Baseball superstar Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and has been suspended 50 games, starting Thursday.

Ramirez released a statement acknowledging the suspension.

“Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was ok to give me. Unfortunately the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under that policy, that mistake is now my responsibility,” he said. “I’ve been advised not to say anything more.”

Some reporters, especially a vocally and clearly angry Bill Plaschke, who ranted on ESPN Thursday afternoon, don’t believe the “doctor” story.

“Was there a Dominican cousin mentioned in there? Who in their right mind would believe that?” said Plaschke.

Plaschke called the situation “devestating to this city’s (Los Angeles) baseball culture, absolutely devastating.”

“How many times are we going to keep believing players who say ‘I didn’t know what it was?’” said Plaschke. “Get the guy out of a Dodger uniform. Get this guy out of baseball.”

Ramirez asserts that in the past, he has successfully passed 15 drug tests.

“Los Angeles is a special place to me, and i know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation.”

The Los Angeles Times is first reported the story Thursday morning.

The times reported that Dodgers told AAA outfielder Xavier Paul to be ready to report to Los Angeles.

The Times says that Ramirez will say the test results are because of medication he received from a doctor for a medical issue.

If the report is true, it is a brutal blow to baseball. Manny Ramirez was widely considered one of the last “clean” superstars and was an absolute first ballot hall of famer until today.

Ramirez would be the second of his superstar ilk to fall this season, behind Alex Rodriguez.

Ramirez led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series championships. He leads the Dodgers this season with a .348 batting average and has six home runs so far.

Ramirez has previously denied steroid use.

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs from 2001 to 2003.

ESPN is reporting that Rodriguez, in an exclusive interview with Peter Gammons, has admitted to allegations that surfaced in a recent Sports Illustrated report online.

“I felt an enormous amount of pressure,” Rodriguez told Gammons. “Back then it was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young. I was stupid. I was naive. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth, you know, being one of the greatest players of all time, and I did take a banned substance.”

Rodriguez did appear apologetic in talking to Gammons.

“I am very sorry and deeply regretful,” Rodriguez said. “Although it was the culture back then … i just feel that I’m just sorry. I’m sorry for that time. I’m sorry to my fans.”

SI reported last week that four sources independently told the magazine that Arod tested positive for two anabolic steroids at that time. According to SI, Rodriguez’s name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball’s 2003 survey testing, which the MLB Players Association agreed to allow to determine if it was necessary to impose stricter drug testing in baseball.

The drug Rodriguez allegedly tested positive for, Primobolan, is less detectable than many other steroids because its markers stay in the body for less time than other drugs. It is also expensive, costing about $500 per week, SI reported.

Rodriguez called the time a “loosey goosy” era, saying he didn’t “know exactly what substance” he “was guilty of using.”

Rodriguez hit 47 home runs in 2003, good enough for his third consecutive home run title.

New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003, Sports Illustrated is reporting.

Rodriguez won his first American League Most Valuable Player award in 2003 while with the Texas Rangers.

SI is reporting that four sources independently told the magazine that Arod tested positive for two anabolic steroids at that time.

According to SI, Rodriguez’s name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball’s 2003 survey testing, which the MLB Players Association agreed to allow to determine if it was necessary to impose stricter drug testing in baseball.

The drug Rodriguez allegedly tested positive for, Primobolan, is less detectable than many other steroids because its markers stay in the body for less time than other drugs. It is also expensive, costing about $500 per week, SI reported.

The 2003 steroids tests were sealed by agreement but leaked to Sports Illustrated by sources.

Rodriguez hit 47 home runs in 2003, good enough for his third consecutive home run title.

Brett Pedroia, older brother of Red Sox second baseman Dustin, recently turned himself in to authorities on charges of child molestation. The incident occurred four years ago, but the victim just recently told his parents.

Pedroia is facing two counts of oral copulation and lewd acts with a child under 14.

The 30-year old was booked into Yolo County jail with his bail set at $50,000.

Not that anyone ever really thought he was a murderer, but his name certainly came up in an investigation. A Woburn, Mass. man admitted in court that he made up his testimony regarding the 1993 murder of Dr. Linda Goudey, who was found strangled in her car back in October of that year.

Richard Chambers, 45, plead guilty on Thursday to charges of misleading police and perjury, when he told investigators that the last person he saw with the doctor was a man that looked like then NFL QB Boomer Esiason.

The case is still unsolved, but Dr. Timothy Stryker was found liable in civil court in 2006 and ordered to pay $15 million to Goudey’s family.

Boomer Esiason can finally relax.

This was one of Guilfoil’s day job stories.

A Cambridge man has been charged in connection with a series of allegedly obscene phone calls he made to Boston sports radio station WEEI late last year, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

David Banner, 57, faces two counts of criminal harassment, two counts of threats to commit a crime, and count of — no joke — making annoying phone calls.

