We know Derrick Rose has been healthy for quite some time. We know Derrick Rose was looking exactly like his former self on the floor in warm-ups when the Chicago Bulls season ended last week. What we don’t know is why Derrick Rose didn’t just sack up and play. You know, Derrick Rose might have tried to, oh I don’t know actually earned his $16 million a year.

Or if not actually play this year. At least drop the effing charade. The complete garbage Derrick Rose did all year long with the “God only knows If I’ll play or not this year.” Derrick Rose has Twitter. A simple “Hey, I’m playing in tonight’s game. I’m back.” would have been enough. And if the other way was reality, a simple “Hey, my leg still doesn’t feel right. I won’t be ready for next year,” this would have been fine too.

Either way, just tell us. Instead Derrick choose to talk out of both sides of his mouth and be an attention w****. And because he was a disgusting, revolting attention w**** now he deserves every pejorative cast upon him by Bulls fans and sports media.

And today we have our first NBA player joining the anti Derrick Rose bandwagon. That would be Washington Wizards rookie, former Florida Gators star and super high draft pick Bradley Beal:

“A little bit. Yeah, I would,” he told the Washington Post. “The type of player he is, and the mentality and competitiveness that he has, I think he would have gave it a go. I don’t know what was holding him back. I think he’s scared it’s probably going to happen again and he won’t be the same. But you’re never the same after an injury. But you just have to fight through it and do something else to be able to impact the game. I’m not sure what it is he has to do. I really can’t speak for him. …”

“That’s hard, because I’ve never experienced that injury,” Beal said. “And I know what type of injury that is, it’s possible it’s gonna happen again. Knock on wood. But at the same time, you might have to give it a go. If you’re practicing for two months and everybody in practice is saying you’re practicing well, I figure you gotta give it a shot in a game.

“But it’s his decision. I can’t really have a say so in it. If he doesn’t feel he’s mentally confident to be able to go out there and help the team, I guess I can’t really blame him for it.”

For a NBA player to say this, well it’s about time. You have no idea how happy I was was to say “hey, thanks for coming!” to this Bulls season. Derrick Rose looking like he doesn’t care to play, or is afraid to play, or refuses to play for what bs reason; all that overshadowed how much the Bulls overachieved this year in the NBA Playoffs.

The Bulls were battered and bruised and a shell of a team. That’s a great story. All these guys played through pain and hung in there as long as they could. But it was all put on the back-burner due to the selfish acts of their diva superstar point guard. Let’s raise our glasses to Brad Beal for calling Derrick Rose out.

Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker

Banks has appeared on the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks), like him on Facebook

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Milwaukee, your long civic nightmare is over. The Reign of Terror over Brew City has ended.

The Milwaukee bras ban was lifted; bras can once hang from the rafters at a local bar. Bras were banned in Milwaukee, well only at one specific bar. This “public house” featured the ladies undergarments dangling off the ceiling as a tradition for multiple decades.

From Examiner:

The Holler House, an establishment that’s been in operation for about 100 years, began a tradition about 45 years ago, where women started filling up the ceiling with bras. Marcy Skowronski, the owner of the bar, explains this strange phenomenon at at the Holler House.

Skowronski said that when women have had a little too much to drink, the bras come off and the women fling them onto the ceiling and they hang off the rafters. The Holler House’s claim to fame are these bras dangling from the ceiling of every size, shape and color. There are bras with or without underwires, front closing bras, bras that latch in back, some very sexy and some just generic bras, all that signify a woman’s happy-go-lucky night out

Apparently, this was considered a fire hazard during a recent inspection. Skowronski fought this and won; the Milwaukee City Council ruled the bars can return. In the meantime, Skowronski had of course removed the undergarments. So you know what that means…

…party! The theme night will of course be putting the brassieres back up.

Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker

Banks has appeared on the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks), like him on Facebook

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The NBA Draft Combine hit Chicago this week. Everyone who’s likely going to get picked in the NBA Draft comes to the Second City for workouts with NBA scouts and interviews with the media.

Here’s the list of all the former college basketball players who were invited to the NBA Draft combine. And here’s our latest 2013 NBA Mock Draft.

