Tar Heels Slide Past the Badgers

Photo Credit: North Carolina Basketball: February 6, 2011

     On November 30, 2011, the North Carolina Tar Heels slid past the Wisconsin Badgers with a three point win, winning the game 60 to 57. 6' 8'' sophomore Harrison Barnes scored 20 of the Tar Heels points, 10 of them in the second half to help North Carolina rally past Wisconsin. 6' 11'' junior forward John Henson added 17 rebounds, along with 8 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 5 blocks.
     Tyler Zeller, 7 foot senior forward had 12 points on the night, along with 7 rebounds. Harrison Barnes also had 3 rebounds and 1 steal to go along with his 20 points.
     The Badgers made the Tar Heels work for their shots. They repeatedly made them defend into the final seconds of the shot clock. But North Carolina -- which despite the NBA potential on its front line had been out rebounded three times this season -- responded by controlling the boards behind Henson, finishing with a 42-29 advantage against a team that had out rebounded opponents by an average of 14 per game.
     The Badgers came in holding teams to 39 points and 31 percent shooting, and they held the Tar Heels to 42 percent in this one. That included a 6-minute scoreless stretch in the first half, but the Badgers didn't fare any better (36 percent) and couldn't knock down the 3-point shots that would have brought even more stress to the blue-clad crowd.




For more information on this story, go here.


Ben Rieden (Pop-Tart)

Former Penn State Coach Sandusky Accused for Sexually Abusing Boys

Coach Mike McQueary.
Photo courtesy to Chris Gardner/Getty Images

     Former assistant coach of Penn State, Jerry Sandusky, has abused this boy more than hundred times. Sandusky threatened the boy's family in order to keep him quiet. He was accused on Wednesday by a new accuser who is not apart of the criminal case yet. Twenty nine year old John Doe, who has kept quiet until Sandusky was charged later for abusing other boys. The lawsuit states that Doe was abused by Sandusky in 1992, when Doe was just ten years old until 1996, when Doe was fourteen. Doe said that he felt even worse because other boys besides him were also abused. Sandusky's lawyer, Jeff Anderson, says that Sandusky cannot control his impulses towards children. He criticized the people who were suspicious, but did not stop Sandusky. Sandusky claims that he has showered with the boys, but has not molested them. The man who filed the lawsuit said that Sandusky gave him gifts in 1992, and started abusing the man shortly afterwards. Anderson, the lawyer, said that the sexual abuse stopped after a while because Sanduksy was not interested in the boy after he was an elder teen. Sandusky was charged earlier in November for the abuse of eight other boys. The lawsuit wants $400,000 from Sandusky from the acts of sexual abuse and other claims. For more information, please read this article.

By Chopsticks (Ben Y.)

Drogba Rejects Chealsea's Offer

GettyImages

Drogba is into the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge, and at  age 33 it's believed he will walk away from Chelsea. The amazing forward has spent over seven years with the "Blues" and has been offered the chance, potentially, to see out his career in west London. Didier Drogba has turned down a new one-year deal with Chelsea, and his agent has revealed the Ivorian will "go where he is offered the most money".AC Milan came in for Didier on loan with an option to buy but I said 'no' straight away. Their offer did not interest us. At Didier's age, he has nothing left to prove as a player. He will go where he is offered the most money. It could be the United States, Russia, Qatar or somewhere else in Asia.

“Once you are well into your thirties, you have to go to a club where you can be certain you'll be able to pay your bills. LA Galaxy is a possibility among many others. He has been linked with Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia, as they pay well”, Says Drogba.

Didier has had the offer of a one-year extension from Chelsea. That does not suit us," Thierno Seydi told The Sun. "We know what we want, where we want to go and what offers we have.

Click here for more information. 

By Burrito (Kevin)  

Goodbye to A&M!

