Machine Gun Kelly Invites Josh Cribbs on Stage for his Birthday

In Cleveland from the athletes, to musicians, to the everyday working man, the city has always had alot of camaraderie.

That is no more evident from the relationship that has seemed to formed between Cleveland Browns Josh Cribbs and Bad Boy recording artist Machine Gun Kelly, who both rep the city they call home to the fullest.

Cribbs who celebrated a birthday on June 9th was invited on stage by Machine Gun Kelly during his Cleveland performance. Below is a video of how their relationship has come to be what we see today.

Jimmy Henchman Admits to Setting Up 1994 Shooting of 2Pac

For 18 years people have wondered and speculated on the 1994 shooting of rap artist 2Pac. Was he set up, was is it a robbery gone wrong, etc? Well question no more, according to Hip Hop Wired & Village Voice, Jimmy Henchman CEO of Czar Entertainment, admitted to government officials that he indeed did arrange for 2Pac to be shot in the lobby of Quad City Studios in New York City.

From the Village Voice;

“Rosemond secretly admitted to involvement in Tupac’s ambush during one of nine “Queen For A Day” proffer sessions with the government last autumn, court transcripts show. (In such sessions, suspects under investigation choose to enter an agreement with the government to confess knowledge of certain crimes with the agreement that the information won’t be used to prosecute them.) His confession unfolded as he was trying to carve out a cooperation deal that might lead to a reduced sentence, according to federal prosecutors.

“Rosemond apparently came clean about his involvement in Tupac’s ambush shortly after his former best friend, Dexter Isaac, stepped forward last summer to publicly confess that he had led the attack on Shakur in 1994. Isaac released a statement on June 16, 2011 to allhiphop.com, saying it was Rosemond who had paid him to rob and pistol-whip Tupac.”

After years of denial, its nice to see someone be somewhat accountable for their actions, in what led to the untimely death of one of the greatest artist of the last century.

I pose the question, with Henchman admitting to this crime; does this validate more of what 2Pacs’ account of what happened on that night? Does it also lend more validity to his assertions that he was set up because he was willing to tell the truth about all the dirt everyone was involved in and was basically shot as a warning to not rock the boat? And let’s assume this shooting never occurs, does 2Pacs’ life and career still take the harsh and cold tone that you heard in his last two albums released before and after his death?

 

One can only wonder what else Henchman has admitted to and who else he possibly has implicated. 

Warren Sapp & First Episode of Judge Sapp

We all know the financial troubles that are following Warren Sapp if not, go here ==> BlackSportsOnline. So with desperation comes desperate moves, one of those moves is hosting a you tube reality court show. Now I have no problem with his outside the box thinking ways of making money.

What I do have an issue with is the terribleness of this show. It’s so bad, that it’s funny. Yes I know reality TV is scripted, however, the acting is bad beyond words even on reality TV scale.

Sapp scribbling on his notepad as if he’s really taking notes doing the ‘judge like thing’ had me burst out laughing. I doubt that I’ll ever watch this again, but whenever I’m feeling down, I’ll go to this page, and I’ll have laughs for hours. If you haven’t seen the video check it out below and enjoy the comedic relief.

Brandon Jacobs Treats Young Fan to Chuckie Cheese

After Brandon Jacobs was released by the New York Giants 6 year old fan Joseph Armento decided to make his best attempt to have his favorite stay on his favorite team. After his mom explained to him Jacobs was leaving because of money, he emptied out his piggy bank and sent the tailback his last $3.36.

Upon receiving the gesture, he promised to lil Joseph and told him, he would take him and his 4 year old brother with him and his own son Brayden to Chuckie Cheese.

Mom Julie Armento told The Sacremento Bee how much the boys enjoyed their day with Jacobs;

“He told me he really wanted to get out there with the kids, he really wanted to enjoy it, and he did. It was amazing. When we first spoke, he said that he was genuinely touched by the letter, that it almost brought him to tears. He said it came at just the right time for him.”

49er Jacob cited the letter as a form of motivation, and something that boosted his own confidence;

“I’m at a point in my career when people have stopped believing in me and not believing that I can still play. But that’s not the case. Joe believes in me, gave me a lot of confidence and a lot of want-to. And I’m ready to go. I can’t wait until the season starts.”

