MORE ON THE BRIAN CUSHING SUSPENSION, BENGAL COACHES HIT THE SILK & HOW ABOUT THE BIG-16?
Ever hear of human Chorionic Gonadoptropin, also known as hCG? Break down the last word & see if you can figure it out then. No? It's the drug that got 2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing suspended for the first four games of the season. It's a fertility drug that will cause testicles(gonads) to return to their normal size. Too much information? Let me explain, when a person takes steroids to reduce their recovery time from injury, it causes the testicles to shrink, sounds like an episode of Seinfeld doesn't it? This drug is often used by steroid users when they stop using the PED's(performance enhancing drugs). The Dodgers' Manny Ramierez was suspended last year for 50 games after testing positive for hCG. When Cushing claimed he passed a polygraph test proving he hadn't tested positive for steroids, in fact, he was telling the truth. He had tested positive for hCG. This drug flushes the testes of any remaining detectable drug in addition to returning "the boys" back to their normal size(but who wants normal size, this could be the next over the counter supplement sold on late night TV...."B.B.B." figure it out). Returning to reality, the Texans will be without their leading tackler for the first four games of the season. Two of those games are against the division-rival Colts & the Cowboys, tough ones to win even with your best tackler.
The NFLPA isn't standing behind Cushing. They issued a statement on Tuesday:
"Sport is at it's best when fans can witness great achievement under the rules of fair play. Players who break those rules cheat the game, cheat the fans & cheat themselves. The players want a clean game as well as a clean process to make the system better."
The AP is re-voting for the R.O.Y. Award today & Cushing, who received 39 of 50 1st place votes back in January, could very well lose the award to Buffalo's Jarius Byrd, who is said to have properly proportioned gonads. There's a description I never thought I would write.
Four coaches from the Cincinnati Bengals will bail out tomorrow. Head coach Marvin Lewis & 3 of his assistants will hit the silk with the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team. Why? I haven't a clue & the press release didn't give any details except later this morning they were jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. My nephew Jay is an Army Ranger, which means he has jumped several times, my late uncle, a Colonel in the 101st Airborne, also did his share of jumping. My pal Jimmy has 25 jumps & he's a civilian! Sorry guys, not for me, I respect anyone who can do it, but not for me.
Speaking of the Bengals, their second round draft pick from last year, linebacker Rey Maualuga, celebrated 100-days of sobriety on Tuesday. Good for him, bad for the rest of the league, he has totally dedicated himself to improving his overall condition & strength. Maualuga just might become the human wrecking ball many thought he would be when he was at USC. He had several alcohol related arrests while he was a Trojan & then got a DUI right after his NFL rookie season ended. He went to the Betty Ford Clinic & it has worked so far. Good luck Rey.
The Rogers' brothers, James & Jacquizz, are the heart of the Oregon State Ducks' offense. Now James will be known for something other than playing football. Last week he picked up a friend at the Portland airport & headed down the interstate to Corvallis. He noticed the car behind him swerving all over two lanes. He pulled onto the shoulder, let the car pass him, caught up to it & discovered the driver was sound asleep. He called 911 & then boxed the car against the guardrail so it couldn't cross the median or hit another car. The highway patrol arrived quickly & they got the car stopped. The driver wasn't drunk, just sound asleep. He probably won't be sleeping so easily now that he has to pay the damages to Rogers' car & a highway patrol cruiser. Quick thinking by Rogers.
So what do you think about the Big-16? I've told you off & on since December about the possibility of Mizzou joining the Big-10. There have been many reports floated that the Big-10 wants to expand & have a conference championship game. From WHB 810 in Kansas City to The St. Louis Post Dispatch to ESPN have given differing amounts of credence to this story. Now there is a new one out there that says the Big-10(actually the Big-11 since Penn State came in) will become a 16-team conference. It will have four 4-team divisions with the winner of the 4 divisions facing each other & the 2 winners go to the conference championship game. The teams being considered for expansion are Mizzou, Nebraska, Rutgers, Pitt & Notre Dame. The story has always been the Irish didn't want to give up their big dollars as an independent. The problem is, Notre Dame plays Michigan, Michigan State & Purdue yearly & if the Big-10 does expand, it's doubtful these teams will want to schedule the Irish as one of their 3 non-conference games. The Irish play every other sport except football in the Big-East Conference & if Pitt & Rutgers leave, the conference is really weakened. Weakened as in fewer TV dollars. What was once thought as unthinkable might just happen. The reason Mizzou & Nebraska would want to move? Money of course, they are kind of the red-headed step children of the Big-12. OU, Texas & A&M receive more money per football season in TV revenues & the difference is sizable. The Cornhuskers make more than Mizzou, but not on the scale of OU & the Longhorns. Just like all the bank buyouts creating "too big to fail" financial institutions, the day may be near when the 120 teams in the Football Bowl Series, pare down the number of conferences by at least three, those teams absorbed by others, creating a few "Super Conferences.". The SEC, Big-10, Big-12, ACC & PAC-10 could all be larger within 5 years. Once the first move is made, the others will have to fall in line to survive.
