Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/pkujdaiJdg8/click.phdo
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Dirty Dozen
The Yankees score 12 runs in the bottom of the first to lead the Orioles 12-0. Zach Britton stuck out lead-off man Derek Jeter, then the next nine batters reached before Britton gave way to Jason Berken. Berken struck out Curtis Granderson, the first batter he faced, then allowed the next four to reach, finally [...]
Headlinin?: North Carolina makes Everett Withers the new boss, for now
Making the morning rounds.
? Here are the keys to your new office. (p.s. We're going to need those back.) As expected, North Carolina stayed in-house by promoting defensive coordinator Everett Withers to interim head coach in the wake of the sudden ouster of Butch Davis earlier this week. Withers has never been a head coach, and once oversaw the worst statistical defense in Big Ten history in his only year at Minnesota (2007). On the bright side, he's a North Carolina native (Charlotte), has years of NFL experience with the Tennessee Titans, has overseen some quite good defenses at UNC and offers some semblance of continuity amid total chaos as the season approaches.
Whatever happens in the meantime, you can still expect a thorough house-cleaning that purges the Tar Heels of all traces of the Butch Davis era at season's end.[Associated Press, Charlotte Observer]
? Speaking of chaos? Earlier on Thursday, Carolina also announced the pending "retirement" of longtime athletic director Dick Baddour, who will stay on long enough to help guide the department through the ongoing NCAA investigation into the football program and give his eventual replacement a clean slate. [Charlotte Observer]
? Don't burn that redshirt! Alabama receiver Darius Hanks, a fifth-year senior with 20 starts and 49 receptions over the last two years, will sit out the Crimson Tide's first two games in September to preserve his final season of eligibility. Why? Because Hanks appeared in one game as a true freshman in 2007, hauling in one pass for six yards in a 52-6 win over Western Carolina. Accordingly, his fifth season required a waiver from the NCAA, which apparently attached the two-game breather to offset Hanks' contribution to that hard-earned victory four years ago.
On the bright side, Hanks' absence means the young 'uns will be able to get a little more work in against Kent State and Penn State. [al.com, TideSports.com]
? Nothing to see here. LSU, on the other hand, likely will enjoy the presence of wide receiver Russell Shepard in its season opener against Oregon, according to coach Les Miles, who said he's confident Shepard won't miss any time to an ongoing eligibility scare. According to multiple reports, LSU is investigating an off-campus housing arrangement between Shepard and his girlfriend ? an employee of the athletic department ? that could lead to a short-term suspension.
"There have been communications that would make it appear that it's not very, very serious," Miles told reporters after addressing the Baton Rouge Rotary Club. "Oh, he's fine. No, he won't have to sit out. He'll come to practice. We wouldn't expect there to be any issues there." [Shreveport Times]
Quickly? Georgia may lose a backup linebacker to shoulder surgery. ? Chip Kelly says his "conscience is clear" about his relationship with Willie Lyles. ? Bo Pelini would like to make freshmen ineligible. ... Cal's home date with USC could be affected by the World Series, if the Giants get that far. ? A 2012 All-Name Team selection commits to Auburn. ? Scott Frost on the importance of building a solid offensive identity. ? And Joe Posnanski articulates my longstanding qualms about paying college players better than I ever have.
- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
GO AND VOTE FOR MONICA AT SPIKE RIGHT NOW
Yes, this is urgent. But fear not, you still have time — at least until the end of business today — to vote for Monica and help her win Spike’s Bracketmaster Challenge.
Well, actually, you can win stuff — and help charity. More details to follow. For now, get caught up with Monica real quick …Monica [...]
Well, actually, you can win stuff — and help charity. More details to follow. For now, get caught up with Monica real quick …Monica [...]
Source: http://brahsome.com/2011/03/02/go-and-vote-for-monica-at-spike-right-now/
Phil Mickelson?s rollercoaster week ends with missed cut
On Friday afternoon we got our answer: It was a chance for Mickelson to show that his second place finish at the Open Championship wasn't a precursor to a run of stellar golf leading up to the final major of the year.
Mickelson missed his first cut of the season with a 3-over 73 on Friday, including a stretch of seven holes that saw him make four bogeys and submarine his chances of playing the weekend.
Sure, it won't be much fun watching the final two rounds of the Greenbrier without the tournament's marquee name in the field. But based on the way Mickelson played, maybe it's a good thing he'll have a couple extra days to practice before heading to Firestone.
Despite Mickelson saying he wasn't unhappy with his play, it's hard to find a silver lining in his week. His opening round included five birdies, but he negated every one of them with five bogeys. And Friday's second round was more of the same -- another rollercoaster round from Mickelson that saw him lose ground on the field and then try and make it back up.
Should we look at the missed cut as a sign he won't be ready for the PGA Championship? Probably not. Phil has played poorly leading into major championships and won before, but the thing that worries me about Lefty is how he deviated from his successful game plan at the Open Championship.
