Dwayne Wade not only gave Kobe Bryant a bloody and broken nose during the All-Star game but, after seeing the doctor, Kobe found out that he suffered a concussion. Dwayne Wade is THAT guy that takes pick-up games too seriously.

• The NFL will start on Wednesday this year with the New York Giants hosting a to-be-determined opponent. I’m hoping for Pats/Giants, but we’ll see.

• The Washington Capitals, down 2 goals with 3 and a 1/2 minutes to go, sent the game to overtime after back-to-back goals by Troy Brouwer. Alex Ovechkin brought home the victory a minute and a half into overtime with a wrist-shot between the legs of Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov.

• Derrick Rose led the Bulls over the Hornets last night, 99-95, with 32 points. The Spurs host the Bulls tonight at 9:00 on ESPN.

• The Thunder and 76ers face off tonight at 7:00 in Philly.

• Wake Forest’s valiant comeback against Duke fell short as they fall to 4-11 in the ACC.

• Vanderbilt upset #13 Florida last night behind John Jenkins’ 22 points.

• #20 Indiana took down #5 Michigan State, 70-55.

• Maryland heads to Chapel Hill tonight. You can catch the game at 7:00 on ESPN. Maryland can make a case for the NCAA tournament with wins in their remaining games against UNC and Virginia to move to 8-8 in the ACC.

• Cincinnati hosts #7 Marquette at 7:00 on ESPN2. This would be a big win for seeding for Cincinnati.

• Stephen A. Smith’s Big Word of the Day: Vehement (adj) – Showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense

Ryan Braun allegedly tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone last winter. He pissed into two different cups and both cups came back with exactly the same results. Braun was suspended for 50 games for this infraction until he appealed the ruling on the ground that the sample was not properly transported.

Dino Laurenzi, Jr, the man that was in charge of transporting Ryan Braun’s pee, made a statement yesterday stating that he followed baseball’s protocol in transporting the urine sample. Laurenzi stated that he sealed the specimens with tamper resistant seals. Braun’s signed a form stating that those sealed samples were his. Laurenzi then sealed the samples in a plastic bag. Then, he put the bag into the standard sample collection box, which was THEN sealed with a tamper-resistant seal with the corresponding sample number. THEN, he put all of his collected samples of the day in a tamper-resistant sealed FedEx Clinic Pack. Braun’s urine was under over 4 tamper-resistant seals!

Laurenzi said that he has followed the same protocol  for hundreds of sample collections and did not break any of Major League Baseball’s testing rules. The samples were stored in his basement over the weekend, which was sufficiently cool. As for the urine being tampered with; BOTH samples came back with the same exact results. To tamper with both samples and have them come back with the same results, a tamperer would need a lab, not a dude’s basement. Ryan Braun is a liar. He got off on a technicality and proceeded t0 attack another human being for doing his job. Braun’s a douche.

After a few months and a couple delays NASCAR finally completed the Daytona 500. NASCAR made the best of a bad situation. After 2 rain-outs, they finally had one of the craziest races in history.  Even though it was on a Monday, a night race at Daytona is pretty awesome.

It didn’t take long for things to get exciting. Only two laps in, five-time champion, Jimmie Johnson, was spun out by Elliott Sadler. Leading up to the race, everyone knew not to push too early and not to push a car from the left. Yet, Sadler ruined the chances of several names that NASCAR wanted to be in contention. Including last years winner Trevor Bayne and media favorite Danica Patrick. I’m sure NASCAR isn’t happy with Sadler.

The racing was pretty tame after that. Even with a $200,000 prize for the leader at lap 100, there was only minimal damage done to anyone.  Terry Labonte had positioned himself to have a chance for the half way lead, but was spun out by the combination of Marcos Ambrose and old tires. The two-time champion was able to save the car and finish eighteenth. Martin Truex Jr. was your leader at the halfway point, thanks to a push from Denny Hamlin.

