Freeney hurt, questionable for the big game

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)
Dwight Freeney's injured ankle is ``really bad'' and could keep him out of the Super Bowl, a person close to the All-Pro defensive end told The Associated Press in an e-mail Sunday night.

The person requested anonymity because the information differed from what the Indianapolis Colts said earlier in the day. The team insisted that Freeney has a low ankle sprain and remains questionable for the game against the New Orleans Saints.

``He is under the care of our athletic training staff,'' Colts spokesman Craig Kelley said. ``Nothing we have seen changes our diagnosis that he is questionable. He has a third-degree, low basketball sprain.''

Earlier Sunday, ESPN.com reported that Freeney had torn a ligament, which would make it ``difficult'' for Freeney to play Sunday against New Orleans.

The pass rusher has 13 1/2 sacks, the sixth time in eight NFL seasons he's had at least 10.

The Colts have been concerned about Freeney since the former league sacks champion hurt his right ankle with about 2 minutes left in last week's AFC championship game. He pulled up short of New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez on a pass rush, hopped for a couple of steps and then limped off the field.

Trainers initially wanted to put Freeney's foot in a walking boot, but he didn't wear it after the Colts' 30-17 victory. Freeney did not practice Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and has not been available to reporters since the game.

``Dwight is one of our best players, we know that,'' Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said Sunday night during the Pro Bowl. ``But all season long Coach Caldwell has talked about picking up the bayonet. Someone's got to step up. If Dwight were not to be able to go that would be tough, but somebody else will step up and we'll feel confident in whoever that is.''

On Monday, team president Bill Polian told radio listeners he expected Freeney to play against the Saints. Caldwell didn't sound as optimistic early in the week, noting that starting cornerback Jerraud Powers was further along in his recovery from a foot injury than Freeney.

By Friday, Caldwell appeared to be on the same page with Polian.

``He's coming along well, he's getting better and we're hoping for the best,'' Caldwell said before Friday's practice.

Even if he can play, Freeney's effectiveness could still be an issue.

Freeney uses his incredible speed, remarkable spin moves and leverage to attack opponents. If he's not 100 percent, it would limit what he can do in the biggest game of the season.

But Freeney also has a history of healing fast, including earlier this season, when he returned seven days after hurting his quadriceps - an injury that some reports said would keep him out up to three weeks. That was in late September.

Freeney did not miss a game until Nov. 29 at Houston, when he sat out with an abdominal injury. The only other game he missed this season was the regular-season finale at Buffalo, when most Indy starters played sparingly or not at all.

``He has had injuries before where they said (he's) not going to play and he has come back,'' Colts tight end Dallas Clark said during the Pro Bowl. ``He is a competitor, he is one of the toughest guys on our team and I never expect him to miss anything.''

Associated Press

The All Star game that nobody watched

MIAMI (AP)
In its new role as a warmup to the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl became a series of wind sprints.

Long gains were the rule and hard hitting was the exception as the AFC beat the NFC 41-34 on Sunday night.

Light showers fell for much of the game, stirring memories of a rainy Super Bowl in Miami three years ago. But uniforms remained mostly spotless, with more pushing and shoving than tackling.

``It's different. It was like 7 on 7,'' NFC linebacker Brian Orakpo said. ``Everybody came out here trying not to get hurt and give the fans a good show.''

Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans threw for 189 yards and two AFC scores, and was chosen the most valuable player.

``It's a game you watch growing up as a kid and wonder if you could ever be in,'' Schaub said. ``To actually be a part of it is incredible.''

Aaron Rodgers also threw two touchdown passes, and NFC teammate DeSean Jackson had two scoring catches.

From the standpoint of ticket sales, this year's new venue and slot on the league calendar was a success. The crowd of 70,697 was the largest for a Pro Bowl since 1959 in Los Angeles.

Spectators included Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and other Pro Bowl players from the Super Bowl teams. Manning and the Indianapolis Colts will face Brees and the New Orleans Saints on the same field next Sunday in the biggest game of the season.

