If Marbury liquidated $75 million, then he probably can afford to pay this back. But is absolutely amazing to us that he was able to own a real estate company worth that much money. Sure, he made more than enough...in theory over his NBA career to pay that back...but how many NBA million-gazillionaires actually have that much money sitting around to pay off debts like that?
Here's Steph, the businessman on FoxBuisness Channel back in March:
There was no doubt that both Dan Henderson and Fedor Emilianenko are heading to the MMA Hall of Fame by the time that their careers are through. But after last night's fight, is it the end for one of these two...
Meaning Fedor...
Here's the fight... decide for yourself...
But the larger issue is from the Emperor... he thinks the fight was stopped too soon...
"I think [the stoppage] was early," Emelianenko said. "I don't want to say anything bad about the referee, but I think it was early.
"If [retirement is] God will. If God has it for me, that's what I will do."
Henderson will take the win and move on quickly...
If you look at the tape, Henderson went from a wrestling position to driving Fedor's face into the mat and rendering him defenseless...
That's probably why the fight was stopped- all Hendo could have done from that moment was drive rabbit punches to the back of Fedor's head unless he could have extricated himself...
Fedor will still be around for a while. The HQ hopes, however, that he doesn't turn into someone who stayed at the party too long...
Hate it when this happens. A poor New York Yankee fan obviously didn't read the note at all stadiums to be careful when sitting close to the field, "Ball can enter stands at a 'Rapid' pace".
Either that or he didn't think Erick Chavez of the Yankees could hit a foul ball that far. Watch the catch...and then, the replay, and then the other replay...
Devon Nicholson, who wrestled under a "Hannibal" moniker, is suing Larry Shreve ((otherwise known as "Abdullah The Butcher")) for an alleged diagnosis of Hepatitis C after the two squared off in a match four years ago. Nicholson is in the process of suing in Ontario Superior Court for C$6.5-million claiming that when Shreve bladed Nicholson, that was how the contraction took place...
From Weber...
“I’m not the only one that he has wrestled. He has wrestled everybody,” Shreve said. “He’s been to Puerto Rico, all over.”
Shreve claims he only used the razor blade on himself and not on Nicholson, and Nicholson claims he didn't know he was bladed until he watched tape of the match itself. Nicholson also claims he was just given a three-year contract with the WWE folks in Connecticut. He's suing, in part, for those lost wages...
They are already on probation due to the legacy of former head basketball coach Kelvin Sampson. And no, the University of Oklahoma isn't going to be coming off of it anytime soon.
The reason. The school admitted Thursday to 2 major violations by a former assistant. The school, to their benefit, reported themselves, but as a now repeat violator, has some 'splainin' to do.
The issue involves now former assistant coach Oronde Taliaferro. The school says he helped get a "Benefit" for former center Keith Gallon and initially denied it. Four months later, he admitted it.
Yes, Oklahoma put themselves on 2 more years of probation and vacated their wins from 2009. The question is, "Will it be enough?"
Nobody knows the answer to that. The violation is somewhat serious and the fact that Taliaferro lied to the NCAA isn't going to help things. We suspect the "Self-Imposed" penalties will probably be enough, particularly in light of the fact the NCAA has it within their power to shut down the program for a year or two.
They won't. While they may not be fans of Oklahoma's behavior, they won't shut them down. But you can fully expect they'll be under a microscope. A really, really big microscope.
Travis Pastrana is out of medal contention for the first time at X Games since 2002. He crashed while attempting a corked 720 that had made him a gold medal favorite in Best Trick. Riders usually get one shot each round at throwing tricks, but Pastrana tried the 720 twice after under-rotating the first time.
Pastrana had planned to compete in Best Trick and Freestyle on Thursday and Friday, fly to Indianapolis to make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut Saturday, then return to Los Angeles to compete in RallyCross on Sunday.
Here's the attempt, crash, and aftermath...
"I am sorry this happened and will be back in action as soon as I can. I look forward to Pastranathon 2012 at X Games 18," he told the four-letter afterwards.
Pastrana's crash at Staples wasn't the only wreck of the day...
Aussie Mark Monea tried a front flip 360 but couldn't hold on to it...
Something called "The Pac-12 Networks" now exists. There will be a national channel along with six regional offerings: Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Southern California, Arizona and Mountain.
Commish Larry Scott announced the idea at the press junket in New York City and referred to it as "a truly unique, one-of-a-kind initiative to create exposure that's unprecedented."
The Pac-12 partnered with cable companies Comcast, Cox, Time Warner and Bright House to distribute the networks but wholly owns them.
Once the channels launch a year from now, they will broadcast about 850 sporting events a year -- 350 nationally and 500 regionally. Subscribers will also be able to watch games on mobile devices.
Every football and men's basketball game will be televised nationally. The conference already had a 12-year TV contract worth about $3 billion with Fox and ESPN, which will air many of the most high-profile games.
The networks will initially be available to almost 40 million homes... which sounds incredibly ambitious...
Here's Charles Davis with a preview of the season to come...
At the morning press conference explaining the firing of head football coach Butch Davis a week before practice begins, Dick Baddour has asked Chancellor Holden Thorp to start a search for a successor.
The words Baddour used are "as soon as possible" serving out his contract, but will assume duties other than Athletic Director when a successor is named. Baddour wants to have the new AD start a seamless transition for the recruiting process with a new head football coach...
Interviews are this afternoon for the interim head football coach, but sources are telling OSG Sports that the Offensive Coordinator has the inside track for the sake of the athletes on the roster...
