Rodgers says he was 'lied to' by Braun

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHQCNNv0bXI2knpd1kQcio1ugySw3zrJ8C5mwhWM8bthqVKH8Z_bNY5vMFlBrasPfUGpcrDgg8b6BR05g2q7VNv8wJZklt-fgYuSBNEeLJwVpe7LllzSFC0SQoSn4C9KtVIyor1u2gPE/s1600/sprts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHQCNNv0bXI2knpd1kQcio1ugySw3zrJ8C5mwhWM8bthqVKH8Z_bNY5vMFlBrasPfUGpcrDgg8b6BR05g2q7VNv8wJZklt-fgYuSBNEeLJwVpe7LllzSFC0SQoSn4C9KtVIyor1u2gPE/s400/sprts.jpg" width="302" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/rodgers-says-he-was-lied-to-by-braun.html">Rodgers says he was 'lied to' by Braun</a></h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div>  Ryan Braun apparently has some work to do to repair his friendship with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Describing himself as shocked and disappointed, Rodgers said Friday after the Packers' first training camp practice that Braun ''looked at me in the eye on multiple occasions and repeatedly denied the allegations'' that the Milwaukee Brewers slugger was using performance-enhancing drugs.</div> <div> Braun this week accepted a season-ending 65-game suspension after admitting to violating baseball's rules against using PEDs.</div> <br /> <div> <br /></div> <div> Rodgers felt duped by his buddy and business associate, a sentiment being expressed by many others in Wisconsin. A Milwaukee restaurant is named for two of the state's most well-known athletes, and Rodgers last year defended his friend on Twitter, going so far as to betting his multimillion-dollar salary that Braun was clean.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> ''It's disappointing, not only for myself as a friend but for obviously Wisconsin sports fans, Brewer fans, Major League Baseball fans,'' Rodgers said before a throng of media surrounding his locker. ''It doesn't feel great being lied to like that, and I'm disappointed about the way it all went down.''</div> <div> Rodgers and Braun have spoken since the slugger's suspension. Asked if he considered themselves friends, Rodgers didn't answer directly but said in part, ''I trusted him, and that's the thing that probably hurts the most.''</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The future of their business relationship - they're involved in a licensing agreement for the 8-twelve MVP Bar and Grill - was yet to be determined, Rodgers said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> With the benefit of hindsight, Rodgers plans to take a more measured approach next time if faced a similar situation in the future.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> Earlier this week, former Packers receiver Greg Jennings - now with the archrival Minnesota Vikings - criticized of his ex-quarterback. In an interview with the Star Tribune, Jennings questioned Rodgers' leadership and implied the quarterback had become bigger than the team.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> ''Don't get me wrong, '12' is a great person,'' Jennings was quoted as saying, referring to Rodgers. ''But when you hear all positives, all positives, all positives all the time, it's hard for you to sit down when one of your teammates says, 'Man, come on, you've got to hold yourself accountable for this.' It's hard for someone to see that now because all they've heard is I'm doing it the right way, I'm perfect. In actuality, we all have flaws.''</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/rodgers-says-he-was-lied-to-by-braun.html">Rodgers says he was 'lied to' by Braun</a></h3> </div> <div> Rodgers said he wasn't spending time or energy on Jennings' comments.</div> <div> ''To me, I'm concerned with the opinions of the guys in this locker room and the guys we have here,'' Rodgers said. ''It's exciting to be able to be one of the leaders of this football team, and I'm very confident in my style.''</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Not surprisingly, the current Packers had the quarterback's back.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> ''It is what it is,'' receiver Randall Cobb said about Jennings' remarks. ''Aaron is a great leader. He puts us in some great situations on and off the field. He makes it easier for us to have someone to look up to for support and leadership.''</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMaalotPr6iBo5wB9yzx0kJt6jniwl3enWBT9-t9GPddU3LdSQbR-Wsv14FXkw4sN-PvAMigVvkHpzTjNXMM5U-X7yzgaXJvTT_E5wgo_U6Cg6GEMKeWIGANWrwrg7FnYnVe4wvHK6Mc/s1600/sports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMaalotPr6iBo5wB9yzx0kJt6jniwl3enWBT9-t9GPddU3LdSQbR-Wsv14FXkw4sN-PvAMigVvkHpzTjNXMM5U-X7yzgaXJvTT_E5wgo_U6Cg6GEMKeWIGANWrwrg7FnYnVe4wvHK6Mc/s320/sports.jpg" width="244" /></a>Rodgers had one of the best offseasons of his nine-year career, according to coach Mike McCarthy.</div> <div> ''He's in good shape. He's ready to go. He really understands his role as far as the leader and one of the veteran leaders on our football team,'' McCarthy said. ''I think Aaron's off to a great start coming off a very good offseason.''</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> As for practice itself, McCarthy liked what he saw. It's just the first day, so he and the coaching staff plan to take a closer look at tape for a better evaluation.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The tempo has picked up a little from previous years, in part because music is being played on loudspeakers during what are being called ''TV timeouts.'' It's designed to give players a breather and, in part, to mimic the routines during games. Rodgers' favorite tune in the rotation? Darius Rucker's version of ''Wagon Wheel.''</div> </div> </div>

