Teon Kennedy first met Francisco Rodriguez (pictured right) in the Poconos of Pennsylvania as a teenager when the two talented boxers faced off in a spirited bout as amateurs.

"It was in 2003 at the Eastern Trials when we fought each other in a tough match. He ended up winning a decision," said Kennedy, who left the ring knowing that he had lost to a worthy rival. "That was my first time ever seeing him, and he was a great fighter back then, and I guess he got even better."

Rodriguez would earn national Golden Gloves championship glory in Chicago before turning pro in 2005.

Rodriguez reeled off wins in his initial seven bouts, with knockouts in the first four, and took a record of 14-2, with eight stoppages into Philadelphia's Blue Horizon on Friday night.

ATLANTA -- Either Dr. Phil or Charles Barkley once said, if you wish to advance in life, you must start with the image in the mirror. So the Atlanta Hawks will continue to scare people the rest of this NBA season. That's because they know exactly what they are, and they know exactly what they are not.

Here's what the Hawks are: Pretty good.

Actually, the Hawks are better than that. I'll explain more in a moment, but let's start with what the Hawks aren't: Elite.

"We're in the conversation for sure, but we're not satisfied with what we've done so far, because we still have a ways to go," said Hawks guard Jamal Crawford, telling the truth about his suddenly potent team that has surged into a three-way tie with the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns for the NBA's best record at 11-3.

SOUTH BEND, Ind -- Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen emerged from a fight outside a restaurant/bar with two black eyes in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to a report from a Chicago radio station. A bartender confirmed to FanHouse that the Clausen family was in the restaurant but said that no altercation took place on the premises.

"The Clausens were here," said the bartender, who was on duty at the time. "We were very busy and did not notice anything. It did not happen in our establishment or on our property, if it happened at all."

The bar and restaurant, C.J.'s Pub, is located about a mile south of the Notre Dame campus and is a popular postgame hangout for Notre Dame players.

David Kaplan of Chicago's WGN-AM first reported the alleged incident.

ESPN characterized the alleged fight as a "sucker punch" by an irate fan.

Colorado coach Dan Hawkins has been adamant the past few seasons that having his son, Cody Hawkins, play quarterback for the Buffaloes was no different than other recruit.

Hawkins did a complete turnaround during Monday's weekly press conference, saying if he had to do it all over again he would not have recruited his own son.

"Not for him, no. Nope. Not at all," Hawkins said. "It's not fair to him. Here is a guy who is trying to do his best to win games and to help his team and does everything right, he's a good student and he's getting killed on Facebook and getting killed on his cell phone.

It's time for the Knicks and the Nets to end this nonsense and stop teasing their fans. It's time to stop dreaming. All the salary cap room in the world this summer isn't going to save NBA basketball in the New York/New Jersey area.

The two worst teams in the Eastern Conference will remain the worst for the next few years. So get used to it.

LeBron James won't be walking through the door anytime soon. It doesn't matter how storied Madison Square Garden feels, or how many celebrities come to the games, or how wonderful the Nets-to-Brooklyn blueprint looks, or even the intensity of James' crush on rapper Jay-Z.

There was little on Sunday that matched the drama of the Cleveland-Detroit showdown. Yes, two 1-8 teams gave us a gripping game filled with highlights and lowlights from both sides.

After Matthew Stafford found Brandon Pettigrew for the game-winning touchdown on an untimed down that followed a defensive penalty, Browns coach Eric Mangini -- never one to shy away from controversy -- decided to accuse the Lions of faking injuries during the game.

CHICAGO -- Well, that confirms it. When Devin Hester's pants were inadvertently yanked down Sunday night by a Philadelphia tackler, it proved that a full moon hangs over this bedeviled city. Just what has happened to the parochial mojo here, anyway?

Chicago was skunked in the race for the 2016 Olympics, out-Chicagoed by the backroom politics of smirky Eurocrats apparently unimpressed by President Obama's four-hour campaign stop and Oprah Winfrey's cheerleading charm. As for Winfrey, she is halting production of her TV show after next season, another setback for a town that feeds off her global starpower and cash-cow machinery. Two major trade shows have opted for smaller Orlando and Las Vegas, saying Chicago is much too expensive. Meanwhile, the once-invulnerable mayor, Richard M. Daley, is losing his power amid the ongoing sleaze of Chicago politics. Obama is struggling in the big chair in Washington, just 54 weeks after his starry, surreal speech on Election Night in Grant Park. The city's two newspapers, which used to brawl like bloodthirsty MMA toughs, are irrelevant, soft and straining to stay in business.

Kimbo Slice will make his official UFC debut on the televised card of The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on Dec. 5 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Spike TV announced Monday.

An opponent has not been announced, as there are still two hours of programming left and Slice is still being teased as an injury replacement, but numerous reports have stated that the brawler will meet fellow heavy hitter Houston Alexander at the finale in a catch-weight bout of 215 pounds.

Chargers star cornerback Antonio Cromartie is being investigated by police for his role in an altercation at a San Diego bar, according to multiple reports.

TMZ.com first reported that Cromartie was under investigation for assault with a deadly weapon, citing law enforcement sources who stated that Cromartie was out celebrating the Chargers' win "when somebody threw a champage bottle which hit a bystander in the head." Apparently, no arrests were made and no charges have yet been filed.

Cromartie issued a statement on Twitter (@crimetime31): "I want to apologize to charger nation and my fans. There's sum stuff out abt me that's not true. It will come out. God Bless."

I would argue that Tiger Woods is the most recognizable athlete on the planet. Sure, more people might know the name "Michael Jordan" or "Brett Favre" but I firmly believe that 90 percent of the world's population who get a chance to see Tiger immediately recognize him. (Does that make sense? No? Moving on...)

Anyway, he was introduced at halftime of the Stanford-Cal game Saturday (he's a Stanford alum), when Cal fans decided to boo him. Tiger appeared rattled at first (ostensibly looking around for Mr. Weekley) before recovering and claiming that the Cardinal would take care of business in the second half.