King James Foresees Gold.

Joe Namath did it. Muhammad Ali did it. Now its Lebron's turn.

What, you may ask, might these three have in common besides all being tremendous athletes? Well the first two made guarantees that their team would win on the big stage; Namath in the Superbowl, Ali did it for the World Heavy-weight Championship. This time its Lebron James at the Olympics.

The Associated Press is reporting that in a Time Magazine issue that hits newsstands on Friday, when asked if his team would win gold his response was "absolutely!"

Lebron will be chasing something that USA basketball has failed to do at the Olympics Since 2000. He will be doing so against teams like Argentina, Greece, Lithuania, and Spain, all teams who are possibly better than they have ever been in the past...they have all been very good in the past. The NBA has changed. It is no longer the NBA of the 1980's or 90's when every good player, and I mean everyone, was from the United States. Now, like many other sports (baseball and hockey come to mind), many of the best players in the game are not from the United States. You have players like Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Steve Nash, and even Tim Duncan, all outstanding players and perennial all-stars, who are all born on foreign soil.

Team USA will have their hands full at this year's Olympic games. On paper you would have to say they are the favorites to win it all, but not by as wide a margin as Lebron and company may think. We are going to need to see the Lebron James from game 7 the this year's Eastern Conference Finals in every game for team USA to win gold. I'm not talking about the numbers. He will not get the touches to score 40+ points in a game, not with Kobe Bryant on the same team. What I am talking about is the drive, the Jordan-esk glare in his eye that tells you he wants it. That glare does not come out every game. It will need to for him to "absolutely" make good on his declaration.

Urlacher, Bears Kiss and Make Up

After a month long struggle between player and management both the Chicago Bears and Brian Urlacher got what they wanted on Tuesday when Urlacher agreed to a contract extension through the 2012 season. The extension is reportedly worth $18million and includes a $6million dollar signing bonus.

Urlacher, considered by many to be one of the top linebackers in the NFL, played the majority of last season with a back injury. The six time Pro-Bowler expressed his discontent with his existing contract following the season. Urlacher felt that given his commitment to the team and everything he had done for the organization he should receive the proper compensation.

This is a very important move for the Bears. The last thing you want is for your top player and leader both on and off the field to be unhappy. I think we all knew it was just a matter of time before this was resolved. Now the Bears can focus their attention on other important matters such as finding something that even resembles an offense.

Shockey On the Move

The New York Giants have traded TE Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints for the Saints 2nd and 5th round picks in the 2009 draft. Shockey became expendable following the late season emergence of Kevin Boss.

This move comes as a surprise to no one. Shockey made it very clear that he was unhappy as the new #2 in New York. New Orleans is a good fit for Shockey where he will now be one of Drew Brees' top targets. The Saints are looking to rebound from a a very disappointing 7-9 season. The Giants meanwhile lose very little in this trade. A second and fifth is a very good return for a guy who was going to be a backup.

Ronaldo to Stay In Manchester

It has been reported that injured Manchester United Winger, Cristiano Ronaldo will play for the Red Devils next season. Despite an injured right ankle that will keep him out until October, Ronaldo will remain with Machester of the English Premier League next season.

With 4 years remaining on his current contract, Real Madrid has expressed intrest in aquireing the 23-year-old. Ronaldo has yet to comment about the situation...perhaps astronomical amounts of money could pursue Machester to let him return closer to home.

Harrington Goes Back-to-Back

Last night while sitting at this computer I was anticipating writing a piece today about a triumphant return to the winner's circle for a 50+ year old golfer. What a story it would be for a man who has not won a PGA event since 1996, a man who has not even participated in a major in three years, to win The Open Championship, one of golf's toughest tests. It would have been a great story. Padraig Harrington however had other ideas.

Harrington fired a one under 69 including two birdies and an eagle on the back nine en route to a four stroke victory over Englishmen Luke Donald. Harrington was brilliant throughout, paring the first six holes while the rest of the field was falling victim to the 35+mph winds. He then came back to the rest of the pack at the midway point of the round before really turning it on for the back nine and cruising to victory.

The victory for Harrington, his second consecutive Open Championship title, is even more impressive given that a day before the tournament he was not even sure if he would be able to play this week. He suffered a wrist injury during a practice round prior to the event. In a week that lacked the biggest name in all of sports, it was a Tiger-esk victory, overcoming a serious injury to win, that me be the most overlooked story of the weekend.

