Column: No suspense for Bonds, Clemens in HOF vote

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Barry Bonds can go for a bike ride. Roger Clemens might want to head to the gym for one of those famous workouts that used to make him pitch like he was 22 when he was 42.
If the polls are right — and my guess is they're pretty spot on — there's no need for either to wait by the phone Wednesday when baseball writers weigh in with their first verdict on what is arguably the greatest class of Hall of Fame candidates since Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth were among the inaugural inductees 77 years ago.
Bonds and Clemens won't get in, and no one else may either. In a fitting twist, the player who is most likely the leading candidate to make it is known almost as much for getting hit by pitches as hitting them himself.
Actually, Craig Biggio had 3,060 hits to go with the 285 times he got hit, and being a member of the 3,000-hit club usually guarantees a spot in Cooperstown. But in any other time the greatest home run hitter ever and only pitcher to win seven Cy Young awards would be absolute locks, too.
This, however, is as much a referendum on the Steroids Era as it is on the numbers that are so sacrosanct in baseball. This is about what people suspect players did while they were off the field, not what they accomplished while on it.
And this may be the last chance anyone has of somehow trying to make it right.
No, denying Bonds a spot in the Hall of Fame won't wipe away the bloated numbers that will almost surely scar the record books for generations to come. But it does put a giant asterisk that Bud Selig and the rest of baseball refuse to attach next to the 73 home runs he hit in one season, or the 762 he slugged through his career.
And while Clemens will keep his Cy Young awards, keeping him out of Cooperstown at least sends a message that maybe next time we won't be so easily hoodwinked again.
It shouldn't be the job of baseball writers to make the final statement about the Steroids Era; indeed some of the voters I know are quite uncomfortable with trying to sort out who did what and when. They're not the steroid police, as they often point out, and don't know any better than the guy next to them in the locker room who did what and when.
But Selig and his minions failed time and time again to confront the epidemic that swept through the game the last few decades. They used the power surge — four of the top 10 all-time home run hitters are either admitted steroid users or associated with them — to bring fans back to the ballparks who were disillusioned with baseball after a bitter strike wiped out the playoffs and the World Series in 1994.
They sat back and watched the cash registers heat up, knowing all along that much of it was built on a giant fraud. And they certainly didn't follow criteria that is spelled out for Hall of Fame voters, who are pledged to look at not only a player's numbers but the "integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the team(s)" on which he played.
Under those guidelines, Bonds and Clemens don't qualify. Neither does Sammy Sosa, who thankfully will receive only a handful of votes in his first year of eligibility.
Unlike Sosa and Mark McGwire — who at least admitted he used steroids — the odds are that Bonds and Clemens will one day be enshrined in the hall. As the years go by and the stigma of the steroid era fades, they'll gain support among voters and probably make the 75 percent threshold required for admittance.
Unfortunately for some of those on the ballot with them, they may have to wait, too. That includes Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell, whose numbers have to be looked at twice not because they've been accused of wrongdoing but because they were put up in the heart of the Steroids Era.
That may not be fair to them, but the Hall of Fame is an exclusive place where fairness does not always carry the day. How else to explain why the late Roger Maris was never voted in, despite breaking Ruth's home run record with 61, a mark that stood for 37 years before McGwire and Sosa obliterated it in the home run orgy of 1998.
We may never know exactly what Bonds did to hit home runs unlike any human being before him. He's not talking, though a look at the newly svelte slugger today suggests that the change in his body size isn't completely due to his new love of cycling.
Don't expect Clemens to be any more forthcoming, either. Not after a jury in Washington, D.C., sided with him over accusations by former trainer Brian McNamee that he injected the pitcher with human growth hormone to salvage what was left of his good name.
They hurt baseball more than the banned and disgraced Pete Rose ever did by betting on games. Maybe, like Rose, they need some more time before explaining what really happened.
Meanwhile, they'll continue to keep us all hanging, including the sport and fans that made them rich.
Fortunately, baseball writers are in a position to return the favor.

