Popeye Jones son is No. 1 hockey prospect
Future
When Jay-Z sits courtside at Brooklyn Nets games, he is only a few feet away from Popeye Jones. Now comes word that the two could get closer. Seth Jones, Popeye’s hockey-playing son, is the latest high-profile athlete that Jay-Z would like to sign for Roc Nation Sports.
Seth is certainly a top prize. He is enormously athletic and skilled and is likely the overall #1 pick in the NHL Draft on June 30 at the Prudential Center in Newark. He could also become hockey’s first African-American “crossover star” and with some careful marketing and promotion lead to a new audience for the sport. As one writer noted, the combination could make hockey “cool” again after its season was devastated by a long lockout.
All three of Jones sons took up hockey when he was playing for the Nuggets and the family lived in the Denver suburbs.
“All of the kids played street hockey. When it got cold, all the kids said they were going inside to play ice hockey,” the dad said. “Just being a sports guy, growing up playing basketball, football and baseball, it didn’t matter what sport they played. Sports are meant to be fun. Kids learn camaraderie and teamwork and stuff like that.”
It helped that the Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche shared a weight room, and the elder Jones received advice from Avalanche captain Joe Sakic. Seth quickly became a standout. This season, he led the United States to the World Junior Championship in Russia was officially named the No. 1 North American prospect for the National Hockey League
Jay-Z has already signed Robinson Cano and has been linked to Victor Cruz, Nerlens Noel and now Jones.
Alex Rodriguez charity only gave away 1% of donations
Not A Good Business Man
The Boston Globe identified a number of offenders in its recent review of 150 Internal Revenue Service filings by 50 nonprofits run by professional athletes. One of the worst organizations was the A-Rod Family Foundation, which gave just 1 percent of its proceeds to charity during its first year of operation.
The IRS stripped the foundation of its tax-exempt status after it stopped submitting required financial reports, according to the Globe, but the organization’s website is still up and running and claims to be a 501c3.
The website says that’s its devoted to helping distressed families by supporting educational and mental health programs. But right off the bat, A-Rod appeared to be stiffing the cause. In 2006, its inaugural year, he hosted a celebrity poker tournament with Jay-Z and raised $403,862. According to the Globe, just $5,000 went to Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund and $90 to a Little League Baseball club in Miami.
“There are a lot of depressed children out there, a lot of children who don’t want to live and think there’s no hope,” Rodriguez told MLB.com back in 2006. “My life is the perfect example of an underdog who did good, so I want to help those kids out there.
NBA 2K13 Taps Jay Z As Executive Producer
Natural Fit
From up-and-coming bands to some of the most established acts in the music industry, sports titles from 2K Games consistently deliver some of the deepest and strongest soundtrack collections in the video game industry.
In elevating that tradition, the soundtrack for NBA 2K13 will be produced by Jay-Z, and features a number of exclusive tracks from the man himself. Other artists featured on the soundtrack include Kanye West, Nas, Too Short, Coldplay, Daft Punk, and P. Diddy.
“This has been a unique opportunity to collaborate with 2K Sports and be a part of one of the best sports video games in history,” says Jay Z in a statement.
He will also have full control over how the game looks, right down to elements such as in-game menus.
NBA 2K13′s launches Oct. 2 for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.
University Of Kentucky Sends Drake Championship Ring
last name greatest first name ever
The Kentucky Wildcats have a bunch of celebrities for fans like Ashley Judd, Jay-Z, John Boehner, Fabolous and LeBron James and one from Canada. Drake, the 25-year-old Canadian rap and R&B star, from Toronto became a Wildcats fan during the 2009-10 season while John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins starred for the team and was rewarded with a championship ring.
He posted the picture of the ring on Instagram but it’s unclear who it came from the university or head coach John Calipari.
Wonder what Judd received?
