Six Wildcats Ink NFL Contracts Tiny by mikeschmitz on Jul 28, 2011 11:00 AM PDT in Arizona Wildcats Football

For over three months, six undrafted Wildcats waited in limbo.

Working toward a lifelong goal tainted by uncertainty. No contracts, no workouts, no access to team facilities, no contact with anything NFL.

But when the lockout ended Monday, Nic Grigsby, Colin Baxter, Adam Grant, Travis Cobb, Lolomana Mikaele and Conan Amituanai all joined fellow Wildcats Brooks Reed, D'Aundre Reed and Ricky Elmore in the NFL.

Grigsby was the first Arizona product to officially add NFL to his résumé as the change of pace back signed with the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.

From there the domino effect set in and ironman center Colin Baxter signed with the Chargers, defensive tackle Mikaele with the Bengals, kick returner Travis Cobb with the Bears, offensive tackle Grant with the Broncos and Conan Amituanai joined D'Aundre Reed with the Vikings.

The Arizona Daily Star reported that Baxter chose the Chargers over the Saints, Ravens, Dolphins, Bills and Cardinals, while Grigsby went with the Dolphins instead of the Rams.

How will each player fit in with his respective team? Will he make it past the first cuts? Here's a quick breakdown:
Nic Grigsby

Position: Running Back

Height/Weight: 5'11/206

Team: Dolphins

Strengths: Speed and lateral agility

Weaknesses: Durability, size, dances too much

Projection: Grigsby told The Star, "I'm not a third-down back anymore. They said they want to have me on every down."

But Grigsby is the epitome of a third-down back. He's a great change of pace guy who can stretch the field and develop into a home-run hitter. Remember this is a guy who took the Pac-10 by story his sophomore season with 1,153 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns.

There's no question the talent's always been there, and now that he's bigger and supposedly shaking his injury-prone label, Grigsby could have a chance to be more than a typical third-down back.

But remember, this is also the same player who couldn't get on the field for the better part of his last two seasons. He's also a guy who's battled character issues and could turn into the type of player always bouncing around to look for the right fit.

He's also behind Ronnie Brown and fellow rookie and 2nd round pick Daniel Thomas. When it's all said and done, I see Grigsby turning into a nice back up and possible return man with potential to take it to the house.

It's not out of the question that he develops into an every down back over the course of his career given his talent level, but judging by his UA career, calling Grigsby a life-long third-down back is a safe bet.

Colin Baxter

Position: Center

Height/Weight: 6'3/295

Team: Chargers

Strengths: Toughness and technique

Weaknesses: Size and recent injury

Projection: In the weeks leading up to the 2011 NFL draft Baxter told me, "I think I'm one of the best centers in the draft this year so hopefully I'll go high. Maybe I won't go so high and some team will get a good deal on me, who knows. I think I'm right up there with all the other centers."

The Chargers became that team. Baxter brings a ton of experience, smarts and blue-collar toughness to a San Diego team that indeed did get a "good deal" on him.

Baxter should get a solid opportunity with San Diego as well. The Chargers have establish veteran and former Pro Bowler (2006) Nick Hardwick under center, but he's entering his ninth year in the NFL and there's minimal talent behind him.

Baxter ends up in a good situation, but if he never went down with a torn meniscus near the end of last season, he certainly wouldn't have had to spend the last few months stressing over his employment status. Over the course of his four years Baxter earned ironman status as he started 48 consecutive games and reportedly never missed a practice before the injury.

He was one the Pac-10's best centers and arguably a top 5 center in the country. The injury (that led to surgery) killed his stock, but all he needs is a chance to show his skills and he. If there's one player out of this group with a chance to become a longtime NFL starter its Baxter.

He may be a bit undersized, but he knows how to play the center position and if he can stay healthy, he'll compete for a starting job at one point in his career before it's all said and done.