He was released on $1,000 personal recognizance with orders not to call any radio station in Boston.

So, New York stations watch out.

According to authorities, Banner actually used his real name in some of the calls he made to WEEI between October and November.

“We have here a pattern of extremely vulgar and, frankly, bizarre phone calls that rise to the level of criminal behavior,” Conley said. “If someone finds a radio show that upsetting, the appropriate response is to change the channel.”

Sage like advice.

Details of each phone call are on page 2.

It looks like plaxidents tend to follow Giants WR and soon-to-be-convicted-felon Plaxico Burress around. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that a 27-year old woman is suing Plaxico for an auto accident in May that left her with back and neck injuries.

Alise Smith is looking for $15,000 in lost wages, medical bills and damage to her car.

“Ms. Smith, who wearing a seatbelt, was rear-ended by Mr. Burress, who failed to maintain a safe braking distance, maintain a proper lookout or to exercise reasonable care,” said Gregory Dell, Smith’s attorney. “All of this was the cause of this accident and Ms. Smith’s resulting injuries.”

When compared with facing a mandatory three and a half years for possession of a concealed weapon, Ms. Smith’s lawsuit is the kind of legal trouble that Burress can live with.

The day after the NY Jets lost to the Denver Broncos 34-17, Jets DE Shaun Ellis decided it would be a good idea to get pulled over for speeding while possessing a green, leafy substance that tends to make people really hungry, paranoid and forgetful. For example, Ellis forgot he didn’t have insurance for the vehicle he was driving.

He was pulled over for speeding in Hanover, NJ which is right by the team’s training facility.

The 31-year-old Ellis was “uncooperative” and refused to supply the officer with all of the necessary paperwork, and was found to be in possession of marijuana and arrested, according to the police report.

He was also issued a summons for possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as motor vehicle summonses for speeding, failure to keep right, failure to produce a valid registration card and driving without insurance before being released.

I just witnessed an awfully peculiar post-game interview with Giants WR Domenik Hixon. Hixon was asked whether or not he had spoken to Plaxico Burress recently and he said he had and that he went to a Knicks game with him. I know the Knicks were in town Saturday night against the Warriors because I was supposed to go to the game.

He also says that he was with Burress Friday night at Applebee’s. The interviewer, Andy Adler, was clearly caught off guard by this information. Was Hixon with Burress at the club? There are rumors that there was a third Giant (possibly Derrick Ward) present at the club with Burress, but it’s not known who it was. Interesting.

As to the first part of this posting, Burress has not returned phone calls from several members of Giants management since the shooting. Is he socializing with Hixon and other friends while ignoring the people that just gave him a ton of money and have been putting up with his crap for this long?

Could be nothing, but it’s our job to stir the pot. Here is the interview as transcribed by moi off my DVR:

Andy Adler of Fox 5 NY: “It has been a seamless transition, now have you spoken with Plaxico Burress? Have you conversed with him at all?”

Domenik Hixon: “Yeah, uh…”

AA: “..In the last couple days?”

Hixon: “We went to the Knicks game and everything.”

AA: “I’m not talking about the last couple weeks, I’m talking about the last couple days.”

Hixon: “Ummm, uhhh, Yeah, I did ummm…Friday night we were at Applebee’s eatin’ hanging out.”

AA (clearly surprised): “Oh so you were there? You were there on Friday night when he accidentally shot himself in the leg?”

Hixon: “I’ll say I was at Applebee’s with him.”

AA: “You guys haven’t spoken since?”

Hixon: “No.”

Plaxico Burress, Giants WR and everyone’s favorite chowderhead, did not have a permit for the gun that he fired into his own leg Friday night at New York City’s Latin Club, according to the New York Post.

Burress did have a concealed-weapon permit in Florida, but that expired in May. The total ying yang was trying to unload his gun for club security personnel while drinking a glass of wine. The gun slipped and kaboom, the idiot shot himself in the leg.

Here’s the problem for Mr. Burress: Mayor Bloomberg said last year that he would be cracking down on concealed weapons charges. As in, mandatory minimum 3-5 years in jail.

“Last year, our Administration succeeded in pushing through a law that gives New York the toughest penalty in the country for carrying an illegal loaded handgun” Bloomberg said in July 2007. “Now, if you are convicted, you will serve a minimum of 3-1/2 years behind bars “" no exceptions.”

“No exceptions.” Raise your hand if you think Burress will really do time. That’s what I thought.

And while he didn’t even have a permit in Florida, it wouldn’t have mattered if he did.

“New York has the most restrictive pistol-licensing system in the United States,” said Thomas King, president of the New York Rifle and Pistol Association. “It recognizes absolutely no out-of-state permits. An out-of-stater never has the authority to carry [here].”

While Mayor Bloomberg said that the charge would carry a minimum 3 1/2-5 years jail sentence, the NY Post states that he would face a maximum of one year in jail if convicted.

