Allen Iverson finally retiring?

The 2010 NBA basketball season hasn’t been kind to Allen Iverson, once one of the league’s brightest stars. Heck, this season has been that tough for him that he already retired this season only to come back after his old team, the Philadelphia 76ers, gave him a second lease in life.

Now, everything is being taken away from Allen Iverson again, as he was forced to put what’s left of his basketball career on hold to attend to his four-year-old daughter Messiah, who is reportedly suffering from an undisclosed illness.

Wow. You really can’t help but feel sorry for Iverson. For a guy who once led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals and won numerous scoring titles with, including league MVP honors, going out this way is definitely a tough pill to swallow.

Just look at what A.I. has been through this year. First he signs a one-year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies looking to redeem himself after such a disastrous outing with Detroit last season. After only three games in Memphis, Iverson wanted out after he figured that he wasn’t on the same page with the team’s direction.

That led to Iverson announcing his retirement last November 25.

Then, his old team, the Philadelphia 76ers, gave him a second lease in life. And after a very emotional press conference, Iverson was back playing again for the very team that drafted him to the NBA.

Will Dwyane Wade leave Miami?

After failing to acquire another legitimate player to help Dwyane Wade before the trading deadline expired in the 2010 NBA basketball season, the Miami Heat should consider going to their initial plan of getting a free agent in the offseason.

While the New York Knicks, the Chicago Bulls, the Washington Wizards, the L.A. Clippers, and the Sacramento Kings made a surplus of combined trades to give them major cap relief after the season, the Miami Heat were caught on the sidelines watching their advantage fade away.

Chicago and New York were already expected to make a run for Dwyane Wade, but now they can offer him the chance to possibly play alongside LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Amar’e Stoudemire, or Joe Johnson.

”You pay attention and notice what’s going on around the league because you’re a player in this league, and there’s also a business factor,” Dwyane Wade said of teams looking to join the summer sweepstakes.

Shaquille O'Neal to miss the playoffs too?

For now, Shaquille O’Neal will likely miss the remainder of the 2010 NBA basketball season following surgery on his right thumb after Glen Davis hacked on it in a game between the Cavaliers and the Celtics.

With Shaquille O’Neal out of commission, the Cleveland Cavaliers lose that presence inside. Of course, they can hope Antawn Jamison and blossoming forward J.J. Hickson can fill the void.

But let’s face it, nobody can attract that much attention inside the paint the way Shaq does and with him out, it’ll be awfully hard for LeBron James to find those easy baskets around the perimeter.

The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers were in the playoffs, they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Orlando Magic. The Cavs signed Shaq before the season in preparation for a possible rematch with Orlando in the postseason.

Now, they’re in trouble of getting booted out of the playoffs by the Orlando Magic again, provided Shaq doesn’t make it back in time.

Hell, they’d be lucky to even make it that deep into the playoffs without O’Neal anyway.

Cavs general manager Danny Ferry, on the other hand, can only hope his team would be able to persevere. ”Our guys have done a very good job of stepping up this season. We are confident they will do the same in this situation,” Ferry said.

”We are fortunate to have some depth in our front court that can keep us moving forward while Shaq recovers and returns to play for the postseason.”

LeBron James to wear no.6 next season?

Once were done with the 2010 NBA basketball season, LeBron James will be wearing no.6 for his next campaign. That’s right, he finally made the bold decision of switching his jersey number from number 23 to number 6 official.

The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar just beat the deadline and is dead serious in honoring Michael Jordan. ”I’ve done it,” LeBron James said in an interview. ”I already sent it in. I’m going to be No. 6.” James first floated the idea in November, saying he wanted to switch from 23 out of respect for Jordan.

”I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon,” LeBron James said. ”There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn’t Michael Jordan first.”

”He can’t get the logo, and if he can’t, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I’m starting a petition, and I’ve got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I’m not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it.” he said.

Can Michael Schumacher win the title this season?

