Carmelo Anthony Clearly Summed Up The State Of The Current NBA Lockout In Two Words: 'It Sucks'

Carmelo Anthony is back in New York.

Not to play basketball of course. The NBA lockout won’t allow that. 

But to promote his latest endorsement: Power Grip. An “innovative liquid chalk technology” to “combat sweaty hands” and “improve grip for athletes.” 

He went the Modell’s in Times Square Friday to promote the new product and talk about all things basketball.

Clearly, issues surrounding the NBA lockout took major precedence. But he also took the time to talk about his current team, his college team, and the threat of a basketball-less Christmas.

Here are just some of the New York Knicks’ thoughts:

On if there will be an NBA season:

I hope so. I’m ready for a season. I say it everyday. Sitting back, not playing. That gets frustrating. Oct. 3, I got up thinking I had training camp. This is a true story. I got up, ate some breakfast, thinking I was going to go out to the facility. It dawned on me that we weren’t having no training day, no media day. So it’s a tough situation for everybody. For the NBA. For the players. For the fans out there. For the arenas. For the people who are jobless right now. It’s a tough situation.

On if the players are properly getting their message out:

I don’t think we’re really getting our message out there to be honest with you. The owners are definitely doing a great job of getting their message out there.  They have David Stern and the owners who can talk. We only have Derek Fisher. We have one person going against the whole NBA.

On his message to fans:

I feel your pain. I’m there with you. I want to get a season going ASAP. In the meantime, I understand where they’re coming from. It sucks. Especially coming into a highly anticipated season like this year. The ratings would have been sky high this year. Opening night would have been a wonderful night. Last year was a historical year for the NBA as a whole. We are missing the game of basketball. We want to play basketball and we want the fans to enjoy that as well.

On the possibility of no Christmas games, as Commissioner Stern recently threatened:

It was heartbreaking for me to hear that, too. New York–Boston on Christmas. How can you want to miss that? It’s tough. That’s one game I had marked on my calendar. Any game that we can get at this point in time, I’ll take them. Whether it’s Christmas. Whether it’s New Year’s. Any game we can get, I’ll take them at this point.

On his teammate Amare Stoudemire’s proposal of an alternate league during the lockout:

Amare is serious about that. Can that thought come to life? I’m pretty sure it can. It is possible that a players-only league can happen. But that would take a long time to do unless people just throw money out there and say ‘I’ll be a sponsor.’ But there’s a lot of logistics that goes behind that and a lot of details that goes behind that. If it happens…I’ll be the first person there to play.

On the progress of developing his NYC exhibition game:

I’m working on it. Trying to figure out a date and a location. But there will be one.

On the Knicks improving as a defensive unit:

We just got to do it. Defense is just about effort and consistency. It takes time. But we have a team that can be a great defensive team. And I’ll lead that charge. I’ll take that stance that I am the leader of this team and I will lead this team to where we have to go. We will become a great defensive team.

On Syracuse, his alma mater, eventually moving to the ACC:

When you hear Syracuse basketball the first thing that comes to mind is: “Big East.” It will be kind of tough for long-lasting Big East fans to accept it. But at the end of the day, the ACC will be the most powerful conference out there. And hopefully it’ll help their recruiting and they’ll be one of the top teams. As long as we can get the ACC tournament at the [Madison Square] Garden, I don’t care about the other stuff.  

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New 'Sexting' Memoir Is Going To Make Anthony Weiner's Family Holidays EXTREMELY Uncomfortable

Anthony Weiner is learning the hard way that nothing ever dies on the Internet.

After being forced to resign from office in June when his, er, inappropriate sexting ways were revealed, Weiner has worked to stay out of the public eye.

And, truth be told, he's been fairly successful.  That is, until word of a new book by one of his "sextees."

Meet Traci Nobles, a former cheerleading coach who has written a tell-all memoir, "I Freinded You" [sic], to "set the record straight."

What record?  Who cares.

In excerpts obtained by Daily Mail, it's pretty much what you expect (i.e., nasty sexting transcripts and such Nobles gems as, "If anyone would have told me a year ago what would have been in store for me just one year later, I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams.")

But there are a few bits that are sure to upset, like Weiner's thoughts on his marriage to Huma Abedin (who's expecting their first child in the new year) and relationship with his Muslim in-laws:

'I wish I had an escape route sometimes,' he wrote.

'Well a lot has to do with religion,' Weiner wrote in the messages to Ms Nobles. 'Lots of restrictions and how I've never been accepted by them.'