Either way, Burress seriously effed up, and we haven’t even started talking about suspensions handed down by the NFL. Then again, that should be the least of his worries.

According to a USDA report released on Friday, Michael Vick placed family pet dogs into the ring with his trained pit bulls and laughed as the dogs “caused major injury” to the pets at Bad Newz Kennels.

The report provides new insight into the sadistic and vicious happenings at 1915 Moonlight Rd., where Vick operated the kennel along with his friends Tony Taylor, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips.

According to the report, “Vick, Peace and Phillips thought it was funny to watch the pit bull dogs belonging to Bad Newz Kennels injure or kill the other dogs.”

The report states that in mid-April of 2007, Vick, Peace and Phillips hung approximately three dogs who did poorly in a “rolling session,” which lets you know if a dog is ready to be in combat. According to the report, the three men hung the dogs “by placing a nylon cord over a 2 X 4 that was nailed to two trees located next to the big shed. They also drowned approximately three dogs by putting the dogs’ heads in a five gallon bucket of water.”

I would love to know why there is even speculation that this man could receive the pleasure and privilege of playing in the National Football League again. Please, someone tell me, and don’t give me this “everyone gets a second chance” crap.

He funded and ran an illegal dog-fighting operation. I’m no PETA person, but that is reprehensible. He killed dogs that couldn’t fight and derived extreme pleasure in watching dogs get injured and/or killed. This isn’t a “mistake.” This isn’t something you say “sorry” for. You say you are sorry when you bump into someone, not when you exhibit a pattern of behavior like this.

He did all these things, and on top of it, he lied to Roger Goodell’s face about it. Michael Vick should never set foot on an NFL football field again. Period.

Is he sorry? Of course he is. He’s sorry he thoroughly pissed away the high life. He didn’t all of a sudden see why torturing animals is despicable. You don’t really believe that, do you? He’ll say and do all the right things to try to get his life back, but in the end, he’ll always be the same scum bag.

Oh, and in a few days, he’s going to plead guilty to two more charges relating to dog fighting on the state level, but won’t do any more time due to the terms of his plea deal. Explain that one to me.

According to papers filed in Surry County Circuit Court, Michael Vick plans to plead guilty to local dogfighting charges in Virginia in an effort to get an early release from federal prison.

I know what you are thinking, ‘he already plead guilty to this.’

No, he didn’t. He plead guilty to federal conspiracy to commit interstate gambling and interstate dogfighting charges and was sentenced to 23 months. He still faces charges of dogfighting in Surry County, although the resident dufus of a local prosecutor, Gerald Poindexter, has seemed hell bent on letting Vick slide.

Poindexter was unable to secure an indictment of Vick in 2007 on dog-killing charges after Vick had already admitted to the Feds that he did indeed kill dogs.

Sooo, yeah. That’s what we are dealing with down there. And pleading guilty to these local charges shouldn’t come with any additional jail time, which I don’t really understand.

Under the terms of his deal with the Feds, Vick can’t enter a halfway house until he resolves the pending local charges. Scheduled to enter his plea on October 30th, Vick would then be able to enter a halfway house on January 20th. He is currently scheduled to be released from Leavenworth on July 20th of 2009.

As a writer/blogger, when I crack open the newspaper in the morning and see that Pacman Jones is still in the news, I think ‘bad day for him, good day for me.’ Two new developments have arisen following Tuesday’s indefinite suspension by Commissioner Goodell.

First of all, Pacman has entered a Dallas-area rehab facility for alcohol dependency. It’s not shocking if you see the pattern of Pacman’s behavior and arrests and notice the one common denominator: booze. Whether inciting gunfire and slamming a stripper’s head into the floor in Las Vegas, or biting a cop in Georgia, yes, there was always liquor involved.

And now it seems that the police report from the incident that got him this latest suspension is currently under investigation. The command staff believes that Officer Rodney Allen omitted key details (including Pacman’s name) from his police report in an attempt to protect the troubled cornerback.

When asked what happened, Allen said he saw Pacman “exit the nice vehicle from the passenger side and enter the hotel.”

This contradicts the original police report, which states that the scuffle had ended by the time the officers go there.

“As I admired the hotel designs, the hotel security advised me that something was going on in the restroom near the lobby,” Allen said.

He heard a disturbance in the bathroom and went in to break up the fight. Afterwards, Pacman’s security guard said that Pacman had punched him in the head.

Another officer, Miguel Jamaica, said afterwards he later witnessed Pacman in a car “getting upset as he cried.”

This is all well and good, except none of this was in the original police report. Somebody’s got some ‘splainin’ to do.

Officer Allen already has quite a history with the internal affairs office at the Dallas Police Department. According to WFAA, he’s been written up numerous times since 2002 for failure to complete a report, spreading rumors, untruthfulness and improper investigation.

