Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica
Oscar Pistorius charged with murder, reportedly had firearms at home to allay
fears of invasion.
By Martin Rogers
Pistorius, 26, kept weapons at his gated, luxury South African home as a means of protection against his country's soaring crime rate, according to a British writer who had exclusive access to the Olympic sprinter.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, the 400 meter runner – the first man to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics – is believed to have used part of his weapons collection to tragically gun down his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Early reports had the alleged incident being reported as an accident, but police spokesperson Brigadier Denise Beukes told the Associated Press that information did not come from police and that "it would be very premature and very irresponsible of me to say what actually has happened."
"There have been allegations," Beukes said. "We are not sure."
According to those initial reports, Pistorius mistook Steenkamp, a 30-year-old television personality and model, for an intruder as she entered his residence at 3 a.m. and allegedly shot her four times in the arms and head.
According to the Associated Press, police said there had "previously been incidents and allegations of a domestic nature at the home of Mr. Oscar Pistorius."
According to British writer Jonathan McEvoy, who was given unprecedented access to Pistorius in a broad-ranging 2011 Daily Mail interview, the athlete held serious concerns for his personal safety, perhaps unsurprisingly given his nation's appalling record of violence.
"I spoke to him at his house and when we went upstairs to his bedroom so that our photographer could take photos of his running blades, that was when I saw the weapons," said McEvoy, when contacted by Yahoo! Sports by telephone on Thursday.
"There was the pistol by the bed, the machine gun up against the wall, the baseball bat under the window, a cricket bat too. He was concerned by safety and security to a high level, there was no doubt about that."
Pistorius has earned well from appearance fees and endorsements during his athletic career and also came from a privileged background, thanks to his mining magnate father Henke, who told reporters he was "shocked" by Thursday's events.
Pistorius' house in the Silver Lakes community on the eastern edge of South Africa's capital, Pretoria, is in an attractive compound permanently guarded by armed security, yet that was not enough to allay his concerns about being the victim of violent crime.
"We had been talking at his training base in Johannesburg and he drove me up [to his home] to continue the interview," McEvoy continued. "You had to stop and speak to the guard on the way in and on the way out. "I think I mentioned that the security must mean that area was safe, but he said that wasn't necessarily the case as the guards could be 'in on it.'" Indeed, Pretoria news reports detailed the apprehension of a crime ring that operated from the Silver Lakes area in 2010, one that included police officers in what was known as a "blue light" crime.
Steenkamp and Pistorius, known as the Blade Runner for the prosthetic blades on his legs that allowed him to compete, are understood to have met in November and embarked upon a whirlwind romance. The actress' Twitter account painted the picture a joyful relationship when she asked her followers what they were planning for Valentine's Day.
Over the past week, Pistorius and Steenkamp spent time with Great Britain 400 meter runner Martyn Rooney, who had been in South Africa training and socialized with the pair.
Pistorius remained in custody as of Thursday and was said to be distraught, according to police.
"We found a 9mm pistol at the scene, a 26-year-old man was taken into custody," the spokesman added.
The runner's agent, Peet Van Zyl, attempted to visit Pistorius at the Pretoria police station where he was being held before a court appearance that will likely take place Friday, according to News24. The New York Times reported that police officials said they planned to oppose Pistorius’ expected application for bail.
Reports from South Africa revealed Steenkamp's body was removed from the home at around 8 a.m.
Pistorius reached the semifinals of the 400m and the final of the 4x400m relay at the London Olympics, before later adding his fifth and sixth Paralympic golds.
By Patrick Clarke
First-Time Selections Set to Explode in Houston
More than half a dozen NBA All-Stars will make their first career appearance in the annual All-Star Game on Sunday night in Houston, but only a select few are set to explode inside the jam-packed Toyota Center.
On the Western Conference squad, James Harden will make his All-Star Game debut. Meanwhile on the Eastern Conference team, Tyson Chandler, Paul George, Jrue Holiday, Kyrie Irving, Brook Lopez and Joakim Noah are all gearing up for their first ever All-Star Game.
