Free Republic

Memorial Day is all about honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, and pro athletes have been part of that mix since World War I. Here's a look at some of the more notable athletes who lost their lives in service: In addition to former Giants infielder Elmer Gedeon (featured in slide No. 8 above), there was one other MLB player killed in World War II. Harry O'Neill appeared in one game as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1939. O'Neill joined the Marines and was killed on Iwo Jima in 1945. The Big Ten's football...

WikiLeaks: The sleazy criminal organization dedicated to publishing U.S. secrets may loudly deny its leaks led to the hanging of a man in Iran Tuesday. But that's irrelevant because WikiLeaks gave Tehran the pretext it sought. A 24-year old Iranian man was the latest victim of the mullahs' monstrous tyranny this week, executed as a spy for Israel, supposedly for killing an Iranian nuclear scientist on behalf of his Zionist masters. That's a whiff of the twisted kangaroo court verdicts typical of Iran. In reality, Majid Jamali Fashi was a young kick-boxing instructor who visited Baku, Azerbaijan, for a tournament...

The Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles has banned boxer Manny Pacquiao over comments he made about gay marriage, but the boxer said he was misquoted. "Based on news reports of statements made by Mr. Pacquiao, we have made it be known that he is not welcome at The Grove and will not be interviewed here now or in the future. The Grove is a gathering place for all Angelenos and not a place for intolerance," the Grove said in a statement. In an interview with National Conservative Examiner, Pacquiao addressed President Obama's recent endorsement of gay marriage. "God's words...

>BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Grab audio sound bite number 24. Snerdley, listen to this. This is ABC's This Week. It's the roundtable on Sunday. Jacob Tapper was sitting in for George Stephanopoulos, who's sitting in for -- or no. Stephanopoulos, I guess, is permanent now. And Jake Tapper says to George Will, "George, is football in trouble, or is this just the media making a muck?" WILL: It's in trouble for two reasons. First of all: The human body is not built for the violence that is inherent in football at the highest level. Second: People are gonna watch football differently...

Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is a doctor now. O'Neal received his doctoral degree in education from Barry University alongside 1,100 other students during commencement ceremonies Saturday. The Miami Herald ( http://bit.ly/KCwbej) reports that O'Neal got on one knee so the chair of Barry's organizational learning and leadership program could drape a light blue hood around O'Neal's more-than-7-foot frame.

Professional football should come with a warning label. Like cigarettes, football can be hazardous to your health ... and all too frequently lately it can be fatal. If the sad truth of Junior Seau’s tragic death yesterday is that it came by his own hand, as Oceanside, Calif., police believe was the case, he is only the latest example of the ravages of a sport whose concussive demands seem to be regularly destroying its own. Only a week ago, Ray Easterling, a former defensive back with the Atlanta Falcons, took his life in similar fashion — with a handgun that...

NFL legend Junior Seau was found dead in his home in Oceanside, CA ... and a law enforcement source at the scene tells us cops believe he shot himself. Seau was 43-years-old ... and leaves behind 3 kids and an ex-wife. Cops are currently at Seau's home -- located in San Diego County -- and were seen talking with a man who was inside the house and appeared distraught.

Peyton Manning has a new home. Manning will be playing in Denver next season. This is coming from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. The Denver Broncos have signed Manning as the legendary quarterback is playing somewhere other than Indianapolis. The Colts released Manning in early March, which made him the one of the biggest names in NFL free agency history. The Broncos were the first team to get an interview with Manning and they were one of the favorite teams all throughout the process. The Broncos are taking a chance on Manning. He’s undergone four neck procedures in a short period of...

Peyton Manning spent his 14th season with the Indianapolis Colts as a spectator, the future Hall of Fame quarterback missing every game because of a lingering neck injury that required several surgeries. He will spend his 15th NFL season on another team. Manning and the Colts are parting ways, according to a report, bringing to an end the four-time MVP's career with the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 1998, then watched him start every game for 13 years. ESPN, citing sources close to the team, said the announcement will be made at a press conference Wednesday. The...

Just when cantankerous agnostics thought the NFL finale meant a respite from Tim Tebow, his prayer posture and that provocative name, “Jesus”, who pops up? NBA giant and Harvard graduate Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks crashes onto the scene wearing a wristband that declares, “In Jesus name I play” and prompting “Lin-sanity.”

