SOME REAL FOOTBALL HEROES, TV NEWS, DOJ POKING AROUND THE BCS & HINES IS COOL, EVEN IN HANDCUFFS
Chiefs' cornerback Javier Arenas made Tuscaloosa Alabama his home after signing with the Chiefs last summer. He attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa & liked the city enough to make it his home. He bought a modest home in the suburbs & it was in that home that Arenas rode out the horrific tornado that struck the city last week. In an interview with a Birmingham TV station, Arenas said he heard the tornado waring sirens but didn't know what he should do. He called a friend who told him to get into your bathtub, cover yourself in blankets, hang on & pray." Arenas did just that. He said the noise of this massive tornado was the single most frightening experience of his life. He & most of his home survived. The structure sustained some damage, but it wasn't the total loss like the home just three doors down, flattened, with nothing left resembling a frame home. He was just happy to be alive. He salvaged some of his most important possessions & took them to a his buddy's home for safe keeping. After two days of surveying the city's devastation, he knew he had to help those in need, the families left homeless from the tornado. He drove his SUV to Kansas City, appealed to the Alabama Alumni club in the city & in less than 24-hours he had nearly a ton of goods desperately needed back in Tuscaloosa. He drove back to Alabama & parked his jammed rig in the parking lot of a shopping center that was surrounded by storm damaged homes. He & a woman who works in the U of A football offices as an administrative assistant stood under the sweltering sun giving away all the goods he had brought from K.C. When asked about his experience, Arenas said "I want to thank the makers of my bathtub, it was a life-changing experience. I'm blessed." He did this without any fanfare, he balked when he was referred to as a hero. Good man, a very compassionate human being.
In other tornado-related news, the Southeastern Conference has pledged $500,000 to help Tuscaloosa rebound & rebuild from the killer storm. I'd like to see the NFL do something, God knows they have harvested a lot of professional talent from Alabama, Auburn & Troy.
My buddy Rance Burger, a sports writer for the Lake Sun newspaper sent me an email this afternoon regarding a number of things & in passing he mentioned an article he had written about the retirement of a local high school football coach. I went to the paper's website to read Rance's excellent article & was pleased to learn about another football hero. Bob Shore, head coach at Camdenton High School here in central Missouri, will be retiring this month after 36-years as the Lakers head coach. In that time, Shore won 5 state championships, 23 district titles(playoffs), had 9 undefeated seasons & coached 55 1st team all-state players. Folks, it's guys like this who make the game what it is today. The worker bees who teach the kids right, not only about blocking & tackling, but sportsmanship, citizenship & how to be a well rounded young man. There are high school & small college coaches all over this land who do what Bob Shore did & outside of their towns, they receive little to no recognition. Of course that's not why the Bob Shore's of the world do what they do. They love the game of football, love coaching & love the kids who come & go thru their programs. Thanks for bringing this story to light Rance & a sincere thank you to all the Bob Shores helping our youth develop & mature.
The NFL Network has announced their broadcast team for their Thursday night football package. The old team of Bob Papa, Joe Theisman & Matt Millen were mercifully canned & the new team is a pair, not a trio. Brad Nessler, formerly with ABC/ESPN, & Mike Mayock, a rising star on The NFL Network. Truly an excellent move, from completely unlistenable to very informative, relative & less annoying.
In other media news, CBS & fan favorite Gus Johnson have parted ways after a contract agreement couldn't be reached. Johnson's excited style of broadcasting rubbed a few the wrong way, but for the most part he was CBS' second favorite announcer on NFL & NCAA basketball telecasts. It might be he wanted a lot more money as his popularity has grown over the last three years, regardless, it's a loss for CBS Sports IMO. But CBS is disputing some of this story, they claim they have not broken off talks with Johnson, in fact if he receives a concrete offer from another network, they still reserve the right to match or beat that offer to keep Johnson in their employ.
It didn't take long for Rashard Mendenhall's comments on Twitter to come home & bite him in the ass. Champion Sports, a apparel company dropped Mendenhall as a spokesperson today. The company made it clear in their statement he was free to say whatever he wanted but when it reflected poorly on Champion Sports, a decision had to be made about his future as a spokesperson. It was, he's out. Twitter, where, with just 144-characters, you can wreck an endorsement deal worth $80K. His Pittsburgh teammate, safety Ryan Clark put it perfectly when he said yesterday "social media is ruining the world." It can for people with something to lose.
I told you last month about the lawsuit filed against the NFLPA by former NFL players who felt they weren't getting their fair share of licensing fees. I heard this story yesterday & it makes you think there is something to this lawsuit. Former NFLPA President Gene Upshaw, who passed away in 2008, said several times he was working for "today's NFL players, not the retired group." It seems now that Upshaw was working hardest for himself. His last contract to run the player's union paid Upshaw $6.7 million a year. After he died, his widow collected $15 million from the union. There are over two hundred fully vested former NFL players receiving less than $200 per month in retirement benefits according to Bob Grant, one of the plaintiffs in the suit. Ladies & gentlemen, we have quite a disparity here don't we?