After playing conservative and posting the best Open finish of his career, he reverted back to "Phil the thrill" at the Greenbrier, continually missing greens and relying on his short game to keep him in the tournament. It makes you wonder which one of his alter egos will show up in Atlanta.
For now it's just a missed cut for Mickelson, but if he shows up and plays the same way next week at the WGC, you can be sure people will start to wonder if he can win at Atlanta Athletic Club with an erratic game.
Catching up with Raghib Ismail: Notre Dame?s ?Rocket? hopes to score with latest football investment
Raghib Ismail saying a business venture is about to take off is like Brett Favre promising he's retired for good: Both statements should be met with plenty of skepticism.
After all, the "Rocket" has squandered his money in several doomed business ventures, including a cosmetics procedure to allow the skin to absorb oxygen, nationwide phone card dispensers and tourist shops that sold framed calligraphy.
But it seems that after a string of business failures, the Notre Dame legend might have finally struck gold in an unlikely place: Mouthguards.
Ismail first discovered the "performance mouthwear" company Bite Tech in the mid-'90s, while playing for the then-Los Angeles Raiders. He used the company's mouthguards to try to reduce head injuries because of the way they absorbed force. He thought they worked so well, in fact, that he later decided to invest a large amount of money in the company (though he declined to disclose the exact amount). Unlike many of his other business ventures, though, Bite Tech is gaining users and positive publicity. It partnered with Under Armour in 2009 and was named earlier this year to Fast Company's list of the 10 most innovative companies in sports.
The premise of its "performance mouthwear" is that it not only absorbs more force and allows the body to intake more air than a regular mouthguard, but also keeps the jaw in its natural, relaxed position, which the company claims enhances the bodies' performance both mentally and physically. While this is currently being debated in the medical community (the Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry published a supplement on athletic mouthguards, including Bite Tech, in its July/August 2009 edition), it has certainly�won over plenty of big-name athletes. Testimonials on the company's website include former Oklahoma star Adrian Peterson (who is also an investor), Olympic gold medalist skier Lindsey Vonn, Major League Baseball slugger David Ortiz and PGA golfer Hunter Mahan. Auburn's national championship team also used the mouthguards last season.
"The human body, when it has what it needs, you don't have to take these illegal things," said Ismail, who also believes the device has potential in tasks such as taking tests because it can help increase focus. "?If you train in the right position, the things your body can do are staggering."
[Related: Media's premature fawning over 2011 Irish]
In South Bend, Rocket was one of the most electrifying players in college football history as a wide receiver and kick returner, helping the Fighting Irish to the 1988 national championship, returning two kickoffs for touchdowns against Michigan in 1989 and finishing as the runner-up for the 1990 Heisman Trophy. His 91-yard punt return with under a minute left in the '91 Orange Bowl would have gone down as one of the greatest plays in college football history, if not for a controversial clipping call that gift-wrapped a co-national title for Colorado.
[Related: Former NFL star now professional cattle wrangler]
Ismail bypassed the 1991 NFL draft, in which he likely would have been the top overall pick, in favor of an $18 million contract with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. But with the team in financial trouble and Ismail tired of the pressure to be the league's savior, he returned stateside two years later.
He played in the NFL until 2001, but only went over 1,000 yards receiving in a season twice and never made a Pro Bowl with the Raiders, Carolina Panthers or Dallas Cowboys. But he makes no apologies for a career in which he still went over 5,200 career receiving yards and says he often found himself in bad situations with the teams he played for.
But don't be surprised if Ismail's next endeavor is priesthood. With his devout faith ?�he converted from Islam to Christianity in his early teens ? and charisma, people are always trying to talk him into it. Plenty of former football players have gone into ministry, such as Washington's Napoleon Kaufman, Wisconsin's Terrell Fletcher and Nebraska's Irving Fryar.
[Related: Once-troubled Irving Fryar now New Jersey pastor]
"I've always had that strong sense that, yeah, I can minister and things of that nature, but if I'm doing it outside of my house and I'm not doing it inside of my house, then I'm living a fraudulent life," Ismail said.
Now a decade removed from his last NFL game, Ismail is asked where he sees himself in another 10 years. He first mentions his family and spiritual obligations, then turns to the big plans he has for Bite Tech.
"Lord willing that thing will have revolutionized the world, not just the sports world. ? The other applications that can come from the technology will take hold and the world will be a better place because of it."
Don't ever say Rocket Ismail doesn't aim high.
Most popular on LostLettermen.com:
? MWC won't let Boise State wear all-blue home unis
? Michigan's 'Big House' now also 'Big Chapel'
? Colorado's Salaam selling Heisman Trophy ring
- - -?Jim Weber is the founder of LostLettermen.com, a historical college football and men's basketball site that links the sport's past to the present..
Debriefing: Old ?Canes take their last shot at turning over a new leaf
The least you should know about the 2011 Hurricanes. Part of ACC Week.
