Trouble in East Lansing

According to The Michigan Messenger two Michigan State University basketball players are in trouble, accused of sexual assault. The incident occurred in August, and the two players involved are described as "high-profile."

The MSU police department recommended the men be charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct 1, but Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III has declined to prosecute the case.

For more information about the case, you can read the entire article by Todd A. Heyward of The Michigan Messenger here http://michiganmessenger.com/42253/msu-sexual-assault

In the article, Heyward writes,

"Michigan Messenger is not naming the players because they have not been arrested or charged with a crime. The names have been confirmed by law enforcement and other sources, as well as Dunnings, who released the police report after Messenger filed a Freedom of Information Act request citing the names of the accused. Messenger does not report the names of sexual assault victims without their consent."

While I definitely agree the victim's name should be withheld, the names of the two players being accused in this case need to be released. We're talking about a group of 12-14 young men. Two of the players have been accused of committing a crime. The other members of the team are NOT INVOLVED. It's ridiculous to withhold the names of the two men who are involved. Speculation around East Lansing, and around the MSU campus (and around the country once the national media picks up the story - some already have) will run wild. While I don't think any member of the media would speculate publicly, many people will begin to formulate their opinions, thus resulting in rumors. If you were a Michigan State basketball player, how would you feel? Two of your teammates have been accused of a sick, disgusting crime, and everyone knows about it. But until the names are released someone may think it was you, because the Michigan Messenger is sitting on that information. Withholding the names of the two men accused in this incident is irresponsible, and unfair to the MSU players that are not involved.

2010 NL Central Division Champions

After 9 straight losing seasons and a 15-year playoff drought, the Reds are in. Last night the Reds clinched the NL Central Division on a walk-off homerun by rightfielder Jay Bruce. In the bottom of the 9th, with the game tied at 2, Jay Bruce homered on the first pitch he saw from the Astros' Tim Byrdak. Bruce became the fifth player in MLB history to hit a walk-off homerun to clinch a playoff spot.


The Reds last made the playoffs in 1995. It's been 20 years since they've won the World Series. But it feels like an eternity. I was only six-years-old when the Reds swept the defending champion Oakland A's to win the 1990 World Series. Some of my all-time favorite players were a part of that Reds team; Barry Larkin, Chris Sabo, Eric Davis, Paul O'Neil, and the "Nasty Boys." The Reds were playing a "pre-steroids" Mark McGwire and the heavily favored Oakland A's.


The Reds pounded the A's in Game 1, behind an Eric Davis homerun and the start of Billy Hatcher's streak of seven consecutive hits. Game 2 went into extra innings with the Reds winning in the bottom of the 10th on a walk-off single by Joe Oliver. In Game 3, Chris Sabo hit two homeruns and the Reds won decisively. Jose Rijo retired 20 consecutive batters in Game 4, leading the Reds to their first World Series championship in 14 years. Rijo was named World Series MVP.

The Reds are making their second playoff appearance since that 1990 World Series Championship and the first since 1995. They came close in 1999, losing a playoff for a wild-card berth against the New York Mets. The Reds finished with a winning-record in 2000, but still didn't make the playoffs. In the last fifteen years the Reds have been through three owners, five general managers, and seven managers. Ray Knight, Jack McKeon, Bob Boone, Dave Miley, Jerry Narron, and Pete Mackanin all tried to lead the Reds back to the playoffs after Davey Johnson did it in 1995. And after the Reds hired Dusty Baker it didn't get any better. Baker's first two seasons in Cincinnati were awful, finishing 5th (74-88) in 2008 and 4th (78-84) in 2009. But Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty had faith in Dusty. As it turns out, it was a great decision.

Baker deserves alot of credit for leading this young team to the playoffs. No one expected the Reds to be here. And they've done it by being good on offense and defenese, at every position. Cincinnati is a solid defensive team; 1B Joey Votto, 2B Brandon Phillips, 3B Scott Rolen, SS Orlando Cabrera, LF Jonny Gomes, CF Drew Stubbs, and RF Jay Bruce all rank in the top-6 in fielding percentage in the National League. And the Reds are even better swinging the bat. Currently, the Reds lead the National League in runs scored (768), batting average (.271), hits (1461), home runs (181), slugging percentage (.435), and they're tied for first in on-base percentage (.338). Arthur Rhodes, Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips, and Joey Votto were NL All-Stars. Votto should win the National League MVP. And newcomer Aroldis Chapman (RP) is the most exciting player in baseball.


