Saturday, July 31, 2010

70 year old MMA fighter

The first thing John Williams wants you to know about his record-breaking MMA fight this past weekend is, it wasn't a gimmick. It wasn't a novelty act, some cheap ploy to sell tickets or attract headlines.

Well, maybe attracting the headlines was important, but for a good reason.

The 70-year-old from New Brunswick, Canada became the oldest person to ever compete in a professional MMA bout when he took on 49-year-old former pro wrestler Larry Brubaker on July 24 in Moncton. On paper it sounds like a carnival act, but the fight was serious business, Williams said, done to prove a serious point.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Jack Tatum

Jack Tatum, 61, a defensive back for the Oakland Raiders whose bone-jarring tackles earned him the nickname "the Assassin," died July 27 at a hospital in Oakland, Calif., after a heart attack.

Mr. Tatum, a free safety whose relatively slight size belied his ferocity on the field, was a three-time All Pro player with the Raiders during his 10-year career. An NFL Films documentary ranked him as the sixth-hardest hitter in pro football history.

His tackle of Minnesota Vikings receiver Sammy White in the 1977 Super Bowl has become famous in video features of football's most devastating tackles. White had just caught a pass in the center of the field when Mr. Tatum ran into him, colliding head-to-head. White's helmet flew off and rolled five yards up the field.

"I play a hard-hitting game," Mr. Tatum said in the NFL Films documentary. "I just like to have the receivers think about me a little bit while they're trying to catch the ball."

Mr. Tatum's most notorious tackle occurred in a preseason game in 1978, when he leveled wide receiver Darryl Stingley of the New England Patriots. Stingley was leaping to catch a pass when Mr. Tatum drilled him, breaking two vertebrae in Stingley's back. Stingley remained paralyzed until his death in 2007.

Mr. Tatum never apologized for his crushing tackle, which was legal under NFL rules, and some football historians think his lack of remorse kept him out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"It was one of those things that happens that everyone regrets," Gene Upshaw, a Raiders lineman in that game who became executive director of the NFL Players Association, later said. "I know a lot of people in New England think differently, but Jack had no intention of hurting him. I saw him hit people like that a lot of times. That was the way he played."

Mr. Tatum said he attempted to visit Stingley in the hospital but was rebuffed by Stingley's family.

John David Tatum was born Nov. 18, 1948, in Cherryville, N.C., and grew up in Passaic, N.J. Even though he did not play football until his sophomore year of high school, he became an all-state standout and was recruited to Ohio State University as a running back.

The Buckeyes' coach, Woody Hayes, converted the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Mr. Tatum to defensive back, where he became a two-time all-American. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

With the Raiders, Mr. Tatum joined a talented secondary that included Willie Brown and George Atkinson. Known mostly for his fearsome tackles, Mr. Tatum was hardly a one-dimensional player. He intercepted 37 passes during his NFL career, including six in 1976, when the Raiders had a regular-season record of 13-1. They capped their year by defeating Minnesota, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI.

In a 1972 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mr. Tatum had a role in the "Immaculate Reception" play that has become one of the most famous moments in NFL history. With 22 seconds left in the game, and the Raiders leading 7-6, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a fourth-down pass to running back John "Frenchy" Fuqua. Mr. Tatum crashed into Fuqua at the moment the pass arrived, sending the ball hurtling through the air.

Steelers running back Franco Harris grabbed the deflected pass just before it touched the ground and rambled into the end zone to complete a 60-yard touchdown play and give the Steelers the win.

In retirement, Mr. Tatum invested in real estate and restaurants and wrote three autobiographies, each with the word "assassin" in the title. He suffered from diabetes and, several years ago, had a leg amputated.

Survivors include his wife, Denise; and three children.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Pat Haden replaces Mike Garrett as USC AD

USC is cleaning house in its tarnished athletic department, throwing out much of what got the school in severe NCAA trouble.

