Over the past few years, baseball fans have been bombarded with news of their favorite players being accused or admitted steroid abusers. Some of baseballs most treasured records are now broken by cheaters under the influence of PEDs (performance enhancing drugs).

I never intended to blog about steroids in baseball. It’s a dark shadow of the sport that I didn’t want to get into. But with the fall of Alex Rodriguez this week, I felt compelled to speak out… at least a little. A-Rod was supposed to be the savior of baseball. He was our white knight. He was going to eclipse Bonds tainted all-time home run mark and restore integrity to the greatest record in all of sports.

Now sports fans will have to wait for a new star to be born. Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs from 2001-2003 while he was on the Texas Rangers. He put up some insane numbers while with the Rangers, but was always a power hitter so no one really thought anything different. Rodriguez took the route of admitting use (like Giambi and Pettitte) rather then denying it (Bonds, Clemens and Palmeiro). Smart move in my opinion since he still has a good 6-7 years left of productive baseball.

The question that baseball faces now is no longer “are players taking PEDs” but “what to do with their records?” Major League Baseball has several options:

1. Do nothing. Let the records stand as they are.
2. Put an asterisk by the known steroid users in the record book.
3. Strike the players completely from the book.

I think most fans would favor a mix of options 1 and 2, but Roy Oswalt of the Astros would vote for number 3. “A-Rod’s numbers shouldn’t count for anything,” Oswalt said in a phone interview with MLB.com. “I feel like he cheated me out of the game.” Those are strong words coming from one of the game’s top pitchers. I just don’t see MLB eliminating everything these players have done from the record books, as if they never existed.

What’s you take on the subject? What should happen to the records and stats from the players who took steroids?

The 2009 NASCAR will open this week with the sports biggest event: The Daytona 500. Martin Truex Jr. claimed the top pole position for Sunday’s race. Normally, you’d think starting the race in 1st place would be a good thing, but since 2002, the pole winner for the big event has finished outside the top 10 six times.

The Daytona 500 is regarded by many as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar, carrying by far the largest purse. 150,000+ fans will pack Daytona International Speedway for the 51st running. This year’s race is wide open. Of course there are the usual favorites, but I think anyone has a shot at winning.

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Football Fanatics has a large selection of officially licensed NASCAR merchandise. No matter who your favorite driver is, we have hats, tees, swweatshirts, jackets, cups, collectibles and more. Shop NASCAR Now.

Or if you’re looking for specific Daytona 500 Gear, here’s a sample of what we have to offer. Order today and receive 3-day shipping for only $4.99!

Here’s a fun scenario to play with. Pretend the NBA disbanded and you were granted the position of GM for an NBA franchise. All the players were put into one big pool and you have to pick either LeBron James or Kobe Bryant for your team (and the future). Who do you choose, and why?

This is one of the toughest questions to answer. Each player is extremely accomplished and a case could be made for either one of them as the best player in the NBA right now. Kobe Bryant is guard for the Lakers and is a three-time NBA Champion. LeBron is a small forward, but can handle the ball like a guard and took his team to the finals a few years ago.

For his career; Kobe Bryant averages:
.455 FG% – .341 3P% – .840 FT% – 5.3 RPG – 4.6 APG – 2.92 TO – 25.1 PPG

For his career; LeBron James averages:
.469 FG% – .321 3P% – .734 FT% – 7.0 RPG – 6.6 APG – 3.29 TO – 27.5 PPG

The numbers are so close, it doesn’t really help sway a decision either way. You have to base it off of watching the players in action. Kobe is definitely a better outside shooter then LeBron. I’d wager to say that James’ FG% is only higher because he can drive to the hoop harder the Kobe. Kobe can take it to the hole, but he’s not going to force it, he’ll pull up a shot if he has to. The Cleveland Cavaliers also expect more out of James then the LA Lakers do of Kobe. The Lakers have a more balanced team and don’t have to rely on only Kobe to win the game.

As much as I think Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA right now, the question above asks who would you take for your team and the future. I would pick LeBron James. Kobe is already 30 years old, while LeBron is only 24. If I had to pick a player for one game only, it would definitely be Kobe.

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Will your favorite college football team signing the best high school recruits in the nation? National Signing Day is the first day a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football. It’s the day recruitniks wait for all year.

High School recruiting websites rank players on their ability and teams according to how many top players they sign. Some players commit months in advance, but nothing is guaranteed until they sign the letter of intent. Year after year we see top recruits switch schools, infuriating some fans while exciting others.

One such situation involved offensive lineman Antonio Logan-El. Highly recruited out of high school, Logan-El initially verbally committed to the University of Maryland. On National Signing Day in 2006, he held a nationally televised press conference at the ESPN Zone in Baltimore. He invited Terps’ head coach Ralph Friedgen’s wife to the event and was wearing a red (UMD’s primary color) tie. “He then pulled out a photo of himself with Penn State coach Joe Paterno and announced he was going to play for the legend in Happy Valley, sending a dagger into the hearts of Maryland fans.” – Examiner.com

A player has to do what’s best for himself, right?

