Looking for good seats to a BCS bowl game? Do you have loose change scattered around the house? Then you’re in luck. We all know that most bowl games will see a bit of a dip in attendance this year due to the rough economy, but things are bordering on ridiculous.
(Luckily, Dolphins Stadium is used to holding sparsely-attended events)
As of last night, Orange Bowl tickets were going on StubHub for as little as $1. The prices have gone up since then, but there are hundreds of seats that can be had for anywhere from $3.25 to $20. It probably doesn’t help that the Virginia Tech-Cincinnati matchup is less desirable than the freaking Poinsettia Bowl. So much for New Year’s Day prestige. More good deals after the jump:
Admit it - you’ve wanted to punch Frank Beamer in the face before. In this day and age, how high and mighty do you have to be to stay with the same school for 22 years? And just who does he think he is, winning his third ACC championship in his fifth season in the conference?
That’s redshirt senior Cory Holt with the strong right hook in an attempt to keep Beamer grounded. And lest you think it didn’t hurt that badly, Holt is the team’s third-string QB, so the arm strength is there. Thank God he didn’t accidentally lance Beamer’s goiter, otherwise the entire sideline would have been showered in something other than Gatorade. (Video after the jump.) Read more…
Thank God we finally have Brady Quinn’s first start out of the way so we don’t have to listen to the speculation every week about when he’s going to get a shot and see that stupid NFL draft footage anymore. Why do so many people care? I mean, great, he played pretty well for Notre Dame against Navy and Stanford but got killed in every big game. Way to go, bud, I guess doing all that and playing absolutely no NFL football is good enough to get yourself a Fathead.
Brady did, however, have the Browns in good position to win last night, leading the Broncos 23-13 after three quarters. But Jay Cutler finally lived up to his own hype and got it done in the fourth quarter, like a certain other Bronco quarterback did a couple of times in Cleveland. (See, aren’t these Cutler-Elway comparisons just ridiculous?) Denver scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and won the game 34-30. Cutler threw for 447 yards in the game, and Quinn put up a respectable 239 yards with two touchdowns. The game was viewed by approximately 39 fans on the NFL Network, and 17 people on a choppy SopCast feed from Denmark.
Speaking of football games nobody could watch, #10 Utah rallied from an early 10-0 deficit and beat #11 TCU 13-10 last night in a game that was on some channel called CBS College Sports. Never did I think I’d actually be complaining that a game wasn’t on Versus. Since this channel isn’t part of my DirecTV package, I assume that it ended in exciting fashion. Actually, there’s proof that it ended in exciting fashion (and a Dan Fouts sighting!).
(”I used to be on Monday Night Football and now I’m calling Mountain West games on some station that 4% of the country gets.”)
Over on ESPN, Virginia Tech took care of Maryland 23-13, plunging the ACC into even more mediocrity. Freshman Darren Evans set a school record with 253 rushing yards. One of the odd BCS rules out there is that a non-BCS team can actually automatically qualify for a BCS game if they finish in the top 16 AND finish ahead of the winner of one of the BCS conferences. And never has this been more possible with the top ACC being currently ranked 19th (North Carolina) and all 12 teams in the league sitting with at least two conference losses. So just because Utah or Boise State loses a game or you think Ball State is too far down to make it, it’s still very likely that we’ll be seeing one of these teams on Fox in January.
There was a spectacular ending in the NBA last night in Portland that most of you on the East Coast probably missed. With the Rockets trailing the Blazers 98-96 with 1.9 seconds left in overtime, Yao Ming hit an 18-foot baseline jumper while he was being hacked to tie the game. He then made the free throw to give the Rockets a 99-98 lead. But Brandon Roy swished a rainbow 30-footer as time expired to give the Blazers a crazy 101-99 win. Check out the video:
• Our favorite Indian pitchers, Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, finally had their tryout yesterday. The ARIZONA REPUBLIC’s Jim Walsh has the details. In short, a lot of scouts think they deserve a shot, but nobody thinks it should be their team that gives it to them.
• The SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE quotes Padres GM Kevin Towers as saying that Jake Peavy’s “train has left the station,” which means the ‘07 Cy Young winner is going to be traded soon. He also has a full no-trade clause.
• The University of Oregon is debuting a baseball team this season. And you know what that means — ridiculous Nike uniforms!
The lines in the gray pinstripe uniforms are not actually solid lines — they’re the complete text of the university fight song.
• The Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones Jr. fight this Saturday isn’t really captivating boxing fans. BOXING NEWS says it’s because the fight is such a mismatch in Calzaghe’s favor.
ESPN analyst Bob Davie after an incompleted pass that looked like it could’ve been interference: “That flag really came out late.” (video after the jump) Read more…
When Virginia Tech wide receiver Ike Whitaker got busted for public intoxication last Friday after blowing a .33 on the ol’ Blood Alcohol Meter, he did what any reasonable young collegiate athlete would do: He blamed his coach.
(Beamer, picking out the next life he wants to ruin)
Apparently, Whitaker blames his drunken escapade on the fact that he was self-medicating after Frank Beamer suspended him for missing a morning practice. Beamer suggested that Whitaker transfer to another school if he wanted to play during his final year of eligibility, but Whitaker should make no mistake about, he wouldn’t be played for the Hokies again that year.
Judging by how Bo Pelini handled his first loss as Nebraska head coach this past Saturday, Husker fans should be legitimately concerned for the guy’s life heading into this weekend’s tilt with Missouri.
Pelini went nuts on an official late in the Huskers’ loss to Virginia Tech, earning a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that led to a Hokie touchdown. It was 28-23 at the time of the penalty, and a field goal would’ve kept Nebraska within one score. Now, Pelini is going around telling people that his plan is to shut out the Tigers, who are averaging 54 points per game.
Attention, Virginia Tech gals: Derek Jeter is on the prowl - and on his way!
The Yankees will be heading to Blacksburg next week to take on the Hokies in hot exhibition action. And as Peter Abraham of the WESTCHESTER (NY) JOURNAL NEWS reports, the World’s Sexiest Shortshop may be shopping for a sorority sweetie. Read more…