As always with Pacman, stay tuned.

The NFL has suspended Adam “Pacman” Jones indefinitely for his role in a scuffle in a Dallas hotel bathroom. Jones got into it with a team-ordered security guard and hotel employees had to call the police.

Though no charges were filed (surprise), the NFL ruled that this alcohol-related incident violated the terms of his reinstatement as well as the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. Pacman will be suspended for a minimum of four games without pay.

What could be worse is that this incident could also violate the terms of his probation stemming from the Las Vegas strip club shooting in 2007. He better pray that no one in Vegas takes a good hard look at this incident and cross references it with his probation terms.

Many people have called this stint with the Cowboys Pacman’s second chance, but in reality it’s more like his sixth or seventh.

Adam “Pacman” Jones, cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys and general knucklehead, has had another incident. Early Wednesday morning in an upscale Dallas hotel following a screening of Max Payne, Jones reportedly got into a physical altercation with an off-duty police officer who was hired by the Cowboys as security for the troubled player.

CBS 11 in Dallas/Ft. Worth was the first to report the incident. As of now, no charges have been filed.

According to the report, there was a “violent altercation” in the bathroom with patrons clearly hearing that a fight was taking place. A mirror was broken and Jones, who was intoxicated, reportedly then left without paying his bar tab.

Good stuff, Adam.

Supposedly, Jones was not a guest of the hotel, but merely attending the movie’s opening party. Outside, Jones was perceived to be “clearly agitated.” He then took his shirt off (with a t-shirt under it) and then headed back into the hotel where hotel security broke up the bathroom brawl.

A league source told Profootballtalk.com that the fight started because the security guard mouthed off to Jones’ female companion.

Here’s the real downside for Pacman: the security guard was employed by the team. Which makes him…you guessed it, a team employee. Even though no charges were filed, he could still be subject to discipline under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. Considering his long list of boneheaded behavior, this could be the end of the line for Pacman.

As of this posting, the Cowboys have no comment as they claim to have no knowledge of the situation.

In other, possibly related news, Jones fired his agent Manny Arora. This is the same agent that stuck by Jones while he screwed up repeatedly.

“Adam and I see things a little bit differently” Arora said. “He’s the boss, and he made this decision.”

Jones had reportedly become irritated in recent weeks with the Cowboys attempts to keep his profile low and keep him out of trouble. The incident Wednesday morning at the hotel and his issues with his agent could possibly be the culmination of his frustrations.

It’s not yet known who the Vikings were tampering with, but I think it’s a QB. Brian Brohm? Probably not. Jay Glazer of Foxsports.com said it’s actually Brett Favre (gasp!) who was allegedly communicating with Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. The Packers have, per Glazer, officially filed tampering charges, and the Vikings have vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Packers GM Ted Thompson has declined to comment as has NFL spokesman Greg Aiello.

Bevell is a former Packers assistant and friend of Favre. If found guilty, the Vikings would be fined and docked a draft pick.

UPDATE: A league source has told PFT that the Packers believe they have the goods on the Vikings. There are rumors out there that the Packers could have cell phone records that would show communication between the Vikings and Favre. Stay tuned, this one just keeps getting weirder.

Don Imus apparently doesn’t get it. On his radio show today he had this exchange with Warner Wolf:

Wolf: "Defensive back Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys. Here’s a guy suspended all of 2007 following a shooting in a Vegas night club."

Imus: "Well, stuff happens. You’re in a night club, for God’s sake. What do you think’s gonna happen in a night club? People are drinking, they’re doing drugs. There are women there, and people have guns. So, there, go ahead."

Wolf: "He’s also been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005."

Imus: "What color is he?"

Wolf: "He’s African-American."

Imus: "Well, there you go. Now we know."

What in the hell is he thinking? How is this not blatantly racist? This guy is lucky to have a job after they made so much noise about his comments regarding the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Wait until they get a hold of this one. Just wait. I don’t even see where he was trying to make a joke.

Ken Stabler, one of the all-time great quarterbacks for the Oakland Raiders, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. He was pulled over around 1 a.m. Sunday morning in Alabama for a traffic violation.

Stabler played in the NFL for 15 years, finishing up with the Oilers and then the Saints. He also had a pair of DUI’s stemming from arrests in 1995 and 2001.

And I’ll throw out this interesting tidbit because I can. While with the Saints, he was sacked by the Cowboys in the end zone for a safety. It’s the only time in NFL history that a team losing by one point, won by one point on a safety.

There are so many stories and reports and theories and opinions out there about this Patriots videotaping scandal that I can’t make heads or tails of it. Did they do something wrong? You bet. Does the NFL have every reason to want this to go away as soon as possible? Same answer.

But, I have refrained from adding another useless opinion because very few people have any clue what really happened, what was really said to Roger Goodell and what the real effect has been on the league.

