stadiums, why does Minnesota have to build a stadium? 2. Cities like Kansas City, who annually have to come up with stadium upkeep, renovations, etc... are now balking at what they have to contribute. Chargers may even have to exit San Diego. In cities where they may be asked to build new stadiums which have more luxury box seats etc... they may opt out of it or demand the owners cough up some of the new-found wealth that is being exposed in this battle. The revenue gain that the NFL seeks may also 29 mean increased costs that exceed the gain.

The NFL owners like having a salary cap to limit what they have to pay out to players. The percentage cut that the union gets determines the salary cap. Each team is given the same dollar amount they can spend on a players salary, with a minimum they must meet and a maximum they can't exceed. This serves as a good budgeting tool for the owners. The richer teams can afford more while the not-so-rich teams want to spend less. In the last year, there was no salary cap but if there was, it would be in the range of 140 million dollars, in which a team could use for player salaries. As the last year did not have a salary cap, some teams like Tampa Bay went cheap while other teams, like the Cowboys, spent heavy. Part of the heavy spending the teams did was to clear out top heavy contracts so future spending would be more balanced, and any new salary cap agreed to would be easier to meet. Another example of the NFL's smoke and mirrors used was when dealing with their costs. Within the structure of the salary cap, the owners want a new tool referred to as Rookie Wage Scale. The true intent of this proposal is to significantly reduce the contracts paid out to the Top 12 rookies in each years draft. Another aspect the NFL is wanting from this is to have it apply to the first five years of the rookie’s contract. The ability to use franchise or transition tags ends with the completion of the current contract. Teams still have the ability to sign their players to long-term contracts, but the uncertainty of coming to terms on a new CBA likely means that there will be fewer new contracts inked prior to a new agreement. One aspect of the current agreement that limits the team’s ability to pay their best players is called the 30% rule. This rule states that teams cannot increase the current players’ contracts by more than 30% per year (boy, would I like a 30% raise). One way the teams have around this is to franchise tag the player. This in essence means that the player is so important to the franchise (team) that they cannot part with him. Where the twist on this can come in, is with a player like LaMarr Woodley with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His current pay, of around $550,000 per year is far short of the 10 million plus per year the best players for his position make. With the franchise tag, the Steelers can pay him the average of the Top Five players for his position and circumvent the restrictions of the 30% rule. Next year, the franchise tag would expire, but LaMarr would have a much higher pay scale to be able to apply the 30% rule to. This will only be possible if the use of franchise/ transition tags is included in the next agreement. The NFLPA represents all players. They are tasked to look out for the best interests of the players, and in relation to the CBA, strike the best deal possible. The NFLPA certainly does not want to have their players take less money to do the30same job as the NFL would like. How the players take from the big pie is determined is a complicated formula. What the NFLPA has proposed is to simplify the system and take out all exceptions has to

what money coming in is counted for purposes of the playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; share of the revenue. The current proposal by the NFLPA of splitting the revenue 50/50 which caught the owners off-guard. The owners have hinted that they would like to use an impasse should they not be able to come to an agreement with the NFLPA. In order for the NFL to use an impasse, they would have to declare that the NFLPA is not bargaining in good faith. An example is that the NFL provides an offer and the NFLPA does not provide a counterproposal. However, the NFLPA has provided a counterproposal and has the appearance of bargaining in good faith. It was the owners who opted out of the existing contract so the burden of proof that an impasse exists is on the owners. The impasse procedure would be for the NFL to provide their best and final offer. If the NFLPA rejects it, then the owners may say an impasse exists. The next step would be for the NFLPA to either accept what was offered, strike, go through agreed-on mediation/ arbitration, or appeal to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB can either rule that there is an impasse or that the negotiation process is still in effect and order the NFL to continue with the negotiations. The NFLPA does not want an 18 game schedule. They are content with the current 16 game schedule and likely would accept a 16 game schedule with only two preseason games. The players contention against the 18 week schedule is that it leaves them at additional risk for injury, which could include season- or career-ending injury. The health care benefits offered to the players only extends five years past their retirement. If there is additional risk to injury, the players want extended health care benefits, likely meaning ten years in lieu of five. While the 18 week schedule would result in additional salary for the players, their belief is that it is not sufficient to offset the risk of injury that now exists. The Free Agency system that now exists stems back to1988. During those negotiations, the NFL declared an impasse over the system and their declaration was overturned. Free agency is a system strongly desired by the players as it gives them better control of who they play for and how much they get paid. Also, the use of franchise/transition tags is linked to the free agency system as it gives the owners the ability to declare a few exceptions to the free agency process and keep key players to their organization. Roger Goodell has offered to reduce his salary to one dollar a year if a new deal is not signed by the end of the current agreement. How much does the NFL have to lose in canning an executive who only has a salary of one dollar a year? 31