The Reds go into the postseason with some question marks. In my opinion the biggest question concerns the bullpen, and more specifically, Reds' closer Francisco Cordero. Can Cordero get it together? Cordero has a 6.75 ERA in his last 9.1 innings. He has given up 15 hits and 7 earned runs. I'm not worried about the offense. I'm not even worried about the sometimes inconsistent pitching staff. But the lack of a dominant closer can doom a team in the postseason. Hopefully CoCo will come through in October.

Even with some concerns, I'm going into the postseason optimistic. I'm happy and content with a division title and playoff appearance. How could you not be after being a Reds fan for the past 20 years? But I want the Redlegs to make a run. My 1990 World Series Championship t-shirt is getting really thin and worn out. I want a new one.

NFL Week 3

- Anquan Boldin catches alot of balls. Boldin caught 8 passes for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns on Sunday. He has 606 receptions in 98 games, reaching 600 catches in the fewest amount of games in NFL history. Oh, and the Ravens beat the Browns.

- The Kansas City Chiefs are 3-0...half way to their win total from the last two seasons combined. The Chiefs were 4-12 last year and 2-14 in 2008. The Chiefs beat the 49ers, 31-10.

- Garrett Hartley is one lonely dude tonight. It's his fault the Saints are 2-1 instead of 3-0. New Orleans lost to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime after Hartley missed a 29-yard chip shot. After the missed field goal by Hartley, the Falcons' Matt Bryant kicked a 46-yard game-winner. And now, an excerpt from Adam Sandler's song, "The Lonesome Kicker."

"Once again, I'm ignored by my teammates and all my coaches
"Go back where you came from!" Scream 70,000 fans
Well, I know I could win their love back
By catching a winning touch-down
But, unfortunately, I was born with these very small hands

And I hope that the cameras don't come in too close
'Cause they might see the tears in my eyes
As I sit on this bench made of cold-hearted wood
And the splinters go deep in my thighs
And the towel boy snickers as he walks by
The Lonesome Kicker"

- The New York Giants beat the New York Giants, with Tennessee picking up the win.

- The freakin' Pittsburgh Steelers continue to win without Big Ben. I was really looking forward to them being in a hole when Worthlessberger came back. Instead, they sit atop the AFC North at 3-0. Charlie Batch played his best game as a Steeler, and Pittsburgh beat Tampa Bay 38-13.


- Cedric Benson is the Bengals offense. He scored both of Cincy's touchdowns. Carson Palmer struggled again. But the defense (and Ced) stepped up for Cincinnati, as the Bengals beat the Panthers and rookie QB Jimmy Clausen, 20-7.

- Wade Phillips can breathe a little easier. The Dallas Cowboys actually showed up today, including Roy Williams and Marion Barber, giving Wade a little more time in "Big D." The Cowboys proved they can be legit contenders in the NFC. The Cowboys beat the Houston Texans, 27-13.



- Sam Bradford earned his first win as a starter in the NFL. The Rams beat Donovan McNabb and the Redskins 30-16, behind a solid performance by the rookie, Bradford. He wasn't great, but he was good enough. The running back duo of Steven Jackson and Kenneth Darby may have had a little to do with the win, combining for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Redskins weren't good when they really needed to be, going 1-10 on third down and 0-3 in the red zone.

- Peyton Manning is really good. Manning was missing two of his favorite targets, but Austin Collie stepped up for his quarterback. Collie caught 12 passes for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. Broncos' QB Kyle Orton threw for a whopping 476 yards, but that wasn't enough to overcome 2 turnovers and 60 yards of penalties. The Colts won, 27-13, to move to 2-1 on the season.


- Tom Brady is also really good. Brady completed 78% of his passes for 252 yards and 3 touchdowns. That was good enough for a 142.6 QB rating. The Patriots defense gave up 30 points to the Buffalo Bills, but Brady, Moss, and company were good for 38 points as the Patriots moved to 2-1.