So, I won’t bore anyone with more speculation. But, I will post this link to Senator Arlen Specter’s conclusions from his meeting with Matt Walsh. If you don’t know who Matt Walsh is, you didn’t care enough to keep reading this article.

This whole situation isn’t over, but for now, you can read on your own and decide.

Those who follow the NFL closely know that Rams DE Leonard Little killed Susan Gutweiler years ago while he was driving drunk. Well it turns out, he took it a lot harder than we first thought. He only served 90 days in jail and most people thought he got off easy. But, Little says he tried to kill himself after the incident.

"A few weeks later, I tried to kill myself," Little told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I had gone back home to my mom’s house outside Knoxville [Tenn.]. And the first thing I did was just go down in the basement. It had no windows and just a bathroom, a sink and a television. I stayed in the dark for days. All I did was cry. I couldn’t deal with what I’d done."

After his mother suggested he see a psychologist, he got an idea one day while staring at the big trees on the side of the road on the way home from the office.

"It was like I was in one of those movies where the good angel is on one shoulder and the bad one’s on the other," he said. "Well, the bad one kept telling me, ‘Just go ahead, Leonard, turn the wheel. It’ll be easy. Crash into those trees, and all this pain will be over.’ I actually did turn the wheel. I did it. I tried to end my life. I swerved the steering wheel. But like I said, I guess there was a good angel on my other shoulder, because just as soon as I swerved, I turned the wheel right back."

Little gave the interview to the Post-Dispatch while talking at a school to a class of seventh graders.

"Please don’t do what I did," he told them. "I killed someone, and I constantly think about the hurt I caused that family. I’m not a bad person, but I made a bad decision, and it cost someone her life and ruined her family’s lives. You don’t want that burden on you."

We have been very critical of the Rams and the NFL for allowing someone like this to play in the NFL (he got a DWI after this incident by the way), but we had no idea he took it so hard. That doesn’t excuse the next DWI however, did you want to kill two people?

According to ESPN, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is under investigation in his hometown of Philadelphia in a shooting that took place earlier this week.

According to the report, “the alleged victim came into the bar, Playmakers, around 5 p.m. and engaged in an argument with Harrison, who was at the bar. The victim then left the bar, heading to his car, with Harrison following. Gunfire broke out, the victim was hit in the hand, and a young girl was slightly injured by flying glass from a car that apparently was hit by a bullet.

Police then went to a Philadelphia car wash owned by Harrison to question him about the gun. Harrison admitted owning such a weapon, but claimed it never left his suburban Philadelphia home.

However, the source said the gun was discovered in a bucket at the car wash, and tests showed that it had fired seven bullets that matched those found at the scene.

The Indianapolis Colts won’t comment right now on the situation.

Colts GM Bill Polian said in a statement, "We have no credible information at this time, and we will not comment until we do.”

Coach Tony Dungy also didn’t have much to offer.

"My phone has been ringing, too," Dungy said. "I really don’t have any details. I don’t know what ‘involved’ means. (I) probably don’t have any more information than (the media has) right now.”

Profootballtalk.com reminds us that this isn’t the first time there has been a situation with Marvin that runs contrary to his squeaky-clean, good-guy image.

Three years ago, Harrison was sued for attacking three autograph seekers and putting one in a “potentially deadly choke hold.”

In 2003, Harrison attacked a Jets ball boy who was fielding pre-game punts from Jets P Matt Turk.

10-year veteran Surry County investigator Bill Brinkman lost his job over the Michael Vick case. Did he botch something? Did he tamper with evidence? Did he try to protect Vick and let the superstar athlete walk? Nope, he lost his job because he pursued the case and wanted an inhumane criminal brought to justice. Something stinks in Surry County, VA and we think it rhymes with Derald Coindexter.

Brinkman says he knew he’d get fired the day he executed the search warrant. We find this to be utterly absurd, especially now looking back on how badly Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter handled the case. Poindexter and Sheriff Harold Brown wanted the case to go away and if not for Brinkman, it may have.

If not for Brinkman, Vick is still free and a Falcon. Glenn Dorsey probably is too. Matt Ryan is a Raven. And most importantly, dogs at 1915 Moonlight road are still being tortured and killed.

"While I was on site for three days, Mr. Poindexter and the sheriff came on site and saw the physical evidence in place, but yet, during the election process they’re saying they never saw nothing, that they never got nothing. Well, I’m here to say they saw it in place," said Brinkman. "They saw the blood spatters, the training apparatuses. They saw the areas of the dogs being kept in."

Brinkman is most likely the reason that the Feds ever got involved at all.

He told them, "I think we are going to see the case go away."

Vick still faces local charges that could keep him locked up for even longer. Luckily, Brinkman can’t lose his job this time. The U.S. Attorney’s office gave Brinkman an award for his work on the case, while Surry County told him to get lost.

This case and this story are still long from over. Stay tuned.