Franchise and transition tags are available to the owners until March 4th when the existing agreement expires. Any extension to the availability of the tags will have to come from a new CBA. In the same sense, players that are released or had their contract expire will not be able to sign with a new team until after a new CBA is signed. This is important to the upcoming draft as free agency is normally used to fill holes in the roster prior to the draft. If no new agreement is signed soon, the draft will be used to fill positions typically filled by free agency and current free agents may find that they are not needed or their availability to the teams they choose won't exist because a new player has been drafted to fill the need. Normally by the begging of April, the NFL has established the schedule for the upcoming year. Without a new agreement, for which an 18 week schedule is being negotiated, it will make establishing the schedule difficult. It is possible the two sides can decide this issue but more likely the NFL will just establish a schedule based on a 16 week schedule. Another area that may be impacted is the teamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; use of OTAs. These are mini meetings of the teamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; players and allows the teams to evaluate current players in relation to available free agents and the upcoming draft. Likely to happen will be that the OTAs will not be conducted until a new CBA is signed. At risk during these labor talks is also the loss of the NFL fan base as it is known now. One example of this is the Minnesota Vikings who are demanding that season tickets for 2011 be paid for before the end of Feb. This is a means of the Vikings to get the season ticket money in advance before the fans are alienated by the Billionaire vs. Millionaire labor rift. The perspective of the fansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; view of the haves (players and owners) vs. the have-nots (the fans) may cause a noticeable decline in off-season marketing of merchandise. The merchandise decline will also be affected by the uncertainty of where a player will be playing without the conclusion of the free agency period. The NFL has estimated up to a billion dollars will be lost if a new agreement is not signed prior to the season start. In addition, the loss of up to 150,000 jobs in the communities supporting NFL franchises is possible. This, all because spoiled rich people cannot agree on how to divide up the money taken in from the fan base. An alienated fan base surely will see to a much reduced revenue base for the spoiled to dip into. There is also more to be lost by dragging the CBA negotiations out for more than has been computed. The stated lost revenue the NFL has come up with for not coming to an agreement is a low-ball figure. Another part of the problem is the new owners since the last time the NFL had a lockout. These new owners have not felt the bite of the fans who get disgusted and won't fill the stadiums for years after the lockout. In the NFL's zest to grab more money, they could turn the NFLPA against them more than they are now and befriend the public as 32 well as the NFL contributing fans. Upset the consumer and the marketing revenue takes a dive.

For the second straight Monta Ellis was NBA All-Star game. Ellis, support from All-Star and Spurs head coach was left off of the once again.

year, Golden State's snubbed from the despite gaining starter Kobe Bryant Gregg Popovich, Western roster

