J.J. Redick Destroys NBA Superstar Jeff Burton In A Game Of "Horse"

Oh, you haven't heard of the NBA superstar Jeff Burton? Maybe that's because he drives a car in the NASCAR series. Though, that didn't stop Orlando guard J.J. Redick from throwing down on him in a game of "horse".

Actually, the game of "horse" was modified into a game of "DAYTONA" since it was part of a promotion(press release here) for the upcoming Pepsi 400 race at Daytona International Speedway. By all accounts Redick unsurprisingly beat Burton, though Burton did manage to give Redick a "D". However, it seems that Redick took this game pretty seriously as he was dunking as part of his shot selection.

"When Redick dunked or nailed a deep three-pointer, Burton wisely surrendered his option to Magic community-relations ambassador Nick Anderson."

Ok, I can understand shooting three-pointers, but dunking? Come on, Burton is a 5'7" NASCAR driver. You can see the difference in height between him and the 6'4" Redick in these photos of the event.

Though, with the limited minutes he played during his rookie season I guess Redick's got to showcase his skills at all times. As long as they were keeping him from drinking some white wine spritzers, and climbing behind the wheel of one of those NASCARs I would consider this promotion a success. And, as always, welcome to Orlando J.J.!

Orlando Magic Season Ticket Holders Offered Refund In The Wake Of Donovan Fiasco

Today the Orlando Magic took another step in trying to erase any memory that Billy Donovan was their coach for just a few hours. The Magic offered refunds to any individuals that purchased season tickets within 48 hours of the announcement that Donovan was the new head coach. Team officials stated that more than 200 ticket packages had been bought within that timeframe, though they didn't disclose how many people had asked for a refund.

Looking at the Magic's ticket site the cheapest package available is $450 for the entire season. So, the cheapest package with a minimum of 200 packages being bought would equal $90,000 in refunds. Obviously, not every buyer is going to ask for a refund, but every package purchased probably wasn't the cheapest either. It's probably safe to assume that Orlando is looking at at least $90k in lost revenue.

It would be interesting to find out exactly how many refunds are granted because of Donovan deciding to go back Florida. That would be a decent barometer of how much faith the fans have in new head coach(at least this week) Stan Van Jeremy(pornstache yeah!).

Bjorn Borg's Grass-Court Match Streak Ended By Wolf

Bjorn Borg was scheduled to play an exhibition match this week against 1987 Wimbledon champ Pat Cash, but had to withdraw due to a dog bite injury by a German shephard named Wolf. Apparently, the German shephard and Borg's golden retriever, Lipton, got into a fight, and Borg was bitten as he was trying to break them up.

Borg's streak had been active for the past 26 years. Until June of last year, Borg had held the consecutive win streak on grass-courts with 41 in a row. Roger Federer broke that when he beat Richard Gasquet in the first round of Wimbeldon in '06.

Borg released this statement regarding him being forced to withdraw:

“I’m so disappointed that I cannot play at Liverpool,” Borg said on the tournament Web site. “I’ve been really looking forward to this event and have been practicing hard for four months to get ready.”

No word on if he sent the German shephard to see Michael Vick.

As Long As He Doesn't Imitate Maradona's Eating Habits Or Drug Use He Should Be Ok

Lionel Messi, a midfielder/striker for Barcelona's first team, has been called Diego Maradona's "successor" by even Maradona himself. Yesterday, he took that comparison to a new level.

During Argentina's quarter-final match against England in the 1986 World Cup, Maradona cut to the goal and got to the ball before goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Maradona hit the ball with his left hand, and knocked it into the net without the referee having seen the illegal touch. It has subsequently been named "The Hand of God" goal.

Yesterday against rival Espanyol, Messi sprinted towards the goal, jumped for an attempted header and knocked the ball into the net with his left hand. The referee in his match did not see the illegal touch either. His goal has been dubbed "The Hand of God: Volume 2".

For comparison, Maradona's goal is first, and Messi's follows.





And, one of the reasons Messi has been compared to Maradona is his "replication" of Maradona's "Goal Of The Century". Once again, Maradona's is first and Messi's follows.

Avery Atkins, Proof That Talent Isn't Everything

In 2005, Avery Atkins was a talented recruit who had committed to play football for Urban Meyer at the University of Florida. He stepped onto the practice field that spring as a top 10 nationally ranked cornerback recruit, ready to contribute immediately on defense and special teams.

Throughout 2005, he contributed heavily on the special teams unit, and when given the chance to start against Florida State he intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. He was expected to challenge for a starting cornerback role on the eventual national champion team of '06, but problems with the mother of his child in Daytona Beach and run-ins with the law lead to him asking for, and being granted, a release from the team.

Since then he had been arrested three times. Twice for domestic battery and once for felony aggravated battery. Last night, he was arrested for the fourth time, on charges of "possession of a stolen firearm, possession of cannabis under 20 grams, possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia". Atkins had re-enrolled at Florida in January with the hopes of returning to the team, but that second chance seems all but gone.

