LeBron James on firing Coach David Blatt! - Cleveland Cavaliers
BOSTON It isnt often that an NBA coach with a 30-11 record, as well as coming off a Finals appearance the season before, is fired, but the Friday news that Cleveland had moved on from David Blatt was just further evidence of how fragile coaching jobs have become.
Theres all kinds of pressure in this league, whatever job you have, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. But when you take over a job where championship is what youre shooting for and the way your roster is built, theres always extra pressure, sure.
Hoiberg also called it a tough day, especially because of how Blatt treated him while Hoiberg was still at Iowa State last season.
Yeah, such a good man, Hoiberg said of Blatt. Last year at Iowa State, he welcomed me to his training camp, and I went there, sat in his office. He talked to me, gave me film on a bunch of stuff. Just a really good person, and I think a helluva basketball coach. Its a tough day. He was great to me when I got into this league, so its tough news.
Hoiberg said he really never had any interaction with Blatt before that, and thats why the meeting was so memorable last season.
Yeah, well I was there [in Cleveland] recruiting, so we stopped by, spent the day with him at training camp, and again he went out of his way to really show me a lot of the things that they were doing and had success with, and gave me DVDs, Hoiberg said. Just a really good man.
Coincidentally, the Bulls will travel to Cleveland for a Saturday night game, marking the debut of new Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue.
Thibs will have to wait
The Cavaliers wasted very little time promoting Lue to the head coaching vacancy, quickly putting to rest the idea that former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau would be in the mix to coach LeBron James.
Multiple sources indicated late last season that with Thibodeau knowing his fate was already sealed, Cleveland was one of the places Thibodeau had interest in landing if there was a coaching change.
Excited Giant Panda Tian Tian enjoys Washington blizzard- BBC News
A massive nor"easter blizzard blanketed much of the East Coast in the heaviest snow seen in years, shutting down Washington, Baltimore and New York City, which as of Saturday even had been hit by the third heaviest snowfall in its history.
New York City roadways closed at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced, as heavy snowfall and winds crippled the nation"s largest city.
As of early Sunday morning, Central Park had 26.8 inches of snow.
Snow Accumulations as of 11 p.m. Saturday
New Jersey
Madison: 28.0 inches
Somerville: 27.4 inches
Clinton: 27.0 inches
New York
NYC/JFK Airport: 27.7 inches
Central Park: 25.1 inches
New Rochelle: 21.0 inches
Connecticut
Darien: 6.5 inches
Delaware
Woodside: 15.5 inches
Maryland
Baltimore: 16 inches
Redhouse: 38.0 inches
North Potomac: 36.5 inches
Pennsylvania
Somerset: 35.5 inches
Pine Grove Furnace: 34.0 inches
S Allentown: 32.0 inches
West Virginia
Jones Springs: 33.0 inches
Martinsburg: 31.9 inches
Hancock: 35.5 inches
Peak Wind Gusts as of 11 a.m. Saturday
Ocean City, Maryland: 62 mph
Langley Air Force Base: 75 mph
Dewey Beach, Delaware: 75 mph
Atlantic City, N.J.: 58 mph
Tuckerton, N.J.: 68 mph
PHOTO:A motorist shovels snow to free up a vehicle on the New Jersey Turnpike during a snowstorm, Jan. 23, 2016, in Port Reading, N.J. Fatalities
There were 15 storm-related deaths as of Saturday evening: five in New York, three each in North Carolina and Virginia, one in Kentucky, one in Alabama, one in Pennsylvania and one in Maryland.
Emergency Declarations
Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, New Jersey and the District of Columbia have issued state of emergencies.
New York Gov. Cuomo said Saturday he issued a state of emergency in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties.
In New York City, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended bus service at noon Saturday. New York City and Long Islands roadways were to be closed Saturday at 2:30 p.m. New York City"s outdoor subways will close at 4 p.m. Saturday.
In Washington D.C. where the storm lingered for longer than expected Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA)Chris Geldart told reporters they weren"t sure that schools or businesses would be able to open as the blizzard continued to hit the capital.
Although the storm was expected to have lightened Saturday afternoon, Bowser said the storm was much stronger than expected in the afternoon hours.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan closed down I-70 and I-270 so that plows could clear streets.
