Mike Tyson arrested for cocaine possession

Mike Tyson, ex-pugilist extraordinairre, gnawer of earlobes, raper of women, can add a new dubious title to his evergrowing legend: possessor of cocaine. Yes, its seems early yesterday morning in Scottsdale, Arizona, America's favorite boxer who can know longer box was pulled over during a routine checkpoint after attempting to leave a club. Apparently, Tyson almost rammed a sheriff's vehicle in the process, and, according to officials, "showed signs of impairment", then was charged with driving under the influence and possession of the magic sniffy-sniff.

And, in the article the Arizona police department went on to say that Tyson showed "showed more signs of impairment", which included smacking Robert Downey, Jr., who attempted to awkwardly make out with the former champion after Tyson failed a field sobriety test.

Beckham Assured Wealth Through Insurance Deal

David Beckham did not get his nickname "Golden Balls" for nothing.

The English soccer star has reportedly insured his body for 100 million pounds, the largest amount in sporting history.

The body that features rippling abs, broad shoulders and some interesting tattoo artwork now has an insurance policy split across several large British firms as the amount was too large for just one to handle.

The deal ensures that Beckham will be covered should he be injured playing high-risk recreational sports such as skydiving or surfing that would affect his lucrative soccer career.

The ex-English captain, who is currently in negotiations for a new contract with an undisclosed club, joins the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carrey who have insured their assets for exceedingly large amounts.

The soccer star earns roughly 30 million pounds a year from his club contract to his many endorsement deals, including Gillette, Adidas and Motorola.

At least it is reassuring to know that if anything was to happen to David, wife Posh Spice would be able to be kept in fake hair and Jimmy Choos for a long time.

OSU quarterback Troy Smith wins Heisman

Winning the Heisman Trophy was easy. The hard part for Troy Smith was staying composed.

To the surprise of no one, the Ohio State quarterback was the runaway winner of the award that honors college football's best player.

Seconds after his name was called Saturday night, he hugged everyone important in his life — coaches and family — let out a deep, deep sigh and headed for the podium.

"Normally, I'm pretty cool in pressure situations, but my heart is pounding so fast now," he said.

"I'm at a loss for words. I just can't believe this is happening. ... It means everything. Just to be here in this situation. I love everybody back home in Columbus."

Just two years after nearly derailing his career by taking money from a booster, Smith received 801 first-place votes and won the Heisman by 1,662 points — both the second-best marks in the 71-year history of the award.

Arkansas running back Darren McFadden (878) finished second, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn (782) was third and West Virginia running back Steve Slaton (214) was fourth.

Only O.J. Simpson's 1,750-point victory in 1968 was more lopsided than Smith's.

"I haven't spent that much time dreaming about it," Smith said of winning the Heisman. "But I'll be dreaming about it tonight. It's pretty cool."

The senior moved to the front of the Heisman race in September with a flawless performance against Texas and finished off a perfect regular season by throwing four touchdown passes against Michigan.

Now, there's only one thing left for Smith to do: Beat Florida for the national championship on Jan. 8.

A huge smile lit up Smith's face when his name was announced. After getting a hug and handshake from Quinn, Smith headed to the row of chairs directly behind him, where his mother, Tracy, and sister, Brittany, were sitting.

They each took turns giving Smith a big squeeze. But Smith wasn't done with the hugs — one for Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and another for his high school coach, Ted Ginn Sr.

Mom wiped away a tear and his sister shouted "Yeah, Troy!" as Smith ascended the stairs to give his speech and collect his big bronze statue.

"The Smith family is loud. Very emotional all the time," Smith said. "I wouldn't have it any other way.

The 22-year-old Smith is the sixth player from Ohio State to win the Heisman and first since tailback Eddie George in 1995. And it's the school's seventh Heisman — Archie Griffin won two in 1974-75 — tying Notre Dame and Southern California for the most.

"Now I'm part of that elite group," Smith said.