The NFLPA isn't standing behind Cushing. They issued a statement on Tuesday:
"Sport is at it's best when fans can witness great achievement under the rules of fair play. Players who break those rules cheat the game, cheat the fans & cheat themselves. The players want a clean game as well as a clean process to make the system better."
The AP is re-voting for the R.O.Y. Award today & Cushing, who received 39 of 50 1st place votes back in January, could very well lose the award to Buffalo's Jarius Byrd, who is said to have properly proportioned gonads. There's a description I never thought I would write.
Four coaches from the Cincinnati Bengals will bail out tomorrow. Head coach Marvin Lewis & 3 of his assistants will hit the silk with the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team. Why? I haven't a clue & the press release didn't give any details except later this morning they were jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. My nephew Jay is an Army Ranger, which means he has jumped several times, my late uncle, a Colonel in the 101st Airborne, also did his share of jumping. My pal Jimmy has 25 jumps & he's a civilian! Sorry guys, not for me, I respect anyone who can do it, but not for me.
Speaking of the Bengals, their second round draft pick from last year, linebacker Rey Maualuga, celebrated 100-days of sobriety on Tuesday. Good for him, bad for the rest of the league, he has totally dedicated himself to improving his overall condition & strength. Maualuga just might become the human wrecking ball many thought he would be when he was at USC. He had several alcohol related arrests while he was a Trojan & then got a DUI right after his NFL rookie season ended. He went to the Betty Ford Clinic & it has worked so far. Good luck Rey.
The Rogers' brothers, James & Jacquizz, are the heart of the Oregon State Ducks' offense. Now James will be known for something other than playing football. Last week he picked up a friend at the Portland airport & headed down the interstate to Corvallis. He noticed the car behind him swerving all over two lanes. He pulled onto the shoulder, let the car pass him, caught up to it & discovered the driver was sound asleep. He called 911 & then boxed the car against the guardrail so it couldn't cross the median or hit another car. The highway patrol arrived quickly & they got the car stopped. The driver wasn't drunk, just sound asleep. He probably won't be sleeping so easily now that he has to pay the damages to Rogers' car & a highway patrol cruiser. Quick thinking by Rogers.
So what do you think about the Big-16? I've told you off & on since December about the possibility of Mizzou joining the Big-10. There have been many reports floated that the Big-10 wants to expand & have a conference championship game. From WHB 810 in Kansas City to The St. Louis Post Dispatch to ESPN have given differing amounts of credence to this story. Now there is a new one out there that says the Big-10(actually the Big-11 since Penn State came in) will become a 16-team conference. It will have four 4-team divisions with the winner of the 4 divisions facing each other & the 2 winners go to the conference championship game. The teams being considered for expansion are Mizzou, Nebraska, Rutgers, Pitt & Notre Dame. The story has always been the Irish didn't want to give up their big dollars as an independent. The problem is, Notre Dame plays Michigan, Michigan State & Purdue yearly & if the Big-10 does expand, it's doubtful these teams will want to schedule the Irish as one of their 3 non-conference games. The Irish play every other sport except football in the Big-East Conference & if Pitt & Rutgers leave, the conference is really weakened. Weakened as in fewer TV dollars. What was once thought as unthinkable might just happen. The reason Mizzou & Nebraska would want to move? Money of course, they are kind of the red-headed step children of the Big-12. OU, Texas & A&M receive more money per football season in TV revenues & the difference is sizable. The Cornhuskers make more than Mizzou, but not on the scale of OU & the Longhorns. Just like all the bank buyouts creating "too big to fail" financial institutions, the day may be near when the 120 teams in the Football Bowl Series, pare down the number of conferences by at least three, those teams absorbed by others, creating a few "Super Conferences.". The SEC, Big-10, Big-12, ACC & PAC-10 could all be larger within 5 years. Once the first move is made, the others will have to fall in line to survive.
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