Christy and Jim Martin/Courtesy: tom burton-orlando sentinel
This isn't good. 42-year old Christy Martin who gained notoriety for being the first successful woman's boxer back in the early 1990's is in a hospital after an apparently nasty incident involving her husband.
Police say that Jim Martin was shot and stabbed by Jim Martin in their Apopka, Florida home. She apparently managed to get out of the house and flag down a passing motorist who called 9-1-1.
Junior forward Drey Mingo is suffering from acute bacterial meningitis and the team is taking no chances. Mingo is resting comfortably in a West Lafayette, Indiana hospital with coaches and teammates around for support.
The team isn't sure where or how Mingo got the infection, but not wanting to take any chances, they cancelled a trip this week to Cancun, Mexico for a holiday basketball tournament.
Mingo, a transfer from Maryland, is one of the teams best players is going to out of action for some time. The infection, though not highly communicable is capable of being passed from one person to another, thus the isolation and holding the team back from traveling.
We wish Mingo the best and hope that she recovers and is able to play again for the Lady Boilermakers. Try and enjoy the holiday as best you can.
Yes, like everyone else in the free, civilized world, we hope that everyone has a Happy Turkey....when they are happy, they taste better. Thank you very much, I'll be here all week.
We've finally gotten to the point where things are sorting out. No Cam Newton stories in the past week...and for that, we thank you.
However we are seriously mulling a "G. Gordon Gee is a Turkey" campaign in light of his asinine comments that Boise St. and TCU shouldn't be allowed to play for the "BCS Championship". Well, gee...Gordon....your school played Eastern Michigan and Indiana and Minnesota...they suck worse than anyone on Boise or TCU's schedule...so what does that say about your "Alleged Powerhouse"? And for that matter, both schools are ahead of any of your "Big/Mediocre 10 Conference teams"...wonder why that is?
In lieu of our weekly Dirty Dozen movie clip, on this holiday, we feel it important to remind you all of this important fact:
Again, thanks...we'll be here all week. Make sure to tip your waiters and waitresses.
Now, with that all behind us, we had another 11-2 week last week, making us 122-25 straight up this year. Not bad Gordon? Even if we play "Little Sisters of the poor"....
So with that we say "Gordon Gee is a Turkey" or on with the Countdown...
The Dirty Dozen:
1) Boise State 10-0. We've said it before we'll say it again, maybe Gordon will hear us this time. THEY ARE THE MOST COMPLETE TEAM IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL. Period. They would beat Ohio St. 10 out of 10 times if they played. Still, they'll get screwed because of narrow minded dorks like Mr. Gee. This Week: Boise St. 45, Nevada 23
2) Auburn 11-0.Good news: They escaped the bye week with no Cam Newton stories. The bad news, they play Alabama this week. At 'Bama. Yes, Mr. Gee, this is "Big Boy" football. Something they don't play in your conference. I'm going to get grief for this pick. This Week: Alabama 41, Auburn 39
3) Oregon 10-0. They were exposed vs. Cal. They do have a weakness if you can slow them down. I don't believe anyone in the PAC 10/12 is the best at anything. Though they could beat Gordon's Buckeye's....handily. This Week: Oregon 34, Arizona 28
4) TCU 11-0.They too could beat any of your Big 10 teams Gordon. Really. It wouldn't be hard. Look it up, your teams gag against every good team outside the conference they play. It's tradition. TCU is as good as anyone, though they too will get screwed and may not even get to play in a BCS game of any sorts...shows how corrupt the system is. This Week: TCU 112, New Mexico 0
5) Stanford 10-1. Despite what we said earlier about Oregon, we like Stanford. They are a really good team. Not the best, but this year, nobody is aside from Boise State. So by virtue of a lack of contenders, they get to be #5 on our list. This Week: Stanford 35, Oregon St. 27
6) Wisconsin 10-1. The best team in Gordon's conference. Any other season they'd be ranked around #10. But not this year. Hey Gordon, if they are so tough than why did Wisconsin play crappy San Jose St., Austin Peay and crappy UNLV this year? Strength of schedule? I'm waiting........This Week: Wisconsin 31, Northwestern 17
7) LSU 10-1.Proof positive that it's better to be lucky than good. They've done just enough to win all but one game and really, that is all that matters. And oh...Gordon, LSU would be the best team in your conference....by a really large margin. This Week: Arkansas 41, LSU 28
8) Alabama 9-2. Again, further proof that you just need to hang around to be considered. They are in an interesting place this week. They can't win a title...we don't think. But they could have a really big voice in who could. Gee, Gordon, you better hope they lose, cause otherwise Boise State will get to play for the title. This Week: See #2.
