The Los Angeles Dodgers may have another New Yorker in charge, and this time – their name isn’t Joe Torre.

Jared Kushner, 31, the owner and publisher of the Observer Media Group, the media organization responsible for the New York Observer, has emerged as a possible contender to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers according to the Associated Press.

Kushner, who purchased the Observer in 2006, would become the youngest owner in Major League Baseball if he is successful for his bid.

In addition to Kushner, eight other interested parties have moved to the second round of the ownership “sweepstakes” in the wake of MLB taking over the team after the divorce proceedings of Frank and Jamie McCourt, the previous owners.

Kushner is credited with expanding the reach of the Observer and investing in supplementary ventures to expand the Observer’s reach online.

In a dramatic finish, the New York Giants have defeated the New England Patriots, 21-17, in Superbowl XLVI in Indianapolis on Sunday night.

The Giants and Patriots repeated their last matchup from 2008, where the Giants defeated the undefeated Patriots 17-14.

Eli Manning, the Giants quarterback, was awarded the Superbowl MVP.

This is the four Superbowl win for the Giants and the second under Manning and coach Tom Coughlin. The Giants previously won in 1986 and 1990 under coach Bill Parcells with quarterback Phil Simms leading the way.

The Patriots, who won in 2001, 2003, and 2004, are now more than a decade from their team’s turning point to become perennial Superbowl contenders. Prior to 2001, the Patriots had never won a Superbowl.

The Giants will also be returning to the University at Albany this summer, according to the university’s vice president of athletic administration. No doubt the Superbowl win will ensure record-setting crowds will hit the uptown campus.

Two titles were contested, but it was the local fighters on the undercard that came out the stars of  Saturday night’s “KO at the TU” despite a disappointing crowd of 600 to 800 fans.

The fight card was the first boxing event to be held at the Times Union Center in fifteen years, when it was known as the Pepsi Arena. In the main event, undefeated heavyweight prospect Joe Hanks successfully defended his IBA Americas Heavyweight Championship against the towering “Cuban-Cajun Giant” Rafael Pedro, who was unable to continue after what appeared to be a right shoulder separation that occurred 48 seconds into the second round.

Pedro was aggressive early against the technically sound and charismatic Hank, and perhaps over-eager as he was warned twice by referee Charlie Fitch for landing shots to the back of the head. That early explosiveness, however, was countered by Hanks’ patience, and he unleashed a barrage on Pedro that had him on the ropes to end the first. The shoulder injury occurred early in the second during an exchange Pedro was losing Hanks, who felt he was on his way to a win and that Pedro had quit on the fight, was visibly upset when it was waved off. After talking to Pedro and his corner, however, he seemed to get a different perspective and was far more cordial.

In the co-main event of the evening, Sahib Usarov made the trip all the way from Moscow to win the vacant WBO Intercontinental Bantamweight Championship from 2004 Light Flyweight Olympic gold medalist Yan Barthelemy. The smaller fighters put on a technical clinic that didn’t go over well with the rowdy and largely unappreciative Albany crowd that showed a clear preference for larger fighters and quick finishes. After ten closely contested rounds, the judges gave Sahib a Unanimous Decision (98-91, 96-93, 96-93), sending the Cuban native Barthelemy back to Orlando frustrated and empty-handed.

The real star of the night for the live crowd, however, was a far less seasoned local fighter fighting at the top of the preliminary bouts. Catskill’s Kevin Rooney Jr., came out for only his fourth professional bout to cheers and chants that made the crowd of less than a thousand sound like a sell-out. Rooney made easy work of Stanley Harvey, a fighter whose unorthodox and wild swings were unable to shake or deter Rooney en route to a Unanimous Decision victory.

The evening started in quick and explosive fashion with Albany native Mike Seitz making his professional debut with a knockout victory over Brooklyn’s Karim Richardson just two minutes into the first round. The crowd barely had time to recover from the excitement when Schenectady’s Bryan Abraham came out for the second fight of the evening and provided another first round finish, beating Rochester’s Darnell Jiles by TKO with only one second remaining in the round.