Athletic director Mike Garrett and Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy are the first two items to go.

In a letter to school supporters Tuesday, incoming USC president Max Nikias said Garrett will be replaced Aug. 3 by Pat Haden, the former Trojans quarterback who became a successful businessman and a member of USC's board of trustees. The school also will return its copy of Bush's trophy to the Heisman Trust, among several measures to disassociate itself from the tainted tailback.

The NCAA cited Garrett's administration for a lack of institutional control while slapping the school with heavy sanctions last month, but Haden believes he can change the culture of a program that has been wildly successful and heavily scrutinized over the past decade.

"We're going to do better," said Haden, also the color analyst on NBC's Notre Dame broadcasts for the past decade. "We have to do better. We don't have any choices here. We stub our toe, there's going to be some problems."

USC was hit with four years of probation, a two-year bowl ban and severe football scholarship restrictions after the NCAA found serious rules violations in the athletic department, primarily around the football and men's basketball teams. Most involved illegal benefits for Bush and O.J. Mayo, the talented basketball player who spent just one season at USC.

Haden said the school's plan to get rid of nearly all references to Bush and Mayo -- right down to scrubbing their images from school murals and removing Bush's No. 5 jersey in its place of honor in the lobby of Heritage Hall -- are all part of the NCAA's directive to disassociate the school from the athletes.

Bush's Heisman has been on display alongside the trophies won by Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Charles White and Marcus Allen. It was still in place Tuesday, but will be gone by the time students show up on campus next month.

Bush still has his own Heisman Trophy. The Heisman Trophy Trust has not taken any action against Bush or made any request to have him return his copy of the trophy.

Monday, July 19, 2010

grading the NBA drafts since 1985

I was looking up Mike Miller since he joined the Miami Three and noted he was drafted fifth in the 2000 draft which was regarded as the worst draft in recent history.

That led to this article which rated the NBA drafts since 1985 (through 2008). The 2000 draft (Kenyon Martin, Stromile Swift, Darius Miles, Marcus Fizer, DerMarr Johnson) got an F. Getting As were the 1985 Draft (Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin), the 1996 Draft (Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Ray Allen), and the 2003 Draft (LeBron, Carmelo, DWade, Bosh).

Friday, July 16, 2010

Jeremy Lin

[7/21/10] Golden State signs Jeremy Lin / shoe deal next? /

***

Can't get an athletic scholarship to the Division I school of your choice? Try the next best thing. Try enrolling at a little school called Harvard University.

***

Mavericks guard Jeremy Lin stole the show over No. 1 overall pick John Wall during a summer league game against the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.

According to a report by Kevin Arnovitz of Truehoop , Wall earned a huge ovation from the crowd at Las Vegas' Cox Pavilion during introductions. But by the end of the game, the crowd had turned on Wall and was cheering for Dallas's Lin, the undrafted point guard out of Harvard who scored nine fourth-quarter points.

Arnovitz writes: With the Mavs down a couple of possessions, Wall and JaVale McGee trapped Lin off a high ball screen. Lin split the defenders, darting left through the opening. Against the collapsing Washington defense, Lin then propelled 270 degrees in the air to get off a right-handed jumper against contact. The acrobatics roused the Cox Pavilion crowd, who almost rioted when Lin was whistled for a charge.

Zach Harper of Hardwood Paroxysm on the John Wall-Jeremy Lin fourth quarter battle: "Funny thing happened on the way to the Bellagio ... Jeremy Lin and John Wall faced off in the fourth quarter of the Wizards-Mavericks game in Vegas and pretty much played each other to a standstill. That's right. An undrafted Harvard, SMAHRT kid, point guard went toe-to-toe with the number-one pick in the NBA draft and sort-of held his own. The final box score will show John Wall with an impressive 21 points (let's just forget about the 4/19 shooting), 10 assists and seven rebounds. But it won't show that the majority of the Lin's (9) fourth quarter points were the result of him getting the better of the 'best player in the draft' for times than Wall will care to remember. Lin and Wall played the equivalent of an iso chess match on the hardwood game board. The kid from the Ivy League refused to back down from the YouTube sensation and while Wall walked away with the highlight reel, Lin walked away as the fan favorite."