With the "on again - off again" NFL lockout, there was a very small, about 4-hours, window for veteran players to meet with coaches & 1st round draft picks to receive playbooks. Chiefs' quarterback Matt Cassel met with new offensive coordinator Bill Muir & QB coach Jim Zorn for nearly 4 hours Friday. He took several playbooks home along with the cell phone number of 1st round draft pick wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin. Early Saturday morning he also received a phone number of Ricky Stanzi, the newly drafted Iowa QB expected to be Cassel's backup. Both Baldwin & Stanzi have heard from Cassel, he has playbooks for them & he made it clear if they would travel to Kansas City to meet with him & work out with some of the Chiefs' veterans, they could crash at Cassel's home while they were in town. This was fairly common around the league, letting one or two guys hand out the playbooks with orders from the coaching staff, just like Cassel had received from Muir & Zorn. This is more of a bonding experience for the players, without coaches, running a traditional practice probably won't happen. But it's better than nothing.
The Department of Justice has sent NCAA President Mark Emmert & BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock a letter asking three things.
1. Why doesn't the NCAA have a playoff system for Division I football when they have a playoff for most other sanctioned sports?
2. What steps, if any, has the NCAA taken to create a playoff system for the Football Bowl Subdivision before or during your tenure? To the extent any steps were taken, why were they unsuccessful? What steps does the NCAA plan to take in creating a playoff system for the Football Bowl Subdivision?
3. Have you determined there are aspects to the BCS system that do not serve the interests of fans, colleges, universities & players? To what extent could an alternative system better serve those interests?
The letter closes with "your views would be relevant in determining the best course of action in regard to the BCS. Therefore, we thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.' The DOJ is questioning the NCAA & BCS about a playoff system & is basically threatening them with an anti-trust violations case. We'll be following this one closely, c'mon playoff.
Hines Ward is a great wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he's got a couple of Super Bowl rings, he's one of the greatest blocking wideouts in league history & now he's showing just how cool he can be on the dance floor. Ward is the odds-on favorite right now to win this season's Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Ward showed some more cool last night after the telecast. A female companion was dining with Hines at a Los Angeles eatery after Wednesday's show. She tried to reclaim her SUV from the valet parking attendant & he couldn't find her vehicle after almost 20-minutes of searching. She called 911 to report a stolen car & just a few minutes later, the valet drove up in her car. The couple left but they didn't get very far. LAPD officers pulled the SUV over after spotting plates that were from a stolen car. She had failed to call the 911 operator & cancel the stolen car report. The officers took Ward out of the SUV at gunpoint & handcuffed him until they could sort out the woman's story. After checking with the restaurant valet, the woman's story was verified & Ward was released. Apologies all around & they were on their way. Ward handled the entire incident with his normal cool, "they were just doing their jobs, they were very professional, the incident is over, I've moved on." Probably had that patented smile on his face as they drove away.
In other tornado-related news, the Southeastern Conference has pledged $500,000 to help Tuscaloosa rebound & rebuild from the killer storm. I'd like to see the NFL do something, God knows they have harvested a lot of professional talent from Alabama, Auburn & Troy.
My buddy Rance Burger, a sports writer for the Lake Sun newspaper sent me an email this afternoon regarding a number of things & in passing he mentioned an article he had written about the retirement of a local high school football coach. I went to the paper's website to read Rance's excellent article & was pleased to learn about another football hero. Bob Shore, head coach at Camdenton High School here in central Missouri, will be retiring this month after 36-years as the Lakers head coach. In that time, Shore won 5 state championships, 23 district titles(playoffs), had 9 undefeated seasons & coached 55 1st team all-state players. Folks, it's guys like this who make the game what it is today. The worker bees who teach the kids right, not only about blocking & tackling, but sportsmanship, citizenship & how to be a well rounded young man. There are high school & small college coaches all over this land who do what Bob Shore did & outside of their towns, they receive little to no recognition. Of course that's not why the Bob Shore's of the world do what they do. They love the game of football, love coaching & love the kids who come & go thru their programs. Thanks for bringing this story to light Rance & a sincere thank you to all the Bob Shores helping our youth develop & mature.
The NFL Network has announced their broadcast team for their Thursday night football package. The old team of Bob Papa, Joe Theisman & Matt Millen were mercifully canned & the new team is a pair, not a trio. Brad Nessler, formerly with ABC/ESPN, & Mike Mayock, a rising star on The NFL Network. Truly an excellent move, from completely unlistenable to very informative, relative & less annoying.