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Soccer-41 players get life bans for South Korea match-fixing

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Forty one South Korean players have been handed worldwide lifetime bans following a match-fixing scandal in the country's K-League, world governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.
The 41, charged after a domestic match-fixing investigation dating back to 2011, received lifetime bans from all football activity by the K-League and the Korea Football Association's disciplinary committee with FIFA's Disciplinary Committee extended the sanctions to have worldwide effect.
South Korean sport has been marred by match-fixing allegations in professional soccer, volleyball and baseball, forcing the government to declare war on the issue.
In February soccer officials scrapped the K-League Cup competition as part of sweeping changes brought in to avoid a repeat of last year's match-fixing scandal.
Ten other players involved in match-fixing were given worldwide bans by FIFA in June while in March, South Korea's volleyball association banned 11 players for life in a bid to curb corruption in domestic sport. (Reporting by Martyn Herman)

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Judgment day for Bonds, Clemens, Sosa at Hall

NEW YORK (AP) — Judgment day has arrived for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa to find out their Hall of Fame fates.
With the cloud of steroids shrouding many candidacies, baseball writers may fail for only the second time in more than four decades to elect anyone to the Hall.
About 600 people are eligible to vote in the BBWAA election, all members of the organization for 10 consecutive years at any point. Results were to be announced at 2 p.m. EST Wednesday, with the focus on first-time eligibles that include Bonds, baseball's only seven-time Most Valuable Player, and Clemens, the only seven-time Cy Young Award winner.
Since 1965, the only years the writers didn't elect a candidate were when Yogi Berra topped the 1971 vote by appearing on 67 percent of the ballots cast and when Phil Niekro headed the 1996 ballot at 68 percent. Both were chosen the following years when they achieved the 75 percent necessary for election.
"It really would be a shame, especially since the other people going in this year are not among the living, which will make for a rather strange ceremony," said the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser, president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Three inductees were chosen last month by the 16-member panel considering individuals from the era before integration in 1946: Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, umpire Hank O'Day and barehanded catcher Deacon White. They will be enshrined during a ceremony at Cooperstown on July 28.
Also on the ballot for the first time are Sosa and Mike Piazza, power hitters whose statistics have been questioned because of the Steroids Era, and Craig Biggio, 20th on the career list with 3,060 hits — all for the Houston Astros. Curt Schilling, 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA in postseason play, is another ballot rookie.
The Hall was prepared to hold a news conference Thursday with any electees. Or to not have one.
Biggio wasn't sure whether the controversy over this year's ballot would keep all candidates out.
