Update: Shockey was treated for dehydration and was released from the hospital "in good shape," according to an ESPN report.
According to a TMZ report, Jeremy Shockey was taken from the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas to a local hospital after being found unconscious at Rehab, the Hard Rock's pool party on Sundays.
As TMZ noted, this is a "developing story" and it's entirely possible that the situation isn't as bad as it initially seems. TMZ also reported that "paramedics tried to cover him up so onlookers -- including a TV camera crew -- couldn't ID him."
In one of the worst kept secrets in racing, NASCAR formally announced Thursday it is moving its Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony from New York City to Las Vegas. The ceremony which caps off "Champion's Week" will be held Friday, Dec. 4 at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Even the critics of the NHL have to admit that over the past few years the league has hit some real marketing home runs, chief among them the NHL Winter Classic and the successful rollout of their redesigned Web site as well as their GameCenter Live product. If ESPN's Scott Burnside has his story straight, the league may very well be about to hit another one, as he's reporting that the NHL is ready to move its annual awards show from Toronto to Las Vegas, a city mentioned frequently in league circles when it comes to expansion or relocation.
Burnside quotes one unnamed NHL executive as saying that the move is "all up-side," and I'm having a tough time disagreeing. Moving the show to Las Vegas is a sure fire way to get out of town press to show up for the event, and the fact is that the league can't but be helped by the starpower that regularly shows up at The Palms, famously owned by the Maloof Family, also owners of the NBA's Sacramento Kings.
Now before you scoff at the idea of the league holding its awards show in a city that isn't home to an NHL team, you should understand that if they give the idea the go ahead, they're not the only major sport to follow that route. That certainly seems to be the case with NASCAR, who have held their season ending banquet and awards dinner in Manhattan the last five years.
You can now rest easy safely ensconced in your wintry bed, we've found the video that delights young and old alike in wonderment and awe. We're talking of course about last week's National Anthem performance by the one and only David Hasselhoff at the Las Vegas Bowl.
In a better world, we all would have seen it nearly live with just a seven second tape delay. Unfortunately there's college basketball and the world isn't as awesome as it would seem. ESPN was set to show the Las Vegas Bowl, but a college basketball game scheduled before it ran entirely too long and some cutting had to be done to the early part of the football broadcast. That meant no discussion of OMG SNOW IN LAS VEGAS until the third quarter. No lengthy pregame table setting by Joe Tessitore. No Hoff Anthem. Sad faces everywhere, we know.
Fear not, what was taken from us can be at least partially restored, thanks to the Las Vegas Sun which put together the video, which is after the jump.
The folks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway managed to take the story and run with it. And run with it they did:
FREE O.J. !
Fans who stop by the speedway on Wednesday to purchase tickets will receive a free serving of orange juice.
The promotion includes the purchase of tickets to any of the following upcoming events: Saturday night's Smith's Las Vegas 350, the Oct. 25-28 NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals or the 2008 NASCAR Weekend in March.
Impressive. Simply impressive.
I don't know how many tickets the promotion will actually sell, but you've got to applaud the creativity.
With Orenthal James himself in town and in the news, the tongue-in-cheek campaign at least gets some people thinking about racing in Vegas again -- especially with a truck race at the track this weekend.
A cheerleading coach ay Andre Aggassi's prep school for at-risk children was a participant in a porostitution ring in Las Vegas. Esperanza Brooks, age 36, was arrested Wednesday night in Las Vegas after agreeing to deliver three prostitutes and drugs to undercover detectives at a hotel-casino.
School spokesman, Rob Powers said that while Brooks is a cheer coach, she is not a faculty member of the school founded by Agassi.
"Obviously, we're very concerned and the well-being of the students is our chief concern," Powers said, adding that Brooks passed a background check requested by the school.
Initial police reports show that ir appears none of the school's 500 students were involved in the ring.
According to the above-linked USA Today article:
Brooks was booked into Clark County jail and charged with 14 counts of prostitution-related charges. Kemp, 30, faces three counts of conspiracy to commit pandering and conspiracy to live off the earnings of a prostitute.
Tiffany Alvord, Rachael Alexander and Rachel Wall, each believed to be prostitutes working for Brooks, were booked on one count of soliciting for the purpose of prostitution. Wall was charged with possession of cocaine, police said. None of the women were minors, police said.
That Brooks passed a background check probably means she had no previous record. Hopefully this does nothing to tarnish Agassi or his school
Funny Car driver Mike Ashley recorded the fastest pass in drag racing history Friday night when he reached 334.32 mph in his Dodge Charger to lead qualifying for the eighth annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals. A mortgage banker by weekday, Ashley admits to a struggle of juggling two careers and this weekend decided to switch off:
"This weekend I decided to shut off the phone, not log on to the computer and only focus on racing. I made the decision that I'd take whatever comes my way and just be happy to be here and enjoy the moment. Being No. 1 and setting speed record, I'll take it."
High finance, high speed ... Yada yada yada. It's not NASCAR ... Even though 334 mph is hella fast, I've already lost interest.
But how about that smokin' paint job depicting Ashley's owner, Evan Knoll, as the "fuel doctor?"
There's a few stock cars I'd like to see make a joyride through Illusions Custom Paint and Body Shop next time they're Bristol, Tenn., starting with those belonging to Petty Enterprises.
Wouldn't The King's mug make a killer hood shot?
I'd also love to see The Intimidator in his shades on the #8 car, but I doubt Budweiser would go for it.
And speaking of owners on cars, how long will it be before we see the Red Sox all over the Roush Fenway cars? Playoff season?
So somewhere in between the waking up, the egg hunts, possible early spring yardwork, a Sunday dinner, and church -- if that's your thing -- you're gonna be wondering what to do without 500 miles of NASCAR action tomorrow.
Well, screw the lawn mower and forget about cleaning the bathroom. Here's some ways to get the racing fix on the boob tube today. All times Eastern, because I'm too lazy and ignorant to find out the rest. They just confuse me.
7:30am - Back in the Day, SPEED Channel - Total apologies if you're up this early, but hey, it's retro NASCAR and a decent show, despite its VH1 "Pop-up Video" styling.
11:00am - AMA Supercross, SPEED Channel - If you get your kicks on two wheels, then a three-hour marathon should suffice you. Races from Orlando, Indianapolis, and Irving are covered.
12:00pm - NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series, ESPN - It's not the Nitro guys, but who's picky on a day like today? And it's in HD.
NASCAR helped Robby Gordon Motorsports come up with a "reasonable paint scheme solution" for tomorrow.
Instead of displaying the Motorola logo, which could potentially attract wireless customers away from Sprint Nextel, he will display a Motorola non-wireless product, specifically a digital audio player.
Sounds reasonable to me.
Now Robby can turn his mind to more important things like how not to piss off any more of his fellow drivers. Last week it was Casey Mears:
"It amazes me. Every time I think Robby can't do anything any more stupid than he's already done, he one-ups himself."
I have a feeling Robby doesn't recall the incident the same way Casey does. He mentions it and talks about his sponsors in his Las Vegas 400 Video Update:
New Orleans is still officially the home of the 2008 All-Star Game. Remember that. But with the whole fiasco over the hip-hop crowd, and perhaps some concerns over how NOLA will go, the NBA got to thinking. According to The Sacramento Bee, the league has considered taking the game outside of the U.S.A. because of it.
Oh, my bad, this is all because of what a success Las Vegas was:
Building off the interest and excitement of holding the All-Star Game in Las Vegas last month, the NBA has discussed the historic move of taking its mid-season showcase overseas in a merger of its powerful marketing and international appeal, The Bee has learned.
Talks have been preliminary, without so much as a target city or timeline, according to a senior executive. But the league is clearly open to the concept, even with the accompanying logistical issues that would likely include extending the All-Star break from the current window of four days to compensate for jet lag and travel time.
Now, I'm not going to get all conspiracy-minded and tell you that this is an all-out cover-up. Obviously having it in Vegas--a non-NBA city--opened all sorts of commercial doors for the event's future. But anyone who has followed the fallout knows that, at this point, there's no way that the failings of 2007 aren't playing a factor.
Update: Shockey was treated for dehydration and was released from the hospital "in good shape," according to an ESPN report.
In one of the worst kept secrets in racing, NASCAR formally announced Thursday it is moving its Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony from New York City to Las Vegas. The ceremony which caps off "Champion's Week" will be held Friday, Dec. 4 at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Even the critics of the NHL have to admit that over the past few years the league has hit some real marketing home runs, chief among them the NHL Winter Classic and the successful rollout of their redesigned Web site as well as their GameCenter Live product. If ESPN's Scott Burnside has his story straight, the league may very well be about to hit another one, as he's reporting that 
You can now rest easy safely ensconced in your wintry bed, we've found the video that delights young and old alike in wonderment and awe. We're talking of course about last week's National Anthem performance by the one and only 
O.J. Simpson was 
A cheerleading coach ay Andre Aggassi's prep school for at-risk children was a participant in a porostitution ring in Las Vegas. Esperanza Brooks, age 36, was arrested Wednesday night in Las Vegas after agreeing to deliver three prostitutes and drugs to undercover detectives at a hotel-casino.
So somewhere in between the waking up, the egg hunts, possible early spring yardwork, a Sunday dinner, and church -- if that's your thing -- you're gonna be wondering what to do without 500 miles of NASCAR action tomorrow. 
NASCAR helped Robby Gordon Motorsports come up with a "reasonable paint scheme solution" for tomorrow.
