6:27 PMUConn defeats Notre Dame 33-30 in overtime, most like spelling the end of Charlie Weis' tenure at Notre Dame. Since 1975 at Notre Dame Stadium, Weis is 19-14, the worst losing percentage of any Irish coach, including Gerry Faust.
5:29 PMSt. Petersburg Times columnist Robyn E. Blumner is alarmed that state-funded college football coaches inject religion into their programs. She's a little late to the party, but does have a point. Wonder if ACLU will take notice.
5:07 PM Not really sure why the Sacramento Bee is reportingChris Webber calling Sacto "Cowtown" as news. That's what everyone in the state calls the city. Same thing with my hometown, Kansas City - and no one cares there.
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.
And so we bid a teary adieu to the Arena Football League. Sad, really. Even though I attended only one of your games, I will miss you: Your comical end zone cargo netting, your basketball-like scores, your former UC Davis quarterback Mark Griebs. You had a good run. Now it’s the UFL’s turn.
In the end, news of the AFL’s final demise came the way we always thought it would: On Facebook. Tampa Bay Storm COO Jim Borghesi announced that the league was officially folding on his Facebook page on Saturday, and PRO FOOTBALL TALK says that it has sources that confirm that. So the plan to sit out 2009 and come back in 2010 has been thrown aside, and Football In Your Parents’ Garage is no more. Read more…
Michael Klein of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER remembers a little wager made by Jon Bon Jovi a few months ago - if his Philadelphia Soul wins the Arena Football League championship, he’ll put on a free concert.
Well, the Soul are one victory away from living up to their end of the bargain. All they need to do is defeat the defending-champ San Jose Sabercats down in New Orleans on July 27.
So, if the Soul wins ArenaBowl XXII, will Philly fans see a free show?
Got into New York City Saturday night, just missing the MLB-sponsored Bon Jovi show in Central Park. The real count for the show from The Great Lawn was about 50,000. And a source tells me that putting on the show cost MLB $8 million, with none of it going to Bon Jovi himself! So why was MLB VP Bob Watson on trash detail the next morning? (OK, we made up the last part.)
(The Great Lawn was the only green this man seen Saturday night)
I’ve also heard that Monsieur Jovi, despite his AFL Philly Soul making Arena Bowl, is still hoping to sell the team in short order.
Sunday I spent most of the day shooting a new SbB Girl in Central Park - in insufferable 90 degree heat. I then had the good sense to follow that up by ingesting what seemed like a metric ton of prime rib at Ben Bensons steakhouse. Read more…
Just when the Euro 2008 had finally finished, another European soccer tournament is getting ready to kick off - the UEFA Cup (not to be confused with the UEFA Champions League, we think). And Manchester City (not to be confused with Manchester United) gets an interesting first-round draw.
The English club will travel to the Faeroe Islands, a Denmark-owned archipelago in the North Atlantic, to face local club Streymur on July 17. However, Man City won’t be able to host their Faeroese foes in a return match on their own home turf - since Jon Bon Jovi tore it up.
It’s customary for sports teams to hold special promotional nights honoring local communities. But an Arena Football League team is taking it one step further by offering free playoff tickets to an entire town.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell reports that the Philadelphia Soul is making the unusual offer to the residents of Morrisville, PA - population 10,096 - to come on out to the Wachovia Center on July 5 at no charge (well, except for parking & concessions). Read more…
