Headlinin': Georgia is the nation's most underachieving team, say fawning scouts

Making the morning rounds.

• We're, um, honored? Pro Football Weekly released its annual All-America team based on NFL projections, and it confirmed what Georgia fans suspected about this fall's 6-6 trudge to the Independence Bowl: Five Bulldogs – receiver A.J. Green, guards Cordy Glenn and Clint Boling, linebacker Justin Houston and punter Drew Butler – were tabbed for PFW's first team, more than any other school even placed on the "Honorable Mention" list. (Alabama had four; Auburn, Oklahoma State and Stanford all placed three.)  But only one of Georgia's five speciments (Houston) was voted to an actual All-America team for his performance this year. [Dawgs 247]

• If you can't trust me, who can you trust? Shockingly, Nick Saban and pro agents offer vastly different advice to Alabama underclassmen considering whether to leave school early in the face of a labor row that threatens the 2011 NFL season. Saban: "With the labor situation and the strike [potentially] coming up, it could really affect how much a guy could develop this year if there is no minicamp, there is no training camp. It will be much more difficult for guys to learn the system and make an impact." Anonymous agent: "I tell them, 'You need to get into the system as quickly as possible. You'll need to get to that second contract as soon as you can.'" As always, prudence and profit crash head-on, but I don't detect any self-motivation on either side, do you? [ESPN]

• If you want a job done right… BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, who fired his defensive coordinator at midseason and took over the defense himself on the heels of a four-game losing streak, has reportedly dismissed his entire offensive staff in the wake of a 52-24 beatdown of UTEP in Saturday's New Mexico Bowl. If true, the purge would include offensive coordinator Robert Anae, a former Mike Leach protégé who presided over attacks that led the Mountain West in total offense four years in a row – all 10-win, top-25 campaigns – coming into this season, which happened to feature a true freshman quarterback who capped a late surge with a monster afternoon in the bowl game.

For its part, BYU issued a statement that called the Deseret News' report of a wholesale reckoning "inaccurate," and said Mendenhall is only considering "a restructuring of the offensive staff" that "includes possible changes in assignments and personnel." But the News held fast to an anonymous source who told the paper that coaches had been "told to seek employment elsewhere" during the ongoing "evaluation." [Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune]

• Not so fast, me mateys. Maryland beat writer Jeff Barker cautioned fans to hold off on tricornered hats and the grog in the wake of Ralph Friedgen's official departure Monday afternoon: Mike Leach hasn't been hired yet, and it's not a foregone conclusion that he will be. Athletic director Kevin Anderson admitted Leach was on his list of candidates, but wouldn't call him a leader: "I know a lot of people who just went through the coaching search, and they sat down [with Leach] and they talked to him," Anderson said. "And these are people in my business that I have a high regard for. At the end of the day, they didn't hire him. But you know what? I need to know [more]." [Baltimore Sun]

• Wow, going down in the most spectacular flameout in the history of the sport really pays! Most presidents, humanitarians and other luminaries only need one memoir to chronicle decades in the public sphere. Former Washington State quarterback, Heisman finalist and epic NFL bust Ryan Leaf is going to get a trilogy, courtesy of Pullman, Wash.-based Crimson Oak Publishing, which has signed Leaf to a three-book deal about "his life, football career and addiction to painkillers." Again, just to be clear, Ryan Leaf is going to publish three books before you publish any. That is all. [Associated Press]

Quickly… Missouri sack leader Brad Madison broke his finger in a practice "scuffle," but plans to play in the Insight Bowl. … South Florida receiver A.J. Love was granted a sixth year of eligibility after tearing his ACL in spring practice. … Frank Spaziani signs a two-year extension. … Kevin Wilson hires co-defensive coordinators at Indiana, and Jerry Kill is rounding out his staff at Minnesota with some familiar faces. … The mother of Miami running back Mike James was killed in a car accident. … You won't see Colorado in white-on-white uniforms anymore, as long as Jon Embree is the coach. … Fifth-year Ohio State walk-on Scott Sika is going to make a hell of an employee. … And the Baltimore Sun goes behind the scenes of Ralph Friedgen's departure from Maryland. How many times do you think the word "integrity" actually came up when the university was negotiating Friedgen's $2 million exit fee?

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Headlinin-Georgia-is-the-nation-s-most-underac?urn=ncaaf-298807

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Atlanta Hawks: End Quotes

Source: http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/12/atlanta-hawks-end-quotes/

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The Breakup

Dodger Thoughts has the final word on the Matt Kemp romantic breakup.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/A1C6bUvWgHg/click.phdo

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2010 Liberty Bowl Game: Time, Location, History And More

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2010/12/31/1906140/liberty-bowl-game-2010-time-location-history-announcers

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Is adding transfer Jelan Kendrick a good gamble for Ole Miss?

The announcement that ex-Memphis guard Jelan Kendrick has decided to transfer to Ole Miss was met with cautious optimism on Thursday among the Rebels faithful.

On the one hand, Kendrick will become the first McDonald's All-American ever to don an Ole Miss uniform when he becomes eligible in mid-December 2011. On the other hand, the versatile 6-foot-6 wing has a troubled history, having bounced between three high schools before getting dismissed from Memphis in the wake of a series of altercations with teammates and coaches.