Almost 80 percent of National Football League players are flirting with bankruptcy two years after they retire, according to Sports Illustrated. NBA players aren’t faring much better. 60 percent of former National Basketball Association players end up broke within five years of retirement. Athletes squander millions of dollars due to bad decisions, lavish spending and poor financial planning. Here is a list of athletes that have lost their fortunes through some of the biggest financial blunders of all time. (Read about Scottie Pippen, Evander Holyfield, Lenny Dykstra, Latrell Sprewell, John Daly, Jack Clark, Mike Tyson)

At one time, there was no more famous nor more sought-after basketball player than Allen Iverson. Dubbed "The Answer" to a Michael Jordan-less NBA, Iverson scored numerous record-setting deals and endorsements. In NBA salary alone, he earned about $154 million, according to basketball-reference.com. Now, a judge in Georgia has ordered Iverson to pay the $860,000 he apparently owes a jeweler, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The problem is, he didn't have the cash to pay the jeweler, so the judge has ordered his bank accounts commandeered and his earnings garnished. Rumors about Iverson's insolvency began as far back as 2010, when...

New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker was so upset over dropping a crucial pass late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 21-17 loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, he nearly started crying at the podium. Welker isn't going to get any pity from quarterback Tom Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, though. After her prayers for a Patriots' championship went unanswered, Bunchen lashed out at the team's receiving corps for failing to haul in her husband's passes. While waiting for an elevator at Lucas Oil Stadium, Bundchen was being heckled by Giants fans when she spoke to people in...

A rare breed just got rarer. Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina, one of the few remaining white Southern Democrats in the House, has announced he will retire rather than run in what was expected to his toughest race yet. Shuler is a leader of the so-called Blue Dog Democrats, a shrinking coalition of moderates who were known for, among other things, causing headaches for Nancy Pelosi during her years as speaker. Shuler launched a doomed bid against the California Democrat for the minority leader post in 2010. He got 43 votes. The Heisman Trophy runner-up and former Washington Redskins...

A Yale football player who said he withdrew from consideration for a Rhodes scholarship in order to prepare for his team's rivalry game against Harvard had in fact been informed his candidacy had been suspended, The New York Times reported. The Rhodes Trust had suspended quarterback Patrick Witt's candidacy when it learned, outside of official channels, that a female student had accused Witt of sexual assault in September, the newspaper reported. Witt had previously announced he had withdrawn his application because his interview for the prestigious scholarship was on the same day as Yale's game against Harvard, its ancient archrival....

Sportswriters and ballplayers have nothing in common so much as an urge to utter four favorite words: I told you so. It’s become the coin of the realm in this business. Nothing inspires such opportunistic passion as a chance to hate the doubters and doubt the haters. SNIP What happened Sunday night was more than an upset. It was more than a thrilling playoff win for the Broncos. It was an epic rebuke to Tebow’s legions of doubters. Call it Tebow 3:16... Tebow came out for the postgame presser in a knit cap and a vest, jeans and sneakers. He...

No running in the halls -- and no Tebowing either. That's what one Long Island administration said Wednesday when it suspended a group of high school athletes for replicating Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow's popular pose in the hallway at school. Jordan Fulcoly, Wayne Drexel and brothers Tyler and Connor Carroll of Riverhead High School were all handed a one-day suspension Wednesday, after three days of taking a knee with their foreheads resting on their fists, the same ...

ESPN First take remix by DJ Porter with Skip Bayless

Some of the participants in the 2011 Pan Arab Games, taking place in Qatar, were upset this weekend after discovering that a map showing “Palestine” presented its boundaries as only included Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The map was presented, along with the maps of other participating countries, at the opening ceremony of the games in Doha. The representation of “Palestine” made some of the participants furious, as they claimed that the map only showed 22% of the area of “Palestine”. The participants said that presenting “Palestine” in this way constitutes recognition of Israel and an acceptance of what they termed...

In Denver Broncos star quarterback Tim Tebow, the football gods have offered up a star that every father in America should be grateful for (provided they don’t root for a rival team in the AFC West). Tebow is respectful, wholesome, and a man of God. He has no obvious failings besides an inaccurate throwing arm. If Disney were to concoct the plot of a movie about an altogether admirable young man who joins the NFL and is scorned by all the experts for his unorthodox style, yet wins week after week, Tebow would play the lead. In fact, at this...

