FSU's Singleton To Start A Clothing Line

With the NBA draft looming as well as a possible lockout, it would be wise for potential draftees to find other avenues of income. That advice would be wise to current players as well.

In the past professional athletes weren't very smart in their business endeavors. Plans that weren't well thought out, trusting the wrong people and investing in lousy deals are just some of the problems that have plagued current and former athletes when they enter the business world.

Florida State's Chris Singleton seems to have a well planned venture underway. Free from the shackles of the NCAA prohibitng student athletes from having any kind of earning power, Singleton and teammate AJ Yawn and a couple of other friends from FSU, are starting a clothing line called Doughpe Clothing. It's pronounced "dope", a hip-hop term meaning fresh or cool.

Yawn gave a brief overview of the company.

[AJ Yawn]: The uniqueness of the company name, paired with the familiarity of the term as it relates to the common phrase ‘dope’ meaning cool, and socially acceptable in the hip-hop culture, will attract customers within the target demographics. Consumers in our target audience won’t have a problem accepting the name because the word “dope” is used in daily slang describing something that is fresh, new, or cool. Doughpe is a creative spin on this word and places the customers in a mindset that even before they see the product, they are assured that the clothing will be something they would like and desire to purchase. 

Singleton, who will most likely be a first round NBA draft pick, will be the biggest name affiliated with the company. It was a good decision to be involved with a small group that you know well to start off. He won't be involved in the day to day, since he'll be playing basketball. It's more of a Tallahassee based venture for now, but I'm sure they'll try to take it to another level. Most of the company's sales will be carried out online at Doughpeclothing.com.




   

  

Tyson Chandler Won't Be On Kendick Perkins' Christmas List

Anyone that watches the NBA knows that Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins is one of the meanest, if not the menaest players in the league. So it should come as no surprise that he came out after game 1of the Western Conference finals and made it no secret that he doesn't like Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler.   

"Me and Tyson never got along. I'm serious," said Perkins, whom the Thunder acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Boston Celtics. "He don't like me, I don't like him and that's pretty much how it's been. Everybody always looks at me as kind of like a dirty player if you're on the opposite team, but he's just as dirty as anybody else."


The two got tangled up 70 seconds into game1 and both were assessed a technical foul. The thing is Chandler doesn't harbor the same feelings toward Perkins.

"I have nothing against him," Chandler said of Perkins. "He won a championship with the Boston Celtics, and that's where I'm trying to take my team. I mean, I've got respect for him, what he was able to accomplish. But all the chippy stuff, the after-the-ball stuff, that's all nonsense and I'm not going to get involved with it."


"Honestly, my motive is not to get into it with Kendrick Perkins," Chandler said. "My motive is to make my team better when I'm on the floor and give my team an opportunity to win. My team is not going to be better with me off the floor, so there's no reason for me to get into it with him. The only benefit that's going to have is me off the floor and giving them a better chance to win, so I'm not getting into it with him."

Perkins needs to watch himself since he already is the owner of four technical fouls. Three moreand he's gone for a game and the Thunder need his defense and rebounding. The officials will be watching the paint a little closer with this coming out. Just chill and stop trying to out-macho your opponent.

On the other hand it is good to see someone just flat out hate their opponent. There's not a lot of that these days in te NBA. It's kind of refreshing.

It's safe to say that Chandler won't be getting a Christmas card from Perkins anytime soon.   

Rafer Alston To Coach High School

After having no NBA offers on the table, former Houston Rocket point guard Rafer Alston is going to coach high school basketball. Personally I think Alston still has some game left but I'm not an NBA exec, and they're the ones that say he's done.

Alston will be the new coach at  Humble (Texas) Christian Life Center.  Alston has no previous coaching experience, feels he can get the job done and wants to give back to the kids.

“We have about four or five guys that played [last year],” he said. “Some kids that didn’t play that much. There are a good amount of people coming back and then we have to add on. But it should be no problem getting the kids to play together and work together.”


Alston harbors no regrets over his NBA career and feels that he could get some overseas offers but would rather be stateside.

“I’ve had a good career, long career, 11 years,” Alston said of a career that included stops in six NBA cities and a stint in China. “I had fun. I can’t complain about my NBA career. It’s been wonderful.”


“I’ve had offers,” he said. “Overseas is always an option. This summer some offers are going to come along at some point. People can always use a point guard.”


Still, he added, “Getting one more year older and doing this job, the chances are slim to none.”

A least he's still doing what he loves and that's being a part of basketball in some capacity.

