Yes, we are not even halfway through 2010. However, focus seems to have shifted all the way to 2014 for Super Bowl XLVIII (48 for those too lazy to read Roman numerals). This is because Super Bowl XL VIII will be held at the Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.

Raymond James Stadium and Sun Life Stadium, both located in Florida, were the other two finalists that opposed Meadowlands Stadium. It is rare to see the National Football League elect to hold the Super Bowl in a location where the whether will likely be freezing.
The game will be held on February 2nd, 9th, or 16th. After broadcasting the upcoming Super Bowl, Fox will not be broadcasting a Super Bowl until they broadcast the one at Meadowlands Stadium.

This has, and will send the Metropolitan area into a frenzy. But one’s thing for sure- no matter if it is sunny, raining, or snowing, the Super Bowl will be held at the Meadowlands Stadium in 2014.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

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New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said Wednesday he will retain team president Rod Thorn, but will not ask general manager Kiki Vandeweghe to return when his contract expires this summer, according to multiple media reports.

“His agreement expires this summer and I wish him well,” Prokhorov told reporters.

Vandeweghe, reached for comment on a plane as he was about to embark on a scouting trip, said “I hadn’t heard anything.” He declined additional comment, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Vandeweghe also coached the Nets this season, taking over after Lawrence Frank was fired following an 0-16 start. The team went 12-52 with Vandeweghe as coach.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPNNewYork.com

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The New York Yankees have completely dominated the Minnesota Twins at home since 2002 with a record of 25-3 before Sunday afternoon’s game. It looked like the Yankees were going to win again yesterday afternoon when the unimaginable happened.

The game was in the bag, Mariano Rivera was summoned in the bottom of the eight inning to record a four out save. Rivera has been perfect all season, he didn’t let up any runs in all his save oppurtunites… until yesterday. Viewers might have thought they were dreaming, but it is true, Rivera facing Jason Kubel with the bases loaded let up a grand slam! Rivera has only let up four grand slams in his career and the last time Rivera let up a grand slam at home was back in 1995! With Kubel’s grand slam, he stopped Rivera’s consecutive save streak at home with 51, tied with Eric Gagne.

In the bottom of the 9th inning the Yankees tried to rally back. Teixiera got up as the tying run with two outs and a runner on first and second and struck out looking on a pitch that was clearly inside but ruled a strike. The Yankees haven’t brought out any pies yet this year, they had a chance yesterday to bring their walk-off magic of last year back, but they fell short.

Rivera is not a machine, he is human. It was bound to happen sometime. Sometimes he is so dominate it is completely shocking when he fails, especially in the fashion that he did yesterday. Every year this happens and fans think, “Oh no, he’s falling apart! Is he at the end of his line?” Then by the end of the year fans forget that his few early season mishaps even happened. Rivera may have a few more bad games to come but his good games will outweigh the bad ones so much that they will be forgotten like usual.

The Twins finally got the monkey off their back defeating the Yankess 6-3. (Yankees.com)

by Eric Heyer at the Sports Fan Blog Network

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Nobody, save for some personnel in the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. State Department, truly knows how close WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan came to being barred from entering the United States for his fight against Paulie Malignaggi on Saturday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

For Khan, a 23-year-old British citizen of Pakistani descent, this fight will be his New York City unveiling. He gets to take on Brooklyn’s Malignaggi, who is matched only by Floyd Mayweather Jr. when it comes to trash-talking. The ideal scenario for Khan — who is trained by Freddie Roach and fights under Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions — would be to drop and stop the mouthy Malignaggi and impress fight fans watching at the Theater and on HBO.

But this is boxing. Nothing is that easy. Thanks to a restless volcano and an attempted terrorist attack in Times Square, Khan (22-1, 16 KOs) had excessive difficulty obtaining a visa waiver to enter the U.S.

Click here to read the full article – By Michael Woods of ESPNNewYork.com

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First, Thomas Jones, then Alan Faneca. Will Shaun Ellis be the next over-30 veteran dumped by the Jets? He wonders.

Ellis, a defensive end, told the Associated Press Thursday his request for a contract extension was rejected by the Jets, leading him to believe he might not be with the team for the upcoming season. Ellis, 32, may have been dangled in trade talks before last month’s draft but is now not in danger of being jettisoned, according to a person familiar with the team’s thinking.

“I don’t know,” Ellis said. “I think so. Well, I hope so. You never know what they’re thinking up there. You’ve just got to roll with it. We try to control our own fate, but we really can’t.”

The Jets’ longest-tenured player, Ellis is due to make $3.35 million in the final year of his contract. He recorded 6½ sacks last season, bringing his career total to 68 and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Ellis has a troublesome knee, but the Jets are hoping to squeeze one more season out of him, especially with depth concerns at defensive end.