"All I know is that for this organization I did everything they ever asked me to do and I'm proud about it, so hopefully, the writers feel strongly, they liked what they saw, and we'll see what happens," Biggio said on Nov. 28, the day the ballot was announced.
Jane Forbes Clark, the Hall's chairman, said last year she was not troubled by voters weighing how to evaluate players in the era of performance-enhancing drugs.
"I think the museum is very comfortable with the decisions that the baseball writers make," she said. "And so it's not a bad debate by any means."
Bonds has denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs and was convicted of one count of obstruction of justice for giving an evasive answer in 2003 to a grand jury investigating PEDs. Clemens was acquitted of perjury charges stemming from congressional testimony during which he denied using PEDs.
Sosa, who finished with 609 home runs, was among those who tested positive in MLB's 2003 anonymous survey, The New York Times reported in 2009. He told a congressional committee in 2005 that he never took illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
The BBWAA election rules say "voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played."
"Steroid or HGH use is cheating, plain and simple," ESPN.com's Wallace Matthews wrote. "And by definition, cheaters lack integrity, sportsmanship and character. Strike one, strike two, strike three."
Several holdovers from last year remain on the 37-player ballot, with top candidates including Jack Morris (67 percent), Jeff Bagwell (56 percent), Lee Smith (51 percent) and Tim Raines (49 percent).
When The Associated Press surveyed 112 eligible voters in late November, Bonds received 45 percent support among voters who expressed an opinion, Clemens 43 percent and Sosa 18 percent. The Baseball Think Factory website compiled votes by writers who made their opinions public and with 159 ballots had everyone falling short. Biggio was at 69 percent, followed by Morris (63), Bagwell (61), Raines (61), Piazza (60), Bonds (43) and Clemens (43).
Morris finished second last year when Barry Larkin was elected and is in his 14th and next-to-last year of eligibility. He could become the player with the highest-percentage of the vote who is not in the Hall, a mark currently held by Gil Hodges at 63 percent in 1983.
Several players who fell just short in the BBWAA balloting later were elected by either the Veterans Committee or Old-Timers' Committee: Nellie Fox (74.7 percent on the 1985 BBWAA ballot), Jim Bunning (74.2 percent in 1988), Orlando Cepeda (73.6 percent in 1994) and Frank Chance (72.5 percent in 1945).
Ace of three World Series winners, Morris finished with 254 victories and was the winningest pitcher of the 1980s. His 3.90 ERA, however, is higher than that of any Hall of Famer. Morris will be joined on next year's ballot by Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, both 300-game winners.
If no one is elected this year, there could be a logjam in 2014. Voters may select up to 10 players.
The only certainty is the Hall is pleased with the writers' process.
"While the BBWAA does the actual voting, it only does so at the request of the Hall of Fame," said the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin, the organization's past president. "If the Hall of Fame is troubled, certainly the Hall could make alternate arrangements."

