Carolina, can you pass the pepper? That’s right the bears have signed elite free agent Julius Peppers to a NFL record breaking $42 million dollar guaranteed contract or up to $91.5 million dollar contract if they like his results. Umm, excuse me? $42 million dollars, I better see results.

But if your the Bears it would seem almost impossible not to see an increase in defensive performance. This season will bring the long  missed Brian Urlacher back to the field, who they lost for a good portion of last season due to injury, and with the new arrival of Julius Peppers they are sure to cause buzz among offensive lines. And getting in the head of the quarterback is half the battle right?

Which shouldn’t be hard to do if Brett Favre decides to return to the Vikings for another season. Just watch the highlights from last season’s Vikings/Panthers game and you’ll see why. Favre took a beating from Peppers and the rest of the Panthers defensive line. Put Peppers and Urlacher together, I can almost hear Favre’s fourth official retirement.

But if there is one group of people who have already gratefully acknowledged the arrival of Peppers it’s not the coaching staff of the Bears. It’s the locals. Peppers has made it known to Chicago-ans that he has arrived by dropping roughly $20,000 in champagne in and drinks at a local night club After signing his 91.5 million dollar contract.

I could think of few other ways to spend the $20,000 but then again I’m not striking fear into the mind’s of NFL quarterbacks much less that vending machine up the hallway from my office that ate my dollar.

What's next for Allen Iverson?

NBA sources report that Allen Iverson is in deeper trouble than was previously thought.   It is rumored that Iverson is currently struggling with gambling and alcohol issues.  Which isn’t too surprising, given the recent turmoil that he has been facing.  Iverson left the 76ers early this year to spend time with his 4-year-old daughter, who has an undisclosed illness.  The same day the announcement was made that he would be leaving, his wife filed for divorce, demanding full custody of their five children.

After many years as one of the leading players in the NBA, the past few years have been rough for Iverson.  He was traded by the 76ers to the Nuggets in 2006, and after 2 less-than-average seasons he was then sent to the Pistons.  After suffering through another not-so-good year, he ended up with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009, played three games, then announced his early retirement.  A few weeks later, he signed once again with the 76ers, only to have this trouble take him out for the season after only 25 more games.

This recent trouble has lead many to believe that Iverson’s career is over for good this time.  Not everyone has given up hope, though.  It is thought that with some help from someone important to Iverson, such as his Georgetown coach John Thompson, he can turn things around.  And we know that in these major sports, there is always some team that is willing to take a chance on a veteran trying to return to the game.  It will be interesting to see what happens to this former All-Star and MVP this next season.

Every team sets goals at the beginning of the year. If a team doesn’t set a goal to make it to the NCAA tournament, then in my opinion, the coach should be fired. Every college basketball player wants the opportunity to play basketball on the biggest stage possible. for college basketball, that means getting to the NCAA tournament and doing well.

Many teams are currently on the bubble. Other teams are in for sure, but would benefit greatly from a higher seed.

For example, who will be the fourth #1 seed? It is pretty much a lock that Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse will be #1 seeds, but who will fill the last position? My guess would be Duke, Ohio State, or New Mexico. Yes, New Mexico. They are playing as well as any team in the nation.

As for the bubble teams, here is a list of a few that need to go far into their conference tournament to make sure they make it to the dance:

Notre Dame, Washington, San Diego State, Dayton, St. Louis, Memphis, Old Dominion, Florida, Mississippi, Arizona State, Illinois, and Seton Hall.

These teams will definitely be vying for a spot as they leave it all out on the court this coming week. Nothing is better than March madness, as it officially has arrived!

Landon Donovan on loan to Everton

Landon Donovan the american soccer star on loan from the LA Galaxy to Everton of the English Premiere League is hopeful of an extended stay with the club after playing in what could be his final game in front of the Goodison Park supporters against Hull City.

After the game the American revealed that there was still a possibility he could extend his stay on Merseyside.

“There is a chance,” Donovan told Sky Sports.

“We’ll know more this week; hopefully I’ll stay for a bit longer.”

His Previous loan in 2009 to FC Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga has mostly been considered a failure.  His 10 week stay at Everton has been considered a huge success and many think he should seek a contract with Everton and leave MLS behind.

After scoring in the 82nd minute of Sunday’s match vs Hull City, Everton fans started cheering “U-S-A, YOU MUST SIGN” and “SIGN HIM UP, SIGN HIM UP”

Landon Donovan gets a lift from teammate Jack Rodwell after the U.S. star played perhaps his final home game with Everton.