While the Jacobs and the kids ended up going to a bounce house in New Jersey, the young Armentos will have a story they can tell forever. Along with that Jacobs gave them a signed helmet and $5 to put in his piggy bank.

No matter what you may think of the football player Brandon Jacobs is, that was a pretty cool thing to do for a young fan. Many times we label players from their play on the field and actions like this get forgotten and that there’s more to the sports than just the game.

Coach Jeff Van Gundy & GM Otis Smith Fired by the Orlando Magic

After months of speculation about the star player Dwight Howard having control over his destiny, coach Stan Van Gundy was relieved of his duties on Monday along with General Manager Otis Smith as reported by Yahoo!. This should come as no surprise as almost every one knew it would come down to a decision of the player or the coach, and in scenarios like these, the player usually wins out.

 

Related: LeBron James Wins 3rd MVP

 
However the Magic were in a precarious position. Do they side with the coach and alienate the superstar they are aiming to keep, or concede to the players’ wishes essentially given him full autonomy? I’m not saying the Magic were wrong for firing Van Gundy and Smith, because they’ve obviously had their mishaps in their performance, but what if this blows up in their face and he leave or they end up trading him anyway? Then you lost out on a good coach and decent general manager all for a player you who didn’t stay in the end.

However, the Magic sound so far like they’ve decided to not let the saga drag on into the season unlike last year. They’re saying they plan on forcing Dwight Howards’ hand in giving them an answer on whether he’s going to sign a long term contract or not, so they can weigh their options via trade.

At some point teams are going to have to stand up to players and not let them hold their organization hostage. I’m all for players having more control over their own destiny and where they want to play. But c’mon, there comes a point to where it’s just bad business and hurting your image. Though Chris Paul of the L.A. Clippers has done the same thing, forcing his way out of New Orleans, he did it quietly. He let management know of his desire to play elsewhere and they’d be best serve to get something for him. He didn’t waffle in the media with his comments and he didn’t lead on the organization. He made his decision and stuck to it. Dwight has flipped flopped more than a fish out of water with his statements, while his actions has shown that he has very little desire to remain in Orlando unless he has to.

I know it’s not all superstar players, but the few that handle their business all wrong make it all bad for the others, and we know how perception works, and how easy it is to change once people get their mind made up on something (not that easy actually). Hopefully the Magic send Howard somewhere he wants to go and Commissioner David Stern vetoes it for ‘basketball reasons’. Oh the fun that can be had again this summer with that explanation.
 

Weekend Entertainment Wrap # 2

Did You Hear…?

By Crystal L. Huggins

 

People grieve in their own way. No one deals with pain in the same manner. That is what makes people different. Jennifer Hudson finally received justice and can have peace of mind. Her ex brother -in-law William Balfour was convicted of murder on May 11, 2012 for killing Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donnerson 57; brother, Jason Hudson 29; and nephew, Julian King 7; on October 24, 2008. After the two week long trial and having to re live one of the worst days of her life, she decides to go to Six Flags the day after the trial ended. While listening to the TJMS (Tom Joyner Morning Show) the hosts felt like that was not a good move for Hudson. They didn’t see fit for her to go to an amusement park after the trial ended. I don’t see what the issue is. I see that as she is trying to put the past behind her and move on with her life. She just needed to have a carefree day from dealing with the two week trial and that is what she chose to do. It’s her life and her decisions.

Reported by the New York Daily News

 

Related: Weekend Entertainment Wrap up #1

It’s Official! Sheree is out and Kenya is in. Sheree Whitfield is leaving the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and is being replaced by Former Miss USA 1993, Kenya Moore. Moore recently did an interview with Sister 2 Sister Magazine saying:

 

“I’ve had an opportunity recently to be on a reality show. I feel like it’s almost like my duty to take the job because it’s the converse of what we’re seeing now.”

 

“I can say that it’s an already established franchise. I’m back and forth between Atlanta and L.A….primarily Atlanta. Wink, wink!”