The craziest and most exciting part of the night didn’t even involve racing. While under caution,with 40 laps to go, Juan Pablo Montoya lost control of his car and hit another vehicle. Unfortunately, that vehicle was a truck holding 200 gallons of kerosene and took over 2 hours to clean up. Neither driver was seriously injured.

Once the drivers returned the to their cars, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch made their biggest mistakes of the night. Both removed the tear-away sheets from their cars, sending them to the back of the field. Once the race resumed the Roush Fords continued to dominate. Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced hard to get by the duo of Kenseth and Biffle but came up short. Earnhardt Jr. was able to pass Biffle on the last lap, but didn’t have enough for winner Matt Kenseth. “Just didn’t have car enough to get around them and get the lead,” said Earnhardt Jr. after the race.

Next Sunday they will be racing at Phoenix. Last year Jeff Gordon dominated leading 138 laps on his way to victory lane. He could use a good finish, especially after last nights blown motor landed him in 40th.  Chevrolets ran well last year at this race, claiming 4 of the top 5 spots. I think this years winner will be driving a Toyota, though.

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September 3 – Georgia Tech (Monday)

September 8 – Austin Peay

September 15 – @ Pittsburgh

September 22 – Bowling Green

September 29 – Cincinnati (Washington, D.C.)

October 6 – @UNC

October 13 – Duke

October 20 – @ Clemson

November 1 – @ Miami (Thursday)

November 8 – Florida State (Thursday)

November 17 – @ Boston College

November 24 – UVA

The West won the All-Star game. Dwayne Wade broke Kobe’s nose. Kobe called LeBron out for not shooting the basketball. 300 points were scored.

RG3 ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard-dash. Dude is handsome, intelligent, fast, has a cannon for an arm, and doesn’t have a neck beard. Griffin/Luck could be the best quarterback combo ever to be drafted the same year.

#15 Wisconsin beat #9 Ohio State 63-60, yesterday, in Columbus.

Unranked Miami beat #16 Florida State yesterday. The ACC sucks. Duke, included.

The only Baltimore/Washington area team actually trying to win, the Nationals, signed Ryan Zimmerman to a 6-year, 100 million dollar contract.

#18 Notre Dame and #8 Georgetown play tonight for 3rd place in the Big East.

Ryan Braun, in his press conference, claimed that the person transporting his urine had “5 FedEx Locations” near the stadium where he could have dropped the sample off after he “left the stadium at 5:00.” One location closed at 4. One location closed at 5. Liar.

The Daytona 500 will race under the lights, tonight, after being postponed for the second time.

When asked about trade rumors swirling around his name, Andrew Bynum responded, “There’s a bank in every city.” What a great answer.

Tiger Woods will take the course this Thursday in the Honda Classic.

Rory McIlroy is close to taking the #1 golfer spot.

Stephen A. Smith’s Big Word of the Day: Incredulous (Adj) – Unwilling or unable to believe something

- Sounds like there might be a darkhorse in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes.  All of a sudden the Kansas City Chiefs sound like a team that could be very interested in the QB if/when Indy decides to cut ties with the future Hall-of-Famer.

- Interesting tidbits out of the Scouting Combine:

- Andrew Luck might be a lot more athletic than we’ve given him credit for.  Luck ran the 40 in 4.59 seconds, the same time Cam Newton ran last year.  His vertical was one inch better than last years number one and his broad jump was only two inches off of Newton’s.

- University of Miami tailback, Lamar Mille,r may have become the leading candidate to be the second back off the board by running the fastest time in the 40 for a running back.  Miller covered the 40 in 4.4 seconds.

- South Carolina Wide Receiver, Alshon Jeffery, helped himself tremendously by weighing in at 216 lbs.

- Michael Floyd, Notre Dame, and Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech, both ran great 40’s.  Floyd ran a 4.47 and excelled in receiving drills, helping the notion he will follow only Justin Blackmon off the board in April.  Hill ran a blazing 4.34 and probably moved himself into the second round range.  Hill is raw but his potential could be worth a risk.