As the state continues to fiercely fight Snow Storm Jonas, I want the citizens of Maryland to know that the state is taking every step necessary to ensure their safety, said Hogan. I am urging all Marylanders to stay off every road in the state, whether its the interstate or a local road. Stay safe and stay at home while crews do their jobs.
The governor"s announcement came hours after Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake banned non-emergency vehicles from the city streets.
Outdoor Activities Inspite of warnings by government officials to stay inside, many people braved the snow for fun or work. In New York a few thrill seekers turned the staircase at the famous Bethesda fountain in to an impromtu ski slope.
In Washington D.C. children turned the capital into a playground by sledding down Capitol Hill.
Even a few animals in the National Zoo spent some time braving the snow and wind.
Power Outages as of 9:30 a.m. Saturday
New Jersey: 3,625 customers
North Carolina: 147,980 customers
Philadelphia: 59 customers
Virginia: 3,176 customers
Maryland: 4,586 customers
Washington, D.C. and New York City: fewer than 5 each.
Problems on the Road
The Pennsylvania Turnpike was closed for 86 miles due to the severe weather.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf estimated about 500 vehicles, including buses, trucks and cars, were stranded. The Pennsylvania National Guard, state police and local firefighters are helping Turnpike teams get the stranded drivers on their way.
North Carolina had about 1,274 reported traffic collisions, according to the state"s highway patrol.
The Virginia State Police responded to 989 traffic crashes and 793 disabled vehicles on Friday alone.
Flight Cancellations
Airlines have cancelled over 10,000 flights for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to FlightAware.com.
Philadelphia International Airport has cancelled all flights for Saturday while Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina is running with limited operations.
The Baltimore Office of Emergency Management said late Friday that all flight operations at BaltimoreWashington International Airport were stopped due to the inclement weather.
D.C.s Reagan National and Dulles International Airports are expected to remain closed through Sunday, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said Saturday.
Delta Airlines said Saturday that it is planning to restart flying Sunday at noon at D.C. and New York airports, pending weather and road conditions.
"A similar operational restart plan is in place for much of the rest of the region," Delta said in a statement.
United Airlines said in a statement Saturday it "plans to start very limited operations on Sunday afternoon" at Newark Airport and other New York City area airports.
At D.C. area airports, United will not operate Saturday or Sunday, but expects to gradually resume service there Monday.
ABC News" Max Golembo, Dan Peck, Margaret Chadbourn and Matthew Foster contributed to this report.
Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just "star" this story in ABC News" phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.
Danny Garcia: I BEAT HIM EASILY!!! HE KNOWS HE DIDN"T WIN THAT FIGHT!!! - EsNews Boxing
Published on Jan. 23, 2016
The future of boxingis in a good position after the retirement of Floyd Mayweather and the pending departure of Manny Pacquiao following his April fight against Timothy Bradley.
DeontayWilder and Tyson Fury give new life to the heavyweight division. You have probable showdowns between light heavyweight kingpinSergey Kovalev and former super middleweight champion Andre Ward and a middleweight title unification superfight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.
Then you haveDanny Garcia, Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter battling for welterweight supremacy.
MORE: Greatest boxing, MMA upsets of the past 25 years
Who will emerge out of the pack to supplant Mayweather and Pacquiao to become the biggest star in boxing by the end of 2016?
Garcia (31-0, 18 KO"s)has a chance to top Wilder"s performance last Saturday night when he battles former two-division world champion Robert Guerrero(33-3-1, 18 KO"s)in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on Fox. The card takes place from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Garcia headlined two PBC shows in 2015. Hedefeatedformer world championLamont Peterson in April and came back in August to score a ninth-round TKO of another former world champ in PaulieMalignaggi. The native of Philadelphia knows why he keeps getting asked to step upand be the face of an event.
"It shows Im one of the big faces and big stars of boxing," Garcia told Sporting News."PBC means a lot;I win a lot and numbers dont lie. I keep getting put in these positions because Im one of the biggest stars in boxing."