Adam Grant

Position: Offensive Tackle

Height/Weight: 6'6/325

Team: Broncos

Strengths: Size and Experience

Weaknesses: Age and Quickness

Projection: Grant has a solid chance at NFL longevity, for an offensive lineman anyway. He'll most likely be a career-long backup, but if he can stay healthy, his size and tremendous technique will always land him a job somewhere. The 26-year-old tackle put together an impressive senior season that earned him second-team All-Pac-10 honors. He protected Nick Foles' blind side extremely well and earned a combine invite because of it. I remember when Arizona played (and defeated) Iowa last season Grant did a number on defensive end and Tamba Bay Buccaneer (20th overall pick) Adrian Clayborn. The explosive defensive end finished the game with only three tackles (none for a loss) and no sacks. Aside from Grigsby and Baxter, Grant has the best chance to stand out from this group and make a career for himself in the league.

Lolomana Mikaele

Position: Defensive Tackle

Height/Weight: 6'1/300

Team: Bengals

Strengths: NFL size and good run-stopper

Weaknesses: Lacks explosion and pass rush

Projection: Mikaele was a solid starter for the Wildcats as the co-captain finished with 32 tackles and 7.5 TFLs his senior season. His ceiling isn't super high due to his below-average athleticism, but he is a productive player who specializes in stopping the run. His NFL career will most likely be uneventful, but he's solid enough to stay on a roster, especially the Bengals who need defense in the worst way. They finished 19th against the run last year, so there's opportunity within the organization for Mikaele to contribute.

Travis Cobb

Position: Wide Receiver/Kick Returner

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 180

Team: Bears

Strengths: Speed

Weaknesses: Nothing more than a return man

Projection: Cobb may never catch a pass in the NFL because of his mediocre receiver skills, but his straight-line speed gives him an outside shot at making an impact as a return man.

He'll certainly have a great one to learn from in Devin Hester. It's a mystery if Cobb will even make it out of training camp with a roster spot, however. If he doesn't prove himself in the return game, there's no need for the speedster.

Landing a special teams job can also be extremely hit or miss, as a lot of things have to go right in order to stand out as a return man. Cobb certainly has the ability.

He took a kickoff 100 yards to the house against Iowa on national TV last year, which is most likely the one play that earned him an NFL check.

Other than that he was fairly non existent and I expect Cobb to find how hard it is to make it as a return man, and bounce out of the league in a few years.

Conan Amituanai

Position: Guard

Height/Weight: 6'3/332

Team: Vikings

Strengths: Versatility

Weaknesses: Limited experience

Projection: Conan has the worst chance of the six to stick in the league. He'll have the support of D'Aundre Reed in Minnesota, but there's not much that separates him as a guard.

His biggest positive is that he can play both sides of the ball, as he came to Arizona as a defensive tackle. But other than that, I don't see Conan sticking in the NFL for long.

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Dane Sanzenbacher and Chicago Bears Reach An Agreement, Other Rookies Also Signed

Soldier Field - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears and Ohio State Receiver Dane Sanzenbacher agreed to terms on Tuesday, immediately following the end of the NFL Lockout which witnessed all player to owner negotiations stall for 136 days.

The move is a big one for the team as Sanzenbacher was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2010 after he led the conference in receiving yards (948) and touchdown catches (11).

Other new contract agreements for the Bears were reached with the following players:

Kris Adams, WR, UTEP
Kyle Adams, Purdue, TE
Mario Addison, DE, Troy
Tanner Antle, LB, Tulsa
Tressor Baptiste, Texas A&M, LB
JC Brignone, Mississippi State, C
Antareis Bryan, Baylor, CB
Corbin Bryant, Northwestern, DL
Travis Cobb, Arizona, WR
Josh Davis, Georgia, T
Dom DeCicco, LB, Pittsburgh
Ricky Henry, Nebraska, G
Mike Holmes, Syracuse, CB
Robert Hughes, Notre Dame, RB
Ryan Jones, NW Missouri State, CB
Spencer Lanning, P, South Carolina
Alex Linnenkohl, Oregon State, C
Jordan Miller, Southern, DT
Deron Minor, McNeese State, LB
Sean Murnane, Central Michigan, DT
Dane Sanzenbacker, WR, Ohio State
Andre Smith, Virginia Tech, TE
Winston Venable, Boise State, S
Trevor Vittatoe, QB, UTEP
Anthony Walters, Delaware, S
Jimmy Young, TCU, WR

Per lockout regulations teams were able to commence rookie signings at 9 a.m. CT on Tuesday.