Tampa Bay Rays (we still can’t believe they dropped Devil from the name) pitcher Al Reyes apparently likes to do it up right when he goes out on the town. Possibly celebrating his 38th birthday (in style we might add), Reyes fell down, then picked a fight, then spit blood at patrons. Does that mean he lost the fight?

We were going to type out the story, but why do that when the blog from TampaBay.com reads like Shakespeare:

“Witnesses told police the incident started around 2:30 a.m. at the Hyde Park Cafe, 1806 W Platt St., when Reyes fell against a ceramic pot inside the bar. Thinking someone had pushed him, police said Reyes began exchanging words with patron Eduardo Mora.

Mora then punched Reyes in the face, getting the attention of the Hyde Park Cafe’s bouncers. Meanwhile, police said in a news release, Reyes “began to spit blood on the people in the area and began to swing his arms about.”

The bouncers tried to control Reyes, but the 6 foot 1, 230-pound right-hander kept pushing them away. A Tampa Police officer working extra duty at the bar tried to calm the fracas, but Reyes “continued spitting blood and thrashing about,” Tampa Police Lt. William Ferguson wrote in the release.

Moments later, the officer Tased Reyes, knocking him to the bar floor. Ignoring police commands to stay down, authorities said Reyes got up and was Tased a second time.

Reyes eventually calmed down and was treated for a cut to his nose, police said. He refused to be transported to a hospital.

Reyes was charged with affray; Mora was charged with battery. Both were released on their own recognizance.”

The NFL has punished the San Francisco 49ers for tampering with Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs. The 49ers will lose their fifth-round pick in the upcoming draft and will swap third rounders with Chicago Bears.

The NFL determined that the 49ers contacted Brigg’s agent Drew Rosenhaus without the Bears permission. It is against league rules for any team to speak to a player under contract, and until the free agency period officially begins each year, potential free agents are still property of their teams.

"We are appreciative of the efforts of the league office on this matter and support the commissioner’s decision," said Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips.

It is a very rare occurrence that an NFL team would be convicted of tampering. Teams negotiate with potential free agents all the time.

The FBI plans to open up an investigation against Roger Clemens to find out whether he lied to Congress about his use of steroids. In case you’ve been living under a rock, the seven-time Cy Young winner has denied using any performance enhancing drugs.

“The request to open an investigation on the congressional testimony of Roger Clemens has been turned over to the FBI and will receive appropriate investigative action by the Washington Field Office,” said FBI spokeswoman Debra Weierman.

The FBI investigation is a result of a recommendation by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

“We believe that his testimony in a sworn deposition on Feb. 5, 2008, and at a hearing on Feb. 13, 2008, that he never used anabolic steroids or human growth hormone, warrants further investigation,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman of California and ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia wrote.

Clemens could face possible charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. If he had just admitted it – or kept his mouth shut when he was named in the Mitchell report as opposed to going on a huge PR campaign – he would be facing the ire of baseball fans. Angry baseball fans don’t put people behind bars.

According to the New York Daily News, federal investigators could have photo evidence that contradicts Roger Clemens’ sworn statements that he was not at a 1998 party at Jose Canseco’s house. The issue of his attendance at said party has come up in both the Mitchell Report and the Feb. 13th hearing in Washington.

“We have reason to believe it’s reliable evidence,” Richard Emery, an attorney for Clemens’ accuser Brian McNamee, told the Daily News on Thursday. “We believe there’s photographic evidence that shows Clemens was at a party he says he wasn’t at.”

This is bad news for Clemens as this could prove that he perjured himself. This is why you don’t lie to the Feds…about anything. Even if he was at the party, being there doesn’t mean that he took steroids. Not everyone that was at Canseco’s that day is a steroid user. Now, he could possibly be proven to be a liar over an innocuous detail.

See our Sports Blog for the full story!

I know what you are thinking: “to which case?”

Adam “Pacman” Jones pleaded guilty in Fayette County, GA Thursday where he was accused of felony obstruction of an officer.

For biting a cop, Jones will get three years probation and a $500 fine.

Probation? He bit a cop!

As you probably know, Roger Clemens is under investigation in the baseball performance enhancing drug scandal.

Every media outlet in every direction is analyzing quotes and the he-said, she-said and trying to figure out who is telling the truth and who isn’t.

I’m not here to do that.

I believe he’s guilty of getting his ass injected with something illegal, and I’m just going to assume he’s lying to Congress.

For four hours and 41 minutes on Wednesday, Clemens did himself no favors. Actually, he hasn’t been helping his case to remain a free American since he started denying steroid allegations to the government. It’s one thing to tell the New York Daily News that you didn’t take steroids. It’s one thing to tell your friends. It’s one thing to tell ESPN. However, Mr. Clemens, it is an entirely different issue to lie to Congress. They tend to frown upon that.

