MICHIGAN TRULY HAS THE "BIG HOUSE" ONCE AGAIN, 'HAWKS DOWN ANOTHER O-LINEMAN & USC FACES STIFF COMPLIANCE
For years Michigan Stadium aka "The Big House" was precisely that, the largest capacity venue in college sports. But a few years ago they lost that title to Penn State who surpassed the Wolverines with more than 107,000 seats. But after a recent renovation, the Maize & Blue once again will truly be playing in the Big House. Their new seating capacity is 109,901, try & top that.
How much effect is the ailing economy having on NFL ticket sales? More than 1/4 of the league's teams are having trouble selling seats. Nine franchises are facing multiple blackouts if they can't sell a lot more seats or buy the seats up themselves. The league allows any franchise to buy up unsold tickets to prevent a blackout. They must shell out .34 on the dollar for these seats, that portion going to the visiting team & the league. If a team has a few thousand seats left to sell, this is a sound alternative to a blackout but if the unsold number reaches 5-figures, it becomes a real burden to the team hoping to prevent a blackout. The Bengals, Bills, Bucs, Cardinals, Chiefs, Jaguars, Lions, Raiders & Rams have all admitted tickets for some or all games isn't progressing as quickly as in previous years. The Packers, considered to be a rock-solid franchise financially, released their earnings statement for last season & it was an eye opener. The operating profit fell from $20.1 million in 2008 to $9.8 million in '09. The team cited increased labor costs as the biggest drain on the operating income of $258 million. The Packers had an operating profit of $34 million in 2007. This is a team with over 80,000 people on their season ticket waiting list. They are the smallest market team in all of American sports & their ticket prices reflect that, but this should be alarming to both sides currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement.
Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin has received a new contract extension scheduled to run thru 2014. Think about this, the Steelers have had but 3 coaches since 1969. Chuck Noll(23 years), Bill Cowher(15 years) & now Tomlin, who is 34-18 in his three years, with a Super Bowl win. That is the epitome of stability in all sports.
New football coach Turner Gill has taken another hit along his offensive line this week as 23-game starter, Jeff Spikes suffered a torn Achilles tendon & will be lost for the season. They had already lost Brad Thorson, a 13-games starter, with a foot injury that will cost him part, or possibly all, of this season. This pair was scheduled to be the starting tackles, so this has the potential to be very bad for the Jayhawks. If there is anything positive to report on this story, it's Gill & his staff will have several months to get 2 new starters prepared.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time, former Mizzou quarterback Chase Daniel is livin' large. Undrafted, he signed with Washington as a free agent. Daniel had a good preseason, but in the end, Jim Zorn decided he wouldn't be needing Daniel & he was released in the final cut. The Saints signed him to be their 3rd string quarterback & clipboard holder behind Drew Brees & Mark Brunnell. He hung on all year, never taking a snap & got a Super Bowl ring. In the off-season, Brunnell was released after filing for bankruptcy, a gigantic red flag for skill position players. Now Daniel is the backup QB & he's never taken a regular season snap. Playing in Sean Payton's pseudo-spread offense, Daniel could be a legitimate backup option, he gets rid of the ball very quickly, which is a must in this scheme. He doesn't possess the arm strength to consistently hit receivers 40-50 yards downfield, but in the mid-range Daniel's accuracy is a plus. I'll be interested to see him performing in the Saint's preseason games as he gets increased playing time.
Five things I believe:
1. Brian Westbrook will wind up playing for the Vikings, his skill set is perfect for replacing Chester Taylor.
2. Brett Favre will play in Minnesota again this year.
3. Terrell Owens will bring his 3-ring circus to either Seattle or Carolina.
4. Don Coryell will be elected to the only Hall of Fame he's not currently a member of, the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's already in the San Diego State, San Diego Chargers & College Football Halls of Fame.
5. Michael Vick will remain an Eagle unless the feds determine he has probation issues, in which case, he's gone. The Eagles simple have no other option.
Altho he's listed on the Dolphin depth chart as a starting wide receiver, Brian Hartline is hardly a household name. But the 2nd year pro from Ohio State has found a way to increase his name recognition. Just crash your pickup truck into a parked Cadillac Escalade, leave the scene of the crime, then avoid contact with the police & you become front-page news. Pretty smart huh? Miami police were contacted by Hartlines' attorney 12-hours after the wreck explaining his client would be stopping by the station house for a quick Q&A regarding his involvement. Brilliant decision making, after his football career, Hartline could move right into the public relations field, he's a natural.
The NCAA sanctions imposed on the USC Trojans is serious business, more serious than most thought, me included. USC is checking the compliance of every athlete in the football program. Over the course of the next two weeks, every player in the program will be required to present their car registration & any loan or lease agreements for those automobiles. They will be required to present any rental agreements or leases if they live off-campus. They will be required to submit employment information, to include W-2's, from any off-season jobs. They will also be required to provide tax returns showing that employment & income. This is far more than the NCAA normally requires from a campus compliance officer, I wonder just how much was NCAA directive & how much is USC covering their ass?