The next fight saw the third consecutive knockout of the evening, but it took a bit longer to get there. An undefeated and highly touted prospect, Jason Escalera made it clear from the outset that he was the better fighter. But his opponent,Marcus Brooks, wasn’t going to make it easy for him and showed extraordinary resilience and stamina.  Escalera hit hard in the first round, but Brooks hit more often. Just a minute into the second round, however, it became clear the fight belonged to Escalera as he battered his opponent around the ring, hitting him with hard rights and body shots that would have finished most other opponents.

Brooks finally went down in the third, but got back up and to the surprise and delight of the live crowd was not only eager but able to re-engage Escalero. The round ended with Brooks taking yet another flurry of punches that had him on rubber legs as he made his way to his corner, betraying the inevitable outcome. Just forty-five seconds into the fourth round, Brooks went down again. Surprisingly, referee Patrick Izzo allowed the bout to continue, but as tough as he was, Brooks went back down just fourteen seconds later and the fight was over.

The event was sure to be a disappointment in terms of attendance, but promoters Star Boxing promised a return to the area. Television reality star Ray J, the younger brother of famed 90s R&B singer Brandi who gained infamy through a sex tape with Kim Kardashian that was leaked to the internet in 2007, announced that business partner Evander Holyfield would be in attendance at the next event. Though they remained optimistic, they were also diplomatically careful with their wording, choosing only to promise a return to the Albany area and not necessarily a follow-up at the Times Union Center.

No date has been set for Star Boxing’s return to the Albany area.

COMPLETE RESULTS

Light Heavyweight bout: Mike Seitz (1-0, 1KO) def. Karim Richardson (0-1) by KO, 2:00 of Round 1

Junior Welterweight bout:  Bryan Abraham (6-10-2, 6KO) def. Darnell Jiles (8-3-1, 3KO) via TKO, 2:59 of Round 1

Super Middleweight bout: Jason Escalera (13-0, 12KO) def. Marcus Brooks (7-9, 3KO) via TKO, 1:09 of Round 4

Middleweight Bout: Kevin Rooney, Jr. (3-1, 1KO) def. Stanley Harvey (1-2, 1KO) via Unanimous Decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36)

WBO Intercontinental Bantamweight Championship: Sahib Usarov (18-0, 7KO) def. Yan Barthelemy (12-3, 4KO) by Unanimous Decision (98-91, 96-93, 96-93)

IBA Americas Heavyweight Championship: Joe Hanks (19-0, 12KO) def. Rafael Pedro (21-10-1, 15KO) via Injury TKO, 0:48 of Round 2

This past weekend Marian Gaborik was crowned the MVP of the All-Star game after he recorded a hat trick and an assist as he led Team Chara to the win. For an All-Star weekend that lacked the two most well known faces of hockey in Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, there was still plenty of excitement to go around.

The all-star fantasy draft format was back by popular demand and was even more fun than last year. It was funny to see players like Gaborik get picked to play against their teammates like Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who was the assistant captain of Team Alfredsson. An interesting twist to the fantasy draft is that the last man picked by the team captains wins a brand new car. Getting picked last probably doesn’t seem so bad to San Jose’s Logan Couture, who decided to give the car to his brother.

The Boston Bruins’ 6-foot-9 captain, Zdeno Chara, highlighted the skills competition when he broke his own and the NHL’s previous record for hardest slap shot with a whopping 108.8mph shot. It’s his fifth consecutive win in the Hardest Shot Competition. I feel for any defenseman who puts his body on the line to block one of those slap shots. I’m sure for next year, Chara will be aiming to break the world record of 114.1mph that was set at this years KHL Skills Competition even though that record was set at a closer distance to the goal.

The NHL’s All-Star weekend is more watchable and exciting than people think. This year’s breakaway challenge reminded me more of the NBA’s iconic dunk contest than any of the years past.  Some of the highlights of the breakaway challenge were goalie Carey Price making a save facing his own net, Patrick Kane putting on the superman cape, then proceeding to smash the gag puck into about six pieces and Corey Perry pulling a mini-stick from under his jersey and scoring with it. It really is the hockey version of the dunk contest.