***

Samhan and Lin face long odds


***

Harvard's Hoops Star Is Asian

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Jeremy Lin's legend grows

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

George Steinbrenner

George M. Steinbrenner, the principal owner of the New York Yankees since 1973 who returned the storied franchise to prominence both on and off the field and won seven World Series titles, died Tuesday, reportedly after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 80.

The Steinbrenner family confirmed his death, which occurred in Tampa, Fla., in a statement issued by the Yankees.

"He was an incredible and charitable man," the family's statement read. "First and foremost he was devoted to his entire family -- his beloved wife, Joan; his sisters, Susan Norpell and Judy Kamm, his children, Hank, Jennifer Jessica and Hal; and all of his grandchildren.

"He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports. He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it into a champion again."

Steinbrenner was the longest tenured owner in Major League Baseball. Through his purchase of the Yankees, Steinbrenner became one of the game's best-known personalities; a demanding type who earned the long-standing nickname "The Boss."

Friday, July 09, 2010

how good is John Wall?

This guy (John Kelman) wouldn't trade him for Kobe Bryant right now. Or Tim Duncan either. Or Amare. Or Steve Nash. Or Boozer. Or Pau Gasol. Or Dirk Nowitzki. Or Garnett. Or Pierce. Or David Lee (hey he's a heck of a fantasy player in my league).

In fact there are only 14 players he would consider trading Wall for (three of them are now playing in Miami).

Thursday, July 08, 2010

LeBron chooses Miami

LeBron James wanted to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The only place that could happen was Miami. Get ready, NBA: A superstar trio is born.

Ending weeks of silence and drama, the two-time MVP said on his ESPN special from Greenwich, Conn. on Thursday night that he's decided to join the Miami Heat and leave the Cleveland Cavaliers after an unsuccessful seven-year quest for the championship he covets.

"The best opportunity to win and to win now and to win in the future also," James said. "Winning is a huge thing for me."

It's a huge victory for the Heat, who got commitments from Wade and Bosh on Wednesday. That duo, along with James, formed the upper echelon of the most-celebrated free-agent period in league history.

Heat president Pat Riley landed them all, a three-pack of stars to help shape his quest for a dynasty in Miami.

And for Cleveland, a city scorned for generations by some of sports' biggest letdowns, James' long-awaited words represented a defeat perhaps unlike any other.

James is gone. Home sweet home no more.

He said he made the decision Thursday morning and knows it won't go over well in Ohio.

"They can have mixed emotions, of course," James said, adding that Akron will "always be home for me."

***

Dan Gilbert reacts. (P.S. he's the Cavaliers owner, not some drunken fan in a bar.)

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

[Hmm. I wonder what the Vegas odds on that are?]

Dan Gilbert further blasts LeBron.

[Sheesh. Who wants an owner like that? Apparently Gilbert would have been fine with having a quitter on his team and was trying like hell to keep this "quitter"... Do the words "sore loser" come to mind?

Well, at least it'll guarantee a sellout when Miami comes to Cleveland next season.]

***

[10/30/12] Before the game, Gilbert said he regrets guaranteeing the Cavs would win an NBA title before LeBron James, who left Cleveland as a free agent in 2010. ''Looking back now, that probably was not the most brilliant thing I've ever done in my life,'' Gilbert said.

***

Reactions from sportswriters around the country.

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Justin Bieber's reaction

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OK, time to watch some 2008 Olympics video..

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Et tu, Otis?

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Masterful marketing

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Cavaliers try to regroup

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Jesse Jackson says Dan Gilbert has a slave-master mentality

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Dan Gilbert fined $100,000 by David Stern, but didn't think much of 'The Decision' either.

