A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit today seeking $2.5 million from former Detroit Pistons guard Allen Iverson over a 2009 bar fight. U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds found no evidence that Iverson punched an Ohio man nor that the man who struck him was linked to the player. Guy Walker, who claims he was assaulted by an Iverson security guard, plans to appeal, Cheap Jerseys said his lawyer, Gregory Lattimer. Iverson’s lawyer, Michael Cafferty, said the man accused of striking Walker was not working for Iverson that night. “He is very gratified and feels very vindicated,” Cafferty said. In a deposition in August, Iverson answered questions from Lattimer, who won a $260,000 judgment against him a few years ago in a federal case in Washington, D.C. In the deposition, he denied playing any role in a 2009 bar fight at the South Beach Pizza Bar nightclub in Detroit. “I die before I let you get me this time,” Iverson said in the transcript, details of which were published by the Detroit News. “I’m as clean as the Board of Health, man.” Iverson was hustled out of the bar by another bodyguard, Ralph Godbee Jr., who now is Detroit’s police chief. At the time, Godbee was retired from the police department, running his own consulting firm and working on a private security detail. Iverson said he hired bodyguards to stay out of trouble. “I get sued for stuff I don’t got nothing to do with. I ain’t involved with. Ain’t nobody never said … I touched them,” Iverson, 36, said. “I don’t do nothing to nobody, buddy.” Lattimer said he reached a confidential settlement with Iverson in a third case.
Neither side, teachers union nor school board, would reveal the crux of the situation. Cheap football jerseys  Finally, I started to dig, and unearthed the Big Deal that they were supposedly fighting about. The school board wanted to extend the school day for one friggin’ minute in the morning, and one minute in the afternoon, in order to meet new Michigan requirements for increaed “time on task.” The teachers union argued that an added two minutes per day. for the 180-day school year, would add up to 360 minutes (the equivalent of one more 6-hour work day) and that the school board should pay them for an added “work day.” This was the source of the Big Deal.Sound foolish? No more foolish than the NBA lockout standoff. A first Saginaw reaction was how in the world the teachers would cry about two minutes per day. A second reaction was why the school board would not capitulate and say, why not give them one day’s added pay in order to settle this silliness?

Former Saginaw High Trojan and Detroit Piston Darvin Ham joined the Los Angeles Lakers coaching staff this season.NBA.com reporter Mike Trudell interviewed Ham, going back to his upbringing in Saginaw. Ham talks about his earliest exposure to basketball, playing in the parks around Saginaw with his brother DeRonnie Turner.Ham also talks about his growth spurt during his sophomore year, when he went form 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-5, turning his attention from his favorite sport of football to basketball. Cheap Jerseys Ham also talks openly about living near a liquor store and night club and hearing gunshots and fights throughout the night.Ham was also open about serving as a pallbearer for his friend’s funeral and getting shot himself when he was 14 years old. Ham also talks about breaking the backboard for Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament and about winning an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons.The questions and answers gravitate toward Saginaw, making the entire interview worth reading by clicking here.
I got shot when I was 14 years old, in 1988. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the 20th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and that next day it was one of the hottest days of the year, 85 or 86 degrees. My brother and I went to eat a pizza, and drove by the parking lot of a chicken (restaurant) right before we made a left onto our block. Then we saw a trunk open, and started to hear all these pops. My brother was driving and I had a window down in the passenger seat, and I saw a guy just running towards me while three other guys in the parking lot were shooting at him. As we’re getting ready to turn, the guy who is running is shooting backwards behind him, and one of the bullets that missed him hit me. I was one of four or five people who got shot that day. I took it in the jaw, and the bullet was lodged in the back of my neck. The doctor came and showed me the bullet he took out, and he told me how lucky I was. My face was totally swollen; I could barely turn my head. NFL Wholesale Jerseys Turns out it was a drug deal gone bad; we had to testify a month or two later, and obviously we couldn’t really see anything. The dude that was getting shot at did not implicate the shooters, so it ended up being a mistrial. I could have been dead so easily, without anyone being convicted. But that was a life changing experience, man. It set a foundation in me to never take anything for granted. So I’m not afraid of failure, or success. I’m only afraid of not being authentic, or sticking to my principles. Now, having three boys of my own – a son in college (Darvin Jr.), a 14-year-old (Donovan) and an 11-year-old (Dominic) – I was just thinking when I was the age of my oldest boy, I was hearing gun shots every night. Some of the stuff I saw was straight out of a bad movie. For the city of Saganaw, we probably had 50 shootings and 21 homicides in a two-month period from April to August of 1988, and that was all on the east side of town. But it’s no different from what people went through in New York, Chicago, L.A. and other places .

