Filed under: Navy, San Diego State, Mountain West, Bowl Games  Navy will square off against San Diego State in the Poinsettia Bowl Thursday, Dec. 23 at 8:00 ET in San Diego. Navy (9-3) comes in having won four in a row and seven of its last eight. The Middies are the nation's fifth-best running team, racking up an average of 288.9 yards per game. They are led by quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who ran for 860 yards and 13 touchdowns in addition to throwing for 1,380 yards and 12 scores. He has had a problem with turnovers this season, however. Alexander Teich (825 yards, five touchdowns) and Gee Gee Greene (459 yards, five touchdowns) also pose threats out of the Navy backfield. Running the ball could be at a premium, too, as San Diego was hit hard with rain in the past few days. In fact, the Qualcomm Stadium playing surface was under water for much of the past two days. The Aztecs counter with a strong run defense, having allowed the third-fewest rushing yards in the Mountain West. SDSU has grown immensely under coach Brady Hoke. In just his second season, he's led the Aztecs to an 8-4 record and to their first bowl game since 1998. In those four losses, SDSU fell by a combined 15 points. Perhaps more impressive is that those losses came to No. 3 TCU, No. 14 Missouri, No. 20 Utah and BYU. The Aztecs are led on offense by quarterback Ryan Lindley, who was the MWC's top passer with 3,554 yards and 26 touchdowns (which tied for first with TCU's Andy Dalton). Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/23/navy-vs-san-diego-state-poinsettia-bowl/ electra bikes Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR  HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Jimmie Johnson joined his team on the crowded stage, hurriedly set up on the Homestead-Miami Speedway front stretch and, with confetti flying in the air, raised NASCAR's crown jewel, the Sprint Cup Series championship trophy, for an unprecedented fifth consecutive time. Only seven-time champions Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt have more hardware. And as the humble, low-key Californian hugged his wife, kissed his infant daughter, embraced his dad and gazed out into the crowd, Johnson was struck by something that helped him realize he had finally made it. "There was a fan standing right up front with an 'I Hate the 48' T-shirt and he gave me the thumbs-up and said, 'Congratulations,' '' the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet recalled with a laugh. "I have people tell me they hate me, but they respect me and that's always cool. If this takes it to the next level, then right on.'' So it is for the most dominant race car driver in NASCAR history. The more he wins, the more trophies he collects, the more people clamor for someone else to step up. How about, instead, we honor this great accomplishment and appreciate the good fortune to be witnessing sports history. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/11/21/jimmie-johnsons-nascar-dynasty-may-make-him-greatest-champion/ sydney swans cannondale bikes outwell k2 skis bicycle accessories Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat, Lakers  EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- There was so much yawning by the Lakers heading into last year's Christmas Day game you'd have thought the team's practice facility here was a sleep clinic. The Lakers talked about how Cleveland wasn't a rival and guard Kobe Bryant called it "just another game.'' Well, what then happened? The Cavaliers crushed the Lakers, 102-87, and the fans at the Staples Center let their frustrations be known. They littered the floor late in the game with foam hands that had been given away. "Last year, on Christmas, we certainly didn't. The fingers rose to the occasion last year,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said after a practice Thursday. With that in mind, the two-time defending champs vow to be more ready for Saturday's game against Miami, which marks the 12th straight year the Lakers have played on Christmas. "We understand that as champions on a day like this, what might be just another game to you, to another team it's like it makes their season,'' forward Lamar Odom said about what the Lakers learned from last year's Christmas debacle. "We understand (Miami is) going to come out firing and playing really hard, trying to prove to everybody that they're championship contenders. I think we learned from (last year) and we understand that we need to raise our level of intensity early in the game right from the jump ball.'' Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/23/after-last-years-christmas-letdown-lakers-more-prepared-agains/ footjoy golf shoes ski helmets horse supplies home gym equipment my calorie counter Filed under: Brewers, MLB Biz, MLB Transactions  It's easy to put a price tag on the recent Milwaukee Brewers' acquisition of starting pitcher Zack Greinke. To obtain Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt, the Brewers had to part with Alcides Escobar and three good prospects in Jake Odorizzi, Jeremy Jeffress and Lorenzo Cain. What's not quite so easy to determine is worth, or value. How much does this trade mean to the Brewers? If season ticket sales are an indicator -- and trust me, they are - the Brewers did well by obtaining Greinke. Brewers officials have announced a large spike in season ticket sales, seeing more than 1,500 new season ticket purchases since the trade occurred Sunday. "The response from fans has surpassed even our most optimistic expectations," said Brewers executive vice president Rick Schlesinger. "The excitement level has peaked in all areas of our business operations, from ticket sales to sponsors to retail sales." