With a new cast and a  face lift on the set (dancing couples watch others competitors from the foot of the stage), this season’s Dancing With The Stars is bound to be entertaining and the first episode left me wanting more.

To kick of this season’s premiere, Chad Ochocinco and his partner Cheryl Burke performed the cha-cha-cha and received a score of 18 out of 30. Judges Len, Bruno and Carrie Ann said, after the performance, they saw potential and Len even called Ochocinco a “diamond in the rough.” An audience member who loved the cha-cha-cha recital? Terrell Owens.  He was seen cheering on Ochocinco and even fist pumping at one point. Although the judges scores weren’t too high, Ochocinco was pleased with his performance and it is obvious that his riverdance touchdown celebration was not a one hit wonder.

Shortly after the west coast premiere, Ochocinco tweeted, “I want to thank all of you on behalf of myself and @cherylburke1 for all your support n votes, I love n salute u all. #blessings

Remember tonights scores were great in my eyes, that gives me something to improve and work on each week, cant start high,progress is key. http://twitpic.com/1adtgp – Headed out to party with @cherylburke1 and the rest of the DWTS cast.”

After watching Ochocinco and former Beverly Hills 90210 star Shannen Doherty take the stage, ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews was up next. Andrews who looked nervous, danced to hit song “Tik Tok” by Ke$sha alongside her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Andrews who apparently has the longest legs in Dancing With The Stars history lacked hip movement but her smile and personality made up for it and the judges awarded her a score of 21 out of 30.

Another change this year was no one was eliminated in the first episode and next week the scores will be combined, so whoever winds up with the lowest will get the axe. This season we will be watching a former Baywatch babe, mother of 8, former Bachelor, football wide receiver ESPN reporter, and astronaut, among many others. If you aren’t watching DWTS this season, you should, because of the hilarity and personalities of all the contestants.

Just when you think you might have heard the last about the Tiger Woods infidelity saga, it gets better. Joslyn James, one of Tiger’s alleged mistresses and porn star, apparently was pregnant twice during her three year long affair with the golfing icon.

According to the New York Daily News, Joslyn James decided to air her and Tiger’s dirty laundry during an interview with “Inside Edition” that is set to be televised tonight. James’ first pregnancy with Woods ended in a miscarriage and the second time she aborted it. Her reasoning? “Well, Elin was pregnant with Charlie at that time,” “I just didn’t want to ruin anything.” Tiger was not informed about the alleged pregnancies for that reason.

While Tiger has never admitted to having many affairs, or any details surrounding them, this is sure to be another big blow to his once spotless image.

The one thing I never understand about mistresses is that you KNOW the man is married and you still think you aren’t doing anything wrong. What do you mean you didn’t want to ruin anything? James already has by having an affair with a married man and father of two. You didn’t want to ruin anything? Then why are you choosing to talk about something that happened over a year ago? You didn’t want to ruin anything? Why are you going on national television and airing your dirty laundry for the entire world to see? The truth is, no one really cares about you James. In six months no one will even remember you or your name. Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame while you can, but in the mean time think about the lives of the people you are hurting. “I didn’t want to ruin anything”, a piece of advice, then stop talking.

In an effort to maximize the distribution of their low budget content, online videos and live streams, ESPN is re-creating their ESPN360 website which will now broadcast live videos, events and shows for paying subscribers only. The new and improved website called ESPN3, is slated to be available in early April and its first live stream will be the highly anticipated Yankees-Red Sox opening day game.

Erin Andrews and ESPN are getting set to further use social media to expand their distribution

ESPN’s goal is to broaden the websites audience and further distribute their content, and generate revenue from a paid subscriber base. Currently, ESPN360 is a subscription based website offering live videos of NCAA Basketball, MLB, NFL, UEFA, and NHL games, just to name a few. The site does not require a separate fee thanks to a bundled program from certain internet services. In other words, one receives the ESPN360 subscription if they purchase the right internet bundle from a provider such as Verizon or Comcast.

The reason behind this change is to increase ESPN360’s viewership which is “critical to our future,” said Sean Batch, ESPN’s head of sales and marketing. According to the Wall Street Journal, ESPN is reducing the number of homes that receive ESPN Classic, in an effort to increase popularity among ESPN3, ESPNU and ESPN Deportes.

