After Beating Michael Strahan In Court, Jean Strahan Says "I'm Going to Disney World!" - NY Post

Wow. It reads like Michael Strahan really treated his wife terribly.

$15 MIL PENALTY TOPPLES GIANT
STRAHAN'S EX WINS ALMOST ALL
By JEANE MacINTOSH and TODD VENEZIA

January 13, 2007 -- A judge sacked Michael Strahan's bank account yesterday, ordering the New York Giants defensive end to pay his ex-wife Jean a whopping $15.3 million plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in child support as part of their divorce.

Judge James Convery blasted Strahan in a written ruling, saying the arguments he used to get out of coughing up the dough lacked "any credible evidence."

The ruling means the gap-toothed grid standout will have to give his ex-wife more than half his net worth - as Convery held him to a prenuptial agreement stipulating he give Jean 50 percent of their joint marital assets and 20 percent of his yearly income from each year they were married.

Strahan tried to argue that he wasn't responsible for the 20 percent because his wife failed to ask for it every year. But the judge said that "the plaintiff is not credible in his claim that the defendant never asked for her separate funds."

Jean, who married the football player in 1999, celebrated the ruling yesterday.

"It pays to tell the truth, and I told the truth," she said. "I never asked for a penny more than the prenup that Michael and his lawyers wrote and made me sign. And all I ever asked for was that to be upheld.

"I'm thrilled that it was."

The decision came after a divorce battle that left the popular player's stellar reputation battered by allegations of adultery, forgery, lying and perversion.

It is also a huge financial tackle. Strahan must pay the $15.3 million and the extra child support even though his net worth is only about $22 million, according to court records.

With his career in its twilight years, this could be a blow from which his bank account never recovers.

But Jean said yesterday that it was his own fault. Strahan himself devised the uneven distribution spelled out in a prenup.

"He and his lawyer wrote it and made me sign it the night before we got married," Jean said. "We were, at the time, very much in love."

Jean Strahan had originally sought roughly $14 million, but the judge gave her back interest on the 20 percent annuity, raising the payout by $1.25 million.

The Giant will also have to pay $18,000 per month in child support, and will have to hand over a $311,150 lump sum for support dating back to August 2005. Jean will also get one of his four houses, but will have to pay him back for half of the mansion in Montclair, N.J.

Strahan lawyer Vicky Zigler declined to comment after receiving the decision in Essex County Family Court yesterday.

The couple was officially divorced last July after an acrimonious court battle that included allegations that Strahan:
* Ditched his wife and twin 2-year-old daughters, Isabella and Sophia, to hang out with alleged mistress Nicole "Cupcake" D'Oliveira on a trip to Phoenix.
* Jetted off to Caribbean islands with various other women, including the woman who sold the family their antique chairs.
* Secretly videotaped Jean's sister, Denise, while she undressed in a guest bedroom. Cops were called, and Jean left him for a while, but he then allegedly came back after he deposited $30,000 in her bank account.
* Forged her name on financial documents that were entered into the case.
* Hounded her and tried to use lawyers to intimidate her into changing their prenup.

In yesterday's ruling, Judge Convery also blasted Strahan for not remembering his wedding anniversary or wife's birthday.
Jean Strahan got the news of the decision at her lawyer's office. She exclaimed: "I'm going to Disney World!"

Profootballtalk.com - USC Assistant Coach Steve Sarkisian Rumored To Be Favorite Of Raiders For Head Coaching Job

The point of this process is that the Raiders job is not the mot sought after in the NFL. Otherwise, why focus on an unproven college assistant coach? And why not talk to a person like Hue Jackson of the Bengals?

TALK BUILDS OF SARKISIAN TO RAIDERS - Profootballtalk.com

There's increasing chatter in league circles that USC assistant coach Steve Sarkisian could be in line to become the next coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Sarkisian, 32, would become the youngest coach in the league.

As one league insider pointed out to us, why not simply hire Sarkisian to be the offensive coordinator? It would still be a step up for him, and he likely would accept it. With John Shoop recently gone, the spot is wide open.

No hire can be made to replace Art Shell until at least one minority candidate is interviewed. And if too many people around the league become convinced that the position is going to Sarkisian, it might be hard to persuade a minority candidate to sit for the job.

