February 4th 2010: Daily Sports News – Gossip

Thursday’s Water Cooler – February 4, 2010

Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.

Enjoy!

It seems like we haven’t heard from Tiger forever, doesn’t it? Don’t worry – he’s back and headlining today’s news.

PGA news: Tiger to return at World Match Play?

Though it’s hard to call the source overly trustworthy – The Herald Sun in Melbourne, Australia? — the report is that Tiger Woods is leaving sex rehab and will return to competitive golf at the Accenture World Match Play Championship this February 17.

I’m all for it. It’s not like Tiger will delay the heckling hell he’s bound to endure by sitting out a season; in fact, the longer he waits, the worse it could get when he does return. So why not bite the bullet and get it over with? Also, competing in match play, during which he can concede any time, is an ideal way for him to dip his toes in the (Piranha-infested) water.

NFL news: Another day, another gun bust

The latest NFLer involved in a gun-related charge is Dallas Cowboys fullback Deon Anderson. He was arrested and charged yesterday based on an incident at a suburban Dallas restaurant the night before. Reportedly, Anderson had car troubles and blamed a valet. He then threatened the valet with a gun. Police found the loaded gun in shrubs near the restaurant. It was loaded and had a bullet in the chamber. Gulp.

MLB news: Tiger extend Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander is staying with the Tigers for at least five years. His $80-millino contract extension will pay him an average of $16 million per season and, based on his breakout 2009 campaign, could be a bargain for the Tigers. Verlander went 19-9 last year, striking out 269 batters in 240 innings. He also holds some pretty damn cool records. He’s the only pitcher in baseball history to throw a no-hitter, start a World Series game, win Rookie of the Year and be an All-Star in his first two full seasons. Impressive stuff.

For any gossip hounds looking for something juicier – Grady Sizemore to the rescue. The Indians outfielder spoke publicly about his semi-nude photo scandal yesterday. He was unapologetic for the most part, claiming that the photos of him were intended for his girlfriend only and stolen from his e-mail account. Can’t really blame the guy if that’s the case. But hey, Grady!? When you’re a celebrity you should probably avoid public records of you doing anything, my friend. Including breathing.

NBA news: Another Laker record falls

Earlier this week, Kobe Bryant passed Jerry West for the Los Angeles Lakers’ all-time scoring lead. Last night, Phil Jackson passed Pat Riley to become L.A.’s winningest coach at 534. With 12 more wins, Jackson will have more victories with the Lakers than he had with the Bulls. Who’d of thunk it?

In other news, Portland’s Rudy Fernandez is the man. He’s such a hit with the ladies that two of them decided to hit on him during a game last week. During a Blazers timeout in the final minute of Saturday’s game at Dallas, two women calmly strolled onto the court – and into Portland’s huddle. One woman wrapped her arms around Fernandez’s waste and said “Rudy, I love you. Nice to meet you. Good game.”

No fair. It’s one thing for athletes to steal every lady from us before and after games. But during? Come on.