To market the new ESPN3 name, ESPN is planning to advertise the new site both on and off the company’s cable network, which was confirmed by The Wall Street Journal. The only issue is the holdout from Time Warner Cable. Maureen Huff, a Time Warner Cable Spokesman, believes that “our customers ought to be able to access the Internet without being forced to pay for programming that they may never watch.” ESPN rebutted with the fact that the new ESPN3 will allow customers to see events online that may not otherwise be available.

For many men today is the greatest day of the year, due to the release of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Magazine. Brooklyn Decker, the knockout model and wife of tennis star Andy Roddick, graced this years cover in a yellow bikini. Over the last decade, SI has not only featured the most naturally gifted supermodels in the edition, but also many of the sexiest athletes have been photographed for the Swimsuit Issue, and this year was no different.

Lindsay Vonn became the latest Athlete to grace the SI Swimsuit Issue

Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, who is no stranger to social media-she has a Twitter and Facebook account and has 35,000 followers-is featured in this edition in a white and red bikini wearing a white ski hat. Vonn was recently in the news due to her confusion as to whether or not she is allowed to “tweet” or facebook during the Winter Games, thanks to new blogging guidelines created by the IOC.  She was also featured on the cover of this week’s SI Olympic Preview Issue.  Her counterpart, Hannah Teter, an Olympic snowboarder, chose to be a little racier and is topless in her photo.

These are just two examples of athletes who are continually being noticed for more than just their athletic abilities. Amanda Beard, Jennie Finch, Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova, and the Williams sisters have all been featured in the SI Swimsuit Edition over the last decade.

Lindsay Vonn graced the cover of this week's SI Olympic Preview

According to MSNBC.com, “Sports Illustrated says that the swimsuit issue is seen by more than 65 million Americans, including 40 percent of the nation’s adult males.” However, women aren’t the only attraction found in the edition. Male athletes most notably, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Kidd and Joe Montana, have all taken off their shirts as a gift for women everywhere.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has never been a disappointment and this year is sure to be no different. Whether it is models, athletes, men or women, the Swimsuit Edition is a joy for everyone.

Super Bowl XLIV set the stage for a ridiculous week long party in Miami.  With the Saints coming out as victorious underdogs, a massive celebration broke out in the French Quarter, and based on this week’s upcoming Mardi Gras, the partying certainly won’t be stopping anytime soon.  Unfortunately for some of the most famous faces in sports, the decisions made at such parties will have consequences that will be difficult to shake off.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Oakland Raider defensive tackle Warren Sapp was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery on Saturday due to an alleged violent altercation with his girlfriend. According to TMZ, the current NFL analyst for the NFL Network “grabbed her and began to choke her.” He eventually threw her out of the room, she claims. Sapp’s girlfriend had “a swollen right knee and bruises on the back of her neck.” However, Sapp’s lawyers has asked fans to “reserve judgment” on Warren until both sides of the story are explained. Sapp was subsequently relieved of all duties by the NFL network due to the incident. Just one day prior to his arrest, Sapp seemed to be enjoying his time in Miami by “tweeting”, Me,PrimeTime,Marshall And @richeisen Are Live On NFL Network. 11th And Ocean Come By And Say Hi!!

We all know that the Super Bowl brings celebrities, current and former NFL athletes as well as other professional athletes to Miami for the week long festivities. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the week was seeing the great Michael Jordan out for a joyride with his current girlfriend, Yvette Prieto. The usually candid star, who is rarely seen out, was leaving a Super Bowl after-party in Miami and left by the means of a $300k Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

Ochocinco's Party Seemed to have been a Success!

No stranger to the spotlight, our beloved Chad Ochocino apparently had a great time in Miami judging by the pictures he posted on his twitter account.

Unfortunately not all celebrations in New Orleans went smoothly. According to CNN.com one man and two women were shot while celebrating their teams win on Bourbon Street. None of the injuries were life threatening, but it is safe to say that the shooting put a damper on the night.

Bourbon Street after a night of intense celebration

With the Saints coming back to their hometown for a parade this week and Mardi Gras slated to begin in about 8 days, the city is beefing up police presence and security to help prevent any chaos or violence that may occur within the next couple of days.