Getty Images
Justin Tucker celebrates with his teammates 

     In a fitting ending for the 118 year Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, the Texas Longhorns stunned a packed Kyle Field by winning the final conference game between the two rivals. Justin Tucker, who had been criticized throughout the game for his short punts, redeemed himself by kicking the game winning field goal as time expired. This field goal lifted Texas up to win 27-25.
     Although Texas came up with the win, both teams played well in different halves. Texas A&M dominated the first half. They scored on their first possession and held Texas to a 3 and out on their first six out of seven possessions. It seemed as if A&M was going to blowout Texas as the Aggie crowd roared with excitement. Then, a trick play was called in which Jaxon Shipley threw a perfect pass to tight end Blaine Irby, who took it into the end zone for a Texas touchdown.
     At halftime, A&M led 16-7, but the second half nightmares that had haunted A&M throughout the season returned during the worst game possible. Texas came back by scoring 17 unanswered points in the third quarter alone. A&M made a comeback, scoring a field goal and a touchdown in the 4th quarter, but their two point conversion failed, giving Texas the opportunity to win on a field goal.
     This game will probably be remembered by Longhorn and Aggie fans for a long time. Longhorn fans have bragged that Texas will always be superior, while the Aggies have complained that a sketchy personal foul flag gave Texas the win. Either way, this was one of the most exciting games I have seen in a while, and it will certainly be remembered.

Read this article from HornsNation to see a Longhorn perspective.

By Taco (Myka)

Kevin lead and Nut graph

Her name is Hannah Rieden. She’s the best of the best, no one is ever going to stop her. She goes hard until the finish. She has won district in cross-country every year. For track she has qualified two years. She has won district in the 800 meter in track for the past two years.
She was born in Austin, Texas. She plays three different soccer, track, and cross-country. She is superior at all three of them. She is also plays basketball on her free time, against her brother Ben. She use to play basketball in middle school for the Kealing Hornets.

Lead/Nut Graph for Feature Story

He’s been called many things. Some call him an algebra teacher. Some call him a hero. He’s the man behind the glasses. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Thomas Spurgeon.

Born and raised in South Indiana, Mr. Spurgeon moved to Austin because it reminded him of his hometown. He coached for three different high schools, earning coach of the year 8 times. After injuring himself in a 10K run, he decided to stop coaching and become an algebra teacher.

Ben Rieden (Pop-Tart)

Ben Y Lead

“Wrist control” is screamed by the people on the sideline. The man in black listens and grasps his adversary’s arm with the tightness of a panic inducing strangle. The man wearing a purple singlet feels the loss of balance due to the opponent’s lightning fast head-and-arm take down throw. Shoulder blades almost touching the dull black mat, the man in purple struggles. But using the force applied by the wrestler in black, the purple wrestler flips his foe one-hundred eighty degrees. Sweat of the wrestlers are mixed and smeared all over. He pinned the enemy and won his match, but too bad it was only a drill.
Freshmen Joel and Noe are wrestlers at LBJ, but Joel is a boy and Noe is a girl. Their different opinions and genders may influence then to think differently about wrestling.

Myka Rodriguez Lead and Nut Graph

Lead

The air was humid and the sun was hot. Sweat dripped down the back of people’s necks as they chugged down the last of their bottled water. Wives and children sat anxiously at the edge of their lawn chairs. Some players laughed at jokes as they sipped from their beer cans and chewed on their tobacco. Others threw a softball around and stretched their legs. Even in the hot and humid weather, these athletes are still dedicated to playing the sport they love: softball. But they aren’t just any other athletes. They’re firefighters from across the state of Texas competing in the annual Texas Firefighter Olympics.

Nut Graph

The Texas Firefighter Olympics is an event held annually where firefighters from across the state of Texas come to compete in a variety of sports from soccer, basketball, and power lifting, to bowling, Texas Hold ‘Em, and horseshoes. This event helps to create bonding across the state, and is coordinated by firefighters themselves.