? You flatter us, really. Miami still has a reputation as an elite talent magnet that's been unable to convert its potential into actual results, and to a large extent, that's true. But the Hurricanes' absence from the upper echelons of the final polls in January has coincided directly with its decline in the recruiting rankings in February: Only one of the five recruiting classes feeding into this fall's roster ?�a 33-man haul packed with local stars in 2008 ?�has come in among Rivals' top 15 classes nationally, and it was also the only class under ousted coach Randy Shannon that consisted mainly of four and five-star signees. And even then, only barely.
? We're still here. As for that ballyhooed 2008 class, it has certainly held together: More than a dozen members of the '08 crop have started at least 10 games over the last three years, all but one of whom (NFL-bound cornerback Brandon Harris) are listed as likely starters going into their fourth season. Five of that number ?�defensive tackle Marcus Fortson, quarterback Jacory Harris, receiver Aldarius Johnson, linebacker Sean Spence and guard Brandon Washington ? came out of the same nearby high school, Miami-Northwestern, where they and three other '08 Miami signees led the No. 1 prep team in the nation as seniors.
As seniors in college, their hourglass is almost out of sand. Since a promising (albeit brief) foray into the top ten over the first half of 2009, the 'Canes are a disappointing 11-9 in their last 20 games, including five straight flops ? four of them by double digits ?�against ranked teams. Only one remaining member of the '08 class, Washington, has come in for first-team All-ACC notice, and only one more (Spence) has been named to the second team. Harris, the early star as a sophomore, is battling just to get on the field again after exploding into a confetti shower of turnovers as a junior. If the unofficial face of the Randy Shannon era is passed by Stephen Morris, it's probably time to give the 2008 class a C+ and consider the page officially turned.
? The virtues of experience, part two. The strong point of the team last year, by far, was the combination of a pass rush that led the nation in tackles for loss and a secondary that led the ACC in both pass defense and pass efficiency D. The most notable members of both of those groups ?�defensive end Allen Bailey and cornerback Brandon Harris ?�are both gone, as is the architect of the defense, Shannon. But everyone else is back, including strong All-ACC candidates on the line (Fortson), at linebacker (Spence) and in the back four (safeties Ray-Ray Armstrong and Vaughn Telemaque), which should put the 'Canes in the running for the top defense in the conference.
Then again, very little of what should happen with the personnel here actually has happened over the last six years. So stay tuned.
- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
Catching up with Raghib Ismail: Notre Dame?s ?Rocket? hopes to score with latest football investment
Raghib Ismail saying a business venture is about to take off is like Brett Favre promising he's retired for good: Both statements should be met with plenty of skepticism.
After all, the "Rocket" has squandered his money in several doomed business ventures, including a cosmetics procedure to allow the skin to absorb oxygen, nationwide phone card dispensers and tourist shops that sold framed calligraphy.
But it seems that after a string of business failures, the Notre Dame legend might have finally struck gold in an unlikely place: Mouthguards.
Ismail first discovered the "performance mouthwear" company Bite Tech in the mid-'90s, while playing for the then-Los Angeles Raiders. He used the company's mouthguards to try to reduce head injuries because of the way they absorbed force. He thought they worked so well, in fact, that he later decided to invest a large amount of money in the company (though he declined to disclose the exact amount). Unlike many of his other business ventures, though, Bite Tech is gaining users and positive publicity. It partnered with Under Armour in 2009 and was named earlier this year to Fast Company's list of the 10 most innovative companies in sports.
The premise of its "performance mouthwear" is that it not only absorbs more force and allows the body to intake more air than a regular mouthguard, but also keeps the jaw in its natural, relaxed position, which the company claims enhances the bodies' performance both mentally and physically. While this is currently being debated in the medical community (the Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry published a supplement on athletic mouthguards, including Bite Tech, in its July/August 2009 edition), it has certainly�won over plenty of big-name athletes. Testimonials on the company's website include former Oklahoma star Adrian Peterson (who is also an investor), Olympic gold medalist skier Lindsey Vonn, Major League Baseball slugger David Ortiz and PGA golfer Hunter Mahan. Auburn's national championship team also used the mouthguards last season.
"The human body, when it has what it needs, you don't have to take these illegal things," said Ismail, who also believes the device has potential in tasks such as taking tests because it can help increase focus. "?If you train in the right position, the things your body can do are staggering."
[Related: Media's premature fawning over 2011 Irish]
In South Bend, Rocket was one of the most electrifying players in college football history as a wide receiver and kick returner, helping the Fighting Irish to the 1988 national championship, returning two kickoffs for touchdowns against Michigan in 1989 and finishing as the runner-up for the 1990 Heisman Trophy. His 91-yard punt return with under a minute left in the '91 Orange Bowl would have gone down as one of the greatest plays in college football history, if not for a controversial clipping call that gift-wrapped a co-national title for Colorado.
[Related: Former NFL star now professional cattle wrangler]
Ismail bypassed the 1991 NFL draft, in which he likely would have been the top overall pick, in favor of an $18 million contract with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. But with the team in financial trouble and Ismail tired of the pressure to be the league's savior, he returned stateside two years later.
