SPIKES MIGHT BE IN REAL TROUBLE, CHAD NEEDS TO STOP, BIG-10'S NEW ALIGNMENT & WHO IS GOING TO PLAY QB FOR UCLA?
Just returned from a wonderful evening with our old friends Lynn & Mary. Great conversation, a lot of laughs & a fabulous Louisiana-style dinner at Shrimp Daddy's. I had a bowl of gumbo, a Cajun chicken sandwich & two cold Buds. It was great, we always love spending an evening with them. As Mizzou alums, they were distressed by the current crime wave that's swept over the Tiger program. They're off to Maine in two weeks to go bear hunting, be careful you two & good luck.
I told you last night about some potential trouble for Patriots rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes. Somehow, some way, a sexually explicit video of Spikes & a young woman has become available on multiple websites. New England owner Robert Kraft is said to be livid. Late this afternoon it became known the NFL is now looking into the matter, which in never good. The league fiercely defends their shield. I have no idea if they can do anything to Spikes if it's proven this video was shot before he became a full fledged member of the National Football League, but having league security people nosing around should make Spikes & the Patriots uneasy. I said jokingly, any chance of local endorsement money would likely be out the window since the video came to light. Well Reebok pulled their offer of an endorsement off the table this afternoon. It was thought to be a low six-figure deal, so in fact, the video has already begun to cost him money. I fear that part of the story has just begun.
Two years ago Linda & I were watching a Houston-Marshall, Conference USA game & during that game we were horrified to watch one of the most senseless injuries we've ever witnessed. Houston wide receiver Patrick Edwards was streaking down the far sideline, looked over his inside shoulder, located & caught the ball near the back of the endzone for a touchdown & then he sustained a grotesque compound fracture of his leg. It was a real stomach-turner believe me. Some genius from the Marshall ground crew had parked a small tractor & flatbed trailer about three yards behind the endzone & Edwards, traveling at full speed, crashed into the bed of this little trailer. It was one of those collisions that when you saw it, you knew instantly it was extremely severe. Edwards needed two major surgeries & a lengthy rehab because of this injury. Today Edwards filed a lawsuit against Marshall & Conference USA. If you had been in the stadium or seen the game on television & you were on the jury, you would side with the plaintiff in the suit. Edwards returned to the Cougars last year & had a good season. As a senior this year, he will again start in Kevin Sumlin's pitch & catch offense that has Case Keenum as the triggerman. Good luck Patrick with your season & your lawsuit, the negligence you allege was painfully obvious to all.
I've bitched about Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Ochocinco's obsession with notoriety outside of football, it seems publicity is more important than being a great wide receiver. At one time he was amongst the league's top-5 wideouts, but I don't believe he's even in the top-10 now. Touchdown celebrations that draw penalties & fines, Tweeting during games, reality shows, whatever it takes to get the public's eye. He announced today he was working on a touchdown celebration for the Bengals' opening game at New England. When Patriots score a touchdown, the New England mascots, the Minutemen, fire their muskets into the air. Chad says he wants to grab one of the Minutemen's muskets & fire it. I doubt he'll get this on, but it shows you where his head is, up his ass. Look at the photo below, it was taken at a Bengals practice. Look closely at Chad & you'll see why I get so annoyed by him.
Terrell Owens & Chad Ochocinco at Bengals' practice.
Things got out of hand this afternoon at a San Francisco Forty-Niners' practice. All-Pro tight end Vernon Davis & wide receiver Michael Crabtree got into a shouting match that had to be broken up by teammates. Both players were sent to the locker room by head coach Mike Singletary who joined them in hopes of resolving their issues. Seems Davis isn't enamored with Crabtree's practice habits & being a co-captain, he felt it was his responsibility to confront any player who appeared to be going thru the motions. Apparently it wasn't only Davis who felt this way, several players said they didn't care for his lack of effort since training camp began. Singletary talked to both players & in about fifteen minutes, Davis returned to the practice while Crabtree remained in the locker room with Singletary. The pair returned to the sideline later but Crabtree didn't participate in any of the remaining practice. Do you recall the game two years ago when Singletary ran a player off his bench during a game & banished him to the locker room. Later during his post game press conference, Singletary made it clear this player was a huge distraction to the team & he would not allow him on his bench. Singletary's method worked, that player was Vernon Davis & today after practice, Singletary said Davis was right in his intention, but he went about it in the wrong way. Crabtree needs to get with the program, he has almost limitless talent, but he still has to bust his ass just like everybody else on the team, his teammates can recognize any diminished effort.
