Black Monday came and the Buffalo Bills lost a major piece of their puzzle, but it might not have been the kind of loss you're thinking of. Instead of a coaching change, which has yet to come and still in the rumor phase, according to the "Buffalo News," the Bills lost their starting quarterback. Kyle Orton announced his retirement. So no coaching or front office changes ... yet. The Bills were 7-5 in Orton's 12 starts this season, and he retires after a 10-year career playing for five different teams, according to syracuse.com's Matt Fairburn. The Bills finished 9-7 overall and missed the playoffs despite a second-place finish in the AFC East. "I just have been going at it for 10 years and it's just a family decision and I've decided to get home and be a dad and call it a day," Orton said in a news release, according to syracuse.com. The news detracted from what was supposed to be a bloodbath in Orchard Park, if rumors are to be believed, according to the "Buffalo News." The "News" reported that whispers of a front office shakeup overshadowed the Bills's 17-9 victory over the New England Patriots Sunday, Dec. 28, at Gillette Stadium. This from the "News": "It began Saturday, [Dec. 27,] when Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculated that former Bills General Manager Bill Polian was on the verge of returning to the team that went to three consecutive Super Bowls on his watch. Florio went so far as to say Polian could be on the job, in an unspecified capacity, by Monday. Afterward, Polian told The Buffalo News the story wasn't true." The Bills's new owners want coach Doug Marrone to return, reports ESPN. The second-year coach has an escape clause in his contract that gives him three days to terminate his contract now that the season is over, according to ESPN. We're almost through one day, the biggest, baddest Monday in the NFL cycle, and Marrone is still the coach of the Bills. Read More »
In about a week the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame voting will be revealed, and we will see who makes up the Cooperstown class of 2015. After no candidates were selected in 2013, the 2014 class inducted pitchers Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and first baseman Frank Thomas. This year's ballot is stacked, with sure-things like Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez, good candidates with chart history like Mike Piazza and Craig Biggio, and disgraced superstars like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. But one name that consistently gets overlooked is Gary Sheffield's. Gary Sheffield has Hall of Fame numbers. But he is linked to the BALCO scandal that played a role in bringing Bonds down, and his ties to performance-enhancing drug use has made him an afterthought, according to Bleacher Report. He won't receive the required 75 percent of the vote to become a first-ballot elect, but will he even hang around on the ballot? If not, he would be the second player with 500 career home runs to prematurely lose eligibility. Rafael Palmeiro has basically been blackballed because of his proven drug use, his 3,000 hits and 500 home runs be damned. But for various reasons, Sheffield's accomplishments are even less public knowledge. Let's take a look at them: Read More »
With the NFL regular season over, the playoff picture is taking shape. Same goes for the NFL Draft order. Which teams succeeded in their tanking endevaors? Which didn't lose enough and didn't put themselves in a position to win anytime soon? Here's the top 20 picks in order, according to NBC Sports: 1. Tampa Bay (2-14) 2. Tennessee (2-14) 3. Jacksonville (3-13) 4. Oakland (3-13) 5. Washington (4-12) 6. New York Jets (4-12) 7. Chicago (5-11) 8. Atlanta (6-10) 9. New York Giants (6-10) 10. St. Louis (6-10) 11. Minnesota (7-9) 12. Cleveland (7-9) 13. New Orleans (7-9) 14. Miami (8-8) 15. San Francisco (8-8) 16. Houston (9-7) 17 Kansas City (9-7) 18. San Diego (9-7) 19. Cleveland (from Buffalo 9-7) 20. Philadelphia (10-6) Read More »
Fister extended to his followers more generosity than he did opposing hitters in 2014. For the first time in his career, Fister placed in the Cy Young voting. He posted a 2.41 ERA and 16-6 record in 164 innings pitched to place eighth in the NL voting, according to Baseball Reference. His ERA and win totals were all career highs. Read More »
LeBron James has clammed his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates, saying they're "not a very good team" at the moment. The NBA superstar and four-time MVP blasted his team - including fellow 'Big Three' stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving (who didn't play due to a knee injury) - after a loss to the Detroit Pistons amid growing buzz that the team and organization are worried about first-year coach David Blatt. Read More »
