Archive for August, 2011

WATERCOOLER CHAT: LEBRON & DURANT IN LOCAL GAME, GORE GETS CONTRACT, DOLPHINS’ GIMMICK

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It was a very exciting local game for the natives of Baltimore. On the court of hometown Morgan State, LeBron, Carmelo, Chris Paul, and Kevin Durant all came to play.  And keep in mind that these teams were comprised of local players.  One day you’re shooting around in the gym, and the next your dishing it off to LeBron James.  One team had Kevin Durant (a Baltimore native) and the other team was completely stacked.  Granted, there wasn’t much defense on display, save for the one-on-one matchups between the stars, so it was pretty much a dunk fest.  Kevin Durant scored 59 on the night, but it wasn’t enough to top his peers.  After the game, the stars said it was a great time and they hoped to do it again soon.  LeBron’s Team 149, Durant’s Team 141.

FOOTBALL

And in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers have finally shored up a major problem.  Throughout training camp, long-time 49er running-back Frank Gore has complained about a contract extension.  Gore has been a productive running back for the Niners since 2006.  But, like most star players, he wanted an extension.  New head coach Jim Harbaugh has many problems to worry about heading into the season.  Panicking about whether or not his powerful running-back would be on the field come Week 1 is not something he had time to think about.  So Tuesday the Niners organization gave Gore a three-year $21 million contract extension.  That will put him in a good mood, and make him ready for the season.  Unfortunately for San Fran, they have some serious problems at quarterback.  They’re going into the season with Alex Smith at the helm… again.  In case they didn’t realize… that doesn’t work.

Finally, some more interesting news out of the NFL.  Since the Miami Dolphins are not doing well financially, they are pulling out all stops to bring fans into the stadium.  Their latest gimmick:  Honoring the University of Florida’s 2008 National Championship Team — a team that included golden boy Tim Tebow.  This ceremony will conveniently take place when Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos visit Miami.  It’s a nice gesture, and should pull all the die-hard Florida Gator fans to the stadium, but this PR gimmick has seriously annoyed one specific college: The University of Miami.  Sure Miami has been in some hot water as of late, but it’s kind of a slap in the face that the Florida Gators will be honored in the stadium that the Hurricanes play in.  They are quite sore about that considering these two teams are bitter rivals.  Then again, to the Dolphins, it’s all about bringing in fans.

 

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: $100 MILL VICK, DANCING WITH STARTS LINE UP

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The major story out of the NFL:  The future of Michael Vick. 2 years ago, the Eagles signed Vick to a 2-year contract.  In his first year, he primarily studied behind Donovan McNabb and tried to get back into primo shape.  And last year, he exploded and became one of the premiere quarterbacks in the league.  The Eagles decided they couldn’t risk EVER losing Vick, so they locked him up for a 6-year deal worth $100 million.  One must remember that Vick was in jail just 3 years ago.  He got out, and went on a long journey towards recovery and character rehabilitation.  Now he’s worth $100 million again.  Just amazing!  There is a bit of an outcry, however, that Vick should use some of that money to help animal rights organization (given his dog-fighting past).  Either way, we can get used to seeing Vick in an Eagles uniform for a while. 

And in college football, Texas A&M has publicly come out and said they intend to leave the Big 12 conference.  This conference was already being dismantled with powerhouse Nebraska bolting for the Big 10 and Colorado headed to the Pac 12.  But Texas A&M is leaving for one primary reason — following in the footsteps of  their rival, the Texas Longhorns. Recently, the Longhorns announced plans to have a ‘Longhorn’ TV channel.  This channel will talk nothing but Univ. of Texas sports (primarily football and recruiting) and further push Texas as the flagship athletic program for the state.  After all, if recruits can expect to be televised constantly, that’s great exposure to pro scouts.  Of course they will opt for Texas over other programs.  Now Texas A&M wants to head to the SEC.  Even though they will be less competitive there, they know that it’s a good financial move as they SEC yields terrific national ratings.

OTHER

Finally, the new line-up for Dancing With The Stars is OUT, and it features some exciting athletes in the mix.  First up, Ron Artest (aka his new name Meta World Peace).  This is perfect for Artest, given his quirky, try-anything personality.  But the more exciting contestant — the goalie for the U.S. Women’s World Cup team:  Hope Solo.  Solo was the darling of the Women’s World Cup.  She’s beautiful but also intelligent, strong, and extremely competitive.  She’s clearly a perfect choice for the always rigorous sport that is Dancing With The Stars.

 

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: SAINTS VS RAIDERS, BBALL STARS ON LOCAL COURTS, CA WINS LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES

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In the NFL, the game of the weekend featured Drew Brees and the Saints attempting to get into rare form versus the Oakland Raiders.  The Raiders are flying below everyone’s radar this season, and feel that they may have a comeback year left in them. Brees looked fantastic out there, distributing the ball equally among his many MANY receivers.  And we also got a first look at Saints 1st round draft choice, former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram out of Alabama.  He muscled his way into the end zone, as did his running-back cohort Pierre Thomas.  The Raiders, on the other hand, had their own reason to celebrate as their passing game didn’t look half bad.  They have a few young guys coming on including Jacoby Ford, Danarius Moore, and Derek Hagan (who weaved his way to a touchdown).  The great news is, the NFL is less than two weeks away.  New Orleans 40, Oakland 20.

BASKETBALL

Elsewhere, some news out of the NBA.  With the lockout in full force, the players have had to keep themselves busy.  While some decided to play overseas, other guys are just enjoying the local basketball action.  For example, Kevin Durant played at the famous Rucker Park in New York City, where he dropped 66 points — including 5 straight 3-pointers.  His highlights made it on Sports Center, and now other stars want to get in on the action.  Now it looks like they’re all headed to Baltimore in what will be a thriller of an exhibition game.  On one team, Kevin Durant — on the other, LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony.  And this is going to be at a local court. For some people, this will be a thrill of a lifetime, doling out passes on their local neighborhood court to LeBron, Chris Paul, and Carmelo.

BASEBALL

And, some exciting news out of the Little League World Series.  Typically, Japan is dominant in this sport, which features the best of the best of the World’s baseball youth, but this year they would have to face a pesky team from California.  The game was a low-scoring affair, but in the 6th inning, the coach’s son, Nick Prato, came up to bat with a man in scoring position.  At first, Prato said he was very nervous, but then he calmed himself and treated this game just like any other:  He told himself to just “look for a good pitch”. And boy did he find one, smacking the ball over the second baseman’s head.  That’s all they needed to bring in the winning run, and California takes home the Little League World Series crown.  California 2, Japan 1.

 

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: PENALTIES FOR UNIV OF MIAMI, CAM NEWTON LOOKS GOOD, YANKEES 3 GRAND SLAMS

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In college football, the penalties for the enormous scandal at the University of Miami are starting to roll in.  Just yesterday, Miami ruled 13 players ineligible until they are let back in by the NCAA.  And among those players, was their quarterback Jacory Harris, who was revealed to be one of the players who received major gifts.   Harris has been in the spotlight the last few seasons as a young quarterback that was supposed to ignite the Miami program.  He did to some degree, giving them a very mobile quarterback who could pick up big yardage.  But during the off-season, Harris found himself in a quarterback competition with the back-up.  Now that decision is going to be very easy for the coaching staff as Harris isn’t even an option.  It’s going to be rough for the Miami program for quite a while.

And in the NFL, we got a real thorough look at Cam Newton in a Carolina Panthers uniform as they took on the Cincinnati Bengals.  There was a great play early on, when Newton couldn’t find any receivers, he simply took the play into his own hands, like college football, and ran it in 20 yards for a touchdown.  He even broke a few tackles at the end to get in the end zone.  But, other than that, Newton’s passing didn’t look so good.  He went 6 for 19, for just 75 yards.  It’s typically difficult for mobile quarterbacks to stay poised in the pocket.  This guy likes to RUN, and that’s what put him on the map at Auburn.  Now, the coaching staff is going to have to get him comfortable in a traditional NFL offense, but they also have to embrace the type of player he is.  A perfect mix of organic ability and coaching can make for an incredible quarterback.

BASEBALL

Finally, some amazing news out of baseball.  The Yankees made history Thursday with a remarkable feat against the Oakland A’s.  The Yankees were trailing 7-2, but,.. it wouldn’t finish that way.  They not only put up 20 MORE RUNS — they did that by hitting a record-setting 3 GRAND SLAMS in the same game.  It’s remarkable to even see one grand slam, yet alone 3 in the same game.  The pressure on a hitter to smack a home run in a bases loaded situation is quite stressful, so to see 3 different guys do it is truly shocking.  The home runs came from Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, and Crutis Granderson.  The Yankees have a very strong team this year, and they are going to be tough in the post-season.  NY Yankees 22, Oakland 9.