Here's coverage from our friends at WRAL-TV and wralsportsfan.com
On Monday at the ACC Football Kickoff in Pinehurst, N.C. Butch Davis was answering questions about the past year and a half and accepting the responsibility. It all happened under his watch.
I had a chance to discuss this with Davis Monday and while the 2010 season was the most brutal in his coaching career he admitted that season turned into his most gratifying.
All that is water under the bridge. UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp and the UNC Board of Trustees decided it was time to cut bait and fired Davis Wednesday.
What the powers that be at UNC-Chapel Hill came to the conclusion that the Universities reputation was at stake after taking a major hit during the John Blake affair and tutor-gate and that bad smell would linger if Butch Davis were to remain in charge, so now he's gone.
The general consensus is that Davis may have coached this season but may not have survived following the conclusion of the NCAA investigation.
Keep in mind Butch Davis has never been directly linked to any of the inpropriorties listed in the NCAA report.
All a major university with a high academic standing has to sell to potential students and would be donors is it's reputation and UNC had to rebuild that.
And that meant firing Butch Davis.
North Carolina wanted to get serious about football. For the foreseeable future the Tar Heel football program will face series challenges.
Here's reaction from UNC and Butch Davis. (Thanks WRAL-TV)
Here's team coverage of Butch Davis' firing from WRAL-TV.
It had to happen this way. Particularly after he took full responsibility for everything just two days ago.
The University of North Carolina fired head football coach Butch Davis today, just before practice for the upcoming season was about to begin next week.
The University spoke in a press conference at length about "Restoring Integrity" and "Moving Forward", which wasn't wrong.
Really the question is just "Why now?"
Read the entire story from the Raleigh News and Observer RIGHT HERE
There's a long list of problems the program has come under fire for over the past two years. Several players were suspended for the entire 2010 season for alleged improprieties and the list of problems continues to grow.
We suspect this was the first move to show the NCAA that administrators at the school are still in control, but again, the question is, "Why now...?" There's been nothing new since the Michael McAdoo incident...and that was a few weeks ago.
No word on an interim replacement for Davis, but the school is going to have a lot of work ahead to try and restore its reputation and live through what happened over the past few years.
Here's the release from our friends at UNC their ownselves...
University of North Carolina Chancellor Holden Thorp announced this evening that Butch Davis has been dismissed as head coach of the Carolina football program.
Davis was informed by Thorp and Director of Athletics Dick Baddour of the decision.
“To restore confidence in the University of North Carolina and our football program, it’s time to make a change,” said Thorp. “What started as a purely athletic issue has begun to chip away at this University’s reputation. I have been deliberate in my approach to understanding this situation fully, and I have worked to be fair to everyone involved. However, I have lost confidence in our ability to come through this without harming the way people think of this institution. Our academic integrity is paramount and we must work diligently to protect it. The only way to move forward and put this behind us is to make a change.”
Thorp said the decision was not related to any change in the NCAA investigation, but that it was the result of the cumulative damage to the University’s reputation over the past year.
“Athletics and football are an important part of this University, and a successful football program is essential to the overall health of our athletic program,” Thorp continued. “That’s why we have to put this behind us and move forward.” Baddour said, “The last 13 months have been some of the most difficult that anyone associated with the athletic department and football program have dealt with. At this time, a decision has been made to change the leadership of the football program to help the entire University community move forward.
“I want to thank Butch Davis and his family for their four‐plus years of service and dedication to the University and the Chapel Hill community,” continued Baddour. “My staff and I will work with Chancellor Thorp to transition to an interim head coach as soon as possible. It is critical that we do all we can to help our students and other staff members on the football team since preseason training camp begins in just eight days.”
A presser is set for campus tomorrow morning...
More when we know more...
Well, that was easy. No, Terrelle Pryor didn't trade anybody at Staples an autograph for an office product, rather, it was Ohio State doing him a huge favor that should help his case in the next few days to get in a Supplemental Draft.
We reported just the other day that Pryor's eligibility for such a draft was in question because he didn't leave tOSU ineligible or as a hardship, rather, he just up and left.
Not any more.
Pryor's attorney along with Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith have taken care of that question. Smith produced a letter stating that "As of June 7, Pryor was no longer eligible to play football for the Buckeyes." He based that statement on Pryor proclaiming June 7th that he'd would not interview with representatives of the NCAA and Ohio State. Smith says Pryor is no longer welcome around the athletic program for 5-years. (Or until you get caught here--ed.note)
Read the entire story from the Columbus Dispatch RIGHT HERE
Quite honestly, this is an absolute LOAD OF CRAP. But it will work. Pryor was not going to be able to eligible for the supplemental draft without this. The NFL, still hasn't announced if they are going to have one yet.
The school did this specifically so Pryor could be eligible. He had already made the decision to turn pro before June 7th. Long before then we'd argue.
This is just another in the long line of tOSU bending over to help Pryor and in return, they are getting pretty much nothing other than a barrel full of trouble. Sure, they have the right to do this and sure, Pryor's people have a right to ask for it...which they did.
It still doesn't pass a smell test. And no, nobody will get to ask young Mr. Pryor about it, because he doesn't talk to the media out of fear that he'll be asked about the mess he left behind. And before you ask Ohio State fans, we don't buy for a second that your problems were all "Jim Tressel's" fault, they weren't. He got in trouble trying to cover up for the guy in the picture at the top right corner of this story.
Okay. We make no secret of our affinity for our favorite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves. We've been a fan since we attended our 1st game at Fulton County stadium at age 10. Even when they sucked.
