1:20 PMJeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune has the story of Anthony Hargrove, who overcame drug addiction & am NFL ban to become a star DT for the Saints: "A lot of guys, if they get kicked out of the league, they don't make it back. ... I want to be an inspiration."
12:40 PM Bengals coach Marvin Lewis forbade Chad Ochocinco from sending mustard to the Steelers secondary - so somebody did it for him.
12:20 PM PFT reports that the Redskins have relaxed their ban on fan signage at FedEx Field. In a team release, Dan Snyder says signs are okay as long as they "stay within the boundaries of good taste and don't block the view of other fans." But blocking the view of the Redskins' lousy play *is* in good taste.
One of the most uncomfortable dynamics in sports is that whole father-coaching-son thing. It can go one of two ways: higher expectations (awkward meals at the dinner table), or blind devotion to the dream of vicarious success (Cody Hawkins, starting quarterback). Either way, it’s a pretty obvious conflict of interest and it often ends up sucking for everyone else on the team.
(Playing for your own Grandpa? Oh Joy!)
But for as complex and strained the dynamic can be between fathers and sons can be, grandfathers and grandsons are on a whole different tip. That’s because grandparents just give you everything. There’s no expectations, no standards, no nothing, it’s just here you go and don’t tell your dad time for my nap byebye. And that’s how it’s going to be in Kansas State next year.
Remember last month’s somewhat incredible story about fired Kansas State football coach Ron Prince’s double-secret $3.2 million buyout agreement? It raised a few eyebrows but mostly resulted in a couple chuckles at the expense of the supposedly rogue former athletic director who inked the deal, and that was it. The university claimed that it was a one-off bizarro agreement, and everyone went back to ignoring the ag school in the middle of the Sunflower State.
(KSU Vice-Chancellor for Financial Affairs, Slappy McEnron)
Today, however, all hell is breaking loose out in the Little Apple (that’s Manhattan, Kansas, if you’re unfamiliar with the hip Kansas lingo) with the release of a confidential university audit performed over recent months and just made public in the past day or two. As it turns out, Ron Prince’s little side bet with former AD Bob Krause is just business as usual for a university that possibly committed some serious financial fraud.
What’s tougher than Big 12 defenses? Well, a lot of things, judging by the stats compiled by a number of Big 12 South quarterbacks this season. Chief among them, however, is the prospect of facing air-tight child abuse charges, exactly the scenario that former Kansas State running back Leon Patton is staring right in the face after a Friday arraignment.
(Patton’s grip on his son was looser than his grip on the ball.)
According to the ASSOCIATED PRESS, Patton will face the charge in court on Jan. 26 after police determined that Patton “unlawfully and feloniously and intentionally shook,” a two-month old infant July 15 at his Manhattan, Kansas house. That infant just so happens to be his son.
Evidently Patton just never got the whole, “Don’t shake babies!” message, which is pretty inexcusable. It’s not exactly a hard message to get through one’s skull.
Give it up for our northern friends, the Calgary Stampeders, for capturing the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup with a 22-14 win over the Montreal Alouettes. The pride of Temple University, Henry Burris, was named the MVP by totaling over 400 yards from the QB position, while Sandro DeAngelis was named the top Canadian after kicking five field goals. Yes, Canadians get their own award, and yes, it’s probably also in French.
(A typical Calgarian)
So while the Canadian championship may be but a footnote in American sports blurbs, briefs, whirlwinds, and newspaper agate pages, the NFL teams could certainly learn from the Stamps to help further their franchises.
• Tennessee Titans — So you lost your first game? You got whacked by the New York Jets at home 34-13? No worries. The Stamps lost 37-16 at home to the Edmonton Eskimos back on September 1.
• Arizona Cardinals — Don’t worry about the loss to the 37-29 loss to the New York Giants. Like the Stampeders’ Burris, Kurt Warner also played in the NFL Europe for a year. And if that’s not enough solace, then I don’t know what to tell you.
• Bears, Broncos, Dolphins, Bills, Broncos, and whoever wins the Packers/Saints game tonight: You all have five losses. Aw, poor babies. Calgary’s regular season record? 13-5. (Oh, yeah, and the Giants lost six last year. But that doesn’t apply here.)
• Browns, Jaguars, Chargers, Eagles, and whoever loses the Packers/Saints game tonight — you all had high hopes this year, but it’s just not looking like it’ll happen this year. No sweat. Last year the Stampeders went 7-10-1.
• Detroit Lions — You guys, much like many of the players on the Stampeders, still have your health.
Know how your co-worker got an iPhone, so everyone else got one? In a trend of reverse cutting edge technology, college teams are now embracing old solutions to new problems having seen what’s going on in Penn State. Rather than get a trendy receivers coach to lead a big-time program, Kansas State will announce this morning that Bill Snyder, 69 years young, will return as the Wildcats’ head coach. Joe Paterno will now have someone to discuss what it was like to listen to Harry Truman’s speech.
Time once again for a lesson on non-tie NFL rules: A team is allowed to attempt a field goal without an oncoming rush if the team just made a fair catch off a punt. The Arizona Cardinals knew this, and with five ticks left in the first half of their game against the Giants in such a position, Neil Rackers attempted a 68-yard field goal, which would’ve been the longest kick in NFL history by five yards. Let’s take a look-see:
Yum. Can you fit in ten more Thanksgiving metaphors this week? How about links instead?
It’s another NFL Network Thanksgiving miracle, thanks to Sen. Arlen Specter, apparently chairman on the Subcommittee to Fix Sports Things. The Philadelphia Eagles-Arizona Cardinals game will be shown on local Pennsylvania TV stations, although perhaps after Sunday’s loss, this is more of a curse than a blessing.
Old hat: Japanese veteran baseball player. New fedora: Japanese phenom baseball player. Old hat again: the Red Sox sign him, NPB TRACKER reports (or translates SPONICHI ANNEX’s report, which is the same thing). Jinichi Tazawa will get $3 million over 3 years, but will have to develop his Japanese-taught mannerisms in an American-style pitching system. Baseball purists ought to keep an eye on this project.
More from the Fins/Pats game: Matt Light and Channing Crowder could be BFFs for the rest of us know, but at the worst possible time they got in kind of a fight. BALLHYPE has video proof.
Contrary to previous optimism in which the Detroit Lions could win a game this year: the DETROIT NEWS’ John Niyo is reporting the Detroit Lions probably won’t win a game this year.
Cliff Lee isn’t just the Cy Young winner, he also won “Cleveland’s Man Of The Year” as voted on by the local chapter of the BBWAA. Also some guy named Luis Isaac, who was with the Indians for over 40 years, won an award for getting fired and not being a bitch about it. The award, unfortunately, is not a new job.
The TORONTO STAR’s Rosie DiMannoisn’t at all fooled at the Maple Leafs honoring Wendel Clark in a ceremony last night, since the Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup in 41 years because Clark isn’t seven people.
And finally, it’s time for your Iranian sports news update. The Grizzlies’ Hamed Haddadi will be sent down to the Dakota Wizards of the NBA D-League. Hey, it beats getting flipped off by your GM. Almost.
(Note: I left Florida out because if Alabama stays undefeated, they will have to beat the Gators in the SEC Championship, putting them at two losses.)