Another candidate who has generated some buzz, but who has not yet been interviewed or named as a candidate, is former Vikings and Cardinals coach Dennis Green.

Indianapolis Colts Await The New England Patriots For The AFC Title Game

What is a classic battle is well-recounted in this Indy Star article.

Familiar foe, in the dome
Patriots meet Colts for crown in AFC

By Mike Chappell
mike.chappell@indystar.com

Brace yourself, Indy, for the most important football event that's ever visited the Circle City.

One step away from their first Super Bowl appearance in more than three decades, the Colts will attempt to take that monumental step against nemesis New England on Sunday evening in the RCA Dome. The No. 4-seeded Patriots earned their spot in the AFC Championship Game by upsetting No. 1 seed San Diego 24-21 on Sunday, sending the conference title game to Indianapolis.

The third-seeded Colts (14-4) reached their third AFC title game since 1995 by stuffing the second-seeded Baltimore Ravens 15-6 Saturday. They then sat back and waited for their opposition to be determined.

Hello, Patriots. They advanced when rookie place-kicker Stephen Gostkowski made a 31-yard field goal with 1:10 remaining.
Talk about instant karma. The Colts KO'd the Ravens on the strength of five field goals by former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, who was replaced in New England by Gostkowski.

"There will be a lot of (story) angles there, with them finally having to come here, with Vinatieri on our side, with all the history between the two teams,'' Colts coach Tony Dungy said before Sunday's game when asked to address the possibility of the Patriots visiting Indy.

All will unfold in front of what promises to be a raucous sellout crowd in the RCA Dome.

"Playing at home,'' Dungy said, "is what you like for your fans.''

Now, it's up to the Colts to seal the deal. And there's perhaps no more appropriate final hurdle to clear than the Patriots.
New England (14-4) has won three of the past five Super Bowls, and used the Colts as steppingstones twice, each time in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots dismissed the Colts 24-14 in the AFC title game after the 2003 season, then dominated them 20-3 the following season in the divisional round.

The Colts have gained a measure of revenge in the past two regular seasons, again in Gillette Stadium. They snapped a six-game losing streak to the Patriots in 2005 with a 40-21 victory, then posted a 27-20 win on Nov. 5.

New England, Dungy said, "obviously is an organization and team we have a lot of respect for.''

"Tom Brady is still doing all those things that cause you to win games,'' he said. "I don't think they're a team anyone wants to play.''

The Colts, though, welcome the opportunity. The last time the franchise reached the Super Bowl was after the 1970 season, and it still called Baltimore home. The Colts defeated Dallas 16-13 to win Super Bowl V.

There won't be a lack of story lines:

Brady versus Colts' counterpart Peyton Manning. Brady is 12-1 in the postseason, Manning 5-6.

Vinatieri kicking against the team that opted not to re-sign him after the 2005 season. All he's done for the Colts is convert all eight of his field goal attempts in the postseason.

Manning and offensive coordinator Tom Moore matching wits with Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

The Patriots making their first visit to Indy since 2003, when they stopped running back Edgerrin James short of the goal line in the closing seconds to preserve a 34-31 win.

The Colts attempting to finish what they were unable to a year ago. They squandered home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by losing to Pittsburgh 21-18 in the RCA Dome in the divisional round.

Dungy attempting to become the first black coach to take his team to the Super Bowl.

All Dungy requires of his Colts is to continue to play at a high level and with poise even though they must do so on a pressurized, national stage.

"If you can do the things you normally do . . . when the stakes are really high, that's what it takes,'' he said.

Bill Belichick''s Adjustments and Tom Brady's Mental Toughness Lead Patriots To AFC Title Game - From ESPN

Patriots teach Chargers a lesson in playoff football

By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Archive

SAN DIEGO -- Sunday's AFC Divisional playoff game between the Patriots and Chargers was a clinic in why BelichickBradyball is a Super Bowl success and Martyball continues to fall flat in the playoffs.

Following the Patriots' 24-21 win, Belichick is 13-2 in playoff games. Schottenheimer is 5-13 and has lost six straight postseason games. The uncanny way in which the Patriots rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final 8:35 is why Belechick could be heading to the Pro Football Hall of Fame once he gives up coaching. Despite 200 career victories -- a total that should qualify him for those honors -- Schottenheimer isn't even guaranteed a job with the Chargers next season despite a 14-3 season.