9) Oklahoma St. 10-1. They look to be the favorites to win the Big 12/10. Like it or not. If you want a "Little Sisters of the poor" argument Gordon, look at 4 of their first 5 games. The Fighting Gundy's couldn't beat TCU, Boise or most of the SEC West. This Week: Oklahoma 49, Okie St. 45
10) Arkansas 9-2.We've gone on record multiple times about Bobby Petrino's "Douchiness" but give him credit, he's a damn good college coach. Arkansas is very similar to his successful Louisville teams. Hey Gordon...just so you know, Arkansas would beat any team in your conference. This Week: See #7
11) Ohio St. 10-1. Okay, Gordon. Here is about where your "Team" should be. They are they poster boys for the non-SEC teams. Gosh, we forgot how much of a Powerhouse Ohio U. is. Guess you have us there. Good thing Michigan's defense is so good. Gordon, your a "Dumb Ass". This Week: Ohio St. 39, Michigan 28
12) Va. Tech 9-2. Because this affords us a chance to mock the lame ACC. Oh wait. They are a "BCS" conference. They would never play the "Little Sisters of the Poor". Gosh Gordon, they'd beat most of your conferences teams too. And Boise beat them. Hmmmm....wonder how that happened? This Week: Va. Tech 41, UVA 21
The Bottom of the Barrel:
Because of course, we know nobody from a BCS conference would ever be caught dead playing any of these teams. Right Gordon?
5) Buffalo 2-9. Where have you gone Turner Gill? Oh...wait, Kansas isn't much better either? Well, but they play in a BCS conference so they must be better. Anyway, these guys lost to Eastern Michigan last week, so that makes them B of B eligible. This Week: I think we've found our TURKEY BOWL--Buffalo 1, Akron 0.
4) Texas 5-6. Because Georgia non-withstanding, these guys are the single most disappointing team in NCAA football. Hey Gordon-did we mention that they played "The Little Sisters of the Poor/Florida Atlantic" last week. And FAU kept in close in the 1st half. This Week: Texas A&M 24, Texas 16
3) Wake Forest 2-9.This one is for you J-Dub. Your alma mater sucks dude. Bad. But according to Gordon Gee are more worthy of the BCS Championship game than Boise St. or TCU. Yeah right. And NBC will talk to a star from another network during the Macy's parade. Right. This Week: Wake Forest 0, Vanderbilt 0--A TIE!
2) New Mexico 1-10.The only team in Division 1 with a coach that has 2 career wins and the state won't buy out his contract. Guess they are doomed to suck for a very long time. Gordon, this might very well be Little Sisters of the Poor. Oh wait...TCU plays them...damn! This Week: See #4 in the Dozen.
1) Akron 0-11-- See Video--
This Week: See #5--
There really is nothing more than I can say here. I'm still trying to figure out why G.Gordon Gee would say what he did. It may be the stupidist thing I've ever heard. Although it may help bolster the Utah/WAC/Mountain West pending lawsuit against the Ass-clowns in the BCS.
Just because you have a bigger name school doesn't mean it is better. The Big 10, they've sucked for years. They can't beat anyone outside their conference, yet they are always in the Top 10. The SEC...at least this year is a bit down and the Big 12 has been awful this season. So where exactly is "Gordon's" argument coming from?
SVC vs. Skidmore/Courtesy: adam samrov-bennington banner
In front of a crowd estimated at 142. Yeah, that's right, Skidmore College and Southern Vermont College played a basketball game last night that went a full 7 overtimes before they had a winner.