Fighters such as Wilder, Fury, Golovkin and Thurman would tend to disagree with the Puerto Rican"sassessment. The 27-year-old Garcia feels when 2016 comes to a close and the dust has settled, boxing fans will recognize him as thebiggest name in the sport.
"Thats what we plan on doing," Garcia said."We plan doing it one fight at a time. Ive been doing a great job so far with my career and my team, Al Haymon and my dad. We are doing it one fight at a time and let the fans let us know who"s the best."
Fans have criticized Garcia and his team for the selection of Guerrero because he"s2-2 in his past four fights. Guerrero is a fighter who will stand right in the center of the ring and leave it all out there. That is the Guerrero who"Swift" plans to see when they battle in Los Angeles, not the one we have seen in his past four outings.
"Robert Guerrero is a great fighter," Garcia said."Hes a multi-division world champion, a veteran and has a big heart, never gives up and fights to the finish. Were prepared for a hard fought 12 rounds in training camp. ... We expect a tough, rugged Robert Guerrero. Hes a tricky veteran. I know hes going to bring some tricks to the table so weve prepared ourselves mentally and physically for a battle."
Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. You can find his podcast, The Fight Club Chicago, and subscribe on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher and You Tube. You can email him at stevemuehlhausen@yahoo.com and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA.
MTA Solution to NYC Subway Congestion Will Make Trains Twice as Fast
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to bring the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the worlds largest subway system, into the 21st century, including mobile payments, USB charging stations, and W-Fi for all 278 underground subway stations by the end of 2016.
That represents an acceleration of the timeline laid out by Transit Wireless, the company contracted with the MTA to provide wireless to the subway system. Previously, the company had said it would have all 278 stations wired by the end of 2017. Now the governor has said he wants it done by the end of this year, as well as cell service installed by 2017. More than half of the citys subway stations already have Wi-Fi.
The MTA is absolutely vital to the daily functioning of New York City, but for too long it has failed to meet the regions growing size and strength, Cuomo said. This is about doing more than just repair and maintain this is thinking bigger and better and building the 21st century transit system New Yorkers deserve. We are modernizing the MTA like never before and improving it for years to come.
It"s a bold and challenging set of proposals from Cuomo, who months before faced criticism that he was letting the MTA languish while ridership skyrocketed, congestion worsened, and travel speeds plummeted. And if successful, it will signal a huge facelift for New York City"s subway system, which has come a long way from its graffiti-wrapped days of the 1970s but still stands as a symbol of the city"s grimier side.
Cuomos promise to replace the MetroCard system with a mobile, contactless payment system will likely be his biggest challenge. Under his plan, riders would simply wave their smartphones or a bank card at a sensor installed in the turnstiles to pass through onto the platform. This type of payment is already available in a number of transit systems, in the US and around the world.
The MTAs board of directors said last year that replacing the MetroCard would take at least five years. Under the governors accelerated time schedule, installing a new payment system will happen by the end of 2018 and even sooner for the regions two commuter rail systems, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro North, which will get mobile payments in just six months.
The age of the system is just one of the obstacles Cuomo will face in bringing his vision into reality. He will also need to come up with a plan to pay for it. Earlier this year, the governor was locked in a politically acrimonious battle with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio over their respective responsibility to fund the MTAs five-year capital plan, the primary fund for infrastructure improvements like this. Cuomo was ultimately able to squeeze more money out of the city, but the state legislature in Albany will still need to come up with sources for the plans $26 billion price tag.
At the New York Transit Museum, Cuomo acknowledged he was subverting expectations for how the MTA was supposed to look. "Let people walk in there and say, Wow! This is the MTA? This is a train station? Amazing!,"" he said,according to Politico New York.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Growing Up (Sloane"s Song) feat. Ed Sheeran
Macklemores 2013 gay rights anthem Same Love didnt hit the heart of the LGBT community. Instead, it stabbed the hearts of a community that has been trying to work for decades to overcome discrimination. The LGBT community was thrown an exploitative, money-making insult by an act who probably never cared about the rights of the LGBT community.
In August of 2013, DeathandTaxes published an article out about why the song was so controversial and it had nothing to do with conservatives being angry.
In the wake of Macklemores win at the Video Music Awards, openly-gay New York City rapper Le1F took to Twitter to unleash a string of rather hefty accusations at the emcee, implying that Macklemore used his song Same Love to try and make money off of the same-s*x controversy.