Former Hall of Famer Forrest Gregg Diagnosed with Parkinson's

Forrest Gregg.
Photo Courtesy: Mark Lyons

     Seventy-eight year old, Forrest Gregg, nicknamed the "Iron Man" was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is basically when cells are not producing enough in the central nervous system. A more advanced explanation would be that patients would lose brain cells that produce dopamine (one of the chemical keys that allows you to move your muscles). It was named after the doctor James Parkinson, who found the disease.
     Gregg has some of the common symptoms such as hand tremors (the shaking of the hands unwillingly), a stooped posture (looks like your hunched), a shortened stride and soften voice. Sadly, there is currently no sure for Parkinson's disease, but with drugs, exercise and physical therapy, one can delay the effects of the disease. More than five million people worldwide have Parkinson's and when you are one of them, it would be devastating. I know it was for Gregg because Parkinson's gives him a major challenge for himself and also for his family. Gregg's neurologist, Rajeev Kumar, thinks the cause of the disease is the mass amounts of concussions Gregg has received during his football career.
     Gregg has fought and defeated melanoma (the most dangerous type of skin cancer, and it is the leading cause of death from it), and colon cancer (cancer that starts in the large intestine or rectum) ,too. I think Gregg will be able to overcome this disease despite his age because he has lived through other disastrous diseases. For more information on the topic, please go to this article.

By Chopsticks (Ben Yang)

Fozzy Whittaker Out For Season

(September 2, 2011 - Photo by Erich Schlegel/Getty Images North America)

     Fozzy Whittaker, a senior for the University of Texas Longhorns football team, is out for the season. He played running back and kick returner and suffered a season-ending injury during the Missouri game this Saturday. The Longhorns lost the game 5-17.
     Fozzy Whittaker was more than just an outstanding player. He had amazing character and leadership. When senior safety Blake Gideon heard that Fozzy would not be able to return for the remainder of the season, it brought him to tears. That is an example of how much of an impact and inflluence Fozzy Whittaker had on the Longhorns football team.
     "He would lay down in the street for any one of us. The type of guy that he is … the type of character that Fozzy has and what he will do for anyone one of us, that just shows you the type of person he is and why all of us think so much of him,” Gideon said in an interview.
     When Fozzy injured his knee, he had his mother come down to the locker room from the stands. She put her hands on his knee and together they prayed for it. 
     Even after he found out that the Missouri game would be his last in a Longhorns uniform, Fozzy did not complain or feel sorry for himself. The next day he was out on the field encouraging and cheering up his teammates and coaches. That shows the character that Fozzy has that makes him so respected.

For more information, go to this link.

Ben Rieden (Pop-Tart)

Coach K Breaks Record

Getty Images

Coach K (right) greets his mentor, Bob Knight (left)

        Duke's beloved basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski has set the NCAA record for most wins by a coach with 903 wins, surpassing the previous record of 902, held by former Indiana and Texas Tech coach Bob Knight. This win came at Madison Square Garden Champions Classic event, where Duke was able to defeat Michigan State 74-69. Coach K had played and coached for Bob Knight at his alma mater, Army. Coach K and Bob Knight both shared a hug with each other once the game had ended, showing the bond they still have. Duke and Michigan State were pretty even with each other until the second half, where Duke took control of the game.

Chris Trottman/ Getty Images 

 Coach K with celebrates with his wife, Mickie

        Coach K has been regarded as one of the best college basketball coaches in the history of the sport. His Duke squads have won four national championships. Two were back to back in 1991 and 1992, and the others in 2001 and recently in 2010. Besides being the head coach at Duke, Coach K is also the head coach of the USA men's basketball team and has won the gold in the Olympics in 2008, as well as the gold in the FIBA World Championship in 2010, giving the USA their 4th FIBA title. In a time where college coaches seem to be corrupt, it's good to see coaches having high points, instead of low ones.

To read more click this link.

By Taco (Myka)

2000 VIEWS!!!!!!!

With views from the United States, Russia, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, Pick Six blog has achieved a remarkable achievement: 2000 Blog views. We appreciate everyone who has viewed our blog and all of our members. We would not have made it this far without you guys. Thanks!

Pick Six Staff

AC Milan Zlatan Ibrahimovic Breaks his Rib

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Getty Images

AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he broke a rib in a brawl with American defender Oguchi Onyewu that could have "ended badly" had they not been separated by teammates. Ibrahimovic says the two players wanted to destroy each other in the fight, which started after the hot-tempered Swede launched a dangerous tackle on Onyewu during a training session with Milan on Nov. 5 last year. Once things got calm the players shook hands and that was only later that Ibrahimovic found out that he had a broken rib. Ibrahimovic described a series of rows with other players and coaches during his career, including an expletive-ridden outburst at Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. Ibrahimovic is amazing soccer player but if he keeps doing this, he might ruin his soccer career.  Ibrahimovic joined Barcelona in 2009 in a $66 million deal that sent Samuel Eto to Inter. He scored 16 goals in the Spanish league, but often struggled to fit into Barcelona's intricate passing schemes. He felt like quitting and going to another team, Manchester City offered him a contract and so did AC Milan. He decided to go to with AC Milan because he felt better with an Italian team, since he is Italian.  

