Episode 73: Behind the curtain

On another episode of NER... Marcas gets made fun of for having the sniffles. Meanwhile Cacique and Pasqual welcome NFL Hall of Famer Dermontti Dawson to the show.

Click here to listen.

Episode 38: Strengths and Weaknesses

On another episode of New Era Radio... Marcas prepares for CARMAGEDDON; the guys find out what it's like to work security for Shaq; the biggest problem with James Harrison's Men's Journal interview; and Cacique's Planet of the Apes fascination.

Troy Polamalu: Super Bowl Champion, Pro Bowler...College Graduate

Friday was Commencement Day at USC and among the hosts of student-athletes that received diplomas was a face very familiar to NFL fans.

Troy Polamalu was among those who celebrated graduation day in Los Angeles after returning to finish a degree in history. But he wasn't the only former Trojan football player who returned to school. Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers went back to finish a degree in Public Policy Development and Planning.

(H/T to Arash Markazi)

Episode 28: Champagne Room With A View

On the latest episode of NER...Should the Steelers be forced to apologize for Rashard Mendenhall's tweets? Marcas continues his weekly bitching about Frank McCourt's mismanagement and Cacique convinces everyone that strip clubs are the place to be.

Hines Ward Held At Gunpoint!

If it wasn’t tough enough to be a Steeler this day and age (Thanks a lot Bin Laden) , then it must be really hard to be a Dancing With The Stars contestant. Not only to compound the problem you’re DWB (Driving While Being Black) as well. In this case is DWK&B? That is driving while being Driving While Being Korean and Black for all of those who are not down.
Apparently Hines Ward of your Pittsburgh Steelers was pulled over for being this just thing.

http://www.tmz.com/ reports:
Ward, in Southern California while competing on the ABC reality show "Dancing With The Stars", was a passenger in a Honda Civic when LAPD officers pulled the car over around 2 a.m. Soon after, he and the driver, an unnamed woman, were removed from the vehicle at gunpoint.
Sources told TMZ when the officers ran the license plate of the Civic, they discovered it was a car that had been reported stolen. The woman explained she had been the one who reported the vehicle was stolen, but then failed to notify authorities when she eventually recovered her car.
Ward also reportedly was very patient and cooperative with the officers while the confusion was being sorted out. Law enforcement officials told TMZ that he and the woman were then allowed to drive off "without further incident."

At least she didn't scream "He got weed, he got weed!"

The NFL Lockout...Simplified (And Animated)

Does the NFL/NFLPA/CBA/NLRB alphabet soup gotcha down? Too many names, dates and locations to remember? Just hoping that someone could put it all together in a crudely animated CGI news report designed to give you a basic outline of what's going on? 

Well the good folks of Taiwan-based NMA have you covered. The same people who broke down the Tiger Woods scandal, reported on the Chinese serial foot licker and investigated whether it was Suge Knight who had Tupac Shakur killed have now set their sights on the National Football League's labor strife.

From what we can tell, some random white guys wearing Peyton Manning and Tom Brady jerseys are representing the players interests while other white guys in suits toss the pigskin around inside of empty stadiums. All the while, President Barack Obama is tasked with pardoning a flock of chickens that were apparently bound for sports bars all across the country.

Oh and Hines Ward is a white guy.

Monday's Birthday Shout-Out: Lynn Swann Goes Head Over Heels

Hall of Famer and former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann was known for his feats of athleticism on the football field. So it stands to reason that he would have been a standout in that bastion of 1970s television - The Superstars.

Sporting a lopsided afro and a 'stache that would make the hippest hipster proud, Swann smoked a British track athlete named David Hemery - who looks a bit like former Monty Python cast member Eric Idle with a mustache.

Swann didn't win the competition that year (it went to a soccer player named Kyle Rote, Jr.) but NFL players had a pretty good run during the 28 years the show ran on American television, winning 13 times. Of course, Swann has gone on to television broadcasting and politics - including an unsuccessful run for Pennsylvania governor in 2008. 

Apparently not wanting to stray too far from football, he also has an ownership stake in the Pittsburgh Power of the revamped Arena Football League, who play their inaugural game on Friday against Bon Jovi's Philadelphia Soul. Word is, the Power's championship hopes are living on a prayer.

Okay, I'll stop now.