As Grammy time came around in early 2014, the controversy continued. Gay Twitter lambasted Macklemore for his gay rights effort.
@macklemore is the @vanillaice of today. Any idiot with a producer, a pop song formula, and a hot topic like gay rights can go platinum.
Perspective (@333biz) January 27, 2014
Macklemore is the worst for his gay and black culture appropriation.
Tone Thugs (@toni_latigra) January 27, 2014
Same Love is one of the most condescending songs to ever hit the airwaves. We have a straight white boy telling the gay community how he thought he was gay, because he could draw, and that he couldnt be gay because he is good at little league.
Then, Macklemore did something unforgivable well, at least to older gay men. He used Madonna, a woman who fought for gay rights in the 1980s and 1990s when the LGBT community was treated less than kindly, in his performance of the song at the 2014 Grammy Awards. It is known as one of her worst performances to date and, unfortunately, made people think Madonna was also exploiting the gay community without understanding her history with the gay community.
Madonna survived, but thats hard to say about Macklemore, who has became a joke ever since he won his Grammy Awards that year. Many thought Kendrick Lamar deserved the Grammys instead. Macklemore has been accused of exploiting the Hip Hop community even before the 2014 Grammy Awards, which produced a massive backlash.
The LGBT community has been dealt with so many blows over the years. In 2013, they had to deal with Macklemore. [Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images]Macklemore has a new album coming out on February 26 called This Unruly Mess Ive Made. Perhaps, since his popularity has decreased, he has released a new song called White Privilege II, which hypocritically blames Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea for cultural appropriation. Macklemore thinks that bashing other artists will help his cause. He is wrong, especially since Miley Cyrus is a legitimate member of the LGBT community and has done something with her power and privilege.
Spencer Kornhaber of the Atlantic says while Macklemore bashing Miley Cyrus and others in his new song may mean well, but its also insufferable.
The fact that his lyrics are so basic, forgoing metaphor or ambiguity or impressionism, certainly accounts for a big part of his wide appeal. But it also accounts for why many other listeners (ahem) feel pandered to, exhausted by, and/or vaguely embarrassed by his songs.
Kornhaber adds the narrative that Macklemore is trying to convey is more like an op-ed that tells you what exactly to think. Instead, the songs narrative should require more interpretation to help it stick in our minds. In any case, Macklemore has been fried on Twitter and it not only by Miley Cyrus fans.
Macklemore has got to be the worst. This guy does so much pandering to stay relevant. Awful. Just go into politics with your fake activism.
Josh Caudill (@JoshuaCaudill85) January 22, 2016
Macklemore has yet to respond to the backlash against his song and Miley Cyrus has yet to respond to being part of the song. Based on Macklemores past, h**l probably say that people dont like the song because they are racist, not because its actually a terrible song.
A company that lost its food facility registration almost two years ago after Mexican-style cheeses it produced and distributed were blamed for a 2014 outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes pleaded guilty on Friday to food adulteration in a federal court in Delaware.
Since its registration was pulled on March 11, 2014, Delawares Roos Foods Inc. has been been shut down as companies without food facility registrations cannot distribute food products. On Friday, the company and its principals, Ana A. Roos and Virginia Mejia, agreed in a consent decree of permanent injunction to plead guilty.
In early 2014, Roos Foods distributed several varieties of ready-to-eat cheeses, including ricotta, quest fresco and fresh cheese curd through sales and distribution to wholesale customers in Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Both a criminal charge and civil complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) allege that the Roos cheeses distributed in interstate commerce were associated with Listeria outbreak the sickened five adults and three newborns in Maryland and California. Those who became ill said they ate the soft or semi-soft cheeses in the month before they were sickened.
Listeria monocytogenes was isolated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from the cheeses manufactured by Roos Foods. An FDA inspection of the Roos Foods facility in Kenton, Del., found the companys cheese products were adulterated because they were prepared, packed or held in insanitary conditions where they may have become contaminated with filth and rendered injurious to health.
