Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Irish Will Lose Fight with Alabama for 5-Star DT

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are setting themselves up for another disappointment at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Just like in the 2013 BCS Championship Game, Notre Dame will lose to Alabama in its pursuit of 5-star defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes.

Vanderdoes, the top-ranked high school defensive tackle (according to 247Sports), will choose Alabama over Notre Dame, UCLA and USC.

The 6’2”, 310-pounder visited South Bend last weekend, but is currently in Tuscaloosa. Being there, at Alabama, may prove to be too much for the youngster as he makes his decision leading up to national signing day on Wednesday.

You have to look at it from his perspective. Sure, picking USC or UCLA and staying close to home would be nice. But visiting and being introduced to two storied and successful programs like Notre Dame and Alabama might be enough to sway his decision in their favor.

That makes this a two-horse race between the teams that battled it out for the national championship just one month prior to signing day.

While staying close to home might be ideal, this is Vanderdoes’ best shot to leave the nest and go exploring. If there were ever a time for it, it is now.

He’s already decommitted from USC once, although he has kept it among his top choices in the process.

Is there any doubt what he will choose if his decision comes down to Tuscaloosa and South Bend?

The second Vanderdoes steps into Nick Saban’s office, he’s going to see the three BCS title rings sitting on his coffee table—Saban puts them there for recruits to look at.

It’s a powerful statement from a successful recruiter and college football coach. Saban is a lot of things, but recruiting is what the man does best.

He has the best sales pitch, and the best opportunity of any of the coaches vying for Vanderdoes’ services.

Can Brian Kelly, who nearly left South Bend for the NFL after the National Championship Game, sway his mind and convince him the future is at Notre Dame, not Alabama?

It’s not likely.

Notre Dame Football is one of the greatest sporting traditions in America, though. That will certainly help, but it’s not likely that tradition will win out over what we saw on the field on Jan. 7.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1512211-notre-dame-football-recruiting-irish-will-lose-fight-with-alabama-for-5-star-dt

Detroit Lions Pittsburgh Steelers

Stephens in, Williams sisters out for US

Sloane Stephens will lead the U.S. Fed Cup team that is without the Williams sisters for the World Group first-round match against Italy on Feb. 9-10.

U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez also included doubles specialist Liezel Huber and rookies Varvara Lepchenko and Jamie Hampton.

Stephens is ranked a career-high No. 17 after beating Serena Williams to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open. She is in line to make her Fed Cup singles debut against the Italians.

Serena Williams, who hurt her back in the quarterfinal loss to Stephens, played in the most recent U.S. match in the Fed Cup - a 5-0 victory over Ukraine in a World Group playoff in April last year.

The match will be played on indoor red clay in Rimini, Italy. The Italian team is led by No. 7 Sara Errani and No. 16 Roberta Vinci.

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/stephens_in_williams_sisters_out_for_us/12794680

Miami Dolphins Orlando Magic

This photo of Morgan Freeman posing with Ole Miss cheerleaders is awesome (pic)

On Tuesday night, beloved and gifted actor Morgan Freeman was in attendance for the basketball game between Kentucky and Ole Miss in Oxford. And while the No. 16-ranked Runnin? Rebels were unable to defend their home court against the Wildcats, losing 87-74, the loss did not appear to prevent Mr. Freeman from at least having a good time during some portion of the night?s festivities. As you can see, the VIP Freeman ? who lives nearby in Charleston, Miss., apparently about 90 minutes away from the Ole Miss campus ? enjoyed the company of three Ole Miss cheerleaders, as he posed with them for a photo. And the look on Morgan Freeman?s face is, for lack of a better word, priceless. Of course, photos have an amazing way of depicting people in ways that they should not be characterized, so it?s more likely than not that the timing of the photograph has more to do with the appearance that Freeman is ogling one of the young and attractive cheerleaders. Or at the very least, appreciating their company and

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/this_photo_of_morgan_freeman_posing_with_ole_miss_cheerleaders_is_awesome_pic/12792232

Washington Redskins Cleveland Cavaliers

Is this Super Bowl commercial racist?

What happens when you mix a thirsty group of cowboys, a bus full of showgirls,�maniacal�Mad Max characters and an Arab walking camels through a desert? The folks at Coca-Cola call it a commercial. Arab-American groups, however, call it racist, according to NBCNews.com. Start by watching the commercial here: Abed Ayoub, director of legal and policy affairs�of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is unhappy with this particular multimillion-dollar Super Bowl ad, asking:�?What message is Coke sending with this? ?By not including the Arab in the race, it is clear that the Arab is held to a different standard when compared to the other characters in the commercial,? he adds. The ADC, which made headlines�back in 1992 when it complained that lyrics in the animated film Aladdin were racist, isn?t alone. ?The Coke commercial for the Super Ball is racist, portraying Arabs as backward and foolish ?Camel Jockeys,? and they have no chance to win i...

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/arab_american_groups_calling_coca_cola_super_bowl_ad_racist_video/12802459

Pittsburgh Steelers Seattle Seahawks

Gottfried's misuse of his bench could cost team

On the surface, its pretty easy to suggest the reason North Carolina State lost 58-55 at Virginia on Tuesday night was because it lost point guard Lorenzo Brown for the game with an ankle injury midway through the first half.

After all, the junior playmaker has been the Wolfpacks best player and was off to a solid start against the Cavaliers. But even without Brown, the Wolfpack are more talented than Virginia, and with a McDonalds All-American serving as Browns backup, N.C. State still should have been in decent shape.

But it wasnt.

Tyler Lewis was okay, but he could have been better in his 15 minutes on the floor. He finished with 3 points and two assists, converting 1-of-3 field goal attempts. But the offense didnt run with much fluidity under his guidance, though it was smoother than when starting shooting guard Rodney Purvis ran things.

The No. 18 Wolfpack led 12-7 with 10:38 left in the half when Purvis went down and Pack led 31-24 at the half. But they were outscored 34-24 after halftime and had

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/gottfrieds_misuse_of_his_bench_could_cost_team/12800974

Seattle Seahawks Green Bay Packers

JR Smith unhappy with second snub

JR Smith has put together an impressive season so far for the Knicks. Smith is in contention for sixth man of the year but he also felt his accomplishments this season earned him a trip to Houston as an All-Star. When Rajon Rondo went down that opened up a spot on the East. NBA.com put up a poll asking fans to vote for who should take that spot. � I guess JR thought the fan vote actually mattered like it does for the starters and was a bit perturbed that Brook Lopez was given the open spot and not him. Naturally, he took to Twitter to express his displeasure. � Chin up JR. I?m sure your all-star party will be great. He?s hosting with Basketball Wives LA star Brooke Bailey. � � photos via Instagram

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/jr_smith_not_happy_brook_lopez_selected_over_him_as_all_star_replacement_for_rondo/12801544

Houston Texans Detroit Lions

Shawn Thornton, Krys Barch Continue Their Bad Blood in Marathon Fight (Video)

Shawn Thornton and Krys Barch are old friends, if friends were the type to beat each other?s faces in each time they met.
The two foes, who have a bit of a history together, squared off again on Tuesday night. It marked the sixth bout between the two tough guys, but this time the scorecards were clearly in favor of the Bruins? enforcer. The marathon affair lasted a whopping minute and 17 seconds, with both fighters a little worse for the wear afterward.
Check out the fight in the video above, with NESN?s Jack Edwards providing the blow-by-blow of all the action.
Click here to read about Thornton and Barch?s history together >>

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/shawn_thornton_krys_barch_continue_their_bad_blood_in_marathon_fight_video/12788065

New England Patriots Philadelphia Eagles