Here is a player that, had he stayed out of trouble, would have SEC and National Championship rings. Would currently be competing for a cornerback position on a team that lost its two starting cornerbacks. And, would be having his coverage skills, which are impressive, showcased to NFL scouts on a high profile team in a high profile conference. Atkins is the prime example of someone who has the talent to beat most opponents, but can't seem to get past his biggest opponent, himself.

Chad Johnson Beats Horse, Ready To Take On The Entire Sports World

Last Saturday I posted about Chad Johnson racing a horse for charity. Yesterday was the big day, and Ocho Cinco won by more than just a nose. He easily beat the horse, and during his comments afterwards said that he wanted to take on other athletes at the top of their respective sports. Floyd Mayweather in boxing, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in basketball, etc. At the very least, it would be entertaining to watch some of those match-ups. Here's footage of the race courtesy of Black Sports Online via the espen.

Isn't This That Olympic Logo That Causes Seizures?

Will at Deadspin covered the unveiling of the 2012 Summer Olympics logo, but I wanted to post a follow-up.

Apparently, some people have experienced epileptic seizures after viewing the logo.

"Epilepsy Action, a British health charity, said 10 people had complained about the animation and some had suffered seizures from watching images depicting a diver plunging into a pool.

The Olympic group said it has taken steps to remove the animation from the Web site and will now re-edit the film."

Ten people in three days(the report was released on the 7th)? That's a little more than three people per day, and seeing how we're still five years away from the start of these Olympics that could result in over 5,000 epileptic episodes before the Opening Ceremonies. Yeah, great job on choosing that logo Olympic organizers. Though, with the TV ratings trending downward maybe this is a ploy to boost ratings. You know, induce seizures so that you can't change the channel and keep the ratings up.

Somewhere, Homer Simpson is thrilled with this logo choice.

If Barry Bonds Had Used "The Cream" This Way He Would Have Been Dead Years Ago

Actually, this is about something we shouldn't make fun of, the unforunate death of a high school athlete due to unforeseen consequences. While many high school students are concerned with finding the next kegger, Arielle Newman was winning awards as a runner for Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island. She passed away in early April, and authorities said that after the autopsy was inconclusive they would have to wait for toxicology reports to determine the cause of death.

The results have been made public, and Newman died from an "overdose" of methyl salicylate. That may sound ominous until you learn that it's a key ingredient in sports creams like Icy Hot and Bengay. That's right, she died from an overuse of anti-inflammatory sports cream. The medical examiner said that Newman had used the "topical medication to excess", but added that "it was the first time that her office had reported a death from using a sports cream".

As an athlete, I've used anti-inflammatory creams before. If you're a male athlete you've probably even been "tricked" into putting some on your, ahem, "AJ Daulerios"(it feels like burning!). However, I never once thought that it was a product that could kill me, even if I brushed my teeth with it. Guess I was wrong.

One thing I do ask, though is that before you make your next sports cream joke you think of Ms. Newman. You know, like "hey, how long have you Bengay?" Haha, thank you I'll be here all week. Try the veal.

Walter Dix, Faster Than Everyone You Know Even if You Know Trindon Holliday

Since I posted on Thursday about Trindon Holliday running the third fastest 100m in the world this year I felt compelled to give an update with Walter Dix's accomplishments.

Dix, a sprinter for Florida State, faced off against Holliday in the 100m finals at the NCAA Track and Field Championships on Friday. He not only beat Holliday, but he ran the fastest 100m, a 9.93, in the world so far this year(Asafa Powell had previously run a 9.97). He was also just one-one hundreth away from running the fastest NCAA 100m ever. Ato Bolden set that record, 9.92, while running for UCLA in 1998. Holliday finished second in Friday's race with a 10.06.

In the absence of having footage of Dix's 9.92 run, I have posted up the video of him breaking the NCAA 200m record last month. Yeah, he's the guy who's all alone out front.

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Happy Birthday To "Us" Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous, that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up at any time on Friday.

I really can't believe that it's been a year since I put up my first full post here at the Sports Oasis. Actually, June 7 marked a full year, but I figured that making it a "5 O'Clock Somewhere" segment would just add to the festivity.

First, I would like to say "thanks" to anyone and everyone who has ever read, commented, linked, etc. on/to this site. There are a ton of talented bloggers out there, and I feel very fortunate that sometimes I can steal your attention away from them for a few minutes.

Second, hopefully this is just the first year of many. I've learned a lot of things over the last 12 months, and will continue to learn a lot more, and hopefully that will help me provide you, the readers, with interesting content.

Lastly, let's rock this party like we should! It's almost 3 o'clock here on the east coast, but it's damn sure "5 o'clock somewhere"!

We'll start out with a classic birthday wish, and then head downhill from there. Happy Friday suckas!







And the anthem of the afternoon shall be: