Take-Two, the company that produces Grand Theft Auto, has turned down a $2 billion dollar takeover bid from Electronic Arts. This doesn’t mean the deal is dead. In fact, it could take place April 30th, the day after GTA IV is released.. The two companies have differing opinions on the bid; Take-Two thinks it’s too low, and of course EA thinks it’s more than fair.

I don’t care what the two sides have to do, but this deal must get done. The combination of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. and Electronic Arts Inc. could lead to the greatest video game in the history of video games.. Grand Theft Auto: John Madden.

Imagine a game with the GTA crime theme and an NFL storyline. Sorta like Playmakers for Playstation. There are endless directions to take this idea…

The game always starts easy so the first mission would be something simple.. Like using the Madden Cruiser to run over Joe Buck. After that, it’s on.

• Nashville: Take down the notorious Pacman crew that has been terrorizing local strip clubs. Score extra cash by letting the leader make it rain before you take him out.
• Dallas: Use any means necessary to keep the paparazzi away from Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson. You can earn bonus points for rushing Terrell Owens to the hospital before he starts crying.
• Miami: Kidnap Ricky Williams from a yoga studio and get him to Dolphins’ practice before he retires or gets high.
• New England: Escort Matt Walsh from his hotel to the Federal building without Bill Belichick videotaping you or eliminating Walsh.
• Atlanta: Stomp out the Bad Newz dogfighting ring, but watch out for the killer pitbulls. This task is easy if you catch one of the low level guys that is likely to snitch on his boss.
• Cincinnati: One of the hardest levels in the game. You gotta keep every member of the Bengals outta jail for 48 hours.
• Las Vegas: A final showdown in a hotel room with O.J. Simpson. You’ll have to fight Jerry Porter and Levi Jones before you get up to the Juice’s room. Once you’re there, he’s pretty much impossible to put away. I suggest using a white woman to distract him before you make your move.

Who’s not buying this game? Nobody. EA, email me so we can straighten out my royalties.
Take-Two: EA Bid Wrong Price, Wrong Time. Courtesy of The Associated Press

Tags: John Madden, EA Sports, Grand Theft Auto, NFL, video games

Pictures taken by experts hired by the NBA’s four-time leading scorer show a series of horizontal and vertical cracks in brickwork on the outside of the house. Inside, the house has been plagued with settling as well as wide gaps in doorways, oak floorboards that have separated and floor-to-ceiling cracks in walls.

Experts hired by the Iversons reported that the trusses in the floor system at the center of the home weren’t built to handle all the weight above, causing the house to sag dramatically.

Keep in mind that this is a brand new house, and Allen is the first owner. As you can imagine, A.I. is taking the home builders to court.

Iverson has hired Atlanta lawyer Kurt Hilbert and filed suit against the builder, seeking more than $6.2 million in damages. Iverson wants to force the builder to refund the purchase price of $2.2 million and to pay the family for relocation expenses, custom-built furnishings and other damages.

The builders of Iverson’s decrepit crib, Order Homes of Atlanta, have stated that they’ve built over 300 homes and they’ve never been sued. Order Homes offered to take care of all of the damage to the house, but the Iversons and their lawyers are only willing to accept a financial settlement.

If the owners of Order Homes were smart, they would do like Matt Geiger did. Buy the house from Iverson, and then collect all of the left behind Benzes, Timberlands, and cash.

Home a $2.2 million wreck, NBA star says. Courtesy of The Atlanta Constitution Journal

Tags: Allen Iverson, Money Pit, NBA, Real+Estate

If gambling was abolished, do you know who would suffer the most? The NFL and the NBA referees. Regardless of the NFL’s official stance on wagering, the reason the league is so popular is because of the violence, gambling, and video games. But I’m not here to call the NFL a bunch of hypocrites, I’m here to salute the gridiron gladiators. I am entertained and hopefully my picks do likewise.

I’m superstitious, so I never pick for or against my favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles. The home team is in bold type.

Houston -3 over Kansas City: I didn’t see a lot of the Texans in preseason but I saw all of Hard Knocks.

Buffalo +3 over Denver: The Broncos are gonna have a nice season but it’ll get off to a slow start in upstate New York. Under 37 is tempting.

Pittsburgh -4.5 over Cleveland: The Browns aren’t gonna put it together over 1 summer.

Tennessee +6.5 over Jacksonville: The rule of thumb is to decide which team you think is going to win outright, and then bet on that team. I’m breaking the rule. The Jaguars win a close game.

St. Louis -1 over Carolina: If the Rams are gonna be who I think they are, they have to win this game.

Minnesota -3 over Atlanta: Joey Harrington is 1-4 lifetime vs. Minnesota. 0-4 at the Dome. The lone win came last year at home in Miami.