The NBA Draft combine is pretty much a beauty pageant for boys.

The 2013 NBA Draft is scheduled to be held on June 27, 2013 at the Barclays  Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The NBA collects feedback from the league’s scouts and personnel, and decides which 50-60 prospects gauge the most interest. The elite prospects are then invited to run work out, which includes drills and three-man weaves (this part is closed to the media). They also take more measurements than a Playboy Playmate, such as wingspan, vertical reach, height and weight (with and without shoes). This male version of a beauty pageant can be stressful, but also fun for the players.

Former #Illini G Brandon Paul said he graded himself a B at yesterday’s workout and an A in today’s drills/testing at NBA draft combine.

— Shannon Ryan (@sryantribune) May 17, 2013

Blue sought advice from ex teammate and Bulls star Jimmy Butler. “’ If he really felt it wasn’t right for me he would have told me to stay.”

— Shannon Ryan (@sryantribune) May 17, 2013

Here’s a tidbit about the Michigan Wolverines from Tribster Colleen Kane:

Illinois State’s Jackie Carmichael, Michigan’s Tim Hardaway Jr. each have workouts planned with the Bulls on Monday.

— Colleen Kane (@ChiTribKane) May 17, 2013

Ohio State forward DeShaun Thomas refused to give out his cell phone number to the San Antonio Spurs:

From Ohio.com:

Thomas said teams asked him plenty of difficult and interesting questions during his interview process at the combine. But the most interesting, he said, was the fact the Spurs’ first question was for his cell phone number and his e-mail address. He gave them the e-mail, but not the phone number.

“I can’t go around giving it out to everyone,” Thomas said Thursday with a laugh. “Now if they want to draft me, I’d be happy to give it to them.”

Shane Larkin’s 44-inch max vertical is the highest at the NBA Draft Combine in 12 years. It’s the second highest in Draft combine history. You remember Shane Larkin, the former DePaul commit, Miami Hurricanes star and thorn in the Illini NCAA Tournament side.

Pittsburgh big man Steven Adams should increase the New Zealand presence in the NBA.

This is life in transition to the next level, where the portions of everything are much bigger. So is the total number of people watching you.

Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker

Banks has appeared on the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks), like him on Facebook

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New Zealand and the NBA isn’t something you hear very often. You’ve had Kirk Penney, the former Wisconsin Badgers guard from Auckland, New Zealand; where he attended Westlake Boys High School. Penney didn’t even last two years in the league. Sean Marks is also from Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest metropolis. He’s from Rangitoto School in Auckland and played his college basketball at Cal.

Marks was taken in the 1998 NBA Draft, Round 2 by the New York Knicks. He stuck around for awhile, but his numbers were rather meager. He hardly produced very much.

Steven Adams is a 7 foot freshman who declared for the NBA Draft last month. He got invited to the NBA Draft combine, so there’s a good chance he’ll get drafted.

Adams did his prep ball at Scots College (Wellington, New Zealand) In 2011, Adams played basketball for the Wellington Saints in the New Zealand NBL.He subsequently won the Rookie of the Year award. Adams would leave New Zealand in January 2012 in order to enroll for the Notre Dame Preparatory School.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Ray Fittipaldo described Adams in 2012 as “a free spirit who, in his words, ‘doesn’t care much’.”

So literally:

DONNNNNNNNNNNN’T

CARRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE

like Jay Cutler.

Steven Adams is raw, he’s a project pick. He needs to add weight, and work on his frame. I saw him dominate the few minutes he played when he came to Chicago, Rosemont actually. He was quite productive versus the DePaul Blue Demons, even though he wasn’t 100 percent healthy.

DePaul coach Oliver Purnell described Steven Adams thusly:

“He’s a force, tremendous size, he takes up space,” Purnell said.

“He defends the post, and swallows up what you do in the post. He has a chance to be playing basketball a very long time. He doesn’t have a lot of experience and doesn’t know what he’s doing. But he’s really good at defending the post, and being physical.”

A big time Kiwi post defender:

like the national anthem says “God Defend New Zealand.”

Currently, we have Adams projected to be taken 25th overall by the L.A. Clippers.

Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker

Banks has appeared on the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks)

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Second chances are rare, and it can be hard to bounce back after an initial feeling of failure. This is especially true in athletics where it’s all about being the best and pushing the competition out of the way. However, there are a few stellar athletes who have made it to the top after hitting the bottom, and they serve as inspiration to anyone who is afraid to keep pursuing their dreams after an initial set back.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan, who most agree is one of the best basketball players of all time, didn’t make his high school varsity team as a sophomore, losing the slot to one of his best friends. He still went on to make the junior varsity team, but the experience heavily affected him. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune from 1991 Jordan reflected on that fateful day he saw his name wasn’t posted on the varsity list, “It was good because it made me know what disappointment felt like,” he said. “And I knew that I didn`t want to have that feeling ever again.” On a side note, in interviews with Jordan’s old high school coach, “Pop” Herring, he said the only reason he chose Jordan’s friend was because he was taller.

Andre Agassi

Tennis star Andre Agassi started turning heads in the mid-90’s after winning multiple Grand Slam awards, and in 1996 he really hit a peak after winning a gold medal at the Summer Olympics. Shortly after his big win, Agassi experienced a downfall in his career; not only did he drop in the tennis rankings, but he started using crystal meth to cope with his depression. However, after cleaning himself up and ending his marriage to actress Brooke Shields, the newly motivated athlete managed to make a comeback in the early 2000s winning several more Grand Slams and climbing back up the list.

Bethany Hamilton

For most people, losing a limb to a shark while surfing would be more than enough reason to avoid going back in the ocean ever again., For competitive surfer Bethany Hamilton, though, the thought of never being able to surf again was more frightening than facing the possibility of another shark attack. At age 13, Hamilton went out for her morning surfing practice only to be attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark, causing her to lose her left arm. Despite the traumatic experience, she was back on her board only a few months after the attack, and less than a year after the incident, she managed to make the U.S. National Surfing Team. She’s been consistently successful in surfing competitions ever since.

Ben McLemore

College basketball player Ben McLemore wasn’t expected to be one of the most likely candidates for the NBA draft. In fact, he was deemed ineligible to play his first year at the University of Kansas by the NCAA because he moved around so much and attended three different high schools. His transcripts, officials said, were too messy to process, making him ineligible to play. To make matters worse, McLemore was arrested in 2011 on a warrant for not showing up to a court date to handle a minor in possession of alcohol citation. He already was considered a “partial academic qualifier” due to his transcripts, and the arrest certainly didn’t help his case. However, the University of Kansas still allowed him to play in the 2012-2013 season, which was probably one of the best choices they could have made considering he’s helped make them one of the leading college basketball teams this season.

Sometimes it takes failing or reaching an all-time low to truly motivate a person to push through and reach their personal peak, and it’s success stories like these that help prove that hitting rock bottom doesn’t have to lead to a permanent rut. Disappointment, poor personal choices, and unexpected turns are all part of life, but if utilized the right way, these seemingly negative instances can sprout and flourish into something better than ever imagined.

James Anderson is a freelance writer, survivalist, and sports enthusiast born and raised in West Virginia. He currently writes about locker room storage for schoollockers.com.

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Krista Voda is a pit reporter for NASCAR on Fox and host of The Setup, the pre-race show of the Camping World Truck Series, and Trackside on Speed Channel. The-soon-to-be-39 year-old Voda was born and raised in Clinton, Iowa and attended the University of Northern Iowa. So you should see Krista Voda on the Daytona 500 coverage tomorrow.

Krista Voda used to co-anchor Totally NASCAR on Fox Sports Net. She was also co-host on NASCAR Nation when it aired on Speed Channel. Before moving to FSN, she worked for various local television stations in Iowa and Kentucky, including WLEX, the NBC affiliate in Lexington. Among her first radio jobs was working the night shift at KROS AM/FM in her hometown of Clinton, Iowa.

In addition to NASCAR, Krista Voda has covered college football the NCAA Tournament in college basketball, the Kentucky Derby, the World Series, and the PGA Championship. So she’s done a lot of big events.

