Sports News

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Let-the-records-hit-the-floor-Case-Keenum-gets-?urn=ncaaf-307874

Let the records hit the floor: Case Keenum gets a sixth year at Houston

Just when Timmy Chang and Graham Harrell thought their career passing marks for yards and touchdowns were safe, the NCAA effectively declares open season on both: Houston quarterback Case Keenum is eligible to return for a sixth year this fall, after sitting out the Cougars' final nine games in 2010 with a torn ACL. That's a surprise, considering Keenum's appeal had been considered something of a long shot.

NCAA rules allow for a fifth year (aka a redshirt) as long as it's spent on the bench, and Keenum had already burned his redshirt season as a true freshman, sitting behind starter Kevin Kolb in 2006. He subsequently started or played significantly in 43 consecutive games over the next four years, until being knocked out of the Cougars' loss at UCLA on Sept. 18, apparently ending his amateur career. But UH was able to sell the NCAA on a collarbone injury that purportedly sidelined Keenum in '06 – a season in which he was already sidelined by his status on the depth chart – and voila, a medical hardship is born.

Houston may be the quintessential "system offense," designed to succeed by giving smart, accurate guys who may not be future draft picks a chance for big numbers by relying on a flood of quick, manageable throws and keeping the pedal pressed to the floor at all times. But as 2010 proved, it's not like Keenum is some random cog. Off back-to-back 5,000-yard seasons at the head of the nation's No. 1 offense in 2008 and 2009, he came into his senior year a virtual lock to smash the Division I records for career passing yards and touchdowns, maybe with a little Heisman and/or BCS chatter, for good measure.

His presence was a key reason Houston was a runaway favorite to win Conference USA, and as it turned out, his absence over the second half of the year may have been the key reason it descended to its first losing since 2004 instead. True freshman David Piland still averaged 330 yards per game with 24 touchdowns in eight starts, but also served up 11 interceptions in the Cougars' four-game losing streak to close the season. With Keenum in tow, Houston could well be back at the top of the division projections for 2011.

At any rate, if he stays healthy, Chang's and Harrell's records will be Keenum's with an additional 3,486 yards and 27 touchdowns, both far below his season totals in both 2008 and 2009. When that kind of pace qualifies as "mediocre" by your usual standards, it's been a pretty great career already.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

baseball yankees american football

Wu Sabi Ain?t Nothing to F*ck With

Via Sharebro Xmas Ape

Source: http://brahsome.com/2010/08/12/wu-sababi-mtherfucka/

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Nasty-goals-from-Richard-Panik-in-OHL-Li?urn=nhl-314553

Video: Nasty goals from Richard Panik in OHL, Linus Klasen in AHL

NHL All-Star Weekend seemed to produce many more comedic highlights than it did memorable goals in either the game or the skills competition. Luckily, the OHL and AHL picked up the slack over the weekend, beginning with Richard Panik of the Guelph Storm (OHL). Via Daily Picks and Flicks, a nasty off-the-skate move against Sarnia.

How great was Mr. Thumbs-Down guy at the 20-second mark? As Neate Sager of Buzzing The Net wrote about Panik, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect: "The determining factor between a dangerous scorer and a merely good one is being able to make a great move at high speed." This isn't the first time Panik's appeared here on Puck Daddy for a spectacular goal.

Linus Klasen also has a body of work on YouTube. The Nashville Predators prospect appeared in the AHL All-Star Skills Competition for the Milwaukee Admirals, and added to that legend with this 360 goal that was the highlight of the night:

Quick question: Should the NHL All-Star Game adopt a "Slam Dunk Competition" system in which players who aren't in the All-Star Game are invited to the "trick shot" competition? Like Rob Schremp or Linus Omark?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Ganassi-in-control-after-eight-hours-of-the-Role?urn=nascar-314215

Ganassi in control after eight hours of the Rolex 24

Chip Ganassi's No. 01 car, driven by Joey Hand, Scott Pruett, Graham Rahal and Memo Rojas was in the lead after roughly eight hours of the Rolex 24 Grand-Am race at Daytona.

