We found out a few months ago that Michael Jordan would not only be on the cover of the new NBA 2k11, but that you could in fact play with him in the game.  Hopefully that would erase all the bad childhood memories of not being able to play with him in NBA Jam.  Apparently things are about to get even awesomer though (yeah I made up the word awesomer for this special occasion).  I’m not much of a video game guy, but the fact that you can be 10 different MJs from different stages of his career is blowing my mind.  Check it out:

Now, Argent has unveiled the next surprise, which is that the game will have a mode called the “Jordan Challenge.” The mode allows fans to play with 10 different versions of Jordan that are authentic to that moment….

The games that fans can play with different versions of Jordan include all of the following:

-April 20, 1986 (Game 2 of the 1st round of the playoffs against the Celtics when Jordan scored 63)

-March 28, 1990 (regular season game against the Cavs when Jordan scored 69)

-June 3, 1992 (Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs versus the Trail Blazers when Jordan scored 35 in the first half)

- March 28, 1995 (Jordan returns to the game and scores 55 against the Knicks)

-June 11, 1997 (the famous Jordan “flu game”)

- June 14, 1998 (the day of his last game in a Bulls uniform as his last second shot gives the Bulls its sixth title under his reign).

In each game, gamers are charged with different goals, including matching Jordan’s point totals and shooting percentage.

If you hit six three pointers in a row like Jordan did against the Trail Blazers in 1992, the virtual Jordan will shrug just like he did in real life on that night.

Two of the 10 challenges don’t have specific dates tied to it.

You can play the 1991 Finals version of Jordan as well as play a game in 1990 style vs. Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks, where gamers are challenged with holding Wilkins to 25 points or fewer.

That is only 8 versions and they say there will be 10. I’m thinking “The Shot” against Cleveland and maybe some AA ball with the White Sox affiliate the Barons. Just kidding on the last one, but sick!

h/t: BDL

h/t: Pick and Roll

The legend of Michael Jordan starts way back on his dirt driveway.  Back then he was getting spanked by his older, bigger, brother almost everyday on their dirt court.  His brother, Larry, is as much a part of the legend of MJ as anything else.  It’s hard to picture Michael getting beaten consistently (or at all) by anyone, but sometimes the big brother factor can weigh more heavily than skill.  Ask my little brothers, each of which I continued to punish on the court years after they had surpassed me in ability (that’s all old news, the older one can beat me consistently now and the youngest one beat me for the first time this past summer).

Anyways, Larry Jordan obviously did not make it like his little brother Mikey.  Turns out, Larry never really grew past 5’8″.  This clip shows Larry, even at such a short height, throwing down a sweet dunk.  Enjoy:

Ironically enough, the hat tip on this video goes to my youngest brother.

Some people around here think I drink too much Barack Obama Kool-Aid just because I mention every time he does anything remotely related to sports.  Well when he has moments like this, its hard not to love him.  In fact, anytime a sitting President mocks Magic Johnson with a Michael Jordan Bulls reference, I guarantee them a feature story on NQTC.  Enjoy!

h/t: Forum Blue and Gold

I literally feel nauseous from watching the Bulls and Bears this season.  Bad coaches, lack of talent, poor effort, ineffective management…I need to stop before I throw my laptop at the wall and light all my Chicago sports paraphernalia on fire.  Anyways, the point of this post was that I found this great picture that really cheered me up about Chicago sports and reminded me of the good old days when championships were as common as parking tickets and the words “lost 9 of the last 10″ were incomprehensible to Bulls fans.  Enjoy.

In case you don’t know who these guys are, from left to right it’s Jim McMahon, Mike Ditka, Michael Jordan, and (inexplicably) Hawk Harrelson.  Hawk is the opposite of a winner, I know, but just seeing him makes me laugh at how much of an idiot he really is.

Ricky over at Tremendous Upside Potential stumbled on this the other day.  Apparently some guy is making youtube videos of all of Michael Jordan’s greatest moments recreated on NBA 2K10.  Check this one out, then go over to the youtube page and watch the rest (if you’re unemployed or trying to get fired of course).

I know it seems crazy to imagine, but once upon a time, Jordan was not the polished superstar billionaire we see today.  This picture is apparently a photo of a very young MJ dancing around with an umbrella in what loooks to be a dorm room (maybe his?).  Enjoy!

h/t: BDL

The news that MJ decided not to go to Copenhagen to represent Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics has been buried behind speculation over whether Obama will be attending.  While Chicago 2016 supporters would all love Jordan to be there helping, we aren’t trying to use that to our political advantage.  Pele, on the other hand, has no problem doing just that:

Although he declined to take a direct swipe at Michael Jordan, soccer great Pele made it clear he felt a national duty to represent Rio’s Olympic bid at the International Olympic Committee session that will choose the 2016 winner Friday.
“It is important to participate when your country needs you,” Pele said at a Rio press conference Wednesday morning.
He was responding to a question from Chicago television reporter Jay Levine about Jordan’s absence from the Chicago delegation in Copenhagen.