Skidmore won the game, final score 128-123 tying an NCAA record set back in 1981 (Cincinnati vs. Bradley). One player, Lance Spratling, well he played all 75 minutes. Wonder what he's doing this morning.
Read more about this game from the Bennington Banner RIGHT HERE
The Burlington Free-Press, breaks down the game by the numbers RIGHT HERE
The game's biggest lead was by 9, early in the second half, neither team however could pull away. It really is kinda funny to think that the teams combined for 166 rebounds, a number larger than the attendance and also an NCAA record.
Kanawha County ((WV)) Circuit Judge Carrie Webster granted South Charleston High School football players Tyler Harris, Pierria Henry, Trevond Reese and Emerson Gagnon game eligibility for Saturday's semi-final game against the Brooke High Bruins.
The WVSSAC had suspended the players after a brawl cleared the benches of both South Charleston and Hurricane High Schools in the final seconds of the quarter-final game last Friday night.
Here's the original story from the weekend...
The judge's order says there will be a full hearing in accordance with West Virginia law and the order expired by December 9th, unless it is extended by further order of the court or by an agreement from the players and the WVSSAC.
The original claim from the players' counsel, Ben Salango, filed 90 minutes before the ruling- claims that because of the Thanksgiving holiday, there wouldn't' be enough time for a full hearing for injunctive relief.
Amanda McCall is in the Huntington newsroom... Matthew Earle is in front of a monitor... It's team coverage...
So, it's okay now for a judge to completely disregard law set forth by a state athletic commission...??? Good to know...
LeGrand after his injury/Courtesy: noah k. murray-nj.com
For those who don't know about LeGrand, he is the 20-year old Rutgers football player who was paralyzed during a game against Army on October 16th. He has been in a hospital ever since.
The good news, today, the family released a statement through the Rutgers Sports information department saying that LeGrand has been removed from a ventilator and is now able to breathe on his own.
His injury, is now classified as an "Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury" and is supposed to leave him with a better overall prognosis then previous reports.
Certainly good news and we continue to wish the LeGrand family and in particular Eric, the best of luck. Check out the side column on our website if you'd like to contribute to the LeGrand fund.
Young on sidelines/Courtesy: robert smith-gannett tennessee
Wow...we knew that the team was less than thrilled with their mercurial quarterback's latest temper tantrum...but this is a bit of a surprise.
Apparently, according to multiple reports, the Titans asked Young to leave after he showed up at the teams practice facility to attend meetings. He was apparently told "He wouldn't be needed".
While this is somewhat of a bold statement on coach Jeff Fisher's part, we see a big problem on the near horizon. Sure, the team is putting him on injured reserve and despite what Young says about wanting to go back in the game this past Sunday, his injury would've prevented it. This sounds a bit like some lines being drawn in the sand.
Titans owner Bud Adams has already made it pretty clear that he wants Fisher and Young to just get along, but it may no longer be possible. The question is "Who does he choose?". Do you pick your long-time head coach who has led the team to tons of success? Or do you go with your $12 million a year QB who keeps having hissy fits when things don't go his way?
We know what we'd choose, but we aren't a multi-gazillionaire owner either. In our opinion Mr. Young needs some serious maturity lessons and believe that is what Fisher is trying to do. If for some reason Adams decides to side with Young and get rid of Fisher, you can bet on two things: One, Fisher will be snapped up by another team...immediately, he's that good a coach and Two, it will be tough finding a "Top Level" coach who wants to baby-sit the owners high-priced, prima donna, not nearly as good as he or the owner thinks quarterback.
Update: Just after we posted this, word came the Titans released a statement about today's events. From the Titans website:
Tennessean reports indicating that Vince Young is not welcome at Baptist Sports Park are incorrect. Yesterday, he was informed by a coach at the facility not to attend Monday’s team meeting and was free to leave. The intention was to be able to talk to the team about Young’s situation and how the team would move forward. Players that are on injured reserve are not required to attend team meetings. As of today, he has been placed on injured reserve and all the same rules apply to him as to any other player in that category.”