More Krista Voda pics

Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker

Banks has appeared on the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks), like him on Facebook

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Are you interested in becoming a Wimbledon ball boy or girl, or a BBG as they’re known in training camp? It makes sense, the experience would be almost matchless, but to make it as a BBG you’ll have to be on the ball. The selection and training processes are extremely rigorous. Only those with the necessary self-confidence and commitment should apply.

The Initial Selection Process for BBGs

To be considered for full BBG training, candidates meeting the detailed criteria must be put forth from the participating schools and the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative. There are no height or weight restrictions, but potential BBGs must be physically fit.

Candidates put forth are usually in Year 9 or 10, the average age of a BBG being 15 years. They must have no exams during the tournament and must be able to give priority to the arduous training, which usually begins at 4pm and sometimes includes Sunday sessions.

Being studious is an advantage. Potential BBGs must know the tennis rulebook inside out and must have successfully completed the eight module online training programme before being put forth as a candidate. Absence due to illness, school trips or work experience lasting more than two weeks can result in dismissal from the training programme.

Progression to Full BBG Training

Candidates hoping to qualify for full training must first pass a written test on Wimbledon tennis rules and scoring. They must also demonstrate the discipline and ability to carry out drills and instructions and attend a court session to gain important firsthand experience.

Further tests for fitness, agility and reflexes take the form of a circuit, immediately followed by a three minute stand still; shuttle runs to gauge speed and recovery times; and various exercises measuring vital hand and eye co-ordination.

Prospective BBGs are then tested on a range of movements outlined within the online training programme. Candidates must be able to adopt the correct stance and pivot using the taught foot movement. They must also be able to march, feed, receive and communicate that they have no tennis balls left in the correct manner.

Candidates then face a series of crucial ball rolling tests. They must roll three flat balls and three straight balls consecutively, with all balls arriving in the order of release. To gauge accuracy, candidates must throw three long balls into a bin placed on its side; and then must roll two balls flat and along the line to strike the designated target.

What the Full BBG Training Entails

Those chosen to join the Wimbledon BBG training camp, run by director of training Anne Rundle, have done very well indeed. From around 700 applicants, just 250 are selected. 90 are picked from around 160 BBGs from previous tournaments. The other 160 are chosen from 540 fresh Year 9 and 10 applicants.

Initial training is held at the AELTC from February until the Easter break. Each trainee BBG attends a training session once a fortnight and four court training sessions held before Easter at the Covered Courts.

The main training sessions are held at Wimbledon after the Easter break until the middle of June. There are four two hour training sessions per week, each training group comprised of 60 trainee BBGs.

During the training sessions each prospective BBG undergoes constant evaluation in the key areas of fitness, circuits, ball skills, movement exercises, set pieces and scoring. Candidates must prove agility of both body and mind to make it as a BBG.

The Championships Begin…

No doubt even the best prepared and most confident BBGs get lumps in their throat when they first walk out on to a Wimbledon court, setting the scene for the game that follows. Not only must they maintain absolute concentration, they must make split-second decisions in front of huge crowds and the greatest players to play the game. This means knowing the tennis rulebook inside out. That’s a lot to keep under their cap.

The BBGs work in teams of six. Two centres stand at the nets, while four bases stand at each of the court’s corners. Before the championships begin, Anne Rundle chooses four teams of six BBGs who take responsibility for Centre and No. 1 Courts.

The other show courts are the responsibility of another six teams of six BBGs. The rest of the courts are manned by the remaining BBGs. Usually, BBGs spend an hour on court, followed by an hour off court, in constant rotation from 10.30am until the last game of the day ends.

Are You Ready for Action?

If you attend one of the participating schools, or the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative, and think you’ve got what it takes, why not take a swing at becoming a Wimbledon BBG? It would be the summer experience to ace all others and many former BBGs go on to become trainers at the Wimbledon BBG training camp. With study, exercise and discipline you could soon find yourself throwing to Federer, while secretly willing Murray to win.

Many thanks to
Ladbrokes for their help in putting this article together.

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Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame tonight. Saban took over the Tide in January of 2007 and quickly ushered in a new era of high tide. Low tide has rolled out to sea in the Saban era. He won his first BCS National Championship at Alabama in 2009 before dominating college football with back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

The 2012 national title was especially sweet as it ended the Notre Dame and media season long propaganda of:

“OH MY GOD NOTRE DAME IS SO GOOD AT FOOTBALL!!! THEY ARE THE GREATEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM IN HISTORY! MANTI TEO IS THE GREATEST FOOTBALL PLAYER IN HISTORY. MANTI TEO IS THE GREATEST HUMAN BEING IN HISTORY.”