To read more click here

By Burrito(Kevin Guzman ) 

Coach Joe Paterno Ends his 61 Year Coaching Career

Photo Credit: Danny Moloshok/Getty Images

     Head Coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, Joe Paterno has decided to retire after 61 years of coaching. Paterno, at the age of 84 is in the middle of coaching his 64th season at Penn State, more seasons than any coach at any university. This is also Paterno's 46th season as a Head Caoch, which he also holds the record for. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame of Coaches in 2007.
     The impact that Coach Paterno has had on both the Penn State football program and the university is beyond words. He has dedicated the rest of his life to supporting the university and doing everything he can to help.
     Coach Paterno talked to his team and staff for ten to fifteen minutes in the auditorium. It was here he announced he was going to retire. Standing at the podium, he burst into tears as he told the team he was leaving. He received a standing ovation as he left the auditorium. Some of the players were in tears to.
     The coach of Rutgers, Greg Schiano, was pained to see Paterno like this. "People you love and care about, this is a hard thing for him, I'm sure. I know it is. So it hurts me when someone you love hurts."


For more information on this article, go here.


Please comment down below.

-Ben Rieden (Pop-tart)

Basketball Stars Play in Charity Game

Rudy Gay holding a basketball.

Photo courtesy: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

     Rudy Gay, a Memphis Grizzlies forward, hosted a game on Tuesday night. The game was just an exhibition game; nothing extremely serious. Roughly 6,000 fans came to the hosted game which occurred in the DeSoto Civic center. There was the blue team with LeBron James against the white team with Rudy Gay. The blue team won with 158-151. LeBron scored 43 points for the blue team and Rudy scored 45. The players played with shirts with the Nike logo that read "Basketball never stops". Rudy has an organization call Flight 22 Foundation. This foundation raises money for child education. The game did benefit the organization.
All the games to November's end has been canceled. I bet the basketball players are eager to play the game. I quote from the article that Rudy said, "'I wasn't at the meeting so I don't really know the newest of the new. But as of right now I'm still training and trying to stay in shape as if the season started tomorrow.'" I know Rudy is eager to play some basketball. I really do hope that the season can start at least by January 2012, but that is only my hope. For more information about the charity game, please go here.

By Chopsticks (Ben Yang)

Eye of the Tiger

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Drew Alleman (30) celebrates after kicking the game winning field goal.

        Some called it the game of the century. Number 1 vs. Number 2. In the Deep South, it was Louisiana State against Alabama, two SEC powerhouses. The fans were watching to see what amazing touchdown catches would be made, what amazing scores the teams would do, and what the final score would be. But no one expected the score to by 9-6. Throughout the entire game, not a single touchdown was scored. Instead, the star of the game was Drew Alleman, LSU's kicker, who kicked the game winning field goal in overtime.
        The teams overall were pretty even. LSU had the ball for 29:54 while Alabama had the ball for 30:06. Alabama missed four field goals. If they had made them, Alabama would have been able to pull to upset over top ranked LSU. Alabama kicker Cade Foster missed two field goals in the first quarter, and kicker Jeremy Shelley had one blocked. It wasn't until the second quarter when Shelley finally made a field goal.
        Punt after punt was kicked, including a 73 yarder by LSU's Brad Wing. Defense had ruled the field. This was the lowest scoring 1 vs. 2 game other than the famous 1949 tie between Army and Notre Dame.

To read ESPN's recap, click here.

