f the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted to stick it to Kellen Winslow Jr. for missing a week's worth of organized team activities, they certainly succeeded in doing so by trading him to the Seattle Seahawks. As former Seahawks and Buffalo Bills tight end Pete Metzelaars once said, "The tight end can go an entire season in Seattle and the only thing he'll catch is a cold." That's how it's always been with the Seahawks. Name one single noteworthy tight end in the history of the Seahawks. Go ahead. Give it a try. I was hard-pressed to come with any, and I've been a diehard fan of the blue and green since their inception in 1976. That's because no Seattle tight end has done anything of significance in a Seahawks uniform. Sure, NFL fans likely know of Metzelaars, but it's not for his three seasons in the Pacific Northwest. I remember Jerramy Stevens, but mostly because he dropped four passes in Super Bowl XL after running his mouth and getting Joey Porter and the Pittsburgh Steelers all riled up the week before the big game. Stevens made more headlines off the field with his arrests than he ever made on the field. Itula Mili and Christian Fauria were around for awhile, but neither of them did anything remarkable. After those two, I'm drawing a blank. Welcome to tight end hell, Kellen. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are laughing all the way to the bank, having somehow secured a draft pick for a player that seemed destined to simply be released earlier in the day. I'm not even the least little bit optimistic that Winslow is going to amount to anything in Seattle. No tight end ever has, and not a thing has changed during the Pete Carroll era. In 2011, 36 other tight ends in the NFL had more receptions than the Seahawks' leader at that position. In 2010, 33 other tight ends had more receptions than Seattle's leader. The team will give fans some sort of song and dance about how Winslow is the pass-catching tight end that the team has been searching for, and he'll be the perfect complement to Zach Miller in the two tight end set that the Seahawks favor, and blah blah blah. I won't believe it until I see it because we heard the same tune in August when the 'Hawks signed Miller for some crazy deal that was for something like five years and $34 million, with $17 million guaranteed. After four productive years with the Oakland Raiders, Miller turned into an afterthought in Seattle: 25 receptions, 233 yards and no touchdowns. Not a terribly impressive return on investment there. It's not like any other tight end was taking receptions away from Miller. Anthony McCoy had 13 receptions for 146 yards and no touchdowns in nine games. Cameron Morrah only played in four games: 6 receptions, 74 yards, no touchdowns. John Carlson was lost for the year to injury before the season even began (and now he's with the Minnesota Vikings). Seattle is a run-first team. There's no question about it. Tight ends are used as blockers there, not as pass catchers. Surrendering a seventh round pick next year--one that may turn into a sixth rounder--isn't nearly as insane as what the Seahawks paid to get Miller, but I'm left wondering why they even bothered messing with Winslow. With his history of behavioral issues and the Seahawks' lack of a history of using tight ends to catch passes, this is a bomb just waiting to go off. The author grew up in Washington State and is a lifelong fan of the Seahawks. He's also a Featured Contributor in Sports with the Yahoo! Contributor Network. You can follow him on Twitter at @RedZoneWriting and on Facebook. Also by this Author: Tampa Bay Buccaneers to dump Kellen Winslow for Dallas Clark? Russell Wilson is not Drew Brees
Overwhelming the Internet like the reek of Sex Panther cologne, fans got a chance to see an "Anchorman 2" teaser trailer that's significantly different than the one that ran over the weekend in front of "The Dictator." Like the clip that ran in movie theaters, the teaser trailer that debuted on Will Ferrell's Funny or Die site starts with the four members of Channel Four's News Team silhouetted by a bank of stage lighting. Ferrell, who returns as the titular mustached newsman in the sequel to "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy", and his sidekicks Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner then go completely off a different script — or possibly off script entirely. "In the age when the dinosaurs' roar greeted the dawn and apes rode the winged horse across the valley of Eli, there was a lone stranger who offered comfort, wisdom and overly sexual neck massages," the clip begins in voice-over as the four members of Channel Four's crack news team walk forward. "It was said he would one day return. That day has come." Considering the movie isn't scheduled to start filming until February for a release later in 2013, there's absolutely nothing substantial revealed about plot, scenes or meaningful dialogue. Koechner's Champ Kind though does promise, "There's going to submachine guns and boobies." "In this movie, we play witches," adds Carell's Brick Tamland. That, however, seems dubious. For fans of the 2004 original,which earned $85.3 million at the box office, but stayed classy as a cult hit on DVD — it was good just seeing the team back together. "It's time to do it again, but this time, I'm on top," says Ferrell's Burgundy.
Bar Refaeli, supermodel, occasional actress and former girlfriend of Leonardo DiCaprio, has topped Maxim magazine’s annual “Hot 100” list. For the first year, readers determined what the magazine calls “the definitive list of the world's most beautiful women” by voting. Maxim readers gave spots to Jennifer Lawrence (14), Rihanna (32) and “Downton Abbey’s” Michelle Dockery (70), as well as to “Glee’s” Lea Michele (14) and Naya Rivera (27.) After “a massive write-in vote campaign,” Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert became the first man to secure a spot on the list, landing at No. 69. Last year’s top spot holder Rosie Huntington-Whiteley fell to No. 11 this year. In the past, the list has been criticized for its lack of diversity. Russell Simmons’s Web site Global Grind today declared that, although the magazine “nailed the top spot,” “the complete set lacks women of color.” Indeed, this year the most diversity in the top 20 seems to be be brunettes over the usual blondes. See Maxim’s full list here.