Smith received 86.7 percent of the first-place votes, a record, and his point total of 2,540 places third in Heisman history behind Simpson (2,853) and fellow Southern California tailback Reggie Bush, who had 2,541 last season

USC had been on a Heisman run, winning two straight and three of the last four, before Smith stepped in. Just like USC's Bush and Matt Leinart, and Oklahoma's Jason White in '03, Smith will play for the national title as a Heisman winner.

"I'm still in awe over this situation," he said, sporting dark three-piece suit with red pinstripes and a Buckeyes' scarlet and gray tie.

"I represent these colors to the fullest," he said.

It's been quite a journey.

"I'm proud of him and everything he's accomplished," Quinn, a fellow Ohioan, said of Smith. Knowing his background, knowing where he comes from, I think it's an important thing to understand why he's so driven and so deserving of such an award."

Smith came to Ohio State as part of a heralded recruiting class in 2002, but his signing was little more than a footnote. His claim to fame was being Ted Ginn Jr.'s quarterback at Glenville High School.

Smith was labeled an "athlete" coming out of high school, the type of player who might ultimately find a home at wide receiver or defensive back.

Even Tressel wasn't sure he'd play quarterback, but he saw potential.

But Smith, a foster child as a teen with a quick temper, also had a penchant for finding trouble. After getting kicked off the basketball team at a private high school for elbowing an opponent, he transferred out of the suburbs of Cleveland to inner-city Glenville High. Smith, who is black, said the white opposing player used a racial slur against him.

At Ohio State, Smith was involved in a fight outside a dorm in the fall of 2003 and found guilty of disorderly conduct.

On the field, Smith couldn't beat out Justin Zwick, the highly touted blue-chipper from the '02 class, at the start of the 2004 season. But when the Buckeyes lost three straight and Zwick got hurt, Smith got his chance and righted the Buckeyes with his running and passing.

Then he tripped himself up again.

An
NCAA investigation determined he took $500 from an Ohio State booster in the spring of 2004. He could have been gone from the Buckeyes for good. Ultimately, he had to repay the money and sit out a bowl game and the first game of 2005.

Back from suspension, he finally became a star.

Smith finished the '05 season with consecutive 300-yard passing games in victories over Michigan and Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, essentially kicking off his '06 Heisman campaign.

Once known more for his speed and elusiveness, Smith's become the consummate pocketpasser. Accurate and poised, he's fourth in the nation in passer rating (167.9) with 2,507 yards passing and 30 TD passes.

He heads into the BCS championship game 25-2 as a starter, and — Gators beware — Smith has been at his best when the Buckeyes have needed him most.

The first Ohio State quarterback in 70 years to lead the Buckeyes to three straight victories over Michigan, Smith had 1,051 total yards with seven touchdown passes and another TD run against the Wolverines.

He's 11-1 as a starter against ranked opponents, with a chance to improve on that mark in the biggest game of his career in Arizona against Florida.

"Finally, now that's out of the way," Smith said. "Now let's move on to preparation for the University of Florida and the national championship."

IVERSON ON WAY OUT OF PHILLY

THE Allen Iverson Period in Philadelphia is rapidly dragging to an undignified conclusion.

According to two agents whose clients play for the 76ers, Iverson went to team president Billy King this past Tuesday and demanded to be traded, something he professed repeatedly over the years he'd never do.

According to two general managers King contacted yesterday, the 76ers are aggressively attempting to accommodate their forlorn franchise player, whose prohibitive salary (currently $17.1 million with $19M and $20.8M remaining) makes him a difficult sell despite a 31-point average - at least if the Sixers hope to harvest relatively equal value.

At the same time, emphasized one of those GMs: "A.I. is not the only player Billy is looking to move. His second breath is about Chris Webber." And that's not where the conversation stops.

Everybody is gladly available. Andre Iguodala or Sam Dalembert may have to be surrendered in order to move Webber ($20.7M/22.3M next season) or A.I. "But the big push is on to deal Iverson."

That's not solely because he wants out, but because his attitude leaves management no other option. If he were going along with the program, the 76ers would hide and wait for the right opening.