Now that the All-Star game is over with, it’s time to start thinking about the playoffs. With less than half the season left, the New York Rangers still sit atop of the Eastern Conference with 67 points, one point ahead of the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. The Rangers face a tough schedule ahead, playing seven potential playoff teams during the next 10 game stretch. Coach John Tortorella is still set on giving Lundqvist multiple scheduled days off to try and keep him fresh for the playoffs, so backup goaltender Martin Biron is going to need to play well when he starts.

If captain Ryan Callahan and Marian Gaborik can keep playing at a high level, the Rangers should be able to survive this gauntlet of tough games and stay at the top of the eastern conference. The Rangers are fast, talented, young and have one of the best goalies in the NHL. There always seems to be high expectations for the New York Rangers, but this year they look like they could meet those expectations.

As the New Jersey Nets prepare to make their move to Brooklyn from New Jersey, using the slogan, “Jersey Strong, Brooklyn Ready,” another major league team is preparing to possibly make a move from “Strong” Island to the borough of Kings.

The New York Islanders announced they will play the first National Hockey League game at Barclays Center, the new multi-million arena in Downtown Brooklyn, on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012. Ironically, they will play the New Jersey Devils, who moved from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. to their own arena in Newark, the Prudential Center. The game will also mark the first ever hockey game played in Brooklyn.

“We’re extremely excited to play the first NHL game in the new, state-of-the-art Barclays Center,” Islanders General Manager Garth Snow said in a statement. “We already have some of the most passionate fans in the league supporting our young team, and we are looking forward to expanding our base into Brooklyn.”

Speculation arising over the Islanders relocation has been fierce since Long Island voters rejected a $400 million bond plan to finance a replacement to Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale. With Barclays Center being able to handle an NHL-regulation ice rink, a move to Brooklyn may be easier for the Islanders than building a new arena or rehabbing the coliseum.

The arena will officially open days earlier, as Jay-Z will play a series of concerts.

“We feel Brooklyn is an untapped hockey market that offers the Islanders with an exciting opportunity to grow its fan base,” Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark said. “Barclays Center will also afford current Islander fans with great accessibility, as the Long Island Rail Road and nine subway lines will come directly to the arena at the Atlantic Terminal transit hub.”

The on sale date has yet to be announced.

Could Cousin Vinny play JoePa in a future biopic?

With this morning’s report that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno passed away, speculation always arises after an individual’s death of a potential biographical film. After singer Michael Jackson’s death, his estate announced that a biopic was “in the works” with actor Will Smith and singer Bruno Wars as possible contenders to play the late King of Pop.

Paterno, who led Penn State for most of his adult life, would have more than enough information to have a biopic made that would go from his time at Brown University, taking over as head coach of the Nittany Lions, and eventually falling due to Jerry Sandusky’s child sex scandal.

With his trademark Italian-American, Brooklyn-accent, a possible casting for Paterno could be Joe Pesci. Pesci, 68, has largely retired from acting but has appeared in 2006′s The Good Shepherd and 2010′s Love Ranch.

Pesci won an Academy Award in 1990 for Goodfellas and no doubt if a Paterno biopic was well done, a Pesci performance could be Oscar-material. Pesci would bring a certain tenacity to the role, especially in the fire that Paterno displayed on the field and in the press.

Tributes continue. The tributes for the long time coach have coming in from luminaries such as former President George H.W. Bush and current Penn. Gov. Tom Corbett, as well as Paterno’s former assistant Jerry Sandusky.

“I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Joe Paterno. He was an outstanding American who was respected not only on the field of play but in life generally – and he was, without a doubt, a true icon in the world of sports. I was proud that he was a friend of mine. Barbara and I send our condolences to his devoted wife Suzanne and to his wonderful family” – President George H.W. Bush

“Susan and I were saddened to learn of Joe Paterno’s passing. His legacy as the winningest coach in major college football and his generosity to Penn State as an institution and to his players stand as monuments to his life. As both man and coach, Joe Paterno confronted adversities, both past and present, with grace and forbearance. His place in our state’s history is secure.” – Penn. Gov. Tom Corbett.