With Tiger Woods’ son Charlie Axel turning one year old today, the world is waiting in anticipation to see whether or not the golfing great will finally be spotted in public since leaving Gentle Path, a sex addiction rehab facility in Mississippi, last week.

TMZ is claiming that Woods is mulling a comeback in which he will return to the links in March.  According to their source, “He is aiming to play in the Tavistock Cup — an event that pits pros from the Isleworth Golf & Country Club against the pros from the nearby Lake Nona Golf & Country Club.” The event will take place March 22-23 at the Isleworth Golf and Country Club, which is just down the road from Woods’ Windermere home. Woods reportedly left Gentle Path last week and has been spending time with his wife, Swedish super model Elin Nordegren.  On the other hand, Steve Williams, Tiger’s Caddy has debunked the ruomors of Tiger returning any time soon.

The Melbourne Herald Sun reported that Woods would return even earlier for the Accenture Match Play on February 15th.  In response to that report, Williams said, “The stories stating that Tiger will return at the match play have no truth to them.”

Since November 27th, Woods has been out of the public eye due to his rumored affairs with up to 14 women. The media is having a field day and reports have come in saying that he has been spotted anywhere from off the coast of Florida on his yacht, Privacy, to Scottsdale, to Mississippi.  Former ESPN baseball analyst and New York Mets general manager Steve Phillips just completed a 45 day program at Gentle Path, while being treated for sex addiction. Phillips had an affair with an ESPN staffer last year and was subsequently relieved of his duties as an analyst.

Due to his many infidelities Woods has lost sponsorships, money, respect and fans.  Having said that, his return to the game will most certainly be the most highley anticipated athletic return since Michael Jordan came back to the Bulls in 1995.

from tmz

Due to the fact that the IOC ( the International Olympic Committee), created new rules for this years 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, and more specifically created blogging guidelines, several Olympic athletes are confused as to whether or not they are allow to “tweet” and Facebook during this years Winter Olympics.

Most notably Lindsey Vonn, arguably the best U.S. women’s skier, has posted several confusing reports on her Facebook and Twitter accounts because of the new rules. The first one states, “Hey Everyone, because of the Olympic rules (blackout period) I will not be able to post any updates from now until march 3rd. Sorry, it bums me out too!” Then she tweeted, “@USOlympic that link isn’t working! can you please explain the rules, there is a lot of conflicting information!”

But good news for all you sports fans out there who can’t attend the Winter Olympics but still want to get the latest updates from your favorite athletes, Vonn’s facebook fan page recently updated and she said, “Contrary to what I was told it turns out that I am allowed to continue to Tweet and Facebook during the Olympics!! Yay!! I have to follow very specific rules though:( Did you guys really think you were going to get rid of me that easily?! I’m back baby!”

The IOC’s blogging guidelines are very specific this year and if an athlete breaks these rules they are subject to possible fines, legal action and or other sanctions. In accordance to these rules, athletes must only blog about their personal Olympic related experiences and should be in the form of a journal or diary entry. No interviews or stories about other athletes are allowed. No Olympic symbols, videos, still pictures that contain any sporting action of the games, the opening, closing and medal ceremonies or the mentioning of private sponsors that are not affiliated with the Olympics, are allowed to be posted on social media sites by athletes who are competing in the Winter Olympics.

The spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee Bob Condron reiterates these rules and says that athletes are allowed to blog and post on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, as long as they post in first-person–not as a journalist–and they don’t include mention of sponsors that aren’t official partners of the Olympics, which includes a ban on photos that reference sponsors, according to The Outside Blog.

However even with all these restrictions in place and athletes being confused, Condron believes that this year’s Olympics will create the same, if not more, traffic on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and personal blogs. “These are going to be the Twitter Olympics. There’s no telling where the updates will come from. It could be the bench during a hockey game, or even on the medal stand.”

So in other words let the games and tweets begin!

It has been three weeks since Lane Kiffin left, well abandoned really, The University of Tennessee’s football program to embark on his new journey in becoming the head coach for The University of Southern California’s Trojan football program.

In recent weeks, Derek Dooley was named the new head football coach for The Volunteers, recruits who originally committed to Tennessee have withdrawn their intent to play in Knoxville, and multiple long time USC coaches have been canned to make room for Kiffin’s new staff, much of whom are transferring over from Tennessee or from The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Wonder if USC used Will Ferrell to lure top notch talent?