- Kendall Wright was surprisingly slow posting a 4.61.  Don’t fret though; Wright is a classic example of football speed over track speed, this time shouldn’t effect Wright’s draft position much.

- Former Florida Cornerback, Janoris Jenkins, came off as a man who has learned from his mistakes according to reports.  Jenkins has top 10 talent but to this point, undrafted free agent decision making.  Jenkins will be a steal if he’s truly learned his lesson.

- Robert Griffin III had a great couple days.  Measured a legit 6′2″ and ran the fastest time for a quarterback, a blistering 4.41.  Griffin won’t overtake Luck but the Rams could be looking at a bounty for the second selection in this years draft.

- Franchise tags are about to come into play.  Watch the Drew Brees situation in New Orleans, he will get tagged if a long term deal isn’t worked out.  Saints fans have to be hoping that deal gets done so the tag can be saved for Guard Carl Nicks,while every team out there in need of offensive line help (cough, cough… Chicago Bears) is hoping that this drags out and Nicks hits the open market.  Other interesting names out there include Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch, San Diego’s Vincent Jackson,  Baltimore’s Ray Rice, Chicago’s Matt Forte, Houston’s Mario Williams and Arian Foster, Kansas City’s Dwayne Bowe, and Green Bay Packer backup QB Matt Flynn.

- The Daytona 500 was rained out today.  Guess I just will have to not watch it tomorrow.

- Johan Santana has been throwing pain free for the Mets.  Santana notched 72 throws without an issue today.  The Mets would be smart to trade him for anything while they can.

- The Washington Nationals locked up one of their young guns, rewarding Ryan Zimmerman with a 6 year $100 million deal.  Seems like a lot for a career .285 hitter, but trust me Zimmerman is worth it.  A plus, plus defender, above average power and average, and a leader in the Nats young clubhouse makes it worth every dollar.

- The NBA All-Star is upon us, hope you all are ready to hear an awful lot ab0ut Dwight Howard, Deron Williams and their future destinations.   The trade deadline approaches!

Ryan Braun won his appeal of a 50 game suspension for abnormally high testosterone levels. The dispute was not over the actual test results, but rather how the urine was transported to the testing facility. Braun’s urine was turned in late on a Friday night. The urine is supposed to be transported via FedEx, but the FedEx offices were closed and the sample cannot be placed in the drop box. Braun’s side argued that the person transporting the urine didn’t take the necessary precautions to keep the sample safe, and “sat it on a desk” over the weekend.

More often than not, these players are found to be guilty of performance enhancing drugs over the long-run. Braun held a press conference today calling himself a “victim” of Major League Baseball’s testing process. You know that he has to be careful, now. If his power goes down this season, we will all be wondering. And, if he ever gets caught taking PED’s again, we will all remember his proclamation of being the “victim”

The Nationals will not allow Stephen Strasburg to pitch more than 160 innings this year, whether they’re in the hunt or not. Interesting proposition: Why not pitch him every 6th day instead of 5th?

Jeremy Lin was 1 for 11 from the field last night in the Knicks’ loss to the Heat. He also had 8 turnovers and just 3 assists.

Kobe Bryant was atrocious from the floor last night, connecting on 7 out of 24 shots. Is James Harden the NBA’s best 6th man? He had 16 points off the bench in the Thunder’s 100-85 victory over the Lakers.

The light at the end of the tunnel of the Capitals’ season is dimming. They have lost 6 of 7 and Vokoun and Neuvirth are awful. They host the Canadiens for ANOTHER chance at putting themselves back in the Top 8. Ovechkin sat out against the Senators on Wednesday. He’s 50-50 for tonight’s game.

No NBA for a few days. The Celebrity All-Star Game is tonight, followed by the Dunk Contest on Saturday and the All-Star Game on Sunday night.

The NCAA voted to move kickoffs from the 30 to the 35 yard line. Why not just get rid of kickoffs altogether?

Stephen A. Smith’s Big Word of the Day: Exasperated (Verb) – Irritate intensely; infuriate

1) Matt Kalil – OT – USC – 6′7″ 295 lbs.