To get a better idea whether adding Kendrick is a good gamble for Ole Miss, I spoke to Darron Rogers, who coached Kendrick as a junior at Westlake High School in Georgia. Rogers acknowledged Kendrick had some of the same "issues" at Westlake that he did at Memphis, but expressed hope that Mississippi might be a better fit for the talented freshman.

"My advice for the Ole Miss staff would be to stay close to him, get to know him personally and make sure he fully understands all of the different rules and regulations they have in that program," Rogers said. "They have to make sure he's paired with a teammate he's compatible with and they have to have an open-door policy with him so they can talk through whatever situations they may have." 

Rogers did not go into detail about any of the problems Kendrick had that led him to transfer to Wheeler High for the 2009-10 school year despite leading Westlake to a 22-7 record as a junior. Asked how he would describe his experience with Kendrick, Rogers chose his words carefully.

"I would characterize it as a learning experience," he said. "I'd characterize it as somewhat positive. Any experience you have with an athlete of his caliber, you learn from it. You take from the good and you take from the bad."

The one thing about Kendrick that Rogers has no doubts about is his immense talent. Rogers said Kendrick lived up to his "Mr. Do It All" nickname, whether it was running the offense, shooting from the perimeter or scoring in the post.

"His versatility was unparalleled to any other player in the state at that time," Rogers said. "Jelan had a few issues with us but over the span of a couple years he's matured. Hopefully he's learned from the situation at Memphis and he'll go on to Ole Miss and do well." 

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Is-adding-transfer-Jelan-Kendrick-a-good-gamble-?urn=ncaab-301901

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Postmortem: Texas Tech's 'Air Raid' era ends with a whimper

A season in review. Today: Texas Tech's offense in transition.

By almost any standard, Texas Tech remained one of the most prolific passing attacks in the country in its first season in a decade under the watch of someone other than spread guru Mike Leach, and by some of them, you would have never known Leach was gone. As usual, the Red Raiders were back in the top 10 nationally in yards and attempts per game, and tied with high-flying Oklahoma for the Big 12 lead in touchdown passes. They went over 300 yards through the air in seven games, with at least three touchdown passes in eight. Eight different Raider receivers brought down at least 25 receptions.

In other, more significant ways, though, it was a radical departure. Tech ran 42 percent of the time, up from roughly 25 percent under Leach, and actually ran more than it passed in the Nov. 6 upset over Missouri – unheard of on Leach's watch – with roughly 50-50 splits against Oklahoma State, Colorado, Oklahoma and Weber State. Aside from a dismal effort against Texas, the ground game consistently produced, to the tune of 151 yards per game in the other eleven.

The net result was a slight backwards step on paper – from 471 total yards and 37 points per game in 2009 to 453 yards and 32 points – with largely the same personnel, but the specifics were downright ominous: The early loss to Texas was an across-the-board disaster, and Tech went five straight games in conference without topping 27 points in any of them, a streak bookended by ugly trouncings at the hands of Oklahoma State (34-17) and Oklahoma (45-7). Numbers were down in terms of both yardage and efficiency. Only once, in a 45-38 shootout over Baylor, did the offense give any hint of Leach-era fireworks against a non-cupcake, and that's probably being generous to Baylor's defense.

Not that any of the above should come as any surprise, given the transition and Tuberville's conservative track record in the SEC. Even with a spread-friendly coordinator and a core of veteran players recruited and trained specifically in the spread – the top two quarterbacks (Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield), leading rusher (Baron Batch) and top two receivers (Lyle Leong and Detron Lewis) are all seniors – the offense trended increasingly toward more balance as the season wore on. And with that core moving on after Saturday's Ticket City Bowl date with Northwestern, the death of the "Air Raid" is officially nigh:

"I like what we're doing. I couldn't have come in here and just been a running team with the type of personnel that was already here," Tuberville said Monday after his team's first bowl practice at Bishop Lynch. … "But I still believe in running the football. More than what they did in the past. That's the biggest difference. We want to be a bit more physical and be able to run the ball, which will help throwing it down the field, too."
[…]
Those trends were expected coming off the Leach years, especially after Tuberville installed more zone blocking and zone reads for the rushing attack. But Tuberville's pedigree – head coach in the SEC at Auburn, defensive coordinator at Miami – points to a much bigger makeover for his second season in Lubbock.

In other words: Less thrilla, more vanilla. Not that there's anything wrong with that, if more vanilla gets results. But for Raider fans hoping to hold on to the last vestiges of the high-flying, up-tempo philosophy that produced the most successful – and easily the most interesting – decade in the history of Texas Tech football, they should set their DVRs Saturday for posterity.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Postmortem-Texas-Tech-s-Air-Raid-era-ends-wit?urn=ncaaf-301631

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Headlinin': Sugar Bowl execs kept troubled Buckeyes in the game

Making the morning rounds.

