Ron Artest has signed a mid-level exception to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Artest will receive $18 million over three years.

Artest is a skilled enforcer that mixed it up with Lakers star Kobe Bryant on multiple occassions during the 2009 NBA Playoffs. He will add an extra toughness as the Lakers try to defend their championship.

This comes on the day we learned that the Lakers weren’t interesting in giving forward Trevor Ariza more than the same mid-level exception.  Ariza has signed a new deal to play with the Houston Rockets.

So basically the Rockets traded Artest to the Lakers for Ariza.  Perhaps it will be a win-win for both, but for now I am going to chalk this one up as an advantage to the Lakers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were also interested in signing Artest.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers held a press conference today to introduce Shaquille O’Neal to the local media and fans.  Shaq had a little gift for Cavs GM Danny Ferry, who played in the league for several years and several teams, at the presser.

Shaq brought a photo of himself (see below) and Ferry in a very compromising position from Ferry’s playing days.  Shaq likely brought it as a very public reminder so that Ferry would remember who is the boss at the end of the day.

The gesture could also be interpreted several other ways, especially if the acquisition of O’Neal turns out to be a bust for LeBron James’ title hopes.

The Cavs traded Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to the Phoenix Suns on June 24, 2009 for the future hall-of-famer.

Former Yankee player Jim Leyritz was arrested after beating up and dragging his ex-wife Karrie Leyritz out of bed because she had written a check without his permission early Thursday (June 2).

Karrie fled to the neighbor’s house for help and her ex-husband was only arrested later since he wasn’t at the home when cops arrived. Jim, who should be arraigned today, claims his ex-wife was drunk and hurt herself to frame him – something that was confirmed by one of their three kids – because he tried to evict her from the house they still share.

This incident occurred just a couple of month before Jim is to stand trial on charges of causing a fatal crash while driving drunk back in December 2007. The 45 year-old former catcher says he is still tormented by the death of Fredia Ann Veitch, victim of the crash.

Karrie & Jim Leyritz Pictures

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Former boxing champion, Alexis Arguello, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the chest at his home today (July 1), according to The La Prensa newspaper. The 57 year-old boxer, also known as “The Explosive Thin Man” retired after several comebacks in 1995 with a record of 82-8 with 65 knockouts and inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

Alexis was the current Mayor of Managua in Nicaragua. “We are upset,” said Presidential spokeswoman Rosario Murillo, who declined to provide details about the death. “This is a heartbreaking announcement. He was the champion of the poor, an example of forgiveness and reconciliation.”

Alexis Arguello Pictures

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Golf Champion Tiger Woods’ nice, Cheyenne Woods, made her professional debut on Saturday (June 27) at the Wegmans LPGA in Rochester after receiving a sponsor’s exemption. The 18 year-old golfer did not make the cut finishing at 5-over 149 — four strokes above the cutline – but she is ready to make a name for herself.

Cheyenne said: “There is the expectation of ‘Woods. I’ve grown up with it. I’m used to having the title and seeing the headlines read ‘Tiger Woods’ niece.’ But I also want to make a name for myself.”

“My goal was to make the cut, but I thought I played well for the most part,” she said, masking her disappointment with a smile similar to her famous uncle’s. “I was … comfortable out there and then, I don’t know, I just had a lot of fun and just tried to take in the moment.”

A freshman on the highly ranked Wake Forest University women’s golf team, Golfweek ranks Cheyenne at No. 100 out of 2000 female college golfers. Cheyenne is the daughter of Earl Woods Jr., Tiger’s half brother. The young golfer was taught how to play by the same man who taught Tiger everything he knows, her grandfather and Tiger’s dad, the late Earl Woods Sr..

Cheyenne Woods Pictures

Wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife Nancy Benoit, also a former wrestler, and his son then hung himself at their suburban Atlanta home back in 2007. Nude photos of Nancy taken more than 20 years ago were published on Hustler Magazine after her death.

Nancy Benoit’s family filed a federal lawsuit against the Larry Flynt Publishing Group where they claimed the former model and wrestler had asked the photographer to destroy the images immediately after they were shot.

