"It Girl" of the week: Ashley Alexiss

This week's "It Girl" of the week is Ashley Alexiss.

Florida State football player helps catch burglary suspects

When two burglars decided to break into Florida State cornerback Nick Waisome's apartment they apparently picked the wrong place.

Waisome found two burglars in his apartment on July 5 and I guess he let his emotion get the best of him because he chased them down and managed to catch one of the suspects, 34 year old Tavares Rumph.

According to Tallahassee police, Waisome caught up with one of the men in the rear of the building and knocked him down before then pursuing the second man, calling police, and preventing the man from fleeing in a friend's car.

The second suspect, 23 year old Mario Crawford got away. At least he did that time. About three weeks later Waisome

 "I figured they didn't have a gun because if they did they would've shot me," said Waisome. "But when they started running than I just decided I wanted to get one person at least," he said.

About three weeks later Waisome noticed Crawford and the getaway car at a gas station. Crawford had been wearing a pair of Waisome's shorts he obtained during the break in. Waisome contacted police again, and through his taking the car's license plate number and surveillance video, the suspect was later arrested.

Jimbo Fisher should hope that Waisome would call the police before chasing down criminals before something tragic occurred. He also should hope Waisome is adept at stopping opposing receivers as he is at fighting crime.

Ex-Lion Al "Bubba" Baker says he has a man crush on Ndamukong Suh

For those that can remember back to the late 1970's and early 80's, the Detroit Lions had a pretty good defensive line. Heade by Doug English and the headliner Al "Bubba" Baker, the Lions front four was known as the 'Silver Rush'.

Baker made a special appearance to the Lions training camp and says that this Lions defensive line could be better than the 'Silver Rush' edition. he also admitted to having a man crush on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.   

“I think we all have seen what they’ve assembled here, and the front that they’re in, they have an opportunity to do something,” Baker said. “I think these guys have the ability to break any record we ever had as the Silver Rush — by far.”

"I have to admit I have a man crush on Ndamukong Suh. I've already told my wife," Baker said. "If I had a body like that, I'd still be playing.

"There's no one single human being that can block Suh. He doesn't exist. King Kong, but he's retired."

Baker is the latest defensive lineman to praise Suh and the way he plays the game. Former Pittsburgh Steeler great mean Joe Greene also had some positive words about Suh and both feel the league should stop trying to rein him in so much.

John Rocker says baseball was better with steroids

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker was never one to bite his tongue. If he has an opinion about something he's gonna let you know. If you recall, he didn't make too many fans in New York or the gay and black communities.

Rocker appeared on Cleveland's 92.3 The Fan and spoke rather fondly of baseball's 'steroid era'. Unlike many of the baseball purists and Hall of Famers, Rocker believes that baseball was better with steroids.

“Honestly, and this may go against what some people think from an ethical stand point, I think it was the better game. At the end of the day when people are paying their $80, $120 whatever it may be, to buy their ticket and come watch that game, it’s almost like the circus is in town. They are paid to be entertained. They wanna see some clown throw a fastball 101 mph and some other guy hit it 500 feet. That’s entertainment. You’re paying to be entertained.”

“And was there anything more entertaining than 1998 – I don’t care how each man got there – was there anything more entertaining than 1998?…watching Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire chase 61 home runs?”

“That was a mesmerizing time for every baseball fan out there…the people were getting their money’s worth.”

True, people were getting their money's worth, but would they have paid for it knowing it was a sham. I don't think so because then you're almost getting professional wrestling without a predetermined result.

I personally don't care one way or the other. I can see why players do it. To get a bigger payday and maintain an edge over their opponents. The game was entertaining, but in the end it was cheating. I don't condone it but I understand.

Furthermore I don't think the game of baseball would be better with players putting up video game numbers year after year.
    

Jaguars list Denard Robinson as an 'offensive weapon'

Denard Robinson left the University of Michigan being known as one of the most electrifying players to play college football.

For all the memorable plays he made at Michigan, everyone knew he wouldn't be playing quarterback on Sundays. The question was always what position would he be the best fit?

The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Robinson in the fifth round of last April's NFL draft and haven't tried figuring out a defined position for Robinson. The Jaguars have listed the EA Sports coverboy as an 'OW' on their website. For those who didn't know, that stands for 'offensive weapon'.

Robinson has done a little bit of everything since during off-season workouts and is expected to get training camp work at running back, receiver, quarterback and kick returner.

Even though it will be a lot for Robinson to digest,  I think with his demeanor and work ethic he can be a success at anywhere other than quarterback.

Brandon Knight believes he's the 'best man' to be the Pistons' point guard

Detroit Pistons guard Brandon Knight has probably heard the howling about how the team should trade him and upgrade the team's point guard position.

He definitely heard it around draft time when many fans felt the Pistons should have taken Michigan point guard Trey Burke. To Knight's credit he hasn't started popping off to the media about how good of a player he is or hasn't complained. But he does believe he's the 'best man' for the Pistons at point guard.

“I don’t really pay attention to that stuff; you hear it here and there. It’s expected,” Knight said. “Trey Burke, being from Michigan, it’s expected. It’s all good, it’s all motivation for me, though.”

In fairness to Knight, he did only play one year of college basketball followed by a lockout shortened season which stunted his development as a NBA point guard.

“If you think about it using common sense,” said Knight, who averaged four assists and shot 37 percent from 3-point range last season. “First year (2011-12) was a lockout, didn’t have that summer. Next year, played half the year (at point guard). I pretty much played it for a full year. Some of the best point guards don’t take a year to develop into what they are. They are given an opportunity to develop. Using common sense, I played it (around) 80 games.”