Scoring wise, Ellis is third in the Western conference with 25.1 points per game. The Warrior displays incredible burst off the dribble and the strength to finish multiple and-1's. Just watching him play is amazing. He's gone for 35 points or more on nine different occasions this season, and has also severely cut down on his ball-hogging from last season. The stats will tell you Monta's 5.6 assists per game is a minor improvement from last year, but ask anyone who has watched a Warrior game the last two years and they'll tell you about the drastic change. Defensively, Ellis' 2.3 steals per game mark second in the Western conference. His quickness allows him to pop out of nowhere and lead a fast-break as well as the ability to pick pocket well-known ball-handlers. The Warriors, for the 14th straight season, was without an All-Star, and Warriors head coach Keith Smart displayed some disappointment. “It’s unfortunate that he didn’t get a shot,” said Smart. “He’s playing as well as anyone in the NBA right now, and he’s turned his life around. But that’s how it is right now." In the weeks prior to the All-Star starters were announced, Ellis said, "This is the second year I’ve been in this situation. At this point, the only thing I can do is to continue to do what I do, try to help my team win and everything else will play out itself. I understand that it’s the West and there are a lot of tough guards in the West. It’s a tough decision. But the only thing I really do control is helping my team win." If you compare the stats, it's puzzling that Manu Ginobili was given a spot over Ellis. Monta averages almost 7 more points, more assists, and steals while having a higher FG% than Ginobili. Manu only beats Ellis by averaging less than half a rebound more and half a percent more than Monta from behind the arc. So I leave you with a question. How valid was this All-Star game? Is it made for the best players or 33 felt, "When you look at it, stats speak the best players on the best teams? Monta for themselves. They are going to look at other end of it when it comes to team record, success and all that. But the All-Star Game to me is for the best players, not what the team is doing."

There's always something new at SJ, because...well...that's what we do. Since our last edition, we have had some changes and new additions at Sports Jabber, to make the site and forum run a little bit smoother as well as to recognize all of those for their accomplishments.

Staff News… WareWolf94 was recently promoted to General Sports-NASCAR Forum Mod. It's always good when someone steps up, without being asked, to help in an area of need right when you need them. It's even better when that person is someone that you know very well, have worked with previously, is experienced, and knows her stuff. She knows NASCAR like the back of her hand, has been a member here since Day 1, is an experienced Super Mod & Recruiting Team Leader from Deb's & Reg’s former Cowboys Pride site, and she runs her own NASCAR site. Her primary focus will be on NASCAR, including but not limited to getting/keeping SJ abreast & involved with the Race for the Cup, the top drivers, the key races in both Sprint Cup & Nationwide. Gmf1369 was recently promoted to NFL Forum Mod. If you've been within "20 miles" of the NFL Huddle the past month or so, you've felt his presence and impact. He's a skilled and active topic starter & discussion-participant...and an excellent writer too. He's also a new member...but that's no big deal. He’s someone who does what he does because he enjoys doing it and strives with vigor to involve others in the fun and as a team, we believe he will do a great job as our new NFL Forum Mod. Cathy was recently promoted to MLB Forum Mod. She is a great baseball fan...one of our weak spots last year was MLB. With the new season here and about to begin, we welcome Cathy as forum mod. Got a lot of baseball fans here as members and staffers to help you Cathy....congrats and thanks for helping us out. Cathy pays extreme attention to detail and it will only make SJ stronger. Milla4Prez66 was recently welcomed as a full-fledged member of the staff. 34 He has done a stellar job as the supporting NBA Co-Forum Mod, heretofore on a non-staff basis. He's also a major contributor as a writer and an all-around active member.

Member Recognition… In other news, mattyp2002, was named January Member of the Month. With his recent contributions to Sports Jabber, he was rightly voted this honor. If you have visited any of the Sports Jabber venues, i.e. the forums, homepage, Facebook social networks, or even looked at this month’s cover of SJ Magazine, you can see the dedication and talent that he has brought to SJ. Besides the cool banner, category bars, and buttons seen around the SJ forums, he has come up with the first ever Sports Jabber Logo as well as rebranded the SJ Magazine with a new logo of its own. The Staff has praised Matt’s work unconditionally and I hope that after you see his work, you will do the same. Recognition for our members doesn’t stop just there. Our GFX Team Leader, Meg aka bbyao06, was given an idea that has blossomed into a great new incentive for all graphics members at Sports Jabber. With the new additions of a Sig of the Week (SOTW) Spotlight on the SJ Home Page as well as a “Winners’ Circle” for all past and current SOTW winners, we would like to recognize and reflect the Graphics Excellence that our graphics members bring to the SJ Forums. More recently, a new SOTW Points System was created so that all SOTW participants can see that their work and talent, while having a great effect on the SJ community in a form of a showcase, also gives them an opportunity to win a prize for all of their hard work that they put into making the sigs every week. It is our hopes that our SOTW Contests continue to flourish and show that competitive edge that is apparent in our SJ Community.