By Taco (Myka)

HGH Testing and Tobacco Ban in MLB

Smokeless.
Photo courtesy: Prairie View Prevention Services

     Some House Democrats are saying that the MLB and their players should be tested for Human Growth Hormones (HGH) and ban chewing tobacco.  The Democrats said that the drugs would affect game play and the inspired teenagers would love their baseball players. The NFL has agreed to test for HGH, too.  I think that the MLB should test for HGH and maybe even ban it. A person is good as their normal condition is my opinion. For example, if you take steroids, you are stronger, but without steroids, you would not be as strong. Without HGH the players would be at their normal human standard. Tobacco, of course, should be banned because it could give cancer, and the cancer the patient receives is not pretty.  This kind of chewing tobacco will not cause lung cancer, I assure you. It will cause oral cancer, though. Quitting tobacco is tough, so banning it may result in the removing of some players.  

The addiction of tobacco is almost equivalent to a child's addiction to candy. If a teenage fan of a baseball player finds out his model is chewing something bad, he's not going to be happy at all. Overall, I agree to the opinions of the representatives because they are just plain right. For more information, please go here.

-Chopsticks (Ben Yang)

Frank McCourt Sells the Dodgers

Photo credit: Jon SooHoo/Dodgers

     Frank McCourt, the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has finally sold the baseball franchise. He was the owner of the Dodgers for seven and a half years.
     This transaction ended a six month legal battle between Frank McCourt and baseball commissioner Bud Selig. This argument started in April when the MLB took control of the team due to financial concerns.
     In June, Frank McCourt filed for bankruptcy protection after a three billion dollar, seventeen year contract with FOX was declined by the league. Selig announced that almost half of a three hundred and eighty five million dollar payment would have to be diverted from the Dodgers to McCourt.
    McCourt realized that selling the team he vowed never to sell was actually in the best interest of the fans and himself.
     McCourt purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers from NewsCorp in February of 2004. He bought them for four hundred and twenty billion dollars. He used mostly borrowed funds to make this purchase. This time, the team is expected to sell from anywhere around eight hundred million dollars and one point two billion dollars.
     McCourt remembered, as someone once said: "There comes a point in time when it's time to say, 'It's time'".

If you want more information on this story, check here.

Movie Review: Catching Hell

Elsa/Getty Images
Steve Bartman making his infamous catch

     In September, a new ESPN film came out called Catching Hell. This movie, directed by Alex Gibney, depicts the effects scapegoating can have on players and fans, specifically Steve Bartman.
     During the 2003 NLCS,  at Wrigley field, the Marlins hit a foul ball to the left side. The Cubs needed only five more outs to reach the World Series. Cubs left fielder Moises Alou jumped into the air to catch the ball when a fan, 28 year old Steve Bartman, reached out and caught the ball right above Alou. Alou reacted by throwing a mini tantrum, indicating that he believed the ball was his to catch. The Marlins would rally to win, and go to the World Series. The TV station continued to air replays of Bartman catching the ball. When fans in the stands found out about this, they began to throw things at Bartman and chant "A******!" . He had to be escorted out by security. Even his friends he went to the game with left him there.

Courtesy ESPN

     The documentary did a good job pointing out that there were many other fans who were also reaching out at the same time as Bartman. It analyzed many different accounts of what happened, and concluded that the series should not be blamed on Bartman.The movie was interesting and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in baseball and fans.

To find out more about the movie, click here.

By Taco (Myka)

Kim Kardashian Divorcing Kris Humphries

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Image

Kim Kardashian has filed for a divorce after 72 days of marriage.  "I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision," said the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star in a statement. "I had hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don't work out as planned." Humphris told TMZ that he was “devastated” to learn his bride had filed for a divorce and is “willing to do whatever it takes to make it work.” The filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court provided few details, other than to state the couple has a prenuptial agreement that will dictate how they divides their assets. Kardashian is asking that both sides pay their own attorneys' costs and that a judge terminate Humphries' rights to spousal support. If the divorce is finalized this will be Kim’s second. She was married in 2000- 2004 to music producer Damon Thomas. Their relationship was chronicled on the Kardashians' reality show, with the season finale capturing Humphries' romantic proposal, in which he proposed on bended knee with a 20.5-carat ring by spelling out "Will you marry me?" in rose petals. Rumors recently surfaced that Kardashian was getting annoyed with Humphries' partying without her during the NBA lockout. Kim, on the other hand, was spotted eating lunch with ex-boyfriend, Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush, over the weekend.

For more information on this very important topic click here 

By Burrito (Kevin Guzman )