Computer tracking leads to arrest of football coach's wife A sharp-eyed Antioch Community High School teacher who noticed that a student's grade had been inexplicably changed sparked an investigation that ended with a fellow educator being charged with tampering with computer records. Sara Glashagel, 27, a special education teacher who is the wife of Antioch's head football coach, allegedly got hold of an administrative password and inflated the grades for 64 students — 41 of them football players, authorities said.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman was killed in a stabbing in Rotterdam, a Dutch TV station reported Monday.

(CNN) -- University of Arkansas authorities say they see no "suspicious circumstances" surrounding the death of a 19-year-old football player who was was found dead in his room Sunday. Garrett Uekman, a sophomore tight end for the Razorbacks, was found unconscious and unresponsive in his room about 11:15 a.m., the university said in a written statement Sunday afternoon. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly after noon. A roommate last saw Uekman playing video games about an hour earlier, "and he appeared to be in good health," the university said. An...

He's the model citizen, the guy you want your daughter to date, yet Tim Tebow can't help being the most polarizing figure in all of professional sports. And during the upcoming holiday shopping season, Tebow is going to get even more controversial -- once again without any action on his part. A handful of Denver fans have decided a customized Tim Tebow jersey would make for the perfect Christmas gift. What could possibly be troubling about that? A whole lot, depending on who you ask. Rather than have the last name "Tebow" on the back of the Broncos jersey, these...

A high school football coach in Wyoming has resigned after orchestrating what may be the single least appropriate motivational tactic in recent years, handing his players a "Hurt Feelings Report" in which students were asked to select from various offensive options to describe why they were upset. As first reported by the Buffalo Bulletin, Casper Star-Tribune and The Advocate before being circulated throughout the internet, Buffalo (Wyo.) High football coach Pat Lynch offered up a questionnaire to his players that offered the following possible reasons for their disappointment, as reported by The Advocate (beware in reading the following paragraph: Some...

Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was abducted by gunmen Wednesday from his home in his native Venezuela. Ramos, 24, was taken away in an SUV by four armed men in Santa Ines in central Carabobo state, Kathe Vilera, spokeswoman for the catcher's Venezuelan League team, said through her official Twitter account. "This is sad, worrisome and true that Wilson Ramos has been kidnapped," she said. Ramos was playing winter ball with the Aragua Tigers. She said the rising Major League Baseball star was kidnapped at 6:45 p.m. local time (2315 GMT) and that police have been notified. Santa Ines lies...

(CNN) -- Joe Frazier, the hard-hitting boxing heavyweight who handed the legendary Muhammad Ali his first defeat, died Monday, shortly after being diagnosed with liver cancer, his family said in a statement. The former heavyweight champion, who was 67, became a legend in his own right and personified the gritty working-class style of his hard-knuckled hometown, Philadelphia -- a fitting setting for the "Rocky" film series, starring Sylvester Stallone as hardscrabble boxer Rocky Balboa. "You could hear him coming, snorting and grunting and puffing, like a steam engine climbing a steep grade," Bill Lyon wrote in a Philadelphia Inquirer column...

So what manner of a man is this Jerry Sandusky? On Nov. 13, 1999, he received a standing ovation from a crowd of 96,480. It was the occasion of his official retirement as dean of Linebacker U's impenetrable defense. For a long, long time, he was thought to be the successor to Joe Paterno. When he finally decided to leave the fold, after 32 years of unswerving loyalty and uncommon patience, --snip-- It has been over 10 years since Sandusky left Penn State to devote all of his time to the Second Mile, a charitable organization he and his wife...

This year, we may not get to see Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers play. The people of Italy probably will. While the National Basketball Association lockout continues, Bryant is considering a deal worth $5 million for one year from the Virtus Bologna. He's not the only NBA player who might appear overseas. Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets signed a contract with the Turkish team Besiktas, worth $200,000 per month. Many more top players are jumping overseas during the work stoppage. By contrast, Bryant signed a contract on April 2, 2010, with the Lakers for $87 million,...

NBA commissioner David Stern has cancelled the first two weeks of the season after owners and players failed to reach a new labor deal and end the lockout. The crisis began on July 1 when owners locked out the players after they failed to come to terms before the expiration of the old collective bargaining agreement.

ATLANTA -- Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has left the game against the Atlanta Falcons with a neck injury after being slammed into one of his own linemen late in the third quarter. After letting go of a pass Sunday night, Vick was spun around by an Atlanta defender and slammed into right tackle Todd Herremans. The quarterback got up slowly and wobbled to the sideline, where the trainers worked on his right shoulder and neck. He also appeared to spit out blood coming off the field. Mike Kafka took over for Vick and finished a touchdown drive that gave...

