The ORLANDO SENTINEL reports:

Professional golfer Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a car accident early this morning, the Florida Highway Patrol just reported.

FHP said the airbags in Woods’ Cadillac Escalade did not deploy, which means the vehicle was traveling under 33 mph. FHP did not report the accident until just after 2 p.m. today.

WESH reports that Woods suffered “facial lacerations” when “his 2009 black Cadillac Escalade when he lost control and hit a fire hydrant outside his home and a tree outside his neighbor’s home, FHP said.”

The Florida Highway Patrol said FHP said “alcohol did not play a role in the crash, but that charges are pending.”

WESH did not specify that Woods was seriously hurt.

From the San Diego State-St. Mary’s college basketball game last Monday on ESPN.

(Thought you could only get something watching The View)

Appears St. Mary’s college basketball fans aren’t afraid to share their sexual afflictions - on television that is. Thankfully, looks like the top part of the sign, which may have been implicating some poor unsuspecting soul, got cut off.

Blissfully unaware Terry Gannon and Stephen Bardo on the call.

The PORTLAND OREGONIAN’s John Canzano, the designated s-stirrer in the Portland media, had a recent piece on Brandon Roy not being present on the floor for the Blazers when the national anthem goes off.

(Ironic that Mo’s anthem save happened on Roy’s home court)

For two seasons now, Roy leaves the court before “The Star Spangled Banner” is performed. He waits out of sight, in the arena tunnel, and has a quiet moment of prayer while his teammates stand and honor America together.

Something about that feels troubling. And this is only partly about patriotism.

Roy is the Blazers captain, and leader, and two-time All Star. And the Blazers are busy preaching unity, and trying to find one vision right up until the moment Roy detaches and leaves his team standing on the court without him. And while I understand his desire to have a personal moment to gather his thoughts, I think there is ample time for a meditative moment in the hours leading to the game and I worry that the statement he’s making is one of individualism.

What would the fallout be if Roy’s teammates decided to join their leader in the tunnel? What if Roy weren’t from Seattle, but rather, from Spain, like Rudy Fernandez? What of respect, and heritage, and ceremony? What of team unity and leadership when the ball isn’t in your hands?

With the local reputation Canzano brings to the piece, Portlanders may be more likely to dismiss his argument out of hand. But I think he’s got a valid point, especially considering Canzano’s crafting of the column.

Read more…

ND beat reporter for the SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE Eric Hansen reports that Bob Stoops is indeed the top choice of Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick for the Irish football coach job.

A university source (I know I hate that, but I have to) has Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops at the very top of ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick’s wish list.

Hansen notes the possibilities “He’s Irish. He’s Catholic. He’s Midwestern. … There are rumors that Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, with whom Stoops has a strong relationship, may be in the mix at Michigan. Breaking in a new AD may not be all that appealing to Stoops. Stoops’ twin boys and daughters love Norman, Okla., and have passed the age when moving is no big deal.”

Hansen’s only negative: “Wife Carol is a powerhouse in the cosmetics business for Mary Kay.”

Apparently Hansen hasn’t seen the women of South Bend (My father, brother and cousin all went there, I know.)

Recently, the CHICAGO TRIBUNE floated the possibility that Notre Dame is interested in Stoops, and here was the coach’s response:

“There’s nothing to talk about. Notre Dame has a coach and I’ve got a great job and you know, people just make stuff up. I don’t need to comment on that. If there’s some basis to anything I’d gladly comment on it, but just some guy makes something up, I don’t need to comment on that stuff.”

That rhetoric should alarm OU fans. Far from a denial.

Hansen has four other candidates, and Brian Kelly isn’t as prominent on Swarbrick’s list as you might think. Read more…

UPDATE: McDaniels after the game when told his comments went out on-air: “It’s the NFL Network, It doesn’t surprise me.”

Has there ever been a teevee network more plagued with broadcast gaffes than the NFL Network? Thursday night’s embarrassing moment came when Denver Coach Josh McDaniels was heard clearly by viewers screaming, “All we’re trying to do is win a motherf—ing game!”

(Editor? Five-second delay? Anyone?)

NFL Network wired McDaniels for sound for the game, and inexplicably played back unedited video of his expletive-filled rant, which followed a penalty-laden offensive drive that stalled in the red zone.

If you were with me Sunday night, McDaniels’ outburst in no way surprised you, considering his emotional outburst directed at the Chargers before San Diego throttled the Broncos 32-3 at Invesco Field.

Video of McDaniels melting down Thursday after the jump.

Read more…

If you’ve been here awhile, you know how I adore former UTEP basketball player Claudia Lampe Porras. She’s since graduated and moved back to her native Bolivia where she’s playing pro hoops and dabbling in modeling.

Before college, she was a serious model in South America, and you can certainly see why.

Thought I’d freshen up her photos a bit. Some of these may be repeats, but I don’t think any of us will complain.

Eres una mujer hermosa! Read more…

So, how have you spent your Thanksgiving holiday today? Gathered ’round the hearth with friends and family? Enjoying a turkey feast followed by the inevitable background football game? Engrossing yourself in NFL games you could care less about to escape Uncle Harry’s halotosis?

Here’s how Ron Artest has spent his:

Artest has been machine-gunning Tweets this afternoon about the welfare fraud investigation story about him that broke this morning. Read more…

I was just admiring Natalin Avci’s Twitter background image - in which she’s featured on all fours in bra and panties on a bed - when I read one of her latest Tweets:

“I know the Lord is gonna reward me for all the sacrifices I’ve made for my family, career & remaining abstinent!”

The last 48 hours have been a touch trying for Ron-Ron, so I highly advise he not click-through.

Read more…

After Stephen A. Smith’s spotlight-grabbing scoop yesterday that Allen Iverson was retiring, which included a live appearance on ESPN SportsCenter to make the announcement, Smith is now backtracking. From his Iverson *retirement* story on his blog:

(Kicked to the curb: S.A.S. knows just how A.I. feels)

Immediately after word came out that Iverson had announced he was retiring, sources close to him said he was having a change of heart.

“Word” came out? Uh, Stephen, no one else reported it but you, because we all know Iverson has no intention of retiring.

ESPN’s Ric Bucher gives us a clue why.

The more likely scenario is that Iverson finally figured out that no team in the league wanted his bad act anymore. And he went crying to Smith, who then ran with a trumped-up, *official* retirement announcement that Iverson moments later retracted. (Funny, don’t remember S.A.S.’ follow-up phone call to SportsCenter about that.)

Not coincidentally, Stephen A. buried the “change of heart” graf in his blog piece, giving no indication that his story of Iverson’s retirement was already dust in the wind. Read more…

The NATIONAL ENQUIRER reported this week that Tiger Woods is cheating on his wife Elin Nordegren with 34-year-old New York City resident Rachel Uchitel.

The story places Uchitel at Woods’ Melbourne hotel when he was recently playing the Australian Masters. It also includes an on-the-record account of the relationship by Ashley Samson, an acquaintance of Uchitel.

There are three possibilities as to why Uchitel was at Woods’ hotel in Melbourne at the same time he reportedly was. She could be stalking him, meeting him for a tryst or it could be complete coincidence.

After initially lying about why she was in Australia, she admitted to an Enquirer reporter that she’d met Woods “twice” in her life, though she maintained she wasn’t there to meet him. But then why is she halfway round-the-world at his hotel in Melbourne?

From that, I think we can most likely rule out the coincidence possibility.

What about Uchitel being a stalker? Read more…