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday (June 25) that Hustler Magazine didn’t have the right to publish decades-old nude photographs. “These private, nude photographs were not incident to a newsworthy article; rather, the brief biography was incident to the photographs,” Judge Charles Wilson wrote in the opinion.

The highly touted and mysterious Ricky Rubio was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick at the 2009 NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.  We couldn’t help to notice the resemblance between the 18-year old Spaniard and the great ‘Teen Wolf.’

As we all know Scott ‘Teen Wolf’ Howard is the greatest basketball player of all-time.  For real, go back and watch the 1985 film sometime that stars Michael J. Fox in the title role.

If Rubio has half the talent and verticl of Howard then he will go down as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

NBA DRAFT FIRST ROUND RESULTS

1. Los Angeles Clippers - Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) PF
2. Memphis Grizzlies - Hasheem Thabeet (UConn) C
3. Oklahoma City Thunder - James Harden (Arizona State) SG
4. Sacramento Kings - Tyreke Evans (Memphis) SG
5. Minnesota Timberwolves - Ricky Rubio (Spain) PG
6. Minnesota Timberwolves - Jonny Flynn (Syracuse) PG
7. Golden State Warriors - Stephen Curry (Davidson) PG
8. New York Knicks - Jordan Hill (Arizona) PF
9. Toronto Raptors - DeMar DeRozan (USC) SG
10. Milwaukee Bucks - Brandon Jennings (Europe) PG
11. New Jersey Nets - Terrence Williams (Louisville) SF
12. Charlotte Bobcats - Gerald Henderson (Duke) SG/SF
13. Indiana Pacers - Tyler Hansbrough (UNC) PF
14. Phoenix Suns - Earl Clark (Louisville) PF
15. Detroit Pistons - Austin Daye (Gonzaga) SF
16. Chicago Bulls - James Johnson (Wake Forest) PF
17. Philadelphia 76ers - Jrue Holliday (UCLA) PG
18. Minnesota Timberwolves - Ty Lawson (UNC) PG
19. Atlanta Hawks - Jeff Teague (Wake Forest) PG
20. Utah Jazz - Eric Maynor (VCU) PG
21. New Orleans Hornets - Darren Collison (UCLA) PG
22. Portland Trailblazers - Victor Claver (Spain) SF
23. Sacramento Kings - Omri Casspi (Israel) PF
24. Dallas Mavericks - B.J. Mullens (Ohio State) C
25. Oklahoma City Thunder - Rodrique Beaubois (France) PG
26. Chicago Bulls - Taj Gibson (USC) PF
27. Memphis Grizzlies - DeMarre Carroll (Missouri) SF/PF
28. Minnesota Timberwolves - Wayne Ellington (UNC) SG
29. Los Angeles Lakers - Toney Douglas (Florida State) PG
30. Cleveland Cavaliers - Christian Eyenga (Congo) SG

Join us tonight for live coverage (blog/chat) of the 2009 NBA Draft that will start at 8pm EDT. You will be able to post your thoughts, predictions, questions, and thoughts on the draft as they happen.

Legendary Iowa high school football coach Ed Thomas, legendary high school football coach from Aplington-Parkersburg High in Iowa, was shot and killed inside the weight room early Wednesday morning around 8:00am local time.

24-year old Mark Becker has been identified by police as the gunman.  Becker is a former student and football player at Aplington under Thomas.

Thomas was shot multiple times just before 8 a.m. local time, authorities said. About 50 students were in the school, including several in the weight room, at the time. School was not in session, and no one else was injured in the attack.

Becker had been arrested over the weekend and placed for a short time in a mental ward after leading cops in a wild car chase on Saturday night.

Coach Thomas had sent several players to the NFL and was named the 2005 NFL High School Coach of the Year. He had a career winning record of 292-84 in his 37 year career as a high school coach.

ESPN is reporting that the Phoenix Suns have traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic.

The move will give LeBron James and the Cavs a much needed powerful low post scorer in O’Neal. For the Suns the trade is purely a salary dump that will save them close to $10 million dollars for next season (when luxury tax savings is included).

Shaquille made $21 million dollars in 2009. He rejuvinated his career with 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Suns. He has won four NBA Championships and the Cavs will be his 5th team he has played for.