During the NFL season, a NFL Swami Contest was run as well as a Playoffs Swami Contest, both saw a lot of competitors compete for the Weekly Title but only ONE came away as the Overall Winner. Congratulations to Gavin, who is our Double Overall Winner, winning both the Regular Season contest and the Playoffs contest. Going into Super Bowl XLV, some Super Bowl Contests came alive with our Annual Super Bowl Squares Contest held by MSRoble and our Annual Super Bowl Trivia Contest held by pooh555 (also known as Matt in a Hatt). The winners came out victorious just as the Green Bay Packers were named the Super Bowl Champs for Super Bowl XLV. 35

Super Bowl Squares Winners. Our very own Meg aka bbyao06 came out swinging, winning 1st Quarter, 4th Quarter, and the Overall contest. Great job Meg!! The 2nd and 3rd Quarters were won by NOVA Steelers and amazinblue, respectively. Great job and congratulations to all of the winners. Super Bowl Trivia Co-Winners. After calculating the results, each with 10 points and a Tie-Breaker, it was announced that we have Co-Winners this year, Robert and GA Eagle. So congratulations to the both of you!

New Site Changesâ&#x20AC;Ś New Sig Size Requirement. We knew we'd have to do this at some point...but the site is getting really graphics-heavy right now...we have talked about it..and are going to make some changes on our own end..It's loading slow, not running at a speed that it should. And we want everyone's SJ experience to be a positive one. So this is a start....we are going to limit the size of sigs. We (Meg) came up with something fair and reasonable, and still giving a little room for creativity...you can use one large sig or two small ones.... Exact details can be found here: Sig Size Changes. This does NOT include any site userbars for awards, honors that you have won. We feel you should be able to display those with pride. This is just for a e-"SIG". Also Meg aka bbyao06 has personally offered to personally help comply with the new requirements. If you need her help, please send her a PM via the Sports Jabber forums . Thanks in advance for your cooperation. Soâ&#x20AC;Ś as Head Janitor/Admin, Reg would say: 'The Starship SJ" moves on...at warp speed and with great power. There will be more changes at SJ...the forums, the 36 staff, our increased focus on our social network sites, etc. All of it will be for the good as SJ prepares to "HYPER-JUMP" towards our destiny!

Twenty-one years ago, on Valentine’s Day, chiefsmom’s FIRST son was born. Congratulations goes out to chiefsmom and her son for reaching that milestone! COLLEGE TOWN Our beloved member Leon was accepted into Purdue! It is not his primary choice but CONGRATULATIONS on the early acceptance, Leon! OUR LOSS On 1-18-2011, we lost one of our own. And all I can say is: RIP Scott Our thoughts and prayers will be with you… Always...

February Birthdays: 2/13: OSC 2/14: Chef K (Valentine’s Day baby, too cool!!) 2/20: Golden_State_of_Mind (turning 16!! Congrats!)

Happy Birthday Everyone!!!!!!

What can I say, it has been a slim month, news-wise, unless you count snow, snow, snow, broken down cars, slips on the ice, (more snow), more broken down cars.... You guys are gonna have to talk to me so I can keep this page running..... College info, homecoming, births, deaths, moving, new computers.... just pm chiefsmom with your info.

Do you have important event going on in your life? Would you like to share it with the Sports Jabber family? Please contact chiefsmom with any interesting info or events that are going on in your lives..... Feel free to contact her via the SportsJabber Forums 37 or send an email to sportsjabbermag@gmail.com

For those of you who are not aware, the Sports Jabber family lost one of its brothers on January 18, 2011 after his 3 year battle against cancer. Scott Wedell was very special to us, and SJ was his home away from home. There are now ways you can help us keep his memory going. In our NFL Jabber Forum, there is simply a thread entitled, Scott's Forever Go Jets Thread. It's not a thread about the Jets, it's just mostly saying Good Morning and "How are you?" to Scott. It's a way to say you are on my mind, and talk like we have to Scott a million times over the years. So stop by and say "Brady Sucks" for Scott sometime. LOL Another way Scott lives on is the threads he has left behind. Four threads were merged together, in the online diary he kept about his illness, his ups and downs, and unwavering spirit. Come read The Life Diary Of Scott (NYSR). And lastly if you would like to contribute to the Sarcoma fundraiser being held by Scott’s family, the info is below: If you'd like to read more on Cure Search and the Cause, here is the info: CureSearch, 4600 East West Highway, Suite 600 Bethesda, MD 20814. http://www.curesearch.org/ To donate: https://secure.curesearch.org/support_curesearch/donate/ index.aspx **Please make sure that you specify that your donation is for “Sarcoma Research in Scott Wedell’s honor”** We thank everyone for their continued efforts, prayers, and thoughts as we march forward38in Scott's honor.