• Thank goodness they're preserving the integrity of this year's game. While five Ohio State players were busy Tuesday apologizing to teammates and fans for selling championship rings, jerseys and other memorabilia and landing a five-game suspension for the first five games of 2011, Sugar Bowl officials were entirely un-apologetic about lobbying to keep the players eligible to play against Arkansas on Jan. 4. Sugar Bowl CEO Paul Hoolahan said he learned about the possible suspensions on Dec. 7, three days after the Buckeyes were formally selected to play in the game, and went to work to make sure OSU starters Terrelle Pryor, Boom Herron, DeVier Posey and Mike Adams would see the field for his very special event.

"I made the point that anything that could be done to preserve the integrity of this year's game, we would greatly appreciate it," Hoolahan said. "That appeal did not fall on deaf ears, and I'm extremely excited about it, that the Buckeyes are coming in at full strength and with no dilution." Too bad the same thing can't be said for the integrity of NCAA rules. [Columbus Dispatch]

• The company you keep... At least the players aren't the only ones taking fire so everyone else can turn a profit: The local tattoo parlor where players allegedly received free or discounted tattoos in exchange for autographs and memorabilia is under federal investigation by the FBI and IRS for undisclosed reasons. Most of the evidence against the players was recovered in the course of the investigation. [Columbus Dispatch]

• OK, this time I'm really ready for my closeup. Miami's quarterback controversy may have been temporarily solved Tuesday when freshman Stephen Morris, working with the first team, left practice with a sprained ankle and spent the rest of the afternoon on crutches. Morris' absence puts veteran Jacory Harris in line to start for the first time since being knocked out of the lineup with a concussion in the 'Canes' Oct. 30 loss at Virginia – and to get a leg up on the competition heading into 2011, a make-or-break year for Harris' career as a senior. For his part, interim head coach Jeff Stoutland didn't rule Morris out against the Irish and said the competition has been "real close between the two." [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

• It's a definite maybe. Urban Meyer's turn as a talking head during last week's Las Vegas Bowl wasn't a lark: He's "seriously considering" joining ESPN next year as an in-studio analyst. "We went and had three of the greatest days we've ever had together and (ESPN) called up and said, 'Why don't you drive up for the day?' So I brought my son and he loved it," Meyer said at Tuesday's press conference for the Outback Bowl. "What I found out, what a place, what great people." [Gainesville Sun]

• No, Maryland still has not hired Mike Leach. But while the Pirate Coach is still expected to drop anchor in College Park after today's finale in the Military Bowl, the Terps have been reaching out to other spread gurus to replace outgoing head coach Ralph Friedgen – specifically, to a) SMU coach June Jones, whose agent insisted Tuesday that Jones isn't going anywhere despite acknowledged contact with other schools, and b) Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who skipped a scheduled media appearance after Tuesday's practice for the BCS title game. His boss, Gene Chizik, told reporters "there are possibilities of contact" between Malzahn and another school, but wouldn't offer details "because I don't have any." [Dallas Morning News, Associated Press]

Meanwhile, Friedgen called the build-up to his final game after a decade as his alma mater's head coach "like a slow death," albeit one that includes a stopover in the White House. [Associated Press, Washington Post]

• Godspeed. Of all the things that have gone horribly wrong this week at the Pinstripe Bowl, Syracuse got a boost Tuesday with the return of punter Rob Long, who rejoined the team for the first time since undergoing surgery to remove a benign brain tumor earlier this month. Last week, tests revealed malignant cells that will require Long to undergo further treatment for level 3 astrocytoma. In the meantime, he's trying to boom as many kicks around the New York Jets practice facility as he can get in ahead of Thursday's game in Yankee Stadium. [New York Post, Syracuse Post-Dispatch]

• Honoring Bell. If you're tuning in to the Gator Bowl on Saturday, yes, that is a quarterback wearing No. 36: Mississippi State starter Chris Relf will trade in his usual No. 14 against Michigan to honor former teammate Nick Bell, who succumbed to a newly diagnosed brain tumor in early November. MSU coach Dan Mullen said fans e-mailed him with the idea to put the QB in Bell's jersey for the one of the most high-profile games in recent Bulldog history, and Relf was on board. [Clarion-Ledger]

• His status was 'lame duck.' On the other end of the spectrum, there's West Virginia running back Shawne Alston, who summed up the Mountaineers' dismal effort in the Champs Sports Bowl Tuesday when he admitted after the loss to checking into Facebook during halftime. Profile notwithstanding, something tells me that Alston's interests do not actually include Association Football. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Quickly… LSU will wait another week to learn running back Stevan Ridley's fate for the Cotton Bowl. … Georgia and Ohio State sign on for a home-and-home in 2020-21. … Florida defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was briefly hospitalized Monday with mild gastritis. … Texas may be losing another assistant coach. … Mark Ingram is finally getting acquainted with his offensive line. … Ricky Stanzi, Cover Girl. … And at least somebody is making money off the bowl games.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Headlinin-Sugar-Bowl-execs-kept-troubled-Bucke?urn=ncaaf-301424

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Sidney Crosby's 25-game point streak ends thanks to DiPietro, Isles

On Wednesday morning, the NHL sent out a "By The Numbers" press release hyping the 2011 Winter Classic between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. Among the entries:

"25 - Game scoring streak by Sidney Crosby. This is longest streak in the NHL since Quebec's Mats Sundin had a point in 30 straight games during the 1992-93 season."