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Wednesday's Birthday Shout-Out: Big Ben Plans a Career Move?

With the clock ticking down toward the expiration of the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, some NFL players are trying to figure out what they'll do if there's no football in the fall.

Considering the recent offseason allegations that seem to chase Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger like a sack-hungry defensive end, you wonder how he'll cope with not having his days occupied from August to January. Although I have it on good authority that after his last go 'round with the legal system, Ben stocked up on DVDs and BluRay discs for perpetual Blockbuster Nights.

But beyond that, it appears Roethlisberger has spent some time trying on a brand new bag.

He's got a better looking jumpshot than Shawn Mario. But should we tell him the NBA is probably headed for a lockout, too?

Episode #16: Jerry Sloan v. Deron Williams - The Brouha In Utah!

The NERDs (New Era Radio Dudes) argue Jerry Sloan v. D-Will, Ray Allen v. Paul Pierce and Nicki Minaj v. Fergie...and Marcas takes on the Turtle Diet (the animal, not the Entourage'r)

Pouncey Is 75% That He Will Be In Huddle

Steelers All Pro Rookie Center Maurkice Pouncey is telling folks on Media Day that there is a 75% chance that he will be on the field giving snaps to Big Ben. This is great news for the Black & Yellow, for that Pouncey earlier was diagnosed with a sprained ligamate. He has now been upgraded to a high ankle sprain which into itself takes almost 4 weeks to heal.

Will the Packers take advantage of 25% that is not healed? We will see.

Ward and Taylor Supporting Single Mothers

The Pittsburgh Post Gazzette-Reveiw reports:

ARLINGTON, Texas — Hines Ward and Ike Taylor on Tuesday refuted an online report that they headed to a Dallas strip club only hours after landing here for Super Bowl XLV.

Ward, Taylor and a number of other "huge linemen" were seen partying at Dallas Gentlemen's Club on Monday night, Dallas Morning News reporter Gromer Jeffers Jr. wrote on his blog.

"Ward, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, danced with a couple of strippers. At one point, he tossed out dollars while receiving lap dances. Other Steelers joined him," according to the report.

Ward denied being at the club but admitted he went out for "a little bit" and "had a good time." He said he was back at the team hotel by 11:45 p.m.

Jeffers posted the blog entry at 10:50 p.m.

Ward seemed caught off-guard by the questions early during his one-hour session at media day at Cowboys Stadium, especially when a reporter said he heard Ward was at a gentleman's club the night before.

"Who did you hear that from?" Ward said. "I wasn't there."

Ward didn't deny going out, but when asked where he went, he smiled and said, "It's none of your business."

A manager with the strip club declined to comment, saying it's policy not to divulge who their customers are.

According to Taylor, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sought him out for an explanation.

"I don't even know how my name got into it, but it's cool," Taylor said. "It's Super Bowl week, and they're looking for a story. That's all I'm going to say."

Tomlin did not have a curfew in place for the team Monday but does the rest of the week.

"Coach Tomlin isn't going to put restrictions on grown men," Ward said. "We know what's at stake. All coach Tomlin asks us to do is don't be that guy. Don't get arrested, don't go out there and do anything stupid. We are going to have fun. (Monday) was our first time here, so a lot of guys were going to have fun, but after media day it's about football.

"People are always going to tweet and do stuff," Ward added. "I don't live my life for other people. I know what I am as a person and what I mean to this organization, and I would never do anything to jeopardize my family or do anything stupid."

Jeremy Piven calls Big Ben "Rapist-berger"

Maybe it's because Jeremy Piven is just a bitter Bears fan. Or maybe he's channeling Ari Gold. Either way, the caustic actor was filmed by TMZ sounding off on what he expects to be a pretty lame Super Bowl between Ben "Rapist-berger and the Cheese Heads."

While kicking it at the Sundance Film Festival, Piven aired his thoughts on this week's big game only to realize all too late that the whole thing was being recorded for posterity.

The bad news for Piven may not be that he comes off looking like a douche - after all, he has a long history of that and doesn't really seem all that bothered by it. The bad news may be that it does give Big Ben grounds for a defamation suit. After all, while Roethlisberger has been accused (twice), he's never actually been found guilty of rape.

While he's at it, Ben could toss these guys in with Piven.

Calling All Strippers: Dallas Needs You!

