With the NFL season just a month away, The Takeaway's sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin previews what to expect on the field. He focuses on NFC North, where Brett Favre is sticking it out for at least one more season with the Minnesota Vikings; and the NFC West, where a heated quarterback battle is brewing.

He used to be bound for the Hall of Fame, but now seems more likely to go to prison. The seven-time Cy Young Award Winner, Roger Clemens was indicted on six counts by a federal grand jury yesterday, for allegedly lying to Congress, with statements like this, "let me be clear, I have never taken steroids or HGH."

Bobby Thomson, the baseball legend who hit the winning shot for the New York Giants in the 1951 National League playoff series died on Monday night. He was 86.

The induction of the 1992 Dream Team into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and the current USA Men’s basketball’s easy defeat of France turned my eyes to international basketball for the first time since 2008, when the USA men’s team won Olympic gold.

The basketball World Championship is set to begin in Turkey at the end of the month. In an exhibition game this weekend, Team USA handedly defeated France 86-55. The team is playing out without basketball superstars like Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James, but there seems to be a new talent on the court: Kevin Durant. We talk with Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin about how the team is shaping up.

The NFL's 2010 season officially begins in 27 days and we want to get up to speed on how exactly the NFL works and what to look for as the season gears up.

You think your August is tough? Imagine being in football camp and not eating or drinking while the sun is up because of Ramadan, the Muslim Holy month that begins this week. Ramadan is a time when practitioners refrain from eating, drinking, and physical intimacy during daylight hours. This year, Husain Abdullah, safety for the Minnesota Vikings will be doing just that - fasting during the holy month during the dog days of August football camp. That is dedication. Not only to your sport, but also to your way of life.

During the current training camp with the Minnesota Vikings, safety Husain Abdullah will be going without food or drink while the sun is out. Takeaway sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, explains the rules of Ramadan and how an athlete might handle the challenges of a grueling workout while fasting.

Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin looks ahead to what may be threatening the Superbowl hopes of the New York Jets. One of the best players in the league, cornerback Darrell Revis, is crying foul about a complex contract deal. The player is coming off a breakout year and is holding out for a major salary increase before payment rules change.

After almost 20 years Brett Favre is at it again. The wonder-old-man quarterback has just announced he is finally retiring, again, at the ripe age of 40. And speculation is soaring. Is this just another flirtation with retirement (he has already done it twice) or is 19, the number of seasons he has played, the magic number?

Reports came out yesterday that legendary NFL quarterback and future hall-of-famer, Brett Favre, is hanging up the spikes and retiring. The news isn't shocking since we've seen this song and dance before from Favre. The Takeaway's sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, does not think it is necessarily real news. He believes Favre has got some juice left in his tank, coming off one of his best seasons last year at the age of 40.

Major League Baseball's trade deadline was this past weekend with some major changes for some of the sport's closely watched teams. The Yankees traded for outfielders; the Dodgers got starting pitcher, Ted Lilly; and the Phillies traded for pitching ace, Roy Oswalt. Takeaway sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, brings highlights from the transactions and tells us which teams will benefit the most.

Alex Rodriguez is considered by many to be one of the best baseball players of all time. He was the youngest player to reach 500 home runs and is now at 599. Already in elite company, he is edging closer to that elusive 600 club. Who else is in that club?

With Baseball’s trade deadline looming, the nation’s pastime has started to really heat up. Aces are switching locations and teams are searching for that perfect missing piece as we get closer to July 31^st. On top of everything else is A-Rod’s bid to become the seventh member of the elite 600-home-run club. 

Amid scandal and controversy, the University of Southern California announced that they will replace athletic director Mike Garrett with former Trojans quarterback, Pat Haden. The move comes after the university recieved harsh sanctions from the NCAA following an investigation into the numerous benefits granted to Reggie Bush, and former basketball player, O.J. Mayor. USC also announced they are returning their copy of Reggie Bush's 2005 Heisman Trophy.

New York Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner, passed away yesterday morning at the age of 80. He helmed the Yankee ship for 37-plus years, winning seven World Series Championships. Steinbrenner spent a lot of money on the team in order to win and changed the relationship between teams and their owners. The Takeaway's sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin examines Steinbrenner's legacy.

The Netherlands defeated Uruguay in the semifinals yesterday, 3-2, to advance to their third World Cup finals ever, and their first since 1978. For the championship, they'll face the winner of today's match between Germany and Spain. Takeaway sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin looks ahead to the final World Cup game.

The Knicks and Amare Stoudemire agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract. But the big question is whether this means that the team is still in the running to get LeBron James.

Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams are taking home Wimbledon titles. And in the World Cup, Germany handily beat Argentina 4-0 and moves on to play Spain. Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin recaps a big weekend in sports and says that The Netherlands is the team to beat in the World Cup

LeBron James becomes a free agent on Thursday and his NBA fate is still undecided. To help him out, we asked listeners and fans, why should LeBron come to your city? Fans from Miami, New Jersey and New York all had strong arguments for why he should come to their town. Peter Patakos from Cleveland, said he should actually stay there:

"The fact that he just means so much to the area here, he can just mean more. To turn his back for the extra money or extra exposure when he could have stood for things like community, loyalty, family staying in Cleveland and winning even one championship - he wouldn't have to win more than that."