Watch this Tuesday, May 14 at 8:30pmET and post questions and/or comments about the job search in the competitive sports industry below, on our facebook page or on twitter using hashtag #FCLife

Lakers fans take out your brooms and assume the position!

SWEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I NEVER ever thought I’d say this but the San Antonio Spurs SWEPT the Lakers in an unprecedented fashion.

And to make it better or worse, if you will, Dwight Howard got ejected Sunday as the Lakers ended their tumultuous season with a loss 21-point loss.

The Lakers haven’t gotten swept often over the years but they were swept in 1967.

And guess who beat them?

The SAN FRANCISCO WARRIORS!

The irony is that on a day that the San Antonio Spurs beat the Lakers 103-82 the Golden State Warriors {of Oakland} beat the Denver Nuggets 101-115 and Stephen Curry showed us all why he is the MAN!

All I can say is WOW!

I won’t pour salt in the wound with stats but I will say that the Lakers have gone fishing and the Warriors play on Tuesday and could seal the deal in Denver and advance to round two.

Most fans knew that the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder would be here beasting in the post season, but, I for one didn’t see this coming when the season started in October.

This is crazy, but it’s another reason why we all love this game.

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Over the last few years we’ve seen a major increase in fashion options for fanatchicks and I’m so excited to have one of the great companies on Fanatchicks TV LIVE! on April 23.  Meesh & Mia has an amazing selection of stylish clothes for different occasions that allow women to rock their favorite college colors and soon NFL teams!

Tune in Tuesday at 8:30pmET and shoutout your favorite team or fashion question using hashtag #FCLife.

Check out why I love Meesh & Mia so much! Don’t you?

Hosted by River Oaks Country Club, the men’s Clay Court Championship is a favorite event among the well-to-do Houstonians. Between cocktail parties, golf outings, ladies day, jazz brunches and fashion shows, the actual tennis matches were a footnote in this prominent social week. Donning their highest Louboutins, gorgeous leather purses and sleek sundresses, these ladies were fit to walk to runway.

For those who have never been to a tennis tournament before, I have created a “cheat sheet” on what to wear.

Think simple, chic, and polished.

For the casual observer: White is still the ultimate chic accessory, but you need to be careful – it is easy to get dirty. I suggest wearing skinny white ankle jeans and pairing it with a high-low colorful sleeveless blouse. Stay away from the flip-flops and go with simple leather sandals for a more polished look. Add a pair of wayfarers and a few silver bangles – and you ready for some tennis! For those more daring, belted high-wasted shorts with a simple fedora adds a little edge to the preppy look.

For the high society functions: A simple white sundress belted, of course, is the way to go. Stay away from high heels and stick with a pair of wedged sandals for an easier time walking. Add a light scarf for when the day begins to cool and a boyfriend-style rose-gold watch. A statement purse adds some attention and a hat can keep the sun away, but be careful not to over-accessorize.

What do you like to wear to tennis tournaments?

Let’s recap!

The Lakers reloaded during the offseason, adding c to the roster and then opened the season with the worst losing streak the organization has seen. As a result, Coach Mike Brown is fired and Coach Mike D’Antoni is hired. Nash gets hurt, Howard is Howard and then the drama began with talks of a beef between him and Kobe.  Playoff hopes begin to fade…Kobe does what he does and puts the squad back in the hunt, he gets banged up a bit but hey he’s immortal right?

WRONG!!!!

Friday as the Lakers defeated  the  Golden State Warriors the ‘Black Mamba’  became mortal.  I was sitting on my couch shouting for the Warriors to close it out when Kobe dribbled left, collapsed and began grabbing his leg, he later left the game. The Lakers won and minutes later the news broke.

Kobe Bryant suffered a season ending injury after tearing his Achilles tendon, he had surgery Saturday and team announced that he would be out six to nine months.

Kobe shared his feelings on Facebook:

“This is such BS! All the training and sacrifice just flew out the window with one step that I’ve done millions of times! The frustration is unbearable. The anger is rage. Why the hell did this happen ?!? Makes no damn sense. Now I’m supposed to come back from this and be the same player or better at 35?!? How in the world am I supposed to do that??

“I have NO CLUE. Do I have the consistent will to overcome this thing? Maybe I should break out the rocking chair and reminisce on the career that was. Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me.”

Bryant went on to call the injury the first step in a new challenge.

“One day, the beginning of a new career journey will commence. Today is NOT that day,” he wrote.

This sucks on so many levels! This is NOT the way it was supposed to end for Kobe. He’s the heart and soul of the Lakers organization but he’s only one person; he can’t do it all and I guess now we will see what the other men on the squad are made of…it’s now time to sink or swim.

As for Kobe….we are all wishing him the best. Like him or not the man is a BEAST and deserves to leave the game that he loves so much in an honorable manner.

So is this the end?

I say NO! He hears the naysayers and sees the headlines and if we know anything about him it’s that he uses it all as fuel.

