Jason McIntyre of TheBigLead.com points us today to remarks made on Saturday by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino about concussions suffered by Cardinal players.

Speaking to the media after his team beat Gardner-Webb 78-49 in Louisville, Pitino reported that freshman point guard Elisha Justice had suffered a concussion after taking an elbow to the face during the game. (He sat out the second half.) Sophomore forward Rakeem Buckles also missed the game with a concussion.

Those injuries prompted Pitino to make mocking comments about head injuries suffered by Louisville basketball players this season.

Of Justice’s concussion, Pitino said: Read more…

In a selfless gesture of goodwill to the lovely people of Puerto Rico, Rick Pitino has agreed to coach the country’s national basketball team for three months beginning in April.

(Now duty-free!?)

As Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com recently noted, the move is in no way designed as a way for Pitino to horn in on the talents of one of the top young guard talents in the world. It’s all total and complete coincidence. (How could you think such a thing?)

Speaking of complete coincidences, with Pitino pushing the boundaries of NCAA recruiting rules coaching in Puerto Rico, I’m sure it’ll come as a major surprise to you that John Calipari is seriously considering taking over as coach of neighboring Dominican Republic.

A Puerto Rico basketball blog reported Monday night: Read more…

Former Kentucky and NBA star Jamal Mashburn has built himself a restaurant franchise empire.

(Thankfully, they didn’t choose the sportswear business)

In a recent interview with Aron Phillips of DimeMag.com, Mashburn said he owned a jaw-dropping number of chain restaurants:

I’ve always been in business and own franchises of Papa John’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Outback Steakhouse, as well as car dealerships. I own over 34 Outbacks, 37 Papa John’s and dealerships in Kentucky.

There’s no follow from Phillips on Mashburn’s restaurant investments, so we don’t know the nature of Mashburn’s stake in the individual businesses. Though one recent online solicitation for Outback franchises required a $75,000 up front fee and $6.5 million line of credit for ownership of four restaurants.

The LEXINGTON (KY) HERALD-LEADER confirmed Mashburn’s restaurant business interests in March, 2008, including the identity of his very high profile partner. Read more…

John Clay of the LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER and Matt Jones and Thomas Beisner of KentuckySportsRadio.com has the latest on Rick Pitino’s testimony today at the coach’s extortion trial in Louisville.

Speaking inside a jammed courtroom, Jones reports this afternoon that Pitino admitted to having sex with the woman he’s accused of extortion, Karen Sypher:

Pitino admits to “unfortunate” action with Sypher. Says “she opened my pants” and they had sex “very briefly”

More from this morning’s trial testimony

- The night in question, “The Boys” got together to celebrate Reggie Theus’ hiring. Theus would ultimately leave the party early to catch a flight home. Read more…

You don’t need me to tell you how wonderfully entertaining the Rick Pitino extortion trial is. Don’t let anyone screw that up for you.

(I like to call this one “The Scream”)

Forgive me though as I request your momentary indulgence by humbly submitting these delightful courtroom sketches of the trial by a local artist for Louisville’s WLKY-TV.

What could possibly top those sketches? Why, an interview with the artist himself, of course!

Read more…

For a lot of us, tonight is like Christmas, your birthday and finding your Dad’s stash of Swank Magazines when you were 12 all rolled into one: college football starts tonight. And unlike most opening week mismatches, tonight’s marquee match-up should be a doozy, with Pac-10 dark horse Oregon braving possible blindness from the Smurf Turf and the color-coordinated fans to America’s underdog, the Boise State Broncos (current listed as a 3.5-point favorite).

But this isn’t just a compelling game between two Top 25 teams with big aspirations. No, these two teams (in my best Jim Ross drawl) Just Plain Don’t Like Each Other, especially after last season’s win by Boise State that featured two Broncos getting ejected and Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli getting KOed by a cheap shot while attempting his first pass of the game. Here’s some video if you want to judge for yourself:

Read more…

• Danica Patrick could be removing her racing suit to pose for an all-nude (yet tastefully done) pictorial for ESPN The Magazine.

(Well, it’s a start)

• And the Rick Pitino sex-tortion scandal gets more & more pitiful.

• This FIBA Americas basketball tournament is getting quite rough. If it isn’t Mexico & Uruguay throwing punches & chairs, it’s security hassling Charlie Villanueva & his mother.

• College football players could lose their hotel privileges - for home games. But keeping the kids out of the local Motel 6 could actually be a bad idea.

• Are fantasy sports bad for your relationships? Well, in Texas, it can certainly be bad for your health.

Read more…

Earlier today Rick Pitino gave us another window into his deep-seated psychosis with an emotional, rambling response to the media coverage of his extra-marital affair and the abortion he provided Karen Sypher. Pitino bizarrely lashed out at the Louisville media for having the gall to report on and release tapes of Sypher’s testimony that were PROVIDED THEM BY POLICE. If Pitino was to be upset with an organization, it should’ve been local law enforcement. But lest you forget, every day is opposite day in Rick Pitino’s tornado of self-delusion.

(Last time I post this, PROMISE)

Almost as bizarre as Pitino’s behavior has been ESPN’s coverage of the situation. Like the entire media, Bristol barely covered the case brought by the FBI early this year until the LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL went public with Pitino’s extra-marital affair and abortion story.

ESPN’s Pat Forde, who lives in Louisville and co-authored a book with Pitino, has been Bristol’s point man for the net’s coverage. Early on, Forde failed to report Pitino’s indiscretions with Sypher, instead focusing on smearing her character. And even after Pitino’s ugly behavior became public thanks to reporting from a non-ESPN outlet, Forde continued to concentrate his comments about the case on Sypher’s conduct. (Albeit questionable, grant you that.)

It’s safe to assume that Forde has benefited financially from his relationship with Pitino, so at the very least you would expect ESPN and/or Forde to note the nature of his relationship to the coach before all that reportage, right?

Wrong … until today.

Read more…

Rick Pitino has called a hastily-arranged 3p ET press conference today, on the same day that tapes of Karen Sypher were released to the public.

WLKY reports: “In the tapes, Sypher details allegations she made against University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino.”

Coincidence? We’ll know in a minute or two…

UPDATE: He didn’t resign, read my Twitter for a summary of his once-again frighteningly narcissistic comments. (Don’t ask me how, but Ted Kennedy came up several times.)

Pat Forde of ESPN just tweeted: “Rick Pitino has called 3 a.m. (sic) press conference. No indication of the subject yet.“

I’ve criticized Forde enough on his non-coverage of Pitino’s extra-marital sex and abortion case, and I hate to be cynical … but if anyone knows the subject of the presser, it’s Forde. (He co-authored a book with Pitino and has a home in Louisville.)

Read more…