This whole scenario, reminds me a little bit of this:
If you are asking who Scott Boras is, then you probably don't follow baseball very much. Boras is one of the most high-profile agents in all of baseball. He's notorious for trying to hold his players hostage until they get overpaid by major league baseball teams. And arguably he's one of the cause's of the "Overpaid Baseball Player" syndrome we are all now so familiar with.
Apparently, he's also been acting much like his football brethren. The New York Times published a story today citing Boras for making large loans and payments to the families of poor Dominican baseball prospects. You should read the story, it's fascinating.
We think if this is true, then Karma is a bitch. Boras would, according to this report, have stepped around a cardinal rule in the baseball industry. And really, if you look at it and the example posted here about Braves prospect Edward Salcedo, it would equate to a form of indentured servitude.
It will be interesting to see if...or what Major League Baseball is able to do if this story is correct. So far, the NCAA and NFL have done virtually done nothing to corral an player-agent system run amok and we are betting that MLB will not do much either. It, like everything else when it comes to agent issues, will somehow end up falling on the shoulders of the players, even though most are teenagers when this all happens and in a lot of cases, don't know any better.
Check out this really interesting look at the growing market of marketing Dominican baseball players courtesy of NYTimes TV:
The fabled Spectrum in Philadelphia is going to be razed. 43 years after it was finished. The one-time home of the 76ers and Flyers and countless other Philadelphia events is the target of a wrecking ball come noontime on Tuesday. No, they aren't imploding it, rather it will be torn down piece-by piece.
The building has an incredible history. From the "Broad Street Bully" days of the Philadelphia Flyers to the banner days of Dr. J and the 76ers, there have been more memorable events there than most can count.
For me, my memory of the Spectrum is the 76ers intro's, done by the voice of the Sixers, Dave Zinkoff. Thanks YouTube:
According to reports from Philly, the building, which sits on the edge of the South Philadelphia sports complex--next to Lincoln Financial field and the baseball stadium, is being torn down so that a "Entertainment, Retail and restaurant" complex can open on the site. The complex is scheduled to be open sometime in 2012.
Here is a look at what is going on and memories, courtesy of WPVI-TV:
ND Football stadium/Courtesy: bobak/collegeprowler.com
Apparently this was done late last week. We told you on Sunday, the story about a St. Mary's college student allegedly sexually attacked by a Notre Dame football player. That student, Elizabeth Seeburg, killed herself 10 days after the alleged incident. Oh, by the way, the alleged incident happened Sept. 1st.
This weekend, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly played off the story in his Sunday conference call, saying he wasn't involved in the investigation and generally just passing everything off to Notre Dame campus police. Notre Dame authorities, well, they have declined to acknowledge the complaint...at least publicly.
Well, now comes a report that the information gathered has been passed to St. Joseph County (IN) prosecutor Michael Dvorak.
Read about that from the Chicago Tribune, who has been out front on this story...RIGHT HERE
If these allegations are even close to true, it smells pretty bad for the school. We think one of two things are at play. One, the school investigated and could not confirm anything and is confident that nobody else will either. There were no witnesses. Or two, they've been stalling and covering for the football player, hoping it will go away. If that is the case, someone is in deep doo-doo, the covering up would have been tied to the death of the young woman and nobody wants that on their hands. The one lingering question: If this happened in September, why is the info being sent to the prosecutor at the end of November? Because the Tribune is pursuing the story? Hmmm....
We'll let this play out in court and the local media up in northern Indiana and report on things as they progress. It will be very interesting to see how it plays out.
Speaking of that. The SouthBendTribune has a story on the differing stories being offered by police. You can read that story, RIGHT HERE
Here is the TV story on this from WLS-TV in Chicago:
Dwight Howard hugs Kay Kellogg at Magic Game/Courtesy: orlandosentinel.com
It was only a matter of time. In September, we told you about the story of Howard, granting a dying woman's wish. A 30-minute visit, that turned into 2-hours and a deep friendship. You can read that RIGHT HERE
Sadly, the woman featured in the story, 62-year old Kay Kellogg passed away Monday night at here Orlando Home.