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New Orleans Saints players, officials easing back into the business of football

Tuesday at New Orleans Saints camp felt an awful lot like the calm before the storm.
The team didn't complete any major roster moves on the first day of business after the NFL lockout, although General Manager Mickey Loomis and his staff were no doubt running up the phone bill with endless calls to players and agents late into the night.

And only a handful of Saints players trickled into the practice facility after being allowed full access to the building for the first time in nearly five months.

The Saints plan to release their training-camp schedule today,
Players are scheduled to report to the official start of camp Thursday for a team meeting and activities such as physicals and conditioning tests. And the first practice is expected to be held Friday, although the team has not confirmed that.

It's not clear when the first practices will be open to the public. Those early practices could be very basic, with the Saints still working with an incomplete roster. They had only 47 players under contract as of Monday, barely more than half of the 90 players they're allowed to have on their training-camp roster.

They've been adding to that total by agreeing to deals with several undrafted free agents since Monday night. But they cannot officially sign any deals with veteran free agents until Friday afternoon, even if they're re-signing their own players.

And those veteran free agents won't be allowed to practice or work out until August 4, which is the official start of the new league year, since their contracts won't go into effect until that date.

NFL teams were allowed to begin negotiations with veteran free agents Tuesday morning, however, and a handful of "verbal agreements" were announced around the league as the day went on.

Many NFL observers have speculated that the slow pace of contract announcements is because players can still change their minds -- or be wooed elsewhere between now and Friday.

Very little news surfaced Tuesday concerning the Saints' 28 unrestricted free agents. And there was nothing new to report on the future of Saints tailback Reggie Bush, whose contract will need to be restructured if he is to remain in New Orleans.

The earliest the Saints could release Bush is Thursday afternoon, although they likely will attempt to work out a new deal with Bush before they make such a decision. Bush is scheduled to receive an $11.8 million salary in the final year of his deal, with a $16 million salary-cap hit.

One of the Saints' veteran free agents, linebacker Scott Shanle, shared the details of his day. He was contacted immediately by the St. Louis Rams. He spoke to their general manager and linebackers coach about their interest in him. He also spoke with Saints linebackers coach Joe Vitt for the first time in months and later spoke with Saints officials about their interest in re-signing him. He said the Cincinnati Bengals also expressed interest in him, among other teams, and he was working toward setting up at least one free-agent visit.

Shanle, like most of the Saints' free agents, said he would love to remain in New Orleans if the offers are similar. But he needs to explore all of his options.

"I think they want me back. But it's a matter of how much they want you back," Shanle said, pointing to what happened with fellow linebacker Scott Fujita last year as an example.

The Saints wanted to re-sign Fujita as a free agent but couldn't compete with the financial offer of the Cleveland Browns.

The most highly coveted of the Saints' free agents are expected to be left tackle Jermon Bushrod, receiver Lance Moore and safety Roman Harper.

Moore addressed his situation on Twitter, saying, "I'm waiting patiently for the right deal tweeps. (I don't know) where its going to be yet, but I will let everyone know as soon as I do. Thanks for all of your support."

About 10 to 15 players showed up at Saints camp Tuesday morning for voluntary workouts and some long-overdue quality time with the coaching staff.

Among the players seen driving in and out of the Saints' facility were safety Malcolm Jenkins, cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Johnny Patrick, kicker Garrett Hartley, quarterback Chase Daniel, tailback Lynell Hamilton, tight end Tyler Lorenzen and long snapper Justin Drescher.

"It was awesome," Daniel said of being back in the building for the first time since the lockout began in March. "For us last night, we were just (champing) at the bit to get in this morning. It was like Christmas Eve last night. Just waiting to be back around people that you know, that you trust, that you love here.

"I came in, did a workout, threw some passes to Tyler, got in the cold tub, hot tub, just used the amenities. Got our free lunch, which was awesome. But it was good to see all the coaches. That's the main thing. And to see everyone, all the support staff here, they all missed us like crazy. You know, we're like their kids. That's what (equipment manager Silky Powell) said. It's good to be back."

Saints quarterback Drew Brees wasn't at camp Tuesday. He wrapped up his final workout in his offseason home base in San Diego. But he expressed his relief and excitement in a radio interview with WWL on Tuesday night.