The 01 went a lap down early in the race, but this race makes a Sprint Cup race at Pocono seem like a sprint., so though driver changes and attrition, the tean was able to get back to the front.

Ganassi's other car, the No. 02 driven by Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya, is sixth, 37 seconds back. The 02 has had even more troubles, as it's blown two tires.

Cars owned by Ganassi won the event in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and finished second in 2009 and 2010.

Coverage begins again Sunday on SPEED at 9AM ET and continues until the conclusion of the race.

Source: http://blogs.reuters.com/sport/2011/01/14/watson-the-man-to-lead-australia-rebuilding/

Watson the man to lead Australia rebuilding

Australia's Shane Watson could be the man to lead his country through this current tough period and take them back to the top.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/OCP35p3xTWw/click.phdo

The New Cashman

Bob Klapisch wonders why Brian Cashman suddenly became so brutally honest. There is little evidence he wants to leave New York. Instead: Cashman is preparing for war with Derek Jeter. Jeter’s skills are diminishing, and at some point the Yankees will move him from shortstop, and down in the lineup. Brian will have Joe Girardi‘s [...]

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2011/1/30/1965285/deangelo-hall-2011-pro-bowl-mvp-award

Sunday, January 30, 2011

DeAngelo Hall Wins 2011 Pro Bowl MVP Award

baseball yankees american football

Did Miss. State fans' Facebook obsession drive a 5-star LB to Ole Miss?

Just to clarify the headline, I'm not saying hyped Philadelphia (Miss.) linebacker C.J. Johnson was dissuaded from his long-standing commitment to attend Mississippi State by Bulldog fans going Fatal Attraction on his Facebook page. C.J. Johnson is saying that:

Whether it was the "crazy inboxes" of desperate MSU partisans (I can't help but picture packages whose contents that would make the creators of "Se7en" squirm uncomfortably), or the untimely departure of Mississippi State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz for Texas, or some combination thereof, Johnson said for the first time today he's "100 percent solid" to sign with rival Ole Miss next week. And if the Facebook stalking didn't necessarily cause his defection from the Bulldogs, it certainly didn't help:

On Tuesday, however, while Johnson was excited about his decision and looking forward to the future, the prevailing emotion he was feeling was relief. Since announcing that he was re-opening his recruiting, his Facebook.com page had become a haven for fans of several schools, and all of the messages weren't exactly positive.
"It's been awful," Johnson said. "Just the rumors about me and my family, it hasn't been a great experience at all. The rumors didn't weigh into my decision at all, but all the speculation and all the talking made me want to get over with. I talked to my mom about it and prayed about it. I felt confident in my decision and wanted to get it over with."
While Johnson has developed bonds with fellow Mississippians/Ole Miss targets such as Greenwood cornerback Jermaine Whitehead and Batesville wide receiver Nick Brassell, he said he won't be doing any recruiting over the next eight days. "This is not a time to be doing any recruiting," Johnson said. "I don't want to hear the word 'recruiting' again."

Johnson said he has ambitions of becoming the next Patrick Willis in Oxford, and actually projects along those lines, which is the good news for Ole Miss. The bad news: The Rebels' most celebrated instate commitment prior to Johnson, receiver Tobias Singleton, was charged today with felony malicious mischief and misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly punching his 16-year-old girlfriend in December, then helping his father and two brothers inflict more than $3,000 worth of damage on her Chevrolet Impala. By kicking it, apparently.

Singleton texted a Jackson Clarion-Ledger reporter today that "It's not TRUE" – he had initially called police on Dec. 13 to report a hit-and-run, telling them his former girlfriend had hit his car with hers and left the scene – but didn't elaborate. As a rule, any recruiting story that includes the phrase "My attorney advises me no comment" is probably not going to end well for anyone involved.

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Facebook screencap via Red Cup Rebellion.
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Did-Miss-State-fans-Facebook-obsession-drive-a?urn=ncaaf-312442

Wu Sabi Ain?t Nothing to F*ck With

Via Sharebro Xmas Ape

Source: http://brahsome.com/2010/08/12/wu-sababi-mtherfucka/

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Daniel-Henrik-Sedin-on-their-NHL-All-Sta?urn=nhl-314016

Video: Daniel, Henrik Sedin on their NHL All-Star Game split

Daniel and Henrik Sedin talk NHL All-Star Split from Greg Wyshynski on Vimeo.