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Rio slums: From no-go to must-buy

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Five years ago, Rio de Janeiro's "favela" hillside slums had such a bad rap that they were virtual no-go zones, where drug lords laid down the law and outsiders set foot at their peril.
But since 2011, police have seized control of dozens of favelas from drug gangs, and things have changed so dramatically that some of the slums are now seen as hot real estate investments — so hot, in fact, that two Europeans recently locked horns in a legal battle over a battered favela house.
Rio's slum "pacification" program is part of a strategy to make the city safe ahead of the 2014 soccer World Cup and 2016 Olympics. Murder rates are down, and SecoviRio, an organization representing Rio's real estate professionals, estimates that in the 72 hours after police took the first three favelas, property prices there jumped by 50 percent — and are still climbing.
In the Vidigal slum, middle-class Brazilians and foreigners who can't afford chic Rio neighborhoods are snapping up properties wedged between tony beachfront areas like Copacabana and Ipanema.
"It used to be you'd say the word 'favela' and people would instantly think: drug trafficking, machine guns, grenades, kidnappings," said Anderson Ramos, a real estate agent with V.D.G. Imobiliaria, Vidigal's first real estate agency. "But now, you say 'favela' and they think pacification and good deals on houses."
"We're seeing upper-class people, millionaires, famous musicians practically queuing up."
Andreas Wielend, one of the two Europeans fighting over a Vidigal property, got a killer deal when he bought an abandoned cinderblock house from a German businessman in late 2009. The deal was so sweet the owner had seller's remorse. When Wielend was away on vacation last fall, the former owner took over the house and changed the locks.
"It was unbelievable," Wielend said. "This house was my baby, I worked so hard to renovate it, and then I'm kicked out on false pretenses. It was surreal."
The sparring foreigners are part of growing group of wealthy buyers keen on acquiring ocean-view properties in Vidigal that are seen as bargains in a city whose real estate prices are among the highest in the Americas.
"I hate to use the word fashion, but the favelas are in fashion, for the first time," said Leonardo Schneider, SecoviRio's vice president.
Built in the late 19th century by army veterans seeking affordable housing, the first favelas sprang up unplanned, and many still lack basic services like sewage connections and electricity. For generations, they were home to destitute migrants, and in the 1970s began falling under the control of ruthless drug gangs.
When Wielend bought his place, it had long been abandoned and lacked a bathroom, kitchen and even doors. But it had a breathtaking view over Rio's concrete jungle and the Atlantic Ocean. The German seller, who had snapped up dozens of properties in Vidigal, was asking for just 20,000 reals, or $10,000.
Still, with a gang capo and his heavily armed minions for neighbors, Wielend thought hard before buying.
"It was a bit like signing up to living in 'Robinson Crusoe,' on a remote island where everything's sort of makeshift," said the 35-year-old, a telecommunications engineer who first came to Brazil with Siemens, the German electronics giant. "I thought of the investment as a big gamble."
Then came the big change. Hundreds of police stormed into Vidigal, pushing out the drug gang and establishing a permanent presence. To date, 28 police pacification units have been established over dozens of favelas, with 12 more units expected this year.
Studies show homicides are down by double digits. A luxury boutique hotel with a rooftop pool is going up in Vidigal, and Italian tire-maker Pirelli shot part of its 2013 pinup calendar in Dona Marta, which in 2008 was the first favela to be pacified.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reckons that 15 percent of the 168 percent rise in Rio property prices between January 2008 and March 2012 was directly attributable to pacification and the resulting drop in crime.
Ramos, the agent, said he recently closed a slew of $25,000 deals on small cinderblock homes that wouldn't have fetched $5,000 a few years ago.
"People here have understood that favelas are a hot thing, and a lot of people are eager to cash in," said Ramos. "And for a guy here, who for the price of his tiny studio apartment in Vidigal he can buy a big, three-bedroom house with a garage and a patio in another area of Rio, it's like a dream come true."
Not everyone sees the situation in such a rosy light. Many voice worries that the poor could be priced out of the slums as their cost of living rises and developers pressure them to sell.
SecoviRio's Schneider acknowledged that the city's demographics may change. About a quarter of Rio's 6 million people live in the 1,071 favelas.
"In the coming 10-15 years, rich people are going to be buying houses and developers are going to be building condominiums in certain favelas that are well located, with views," said Schneider. "Naturally, the poor people will move to another area and certain favelas, like Vidigal, are going to be transformed into luxury neighborhoods."
Wielend, meanwhile, won a court ruling ordering his property returned to him.  He said he plans to spruce the place up again and reopen the hostel and party space he was running there.
Or maybe he'll sell; he says he has been offered $300,000 — 30 times what he paid — but won't settle for less than $750,000.
"That might sound like a lot, but it might actually end up being a bargain," said Wielend, his green eyes twinkling as he gazed at the ocean from the cracked and graffiti-scrawled terrace. "Who knows, maybe in 10 years this will end up being the most valuable property in all of Rio de Janeiro.