Schottenheimer may not have gone as conservative in his offensive play-calling as in past playoff eliminations, but the failures against the Patriots hit on a striking theme. The Chargers played not to lose. The Chargers called 19 first-down running plays for LaDainian Tomlinson, including five in which he gained 11 or more yards. Belichick and Tom Brady were all over the place. Brady couldn't find his rhythm in the first half so they junked some two-tight end sets and went to a three-receiver offense, sprinkling in some no-huddle once he got a rhythm.

The Chargers continued playing not to lose, while the Patriots just tried to make enough plays to be one play ahead of San Diego at the end of the game. That strategy is why the Patriots, who were outplayed and somewhat dominated by the Chargers early in the game, sneaked away with a three-point victory and a chance to go against their playoff rivals -- the Indianapolis Colts.

"The definition of mental toughness is not letting anything get to you," Brady said after the game. "It's just staying focused not matter what's swirling around you, just continuing to mentally fight through whatever obstacles there might be, whether that be a certain play or situation or a bunch of things that come up as a football player. We have a bunch of mentally tough guys. Even though it doesn't all go well you still have to believe in yourself and have the confidence that you can go out there and play."

Peyton Manning and the Colts have developed that type of mentality. Despite a run defense that was one of the worst in NFL history during the regular season, the defense tightened up in playoff wins over the Chiefs and Ravens. Manning hasn't played his best but the Colts are winning the type of playoff games they lost in the past. The Patriots have been doing that for years.

Here's the lesson Belichick and Brady taught Schottenheimer and the Chargers on Sunday. Do whatever it takes.

Brady was awful for all but the final drive of the first half. The Chargers executed a solid, conservative game plan. Tomlinson was great on first downs, but the Patriots defense wasn't concerned as long as Tomlinson didn't bust long touchdown runs. Tomlinson wasn't going to beat them with 10-yard runs. Eventually, inexperienced playoff quarterback Philip Rivers had to make a play, and the Patriots were ready to stop him.

The Chargers led 14-3 and could have started running away with the game. Brady was frustrated, but like a hitter who keeps coming to the plate, he still had a chance to hit the home run. Brady completed only four of his first 12 for 38 yards. But he completed five of seven passes in a two-minute drive before the half and hit Jabar Gaffney with a 6-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 14-10.

"I couldn't get into a rhythm," Brady said. "We were trying to throw quick stuff. That wasn't working. We tried to throw screens. That wasn't working. We tried to call runs. That wasn't working. We couldn't find any rhythm as an offense. Every time I would come to the sidelines, I'd say, 'Let's try something else."'

Belichick did. Brady went completely to the air in the second half. The Patriots spread the field with three receivers, which is pretty amazing for a team criticized for not wanting to pay receivers David Givens and Deion Branch.

In the second half, Brady completed 18 of 32 passes for 177 yards. Sure, he threw three interceptions on the game. But Belichick kept trying to let Brady improvise and make the plays that would eventually let the Patriots win.

"We kept battling for 60 minutes," Belichick said. "It was a very competitive game. There was an ebb and flow. At times, they had a little bit of the upper hand. At times, we had a little bit of the upper hand. It was a physical, tough football game. We just made one more play than they did."

As he has done so often in these big games, Schottenheimer played the field-position game. The Chargers' average starting point was their 37, but they had three possessions that started at midfield or in Patriots territory. The Chargers had a touchdown and two punts in those possessions. The Patriots had six starts inside their own 20.

Perhaps the strangest call of the game came in the first quarter. Schottenheimer went for a fourth-and-11 instead of attempting a 49-yard field goal by the AFC's Pro Bowl kicker Nate Kaeding. Naturally, the fourth-down play didn't work. The Patriots drove for a 50-yard field goal by rookie, Stephen Gostkowski to take a 3-0 lead.

<

"The definition of mental toughness is not letting anything get to you. It's just staying focused not matter what's swirling around you, just continuing to mentally fight through whatever obstacles there might be, whether that be a certain play or situation or a bunch of things that come up as a football player."
Tom Brady, Patriots QB

<

"I thought we had a play that we could use that would make the yardage," Schottenheimer said. "The intention was to be very aggressive. I thought we had a play that would get it and Cam Cameron said, 'I've got one' and we went ahead and did it."