It didn't mention that Crosby still had another game before the Classic against the New York Islanders tonight. This omission apparently angered the Hockey Gods.

Sidney Crosby's 25-game point streak came to an end when the Islanders took the Penguins into a shootout, where they defeated visiting Pittsburgh, 2-1. Crosby's streak tied him with Wayne Gretzky (1990-91), Bryan Trottier (1981-82), Brett Hull (1991-92) and Bernie Nicholls (1984-85) for the 11th-longest run in NHL history.

Crosby played 26:16 with 2 shots on goal and a minus-1. One shot arrived about 10 minutes into the game, a 39-foot snap shot DiPietro saved and covered; his second shot came with 2:39 remaining, a 37-foot snapper that DiPietro covered again. 

There was some drama with 7:01 left in regulation when the Penguins were awarded a penalty shot after an Islanders defender covered the puck in the crease with his glove. Crosby appeared ready to take the shot; but NHL rules, which differ from international rules, dictate that the shot must be taken by a player on the ice at the time of the infraction. Crosby wasn't, Kris Letang was and his shot missed.

Crosby had a chance to extend the streak with 1:14 left in overtime as the Islanders took a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty, but the Penguins couldn't convert on the 4-on-3 power play.

Sid's stat line for the game:

Rick DiPietro made 37 saves for the Isles, playing aggressively as the Pens crashed his crease. Forwards Frans Nielsen and Josh Bailey were matched against Crosby's line for most of the night, as were defensemen Andrew MacDonald and Travis Hamonic. It was the Islanders' first game since trading leading defenseman James Wisniewski to Montreal.

So Crosby's streak ends (and god willing, so does his facial hair until the playoffs). But tonight was a reminder why Sid the Kid is the biggest story in the NHL this season: What would have otherwise been a inconsequential tune-up with a conference also-ran before the Classic became an epic battle that had fans buzzing around the League.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Sidney-Crosby-s-25-game-point-streak-ends-thanks?urn=nhl-301616

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Liddell calls it a career, now a UFC executive

What kind of suit goes best with a mohawk? MMA has lost one its icons as Chuck Liddell officially announced he's retiring as an active fighter and moving into an executive role with the UFC. The former light heavyweight champ will serve as one of the company's top six or seven officials in the position of executive vice president of business development.

Does the trademark mohawk stay or go? The UFC is anything but a traditional business, so the guess here is that you may see a gray haired mohawk pitching the sport some 20 years from now.

The 41-year-old announced his retirement at Wednesday's UFC 125 prefight press conference. The usually jovial, relaxed Liddell got a bit emotional. From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

"Most of all, I want to thank my fans and my family. I love the sport, and I'm excited to go into a new stage in my life and keep promoting the best sport in the world, the sport I love," the UFC Hall of Famer said as he choked back tears.

Lorenzo Fertitta, the UFC owner, was also present at the presser. For the most part, the casino mogul lays low but felt it was important to show his support for promotion's biggest star during its key growth period.

"This is a big deal to us as a company," UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said. "Chuck Liddell has contributed so much to the UFC over the years. He's literally seen this sport evolve from a very small niche sport to what it has become today. We continue to grow here in the North America, but we've got so many more things to do around the world, so we welcome Chuck Liddell to the UFC executive team."

UFC president Dana White has a strong friendship with Liddell. It dates back to the days before White was part owner of the promotion. 

"Chuck Liddell has been with us from day one," White told ESPN.com. "And before that I managed him. We've been together for like 13 years."

White gave a few details about the legend's new role with the company.

"He's probably going to be doing a lot of stuff with the legislation, the sanctioning end and other forms of business development. And he will be traveling to other countries with [UFC CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta]."

Making a transition from the world of kickboxing, Liddell debuted in 1998 at UFC 17, where he beat Noe Hernandez in Mobile, Ala.

He finished his career with a 21-8 record, that included 13 knockouts. The slugger held the UFC light heavyweight title for most of 2005 and 2006. His presence was huge in the UFC's development as a pay-per-view juggernaut. His fight against Tito Ortiz and two more against Randy Couture helped pull in 1.73 million buys. He fought Vernon White at UFC 49. That show sold only 80,000 PPVs. Thirty months later at UFC 66, with the help of Liddell, the promotion eclipsed the one million mark.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Liddell-calls-it-a-career-now-a-UFC-executive?urn=mma-301745

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Vegas babes, borderline brawls: Boise's not missing the BCS at all

"Hey, baby, you ever seen a blue field?"

For the record, this is not the way head coaches and upstanding family men Chris Petersen and Kyle Whittingham wanted to spend the sabbath. But they were game enough Sunday to force a smile, keep their hands where their wives can see them and stand still long enough for the annual "Looking Awkward Next to Showgirls" photo ahead of Wednesday night's Las Vegas Bowl. It's a shame BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall wasn't in the house this year, really, because after five straight Vegas trips to cap his first five seasons with the Cougars, he's got this part down, man. And he's pretty sure the girls were really starting to like him.