So, who's primed for a huge game this weekend?
Let's take a look.
James Harden, Houston Rockets, West
James Harden will be reunited with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on Sunday night, which should make for a big game from all three, but Harden especially, who will be playing inside his home arena.
Plus, the former Sun Devil is the league's fifth-leading scorer this season, averaging over 26 points per game for the Houston Rockets on close to 45 percent shooting from the field.
With Harden sure to get plenty of love from the fans in attendance at the Toyota Center on Sunday night every time he touches the ball, look for his Western Conference teammates to feed him the ball on nearly ever opportunity they get.
If that's the case, Harden will have a great shot to win 2013 All-Star Game MVP honors this weekend.
Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia 76ers, East
Philadelphia 76ers point guard Jrue Holiday is one of the NBA's top floor generals, averaging 8.8 assists per game, ranking him fourth in the league in that category. Oh yeah, and he's scoring over 19 points per game as well.
Like Harden, Holiday will make his first career All-Star appearance Sunday in Houston, where he'll be able to rack up easy dimes by dishing the ball to prolific scorers like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
It's hard to believe that Holiday is only 22 years old with him producing the way he is and still getting better year after year. But it will be even more difficult to fathom come Sunday night in Houston.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers, East
With Boston's Rajon Rondo out for the season with an ACL injury, Holiday and Kyrie Irving should both get plenty of playing time for the East.
Given his ability to put up points in bunches, Irving is certain to see the court plenty on Sunday. The league's sixth-leading scorer, the former No. 1 overall pick is averaging close to 24 points per game this season while shooting better than 47 percent from the field and nearly 43 percent from beyond the arc.
Contrary to Holiday, Irving is a score-first point guard and the numbers back it up. He ranks just 29th in the NBA in assists this season, averaging 5.5 per night.
Don't expect Irving to be shy or intimidated by all of the superstar talent surrounding him on Sunday night. He's a gamer, and one of the most lethal and versatile scorers in today's game. The second-year point guard is a dark horse to win the 2013 All-Star Game MVP.
A meth lab was found in a porta-potty in the middle of a golf course.
By Martin Rogers
South African police have charged Olympic star Oscar Pistorius
with the murder of his girlfriend, who was shot in the sprinter's home Thursday.
Pistorius, 26, kept weapons at his gated, luxury South African home as a means of protection against his country's soaring crime rate, according to a British writer who had exclusive access to the Olympic sprinter.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, the 400 meter runner – the first man to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics – is believed to have used part of his weapons collection to tragically gun down his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Early reports had the alleged incident being reported as an accident, but police spokesperson Brigadier Denise Beukes told the Associated Press that information did not come from police and that "it would be very premature and very irresponsible of me to say what actually has happened."
"There have been allegations," Beukes said. "We are not sure."
According to those initial reports, Pistorius mistook Steenkamp, a 30-year-old television personality and model, for an intruder as she entered his residence at 3 a.m. and allegedly shot her four times in the arms and head.
According to the Associated Press, police said there had "previously been incidents and allegations of a domestic nature at the home of Mr. Oscar Pistorius."
According to British writer Jonathan McEvoy, who was given unprecedented access to Pistorius in a broad-ranging 2011 Daily Mail interview, the athlete held serious concerns for his personal safety, perhaps unsurprisingly given his nation's appalling record of violence.
"I spoke to him at his house and when we went upstairs to his bedroom so that our photographer could take photos of his running blades, that was when I saw the weapons," said McEvoy, when contacted by Yahoo! Sports by telephone on Thursday.
"There was the pistol by the bed, the machine gun up against the wall, the baseball bat under the window, a cricket bat too. He was concerned by safety and security to a high level, there was no doubt about that."
Pistorius has earned well from appearance fees and endorsements during his athletic career and also came from a privileged background, thanks to his mining magnate father Henke, who told reporters he was "shocked" by Thursday's events.