Babe Ruth’s Jersey Sells For Record $4.4 Million
Waiting For Jay-Z To Sell Memorabilia For 4.4 Since He Made Yankee Hat More Famous Than A Yankee Can
A Babe Ruth New York Yankees jersey has set the new world record for sports memorabilia items, drawing $4.4 million at auction.
The road jersey worn by the Sultan of Swat during the 1920s sold for $4,415,658 during the auction held by SCP Auctions in California. The jersey features “New York” across the chest with the Bambino’s name — Ruth, G.H. — written inside the collar.
The winner of the Ruth auction has chosen to remain anonymous, according to the New York Daily News.
Ruth wore the jersey shortly after joining the Yankees from the Boston Red Sox. Only a handful of vintage sports memorabilia items have ever drawn more than $1 million at auction, including a Honus Wagner tobacco card that drew $2.8 million at an SCP auction in 2007.
Brooklyn Nets New Logo
#hellobrooklyn
The New Jersey Nets are moving to Brooklyn and plan to roll out their new logo and uniforms on Monday. However that logo seems to already have leaked to the internet along with the Nets new ad campaign featuring a famous Jay-Z lyric from a track “Hello Brooklyn.”
An IT employee doing work on the Barclays Center tweeted out a photo of what is likely to be the new logo. A trip to the Nets website will have you greeted by a rather cryptic message. It’s a shield outlined in white that sits in the center of a black background.
So we’ll find out soon enough.
WTF: Hanley Ramirez
Come As You Are
The Miami Marlins are in New York to face the Mets and their new third baseman Hanley Ramirez spent his off day hanging out with rapper Jay-Z while sporting a white belt and Nirvana tee.
Best Jerseys Around
She Is One Today
Not much to say if you’re similar with rapper Jay-Z and his music. If not then suggest you YouTube Jay-Z ’99 Problems’ song, it’s a great video with Rick Rubin.
Props to theses Orlando Magic couple for being creative and down.
Kobayashi Breaks Grilled Cheese Record
What kind of festival features Jay-Z and world renowned champion eater Takeru Kobayashi? South By Southwest. Kobayashi not only showed up but broke a world record while in town as he appeared at the GroupMe Grill at SXSW to demolish world record for most grilled cheese sandwiches eaten in one minute as he devours 13.
New Jersey Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov Raps
New Jersey Nets owner and Russian presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhoro appeared on “Projector Paris Hilton” a comedy television show and showed off his rapping skills that would obvious make co-owner Jay-Z jealous.
DeShawn Stevenson Agrees A Deal With Jay-Z
I Like That There Are Sponsors For This
As a minority owner for the New Jersey Nets NBA franchise, Jay-Z will play a role in the team’s next uniform design, open up their new arena with a series of concerts and serve as the key figurehead for the team’s move to Brooklyn but might have as much say in personnel matters as we saw with their recent signing.
DeShawn Stevenson is set to sign a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Nets, according to the New York Daily News. The same Stevenson that enjoyed the wrath of Jay-Z several years ago, when he got dissed by Hova for his public quarrel with the rapper’s good friend, LeBron James.
Stevenson started at shooting guard for 54 regular-season games for the Dallas Mavericks last season, as well as all 21 playoff games in the Mavs’ run to the NBA title. The Nets will be the fifth team in Stevenson’s 12-seasons in the NBA. He’s averaged 7.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists over his career.
Jay-Z Turns Away NBA Players From VIP Room
Learing From Mistakes
As the NBA lockout continues it’s put a strain on the relationship with players and owners even if that owner is Jay-Z. The rap mogul and percentage owner of the New Jersey Nets had to turn away several NBA stars from the VIP area of a GQ party in Los Angeles this past week.
Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, Andre Iguodala, Russell Westbrook, JaVale McGee and Shannon Brown, among others were in attendance.
“So all the athletes were clamoring to talk to Jay-Z in his private section, even Melo, but because of the lockout, Jay had to turn them all down. He refused to let any of them thru, and also warned his security to watch out because of his NBA ownership, he wasn’t allowed to fraternize with them,” said a source.