- I'm sick of Brett Favre and it's only week 3. The Vikings beat the Lions 24-10, thanks to Adrian Peterson's 160 yards and 2 touchdowns.

- Michael Vick destroyed the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Eagles beat the Jags 28-3 and Vick accounted for all 4 of the Eagles' touchdowns. Vick threw for 291 yards and 3 TDs, and rushed for 30 yards and 1 TD. He looked comfortable in the pocket and he didn't run unless he needed to. Looks like Andy Reid made the right decision.

- Maybe Sebastian Janikowski and Garrett Hartley can be friends. After making 19 consecutive field goals between 30 and 39 yards, Janikowski missed a 32-yard field goal that would've won the game for Oakland. The Raiders lost to the Cardinals, 24-23. Janikowski also missed a 41-yarder and a 58-yarder.

- What did the Seahawks need to beat the Chargers? How about two Leon Washington kickoff return touchdowns. Washington returned the opening kickoff of the 2nd half 101-yards for a touchdown. Then, in the 4th quarter after the Chargers tied the game at 20, Washington returned a kickoff 99-yards for another touchdown. The Seahawks won 27-20, despite a 455-yard performance by Chargers' QB Philip Rivers.

- Seeing Braylon Edwards playing football tonight made me want to punch someone. Well, not just anyone, maybe Edwards or Rex Ryan, Mike Tannenbaum, or Woody Johnson. Or maybe all four.

- What a rough Monday night for the Packers. Mason Crosby had a 37-yard field goal blocked. A Jay Cutler pass over the middle was picked off late in the 4th quarter, but a roughing the passer penalty negated the interception. Packers' WR James Jones fumbled the ball with a little over 2 minutes left, giving the Bears great field position. And with less than 60 seconds left another inteception was negated by another penalty, this time a defensive pass interference call on the Packers' Morgan Burnett. This set up a game-winning field goal by the Bears' Robbie Gould with only seconds remaining. Despite the absurd number of penalties (17 for 145 yards), the turnovers, and dropped passes the Packers were in the game all night. Aaron Rodgers deserved to win the game. Jay Cutler didn't. But the Packers' mistakes and Devin Hester's 62-yard punt-return touchdown bailed him out. The Bears remain undefeated and the Packers move to 2-1.

- An 18-game NFL season is a "done deal?" Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian said today,

"I think that the owners, and principally the commissioner, have decided that it's the way to go, and so the debate, such as it was, is over."

Although the NFL has yet to comment on Polian's remarks, it's looking more and more likely this is the direction the NFL is heading. I think they're making a mistake, but as of right now, no official decision has been made.


- Tim Tebow was demoted to the 3rd-string quarterback by the Denver Broncos. Broncos' coach Josh McDaniels better watch out this week...

Bledsoe Report and a few random notes

- The independent law firm that was investigating Eric Bledsoe's transcript released its report yesterday. After wasting alot of time and thousands of dollars, they found...nothing. Basically the law firm doesn't believe the reasons the teacher gave for changing the grade. The teacher and superintendent stand behind the grade change, saying that after Bledsoe made up work he earned the 'A' in Algebra III. The school board plans to take no action, making it unlikely the NCAA will take any action against UK. The NCAA and UK will still meet to discuss the report, but UK spokesperson Dewayne Peevy said as far as the University of Kentucky is concerned, the matter is closed.

and some random notes from this week...

- Free Enes.


- Michael Vick has been named the starting QB for the Eagles, prompting the Philadelphia Daily News to print a distasteful, offensive headline on the front page of Wednesday's paper. The headline reads, "Top Dog." The man has paid his debt to society, but some media members refuse to let it go.

- Carmelo Anthony to the Nets? That would be HUGE for the New Jersey Nets, who missed out on all of the top-tier free agents over the summer. He's a punk, but a punk that can turn around a struggling franchise.

- MLB commissioner Bud Selig plans to look into the possibility of expanding the playoffs. Great, let's make a season many think is too long already, even longer. If he thinks expanding the number of teams for the playoffs will help his league compete with the NFL and college football for ratings and attention in October and November, he's sadly mistaken.