Lying to the public may not get you into the Hall of Fame and you may lose some/all endorsements, but it doesn’t get you thrown in jail. It’s bad news when a congressman feels compelled to tell you he thinks you are full of it.

“It’s hard to believe you, Sir,” Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) said. “I hate to say that. You’re one of my heroes, but itts hard to believe you.”

Remember this is coming from someone who listens to B.S. all day every day.

Chris Webber found himself in a similar situation years ago when he had to testify under oath about possible NCAA violations. It’s not worth it to lie to Congress about a criminal or minor criminal act. Who cares if the University of Michigan can’t get top recruits for a few years? Who cares if your autographed baseballs aren’t worth as much anymore?

Are those things desirable? No, but they also are a great alternative to jail. Clemens is now putting himself in a situation where he could possibly could lose his freedom. His ego and they-can-never-touch me attitude has finally gotten the best of him.

Blast Magazine starts its brand new sports section and introduces its new sports editor, Micah Warren, with a story about reports of dating violence charge against Patriots star Randy Moss in Florida.

Polish off your old Randy Moss Vikings jersey, because that guy is back.

The Patriots star has been hit with a temporary injunction for protection against alleged dating violence. A restraining order is in place that will not allow him to come within 500 feet of accuser Rachelle Washington.

Moss allegedly hit the victim, seriously injuring her and then refused to allow her to seek medical attention.

WDBO-AM 580 Radio initially reported this story last night, but has since taken it down off of their website. Initially, we didn’t think it was true, but now WDBO has a new report on their website that indicates otherwise.

Florida court documents filed January 14 allege dating violence against Randy G. Moss. Moss has a home in Boca Raton, FL.

Moss responded to the allegations Wednesday telling reporters, “all I want to say is that they are false allegations.”

“It’s something I’ve been battling for the last couple days, threats of going public if I didn’t pay X amount of dollars,” Moss aid. “Before people rush quick to judgment, I think you need to find out the facts about really what is really going on. This young lady, by no means, is hurt. I didn’t hurt her.”

The Patriots don’t let much distract them, but with two games left before history is made, this couldn’t come at a worse time. This is about the worst time for a screw up.

This is not the first time Moss has had legal trouble, but even given his past escapades, what we do know about Randy is that he is a choirboy when he’s winning. In 1998, he dispelled the myth that he was a problem child coming out of college by putting up huge numbers and helping Minnesota to a 15-1 record and NFC Championship game appearance. But stay tuned as this develops.

So, if we want to have fun with Randy today, we’ll just have to watch this great music video about his time in Oakland. This is worth watching:

The long-awaited Mitchell report, telling the tale of a decade of steroids and performance enhancing substances in professional baseball, has been released.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada, Fernando Vina and Andy Pettitte are named in the report. Eric Gagne and Paul Lo Duca are linked to human growth hormone. More played are named in what the Associated Press is calling “baseball’s most infamous lineup since the Black Sox scandal.”

Former Senator George Mitchell delivered a cross-check to baseball, and went on the offensive against the players’ union especially:

“The Players Association was largely uncooperative,” he said

1. It rejected totally my requests for relevant documents.
2. It permitted one interview with its executive director, Donald Fehr; my request for an interview with its chief operating officer, Gene Orza, wasrefused.
3. It refused my request to interview the director of the Montreal laboratory that analyzes drug tests under baseball’s drug program but permitted her to provide me with a letter addressing a limited number of issues.
4. I sent a memorandum to every active player in Major League Baseball encouraging each player to contact me or my staff if he had any relevant information. The Players Association sent out a companion memorandum that effectively discouraged players from cooperating. Not one player contacted me in response to my memorandum.
5. I received allegations of the illegal possession or use of performance enhancing substances by a number of current players. Through their representative, the Players
   Association, I asked each of them to meet with me so that I could provide them with information about the allegations and give them a chance to respond. Almost without exception they declined to meet or talk with me.

The illegal use of performance enhancing substances poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game. Widespread use by players of such substances unfairly disadvantages the
honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the validity of baseball records. In addition, because they are breaking the law, users of these substances are vulnerable to drug dealers who might seek to exploit their knowledge through threats intended to affect the outcome of baseball games or otherwise.

Players also named include: Chuck Knoblauch, Jason Grimsley, Gregg Zaun, David Justice, F.P. Santangelo, Glenallen Hill, Mo Vaughn, Denny Neagle, Ron Villone, Ryan Franklin, Chris Donnels, Todd Williams, Phil Hiatt, Todd Pratt, Kevin Young, Mike Lansing, 10-year minor league catcher Cody McKay, Kent Mercker, Adam Piatt, Jason Christiansen, Mike Stanton, Stephen Randolph, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Adam Riggs, Bart Miadich, Kevin Brown, Mike Bell, Matt Herges, Gary Bennett, Jr., Jim Parque, Brendan Donnelly, Chad Allen, Jeff Williams, Howie Clark, Marvin Benard, Jeremy Giambi, Jason Giambi, Benito Santiago, Gary Sheffield, Randy Velarde and Nook Logan.

