• The ASSOCIATED PRESS tosses news that Roger Clemens has been invited to join the Astros - at one of their pitching camps.

• Speaking of comebacks, Buffalo Bills player Kevin Everett is coming out with book in February.

• 100% INJURY RATE studies the evolution of football video games.

• For your viewing pleasure, here’s another enjoyable episode of ‘Blog Show‘, with your hosts, Jamie Mottran and Dan Steinberg.

• INSIDE USC knows there won’t be many pleasantries exchanged when Pete Carroll & Norm Chow meet next season. Read more…

• DEADSPIN tries to muscle in on Lleyton Hewitt’s hardbody sister.

Just don’t try that posing at the Gold’s Gym in Provo.

• AZ SPORTS HUB gets the good word from Anquan Boldin, who’s nice enough to record a personal voice mail.

• 100% INJURY RATE needs to cool down, as they get funky with this fat Flyers fan.

• In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., THE WORLD OF ISAAC offers up these memorable sports speeches.

• DAWG SPORTS barks up what the pigskin coaches had to say at the latest NCAA convention.

Read more…

New UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel had his introductory press conference Monday, and UCLA fans were treated to the same phony baloney we’ve come to expect from the former disgraced Washington and Colorado coach.

Bill Dwyre of the LOS ANGELES TIMES reports that Monday “he told a Times reporter that he’d take a run at Norm Chow to become his offensive coordinator, and repeated that several times after his news conference.”

One small problem, before mentioning his interest in Chow to the media, Neuheisel hadn’t even contacted him.

And it’d be a (Music City?) if Chow stepped down from his NFL gig as offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans to take the OC job at UCLA. Especially considering he just interviewed for the head coaching position with the Bruins, before withdrawing from consideration fo the job.

What everyone north of Wilshire Blvd. seems to forget about Neuheisel is that when he left Colorado for Washington, the Buffaloes’ program was in decline. And that Neuheisel’s firing at Washington was based more on failing teams than minor rules violations over a betting pool (UW just used that as an excuse to throw him out on his a**).

Neuheisel never consistently produced top-quality teams at Colorado and Washington, school’s with much less stringent academic standards for football recruits than UCLA. Yes, he started fast with both schools, but much of that success was with players recruited by his coaching predecessors.

Once Neuheisel got his players into the programs, the records got worse with both the Buffaloes and Huskies. What makes UCLA fans think his stay in Westwood will be any different? Hello Mike Archer!

PC RUNNING INTERFERENCE FOR INCOMPETENT ASSISTANT: Adam Rose of the LOS ANGELES TIMES records Pete Carroll admitting that he “blew it” by allowing quarterback John David Booty to finish the USC loss to Stanford this season despite a “broken hand“:

“We really blew it against Stanford. We screwed it up because we played a guy that was hurt. I made a mistake on that. That was me. That wasn’t Norm or Lane or Eddy-O, or any of those guys. That was me screwing it up and not recognizing it, and sitting on the football at the end of the game. We kept throwing it with a guy with a broken hand.“Pretty contrite, eh? And if you don’t know anything about USC football, you would think Carroll is legitimately owning up to his own mistakes. But what he’s really doing is covering for under-fire offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Why else would Carroll mention former offensive assistants Norm Chow and Lane Kiffin in his denial?

Like we said, that works well for the masses outside the 213, but if you really know what the hell is going on, you understand that Carroll’s inability to hire quality assistant coaches has been the major on-field downfall of the program.Norm Chow made the careers of Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart and based on his USC, NC State and BYU accomplishments, may well be the most-decorated assistant coach in college football history. Here’s what he told Scott Wolf of the L.A. DAILY NEWS last year about the competence of Sarkisian and Kiffin (in relation to UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker): “I know DeWayne Walker may be better than both of those guys.”

And we all know what happened last season at the Rose Bowl.If Carroll really wants to own up to the true error of his ways, he should fire Sarkisian. Because since they are such close friends, that won’t happen. But you can bet Carroll will be working hard to get Sark a “promotion” this offseason - much like the black hole Kiffin has since been sucked into in Oakland.

• DEADSPIN spots a tasty dish, as they hunger for a mouthful of Erin Andrews:

• Speaking of the sideline siren, IGN jiggles their joystick at news that Erin will be appearing in the newest edition of EA Sports’ March Madness.• BLACK ATHLETE offers a preview clip of “Blood Equity”, a documentary about retired NFL players, and the medical hardships many face without much help from the league.

• WKMG reports Urban Meyer may give the Florida football captaincy back to unsafe safety Tony Joiner:

The Gators coach probably just wants to spare himself from any death threats.• Scott Wolf of INSIDE USC crunches the numbers, and the Trojans’ strength of schedule would rank 107 out of 120.

• Speaking of the succumbers to Stanford, Arizona’s UA SPORTS FANS BLOG believes the troubles in Troy may have started when former offensive coordinator Norm Chow said sayonara to the southland.

• In wake of the Hurricanes’ close shave against Georgia Tech, MIAMI SPORTS BLOG has this hair-raising pic of a UM fan showing his unique grooming style:

• FOX reporters hate our freedom, as HOME RUN DERBY finds a couple of Boston-affiliate broadcasters talking over the national anthem.• AWFUL ANNOUNCING goes for a new look, as “The Best Damn Sports Show Period” puts on a Beard.

• Think you can make as much sense as the Harris Poll? BCS FAN POLL wants you to rock their vote. (Warning: Don’t pull a Spurrier and put Duke at #25.)

• MAVRIX ONLINE is still standing, as Sir Elton John serves up one smash hit after another:

(Bonus fact: Elton’s song “Philadelphia Freedom” was written for Billie Jean King, who played for the Philadelphia Freedoms World Team Tennis squad.)• HOOPS VIBE goes on a Buss trip, as they theorize where Kobe may end up.

• Mike O’Hara of the DETROIT NEWS feels like an idiot for picking the Lions.