That being said, they got a break Tuesday night. The Braves played the Pittsburgh Pirates and sparing you the details of the early part of the game, it went 19 innings. Yes, 19 innings. Not the longest Braves game ever, that would be the 1982 game that Rick Camp hit a walk-off homer in, but the longest in Turner Field history.
Anyway. Bottom of the 19th inning, the light hitting Julio Lugo is somehow on 3rd base with 1 out, Jordan Schafer is on 2nd and pitcher Scott Proctor at the plate.
Proctor hits a chopper to 3rd and for some reason, Lugo heads home, the throw beats him there by roughly a week, he brushes against the catcher Michael McKenry and touches home plate...and is ruled safe by umpire Jerry Meals.
Needless to say, bedlam ensues, the Pirates blow a gasket and the Braves celebrate the win. The ump, he later admits to MLB.com reporter Mark Bowman he thought the catcher "Olayed" the tag, but then admits after looking at replays McKenry may have tagged Lugo on the shin. Meals said, "I just saw the glove sweep up. I didn't see the glove hit his leg."
This is camera video from TV of what happened...from Pittsburgh...
And the other TV version from Braves broadcasting- until it gets pulled...
((HT: MLB/FSNSouth/youtube))
If you are wondering what it is we are talking about, you need to watch the video. Actually for this story to make any sense, you need to watch the video.
The story we are talking about is a new Asian sport called Sepak Takraw. No, not Deepak Chopra, Sepak Takraw.
The sports is essentially a form of Volleyball, played by three guys and a low net. If you look at the video, it kind of looks like a variation of "Hackey-sack". It looks like it because apparently you can only use your legs, chest and head to touch the ball.
Read the original story from ThePostGame.com RIGHT HERE
We don't necessarily buy the "It's the Toughest Sport on the Planet" headline. Sure, it looks like it takes an incredible amount of coordination, but the guys in the video don't seem to be struggling too much.
Either way, take a look and see what you think. We stick to what we called it in the headline, it's just "Hackey-Sack Volleyball".
George Mangus/Courtesy: WSPA/Greeneville City Police
((ht:wspa.com))
**UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF STORY**
Well, there's always a way to make an impression. However University of South Carolina Quarterback Coach George Mangus, probably didn't make a very good impression when he was arrested early Tuesday morning in Greeneville, South Carolina.
Mangus was arrested on a nuisance conduct charge after 2 police officers saw him peeing on a street while they drove by. They suspected him of being drunk, but didn't charge him for that.
Mangus was cuffed and booked and as of 10:30 Wednesday morning, was still in the Greeneville County Detention Center.
No word yet on what the 'Ol Ball Coach is going to have to say about this one and for that matter, it is starting to sound like Mangus may need some help getting out of the pokey.
We'll let you know if he's set free...
--Update-- Yes, he's been set free. And he's been suspended indefinitely by his boss Steve Spurrier until the matter is resolved.
Hey, let's start singing "We are the world!". Though we can't figure out why so many Sportswriters were dancing in the street after the NFL and NFLPA settled their labor issue yesterday, the making nice with everyone has begun.
The players association put out a video this morning saying "Thanks to the fans". Which yeah, it is a nice sentiment, but at the risk of sounding cynical...what did the fans miss? Mini-camp? O-T-A's? Really, that and the "Hall of Fame Game" are going to be the only actual football anyone missed.
Anyway, here's your video, continue your celebrating NFL Fan, revel in victory!
Desmond Allison was a shooting guard for the University of Kentucky from 1998 to 2000. He wasn't an all-star, but averaged over 6 points a game in his two seasons.
Desmond Allison is now dead. Allison was shot and killed Monday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio, the victim of a shooting after an argument.
The shooting, which also sent another man to the hospital, happened in the East Side of Columbus, in an apartment complex where it was reported that Allison may have lived.
Allison wasn't incredibly well known, but did have a mildly successful career at UK. He ended up getting dismissed from the team after a drunk driving arrest and marijuana possession charges, finished his basketball career playing NAIA basketball in Tennessee.
He apparently tried out for some NBA teams, but never made the jump to the pros. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, he drifted in and out of jail on various drug charges and never managed to find success in life.
The HQ figured this would happen sooner or later...
AEG and the City of Los Angeles have agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding for what would eventually become Farmers Field next to Staples Center in the City Center district...
AEG is issuing bonds for less than the initial amount requested and will be paying for the $1.2-billion facility their own selves...
Sid Garcia has the details on the MOU
The one thing the HQ has failed to understand during this whole time...
If LA gets double-headers every weekend without fail, the national ratings for the pro football package are normally higher than they would be otherwise.
Wouldn't the ratings nosedive if a team like Jacksonville, Minneapolis, or Buffalo make their way west...???
Marvin Norwood and Louie Sanchez appeared in court yesterday, but their arraignments were postponed until August 20th.
They are charged with one count each of mayhem, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury in the Stow attack.
Police believe the suspects may have assaulted a few more Giants fans on Opening Day, and police are asking for more possible victims to come forward, "especially anyone wearing a Giants jersey or sitting behind 3rd-base line."
Here's David Begnaud with Norwood's mother...
Police sources tell The LA Times newspaper that the two actually bragged to coworkers about the attack on Bryan Stow. Cell phone records and photos place Norwood and Sanchez at the game on Opening Day Weekend.
The Toronto Argonauts EJ Kuale brings both the noise and the funk with this gawd-awful late hit on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Buck Pierce...