"It's been a long time coming," said Brees, who was instrumental in the labor negotiations as part of the players association's executive council. "Obviously, this was a wild offseason for all of us. This was uncharted territory, something none of us was used to. ... And there was just a lot of uncertainty as to how long this would last.

"It came down to the wire, but we got a deal done that we're all very happy with. We feel like it was a fair deal for both sides."

Asked what his message to Saints fans would be, Brees said, "I can't tell you how excited we are to see all the fans out at camp."

"I know how excited they've been in years past about the start of the season, and I think this one maybe even moreso than years past because there's been so much uncertainty and so much doubt as to whether there was going to be football this year," Brees said. "So I know it freaked everybody out. It scared everybody. But here we are, football's started, and I know everybody's pumped up and ready for it."

Brees' own contract will become an issue soon. He's heading into the final year of his six-year deal with the Saints and eventually will become one of the highest-paid players in NFL history. But he said that's not the most immediate priority for himself or the team.

"When the time comes to talk about extending the contract, we're ready to do that," Brees said. "But after this (lengthy) process to get back to football, that's really all I'm looking forward to right now. Establishing an identity as a team and trying to win another championship."

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Albert Haynesworth Traded To The Patriots

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots may have just made a splash. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Washington Redskins traded DT Albert Haynesworth to Belichick's Patriots for the whopping price of a...2013 fifth round pick.

We'll see how it works out. Here are four thoughts on the Haynesworth trade.

-Our Pats blog makes a good point: A 2013 fifth rounder is equivalent to a 2012 sixth rounder which is equivalent to a 2011 seventh rounder. Peanuts.

-He's only going to make $5 million this season.

-I thought Haynesworth hated playing in the 3-4? Last year he wouldn't even line up at the nose so Belichick has some work in front of him but he must feel comfortable with Haynesworth (or agent Chad Speck must've done a hell of a recruiting job for Belichick to buy in). Also, keep in mind: the Pats only ran a 3-4 40 percent of the time last year so they're not in it full-time.

-Somehow, and you know it will happen, Haynesworth will turn his career around in New England. I don't know how. I don't even know what position. But this is such a Patriots move. I don't know how they do it, but they will. The rise of Haynesworth, sort of like WR Randy Moss.

-Dec. 11, Pats at Skins. Should be a good one.

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David Beckham Scores Incredible Goal Off Corner Kick In Galaxy-Fire Game

David Beckham had quite the eventful weekend. One night before his wife Victoria gave birth to a baby girl, the soccer star recorded an assist and a very impressive game-winning goal against the Chicago Fire on Saturday. Landon Donovan scored early in the second half off Beckham's assist and Chicago quickly tied the game after Cristian Nazarith's goal. Four minutes later, Beckham scored an incredible goal off a corner kick. The ball somehow didn't touch anyone, bounced through the goalkeeper's legs and into the net. The Galaxy went on to win 2-1.

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NCAA Football 12’s Ultimate Conference Call

In NCAA Football 12 players have an extraordinary amount of control over the college football landscape. Many diehards and purists have pursed their lips and grumbled over a wave conference realignments that forsake traditions and regional sensibilities for television contracts. NCAA 12 is their chance to put things right in the world. Their world.

Under previous versions you could swap conference memberships but the size of their ranks could neither increase nor decrease. Now, you may expand or shrink conferences anywhere from 16 to four members. You may not delete or rename conferences or give them new logos. Theoretically, I think, you could have 11 four-team conferences and a pool of 76 independents.

Once you set your conference memberships, the game allows you to designate whether the league is an automatic BCS qualifier and, if so, to which of the four games it sends its conference champion (or second choice, assuming its champion is a BCS No. 1 or 2.) You may even control for days of the week in which that league plays (Saturday only, Thursdays permitted, or any day), and whether night games in November are permitted, two scheduling rules peculiar to the Big Ten.

Finally, if you have 12 or more teams, you then sort the divisional membership, rename the divisions, and then set aside interdivisional matchups that the schedule will guarantee every year, to protect rivalries such as Alabama and Tennesse, or Auburn and Georgia.

