J.J. Jack Shit

Nope, Kobe ain't retiring yet.

Kobe ain't calling it quits yet, and don't expect him to be calling for a press conference to announce his retirement anytime soon. Heck, this guy is STILL younger than some rookies in the NBA for crying out loud.

The only thing that could end in Los Angeles before next season is Kobe's famous no.8 jersey. Apparently, Kobe has decided to change his number from his famous no.8 to no.24, the number worn by teammate, Jim Jackson.

These developments surfaced after his performance in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series with the Suns that can be surmised as… Well… ''Un-Kobe-like.'' Maybe this change to no.24 could very well serve as Kobe's own personal rebirth of sorts?

Well, after all the controversies that has surrounded the Lakers' star, not to mention his godforsaken performance to open up his return in the NBA Playoffs, he does need to have a new lease in life.

But why would someone as talented as him opt to go for no.24, the number worn by Jim Jackson who couldn't even shoot the basketball from point-blank range even if his life depended on it?

I don't have an answer for you on that one but I do know that Kobe started playing basketball competitively with those numbers on his back.

Bryant began his career at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa., wearing No. 24. But by 1996 — the year he led the school to the state championship — he had switched to No. 33, the number his father Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant wore in high school. – ESPN

Well, if Kobe did changed his number from the now-famous no.8 to a somewhat unpopular no.24, the way his jerseys sell might NOT be the only one to change.

This may sound crazy but bear with me on this one.

Remember when Jordan came out of retirement wearing no.45? Jordan was not the same. In fact, he played like a goddamn World War II veteran. When Jordan brought back his good 'ol no.23, he led the Bulls to the incredible 72-10 season.

Well, a number is STILL just a number. But if Kobe started the 2006-2007 season without his no.8 purple and gold, it just wouldn't look right. It's like watching Oprah pose for Playboy. Ugh… Now, that mere thought sent shivers down my spine.

[Bodog has the odds on the NBA Playoffs, all the way to the NBA Finals. Can Kobe Bryant lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Championship wearing his no.8, probably for the last time? Log on and visit Bodog now.]

Yup, and it's the oldest football in the world.

Apparently, the oldest football in the world is made from a pig's bladder with a covering constructed from pieces of thick leather, probably from deer, and are tightly laced together.

Now that redefines what American football calls ''pigskin.''

This magnificently ghastly piece of football history will travel to Germany for the World Cup. The 450-year-old ball will form the centerpiece of an exhibition on the history of the sport.

Staff at its current home in Stirling's Smith Museum are preparing the delicate artifact for its trip to the Museum fur Volkerkunde in Hamburg.

The ball was once the property of Mary Queen of Scots and museum bosses in Germany were keen to display it after deeming it the oldest in existence. – BBC News

''The Germans have decided, from all the evidence, that our ball is the oldest football in the world and it will be the centerpiece of this huge exhibition,'' said Michael McGinnes.

Michael McGinnes is the Smith Museum's collection manager.

''We can't prove that Mary Queen of Scots played with the ball but it is of that date,'' McGinnes added.

Mr. McGinnes will take the ball on a flight from Prestwick to Lubeck Airport, near Hamburg, in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Once in Germany, the ball will receive a traditional Scots welcome by being piped into the exhibition.

It will remain overseas for the duration of this summer's World Cup and it is expected to be returned home in mid-September. – BBC News

[Bodog has the odds on the coming World Cup. Pick your favorites now. Log on and visit Bodog today.]

Time for another edition of OddJack where you look at the pictures more than you read this article.

Still reading? What's wrong with you?!?

It's time once again for OddJack's ''Top Ten Sexiest Cheerleaders'' as the NBA Playoffs heats up.

So far, our list looks like this:

10. Pacemates

9. Cavalier Girls

8. Silver Dancers

7. DND

Okay, so without further ado, I bring to you our fifth entry for the ''Top Ten Sexiest Cheerleaders'' list, at no.5, here are the Los Angeles Clippers' Spirit Dance Team.

I know, I know, they have a cheesy name but hey, as long as they have great asses shaking at the sidelines, who cares right?

To start things up, we have the very hot Lindsay. In case you didn't notice, we started part 4 with a hot babe named Lindsay as well. I don't know if it's just the name but man… These chicks can really make a man's wand do magical stuff…

This Lindsay is currently working on a major in Deaf Studies. Now I don't know what the fuck they have going on in there or what the hell this so-called ''course'' is all about but hey, Lindsay sure is one sweet piece of ass so I'll let that fly by.

Get this, this hot babe calls learning American Sign Language one of her greatest accomplishments. Yup, and it gets worse. According to this babe, her most recent great accomplishment was when she stopped biting her nails.