“If I have to die for my country, I would die for my country,” Pele said. “If I have to die for my sport, I would die for my sport. I feel very happy if I can help my country.”

When Pele first mentioned Jordan, he called him “Michael Jackson.” After the laughter in the room died down, Pele joked, “Two Michaels” but did not call out Jordan, preferring to express his own commitment to Rio.

Two Michaels?  I’m confused.  There must be some kind of language barrier here.  Although apparently the media got it.  As much fanfare as there is surrounding who goes to Copenhagen to represent their City’s bid, you have to think this highly politicized decision would have been decided well in advance of the formalities involved in this Copenhagen trip.  Also, no one is actually questioning Michael’s patriotism, right?  The man was part of disseminating American culture around the world on a never-before-seen scale.  Not to mention his 2 gold medals.  Stupid Pele.

• This is the place to go for NFL Week 1 previews.  It has all the spreads and information you need for each game this coming weekend. [Midwest Sports Fans]
• Luol Deng will be ready for the preseason.  Oh and he likes rap and eats Egyptian food.  It’s all in his interview with CNN. [By The Horns]
• Oh Shaq, when will you just chill out?  Hopefully never if this hilarity continues. [NESW Sports]
• This week’s random retro Cub?  Scott Sanderson.  Usually the guys in this feature were lovable but not all that talented.  Sanderson is an exception, posting a career 3.84 ERA. [The Friendly Blogfines]
• So now it looks like Cubs fans are just booing everyone for everything without any good reason.  Here’s one: they have underperformed all season.  [I94 Sports]
• Michael Jordan wanted a guy named Joe Wolf in the 1987 draft.  Good thing Krause took Scott Pippen.  Whoever that is. [Pippen Ain't Easy]
• Friends of the site Docksquad Sports was featured on ESPN.  Does this mean they are part of the MSM now?  Just kidding, congratulations! [Docksquad Sports]
• Last night’s Florida State-Miami game was a great one, but should FSU have had one more play? Controversy…  [Detroit4lyfe]
• Here are 15 minutes of young MJ highlights if you have the time. [BDL]
• Soriano is being shut down, for now.  I’m trying really hard to care.  Here’s what it makes me think about: Had he been shut down months ago and Fox got his at-bats, maybe we would have won a few more.  Just speculation, but still. [Bleacher Nation]

• Jay Cutler cleans up pretty nice.  It appears he “got his hair did” for a magazine cover. [Jay Cutler Superstar]
• Michael Jordan’s perfection explained. [Hardwood Paroxysm]
• The best fantasy football team names by city.  Yeah, mine is in there for Chicago.  “Offense is not our Forte”.  Bam. [Detroit4lyfe]
• Ted Lilly was nominated by his teammates for the Roberto Clemente award.  This guy is a great baseball player and a great human being.  His contract looked a bit bloated when they signed him but it has worked out perfectly. [Bleacher Nation]
• The 40 most undeserving players to get MLB Starting Lineup action figures.  This is a hilarious must-read. [Sharapova's Thigh]
• There’s that White Sox white flag everyone was waiting for.  It was a good move to get rid of Thome and his contract, but I really liked that guy.  Contreras sucks. [I94 Sports]
• 8 guys you may have forgotten were in the NBA. Some will make you laugh, others you know. [Give Me The Rock]
• Did you see that Brett Favre chop block on Eugene Wilson?  Shady.  More importantly, what was Brad Childress thinking?  That guy is an idiot. [Midwest Sports Fans]
• Raiders fans have it rough, and losing their star cornerback won’t help.  Unless he plays.  But he won’t, or maybe he will. [Just Blog Baby]
• More evidence about why you should lay off Milton Bradley.  Statistically speaking, of course. [Wrigleyville23]
• Luol Deng was listed in Dime Magazine as an NBA player that must take that next step this upcoming season.  Wasn’t everyone saying/thinking that the last 3 summers? [Pippen Ain't Easy]
• Remember that cut Orton got on his finger in Sunday’s game?  It’s a bit worse than we thought. [Blog Down, Chicago Bears]