That three-point swing came back to haunt the Chargers, as did so many plays Sunday. Things started unraveling in the third and fourth quarters. Chargers cornerback Drayton Florence got a 15-yard unnecessary roughing penalty after Brady was stopped on a third-down sack at the Chargers' 36-yard line. That kept the drive alive, with Gostkowski eventually hitting a 34-yard field goal to cut the Chargers' lead to 14-13.

Tackle Shane Olivea got an unnecessary roughing penalty after an extra point following a Tomlinson TD that put San Diego ahead 21-13 in the fourth quarter. Kicking off from their 15, the Chargers handed great field position to the Patriots.

But after driving to the Chargers' 41, Brady was picked off by Marlon McCree with just over six minutes left in the game. Troy Brown stripped the ball from McCree's hands, though, and Reche Caldwell recovered it, giving the Patriots a first down and new life.

Five plays later, Brady hits Caldwell with a 4-yard touchdown. Kevin Faulk took a direct snap and ran it into the end zone and just like that the game was tied.

The final straw came with 2:31 left in regulation. Brady spotted the Chargers in press man-to-man coverage at the line of scrimmage. He hit Caldwell down the sideline for a 49-yard completion that set up Gostkowski's game-winning 34-yard field goal.

It was the last play the Patriots made to win the game. The Chargers played not to lose. The Patriots played to stay in the game and give themselves a chance to make winning plays. In the end, that's exactly what they did.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.

Steelers Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt Is Arizona Cardinals New Head Coach - ESPN

He did place his personal stamp on the Steelers offense and that was more than revealed in Super Bowl XL.

Whisenhunt hired as Cardinals' new head coach
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, one of the hottest candidates during the current NFL hiring cycle, has signed a four-year contract to become the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Whisenhunt will be introduced as the successor to Dennis Green at a Tuesday news conference. Financial details of the contract -- which includes a team option for a fifth year -- were not yet available. Based on what the Cardinals have paid coaches in the past, Whisenhunt probably will earn an annual salary in the $2.5 million range.

"I'm really excited," Whisenhunt said by phone Sunday evening. "I really think it's a great opportunity. It's a team with a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball. The more I studied the situation, the better it looked, and the more I wanted that job. I can't wait to get started."

Whisenhunt, 44, met for a second time with Arizona officials on Friday, as the Cardinals continued their follow-up round of interviews aimed at finding a new coach. The Cardinals interviewed eight candidates in the initial round, then brought back Houston Texans assistant head coach Mike Sherman and Whisenhunt for second interviews.

"In the end, we felt that Ken was the best fit for this organization," said Rod Graves, Cardinals vice president for football operations, "and we felt that because of the leadership that he portrayed. He presented a well-organized and thorough plan moving forward. We liked it.''

The second interview went well and the two sides opened negotiations on Saturday. There had been reports the Cardinals first offered the position to Sherman, but team officials denied that.

"It became apparent to us, particularly when we got into the second phase of our interview process, that Ken began to separate himself from the other candidates," Graves said.

Whisenhunt also interviewed for openings with the Steelers, the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins.

An Atlanta native who played collegiately at Georgia Tech, and then played tight end for the Falcons for four (1985-88) of his nine NFL seasons, Whisenhunt certainly seems a good fit for a Cardinals team that is loaded with young offensive talent.

Arizona was seeking a coach to work with quarterback Matt Leinart, and Whisenhunt's development of Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh impressed the Cardinals' brass. Arizona also has solid young players on defense and Whisenhunt might retain current coordinator Clancy Pendergast to lead that unit.

A fearless playcaller, and adept at creating advantageous matchups, Whisenhunt has been Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator since 2004. Under his stewardship, the Steelers' offense statistically ranked No. 7 in the NFL in 2006. The Steelers were 16th in 2004 and 15th in 2005, when they won Super Bowl XL.

Although some perceive Whisenhunt's strengths as the creative use of formations, motion and personnel packages, he also believes in a power-based running game.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jack Baeur Bites Artery Of Bad Guy And Donald Trump's Apprentice

I saw the first episode of "24" and while I was waiting for The Apprentice to come on. OK. I admit it. I'm an Apprentice junkie. But I've got some disagreement with the idea of having it in LA. It's nothing against LA. But it's just that The Apprentice is a show with a distinctively New York cut. It doesn't mix with LA. Thus, it comes at no surprise that "24's" Jack Bauer bit the artery out of the bad guy and The Apprentice with one chomp.