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Allies lead pro-Chavez rallies across Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Venezuela's absent, cancer-stricken president held rallies across the nation on Sunday to defend Hugo Chavez's populist "revolution," with a top ally alleging that far-right factions were seeking violent instability.
The opposition says the government's indefinite postponement of Chavez's inauguration, which was to have occurred on Thursday, is unconstitutional and is demanding it lift the veil of secrecy about his medical condition.
The successor Chavez himself designated, Vice President Nicolas Maduro, and other members of Venezuela's ruling inner circle, met Saturday evening in Havana with Raul Castro, Cuba's leader, during a visit to the island nation where the Venezuelan president remains hospitalized, the nation's Juventud Rebelde newspaper reported.
Venezuelan authorities have said Chavez continues to fight a severe respiratory infection after undergoing a fourth round of surgery on Dec. 11 for a cancer in the pelvic area first diagnosed on June 8, 2011.
Chavez, who was re-elected on Oct. 7, hasn't spoken publicly or been seen since the operation, and the Cuban and Venezuelan governments have refused to offer details of his condition. If he is unable to take office, Venezuela's constitution says new elections must be called within 30 days.
Accompanying Maduro in Saturday's meeting with Raul Castro were Diosdado Cabello, president of Venezuela's National Assembly as well as Attorney General Cilia Flores and Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez. Information Minister Ernesto Villegas announced that Maduro meet with Chavez.
"Maduro reports that he gave the president a report about the demonstrations of the people's support," Villegas stated on Saturday in a message posted on the Twitter social networking site.
Cuba's official Juventud Rebelde newspaper published a photograph of a smiling Castro with Cabello and Ramirez. In another picture, Castro is seen bidding farewell Saturday to Presidents Cristina Fernandez of Argentina and Ollanta Humala of Peru.
If either met with Chavez, it was not reported.
Fernandez was also shown in several photographs meeting with Fidel Castro, the former Cuban president and revolutionary icon who has been a father figure for Chavez.
The newspaper's reports did not mention Chavez.
In Caracas on Sunday, Elias Jaua, a close Chavez confidant and former vice president, urged a crowd of government supporters to "be active in defense of the constitution, in defense of Commander Hugo Chavez's popular mandate."
The opposition claims a Supreme Court ruling last week that allowed Chavez's inauguration to be postponed is unconstitutional. It says it plans to challenge the ruling before the Costa Rica-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Opposition leaders deny they are trying to stir up violence, insisting they have been careful not to incite unrest.
Jaua nevertheless told state television that some right-wing activists are seeking violent upheaval.
"We know that despite the position that many Venezuelans may have against the revolutionary project, nobody wants to see a fragmented Venezuela, a Venezuela involved in a civil war, that's only what Venezuela's sick right-wingers want," Jaua said.
During a massive pro-Chavez rally last week, Maduro warned that authorities would take action against elected opposition leaders who question the government's legitimacy.
"If you don't recognize the legitimate government of President Chavez, we are evaluating legally very forceful actions," Maduro told tens of thousands of Chavez supporters who filled the streets of downtown Caracas.
Critics allege the government is hamstrung because of Chavez's long absence and alleged infighting among members of the ruling party, which has caused the escalation of pressing domestic problems including rampant violent crime, double-digit inflation, deteriorating infrastructure and power outages.
A power outage left several districts of Caracas without electricity on Sunday. Douglas Alvarez of the state-run power company said officials were investigating the cause of the blackout. Electricity returned to the affected areas by midday, he said.

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Venezuela: Chavez is responding to treatment