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Miami Heat aka the NWO (hey maybe Dennis Rodman will join next)

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[7/20/10] Steve Carrell had a Decision too

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[7/20/10] The inside story

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[8/2/10] Earl Monroe sees no issue with LeBron's move

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Getting the band together

[7/13/10] Udonis Haslem re-signs with Miami

[7/15/10] Mike Miller signs with Heat

[7/16/10] Miami re-signs Joel Anthony, signs Dexter Pittman

[7/17/10] Miami signs Zydrunas Ilgauskas

[7/19/10] Jamaal Magloire re-signs with Miami

[7/19/10] James Jones re-signs with Miami

[7/21/10] Juwan Howard signs with Heat

[7/22/10] Carlos Arroyo returns to the Heat

[7/27/10] Shavlik Randolph re-signs with Miami

[7/29/10] Eddie House signs with Heat for 2 years, 2.8 million

[8/8/10] Obama next to Miami?

[8/10/10] Jeff Van Gundy predicts Miami will be decent

[7/7/14] Dan Gilbert's letter removed

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

LeBron on twitter

With so few people covering LeBron James these days it's nearly impossible to know where he is or what he's thinking at any given time. But the most important free agent in the history of free agency is media savvy.

That's why he's created his own Twitter account: @KingJames.

You can follow LeBron, but he hasn't posted anything yet. Chances are he'll use his first tweet to announce where he'll be playing next year. I'm sure everyone in the front offices of the Nets, Knicks, Heat, Bulls, Clippers and Cavs is holding their breath over those inaugural 140 characters.

[when I wrote this, I think he had about 80,000 followers. Now looking at 10:30PM, he has 208,777 followers!]

***

Here's his first (and only so far) twitter

Hello World, the Real King James is in the Building "Finally". My Brother @oneandonlycp3 gas'd me up to jump on board so I'm here. Haaaa

***

Here's a list of nba players on twitter.

Sunday, July 04, 2010

Lesnar survives to defeat Carwin

Brock Lesnar secured his place atop the heavyweight division with a dramatic come-from-behind submission victory against the previously unbeaten Shane Carwin.

Lesnar weathered a violent barrage from Carwin in the first round, scored with a takedown in the second and trapped him in an arm-triangle choke that ended the UFC 116 headliner on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Carwin raised the white flag 2 minutes, 19 seconds into Round 2.

Carwin -- who had finished each of his first 12 foes in the first round -- had the champion in serious trouble inside the first five minutes, as he buckled him with a right hand, stuffed his first takedown attempt and had him reeling with a left uppercut. Lesnar, in his first appearance since an intestinal disorder nearly ended his career, went down against the cage and absorbed heavy ground-and-pound from Carwin, who let loose with heavy rights and lefts from the top. Lesnar defended well, but Round 1 clearly came down in Carwin's favor.

Slowed by visible fatigue, Carwin lacked the steam he needed to finish what he started. Treading water as the second period opened, Carwin winked at the former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar but soon found himself on his back in the center of the Octagon. Lesnar set up the choke, moved to mount and tightened the submission from the side. Carwin defended at first, but Lesnar tightened his massive arms around his neck and solicited the tapout.

Thursday, July 01, 2010

NBA summer of deals 2010

[10/24/10] Iverson to play in Turkey

[9/23/10] Don Nelson out as Golden State head coach [comments from around the league]

[8/23/10] Kwame Brown signs with Charlotte for one-year, $1.3 million

[8/11/10] Trevor Ariza to New Orleans. Darren Collison and James Posey to Indiana. Troy Murphy to New Jersey. Courtney Lee to Houston.