How long does that window of opportunity remain open? In what can be considered the “Golden Era” of Phillies baseball, the franchise has established a run of excellence that few organizations in any sport will ever experience. But are they one and done? Will their 2008 World Series championship be their only rise to baseball’s summit as they begin their slow and steady descent back down the mountaintop?Since losing to the Giants in the 2010 NLCS, I can’t help but wonder: Are the Phillies following a strikingly similar path to that of the Detroit Pistons in the previous decade, a team I covered for four seasons?  The Pistons surprised, perhaps shocked,wholesale jerseys  the hoops world by winning the NBA championship in 2004, ending the LA Lakers’ three-year reign at the same time. They had a good, strong and relatively young nucleus. Similar to the Phillies, they didn’t have to rely on just one star – Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince made up the best all-around starting five during a six-year period. From 2003-08, Detroit won a remarkable 68 percent of its games, and with Larry Brown as the team’s coach, the Pistons (like the Phillies) were set up for a championship run for half a decade. But they could only seal the deal once. 
Brown left and the organization was in the process of a slow free fall. How could a team with so much promise come so close every season, only to be turned away? I sometimes wonder if the Phillies on that 2008 championship team still possess that deep-down hunger and desire to win it all again. The Phillies, like the Pistons, didn’t win the championship with their “best” team. For Philadelphia, this 102-win team was the best in franchise history, but championships require a combination of luck, timely pitching, clutch hitting and the ability to stay healthy. Wholesale soccer uniforms The Pistons’ last playoff appearance came in 2009, when they were bounced out in the first round, and they haven’t sniffed the postseason in the two years following. The Phillies are an aging team and I’m not sure how many solid years guys like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz have left. Injuries have taken a toll and while the nucleus clearly remains, starting pitching (reminiscent of the Atlanta Braves back in the 1990s), guys like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels can only do so much. I hear professional athletes say it all the time: you never appreciate and understand how hard it is to win a championship until you fail to do it in the years afterward. You’ve heard the phrase in sports: “Act like you’ve been there before!” Perhaps the Phillies should look at 2012 like they haven’t, because sooner or later, these glory days will become a distant memory.

The San Francisco Giants’ former payroll manager pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling $2.2 million from the team.Robin M. O’Connor, 42, of American Canyon, pleaded guilty in San Francisco federal court to a single felony charge of wire fraud.O’Connor admitted diverting payroll meant for employees — including players — to her personal account by creating false paychecks, reducing workers’ tax withholding without their consent and other means, between June 2010 and June 2011.wholesale jerseys  Authorities didn’t identify the employees affected.O’Connor remains free on $500,000 bond is scheduled to be sentenced March 5. She faces up to 20 years in prison.She has agreed to forfeit a 2011 BMW 335, a 2011 Ford F-150 pickup truck and more than $465,000 seized from three bank accounts. O’Connor had previously returned $608,000 to the Giants.Team executives confronted O’Connor in July after being notified by Bank of America that she was applying for a loan and had recently received two large deposits from the Giants. The loan file included a letter on San Francisco Giants letterhead explaining two large deposits that had been made into O’Connor’s bank account.“Because of her outstanding contributions to our Major League Baseball team and front office during the 2010 season that assisted us in accomplishing our goal of winning the 2010 World Series, she was given two additional payments of compensation in May 2011,” states the letter, quoted in the court files.O’Connor acknowledged the embezzlement when confronted in July and was immediately fired, according to court documents. She was arrested and charged in San Francisco federal court July 7.