Michael Schumacher is set to return to Formula One after signing with Mercedes GP for the 2010 F1 season. Yes, in case you didn’t know yet, he’s coming back and he won’t be driving for Ferrari no more. Instead, he’ll compete for Ferrari’s rivals from Mercedes after a three-year sabbatical.

Can Michael Schumacher recapture the greatness he once had after three years being away from the sport? If you’ve been following F1 for quite some time, then you should know by now that betting against a guy like Michael Schumacher is a bad idea. As far as him winning another title at 41 years old is concerned, Jarno Trulli believes Schumi can do that too.

”Why not? Being 41 is not a problem; age is just a number. He’s still in very good shape, and physically and mentally I don’t think he’s going to have any problems,” Jarno Trulli said in an interview with Crash.net Radio.

”I think the only trouble he will find is returning to racing after three years, it’s not that easy to get back into the same rhythm in Formula 1. I think it will take him some races before he can really begin to attack again, but that is the only issue I can see him facing.”

Like Schumi, Jarno Trulli will also be driving for another team. You see, Toyota is no longer competing in Formula One, forcing Trulli to move to a new player this season, Lotus.

”We have to be realistic,” Trulli said. ”It’s going to be a tough season, and to begin with what we need to do is be reasonably competitive. Eventually, the target will probably be to show some good performances by the end of the year. As I say, it’s a long-term project, and the first season is all about building up the team. Obviously, what Lotus is looking for is to be an established, strong Formula 1 team for the future.”

Will Derek Jeter play for another team this season?

In case you haven’t noticed, the 2010 MLB baseball season is just around the corner. The last time I was mildly interested in a baseball game, the Yankees won the World Series so it’s only fitting that we kick off this one with them Yankees and their chances to go have their re-peat.

The New York Yankees are the perennial favorites to capture the American League pennant and after winning the World Series last season, it’s no surprise that they are once again favored to capture the pennant again in 2010.

However, the Yanks will have a big distraction this season. As it stands, star shortstop Derek Jeter is going into the final year of his deal with them pinstripes and you can bet it will continue to be a distraction until the situation with is resolved.

”I was a Yankees fan growing up. This is where I want to be,” Jeter told the media as he was prepping for spring training in Tampa, Florida. ”I’ve never envisioned myself playing anywhere else, and hopefully I don’t have to.”

The World Cup, which is played every four years, never fails to capture the imagination of the English people.

And after failing to qualify for Euro 2008, it has been a long four years for England fans to wait and remember what it feels like to get behind their team in a major international competition. Now that England is in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, English football fans couldn’t be any happier.

England head to South Africa confident, having easily secured their place for this year’s World Cup. And for the first time in quite a long time, English fans can finally look forward to the World Cup with a sense of optimism.

With players such as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard ranking amongst the best in the world, together with the other members of the talented England squad, Fabio Cappello could well be the man to guide England to World Cup glory for the first time since 1966.

The draw for the 2010 World Cup took place in Cape Town and with the way the countries have been drawn, it looks like lady luck is really smiling on England. They got a great draw coming up against USA, Slovenia and Algeria in Group C, making the English team as the clear favorites to win the group.

Looking back at England’s history in the World Cup, England has entered all 14 post-war competitions. They qualified through play in the preliminary competition on nine occasions (1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998 and 2002), as host country once (1966) and as reigning champions once (1970).

England have had only moderate success in the World Cup, and that is perhaps a fair indication of their standing in the world game. They won the tournament once, in 1966, when it was held on their own soil and they played all their matches on their home ground, Wembley Stadium, an advantage extended to no other team in World Cup history.

My my, teams are really letting some once great running backs go these last couple of days huh?

Brian Westbrook won’t be playing for them Eagles no more once the 2010 NFL football season gets here. Yes, just like LaDainian Tomlinson not playing for them Chargers anymore. You see, after two cases of concussions last season, the Eagles finally let him go, stirring up some rumors that he may just call it quits and walk away from football.

