Thursday, February 08, 2007

Anna Nicole Smith Dies

Anna Nicole Smith was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida just after 2pm after she collapsed at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. She was found unresponsive in her hotel room and CPR was performed on her and a breathing apparatus was inserted into her throat. Local streets were closed off to rush her to the hospital and paramedics were seen pumping her chest as she was taken to the hospital.

The story is still breaking so more information will posted as it comes in.

UPDATE: Jesus, Anna Nicole Smith is officially dead at the age of 39. According to police reports, she was already dead when she was found in her hotel room.

NBA-er Is OUT!

From Associated Press:

John Amaechi is gay, and now the first NBA player to come out publicly is ready to talk about it.

Amaechi, a center who spent five seasons with four teams, is scheduled to appear on ESPN's Outside the Lines on Sunday, and his autobiography "Man in the Middle," will be released Feb. 14.

"He is coming out of the closet as a gay man," Amaechi's publicist Howard Bragman said Wednesday.

Three years after his playing career ended, Amaechi has become the sixth professional male athlete from one of the four major American sports (NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL) to publicly discuss his homosexuality.

Former NFL running back David Kopay came out in 1977; offensive lineman Roy Simmons and defensive lineman Esera Tuaolo came out more recently. Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A's in the 1970s, and Billy Bean, a utility player in the 1980s and 1990s, also have come out.

Amaechi, 36, who is British, competed for Penn State, then played 301 NBA games over five seasons. The 6-foot-10 centre averaged 6.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in the NBA. He began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995-96, then spent a few years playing in Europe. He rejoined the NBA to play for the Orlando Magic from 1999-01, then played two seasons for the Utah Jazz.