The night after filing for divorce, Iverson essentially put his effort on cruise control in Chicago as the Bulls exterminated the 76ers, 121-94, vaulting to a 39-16 first-quarter spread and winning the subsequent three.

Imagine how competitive it would've been had the Sixers not held a team meeting that afternoon.

A convulsive back was cited as the explanation for Iverson's 25-point (7-17) seven-assist, seven-turnover, defensively-felonious performance. Don't be foolish enough to fall for it. Or Maurice Cheeks' counterfeit contention the 76ers' spirit is "still there," players "still are trying" and "no one has given up."

Iverson, indeed, gave up. "If you know your leader doesn't care, how are we supposed to play with the guy?" steamed a teammate to his agent.

According to the same agent, Iverson told King he likes Cheeks as a person "but not as a coach." In other words, "either he goes or I go."

Despite numerous people in Philadelphia and Portland (where Cheeks coached for three seasons and 55 games) believing Maurice is overmatched on the sidelines, he has the full support of Chairman Ed Snider and King.

As yet another GM points out: "The [76ers] didn't make the playoffs last year and didn't do anything of consequence during the offseason to improve. Regardless of what you may think of Cheeks' coaching acumen, how can be his fault?"

Iverson may not blame Cheeks for the 76ers' worst record in the Atlantic Division, but there's no question they've got differences that aren't going away. One of them pertains to Iverson's lack of attention to detail, lack of respect for authority and unwillingness to practice hard.

Following a conflict at workout last week, Iverson stormed out of the building. That evening he failed to show for a mandatory team function for corporate sponsors and prime season ticket holders.

The announced reason was "after-effects of dental surgery." One of the aforementioned agents contends Iverson told teammates earlier in the day he planned to blow off the event and was simply going to take the fine. For whatever it's worth, Iverson apologized to everyone he stiffed.

Last but certainly not least, it's time to try to figure out Iverson's destination. That is, if it's humanely possible to re-route him. I have to believe there are plenty of teams that would take the plunge because they're desperate for help in the stands, as well as the standings . . . as long as the cost isn't excessive. All it takes is one.

Eliminate the Knicks from the git-go; there's not a chowder clam's chance of the 76ers taking Stephon Marbury or Steve Francis off Isiah Thomas' Dead Sea payroll.

Why wouldn't the staggering Celtics still be interested? The 76ers can do a lot worse than accept several of their young players along with, say, chronically injured Theo Ratliff, who would be allowed to retire gracefully.

The Hawks, too, possess a surplus of young talent at several positions, though the startling play of Tyronn Lue is packing them in (four sellouts in eight home games) so far.

Denver's George Karl expressed interest at one point last season. Andre Miller, Linas Kleiza and Joe Smith might pique the 76ers' interest.

Or how great would it be to see Iverson and Kevin Garnett paired in Minnesota, giving them the opportunity to win their first championship in concert. That way the 76ers could acquire Randy Foye, the object of their affections last June (in Celtics trade talk) and maybe Mike James. That way Minnesota could dump a particularly burdensome contract or two, either Marko Jaric or Troy Hudson.

The Pacers, too, are looking to do something big, reveals a league source. Larry Bird is unhappy with his team's chemistry, meaning Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley aren't fitting into Rick Carlisle's system. Another $4M-to-$5M piece would have to be included.

NFL could put franchise outside U.S

The National Football League's choice of where it will play a regular season game outside the United States has been narrowed to five cities, one of which could be home to an NFL franchise in the next 10 years, its commissioner said on Wednesday.

Mexico City, Toronto, London, Frankfurt and Cologne, Germany, are the finalist cities for a regular-season game next year, with a decision expected in late January or early February before the Super Bowl championship game, Roger Goodell said at the Reuters Media Summit in New York.

Within the next decade, one of those cities -- most likely Mexico City or Toronto -- could be host to a National Football League franchise, he added.