Miami +3 over Washington: I’m not expecting a lot from either of these teams this season but I like Miami a little more.

NYJ +6.5 over New England. I can make an argument for both teams in this game. That makes me think the game will be close.

Seattle -6 over Tampa Bay: Holmgren vs. Gruden. Hasselbeck vs. Garcia. I like the Seahawks in those matchups and the game.

San Diego -6 over Chicago: One of these teams will be almost as good as last year and the other’s qb is gonna end up costing them.

Detroit +1.5 over Oakland: It wouldn’t be Oakland if they didn’t start the season with a quarterback controversy.. Which should start about midway through the 2nd quarter.

Dallas -5.5 over NYG: The Cowboys offense gets all of the attention but that defense is gonna be really tough up front.

Cincinnati -2.5 over Baltimore: If the game was in Baltimore, I would pick the Ravens.

San Francisco -3 over Arizona: Every year is the year that the Cardinals are gonna turn it around. This might really be their time, but not this week.

On Monday Spike Lee moderated a Black Athlete Forum at his alma mater, the historical Morehouse college in Atlanta. Jim Brown, Alonzo Mourning, Etan Thomas, and Alge Crumpler were among the panelist for the event. The night was supposed to be dedicated to introducing Ron Thomas as the head of the new sports journalism department at Morehouse, and to discussing the lack of black sportswriters.

The panel wound up talking about a variety of topics… Everything from the media’s negative portrayal of black athletes to the athletes themselves needing to make better decisions and being accountable for their decisions. The discussions were reportedly eloquent and stirring, and the audience, made up of students and invited guests, were given a chance to chime in as well.

Things were easin on down the intended road until C. Vivian Stringer intersected with Jason Whitlock. Stringer, the head coach of the Rutgers women’s basketball team, gave Whitlock, the K.C. Star sportswriter that dissed her during the Imus flap, a piece of her mind. Even though I’m not a fan of the new Whitlock, I feel sorry for any brotha that has to face a black woman scorned, especially if there’s 300+ people in the room. Jason’s lucky she didn’t have a framed picture of the two of them together that she could smash in the street in front of his apartment at 530 in the morning, waking up the neighborhood and embarassing the hell out of him.. But I digress..

Stringer took exception with an article JW wrote in which he said:

Rutgers women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer led a massive pity party/recruiting rally.

and:

Stringer just wanted her 15 minutes to make the case that she’s every bit as important as Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma. By the time Stringer’s rambling, rapping and rhyming 30-minute speech was over, you’d forgotten that Tennessee won the national championship and just assumed a racist plot had been hatched to deny the Scarlet Knights credit for winning it all.

Presented with an opportunity to address Whitlock, Stringer went off..

“I made a statement that it wasn’t black or white. The truth of the matter is that we have been fooled for such a long time. We have such promise and we all are important. We need to step on each other’s heads to get the little piece of the American dream. It became green. It was power. You [Whitlock] understand that. That’s the reason why you chose these few minutes to get your one moment of [fame]. Because other than that, who knows Jason Whitlock?”

C. Vivian wasn’t finished:

“I’m amazed. I just want to understand your mindset. I want to understand people like you. I’ll be doggoned if I sit back and let that man speak of them as he did. The truth of the matter is [Jackson and Sharpton] were the only people who spoke up. I didn’t care if they fired Imus or not. But I know this — I was going to defend those young ladies.”

I applaud C. Vivian Stringer for speaking her mind to Jason Whitlock, but I wish it had been under different circumstances. The reason for the panel, students, and guest getting together was to discuss what could be done to increase the African-American presence in press boxes and locker rooms covering sporting events. I know it’s unlikey that Ms. Stringer would bump into Mr. Whitlock at any other time so she had to speak her piece while she had the chance. With that said, I hope the students weren’t the only ones that learned something that evening.

Sparks Fly at Morehouse Panel on Black Athletes. Courtesy of Diverse Education

Black Athlete Forum hit plenty of powerful notes. Courtesy of ESPN.com

C. Vivian Stringer and Jason Whitlock exchange words.(Transcript) Courtesy of ESPN.com

Time For Jackson And Sharpton To Step Down. Courtesy of Jason Whitlock, AOL Sports

Jason Whitlock: The Clown Prince of Bizarro World. Courtesy of The Edge Of Sports

Jason Whitlock crowned King Of The Blacks by Tucker Carlson. Courtesy of YBB

Jason Whitlock+Hip Hop Producing= Doctor J. Courtesy of YBB

Listen to the Kansas City Chief’s new game day song, It’s On Now, produced by Jason Whitlock. Courtesy of YBB

DIGG IT  *  DEL.ICIO.US  *  REDDIT  *  BALL HYPE