You Guys Voted....

...and because of all of those wonderful votes, Hardwood Diva won the popular vote for Best Sports Blog in the 2010 Black Weblog Awards.

O...M...G!!!!!!!  I still can't believe it.  It's so unreal.  Seven short months after my dream of sharing my sports musings with the world came true, I have been recognized for it.  Thank all of you so much.  I feel like such a special young lady.

And don't forget...I've got something very cool coming up for Hardwood Diva...and all of you guys.  Just a few more days ;-)

College Football Starts NOW!!

Oh yes....the day I've been waiting for: football is back!!  And first up we've got college football.  I adore college football, as its what got me really paying attention to the game.  My years at ASU made me a supremely crazed college football fan (hence the pic with my Devils hat and pitchfork).

Tonight's games include Marshall vs. 2 Ohio State, Florida A&M vs. 13 U Miami(FL), Hawaii vs 14 USC, and 15 Pitt vs. Utah.  Though normally with early season, non-conference games you see ridiculous match-ups, I am loving that some of the bigger schools are stepping up the levels of competition they're playing.  Though most of the ranked teams are most likely going to win, I'm sure these games will be super entertaining.

Personally, as a Pac-10 girl, I want to see Hawaii vs 14 USC.  Due to the crazy nature of this year's off season, USC isn't expected to do much.  However I'm really interested in how they fair against a crazy offense like Hawaii is always known to have.

This is going to be a great weekend.  College football, and my little cousin will be starting his first year of high school football this weekend too.  He's a defensive starter on JV in his first year, and is a special teams starter for the varsity squad.  I'll take lots of pics to share :-)

Big Ten Split

Big changes are a-coming to the Big Ten.  And Ohio State and Michigan fans are taking notice.

Clemens Indicted, Pleads Not Guilty

Over a week ago, Roger Clemens was indicted by a federal grand jury on perjury charges.  The charges stemmed from his testimony in front of Congress in February 2008 where he testified to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that he had never taken steroids or human growth hormone(HGH).

Today, Clemens went in front of a federal judge in U.S. District Court and plead not guilty to the charges of lying.  If convicted on the 6-count indictment, the famed pitcher could face up to 30 years(highly unlikely even if convicted) and a $1.5 million fine.

The Dreaded One Heading to Chi-Town

The Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup just got a little less entertaining.  The always laughable Manny Ramirez is officially on his way out of town.  The 12-time All Star is heading to the Chicago White Sox.  He will be joining the team Tuesday after the team claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers.

Due to his recent injury history, Manny will likely become the designated hitter in Chi-Town.  Ramirez has a pretty good batting average(.311) this season however he's played in only 66 games.

Ramirez had become a fan favorite in Los Angeles during his stint with the Dodgers.  Trust me, as a So Cal native I can't tell you how many Man Ram Halloween costumes I saw last year.  They loved him out here.  Its definitely going to be sad to see him go.  However him joining Ozzie Guillen will be instant TV gold.  I can't freakin' wait!!!

Stephen Strasburg and Tommy John

Looks as if Stephen Strasburg's inaugural season has come to an end.  After leaving with a bit of soreness in his elbow, it was learned early today that Strasburg has a torn ligament in his right elbow and will likely need Tommy John surgery.  The surgery could keep him out of the game for 12-18 months.  In other words, not only will he miss the rest of this season but he would be out for 2011 also.  

Man....this is NOT what the Washington Nationals want to hear right now.  They were literally banking on this kid at pitcher and the new hitter they brought in with the first pick of this year's draft.  It has been estimated that in his couple of months of play this season the Nationals made a cool $7 million off Strasburg alone.

Though I know Tommy John surgery is quite invasive and very extensive, I do know its not looked at the way it once was.  Its not the career-ending surgery that it used to be.  Many pitchers have come back from it.  This is evident as 9 of the pitchers in this year's All Star Game had Tommy John surgery at some point in their career.  

So this isn't the end for Strasburg...just a...setback.

Preseason Quarterback Clinic

It was a battle of some of the NFL's elite (and up-and-coming) quarterbacks Thursday night, and the four of them did not disappoint.  Sam Bradford, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers all showed why their teams have them at number 1.

