Tom Herrera Posts

Before the season, Rex Ryan had no qualms about talking smack. It was pretty obvious what the Jets were getting: a defense-minded, hard-nosed and cocky head coach. "I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick's, you know, rings," Ryan announced on June. He made it apparent, before he had ever notched one victory, that he was putting the division rival Patriots on blast.

It was a welcome departure from Eric Mangini's style and made Jets fans feel they had a leader with some ... cojones.

But words only get you so far. And then you have to actually, ya know, keep winning.

Michaele Salahi, a former Redskins cheerleader, and her husband Tareq, caused quite a stir on Tuesday night when they dodged security and crashed the White House state dinner. The couple hopes to be on a reality TV show called The Real Housewives of Washington -- Michaele Salahi is one of the finalists for the upcoming Bravo show -- and this kind of thing probably only helps their chances.

Francisco Rodriguez, a boxer who won a Golden Gloves championship in 2001, died two days after collapsing following a bout in Philadelphia.

According to boxing promoter Dominic Pesoli, the 25-year-old Rodriguez died Sunday night after losing a USBA super bantamweight bout against Teon Kennedy on Friday night.

Even after 10 weeks of mind-boggling fantasy football action, there doesn't seem to be any escape from the frenzy. A hip flexor sidelines Cedric Benson. Steve Slaton gets his starting job back. Heck, even Chris Simms is launching passes downfield again.

We'll help you sort through the shakeups and answer your questions, starting at 10:30AM ET all the way until kickoff. Reminder: only ask your question once, as repeats do slow down how quickly we can empty the queue. We will get to every question. Welcome aboard the S.S. Tailgate!

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The mystery surrounding Brock Lesnar's illness has been cleared up a bit. The UFC heavyweight champion is suffering from a bacterial infection in his intestinal tract, though it looks like he may be released from the hospital soon.

"He's in stable condition and should be released soon," UFC president Dana White said.

Va'Shaundya O'Neal, otherwise known as Shaunie, is once again splitting from Shaquille O'Neal -- and this time she claims the differences are irreconcilable.

Va'Shaundya O'Neal filed for legal separation with intent to divorce Monday in Los Angeles. According to the AP report, she's seeking spousal and child support and full legal custody of the couple's four children.

Sammy Sosa's skin has not been digitally altered in the recent photo you see on the left. And despite the theories flying, this also isn't Michael Jackson Part II -- his skin hasn't been stripped of any pigment by a disorder such as Vitiligo.

It turns out Sosa has just been undergoing a "rejuvenation process," according to Cubs employee Rebecca Polihronis, who speaks frequently with the baseball legend.

Need 'Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers' results? MMA FanHouse has you covered for all of the Nov. 7 M-1 Global/Strikeforce fights, plus live MMA coverage from Chicago and live MMA Twitter updates.

In the main event, Russia's Fedor Emelianenko took on American Brett Rogers. Other fights on the card included Jake Shields vs. Jason Mayhem Miller for the Strikeforce middleweight title, plus Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio Silva and Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

Full Strikeforce results are below.

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Zenyatta topped the 2009 Breeders' Cup results, improving her record to 14-0 after a thrilling rally. Despite a rough start, the 5-year-old mare bested a field of 11 males and fought off Gio Ponti down the stretch to win by a length at Santa Anita.

With the victory, Zenyatta became the first female to win the Breeders' Cup Classic and the first horse to ever win two different Breeders' Cup races. In addition to the $5 million Classic in 2009, Zenyatta also won the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic in 2008.

Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, Zenyatta paid $7.60, $5.60 and $3.80 as the 5-2 wagering favorite. Gio Ponti returned $9.20 and $6.60, while Twice Over paid $7 to show.

You can check out complete results for all the races below:

The New York Yankees parade for 2009 will be held Friday morning, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced after the Yankees wrapped up their 27th World Series championship. Friday's ticker-tape parade will begin on Broadway at Battery Place at 11 AM ET and continue northbound up the Canyon of Heroes to Chambers Street. After that, Mayor Bloomberg will present the Yankees with the keys to the city.

All pretty standard stuff. But of course, there's also the mayoral bet to be settled. And if Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter doesn't want to get dirty, he better bring his apron to the Bronx.

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