 

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: COLLINS OUT OF RETIREMENT, CHRIS JOHNSON WANTS THE BIG BUCKS, VEGAS BBALL LEAGUE

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In the NFL, with Peyton Manning battling a neck injury, the Colts… are getting a bit nervous.  They know that their success is directly linked to Manning’s health, and he’s been the starter for so long, that they’re not exactly trusting of back-up Jim Sorgi.  So, to hedge their bets for the season, they made a call to a skilled, albeit retired veteran to provide some QB insurance.  That’s right, Kerry Collins is coming out of retirement and will serve as either Manning’s back-up, or potentially, start Week 1.  Collins is getting up there in age, but with a good playbook and a healthy set of receivers, he can win football games.

And, in a follow-up from yesterday’s story, Titans star running back Chris Johnson finally had his ‘sit-down’ talk with the organization. The top running backs in the league make about $8-$9million per year.   Johnson wants more than the top running-back, he wants to be among the overall top paid players.  For example, Larry Fitzgerald just got signed for $15 million per year.  THAT’S the type of money that Johnson wants, and feels he deserves it.  Most likely, he won’t get that much, but they will probably quote him at $10 million and let him mull that over.  Obviously, that’s not chump change, but Johnson’s value will never be higher than it is now (a young running-back putting up major numbers), and he’s looking for the biggest pay day of his life.

BASKETBALL

 

Finally, a make shift NBA is developing out in Las Vegas.  The players are clearly locked out from the NBA right now, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to stay in shape.  Being a physically fit and skilled athlete is their livelihood, and they don’t want to lose that.  That’s why a league is forming in Vegas that could feature about 50 NBA players, including some major stars.  Blake Griffin is expected to be there, as is Rudy Gay and maybe even Kevin Durant.  These guys simply want to play ball, and not with the rigors that playing overseas would demand.  This is more casual play, but competitive nonetheless.  Unfortunately for us fans, the players and owners don’t seem to be talking much, and there’s an increasingly likely chance that we won’t have basketball this upcoming season.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: CHRIS JOHNSON DRAMA, PAT SUMMITT SUFFERING DEMENTIA, BLAKE GRIFFIN AN INTERN

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In the NFL, there has been a huge amount of drama circling Tennessee Titans star running-back Chris Johnson.  He’s been holding out and not reporting to camp, and the reasons are simple:  He wants a new contract, and, more importantly, wants to be respected by the Titans organization for his success.  Remember, these running-backs know how disposable the position has become, and Johnson is one of the few remaining running backs that will receive almost all the carries during the game.  Johnson understands that has value, and if he gets injured this season for whatever reason, there is no way he will see a hefty contract next year.  The Titans organization said they refuse to offer him a deal with the “way he’s acting”.  Now the two parties have decided to let bygones be bygones (up until this point) and actually get together in the same room.  This doesn’t mean he’s ready to play, but at least they’re putting all their issues on the table.

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In women’s college basketball, some very sad news.  Pat Summitt, head coach of the University of Tennessee’s Lady Volunteers (or Lady Vols) is one of the most influential people in the history of not only women’s sports, but sports as a whole.  She has over 1,000 career victories, and has earned, count ’em, 8 NCAA Championships.  Not even Duke’s Coach K has that many.  It was reported Tuesday that Summitt is battling the early onset of dementia, a debilitating disease.  Summitt said that she still intends to coach next season, but will rely heavily on her coaching staff.   This is more than a brave move, it illustrates incredible courage in the face of adversity… which is Summitt’s way.  Who knows, maybe Summitt will nab one more title before she officially retires.

Finally, in some NBA lockout news — LA Clippers superstar Blake Griffin has landed another job during the lockout.  No, he’s not going to Europe or Asia to play basketball, he’s going to intern… at Will Ferrell’s comedy website Funny Or Die.  Griffin said he’s a big fan of the site, which shoots original comedy shorts with celebrity talent.  He’s going there to learn production and help them shoot various series’.  Funny or Die’s head of production said that Griffin will be treated no differently than any other intern.  He’ll have to do all the grunt work that they do, because, after all, Griffin is about the same age as most of them — 22.  Griffin said he’s not above doing that type of work.  He’s fine with fetching coffee.  Then again, Griffin’s stint only lasts a week, whereas the other interns may have to fetch coffee for years.