He played in the NFL until 2001, but only went over 1,000 yards receiving in a season twice and never made a Pro Bowl with the Raiders, Carolina Panthers or Dallas Cowboys. But he makes no apologies for a career in which he still went over 5,200 career receiving yards and says he often found himself in bad situations with the teams he played for.
But don't be surprised if Ismail's next endeavor is priesthood. With his devout faith ?�he converted from Islam to Christianity in his early teens ? and charisma, people are always trying to talk him into it. Plenty of former football players have gone into ministry, such as Washington's Napoleon Kaufman, Wisconsin's Terrell Fletcher and Nebraska's Irving Fryar.
[Related: Once-troubled Irving Fryar now New Jersey pastor]
"I've always had that strong sense that, yeah, I can minister and things of that nature, but if I'm doing it outside of my house and I'm not doing it inside of my house, then I'm living a fraudulent life," Ismail said.
Now a decade removed from his last NFL game, Ismail is asked where he sees himself in another 10 years. He first mentions his family and spiritual obligations, then turns to the big plans he has for Bite Tech.
"Lord willing that thing will have revolutionized the world, not just the sports world. ? The other applications that can come from the technology will take hold and the world will be a better place because of it."
Don't ever say Rocket Ismail doesn't aim high.
Most popular on LostLettermen.com:
? MWC won't let Boise State wear all-blue home unis
? Michigan's 'Big House' now also 'Big Chapel'
? Colorado's Salaam selling Heisman Trophy ring
- - -?Jim Weber is the founder of LostLettermen.com, a historical college football and men's basketball site that links the sport's past to the present..
New-look Seahawks don?t have much time to get up to speed
�
RENTON, Wash. -- The 2010 Seattle Seahawks engaged in almost 300 roster transactions through the league year. That reflected the modus operandi set by the new regime of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider, who had taken over from a previous administration that had left the cupboard mostly bare. After attaining the dubious honor of becoming the first team in NFL history with a sub-.500 record to win a division and make the playoffs, and now on the other side of a four-month lockout, Carroll and Schneider are making sweeping changes once again.
Gone is veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, the former face of the franchise. In his place is a somewhat hodgepodge assortment of potential starters in Charlie Whitehurst and Tarvaris Jackson. Sidney Rice, Jackson's old teammate in Minnesota, has also come on board to work once again under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, the man who ran the Vikings' offense through the Favre era. New offensive line coach and running game coordinator Tom Cable, formerly the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, got the guy he could only call "free agent anonymous" in a draft-weekend press conference when free agent guard Robert Gallery was signed to reinforce an offensive line very much under construction. The five players projected to form Seattle's starting line in 2011 have never played a meaningful game together before, and first-round right tackle James Carpenter showed up for his first NFL practice on Friday morning.
But none of those newbies were out on the practice field on Thursday or Friday; due to the post-lockout free agency rules, those hypothetical transactions can't be officially announced until 6:00 p.m. ET Friday evening. And as a result of that, coaches across the NFL have been unable to talk about the players they know full well will be joining their teams very soon. Some coaches, like New England's Bill Belichick, deal with this by going up the podium every day and simply saying, "I can't talk about that..." over and over. The Seahawks' coaches have availed themselves of a different solution; deciding to avoid talking to the media altogether until after the deadline.
In the meantime, it was up to the early arrivals to clarify how they felt about post-lockout life, and time-crush games of musical chairs the likes of which we've never seen before in the NFL. Just to add pressure to that list of challenges, the Seahawks take the field for the first preseason game in less than two weeks.
"It's amazing how fast it's happened, for sure," Whitehurst said Thursday about the process that had the players from lockouts to two-a-days in less than a week. "but now we're out here on the practice field throwing the ball around. You didn't really know what to expect, [we were] open for anything. It's full speed right now. We've got a lot of catching up to do, but you've got to work harder than everybody else. That's kind of our motto around here. We're going to out-work everybody, absolutely try to do that every day. We take it serious. When we come out here I think you guys can see, we're full speed and we have business to take care of. That's the only way to get it back."
That's all well and good, but learning an offense he's never seen before will be a real challenge for Whitehurst ? it's where a�player like Jackson will have an advantage when he gets the lay of the land over the weekend.
"It's definitely new. We're just starting in the playbook now, but I like some of the things we do. We're going to try and run the football here, no doubt about it. We will be able to do that. The play actions, the drop-backs, all that stuff. I think we're going to throw it short, throw it long, and do a bunch of stuff. I'm confident I can do anything he asks me to do."
For other players, the challenges are newer and greater. Last year, receiver Mike Williams was just trying to make the team coached by his old USC mentor after a NFL career that had been nothing short of busterific. Williams came in with no guarantees, cut off weight, and became the team's number-one receiver. Now, and even with Rice coming in to take that title, Williams has become a leader in a group so young, not a single player on the current roster was born in the 1970s.