RALEIGH, NC -- In Round 3 of the inaugural NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft, Eric Staal's team (featuring Ryan Kesler of the Canucks) selected Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks with the fifth overall pick, putting the spotlight on Nicklas Lidstrom and his team to do the inevitable.

Which they did, selecting Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks, splitting up the twins for All-Star Weekend.

This video features pre-draft comments from Daniel, and post-draft comments from Daniel and Henrik, about competing on different sides of the ice and the possibility of our dream coming true: Sedin vs. Sedin fight!

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

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://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/v7Us7PrFizw/click.phdo

Pettitte Rumored to Return

Both Craig Calcaterra and Jon Heyman both talked to sources that believe Andy Pettitte will pitch in 2011. That would certainly be good news for the Yankees, if indeed his return is to New York.

In Which I Waste a Whole Day Engaging in a Ridiculous E-Mail Debate (and now you can waste a whole day reading about it)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/UniWatch/~3/3L7DAH8g1H0/

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2011/1/29/1963771/pachuca-vs-cruz-azul-alejandro-castro-piles-on-the-misery-with-a

Pachuca Vs. Cruz Azul: Alejandro Castro Piles On The Misery With A Stunner

Source: http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2011/01/like-green-bay-residents-need-instructions-on-being-fat.html

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Like Green Bay Residents Need Instructions On Being Fat

Submitted for your ridicule: “Teach Me How to Raji” by ‘Sconsin Sag District. via

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/UNI-s-newest-tradition-involves-spastic-dancing-?urn=ncaab-313973

UNI's newest tradition involves spastic dancing and techno music

Three Northern Iowa students with a unhealthy appreciation for techno music and way too much time on their hands have spawned one of the more bizarre new traditions of the basketball season.

It's called the Interlude dance, a spastic semi-choreographed dance routine that the Northern Iowa student section has begun performing at games this season.

According to The Northern Iowa student newspaper, upperclassmen Ian Goldsmith, Scott Connerly and Tyler Wright created the dance, taught their friends and persuaded the university's athletic department to allow fans to perform it during games. Oddly enough the dance has inexplicably taken off, as can be seen from the above video shot during the Panthers' 71-66 victory over Creighton on Wednesday night.

In an effort to teach as many students the dance as possible, the how-to video is available on YouTube and the Northern Iowa Athletics Facebook page. There are six simple steps, everything from the handclap to the fist pump to the ninja robot.

In theory, students from other schools could incorporate the Interlude dance into their basketball gameday experience. More likely than not, however, this is a tradition that will remain uniquely Northern Iowa's.

(Thanks, Hot Clicks)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/v7Us7PrFizw/click.phdo

Pettitte Rumored to Return

Both Craig Calcaterra and Jon Heyman both talked to sources that believe Andy Pettitte will pitch in 2011. That would certainly be good news for the Yankees, if indeed his return is to New York.

yankees american football cowboys

Southampton FC Vs. Manchester United: United Come Back, Win 2-1

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2011/1/29/1963184/southampton-fc-vs-manchester-united-united-come-back-win-2-1

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/InterTubing-Dunkasaurus-slams-and-some-nifty-ga?urn=highschool-313500

InterTubing: Dunkasaurus slams and some nifty game-winners

Last week was all about buzzer beaters, so we figured we'd make this week more about the miultitude of terrific dunks wafting around our favorite web-based video sites.

• Sam Thompson, Whitney Young (Ill.) vs. Orr (Ill.): Sam Thompson is heading to one of the nation's best programs -- Ohio State -- so perhaps it's no surprise that he takes over games seemingly at will. Still, to own a game against Orr, which features star Illinois-pledge Mycheal Henry, and score the final six points in a victory (INCLUDING this monster slam), is making a statement.