Last time Jay-Z broke the NBA rules the league hit him with a $50,000 fine for hanging out in the University of Kentucky lockerroom.
WTF: Raffi Torres
Blackface Is Never Cool
Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres and his wife, Gianna, decided to dress up as Jay-Z and Beyonce for a team party. In an effort to resemble the popular couple they decided to go all in and paint their skin black. The Coyotes have also responded to the matter, issuing the following statement in support of Torres:
“There was absolutely nothing racist about Raffi and his wife’s costumes. Raffi is a huge fan of Jay Z and his wife loves Beyonce. It was a Halloween party. The fact that this was reported is ridiculous. We will have no further comment.”
NBA Schedule Now Obsolete As Los Angeles & Chicago Arenas Book New Events
Gone But Forgotten?
Staples Center in Los Angeles and United Center in Chicago have both been given permission by the NBA to book dates in December previously reserved for Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls games, indicating that the schedule the league released in July is now obsolete, the New York Times reports. This does not mean the NBA will cancel games through December; it means, rather, that an entirely new schedule will be published once the lockout is over.
Whenever the lockout is resolved, the league will “build a new schedule from scratch, using all arena dates that are still reserved,” sources tell The Times.
The Jay-Z/Kanye West tour has been scheduled in place of two NBA games Toronto Raptors-Lakers at Staples Center on Dec. 13, and San Antonio Spurs-Bulls at United Center on Nov. 30. No other arenas have received permission to release NBA dates beyond Nov. 14, The Times reports.
“With the cancellation of the first two weeks of the season, the NBA schedule would have to be reworked and certain dates—including Dec. 13 for a Lakers game at Staples Center—would not be part of any revised schedule,” the NBA said in a statement.
New Jersey Nets To Become The Brooklyn Nets
Blueprint
Jay-Z announced Monday that the New Jersey Nets will be called the Brooklyn Nets when the team moves to its new home next fall at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The team’s official NBA web page has been updated, with a short, simple statement to reflect the change: “Jersey Strong, Brooklyn Ready.”
The hip-hop mogul also announced that he’ll headline a series of concerts, as many as eight, at the arena when it opens. Jay-Z, owns a small stake in the Nets, grew up in the Marcy Houses, a public housing complex in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
“This is my foundation,” he said in an interview with Good Day New York’s Rosanna Scotto. “I’m really giddy right now.”
The Barclays Center is being built as part of the Atlantic Yards development in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The controversial project was announced in 2004 but has been mired in delays.
Boris Becker Tells Us That Jay-Z Is At Wimbledon
At Wimbledon, Boris Becker thought he should tell everyone that rapper Jay-Z was amongst the crowd or how he put it the “Jigga Man” as he proclaims “they” call him.
Who’s they Boris?
Dallas Mavericks DeShawn Stevenson Sports “Hey LeBron! How’s My Dirk Taste” T-Shirt
I Like That There Are Sponsors For This
Dallas Mavericks guard DeShawn Stevenson has a long running feud with Miami Heat LeBron James since his days as a Washington Wizards that has at one point gotten Jay-Z involved. So when Stevenson returned to Dallas as an NBA champion he sported a t-shirt asking LeBron, how’s his Dirk tasted.
For the moment Stevenson has scoreboard and Dirk Nowitzki.
ESPN’s Bob Ley Raps Jay-Z Lyrics
ESPN’s Bob Ley sat behind his Outside the Lines desk yesterday to do what he usually does but enlightening viewers about the rivalry between Miami Heat LeBron James and Dallas Mavericks DeShawn Stevenson and was forced to recite lyrics from Jay-Z’s 2008 diss record of Stevenson called “Blow The Whistle”.