Alas, the night ended early for Utah after a "mild skirmish" broke out between players during dinner at the Hard Rock, sending the Utes back to their hotel down the street before the situation escalated. Otherwise, Whittingham was getting ready to call a limo and it was about to get off the hook.

The tackiest part of this picture? The trophy – that would be the thing at center, or roughly a 140-degree turn on the cleavage axis – which is definitely going to clash with the other hardware back home. But it does accurately capture that certain hideous Vegas vibe: If you're not going to come back from Vegas with something gaudy, ill-considered and embarrassing in or on your arm, why even go?

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Vegas-babes-borderline-brawls-Boise-s-not-miss?urn=ncaaf-298398

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Day By Day Back

The Day By Day Database should be back to normal. Let me know if you have any problems.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/BP_w6tsgXvc/click.phdo

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Headlinin': Let the annual Jim Harbaugh-to-NFL derby begin

Making the morning rounds.

• He's still here. To no one's surprise, the San Francisco 49ers ditched coach Mike Singletary after Sunday's loss to the St. Louis Rams, immediately reviving the perpetual Jim Harbaugh-to-the-NFL rumors overnight. Harbaugh, closing out his fourth season of miracle work at Stanford next week in the Orange Bowl, has been considered a likely 49er target for most of this season, after last year's rumor mill linked him to Oakland. (If you'll recall, he also spent a few hours as a done deal at Kansas.)

The Niners' timing makes more sense: Harbaugh said last week he and Stanford "haven't even discussed" a contract extension that athletic director Bob Bowlsby seemed to think was close to being finished. Of course, they'd still have to beat Michigan to the punch. [San Francisco Chronicle, Chris Mortensen, Niners Nation]

• We're sorry. Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and five other soon-to-be-suspended Buckeyes apologized to teammates Sunday night during the team banquet for selling upwards of $7,000 in memorabilia and receiving discounted tattoos last year, landing them on ice for the first five games of 2011. The banquet was closed to media but reportedly also included a discussion of whether to allow the implicated players to play in the Sugar Bowl, despite the NCAA's decision – at Ohio State's behest – to defer the suspensions to next season. They may not start, but there's no suggestion at this point that anyone involved isn't going to play on Jan. 4. [Cleveland Plain-Dealer]

• Sitting Dawgs (and Jackets). Academics have sidelined three Georgia players – running back Caleb King, backup cornerback Derek Owens and offensive lineman A.J. Harmon – for Friday's Liberty Bowl match with Central Florida. It will be the fifth game this season King has missed, on the heels of an ankle injury and a two-game suspension for failing to appear in court on a speeding ticket. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

The worst part: Georgia Tech fans don't even get to enjoy the schadenfreude, with three Yellow Jackets – starting linebacker Anthony Egbuniwe and backup defensive backs Michael Peterson and Louis Young – tabbed for first half suspensions in tonight's Independence Bowl for missing curfew last Friday. The Jackets will also be without starters Mario Edwards and Stephen Hill and two more reserves on defense for academic reasons. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

• Off on the wrong foot. Alabama signee Aaron Douglas, a former starter at Tennessee, was charged with DUI on Thursday night after allegedly running a stop sign and driving erratically. Frankly, 'Bama coach Nick Saban – busy with Christmas and bowl festivities in Orlando ahead of Saturday's Capital One Bowl date with Michigan State – doesn't have time for this: "First of all I don't know a whole lot about it being over the holidays and this and that," Saban said. "The guy's not even here yet in our program. It's certainly not something that we want to be representative of our program. We'll deal with it when he gets here." [Tuscaloosa News, Birmingham News]

• Wait, is this swag waterproof? Wisconsin and TCU are in Southern California for Rose Bowl week, and quarterbacks Scott Tolzien (left) and Andy Dalton weren't exactly the coolest customers on Splash Mountain:

For his part, Horned Frog coach Gary Patterson is fine with yukking it up on the Tea Cups, as long as the recruits are paying attention. [Associated Press, Dallas Morning News]

Quickly… Defensive coordinator James Willis is leaving Texas Tech, possibly bound for Florida. … Rich Rodriguez won't lobby for his job. … Mississippi State practices in a hotel ballroom, and Michigan feels a little too at home on its first day in Jacksonville. … This morning's Times Square kickoff for the Pinstripe Bowl has been cancelled due to heavy snow in New York. … SMU isn't exactly thrilled to be home for Christmas. … Oregon tries to figure out how to simulate Cam Newton in practice. … Auburn assistant Trooper Taylor settles a racial discrimination suit against the local school district. … Derek Dooley enters a wormhole in the space-time continuum. … And don't expect coaches to stop icing the kicker anytime soon.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Headlinin-Let-the-annual-Jim-Harbaugh-to-NFL-d?urn=ncaaf-300784

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Maryland tosses Ralph Friedgen overboard. Prepare the ship for the arrival of Captain Leach.

All reports out of College Park today suggest not only that Maryland has asked coach Ralph Friedgen to step aside in the wake of offensive coordinator/coach-in-waiting James Franklin's departure for Vanderbilt, but that Friedgen has verbally agreed to accept a buyout of the final year of his contract, per the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and other outlets. It's not certain whether he'll coach the Terps in the Military Bowl on Dec. 29, but the consensus is overwhelming that the Fridge will not be back in 2011.