In the first game, Sam Bradford got his first start as an NFL quarterback.  It didn't help that he was going up against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.  However, Bradford proved why he had been picked as the #1 draft pick by the St. Louis Rams.  The former Oklahoma QB put in a more-than-solid performance in a preseason win by the Rams.  He finished 15-of-22 for 189 yards with two touchdowns, and was only sacked once.  It seems once he knew the offense was his he was able to move them up and down the field like his Sooner days.

Tom Brady, though the only bright spot for the Patriots, put in a stellar performance myself.  Brady was 18-of-22 for 273 yards with three touchdowns, two of which went to rookie TE Rob Gronkowski.

In the second game of the evening, Aaron Rodgers was more than just impressive...he was outstanding.  Heck even backup QB Matt Flynn did great.  The Packers hung 59 points on the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts.  The way their offense was clicking it would be hard pressed not to include them in preseason talks of possible Super Bowl contenders in the NFC.  Rodgers was 21-of-29 for 195 yards with 3 touchdowns.  Through three preseason games, he has completed 77.4 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and no interceptions.  Sure the Packs' organization is pretty happy they made the decision to stick to their guns and with Rodgers when Favre originally retired.  Rodgers had the perfect amount of time to study under a great, and now with his third season as Packers starting QB he is poised to move his team much further in the postseason.

Last night is the reason preseason can be exciting.

Is Tiger Back?

Even though it was only the first round, Tiger Woods looked to be in top form at The Barclays Thursday.  Woods shot a very impressive 65, leaving him 6 shots under par, and atop the leaderboard after the first round.  He was hitting the ball like we had become used to in years past, and was putting like the Tiger of old.

Though Tiger wouldn't comment on it, I do believe this has a lot to do with the events of this week that have occurred in his personal life.  I know a divorce being finalized sucks, but I do believe it also offers a bit of closure and can be a weight lifted.  Now Tiger can focus on two things: his children and golf.

I'll keep you guys updated on his progress throughout the weekend.

Rondo Withdraws

Before Team USA basketball officials had the chance to make the final cut, guard Rajon Rondo made the decision to withdraw from the team.  Among those currently following Team USA in Europe, its been obvious as of late that Rondo's style of play wasn't really fitting in.  With the improved play of Derrick Rose, and the large amount of guards on the team, Rondo was seeing fewer minutes.  So he made the decision to withdraw himself before he was cut.

Sad to see him go out that way...but at least he recognized its about team...not self.

NFL Tidbits

• New York Jets and C Nick Mangold sign contract extension making Mangold the highest paid center in the league.  The seven-year deal with Mangold, worth an estimated $55 million, became the priority of the Jets a couple weeks ago when the Jets began having major issues with the Revis deal. However we are hearing that a Revis deal could still be coming in the next few days.  
• Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco was fined $25,000 Tuesday for tweeting during the restricted time before and during the Bengals preseason game vs. the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday evening.  Technically the fine was for two infractions -- possessing an electronic device and posting to a social network during a game.  Ochocinco posted twice, one right before the game and the second during the game.  The 2nd made mention to a pretty hard hit the WR received while going across the middle for a pass from Carson Palmer.
• The Minnesota Vikings' receiving corps took another serious hit Monday when it was reported that WR Sidney Rice underwent surgery to repair his injured hip in Colorado.  The recovery could leave him unavailable for play until the 8th game of the season.  Rice's hip was injured during last season's playoffs and had been bothering him all offseason.  However he wanted to put off surgery for as long as possible.  The hip wasn't getting any better so after consulting several doctors, the decision was made to have the surgery now and at least be available for half of the season.  With WR Percy Harvin's migraines of major concern the last few days, the offense is very concerned.
• In related news, Vikings QB Brett Favre will now be joined in Minnesota by former teammate WR Javon Walker.  Favre and Walker played together in Green Bay.  The relationship was interesting to say the least but something tells me this move wasn't made without Brett's consent.  Guess when your receiving corps is slowing deteriorating you must take available receivers...even if you guys tend have differing opinions.