Sure, I’ve read over and over again about how bad the economy is. I know that people are losing their jobs, businesses are shutting down and people are hurting. But this story in the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL really brings it home: apparently, things are so bad that millionaire athletes can’t afford to “make it rain” at Las Vegas nightclubs. Damn it, we’re bailing out Detroit, why can’t we bail out Las Vegas?

Branden Powers, a partner and director of marketing at Poetry nightclub at the Forum Shops at Caesers, saying that Vegas is “drying up” in terms of big money spenders coming to exclusive nightclubs. He estimated that business was off by 25 to 40 percent in December, and the practice of big shot athletes “making it rain” by tossing wads of hundred dollar bills into the crowd is almost non-existent:

Read more…

A suspect has been indicted in the murder of Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams.

(Willie Clark [L], charged in the murder of Darrent Williams [R])

The DENVER POST reports that Willie Clark was named in a 39-count indictment on Wednesday, including two charges of first-degree murder, for the shooting death of Williams outside a Denver nightclub on New Year’s Day 2007.

Read more…

As one team gives up on their season by suspending their star WR for a pair of games, another team dramatically improves their chances by talking their star WR out of retirement.

(How can you argue with a face like that?)

Chris Mortensen of ESPN.COM is reporting that Oakland receiver Javon Walker was set to retire and turn in his $11 million signing bonus before Raiders owner and known zombie Al Davis used his persuasive undead abilities to talk Walker into returning to camp.

Read more…

It took a little while, but Las Vegas police have finally arrested a second suspect in the Javon Walker assault case.

(Javon wasn’t smiling after Deshawn Thomas allegedly attacked him)

KVVU-TV reports that 40-year-old Deshawn Thomas was hauled in on Monday and faces charges of kidnapping, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery with substantial bodily harm. He’s currently being held without bail.

Read more…

Javon Walker is still recovering after his June 16 Vegas assault & robbery, but the Oakland Raiders say their receiver should be fine & ready to go by training camp.

However, Walker may have avoided his Sin City beatdown had he attended a fundraiser for a fallen former teammate instead. Read more…

Las Vegas Police say they have arrested a suspect in the assault & robbery case of Raiders receiver Javon Walker.

CBS reports that 30-year-old Arfat Fadel was brought in Friday on charges ranging from robbery to kidnapping for the attack that left the 29-year-old NFL player battered & unconscious on a Vegas street corner.

Read more…

My first full weekend in Los Angeles will hopefully be a relatively quiet one. I’ve been traveling it seems non-stop the past three months. Still working on setting up shoots with three new SbB Girls. And making plans for the MLB All-Star game in NYC - I’ll be there live blogging throughout.

Gotten a couple dozen emails from people wanting more pics of SbB Girl Cora Skinner. I posted this one last night. Here’s another new one of her, with Melissa Smith, and Alex at ESPN Radio:

Speaking of hotties, SbB legend and UTEP basketball player Claudia Porras is wintering back in her home country of Bolivia. Here’s a new pic:

SbB Girl Charity Shea, who has her own show now on the cable net “The-N”, has several fan sites. The most prominent one has a photo background that looks awfully familiar!

The NEW YORK DAILY NEWS reports that New York Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh has proposed a bill to force New York sports franchises to charge less for games if those teams receive public funding for their stadiums.

(Seriously, some people just don’t deserve a discount)

Excerpt: “The legislation would require that 7% of a stadium’s seating be “affordable” to low- and moderate-income fans.”

This legislation comes right as the Yankees are trying to get $350M more in public funds to complete the construction of their new ballpark. What a coincidence!

Funny, I doubt that discount will apply to the guitar-shaped calamari.

I chuckled when I heard Javon Walker’s clunky version of his alleged assault and robbery. Now the Bellagio, which sports 2,000 cameras on the hotel property, is disputing Walker’s lawyer’s story. Read more…

I was bemused by this alleged statement today from Javon Walker to thedirty.com about being the recent victim of assault and robbery in Vegas:

“I was just back at my room and at about 5:30 in the morning I got a knock at the door. I opened it and 3 guys with guns were there. They cracked me in the head a few times, knocking me unconscious. They then robbed me of everything I had; my watch, money, everything! Somehow they got me to a car and dropped me off in the street. That’s what happened.”

Javon Walker: Master of the semicolon!

Now, I do believe that statement was communicated from the Walker camp to the website. But from the clunky wording, it’s appears the communique may have been hastily lawyered-up, as Walker prepares for a possible court battle.

If I was Walker, I’d be doing exactly the same thing - mitigating culpability from the night’s events. But there is one small problem with the statement. Read more…

New Oakland Raiders receiver Javon Walker was discovered Monday morning unconscious on a street corner in Las Vegas.

KVVU-TV reports that Walker - the former Packer & Bronco who signed a 6-year with the Silver & Black back in March - had been found unconscious at the corner of East Flamingo Road & Koval Lane, about a block east of the Las Vegas Strip. Read more…