The NFL sought to transform the Pro Bowl into a bigger game by playing it before the Super Bowl for the first time. In a one-year experiment, the league also moved the game from Honolulu, its home since 1980.

The stadium was half empty by the third quarter, perhaps partly because of the rain and temperatures in the 60s. It was sunny and 82 in Honolulu at game time.

Did the weather dampen the players' enthusiasm for Miami?

``It's beautiful. It's paradise,'' NFC receiver Steve Smith said. ``Too bad it's not Hawaii.''

Eager to host more big events, the Dolphins have proposed adding a roof that would cover fans as part of stadium improvements that could cost $250 million or more. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the upgrades are needed if South Florida is to remain competitive in bidding for future Super Bowls.

Nearly 40 percent of the players originally selected for the game didn't play. One of the AFC replacements, David Garrard, threw for 183 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown to Vincent Jackson.

``It's so awesome,'' Garrard said. ``One of my goals coming into the game was to just be relevant and show all the people who said, `What is he doing in there? The Pro Bowl has dropped off a few pegs,' that I do belong.''

Vincent Jackson made seven catches for 122 yards. Chad Ochocinco had a 40-yard reception but didn't do any kicking after practicing placements and punts for the AFC during the week.

``That's OK. It was fun anyway,'' Ochocinco said.

DeSean Jackson scored on a 7-yard pass from Rodgers and a 58-yard pass from Donovan McNabb, his regular quarterback with the Eagles.

``I'm just out here having a great time,'' Jackson said. ``And at the same time I'm trying to put out a little effort.''

There were plenty of other big plays. Joshua Cribbs caught a punt at the goal line and returned it 65 yards. A penalty negated LaMarr Woodley's 64-interception return for a touchdown.

``I slowed up to get a little camera time,'' Woodley said.

The AFC totaled 517 yards and the NFC 470. Both teams threw for more than 400 yards.

Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, a 12-year veteran playing in his first Pro Bowl, found the AFC's offensive approach exhausting.

``They came out with a bunch of screens and had us running around,'' Fletcher said.

But there were no complaints from Fletcher's teammate on defense, first-time Pro Bowler Justin Smith of the 49ers.

``The pace is nice,'' Smith said. ``You don't have to worry about working too hard.''

The game will return to Honolulu in 2011 and 2012, but the league hasn't decided whether to hold those games before or after the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl site for 2013 and beyond hasn't been determined.

Associated Press

Federer makes it look easy in Aussie Final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)
Roger Federer dismantled Andy Murray in the Australian Open final Sunday to extend his own record to 16 Grand Slam titles and prolong the British drought.

Federer collected his fourth Australian Open title with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11) win at Rod Laver Arena that, apart from the tiebreaker, lacked the drama and raw emotion of his five-set loss here last year to then No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal.

Last year, Federer sobbed when Rod Laver presented the winners' trophy to Nadal, having missed a chance to equal Pete Sampras' record 14 career majors.

This time, Murray was on the verge of tears, drawing deep breaths as he apologized for failing to end a 74-year-old drought for British men at the Grand Slam tournaments.

"Firstly, congratulations Roger, his achievements in tennis are incredible, to keep doing it year after year are pretty incredible,'' the 22-year-old Scot said. "He was a lot better than me tonight.

"Hopefully one time I can come back and win here,'' he added, his voice breaking. "I got great support back home the last couple of weeks -- Sorry I couldn't do it for you tonight but ...''

Murray could barely finish his thank-you, explaining: "I can cry like Roger, it's just a shame I can't play like him.''

Federer, who had to be consoled by Nadal last year, offered Murray some reassurance this time.

"Well done for your incredible tournament, you played it fantastic,'' Federer said. "You're too good of a player not to win a Grand Slam, so don't worry about it.''

Federer dropped serve only twice in the match and hit 46 winners. He said he felt as good as ever.

"I'm over the moon winning this again. I think I played some of my best tennis in my life these last two weeks.''

Federer saved five set points and wasted two match points in the tiebreaker with some uncharacteristic shot selection before clinching it when Murray netted a backhand after 2 hours, 41 minutes.