Two things the HQ knows, Kuale will be heading to the league office downtown to discuss and we're glad that FOSG Terrence Edwards can still catch like nobody's bid-ness...
Update---apparently everything below means nothing. Because in the chase to be the "Information" leader, some incorrect information is being put out there---
NFL.com has now changed their mind, everybody but the Jets and Texans apparently will start camp on Monday.
We won't even try and decipher the rest of this, because outside of NFL personnel guys, it won't mean anything after next week when rosters are full and teams are practicing....
Original story filed at 12:50pm or so....
For those interested in which teams will open camp on which day, we provide you with a list. Keep in mind, this is so the teams will have roughly two weeks to prepare for their Pre-Season openers. This should be interesting...and probably a bit sloppy.
Here is your list, with a shout out to NFL.com:
Wednesday: Denver, Dallas, Arizona, San Diego, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, New England, Baltimore, Oakland and Seattle.
Thursday: San Francisco, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Washington, New Orleans, Pittsburgh
Friday: Chicago, Buffalo, Cleveland, Indianapolis, New York Giants, Green Bay, Carolina, St.Louis, Tennessee and Minnesota
LA DA office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons says that Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood will be arraigned on one count each of mayhem, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury.
They are accused of beating northern California paramedic Bryan Stow on opening day at Dodger Stadium.
Sanchez and Norwood were arrested Thursday. You'll remember original suspect Giovanni Ramirez was set free late last week.
The criminal complaint says the beating caused Stow "to become comatose due to brain injury and to suffer paralysis." The mayhem count alleges that they cut and disfigured his face.
Eric Spillman stands in front of a dark courthouse for a preview...
This is an interesting story that we are aware of and raises a few questions. For those not in the know, apparently, a Tuscaloosa based business called "T-Town Menswear" was selling and/or distributing items autographed by University of Alabama student athletes.
For those Ohio State fans out there, yeah, this should raise an eyebrow.
This specifically refers back to a story done by the excellent writer Clay Travis and his new blog "Outkickthecoverage.com".
In a story Travis wrote on July 22nd, he detailed how the store advertised itself with signed jerseys from Julio Jones, Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson during the 2010 season. Those jerseys were featured in the window displays which Travis documents as an NCAA violation, though not a serious one.
Read the entire story from outkickthecoverage RIGHT HERE
Shortly thereafter, Joe Schad of the 4-letter (ESPN), did a story, that didn't credit Travis, stating Alabama had looked into this and found no problems. He and now others mentioned the school had sent a "Cease and desist" letter to the store. And they found no violations or problems.
Hmmmm.
Just yesterday, Travis produced a slew of photos and documentation showing the owner of the Men's store, Tom Albetar on the sidelines, with a sideline pass at a slew of Alabama games. Not something most store owners get when they feel the urge. The indirect inference is Albetar is treated like a booster, not a random store owner.
Oh...and after the 1st "Cease and Desist" letter, Albetar still procured autographs from current Crimson Tiders A.J McCarron and Nico Johnson. The school sent a second letter to him after that. acknowledging that autographs were sold.
You can read that from OutKickTheCoverage RIGHT HERE
Through it all, the school's compliance department maintains the players had no idea the items were being sold. But the school did. Which makes zero sense. Why would they not say anything to the players about this? Why would they tell the guys to "Stay Away" after the first letter was issued?
The biggest question Travis poses, and we concur with is "Why is the NCAA taking Alabama at its word about this?" They were much more aggressive with Ohio State and quite honestly, this sounds, at least on the surface, like the exact same issue.
We think, much like Ohio State, where there is smoke, there is almost ALWAYS fire. The Alabama fans may not think so and the school appears not to think so. But this sounds fishy--at best. Had there not been documented evidence of Albetar flashing his sideline passes and his access to players, it would be less significant.
We hope a further investigation will be launched, but we aren't really confident that it will happen. In part, we believe, because its Alabama. We don't for a minute believe this is a "Program Killer", but it sure sounds like a pattern that needs to be stopped if the NCAA Investigative arm is what it says it is.
We'll be careful in the future, because as crazy as the fanbase is there, they are likely to come after people who criticize. All we are asking is they be treated like everyone else.
In that vein, here's what they call a "Hype Video" for the 2011 season:
It's over. And...it's over pretty much exactly when we told you it would be way back when to boot. Way back when we first started doing these stories, we speculated that this would be resolved, but not until right before training camp started.
And lo and behold, that's exactly what has happened.
We are laughing at the battle now to be the first media outlet to report the "Lockout" is over and things are settled. Really, that doesn't matter.
It's also interesting to see how everyone is calling both parties "Heroic" for their efforts in resolving this. There's no heroism here; this was plain and simple all about greed and seeing who would blink first. In the end, nobody is going to lose any money (except fans), nobody is going to miss time on the job. You are getting your football.
Our friends at NFL.com tell us the tale of what is next. Included in that: Facilities open on Tuesday. The NFLPA (not a union-for the moment) will then re-certify. Free agency allegedly will begin on Friday.
Adam Schefter of ESPN says teams can start talking trades today, though they wouldn't be official until Saturday. The teams can also start signing Unrestricted Free Agents Tuesday at noon. Those contracts wouldn't kick in until Tuesday of next week. Schefter...and others report that 10 teams will report on Wednesday, 10 on Thursday, 10 on Friday with the Jets and Texans reporting on Sunday.