“A lot of great PGs, first they’re given an opportunity then have time to grow into that role.”

That is very true but many see it as a crutch. In Detroit many fans believe this year is now or never for Knight. Knight uses all the chatter as motivation, but if he doesn't prove it on the court it's all for nothing.

Memo to Knight: Don't talk about it be about it. Let your game do the talking and prove that you can be the player many thought you were coming out of college.

'It' girl of the week: Jessica Kylie

The 'It Girl' of the week is Jessica Kylie.

Detroit Lions don't want to be on HBO's Hard Knocks

Last season it took awhile for HBO to find an NFL team to participate in it's 'Hard Knocks' series. Eventually the Miami Dolphins decided to take part in the show.

Plenty of teams don't want anything to do with the show, citing it as a distraction. The Detroit Lions are one of those teams. Team president Tom Lewand stated that he still doesn't want his team to do the show even though commissioner Roger Goodell is exploring having a "formal rotation" among all the teams.  

“You guys asked me how I felt about it,” he told reporters, “and it’s the same way I felt about it last year.”

The NFL gets enough exposure as it is but Goodell would like for 'Hard Knocks' to continue because it puts money in his pocket and the NFL coffers.  I certainly don't feel the league should mandate any team to except it. These guys are not role models, not heroes. They are athletes and as we already know they are all too human. They are already overexposed, and I think the NFL will do just fine without the HBO money.

I don't blame Lewand for feeling the way he does and not wanting the Lions to do the show.

The Lions have been the butt of many jokes over the years and I'm sure Jim Schwartz and the Lions brass wouldn't like seeing what goes on behind closed doors exposed to the nation.

Mavericks may be interested in Andrew Bynum

After swinging and missing on the premier free agents the last two offseasons the Dallas Mavericks are looking to piece together a roster to compete for a playoff spot and not waste the remaining years Dirk Nowitzki has as an NBA player.

One player they are looking at is former Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers (I guess) center Andrew Bynum.

After being traded from the Lakers last season, Bynum collected a large paycheck for providing zero services in Philadelphia.

The Mavericks are reported to be doing a thorough investigation into the health of Bynum's knee which limited him to wearing street clothes last season.

If Bynum is healthy and ready to go he could be the steal of free agency. If he signs with the Mavericks and he's damaged goods, Mark Cuban won't be hesitant to cut his losses.  

Pistons sign Josh Smith to a four year deal

The Detroit Pistons have landed their first free agent of the offseason as Josh Smith has agreed to a four-year deal that will pay him $56 million, a source has confirmed to ESPN.com.

Smith was one of the first players the Pistons targeted when they were able to begin speaking with free agents this week.

The 6-foot-9 Smith will join Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond in Detroit's front court and is expected to add a little bit of everything to the Pistons' lineup while providing some much-needed scoring punch.

In nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Smith averaged 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 blocks.  He's a career 46-percent shooter.

Last season, Smith averaged 17.5 points 8.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 blocks.

Smith, 27, was the 17th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. He was a second-team selection to the 2004-05 NBA All-Rookie team and made the All-Defensive second team in 2009-10.

Smith explored other options but there didn't seem to be too much of a market for him.

I have my reservations about the signing since Smith has a tendency to want to take too many jumpers, but I'll let it play out before saying it won't work out

Teams can't sign free agents until July 10.

Report: Pistons offer Stuckey and Villanueva to the Raptors for Rudy Gay

Josh Smith and Andre Iguodala aren’t the only small forwards the Detroit Pistons may be going after.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com says the Pistons offered Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva, both expiring contracts, to the Toronto Raptors for forward Rudy Gay, according to sources.

The Raptors are trying to clear their books following the 2013-14 season, Windhorst says, and Gay has two years left on his 5-year, $82.3-million contract. The Raptors already traded big man and former No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani to the New York Knicks.

However, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard this afternoon, the Raptors are not looking to trade Gay.

Gay, 26, averaged 18.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season. He was traded to Toronto from the Memphis Grizzlies near mid-season.

The advantage for the Pistons in this scenario would seem to be the two years left on Gay’s contract. Signing free agents Smith or Iguodala would likely require a long-term deal, making it more difficult to also retain the young core of Greg Monroe, Brandon Knight and Andre Drummond down the road.

The Pistons also have talked to the Boston Celtics about guard Rajon Rondo, who’s signed through the 2014-15 season amid a 5-year, $55-million contract.

West Virginia and Virginia Tech will renew their rivalry

The West Virginia Mountaineers and Virginia Tech Hokies haven't met on the gridiron since 2005. The schools were once Big East football rivals, but the Hokies departed for the ACC in 2004 and the Mountaineers left for the Big 12 in 2012.

The two schools have decided to renew the battle for the Black Diamond Trophy in 2021. The Mountaineers will host the Hokies that season before returning to Blacksburg in 2022.

"During my three years as Athletic Director at West Virginia University, I have heard from legions of Mountaineer fans, particularly those in the Southern part of the state, who have expressed their strong sentiments to renew the football rivalry with Virginia Tech," West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck said in an official release. "This game is great for college football. We all know that the two schools have extraordinary fan bases, and both schools will be counting down the days until the Hokies and the Mountaineers meet again.

"I want to thank Virginia Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver and Coach Frank Beamer for their efforts in helping to get the two teams back on the football field. It will be a great day for all involved when the rivalry is renewed."

Right now the only way the teams will meet is in a bowl game. The series has been played 51 times, beginning in 1912 with West Virginia holding a 28-22-1 advantage. When the series ceased in 2005, the Hokies and Mountaineers had played every year since 1973.

This is a good East coast football rivalry, but since rampant realignment has kicked in a lot of rivalries are going bye-bye.