The Big-10 announced their new alignment tonight for the 2011 season after Nebraska joins the league. Commissioner Jim Delaney said they hadn't named the two divisions, but they line up like this:
Michigan Ohio State
Nebraska Penn State
Iowa Wisconsin
Michigan State Purdue
Northwestern Indiana
Minnesota Illinois
The traditional Michigan-Ohio State game will continue to be played on the last weekend of the season, at least in 2011 & 2012, after that all conference scheduling will be revisited. The inaugural Big-10 Championship game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis the first week of December, 2011.
The traditional game between Wisconsin & Minnesota for Paul Bunyan's Ax will also continue but the Little Brown Jug game, between Michigan & Minnesota, which has been contested since 1903, isn't guaranteed every year beginning next year. They have also created an artificial rivalry as the Cornhuskers & Penn State will play each other every season. I have a feeling this schedule will have some real tweaking come 2013.
UCLA opens their season this Saturday afternoon in Manhattan Kansas against the Wildcats but as of Wednesday afternoon, the Bruins haven't settled on a starting quarterback. Kevin Prince is the preferred starter, but he has hardly practiced since camp opened because of a strained oblique muscle in his back. He was just cleared to start throwing yesterday. Sophomore Richard Brehaut has been running with the 1's until Prince's return. Coach Rick Neuheisal said today he might not make a decision on his starting quarterback until Saturday morning. I'm starting to like K-State more & more in this game, they're laying 1 1/2.
This post marks my 600th since I opened up here 18 months ago. I've pounded out over 930,000 words & I appreciate all of you who have been here from the start & those who have come aboard along the way. Another football season is about to start & if you keep it right here, I promise to do my dead level best to keep you well informed & give you a few laughs as well. Thanks for reading.
I told you last night about some potential trouble for Patriots rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes. Somehow, some way, a sexually explicit video of Spikes & a young woman has become available on multiple websites. New England owner Robert Kraft is said to be livid. Late this afternoon it became known the NFL is now looking into the matter, which in never good. The league fiercely defends their shield. I have no idea if they can do anything to Spikes if it's proven this video was shot before he became a full fledged member of the National Football League, but having league security people nosing around should make Spikes & the Patriots uneasy. I said jokingly, any chance of local endorsement money would likely be out the window since the video came to light. Well Reebok pulled their offer of an endorsement off the table this afternoon. It was thought to be a low six-figure deal, so in fact, the video has already begun to cost him money. I fear that part of the story has just begun.
Two years ago Linda & I were watching a Houston-Marshall, Conference USA game & during that game we were horrified to watch one of the most senseless injuries we've ever witnessed. Houston wide receiver Patrick Edwards was streaking down the far sideline, looked over his inside shoulder, located & caught the ball near the back of the endzone for a touchdown & then he sustained a grotesque compound fracture of his leg. It was a real stomach-turner believe me. Some genius from the Marshall ground crew had parked a small tractor & flatbed trailer about three yards behind the endzone & Edwards, traveling at full speed, crashed into the bed of this little trailer. It was one of those collisions that when you saw it, you knew instantly it was extremely severe. Edwards needed two major surgeries & a lengthy rehab because of this injury. Today Edwards filed a lawsuit against Marshall & Conference USA. If you had been in the stadium or seen the game on television & you were on the jury, you would side with the plaintiff in the suit. Edwards returned to the Cougars last year & had a good season. As a senior this year, he will again start in Kevin Sumlin's pitch & catch offense that has Case Keenum as the triggerman. Good luck Patrick with your season & your lawsuit, the negligence you allege was painfully obvious to all.