KHL Players Killed In Crash A plane carrying a KHL ice hockey team crashed in western Russia, killing at least 43 people

When idiots of yore tossed slurs and epithets at sporting events, they had the sorry excuse of living in an America where segregation not only was common but also legislated. Impolite folks too ignorant to know better and too lazy to learn routinely wrapped themselves in bigotry, sparing no one, as was discovered by Jewish slugger Hank Greenberg and black pioneer Jackie Robinson. That was the 1930s and '40s and '50s, when many were denied civil rights and voting rights and the system was contaminated with the poisons of prejudice. What's the excuse now that we're supposed to be so...

A college football player was pulled off a flight and arrested because he was wearing his pants too low. Deshon Marman, 20, a University of New Mexico player was boarding a flight back to college yesterday when he was stopped because his pants were ‘below his buttocks, but above the knees, and his boxer shorts were showing’. Police said the man who was flying back to Alberqurque from home in San Francisco, California, was told by a U.S. Airways employee to pull up his pants, but he refused. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004270/Deshon-Marman-pulled-flight-arrested-wearing-baggy-pants.html#ixzz1PXq5KB9U

Tim Tebow Book “Through My Eyes� Shares Family’s Pro-Life Story by Steven Ertelt | LifeNews.com | 6/6/11 11:47 AMTim Tebow has become a star within pro-life circles — and for good reason. The popular Denver Broncos quarterback and former college football superstar and his family have become leading pro-life spokespeople thanks to their story.By now, most people are familiar with Tebow — who made his Christian faith the basis for his football success and who has inspired a generation of young people with his morals and values. Those values came in part because of the story Americans know almost...

NFL linebacker Ray Lewis and former cornerback Reggie Howard lent a helping hand to a 10-year-old Newburgh boy whose mother drowned herself and her other three children when she drove her van into the Hudson. The pair of gridiron greats joined Lashaun Armstrong last night at a Manhattan fund-raiser for the United Athletes Foundation, where some $20,000 was raised for the boy. "I like to thank the UAF for fund-raising this money for my family and I'd like to thank Ray and Reggie for being there for me and taking care of me when I need help," Lashaun said during...

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Former NBA star Allen Iverson launched an expletive-ridden tirade against police when a car belonging to him was pulled over for a traffic violation last week, at one point telling the officer, "Take the vehicle, I have 10 more," according to a police report. Iverson, 35, was a passenger in a grey Lamborghini, spied by an Atlanta officer changing lanes without signaling about 6 p.m. on March 30, according to the police report obtained by CNN. The driver, identified in the report as Antwuan Clisby, couldn't produce any documentation for the vehicle, the report said. He...

A football legend who was convicted over under age sex with a prostitute, has told an interviewer 'everybody does it', adding the case had left him 'screwed'. Ex New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who was caught paying a 16-year-old girl $300 to have sex with him in a hotel room, made the outrageous comments in a interview for Fox News last night. Taylor, 52, was sentenced yesterday to six years probation and was forced to sign the sex offenders register.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson argues that professional athletes are “modern day slaves.” “People might laugh at me for saying this, but I feel like a slave,” Peterson contended. “Sure, there’s six or seven-figure annual salaries, but what about the working conditions? We have to play outdoors most of the time—in the heat, cold, rain or even snow. Meanwhile, most of our fans are sitting at home with their feet up, snacks and drinks at hand. They’re benefiting from our suffering.” “And how many other jobs are there where 200+ lb. guys get to beat on you and it’s...

A drama class in Beginning Improvising and another in Social Dances of North America III were among dozens of classes on a closely guarded quarterly list distributed only to Stanford athletes to help them choose classes. The list, which has existed since at least 2001, was widely regarded by athletes as an easy class list. More than a quarter of the courses on the list did not fulfill university general education requirements. The classes on the list were "always chock-full of athletes and very easy A's," said Kira Maker, a soccer player who used the list her freshman year. Stanford...

Police open investigation of hit by Bruins playerBy HOWARD ULMAN, AP Sports Writer 11 hours, 30 minutes ago BOSTON (AP) - Montreal police started a criminal investigation Thursday into the on-ice hit by Boston’s Zdeno Chara that left the Canadiens’ Max Pacioretty with a severe concussion and cracked vertebra. Police said they are acting on a request by Quebec’s director of criminal and penal prosecutions, Louis Dionne. After evidence is collected, it will be determined if there are grounds for prosecution, they said. But Pacioretty said he doesn’t want Chara prosecuted. “I sincerely appreciate all of the support that I...