Rodgers says he was 'lied to' by Braun  Ryan Braun apparently has some work to do to repair his friendship with Green Bay P...

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Source: Phillies, SP Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez reach deal near $60M

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirngJ79q_eoB4XIfe8DH0plEG3mcq5lO-8z3ISMcWO78dt5y1QhY7xPvzcJjLgHGvmVuRRJNIHCx1JtM0wrBGWQMUoKb5eVU2m4_GFz-p55tu0OOHKCXs7cYFXR27FpFISkrQjTOg-nFU/s1600/Source+Phillies+SP+Miguel+Alfredo+Gonzalez+reach+deal+near.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Source: Phillies, SP Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez reach deal near $60M" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirngJ79q_eoB4XIfe8DH0plEG3mcq5lO-8z3ISMcWO78dt5y1QhY7xPvzcJjLgHGvmVuRRJNIHCx1JtM0wrBGWQMUoKb5eVU2m4_GFz-p55tu0OOHKCXs7cYFXR27FpFISkrQjTOg-nFU/s400/Source+Phillies+SP+Miguel+Alfredo+Gonzalez+reach+deal+near.jpg" title="Source: Phillies, SP Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez reach deal near $60M" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/source-phillies-sp-miguel-alfredo.html">Source: Phillies, SP Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez reach deal near $60M</a></h2> <div> The Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez agreed Friday night on a six-year deal that could be worth up to $59 million, the richest contract ever for an international player.</div> <div> <div> The deal is worth a guaranteed $48 million over six years with a seventh-year vesting option for $11 million, the source said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The Phillies are expected to send Gonzalez to the minor leagues for some seasoning before summoning him to the major leagues by mid-August.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Bolstered by the prospect of a new television deal that could reach more than $5 billion, the signing of Gonzalez shows the Phillies are taking a retool-over-rebuild approach and still harbor aspirations of winning the National League East this season, even amid a six-game losing streak that has them at 49-54 and 8 ½ games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> With a fastball that sits around 93 mph and recently topped out at 96, a split-fingered fastball and changeup that serve as his off-speed pitches, a cut fastball and a slow curve ball, Gonzalez's varying array impressed scouts and executives who flocked to Tijuana to watch him pitch in workout showcases and games. During a handful of starts in the low-level Liga del Norte, talent evaluators saw the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Gonzalez as a mid-rotation piece who could contribute immediately, a factor that no doubt motivated Philadelphia.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The Phillies are believed to have outbid the Boston Red Sox as negotiations were finalized Friday. More than a dozen teams showed significant interest in Gonzalez, though as his price skyrocketed, the market thinned.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "We liked him a lot," one American League general manager said. "That's just a lot of money for someone we didn't know enough about."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The deal matches the length and is around the same money as Boston gave Daisuke Matsuzaka when he came to the United States from Japan. The total outlay, of course, is not close to Matsuzaka or Darvish, for whom the Red Sox and Rangers paid more than $50 million to their Japanese teams to negotiate. The contract is closer in total value to the $61.5 million the Dodgers paid this offseason for six years of pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is 8-3 with a 3.25 ERA.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Because he is older than 23 and played more than three professional seasons in Cuba, Gonzalez was not subject to international bonus rules that severely limit how much money players can receive.</div> </div> </div>

