John Fortenberry of East Central Community College is like any other pitcher trying to get a college scholarship���except for one small fact���he only has one eye.

Fortenberry lost the eye in an intrasquad game when a ball was crushed directly into his face. After doctors told him he���d never play, and 29 screws were inserted into his face, Fortenberry returned with a 4.06ERA to round out a very decent freshman year. Click here for the rest of this amazing story on

[Sebastian Telfair gets paid|http://www.flickr.com/photos/53034700@N00/127100189/] Originally uploaded by eteamz photos. </span></div>

German shoe company Adidas made news today by signing an 11-year deal with the NBA to be the official uniform supplier for the league. Financial details weren���t disclosed���but we can assume it was quite a bit-- as Adidas is preparing to purchase Reebok for the low-low price of 3.7 billion dollars. Click here for the whole story.

What might be lost in this fact is that companies like Adidas and Nike are largely responsible for the influx of high school athletes declaring for the NBA draft. Many players, such as Sebastian Telfair, only decided to ���skip college��� after signing a deal with Adidas. And oftentimes the money athletes make from endorsements, especially in basketball, easily outpace the money they make from the actual team contract.

So the question remains���do you think shoe companies represent too large an influence in youth sports (especially basketball)? Or do you think it���s an unavoidable consequence of a league where eighteen year-olds are welcome to join the professional ranks?

Click here to tell us what you think. And don���t forget to check out the basketball message boards to see what other members of the eteamz community are

[He's excited...but is anybody else?|http://www.flickr.com/photos/53034700@N00/122911623/] Originally uploaded by eteamz photos. </span></div>

Many have said this was the best NCAA tournament ever played with exciting games, shocking upsets, and one of the best Cinderella stories ever seen in the form of George Mason University. There are also predictions that tonight���s final with UCLA and Florida will be the lowest-rated championship game in nearly 10 years without favorites such as Duke or UConn in the mix.

Click here to tell us if you would you rather watch basketball powerhouses dueling it out or would you rather have two teams, warts and all, that were able to slug their way to the final. Also check out the basketball message boards to see what other eteamz people are saying.

Photo courtesy of Streeter Leck

[Adam Morrison has another dissapointment|http://www.flickr.com/photos/53034700@N00/120911694/] Originally uploaded by eteamz photos. </span></div>

It was no big surprise that J.J. Redick was named the national player of the year by The Associated Press today. (Check out the whole story here.) What was surprising was that Adam Morrison of Gonzaga didn���t share the award with him.

Many thought that Redick and Morrison had such similar numbers and both meant so much to their team that they would end up sharing NCAA basketball���s most prestigious individual award.

But many think that Morrison suffered from playing in a ���Mid-Major������meaning his level of competition wasn���t as high as Redick���s in the ACC. But doesn���t George Mason���s brilliant run prove that the conference reputations are largely relevant?

Click here to tell us if you think Morrison should have had a share of the award or if Redick and his 26.8 ppg were more than enough to take the award. Also check out the basketball message boards to see which player other members of the eteamz community thought was more deserving.

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn

[We want triples!|http://www.flickr.com/photos/53034700@N00/119923392/] Originally uploaded by eteamz photos. </span></div>

Girls may dig the long ball���but Little League baseball doesn���t seem to have the same fascination. In an attempt to encourage less home runs and more triples and doubles, organizers for the Little League World Series are pushing back the fences by 20 feet for the Little League World Series in August. Check out the whole story here on Fox Sports.

Though home runs have remained constant���the distance of the fences have not. They were pushed back 5 feet in 1996 and now are being pushed back an additional 20 feet.

Does this imply that little leaguers are stronger than they were just 10 years ago? Or is this just an attempt to make games more exciting? Are players hitting more home runs because of better access to training and hitting education? Or is this a disturbing trend about how little leaguers are physically developing sooner than expected?

Click here to tell us what you think. And don���t forget to check out the baseball message boards to find out what other members of the eteamz community are talking about.

(Photo courtesy of Elsa

Kelvin Sampson is familiar with red and white, but if the reports are true, he'll be a cream and crimson Hoosier very soon.

Kelvin Sampson, 259-109 in 12 seasons at Oklahoma, reportedly was offered and accepted the Indiana University basketball head coaching position over the weekend.

Wow, is there really no chance for Bobby Knight to return? Can Sampson fulfill Hoosier expectations? Interesting times lie ahead in B-town.

And, what happened to Alford?

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All you baseball and softball shutterbugs now have a chance to turn those awesome photos of yours into Little League legend. Open to any local league or district volunteer the Little League photo contest is in full effect.

The deadline is July 15 so you have plenty of time to get those action shots together. And winners will have their photos on display in the Little League Museum--as well as included on the Little League website and newsletter. (I think some of the eteamz snapshotz winners have a good chance.)

Go here for the a contest entry form as well as a photo model