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/12/22/zack-greinke-trade-spurs-brewers-sales/ recurve bow magic ball 2 baseball gear maternity swimsuits goalie equipment Filed under: SuperSonics, Thunder  LAKE WORTH, Fla. -- Dean Tolson will wake up here Christmas morning after another restless night in a strange little bed, 3,000 miles away from home, surrounded by strangers and drug addicts, his day already dictated to him. There will be no presents to open. No tree to admire. No family to hug. This isn't jail. It just feels like it sometimes. Santa Claus doesn't stop at the detox center, where the distinction between inmate or patient often feels thin. Yet there is no place else he would rather be. "This place is my Christmas present. And it comes with a big bow on it,'' Tolson says as a tired smile emerges, his face drained from several days of emotional and physical strain. "This is how I'll get my life back.'' Tolson, who played three seasons with the Seattle Supersonics (1974-78) in the NBA, will be spending the holidays at Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches, a drug treatment center that specializes in dependency issues. It's where the desperate go. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/23/former-sonic-dean-tolson-happy-to-spend-christmas-in-drug-treatm/ swimdress soccer uniforms quintrex ski shop backyard baseball Filed under: Jets, AFC East  "Seinfeld" creator Larry David based an entire episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" around the premise that he refused to have any sexual fetishes because he was afraid of what might come out if he got divorced. He should have expanded the conceit of that episode to include the dangers of sex fetishes in the age of the Internet. In a year that began with the uncovering of Tiger Woods' extramarital shenanigans, extended into Brett Favre's sexting of Jenn Sterger, and finally culminates with Jets coach Rex Ryan role-playing a police officer aroused by his wife's feet hanging out the driver's side window of an SUV, we no longer doubt that the sex scandal was the biggest story of sports in 2010. (By the way, if you think things are tough on Rex and his wife, imagine what it's like right now for their teenage kids in the wake of the publication of their parents' foot fetish videos. Is there anything more embarrassing than your parents publicly uploading foot fetish videos to the Internet? I mean, really, anything. Most teenagers are ashamed to get dropped off in front of the high school by their parents. This? Just, ouch). In the wake of these three scandals -- and there will be many more to come, trust me -- it's truer than ever before: sex makes men do stupid things. It does, this is an indisputable fact. If you're a man reading this and you deny that fact, then you're a liar. That's been the case throughout history. No matter who you are or how noble your life's pursuits were, sex has made you do something stupid. I'm sure that some of the greatest men in recorded history: Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, cotton gin inventor Eli Whitney and George Washington all did stupid things relating to sex. If George Washington Carver had been able to sext, instead of discovering 300 uses for the peanut, he would have only found one, eat it. We just didn't hear about all these men's peccadilloes -- Thomas Jefferson excepted -- because there wasn't a permanent record of their sexual mistakes. That's why I'm here with a holiday tip for athletes that will keep you from being the next Brett Favre, Tiger Woods, or Rex Ryan. The only safe sex in an Internet age? Technological abstinence. Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/23/its-time-for-technological-abstinence/ used dirt bikes golf cart parts scottish tourist board zodiac boats ski gear Filed under: Chiefs, Titans, AFC South, AFC West One victory away from their first 10-win campaign in five years, the AFC West-leading Chiefs host the Tennessee Titans, who snapped a six-game losing streak a week ago by beating the Houston Texans. The Chiefs got back on the winning track at St. Louis last week, buoyed by the solid return of quarterback Matt Cassel 11 days after his emergency appendectomy. But the pressure remains on the Chiefs in the division race. They're one game ahead of San Diego and two in front of the Raiders, who play at Kansas City two weeks from now in the regular season finale. A Chiefs' victory Sunday against the Titans would eliminate the Raiders from contention but a loss could turn their Jan. 2 meeting into a winner-take-all affair. So far, Kansas City has been unbeatable at home, going 6-0. Atlanta and New England are the only other NFL teams not to have lost at home this season. The Titans pose a serious challenge, however. Tennessee running back Chris Johnson ranks fourth in the league in rushing with 1,267 yards and Titans quarterback Kerry Collins has beaten the Chiefs twice in four head-to-head matchups. Tennessee's defense will be trying to contend with a Chiefs rushing attack, featuring Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, that has been the most productive in the league. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/23/titans-vs-chiefs-preview-score-and-more/ asics nimbus khyam lakai shoes celtics schedule marine parts Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR  Five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has been named Driver of the Year for the fourth time -- tying a record with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon for the most wins in the prestigious award's 44-year history and putting him ahead of three-time winners Mario Andretti and Darrell Waltrip. Johnson, who is the first to win five consecutive Sprint Cup titles, edged drag racing legend John Force, who won a historic 15th National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) championship. Johnson received 10 first-place votes from the 20-member panel of racing journalists and broadcasters while Force earned seven votes. Kyle Busch, who won a NASCAR-best 24 races in three national divisions this season, received one first-place vote. "Among such tough competition; with the voting panel, who it is and how well-versed they are in motorsports, it's a huge, huge honor," said Johnson, who will receive a Tissot watch and trophy from the organization. Driver of the Year President Barry Smoyer said the final vote came following one of the most "spirited" debates in the history of the award, which honors the best driver in an American four-wheel racing series or best American driver racing overseas. "As many people have said already, it will be a long time before anyone will set the bar as high as Jimmie Johnson," Schmoyer said. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/15/jimmie-johnson-who-else-named-driver-of-the-year/ inflatable boats camping supplies roller blades camping tents wii balance board Filed under: Atlanta Falcons, Saints, NFC South Atlanta wants Monday night's game with New Orleans to be a symbolic passing of the torch with the Falcons (12-2) sewing- up the NFC South and grabbing the title from the reigning champs, the Saints. Well, there was a holding of the torch this week, not quite a passing. Roddy White, the Falcons' wide receiver, lit a bonfire of emotions when he called the Saints the "aints". Some of the New Orleans players responded, which included a picture for White of their Super Bowl championship ring. White wants one of those rings and the Falcons need a win to stay on a roll and lock-up home field advantage. It will be an emotional game, but nothing like a possible playoff game between the two teams in January. Here is a key stat in first meeting between the teams, which the Falcons won 27-24: Atlanta had the ball 18 more minutes. Also, a second key fact: Saints had a chance to win in overtime, but missed chip shot field-goal. Key alignment: considering Curtis Lofton's sore knee and New Orleans' running back Chris Ivory's hamstring, is it possible the Falcons go nickel and leave their middle linebacker out of this. Can the Saints run it, though? Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/23/saints-vs-falcons-preview-score-and-more/ cruiser bikes football jerseys snowboard gear lasek wilson tennis Filed under: Sprint Cup, Scott Speed, Red Bull Racing, NASCAR  A NASCAR driver usually don't sue his car owner after parting ways, since taking legal action could dissuade potential future car owners from getting involved with the driver. But after more than seven years with Red Bull in both Formula One and NASCAR, Scott Speed has made that move, suing his former team for alleged breach of contract in a complaint asking the court to award him $6.5 million, SceneDaily.com reported late Friday. Red Bull "significantly reduced its financial commitment to Speed's race team and was unable and/or unwilling to provide [Speed] with 'supporting equipment' satisfactory for a driver of [his] skill to [be] effective [to] compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series," Speed's complaint states, according to SceneDaily. Speed's complaint also provides a rare, inside look at the money being paid in the Sprint Cup series for a driver at his level. According to SceneDaily, the lawsuit says Speed signed a three-year deal in September 2007 for a salary of $300,000 in 2008, $500,000 in 2009 and $1 million in 2010. He was to receive 50 percent of his purse winnings for each top-10 finish, 45 percent for finishing 11th through 20th and 40 percent for finishes of 21st or worse. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/11/scott-speed-sues-red-bull-after-team-releases-him/ golf equipment poconos wakeboard tippmann mikasa Filed under: Sam Hornish Jr., Penske Racing, Indianapolis 500, NASCAR  LAS VEGAS -- Three-time IndyCar champ and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr.'s NASCAR future remains in limbo, but his team owner, Roger Penske, said Thursday that he will likely field Hornish in the Daytona 500 and possibly in the Indianapolis 500, too. Penske confirmed the news during a sponsorship announcement at his Ferrari dealership in the Wynn Las Vegas Thursday, where the team unveiled Kurt Busch's new No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series and a similar design for the iconic No. 3 Penske car that three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves will drive at Indy next May. For all his success in open-wheel racing, Hornish has never managed to make a big splash in NASCAR's big leagues, with only a pair of top-five finishes and eight top-10 efforts in 108 starts over three full seasons. And with no primary sponsor signed for his No. 77 Dodge, Penske said Hornish still doesn't have a full schedule set for 2011. Penske said both a limited Cup and Nationwide Series slate were possibilities. "I told him that, at the end of the day, I'd much rather do a program where we can support you 100 percent than have some pick-up program with not enough sponsors,'' Penske said. "We need to have the continuity. We have a number of opportunities, but we just couldn't get them closed at this point. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/03/sam-hornish-jr-may-return-to-indy-500/ fishing poles pilates video workout videos display boards anon goggles Filed under: NFL Awards, NFL Analysis  After reading the emotional reactions to Tom Coughlin four days after the Giants' meltdown against Philadelphia, I guess I won't vote for him for coach of the year, although ... Almost every season, he belongs somewhere in the top five-to-10. As does Andy Reid, who is getting roasted for not challenging the "not down by contact'' call that led to the TD that gave the Giants a 31-10 fourth-quarter lead over Reid's Eagles. Imagine if the Eagles had lost ... Anyway, as a voter on the NFL awards, I haven't made up by mind yet. For good reason. I used to help run the voting for the AP and in 1999, we counted ballots after 15 games. Brett Favre and Barry Sanders tied for MVP, then Sanders had a great final game and a bunch of voters would have changed, giving Brett one less trophy (he has three.) But with the deadline Jan. 7, I'm thinking about it. And since it's fashionable these days to put thoughts out there for everyone to read (and rip), here are a few. Since there are seven awards, there are seven categories, not a dozen. Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/22/dirty-dozen-almost-time-to-hand-out-2010-awards/ girls swimwear skateboard ramps cabarete tippmann 98 custom 6 week body makeover Filed under: Bobcats, NBA Coaches  Larry Brown has stepped down as coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, the team announced Wednesday. After going 44-38 last season and falling to Orlando in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Bobcats struggled to a 9-19 start this season that sparked what is being deemed a mutual decision between Brown and Charlotte Chairman and CEO Michael Jordan. "The team has clearly not lived up to either of our expectations and we both agreed that a change was necessary," Jordan said in the release. "This was a difficult decision for both of us, but one that needed to be made. I want to thank Larry for everything he has done for our team. He has played a key role in this organization's development including coaching us to our first-ever playoff appearance last season." Brown will "continue to be a valuable advisor" to Jordan regarding the team, he added, and the search for a successor will begin immediately. A source close to the Bobcats said Brown's entire coaching staff was let go, and the successor is expected to be in place in the coming days. The source also said that the infamously-nomadic Brown, who was owed a combined $7 million on a contract that runs through next season, is on the lookout for a head coaching job again and not interested in retiring. As for the Bobcats, a league source told FanHouse that former Charlotte coach Paul Silas - who still lives in the Charlotte area - is a leading candidate to replace Brown. He hasn't coached since he was fired in Cleveland in 2005 and holds an all-time record of 355-400, but told FanHouse last summer that the Bobcats job was the only one he would consider accepting in a return. "If an opportunity would come about, say here (in Charlotte), I might look at it," he said. "But to be quite honest with you, I've been through the wars, and I look at these guys and the pressure that they have got to go through, and it's for young people. (The Bobcats job) would be the only thing - maybe for one or two years, if the the Bobcats job or something like that. Other than that, I'm not going to moving around anymore." Former Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, Orlando assistant and longtime Jordan friend, Patrick Ewing, and Detroit assistant Darrell Walker are also being strongly considered, according to the source. Utah assistant Ty Corbin, San Antonio assistant Mike Budenholzer, Phoenix assistant Dan Majerle, Houston assistant Elston Turner, and Miami assistant Bob McAdoo are also being discussed as well. Brown joined the Bobcats in April 2008, ending a near two-year hiatus from the game that followed his messy firing in New York. The Hall of Famer entered this season with an all-time record of 1009-885 in 26 season. He is the only coach to lead eight NBA teams to the playoffs and the only coach to have won championships with an NBA team (Detroit, 2004) and an NCAA team (Kansas, 1988). E-mail Sam at amick.sam@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @samickAOL Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/22/larry-brown-resigns-as-bobcats-coach/ junior golf clubs martial arts weapons camping shops orbea bikes juniors swimwear | |
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- As he walked away from about a dozen media members, 
BERKELEY, Calif. -- 
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- 
Despite heavy rain in the San Diego area that left the field at Qualcomm Stadium under several inches of water, Thursday's Poinsettia Bowl between Navy and San Diego State will go on as planned.
Cam Newton was named AP Player of the Year Wednesday, another offseason accolade for the player that led 