Aw c'mon… If you want something else to put on your mouth then I have something for you Lindsay. The only problem is, it will sure hurt if you bite on it.

Next, we have the lovely Taylor.

Taylor is now on her second year as a Spirit Dancer, if you will. She is a half American, half Japanese babe who describes herself as dependable, motivated and caring. (That explains her resemblance to that X-Man, Jubilee. And I meant that in a good way.)

If there's one thing I'm surprised about Taylor, it would have to be the fact that she digs Linkin' Trash… Er… Linkin' Park.

Oh yeah, she does have a wedding ring already. (Boo!)

Last but not the least, and yes, we're almost done with part 5, is the lovely Bobbi.

According to her, she is a woman full of faith. (Hey Bobbi, would it help if you went inside my room and worked on the mystery of conception?)

Bobbi is only on her first year as a member of the Spirit Dance Team. She has a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Mass Communications with a pre-med specialization and a Master's degree in Health Sciences.

Oh yeah, like Taylor, she does have that tiny piece of jewelry that destroys every horndog's hopes and dreams, a fucking wedding ring.

[The Los Angeles Clippers are certainly looking poised to advance to the next round. Can the Spirit Dance Team still shake those shapely asses in the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs? Bodog has the odds, log on and check 'em out now.]

Tired of kissing the boss' ass? Lazy of getting up in the morning? Or maybe the office is just too damn far from your house in Timbuktu?

Whatever the reason may be, tardiness is always present in every work place.

Whatever the sanctions the boss slaps on those unfortunate souls unable to sit their asses on that damn chair on time, there will always be people who will come to work late.

So if you can't help it, if you've done everything you can and you still come in a few minutes late, (10 minutes or an hour doesn't really make a difference.) then you better start coming up with a ton of excuses that may or may not give you that free pass from the boss' ever so watchful eye.

The study by CareerBuilder.com found that as many as 13 percent of American workers show up late at least once a week and that 25 percent are tardy at least once a month.

One in five of those polled said they fabricate excuses and lie to the boss about their reasons for being late.

More than a quarter blame traffic for their tardiness, while 11 percent 'fessed-up to over sleeping. Other reasons included forgetting something at home, feeling sick and the inability to find house or car keys. – WFTV

Ah yes, those sweet lies. What will we do without 'em? Here are some examples employees tell their bosses whenever they report to work late.

''I dreamed that I was fired, so I didn't bother to get out of bed.''

''I had to take my cat to the dentist.''

''I went all the way to the office and realized I was still in my pajamas and had to go home to change.''

''I saw that you weren't in the office, so I went out looking for you.''

''I couldn't find the right tie, so I had to wait for the stores to open so I could buy one.''

''My son tried to flush our ferret down the toilet and I needed to tend to the ferret.''

''I ran over a goat.''

''I stopped for a bagel sandwich, the store was robbed and the police required everyone to stay for questioning.''

''A bee flew in my car and attacked me and I had to pull over.''

''I wet my pants and went home to change.''

[Bodog has odds that are NEVER late. Log on and visit Bodog for up-to-the-minute odds on the biggest sports and entertainment events in the country today.]

The Cavaliers – Wizards series is certainly everything it was expected to be.

LeBron James made his debut in the NBA Playoffs with a resounding bang as he dropped a triple-double in Game 1 to lead the Cavaliers to a 1-0 lead over the Wizards in their best-of-seven series.

In Game 2, Washington erased LeBron's Game 1 triple-double with a triple of their own; Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas.

Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler dropped an identical 21-point performance while Gilbert Arenas dropped a game-high 30 points to make sure they will return to Washington D.C. with the home-court advantage in this series.

Sorry LeBron, it's about time your egotistical ass gets back to the grim reality of playing for Cleveland, Ohio.

The fifth-seeded Wizards found a way to corral James, who had 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in his playoff debut Saturday but missed 18 shots and committed 10 turnovers – one shy of the NBA playoff record – as the fourth-seeded Cavaliers gave away home-court advantage. – NBA.com

This Wizards trio of Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas is the highest scoring trio of the league during the regular season. In Game 1, the trio only scored a combined 48 points.

Game 2 was an entirely different story as they dropped 72 to make the Cavaliers eat shit.

''We stayed disciplined in our offensive possessions. Guys were a little bit jagged out there the first game, a little bit absorbed. Tonight we just pulled for each other,'' Eddie Jordan said.

Eddie Jordan is the Wizards head coach who don't have any relations to NBA Great, Michael Jordan. Heck, the guy's a fat-ass anyway so you can scrap that idea.

[Bodog has the odds on the NBA Playoffs, all the way to the NBA Finals. Log on and visit Bodog now and bet for your favorites.]