Murray was desperate to become the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win one of the four tennis majors, but seldom had the answers to Federer's unrivaled finals experience.
Roger Federer put the pressure on Andy Murray from the very beginning. Mark Dadswell

He had set a record for British men just by reaching two major finals in the Open era.

Federer was playing in his 22nd Grand Slam final and 18th of the last 19.

He also beat Murray in straight sets in the 2008 U.S. Open final, the only previous meeting between the pair at a Grand Slam.

Murray still holds a 6-5 advantage over Federer in career head-to-heads -- one of only four players who can boast that -- but has lost the last three.

Federer had just discovered in Melbourne last year -- unknown widely at the time -- that he was to be the father of twins.

The emotions bubbled over after his loss to Nadal. But he recovered from that defeat to claim his first clay court major at the French Open, completing a career Grand Slam of titles at the four majors.

He regained his Wimbledon title and then, after his twin daughters were born, reached his fourth Grand Slam final of the year at the U.S. Open, only to lose in an upset to Juan Martin del Potro.

Federer ensured no recurrence of the upset here and added the 2010 title to his wins at Melbourne Park in 2004, 2006 and '07, becoming only the fifth man to win four Australian titles.

American Andre Agassi, who won the last of his four in 2003, was also the last father to win a Grand Slam title.

"It's also very special the first Grand Slam as a father,'' Federer said as his wife, Mirka, smiled and clapped from the stands, almost crying herself. "You get the best out of me.''

Federer got on top early, breaking Murray's opening service game when he leaped onto a second serve and fired a forehand down the line to lead 2-0.

Murray rallied immediately, breaking Federer's serve to huge cheers from the crowd with consecutive passing shots -- one which the Swiss star even had to applaud.
Federer had to save three break points in the fifth game before holding with back-to-back aces. He then broke Murray in the eighth game, lifting his intensity in perfect time so that he could serve for the set.

He had no trouble closing with a forehand winner down the line.

Federer dominated the second set after breaking Murray's serve in the third game. The Scot did fend off seven break points across two service games to ensure Federer had to serve it out.

When Federer's intensity dropped slightly in the third, Murray pounced. He broke in the sixth game, roaring "C'Mon'' after rifling a forehand past Federer at the net.

He didn't face a break point until he was serving to take the match into a fourth set, when Federer pounced again. He got his first break-point chance of the third set with an angled forehand service return and clinched it two points later when Murray netted a forehand.

Federer rallied from 5-2 down in the third to force the tiebreaker and, after saving three set points, missed his first chance to finish it off when his forehand just missed the line.

His unusual decision to try a drop shot at 10-9 backfired when Murray surged to the net and put a winner over Federer's head.

After saving another set point, Federer made no mistake with the third match point.

Associated Press

Lakers vs Celtics Preview

Tommorow Afternoon the World Champs go into Boston for another showdown. These 2 storied franchises have the most championships in NBA history. In 2008 the rivalry was officially renewed when Boston stockpiled their roster with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett making them contenders over night. The Lakers traded for Gasol that same year and the two teams were headed for a collision course. Both teams met in the finals as Boston went on to win in 6 games. LA committed themselves to being tougher and made the necessary adjustments to get back to the finals. The Lakers did just that and beat the Orlando Magic in 5 games in 09' giving them 4 championships in 10 years.

Today, little as changed. LA is the premiere team in the West and in the midst of an 8 game road trip. By beating Philly last nite the Lakers improved to 4-2 on this current road trip. The Lakers have looked dominating but have also looked soft at times. It just depends on who's looking. With 2 losses to Cleveland many questioned LA's toughness and ability to play well in a physical game. New Acquistion Ron Artest has yet to consistently show why the off season trade made sense. Bynum and Gasol have yet to play well together as they continue to find chemistry. Lastly, Kobe has been nagged by injuries. A broken index finger on his shooting hand and back spasms have slowed the best player on the planet and made him less efficient. With all these setbacks LA has had the best record in the league the majority of the year and are still favored to repeat.

