Domestic Violence A Lingering Issue for NFL

In this episode of What's The 411Sports recorded on September 15, 2014, the panel of Chris Graham, Gregory Alcala, Bianca Peart, and Glenn Gilliam are giving commentary on sports news and events. This week they are talking about:

NFL Week 2
16 U.S. Senators Sent a Letter NFL Commissioner Goodell Regarding Domestic Violence
Mayweather vs. Maidana
Danny Ferry's Controversial Comments About former Cleveland Cavaliers player Luol Deng
Interview with Professional Boxer Sonya "The Scholar" Lamonakis
In the Dog House: NFL: Lack of Policies for Domestic Violence

Athletes Rising: Becky Hammon, Danny Jacobs, and Mason Plumlee

In this episode of What's The 411Sports, the team of Glenn Gilliam, Bianca Peart, Gregory Alcala, and Chris Graham, are talking about the San Antonio Spurs elevating Becky Hammon to its coaching staff, making her the first woman to become a coach on an NBA team; and Professional Boxer Danny Jacobs' return to the boxing ring after beating bone cancer, and other stories

Dean Smith Acknowledgement, NFL Combine, Nets Scrambling, and Knicks in the Basement

GLENN: THANKS FOR JOINING US.

GREG: IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE PASSING OF DEAN SMITH, THE COACHING INNOVATOR WHO WON TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AT NORTH CAROLINA, AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN 1976 AND INDUCTION INTO BASKETBALL'S HALL OF FAME MORE THAN A DECADE BEFORE HE LEFT THE BENCH, DIED ON SUNDAY. HE WAS 83.

GLENN: THE NFL COMBINE IS IN FULL SWING. TEAMS ARE GETTING READY FOR NEXT SEASON.  BUT I WANT TO TAKE A QUICK LOOK BACK TO SUPER BOWL 49 BECAUSE I DO HAVE AN ISSUE.

GREG: STAYING WITH FOOTBALL AND THE COMBINE WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MEDIA’S CREATION OF THE JAMEIS WINSTON - MARCOS MARIOTTA COMPETITION? AND SPEAKING ABOUT GUYS COMING OUT OF COLLEGE, CARDEL JONES, OHIO STATE’S STAND OUT 3RD STRING QUARTERBACK DECIDED TO STAY IN SCHOOL. SHOULD HE HAVE STAYED OR SHOULD HE HAVE BOLTED FOR THE NFL?

GREG: THE NEW YORK JETS HIRED TODD BOWLES AS HEAD COACH TO REPLACE REX RYAN. IS THIS A GOOD MOVE FOR THE JETS? AND GIANTS MAY GIVE TOM COUGHLIN AN EXTENSION IS THIS GOOD FOR THE GIANTS?

GLENN: SINCE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT QUARTERBACKS, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT MY TOP FIVE NFL QBS OF ALL TIME: 1) MONTANA 2) BRADY 3) DOUG WILLIAMS 4) AARON ROGERS 5) WARREN MOON ...THAT'S RIGHT I SAID IT! AND RUSSELL WILSON IS RIGHT BEHIND MOON, SO THERE.

GREG: I NOTICED THAT PEYTON MANNING IS NOT ON YOUR LIST. MANNING TOLD THE DENVER BRONCOS THAT HE IS READY TO ROLL. DOES HE HAVE ANOTHER SUPERBOWL RUN LEFT IN HIS ARM?

Women Making History: Simone Manuel, Lia Neal, and Natalie Hinds

A huge shoutout goes to three African-American swimmers who took the top three finishes in a single event at the Women's Division 1 NCAA Championship. Simone Manuel and Lia Neal of Stanford University, and the University of Florida's Natalie Hinds took the top three spots respectively in the women's 100 yard freestyle on Sunday, March 22, 2015.

Fans who follow swimming closely, would remember that Neal won a bronze medal in the 4x100 free relay at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Upon their win, USA Swimming tweeted:

History @NCAA Swim Championships 100 free as @simone_manuel @LiaNeal @nathindss became first African-Americans to earn 1-2-3 #sportforall

Way to go, ladies, looking for continued greatness in 2016!!!

Katrina Adams: A Woman Making History

Katrina Adams made history when she was elected Chair, CEO and President of the United States Tennis Association. Adams became the first black person to lead the USTA as Chair, CEO, and President.

The video opens with an interview conducted last summer at the US OPEN 2014, with D.A. Abrams, USTA’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, who foretold Ms. Adam’s ascension.

Brooklyn Nets are on a Tear; Knicks Tanking, and Steve Nash is Retiring

What's The 411Sports hosts Glenn Gilliam and Gregory Alcala are discussing New York basketbal in the run-up to the NBA playoffs and Steve Nash's retirement.

Steve Nash, a Canadian born in South Africa, played in the National Basketball Association for the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, the Phoenix Suns again, and lastly with the Los Angeles Lakers. An outstanding point guard, Nash, was an eight-time NBA All-Star and a two-time recipient of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award.