Wait? Biting? Yep. Biting.

It was a move distinctively Jack Baeur. Creative. Unexpected. Necessary. Efficient. Brutal. And it's acts like that which keep even Apprentice junkies like me looking at the show, when I'm suppose to turn the channel. It's hard to do.

But eventually I did and watched Trump's show with my Mom. It was the usual Apprentice formula. But this time, this brotha named Carey decided he was going to let his being Gay impact a business decision. This dude insisted on wearing a pair of tight pink shorts no normal man would be caught in. The idea was that clothing buyers were going to buy those shorts! No way. But Carey insisted on the design and on his wearing it on a fashion runway.

As you might have guessed, Carey got fired.

I don't know what happened to the end of the "24" two hour episode, but it was so good it made me think twice about what I did. But in the end I know why. I'm an Apprentice junkie, but if Baeur keeps up his run of unexpected bites, I could become a "24" junkiee, too.

Eric Clapton's Layla - An Enduring Song - Video

This is perhaps one of the most popular songs in the history of modern music. Layla as performed by Eric Clapton has been in commercials, spoofed, and copied many times over.

According to Wikipedia, Layla...

is the title track on the Derek and the Dominos album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, released in December 1970. It is considered one of rock music's definitive love songs,[2] featuring an unmistakable guitar figure, played by Eric Clapton and Duane Allman, as lead-in. Its famously contrasting movements were composed separately by Clapton and Jim Gordon.
Inspired by Clapton's unrequited love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend George Harrison, "Layla" was unsuccessful on its initial release.[3] The song has since experienced great critical and popular acclaim. Two versions have achieved chart success, first in 1972 and again twenty years later.

Background

In 1966, George Harrison married Pattie Boyd, a model he met during the filming of A Hard Day's Night. During the late 1960s, Clapton and Harrison, as two of the top English guitarists of the day, became firm friends. Clapton contributed guitar work on Harrison's song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on The Beatles' White Album, and Harrison played guitar pseudonymously on Cream's "Badge" from Goodbye. However, trouble was brewing for Clapton. His supergroups Cream and Blind Faith had broken apart, his growing drug use would lead to a life-threatening heroin addiction, and, when Boyd came to Clapton for aid during marital troubles, Clapton fell desperately in love with her.

The title, "Layla", was inspired by a love story, The Story of Layla / Layla and Majnun (ليلى ومجنون), by the Persian classical poet Nezami. When he wrote "Layla", Clapton had recently been given a copy of the story by a friend (reportedly Ian Dallas)[5] who was in the process of converting to Islam. Nezami's tale, about a moon-princess who was married off by her father to someone other than the man who was desperately in love with her, resulting in his madness (in Persian, Majnun, مجنون, means "madman"), struck a deep chord with Clapton.[4]
Boyd divorced Harrison in 1977 and married Clapton in 1979. Harrison was not bitter about the divorce and attended Clapton's wedding with Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. During their marriage, Clapton wrote another love ballad for her, "Wonderful Tonight". Their marriage later developed difficulties over Clapton's alcoholism and his extramarital affair with Yvonne Khan Kelly, and in 1985 he left Boyd altogether for Italian model Lori del Santo, with whom he had a child. Clapton and Boyd divorced in 1989 after several years of separation. Boyd currently lives with the property developer Rod Weston.

In an interview with Songfacts, Bobby Whitlock, who was a member of Derek and the Dominos and good friends with both Harrison and Clapton, explains the situation between Clapton and Pattie around the time he wrote Layla:

“ I was there when they were supposedly sneaking around. You don't sneak very well when you're a world figure. He was all hot on Pattie and I was dating her sister. They had this thing going on that supposedly was behind George's back. Well, George didn't really care. He said, 'You can have her.' That kind of defuses it when Eric says, 'I'm taking your wife' and he says, 'Take her.' They got married and evidently, she wasn't what he wanted after all. The hunt was better than the kill. That happens, but apparently Pattie is real happy now with some guy who's not a guitar player. Good for her and good for Eric for moving on with his life. George got on with his life, that's for sure.