Kalil has the bloodlines, his father played in the USFL and his brother is an anchor on the Carolina Panthers offensive line.  He is huge, and has the frame to get bigger.  Kalil has great footwork and uses his hands well in space.  His strength is pass blocking where his technique and agility are more important.  Ask Matt Barkley how he feels about Kalil, I’m sure he’ll have nothing but praise for the big man.  Without Kalil’s skill on the blind side Barkley is no where near the player he is today, no question about it.  Kalil is far from a complete prospect at this point as he could use a little work on his run blocking.  Never known as a mauler, Kalil needs to work on getting stronger if he plans on being an elite left tackle at the NFL level.  That being said Kalil has the most potential of anyone in this group and should be a top 5 selection in the upcoming draft.

2) Riley Reiff – OT – Iowa – 6′6″ 300 lbs.

At this stage in his career Reiff may be a more complete player than Kalil.  He is a tremendous asset in both facets of offense and should immediately step in and help a team at the next level.  Agile and athletic, Reiff uses excellent footwork and powerful hands at the point of attack to keep defenders off of his quarterback.  Like Kalil, adding strength will be the number way Reiff can improve his game.  Reiff projects as a solid left tackle at the next level and should come off the board in the top ten but no later than pick 20.

3) David DeCastro – OG – Stanford – 6′5″ 312 lbs.

DeCastro is a force to be reckoned with, the rare guard worth a high to mid first round grade.  Along with Tackle Jonathan Martin, DeCastro helped number one overall prospect Andrew Luck look fantastic during his Stanford career.  DeCastro’s strength is in the running game where he is an absolute mauler.  The behemoth easily moves his competition off the line of scrimmage and loves to make plays down the field.  DeCastro pulls better than most NFL guards and has a tendency to end up downfield with a linebackers carcass somewhere in his wake.  He loves a good collision and isn’t happy until he puts an opposing defender on is butt.  DeCastro is not the strongest pass protector but has steadily improved in that department and has the work ethic and determination to continue to grow at the next level.  Look for DeCastro to come off the board somewhere mid first round.

4) Jonathan Martin – OT – Stanford – 6′6″ 305 lbs

Martin was the other piece on the exceptional left side of Stanford’s o-line.  A solid if not spectacular blind side protector, Martin excels in the run game and is above average with his pass protection.  Martin’s game is more about technique than tenacity, agile feet, football smarts and good hands have led to his success.  Like Kalil and Reiff, getting in the weight room and adding strength will be Martin’s number one priority at the next level.  Martin should come off the board in the mid first round range and most likely will end up starting on someones o-line in his rookie season.

5) Peter Konz – C – Wisconsin – 6′5″ 316 lbs

Konz is humongous for a center but is extremely athletic and agile for his size.  Konz dominated NFL talent throughout his career in the Big 10 and is a huge cog in the dominant rushing attack Wisconsin always seems to bring to the table.  An absolutely tenacious run blocker who is off the ball quickly, Konz will walk into camp and start somewhere for the next decade.  He is a worker and has solid technique, which was evidenced by Russell Wilson’s quick and smooth transition into the Wisconsin offense.  Seldom does a center enter the NFL draft early, and even more seldom does an early entry center receive a first round grade.  Konz should be off the board in the mid to late first.

Next five prospects –  Mike Adams/OT/Ohio St., Cordy Glenn/OG/Georgia, Zerbie Sanders/OT/OG/Florida St., Bobby Massie/OT/Ole Miss, Nate Potter/OT/Boise St.

Baron Davis received 14 minutes of playing time in his 2nd game back with the New York Knicks last night. Lin started at Point Guard and scored 17 points to go with his 9 assists. Lin scaled back his shot attempts as Carmelo increased his in a 99-82 drubbing of the Atlanta Hawks.

Lin, Anthony, Amar’e, and the Knicks battle LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and the Miami Heat tonight at 7:00 on TNT. Lin has vowed not to wilt in the face of adversity as his Knicks take on the league’s best team in South Beach. I have never been geared up for an NBA game before today.