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Venezuela's cancer-stricken president held rallies across the nation Sunday, hours before the government announced that Hugo Chavez is responding favorably to treatment for a respiratory infection.
The rallies came amid complaints by the opposition that it was unconstitutional for the government to indefinitely postpone the socialist leader's inauguration, which had been set for Thursday. The opposition also has been demanding the government provide more information about Chavez's medical condition.
Venezuelan authorities have said Chavez is suffering from a severe respiratory infection that he contracted after undergoing a fourth round of surgery on Dec. 11 in Cuba for a cancer in the pelvic area first diagnosed on June 8, 2011.
Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Sunday night that Chavez is conscious and responding to treatment for the respiratory infection at a Cuban hospital, although he gave no specifics of Chavez's treatment or condition.
"The respiratory infection is under control," but Chavez "still requires specific measures for a solution to respiratory insufficiency," he said, reading a statement on state television.
"The president is conscious, communicating with his family, his political team and the medical team treating him," Villegas said.
Chavez, who was re-elected Oct. 7, hasn't spoken publicly or been seen since the operation, leading to anxiety among Venezuelans about the country. If he is unable to take office, Venezuela's constitution says new elections must be called within 30 days.
On Saturday, Villegas said that Vice President Nicolas Maduro, who has been designed by Chavez as his successor, had met with Venezuela's leader since flying to Cuba on Friday.
"Maduro reports that he gave the president a report about the demonstrations of the people's support," Villegas said in a message posted on the Twitter social networking site.
In Caracas on Sunday, Elias Jaua, a close Chavez confidant and former vice president, urged a crowd of government supporters to "be active in defense of the constitution, in defense of Commander Hugo Chavez's popular mandate."
Opposition leaders deny they are trying to stir up violence, insisting they have been careful not to incite unrest even as they oppose the postponement of Chavez's inauguration and say they plan to challenge the move before the Costa Rica-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Jaua nevertheless told state television that some right-wing activists are seeking violent upheaval.
"We know that despite the position that many Venezuelans may have against the revolutionary project, nobody wants to see a fragmented Venezuela, a Venezuela involved in a civil war, that's only what Venezuela's sick right-wingers want," Jaua said.
During a huge pro-Chavez rally last week, Maduro warned that authorities would take action against elected opposition leaders who question the government's legitimacy.
"If you don't recognize the legitimate government of President Chavez, we are evaluating legally very forceful actions," Maduro told tens of thousands of Chavez supporters who filled the streets of downtown Caracas.
Maduro and other members of Venezuela's ruling inner circle met Saturday evening in Havana with Cuban leader Raul Castro during a visit to check on the Venezuelan president, the official Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde said.
Accompanying Maduro were Diosdado Cabello, president of Venezuela's National Assembly, as well as Attorney General Cilia Flores and Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez.
Juventud Rebelde published a photograph of a smiling Castro with Cabello and Ramirez.
In another picture, Castro is seen bidding farewell on Saturday to Presidents Cristina Fernandez of Argentina and Ollanta Humala of Peru, both of whom went to Cuba to offer support for Chavez. If either met with Chavez, it was not reported.
Fernandez was also shown in several photographs meeting with Fidel Castro, the former Cuban president and revolutionary icon who has been a father figure for Chavez.
The newspaper's reports did not mention Chavez.
The opposition contends the government is hamstrung because of Chavez's long absence, alleging that infighting among members of the ruling party has caused a worsening of pressing domestic problems such as rampant violent crime, double-digit inflation, deteriorating infrastructure and power outages.
A power failure left several districts of Caracas without electricity Sunday. Douglas Alvarez of the state-run power company said officials were investigating the cause of the blackout. Electricity returned to the affected areas by midday, he said.

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Steelers Rainey arrested in Fla. on battery charge

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh Steeler rookie running back Chris Rainey has been arrested in Florida, accused of slapping his girlfriend.
Gainesville police officers charged Rainey Thursday morning with a single count of misdemeanor simple battery. He was taken to jail for booking.
Police say in a news release that Rainey was arguing with his girlfriend over his cellphone. His girlfriend got into a vehicle and the ex-Florida Gator tried to pull her out.
Witnesses told detectives that Rainey slapped his girlfriend of nine months across the face and then chased her when she ran away with his phone in her purse.
Rainey's agent, Joel Segal, didn't return a phone call for comment.
The 24-year-old fifth-round draft pick played in all 16 games for the Steelers, mostly returning kicks. He returned 39 kickoffs for 1,035 yards.

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NFL star Junior Seau suffered from brain disease