"Yeah, we're used to faces we haven't seen around here, but that's always a good thing. Just from [Wednesday] night, when Coach Cable talked about the attitude he wanted for the offense ? I'm sure the same thing was said over in the other room. It was good to get out here today. Guys were running around and you could tell guys have been working.
Things will get more intense over the weekend; the first two days of camp were more like a high-speed dress rehearsal for the action to come. In the meantime, it's all about getting back up to speed.
"This is an interview all over again. We're going to win new guys over. Different personalities, a lot different than [former offensive coordinator Jeremy] Bates ? with all respect to coach Bates ? it's just a different approach with Coach Bevell and his staff. We have got to work. Everybody is starting on the same page, the same level. Nobody really has an advantage except the Minnesota guys (laughs), but that's all right. We'll all learn it. We'll make mistakes together and then minimize those mistakes as much as we can. But everyone is learning and that's the exciting part."
It's just the beginning. And it's so much better than anything that happened from the lockout's beginning to its end.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Check Out This Side Boob!
This could perhaps be the greatest use of viral marketing, ever.Although, I will probably never see the movie and have already forgotten about the ad altogether.
Source: http://brahsome.com/2010/08/20/check-out-this-side-boob/
ACC Forecast: In which a divided nation confronts Virginia Tech?s non-conference schedule
Twelve hyper-specific predictions for the ACC in 2011. Wrapping up ACC Week.
? Virginia Tech will go into an early November bye week undefeated at 9-0, sparking a weeks-long debate about the Hokies' cushy non-conference schedule ? until their BCS title hopes are dashed in one of two Thursday night dates against Georgia Tech (Nov. 10) and North Carolina (Nov. 17). With a September slate consisting of Appalachian State, East Carolina, Arkansas State and Marshall and Florida State absent from the conference schedule, Tech likely won't face a ranked opponent until the conference championship game.
? Miami will lead the conference in total defense but drop at least three games in which the offense fails to crack 20 points for the second year in a row. The 'Canes return the vast majority of both the front seven that led the nation in tackles for loss in 2010 and the secondary that finished fifth nationally in pass efficiency D, but also return two inconsistent quarterbacks finding their way under a new offensive coordinator with an uninspiring track record.
? Running backs Andre Ellington and Mike Bellamy will revive the "Thunder and Lightning" label at Clemson en route to racking up more total yards than any other backfield duo in the conference. New offensive coordinator Chad Morris is importing a more up-tempo style from Tulsa, and both running backs are going to see a ton of action. Ellington, who averaged more than six yards a carry in a part-time role last year, has already proven himself, and Bellamy, an elite incoming freshman, shouldn't be far behind.
? Defying the storm cloud of pending NCAA sanctions, North Carolina will briefly rise into the top 10 in both major polls on the strength of a 6-0 start. The Tar Heels will subsequently drop at least three of their final six games over the second half of the season, but still finish in the top 25 for the first time since Mack Brown's final season as head coach in 1997 ? even as rumors about Butch Davis' job security continue to swirl through the bowl game and the start of the new year.
? In an unguarded moment following a tough loss, N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien will admit that he regrets forcing All-ACC quarterback Russell Wilson to choose his baseball career over football earlier this year. While the Wolfpack struggle under up-and-down new starter Mike Glennon, Wilson will be putting up big numbers in Wisconsin and making humble statement about his exit from Raleigh as he prepares to start in a BCS game.
? Georgia Tech will shuffle through three different starting quarterbacks over the first two months of the season before finally settling on one of three spectacularly named freshmen ?�Vad Lee, Demontevious Smith or redshirt Synjyn Days ?�for the stretch run in November. Despite the revolving door, 6-foot-5 receiver Stephen Hill will double his 2010 production (15 catches, 291 yards, 3 touchdowns) as a junior.
? Maryland senior Kenny Tate will improve his draft stock at outside linebacker after passing up a second-round projection as a safety to return to school. Tate led the Terps in total tackles and earned a first-team All-ACC nod last year from his position at free safety, but at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, the new coaching staff under Randy Edsall immediately recognized him as a natural at linebacker.
? Virginia will pull at least one key upset in a four-game midseason stretch against Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Miami and Maryland, keeping the Cavaliers' hopes of returning to a bowl game alive going into the season finale against Virginia Tech. Even after they come up short in a surprisingly competitive effort against the Hokies, coach Mike London will widely credited with getting the Cavs moving in the right direction for "team on the rise" status heading into 2012.
? No Wake Forest player will earn a single vote for the postseason all-conference team, making Wake the league's only shutout on the team for the second year in a row. But the Demon Deacons will end their one-year drought in the NFL Draft courtesy of one of three mammoth senior linemen, Joe Looney (6-3, 320), Doug Weaver (6-8, 325) and Dennis Godfrey (6-3, 350), who have combined for 66 career starts.