That was pretty much the garbage I had spamming my inbox all autumn long from Notre Dame Sports Information Department.

Thank you Nick Saban for SHUTTING THEM UP in the opening SECONDS of the National Title game.

“When you’re growing up as a kid, you always want to be able to do something of significance,” Saban said. “You hope that you can do something that affects people in a positive way and you leave some legacy at what you’ve done. Things like this make you realize that maybe you’ve done that, that your work has been recognized and that all the miles you drove in recruiting and all the family sacrifices that everybody had to make … it somehow makes you realize that it’s all worthwhile.”

Saban has won four National Championships in his past eight years coaching college football (LSU 2003), while also capturing four SEC Championships with coming at Alabama.

Saban, who will begin his seventh season in Tuscaloosa this fall, is a five-time National Coach of the Year. He is one of only four coaches in the modern-poll era of college football to win four National Championships, joining Paul “Bear” Bryant (Alabama: 1961, 64-65, 73, 78-79), Frank Leahy (Notre Dame: 1943, 46-47, 49) and John McKay (Southern California: 1962, 67, 72, 74). Saban is also one of three coaches in the poll era to win three national titles in a four-year span (Leahy and Nebraska’s Tom Osborne).

Saban has compiled a 154-55-1 (.737) record as a college head coach and has gone 61-7 (.897) in the past five seasons in Tuscaloosa, which includes a 35-5 mark in regular-season conference play. In 2012, the Tide reached the 10-win milestone for the fifth consecutive season under Saban. With another SEC Championship win and BCS National Championship Game victory last season, Saban is now 8-1 all-time in conference or national championship games.

Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker

Banks has appeared on the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks), like him on Facebook

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Hey, you knew the Detroit Red Wings were going to win one of these games; at least. The Chicago Blackhawks weren’t going to sweep them. This is the Western Conference semi-finals; this is where we separate the wheat from the chafe.

At least Kaner found the net today. It’s kind of important to get Patrick Kane going in these NHL Playoffs.

For more Blackhawks versus Red Wings coverage I turn things over now to Scott King at Chicago Now  “Hawk Crazy” (Isn’t that Mr. T avatar totally awesome??)

Maybe the Blackhawks will wake up after being whacked upside the head by Detroit on Saturday afternoon. They quit at some point in the game and Detroit did not. On a serious note, it’s borderline criminal that Zetterberg wasn’t called for visibly nailing Jonathan Toews in the back of the head in front of the Wing’s goal in the second period.

The refs missed several blatant calls against the Wings on Saturday, but the Blackhawks simply stopped playing. Saturday they underestimated a Detroit team that is still very much in this series. Better hope the Hawks feel like playing to their potential Monday night.

For more GO HERE (Yes, I’m using the TIM BECKMAN voice)

Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker

Banks has appeared on the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks), like him on Facebook

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SPEED TV motocross reporter Erin Bates is a 34-year-old goddess of racing. Erin Bates is also one of the hottest sports reporters out there. Joining a decent size group of sideline hotties named Erin: Erin Andrews, Erin Hawksworth, Erin Nicole, Erin Sharoni.

According to All Left Turns:

Erin Bates joined SPEED’s AMA Supercross broadcast team for the 2006-07 season as a pit reporter. Her career in motorcycle racing began as a trophy girl in the International Freestyle Motocross Association. She also has done some modeling.

Erin Bates Twitter profile describes herself as this Television Broadcaster, TV Host, Live Announcer, Spokes Women, Model, & Adrenaline Junkie that loves to travel.

Erin Bates also got body painted into a human motorcycle recently:

Check out SPEEDTV’s supercross and motocross presenter, Erin Bates, getting body painted and transformed into the rider of a human motorcycle. Trina Merry, a professional body paint artist, and her team worked around the clock transforming their human canvases into a sport bike, dirt bike, and cruiser.

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, MSN, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

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