If anybody can come back from such an injury; the Mamba can and I for one will be waiting!

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In one way or another we all know the Jackie Robinson story. This movie focuses on that period of American history where the boundaries were pushed. The “game changers” had and made enemies along the way but they also had supporters that went beyond color.

The movie starts out in 1945 when Jackie –who was brilliantly played by Chadwick Bosman, mostly known for his work in All My Children- was playing in the Negro Leagues with the Kansas City Monarchs. The title reflects Jackie’s symbolic number but the movie is as much Jackie’s story as it is Branch Rickey’s –played by Harrison Ford who never falters as keeping in character-let me tell you, every story that I read about Branch Rickey has me believing that is exactly what I saw in this movie. Branch was the GM that defied the rules and gave Jackie a spot in the roster of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 amid the “unwritten rule” of the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

The actors were able to portray the different emotions. You could feel the anger, the frustration, the triumph from different angles, including Jackie’s wife Rachel (Nicole Beharie), of what they were facing.

Some scenes may be hard to watch but nevertheless they were the reality they had to live through.

The movie is also surprisingly funny and the script has many memorable quotes. I was trying to remember as many quotes as possible but it was practically impossible because the movie provides many thought-provoking sequences.

But I think my favorite quote- to sum it all up and not to give that much away – was when PeeWee Reese (Lucas Black) tells Jackie:

Maybe tomorrow we will all wear 42. That way they won’t be able to tell us apart.

Side Note: I encourage everyone to read more about Jackie’s tribulations, the history of the Negro Leagues and how it all transcends the theme of equality. When you watch it, I want to know what you think.

MAN!!!!!!!!!! What a game!  It lived up to sports fan’s expectations kept us on the edge of our seats.  Both Michigan and Louisville showed us why they deserved to dance on the main stage Monday night.

Even Chris Webber made his way to Atlanta to watch one of the best played championship games played to date.

I was totally pulling for Michigan; NCAA basketball hasn’t been the same for me since the Wolverines fell from glory years ago.  I can’t help it the ‘Fab 5’ were a part of my childhood so Michigan and college hoops were synonymous for me.

The Wolverines led by a point at the half but this game was definitely a tail of two halves. Both squads came back blazing but Peyton Siva and Luke Hancock took over.

They KILLED IT!

Hancock led Louisville’s offensive attack with 22-points; 16 of those points brought the Cardinals back from a 12-point deficit during the 1st half.  Siva finished with 18-points, six rebounds, five assist and four steals.

The Michigan Men played their hearts out but it just wasn’t enough; with just over five minutes left in the game Louisville held its largest lead 71-64. Later with about a minute left the Cardinals led by four and with about three seconds on the clock the scoreboard read 82-76.

Louisville won because they fought for it!

Louisville has had one heck of a season and has battled back from several double digit deficits.

Coach Rick Pitino also finished the season with a bang. He was named to the Hall of Fame Monday morning and won his second title Monday night.  He promised his team that he would get a tattoo when they won so he better get ready for some ink.

And…Last but certainly not least I’m so happy that Kevin Ware was able to experience this win even it was from the sideline. He suffered one of the most brutal knee injuries EVER and still managed to support his team. Now that’s LEADERSHIP!

Congrats Louisville!

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The biggest trend on Twitter yesterday was the Tony Romo contract. The supporters and haters alike, were out in force. What I found the most amusing was the responses by certain talking heads of the media and former players. If there is one thing I sensed among them, it was a whole lot of “JEALOUSY”. As far as the Haters go, “Get Over IT”, He Is Going To Be In Dallas For Another Six Years. At this point, you have two choices: find another team to cheer for or support the man. He is our QB and puts us in the best position to win. The above photo was all over Twitter so I don’t know who to give the credit to, but read it carefully. It comes with a $108 million smile too.

Credit:detroitnews.com

There are times as a sports writer when you are forced to come to the realization that “CROW” doesn’t taste too good. It comes with the job. With everything that has happened in Dallas, I was of the mind that Tony Romo wanted to test the market. I was also of the mind that he was sick of owner and general manager Jerry Jones’ crap. Of course none of us know what all is scribed in to the clauses and sub clauses of the new contract. I do know one thing for sure, in spite of the fact that I was wrong about Tony Romo wanting to test the market, and being tired of running for his life, I was right about one thing. I cited repeatedly  in previous articles, that Tony Romo was a top 5 quarterback in the NFL and would command somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million a year. I have included the details of the new contract below.

Will Tony Romo play until he’s 39 years old? Maybe, maybe not, but the structure of the deal allows the Cowboys to move some money around in 2014 and ’15.

