Florida Sentinel Bulletin

For the second year in a row, Charles Barkley took home the Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality in the Studio Analysts category.

Barkley was beaten out by Kirk Herbstreit back in 2011 and 2010 in his first two nominations, but he has become the champion he never was in the NBA ever since. Of course, Barkley is a member of the halftime show Inside the NBA, which airs during every TNT game broadcast.

Barkley’s brash, honest style makes him incredibly likable and relatable to the average NBA fan, and he doesn’t try too hard to turn a joke or make fun of one of his fellow analysts.

Chuck’s had a great 13 years with TNT, creating some stellar chemistry with Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, and even going the extra mile to try to make Shaquille O’Neal fit in more with the team.

The Denver Nuggets may have been eliminated from the NBA playoffs, but their team personnel continue to rack up accolades from an excellent 2012-13 season.

On the same day that George Karl was named NBA Coach of the Year, the Denver Post’s Benjamin Hochman is reporting that general manager Masai Ujiri will be named the league’s Executive of the Year on Thursday.

Police in Scottsdale, Ariz. confirmed Tuesday that Phoenix Suns forward Michael Beasley is currently being investigated for an alleged sexual assault.

Known as an extremely talented but enigmatic player, Beasley just finished his first year with the Suns. Phoenix signed him to a three-year, $18 million contract last summer, hoping to evoke some maturity while tapping into his offensive skills.

LAS VEGAS – The defense was back, just like it used to be. Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s dad was back, too, just like he used to be. And Mayweather was a winner once again — just like he always is.

Mayweather fought as if he had never left the ring, coming back from a year’s absence Saturday night to win a unanimous 12-round decision over Robert Guerrero in their welterweight title fight. The game plan was defense, and Mayweather followed it perfectly. With his father directing from the corner after a 13-year absence, he dominated Guerrero in a performance not totally expected at the age of 36.

“I needed my father tonight,” Mayweather said. “My defense was on point and he told me to stick with my defense and that the less you get hit the longer you last.” Mayweather was masterful at times, landing thudding right hands and bloodying Guerrero’s face in a performance that mimicked some of his best fights.

Mayweather hurt Guerrero on several occasions, including a series of right hands near the end of the eighth round that buckled Guerrero’s knees. All three judges scored the bout 117-111. The Associated Press had it 119-109. “We did it again,” Mayweather said after earning at least $32 million for his night’s work. “I take my hat off to Robert Guerrero. He’s a true warrior.” If it wasn’t terribly pleasing to the crowd of 15,880, it was terribly effective.

Mayweather made a fighter who hadn’t lost in eight years look befuddled as he danced and moved and shot out right hands with increasing frequency. He remained unbeaten in 44 fights and, more importantly, looked so fresh that he may follow through on his plan to fight again in September. “I was looking for the knockout but I hurt my hand,” Mayweather said. “I feel bad I didn’t give the fans the knockout.” Mayweather said he planned to fight again in September, a short turnaround for him, as part of a six-fight deal he has with the Showtime network.

So much for “The Return.”

Derrick Rose apparently won’t return for the NBA playoffs, no matter how far his Chicago Bulls advance. While Rose hasn’t publicly ruled out a return for Chicago’s second-round bout against the Miami Heat, reports that he has already made his decision: For the good of his franchise and fans, for everyone’s focus to be where it should belong now – Bulls-Heat, Game 1 on Monday – Rose needs to drop the illusion that his return in these playoffs remains a consideration.

“Who knows?” Rose told reporters hours on Saturday. “It’s still up in the air.”

The Brooklyn Nets failed to advance out of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs, and it now seems the front office will make some major offseason adjustments, starting with the departure of interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo.

General manager Billy King informed the coach that he would not return for the 2013-14 season on Sunday afternoon. After going 35-19 upon inheriting the team from the fired Avery Johnson midway through the 2012-13 campaign, wasn’t able to get it done when it counted most.

The Chicago Bulls have been riddled with injuries and player misfortunes all season, and that bug has struck again prior to Thursday night’s Game 6 showdown with the Brooklyn Nets.

While the official status of Luol Deng for Game 1 against the Miami Heat on Monday is still in question, the latest report paints a bleak picture. According to Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago, Deng did not travel with the team to Miami.

LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather, said Richard Schaefer on Tuesday as he looked across a large crowd that had gathered in the lobby of the MGM Grand specifically to catch a brief glimpse of the world’s best boxer, is a details man. The chief executive officer of Golden Boy Promotions, Schaefer said there are few details of a business deal that escape Mayweather’s eagle-eyed scrutiny.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is as focused on the business of boxing as he is on punching. On this day, the people had crowded around a makeshift boxing ring erected in the lobby to help promote Mayweather’s welterweight title fight Saturday on Showtime Pay-Per-View in the Grand Garden Arena against Robert Guerrero.

When he bolted HBO for Showtime in February and signed his historic six-fight, 30-month deal, a contract that could net him more than $250 million, he bargained fiercely to gain absolute control. But at 36, he knows he’s closer to the end than he is to the beginning. Some day, there will be a new star in boxing. Part of his goal over the next several years, he said, is to bolster the sport for the next generation.

There was Tampa Stadium (the big Sombrero) first, and later there was Raymond James Stadium.

As far as Tampa Stadium is concerned, the late Lee Roy Selmon established his dominance on that surface, and became the first Tampa Bay Buccaneer to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. He later was honored by being the first to be inducted into the Buccaneer Ring of Honor.

But when it comes to Raymond James, that’s the house that defensive tackle Warren Sapp (pictured) built, and to show their appreciation, Sapp, a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee, will become the fifth former Buccaneer to be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. Sapp will join former Buccaneer head coach, John McKay, tight end Jimmie Giles, Selmon, and left tackle Paul Gruber in the ring of honor.

Sapp, along with Derrick Brooks and John Lynch, helped take the Buccaneers from being known as losers, to Super Bowl XXXVIII champions. He was also a member of the league’s All-Decade team for the 1990s and 2000s; defensive player of the year in 1999, and a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.