Wallace quit trying once he was rewarded with a huge contract with the Bulls three years ago. Pavlovic has never been much of a NBA player.

The LSU Tigers won their 6th National Baseball Championship on Wednesday night when they beat the Texas Longhorns 11-4 to win the College World Series 2 games to 1.

Aplington-Parkersburg athletic director/football coach Ed Thomas was shot and died shortly after arriving at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo on Wednesday morning (June 24).

Thomas was shot in the head at point-blank range in the school’s weight room where players were working out in preparation for this fall’s season between 8 and 8:30 a.m. There were about 50 students at the school when it happened but none were injured.

According to authorities, the gunman, who is reportedly not a current student, was captured shortly after the shooting, and is being held at the Butler County jail.

Thomas, who just finished his 37th season of coaching, was honored as the NFL High School Coach of the Year in 2005. Four of his former players are in the NFL, including Green Bay’s Aaron Kampman, Jacksonville’s Brad Meester, Detroit’s Jared DeVries and Denver’s Casey Wiegmann. In his career, Thomas wracked up 292 wins with only 84 losses, a 78 percent winning percentage which makes him eighth on the all-time list of Iowa football coaches.

UPDATE:  24-year old Mark Becker has been identified by police as the gunman.  Becker is a former student and football player at Aplington under Thomas.

Thomas was shot multiple times just before 8 a.m. local time, authorities said. About 50 students were in the school, including several in the weight room, at the time. School was not in session, and no one else was injured in the attack.

Becker had been arrested over the weekend and placed for a short time in a mental ward after leading cops in a wild car chase on Saturday night.

Ed Thomas Pictures

Beth Smith, wife of professional golfer Chris Smith who has been competing on the PGA tour since 1991, was reportedly killed in a car accident when her sport utility vehicle collided with a Greyhound bus transporting a Canadian semipro football team.

Beth and Chris’ two children, Abigail and Cameron Smith are in a critical condition at Fort Wayne’s Lutheran Hospital. There is no more information at the current time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

Former professional mountain bike rider, Melissa “Missy” Giove, and Eric Canori have been arrested on charges of conspiring to possess and distribute marijuana (almost 400 pounds of pot!!). Missy and Eric can face up to 40 years in jail and a fine up to $2 million.

A DEA Special Agent said, “(Drug) trafficking can lead you downhill fast. From championship mountain biking to street level drug dealing, the only reason people turn to drug trafficking is to make a profit from the sale of illicit narcotics.

“DEA and our law enforcement partners successfully put the brakes on this drug trafficking organization and put them out of business.”

Melissa, nicknamed “The Missile” for her aggressive riding style, has won the World Cup titles in ’97 and 98’, national titles from 1999 to 2001 and finally retired from downhill racing in 2003.

Melissa Missy Giove Pictures

Raunchy comedian Artie Lange was just that Monday night on the debut episode of ‘Joe Buck Live,’ the new HBO Sports show hosted by sports announcer Joe Buck.  Lange was brash, rude, and coarse with Buck, but that is who Artie Lange is as a celebrity.

When Buck joked that his favorite Web site was TMZ.com, Lange pounced. He asked Buck, “What’s your second favorite?” and then created his own URL involving a sex act that we can’t print here. The onslaught never stopped. “Is that it? Lange asked, near the end of the show. “Because that’s what the president of HBO will be telling you soon.”

When I saw the previews for ‘Joe Buck Live’ yesterdayI asked on Twitter if anyone else found Buck as annoying and bad at his job as I do.  I guess if Lange was a follower he would have responded in all caps with agreement.

It is only fitting that Buck got roasted on the first night of his show by Artie.  Even the loose execs at HBO Sports almost admitted that it was over the line.

HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said Lange “bordered on bad taste” and had a “mean-spirited” tone. Greenburg said the segment made him uncomfortable at times, but he hoped that the Favre interview (which Buck handled very well) would be the story that carried the day. “This feels like they are not going to be too complementary to his [Lange's] appearance, just judging from the reaction of the crowd. But it really is the public’s judgment. Live television is all about risk-reward and we knew who Artie Lange was when he was booked. There was a certain degree of a risk factor where he would go and where he would take us.”