The Giants assisted with the investigation.Wholesale soccer uniforms The team paid O’Conner $80,000 annually in base salary and she was eligible for bonuses, according to court files. She processed payroll for Giants employees, including players, and was responsible for making changes to amounts of money sent to employees’ bank accounts.Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.The San Francisco Giants have signed minor league outfielder Gregor Blanco to a contract, according to CSN Bay Area.Blanco, 27, was said to have signed with San Francisco through Octagon Baseball, and likely was signed to a relatively cheap minor league deal.Signed by Atlanta as an amateur free agent in 2000, Blanco had a terrific 2010 with the Braves and Royals. In 2010, Blanco hit .283 with a .360 OBP and 11 steals in 85 games.Blanco spent 2011 with the Triple-A affiliates of the Nationals and Royals, where he struggled considerably at the plate. In 51 games with the Syracuse Chiefs and 23 games with the Omaha Storm Chasers, Blanco hit a sluggish .201, but still managed to steal 24 bases while carrying a most respectable .350 on-base percentage.

The team officially became the Miami Marlins on Friday night. Shortly after the renaming ceremony, merchandise went on sale at marlins.com, as well as the Marlins New Ballpark.Flynn noted that on Friday night, about an hour before merchandise went on sale at 11 p.m. ET at the ballpark, “there was a long line running down the street.”On Saturday, the Marlins set up kiosks at select locations in South Florida.Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco were at the new store in Sawgrass Mills (12801 W. Sunrise Blvd.) from noon to 1 p.m. ET. Omar Infante, Gaby Sanchez and Hanley Ramirez met with fans at Dolphin Mall (11401 N.W. 12th St.) from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.And at the Marlins en Miami Store (3701 S.W. 8th St.), Cheap Jerseys John Buck and Anibal Sanchez attended the opening of sales.”It’s Miami. Everything about this event said Miami,” Buck said. “We’re all here to celebrate the stadium and the change in direction the organization is going. It’s really exciting.”The players who were at the malls took pictures with fans.Marlins gear also is being sold at the Aventura Mall (19501 Biscayne Blvd.), and at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.Flynn said the kiosks in the malls will remain through the holiday season.
Merchandise is expected to be in stores around town within a few days.In the past, when the Marlins were seen in the community, they would be accompanied by their mascot, Billy the MarliMany have wondered, what will happen now to the popular mascot?”Billy is being recolored,” Flynn said.
The new look Billy the Marlin should be around soon.As for the futures of the Marlins Mermaids and Manatees, Flynn said the organization is still deciding what they will be doing with their in-game activities.As for the product on the field, the Marlins have been among the most active teams in their pursuit of high-profile free agents.They’ve already shown interest in free agents Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols and Ryan Madson. And team officials were in the Dominican Republic a few days ago to attend a private workout of center fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who defected from Cuba last summer.No negotiations can begin on Cespedes because he has yet to be declared a free agent.
After 19 seasons as the Florida Marlins, sharing Sun Life Stadium with the Miami Dolphins, the franchise now has its own identity strongly rooted in reflecting Miami.Cheap football jerseys “The vision from the beginning has been about Miami,” team president David Samson said. “We wanted to be the Miami Marlins from the beginning. We embrace Broward and the Keys and Palm Beach County, but the fact is we’re the Miami Marlins and we have a ballpark in Miami and we celebrate the diversity of Miami. When [team owner] Jeffrey [Loria] talked about the logo and how he devised it, it is Miami. It’s what we’ve dreamt about for seven years.”