When my review copy arrived, and after I first plunged into Dynasty and began altering the conferences, I figured I would just restore the ACC to its original membership and have a charming what-if trip back to Tobacco Road. I spent the next five hours completely remaking each conference, puzzling out which protected matchups had the most tradition, whose bowl tie-ins made the most sense, and where title games in my new mega-conferences should be played. It was a perfectly
perfectly hallucinated reality, one I’m delighted to share with you below.
I really want to create a 16-team Land Grant Superconference, with divisions named the Farmers and the Mechanics, but maybe I’ll do that for Online Dynasty. For now, in my perfect model-railroad world of college football, here’s who plays where:

Atlantic Coast Conference
Members: Clemson, South Carolina, North Carolina, N.C. State, Duke, Wake Forest, Maryland and Virginia.

BCS Automatic? Yes, the champion gets an automatic BCS berth, but it is not tied to a specific bowl.

Scheduling: Saturday games only, with night games permissible in November.

In my game, the ACC is essentially unchanged over its entire lifespan. (Though Virginia joined the league in 1953, it was not a charter member and did not play the first football season).

The final Saturday sees the great rivalries in full bloom: Clemson and South Carolina’s all-out warfare; Maryland and Virginia’s border skirmish, Duke and North Carolina’s classic private-public rivalry, and State vs. Wake Forest, the farmers and the Baptists, forming the allegory of this conference’s home state.

Big XVI
Big Eight Division: Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Southwest Division: Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Rice, Texas Christian, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech

BCS Automatic? Yes, the champion gets a bid to the Orange Bowl, the Big Eight’s original tie-in. The conference title game is played between the champions of each division and is held at Mile High Stadium, Denver.

Protected Matchups: Texas-Oklahoma; Arkansas-Missouri; Texas A&M-Nebraska; Baylor-Colorado; TCU-Kansas; Rice-Iowa State; Texas Tech-Oklahoma State; Houston-Kansas State.

Scheduling: Thursday games permitted; night games in November permitted.

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jaycee dugard, abc iview, jaycee dugard book, jaycee dugard daughters, iview

Diane Sawyer began Tweeting Friday ahead of tonight’s live tweet of her Jaycee Dugard special. (Sawyer’s second Tweet was about the death of former First Lady Betty Ford). It was Dugard’s first interview since being set free from 18 years of captivity at the hands of a deranged, convicted rapist and his complicit wife.

Sawyer has spent the last 12 days working on the special, including two days of interviews with Dugard late last month. Sawyer, along with Chris Cuomo, who investigated the inaction by local, state and federal authorities, taped their on camera portions this weekend. Sawyer watched the special at ABC News headquarters tonight along with ABC News newsmagazine EP David Sloan (below).

The special leaned heavily on passages from Dugard’s book, “A Stolen Life” which comes out Tuesday. In it, Dugard describes her last feeling of freedom along a South Lake Tahoe road on that June morning in 1991 — a pine cone, which, 20 years later is a symbol of the hope that kept her alive. (Video of Dugard talking about the day she was kidnapped, after the jump.)

Dugard now wears a pine cone charm necklace, and presented Sawyer with one of her own, which Sawyer showed at the close of the show, and Tweeted later (above). Sawyer (@dianesawyer) had about 7,000 followers at the start of her special and more than 10,000 by its end in the Eastern and Central time zones.

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chord overstreet

ews.

Bad news first, obviously. Chord Overstreet's option to stay with the show as a series regular has not been picked up. As TVLine was first to report, there is a chance that Overstreet could return on a guest-star basis. Overstreet expressed rather cryptic disappointment on Friday afternoon when he tweeted, "well its been a good yr too bad its over, time for summer and starting fresh."

Luckily, Overstreet won't be twiddling his thumbs for long. Once he finishes up the "Glee" tour, he's gung-ho to start working on his solo album.


We have to admit, we're pretty bummed about this news. Overstreet's character was frequently comedic relief, but Sam developed some depth toward the end of the season as his family and background were further explored. Plus, in a rather cliffhanger-y moment in the season finale, it was revealed that he and Mercedes (Amber Riley) were secretly in a relationship.