Source: Phillies, SP Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez reach deal near $60M The Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez a...

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Alex Rodriguez makes yet another misplay in PR battle with Yankees

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/alex-rodriguez-makes-yet-another.html"><br /></a></h2> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf0hPtiRiE6mUqAG2Jzj7z1feOGkWwTk4fZDQegalOwYXyQ1RapL8ZnBENsJZfJDsbdwNy9OnljxqX_Hv5uEEGQP0DXop07EeZ0Kw4anuQHO04tyAe9GibOXq0kg1BsQ4ELbvcJ6Qdi0/s1600/sport+news.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Alex Rodriguez makes yet another misplay in PR battle with Yankees image" border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf0hPtiRiE6mUqAG2Jzj7z1feOGkWwTk4fZDQegalOwYXyQ1RapL8ZnBENsJZfJDsbdwNy9OnljxqX_Hv5uEEGQP0DXop07EeZ0Kw4anuQHO04tyAe9GibOXq0kg1BsQ4ELbvcJ6Qdi0/s400/sport+news.jpg" title="Alex Rodriguez makes yet another misplay in PR battle with Yankees image" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/alex-rodriguez-makes-yet-another.html">Alex Rodriguez makes yet another misplay in PR battle with Yankees</a></h2> <div> Presumably there's a place and time in which this must make perfect sense, only not here or now.</div> <div> <div> On a day he was to spend resting and recovering from the sore left quadriceps he himself reported four days ago, and that supposedly showed as a Grade 1 strain on an MRI three days ago, Alex Rodriguez was frantically contesting the fact he had a sore left quadriceps and the MRI that confirmed it.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Apparently, he'd sent copies of the MRI – or had them sent – to a New Jersey doctor, then conversed by telephone with the doctor, and then the doctor went on New York radio to say, among other things, "To be perfectly honest, I don't see any sort of injury there."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Now, how WFAN knew that Rodriguez had consulted with a doctor unaffiliated with the New York Yankees, and that doctor had a name and a phone number, and that doctor would comment publicly on one of his patients, is left to speculation. That the physician – Dr. Michael Gross – would speculate that the Yankees' prognosis might be inaccurate, or allow his appearance to suggest as much, implied an attempted power play by Rodriguez. If there's a reasonable end game to this, it is possible Rodriguez is </div> <div> the only one who sees it.</div> </div> <div> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/alex-rodriguez-makes-yet-another.html">Alex Rodriguez makes yet another misplay in PR battle with Yankees</a></h3> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> Regardless, the Yankees felt compelled to respond to the day's events. In a statement, Cashman revealed he'd received a text message from Rodriguez on Wednesday afternoon stating he – Rodriguez – had sought a second opinion on his quadriceps.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "Contrary to the Basic Agreement," Cashman said, "Mr. Rodriguez did not notify us at any time that he was seeking a second opinion from any doctor with regard to his quad strain."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> According to Cashman, Rodriguez first complained of stiffness in his left quadriceps on July 12, nine days before the MRI. The discomfort caused the Yankees to delay a plan to move Rodriguez from Class-A Tampa to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and therefore slowed Rodriguez's rehabilitation.</div> <div> "As you know," Cashman said, "it is the Yankees' desire to have Alex return to the lineup as soon as possible. And we have done everything to try and accomplish this."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Rodriguez seems sure the Yankees, like MLB, are plotting against him. And while there is little doubt the Yankees would like to get out from under the last $100 million or so of his contract, they did not come to him with the sore quad. He went to them. The Yankees' plan was to have Rodriguez in Monday's lineup in Texas.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> </div>

Alex Rodriguez makes yet another misplay in PR battle with Yankees Presumably there's a place and time in which this must make p...