Pistorius' house in the Silver Lakes community on the eastern edge of South Africa's capital, Pretoria, is in an attractive compound permanently guarded by armed security, yet that was not enough to allay his concerns about being the victim of violent crime.
"We had been talking at his training base in Johannesburg and he drove me up [to his home] to continue the interview," McEvoy continued. "You had to stop and speak to the guard on the way in and on the way out. "I think I mentioned that the security must mean that area was safe, but he said that wasn't necessarily the case as the guards could be 'in on it.'" Indeed, Pretoria news reports detailed the apprehension of a crime ring that operated from the Silver Lakes area in 2010, one that included police officers in what was known as a "blue light" crime.
Steenkamp and Pistorius, known as the Blade Runner for the prosthetic blades on his legs that allowed him to compete, are understood to have met in November and embarked upon a whirlwind romance. The actress' Twitter account painted the picture a joyful relationship when she asked her followers what they were planning for Valentine's Day.
Over the past week, Pistorius and Steenkamp spent time with Great Britain 400 meter runner Martyn Rooney, who had been in South Africa training and socialized with the pair.
Pistorius remained in custody as of Thursday and was said to be distraught, according to police.
"We found a 9mm pistol at the scene, a 26-year-old man was taken into custody," the spokesman added.
The runner's agent, Peet Van Zyl, attempted to visit Pistorius at the Pretoria police station where he was being held before a court appearance that will likely take place Friday, according to News24. The New York Times reported that police officials said they planned to oppose Pistorius’ expected application for bail.
Reports from South Africa revealed Steenkamp's body was removed from the home at around 8 a.m.
Pistorius reached the semifinals of the 400m and the final of the 4x400m relay at the London Olympics, before later adding his fifth and sixth Paralympic golds.
NBA All-Star Game Weekend, February 15-17, 2013:
By Patrick Clarke
First-Time Selections Set to Explode in Houston
More than half a dozen NBA All-Stars will make their first career appearance in the annual All-Star Game on Sunday night in Houston, but only a select few are set to explode inside the jam-packed Toyota Center.
On the Western Conference squad, James Harden will make his All-Star Game debut. Meanwhile on the Eastern Conference team, Tyson Chandler, Paul George, Jrue Holiday, Kyrie Irving, Brook Lopez and Joakim Noah are all gearing up for their first ever All-Star Game.
So, who's primed for a huge game this weekend?
Let's take a look.
James Harden, Houston Rockets, West
James Harden will be reunited with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on Sunday night, which should make for a big game from all three, but Harden especially, who will be playing inside his home arena.
Plus, the former Sun Devil is the league's fifth-leading scorer this season, averaging over 26 points per game for the Houston Rockets on close to 45 percent shooting from the field.
With Harden sure to get plenty of love from the fans in attendance at the Toyota Center on Sunday night every time he touches the ball, look for his Western Conference teammates to feed him the ball on nearly ever opportunity they get.
If that's the case, Harden will have a great shot to win 2013 All-Star Game MVP honors this weekend.
Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia 76ers, East
Philadelphia 76ers point guard Jrue Holiday is one of the NBA's top floor generals, averaging 8.8 assists per game, ranking him fourth in the league in that category. Oh yeah, and he's scoring over 19 points per game as well.
Like Harden, Holiday will make his first career All-Star appearance Sunday in Houston, where he'll be able to rack up easy dimes by dishing the ball to prolific scorers like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
It's hard to believe that Holiday is only 22 years old with him producing the way he is and still getting better year after year. But it will be even more difficult to fathom come Sunday night in Houston.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers, East
With Boston's Rajon Rondo out for the season with an ACL injury, Holiday and Kyrie Irving should both get plenty of playing time for the East.
Given his ability to put up points in bunches, Irving is certain to see the court plenty on Sunday. The league's sixth-leading scorer, the former No. 1 overall pick is averaging close to 24 points per game this season while shooting better than 47 percent from the field and nearly 43 percent from beyond the arc.