And the one question we have is this: How is everyone's pal the Jolly Roger (Goodell) going to handle the spate of off-field incidents with players this offseason. Will he discipline? Can he discipline? We'll soon see.
Stay tuned NFL Fan, because the next week or so will be a bit crazy. In some respects, it sucks for baseball , who's trading deadline is this week, because they are going to be overshadowed. Yes, you NFL fan have your game back. Congratulations. Aside from the folks at the NFL Hall of Fame, nobody really lost anything...except time.
The HQ completely gets the idea put forth in this World Football Challenge.
Bring a bunch of teams from around the globe to the New World and show us all what we're missing... and, for the most part, it's been an education.
Sunday Man City and the LA Galaxy were going at it in Los Angeles when temperamental child-child prodigy Mario Balotelli decided to do a little showboating...
Man City head coach Roberto Mancini had seen enough in Balotelli's exhibition of exhibitionism and pulled him...
As he should have... and the fact that Balotelli didn't get why he was pulled means he still doesn't get why everyone on this or any other planet thinks he's a royal pain in the ass...
How do you like them apples Terrelle Pryor? According to a report on foxsports.com, you may not be able to participate in an NFL Supplemental Draft, because there may not be one.
Alex Marvez, the NFL writer for Fox Sports e-mailed NFL Spokesman Greg Aiello who told him if there aren't any players eligible for such a draft, there is no supplemental draft.
According to league rules, in order to qualify for said draft, "Unforseen" changes in ones circumstances must happen, not just because you decided to leave school on your own.
And before you ask, even though he would have been suspended for the first five games of 2011 at Ohio State, Pryor at no time was going to ruled ineligible.
Read the entire story from FoxSports.com RIGHT HERE
This sounds a bit like a problem for Mr. Pryor and his fabled representative Drew Rosenhaus. It sounds to us like someone didn't think a decision through properly.
And yes, while the NFL makes decisions on the supplemental draft eligibility on a case-by-case basis, to let Pryor in at this point would set a dangerous precedent. The league tries very hard to maintain tough standards for the draft so the system doesn't get manipulated and this smells an awful lot like that.
It didn't help them either that the lockout has taken so long to be resolved. The supplemental draft may just be a casualty of timing now.
We'll see how good Rosenhaus's vaunted negotiating skills are with this one, because if Pryor sits out until 2012, he's destined to lose a lot of money.
Take a look at Pryor prepping for the draft that may not happen.
Really. Surely this can't be serious. And no I'm not calling you or Brett Favre "Shirley" either. Considering the source we'd ordinarily just write this off as Howard Eskin rambling on about nothing in particular.
But.
It's Favre. Yes, Eskin went on WCAU-TV Saturday night and threw out the rumor that the Philadelphia Eagles would consider bringing in Brett Favre to be their backup Quarterback. And yeah, we laughed when we heard it.
We don't take it too seriously because it would mean the "High-and-Mighty" Favre would have to be Michael Vick's backup, something most of us are sure he'd never do. And yes, we know he "Swore" he was done. But he did that multiple times.
What interested us more was a tweet from Vick Sunday morning. "I would be honored to have Brett Favre as a backup. That will be amazing, learning how to toy with defenses the way he did his whole career."
((ed.note--the aforementioned tweet, which we along with multiple others saw with our own two eyes has mysteriously been pulled from Twitter---hmmm))
Either way, it ain't happening. It just made us laugh seeing this. We are pretty sure Mr. Eskin was just looking for some attention, since he attributed it to "A" source who qualified it by saying "He didn't know if Favre would even be interested in playing anymore."
Before you say it. Yes, if we are saying it isn't credible, then why are we reporting it?. We're reporting it because of who it is and as crazy and ludicrous as this sounds, anything regarding the person involved unfortunately is worth a mention.
We have an idea of what this means and we are quite sure it is trying to head off far more serious penalties by the NCAA.
The Knoxville News-Sentinel reported last night that the University of Tennessee has imposed a two-year probation on its athletic department. That, according to the paper, is a capper to the other penalties and punishments that have already been placed on the program.
You can read the story, and be as confused as we are RIGHT HERE
Here's what we think it means: Nothing. According to this, the school is of the opinion that no longer having Lane Kiffin and Bruce Pearl along with others on the athletic staff is a good start. They also point to the suspension handed down on Pearl as part of their proactive approach
All the probation essentially means is they will be in trouble if they do something again.
This is all to give the NCAA the message that they know they messed up and are handling it. It may or may not work. It certainly can't help. We certainly don't think this is as serious as the "alleged" violations at Ohio State, but it's already all but been decided tOSU is only getting off with a slap on the wrist. We think Tennessee is probably not going to get much more than that from the NCAA either.
The fine folks at WBIR-TV explain things on the TV side:
Fear not NFL fan, despite the delay in ratifying the agreement by the players, you aren't going to lose much football. Unless you live in Canton, Ohio we suppose.
According to reports today, the league and the NFLPA (not a union for now), have ironed out most of their differences and according to Chris Mortensen and Professor John Clayton of the 4-letter word, the NFLPA executive committee will sign off on the deal Monday. It would allow the players to report to camp and actually vote in full on the deal come Wedneday
That would mean the league year could still start on Wednesday and training camps would start on Friday.
The intrepid Albert Breer of NFL.com doesn't quite go that far, but says it's more than likely going to happen.
Just so you know. None of this is surprising. We are very sure DeMaurice Smith and the players were not happy the owners publicly voted on and signed off on their version of the deal on Thursday. We think there was some disagreement on the timing and it sounds like some tweaking of verbiage.