How long have you been a fan of the Jets? Literally my entire life. I had Jets baby clothes, Jets bibs, etc. I was born a Jets fan lol. Who's your favorite player of all time? Wayne Chrebet aka the better Wes Welker before there was a Wes Welker I know you are going to the Jets game this week. Would you rather see a game live or on TV? Definitely live. Just the atmosphere is amazing. Plus I love watching the whole play. On TV, they focus on the ball too much, I like watching the CB/WR matchups, watching the linebackers and safeties, seeing the coverages, plays develop, etc. You get to see all of that live which you don't get to see a lot of on TV. Being a fan of the Jets, Knicks and other New York teams, how did you become a fan of the TCU Horned Frogs? My dad's a TCU grad, so I guess I've just been watching them so long that I became a fan. It started back when LT was there in the late 90's. You have often been known for your over the top support for your teams and "homerism" in the eyes of some. Do you think this is justified? As Rev pointed out, I am not a homer at all. I am from northern VA, and homer comes from being biased towards the home town team. And I don't think I'm biased towards the Wizards, Redskins, Nationals, or Capitols at all, therefore, I am probably the least homer person on SJ. But in all seriousness, I know when I'm being a homer and when I'm not most of the time. As everyone probably knows, I LOVE talking about sports, especially my teams. If being a homer can generate more Jets and TCU discussion, I'm gonna do it. In the past year or two that I have known you (from SS, and possibly back to HOF) you have been battling cancer. Your one of the strongest people I know and inspire a lot of us. How is your most recent treatment going and how do you approach each day with this? I know I couldn't do it. Treatment's going really well this time around. Actually no complaints at all. It's all working and it hasn't been too strong. Still haven't been in the hospital overnight this go round or anything like that. The worst part of it all39is being stuck in Philly .

But SJ actually helps a lot. I would be sooooo bored if it weren't for SJ. Being 4 hours away from home, it's a great way for me to talk to people. If there wasn't facebook and SJ, it would be hell lol. The way I approach it is I know there's a lot of other people that have it a lot worse than me. I know it sounds corny, but I am VERY lucky to be born where I am into a family like mine. There's 5 year old kids in Africa in gang wars and crap like that. I could be homeless, I could be poor, I could have a lot worse diseases that are lifelong, but I don't. I feel really lucky to be able to do treatment for a few years of my life and then (hopefully) just move on with my life and not have to worry about it ever again.

What career fields are you looking into for your future? Definitely marketing, hopefully sports marketing. Mostly PR, advertising, stuff like that. I really hope to do something with sports though, that's what I'll be gunning for. Also I'll probably coach High School basketball next year too, but that'll just be a side job/hobby while I'm in college, not really a career. One Word Answers: Favorite Movie: Inception Favorite Color: Blue Favorite Food: PF Changs Spicy Chicken Favorite Saying: "When you have a fat friend there are no see-saws. Only catapults."

SportsJabber is on Various Social Media Outlets!! Check us out on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and Youtube for the latest News and Articles on Sportsjabber.net.

ATTENTION ADVERTISERS... PROMOTE YOUR OFFERING ON SJ "HOT SPOTS" (HOME PAGE) For rates, contact Reg DeVone at sportsjabber@gmail.com 41

Bookmark the Home of SJ Magazine Check us out at the Home of SJ Magazine: http://sportsjabber.net/sj-magazine/ You can also find archived editions and the SJ Magazine Staff listed there.

Interested in writing for or contributing to SJ Magazine? Contact: Meg (bbyao06) at sportsjabbermag@gmail.com. 42