With National Signing Day behind us, we are left to compare and contrast the issue of who came out on top; USC or Tennessee?

In perhaps one of the biggest surprises that either team experienced, JC Copeland, a four star defensive end ranked 30th for his position, decided to switch over his commitment from Tennessee to LSU and wound up signing with the Tigers today.

USC has signed nineteen recruits, ten of them being an ESPN top 150 prospect, highlighted by Seantrel Henderson, a highly touted offensive tackle, to their 2010 recruiting class.  It is unclear if USC’s number of committed recruits is due to the job long time and beloved head coach Pete Carroll did, who left USC in early January to coach the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks or if it was Kiffin and Ed Orgeron’s persuasiveness that drew in so many kids. Last year, USC’s 2009 recruiting class was comprised of eighteen signed recruits, nine of them being an ESPN top 150 prospect. This is expected for USC Football who has been a dominate force in college football for the past decade.

However back in Knoxville, Tennessee doubled last years signing number by having twenty-five recruits agree to come and play for the Volunteers in the fall. Six of those twenty-five players are an ESPN top 150 prospect. According to ESPN’s Football Recruiting Rankings Tennessee’s 2009 recruiting class was fifteenth last year and this year they moved up six spots to grab the number nine ranking. USC was ranked fifth for their recruiting class in 2009 and this year they dropped two spots to hold onto number seven.

We have to keep one thing in mind though, just because a school signs more recruits than another, that does not necessarily mean that a better season is in store. USC has four more ESPN top 150 prospects than Tennessee, yet Tennessee signed six more recruits than USC. It is tough to determine who will do better in the coming season because players, coaches, fans and the administration all have to contribute to make the season a success.

But for now, Tennessee is riding high with not only an okay, but great recruiting class, and a coach who is willing to stay longer than a year in the nations toughest conference. USC may never be able to find a coach who will fulfill Pete Carroll’s legacy and produce the high flying offense and dominate defense that the world has come to love and expect USC to play like during the past decade. Don’t get me wrong, USC’s recruiting class is loaded with a multitude of four and five star recruits and hopefully they will bring to the field what is needed to win another National Championship. However, it will be almost impossible  to replace the legacy Pete Carroll left at USC, but it is up to Kiffin to give it his all, for every single “Trojan family” out there.

Both teams landed great recruits and both programs were undergoing major coaching changes at the time so I commend them. The 2010 National Signing Day was a success for both teams. Come fall of this year look for both programs to have quality seasons.

Shaquille O’Neal, J.J Redick, Delonte West, and Kenyon Martin are all famous and successful NBA players on different teams and in different conferences;  however, they all have one thing in common- Vanessa Lopez.

Lopez, a model in her own right, is now suing O’Neal, the starting center for the Cleveland Cavaliers, for harassment according to the LA Times. It is reported that O’Neal began harassing Lopez after she thought she might be pregnant with his child. Lopez and O’Neal had been engaging in an intimate relationship for 5 years, even though O’Neal was married. Lopez allegedly sent O’Neal a cease and desist order, because he would call at all hours of the night and during the day, but he ignored it according to reports on RadarOnline.com

Lopez is no stranger when it comes to legal problems involving her and NBA stars. In 2007, after her ensuing breakup with Orlando Magic shooting guard and former Duke superstar, J.J. Redick, Lopez accused him of harassment and claimed that Redick’s brother David would not leave her alone until she left J.J alone, according to a police report filed in Florida.

Lopez also had other legal troubles in 2007, when Kenyon Martin and his business manager, accused Lopez of charging thousands of dollars worth of merchandise on Martin’s credit card without permission, according to thehollywoodgossip.com website.

Finally in 2006, Police were called to Delonte West’s – an NBA shooting guard who was on the Celtics at the time – hotel room in Orlando because Lopez refused to leave.  West did admit to having a sexual relationship with her in the past, but those were not his intentions that night.

For Lopez, she has hired Gloria Allred as her legal counsel and is determined to take this matter to court, and is seeking unspecified damages.

This is not the first issue involving Lopez and it seems like it may not be the last.