• Roderick Perkins, Campbell (Ga.) vs. South Cobb (Ga.): How Perkins is only a nominee -- and not a locked-in contender -- for the 2001 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Slam Dunk Contest we absolutely can't understand. Not only does he have the elevation and guts to throw down a 360 with ease, he has the marbles to do it in a game.

• Taylor Shropshire, Rome (Ga.) High: Ever wonder why you need to get back on a three-on-none fast break? The most compelling reason may be to prevent this from happening. If that dunk isn't demoralizing, we're not sure what is. We're not sure who the Rome Wolves were facing off against, but then again, does it matter in this clip?

• Dalvin Guy, McClymonds (Calif.) vs. Rodriguez (Calif.): He may only be a sophomore, but Dalvin Guy is starting to make quite a name for himself in the Bay Area with overwhelming athleticism, as he flexed on this dunk at the "I Have a Dream" challenge against Rodriguez High.

• Tessa Cichy, Hill-Murray (Minn.) vs. Richfield (Minn.): This is a heck of a shot, taken at full canter from behind the midcourt like by Tessa Cichy, but the reaction of the announcer clearly overshadows even that, doesn't it?

• Andy Ketsoyan, AGBU Pasadena (Calif.) vs. AGBU Valley (Calif.): Step beyond the confusion of AGBU playing AGBU for a moment, and enjoy what is a pretty impressive shot and a much more impressive delirious reaction. By the end of the clip, we actually thought Ketsoyan had just won the Super Bowl with a field goal ...

• 2011 Winnipeg High School Hockey All-Star Game: To be fair, we have no idea who precisely Eric is. What we do know is that he was the only scorer in the shootout that decided the 2011 Winnipeg High School Hockey League All-Star Game's C Division, and he did it with a heck of a goal, to boot.

• Michael Sacco, Freedom (Fla.) vs. Jesuit (Fla.): It might not be the goal of the year, but Michael Sacco's game-tying strike from the top of the box in the Wharton Tournament is still well worth watching, even in the dark.

Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Welcome-back-Greg-Mattison-The-wreckage-of-Mic?urn=ncaaf-309347

Welcome back, Greg Mattison: The wreckage of Michigan's defense awaits

The good news for new Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison: He's done this gig before, and well. Mattison spent four years in Ann Arbor under head coaches Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr in the mid-nineties, overseeing a pair of Wolverine defenses that held 19 of 25 opponents to 20 points or less in 1995 and 1996, and didn't allow 30 points even once. After his departure for Notre Dame in 1997, the group he helped develop turned in the best defensive effort in the nation en route to a national championship as upperclassmen.

The bad news: The group he officially inherited today couldn't be a much further cry from the units that produced Sam Sword and Charles Woodson more than a decade ago. In fact, they couldn't be much further from almost any Michigan defense that came before: Each of the last three Wolverine defenses under coordinators Scott Shafer and Greg Robinson since 2008 ranks among the worst in school history, with the attrition-ravaged 2010 unit redefining the local conception of "rock bottom."

After hitting all manner of new lows in Robinson's first year, the '10 Wolverines were in free fall almost from the beginning, eventually finishing dead last in the Big Ten in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense, and near the bottom of the conference in rushing defense, pass efficiency defense and takeaways. They allowed at least 34 points in eight of nine Big Ten games, and went out with a big 52 stamped to their forehead, courtesy of Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. Nine of 13 opposing offenses racked up at least 435 total yards, including Indiana and Massachusetts. Even if head coach Rich Rodriguez had managed to survive the carnage, Robinson certainly would not have.

At least there's nowhere for Mattison's new charges to go but up, and plenty of reason to expect an uptick with or without the brain transplant on the sideline. In the first case, seven regular starters and 11 of the top 15 tacklers return in the fall, including every member of a beleaguered secondary that was devastated by an apocalyptic plague of attrition and injury before the season even began.

By the end of the year, following yet another season-ending injury to cornerback J.T. Floyd, the rotation on the back end consisted of half a dozen freshmen (Cameron Gordon, Courtney Avery, Ray Vinopal, Thomas Gordon, Carvin Johnson and Terrence Talbott), an overmatched journeyman who spent much of his career at running back (James Rogers) and one walk-on (Jordan Kovacs). None of the above would have seen the field during Mattison's first go-round.