The film is set to be released in October. When reached by TheWrap, a spokeswoman for Cruise had no immediate comment. A spokesman for the Church of Scientology told TheWrap they had not seen the film and could not comment on it. The Church of Scientology, which vigorously defends itself from outside critics, has many followers among Hollywood stars, including actor John Travolta. One of the individuals close to the movie told TheWrap that the Weinstein Company also intended to show the film to Travolta. The movie has not yet been screened, so its full plot and tone is not yet known. Weinstein released the trailer from the Cannes Film Festival on Monday. The church, long criticized for some of its practices, was the subject of an investigative article in the New Yorker last year that accused some leaders of physically abusing adolescent members and beating adults. The article included interviews with director Paul Haggis, a former Scientologist who has come out as one of the religion's fiercest critics. Anderson, who is still completing the film starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, wrote and directed the story about a charismatic leader Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) – referred to as The Master – who creates a cult-like movement called The Cause. The similarities to Hubbard include the post-World War II time frame and Dodd’s taking a trip on a boat during which he arrives at a new philosophy and creates a faith-based movement. Phoenix plays a troubled drifter seeking a path who becomes Dodd’s right-hand man. Both the director and movie distributor, the Weinstein Company, are debating how to approach the similarities with Scientology – whether to acknowledge them openly or keep the matter at arm's length. The reaction of the group’s most prominent members will likely be a part of that decision. The $42 million budget film was fully financed by producer Megan Ellison, daughter of Silicon Valley billionaire Larry Ellison, who took on the project after she learned that Anderson could not get financing anywhere.
eneral manager John Mozeliak said Monday that Berkman will be sidelined at least six to eight weeks with significant cartilage damage on both sides of the knee, but an MRI did not appear to show ligament damage. Because he was hurt making a routine play, Berkman suspects a ligament injury that would require more significant surgery and end his season -- and perhaps his career. Berkman will undergo an arthroscopic procedure later this week in Vail, Colo. "At a minimum, it's a scope to repair it," Mozeliak said. "We're hopeful, we're optimistic that's what it is. But we'll need a few days before we determine anything. Certainly, he knows there are uncertain times ahead of him." Berkman spoke with reporters after crossing the clubhouse on crutches. "We can all agree you shouldn't get hurt just stretching for a ball at first base," he said. "Fearful is the wrong word, but I'm certainly concerned -- not just what the injury is but why did it happen? "It's pretty simple: Best-case scenario, it's probably after the All-Star break, worst-case scenario is I'm done for the year." Berkman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday. The NL comeback player of the year in 2011 realizes he may have to make another comeback, or call it a career. "You certainly think, if I have to get my ACL repaired, I might be done playing," he said. "And the doctor kind of said that. He's like, 'Well, you're not a young man anymore.' "You just don't know where you're going to be mentally. Am I willing to make the commitment? Those are questions I'm trying not to speculate on too much." Even if the ligament is not torn, Berkman believes there's damage given he felt a sliding sensation when he was injured. "They could see it on the MRI -- it's not gone. But its effectiveness is debatable considering the way I got hurt. They're not going to know about that until I go under the knife," he said. Berkman said he had the sensation of the joint slipping during the playoffs last season but had no pain. "It never was to the point where I felt, oh man, I'm about to blow out here," Berkman said. "It was just a weird little sensation that you could play with and it wasn't a problem." The fact that the ligament appears to be intact, Berkman said, does give a "glimmer of hope." Berkman has played just 13 games this season, also missing significant time with a pulled left calf muscle. He said he's had torn cartilage in the knee since spring training but it wasn't enough to affect his play. He was batting .333 with a home run and four RBIs. Last season, Berkman hit .301 with 31 homers and 94 RBIs in 145 games to help the Cardinals win the World Series. He had a .412 on-base percentage and a .547 slugging percentage, both of which ranked among the NL leaders. His injury is a major blow to the middle of the lineup for the slumping Cardinals, who had dropped four straight and eight of 10. St. Louis also lost longtime slugger Albert Pujols in the offseason when he signed a $240 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Still, the Cardinals began the day with a half-game lead in the NL Central. Rookie Matt Adams, the franchise's minor league player of the year in 2011, and Matt Carpenter will see time at first base for now and utility man Allen Craig could also man that position when he returns from a hamstring injury sustained last week that landed him on the disabled list. Adams, recalled from Triple-A Memphis when Berkman was hurt, started for the second straight game Monday after getting two hits in his major league debut. Carpenter was batting .280 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 37 games. "We'll be feeling our way through it. We brought Matt Adams here to play, so we'll get a good look at him," manager Mike Matheny said. Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN) -- Eight people were shot Monday night just blocks from the Chesapeake Energy Arena as large crowds were leaving the playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, police said. Authorities were trying to determine what led to the shootings that occurred at about 11:35 p.m., said Capt. Dexter Nelson of the Oklahoma City Police Department. Of the victims, one was in critical condition and seven suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Nelson said. Also, a woman was injured when she was punched and kicked in the crowded streets, authorities said. Thousands of people were in the area because the Thunder beat the Lakers 106-90 to advance to the Western Conference finals. "Whenever you get about 8,000 people outside of a venue, we are going to be outnumbered," Nelson told CNN affiliate KOCO. "You can't have enough people down here for that." Several people had been questioned about the shootings, but no arrests had been made Monday night, Nelson said.
he video and quotes, courtesy of CBS Sports' Eye on Basketball blog, are going to be interesting to Lakers fans, considering there have been numerous reports over the years that Bynum is all but untradeable -- showing a loyalty that might not go both ways. Bynum decided to give a more PR-friendly answer to Sager's next question, however, being a bit more definitive. "I definitely want to stay," he said. "You kind of asked an open-ended question. Obviously things are going to be different come next year. I'm going to be ready." It will be interesting to see what happens this offseason as Bynum's $16.1 team option might not look all that appeasing when considering Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are already being paid nearly $47 million for the 2012-13 season. For more on the Lakers, head over to Silver Screen And Roll and SB Nation Los Angeles. For more on the Thunder, head over to Welcome To Loud City.