Contrary to Holiday, Irving is a score-first point guard and the numbers back it up. He ranks just 29th in the NBA in assists this season, averaging 5.5 per night.
Don't expect Irving to be shy or intimidated by all of the superstar talent surrounding him on Sunday night. He's a gamer, and one of the most lethal and versatile scorers in today's game. The second-year point guard is a dark horse to win the 2013 All-Star Game MVP.
A meth lab was found in a porta-potty in the middle of a golf course.
By Shane Bacon
There is absolutely nothing enjoyable about having to take a
bathroom break in a porta-potty. They smell, they're dirty and you're either
usually super hot or super cold while inside of one.
But a porta-potty meth lab on a golf course? That isn't a thing, right?!
Wrong. In Oklahoma, investigators found a mini meth lab inside a porta-potty in the middle of a golf course, which has to be the weirdest/most creative meth lab in history.
"Under cover drug agents defuse a mini meth lab found inside a porta-potty in the middle of a golf course Tuesday in Purcell. Staffers noticed strange sports drink bottles with chemicals inside the porta-potty and called police.
Officers arrived and soon realized someone had been inside making meth using the “shake and bake” method."
While Walter White wouldn't exactly approve, apparently this was a real thing.
No decision yet on NHL players in Olympics.
By
Discussions were scheduled for Thursday and Friday between the NHL, the NHL
players' association, and officials from the International Ice Hockey Federation
and the International Olympic Committee to see if it makes sense for North
American professional hockey players to go to the Olympics for a fifth straight
time.
''I don't expect any resolution or decisions this week,'' NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an email on Thursday.
The Sochi Games are one year away. While a final decision isn't required this week, one will have to be reached in the near future.
The current discussions are being held between NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, IIHL President Rene Fasel and officials from the IOC.
''I don't expect any resolution or decisions this week,'' NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an email on Thursday.
The Sochi Games are one year away. While a final decision isn't required this week, one will have to be reached in the near future.
The current discussions are being held between NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, IIHL President Rene Fasel and officials from the IOC.
NBA star Kobe Bryant comes to China's social media.
Sina Weibo has verified that the NBA superstar has set up an individual
account on its hugely popular microblogging site. Bryant's followers numbered
more than 100,000 within hours on Thursday, although no comments from Bryant had
appeared.
The account came just a few days after a message appeared on Nike
Basketball's Sina Weibo account, named Black Mamba, on Lunar New Year's Day:
''Hey it's Kobe, I've decided to take over Nike basketball's Weibo handle for a
few days and I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year.''
Bryant is widely known and extremely popular in China, rivaling hometown star
Yao Ming. During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, billboards of Bryant dominated
China's commercial districts.
The Los Angeles Lakers star has several fan pages on Sina Weibo.
One of them - ''Home of Kobe'' - has more than 200,000 followers. Along with
other sites, it posted a welcome message for Bryant and encouraged fans to leave
comments for him by promising to help translate some of the remarks.
''Hello, Black Mamba, welcome to SINA WEIBO. It's been a long time for
Chinese fans to wait for this moment,'' the page wrote.
Sina Weibo says it has more than 400 million users.
NJ sports betting law argued in federal court.
New Jersey's efforts to offer legal sports gambling are being put to the test in federal court.
Attorneys for the state and the U.S. Department of Justice are arguing Thursday in Trenton over whether a federal law restricting sports betting to four states is unconstitutional.
The four major pro sports leagues, the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball, and the NCAA sued last year after Gov. Chris Christie signed a sports wagering law and announced his intentions of awarding gambling licenses this year.
The law would allow sports wagering at Atlantic City casinos and the state's horse racing tracks. It would exempt games involving New Jersey colleges or college games played in the state.
The federal law allows sports gambling in Nevada and in three other states that already offer limited forms of betting.
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