You can read more about her from the Orlando Sentinel RIGHT HERE
Kellogg forged quite a bond with Howard in a short period of time. Our thoughts to her family and we know that it has affected Howard as well. Life experiences have a tendency to do that to people.
Bond has been set at $3 million for Travis Brown who has been charged in the shooting of three University of Southern Mississippi football players back on the 14th.
The Hattiesburg American newspaper reports Brown appeared before Forrest County ((MS)) Justice Court Judge Vanessa Jones who set bond at $1 million on each of three counts of aggravated assault.
Three other people are charged as accessories in the case.
Martez Smith, Tim Green and Deddrick Jones were shot outside a Hattiesburg bar after a night of celebrating their win over 25th-ranked Central Florida. The shooting left Smith paralyzed from the waist down.
We'll, I guess the story we wrote a couple of hours ago is kinda pointless now, isn't it? To the surprise of few, the Minnesota Vikings announced this afternoon that they've fired head coach Brad Childress.
Childress's replacement, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, a man who should've been a head coach long before today.
Childress's departure comes on the heels of a humiliating 31-3 loss to Green Bay, one of many humiliations the Vikings have suffered this season. That dropped them to 3-7 and likely out of playoff contention. Something that surprised many pundits who assumed they were one game away from the Super Bowl last year and have Brett Favre, so they must be a Super Bowl team. Wrong again!
Oh and did we mention that he's fought most of season with Favre, through mostly the press and his players openly talked of how he's lost the locker room. And then there was the Randy Moss incident, one in which honestly, he probably made the right move for his team, but was blasted because of the way he did it. No, PR was not his best suit.
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf and Leslie Frazier will meet with the assembled media at 4pm eastern today. We'll try and update this story with video from that, later this afternoon.
In the meantime...enjoy some Chilly Willy:
Here's Rob Olsen, from our friends at MyFoxTwinCities, with a novel idea for a fan reaction piece... he went to the airport to ask unsuspecting fans who just landed what they think about it...
Well played, Rob...
Oh, and it took about four minutes for Tony Dungy to say he's not interested...
Here's Chilly's statement:
"The past five years have been a tremendous experience for my family and I as the Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings. I have a great respect for the players and coaches who I have worked with and for their dedication to each other and to the organization. I am proud of our accomplishments and believe the foundation of this football team is stronger today than when I became Head Coach in 2006. I appreciate the opportunity that Zygi, Mark, and the whole Wilf family afforded me and wish them success as they move forward."
If there were any questions as to why Blake Griffin was the #1 pick in the 2009 NBA draft, there aren't now. Sure, Griffin was forced to sit out the 2009-10 season with a knee injury, but he's now playing...and playing with a vengeance.
Yeah, we know he plays for the Clippers, perhaps the worst franchise in NBA history. And yeah, while stocked with top draft picks over the years, they've been the perennial 2nd banana in L.A and honestly, they may always be. But Griffin has been fun to watch. He dropped a 44 spot on the New York Knicks Saturday night including a rather absurd dunk.
Thankfully, he's going to be okay. For those who didn't see it, the injury was pretty scary. It happened on the 2nd half of the game's kickoff.
Hobbs, returning the kick, was spun around and his helmet then connected with the helmet of NY Giant special teams player Dave Tollefson. The result, Hobbs was on the ground for a good 10-minutes before he was strapped to a stretcher and taken from the Lincoln Financial Field.
We can't say we are shocked, because we aren't. What is happening here verifies are assertion that money doesn't always buy happiness or success in Sports.
Favre/Courtesy: SI.com
The Minnesota Vikings are about to self-destruct. Viking fans might argue they already have. They are dealing with a coach than seems to be trying to get fired and a high-priced, diva-licious, should've retired last year quarterback.
Read more from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune RIGHT HERE
WTMJ-TV says it's time for the Favre to walk away RIGHT HERE
There is already discussion about the future of coach Brad Childress and some speculation that he'll be asked to leave today. That is possible and we'll keep an eye out in case that happens.
It also may have...no hopefully was Brett Favre's last game. There will be sentiment, mostly from ESPN, that the Vikings should let Favre continue to play to keep his consecutive game streak alive.