“This is a sad day! Our family, Dottie and I would like to convey our deepest sympathy to Sue and her family. Nobody will be able to take away the memories we all shared of a great man, his family, and all the wonderful people who were a part of his life. He maintained a high standard in a very difficult profession. Joe preached toughness, hard work and clean competition. Most importantly, he had the courage to practice what he preached.” – Jerry Sandusky.

Just three months after he was fired after 46 seasons as head coach of Penn State’s Nittany Lions football team due to the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal , legendary football coach Joe Paterno is dead at 85, succumbing to lung cancer Sunday morning.

Paterno’s death had been misreported earlier by Penn State’s college newspaper Saturday night, in which their managing editor apologized and resigned.

The Brooklyn, N.Y. native started his football career at Brown University, playing corner back. In 1950, he followed one of Brown’s football coaches to State College, Pa., home of Penn State.

After 16 years as an assistant, Paterno was named head coach of the Nittany Lions in 1966, where he would ultimately stay for the rest of his career.

In 1969, Paterno was offered to head coach the Pittsburgh Steelers – a decision in which he seriously considered. The job ultimately went to Chuck Noll, who led the Steelers to four titles under quarterback Terry Bradshaw.

Paterno led Penn State to two national titles in 1982 and 1986 and had been considered a possible head coach for the New York Giants from the late 1970s through the early 1980s before Bill Parcells took the position.

Due to his advancing age and mediocre gameplay by Penn State, there was debate in 2004 whether Paterno should retire. Paterno ultimately silenced his critics that year, winning the Big Ten in 2005 and again in 2008.

It was ultimately the culture of “JoePa” and Happy Valley that would bring the ultimate shock of concealing the alleged child abuse that occurred at Penn State by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. In 2002, then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary had gone to Paterno, informing him on what he saw.

Paterno then waited a day to inform the university, but not police officials – something that Pennsylvania State Police’s superintendent called a “moral obligation” that Paterno failed.

The Penn State Board of Trustees, due to the scandal rising to heights unbearable, decided to fire Paterno instead of allowing him to retire by the season’s end. The university’s president, Graham Spanier, also was fired as result.

A day after firing, Paterno’s son Scott informed the public that his father was suffering from a treatable form of lung cancer. However, the treatments took their toll on Paterno, as the Washington Post reported in their interview (his last) that the coach looked frail, talked with a whisper, and was wearing a wig.

Paterno’s adoration for Penn State and commitment to the university – especially for keeping high marks for students within the football program – garnered praise.

Paterno is survived by his wife and their three children.

Time Warner Cable customers will have to find an alternative home for Rangers hockey and Knicks basketball as the Madison Square Garden (MSG) network will be cut off for subscribers at 12:01 a.m. EST, according to MSG Media.

The cable system provider, which provides cable services to the Capital Region and the tri-state area, has yet to reach an agreement with MSG Media. After 12:01 a.m., only customers of Verizon Fios and AT&T will be able to view MSG until a deal is made.

“No agreement is expected to be reached for Time Warner Cable to continue to carry MSG Network and MSG+. Therefore, as of midnight tonight, MSG Network and MSG+ will be dropped from the Time Warner Cable channel lineup,” said MSG Media in a statement released at 8 p.m. Saturday night.

Reportedly, MSG Media wanted an increase for the fee collected from Time Warner Cable from its subscribers, in which negotiations have stalled in recent weeks.

MSG, which is part of the larger Cablevision-influenced network of companies, owns the Rangers and the Knicks directly.

The best known names at Fight Night VII at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Friday night were brothers Shawn and Shannon Miller from Troy. Light Heavyweight Shawn (5-1-1, 3 KO) chose his shots carefully, and scored some solid combos. This earned him a first round knockdown against Mark Anderson (2-3-1, 2 KO) and for him – an unanimous decision. His brother Shannon Miller (16-5-0, 9 KO) returned from retirement to beat Montreal’s Taffo Asongwed (2-9-6, 0 KO) by unanimous decision as well.