That's a tough break for a tough coach who did as much for his alma mater as any coach since the Terps were a short-lived national power in the early fifties. Friedgen was a part of Maryland's successful run under mentor Bobby Ross in the early eighties, and went on to win a national championship at Georgia Tech (1990) and take the San Diego Chargers to their only Super Bowl (1994) as Ross' offensive coordinator. His first season back in College Park as head coach produced a miraculous ACC championship in 2001; his next two teams combined for 21 wins, back-to-back top-20 finishes and decisive postseason victories in the Peach and Gator bowls in 2002-03.

That start alone was worth a decade of goodwill, at least, and Friedgen has needed it after consecutive 5-6 finishes in 2004-05 and a last-place, 2-10 debacle in 2009 that very nearly cost him his job. He goes out off a solid 8-4 rebound that earned him second ACC Coach of the Year award, but without any of the optimism or momentum that followed the first nine years ago. Attendance is down, recruiting has stagnated and first-year athletic director Kevin Anderson has no inclination to keep a lame duck boss around for the sake of playing out the string.

With Franklin and his $1 million buyout out of the picture, Anderson – who wasn't in charge for the decision to bring Friedgen back for his tenth season or make Franklin his heir apparent – is free to go after his own candidate. And by all accounts – specifically, this one by Chip Brown at Orangebloods.com – that candidate is the Pirate Coach himself, Mike Leach.

The former Texas Tech captain has made no secret of his impatience to get back in the game after a year in exile, and his relationship with Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank – a former Terrapin player and current UMD trustee – made Maryland likely port of call for Leach since Texas Tech set him adrift last year. He can make two guarantees: a) He'll change the culture, and b) He'll put fans in the seats.

The only major obstacle in Leach's path back to the captain's wheel: His personal quest for revenge against the landlubbing scalawags that done him in, i.e. an ongoing lawsuits against Texas Tech, Craig James and ESPN over his controversial ouster from Tech last year. Looming legal issues, amid any other doubts, could conceivably be a deal-breaker. Leach's agent insists he hasn't heard heard from Maryland, or from Maryland boosters.

But with the rumor mill in overdrive and Leach apparently reaching out to certain recruits with word of his impending arrival, it can't hurt to give the red carpet a once-over before he comes aboard.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Maryland-tosses-Ralph-Friedgen-overboard-Prepar?urn=ncaaf-297793

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Webb Spinner

ESPN reports that Brandon Webb agreed to a one-year contract with the Rangers. No terms are available yet, but it’s likely an incentive laden contract. The Rangers tried this with Rich Harden last season, and that didn’t work out too well. Still, if Webb can get back to 80% of his Cy Young form, he’ll [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/hRanjSpcyiE/click.phdo

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Headlinin': Sugar Bowl execs kept troubled Buckeyes in the game

Making the morning rounds.

• Thank goodness they're preserving the integrity of this year's game. While five Ohio State players were busy Tuesday apologizing to teammates and fans for selling championship rings, jerseys and other memorabilia and landing a five-game suspension for the first five games of 2011, Sugar Bowl officials were entirely un-apologetic about lobbying to keep the players eligible to play against Arkansas on Jan. 4. Sugar Bowl CEO Paul Hoolahan said he learned about the possible suspensions on Dec. 7, three days after the Buckeyes were formally selected to play in the game, and went to work to make sure OSU starters Terrelle Pryor, Boom Herron, DeVier Posey and Mike Adams would see the field for his very special event.

"I made the point that anything that could be done to preserve the integrity of this year's game, we would greatly appreciate it," Hoolahan said. "That appeal did not fall on deaf ears, and I'm extremely excited about it, that the Buckeyes are coming in at full strength and with no dilution." Too bad the same thing can't be said for the integrity of NCAA rules. [Columbus Dispatch]

• The company you keep... At least the players aren't the only ones taking fire so everyone else can turn a profit: The local tattoo parlor where players allegedly received free or discounted tattoos in exchange for autographs and memorabilia is under federal investigation by the FBI and IRS for undisclosed reasons. Most of the evidence against the players was recovered in the course of the investigation. [Columbus Dispatch]

• OK, this time I'm really ready for my closeup. Miami's quarterback controversy may have been temporarily solved Tuesday when freshman Stephen Morris, working with the first team, left practice with a sprained ankle and spent the rest of the afternoon on crutches. Morris' absence puts veteran Jacory Harris in line to start for the first time since being knocked out of the lineup with a concussion in the 'Canes' Oct. 30 loss at Virginia – and to get a leg up on the competition heading into 2011, a make-or-break year for Harris' career as a senior. For his part, interim head coach Jeff Stoutland didn't rule Morris out against the Irish and said the competition has been "real close between the two." [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