[8/10/10] Tracy McGrady signs with Pistons for one year $1.3 million

[8/9/10] Anthony Tolliver's decision Part Deux

[8/4/10] Shaquille O'Neal signs with Celtics

[7/28/10] Josh Howard re-signs with Washington for 1 year, $4 million

[7/26/10] Cavaliers trade Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair to Minnesota for Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins

[7/22/10] Lakers sign Theo Ratliff

[7/22/10] Matt Barnes signs with Lakers for less money (two-years, 3.6 million)

[7/22/10] Carlos Arroyo returns to the Heat

[7/22/10] Bulls acquire C.J. Watson in sign-and-trade deal

[7/21/10] Richard Jefferson re-signs with Spurs for four years, $38 million

[7/21/10] Blazers sign Wesley Matthews for five years, $34 million

[7/19/10] Portland names Rich Cho as new GM

[7/17/10] Brad Miller signs with Rockets for 3 years, $15 million

[7/16/10] Nate Robinson to re-sign with Boston

[7/16/10] Ronnie Brewer signs with the Bulls for 3 years, $12.5 million.

[7/16/10] Magic match Bulls offer for J.J. Redick, three-years, $19 million

[7/15/10] Luis Scola to return to Rockets for five years, $47 million

[7/15/10] Nuggets re-sign Anthony Carter, sign Sheldon Williams

[7/15/10] Warriors sold for record $450 million

[7/15/10] Raja Bell signs with Utah for three years, $10 million

[7/14/10] Al Harrington agrees to join the Nuggets for five years, $34 million

[7/14/10] Timofey Mozgov signs with Knicks for three years, $9.7 million.

[7/14/10] Luke Ridnour signs with Minnesota for four years, $16 million

[7/14/10] Pacers hire Clark Kellogg as VP for player relations

[7/14/10] Nets choose Billy King to replace Rod Thorn

[7/14/10] Hedo Turkoglu traded from Toronto to Phoenix for Leandro Barbosa and Dwayne Jones

[7/14/10] Shaun Livingston signs with Charlotte for two years, $7 million

[7/14/10] Phoenix acquires Josh Childress from Atlanta in a sign-and-trade deal

[7/13/10] BigZ to join LeBron in Miami

[7/13/10] Al Jefferson will be traded from Minnesota to Utah for Kosta Koufos and two future first-round draft picks

[7/13/10] Jeff Bower steps down as Hornets GM

[7/13/10] Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca traded from Charlotte to Dallas for Erick Dampier, Matt Carroll, and Eduardo Najera

[7/12/10] Anthony Morrow traded to New Jersey for $4 million trade exception

[7/12/10] Quentin Richardson to sign with Orlando

[7/12/10] Mike Miller headed to Miami for five years, $25 million

[7/12/10] Udonis Haslem re-signs with Miami for five years, $20 million

[7/12/10] Derek Fisher staying with the Lakers

[7/12/10] Ben Wallace to stay with Detroit

[7/12/10] Tony Allen signs with Grizzlies for three years, $9.5 million

[7/12/10] Raymond Felton signs with the Knicks for two years, $16 million

[7/11/10] Jordan Farmar agrees to join the Nets

[7/9/10] Kyle Korver signs with Bulls for three years, $15 million

[7/9/10] Tyrus Thomas re-signs with Charlotte for five years, $40 million

[7/8/10] Michael Beasley to be traded to Minnesota for 2011 second-round pick and swap of first round picks.

[7/8/10] David Lee to sign for $80 million, six years then traded from Knicks to Warriors for Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf

[7/8/10] Clippers sign Ryan Gomes for $12 million over 3 years and Randy Foye for $8.5 million over 2 years.

[7/8/10] LeBron to join Wade and Bosh in Miami / Wade, Bosh, LeBron sign six-year deals as Miami completes sign and trade deals with Cleveland and Toronto

[7/8/10] Joe Johnson officially signs with Hawks for $123.7 million for six years

[7/8/10] Brendan Haywood to re-sign with Dallas for $55 million, five years

[7/8/10] Jermaine O'Neal to sign with Celtics for mid-level exception, 2 years, $5.7 million first year

[7/8/10] Travis Outlaw to sign with Nets for $35 million 5 years.