Click here to read the full article – By Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com

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Just when everyone thought Lawrence Taylor was cleaning up his image, he breaks the law again! Taylor has been in the spotlight after his football career for all the wrong reasons. His list of criminal charges includes buying crack- cocaine from a police officer, possessing drug paraphernalia, filing false tax returns, and now he has been arrested with rape charges.

Taylor seemed to be cleaning up his image over the last few years most notably by appearing on the reality show “Dancing With the Stars”. The family friendly show boosts the image of anyone who appears on the show. Most of the contestants that appear on the show are usually there to revitalize their career or change their image for the better.

When i tell people who watch Dancing With Stars, that aren’t sports fans, if they know who Lawrence Taylor is they reply, “Yes, he is a great dancer, didn’t he used to play football?” Then when i tell them how great of a player he was for the New York Giants and how his career after the Giants has been riddled with controversy, people say, “I knew he played football, but I can’t believe he did all those other things! He seems like such a nice man!”

Taylor was back on top by leaving his past behind him and exposing himself to a new audience. Taylor had gained a sponsorship with Nutri-system, he started raking in the bucks again, There’s no way he’s messing up again…right?

Wrong! It was all a front! Taylor never changed his ways! Did he really think just because he turned his image around in the media that he could get away with the same old criminal acts like in the past?

With these newly developed rape charges Taylor may have permanently ruined his image. He had his one chance to make his image better again and he threw it away. Nutri-system dropped him as a sponsor, everyone who thought he was that nice football player on “Dancing With the Stars” now knows his old, true self, and now he can be facing some jail-time. It’s a sad case.

by Eric Heyer at the Sports Fan Blog Network

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Yesterday afternoon, Vazquez pitched the first game of the Yankees day-night doubleheader in Detroit. Vazquez has struggled all season long coming into yesterday’s game with a 9.78 ERA. After being skipped in his last start against the Red Sox, Vazquez had an opportunity to redeem himself against the Tigers.

Vazquez showed why the Yankees traded for him by only allowing one hit over the first five innings. In the sixth inning Vazquez ran into a little trouble allowing two runs to score, but that was all the runs the Tigers scored in the game.

Vazquez wound up going seven innings allowing two runs on five hits. If it wasn’t for the stellar pitching of 21 year old Rick Porcello of the Tigers, Vazquez would have recorded his second win of the season. Porcello went seven innings of shutout baseball. Perry came in for the eighth to secure the hold for Jose Valverde who came away with his tenth save.

This was the first time the Yankees lost by a shutout all season and it is the first time they lost three games in a row this season. The only positive the Yankees can take from their loss is that Vazquez was finally back to himself. If he keeps on pitching like he did yesterday, his wins will eventually pick up and their rotation will be solid from top to bottom. (mlb.com) (yankees.com)

by Eric Heyer at the Sports Fan Blog Network

In making a bid to host the 2014 Super Bowl at New Meadowlands Stadium, the Jets and Giants are embracing the weather. It will be cold in New Jersey in February, but the teams contend that’s not a reason to reject the bid.

Team owners and notable players were at the site on a cold and rainy Wednesday to formally announce the bid. With half of the dismantled Giants Stadium looming next door, Lamping touted the indoor spaces for those who have the good seats in the 82,500-seat arena. The facility would have heated concourses and fans would be given handwarmers.

“One thing we know how to do in New York and New Jersey is deal with snow,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said.

Mark Sanchez, Curtis Martin and Nick Mangold joined Johnson for the Jets, with Eli Manning and Ottis Anderson standing by Giants owners Steve Tisch and John Mara.

Click here to read the full article – By Jane McManus of ESPNNewYork.com

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New Jersey’s Giuseppe Rossi was selected Tuesday for defending champion Italy’s 30-man preliminary World Cup roster, while Francesco Totti and Luca Toni have been left off.

Rossi, a 23-year-old forward for Villarreal in Spain, was born in Teaneck and went to Clifton High School. He was eligible to play for both Italy and the United States and opted to play for the Azzurri instead of the Americans. He was the only played selected based outside of Italy.

Totti retired from Italy’s national team after helping win the 2006 World Cup. Toni was the Azzurri’s primary forward in 2006 and at the 2008 European Championship, but lost his place when he ran into problems at Bayern Munich to start this season.

Toni transferred to Roma in January and has helped the club keep pressure on leader Inter Milan heading into the final weekend of the Serie A season.

Coach Marcello Lippi chose seven forwards, including Marco Borriello, Antonio Di Natale, Alberto Gilardino, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Giampaolo Pazzini and Fabio Quagliarella.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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