Okay, ready for the good news? As was to be expected, everyone's favorite Warbler, Darren Criss, has been upgraded to series regular status. Could this mean that he'll be leaving Dalton Academy and joining the New Directions? Hmmm.

Harry Shum has also been upgraded to series regular, which is definitely great for those of us who love the something extra that his slick dance moves bring to the performance numbers.

Still... we'll miss you, Sam Evans. Especially your hair.

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Play Mega Millions online and pay with Paypal?

I want to play Mega Millions but its not in my state so I have to play online but I don't trust those sites so I want to pay with Paypal. I've tried a lot of sites and one told me to get a Netteller account but they're not available to U.S. citizens and another website had the same thing. The other ones just want your credit card number straight but I want to use paypal so I feel safe.
i doubt that you can pay with a credit card . i just bought some tickets and i had to pay cash.

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HOW TO BUY... Roxy Music And Family

Releasing their debut, self-titled LP in June 1972 - about a week after Bowie's ...Ziggy Stardust... came out - Roxy Music would open the brains of Morrissey, Madness, Depeche Mode and more with their pop-experimental sophistication and stylish visuals.

They'd carry on as a recording entity for another eleven years, making another seven albums; but which of them do you need? For Your Pleasure and Stranded? Country Life? Who's liking later works Avalon and Flesh + Blood? Then there's the solo joints; which of Bryan Ferry's LPs are required listening? What about Eno's Here Come The Warm Jets? And is anyone feeling Andy MacKay's In Search Of Eddie Riff?

Post your comments and recommendations below, please, and the best will appear in the magazine. Thanks!

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Red Bulls vs. FC New York: Post Match

Hans Backe, Corey Hertzog, John Rooney and Tim Ream speak following the Red Bulls 2-1 win over FC New York in a US Open Cup Third Round match at Red Bull Arena. With the win, New York advances to the Quarterfinals and will play Chicago Fire at Toyota Park on July 12. Share your thoughts on the match in the comments section.

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Bank Of America CEO Brian Moynihan Subpoenaed By New York

NEW YORK -- New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is not backing off a civil fraud probe into whether Bank of America deliberately misled shareholders about the massive losses on Merrill Lynch's books before its 2008 purchase of ...
The New York Post sheds a tad more light on this Urban Outfitters-under-the-High Line rumor today. Amongst a bunch of real estate jargon and numbers thrown about (plus a mention of Diane Von Furstenberg's husband Barry Diller), the paper reports that corporate offices for Theory/Helmet Lang and Alice + Olivia moving into 450 W. 14th Street. All in all, this could be an indication that this Urban speculation may come to fruition, plus we might be trekking to the MPD for Theory, Helmut Lang and Alice + Olivia sample sales in the near future

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Five NKOTB Songs Justin Bieber Should Cover - Daily Inklings ...

Justin Bieber Names his New Album “Believe”?
Justin tweeted that he has been working on a new album that is slated for a November release. However, the big deal was not the fact that he thinks it will be his best work to date-but the hash tag that he tweeted (see above).

This started a frenzy that his new album (we’re not sure) will be called BELIEVE, which Justin did not deny nor confirm.

Are you excited for JB’s new album?

Read more: Justin Bieber Names his New Album “Believe”? — JUSTIN BIEBER ZONE http://www.justinbieberzone.com/2011/07/justin-bieber-names-his-new-album/#ixzz0lAGK62oy

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Boxing Notebook: More Mayweather, Showtime, Tyson, and Miguel Cotto

So Floyd Maywether Jr. at the Los Angeles press conference to promote his fight with WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz topped what he said about Manny Pacquiao the day before in New York City. He called out Pacquiao and said, “Victor will be now, then Pacquiao is next.”

Mayweather definitely upstaged and out-performed himself from the day before. The steroid testing issue is over and supposedly passed on. Now it is about Mayweather and Ortiz, and hopefully Pacquiao after that. But as stated here previously, Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum may have the final say. And until then, who is to know where Mayweather stands after the Ortiz fight.

Again Mayweather catered to his many fans, as he did in New York signing as many autographs as he could outside the Staples Center. It is part of the Floyd Mayweather publicity campaign to put him back in the good graces of boxing fans. However, on the same day more legal issues surrounded the talented, yet troubled, as they say, best pound-for-pound fighter.