Here’s the breakdown of Romo’s contract, not including the $25 million signing bonus:

2013: $1.5 million base salary, $11.818 million cap figure

2014: $13.5 million base salary, $21.773 million cap figure

2015: $17 million base salary, $25.273 million cap figure

2016: $8.5 million base salary, $15.135 million cap figure

2017: $14 million base salary, $19 million cap figure

2018: $19.5 million base salary, cap figure

2019: $20.5 million base salary, cap figure

With the high cap figures in 2014-15, the Cowboys can lower Romo’s base salaries to the league minimum and turn the difference into signing bonus. Such a move in 2014 could save the Cowboys $10 million in cap space but add $2.5 million to the cap figures in each of the remaining years.

In the first three years of the deal, Romo will make $57 million for a $19 million average. In the first four years of the deal, he will make $65.5 for a $16.38 average.

Without seeing the specific language, Romo was able to do well in the first three years and the team was able to do well over the first four years. Both sides would call that a win-win deal.

(Contract details are courtesy of ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth.)

Credit: usatoday.com

I can say this much, Jerry Jones knew that if Tony Romo hit the open market, he would command top dollar. I am still eating a little “CROW” due to things I wrote in previous articles, but the Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones did give him $108 million reasons to stay. Don’t forget, he also got $55 million in guaranteed money which is among the most of any player in NFL history. Equal to what Drew Brees got too. It is also the biggest contract ever awarded to a Dallas Cowboy. (Not bad for an undrafted guy out of Eastern Illinois hunh?) Not to mention, it is more than the recent Super Bowl winning quarterback Joe Flacco who only received $52 million in guaranteed money. As I have also said in the past: Jerry Jones, is indeed a great salesman. I do have the consolation of knowing that the haters are actually eating more “CROW” than I am. But,,, as I said in a previous article:

“You can rant and rave, pound your fists on the table, or kick the cat, Tony Romo is going to get paid.”

Get over it, Tony Romo is our quarterback and puts us in the best position to win.

Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, let’s move on to the focus of the article. According to DallasCowboys.com: Owner/general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement that Romo will have a significant level of input and contribution to the planning and implementing of the offensive approach in the meeting room and on the field.

“This is a significant day in terms of securing stability for our team for the future,” Jones said.

“Tony is uniquely qualified to lead this team at the quarterback position for the next several years. He has an abundance of experience and familiarity with our offensive philosophy, our head coach and the personnel around him. He is moving into a period of time where he can maximize all of his natural skills while continuing to build upon the talents that he has developed since entering the NFL.”

Credit: NFL

Could this be why there has been no indication from valley ranch as to who would be calling the plays? Only time will tell, but any of us who study the game of football have noticed one thing. It seems that the Dallas Cowboys move the ball best late in games and/or when they are in the no huddle offense. If you know anything about football, that’s when the quarterback, more times than not, is calling the plays. You also know that Tony Romo not only has the best 4th quarter passer rating of any quarterback in the NFL, (112) he is also the most efficient in the two minute drill. So,, stay tuned to see just how much input Tony Romo has on the offense going forward.

However, the most impressive part of his resume, is the fact that he is currently 5th all time in career passer rating. The haters will say stats don’t matter, but the people who “REALLY” know anything about football understand that passer rating is a scientific formula designed to establish the “OVERALL” efficiency of a QB. They also understand that no NFL owner, general manager or scout, evaluates a player based on the success of the “TEAM”. They evaluate his individual performance.

The bottom line is: weather you’re a hater a fan or undecided, Tony Romo will be the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys moving forward.

I have had several debates with other fans over the past few months that maybe the Dallas Cowboys franchise quarterback, Tony Romo, has no desire to sign a new deal with the Cowboys because he is tired of running for his life. The favorite retort was that they could just use the franchise tag on him.

Mandatory Image Credit: www.indecisionforever.com

The other debate I had with people was that if the Cowboys traded Tony Romo there would be a cap hit against the Cowboys. At that time, I informed them that Tony Romo has a special trade clause in his contract that actually doesn’t end until 2015. So, in the event of a trade, the other team would have to assume the rest of the contract and there would be no impact on the Dallas Cowboys. What I didn’t know, was the major loop hole in the contract that could leave the Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones hanging high and try.

The fact of the matter is: if you thought Tony Romo was holding the Cowboys hostage before, you are in for a big surprise now! To be blunt, he owns Jerry Jones at this point. Why? Because Jerry came in to this hand holding four aces, but Tony Romo is holding a royal flush.

According to a league source:

The Dallas Cowboys will not be able to use their franchise tag on franchise QB Tony Romo next offseason if they do not sign him to a contract extension.

Tony Romo has three years left on his current contract because of the trade clause, but the final two years of the contract would void if he is on the roster by the end of the 2013 league year. The team would not be able to place the franchise tag on him because the end of the league year comes after the deadline to use franchise tags.

Oops. Jerry Jones is in a real fix here folks! I hate to be the one to break it to you Cowboys fans, but at this point, Tony Romo can write his own ticket. As for Jerry Jones, he may just have to cash in his chips and fold.