Golf Digest ends there relationship with Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has one less endorsement deal, ending his 13-year relationship with golf’s biggest magazine when they couldn’t agree on how many hours he should devote to the job.
Golf Digest, with a circulation of 1.65 million, announced Thursday the mutual end of a relationship that began at the 1997 Masters. He made his debut in the magazine in June that year, and the endorsement had been his second-longest, behind Nike. “We appreciate the insights Tiger has provided to our readers,” Jerry Tarde, chairman and editor-in-chief of the publication, said in a statement. Woods’ articles mainly were instructional tips.
Golf Digest never disclosed terms of the deal, although it was believed to be among the smallest financially for Woods – no more than $2 million a year. The value came from exposure, along with some content provided for Woods’ website.
“The reality is his deal was up at the end of the year,” said Mark Steinberg, his agent at IMG. “Because we’re living in this digital world, they needed more time from him. He wasn’t ready to commit to any additional time at this point with everything going on – trying to work on his swing and other things.” The announcement comes two weeks after Gillette said it would not renew its contract, which expired at the end of 2010. That brings to five the number of endorsements Woods has lost since he was caught in extramarital affairs. The other three are Accenture, AT&T and Gatorade.
Golf Digest put his column on hold last February while Woods took time off to sort out his personal life, resuming the column in September. Woods’ last column will be in the February issue, an indication that both sides had been negotiating a new deal. Other playing editors at Golf Digest include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson. 

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The Girl’s Guide To Landing A Dumb Baller

There giving you a guide about that life

She slips an expensive Rolex around her wrist and slings a stylish $3,000 Gucci bag over her shoulder. A football star lavished her with these little luxuries, but now — after finally bedding the NFL player — she wants a car.

“With christmas coming, I think now is as good of time as any to throw that out there lol . . . Nothing major, just a CTS or a 535 or something . . . 40-50 thousand range,” writes a Brooklyn woman who goes by the handle “Angelina Yee.”

“I actually don’t think he’ll object but i don’t know how to go about this, especially with football season coming to an end soon and him leaving to go back to his home town.” The Cadillac-coveting gold digger who dates Footballer X — a player in the north who hails from down south — posted her dilemma on an online groupie site where jersey-chasing women often huddle to swap advice and scandalous dating stories.

So, what’s a girl to do if gift hint-dropping fails?

“I would say in a very deep seductive voice, look him in his eyes and then say, ‘baby you know what I want you to do for me? Buy me a 2011 (insert the car you want there). Then smile lick your lips or wink your eye and go on with your business,” advises Zaria 22.

“I usually do this [over] dessert or Ice Cream. Something that brings attention to the mouth [and] looks sexy.” Pro athletes, beware — groupies have gone online to plot your bankruptcy. Unlike the aspiring mistress of yesteryear, who sharpened her elbows to sidle up to her favorite sportsman in a crowded venue, today’s tech-obsessed girls discuss outfits, strategies and even positions before the first encounter even occurs.

Today, players are less likely to meet girls at a strip club or bar than they are on Facebook — as was the case for two women who linked up and went on to bear children with New York Jets father of nine Antonio Cromartie. And beware if you don’t come through with the BMW. The groupies are quick to shame, posting pictures of themselves in hotel rooms for wives to find, or revealing intimate details about someone’s off-field performance.

‘OFFICIAL Groupie,” a rosy cheeked Florida-based beauty, coaches inexperienced groupies. First in her playbook: Chase after the dumb jock. “See, the smarter ones are on to your gold digging groupie a$s. The smart ones can smell your money-hungry a$s a mile away,” the vixen posted in a three-part series, “How to Land a Baller.”

“You know the ones that can barely speak well in an interview,” Official Groupie instructs. “Yes, b*tch, him! Write his name down. Google him! “Start to focus on the ones who have criminal records, many baby mommas and plenty of kids, and have ‘advisors’ (i.e. cousins/homeboys that handle their business/money). They’ll be easy to recognize cause they always look ‘lost’ and ‘slow.’ He barely makes eye contact. He got a short attention span and easily gets distracted. He gotta think about the words he wanna use before he speaks and still mispronounce the words. He does stupid/dumb s – - – right in front of you. Yeah, him!”