 

I am still trying to wrap my head around how cast members are selected for such shows. Come on now! The newest cast member is a model/actress. The show is called Real Housewives. Wouldn’t you think that picking a cast member that is actually a housewife be more fitting to the show?  I know the show turned in many directions since is first aired in 2008 but it seems like with every season there are more cast members that aren’t wives. Looking at the past season of the show, only 2 of the 6 cast members were married. I know life happens and relationships change end however, if you are going to keep the show and its current title, why not bring in new people that fit the show and its title.

Information obtained from Wikipedia and other sources

Paulina, Wayne Gretzkys’ Daughter Gets Loose on Instagram and Twitter

For every father with daughters, they’re worse nightmare is for their “baby” to be overly sexy in their presence. The thought of their “baby” taking part in such activities is something that can scare a man for the rest of his life.

Well, Wayne Gretzky has had his world scarred forever, as his “baby” girl has been on social media letting it all hang out. Paulina Gretzky first started on Twitter with the racy photos and once dad shut that down, she moved the party over to Instagram and well… I’ll let you make your decision on what to think.

I can only imagine what’s going through Waynes’ mind, I mean what can he really do, his daughter is grown, and at this point he has no control and power. He cant just roll up on her in the spot, everybody knows who he is, so being Columbo won’t work. The more he tries to convince her that this is a bad look, the more rebellious she will act.

 

Related: NCAA Comes Up With Cecil Newton Rule

The great one rarely faced a challenge on the ice he couldn’t master, however this parenting of a young adult is kicking his tail with an empty net. Hopefully Paulina takes some sympathy on dad and tones it down a bit, until that day comes enjoy some of flicks she’s been posting.

Also check out the Big Lead for more on Miss Paulina.

Sources: Dwight Howard Says He Won’t Play Again for Stan Van Gundy

According to ESPN.com, radio station WKMG in Orlando has reported that Dwight Howard has called owner Rich DeVos to inform him that he wouldn’t play for current coach Stan Van Gundy.

Dwight Howard is currently sitting out due to a bulging disk, but there has been speculation that he hasn’t been fully invested in this season due to his strained relationship with Van Gundy

One of Howards’ representatives has told Espn.com that the story is “Completely made up, BS story”. While this defense of Howard is noble, there’s too much smoke for there not to be fire around this story.

Related: Dwight Howard Wants Stan Van Gundy Fired

This season has turned out to be a complete waste for the Orlando Magic in respect to this Dwight Howard saga. Once Dwight asked for a trade in the preseason, they should have taken a serious look at ridding themselves of someone who doesn’t want to be there. Though their chances at a championship are infinitely better with him, the turmoil he caused with his wishy washyness is becoming a distraction to what the Orlando Magic need to be focusing on, and that’s winning basketball games.

Everybody looks bad in this; Orlando management looks like they’re allowing one man to hold their organization hostage. Stan Van Gundy looks like the martyr hung out to dry, for just doing his job and coach the team the best he can (up for discussion is how well he’s done said job) and Dwight looks like someone afraid to make a decision and stand behind it no matter the backlash. Everybody in this situation is looking out for their best interest, and that’s where they’re all wrong. They’ve all lost focus on the team goals and now have no chance of reaching that championship in which they strive for.

Considering all the chaos that has gone on, maybe the best course of action is to clean house, and start over. Trade Dwight, fire Stan Van Gundy, and start fresh with a new front office, because right now there’s no reason to believe that this current regime can get this train back on the tracks.

Gilbert Arenas Once Put Dog Poop in a Teammates Shoes

There once was a time where the Washington Wizards were once thought to be the next team on the brink to break into the upper echelon of the NBA. But while Gilbert Arenas was assassinating players on the court, his alter ego Agent Zero was doing damage to his teammate’s apparel in the locker room.

In an interview with USA Today, he spoke on an incident where he placed dog feces in his teammates Andray Blatchs’ shoes as revenge for him throwing Arenas’ clothes in the Jacuzzi after accusing Arenas of cutting up his suit.

“It was just dog doo-doo in it. It was really dog doo-doo. … I took his sole out, threw it under there, put the sole back on and threw the baby powder on there so he couldn’t smell it,”

But today, “We’re all friends,” Arenas said of his former teammates today. “We’re still cool. We still talk to each other. Everyone is happy they’re in better places”

Arenas also spoke on the gun incident that led to him being suspended for fifty games and the altercation that took place on the plane;

 “No one actually saw a gun in my hand at all. … I was not pulling a gun on anyone. That’s actual fact,” he says.