Several other players were named because published news reports indicated possible substance use including:

Rick Ankiel — “On December 6, 2007, the Commissioner’s Office announced that there was insufficient evidence of a violation of the joint program in effect at the time of the
conduct in question to warrant discipline of Ankiel.”

David Bell — “Neither I nor any member of my investigative staff had any prior knowledge of any allegation about Bell.”

Paul Byrd — “Byrd admitted that he had been taking human growth hormone but said that he had been using it to treat a tumor on his pituitary gland.”

Jay Gibbons — “I am deeply sorry for the mistakes that I have made. I have no excuses and bear sole responsibility for my decisions. Years ago, I relied on the advice of a doctor, filled a prescription, charged the HGH, which is a medication, to my credit card and had only intended to help speed my recovery from my injuries and surgeries.”

Troy Glaus — “On December 6, 2007, the Commissioner’s Office announced that there was insufficient evidence of a violation of the joint program in effect at the time of the conduct in question to warrant discipline of Glaus.”

Jose Guillen — “On December 6, 2007, the Commissioner’s Office announced a 15-day suspension of Guillen for violation of the joint drug program, to take effect at the start of the 2008 season.”

John Rocker — “Rocker initially denied the allegations, but his spokesperson later reportedly said that Rocker had been prescribed human growth hormone in connection with shoulder surgery”

Scott Schoeneweis — On December 6, 2007, the Commissioner’s Office announced that there was insufficient evidence of a violation of the joint program in effect at the time of the conduct in question to warrant discipline of Schoeneweis.

ESPN has a full categorized list on their website.

The report largely centers around the cooperation of two men including Kirk Radomski, a former Mets employee, who said he supplied several players with performance enhancing drugs. The report includes copies of checks and notes written by athletes to suppliers of the supplements.

Download the Mitchell Report from Blast Magazine.

Barry Bonds broke the all-time record for home runs on August 7, but he now faces a five count indictment from a San Francisco Grand Jury and the possibility of 30 years in prison.

Bonds’ lawyers expressed surprise today when the decision came back with four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.

The charges come as a result of testimony Bonds gave in December 2003, while his trainer Greg Anderson was on trial for the BALCO scandal in San Francisco.

The BALCO era has been linked to many other professional athletes including Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield.

This legal situation comes one month after Bonds filed for free agency in hopes of catching on with a club other for a 23rd Major League season. He tallied 28 home runs and 66 RBI during the 2007 season and talks were of him ending up across the bay in Oakland next season, taking advantage of the DH rule.

The 43-year-old Bonds began his career in 1986 with the Pittsburgh Pirates before signing with the San Francisco Giants in 1993. Over his career Bonds has amassed 762 home runs, nearly 2000 RBIs, 14 All-Star appearances and a record seven MVP awards. His prickly media demeanor however, has damaged his public opinion in every city away from the Bay Area.

This public opinion is sure not to change in the coming weeks and months as more information presents itself and the investigation continues.

CNN and the Associated press have reported that embattled NFL star, Michael Vick will plead guilty federal charges related to illegal dogfighting, closing one of the chapters in a top sports scandal story.

Vick will plead guilty to felony conspiracy next Monday, defense attorney Lawrence Woodward told the Virginian-Pilot, of Norfolk, Virginia.

Vick could spend up to five years in prison and face thousands in fines.

“After consulting with his family over the weekend, Michael Vick asked that I announce today that he has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors regarding the charges pending against him,” lead defense attorney Billy Martin said in a statement. “Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made. Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter.”

Further federal charges with additional penalties were expected, and it is believed that this plea deal will belay these additional sanctions.

Three co-defendants had previously come forward to accept plea deals in exchange for their testimony against Vick at trial. It seems that no such trial will take place now.

The Associated Press reported that Vick faces the additional issue of a possible lifetime ban from the National Football League.

As the drama surrounding Michael Vick grows, the Upper Deck trading card company announced that they will remove the embattled quarterback from all trading card sets.

“Of course we appreciate the fact that Mr. Vick is innocent until proven guilty, but the allegations alone have resulted in an outpouring of very strong emotion within our organization and among the collecting community,” said Kerri Stockholm, Director of Marketing for Upper Deck. “We believe collectors will agree and support this decision as being the best course of action for our football business.”

The company’s Ultimate Collection Football will be the first trading card set affected by the move.

Upper Deck also decided to pull a variety of memorabilia and autographs from its website. These include autographed jerseys, footballs and helmets.

The trading card company made its decision to remove Vick from its collections around the same time Reebok halted sales of Michael Vick jerseys. Nike also suspected Vick’s endorsement contract, The Boston Globe reported today.