4:42 PM Surprise from early games: Texas Tech smokes Oklahoma. Another big win for Mike Leach, who could be headed to Louisville after the season to take over Cards football program.
4:41 PM Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio on NBC-TV tells Jim Brown to "put a sock in it" when it comes to speculation over who will soon be running the Browns organization.
4:03 PMKirk Herbstreit tells Jeff Smith of the Portland Oregonian that Ducks fans are very comparable to the SEC. High praise. I went to UGA and have been to Autzen and I agree. By the way, Herbstreit picked UConn over Notre Dame today.
Tim Tebow probably never wanted to see the day when he’d be lumped in with such damaged goods as LeGarrette Blount, Michael Vick, and - ugh - Jeff Fisher. But here it is and here we are, Tebow: Tony Dungy has come rushing to your aid. Yes, the St. Jude of sports, the patron saint of lost causes and dog killers. Dungy. Accept it.
Dungy’s latest comments came to Dan Patrick this morning when talking about drafting a quarterback for a team with a Top 10 pick. Patrick threw out alternative choices like Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, and Jake Locker. Nnnnnope. Because Tebow’s a winner, you see. Winners win games. Oh yeah.
It’s been almost 9 months since the 2008 Heisman was awarded, which should tell you what a nightmare the college football offseason is. That one went to Sam Bradford, who’s on the Oklahoma sidelines and ruefully eying Matt Stafford’s mammoth rookie contract as we speak. And hey, Bradford set a record for passing efficiency, and anyone who watched the season knows the performance wasn’t exactly a fluke; kid can ball.
(Enjoying the pregame ritual by getting CBS’s feed: “You’re great, Tim… you’re the best, Tim… If I had a daughter, I’d personally hand her to you, Tim…”)
But that, of course, means the Heisman didn’t go to eventual champion Tim Tebow, and after the shameless, near-fellatial fawning that Tebow enjoyed, some broadcasters obviously thought Tebow deserved the trophy in what was a remarkably close ballot race. One broadcaster for CBS - who held the rights to most of the Gators’ games last year - still hasn’t forgiven the voters for, in his mind, robbing Tebow of the Heisman.
We all know how this story is supposed to go. Texas blows Ohio State out of the water, Oklahoma scrapes by Florida and the Longhorns join the slew of teams through history that have a huge beef about how they deserved to win a national championship.
(Theo! Give this man a sweater vest already!)
Only it didn’t turn out that way. OK, the second half of that equation may still come true, but Texas did anything but blow Ohio State out of the water. Instead, it took a 26-yard touchdown pass from late-game maestro and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy to 26-year-old going on 35-year-old Quan Cosby with 0:16 left, giving the ‘Horns a miraculous come-from-behind, 24-21 win in the Fiesta Bowl.
So what now for the BCS? The OU-Florida winner will officially hoist the crystal trophy that allegedly signifies the national champ on Thursday night, but that only guarantees the champion of the Harris and Coaches polls. The Associated Press, meanwhile, can name its own champ, so its plausible — if still extremely unlikely — that Texas, Utah or USC could steal some share of the crown.
And one thing was confirmed after last night’s game: This time Texas will get at least one vote for No. 1 in the Coaches’ poll. From Mack Brown (he confirmed it after the game). Guess he’s learning something from us here at SbB, no?
Of course, the Fiesta Bowl wasn’t the only thing going on; the Big East hosted the latest in what is sure to be a season-long string of all top-15 tussles, with Notre Dame taking control of a matchup with fellow Catholic crew Georgetown. Luke Harangody outdueled super freshman Greg Monroe, and probably took a strong early lead in the race for Big East player of the year in the process. It sent the Hoyas to a second loss against a Top-15 team, which just might have some in the nation’s capital worrying. Oh, wait, they’re preoccupied with some inauguration thing? Never mind.
Who knew that Jack Del Rio and Mike Tice were boys? Well, not only do the two coaches “hang”, they do so with copious amounts of alcohol … in very public places. This video comes via Boston site BARSTOOL SPORTS, documenting the pairs successful run and Tice’s rendition of God Bless America while he’s completely wasted. Weird, funny, quirky and a little disturbing, all rolled into one. Then again, should we really be surprised? After all, Tice is the man who practically invented the Super Bowl ticket scalping scandal. Still, if there was ever any chance for a second head coaching go-round for Tice, it seems hard to assume that’s still in play after that video.
And then there’s the Jeff Jagozinski scenario. Where to begin on that. Boston College — at least officially — is still claiming that “Jagz” is out of a job as soon as he goes for an interview with the Jets. The Jets say they plan to speak to him and Jagodzinski says he’ll go for the interview. So BC is about to look for a new coach, right? Well, maybe not. Eagles athletic director Gene DeFillipio softened his stance some today and seemed to leave the door slightly ajar for a Jagodzinski return, assuming that the two-year head coach with 20 wins at the ACC school doesn’t land the New York job. Still, it seems likely that Jagz will be out of a job if he did interview Monday night … or if he’s talking with Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum as you read this. The one thing that seems certain is that the entire situation has become completely surreal, especially for a mid-pedigree college football school like Boston College.
Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand has some interesting “things to watch for in 2009“. The highlights: NFL Network will merge with a media company, the NCAA Tournament will expand and both NBA and NHL TV will be on your regular cable lineup sooner rather than later. For the most part, we like it.
Kurt Warner’s conception of God is so defined that he likes to draw him. But when he screws up, he can’t decide whether to brush it off as Jesus or someone else. Whatever. This video just proves that he can’t draw:
Chelsea defender Ashley Cole famously cheated on British pop star wife Cheryl last year with a woman universally declared a trampy blonde while being so drunk that he eventually vomited all over her. Cheryl is finally responding a year later, and her take is … “I know the circumstances.” I.e., no big deal.
Nowhere is it written, we suppose, that a quarterback needs to know how to party. As a matter of fact, more often than not, it leads to trouble, or at the very least some embarrassment. There’s Vince Young, Ben Roethlisberger, Kyle Orton, and the ultimate tragedy behind center,Joe KaneJoe Namath. At the same time, we have to wonder if a life ruled by sobriety is ever worth it; yes, this guy was a drinker, but these guys weren’t. We don’t see the harm in a cocktail or two. Or a hundred cocktails.
(Don’t worry, Colt, your options are still wide open.)
But then again, we’re (clearly) not quarterbacks of a top 5 football team, and Colt McCoy is, so we begrudge his tee-totaling instincts at our own peril. But still, if he doesn’t want to partake in the devil water, fine, but dude, learn to diversify your portfolio a bit: Read more…
After last week’s less-than-epic Houston vs. Jacksonville Monday Night Football tilt, just about anything would have been an improvement (short of a “dream pairing” of Dennis Miller and Tony Kornheiser). But last night was a great way to cap any week: two 9-3 teams in Tampa Bay and Carolina battling for first place in the NFC South.
And honestly, if you would have told me that Jeff Garcia was going to throw for more than 300 yards, I would have given the Bucs a pretty fair shot at winning the game. But the trump card turned out to be the Panthers’ RB duo of Smash & Dash, i.e. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who helped the Panthers combine for almost 300 yards of rushing and a crucial 38-23 victory.
The person on Tampa Bay I feel sorry for is Antonio Bryant, who had a huge game in defeat, as in 200 yards of receiving. (How many fantasy football owners are cursing themselves this morning because they left him on their bench this week.) This included one of the most amazing touchdown catches you’ll see all year:
Speaking of amazing…USA TODAY has a breakdown of the final ballots for the college football Coaches’ Poll, and some of the votes are pretty unbelievable. Like that Utah’s Kyle Whittingham voted his team ahead of USC (I’d like to see that game on the field), or that Ty Willingham voted Missouri 11th despite getting killed in the Big XII Championship Game. But my favorite? Texas Tech’s Mike Leach voting the Red Raiders second - ahead of Florida and Texas. At least he had the decency to place the team that beat him by 44 ahead of Tech.
Some more sports insanity to brighten up your day:
Things just keep getting worse for Petty Enterprises: WTVD-TV says that the legendary NASCAR organization has laid off 39 employees while awaiting a merger or acquisition to save them. Meanwhile, a disgruntled Kyle Petty tells NASCAR.COM that he’s been shown the door and is no longer with the organization.
CC Sabathia in Dodger Blue? MLB.COM reports that the free-agent hurler ran into GM Ned Coletti at the lobby of Bellagio during Winter Meetings and told him he wants to pitch in LA next season.
You think you have pressure in your job? Try being Wil Collins, who needed to sink a 18-foot par putt to earn his PGA Tour card on the final hole of Q-School. ESPN.COM tells you if he made it or not.
Then again, Collins could have it worse: he could have been playing for the Detroit Lions since 2001. Which is why center Dominic Raiola isn’t sorry for giving the finger to heckling Lions fans during last week’s loss to the Vikings. In fact, he tells the AP that he’d give them his home address if they’d only fight fair.
Could this be the end of the season for Tedy Bruschi? The BOSTON HERALD says that the Patriots’ linebacker is going to be placed on the Injured Reserve after banging up his knee on Sunday against the Seahawks.
So Kevin McHale has to clean up the mess he made as GM of the Timberwolves now that he’s the coach. ON THE BALL wants Minnesota fans to cheer up: this was actually a demotion.
The ARGUS LEADER says that Vinnie Jones, the former bad boy English soccer player turned actor (he played Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand) is claiming self-defense in a bar brawl during a pheasant hunting trip in South Dakota. You can watch the security camera footage and judge for yourself. (Hint: he’s not the 300 lb. guy getting pummeled.)
So you’re a Texas fan. You’re mad at the world because, despite beating your biggest rival by 10 points on a neutral field, they’re going to the Big 12 Championship and, in all likelihood, the BCS Championship instead of your Horns. You’re looking for a scapegoat. Well, we’ve got one for you: His name is Mack Brown.