? At some point in the midst of a seven-game losing streak to close the season, Duke's independent student newspaper, The Chronicle, will publish a thoughtful, in-depth package of stories arguing for the university to drop football as a Division I sport. "David Cutcliffe is the most competent head coach this school has had since Steve Spurrier," an editorial accompanying well-researched analyses of the program's longstanding on-field, attendance and financial woes will read. "Yet even he has managed only five conference wins in five years and the team will miss a bowl game this winter for the 19th consecutive season."
Hard copies of the issue will subsequently be used to construct papier-m�ch� masks of Blue Devil basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski for distribution in the student section in basketball games.
- - -
Atlantic Division predictions by Graham Watson.
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
Utility Trade
The Royals send Mike Aviles to Boston, as the Red Sox front office continues to try to plug the shortstop hole.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/NWWNWmVr440/click.phdo
Ohio State threw Jim Tressel to the NCAA wolves, and it may actually be working
The university couldn't deny the charges, but it could put them all on one man, and set that man adrift on the nearest iceberg. It was Tressel who was tipped off to multiple NCAA violations involving quarterback Terrelle Pryor and at least one other player in April 2010. It was Tressel who kept the information from OSU officials for eight months, and for two more months after the university was alerted in December, even while sharing it with outsiders. It was Tressel who signed a compliance form at the start of the 2010 season denying he had any knowledge of potential violations, while knowingly fielding ineligible players in every game. And ultimately, it was Tressel who paid for it with his job.
Ohio State suffered, too, if you consider a handful of suspensions, one year of probation and a dozen vacated wins suffering. But the university had taken severe action against the guilty party, and bet that it would be enough to keep more severe, USC-level sanctions at bay.
Today, according to the Columbus Dispatch, the NCAA gave the first indication that that bet may be paying off:
The NCAA has notified Ohio State University that it will not face charges of failing to appropriately monitor its football team as part of a memorabilia-sales scandal that brought down former Coach Jim Tressel.
The NCAA has not uncovered any new, unreported violations during its investigation and agrees with Ohio State that Tressel was the only university official aware of violations by his players and that he failed to report them.
"Other than (two redacted player names) and (Ted) Sarniak, there is no indication that Tressel provided or discussed the information he received ... with anyone else, particularly athletics administrators," the NCAA reported in an enforcement staff case summary.
Read the entire response from the NCAA here.
That doesn't mean Ohio State is out of the woods: It must still appear before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions in August on the original charges that a) At least six players accepted more than $13,000 in the form of cash, free tattoos, a loan and a discount on a used car from a local tattoo dealer, and b) Tressel "violated ethical-conduct legislation" by intentionally covering up the improper benefits. Both allegations have brought heavy-handed responses from the infractions committee in the past.
But it does mean that OSU has successfully eluded the two most dreaded charges at the NCAA's disposal, "Failure to Monitor" and "Lack of Institutional Control." It won't face further consequences for allegations that Terrelle Pryor and possibly dozens of other players accepted preferential treatment from car dealerships and other local businesses. It won't be forced to answer for the allegation that Pryor pocketed tens of thousands of dollars throughout his college career by selling his signature to a local memorabilia dealer. Unlike USC in the Reggie Bush Affair, Ohio State won't be called to answer for lax oversight or fostering a permissive environment; in fact, the NCAA's response applauded the OSU compliance department for its efforts to educate players of NCAA rules, track university-issued awards, shut down websites selling unauthorized memorabilia and, yes, follow up on tips it received.
It's not Ohio State's coverup. It's Jim Tressel's. In fact, Ohio State acted ? or rather, reacted ? like a model citizen in removing the bad apple. (And the bad apple's rogue quarterback.) Is it really possible for the people in charge to have that little interest in enforcing their own rules, as long as the paperwork is in order?
I'll wait until the Committee on Infractions has actually rendered a verdict (probably sometime during the upcoming season) before I answer that. But it's beginning to look like a much murkier answer than almost anyone outside of Columbus, Ohio, has imagined before this afternoon. When the committee hit USC with a two-year bowl ban and heavy scholarship losses last summer, it was signaling the end if almost a decade of persistent head-turning from the reality of the offenses. Reggie Bush's six-figure partnership with two wannabe agents was a real violation of the NCAA's amateurism standards, and it was treated like it. USC's star player did the crime, USC is doing the time.
The Ohio State and USC cases are similar in the sense that they both involve a star accepting a lot of money from shady characters on the fringes of the program, but the the case against OSU is on a different level. Where USC's violations (as chronicled by the NCAA's final verdict) involved a single player, Ohio State's involve at least six. Where USC consistently disputed that anyone affiliated with the program knew what was going on with Bush ?�as well as the sketchy evidence the NCAA used to reach that conclusion ? the paper trail leading from Jim Tressel's hard drive is an indisputable smoking gun. Which he intentionally concealed as the offending players led the Buckeyes to another conference championship. Ohio State's star player(s) and its head coach did the crime, and no one denies it. Tressel's silence after being tipped to the investigation is the definition of a program failing to cooperate. He's the head coach: He is the program.
