The Boston Bruins  were short a key player when visiting the White House this week to meet the President and be congratulated on winning the Stanley Cup. Tim Thomas, the Bruins’ goalkeeper and Stanley Cup MVP, declined an invitation from the President, saying in a statement that he feels, “the federal government has grown out of control.”

Bruins president Cam Neely said the organization was “disappointed” in Thomas but wouldn’t seek disciplinary actions. However, the Boston Globe is reporting the Bruins may cut short the last year on Thomas’ $20 million contract with the team.

Thomas played on the U.S. hockey team at the 2011 Winter Olympics.

Photo: Allen Berezovsky / PR Photos

Ming is now a member of an advisory body to Shanghai’s legislature. “There are about 142 members in the group, and Yao is the youngest,” said Kong Rong, who works in the service office of committee, to the China Daily.

The advisory board doesn’t have any real power but can make suggestions for the advisory body and departments of government. Ming must attend regular meetings.

Ming has been busy since retiring: he is also a student at Jiaotong University in Shanghai .

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl knows how to have some fun while in office. After all, he became the city’s youngest mayor when he was elected in 2006 at age 26.

Ravenstahl made good on a promise with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock that if the Steelers lost to the Broncos, he would be take the “tebowing” position while being photographed. He posed in Steel City’s Roberto Clemente Memorial Park after the Broncos defeated the Steelers 29-23 on Sunday.

“This is not something I ever thought I’d have to do, and it’s certainly not something I’m looking forward to,” Mayor Ravenstahl said in a statement. “However, we’re good sports here in Pittsburgh and I want to congratulate Denver on a great win.”

Had the Steelers won, Mayor Hancock would have had to wave the Terrible Towel at a public event.

Typically, the championship team meets the President when the team plays in Washington, D.C. however with the lockout shortening the season, the Mavericks aren’t scheduled to play the Wizards. Mavs owner Mark Cuban insisted his team get a meeting with the President. Obama joked, “It’s tough to say no to Mark Cuban.”

Photo: Twitter

“There are a lot of folks that said Tim Tebow wasn’t going to be a very good NFL quarterback. There are a lot of people who stood up and said he doesn’t have the right throwing mechanisms, or he’s not playing the game right. And, uh, he won two national championships and that looked pretty good. We were the national champions in job creation back in Texas. So, but am I ready for the next level? Let me tell you, I hope I am the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses.”

Perry got a big round of applause for that statement, which you can catch in the  video below:

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The President made a valid point and hopefully the owners and player were listening when he said,

“We should be able to figure out how to split a $9 billion pie so that our fans, who are allowing us to make all this money, can actually have a good season.”

You can watch the whole clip here:

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]]> http://queenofsports.com/basketball/obama-talks-nba-lockout-on-leno/feed/ 0 http://queenofsports.com/baseball/brian-wilson-tells-san-francisco-voters-to-fear-the-mustache/ http://queenofsports.com/baseball/brian-wilson-tells-san-francisco-voters-to-fear-the-mustache/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:22:55 +0000 Leah Hollar http://queenofsports.com/?p=17376 [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee decided to run for another term, and to encourage voters to vote for him, a committee supporting him put together this star-studded video.

Set to MC Hammer’s iconic Too Legit to Quit song, Brian Wilson of the Giants appears and tells viewers to “Fear the Mustache.” Also appearing in the video: San Francisco 49ers legend Ronnie Lott, will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.

It was announced today that President Barack Obama will be attending one of the most anticipated basketball games in quite some time. Obama will be taking a seat on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson on Veterans Day for the Carrier Classic. The USS Carl Vinson is the aircraft that took the body of Osama bin Laden out to sea for an ocean burial after he was captured by Navy SEALs in a raid ordered by Obama in early May.

Tickets for the event are being distributed to active military personnel, they won’t be available for purchase by the public.

Obama is a big basketball fan and recently noted his disappointment with the current NBA lockout, so his attendance at this event is no surprise. The November 11th matchup features the North Carolina and Michigan State.

By Veterans Day the carrier will have made its way down from San Francisco to the North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado where Navy SEALs train. Obama will place a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery before flying to San Diego for the game.

“We’re honored that President Obama plans to attend the game on the Carl Vinson,” said Navy Chief Spokesman, Rear Admiral Dennis Moynihan. “The ship is a representative of more than 100 Navy ships that are deployed right now. We see this as a celebration of service for all veterans, and we also see this as a great opportunity to showcase what our Navy does on a daily basis.”

Photo: PR Photos

President Barack Obama is an avid basketball fan. He’s been known to invite NBA players to the White House to play pickup games, so it’s no surprise that he’s disappointed with the NBA lockout.

Obama was at a Orlando area fundraiser that was hosted by current and former NBA players including Dwight Howard, Patrick Ewing, and Grant Hill. “The reason I came here, I’m trying to resolve the NBA lockout. We need our basketball,” he joked. Obama added that he was “a little heartbroken that he NBA season is getting delayed.”

Photo: PR Photos

Former UFC fighter Chris Lytle, who announced his retirement from fighting after beating Dan Hardy on August 14, has officially announced during a press conference he is running for a seat in Indiana’s House of Representatives.

The married father of four has strong ties to Indiana. Born in Indianapolis, Lytle serves as an assistant wrestling coach for the high school he graduated from, and is a longtime Indianapolis fire fighter. He also co-founded Indy PAL MMA, an organization that provides MMA training to youth in Indiana. Lytle graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Sports Management.

Lytle said on an MMA forum, “I’ve decided that I can no longer let our government run with the same attitude that it has been for years. Our politicans worry about themselves more than the people they represent. That needs to change. Therefore, I’m running for state senate in Indiana.
I know times are tough, but I would greatly appreciate campaign donations through my website LytleforIndiana.com. I don’t care if it’s $10, $20, or $50. It all helps. I’m running against someone who has been in there for 23 years and is well funded. Once again thanks and please watch how I start fighting in a new way.”

Photo: LytleForIndiana.com