Those growing pains will begin to pay off in 2011, with mainstays Mike Martin and Craig Roh back to anchor the front seven as third-year starters. And if the overall talent level is still well below what you'd generally expect from a Michigan defense, at least the majority of the projected starters this time around were once four-star recruits.

Still, the best thing the Wolverine D will have going for it is Mattison's resumé, which includes successful stops since his first stint in Ann Arbor at Notre Dame, Florida and, since 2008, as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, where all three of his defenses finished among the top three in the NFL. He's a "family" hire, a close friend and former colleague of new head coach Brady Hoke, coming aboard to restore the "Michigan Way," or whatever it was that supposedly sent the program tumbling from its usual perch under Rodriguez. The lineup is in no position for anything like an overnight, worst-to-first turnaround, but Mattison can guarantee the faithful this much: It's not going to get any worse.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2011/1/28/1962163/free-car-nhl-all-star-fantasy-draft-2011

Will The Last Player Selected In Tonight's 2011 NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft Win A Car?

Source: http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2011/01/paul-pierces-somewhat-mysterious-injury/

Paul Pierce’s Somewhat Mysterious Injury

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/v7Us7PrFizw/click.phdo

Friday, January 28, 2011

Pettitte Rumored to Return

Both Craig Calcaterra and Jon Heyman both talked to sources that believe Andy Pettitte will pitch in 2011. That would certainly be good news for the Yankees, if indeed his return is to New York.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Star-Power-Recruiting-gurus-track-record-at-th?urn=ncaaf-312394

Star Power: Recruiting gurus' track record at the top of the polls, by the numbers

With signing day looming, it's time for the Doc's annual, week-long defense of the recruiting-industrial complex. Part Two: Recruiting rankings at the top of the polls.

College football may not offer the snuggest metaphor for macroeconomics – nowhere else in America are individuals actively prohibited from marketing their skills (or personal property) to would-be buyers – but it does jibe with the growing income gap economists are always talking about. That's true financially, thanks to the BCS, but as ever, it's still in recruiting where the rich get (and stay) richer.

That's not really a revelation, but the numbers throw the cyclical dominance of a handful of recruiting heavyweights into even sharper relief. Since 2006, only 25 different schools have finished in the top 10 of the final Associated Press poll at least once; 15 have finished that high at least twice, accounting for 40 of the 50 top-10 slots in that span. And fully half of those slots – 26 of 50 – have been occupied by one of 10 schools: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and USC.

Those 10 also happen to be among the 13 schools – along with Florida State, Miami and Tennessee – that have consistently finished at the top of the recruiting rankings:

More Star Power
• Recruiting Rankings and All-Americans

The last two years have been rough for the blue-chip destinations, with USC's multi-pronged descent, Georgia's slide into mediocrity, attrition-ravaged outfits at Michigan and Tennessee joining Florida State and Miami among the ranks of the perennial underachievers and Florida and Texas turning in epic flops last year in the transition from all-time-great quarterbacks to their not-so-great predecessors. USC and Florida State spent the season adjusting to new orders, and Florida, Miami and Michigan are introducing new regimes of their own.

But that still doesn't change the bigger picture: Those 13 schools alone have consistently produced a majority of the top five in the final polls, half of the top 10, at least half of the teams in the BCS and all of the national champions in the BCS era. (With Auburn's triumph – thanks mainly to über recruit Cam Newton, the five-star headliner of a top five class last year – only two of the top dozen recruiting powers have failed to win a BCS championship: Georgia and Michigan. Last year, Oregon was only the third team form outside of the group to even play for a BCS title, joining Virginia Tech in 1999 and Nebraska in 2001, and we might find the '01 Cornhuskers were a pretty highly regarded bunch themselves if those numbers were available.)

You know this already, but in black and white: In any given season, you can count on at least 50 percent of the nation's elite teams on the field coming from the 10 percent that routinely dominate the recruiting rankings. Every year. If n elite class doesn't guarantee a team vaulting to the top of the polls, it still dramatically increases the odds.