Yup, the 2006 Kentucky Derby is just around the corner.

With that said, all you horse racing aficionados could already have your own picks and I won't be surprised if Brother Derek is on your list.

However, when we talk about horse racing, it seems the big name races always smile on the underdogs, leaving handicappers look stupid. Last year is a testament to that and I won't be caught off guard this time.

No siree.

So without further ado, here are three underdogs that may find their way past the odds-on-favorite, Brother Derek, at the 2006 Kentucky Derby.

Cause to Believe, this colt from Northern California hasn't beaten much competition this year but remain as one of the sleepers to win at the Kentucky Derby. In horse racing, events as big as this seems to smile on the unknowns and the underdogs and Cause to Believe is definitely one of those.

Cause to Believe is a son of the 1995 2-year-old champion colt Maria's Mon and is gray in color like his sire. Cause to Believe is also the third foal from his dam Imaginary Cat, an unraced Overbrook homebred.

Cause to Believe has the 5th winningnest trainer in North American history in Jerry Hollendorfer coming to the 2006 Kentucky Derby. If that's not enough to make Cause to Believe a legitimate sleeper in this horse racing war at the Kentucky Derby, I don't know what will.

If there are heavy favorites, Deputy Glitters could very well be the heavy underdog. This colt really hasn't really done anything except at Tampa Bay Downs, something many horse racing pundits call a weak resume coming to the Kentucky Derby.

If there's one thing to say good about this colt, it would have to be the fact that he is a son of $1.9 million earner Deputy Commander. Other than that, basically means nothing when you compare him to the big name horses on the field.

Deputy Glitters is owned by the Joseph Lacombe Stables Inc. and is trained by Tm Albertrani.

Last but not the least, there's Jazil, the horse dubbed by some as the second coming of Giacomo. However, the horse just passed an exhausted Keyed Entry in the final yards to be a late-running second in the muddy Wood so there's really nothing to be impressed about this contender.

When you watch this horse go, it's like watching this NBA team with almost the exact namesake, the Utah Jazz, boring.

[Bodog has the odds on who will win the Kentucky Derby, the first step towards Triple Crown glory. Log on and visit Bodog now.]

The last time Detroit met Milwaukee in the first round, the Pistons became the 2004 NBA Champions.

An omen? Yes, it is exactly that.

In Game 1, the Pistons showed the heart of a champion as they countered a late rally by those pesky Bucks in the third quarter to come away with a convincing 92-74 win at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

And the Pistons were able to do just that despite of Richard Hamilton going down what seems like a serious ankle injury.

Mah' man, Rasheed Wallace, led the Pistons to a game-high 22 points, in 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range. Yup, I've been a fan of ''The Sheed'' long enough to know that his versatility is as good as the Kevin Garnett's of the league. It's just that his awesome game has been overshadowed by suspensions and technical fouls.

Detroit outscored Milwaukee by 12 in the second half en route to a 92-74 home playoff victory on Sunday. Rasheed Wallace scored 22 on 9-for-14 shooting, including 4-for-6 from behind the long line. – NBA.com

Richard Hamilton followed ''The Sheed'' as he dropped 21 points, despite an ankle injury. Hamilton stepped on Andrew Bogut's freakishly huge foot (Damn him! Damn him to hell!) and fell down rather awkwardly on the hardwood.

After the game, Rip was asked if he will be available for Game 2 and his resounding response was, ''Yes sir.''

It is hard to minimize Hamilton's effect on the Pistons. The All-Star shooting guard disrupts defenses by scooting around screens to create open shots for himself and his teammates. In 66 career playoff games, he has scored at least 20 points 51 times. – NBA.com

OddJack's resident controversial writer, J.J. Jack, will be keeping an eye on the Pistons as they go for 15 more wins and reclaim what's rightfully theirs. Mark my words, the Detroit Pistons will be the 2006 NBA champions. Anyone who begs to differ can put their money where their mouth is.

[Don't know where to bet? Bodog is the answer. Bodog has the odds on every match-up in these NBA Playoffs. Log on and visit Bodog now. Oh yes, don't forget to bet on the Pistons.]

Finally, after months of absence, red is back.

That red scarlet Scuderia Ferrari that is. And yes, writing about Formula One suddenly became worth it again.

At the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix, Formula One fans witnessed one of the more exciting races in F1 history as the champions of the last two years went toe-to-toe all the way to the checkered flag.

Alas, it was the current F1 king, Fernando Alonso, who blinked first and Schumi, being the veteran that he is, took advantage.

It was a chess match between old school and new school. No one wanted to give in but both knew one of ‘em would have to make a pit-stop soon. They just don’t want to be the first one to exit the track and give the other an advantage. Who would pit first?