Marcell Dareus Can't Wait To Play The Panthers And Broncos

Buffalo Bills first round draft pick, Marcell Dareus, is a little pissed about being taken number three in the draft. To me and many others that's not to shabby. Anyone would be happy to be chosen that high. Marcell should remember that Detroit Lions great Barry Sanders was selected at number three. Don't try to tell that to Dareus.

He was specific in an interview about what teams passed him over in an interview with Michel Irvin on   WQAM in Miami. It doesn't take much to figure it out either since he was selected at number three. And he was hot about it.

When he was asked whether he should have been picked number one, his answer was "Yes". Then he let the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers know that he's going to bring the pain.

“If I ever get a chance to play Carolina I’m going to make them pay for passing up on me,” said Dareus. ”Denver I’ll get a chance to play them in the regular season (this year) and I’m going to make it hell for them every time I play against them.”



“I worked my butt off to the point where I’m not going to give you a reason not to pick me,” he said. “You’re not going to look at me and be like, ‘Well he’s good, but…” That ‘but’ word is never going to come up when you mention my name. My sole focus was for me not to give you a reason to not pick me and you still don’t? Okay, I understand you have needs somewhere else, but if you need somebody to control your front and be a commander across the front and not let anything happen? I work my butt off to do that, and you pass me up still? Okay, I’ve got something for you.”


This is something I may keep an eye on if there is an NFL season.

Jim Irsay And Jeff Saturday Can End The Lockout

In the world according to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, he and Colts center and NFL Players Association executive member, Jeff Saturday could bang out a labor agreement by themselves.

Based on what Irsay said on Twitter, he's obviously frustrated by all the shenanigans going on with all the labor talk going on. It's all meaningless until they come to an agreement.

Irsay made these comments on his Twitter account:

"Jeff Saturday and I could get this thing done,on cocktail napkins,over a long lunch at Rick's Boatyard," Irsay wrote on his Twitter account today. "it's not that hard! Everyone's so damn serious,suits,briefcases,lawyers! Let's put on jeans n golf clothes,players/owners remembering we're friends,hang a little."

"Every time we argue about who's fault it is and who did that and who said this..spin,spin,spin..who cares! Get something done!"



"I ain't riding no bull like Chad thou,not even 4 new C.B.A.!!!!!!"

"For every week after july 15 that's there's no new CBA,self-imposed players/owners fines 2 fan charities..get out of the courts!"


"Drop all lawsuits,waste of time n $,get 2 collective bargaining,have equally,self-imposed fines on players n owners going 2 fan's charities"


"The mantra is not end lockout,it's get new collect. bargain. agreement.We have no CBA at this point,an obvious fact that gets lost n shuffle"


Maybe if the owners thought a little more like Irsay there wouldn't be a lockout. Send him to the bargaining sessions instead and see if something can get done. 

There's A Buyer For Carson Palmer's House

Considering the way the housing market has been, it's been hard for anyone to get rid of their home. Carson Palmer didn't have such difficulty in selling his Cincinnati area home.  

Comey & Shepherd Realtors lists the Indian Hill property as under contract. The five-bedroom, two-story property in Indian Hill had an asking price of $2.1 million. That only took two months after it was listed. The realtor must have done a good job on selling this house.

The house sits on five acres, has 5 1/2 bathrooms, a swimming pool, spa, and golf green. I'm sure they didn't have to try too hard to sell it. The real estate listing describes Palmer’s house ”an exceptional home that exudes comfort, character and privacy.”



If I'm Bengals president Mike Brown, I take this as more than a subtle hint and deal Palmer to the highest bidder. I'm sure he can get a nice haul from a team that is staving for a quarterback (Cardinals, Vikings, Seahawks). Go ahead and pull the trigger when the lockout is over. 

Sam Bradford Gets A Statue At Oklahoma

Former Oklahoma Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford is the latest to be immortalized for his collegiate feats. At the Sooner Spectacular gala event Saturday night inside Cox Pavilion at State Fair Park, Bradford's official Heisman Trophy statue - the one that will stand alongside Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, Billy Sims and Jason White in OU's Heisman Park outside Memorial Stadium - was unveiled.


Bradford seemed to be in awe of the whole ceremony.

"I never thought I'd be standing here giving a speech in front of a statue of myself," Bradford said, with confetti still in his hair. "Pretty cool, though."


He also feels that he's too young t be seeing a statue of himself.

"You know," Bradford said, "I'm pretty young to be walking around looking at a statue of myself."


Bradford won't be the last to be bronzed at Oklahoma.