As for the other half, chalk it up to a combination of timing and relativity. Eight of the 25 schools with a least one top-10 finish since 2006 – Boston College, Cincinnati, Iowa, Kansas, Louisville, Missouri, Stanford and Utah – have only one, all of them in a one-shot run at the best season at their respective schools in more than a generation, if not ever. (It helps that half of them didn't beat another ranked team on the way to the bowl game.) Among the mediocre recruiters with more than one expedition to the top of the polls, TCU and West Virginia only see one conference rival per year (Utah and Pittsburgh, respectively) that's consistently out-recruited them according to the rankings, and Boise State doesn't see any.

Oregon, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin do, and have made multiple, (albeit sporadic) runs into the elite against outfits that were supposed to possess more talent in their own conferences. As USC, Ohio State and Miami can attest this year, that supposed talent advantage can turn out to be pretty shallow, and sometimes doesn't turn out at all. In the long run, though, when you take all of the numbers into account, it's still a much better bet that it will.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Nick-Fairley-completes-the-rapid-dismantling-of-?urn=ncaaf-307808

Nick Fairley completes the rapid dismantling of Auburn's dream team

To the surprise of no one who has paid the slightest attention to Auburn, college football or the increasingly ubiquitous mock drafts springing up in the new year, Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley officially threw his hat into the NFL Draft today, on the heels of a dominant performance in Monday night's 22-19 BCS Championship triumph over Oregon. An obscure Tommy Tuberville signee in 2007 who took a detour through junior college in Mississippi, Fairley goes out with consensus All-American honors, the Lombardi Award as the nation's best interior lineman and a ticket into the top 10 in April, all after just one season as a full-time starter.

With quarterback Cam Newton's inevitable departure on Thursday night, Fairley's announcement is also the official curtain call for Auburn's brief stint as a national power. Well, it was some show while it lasted.

Newton's exit alone is a dream killer for any distant hopes of a rematch: He accounted for 62 percent of the Tigers' total yards, 71 percent of their offensive touchdowns and roughly 100 percent of the difference between last year's Outback Bowl champions and this year's national champions. In the biggest games, against LSU, Alabama and Oregon, Fairley seemed to carry roughly the same share of the defense. Even aside from the breakout junior stars, though, most of the cast was in its final performance – seven offensive starters against Oregon were seniors playing their final game, along with seven more starters on defense. That number includes four-fifths of the offensive line and five members of the defensive front seven (not including Fairley), leaving exactly one returning starter on each line: Right tackle Brandon Mosley on offense and defensive end Nosa Eguae on defense.

Altogether, the Tigers will defend their championship in 2011 minus their leading passer, leading rusher, two of their top four receivers, four starting offensive linemen, their top two pass rushers and four of their top five tacklers – an unprecedented exodus in the BCS era. No defending BCS champion has ever opened the following outside of the top 10 in the preseason polls; the closest, in fact, was Auburn in 2005, which dropped all the way to 16th in the preseason Associated Press poll after losing the core of its uncrowned, 13-0 team in 2004. As far as actual results, only two defending BCS champs, Florida in 2007 and LSU a year later, have dropped more than three games the year after winning the title, and only the '08 Tigers fell out of the polls.

Like the 2004 team, the 2010 edition of Auburn came from nowhere – their preseason rank, No. 22 in the AP poll, No. 23 in the Coaches', is the lowest ever for an eventual BCS champ – and by all rights, it's to nowhere that the 2011 edition should return, relatively speaking. As spectacular as Gene Chizik's second season on the Plains turned out to be, it's his third will define the larger trajectory of his tenure: If the Tigers don't plummet back to fringe top-25 territory, as everyone will (justifiably) expect, then he's got himself a certifiable powerhouse here. In the meantime, the SEC West – now home to four different division champions in five years – is reopened for business.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/yCCaJa-FfN8/click.phdo

U2 Can Move a Home Game

For the second year in a row, a stadium scheduling conflict is forcing a team to play home games on the road. A three-game series between the Florida Marlins and Seattle Mariners from June 24-26 has been moved from Miami to Seattle because of a U2 concert. The upside is that the Marlins will likely [...]

yankees american football cowboys

Schiavone shows final set tiebreaks are for wimps

Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova rescued the
women's singles at the Australian Open from anonymity on Sunday when they contested a four hour 44 minute epic that contrasted sharply with some of the dross served up by their rivals.