[7/7/10] Ray Allen re-signs with Celtics for $20 million 2 years

[7/7/10] Boozer to sign with Bulls for $80 million 5 years, Nets stunned

[7/7/10] Kevin Durant to sign $85 million 5 year extension with OKC

[7/7/10] DWade to stay with Miami, to be joined by Bosh

[7/6/10] Clippers to hire Vinny Del Negro as head coach

[7/6/10] Chris Duhon signs with Magic for $15 million, four years

[7/5/10] Amare to sign with Knicks for $100 million over five years

[7/3/10] Dirk to stay with Dallas for at least $80 million over four years

[7/2/10] Paul Pierce to stay with Celtics for $61 million over four years

[7/2/10] LeBron to be owner/coach/player for Kakaako Kimos?

[7/2/10] Steve Blake signs with Lakers for $16 million for four years

[7/2/10] John Salmons returns to Bucks for $40 million, five years, wait make that only $39 million

[7/2/10] Hakim Warrick signs with Phoenix for four years, $18 million

[7/1/10] Channing Frye gets $30 million for five years from Suns

[7/1/10] Rudy Gay re-signs with Memphis for $82 million for five years

[7/1/10] Amir Johnson will stay with Raptors for $34 million for five years

[7/1/10] Darko Milicic will stay with Timberwolves for four years at $20 million, $16 million guaranteed

[7/1/10] Drew Gooden signs with Bucks for $32 million for five years

[7/1/10] Cavaliers hire Byron Scott as head coach

[7/1/10] Phil Jackson will return for another season

[6/29/10] Yi traded from Nets to Wizards for Quinton Ross

[6/25/10] Chris Douglas-Roberts traded by Nets to Bucks for 2012 second-round draft pick

[6/24/10] Martell Webster traded from Portland to Minnesota for rights to Luke Babbitt and Ryan Gomes

[6/24/10] Rasheed Wallace to retire

[6/24/10] Bulls to trade Kirk Hinrich and first round pick to Washington for a future second round pick (hardly seems fair) / [7/8/10 - that future draft pick turns out to be Vladimir Veremeenko, a 2006 second-round draft pick of the Wizards]

[6/23/10] Draft Day trades

[6/22/10] Corey Maggette traded from Golden State to Milwaukee for Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric

[6/17/10] Samuel Dalembert traded by Philadelphia to Sacramento for Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni

[6/16/10] Tom Izzo turns down Cleveland's offer and will remain with Michigan State

[6/13/10] Atlanta names Larry Drew as new head coach

[6/11/10] Nets hire Avery Johnson as new head coach

[6/5/10] Tom Thibodeau to become Bulls new coach

[6/4/10] Monty Williams hired as Hornets head coach

***

[7/2/10] Cool. Transactions beginning from December 1, 2004. What happened five years ago?

Toronto exercises contract option on Chris Bosh.
Cleveland names Danny Ferry general manager.
New York acquires Quentin Richardson and Nate Robinson for Kurt Thomas.
Milwaukee signs first pick Andrew Bogut.
New York signs first round pick David Lee.
Portland signs first round pick Martell Webster.
New York signs first round picks Channing Frye and Nate Robinson.
Boston signs first round pick Gerald Green.
New Orleans signs first round pick Chris Paul.
Toronto signs first round pick Charlie Villanueva.
Portland names Nate McMillan head coach.
Indiana signs first round pick Danny Granger.
Charlotte signs first round picks Raymond Felton and Sean May.
Memphis signs first round pick Hakim Warrick.
Utah signs first round pick Deron Williams.
Atlanta signs first round pick Marvin Williams.
New York names Larry Brown head coach.

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[7/12/10] Free agents 2010, 2009