Biotech company Geron Corp. announced Monday that it would cease work on its stem cell programs, citing financial reasons.The Menlo Park, Calif.-based biotech company was a leader in the field and had been conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial of a human embryonic stem cell-based therapy for patients with spinal cord injuries.  Four patients had participated thus far in that effort, which was designed to test the new treatment’s safety.  GRNOPC1, as the cell-based therapy is called, did appear safe so far, and the company will continue to monitor the patients. But no new subjects will be enrolled in the study.  Geron also will stop working on research into potential cures for heart disease and diabetes.  wholesale jerseys It will cut 66 jobs, 38% of its workforce.During a conference call on Tuesday, Geron chief executive Dr. John A. Scarlett said that “deciding to move out of the stem cell business was a very difficult decision to make,” but that funding was scarce, and that by dropping the stem cell program the company could continue its work on cancer drugs without seeking additional funding.  Geron is working to find partners to take over its stem cell research.”These were business decisions we took on behalf of our shareholders,” Scarlett said.  “I don’t think any of us have intentions of making comments on the field, which we think has tremendous promise.”The news came as a huge disappointment to patients with spinal cord injuries who hoped to soon see a cure for paralysis using embryonic stem cells, which can develop into any type of cell in the body. 
It was also discouraging to other stem cell researchers who see enormous potential in stem cell-based cures but have been frustrated by the inability, so far, to get cures to patients. Technological hurdles, unrealistic expectations and ethical concerns — harvesting embryonic stem cells involves destroying embryos — have affected progress in the field.
Geron was the first company to get approval for a clinical trial of an embryonic stem cell-based therapy from the Food and Drug Administration. Only one other outfit, Worcester, Mass.-based Advanced Cell Technologies, has embryonic stem cell trials underway (to treat macular degeneration, a disorder that can cause blindness).”To have the first group out the door throw their hat in doesn’t sound good,” said Dr. Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer at Advanced Cell Technology. “We need a big success.  Someone has to show that it really works.Wholesale soccer uniforms  Until that happens, a lot of people will be skeptical.”He added, however, that he still believed in stem cells’ promise. “You see the cells and what they can do,” he said. “To abandon this would be criminal.”Return to the Booster Shots blog.Biotech company Geron Corp. announced Monday that it would cease work on its stem cell programs, citing financial reasons.The Menlo Park, Calif.-based biotech company was a leader in the field and had been conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial of a human embryonic stem cell-based therapy for patients with spinal cord injuries.  Four patients had participated thus far in that effort, which was designed to test the new treatment’s safety.  GRNOPC1, as the cell-based therapy is called, did appear safe so far, and the company will continue to monitor the patients. But no new subjects will be enrolled in the study.  Geron also will stop working on research into potential cures for heart disease and diabetes.  It will cut 66 jobs, 38% of its workforce.

Joe Paterno transferred full ownership of his house to his wife, Sue, for $1 in July, less than four months before a sexual abuse scandal engulfed his Penn State football program and the university.Documents filed in Centre County, Pa., show that on July 21, Paterno’s house near campus was turned over to “Suzanne P. Paterno, trustee” for a dollar plus “love and affection.” Cheap Jerseys The couple had previously held joint ownership of the house, which they bought in 1969 for $58,000.According to documents filed with the county, the house’s fair-market value was listed at $594,484.40. Wick Sollers, a lawyer for Paterno, said in an e-mail that the Paternos had been engaged in a “multiyear estate planning program,” and the transfer “was simply one element of that plan.” He said it had nothing to do with the scandal.Paterno, who was fired as the football coach at the university last week, has been judged harshly by many for failing to take more aggressive action when he learned of a suspected sexual assault of a child by one of his former top assistants.Some legal experts, in trying to gauge the legal exposure of the university and its top officials to lawsuits brought by suspected victims of the assistant, Jerry Sandusky, have theorized that Paterno could be a target of civil actions. On Nov. 5, Sandusky, Penn State’s former defensive coordinator, was charged with 40 counts related to the reported sexual abuse of eight boys over 15 years. Paterno, 84, was among those called to give testimony before a grand jury during the investigation, which began in 2009.