Junior Seau, one of the NFL's best and fiercest players for two decades, suffered from a degenerative brain disease often associated with repeated blows to the head when he committed suicide last May, the National Institutes of Health said in a study released Thursday.
The NIH, based in Bethesda, Md., said Seau's brain revealed abnormalities consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. It said that the study included unidentified brains, one of which was Seau's, and that the findings on Seau were similar to autopsies of people "with exposure to repetitive head injuries."
Seau's family requested the analysis of his brain.
The 43-year-old star linebacker played for 20 NFL seasons with San Diego, Miami and New England before retiring in 2009. He died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound.
He joins a list of several dozen football players who were found to have CTE. Boston University's center for study of the disease reported last month that 34 former pro players and nine who played only college football suffered from CTE.
"I was not surprised after learning a little about CTE that he had it," Seau's 23-year-old son Tyler said. "He did play so many years at that level. I was more just kind of angry I didn't do something more and have the awareness to help him more, and now it is too late.
"I don't think any of us were aware of the side effects that could be going on with head trauma until he passed away. We didn't know his behavior was from head trauma."
That behavior, according to Tyler Seau and Junior's ex-wife Gina, included wild mood swings, irrationality, forgetfulness, insomnia and depression.
The NFL faces lawsuits by thousands of former players who say the league withheld information on the harmful effects of concussions. According to an AP review of 175 lawsuits, 3,818 players have sued. At least 26 Hall of Famer members are among the players who have done so.
Seau is not the first former NFL player who killed himself, then was found to have CTE. Dave Duerson and Ray Easterling are the others.
"He emotionally detached himself and would kind of 'go away' for a little bit," Tyler Seau said. "And then the depression and things like that. It started to progressively get worse."
He hid it well in public, they said. But not when he was with family or close friends.
Dr. Russell Lonser, who oversaw the study, said Seau's brain was "independently evaluated by multiple experts, in a blind fashion."
"We had the opportunity to get multiple experts involved in a way they wouldn't be able to directly identify his tissue even if they knew he was one of the individuals studied," he said.
The National Football League, in an email to the AP, said: "We appreciate the Seau family's cooperation with the National Institutes of Health. The finding underscores the recognized need for additional research to accelerate a fuller understanding of CTE.
"The NFL, both directly and in partnership with the NIH, Centers for Disease Control and other leading organizations, is committed to supporting a wide range of independent medical and scientific research that will both address CTE and promote the long-term health and safety of athletes at all levels."
NFL teams have given a $30 million research grant to the NIH.
Before shooting himself, Duerson, a former Chicago Bears defensive back, left a note asking that his brain be studied for signs of trauma. His family filed a wrongful-death suit against the NFL, claiming the league didn't do enough to prevent or treat the concussions that severely damaged his brain.
Easterling played safety for the Falcons in the 1970s. After his career, he suffered from dementia, depression and insomnia, according to his wife, Mary Ann. He committed suicide last April.
Mary Ann Easterling is among the plaintiffs who have sued the NFL.
"It was important to us to get to the bottom of this, the truth," Gina Seau said, "and now that it has been conclusively determined from every expert that he had obviously had it, CTE, we just hope it is taken more seriously.
"You can't deny it exists, and it is hard to deny there is a link between head trauma and CTE. There's such strong evidence correlating head trauma and collisions and CTE."
Tyler Seau played football through high school and for two years in college. He says he has no symptoms of brain trauma.
Gina Seau's son Jake, now a high school junior, played football for two seasons but has switched to lacrosse and has been recruited to play at Duke.
"Lacrosse is really his sport and what he is passionate about," she said. "He is a good football player and probably could continue. But especially now watching what his dad went through, he says, 'Why would I risk lacrosse for football?'
"I didn't have to have a discussion with him after we saw what Junior went through."
Her 12-year-old son, Hunter, has shown no interest in playing football.
"That's fine with me," she said.

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Researchers: NFL's Seau had from brain disease