On this ever-expanding online manual, girls who want to score with an athlete learn to blend old and new groupie tactics when it comes to bumping into a player. BallerAlert’s “Eleven8,” for example, suggests memorizing the layout of the W Hotel in Hollywood, where, she said, the NBA stars will rest their heads during February’s All Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

Then modern girls equipped with a smartphone can take advantage of Eleven8′s “Twitter-holic Trick.” “As proven by Carmelo Anthony and countless others, most ballers control their own Twitter accounts. Know their away schedules! When they’re going to be in LA this is the perfect time to turn on your cyber charm and tweet your favorite baller until he takes notice,” she writes.

“Most ballers usually follow groupies [on Twitter] right before they hit the city this way they can keep the conversation isolated. Once he’s in your [private] box you can get the digits and the hotel room number.”

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe dubbed this type of pre-arranged rendezvous “importing,” telling ESPN magazine in May that senior players compiled a starting lineup of groupies drafted from Facebook and Twitter before away games and flew the women out to the team’s hotels.

Time and time again, the public’s prying eyes discover stars’ exploits on social network sites. Bloggers at TheDirty.com make a sport of outing groupies. Last month they posted a screenshot of a Facebook page where two women boasted about an evening with Philadelphia Eagle Michael Vick.

“Swimming with Michael Vick and cuziie !!!,” exclaimed a woman named “Julia’s Status.” “What a night/morning with him bahahahah. wait I just woke up next to Michael Vick,” her friend Lana writes. The BallerAlert chicks also giggled when a woman named Tia dumped NFL star James Davis via her Facebook page in June.

“3 kids 3 baby mamas 6th round pick wat the f–k was I thinking. relationships r Def not ur strong point . . . hope u excel in FB its the only thing ur good at. someone please give James Davis the memo . . . his relationship is over,” the angry girlfriend wrote.

* Problem: An NFLer dropped his digits, but now I don’t know how to stand out in the stands!

* Solution: On game day pair jeans with a tight team tee. “You need to go to the kids section so it can fit really cute,” suggests “Miss Bling.” Don’t forget to pack after-party clothes. “Get your ass to the after party and be the sexiest bitch in there! Sexy not slutty!”

* Problem: I don’t know how to contact my favorite sports star.

* Solution: Try Twitter or add Kik Messenger to your phone. “Athletes, as dumb as they are, have used this forum to add new hoes to their roster,” writes “Mrs. Denbeigh.” “It’s the way to get a number without actually giving a number, and arrange rendezvous via direct message.”

* Problem: Can this pro athlete afford me?

* Solution: First, check that baller’s salary. “According to NBA.com the minimum annual rookie salary is $442K so don’t sleep on the rookies,” one groupie advises.

Wow, This is crazy, but i guess they want to live that life.

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Christmas Day Lakers Vs Heat Recap

GREAT HYPE ALL YEAR, BUT THE GAME WAS NOT WORTH IT. 

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant ran their mouths while they jogged downcourt, not quite making eye contact during an unpleasant conversation in the closing minutes.

“Just asked him what he got for Christmas,” James said. Although the two superstars wouldn’t reveal what angry words they exchanged, it wasn’t tough to pick out a few statements Saturday. While Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers got a disturbing first look at the Miami Heat, LeBron got the last word at Staples Center yet again.

James had 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while hitting a season-high five 3-pointers, and the Heat thrived on the holiday stage in a 96-80 victory.

Although both teams called the game a television curiosity rather than a potential NBA Finals preview, it clearly meant something to James, who had his third triple-double with Miami and the 31st of his career. James also outplayed Bryant, who scored 17 points, in his second straight Christmas win in the Lakers’ home arena, following last season’s victory for LeBron’s Cavaliers.

“We’re not trying to make a statement to anyone,” James said. “We’re trying to show each other that we can play at a high level and try to get better every game. This is one game. … We’re happy because we got better today.”