Arenas, 30, had previously declined to go into great detail. This is what he says happened:

Then-Wizards center JaVale McGee had beaten Crittenton out of $1,100 in a card game. Wizards guard Earl Boykins loaned McGee $200. McGee didn’t immediately pay back Boykins as he won the money and an argument blossomed. Arenas says he wasn’t involved in the actual bet.

” ‘Pay the man his (expletive) money. You’ve got all my money,’ ” Arenas says Crittenton shouted at McGee. “So I jumped in, ‘Why you talking to your teammates like this? We family.’

“That’s when (Crittenton) started coming at me, ‘(Expletive, racial slur), just because you got all money, this and this and this.’ That’s when we started going back and forth. I didn’t owe him anything. It was over a $1,100 pot he just lost.”

Arenas pauses and sighs when asked how the situation escalated to the point of guns.

“Someone said they were going to shoot me. So since I’m one of those guys who says, ‘I want to see this happen. I want to see you actually shoot me,’ that’s where that came from,” says Arenas, declining to mention that someone by name. “I brought the four guns in and said (in a note), ‘Pick 1, so the day you want to shoot me let me know, I’ll be ready to get shot.’ That’s how.”

Related: Pacers David Wests Takes Out Cavs Mascot

What’s interesting is, when the situation happened, no one was interested in what Arenas had to say. Once people heard guns were involved and athletes fighting over money, judgments were made and that was that. From what Arenas is quoted telling USA Today, is not something unreasonable and a stance you’d want the leader of your team to take. Had the guns never been brought into the situation, maybe Arenas would still be in Washington and the fate of the Wizards would be much different.

While many will say, other successful organizations don’t have things like this going on; I would say that we don’t hear about them. Every team has disagreements, they’re together too much not have a quarrel every once in a while, key thing is the leaders are able to handle them and allow cooler heads to prevail.

Stan Van Gundy “Dwight Howard Wants Me Fired”

There’s a saying that goes “a man is most dangerous when he has nothing to lose”. Well I think its time to label Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy a dangerous man. Today before their game against the Knicks he let the cat out the bag, telling the media that he knew for a fact that Dwight Howard had requested that he be fired. Why would SVG do that, well… what does he have to lose at this point, his job? Yeah as if he really cares about his job anymore knowing that management is probably going to fire him no matter what.

While we can all pretty much see that Dwight Howard is at fault for basically wasting a season, when do we start to place the blame on the Orlando Magic organization? All year behind the scenes Howard has been flip flopping on what he wanted to do when it came to wanting to stay or go. You basically pressured him into staying even though he was half committal. The Magic should’ve cut their losses and traded Dwight when they had the chance. Yes, he gives them a better chance at winning and making the playoffs, however, how far can he really help them go when they all know he doesn’t think they’re good enough and can’t wait to get out of town.

Not saying that his lack of faith in his teammates is the sole reason they’re not as good as they could be, but when you have to answer questions about your co-workers problems, work becomes a burden instead of fun.

At some point in this saga someone has to be responsible and end the madness and maybe that’s what Van Gundy was attempting to do. Put everything out in the open and let the cards fall where they may. Conversely, in his quest to make everything transparent he did make available a private conversation that was had with him that I’m willing to guess was meant to stay private. This whole situation has been a breach of confidence with no one having faith in any each other and the right hand steadily telling the left hand what its next plan is. No matter what happens next, the Orlando Magic management needs to get a back bone and run their organization. Yes the NBA is a players league, but when you’re under contract you’ll go out and do your job if you know that your voice holds no weight. The Magic have gone down this road with Howard and now risk losing not only him but their good coach and will have nothing to show for it.

So while there may be some sympathy for Stan Van Gundy, in the end, everyone is loser in this process. Even when trying to brush the dirt off your grave you still get your hands dirty.

Below is the video of the most awkward moment of the year so far, as Dwight Howard hugs Stan Van Gundy after being thrown under the bus.;