MAY 2014 | 16wmarketing

NEWS - MAY 2014

Kyle Long Throws First Pitch, Takes Over White Sox Twitter

CSN Chicago May 28th, 2014

Kyle Long threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Wednesday at the White Sox game and then interacted with some fans on the team Twitter page.

But before that, the Bears had to make sure that Long would remain in an orange and blue uniform and convert to a black and white.

Here's the funny exchange between the two accounts.

After that, the Bears guard took over the White Sox Twitter page and it got pretty funny.

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Howie Long Sounds Off on the Oakland Raiders

Paul Gutierrez May 29th, 2014

Howie Long may have spent only one of his 13 Hall of Fame seasons in Oakland -- the other 12 years were when the Raiders called Los Angeles home -- but he still keeps tabs on the East Bay goings-on by his old team, and likes what he’s seen thus far this offseason.

I caught up with Long on the phone Wednesday for my upcoming book, “100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” and I also got the eight-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman’s take on current issues surrounding Oakland.

His eldest son, Chris, was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2008 NFL draft and is a standout defensive end with the St. Louis Rams, while his middle son, Kyle, was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie right guard last season with the Chicago Bears. His youngest, Howie Jr., works in football operations for the Oakland Raiders.

So, yeah, Long feels a certain kinship with Raiders owner Mark Davis.

“I’m really happy for Mark,” said Long, who is a longtime NFL host on Fox. “Having sons that are following a famous dad, I understand some of the pressures that we are under and he is under. He’s smart enough to understand the history [of the franchise], but he’s also smart enough to know what he doesn’t know. He wants to put the team in the best position to succeed. We had dug ourselves a big hole.”

Yes, Long said “we” and was referring to the salary-cap hell faced by his former teammate, general manager Reggie McKenzie, as well as a dearth of draft picks. Long said the Raiders had to take “four steps back just to get even” over the past few years.

And with Oakland going out and signing a cast of veterans who may have already seen their best days but still seemingly have something left in the tank, Long sees a certain similarity to the Raiders’ halcyon days when they found the likes of Ted Hendricks, John Matuszak, Jim Plunkett and Lyle Alzado.

“At a good price,” Long said of the current Raiders’ relatively cheap signings of Justin Tuck,LaMarr Woodley, Antonio Smith and James Jones.

“But you build through the draft. Would they have liked to have gotten that big receiver? Sure. But I don’t think they could have scripted it any better. To get [Khalil] Mack and then the quarterback [Derek Carr] in the second round? Wow, that kid throws a good ball.”

And after saying the Raiders’ offensive line and quarterback situations were “all over the place” last season, Long added, “now, it’s stable.

“I really like the direction we’re heading. We’ve got to get a stadium, though. That’s paramount. That’s paramount to success. Playing half your games on a baseball field? That was fine in 1981, when a number of teams were doing it.”

Long laughed. Oakland is the lone team in the 32-team NFL to share a stadium with a Major League Baseball team. In Long’s rookie season of 1981, 15 of the NFL’s then-28 teams shared a stadium with an MLB franchise.

Long, whose 84 sacks rank second in franchise history to Greg Townsend’s 107.5, even as the sack did not become an official statistic until Long’s second season, also had a challenge for current Raiders players.

“You want to be rich? You want to be famous? Win in that uniform,” he said. “That brand is as good as it gets.

“I’m a Raider for life, and I don’t apologize for it. That may be hard for some people to understand. But that’s how it is.”

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Jim Kelly Emotionally Reacts to Last Round of Radiation Treatments

Inquisitr May 30th, 2014

Jim Kelly, a Buffalo Bills football hero and legend, has had his share of battles on and off the field. Nothing could have prepared Jim for the personal battle he faced with sinus cancer or the recurrence of the disease, but he bravely fought and underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments.

Happily, Jim Kelly’s chemotherapy treatments finally ended a little over a week ago, according to NESN. This was followed by the final round of radiation treatments. Jim Kelly has been battling cancer since it was diagnosed in June, 2013. Jim had to have surgery to remove a part of his upper jaw bone in order to finally be free of the cancer, but unfortunately the cancer returned and was diagnosed again in March.

Jill Kelly, wife of Jim Kelly, has been at his side all the way through his ordeal and has often publicly tweeted about Jim’s battle with cancer. Luckily for fans of the beloved football star, she was able to capture Kelly on video leaving the hospital after his final radiation treatment and interacting with his supporters. Mrs. Kelly also posted a picture of Jim with his supporters on her Instagram account.

As Jim Kelly walked out of the hospital on Wednesday, he was greeted by family and friends wearing matching shirts which read, “Kelly Tough.” Supporters of the Pro Football Hall of Famer cheered as Jim left the hospital with his family, and Jim joyfully high-fived the long line of supporters as he walked among them.

Jim Kelly was very obviously emotional and told the crowd that he could not talk, but he still thanked them tearfully for their support. Family and friends were emotional and cheered for Kelly and his speech, and some encouraged him to save his voice and not to talk. Kelly went on to say that he still has “a long way to go” but assured his friends and family that he was still going to be around for a long time and attending parties with their continued support.

According to ESPN, Dr. Peter D. Constantino believed that Jim Kelly’s cancer was “very treatable and potentially curable.” Dr. Constantino led Jim’s treatment in Manhattan at Lenox Hill Hospital.

It may be a few months before it is revealed how the treatments have worked for Jim Kelly. According to Constantino, “At the conclusion of chemotherapy and radiation, we will wait two to three months to determine the status of his cancer before deciding if surgery will be necessary.”