Boston has also had some adversity this year. Kevin Garnett has missed significant time with a hyper extended knee. This injury comes off the heals of knee surgery that sidelined him for the 2nd half of last season including the playoffs. The Celtics are showing their age. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Garnett are all approaching their mid 30's and are starting to slow. Rondo has come into his own and is leading the league in steals and is 3rd in assist. He has been the lone bright spot for the C's. Boston has also struggled against the elite teams this year especially Atlanta who just completed a season sweep against the Celtics. They are 0-2 in their last 2 games and they welcome the champs on Sunday.

I expect to see an extremely physical game in Boston tomorrow in front of a sold out hostile crowd. If Gasol and Bynum can play big and withstand the physical nature of the game I expect LA to win going away. Kobe will be Kobe but who from the Celtics will have a big game. I am also anxious to see how Artest will play against Pierce. That match up might be the key to the game. Boston needs this win bad to get back on track but the Lakers also need it to show that they can still dominate the eastern conference. This is easily one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports and might be a preview to the 2010 finals. Tip is scheduled for 3:30 pm est. Sun on ABC.

RP

Serena proves why she is the best by winning Aussie Open Championship

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)

Serena Williams put an end to Justine Henin's hopes of a Grand Slam title on her return from retirement with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win in the Australian Open final on Saturday.

Williams withstood a determined challenge from Henin before securing her fifth Australian Open title and 12th Grand Slam singles championship overall

Henin, who had most of the crowd support at Rod Laver Arena, couldn't match her fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters' feat of winning in her Grand Slam comeback tournament. Clijsters won last year's U.S. Open on her return from a two-year retirement after getting married and having a baby.

Williams won the last four games Saturday to clinch the final in just over two hours, falling on her back in celebration after match point before shaking hands with Henin at the net.

"It's good to have her back, it's exciting,'' Williams said of Henin. "She can definitely be No. 1, especially with our ranking system, if she keeps doing well.''

Still, it was an impressive run by Henin. She lost in the final of the Brisbane International tournament to Clijsters two weeks ago.

The unranked and unseeded Henin then beat four seeded players en route to the Australian Open final, including No. 5 and Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva in the second round.

"It's been a very emotional two weeks for me,'' said Henin, who put her hand on her heart as she thanked the crowd for support. "I thought it would never happen to me again. I'd like to congratulate Serena. She's a real champion.''

Henin saved two break points to hold for 3-3 in a four-game run in the second set, winning 13 of the last 14 points in a dominant finish to the set. She maintained the superiority early in the deciding set, increasing that to 18 of 19 points before Williams held serve to level the third set at 1-1.
Serena Williams won her 12th career Grand Slam title. TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images

Williams, with her right thigh and left knee heavily taped as it had been for much of the tournament, staged her own resurgence, breaking Henin in the next game to go up 2-1. Henin broke Williams' serve in the next game, but the American broke back in the next to go up 3-2, a lead she never relinquished.

"I thought I was just giving it to her at that point,'' Williams said. "I didn't want to go out like that. I literally said to myself, 'I need to man up and start playing better.'''.

Williams held her serve in the next game with a second-service ace to go up 4-2, then broke again in the next game to take her within a game of the title.

The American holds an 8-6 lead in career meetings between the pair, including a 6-2, 6-0 win in Miami in 2008. At the time, it equaled the worst loss for a reigning No. 1, and Henin quit tennis two months later.

Henin won the Australian Open title in 2004. She quit from the 2006 final with stomach problems while trailing Amelie Mauresmo 6-1, 2-0.

Williams' 12th singles major matched American great Billie Jean King's career total. King was at the stadium on Saturday night to take part in a pre-match ceremony to honor the 40-year anniversary of Margaret Court's four Grand Slam tournament wins in 1970.

"Billie, we are tied,'' Williams said. "So I've reached my goal.''

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are Williams' next goal, with 18 majors each.

"Honestly, I'm just doing what I can. I obviously enjoy playing in Melbourne, clearly,'' Williams said. "I never thought I could catch up with Martina, because she's such an amazing champion.''
FOX SPORTS POLL How many Grand Slams will Serena win in 2010? 1 2 3 4
The men's doubles final between Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States and Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia was scheduled for later Saturday. The Bryans have won the title here three of the past four years and were losing finalists the two previous years.