The Lakers and Thunder meet in Oklahoma City on TNT, following the Linsanity. The Lakers have won 2 straight and the Thunder have won 4 in-a-row. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are proving to be the best 1-2 punch in the NBA.

Temple is looking to join the Big East.

Tiger Woods won his first round match in the Accenture Match Play Championships. He takes on Nick Watney today.

#4 Duke and #16 Florida State face off in Tallahassee at 7:00 on ESPN. Florida State will win.

Roy Oswalt is planning to pull a Roger Clemens. No, he’s not going to take steroids and lie about it. He’s considering sitting out half of the season until a contender comes begging for his services. This is because a contender has not yet come begging for his services.

Tomas Vokoun allowed 4 goals on 11 shots last night in an embarrassing loss to the Senators. The Capitals are not playing like a team that should be contending for a Stanley Cup. The Caps’ goalies have forgotten their job description.

Stephen A. Smith’s big word of the day: “Diminutive” (adj) – small; little; tiny

The most fan-friendly sport in America is back. NASCAR is a sport that really loves their fans. Don’t want to pay ten bucks for a cold beverage? Bring a cooler filled with your favorite drink. Want to devote more than one day? Bring your RV, car, or tent and party all weekend. Want to listen to the the team as they decide what to do? Pack a headset. Want the season to be longer? NASCAR is racing for nine months out of the year. Want a playoff? NASCAR listens a lot better than the NCAA. Want to start the season with the biggest event of the year? Then get ready for Daytona.  Don’t like the way the game is played? NASCAR has got your back.

After plenty of complaints from drivers and fans, NASCAR worked hard to eliminate tandem racing. If Saturday’s Bud Shoot-out was any indicator of what is to come, they succeeded. NASCAR said in a recent survey that 80 percent of fans did not like the tandem racing. That number was probably higher with the drivers. Here is what they had to say after the Shoot-out.

Clint Bowyer – ” The pack racing is back, and that gives the drivers a little more control and adds a lot of excitement for the fans — and that’s the biggest thing: the fans wanted pack racing back and NASCAR listened and delivered.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – “I like this kind of racing better. At least I know what to expect,” he said. “And I feel like I’ve got a better chance with this style than I did last year.”

Tony Stewart – “I actually had fun racing at Daytona again, which I haven’t had for a while. I don’t know what the consensus is from everybody else, but I had more fun as a driver tonight than what we’ve had in the past.”

The Shootout was an awesome race, thanks to the changes. You didn’t have to wait for the end of the race for things to get exciting. It took all of nine laps to have a nine car pile up. With only a couple laps left, Jeff Gordon made the ESPN highlight reel, but not how he would have liked. Gordon ran into Kyle Busch and ended up climbing out of his upside-down car unscathed. Busch managed to escape disaster for the second time and win the race by .013 seconds; the closest Shoot-out finish in history. Hopefully the 500 will be just as exciting.

There were plenty of other changes made during their off-season. Many teams changed drivers, crew chiefs, or both. Some of the bigger name drivers on new teams include Kurt Busch(#51 Phoenix Racing), Kasey Kahne(#5 Hendrick Motorsports), Clint Bowyer(#15 Michael Waltrip Racing), and Mark Martin(#55 Michael Waltrip Racing).

A name you will hear a lot also made a change. Danica Patrick made the switch to Tommy Baldwin/Stewart Haas Racing. Even though she is only running 10 races, she will be mentioned more than any other driver. Strangely, I find that more men, than women, want her to do well. Where’s the girl power? She will have a shot at winning, as Trevor Bayne proved last year. Bayne won last year, at the ripe old age of twenty years and one day.

Many fans will be pulling for Mark Martin to win his first Daytona 500. It could be his last chance. Whoever wins, it will definitely change their life. Winners of the Daytona 500 are rarely forgotten. Many great will never live down not winning this race. Just ask Rusty Wallace.

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