However, Brian Westbrook claims that is simply not the case. ”My plan is not to retire. My plan is to continue to play football,” he said in an interview with a local radio station in Philly. ”There’s 32 teams out there. Hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to go and play with another team.”

Yes, after two concussions that kept him out for a good portion of Philly’s last campaign in the NFL, Westbrook feels he can still play football and bang heads with guys like Jared Allen and Patrick Willis. And in case you’re wondering, no, he doesn’t have a death wish.

Westbrook, who thanked Philadelphia Eagles fans and coach Andy Reid for all their support, said his agent has already heard from three or four teams about his availability for 2010. Of course, we don’t know if those three or four teams play in the NFL. Hell, he may end up playing for some team in Canada for all we know.

Westbrook also said that he understood why the Eagles got rid of him the way they did.

”It’s hard for teams to keep veterans, especially aging veterans at a higher salary number, when they can get younger guys,” Brian Westbrook said. ”Especially when guys have battled injuries the way I have the last year and a half or so. I understand that. I completely do.”

Did the Knicks get T-Mac to lure LeBron James?

After trading Nate Robinson to Boston, you can’t help but wonder, are these guys throwing the 2010 NBA basketball season away already? And what’s even funnier is the fact that the Knicks actually think bringing in a Tracy McGrady who is now merely a shell of his former self, the right move to make.

But when you come to think of it, this is probably a good business decision by New York Knicks gerenal manager Donnie Walsh. We all know the Knicks won’t be competing for the NBA championship this season anyway so the least they can do now is just put more asses inside Madison Square Garden and just like Iverson in Philadelphia, McGrady can be that guy in New York City.

Having a guy like Tracy McGrady can bolster interest to this ailing Knicks franchise. Of course, if they want to have McGrady for the next couple of years, they would have to give up key players within their team like Al Harrington and Eddy Curry at some point just to stay below the cap.

Will the Americans win the World Cup?

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching and eyes will be set on South Africa with matches held in nine cities across the land. The world’s greatest footballers will be on display too as football fans around the world are eagerly anticipating a month of football bliss.

On that note, here’s an early rundown of the top five countries to watch out for in this year’s World Cup, starting with the country that won the last biggest tournament in football, the Euro 2008 champions Spain.

Though Spain has never won the World Cup, this may be their best chance ever. Their forwards score goals and their midfield is among the best in the world. At goalkeeping, Iker Casillas is equally very impressive, helping them to engineer a 15 game winning streak to set an international record earlier in 2009.

Although the United States‘ victory over Spain late in the year was one of the biggest upsets in a long time, Spain remains the team to beat. They are in Group H along with Switzerland, Honduras and Chile.

Another team to watch out for is Argentina primarily because they have on their roster the best footballer in the world right now in Lionel Messi. Argentina also has the best defensive midfielder in the world, Javier Mascherano along with a number of very talented youngsters, including Sergio Aguero.

Their manager knows what it takes to win. While they did suffer a bad loss, 6-1, to Boliva, at extreme altitude, Argentina will not have the same problems in June. Argentina is in Group B facing Nigeria, Korea and Greece in the first round of play.

Italy is also one of those teams to watch. The team known for their dead-bolt defensive style and younger players such as Rossi, Chiellini and De Rossi, they are still anchored by 31-year-old goal keeper, Gianluigi Buffon, and veteran Alberto Gilardino who scored four of their eighteen goals in qualifying.

Italy has the tendency to be complacent and they tend to not pick it up until the knockout stages. However, they are always a dangerous team to play no matter how decrepit they look, as they showed back in the 2006 World Cup. Italy is in Group F along with Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia.

Then we have Netherlands. This team has the talent moving forward. They had eight wins in qualifying, earning the maximum points. The switch to Bert van Marwijk has only improved the team. Considered the most impressive team in Euro 2008 prior to their overtime collapse against Russia, they can beat anyone. If Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie remain healthy, the Oranje should go far. They are grouped with Denmark, Japan and Cameroon.