In other media news, CBS & fan favorite Gus Johnson have parted ways after a contract agreement couldn't be reached. Johnson's excited style of broadcasting rubbed a few the wrong way, but for the most part he was CBS' second favorite announcer on NFL & NCAA basketball telecasts. It might be he wanted a lot more money as his popularity has grown over the last three years, regardless, it's a loss for CBS Sports IMO. But CBS is disputing some of this story, they claim they have not broken off talks with Johnson, in fact if he receives a concrete offer from another network, they still reserve the right to match or beat that offer to keep Johnson in their employ.
It didn't take long for Rashard Mendenhall's comments on Twitter to come home & bite him in the ass. Champion Sports, a apparel company dropped Mendenhall as a spokesperson today. The company made it clear in their statement he was free to say whatever he wanted but when it reflected poorly on Champion Sports, a decision had to be made about his future as a spokesperson. It was, he's out. Twitter, where, with just 144-characters, you can wreck an endorsement deal worth $80K. His Pittsburgh teammate, safety Ryan Clark put it perfectly when he said yesterday "social media is ruining the world." It can for people with something to lose.
I told you last month about the lawsuit filed against the NFLPA by former NFL players who felt they weren't getting their fair share of licensing fees. I heard this story yesterday & it makes you think there is something to this lawsuit. Former NFLPA President Gene Upshaw, who passed away in 2008, said several times he was working for "today's NFL players, not the retired group." It seems now that Upshaw was working hardest for himself. His last contract to run the player's union paid Upshaw $6.7 million a year. After he died, his widow collected $15 million from the union. There are over two hundred fully vested former NFL players receiving less than $200 per month in retirement benefits according to Bob Grant, one of the plaintiffs in the suit. Ladies & gentlemen, we have quite a disparity here don't we?
With the "on again - off again" NFL lockout, there was a very small, about 4-hours, window for veteran players to meet with coaches & 1st round draft picks to receive playbooks. Chiefs' quarterback Matt Cassel met with new offensive coordinator Bill Muir & QB coach Jim Zorn for nearly 4 hours Friday. He took several playbooks home along with the cell phone number of 1st round draft pick wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin. Early Saturday morning he also received a phone number of Ricky Stanzi, the newly drafted Iowa QB expected to be Cassel's backup. Both Baldwin & Stanzi have heard from Cassel, he has playbooks for them & he made it clear if they would travel to Kansas City to meet with him & work out with some of the Chiefs' veterans, they could crash at Cassel's home while they were in town. This was fairly common around the league, letting one or two guys hand out the playbooks with orders from the coaching staff, just like Cassel had received from Muir & Zorn. This is more of a bonding experience for the players, without coaches, running a traditional practice probably won't happen. But it's better than nothing.
The Department of Justice has sent NCAA President Mark Emmert & BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock a letter asking three things.
1. Why doesn't the NCAA have a playoff system for Division I football when they have a playoff for most other sanctioned sports?
2. What steps, if any, has the NCAA taken to create a playoff system for the Football Bowl Subdivision before or during your tenure? To the extent any steps were taken, why were they unsuccessful? What steps does the NCAA plan to take in creating a playoff system for the Football Bowl Subdivision?
3. Have you determined there are aspects to the BCS system that do not serve the interests of fans, colleges, universities & players? To what extent could an alternative system better serve those interests?
The letter closes with "your views would be relevant in determining the best course of action in regard to the BCS. Therefore, we thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.' The DOJ is questioning the NCAA & BCS about a playoff system & is basically threatening them with an anti-trust violations case. We'll be following this one closely, c'mon playoff.
Hines Ward is a great wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he's got a couple of Super Bowl rings, he's one of the greatest blocking wideouts in league history & now he's showing just how cool he can be on the dance floor. Ward is the odds-on favorite right now to win this season's Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Ward showed some more cool last night after the telecast. A female companion was dining with Hines at a Los Angeles eatery after Wednesday's show. She tried to reclaim her SUV from the valet parking attendant & he couldn't find her vehicle after almost 20-minutes of searching. She called 911 to report a stolen car & just a few minutes later, the valet drove up in her car. The couple left but they didn't get very far. LAPD officers pulled the SUV over after spotting plates that were from a stolen car. She had failed to call the 911 operator & cancel the stolen car report. The officers took Ward out of the SUV at gunpoint & handcuffed him until they could sort out the woman's story. After checking with the restaurant valet, the woman's story was verified & Ward was released. Apologies all around & they were on their way. Ward handled the entire incident with his normal cool, "they were just doing their jobs, they were very professional, the incident is over, I've moved on." Probably had that patented smile on his face as they drove away.
Comments