The answer finally came on lap 41 when Alonso suddenly sprinted into the pit lane. After a 6.7s stop he was back out again. Schumacher, meanwhile, was suddenly able to catch backmarkers Nick Heidfeld and Scott Speed, whom he had apparently been unable to catch earlier on.

But any hope in the Renault camp that they might impede their rival ended when Schumacher swept outward on lap 42, after remaining stationary for 7.1s. – The Official Formula 1 Website

Ha… Those are the trademark pit-stop strategies that made Michael Schumacher to what he is today, and the pit-stop strategies that left would-be challengers to the red Scuderia, Mika Hakinnen (In his last season), Juan Pablo Montoya (With BMW Williams then), Kimi Raikkonen (Back when McLaren can finish races) and now, Fernando Alonso, scratching their heads.

Michael Schumacher was leading the pack with less than ten laps to go. However, Schumi was being tailed, rather aggressively, by the youngest F1 champion ever as Alonso was only .3 seconds behind the German. Then, Alonso’s Renault went wide all of a sudden, maybe because the wear and tear of the Renault’s tires finally gave in.

Then, Michael Schumacher flew for his fastest lap of the race.

This Ferrari win could very well be a win for Formula One racing as well. Let’s face it, nothing generates as much attention as those of the red scarlet Ferrari and judging by the roar of the crowd when Schumi crossed the checkered flag, Formula One MUST be begging Ferrari for a repeat performance.

[Bodog has odds on this year's Formula One wars. Can Fernando Alonso successfully defend his throne before leaving Renault or will Michael Schumacher reclaim what was his the past few years? The F1 season is getting interesting with each round, log on to Bodog and place your bets now.]

Yup, apparently, video games are not games anymore.

ABC has announced its plans to launch an ''interactive game'' based on their TV series, ''Lost.''

Yup, maybe it's their attempt to generate more ratings. A rather cheesy way to do just that don't you think?

The network is calling it, ''The Lost Experience,'' something that will make, or should I say, FORCE, a gamer to watch their stupid series just so that they can finish the goddamn game.

Hu-whattt?!? My sentiments exactly.

The Lost Experience will feature a storyline different from that of the show. Users will have to watch the show to collect phone numbers and other information to use in the game.

The game itself will feature new characters and background on the Hanso Foundation, the mysterious group behind the Dharma Initiative. – Gamespot News

''The game reaches back into 'Lost' history and looks forward to future episodes,'' said Mike Benson, ABC Entertainment's Senior Vice President of Marketing.

He added, ''It's like a giant, worldwide, mysterious jigsaw puzzle that will come to life for all the world to solve.''

Yeah right. What about a rather stupid move to increase the ratings of your stupid show? Well… Why would you buy the game if you don't like the show anyway? So there…

[Bodog has the odds on the latest entertainment news in the country. Log on and visit Bodog for odds on Hollywood. And no, it won't make you watch 'Lost.']

First blood was drawn after Game 1.

The NBA Playoffs finally got underway as 16 of the NBA's elite teams face-off in what will be their road towards basketball's biggest stage, the NBA Finals.

In the East, Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal combined for 57 of Miami's 111 points to bring the Chicago Bulls down, 111-106. Dwyane Wade's struggles with these pesky Bulls were welldocumented all season long but Miami Heat head coach, Pat Riley, was confident that his star guard WILL come through. And did he ever.

D-Wade scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, to put the Bulls away for good. That's including a six-point outburst that rallied the Heat from their very first deficit of the night.

''Great players will find a way to get around any defense when you raise the stakes,'' Riley said. ''And Dwyane is a big-game guy.'' – Pat Riley quoted by ESPN

Meanwhile, in the West, Shaq's former tag-team partner was having more problems than Oprah Winfrey and her weight issues.

Kobe Bryant made his return to the NBA Playoffs after parting ways with his seven-foot contingency plan. However, no one expected Kobe to be this… Um… Weak. Kobe Bryant dropped only 22 points in their 102-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Yup, twenty-FUCKING-two.

Apparently, Lakers coach Phil Jackson is convinced that having Kobe score for 90 points won't make their chances of beating these Suns any better, so what he did was the unthinkable, give Luke Walton the basketball.

Jeez… Now I don't have anything on Luke but Kobe brought you to the dance. Why would you keep the basketball away from him or, worse, refrain him from taking more shots? Maybe Phil is trying to surprise the Suns by letting ALL of his Lakers be more involved in the game but c'mon, why would you mess with something that's been working all season?

Kobe Bryant SHOULD still be the focal point of the Lakers offense, not Luke, not Lamar and god, not Kwame.

[Bodog has the odds on this year's NBA Playoffs wars. Log on and check out Bodog for all the odds now.]