Linda & I are out of here tomorrow for a quick 5-day vacation to Branson. She's been working very hard while everyone else has been down here partying, not really fair. So I booked a couple of shows I know she'll love & hopefully it will be very relaxing for her. Unless there's some breaking news, I doubt I'll post more than one piece while we're gone, maybe two, I don't know. It depends on how busy we are & how good the internet service is in our hotel.
How much effect is the ailing economy having on NFL ticket sales? More than 1/4 of the league's teams are having trouble selling seats. Nine franchises are facing multiple blackouts if they can't sell a lot more seats or buy the seats up themselves. The league allows any franchise to buy up unsold tickets to prevent a blackout. They must shell out .34 on the dollar for these seats, that portion going to the visiting team & the league. If a team has a few thousand seats left to sell, this is a sound alternative to a blackout but if the unsold number reaches 5-figures, it becomes a real burden to the team hoping to prevent a blackout. The Bengals, Bills, Bucs, Cardinals, Chiefs, Jaguars, Lions, Raiders & Rams have all admitted tickets for some or all games isn't progressing as quickly as in previous years. The Packers, considered to be a rock-solid franchise financially, released their earnings statement for last season & it was an eye opener. The operating profit fell from $20.1 million in 2008 to $9.8 million in '09. The team cited increased labor costs as the biggest drain on the operating income of $258 million. The Packers had an operating profit of $34 million in 2007. This is a team with over 80,000 people on their season ticket waiting list. They are the smallest market team in all of American sports & their ticket prices reflect that, but this should be alarming to both sides currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement.
Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin has received a new contract extension scheduled to run thru 2014. Think about this, the Steelers have had but 3 coaches since 1969. Chuck Noll(23 years), Bill Cowher(15 years) & now Tomlin, who is 34-18 in his three years, with a Super Bowl win. That is the epitome of stability in all sports.
New football coach Turner Gill has taken another hit along his offensive line this week as 23-game starter, Jeff Spikes suffered a torn Achilles tendon & will be lost for the season. They had already lost Brad Thorson, a 13-games starter, with a foot injury that will cost him part, or possibly all, of this season. This pair was scheduled to be the starting tackles, so this has the potential to be very bad for the Jayhawks. If there is anything positive to report on this story, it's Gill & his staff will have several months to get 2 new starters prepared.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time, former Mizzou quarterback Chase Daniel is livin' large. Undrafted, he signed with Washington as a free agent. Daniel had a good preseason, but in the end, Jim Zorn decided he wouldn't be needing Daniel & he was released in the final cut. The Saints signed him to be their 3rd string quarterback & clipboard holder behind Drew Brees & Mark Brunnell. He hung on all year, never taking a snap & got a Super Bowl ring. In the off-season, Brunnell was released after filing for bankruptcy, a gigantic red flag for skill position players. Now Daniel is the backup QB & he's never taken a regular season snap. Playing in Sean Payton's pseudo-spread offense, Daniel could be a legitimate backup option, he gets rid of the ball very quickly, which is a must in this scheme. He doesn't possess the arm strength to consistently hit receivers 40-50 yards downfield, but in the mid-range Daniel's accuracy is a plus. I'll be interested to see him performing in the Saint's preseason games as he gets increased playing time.
Five things I believe:1. Brian Westbrook will wind up playing for the Vikings, his skill set is perfect for replacing Chester Taylor.
2. Brett Favre will play in Minnesota again this year.
3. Terrell Owens will bring his 3-ring circus to either Seattle or Carolina.
4. Don Coryell will be elected to the only Hall of Fame he's not currently a member of, the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's already in the San Diego State, San Diego Chargers & College Football Halls of Fame.
5. Michael Vick will remain an Eagle unless the feds determine he has probation issues, in which case, he's gone. The Eagles simple have no other option.
Altho he's listed on the Dolphin depth chart as a starting wide receiver, Brian Hartline is hardly a household name. But the 2nd year pro from Ohio State has found a way to increase his name recognition. Just crash your pickup truck into a parked Cadillac Escalade, leave the scene of the crime, then avoid contact with the police & you become front-page news. Pretty smart huh? Miami police were contacted by Hartlines' attorney 12-hours after the wreck explaining his client would be stopping by the station house for a quick Q&A regarding his involvement. Brilliant decision making, after his football career, Hartline could move right into the public relations field, he's a natural.
The NCAA sanctions imposed on the USC Trojans is serious business, more serious than most thought, me included. USC is checking the compliance of every athlete in the football program. Over the course of the next two weeks, every player in the program will be required to present their car registration & any loan or lease agreements for those automobiles. They will be required to present any rental agreements or leases if they live off-campus. They will be required to submit employment information, to include W-2's, from any off-season jobs. They will also be required to provide tax returns showing that employment & income. This is far more than the NCAA normally requires from a campus compliance officer, I wonder just how much was NCAA directive & how much is USC covering their ass?
Linda & I are out of here tomorrow for a quick 5-day vacation to Branson. She's been working very hard while everyone else has been down here partying, not really fair. So I booked a couple of shows I know she'll love & hopefully it will be very relaxing for her. Unless there's some breaking news, I doubt I'll post more than one piece while we're gone, maybe two, I don't know. It depends on how busy we are & how good the internet service is in our hotel.
Comments