Bottom line, the players felt dissed. Which we get. And by signing off on it and holding a press conference on it before the players got to look at things, boxed them in. It made the players look bad, like they were holding things up. It was a publicity stunt.
Considering how childish both of these sides of been, it's not surprising things are dragging out. But like we said, "Patience grasshopper", neither side wants to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
A Delaware judge has rejected the Dodgers proposed $150 million bankruptcy financing plan. The judge issued his eight-page decision which will, probably, mean the MLB plan could be the next step in the process.
The team had sought approval of its proposed arrangement with hedge fund Highbridge Capital, but the league's idea had better financing.
The Dodgers rejected MLB's offer thinking and proposing Commissioner Bud Selig was going to take over the team and force a sale to someone not linked directly to Frank McCourt.
Prosecutors have charged the brother of former NHL enforcer Derek Boogaard with providing the prescription drug that contributed to his brother's overdose death in May.
Aaron Boogaard gave his brother an Oxycodone pill the day of his death. Authorities said earlier that Derek Boogaard died of a mix of alcohol and Oxycodone. He is charged with unlawful sale of a controlled substance, and interfering with the scene of a death for allegedly trying to mislead or conceal evidence.
Aaron Boogaard told police he had been holding Oxycontin and Percocet pills for his brother. He said he gave his brother a single Oxycodone pill before they went clubbing May 12th.
Aaron said his brother had just been released from chemical dependency treatment the day before and that he said he gave his older brother the pill even though he didn't think he was in pain.
"The Defendant said that it appeared (his brother) was celebrating and intended to go on a 'binger,' " the complaint said.
Well, it doesn't appear that Giovanni Ramirez was the guy who nearly beat to death San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow at a Dodgers/Giants game at the beginning of the season.
The reason: The LAPD have arrested two new suspects.
They haven't named the suspects. There's already a growing concern that the Police Department had all but said Ramirez was the guy who put Stow in a coma. Stow had started recovering from his injuries before having seizures this week and undergoing emergency surgery.
Well, actually it may be good if they really arrested legitimate suspects this time. The issue lies mostly with the LAPD's credibility since they were so adamant that Ramirez was their guy. That despite no charges being filed against him and the Department holding him by revoking his probation because he was a convicted felon who had a gun on him.
According to the Times, nobody is talking and there's apparently no arrest record available to the public on this story yet. And while we understand the LAPD not wanting to create another media firestorm, the public does have a right to know. And right now, that right is being abused.
If you check in with Trade Association head DeMaurice Smith or any of the hard-line player reps, the answer is "probably not..."
If we were to look into the shield's version of a Magic 8 Ball...
Smith wrote in an email to the 32 player representatives shortly after the owners' decision and back-slapping pride in Atlanta: "Issues that need to be collectively bargained remain open; other issues, such as workers' compensation, economic issues and end of deal terms, remain unresolved. There is no agreement between the NFL and the players at this time."
The HQ is fairly cvertain, however, that Jeffrey Lurie gave New Dawg more direct eye contact than he did Albert Breer of the Shield's network...
Chris Mortensen is confident of a Friday vote, but for all 32 player reps and 1,900 players all to get their hands on a copy of this 500-600 page document in time for digestion would be rare...
New Dawg was there for the duration along with Gil Tyree for OSG
So, here's where we are...
The owners got together in one of the many airport hotels in Atlanta and discussed their future. They thought they came up with a great CBA for themselves...
NFL owners voted 31-0 with the Oakland Raiders abstaining from the ratification in favor of a tentative 10-year agreement to end the four-month-old lockout pending player approval.
The vote was here are the greatest hits...
An agreement that covers the 2011 through 2020 seasons, including the 2021 draft.
Reducing the offseason program by five weeks and reducing OTA's from 14 to 10. Full-contact practices in the preseason and regular season and increasing number of days off for players. During two-a-days, contact itself will be limited.
A rookie wage scale gets four-year contracts for all drafted players (option for five years on first-rounders) and three-year contracts for undrafted free agents.
Unrestricted free agency for players after four seasons with RFA status for players with three seasons.
Close to a billion dollars wil go to a "Legacy Fund," which will be devoted to increasing pensions for pre-1993 retirees.
Salary cap plus benefits of $142.4 million per club in 2011 and at least that amount in 2012 and 2013.
Teams have to spend in the neighborhood of 90-percent of the cap or 99-percent of league operating revenues...
Here's Jim Irsay again talking everything from the Krafts to the, ahem, settlement...
But that's where the fun started shortly after 7PM eastern time. The player's trade association said they weren't consulted on some aspects of the new CBA- and they weren't pleased...
The NFL is saying the PA has to recertify by mid-week... general counsel Richard Berthelsen said in an e-mail...
"In addition to depriving the players of the time needed to consider forming a union and making needed changes to the old agreement, this proposed procedure would in my view also violate federal labor laws..."
FOSG Mark Berman caught up with Houston Texans co-player rep Eric Winston
((HT: MyFoxHouston))
In direct opposition to Danny Sheridan's nebulous rant and riff on the PFRN yesterday about bag men and the such, Auburn head coach Gene Chizik went on the four-letter and discussed the SanDestin incident with the NCAA and what he can't control...
There's being cheap and then there's being a cheap bastard. The Kansas City Chiefs might count for the later.
WDAF-TV in Kansas City is reporting that ticket takers and parking attendants of the NFL team have been told they can no longer watch a Chiefs game for free when they complete there job thus taking away one of the few benefits of the job.