It seems like we go through this every year: The New York Giants underachieve and almost every local talking head with a mouthpiece goes to bat for coach Tom Coughlin, citing his competitive spirit, ability to rally the troops and ever-distant playoff success. And Coughlin is always spared. According to ESPN, it's déjà vu in 2014 as Coughlin was told he'll remain with the club for another season. The Giants finished 6-10 this season, their second losing campaign in a row. They missed the playoffs for the third straight season and at one point lost seven games in a row. Coughlin, 68, is one of only 13 coaches to win at least two Super Bowls. He led the Giants over the undefeated New England Patriots in 2007 and then the Giants again in 2011, when they defeated the Patriots again. And yet after every championship season, the Giants start the whole thing over from scratch. They haven't made the playoffs since the last win, but that's enough capitol for Coughlin to keep his gig. Read More »
Mike Smith went 66-46 in the regular season through seven years with the Atlanta Falcons, but a 10-22 mark over the last two campaigns led the Falcons to fire Smith in a Black Monday move. Smith wasn't the best game manager despite being the winningest coach in Falcons history, according to "Sports Illustrated." But he dealt with a depleted roster the past two years, as the team didn't surround quarterback Matt Ryan with adequate talent. Who could replace Smith in Atlanta? The Falcons haven't had to make such a search in quite some time. "Sports Illustrated" reports the team has hired a search firm for help. Some candidates they could be after include New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Case. Of course, one should also keep an eye on the other coaches fired Monday — Rex Ryan and Marc Trestman — as well as former coaches turned executives or analysts, such as Mike Singeltary, John Gruden and Bill Cowher. Read More »
Thus ends Trestman's first stint as an NFL head coach. He previously worked as an offensive coordinator with the Oakland Raiders, assistant head coach with the Miami Dolphins and head coach in the Canadian Football League, according to SB Nation. The Bears rarely hire coaches with NFL head coaching experience. The Bears also fired general manager Phil Emery and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer according to ESPN. Emery is responsible for hiring Trestman to replace former coach Lovie Smith and for inking Cutler to an elaborate and expensive extension. Cutler's deal is worth $126 million, with $54 million guaranteed. He threw 18 interceptions this season. Read More »
This may be one of the longest divorce processes in history. MStars News has learned that Khloe Kardashian is still trying to track down her soon-to-be ex-husband, Lamar Odom, to finally proceed with getting a divorce. Read More »
Wrapping up week 19 of the EPL with today's Monday outing are Liverpool FC and Swansea City FC. The latter currently sits one slot higher in the English Premier League standings than the former championship franchise, but that could all change today. After a short break and another game coming up in a few days, how do you think today's match will play out? Make sure to check out our free online live stream link below so you can tune in and watch the exciting Barclays Premier League game! Read More »
"Nashville" star Hayden Panettiere finally decided to show off her baby girl after giving birth a few weeks ago. "MStars News" previously reported that the actress and her fiance, Wladimir Klitschko, 38, welcomed their daughter Kaya Evdokia Klitschko into the world Tuesday, Dec. 9. Hayden, 25, has also revealed that the happiest time in her life has also been one of the most miserable times According to Page Six, Hayden claims she feels like an old woman. "I'm limping around. I'm still trying to figure out what [pregnancy] has done to my body, how it's changed it. What's temporary and what's permanent," the 25-year-old said. "I feel like an 80-year-old woman trying to go down the stairs, you know, 'Please tell me this is temporary.' But I know some things will never be the same again." Read More »
The New York Jets have fired Rex Ryan. The controversial head coach had already reportedly cleaned out his desk, and Jets owner Woody Johnson today obliged both Rex and General Manager John Idzik by parting ways with the pair. This year the Jets went 4-12, the worst record the team has posted since 2007, and once again missed the NFL playoffs making it their fourth season in a row without postseason action. The Jets have hired two former NFL GMs - Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf - to oversee their new hires, while speculation is mounting that Rex Ryan could head to the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders or Chicago Bears. Rex finishes with a 46-50 record as Jets head coach. Read More »
The San Francisco 49ers have parted ways with star coach Jim Harbaugh, who is on his way to the University of Michigan. All indications are that the coach who went 49-22-1 and tookt eh team to one Super Bowl appearance in his four seasons with the Niners will leave the NFL and take over the NCAA's Wolverines, where he starred as a quarterback between 1983-86. The Niners will now turn to a new coach - perhaps the recently deposed Rex Ryan - to guide them to better than a 68% win percentage, and decide whether or not to trade quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Read More »