“As a person it feels good to be wanted,” he said of the U-S-A chants he’d heard. “And as a player obviously it does. But I’m just appreciative of the opportunity I’ve had here, and I think they appreciate what I’ve given too, and that’s a good feeling.”

They do not want Donovan to leave Everton when his loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy ends next Monday and he has to return to California for the start of the MLS season.

Despite being hidden away from the media for the past three weeks, Tiger Woods’ name was announced earlier today as the recipient of Athlete of the Decade award. The AP chose Woods for the honor Wednesday because of the top-ranked golfer’s 10 years of dominance on the golf course. Woods won 56 of the 142 votes that AP member editors cast, according to the AP’s Doug Ferguson.

Lance Armtrong, who overcame cancer and won the Tour de France six times in the past decade, was runner-up with 33 votes. Tennis star Roger Federer came in third, with 25 votes.

Earlier today it was reported that John Lackey is only a physical examination away from signing with the Boston Red Sox.

If Lackey passes his physical, and the Red Sox and him agree on financial terms, he will be added to one of the best starting rotations in the major leagues. The Red Sox rotation would add John Lackey to the already dominant duo of Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. This could be the move to be able to compete with the New York Yankees.

The Red Sox have stated taht they do not believe the deal will be finished and in writing by the end of today.

Expect to hear more about this later on in the week. My bet is that John Lackey will sign for $76 million for 5 years.

The South Bend Tribune reported today that they have an insider that knows that Brian Kelly will announce to his team tonight that he will be heading to Notre Dame after the seasons end. The Cincinnati Bearcats have a team banquet this evening and that will be a topic discussed by coach Brian Kelly.

It will be interesting to see how this affects his team. They will be playing in the Sugar Bowl against the Florida Gators on New Years day. Cincinnati players apparently don’t care what Brian Kelly does, they just want him to make up his mind and let it be made known publicly.

“Just make the decision fast, bro, so we can get it out of the way,” Cincinnati receiver Mardy Gilyard said. “You know what you’re going to do. Just do it. We’re tired of worrying about it.”

This rumor has been in circulation for a few weeks now, but has finally been printed in the newspaper and now has a little bit of validity.

The Red Sox outfield sensation is quite the hot item and is currently rumored to be negotiating contracts with the Mets and the Angels. It will be interesting to see which team will fork over the money needed to sign a free agent like Bay.

The Mets are looking to upgrade in left field after using nine different players at the position this season, none of them generating any consistent power. Bay, who has hit at least 21 homers every year since becoming a full-time big leaguer, would provide just that.

Group A:  South Africa, Uruguay, Mexico, France

Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic, Greece

Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia

Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

Group E: Denmark, Netherlands, Japan, Cameroon

Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Group G: Brazil, Korea DPR, Cote d’Ivoire, Portugal

Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Rivalries are already flaring as teams get set to come up against each other.  England’s Sun Newspaper spelled out its feelings on how Group C turned out on their front page:

England

Algeria

Slovenia

Yanks

But that kind of a cocky attitude is what became their downfall in Germany 2006.  News reports are saying that group G is going to be the hardest, or the group of death, as some call it.  Next hardest group would be Group D.  Multiple reactions have been publicized in the last few days showing how come countries are relaxing and feeling confident about the draw, while others have just begun to pray for their lives.   South Africa, also, has been praised for its organization and handling of the events this weekend.  It should be a great tournament this year.

The throwing of major sports games for personal gain troubles fans who, watching for entertainment, expect fair play. People don’t follow sports for the scandal, they watch for the talent. Donaghy violated the trust of NBA fans when, as an official, he bet on NBA games.

In his new book, “Personal Foul,” however, Donaghy claims the infamy for more than himself.

Donaghy claims that he didn’t fix any games because he didn’t have to. His argument is that he simply used his knowledge of NBA politics to guess at the outcomes of games. The insider knowledge of the relationships between and tendencies of the different coaches, players, and referees lead Donaghy to an unheard of 70-80 percent success rate.

Donaghy got in deep. He almost had his kneecaps broken at one point by a prisoner that may have been associated with the mob. By the time it was spiraling out of control, the mob, the FBI, the NBA, and federal prosecutors were involved.

The implications for the NBA are the biggest issue at hand though. If Donaghy’s claims are true, the NBA has a few problems to work out. This book reveals a serious fault in their credibility as a fair and straight forward organization. The assertion that NBA games do not unfold on a level playing field, is enough to make any fan indignant, if not angry.

Clearly, Donaghy shouldn’t have bet on anything associated with the NBA. But he did. The point he makes in his book is that the inner workings of the NBA made it easy. The assertion that NBA referees are not honest brokers has profound resonance and may lead to some changes in NBA policy and politics.