Early team rankings show something like:

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. LSU Tigers
3. Texas Longhorns
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
5. USC Trojans
6. Michigan Wolverines
7. North Carolina Tar Heels
8. Miami Hurricanes
9. Georgia Bulldogs
10. Florida Gators

Of course one commit, or de-commit can change an entire ranking. The year Tim Tebow signed with Florida, the Gators were given the No. 1 or No. 2 ranking in the country depending on what site you visited. If Tebow had signed with Alabama, UF would have probably been out of the top 10.

How do you think your favorite college team did this year? Where do they rank amongst other top programs? Cast your vote in our poll and leave a comment on this post.

And don’t forget to stop by Football Fanatics for the best selection of college football gear available. Only $4.99 for 3-day shipping on any size order!

This weekend was all about the Super Bowl!  If the exciting game between the Steelers and the Cardinals wasn’t enough, I am certain these surrounding moments combined with the Big Game was.

The performances were top notch.  Former American Idol contestant, Jennifer Hudson looked great honoring our country.  It was the artist’s first time hitting the stage since her recent tragedy involving her family.  The standing ovation from the 60,000 plus fans was approval that this “Spotlight” singer, has been missed the last couple of months. 

I have to admit, before Sunday night I didn’t even know who Bruce Springsteen was, let alone any of his songs.  But by the end of half-time, I felt like I had been missing out.  His electrifying performance left me with goose bumps.  I loved every minute of the show from the fireworks to the classic rock-n-roll slide into the camera man.  And the fact that he gave the company a shot-out was the icing on the cake.  Yep, Bruce yelled “Football Fanatics” towards the end of his performance.  I believe David is posting the clip later this week, so check back.

As far as the much anticipated commercials, there were a lot that were pretty funny.  The E-trade one with the babies talking and the commercial that was less than 2 seconds long with a random person screaming was a few of my favorites.  But this one beats them all.  What do you think?

The 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix is scheduled for February 15 at 8:00 PM EST. Of course the NBA isn’t about just one single exhibition game, they put on a 3-day All-Star Weekend, complete with a rookie challenge, skills challenge, slam dunk contest and three-point shootout. It’s a can’t miss weekend for any NBA fan.

The Western Conference is represented by:

24 * Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) G
3 * Chris Paul (New Orleans) G
21 * Tim Duncan (San Antonio) F
1 * Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix) F
11 * Yao Ming (Houston) C
41 Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) F
32 Shaquille O’Neal (Phoenix) C
7 Brandon Roy (Portland) G
7 Chauncey Billups (Denver) G
16 Pau Gasol (L.A. Lakers) F-C
30 David West (New Orleans) F
9 Tony Parker (San Antonio) G

The Eastern Conference is represented by:

1 * Allen Iverson (Detroit) G
3 * Dwyane Wade (Miami) G
23 * LeBron James (Cleveland) F
5 * Kevin Garnett (Boston) F
12 * Dwight Howard (Orlando) C
2 Joe Johnson (Atlanta) G
14 # Jameer Nelson (Orlando) G
33 # Danny Granger (Indiana) F-G
34 Paul Pierce (Boston) F
4 Chris Bosh (Toronto) F
34 # Devin Harris (New Jersey) G
9 Rashard Lewis (Orlando) F

* – denotes starter
# – denotes first-time selection

Just looking at the rosters, the West always seems to have more talent… maybe that’s just because I see Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul on that squad, the two best players at that position. Every year I say that the West will win the All-Star Game. However, the East has won 3 of the last 4.

Whether you’re headed to Phoenix for the game, or you’re a fan of any players in the game… Football Fanatics has a nice selection of 2009 NBA All-Star Game Gear. We have hats, short sleeve tees, and long sleeve logo tees. Here’s a sample of what we have to offer:

Mixed Martial Arts is one of the fastest growing sports across the globe. On Saturday night, UFC 94 was held in Las Vegas. The premier fight was a rematch between two of the leagues best pound for pound fighters, BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre. Here is the lead UFC.com was selling fans on:

In March 2006, top welterweights Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn fought for the division’s No. 1 contender’s spot. St-Pierre earned a razor-thin split decision and went on to win the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title. Penn dropped to the lightweight division and won the organization’s 155-pound title.

Now they’re about to do it again. But this time, there’s much more at stake. UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn looks to be the first fighter in history to hold two UFC championships at the same time when he faces Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Millions of viewers tuned in to Pay Per View to watch this fight. In 4 rounds, George St. Pierre was able to defeat BJ Penn by TKO. Penn is now 1-3 lifetime when fighting in the 170 lb class, a weight class he should never climb to again.

GSP’s win has brought about talks of whether or not he’s the best 170 lb fighter of all-time? He boasts an 18-2 record at that weight, but in my opinion needs to win more title defenses to earn the title of “best of all-time.” Matt Hughes may have lost his belt to GSP back in 2006, but he still holds a 43-7 lifetime record.

Who do you think is the best welterweight fighter?