In other words, clock out and hit the road.
Here's the report from John Pepitone of Fox 4 Kansas City.
I got to think Lamar Hunt is looking down thinking, "What the....." Those of us at the OSG HQ think this is a very dumb move by the Chiefs and should be reversed.
Otherwise when you have your ticket scanned at Arrowhead Stadium by a ticket taker you might get this treatment from this scene from one of the HQ's favorite flicks, Christmas Vacation.
Prosecutors in Cincy unveiled a seven-count indictment against former Bengal linebacker Nate Webster, accusing him of having sexual relations with a minor.
According to court records, Webster is charged with five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, one count of sexual battery and one count of gross sexual imposition.
Gross sexual imposition? Sounds painful.
Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters told WCPO that "the relationship lasted from June 2009 to March of this year. The girl, who was 15 when the relationship started, is now 17."
Deters also told WCPO that "Webster threatened to kill the girl and her family if she told anyone about their relationship."
Law enforcement served a search warrant on Webster's home this morning, and guns were found in the residence. Oops.
Deters will be holding a news conference around 11:30am Cincinnati time, and more information will be released.
Webster last played for the Denver Broncos in 2008, and has been coaching high school football.
Arguably, whatever portion of the Sports Media world isn't in Atlanta today, is in Birmingham, Alabama.
Why you ask? Because it is the Daytona 500 of the SEC season, the kickoff to all that is southern in football, it's SEC Media Days.
For those who don't know, Media Days brings together oh, say, about 1000 members of the SEC media to pepper, cajole and tweak SEC football coaches and players for three days about the upcoming football season.
To say the event is somewhat chaotic would be being polite to the word chaotic. The reason: Those 1000 media types are in a ballroom area, roughly the size of a good sized Chili's restaurant. And yes, there are media people falling all-over each other to get the "Money" shot....coaches and players "Walking".
So you ask, how do you know so much about this event? Well, that would be because I covered it for several years. And you'll have to take my word for it that I'm probably underselling the chaos.
Anyway, day 1 featured one of our favorite coaches to quote, the ever quotable "Ol' Ball Coach", Steve Spurrier.
Here's what he said about his quarterback Stephen Garcia, who though suspended, is expected to run his team this year. "I guess we just don't want to kick him out for stupidity."--Nice
From Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino: "It's good to be here in Birmingham again for Media Days. I always wonder when I say that how to keep a straight face."--What's with the humor dude?
Al.com qutoes Mississppi State running back Vick Ballard after being asked about the day being the most talking he's ever done. "Yes, it is. My jaws are tired."
And this quote from Florida quarterback John Brantley on coach Will Muschamp who has associations with Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Alabama coach Nick Saban. "We don't really speak about those stories too much. We just try to think about when he was growing up in Gainesville, and we'll leave it at that."
And Muschamp was asked this, "How does it feel being a Georgia guy coaching at the University of Florida? I'm a Florida guy."
In lieu of digging up someone's TV report, enjoy a music accompaniment:
It should be over. As we said on Monday, it isn't an "if" just a "when". And that when should be today (Thursday). Though it isn't a guarantee.
Said NFLPA (not a union) president Kevin Mawae on Wednesday, "We want to go back to work, but we will not agree to a deal unless it's the best deal for the players." He also said they weren't tied to having the deal done by Thursday.
The Thursday timeline is a somewhat media created time we believe because there is an owners meeting in Atlanta that fit the timeline. It also is pretty much a "Drop Dead" time for things to get started without a significant delay in exhibition games and/or training camps.
NFL Executive VP Jeff Pash says the league is prepared to do their part and the plan is for both sides to hold their votes on Thursday.
We also know that several friends of the OSG have been put on notice to be prepared for work. We have several friends who do a variety of jobs associated with both covering and working for NFL teams.
You can also read a "Where things are" story from NFL.com RIGHT HERE
So there you have it. Yes, we know we said Monday this would be done on Thursday, and we stick by that.
Pretty much every Sports Journalist with a travel budget is in Atlanta right now because that will be where the "Let's Play" announcement will finally, ultimately come from. So stay tuned, keep an ear on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. ((sorry, went Kasey Kasem for a second))
Really that's all we've got. The NFL Hall of Fame game will kick off the exhibition season on August 7th, we still think that game will be played. And then your NFL season will be upon you and there will be much rejoicing by the masses.
Finalized and formally announced today, the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) has agreed to partner with the City of Montgomery and the Central Alabama Sports Commission (CASC) for the next four years. This agreement was signed and made official today by Dr. Billy Hilyer, President of Faulkner University and Chair of the SSAC Board of Presidents as well as Todd Strange, Mayor of the City of Montgomery. The primary aspect of this relationship is that most all major events and championships will be held in Montgomery during the academic years of 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.
What the above paragraph means is that the city will host anywhere from 9 to 11 of the SSAC's conference title games and will be in place to bid for the NAIA soccer championships in upcoming years...
“We are delighted to welcome the Southern States Athletic Conference to Montgomery and the River Region.” Mayor Todd Strange added, “The confidence they are showing in our ability to host these events is gratifying and validates our investment in facilities to attract these kinds of sporting events. We look forward to working with the SSAC through our Central Alabama Sports Commission and pledge to them our continued support as we look to a long term relationship.”
In accordance with the NAIA "Champions of Character" initiative, there will also be associated events involving student-athletes nominated and qualified for that honor inside the SSAC and the NAIA...
As an example of the championships to come to Montgomery, here's Belhaven clinching the SSAC conference title against William Carey University...