Recently, the committee seems to be driving home the message that it's less interested in actions than reactions. It's already taken a bit out of Georgia Tech for Tech's institutional failure to react with the requisite breathlessness when its best player may or may not have accepted the staggering equivalent of $312 in free clothing. And if the initial reaction is an intentional, long-running failure to act over much greater sums, distributed to even more players? Apparently that's where it starts to get tricky.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
New-look Seahawks don?t have much time to get up to speed
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RENTON, Wash. -- The 2010 Seattle Seahawks engaged in almost 300 roster transactions through the league year. That reflected the modus operandi set by the new regime of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider, who had taken over from a previous administration that had left the cupboard mostly bare. After attaining the dubious honor of becoming the first team in NFL history with a sub-.500 record to win a division and make the playoffs, and now on the other side of a four-month lockout, Carroll and Schneider are making sweeping changes once again.
Gone is veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, the former face of the franchise. In his place is a somewhat hodgepodge assortment of potential starters in Charlie Whitehurst and Tarvaris Jackson. Sidney Rice, Jackson's old teammate in Minnesota, has also come on board to work once again under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, the man who ran the Vikings' offense through the Favre era. New offensive line coach and running game coordinator Tom Cable, formerly the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, got the guy he could only call "free agent anonymous" in a draft-weekend press conference when free agent guard Robert Gallery was signed to reinforce an offensive line very much under construction. The five players projected to form Seattle's starting line in 2011 have never played a meaningful game together before, and first-round right tackle James Carpenter showed up for his first NFL practice on Friday morning.
But none of those newbies were out on the practice field on Thursday or Friday; due to the post-lockout free agency rules, those hypothetical transactions can't be officially announced until 6:00 p.m. ET Friday evening. And as a result of that, coaches across the NFL have been unable to talk about the players they know full well will be joining their teams very soon. Some coaches, like New England's Bill Belichick, deal with this by going up the podium every day and simply saying, "I can't talk about that..." over and over. The Seahawks' coaches have availed themselves of a different solution; deciding to avoid talking to the media altogether until after the deadline.
In the meantime, it was up to the early arrivals to clarify how they felt about post-lockout life, and time-crush games of musical chairs the likes of which we've never seen before in the NFL. Just to add pressure to that list of challenges, the Seahawks take the field for the first preseason game in less than two weeks.
"It's amazing how fast it's happened, for sure," Whitehurst said Thursday about the process that had the players from lockouts to two-a-days in less than a week. "but now we're out here on the practice field throwing the ball around. You didn't really know what to expect, [we were] open for anything. It's full speed right now. We've got a lot of catching up to do, but you've got to work harder than everybody else. That's kind of our motto around here. We're going to out-work everybody, absolutely try to do that every day. We take it serious. When we come out here I think you guys can see, we're full speed and we have business to take care of. That's the only way to get it back."
That's all well and good, but learning an offense he's never seen before will be a real challenge for Whitehurst ? it's where a�player like Jackson will have an advantage when he gets the lay of the land over the weekend.
"It's definitely new. We're just starting in the playbook now, but I like some of the things we do. We're going to try and run the football here, no doubt about it. We will be able to do that. The play actions, the drop-backs, all that stuff. I think we're going to throw it short, throw it long, and do a bunch of stuff. I'm confident I can do anything he asks me to do."
For other players, the challenges are newer and greater. Last year, receiver Mike Williams was just trying to make the team coached by his old USC mentor after a NFL career that had been nothing short of busterific. Williams came in with no guarantees, cut off weight, and became the team's number-one receiver. Now, and even with Rice coming in to take that title, Williams has become a leader in a group so young, not a single player on the current roster was born in the 1970s.
"Yeah, we're used to faces we haven't seen around here, but that's always a good thing. Just from [Wednesday] night, when Coach Cable talked about the attitude he wanted for the offense ? I'm sure the same thing was said over in the other room. It was good to get out here today. Guys were running around and you could tell guys have been working.
Things will get more intense over the weekend; the first two days of camp were more like a high-speed dress rehearsal for the action to come. In the meantime, it's all about getting back up to speed.
"This is an interview all over again. We're going to win new guys over. Different personalities, a lot different than [former offensive coordinator Jeremy] Bates ? with all respect to coach Bates ? it's just a different approach with Coach Bevell and his staff. We have got to work. Everybody is starting on the same page, the same level. Nobody really has an advantage except the Minnesota guys (laughs), but that's all right. We'll all learn it. We'll make mistakes together and then minimize those mistakes as much as we can. But everyone is learning and that's the exciting part."
It's just the beginning. And it's so much better than anything that happened from the lockout's beginning to its end.
Quote of the Day
The Soxaholix on Erik Bedard’s health: I mean this guy’s on the DL so much that the IRS qualifies it as his second home.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseballmusingscom/~3/69KFwlg0BzU/click.phdo
Rapid react: Matt Moore to Miami, Tebow damned in Denver
After a multi-day standoff between Miami and Denver's front office brass, a resolution was reached Friday, an outcome no one saw coming.