The men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray will be held Sunday night, where Murray will attempt to become the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win a Grand Slam major.

The Australian Open is Murray's 17th Grand Slam tournament, which is how many attempts Federer needed before winning for the first time at Wimbledon seven years ago against Mark Philippoussis.

Murray was beaten 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 in the U.S. Open final in 2008.

Two years later, the now 22-year-old Murray thinks he knows how to end the 74-year drought.

"I'm going to need to play my best match ever,'' Murray said Saturday. "That's what I plan on doing. If I do, I've got a good chance of winning.''

Federer played in all four finals last year and will be appearing in his 22nd Grand Slam final overall, an all-time record. He acknowledged that the pressure will be on Murray.

"I know what it takes (to win) and how to do it, which is definitely an advantage,'' Federer said. "I don't feel like the pressure's really on me having to do it again. I think he really needs it more than I do.''

Federer joked about the British drought after his semifinal win on Friday.

"I know he'd like to win the first for British tennis since, what is it 150,000 years?'' Federer joked.

Murray smiled Saturday when told of Federer's comment.

"I've only been alive for 22 and a little bit, but, yeah, it's been a long time. It's going to be tough.

Associated Press

Kurt Warner retires after 12 seasons

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Kurt Warner has called an end to one of the great storybook careers in NFL history.

The 38-year-old quarterback announced his retirement from the game on Friday after a dozen years in a league that at first rejected him, then revered him as he came from nowhere to lead the lowly St. Louis Rams to two Super Bowls, winning the first of them.

"Not much on the drama part of it, as most of you know," Warner said to begin a news conference at the Cardinals' training facility.

Warner said he'd been leaning toward retirement for the last half of this season.

"Obviously, it's been 12 unbelievable years, some of the best years of my life," a composed Warner said. "But I want everybody to know that I'm just as excited about the next 12, that I'm excited about what lies in front of me. I'm excited about spending more time with my family, and seeing what God's going to do next."

Written off as a has-been, he rose again to lead the long-suffering Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl a year ago.

Warner walked away with a year left on a two-year, $23 million contract, knowing he still had the skills to play at the highest level.

He had one of the greatest postseason performances ever in Arizona's 51-45 overtime wild card victory over Green Bay on Jan. 10, but sustained a brutal hit in the Cardinals' 45-14 divisional round loss at New Orleans six days later.

"He has had a dominant career. He's a good person," Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said. "He's got to do what's best for his family. He played long enough. He took us to the Super Bowl last year. We had a great season this year. It's a good thing. If you're going to go out, go out on top."

Warner leaves the game with a legacy that could land him in the Hall of Fame even though he didn't start his first game until he was 28.

In a comparison with the 14 quarterbacks to make the Hall of Fame in the last 25 years, Warner has a better career completion percentage, yards per pass attempt and yards per game. Only Dan Marino had more career 300-yard passing games.


The Warner file
• Born June 22, 1971
• Raised in Burlington, Iowa
• Attended Northern Iowa University
• Originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 1994 but was released on Aug. 17, 1994
• Played in Arena Football League with Iowa Barnstormers (1995-97)
• Signed with St. Louis Rams on Dec. 26, 1997 as a free agent
• Played for Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe during 1998 season
• Played six seasons with Rams (1998-2003)
• Signed with New York Giants on June 3, 2004 as an unrestricted free agent
• Signed a 1-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals on March 6, 2005
• Signed a 3-year contract with Arizona on Feb. 14, 2006
• Signed a 2-year contract with Arizona on March 4, 2009


Accomplishments
• Four-time Pro Bowl selection (1999, 2000, 2001, 2008)
• Owns Arizona Cardinals regular season records for attempts, completions, completion percentage, passer rating, TD passes and consecutive games with a TD pass
• Two-time NFL MVP (1999 and 2001)
• Super Bowl XXXIV MVP
• Second QB in NFL history to start a Super Bowl for two different teams
• Career passer rating of 93.7 ranks 3rd in NFL history behind only Steve Young (96.8) and Peyton Manning (94.7)
• Became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 passing yards (36th career game)
• 2008 NFL Man of the Year award winner

In 124 regular-season games, Warner completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 32,344 yards and 208 touchdowns. He and Fran Tarkenton are the only NFL quarterbacks to throw for 100 touchdowns and 14,000 yards for two teams.