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U.S. got what bargained for in Lance Armstrong, his lawyers say

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0wdZKJjCmHG5ukk6gNtt1FfXpkiETEsKZBEL9UZ-6oc0D8_ojIhRInRfLWo9aIIY_Hd08h979dwHq9cjb96205aetU-1zGx0RYYUfSaViZwP4QX1KeJwKLIfRr_ji5kpu6vf6qJTTqY/s1600/U.S.+got+what+bargained+for+in+Lance+Armstrong,+his+lawyers+say.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="U.S. got what bargained for in Lance Armstrong, his lawyers say, IMAGE" border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0wdZKJjCmHG5ukk6gNtt1FfXpkiETEsKZBEL9UZ-6oc0D8_ojIhRInRfLWo9aIIY_Hd08h979dwHq9cjb96205aetU-1zGx0RYYUfSaViZwP4QX1KeJwKLIfRr_ji5kpu6vf6qJTTqY/s400/U.S.+got+what+bargained+for+in+Lance+Armstrong,+his+lawyers+say.jpg" title="U.S. got what bargained for in Lance Armstrong, his lawyers say, IMAGE" width="400" /></a></div> <h1 class="headline" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/us-got-what-bargained-for-in-lance.html">U.S. got what bargained for in Lance Armstrong, his lawyers say</a></h1> <div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"> In papers filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, Armstrong's lawyers said the Postal Service benefited from the sponsorship and they asked a judge to dismiss the federal government's fraud lawsuit demanding its money back.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"> "The government wanted a winner and all the publicity, exposure and acclaim that goes along with being his sponsor. It got exactly what it bargained for," the lawyers wrote. The Postal Service is an arm of the federal government.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"> The once-revered athlete is fighting to hang on to what remains of his reputation and his earnings after he was stripped last year of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life from cycling.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"> In February, a month after Armstrong admitted to doping, the Justice Department said it was joining a fraud suit filed in 2010 by Floyd Landis, a former Armstrong teammate. Landis filed the suit under a federal law that allows whistle-blowers to report fraud in exchange for a reward.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"> The Postal Service paid $40 million from 1998 through 2004 to have Armstrong and his teammates from Tailwind Sports wear its logo during record-breaking wins. At least $17.9 million of these fees went to Armstrong, according to the government.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"> <br /></div> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/us-got-what-bargained-for-in-lance.html">U.S. got what bargained for in Lance Armstrong, his lawyers say</a></h3> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div id="yui_3_9_1_13_1374642100144_658" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">  While the court papers argued that the suit was filed too late, Armstrong's lawyers separately asked U.S. District Judge <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1374627332561_18" style="cursor: pointer;">Robert Wilkins</span>, who is overseeing the case, to dismiss Landis' complaint against his former teammate.</div> <div id="yui_3_9_1_13_1374642100144_660" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">  Landis won the <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1374627332561_15" style="cursor: pointer;">Tour de France</span> in 2006 but was stripped of the title a year later after testing positive for synthetic testosterone.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"> The fact that Landis, like Armstrong, used performance-enhancing drugs should prevent him from suing under the False Claims Act and getting a reward, Armstrong's lawyers wrote.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"> "Landis defrauded his fans and other donors in order to amass a fund to pay the legal fees he racked up litigating his false denials," they wrote. "Now he would like to be paid for casting the first stone."</div> <div id="yui_3_9_1_13_1374642100144_695" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"> The False Claims Act, which dates to 1863, allows whistle-blowers to sue over suspected fraud involving U.S. government money and, if successful, get a percentage of whatever the government recovers.</div> </div> </div>

U.S. got what bargained for in Lance Armstrong, his lawyers say In papers filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, Armstrong's...

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