Experts in estate planning and tax law, in interviews, cautioned that it would be hard to determine the Paternos’ motivation simply from the available documents. It appears the family house had been the subject of years of complex and confusing transactions.Lawrence A. Frolik, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in elder law, said that he had “never heard” of a husband selling his share of a house for $1 to his spouse for tax or government assistance purposes.“Cheap football jerseys I can’t see any tax advantages,” Frolik said. “If someone told me that, my reaction would be, ‘Are they hoping to shield assets in case if there’s personal liability?’ ” He added, “It sounds like an attempt to avoid personal liability in having assets in his wife’s name.”Two lawyers examined the available documents in recent days. Neither wanted to be identified because they were not directly involved in the case or the property transaction. One of the experts said it appeared to be an explicit effort to financially shield Joe Paterno. The other regarded the July transaction, at least on its face, as benign.Last Wednesday, the university’s board of trustees fired Paterno and Graham B. Spanier, the university’s president.

There were so many great moments in the game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers, but the one unfortunate event that took place was the injury to Oakland’s great wide receiver Jacoby FordFord pulled down a 41-yard pass thrown by Carson Palmer(notes) in the first quarter of the game and went down quickly. wholesale jerseys He had to be carted off the field and came back on crutches. Immediate reports seemed to indicate an ankle sprain, but via Twitter there was a post that said though Ford was in a walking boot and on crutches, the injury “wasn’t as serious as Darren McFadden’s.”(notes)NFL writer, Jerry McDonald stated that “Ford said Friday he didn’t think his sprained ankle was serious and that it was a different kind of sprain than the one that’s kept Darren McFadden on the bench.”Now the speculation and rumors begin, and heach coach Hue Jackson didn’t have any new information to add on Friday. Let’s hope the injury doesn’t keep Ford off the field long. He’s been a stand out this season as well as in 2010.
In the game against the Browns, Ford scored on a 101 yard kickoff return and showed why he is such a valuable asset to the Raiders special teams. For his exceptional performance in game six, the awesome receiver was named ” AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.” In addition to his great return, Ford showed his lightening fast speed in a 27-yard run, and caught a total of three passes on 43 yards.Last year, the Clemson alumni returned three kickoffs for touchdowns, and that was his rookie year. He was a key player in several victories for the Silver and Black, including an overtime win against the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs.In that game just a little over a year ago to date, it was the wide receiver who made the critical plays to transform the Raiders into an NFL contender. He returned a kickoff for 94 yards and a touchdown and made two catches that set up both the tying, and winning field goals.Ford with his winning smile and great attitude posted via Twitter this morning, “Perseverance.” And that is certainly what we’re seeing from the players on the Silver and Black this year. The Raiders wouldn’t be the same without jersey #12, and I’m betting we’ll see him back in no time.K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan from the time she could walk. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett .This summer, while Palmer was in semiretirement over his trade-me-or-else showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals,NFL Wholesale Jerseys  he and O’Brien would go searching for a patch of grass in Los Angeles big enough to run plays. They were joined at times by players such as Houshmandzadeh and Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel .Oakland Raiders safeties Tyvon Branch and Michael Huff will visit San Francisco’s Longfellow Elementary on Tuesday to bestow a $10,000 NFL Play 60 grant on the Outer Richmond school, the NFL announced Monday.The league’s Play 60 campaign aims to fight childhood obesity, promoting the idea that children need 60 minutes of physical activity every day. The defensive players — who are notably svelter than some of their colleagues — will speak to the students about the importance of good health and lead them in fitness activities. The grant will help the school buy physical education equipment or pay for programs.

Denarius Moore became a national star with his “breakout” performance against the San Diego Chargers last Thursday night. I use quotes because anyone who has seen the Raiders at all in 2011 saw what Moore could do when he played a big role in the Raiders’ win over the New York Jets in Week 3.But this article isn’t to discuss when Moore had his breakout; it is to look at whether or not he will maintain the momentum and become the Raiders’ next great wide receiver they have lacked since Tim Brown and/or Jerry Rice in 2003-2004 (to hell with Randy Moss in 2005-2007). Cheap Jerseys  Let’s take a moment to remember some of the others it seems like we (Raider Nation) have gotten excited about lately: Jerry Porter, Johnie Lee Higgins, Chaz Schilens, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy. This list could include more, but I think you get the point. The Raiders have had guys who look like the next big thing only to watch them be no better than above average.