While the Heat realize Boston and Orlando are much more important obstacles to their championship hopes, and while the Lakers don’t get terribly excited about playing anybody until the playoffs, there was a palpable edge in the crowd at Staples Center for this intersectional matchup – until the Heat’s steady defensive effort flattened the Lakers in the second half.

Chris Bosh had 24 points and 13 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 18 points on a sore knee and the Heat won for the 14th time in 15 games while flustering the two-time defending champions into a terrible offensive performance, starting with Los Angeles’ 14-point first quarter.

“Our whole thing is just playing solid defense the whole game,” Bosh said. “That’s the primary part of our identity. Our backbone right now is defense.”

James played a balanced, patient game, even after a technical foul near halftime for an under-the-basket scuffle with Lakers defensive stopper Ron Artest. James’ teammates contributed enough to keep the Heat comfortably ahead, with Bosh playing an outstanding first half and Mario Chalmers contributing 13 points in a reserve role, including three 3-pointers. “Offensively, it’s probably the most trust and the most poise we’ve played (with) this season,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Pau Gasol scored 17 points for the Lakers, who fell behind early and never caught up to the tantalizing new contenders for their title. Although Bryant wore garish green shoes for the holiday, his Lakers simply didn’t raise their games to meet the spotlight that follows Miami, falling well behind in the first half and never making a run.

Bryant, who picked up his third technical foul in two games, was visibly displeased with his teammates throughout the second half.

“It’s like these games mean more to our opponents than they do to us,” Bryant said. “I think we need to get that straight – play with more focus, put more (emphasis) on these games. I don’t like it. … We know what we’re capable of doing, and that’s part of the problem.”

Lamar Odom had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who have lost two straight at home after winning five in a row on the road, following up Tuesday’s collapse against Milwaukee with this high-profile flop. While Odom thinks the Lakers are overconfident, Bryant believes the problems start in practice.

“Individually, you have to make that decision on what’s important,” Bryant said. “The game has to be the most important thing. … This is serious stuff. You don’t just have two rings and say, ‘That’s enough. We’re satisfied with what we’ve got.’ I’m not going to let that slide.”

Coach Phil Jackson dislikes the Lakers’ annual spot on the NBA’s Christmas schedule, and perhaps for reasons beyond the season: Los Angeles dropped to 4-8 on Christmas since 1999, including last season’s one-sided loss to Cleveland, which ended with dozens of giveaway foam hands getting thrown on the court. Players on both teams broke out festive holiday sneakers for the occasion, including lime-green Nike kicks on Bryant, Gasol and Odom. James and Bosh wore holiday-red shoes with garish green laces.

James got his T shortly afterward for shoving Artest under the basket with 10 seconds left in the first half after Artest wrapped nearly his entire arm around James’ neck while battling for rebounding position.

“I was in a WWE headlock, and I was trying to get out of it,” James said.

Michael Vick Speaks About Mentoring And Wanting To Own Another Dog

Michael Vick has been through some incredible highs and lows over the last few years, and despite his new attitude and success on the field, people still want to question his heart. In a recent interview he talks about mentoring children and how owning a dog could help him during is continued “recovery” period.

The Eagles quarterback discussed his slow, but steady road to redemption, and he spoke about why he disregards negative comments from cynics who say he’s only mentoring because the courts are making him or to rehabilitate his damaged image.
“Well first off, the court doesn’t make it an obligation for me to go out and speak,” Vick said. “It doesn’t make it an obligation for me to work with the Humane Society. I’m putting in the hard work to do it so it’s not for any personal benefit, it’s to help others.”
Vick has often expressed his love of all animals — not just dogs, and hopes that the court-ordered rule that prevents him owning a dog will one day change.
“I would love to get another dog in the future,” he told theGrio. “I think it would be a big step for me in the rehabilitation process. I think just to have a pet in my household and to show people that I genuinely care, and my love, and my passion for animals.”

VICK IS THE MAN. HE DID HIS TIME PAID HIS DUES WENT THREW PAIN. NOW HE'S BACK ON THE FIELD DOING HIS THING.. HAHAH WOW THAT RYMHED
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