A United States District Court judge denied Maywetaher an emergency appeal to prevent his court ordered regarding defamation statements about Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather is refusing to show up for his side of the story. But there is one sign of hope and it comes from Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, co-promoter of the Maywether-Oriz fight.

And Schaefer did say Tuesday to this observer, “The fight has to get done and it will,” regarding Mayweather and Pacquiao in the next year. He can influence Floyd to stop the nonsense, and Schaefer, who apologized to Pacquiao about the drug testing war of words, is finally at peace with Arum. Stay tuned…

Undefeated WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios (27-0-1, 19 KO’s) defends his title against Urbano Antillon next Saturday on Showtime. He is another of the upcoming and rising stars in the sport that Arum has in his stable, along with undefeated welterweight Mike Jones who is often in discussion with the Pacquiao mix.

He will be fighting in California for the first time since 2005 and is looking forward to his homecoming. “We were supposed to fight a year ago and unfortunately I got hurt in sparring,” said Rios in a Thursday conference call with the media. This was an anticipated fight because both Rios and Antillon can punch with the best. Now it will finally happen, but Rios does have his problems with the challenger.

“He was running around saying I didn’t want to fight him,” said Rios, “and that I was chicken. He was just running his mouth and after a while he just started to get to me. And then when this, fight started he was doing it again, just running his mouth and taking all types of smack.”

There were derogatory references to Rios’ wife. “Fighters shouldn’t bring families into it,” he said. But those comments motivated Rios, as he said, “I love it when I have a beef with an opponent. I needed something in the gym because lately it’s gotten a little boring. I have to have that little excitement.”

Said Antillon, (28-2, 20 KO’s) about his remarks: “It’s kind of mine boggling the way he’s taken it. I did mention his wife but never in a way that should upset him. I know what I said and I know my intentions behind it. He could take it personal be he’s nothing special.” Fighting words that will no doubt carry into the ring next week, or does it add to what can be a fight of the year candidate?…

Another sad day for boxing as we get news about the passing of legendary trainer James “Bouie” Fisher best known for being a major part in the career of current light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins. In Philadelphia, Bouie was a father to one or more fighters. Old school at its best and during a week when boxing said goodbye to Nick Charles and former champion Bill Costello, we toll the 10-count again…

Where has the time gone? Belated birthday wishes to the champion,”Iron” Mike Tyson who turned 45 the other day. Was that a heavyweight division when Tyson was King, as we reflect and see how the most prominent division in the sport has become the mediocre laughing stock of the sport…

Showbox, celebrates 10-years of memories and great fights this week. Now, how many fighters have gone on to super stardom with a concept that at one time had many fight experts doubting if there would be enough juice to survive? And it all started with the late Nick Charles at ringside calling the fights, in what he said recently was a highlight of his broadcast career…

Make it official. Miguel Cotto looks like he has his redemption fight with Antonio Margarito, defending his WBA junior middleweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York City, December 3rd. We hear Cotto asked his promoter Bob Arum to stage the fight at the Garden, a place where Cotto has had much success. Arum would have preferred Dallas and Cowboys Stadium due to the tax structure and it is more economical for the fighters…

Tomorrow what to expect as David Haye tries to dethrone Wladimir Klitschko and make some sense of the heavyweight title picture.

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The Toaster, A Crispy Bread Mosaic Made From 3,053 Pieces of Toast

Swedish husband and wife team, artists Gustavo Aguerre and Ingrid Falk created The Toaster, a mural of a common household toaster that is over 22 feet wide and made with thousands of pieces of toast. This crispy mosaic was built on site in 1999 for the First International Art Biennial in Buenos Aires, Argentina but holds a permanent spot at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Buenos Aires.
The Toaster is a large picture, seven metres long and four and a half metres high, totally made from bread toasted in different temperatures and for different lengths of time to reach the different nuances that occur between black and white, ochre and rust. It took seven days of work and several friends and their toasters to prepare the 3,053 pieces of toast necessary to build the gigantic mosaic, which viewed up close, resembles a beautiful abstract picture but when viewed from a distance most closely resembles a photograph of a toaster.

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