Porter was good, but he was no game-changer. A good QB would have helped him, but even upon leaving Oakland after the 2006 season, he did little more in Jacksonville. Higgins was fast and exciting with playmaking abilities on special teams, but after a hard hit on opening weekend Monday Night Football against the Chargers, he was never the same and has been released.Schilens came on late as a seventh-round rookie from San Diego State in 2008, but he has been hit by injuries. Cheap NFL jerseys Although he is now healthy, Schilens is a rotational guy rather than a go-to guy; the same can be said for Murphy, who missed several games this year.Heyward-Bey was a first-round pick who had been tied up to the “bust” label, but then emerged in his third year (Darren McFadden anyone?) as the team’s leading receiver this season. However, Heyward-Bey has been thrown to once in the last two games.Now we come to the fifth-round rookie from Tennessee: Denarius Moore.Moore is getting national attention following the 100-plus-yard, two-touchdown game he had on prime-time football, and he was praised by the NFL Network postgame commentators, as well as new QB Carson Palmer.As I said at the beginning of the article, Moore has shown up big before for the Raiders. It’s not like he just suddenly showed off his playmaking ability last week—and that is more cause for concern.Moore came on strong early in the season, then he fell off for weeks before bouncing back at San Diego.  Will the Denarius Moore Show continue to wreak havoc on the NFL, or will Moore have his name added to the list of the receivers who never stuck in Oakland? Only one way to find out.

The word running rampant is that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel has a significant injury to his hand that might take him out for the rest of the year. That said, the obvious jump is to wonder who could step in for the Chiefs. Cheap Jerseys The downside is this: the answers aren’t pretty. There’s hardly any doubt that Tyler Palko will be the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs for next week against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. But beyond that, there’s one person waiting in the wings that fans have called for throughout the season: Ricky Stanzi.Palko is the most game-ready which is why Stanzi likely won’t have his number called 7 days from now. He’s just not ready. Palko, meanwhile, is the back-up on the roster and played at the end of the Broncos game, going 5 of 6 against a prevent defense that makes his performance look more impressive than it was. Not that Palko wasn’t good but it’s just that it didn’t matter.
But Palko’s performance until now hasn’t been great. He’s failed to impress the last two preseasons for the Chiefs, but Scott Pioli seems something there — enough to have Palko as his primary back-up. The 28-year-old is likely the journeyman back-up at best that he’s been so far, so no one should expect much in the way of quarterback heroics against the Pats on Monday. Instead, it will be a ground attack predicated on Jackie Battle and Dexter McCluster with the hope that the defense can create some turnovers.But that brings up Stanzi. The Iowa product was the Chiefs fifth round pick this year and everyone from Mel Kiper to local fans thought it was a great pick up in the late round. Stanzi was praised for his on-field abilities and leadership and a mix at quarterback that translated well to the pro level. That said, he’s been inactive for every single game this year with no practice with the first unit whatsoever — hence the reason that the QB situation facing the Chiefs isn’t pretty.Whether or not Matt Cassel was going to guide the Chiefs to the promised land, it’s clear that he was, far and away, the most capable quarterback on the roster for this present season.Wholesale cheap jerseys  Now Palko will take the short-term and it’s likely Stanzi gets in soon — perhaps as soon as next week. Then Chiefs fans will get a much better idea of just what they have on the roster and for the future.The Kansas City Chiefs lose to the Denver Broncos, 10-17.  The Chiefs drop to 4-5 on the season and are currently on a 2 game losing streak in which they have only scored a total of 13 points.The Chiefs ended up averaging 5.6 yards per carry in the Broncos game…but that is no indication on how the offense did or how the line blocked.  This week the Chiefs offensive line come away with pedestrian grades in the running game.  My biggest disappointment during the Broncos game was the performance of Casey Wiegmann in the pass blocking game and the effort of Johnathan Baldwin when blocking