Warner, who grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and played collegiately at Northern Iowa, ranks among the career leaders in a variety of passing statistics.

He was also the fastest player in NFL history to 10,000 yards passing and tied Marino as fastest to reach 30,000.

He has the top three passing performances in Super Bowl history. His 1,156 yards passing in the 2008 playoffs broke the NFL record of 1,063 he set with St. Louis in 1999.

Warner's rise from obscurity seems the stuff of sports fiction.

He played three seasons in the Arena Football League and one in NFL Europe, mixed in with a sting stocking grocery shelves back in Iowa.

Warner made the Rams as a backup in 1998, then was thrust into the starting role in 1999 when Trent Green was injured.

What followed was a masterful and wholly unexpected season, when he led the Rams to a 13-3 regular-season record, then a Super Bowl triumph over Tennessee. He was named the league and Super Bowl MVP.

St. Louis was upset in the first round of the playoffs the following season, but Warner had them back in the big game in 2001, where "The Greatest Show on Turf" lost a squeaker to New England. The season earned him a second NFL MVP award.

But after an injury-plagued 2002 season, he was sacked six times and suffered a concussion in a 2003 season-opening loss to the New York Giants. He never started for St. Louis again.

He signed a free agent contract with the Giants for 2004, but was replaced by rookie Eli Manning after nine games. Warner came to the Cardinals in 2005 and was an off-and-on starter before replacing the injured Matt Leinart part way through the 2007 season.

Warner had to beat out Leinart the following spring, then led the Cardinals to the NFC West crown and playoff victories over Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia before the narrow loss to Pittsburgh in last year's Super Bowl, where he threw for 377 yards.

Off the field, Warner has been just as impressive.

He and his wife operate the First Things First Christian charitable foundation. Last year, he was named the NFL's Man of the Year for his off-field and onfield accomplishments.

"We all learned great lessons from Kurt's humility, dignity and grace. We will forever be thankful for the success he brought us and the unparalleled generosity he has shown the St. Louis community and beyond," Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom said in a statement.

Warner's departure leaves Leinart the presumed replacement. The former Heisman Trophy winner has started 17 games for Arizona but only one in the last two years.

Associated Press

NBA All Star rosters set, who made it and who didn't

The NBA All Star game in Dallas is poised to break the record for most people to attend any basketball game in the US. 80,000+ tickets have already been sold for the game scheduled on Feb 12 at Cowboys Stadium. Yesterday the reserves were announced. Every year there are several guys who are worthy of the All Star tag but only a select few can make the cut. The Coaches turned in their picks late Tue and this is what they came up with. NBA All-Star Game reserves Eastern Conference Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics Gerald Wallace, Charlotte Bobcats Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks Western Conference Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets Deron Williams, Utah Jazz Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies In my opinion this is exactly how I would of picked the teams outside of one guy. I would of picked David Lee over Horford. Horford has been good this year but I think Lee's impact this season has been nothing short of spectacular. He is one of 3 guys averaging a double double this year( 19 pts, 11 reb). The Coaches seemed to reward winning. All players chosen as reserves come from teams that are in the playoff picture. I also noticed that there are 7 guys who are making the All Star team for the 1st time. Kevin Durant and Deron Williams highlight this group as they should of been All Stars last year. Derrick Rose, Gerald Wallace, Zach Randolph, Rajon Rondo and Al Horford round out the list of new comers. The midseason classic should be another great one. The NBA's best will be on stage and with the likes of Kobe, Lebron, D Wade, and D Howard there will be plenty of ohh's and aww's. The 2010 NBA All Star game has the makings of being and unforgettable event. If you have DVR you better set it for this one. RP