Jay-Z’s Locker Room Visit Costs New Jersey Nets $50,000
Smartin Up Hov
The New Jersey Nets were hit with a $50,000 fine following minority owner Jay-Z’s impromptu visit to the locker room of Final Four squad the Kentucky Wildcats last month. The expensive slap on the wrist from NBA officials was due in part to a ruling set in stone by the league that professional team personnel must avoid any contact with collegiate athletes that are not yet draft eligible. Video surfaced of Jay-Z congratulating Kentucky team members at the Prudential Center after the squad clinched a Final Four berth by defeating the North Carolina Tarheels.
NBA To Investigate Jay-Z’s Visit With Kentucky
Smartin Up Hov
The NBA plans to investigate New Jersey Nets part-owner Jay-Z for the rapper’s visit to Kentucky’s locker room after the Kentucky Wildcats clinched a Final Four berth in Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Jay-Z was photographed and videotaped congratulating the Wildcats after the game. Kentucky has a few NBA prospects on its roster including freshmen Terrance Jones and Brandon Knight, who are both projected as lottery picks by some mock draft sites. CBSSports.com who first reported the investigation noted that the interaction could be considered similar to when Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge sat next to Kevin Durant’s mother during the 2007 Big 12 Tournament when Durant was at Texas. Ainge was fined $30,000 for the incident.
Jay-Z & Boston Red Sox David Ortiz Settle Differences On Nightclub
Empire State Of Mind
In a post we brought you back on April 16 of last year about hip hop star Jay-Z suing Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz over the use of the nightclub name 40/40, it’s now finally over. The New York Daily News reports that the entertainer and the slugger have settled their differences over the use of the name 40/40.
The two stars were scheduled to be in Manhattan Federal Court yesterday but Peter Raymond, attorney for Jay-Z, who was suing for $5 million, said “they have agreed on the outlines of a settlement and need to reduce it to writing.”
New York Knicks Get Carmelo Anthony
All Show, No Results
It’s finally official that Carmelo Anthony is a New York Knick after the Denver Nuggets and the Knickerbockers where able to complete a trade by bringing the Minnesota Timberwolves to the party. The trade sent Anthony to New York along with Nugget teammates Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman while Denver received Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks 2014 first-round draft pick, a 2012 second round pick, a 2013 second round pick and $3 million in cash. The Knicks will also send Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry to the Timberwolves in exchange for Corey Brewer.
Now that the dust has settled where does this leave the dream team of New Jersey Nets owners Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z after striking out on free agent LeBron James in the summer and Anthony via trade? No matter how much wealth the Nets owners have it’s another wild goose chase coming to a fruitless end where the players run the show.
New England Patriots Wes Welker Makes 11 References To Feet
New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker stood before the press yesterday in a conference and went Jay-Z subliminal towards the New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan with his deliberate 11 references to feet. It’s the NFL’s version of the Takeover.
Here’s the full press conference so you get the full effect of Welker not tippy toeing around
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNKgEkdG-Lk[/youtube]
Cleveland Radio Censored The Word “LeBron”
Screw The Source XXL Is Where It's Been Since Oct. 2000
Cleveland’s 96.5FM WAKS has edited the word “LeBron” out of the Jay-Z/Alicia Keys smash hit, “Empire State of Mind.” The part of the song that goes “Jeezy’s paying LeBron, I’m paying Dwyane Wade” is now had the two time MVP’s name edited out.
“Java” Joel Murphy, the night time disc jockey, came up with the decision was more of one of an epiphany, but its one that the station feels resonates well with Clevelanders given their well-documented feelings towards the departed James.
“I was playing the song and realized that the word “LeBron” is as offensive to some people as the ‘Seven Words You Can’t Say On The Radio,’” said Murphy. “Anytime one of those words shows up in a song, we either bleep it, cut it out completely or obscure it by flipping it backwards. So, I suggested to our programming dept that we should treat the name “LeBron” similarly.”
The reaction has been positive with listeners thinking that it’s brilliant. It’s time to move forward Mistake by the Lake.