Source: http://blogs.reuters.com/sport/2011/01/24/schiavone-shows-final-set-tiebreaks-are-for-wimps/

soccer manchester united baseball

Going to the Wells

The Orange County Register is covering the Vernon Wells news conference in Anaheim.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/MRk4Jv2J5Yk/click.phdo

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Bobby-V-takes-storm-into-own-hands-directs-tra?urn=mlb-313328

Bobby V. takes storm into own hands, directs traffic in Stamford

Well, no one can accuse Bobby Valentine of going all Bloomberg on this latest storm out East.

Just weeks after taking a post as public safety director in Stamford, Conn., the ESPN analyst and former New York Mets manager was spotted directing traffic on a snowy street in his hometown on Thursday morning. That he's taking his duties seriously should come as no surprise — Valentine was born in Stamford, owns businesses there and is considered a local hero. No way would he sit home with his fellow citizens in distress.

The Stamford Advocate has some good photos of Bobby V. at work and one uninformed CBS reporter actually corralled him for an interview out on the street (video here).

It includes this hilariously awkward and awesome exchange:

Reporter: "Bobby, what are you doing out there?"
Bobby Valentine: (blank stare) "This is my job."

Anyway, good for Bobby. The loss of all the teams that passed him up for a job this offseason is clearly the gain of that lost woman in the Chrysler Sebring.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Can-Harrison-Barnes-build-off-of-his-latest-clut?urn=ncaab-313099

Can Harrison Barnes build off of his latest clutch heroics?

On a night where two Mountain West programs stole the nation's attention, North Carolina preseason All-American wing Harrison Barnes buried two clutch shots to propel the Tar Heels to a 74-71 win at Miami.

UNC typically is at the forefront of the college hoops landscape, but maybe its spot just off of the radar in recent weeks isn't the worst thing in the world.

It certainly appears to be helping the frosh at least a little bit. His offensive struggles since being tapped as the first ever freshman preseason AP All-American have hardly gone unnoticed.

The 6-foot-8 Barnes is shooting just 37.3 percent from the floor, 31.5 percent from deep and has yet to score 20 points in a collegiate game.

But he's found a knack of late for delivering in the clutch.

After dropping some big late scores earlier in the month in a 64-61 come-from-behind victory over Virginia Tech in Chapel Hill, Barnes scored the final five points in Wednesday's win that bumped the Heels to 14-5 overall and a quiet 4-1 in the ACC.

He knocked home a step-back baseline jumper with just over a minute left to tie the game at 71-71, then off of a spectacular — and fortunate — pass from fellow rookie Kendall Marshall, he buried an open three right in front of the UNC bench with 6.6 seconds remaining.

Marshall said he'd originally intended to dump the ball into Tyler Zeller on a screen-and-roll, but got hung up in the air and had to make something happen quick.

Barnes was 2-for-9 from the floor before that final minute, then finished with 13 points.

"That's the Black Falcon," Marshall said of Barnes afterwards. "He wants the ball at crunch time, he wants to make the big play. He wants to put us on his back."

Making the heroics more impressive was that Barnes had to block out chants of 'over-rated' from the opposing crowd, which he said is becoming more and more common as the season wears on.

"At the end of the day, we won the game — They're entitled to say and chant whatever they want," Barnes said. "I just feel really comfortable shooting that shot. A lot of people might not feel comfortable, might second-guess themselves. But in that moment in time, I feel comfortable enough in my ability."

But then there's the golden question: When does this start translating into more consistent, prolific results for an entire game?

The recent confidence-builders could be a nice starting point.

Especially while the national microscope is focused elsewhere.

Ryan Greene covers UNLV and the Mountain West Conference for the Las Vegas Sun. Read his Rebels coverage and follow him on Twitter.