When he ended his life last year by shooting himself in the chest, Junior Seau had a degenerative brain disease often linked with repeated blows to the head.
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health said Thursday the former NFL star's abnormalities are consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
The hard-hitting linebacker played for 20 NFL seasons with San Diego, Miami and New England before retiring in 2009. He died at age 43 of a self-inflicted gunshot in May, and his family requested the analysis of his brain.
"We saw changes in his behavior and things that didn't add up with him," his ex-wife, Gina, told The Associated Press. "But (CTE) was not something we considered or even were aware of. But pretty immediately (after the suicide) doctors were trying to get their hands on Junior's brain to examine it."
The NIH, based in Bethesda, Md., studied three unidentified brains, one of which was Seau's, and said the findings on Seau were similar to autopsies of people "with exposure to repetitive head injuries."
"It was important to us to get to the bottom of this, the truth," Gina Seau added, "and now that it has been conclusively determined from every expert that he had obviously had CTE, we just hope it is taken more seriously. You can't deny it exists, and it is hard to deny there is a link between head trauma and CTE. There's such strong evidence correlating head trauma and collisions and CTE."
In the final years of his life, Seau had wild behavioral swings, according to Gina and to 23-year-old son, Tyler, along with signs of irrationality, forgetfulness, insomnia and depression.
"He emotionally detached himself and would kind of 'go away' for a little bit," Tyler Seau said. "And then the depression and things like that. It started to progressively get worse."
He hid it well in public, they said, but not when he was with family or close friends.
Seau joins a list of several dozen football players who were found to have CTE. Boston University's center for study of the disease reported last month that 34 former pro players and nine who played only college football suffered from CTE.
The NFL faces lawsuits by thousands of former players who say the league withheld information on the harmful effects of concussions. According to an AP review of 175 lawsuits, 3,818 players have sued. At least 26 Hall of Famer members are among the players who have done so.
The National Football League, in an email to the AP, said: "We appreciate the Seau family's cooperation with the National Institutes of Health. The finding underscores the recognized need for additional research to accelerate a fuller understanding of CTE.
"The NFL, both directly and in partnership with the NIH, Centers for Disease Control and other leading organizations, is committed to supporting a wide range of independent medical and scientific research that will both address CTE and promote the long-term health and safety of athletes at all levels."
NFL teams have given a $30 million research grant to the NIH.
The players' union called the NIH report on Seau "tragic."
"The only way we can improve the safety of players, restore the confidence of our fans and secure the future of our game is to insist on the same quality of medical care, informed consent and ethical standards that we expect for ourselves and for our family members," the NFLPA said in a statement.
"This is why the players have asked for things like independent sideline concussion experts, the certification and credentialing of all professional football medical staff and a fairer workers compensation system in professional football," it said.
Seau is not the first former NFL player who killed himself and later was found to have had CTE. Dave Duerson and Ray Easterling are the others.
Before shooting himself, Duerson, a former Chicago Bears defensive back, left a note asking that his brain be studied for signs of trauma. His family filed a wrongful-death suit against the NFL, claiming the league didn't do enough to prevent or treat the concussions that severely damaged his brain.
Easterling played safety for the Falcons in the 1970s. After his career, he suffered from dementia, depression and insomnia, according to his wife, Mary Ann. He committed suicide last April.
Mary Ann Easterling is among the plaintiffs who have sued the NFL.
Tyler Seau played football through high school and for two years in college. He says he has no symptoms of brain trauma.
"I was not surprised after learning a little about CTE that he had it," Tyler said. "He did play so many years at that level. I was more just kind of angry I didn't do something more and have the awareness to help him more, and now it is too late."
Gina Seau's son Jake, now a high school junior, played football for two seasons but has switched to lacrosse and has been recruited to play at Duke.
"Lacrosse is really his sport and what he is passionate about," she said. "He is a good football player and probably could continue. But especially now watching what his dad went through, he says, 'Why would I risk lacrosse for football?'
"I didn't have to have a discussion with him after we saw what Junior went through."
Her 12-year-old son Hunter has shown no interest in playing football.
"That's fine with me," she said.

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RIM to launch six new BlackBerry 10 devices in 2013

Research In Motion (RIMM) has wisely decided not to put all its eggs in the high-end basket and will be releasing a wide range of smartphones selling at different price points this year, FierceWireless reports. At the Consumer Electronics Show this week, RIM CMO Frank Boulben said that his company plans to release six different BlackBerry 10 devices in 2013 that will include phones in the high, medium and low prices ranges. Having low-end BlackBerry 10 devices is particularly crucial for RIM if it wants to expand upon the success it’s had over the past year in emerging markets such as South Africa and Nigeria, where the company is coming under pressure from a flood of low-cost Android handsets.

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