I've bitched about Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Ochocinco's obsession with notoriety outside of football, it seems publicity is more important than being a great wide receiver. At one time he was amongst the league's top-5 wideouts, but I don't believe he's even in the top-10 now. Touchdown celebrations that draw penalties & fines, Tweeting during games, reality shows, whatever it takes to get the public's eye. He announced today he was working on a touchdown celebration for the Bengals' opening game at New England. When Patriots score a touchdown, the New England mascots, the Minutemen, fire their muskets into the air. Chad says he wants to grab one of the Minutemen's muskets & fire it. I doubt he'll get this on, but it shows you where his head is, up his ass. Look at the photo below, it was taken at a Bengals practice. Look closely at Chad & you'll see why I get so annoyed by him.
Terrell Owens & Chad Ochocinco at Bengals' practice.
Things got out of hand this afternoon at a San Francisco Forty-Niners' practice. All-Pro tight end Vernon Davis & wide receiver Michael Crabtree got into a shouting match that had to be broken up by teammates. Both players were sent to the locker room by head coach Mike Singletary who joined them in hopes of resolving their issues. Seems Davis isn't enamored with Crabtree's practice habits & being a co-captain, he felt it was his responsibility to confront any player who appeared to be going thru the motions. Apparently it wasn't only Davis who felt this way, several players said they didn't care for his lack of effort since training camp began. Singletary talked to both players & in about fifteen minutes, Davis returned to the practice while Crabtree remained in the locker room with Singletary. The pair returned to the sideline later but Crabtree didn't participate in any of the remaining practice. Do you recall the game two years ago when Singletary ran a player off his bench during a game & banished him to the locker room. Later during his post game press conference, Singletary made it clear this player was a huge distraction to the team & he would not allow him on his bench. Singletary's method worked, that player was Vernon Davis & today after practice, Singletary said Davis was right in his intention, but he went about it in the wrong way. Crabtree needs to get with the program, he has almost limitless talent, but he still has to bust his ass just like everybody else on the team, his teammates can recognize any diminished effort.
The Big-10 announced their new alignment tonight for the 2011 season after Nebraska joins the league. Commissioner Jim Delaney said they hadn't named the two divisions, but they line up like this:
Michigan Ohio State
Nebraska Penn State
Iowa Wisconsin
Michigan State Purdue
Northwestern Indiana
Minnesota Illinois
The traditional Michigan-Ohio State game will continue to be played on the last weekend of the season, at least in 2011 & 2012, after that all conference scheduling will be revisited. The inaugural Big-10 Championship game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis the first week of December, 2011.
The traditional game between Wisconsin & Minnesota for Paul Bunyan's Ax will also continue but the Little Brown Jug game, between Michigan & Minnesota, which has been contested since 1903, isn't guaranteed every year beginning next year. They have also created an artificial rivalry as the Cornhuskers & Penn State will play each other every season. I have a feeling this schedule will have some real tweaking come 2013.
UCLA opens their season this Saturday afternoon in Manhattan Kansas against the Wildcats but as of Wednesday afternoon, the Bruins haven't settled on a starting quarterback. Kevin Prince is the preferred starter, but he has hardly practiced since camp opened because of a strained oblique muscle in his back. He was just cleared to start throwing yesterday. Sophomore Richard Brehaut has been running with the 1's until Prince's return. Coach Rick Neuheisal said today he might not make a decision on his starting quarterback until Saturday morning. I'm starting to like K-State more & more in this game, they're laying 1 1/2.
This post marks my 600th since I opened up here 18 months ago. I've pounded out over 930,000 words & I appreciate all of you who have been here from the start & those who have come aboard along the way. Another football season is about to start & if you keep it right here, I promise to do my dead level best to keep you well informed & give you a few laughs as well. Thanks for reading.
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