((HT: BelhavenUniversity))
The Los Angeles Dodgers' proposed $150 million bankruptcy financing plan is now being debated in a Delaware court.
The Dodgers' list of creditors withdrew their initial objection to the team's ideas of getting their money from a hedge fund at a ridiculous interest rate... something like 20-percent to start, but after MLB squawked, it was tweaked.
Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig still object to the plan.
The Dodgers say the league's offer is simply an attempt to take control of the team. A Dodger attorney told the judge Thursday that he will explain to the court why the team should not be forced to do "a deal with the devil."
The HQ thinks that once the Dodgers screw things up once and for all, they'll use the "best interest of baseball" clause to pull it out from under him.
Martensdale-St. Marys, a small school from rural Iowa, beat Twin Cedars-Bussey High 10-0 in six innings Tuesday night, setting the national high school record for consecutive wins.
The win by Martensdale-St. Marys also clinched a trip to next week's state tournament for the Blue Devils, who play in Iowa's smallest classification.
Martensdale-St. Marys finished 43-0 and won the state crown a year ago and they're looking to do the same again...
Here's the highlights...
There is a cool hook to this story...
Portsmouth High School in New Hampshire set the mark earlier this season and its streak of 83 straight wins is still alive. The Clippers won their state title in the spring.
So these two could flip back and forth for a while...
We wondered the other day about reports Texas A&M was having meetings with their Board of Regents regarding the University of Texas's foray into cable programming with the "Longhorn Network".
Now we have a better idea why.
For those of you new to the story, Texas has a 20-year, $300 million deal in place with ESPN to create their own cable network. And our friends, the pillars of journalistic integrity, at ESPN are trying to come up with ways to program said network. It won't have a lot of Texas football, because most of those games are on the "Mothership" or ABC. It won't have a lot of basketball games, because the Big 12/10 has a deal with Fox Sports for that.
So they've come up with, what appears to be a plan. And that plan is to televise Texas High School sports. And the question the folks at A&M, and now the rest of us want to know: Is that not an NCAA violation? It sure seems like a recruiting advantage.
Gary Blair, the women's basketball coach at A&M tells the San Antonio Express News "If Brittney Griner was coming out of high school today and all of a sudden they decided to televise 8 of her home games, don't you think that would put Texas a leg up in recruiting".
A very good question.
Read the entire story from MySanAntonio.com RIGHT HERE
Even more eyebrow raising after our pal Brooks at Sports by Brooks transcribed a radio interview with ESPN Programming VP Dave Brown, who coincidentally will run the new network, done by an Austin, Texas radio station.
In that interview, Brown talked at length about bringing High School games to the network that featured players the Longhorns would be recruiting. Hence, the questions begin. Is the network to help Texas make money or exploit a recruiting advantage?
Read the entire Sports by Brooks story (it's revealing) RIGHT HERE
There are several questions here that we hope are being brought to the attention of the thus-far very quiet NCAA. Yeah, we get the network needs programming. It's hard to program a 24-hour network if you don't have a lot of original programming. We work in the TV business ourselves, we get that.
What we don't get is why this would be allowed. Sure, they are certainly within their rights to do a TV Network. If the 4-letter is willing to pay $300 million for some Longhorn love, they are entitled to do just that. But they need to play by the rules. The same rules everyone else is supposed to.
There is a lot of concern that this will be new ground. That this will set the precedent for the other "Mega-Schools" to do the same thing. And it probably will. If Texas can get that kind of money, think about what, say, Alabama could get. Not only will they get paid, if the precedent is set, they'd get a built in recruiting tool that most of the rest of the conference wouldn't.
Let's hope A&M speaks "Loudly" to the NCAA about this. Especially since Oklahoma, who's also currently in their conference is about to do something similar. The only good thing is having two networks like that so close to each other is they'll cannibalize themselves for programming.
Listen to Matthew McConaughey sound like Darth Vader in the Death Star promo:
The penalties, some of which were self-imposed by the university and adopted by the committee, include:
Public reprimand and censure.
One year of probation from July 19, 2011, through July 18, 2012.
One-year show-cause order for the former assistant coach from July 19, 2011, through July 18, 2012. The public report further details these conditions.
A 10 percent reduction in official visits for football during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic years (2010-11 self-imposed by university; 2011-12 imposed by NCAA)
A reduction of two initial scholarships (for a total of 23) for the 2011-12 class (self-imposed by the university).
A reduction of two overall scholarships (for a total of 83) during the 2010-11 academic year (self-imposed by the university).
Recruiting telephone call restrictions as detailed in the public report (self-imposed by the university).
The NCAA Committee on Infractions accepted LSU's self-imposed sanctions levied by LSU in a case that centered on the actions of ex-assistant coach D.J. McCarthy when he "improperly arranged for transportation and housing for former defensive lineman Akiem Hicks," then later tried to cover up what he did.
"A situation that could have been much worse was made better by the dedicated work of the LSU athletics compliance staff and I am pleased that the NCAA recognized LSU's effort to cooperate and be proactive," said LSU Chancellor Mike Martin. "With the support of Joe Alleva, the compliance staff led by Bo Bahnsen and Miriam Segar made an exemplary showing of how a university should react when mistakes are made. And I thank the NCAA Committee on Infractions for its work in hearing our case."
Here was the preview before the announcement, thanks to our friends at WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge...
Now, all the HQ is waiting on is the investigation of Will Lyles to see what other hammer will fall in Death Valley...