 

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: GIANTS LOOK STRONG AGAINST BEARS, PRYOR TO RAIDERS, CY-HAWKS FUNNY DESIGN

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In the NFL, a special Monday Night Football pre-season game between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears.  When these two teams met in last year’s regular season, the Giants absolutely crushed the Bears — repeatedly sacking Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler.  The Bears were looking for at least a semblance of revenge to regain their dignity, but they simply didn’t get it.  The Giants came out strong and their defense was all over the Bears again.  The Giants running-game was in full form too, seeing strong efforts from all their guys, namely Brandon Jacobs, who had 48 yards and a touchdown and is poised for a comeback year.  However, even though the Giants ran away with a motivating win, they were actually the losers last night, as they lost starting corner back Terrell Thomas to a season-ending injury.  That puts them in serious trouble in their secondary, with their star draft pick, cornerback Prince Amukamara, out until October.  They’re going to need to score a lot of points this season, because their defense will be vulnerable.  NY Giants 41, Chicago 13.

Elsewhere in the NFL, the supplemental draft was finally upon us.  The only thing the media cared about, however, was the future of Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor.  Pryor wasn’t selected until the 3rd round and it seemed like destiny when the Oakland Raiders selected him.  Most likely, Pryor will ride the bench in Oakland for a while behind starting quarterback Jason Campbell.  He’s late to camp, which doesn’t give him the opportunity to learn the playbook and practice with the team in time for the season.  So it’s almost a guarantee that Pryor will be holding a clipboard this season.  But, for the future, this could actually be a very beneficial pick for the Raiders.  Pryor is a super athletic, mobile quarterback, and, with proper coaching, could  be a legitimate QB in this league.

Finally, some funny news out of college football.  There are many in-state rivalries in college football, and they typically play annually over the bragging rights to own the specific special trophy awarded to the winner of that game.  For example, the Iron Bowl between Auburn and Alabama.  This trophy is rather elegant, sleek, and classic, featuring a football with a player on top.  The winner of the inner-state battle between Iowa and Iowa State receives the Cy-Hawk trophy (Cyclones & Hawkeyes).  It used to be just a football… and an old fashioned running-back.  Very classic, very simple.  Now, they have introduced a new trophy, and it is being panned by almost everyone in the state.  The new trophy features a farming family gathering around husks of corn.  It’s being criticized for being, well, cheesy.  The state says they know what the authorities were ‘going for’ with that imagery, but it just doesn’t scream football.  You can most likely expect a serious redesign soon.  Here’s a look at that new trophy.

 

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: JETS LOOK GREAT, SHOOTING IN SF, NFL SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT

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In the NFL, the New York Jets have been one of the more hyped teams this off-season.  They missed making the Super Bowl last season by just one game, and that was only because they choked a little bit in the 4th quarter against the Steelers.  They have retooled a bit, adding big wide-receiver Plaxico Burress, and they wanted to showcase their brand new look Sunday night against a lowly Cincinnati Bengals team. This is exactly what they did.  Plaxico Burress had 66 yards on just 3 receptions.  This shows that he is going to be that deep threat they’ve been looking for.  He even hauled in a touchdown pass on a diving catch.  Needless to say, he looked GOOD out there.  They also got a surprise performance from unknown running-back Chris Jennings.  Jennings carried the ball 4 times for a whopping 81 yards.  The Jets are going to come out fierce this season, and teams had best beware.  NY Jets 27, Cincinnati 7.

Elsewhere in the NFL, some very sad news.  In what should have been a fun, harmless pre-season game between a local rivalry — The San Francisco 49ers vs. The Oakland Raiders, it turned into a violent affair.  A fan, after the game, wearing a F*** The Niners shirt, was shot several times in the stomach.  Fortunately, he was able to crawl to a security guard and plead for help.  He remains in serious condition in the hospital.  This shooting, over a meaningless sporting event, comes on the heels of the  horrible violence that occurred in Los Angeles when a Dodgers fan severely beat a Giants fan in the parking lot.  This has got to stop, it’s abhorrent.  Police still have no suspects from the football game shooting.

And finally, Monday is the NFL’s supplemental draft.  This draft typically comes and goes without making much headlines, but all cameras will be watching to see which team lands former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor.  Pryor was forced to leave school for violating NCAA rules, but had he stayed, and entered the NFL draft legitimately, he most likely would have been a first round pick.  Pryor, who just a few years ago, was the hottest football quarterback coming out of High School, will finally see his professional football career come to fruition.  The draft order has not been determined yet, and will be done via lottery just minutes before the draft begins.