• Random retro baseball player Kelly Gruber (I actually remember this guy).  Love this series, when are we going to get Mark “The Bird” Fidrych? [Sharapova's Thigh]
• Danny Ainge better think twice before stepping to Michael Jordan.  A great clip from the 1993 NBA Finals. [Pippen Ain't Easy]
• Is Tony Dungy trying to get Marvin Harrison to the Bears?  How would this be different than the Muhammed situation a few years ago? [WCG]
• The most heinous facial hair in professional sports is shown here.  Obviously Chicago is well represented. [Detroit4Lyfe]
• Ok so now Lou is jaywalking, but unlike Kenny Williams, he did not get a ticket.  Clearly racism. [Chicagoist]
• You probably shouldn’t step to MJ in 2009 either.  He schools some slamball player in this clip. [Docksquad]
• Lou has gone insane.  I obviously feel that way, and moving Marmol to closer and anyone to the leadoff spot besides Kosuke is further proof. [Bleacher Nation]
• Is Brandon Marshall really pissed at the Broncos for how they handled his criminal charges?  Or is it because he doesn’t trust Orton to be able to actually throw a pass in his vicinity?  From what I know about Orton, he should be pissed about both. [Bootlegger Sports]
• Boy, those Vikings-Packers tickets randomly skyrocketed in price a couple days ago.  What could have caused that? [MidwestSportsFan]
• Speaking of the Packers, a Packers fan laments the recent acquisition of his greatest hero by his greatest enemy. [I94 Sports]
• Bulls rookie James Johnson does a little breakdancing. [Docksquad]
• An interview with the guy who hosts This Week In Baseball.  I used to love that show, still do.  Why can’t sportscenter be more like that? [Paneech]
• Whoa!  Memphis is going to have to vacate its wins from its Final Four season in 2007-2008 because of violations discovered during the NCAA’s investigation.  Can they vacate all the money Memphis made and all the hype and PR D-Rose got that landed him the first pick of the NBA Draft?  These vacating things are such nonsense. [Tribune]

• A scathing review of Cubs management, ownership, and scouting.  Even though they are overpaying for an underperforming team right now, I would say 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years isn’t all that bad. [MidwestSportsFans]
• Remember that pitcher for the White Sox a few years ago, Jim Parque?  Well he admits to having done steroids and wrote this eloquent piece about the pressures he faced when he decided to do it. It’s a must-read. [Sun-Times]
• I don’t know how I missed this, but someone was holding a giant inflatable penis behind Michael Jordan during a golf tournament last weekend.  Awesome. [Detroit4lyfe]
• Hilarious Peyton Manning video from the ESPYs.  I can’t wait for him to do more commercials, something about him is just so funny. [NESW Sports]
• Another NFL player (T.J. Houshmazilli) is upset with his Madden rating.  These guys need to get over it.  You know what I’m mad about?  The Bears best wide receiver isn’t in the top 40. [No Guts No Glory]
• Is Rich Harden afraid of the sun and Wrigley Field?  The numbers sure seem to say so. [The Friendly Blogfines]
• The Bears will now have ads on their jerseys.  What is this, European soccer? [Luol's Dong]
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• A lot of people are a lot better than Soriano this year.  And some of the people that are better make a lot less money than he does. [Zoner]
• Sweet Lou seems a little pissed that he never got that left-handed power bat Hendry promised him in the offseason.  And no, Bradley doesn’t count. [Bleacher Nation]
• Hey kids, Slamball is back!  If you don’t remember what it is, all you need to know is trampolines, basketball, hoops, and a lot of broken ankles. [Bootlegger]

• Ok so Utah matched Millsap’s offer sheet which puts them at $81 million in salary.  That is pretty much the death knell for Boozer’s tenure in Utah.  The Boozer-Hinrich-Thomas rumor lives on. [By The Horns]
• Some suspended tennis player had his drug suspension lifted after convincing a panel that the cocaine was in his system from kissing a girl who had coke on her lips.  [Tony Blogs]
• By now everyone has heard about the Cubs signing of B.J. Ryan.  According to one blogger, it was the perfect move by the North Siders. [The Friendly Blogfines]
• I’m not much of a White Sox fan, and I cannot stand Cubs or Sox fans that hate the other team for no real reason, but this picture of some Sox fans mocking Cubs fans is just hilarious. [Zoner]
• Barack Obama loves “Cominskey Field”.  Oops. [Home Run Derby]
• A gatorade bottle art tribute to Michael Jordan.  If you haven’t seen it take a look, it’s pretty cool. [Ball Don't Lie]
• The Cubs have dumped some players in recent years, but how have the players worked out for their new teams?  To be honest I just love the picture in this post. [Bleacher Nation]
• Shaq does a Michael Jackson Beat It tribute.  Yeah its a video and you can watch it. [NESW Sports]
• So now that Ben Gordon is gone, who will shoot the three?  The options are a bit bleak. [Pippen Ain't Easy]
• LeBron James isn’t going anywhere, and here’s why.  Sidenote: Personally I think he’s leaving. [Paneech]

I have no idea where or why this video was made, but Jordan gives Jackson a lesson in basketball and then Jackson teaches Jordan to dance. The whole thing is very odd and strangely funny. Enjoy:

h/t: Chicagoist