When news first came out that Alex Rodriguez would be playing his last game with the Yankees on Friday, August 12, it was widely assumed it would be his last Major League Baseball game - period.

As the case has progressed, here are a few thoughts on Johnny Manziel’s indictment, after he was charged with assault causing bodily injury.

Johnny Manziel has always had a penchant for attracting controversy. But this time around, he’s bound to receive the type of punishment that he’s been able to elude since his days at Texas A&M.; Or is he?

At first glance, an NFL team in Las Vegas seems fun, intriguing, sexy, and a money-maker for all involved. Add to that the fact that the move would not require additional taxpayer-funded subsidies since the proposed stadium would be financed by private investors, and the move seems to make all the sense in the world. But ultimately an NFL team in Las Vegas is an unlikely proposition due to the legality of sports gambling in Nevada.

Soon after Judge Berman overturned Tom Brady’s suspension on September 3, there were some rumblings that, in light of the decision, Hardy intended to discuss with the NFLPA the possibility of appealing the arbitrator’s decision to reduce his suspension from ten games to four. Many believed that the Deflategate decision could improve Hardy’s chances to have his suspension further reduced, or even wiped out altogether. Nevertheless, Hardy announced on Septemeber 10 that he would not appeal to the courts for further review of his suspension.

Last month, 217 days after placing him on the Commissioner’s exempt list, the NFL came down hard on Greg Hardy, suspending the Dallas Cowboys’ new defensive end without pay for the first 10 games of the 2015 season. What Hardy did was awful, and he probably deserves the 10-games suspension he got. But, it is very likely Hardy’s suspension will be reduced, and the NFL has no one to blame but itself.

Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs had a stellar spring training. Bryant should be a shoe-in for the Cubs’ major league 25-man roster come opening day, right? If you've been paying attention to any major sports news outlet, you know that's not the case. This past Monday, March 30, the Cubs reassigned Bryant to their minor league camp, meaning that the number two prospect in all of baseball will start the season in the minor leagues. Why?

It was widely reported last week that Jana Weckerly had resolved her sexual assault lawsuit against Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys, and Jones's attorneys. Both sides vehemently deny that any money was paid to Weckerly to resolve and dismiss the case, but can that really be true, especially after the parties engaged in an extensive mediation that culminated in the resolution? Here are a few theories regarding what happened behind closed doors.

On September 8, 2014, a former exotic dancer named Jana Weckerly filed a civil suit in the 134th District Court in Dallas County, Texas against Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. In detail that borders on graphic for a legal document, Weckerly alleges in her suit that Jerry Jones touched Weckerley’s genitals, fondled her breasts, forced her to touch or rub his penis, and forced her to watch while Jones received oral sex from another woman. In case you forgot, it's been a rough couple of weeks for the NFL off the field. Ray Rice...Greg Hardy...Adrian Peterson...all being accused of doing some pretty awful stuff. Amidst the evidence of beating women and whipping children, Weckerly’s allegations against Jones and the Cowboys have largely slipped from the headlines. Maybe that's because the allegations against Jones don't affect fantasy football owners all over the country, or because these allegations are civil rather than criminal. Whatever the reason, this is a saga that is definitely worth following.

“Não vai ter Copa!” they chant in the streets of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and several other Brazilian cities that will host World Cup matches in June and July. “There will be no World Cup,” they say, and they mean to be taken seriously. Protests have exploded throughout Brazil on the eve of the World Cup. The protesters’ list of grievances is long and not entirely limited to the problems associated with Brazil’s hosting of the 2014 World Cup, but this landmark event in Brazil’s history has provided the opportunity for people from the middle and working classes to air their grievances on the world stage.