(Mack Brown giveth, and he unintentionally taketh away.)
That’s right, the very coach who helped put Texas in this position is also partly responsible for keeping them from holding the No. 2 spot. Brown has a vote in the Coaches’ Poll, one of two polls balanced against the BCS computer rankings to determine the overall BCS Standings. Instead of voting for his Longhorns as the nation’s No. 1 team, Brown picked someone else (we’re betting undefeated Alabama). Two voters picked Oklahoma No. 1. The result? The Sooners end up with a one vote edge in the Coaches’ Poll … and with an edge of less than two-tenths of a poll in the BCS Standings.
Of course, that means Oklahoma is headed to the Big 12 Championship Game, with a serious inside track on the BCS Championship. Meanwhile the Longhorns will have to settle for a date in the Fiesta or Orange Bowl, barring a stunning upset by a Missouri team that looked more cooked than Thursday’s turkey throughout most of a loss to Kansas.
It’s no secret that sports are big business in this country and a big reason for that has been television. With all the money that funnels into leagues like the NFL and MLB for television rights, along with advertising, owners aren’t exactly light in the wallet. Of course, in recent years this has led to a lot of leagues starting their own television networks. The NBA and NFL each have one, and MLB will be starting one next season. The trend has even moved over to college where there’s a Big Ten Network and the SEC has been entertaining thoughts to start their own channel as well.
One college conference that doesn’t have it’s own television network is the Big 12, and I’m guessing the University of Texas is fine with that. After all, they’re sports programs are popular enough in Texas and around the country that they don’t really need the added income because they’re already the most profitable athletic department in the country. They have so much money, in fact, that they just might start their very own network just for the Longhorns.
In a game for the ages, upset-minded Texas Tech scored an improbable touchdown with one second left to steal a win from the top-ranked Texas Longhorns, 39-33. The winning score came on a 28-yard pass from new Heisman frontrunner Graham Harrell to his top target, Michael Crabtree.
On Texas’ side, star QB Colt McCoy significantly underperformed for most of the game, but his 91-yard touchdown bomb to freshman Malcolm Williams put Texas right back in the game in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Yup, Greg Oden hurt his foot less than three minutes into his first regular season game against the Lakers. That’s not a punchline to a joke, but the sad truth. He played through the first half before throwing in the towel. ESPN.COM reports that Oden suffered a mid-foot sprain, which sounds like a made up injury you would use to get out of work, but apparently you can get if you are made out of peanut brittle.
Not that Oden was tearing the joint up. His stat line for the game: 0-4 from the field and five rebounds in 13 minutes. Which puts him about on par with the rest of the Blazers, as they were thumped by Los Angeles 96-76. As for Oden…he has a trip to the MRI machine scheduled for later today, or as he calls it, “The Mother Ship.”
Having a much better NBA debut was Derrick Rose, who scored 11 points and had nine assists as the Bulls stuck it to their ex-coach Scott Skiles by beating the Bucks 108-95. Meanwhile, that clanging you heard in Boston was LeBron James rattling free throws all over the place against the Celtics. He missed four of eight free throws, all in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland fell 90-85.
Here’s some more of last night’s news, but be forewarned: Bud Selig says that he has the power to suspend this after six links.
CBS analyst Gary Danielson thinks that Texas runs a “junk offense” and that Georgia’s Matthew Stafford would be putting up Colt McCoy-type numbers in that offense, says the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. No SEC homerism there at all.
The man who saved the NBA during the lockout in 1999, according to the DETROIT NEWS? Not David Stern. Not Billy Hunter? Nope, it was Michael Curry.
Relax, says the DENTON RECORD-CHRONICLE: it turns out that those 15 North Texas football players tested positive for recreational drugs, not steroids. Which is great, because we wouldn’t want their run at an 0-12 season to be tainted.
The AP has a tip for Eli Manning - don’t let the defense read your lips when you call a play on fourth down. It kind of helps them know what to do.
The SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS estimates that only 20,000 people will be on hand to see Stanford take on Washington State this Saturday, even though the Cardinal are 3-0 at home this year and fighting for a bowl berth.
Even after having beaten the Chargers in a thriller on Sunday, the NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE says that Saints coach Sean Payton was less than thrilled with the experience of playing in London.
The BOSTON GLOBE reports that Patriots’ nose tackle Vince Wilfork is going to be getting called to the Principal’s office - in this case NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell - for his blow to the head of Broncos’ QB Jay Cutler. Wait, I thought the Patriots were perfect schoolboys who never, ever committed any penalties?
Why would Isiah Thomas apparently continue to lie about his alleged sleeping pill overdose? The local police chief speculates to NEWSDAY it might be because of his contract. “If he takes drugs or whatever they may not owe him the $18 million. I have no idea.”
Remember when Joe Tiller said that Rich Rodriguez was a “snake oil salesman” after Purdue lost a big recruit to Michigan? The DETROIT FREE-PRESS says that there’s really no bad blood there. Really.