'Touchy is a good word for this. It's been touchy and worse from the beginning,' he added.

'They just believe I should be Muslim or convert… it makes for a lot of uncomfortable meetings.'

'When you're religion is something that is hated from the beginning it doesn't inspire much confidence,' he wrote.

Oh, and that time he masturbated in his congressional office:

'It's a big office and you know that's not the only thing here that's big,' he wrote in one message.
In another he told Ms Nobles that he needed to go to the bathroom before going out on the House floor.

'I had to do some wiping in the bathroom hehe,' he wrote minutes later.

Nobles, who didn't shy away from media attention during the scandal, previously appeared on "Today," telling Ann Curry she didn't regret their online affair.

And we're sure neither does her publisher.

(via Jezebel)

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An Exclusive Interview With Rugby Legend Anthony "Axel" Foley

Anthony Foley (nicknamed "Axel" after the "Beverly Hills Cop" movies) is a legendary Irish rugby player who, in addition to playing in 62 international test matches for Ireland, is also one of the all-time leading scorers for Munster Rugby, an Irish province team in the European division.

In 2006 Foley captained Munster to a heroic Heineken Cup win, the Super Bowl for European rugby. I caught up with Anthony two days before he reclines on his couch to watch his former teammates from Ireland take on the USA in the Rugby World Cup down in New Zealand. 

TL: At the last Rugby World Cup in 2007, Ireland had loads of momentum going into the tournament, but ended up with a disappointing performance. Now, in 2011 Ireland enters the World Cup without that momentum, losing their previous 4 games, so how will they fair down in the mecca of international rugby?  

AF: Ah, they'll do well! Ireland has had a good run, they have had enough warm up matches, and physically their in good nick, just great shape. Now is when it really matters, now it's all about winning! I just hope their confidence is not dented by those recent losses. It's a great team, and all of Ireland knows we have good players. It's the best team set we've sent to the Rugby World Cup.  Deccy (Ireland's head coach Declan Kidney) picked sides that could win! 

TL: Where those warm up matches against Scotland, England, and France, all teams playing in the World Cup as well, similar to, say, pre-season or spring training games in American football, or baseball? 

AF: Yes, right. Look, you want to win those games against Scotland, England, and France, especially the ones at home. It's disappointing to lose, but it is all about preparation now. Preparation, and the team getting used to making decisions under game pressure. They're ready! 

TL: Ireland starts their World Cup on September 11th against the USA. Ireland is favored to beat the Americans by at least 30 points. But will playing on the 11th bring in an additional element to the game? 

AF: September 11th is a very emotional and poignant day, and the game will reflect that a bit. Recently, I heard that the most loss of life on that day was of Irish heritage, so the sympathy with America really hit home in Ireland. We know what it means for the Americans. But, in rugby, you can't play on emotion for 80 minutes. Emotion will only get you so far. I'd imagine the USA will wear a black arm band, or so, maybe the Irish too. 

TL: So how do you think the game will go down? 

AF: I expect the American's will come out very strong, going to give it good the first 30-40 minutes, but Ireland needs to get off to a good start as well and not have their confidence dented. This is a must win to start the World Cup, and worry about Australia later. They must win! 

TL: The USA's coach is Eddie O'Sullivan, the former coach of the Irish team and a man you played under who was forced out of the job 1 year into a 4 year contract. How is he preparing the Americans? 

AF: Eddie has something to prove after the poor performance in the 2007 World Cup, and based on how he left the Irish team. He is a great coach, and will motivate the Americans well. And September 11th will be a motivating factor, but as I said, in rugby, you can only play on that emotion for so long. 

TL: In Pool C it is Australia, Ireland, Italy, Russia and the USA. What are your predictions? 

AF: Australia and Ireland will go to the quarter finals. I think USA can beat Russia. It would be a big victory for America to win a game in the World Cup, and they can do it against Russia. 

TL: Lastly, America loves fast, tough, violent sports, but rugby is not even on the radar. What's it like playing the American Eagles, and will the US ever become competitive on an international scale? 

AF: The Americans are massively physical! Their let down is on the technical side. Only a handful of US players play for European teams where you must make decisions under pressure.  However, the USA will become more of a force sooner rather than later. Based on rugby 7's coming to the Olympics, and if the USA invests in the universities to promote rugby it won't take them too long to become competitive. The Americans are physically dominant and the stock of available US athletes is frightening. 

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