"We can envision that," Goodell said of expansion outside the United States, in response to a question. "I don't know if it will become a reality, but it's certainly a possibility.

"The closer to the border, probably the more likely from a geographic standpoint; but I don't think in today's world that's a hurdle to overcome," he added.

The league has been trying for years to find a broader audience outside the United States with an NFL-branded league in Europe struggling to find its footing, and more American football games being broadcast overseas.

This season, it began streaming the full slate of NFL games on Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) for consumers in foreign markets.

Goodell, named commissioner in August, said the service is drawing about 5,000 subscribers a week, and the league has done very little marketing for the Internet broadcasts. Consumers pay about $25 per week or can buy the whole season for $250.

The NFL has played 42 preseason games outside the United States since 1986, and last year the first regular-season outside-the-country game was held in Mexico City in front of an NFL-record crowd of more than 103,000 people.

The overseas markets account for less than 5 percent of the league's $6 billion in annual revenue, officials said.

Last month, the NFL approved a plan to play as many as two regular-season games per year outside the United States, starting with one game next year. In September, it said a preseason game would be played in Beijing in August 2007.

In addition to international growth, the NFL's digital media properties will drive league growth, Goodell said, pointing to the recent decision to bring its NFL.com Web site in house from CBS SportsLine.com. The league's cable channel, NFL Network, also offers a strong future.

The three-year-old network, which some analysts have said could eventually challenge Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN sports channel, has reached 41 million subscribers even though it is not carried by three of the largest cable companies -- Time Warner Inc., Cablevision Systems Corp. and Charter Communications Inc. -- due to disagreements over per-customer fees.

Goodell told Reuters Television the NFL hopes to resolve those talks as soon as possible and the league's network is targeting a subscriber total of more than 50 million next year, with over 60 million a stretch target.

"Promoting college football, promoting high school football, promoting youth football is all good for us," Goodell said of plans to air more than NFL programming. Plans could include games from other pro leagues, like Arena Football.

One issue Goodell could face in the next few years would be the reopening of the deal the owners reached with the players' union earlier this year. Either side has the right to reopen the deal in late 2008 or 2009, and several owners are reported to be unhappy with the current deal.

"There is a great deal of concern among the owners about this labor deal, but we have to see how it's working," Goodell told Reuters Television.

N.B.A. Players Have Zero Tolerance for New Balls

The new synthetic ball and the new rules cracking down on in-game conduct have prompted complaints from players since the N.B.A. season began. But what irritated the National Basketball Players Association most was that its membership was not informed beforehand of the changes.

Yesterday, the players union filed two unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board and asked the N.L.R.B. to investigate what it said were the N.B.A.’s unilateral actions.

“Our obligation to represent our membership dictates the filing of these actions,” the union’s executive director, Billy Hunter, said in a statement.

“There is virtual unanimity amongst the players about their concerns and intense dislike for the new synthetic ball and the ‘zero tolerance’ policy. After extensive consultation with our membership and player leadership, we determined that this was the appropriate course of action.”

The N.B.A. spokesman Tim Frank said the league was aware of the union’s action. “We are reviewing the filing,” he said yesterday.

The unfair labor practice charges may be the union’s only course of action, a public way of appeasing its members in an area where Commissioner David Stern seems to have broad powers.

The players association has been especially upset that the synthetic composite ball was introduced without any consultation with the union or any active players. Three retired players turned broadcast analysts — Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller and Steve Kerr — were the primary testers of the ball. The only N.B.A. players who tested the ball in competition were the 2006 All-Stars, who used one during last season’s game in Houston.

Players have complained that the ball is too sticky and then, when wet, does not adequately absorb moisture. The N.B.A. said it changed the ball to become standard with the rest of the world’s basketball leagues.

The union is also upset that the N.B.A. has directed its referees to be more punitive about players complaining to officials, which it has termed a zero-tolerance policy. Stu Jackson, a league vice president, had said that the new policy was designed to improve the game’s image. Hunter said he believed the new policy distracted players from doing their job by trying to restrict their emotions.

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