Pacers' Jeff Pendergraph first player fined in the playoffs for flopping

Jeff Pendergraph of the Indiana Pacers has been the first player to be fined under the NBA's anti- flopping rules. The league fined Pendergraph $5,000.

Pendergraph was fined for his Game 5 flop while defending the Atlanta Hawks' Josh Smith. In the regular season players get a warning for flopping. In the playoffs there is no warning given. Players automatically receive a $5,000 fine and the amount goes up for each offense.

Odds are Pendergraph won't be trying that again.

Petition wants President Obama to force Jaguars to sign Tim Tebow

Out of all the things a President has to worry about I'm sure making a NFL team sign a particular player is at the top of the list.

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell has no interest in signing New York Jets castoff Tim Tebow.  Since Caldwell won't sign him a Jaguars fan has taken matters into his/her own hands by petitioning President Barack Obama to force the Jaguars to sign Tebow.


As of April 30, there's an official petition on the White House's 'We the People' website asking President Obama to call Caldwell and tell him to sign Tebow.

Here's the full petition:

Jacksonville Jaguars fans want the team to sign recently released QB Tim Tebow. However, rookie general manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars David Caldwell is blocking this from happening. If the Jaguars sign & START Tebow, home games will be sold out, sales will spike, the team will win and the fans will be happy.Mr. Caldwell is ignoring lots of facts about the misunderstood Tim Tebow while in Denver: Passer rating of 125.6 is highest ever in Broncos postseason history. Most yards per completion (31.6) in NFL playoff history.100.5 QB rating is best ever for a Broncos QB in his first start.Third most passing yards in a game by a Bronco rookie QB. (308, in his 2nd start), First 15+ point comeback in the final 3 minutes of an NFL game since the merger,7 game winning drives in just 16 games!

The prez has more important matters on his plate than forcing the Jags to sign Tebow. I'm sure this petition will not get enough signatures.

Owens makes his bowling debut

Not being in a NFL camp is killing Terrell Owens but he is finding ways to keep busy.

Owens made his semi-pro bowling debut in the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships debut at the National Bowling Stadium. Owens didn't bowl great but he wasn't terrible either. Owens bowled games of 185, 129, and 161 for a total of 475. I know it's not all that but it's better than I can do so I won't make any jokes about him.

"The first game went pretty well," Owens told Bowl.com. "I'm still new to this, so when I saw some of the guys switching balls, I felt I should switch, too. I probably should have stayed with the same ball. I ended up going back to the first ball I used and made some other minor adjustments with my feet and eyes."

As the celebrity owner of the Dallas Strikers, one of eight five-player teams in the new Professional Bowlers Association League, Owens has spent a lot of time around the lanes this year. He recently decided to take his game up a notch, working with several coaches and PBA bowlers such as Mark Baker and Norm Duke.

"I have a lot of stuff going on right now, but there happened to be a break in my schedule," Owens said. "I wanted to experience this tournament, and the experience was good. I'm really into bowling, and I like it a lot."

At least it sounds like he has something to do to occupy his time nowdays instead of trying to sell himself to an NFL team.

Steve Smith doesn't see Phil Jackson's role with the Pistons as a natural fit

When Phil Jackson was hired as a consultant by the Detroit Pistons many figured that there was more to it than just being an unpaid consultant.

Some think it might be a ploy to undercut current Pistons president Joe Dumars and take over the front office role himself. The question I have is, why is Jackson helping the Pistons?

NBA TV analyst Steve Smith has the same thought going through his mind. Smith, like myself remembers  Jackson being a mortal enemy of the Pistons while he coached Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Smith says that Jackson's role with the Pistons doesn't look natural.

Remember when he said the Pistons were bad for basketball? Or when he disregarded them as champions after the Pistons beat down his Lakers in 2004. No, this isn't natural at all.


"His experience, because of the years he's been around the league, championship pedigree, all the rings and big games he's been apart of," Smith said. "(But) I'm still scratching my head, why, other than the obvious."


"It doesn't look natural from a Pistons perspective," Smith said. "I'm thinking as a Pistons fan before I was in the NBA, from MSU. I'm old school. (Seeing someone) from the Bulls or Celtics, the old-school rivalries."

Many in the Detroit area still feel Dumars should get a chance to rebuild the Pistons into a contender. Many think that this is a way to ease Dumars out of the front office.

What does owner Tom Gores do if Dumars wants one guy and Jackson suggests another?

We'll just have to let it play out and see what happens.

Ansah's 3-D glasses get him free IMAX movies

Detroit Lions number one draft pick Ziggy Ansah wore some hideous 3-D glasses to the NFL Draft. But despite the goofy look the glasses have already paid off for Ansah.

 The glasses, which Ansah told reporters he acquired when he went to see "Thor," are just part of the Ghana native's unique identity and sense of humor. 

The joke, which was a dare from friends at BYU, is about to pay off in a unique way for Ansah. It turns out IMAX caught wind of the fashion statement and have offered a gift in appreciation.

Ansah will get to view all IMAX 3-D movies for free for a year.


A letter to Ansah from IMAX executive vice president Brian Bonnick reads:

"We, at IMAX, couldn't help but notice your keen sense of style at the NFL draft his year. You made quite a fashion statement with your pair of 3D glasses. As a member of the Detroit Lions, you share our love for the color blue and we would like to add an IMAX silver lining for you -- we would love to celebrate your first year in the NFL with the opportunity to see all IMAX 3D movies on us for the next year.

If that's the case maybe I'll wear those goofy glasses year round so I can score me some free movies.  Lord knows they're costly.

Lions fans should hope they have a lot of football instructional videos in them there IMAX theaters.       

   

Heat's Udonis Haslem has his home burglarized

A Broward Sheriff's Office report says that Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem's house had been burglarized. The authorites did not report whether any valuables were taken.

According to a Broward Sheriff's Office report released Thursday, someone broke into the house April 13 by prying open a side garage door. Deputies responded after a home alarm activated, but no one was inside when they arrived.

Closets in the house had been ransacked and alarm boxes had been ripped off the walls. Deputies say some belongings were found in trash bags and other valuable items were left untouched. Authorities surmised that the thieves left hurriedly when deputies arrived.

Teammate Chris Bosh also had his home broken in to in early April. Theives made off with around $479,000 in jewelry and valubles.

Raiders lose interest in Vince Young

Vince Young is still a man without a team. After reportedly putting together some strong workouts for the Oakland Raiders, the Raiders are going in another direction.

After spending a fourth round draft pick on Tyler Wilson, the Raiders lost any interest they had in Young.

Young has been working out with the hope of getting another shot in the NFL after stints in Buffalo and Philadelphia didn't go too well.

In my opinion, Young is no more than a third quarterback and maybe a fringe backup. I don't see any team that's so starved for a quarterback that will give a roster spot to Young.

If he can't make it with another NFL team, there's always Canada. The Montreal Alouettes own his rights.