GREEN BAY - Charles Woodson has become the latest Green Bay Packer to lend his support to state union employees. The cornerback said Sunday he's honored to stand with working families of Wisconsin and organized labor. Tens of thousands of people have been protesting a measure by Republican Gov. Scott Walker that would end collective bargaining rights for nearly all public employees. Woodson says hardworking people including teachers and nurses are under ``an unprecedented attack'' to take away their basic rights. He says as a member of the NFL Players Association he's proud to stand with them. He joins seven...

When it became apparent that his opponent in the state tournament wrestling match would be a girl., e would be facing off against a girl, Joel Northrup, forfeited his match to her.  As a Christian, Joel is serious about his faith, and so he could not in good conscience wrestle with a  girl due to the manner in which a wrestler must grapple with their opponent. If only we had more boys raised to respect the fairer sex as much as Joel has been.   His parents are homeschooling him. but he has been allowed to wrestle with the Lin-Mar...

The Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers met in the Super Bowl two days ago, and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers won the MVP Award for his great play. The game also featured the induction of a number of former NFL greats into the Hall of Fame, as well as celebrities and statesmen from all over the country. It was the perfect time to give out the key to the city to some deserving philanthropist, such as … Michael Vick? As it happens, one of the people attending this ceremony was not a wayward child but the caretaker of one...

FOX Rejects “John 3:16” Super Bowl Ad http://www.thenewamerican.com As FOX Network puts the finishing touches on its advertisement lineup for the February 6th Super Bowl — arguably as popular a part of the evening as the game itself — one thing is certain: just about any thing will be permissible in the way of sex, sleaze, and crude humor. Apparently, however, one type of ad will not be permitted: those promoting positive values and faith in God. Following last year’s media furor over a Focus on the Family-sponsored pro-life spot during the Super Bowl featuring Christian football phenomenon Tim Tebow...

Competitive, elite athletes and sports trainers know that subtle changes in pH can have profound effects on the overall health, feeling of wellness, level of fatigue, pain, weight, ability to train and athletic performance. Muscles work best in a narrow range of Ph. At rest, muscle pH is about 6.9, while arterial blood is about 7.4. When we exercise, the increased use of muscle glycogen for energy produces lactic acid, pyruvic acid, and CO2, which decreases muscle pH. The harder you exercise the quicker your muscles become acidic which leads to fatigue. Accumulation of acid also limits the production of...

The commentary about President Obama's call to the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles regarding that adjudicated dog killer Michael Vick has now reached an apogee of stupidity that strongly suggest that too many otherwise smart people have lost their ability to reason. Obama, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie recounted, said, "'So many people who serve time never get a fair second chance.' He said, 'It's never a level playing field for prisoners when they get out of jail.' And he was happy that we did something on such a national stage that showed our faith in giving someone a second chance...

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is having a phenomenal season, of course, but he’s still a divisive figure. Some credit him for making the most of another chance following his prison sentence, while others still can’t bring themselves to forgive Vick for the suffering he inflicted on innocent dogs. But according to information reported last night by Peter King of Sports Illustrated, Vick has at least one supporter in high places: President Barack Obama. Obama, it seems, is squarely in the “credit Vick for making good on another chance” camp. King said last night that Obama called Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie...

Don Meredith, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who served as a folksy foil for Howard Cosell on ABC's ''Monday Night Football'' and helped carve out the niche for colorful ex-athlete broadcasters, has died. ''Dandy Don,'' as he was known, was 72. Meredith's wife, Susan, told The Associated Press her husband died Sunday in Santa Fe after suffering a brain hemorrhage and lapsing into a coma. She and her daughter were at Meredith's side when he died. ''He was the best there was,'' she said Monday, describing him as kind, warm and funny. ''We lost a good one.''

Agent: $78M deal for Donovan McNabb ESPN.com news services The Washington Redskins and quarterback Donovan McNabb have agreed to a contract extension. McNabb's agent, Fletcher Smith, told The Associated Press that the extension is worth $78 million over five years, with $40 million of the deal guaranteed. A source told ESPN NFL Insider Michael Smith, who first reported the agreement, that McNabb's contract could be worth $88 million if incentives in the contract are reached. McNabb, who will turn 34 later this month, agreed to an extension just two weeks after he was benched at the end of a loss...