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Did-Miss-State-fans-Facebook-obsession-drive-a?urn=ncaaf-312442

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Did Miss. State fans' Facebook obsession drive a 5-star LB to Ole Miss?

On Tuesday, however, while Johnson was excited about his decision and looking forward to the future, the prevailing emotion he was feeling was relief. Since announcing that he was re-opening his recruiting, his Facebook.com page had become a haven for fans of several schools, and all of the messages weren't exactly positive.
"It's been awful," Johnson said. "Just the rumors about me and my family, it hasn't been a great experience at all. The rumors didn't weigh into my decision at all, but all the speculation and all the talking made me want to get over with. I talked to my mom about it and prayed about it. I felt confident in my decision and wanted to get it over with."
While Johnson has developed bonds with fellow Mississippians/Ole Miss targets such as Greenwood cornerback Jermaine Whitehead and Batesville wide receiver Nick Brassell, he said he won't be doing any recruiting over the next eight days. "This is not a time to be doing any recruiting," Johnson said. "I don't want to hear the word 'recruiting' again."

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Facebook screencap via Red Cup Rebellion.
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

soccer manchester united baseball

Jumping a Toll Booth Is Never Not a Good Idea

Title stolen from Unsilent, video snagged from Jalopnik. It’s what you would expect, although maybe the fact that the dude was drunk and at an airport makes this a little bit less of a “good idea” and more of a “dangerous, deadly hazard.”

Source: http://brahsome.com/2010/06/03/jumping-a-toll-booth-is-never-not-a-good-idea/

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Welcome-back-Greg-Mattison-The-wreckage-of-Mic?urn=ncaaf-309347

Welcome back, Greg Mattison: The wreckage of Michigan's defense awaits

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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

Pujols Talks

Joe Strauss notes the harsh reality of the Albert Pujols negotiations: A club source indicated last summer that Lozano had proposed a 10-year, $300 million framework. Such a deal would eclipse New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez‘s 10-year, $275 million contract signed three years ago as the game’s richest. The Cardinals previously have characterized [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/WWJ6ZQp3qNQ/click.phdo

Flaws in Detroit

Jonah Keri looks at the flaws in the construction of the Tigers roster. My one quibble with the post is Max Scherzer. Keri talks about the Tigers poor infield defense and the ground ball tendencies of the pitching staff: The rest of the rotation consists of Max Scherzer, a pitcher who induces slightly more grounders [...]

Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/BYU-s-Jimmer-Fredette-now-has-the-attention-of-e?urn=ncaab-313094

BYU's Jimmer Fredette now has the attention of even NBA stars

If historians ever try to pinpoint the game that transformed Jimmer Fredette from player of the year candidate to bonafide basketball icon, Wednesday's 71-58 victory over previously undefeated San Diego State would be an ideal choice.

The unassuming BYU star scored 43 points on 14-for-24 shooting, a mesmerizing performance that inspired a "You got Jimmered" chant from appreciative his home crowd and elevated him to a level of nationwide fame few college players ever achieve.

Three different Jimmer-inspired hashtags each became national trending topics on Twitter. Highlights of his performance and a subsequent live phone interview led SportsCenter for the second time in two weeks. And the crush of white-clad students that stormed the Marriott Center court trying to get close to Fredette after the game was so suffocating that he actually needed a police escort to help him escape the mayhem.

"It was kind of scary," Fredette told reporters after the game.

Fredette inspired such a strong reaction from both the BYU crowd and an awed national TV audience because he delivered a virtuoso performance in one of the most heavily hyped games of the regular season. San Diego State and BYU entered their first of two matchups this season both boasting top 10 rankings and matching 5-0 records in Mountain West Play.

Maybe the most telling aspect of night was how many people took the time to find CBS College Sports on their cable packages as word spread that the nation's leading scorer was on his way to eclipsing 40 points for the third time in four games.

Everyone from NBA stars, to rappers, to prominent reporters, to even fellow college player of the year candidates weighed in on Fredette's masterpiece via Twitter, a sampling of which you'll find after the jump.