With just over a week until the kickoff of Super Bowl XLV, the American sporting public turns its lonely eyes to Dallas. While the Packers and Steelers will provide the main course for the week, it seems as though the city is a little low on appetizers.

According to TMZ, one strip club operator has put out the call for more dancers to make their way to DFW for some Super Stripping. From TMZ:

John Walsh -- the guy who runs Showtime Cabaret -- tells TMZ, his fine establishment employs 50 lovely ladies ... but he's in the market for another 100-120 lap dancers to get down for the big weekend -- STAT!

All told, Walsh (who shouldn't be confused with the host of America's Most Wanted) says that about 10,000 strippers may be needed to help service the 30 mile zone around Dallas. Looks like some of those early revenue estimates may need to be revised.

New Era Radio Episode #14: It's Not Easy Being Green

On this week's exciting episode of New Era Radio...Marcas goes on a diet! The boys decide which classic hip-hop albums deserve a re-release. Oh, and they break down the NFC and AFC championship games (if you're into that sort of thing).

Clay Matthews Is Suave...And So Is His New Endorsement Deal

Is this hair better than...

First it was Bud Bowl. Then the Puppy Bowl and the Lingerie Bowl. Could we now be set up for the Hair Bowl, featuring Troy Polamalu and Clay Matthews?

According to CNBC's Darren Rovell, the Packers' stud linebacker with the flowing, blond locks has signed a one-year deal with Unilever to market a newly-formulated men's shampoo under the Suave brand. The contract includes appearances before and after the Super Bowl as well as a production day that could include filming a commercial. The deal allows Matthews to have his hair trimmed a bit, but he isn't allowed to shave it off for at least a year.

...this hair?

It's somewhat surprising that it took this long for someone to ink Matthews to a deal considering he may have the second most recognizable hair in the NFL combined with his rapid rise to stardom. And it's not like Matthews hasn't been trying to snag an endorsement deal.

From CNBC:

"I've been throwing it out there and just getting shunned," Matthews said on Monday. "I don't know what it is...America, I'm looking for a hair deal."

Well, Clay...congratulations. You've got it. Although he may want to walk across the way and shake hands with Polamalu. This all comes after the Steelers' safety had his hair insured for $1 million by Head and Shoulders back in August. It's hard to imagine that this would have been in the works without Matthews' team getting set to line it up against Polamalu's team in the Super Bowl. Nonetheless, kudos to Suave for making it happen.

Strip Club Owner Banking On Bears-Jets Super Bowl

With the NFL set to host its AFC and NFC Championship games on Sunday, football fans are deciding which of the four possible Super Bowl matchups would be the most entertaining. While this is one of those years in which the NFL wins either way (four great football markets with large, rabid fanbases and great storylines), it appears that a Dallas-area strip club operator has his wallet heart set on seeing two particular teams get there.

Eric Langan, CEO of Rick's Cabaret says a Chicago Bears-New York Jets Super Bowl could mean a boost of up to $2 million for his clubs in the DFW area. From Reuters:

"We estimate, worst case, it will be about an additional $1 million in revenue for us," he said in a telephone interview, adding the company did about that much extra during the Super Bowl in Miami last year.

"But if we get a New York-Chicago Bears Super Bowl, then it could be really big," Langan added, citing the size of the cities. "We could be as high as $2 million."

It's no secret that hosting a Super Bowl is a huge financial boost to the local market. Hotels, restaurants, bars, taxi cabs all see a major boost in revenue for the week that the entire American sporting public focuses its beer-goggled gaze at the lucky city. You can add strip clubs to that list as well. But only $1 million last year? In Miami? C'mon, sports fans. You can do better than that. It's even more disappointing when you consider the women of Rick's picked the Saints to win it all.

Then again, Langan knows what he's talking about. According to a 2008 profile in Forbes Magazine, Rick's was (literally) a heartbeat away from setting up shop inside Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas which would have been the first gentlemen's club ever inside of a casino along The Strip. Which, come to think of it, would have been the perfect name for the place.

Forget Bart Scott's "Can't wait!", it appears that Rick's Cabaret has thrown down the gauntlet to you, Packer and Steeler fans. Are you really willing to be outdone by the depravity of New Yorkers and Chicagoans? Are you ready to prove that you can spend thousands of dollars one at a time? We know you can handle snow, but are you willing to make it rain? We await your answer.