The Dodgers ownership regime of the past eight seasons has been seen as a black eye on a very historic and legendary franchise. Owner Frank McCourt and his wife Jamie had purchased the team in 2004 and although the team has made the playoffs four times out of the eight seasons, the McCourt’s messy divorce in 2010 has left the Dodgers organization in disarray.

But all is not lost for this historic franchise, as a cavalcade of celebrities have lined up to become potential owners of the team. Such names as former Dodgers manager Joe Torre, Magic Johnson, Larry King, Mark Cuban and former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser are all trying to purchase the team.
This turn of events has led Dodgers fan to become hopeful for the direction of the organization, as their on the field future looks just as bright. The Dodgers have re-signed superstar outfielder Matt Kemp to an eight year contract, and have additionally signed free agent pitchers Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano and utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. to help build for the upcoming season. The McCourt era of the Dodgers is coming to a close and a promising future is on the horizon.

Shop all Los Angeles Dodgers merchandise and look forward to the future, as spring training is less than two months away!

The stalemate between David Stern and the New Orleans Hornets has finally ceased as the Los Angeles Clippers have acquired guard Chris Paul from the league-owned New Orleans Hornets.

It has been a crazy offseason so far, but no other story has enticed the masses more than the Chris Paul drama. The hubbub started last year as the Hornets were on the verge of contraction, until the NBA purchased the Hornets from previous owners George Shinn and Gary Chouest. Leagues have owned franchises before this wasn’t anything special and business was going to be as usual. But the NBA lockout this past year has vastly changed the landscape of the NBA and the way it does business.

Paul was originally set to go to LA’s other team, the Lakers in a massive three team deal, but since the league owned the team, Commissioner David Stern vetoed the original trade. Not too long after, the Clippers threw their hat into the Chris Paul sweepstakes and offered a package New Orleans General Manager Dell Demps found enticing. But unfortunately for them, Stern once again vetoed the trade. Sports reporters were in a uproar as writers were calling Stern a bully and felt the commissioner was laying down to the will of the owners, something Stern has never done as commissioner.

But the trade has successfully went through with Paul and two future second-round picks going to the Clippers for center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu, guard Eric Gordon and a future first-round pick. This trade and the lockout has definitely changed the way business will be done in the NBA from now on. A trade of this caliber would not have made such waves in the past, but since the Hornets are technically owned by all 30 owners, they have cause for alarm. Paul is now going from a bottom league market to perhaps the biggest market in the league, Los Angeles. Lower level teams are afraid superstars, like the caliber of Paul, will ask for trades out of their small markets to larger markets. It is a legitimate concern for the owners as they don’t want the biggest markets to be built with top-level players, something that has happened in Miami.

But the league tended to overreact over all this Paul drama. Paul is set to become a free agent after this season and was not going to stay with the Hornets. It was in the Hornets best interest to trade them and get some good compensation for him. But let’s not be all solemn about the trade, with the addition of Paul the Clippers look to make some noise in the Western Conference. With Paul, Blake Griffin and Chauncey Billups teaming up, look for the Clippers to make some waves this year.

Robert Griffin the 3rd…when you first hear this name you might be asking yourself, who? Well wonder no more college football fans as Robert Griffin 3rd is your 2011 Heisman Trophy winner. The Junior quarterback from Baylor was an unknown pick this year, as many pundits believed he was a dark horse candidate to win this year’s Heisman. When the 2011 Vegas Heisman odds were posted back in July, Griffin wasn’t on the list and Baylor wasn’t expected to do much in their conference during the 2011 season. Even as mid-November rolled around, the Baylor quarterback was still not expected to come close to finishing first for the Heisman, especially because he faced some stiff competition this year.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, whom Robert Griffin almost played with a few years ago, and Alabama running back Trent Richardson were rumored favorites to win the coveted award but Griffin overcame the odds and put up some impressive stats to boot. The junior threw for 3,998 yards with 36 touchdowns passes, rushed for 644 yards and put up an additional nine touchdowns. Pretty good numbers for a kid who tore his ACL back in 2010.

It’s beyond amazing the Griffin could come from being so far behind in the race to winning the prestigious Heisman award. How did he do it? Perhaps his speech perhaps his acceptance speech said it best when he urged people to believe the impossible and go for it. “This moment…here is unbelievably believable,” Griffin said during his acceptance speech “but, it’s believable because great things don’t happen without hard work.”

Congratulations on your hard work and 2011 Heisman Trophy win, Robert Griffin. You earned it!

The NFL playoff race is heating up and many meaningful games lie ahead on the schedule for teams that are in contention. With your team needing that little bit of extra support to cash in a playoff spot, you might want to show off your team spirit in a NFL jersey.

With so many jersey options out there, you might be asking yourself, which one do I pick? Well, luckily we have some valuable information to help you narrow your choices down. Let’s start with the styles of jerseys that you have to pick from.  When you look at the teams around the NFL it seems like just about every week they are unveiling a different uniform combination. Generally, there are three different styles of NFL jerseys to choose from – Replica, Premier and Authentic.

Replica jerseys are an affordable option to keep you looking sharp and stylish week after week. Officially licensed replica jerseys feature screen printed team logos, numbers and player names. Premier jerseys tend to be a little bit more expensive but boast additional features like raised appliqué numbers, player lettering and are more durable by design. Lastly, there are authentic team jerseys. These jerseys are the real deal and the most expensive but, if you are a die-hard fan and want to dress like your favorite player, then you can enjoy wearing the exact same jerseys worn throughout the league.

After you have decided to what style of jersey is right for you, next comes color and style choice. Of course every NFL team has a home and an away jersey but now fans can score new looks, including items like popular alternate jerseys, special edition jerseys, throwback jerseys and more. So—it’s all up to you, what look are you going for? Hometown pride, die-hard road rally fan, old school traditionalist perhaps?

Finally, you will have to make the decision on the name and number of the jersey. When I purchase a player’s jersey I take many things into account, such as, age, contract length and legacy.  If you are looking for a jersey that is going to allow you to support your team for years to come, you may want to select a younger player’s jersey. You could also add some history to your collection and go with a throwback design that includes the name of one of your team’s biggest legends on it. The good thing about purchasing a jersey like this is that you never have to worry about that player being traded or signed by another team. If you have always dreamed about suiting up for your favorite team, you could always custom create a jersey to feature your name and favorite number on it. But if all else fails you can always just select the fantasy football player that helps you out the most each week.

When it’s all said and done, jerseys are to football as cookies are to milk. The interdependent relationship is as old as days and as any die-hard fan will tell you, rocking your team’s jersey will bring them extra luck come game day. Make the leap from average fan to football fanatic and suit up in a team jersey now.