• It's a definite maybe. Urban Meyer's turn as a talking head during last week's Las Vegas Bowl wasn't a lark: He's "seriously considering" joining ESPN next year as an in-studio analyst. "We went and had three of the greatest days we've ever had together and (ESPN) called up and said, 'Why don't you drive up for the day?' So I brought my son and he loved it," Meyer said at Tuesday's press conference for the Outback Bowl. "What I found out, what a place, what great people." [Gainesville Sun]

• No, Maryland still has not hired Mike Leach. But while the Pirate Coach is still expected to drop anchor in College Park after today's finale in the Military Bowl, the Terps have been reaching out to other spread gurus to replace outgoing head coach Ralph Friedgen – specifically, to a) SMU coach June Jones, whose agent insisted Tuesday that Jones isn't going anywhere despite acknowledged contact with other schools, and b) Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who skipped a scheduled media appearance after Tuesday's practice for the BCS title game. His boss, Gene Chizik, told reporters "there are possibilities of contact" between Malzahn and another school, but wouldn't offer details "because I don't have any." [Dallas Morning News, Associated Press]

Meanwhile, Friedgen called the build-up to his final game after a decade as his alma mater's head coach "like a slow death," albeit one that includes a stopover in the White House. [Associated Press, Washington Post]

• Godspeed. Of all the things that have gone horribly wrong this week at the Pinstripe Bowl, Syracuse got a boost Tuesday with the return of punter Rob Long, who rejoined the team for the first time since undergoing surgery to remove a benign brain tumor earlier this month. Last week, tests revealed malignant cells that will require Long to undergo further treatment for level 3 astrocytoma. In the meantime, he's trying to boom as many kicks around the New York Jets practice facility as he can get in ahead of Thursday's game in Yankee Stadium. [New York Post, Syracuse Post-Dispatch]

• Honoring Bell. If you're tuning in to the Gator Bowl on Saturday, yes, that is a quarterback wearing No. 36: Mississippi State starter Chris Relf will trade in his usual No. 14 against Michigan to honor former teammate Nick Bell, who succumbed to a newly diagnosed brain tumor in early November. MSU coach Dan Mullen said fans e-mailed him with the idea to put the QB in Bell's jersey for the one of the most high-profile games in recent Bulldog history, and Relf was on board. [Clarion-Ledger]

• His status was 'lame duck.' On the other end of the spectrum, there's West Virginia running back Shawne Alston, who summed up the Mountaineers' dismal effort in the Champs Sports Bowl Tuesday when he admitted after the loss to checking into Facebook during halftime. Profile notwithstanding, something tells me that Alston's interests do not actually include Association Football. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Quickly… LSU will wait another week to learn running back Stevan Ridley's fate for the Cotton Bowl. … Georgia and Ohio State sign on for a home-and-home in 2020-21. … Florida defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was briefly hospitalized Monday with mild gastritis. … Texas may be losing another assistant coach. … Mark Ingram is finally getting acquainted with his offensive line. … Ricky Stanzi, Cover Girl. … And at least somebody is making money off the bowl games.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Headlinin-Sugar-Bowl-execs-kept-troubled-Bucke?urn=ncaaf-301424

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And Not a Single Pink Wristband in Sight

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/UniWatch/~3/-S5LTQd_dVU/

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The 10-man rotation, starring Jeremy Lin

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: NBDL.com. Tonight, we're all Ivy-Leaguers, as Jeremy Lin will be making his Reno Bighorns debut in a few hours, getting some needed reps.
PF: Posting and Toasting. Translated Timofey Mozgov: "On my part there's no panic!"
SF: New York Post. ‘Bron will welcome NYC fans to Miami. It means Miami legitimately sells out a game.
SG: NBA.com. Steve Aschburner interviews former Minneapolis Lakers coach John Kundla.
PG: Red 94. Ben Heller with a very interesting look at clutch statistics and how they relate to Houston.
6th: Shoothoops. A must-read breakdown regarding the NBA's 2003-04 low point.
7th: Draft Express. Breaking down Landry Fields' terrific rookie season.
8th: SLAM. A cool look at Miami's "other guys."
9th: TrueHoop. Beckley Mason's expertly-executed re-appraisal of Dwight Howard.
10th: Truth About It. You may have already seen it, but it's worth re-reading Kyle Weidie's kind glance at Nick Young's issues with passing the rock.

Got a link or tip for Ball Don't Lie? Holler at me at KD_BDL_ED (at) yahoo.com, or follow me on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/The-10-man-rotation-starring-Jeremy-Lin?urn=nba-301221

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Rating the New Orleans Bowl: Let the mediocre times roll

Bowls: There are a lot of them. As a public service, the Doc is here to rank each game according to five crucial criteria, with help from the patron saint of the game in question. Today: The New Orleans Bowl!

Teams. Ohio Bobcats (8-4) vs. Troy Trojans (7-5).
Particulars. Dec. 18 (Today), 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Patron Saint. Fictional author, bookkeeper, hot dog vendor and megalomaniac Ignatius J. Reilly, oversized hero of John Kennedy O'Toole's Big Easy classic "A Confederacy of Dunces," who still greets visitors to the French Quarter via an eerily lifelike statue outside the former site of the D.H. Holmes Department Store on Canal Street.