At least HBO manned up to admit that they knew what they were getting when they booked Lange for the show.  If you really want your debut episode to be a hit then you probably shouldn’t book the foul-mouthed Lange unless you are attempting to duplicate the Howard Stern show.

Other guests on Monday’s show included Chad Ochocinco, Michael Irvin, David Wright, Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, and an interview with Brett Favre where the legendary quarterback admitted that he is in talks with the Minnesota Vikings about returning this year.

The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2009 NBA Finals on Sunday night in Game 5 against the Orlando Magic. The championship title is the 15th overall for the Lakers in their storied history.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to the championship and was named MVP of the Finals.

“It felt like a big old monkey was off my back,” Bryant said. “It felt so good to be able to have this moment. We tried not to envision it too much because you just get too excited. You try not to think about it, just think about playing the game, and for this moment to be here and to reflect back on the season and everything that you’ve been through, it’s the top of the list, man.”

Many will remember the 2009 NBA Finals for Derek Fisher’s two clutch shots in Game 4, the great defensive play of Trevor Ariza, the coming out party of Pau Gasol, and the inspired play of Lamar Odom.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson made history by winning his 10th championship. He was previously tied with the late Red Auerbach with nine.

The 15th title for the Lakers is second most in NBA history. The Boston Celtics, with 17 titles, have the most overall.

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 on Friday night to win NHL’s Lord Stanley Cup in seven games.

Max Talbot scored both goals for the Penguins in the second period.  The score was 2-0 before Detroit scored in the final period to make it 2-1 on a goal by Jonathan Ericsson.

Marc-Andre Fleur was great in goal with 23 saves.  Penguins star Sidney Crosby was injured during the game and didn’t return.

Paris Hilton certainly did not waste any time! After dumping Doug Reinhardt, the socialite was seen getting close and personal with Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo.

Paris and sister Nicky Hilton were having fun at the My House nightclub in Hollywood, when Paris was approached by the soccer player who reportedly had been staring at her all night before he finally went up to her. The two quickly started to make out at the club (photos) and finally ended the night at Nicky’s house (watch video below).

Nereida Gallardo, a Spanish model, was the last very public girlfriend of the 24 year-old soccer player that was just transferred from Manchester United (England) to Real Madrid (Spain) by a record transfer fee of $131 million.

Paris Hilton & Cristiano Ronaldo Makeout Photos

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Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has had a really bad last few weeks.  Now comes a photo of Rose flashing gang signs while he was still in college at Memphis.  Unlike his earlier troubles last month, Rose was quick to issue a statement distancing himself from his gesture and claiming it was a joke gone wrong.

Derrick Rose’s Statement Regarding Flashing Gang Signs in Photo

Recently, a photo has been circulating on the Internet which appears to depict me flashing a gang sign.

This photo of me was taken at a party I attended in Memphis while I was in school there, and was meant as a joke…a bad one, I now admit. I want to emphatically state, now and forever, that Derrick Rose is anti-gang, anti-drug, and anti-violence.

I am not, nor have I ever been, affiliated with any gang and I can’t speak loudly enough against gang violence, and the things that gangs represent.

In posing for this picture, I am guilty of being young, naive and of using extremely poor judgment.

I sincerely apologize to all my fans for my mistake. I pride myself on being a good citizen, and role model, that young people can look up to and I want to urge all my young fans to stay away from gangs and gang-related activities.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the sign Rose flashed is for The Gangster Disciples gang that is heavily rooted in Rose’s Englewood hood in Chicago.

The Gangster Disciples, a large criminal organization with tens of thousands of members, are deeply involved in Chicago’s violent narcotics trade. Gangster Disciples long have been the predominant gang in the Englewood neighborhood.

Former Memphis teammate and potential 2009 NBA Draft pick Antonio Anderson can clearly be seen behind Rose flashing up gang signs as well.

Earlier this month, it was released that Rose was the reason his college team, the University of Memphis, currently finds itself in hot water with the NCAA, over Rose’s alleged cheating on the SAT admission test.

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