FDA found Roos was in violations of numerous monitoring and sanitation regulations, including roof leaks, and surfaces on walls, floors and ceilings that were uncleanable. Environmental samples turned up Listeria monocytogenes on a dozen different surfaces inside the plant.
The FDA will not tolerate food companies that fail to provide adequate safeguards and place the public health at risk by producing and shipping contaminated products, said Howard Sklamberg, the agencys deputy commissioner for global regulatory operations and policy. We will continue to work with the Department of Justice to use the full force of our justice system against those that place profits over the health and safety of American consumers.
Both DOJs Consumer Protection Branch and U.S. attorneys for the District of Delaware were involved in the bringing the action against Roos Foods.
If they want to re-open, Roos Foods and its principals have agreed to a long list of conditions that are baked into the consent degree. These include obtaining support from independent laboratories and experts to, among other things, write a plan for remedial action for dealing with Listeria.
Also, if Roos Foods re-opens, it must allow FDA to make unannounced inspections at any time, and bear the costs of those visits.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)
The Houston Rockets reacquired Josh Smith. In the basketball equivalent of Donald Trumps proposal to make someone else build you a wall for free to insult the builder, the Rockets showed its possible. Houston sent the draft rights to Marty Leunen (A long forgotten foreign stashed asset, like a Swiss bank account or buried war treasure) to Los Angeles for Josh Smith. What makes this deal sweeter? LA is paying the balance of Smiths salary.
This move jettisons an asset the Rockets were never going to use for a player they should have never let walk for absolutely no cost. Further, rumblings of Dwight Howard leaving Houston due to a lack of fit and issues raised by James Hardens, lets call it less than stellar, commitment to the game should be assuaged by this acquisition. The Smith-Howard combo, after all, is what saved the Rockets against the Clippers last year.
Smith comes to the Rockets after leaving last year to seek out greater minutes. During his time in LA hes played 11 fewer minutes per game and averages 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 7 points less per game. As expected, Smiths renewed confidence, reportedly, led to a great deal of butting heads in the Clippers locker room. His return to Houston comes at a time when the Rockets have jettisoned their players coach, have called multiple player meetings and have shown some signs of tumult among each other. Smith could either gel the locker room or cause its final destruction.
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I would hedge towards the locker room finally settling down. Smiths relationship with the players and his ability to help the team defend should solidify the team. This move will impact the Capela/Howard pairing, however, in that you cannot place three players with no range on the court at the same time. Expect to see Smith as the starter next to Howard or as the first player off the bench to replace Capela.
Speaking of replacements, the Rockets acquisition of Josh Smith should serve as a signal on multiple fronts.
Personnel-wise Smith is a win-now move. Les Alexander expected the team to compete for a title this year after the Western Conference Finals trip. Smiths role on the team places him in competition with Donatas Motiejunas, Terrence Jones, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrel, and Clint Capela. Of that group, Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas have to be considered movable. Clint Capela has earned his spot on the roster. Dekker stretches the floor and Harrel is a long-term developmental prospect similar to Kenneth Faried. Arguably, the youngest on the roster are the safest.
The following appraisal is going to come with a lot of ifs, but work with me here. Smith returns to Houston on a one-year minimum salary deal. The salary cap explodes next year. If Smith gets the team to gel and the Rockets return to last years form, he could easily parlay that into a longer-term deal. This, undoubtedly, will play into the Dwight Howard decision at the end of the season. Further, this move suggests that Morey acknowledges that retention is an important aspect of a competent and successful Rockets team. What does this matter, though?
A team with Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, and Trevor Ariza needs a coach who instills discipline and instills defense. As much as it pains me to concede ground on the Tom Thibodeau or Jeff Van Gundy conversation, these coaches are defensive minded disciplinarians. Van Gundy, in particular, is personable to earn buy-in and affection from his players even players as willingly obtuse as Josh Smith. The Rockets will be searching for a win-now coach in the offseason and defense will most likely be a central criterion to the choice.
Ultimately, the Rockets are heading towards the trade deadline and making their moves early. This is a good thing. Josh Smith is a signpost towards good things for the organization, both on the floor and in management. Expect to see the team stabilize and actually earn your viewership rather than take it for granted.
Stick with us here at House of Houston for all your Rockets coverage.