Shannon returned to boxing after donating half of his liver to his uncle. Realizing the high costs that donors incurred, he created Knock Out Liver Disease (KOLD) to help defray these costs for donors and their families. Tonight’s victories were special for both of the Shannon brothers, who donated their entire purses to KOLD.

The show was stolen however, by two welterweights: Colonie’s Javier Martinez and Troy’s Ray Velez. Both welterweights came into the fight with 2-0-0 records, each with one KO. Early in the fight, Velez seemed unable to find his rhythm against the untraditional, jerky stick and move foot and head work of Martinez. By round three however, Velez hit his stride, and was able to score some solid hits after cutting off the ring and forcing Martinez to fight him head on. Halfway through the fourth and final round, Velez cornered Martinez and both fighters landed multiple flurries. By the time a clinch ended the corner fighting, it appeared that Velez would come out on top. In the middle of the ring, Velez forced Martinez to fight toe-to-toe, but the talented Martinez showed that he could do this as well, and scored a clean straight right, dropping Velez to the mat with less than thirty seconds left to fight.

After winning the match by unanimous decision, Martinez immediately thanked Velez. The show of sportsmanship by a young fighter was much appreciated by the crowd. Martinez went on to say that the two had to “fight for peanuts” and that including training time, the two made two dollars an hour.

No matter how Martinez came to that number, he and Velez made sure that the spectators got their money ‘s worth, and I’m certain that fight fans throughout the Capital Region will be excited to attend Fight Night VIII.

The New York Knicks raised some eyebrows this past weekend when they won the free agency frenzy by scooping up the most coveted free agent out there, Tyson Chandler. New York may have just added the missing piece of the puzzle, something they’ve lacked for years. They finally have a sound, defensive center for the first time since Patrick Ewing. The Knicks are once again relevant.

It would have been great to see Chris Paul land in New York but it seems like it’s just not meant to be. I guess David Stern did give us a slight glimmer of hope last week when he nixed a deal that would have sent Paul to the Lakers, but it’s still pretty unlikely. (What a mess Stern created with that one.) Though to be honest, Tyson Chandler seems like a better fit for the Knicks’ system and Tony Douglas has played pretty well in his limited time at point guard. Chandler is a great defensive center who can play big minutes when you need him and he also finally allows Amare Stoudemire to play his true position at power forward. He has continued to improve over the last few years and was a huge part of the Mavericks’ championship win over the Heat last season. The big plays he continually came up with around the rim frustrated “the big three” throughout the series against Miami.

Knick fans have tried to block out the absolute tragedy that was the Eddy Curry signing back in 2005. The tandem of a 7-foot monster (Eddy Curry) and a 6-foot-9 scoring machine (Zach Randolph) had the potential to be great, but things didn’t exactly work out the way they should have. The only big numbers Curry put up in New York were the ones on the scale that he weighed in on. His weight increased as his stats and minutes decreased, and Zach Randolph couldn’t put the handle the workload all by himself. Randolph was eventually traded but the team still struggled to clear up cap space and win games.

It took more than a few bad seasons to overcome the $60 million mistake that was Eddy Curry’s contract, but finally it looks like the New York Knicks are building a team that can compete for a championship. They have a frontcourt that can produce on both sides of the ball and one of the most dominant scorers in the league, Carmelo Anthony. Chandler’s production will be key this season as the team will rely on him heavily for much needed defensive leadership. The Knicks may not be a finished product, but they are being built to take a serious run at the reigning Eastern Conference Champions Miami Heat. The important word in that last sentence is “built.” Building a cohesive and stable team has proved to be much more successful and fan friendly than just throwing a bunch of all-stars together. Just ask the Eagles or Heat how that worked out for them.

The “New Look” New York Knicks should match up well against pretty much any team in the NBA and will undoubtedly be one of the more exciting teams to watch. They still have some role player needs but with Carmelo pouring in 40 point games, Amare racking up double doubles and now Chandler clogging up the lane, the team is looking good. The Knicks know who they are and they are aware of their expectations, I’m confident they won’t let us down. The NBA season starts in less than a week and a half and I couldn’t be more excited.