Location. The Superdome is a first-rate venue, and one of the best places on Earth to be a part of a geared-up, electric crowd. It can also be one of the worst places to endure a sleepy game in front of 20,000. Coughs echo all over the building, whistles on the field are jarringly loud, air conditioning set for 70,000 bodies leaves the crowd shivering – although, on the bright side, you’ll find that chattering teeth make for a surprisingly effective noisemaker. When it gets to the point that you can hear the popcorn popping at the concession stand from your seat, it's time to forget the game and break out your handy flow chart for Saturday night on Bourbon Street.

    More 2010 Bowl Ratings
  • Dec. 17: New Mexico Bowl
  • Dec. 18: Humanitarian Bowl

Tradition. Amazingly, the New Orleans Bowl is celebrating its tenth anniversary – they grow up so fast! – all of them featuring the Sun Belt champion against an also-ran from one of the other scrubbier conferences. The most notable of that lot: The 2005 collision between Southern Miss and Arkansas State, relocated from the damaged Dome to Cajun Field in Lafayette in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Aside from Middle Tennessee quarterback Dwight Dasher's record-breaking show last year against USM, there's not much to show for its continued existence.

Swag. Organizers are taking a "quality over quantity" approach to the gift bags, eschewing the usual electronic "gift suites" and drawerful of clothes for an iPod touch and a Balfour ring. Points deducted for failing to include any vulgar t-shirts, Mardi Gras knickknacks or shot glasses.

Sponsors, trophies and other ambiance. While plebeian fans enjoyed keynote speaker Deuce McAllister during this morning's Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues, bowl big shots were living it up at the Chairman's Brunch, a "private party … by invitation only." If the chairman doesn't surface again until he comes staggering in on Wednesday morning with a black eye, a missing shoe and a tattoo of a naked voodoo priestess, well, we've all been those parties down there, man.

This year's match-up. As usual, Troy brings in a pass-happy spread that led the Sun Belt in passing, total and scoring offense for the third time in four years, despite the exit of offensive coordinator Neal Brown and prolific quarterback Levi Brown. Ohio, holding fast to the more conservative, ground-based philosophy imported by former Nebraska coach Frank Solich, hasn't come anywhere near the Trojans' numbers for the season, but it did score at least 30 points in every game of a seven-game winning streak over the last two months of the season.

One line neither team features on its resumé: Quality wins. Despite a close call at Oklahoma State early in the season, the Trojans finished 0-3 against opponents appearing this postseason, with Ohio coming in 1-2. The best win by either team may have been the Bobcats' 31-23 win over Temple to move to 8-3 on Nov. 16, but even that was immediately negated by a 28-6 flop at Kent State that knocked the 'Cats out of the MAC Championship Game.

Star power. It's never a good omen for the excitement level when neither team features a rusher receiver over 800 yards for the season, or when one of the them failed to place a single first-team pick on its own all-conference team. At least Troy comes strong with sophomore defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi – a native of Liberia and younger brother of former Georgia/current Cleveland Browns receiver Mohammed Massaquoi – who racked up 10 sacks, easily led the SBC with 17.5 tackles for loss and placed himself squarely on NFL scouts' radar as the next top pass rusher from the school that brought them DeMarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora.

Final rating: out of five.
At least the fans at the game have America's greatest late-night tourist city to look forward to afterwards. If you're watching from home, try to enjoy some of the snippets of jazz coming in and out of commercial breaks, and remember that Ohio's mascot is in the building, somewhere.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Rating-the-New-Orleans-Bowl-Let-the-mediocre-ti?urn=ncaaf-297746

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Get nice with Nick and the Babes ? June 11th @ The Berkeley Cafe

Nick and the Babes will be performing at the Berkeley Cafe on Friday, June 11th, in Raleigh. Zach Terry of The Whiskey Smugglers and Cat Albanese will play supporting acts so it should be one helluva evening of live music.
Nick and the Babes are Americana to the core. You can hear a lot of Ryan [...]

Source: http://brahsome.com/2010/06/10/get-nice-with-nick-and-the-babes-june-11th-the-berkeley-cafe/

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Yahoo's Meltzer says UFC is having difficulty with Lesnar's future

Maybe there was something to that little exchange between the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar following his fight at UFC 121. The rumors are swirling around Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champ and WWE star.

Some say the UFC wants Lesnar to take part as a coach on Season 13 of "The Ultimate Fighter." Others say Lesnar doesn't want to be involved with very much involving MMA right now. Pro Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer:

Lesnar reportedly hasn't talked with anyone from UFC or answered their phone calls since losing the UFC Heavyweight Title to Cain Velasquez last month. Sources also say that Lesnar hasn't began to prepare for his next UFC fight and hasn't trained since losing to Velasquez.

It's said that Lesnar has lost some interest in MMA and has been been re-considering his future in the sport after his loss to Velasquez and the beating he took in the win against Shane Carwin before that.

Lesnar reportedly has only one fight left on his contract. Could it be that the Wrestlemania appearance, which he could make upwards of $2 million, is the hold up? Is Lesnar really thinking about bailing on MMA after just one bad loss?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Yahoo-s-Meltzer-says-UFC-is-having-difficulty-wi?urn=mma-300989

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