 

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: MAJOR BRAWL IN CHINA, PATRIOTS POISED, PRYOR CAN PARTICIPATE

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A bit of a weird, freak occurrence in college basketball.  Clearly, it’s the off-season right now in NCAA men’s basketball, but sometimes teams take international trips to take on different local teams.  A change of pace, and a good way to expand awareness of the university.  The Georgetown Hoyas traveled to China on an 11 game road trip.  But, just this morning, it was reported that a major brawl erupted to end the game.  And this wasn’t just a minor fight, both benches cleared.  In fact, players were chasing each other around the court, and several Georgetown players were hit by water bottles.  The game apparently was very physical.  China’s team Bayi took 57 free throws compared to just 15 for Georgetown– which would surely draw ire from any team.  No score in this one, as Georgetown head coach John Thompson III pulled his players in the 4th quarter after the brawl.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it may be the preseason, but for a guy like the Patriots Bill Bellichick, there are no warm-ups.  He takes EVERYTHING seriously.   And right now, the New England Patriots are firing on all cylinders.  They look completely fluid out there, and this isn’t even their starting squad.  Their 3rd stringers walked all over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last night.  Tom Brady threw 2 touchdowns, and the Patriots may have found themselves a very exciting rookie running back in Stevan Ridley (14 carries for 84 yards).  The Bucs, on the other hand, are poised to have a good season as well, even in the now ultra-competitive AFC South (Saints, Falcons, Panthers).  But again, it is only pre-season — no use reading too much into things.  New England 31, Tampa Bay 14.

Finally, in some additional news for the NFL, it looks like they will grant former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor permission to participate in the supplemental draft.  However, he will have to serve a 5-game suspension once drafted.  Now, this is where it gets interesting:  What’s that 5-game suspension for?  Many would say that it’s additional punishment for his gift-taking at Ohio State, but that would acknowledge that the NFL is somehow ‘officially’ affiliated with the NCAA — which is not the case.  Since practically the beginning of football, the NCAA has acted basically as a free farm system for the NFL — and the NBA for that matter.  When players are ready to ‘go pro’, they leave college, and that’s the end of the relationship.  Theoretically, the pro leagues don’t care what you did wrong before you got there.  It’s unrelated. But, the NFL is saying that Pryor was suspended because he broke the rules of the draft (i.e. he didn’t officially declare for the league in time).  A minor technicality, but it still looks like they’re saving face on this one.  It’s a gray area.

 

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: UNIV OF MIAMI SCANDAL, SUH SOON A SUPERSTAR

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The major story in the sporting world was from the world of college football — specifically… The University of Miami.  There have been a lot of stories over the past 4 months of major universities providing benefits to players.  Ohio State, North Carolina, and Oregon come to mind.  But… all of those stories PALE in comparison to what happened at The University of Miami thoughout the past decade.  This story is the result of one man, Nevin Shapiro, coming clean while behind bars.

Shapiro was part of an extremely lucrative illegal ponzi scheme that netted him an exhorbitant amount of money.  With this money, he decided he was going to be the biggest, most powerful booster the University of Miami, or the entire NCAA, had ever seen.  Shapiro didn’t just give these guys a little pocket money or even buy them a car, he fully supported them.  If a player wanted to go out or needed something, Nevin just floated them as much cash as they needed.  He would even throw decadent parties at major hotels complete with drugs, alcohol, and prostitutes.  Audits of Shaprio’s books show lavish spending on parties in the tens of thousands of dollars.  But here’s the kicker — he did it for a long time, and with a lot of recognizable names.  Willis McGahee, Sean Taylor, Vince Wilfork, Devin Hester — all were benefactors to Shapiro’s spending.

So why did Shapiro come clean?  First off, he’s in jail and wanted to make a deal to reduce his prison sentence.  But the more notable and interesting reason:  he felt betrayed.  When he was having money problems, he went back to the same guys he used to help out — guys who now have lucrative NFL contracts.  But they didn’t help, they ignored him.  Shapiro felt like he had been abandoned; that he was used.  It’s actually quite understandable.  When asked WHY he did all this boosting in the first place, (which is quite an interesting question, considering you have to wonder what was in it for him), he said he did it because he could.  It’s that simple.  He had the money, and he wanted to.

And in the NFL, it looks like Detroit Lions 2nd-year defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, is coming along nicely.  This guy is a monster and will soon develop into a superstar.  He’s just such a behemoth, often being compared to the NFL what Shaq was to football; that is that he’s so massive, that opponents just flop off him.  Well, Suh better be careful, because the NFL already thinks he’s hitting too hard.  In a preseason game against the Bengals, Suh tackled QB Andy Dalton with a vicious hit.  That can be akin to being hit by a car.  The NFL fined Suh $20,000, to which Suh replied on Twitter, “$20,000really?”.  The NFL is just trying to send a message that they don’t want people hit to concussion levels.  But this has created a huge controversy, because the NFL has always been about the biggest and toughest warriors.  There’s not really a middle ground.

 

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