Earlier this week NFL Network's Michelle Beisner reported a deal sending Kyle Orton to Miami was imminent, a move that was expected to pave the way for the Mile High Messiah, Tim Tebow, to spread goodwill and statistical blissfulness throughout Fantasyland as John Fox's probable No. 1 while providing much needed value stability for 'Fins targets Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess.
But a curveball was thrown. And the Dolphins, doing their best Mike Stanton impersonation, whiffed, signing Matt Moore to "remedy" their passing ills.
When the sun broke the horizon in Miami this morning thoughts of Orton frolicking on South Beach, though on life support, were not completely dead. However, with Moore entering the equation it appears Tony Sparano is content rolling into the season with the former Panther and Chad Henne. Talk about an un-dynamic duo.
Referencing the Rockies, the presumed retainment of The Neckbeard crushes Tebow's fantasy prospects. The junior passer is a more dynamic athlete, but concerns over his inexperience and inaccuracy were apparently paramount to the Broncos' passive attitude for pushing the trade. Thursday's practice probably accelerated those thoughts. According to onlookers, Orton completely outplayed Tebow who struggled to find his receivers. The incumbent took all first-team snaps. Granted it's one practice, but it was likely a harbinger of things to come if a new trade suitor doesn't materialize. �
Over the first half of last year, Orton was a waivers sensation, flourishing in peach fuzzy head coach Josh McDaniels' pass-centric offense. From Weeks 1-10, he averaged a ridiculous 311.7 passing yards and 1.8 air strikes per game, an output worthy of a top-flight QB1 designation. Unfortunately, his statistical prowess petered out along with Denver's win-loss record. After Week 10, he threw just four touchdowns and eclipsed the 200-yard mark one time, eventually relinquishing first-team snaps to Tebow.
Orton may not possess the physical gifts of the former Heisman winner, but he is a more refined passer who should general John Fox's conservative offense with considerable poise. Despite a fluttering deep ball, his sharp execution over the short-to-intermediate field should make him QB1 viable in deeper formats. But, unless the Broncos defense is again horrifically bad, don't expect banner numbers similar to his first-half run last year. Keep in mind this is a run-oriented scheme. Knowshon Moreno, whose value has done a complete 180 over the past 72 hours, will be deployed early and often.
Brandon Lloyd, meanwhile, is the big winner here. Human Gumby flourished with Orton behind center, setting the points per game pace among wide receivers. His excellent route-running ability, separation skills, plus speed and superhuman body control makes him a matchup nightmare. Don't expect him to duplicate last season's career year, but borderline WR1/WR2 numbers are possible. Buy on the bear (ADP: 48.8, WR19).
Sadly on South Beach, the Moore acquisition sours the values of Brandon Marshall and slot machine Davone Bess. With Orton in tow, the PPR monsters would've thrived under the direction of a quarterback capable of delivering crisp passes. Instead, the tandem will rekindle relations with Henne, a completely unsteady passer, or establishes a new bond with Moore, who was benched in favor of Jimmy Clausen. Again, Jimmy "I couldn't complete a 10-yard pass to the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man to save my life" Clausen. Scary. Consider their worth equal to what it was last year ? Marshall an upper-tiered WR3 (No. 26 in WR ppg scoring last year), Bess (No. 45) a starting staple only in PPR formats. Oh what could've been.
Rookie running back Daniel Thomas is the only Dolphin worth fishing for in the early rounds. Even though Sparano overhauled his offensive coaching staff ? Brian Daboll was pried from Cleveland to run the offense ? his overall philosophy likely won't change. The 'Fins may take more chances vertically, but expect them to adhere to a pound-the-pill blueprint, especially given their top-notch offensive line. And don't worry about Reggie Bush. As the Miami Herald noted Friday morning, Thomas is expected to be the bell cow, likely flirting with 280 carries this season. His north-south running style, size, versatility�and plus vision will work wonders taking the ball behind Jake Long. Mark Ingram, Mikel Leshoure and Ryan Williams might possess more pure talent, but the K-State product's situation is drool-worthy. He shouldn't last past Round 4 in 12-teamers.
(UPDATE: In the Dolphins' presser Friday, Sparano expressed strong feelings Bush is capable of being an early-down back. Laughable. I also hear Pacman Jones is capable of becoming a model citizen.)
What are your thoughts on Miami's stiff-arm? What numbers can we expect from Lloyd/Orton under Fox? Is Tebow even draftable? Where do Marshall/Bess/Thomas rank now? Discuss below.
Bring the noise on Twitter. Follow Brad @YahooNoise. And harass him in person, along with esteemed Yahoo! colleagues Brandon Funston and Andy Behrens, throughout August in a city near you. Visit�FantasyFootballSymposium.com for more info.
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Images courtesy of US Presswire
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