No, they shouldn't. This season is over and Favre is not the team's future. Much like the Packers when they asked Favre to leave, they have to figure out who their guy for the future will be...Tavaris Jackson or maybe Joe Webb.
Either way, the amount of money that owner Zigi Wilf spent on this team is just plain goofy. They caught lightning in a bottle last year and that was great for them. This year, reality set in and proved...they aren't very good.
Not much video to be found, here's some Packer reaction to yesterday's game. Thanks CBSSports.com:
Football coaches can be intense people. At least during a game. Many of them are as mellow off of it as they are intense on it. It's an interesting paradox that sometimes brings out the best and worst in people...all within the same day.
It also makes for some interesting highlights. Take for example Nebraska head coach Bo Pellini. Pellini was...well...let's just say less than thrilled about several things in Saturday nights 9-6 loss to Texas A&M. One was the performance...or lack of it by his team. They racked up 16 penalties during the game, the Aggies 2.
Check out Pellini going off on his quarterback Taylor Martinez:
This game also feature an incident where Texas A&M receiver Jerod Eddie reached into an "Interesting Place" trying to recover a fumble:
Here is Pellini's thoughts on the game from Omaha.com RIGHT HERE
And post game from Omaha.com:
Sorry Aggie fans, this was the only highlights we could post due to a technical thingie...but here are your second half highlights and post game:
Can you say "The Dominator"? NASCAR actually had a fairly thrilling end to its season this year...for maybe the first time, well, ever.
Their version of the playoffs, the Sprint Cup, came down to the final race. To those who don't follow, we'll set the scene: One race left, Denny Hamlin with a slim lead in the points standings. Just 15-points behind, Jimmie Johnson, the guy who had won the previous four titles in a row. The only other guy close, Kevin Harvick. But Harvick self-destucts and speeds down pit road, costing him any shot at the title.
Short version, Hamlin has a horrible final day, Johnson didn't. Johnson catches him in the point standings and has now won the last 5 titles.
Oh by the way, Carl Edwards was your winner of the Homestead-Ford 400 on Sunday.
Yes, the rest of NASCAR is trying to catch Johnson who along with his team at Hendrick Motorsports, have this whole Sprint Cup playoff thing down pat. They peak at the end of the season, every season...and they win.
As for NASCAR, it wasn't the banner year they were hoping for. Truly, they, much like golf, need to figure out a way to keep more than the hardcore fans interested after football starts. While a dramatic last race like the one on Sunday will help.
Here is Jimmie's reaction to winning the title. Thanks ESPN:
Vince Young is confused/Courtesy: TCSportsreport.com
And the Tennessee Titans...or at least head coach Jeff Fisher are growing tired of it. The Titans lost in overtime yesterday to the Washington Redskins on a field goal, 19-13.
And Young, played alright during the game, until he got hurt, damaging a ligament in the thumb on his throwing hand. Stuff like that happens. But it was what happened afterwards that has Fisher and a lot of Tennessee fans shaking their Titanic heads.
According to reports, Young threw at least part of his jersey at people in the stands, then went into the locker room where he got into a shouting match with his coach and then stormed out of the locker room.
Tennessean columnist David Climer says Young's days in Nashville may be over RIGHT HERE
Our friends at NewsChannel 5 speak to the people about it:
Here is a breakdown from Football Night in America last night :
Chris Long, known as "Solid" in the Lucha Libre USA promotion, was working at Shooter Alley when gunshots were fired inside the suburban Atlanta club Sunday. It was a security job he had, and the shooting may have been in retalliation for tossing some customers that weren't behaving earlier in the evening.
“Apparently, three guys started misbehaving and Chris and two other bouncers tossed them out," Long's friend Frank Aldridge told the newspaper.
"He lived for pro wrestling," Lucha Libre CEO Steven Ship said. “He was very loved by the fans. He was a bigger-than-life character, both on TV and in person.”
Ship said he was planning to see Long at the league's next taping on December 12th in New Mexico.
Here's a sample of Lucha Libre USA for you... ((HT: MTV2/Youtube))
The HQ's thoughts and prayers go to Long's family...