The story that would have been, Greg Norman, bogeyed four of the first six holes and never really could seem to find that comfort level that he thrived in the previous three days. He finished at +9, good for third place, some six shots behind Harrington. Norman, who has been known more for his chokes than his successes over the course of his career, once again came up short handed in the final round.

It is tough to see a guy like Norman, someone who you can't help but root for, struggle and fail to pull off what seemed imminent. I hope for his sake that this is not the last we see of Greg Norman on a leaderboard. He deserves to go out on top. But at the age of 56 one can only wonder how many many oppertunities he will have.

Update

Richie Sexon still sucks.

MLB Trade Update

Updating a previous report...

Talks between the Brewers and A's in the deal that would have sent Huston Street to Milwaukee feel apart before an agreement could be officially reached.

The Brewers did make a move today however as they acquired second basemen Ray Durham from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for two minor leaguers. The addition of Durham gives Milwaukee more middle infield depth and provides for some good offensive punch off the bench. This is a solid move for the Brewers given Rickie Weeks' inconsistency this season.

Jason Taylor To Redskins

Jason Taylor, now better known for his appearance on "Dancing With The Stars" then his play on a football field, has been traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Washington Redskins their 2009 2nd round pick and a 2010 6th rounder. John Clayton reports that Taylor will not re-negotiate the remaining two years of his contract, where he will earn 8 million dollars. He racked up 11 sacks during the 2007 season along with 55 tackles.

Taylor's trade requests have been well known, asking to be traded to a playoff contender before the NFL Draft. There were also rumors that he and new executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells didn't see eye-to-eye after Taylor missed all of the Dolphins off-season workouts while on "Dancing".

Does Jason Taylor make the Redskins a top team in the NFC? Does it even make them a top two team in there conference? Can an aging D-Linemen make that much of a difference?

Brewers Going For Broke

It appears that the Milwaukee Brewers are going all in for a championship this season. After acquiring CC Sabathia just before the all star game, mlbtraderumors.com is now reporting that the Brewers are on the verge of acquiring A's closer Huston Street. The price for Street appears to be prospect Darren Ford, a speedy outfielder who spent this season playing for the Brevard County Manatees (high A). Ford is batting just .232 on the season but the number that does stand out are his 44 steals in 87 games.

The Brewers have made two very loud statements over the last couple of weeks. It is becoming clear that they are in "WIN NOW" mode. Good for the Brewers. It is nice to see a team other than the Yankees, Mets, Cubs , or Red Sox make a big push for the title. The question to ask now is what do the Cubs do in response? When the Brewers got Sabathia the Cubs went out and got Rich Harden. Now the Brewers appear to have Huston Street. So what's next for the Cubs? Can anyone say Brian Fuentes?

NHL Odds and Ends

While many of the NHL’s big offseason questions have been answered, the past few weeks have brought significant news for the league next season. For the second straight year the NHL will open its season in Europe with a total of four games scheduled on October 4th and 5th. The Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against the Ottawa Senators for two games in Stockholm, while the Tampa Bay Lightning face the New York Rangers in Prague.

The NHL also announced an outdoor New Year’s Day game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field.

Other News of Note:

Penguins and Head Coach Michel Therrien agree to a new 3-year contract

Sabers signed Goaltender Ryan Miller to a 5-year extension

Blackhawks 20-year-old center, Jonathan Toews was names captain of the team

Thrashers signed young prospect Angelo Esposito to a multi-year contract

Joffrey Lupul signs 4-year extension with the Flyers

Mats Sundin is still a Free Agent; however, a deal with some NHL team seems eminent.

Thoughts:

Mat Sundin, despite his age can add immense value to a team that is willing to take the risk. It seems that the real holdup in negotiations is Sundin’s desire for a multi-year contract, something not even Edmonton’s GM Kevin Lowe would agree to.

Esposito, Miller, and Lupul were all great decisions as they represent the core players of the ‘new’ NHL.

Jonathan Toews appointment to Captain is a great thing for the Chicago Blackhawks’ organization and the NHL. He joins Sidney Crosby as the two youngest Captains in the NHL and sets the table for a bright future