The New Face of New York Baseball

Now that New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has retired, who will be the face of New York baseball? Will it be Matt Harvey, Masahiro Tanaka, Curtis Granderson, CC Sabathia, Didi Gregorius, or minor league baseball player, Aaron Judge?

Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke, and Michigan State are the 2015 NCAA Final Four

Now that Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke, and Michigan State made it into the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, who will ascend to the Final 2 and ultimately win the championship?

Many have their eyes on Kentucky as the Wildcats come to the tournament with a 38-0 record.

Can Kentucky get past Wisconsin?

Can Michigan State under Tom Izzo derail the Duke Blue Devils?

We shall see on Saturday, April 4, 2015, but in the meantime, watch the What's The 411Sports hosts, Glenn Gilliam and Greg Alcala duke it out in this video (no pun intended)!

Mo'ne Davis Donates her Jersey to Baseball Hall of Fame

In this episode of What's The 411Sports, the panel of Chris Graham, Gregory Alcala, Bianca Peart and Glenn Gilliam discuss sports news and events of the week including stories that are flying under the radar.

Mo'ne Davis is in the Baseball Hall of Fame
Brooklyn Nets Media Day
NFL Week 4 Roundup: Teddy Bridgewater, Steve Smith, Kirk Cousins, RG III, Geno Smith
The Pennsylvania Legislature Unanimously Approved September 14 -20 as Taney Dragons Week
Tony Stewart Walks Away From Criminal Charges
Derek Jeter Makes His Final Appearance at Yankees Stadium
In the Doghouse (Unofficially): John Idzik, Jr. GM, New York Jets
and more...

Major League Baseball is entering a new era. Former MLB Commissioner Allan Huber "Bud" Selig has exited the stage and entering the spotlight is Rob Manfred. Today, the newly minted MLB Commissioner Manfred wrote a letter to Major League Baseball fans.

Here is Major League Baseball Commissioner Manfred in his own words:

Dear Fans:

On the night of August 14, 2014, I left a Baltimore hotel after being elected Commissioner of Baseball. As I began to reply to the overwhelming number of congratulatory messages coming in, it hit me that I'd just been entrusted to protect the integrity of our National Pastime and to set a course that allows this great game to continue to flourish -- now and in the years to come. Needless to say, I was deeply honored by the trust the owners placed in me.

Today is my first day as Commissioner, and I am incredibly excited to get to work. I am grateful to Commissioner Selig for his expertise and friendship. His leadership set a direction that led to historic success.

The mission before us is clear: To honor the game's history while welcoming new people to our great sport -- people who will one day pass their love of baseball down through the generations. That is what our parents and grandparents did for us, and it is what we are doing for our own children. Baseball is a game firmly rooted in childhood experiences, and its vitality and growth rely heavily on giving young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to play and watch baseball.

This notion that baseball is the game of children is central to my core goals as Commissioner. Maybe that is because my own Little League experience in upstate Rome, New York was such an important part of my childhood. I will never forget my intense dedication to that club and to my teammates -- each of whom I can still name to this day -- and being part of a perfect game.

My top priority is to bring more people into our game -- at all levels and from all communities. Specifically, I plan to make the game more accessible to those in underserved areas, especially in the urban areas where fields and infrastructure are harder to find. Giving more kids the opportunity to play will inspire a new generation to fall in love with baseball just as we did when we were kids. Expanding Little League, RBI and other youth baseball programs will also help sustain a steady and wide talent pool from which our clubs can draw great players and create lifelong fans.

As Commissioner, I will draw closer connections between youth baseball and MLB. I want to inspire children's interest in baseball and help parents and coaches foster that passion. In the coming years, MLB will work with college, high school, amateur and youth baseball programs to help grow our game and to ensure that the best players and talent have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. I call it "One Baseball" -- a partnership between all professional and amateur groups involved in our game.
Our children can look at MLB today and find a wave of new stars worthy of emulating both on and off the field. Players like Andrew McCutchen, Buster Posey, Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Trout and aces Madison Bumgarner,Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw have powerful stories to tell -- and MLB will tell them across every platform. We will continue to internationalize our game and to celebrate the fact that we have the most diverse rosters in the world. Our mission is to build upon this recent success by creating opportunities for the next wave of baseball talent. We also must continue to nurture inclusive environments for all the contributors to our game and our loyal fans.

Another priority for me is to continue to modernize the game without interfering with its history and traditions. Last season's expanded instant replay improved the game's quality and addressed concerns shared by fans and players. We made a dramatic change without altering the game's fundamentals. I look forward to tapping into the power of technology to consider additional advancements that will continue to heighten the excitement of the game, improve the pace of play and attract more young people to the game.
The Major League Clubs have bestowed an extraordinary opportunity upon me. My pledge is to work every single day to honor their faith in me and your love of this game.
Sincerely,

Robert D. Manfred, Jr.
Commissioner of Baseball

MLB pitchers and catchers start reporting to Spring 2015 training on February 19, woo-hoo!!!