- Tom Brady needs a haircut. He looks ridiculous. Maybe Troy Polamalu will ask Brady to join him in those stupid Head & Shoulders commercials.

- Blue turf is stupid. Go Beavers!

Braylon Edwards is an idiot.

New York Jets WR Braylon Edwards was arrested Tuesday morning for driving under the influence. Edwards' blood-alcohol level was 0.16, which is twice the legal limit in New York. There is no excuse for driving drunk. First and foremost, he could've killed himself or someone else. Also, he may face a suspension from the Jets and/or the NFL. He is a crucial component of the Jets' offense, and in a competitive AFC East every game is extremely important. Jets' QB Mark Sanchez needs all of the help he can get. Now he may be missing his best WR for a game or two.

I have no problem with Braylon Edwards or any other NFL player going out and having a few drinks. They are allowed to have a life outside of football. But I do have a problem with him, or anyone else, getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. In fact, there aren't many things that make me angrier and more frustrated than someone drinking and driving. There's no reason for anyone to do it. There is definitely no reason why someone making over $4 million (Edwards' 2010 salary is $4.355 million) this year can't afford a taxi or personal chauffeur. Or leave your car at the bar/club and call a friend. Or if you know you have to drive later, just don't drink. It's that easy. But Braylon Edwards, just like Donte Stallworth, Vincent Jackson, Rey Maualuga, etc., is a dumbass. He endangered his life, the lives of others, and his NFL career. He let his teammates down. He let his fans down. He let the coaches, the Jets organization, and the NFL down. He deserves to be punished, by the state of New York and the NFL.

UPDATE: Braylon Edwards will be active for Sunday's game, but will not start. Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said,

"In light of the facts as we have them, [coach] Rex [Ryan], [owner] Woody [Johnson] and I have decided he will not start. He will dress, he will play at some point. When, we don't know. This is an area we pour a lot of organizational resources into. We're very disappointed in what happened."

This is absolutely ridiculous. So the fact that he was driving drunk with a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit, with two other players in the car, isn't enough to sit this dude down for at least a game? You're so "disappointed" that you're gonna' let this fool play? He won't start, but once the Jets are down by a touchdown he'll be in the game, right? The New York Jets should be ashamed and if I were a Jets fan, I would be embarrassed that my team is letting this happen.

NFL Week 2

- The Buccaneers, Dolphins, and Chiefs are 2-0. The Cowboys and Vikings are 0-2. Anyone see that coming?


- Michael Vick is back. And yes I said the same thing last week. But I'll admit that after I said it last week I remained a little skeptical. Today Vick led the Eagles to a 35-32 victory over the Detroit Lions. His numbers were solid. He threw for 284 yards, completing 21 of 34 passes, for two touchdowns. He also rushed 7 times for 37 yards. He has proven to me that he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Sadly for him I'm not a coach or general manager. Eagles' QB Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion last week against the Packers and was ruled out by this week by the teams' medical staff. But head coach Andy Reid said that next week, barring complications, Kolb will be the starter. After the game Reid said about Vick,

"We've got more plays for him than we did a year ago, so he'll be on the field,"

So Vick will be on the field, but in a limited role.

- Brett Favre is playing like a 40-year-old quarterback that missed most of training camp.

- The Pittsburgh defense saved the day. On a day when the offense was terrible, the Steelers forced 7 turnovers. The Big Ben-less Steelers are still undefeated.



- As impressed as I was with Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers' performance on the field today, I was unimpressed with his weak attempt at the "Lambeau Leap?" The dude was so exhausted after 9-yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter he couldn't make it up into the stands. Fail.

- Catch of the day: Randy Moss smoked Darrelle Revis and made a sick one-handed catch for a 34-yard touchdown. Revis left the island with a tweaked hamstring and hurt feelings.

- The Bengals were unimpressive, again. But they managed to kick their way to a win against AFC North rival Baltimore. I'm not sure who deserves more credit for the Bengals win: Bengals Kicker Mike Nugent, Ravens QB Joe Flacco, or Ravens Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron?



- In case you didn't see the underwhelming AFC North matchup, let me fill you in on what happened. Ravens' RB Ray Rice rushed for 87 yards on 16 carries. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Ravens' QB Joe Flacco was 17/39 for 154 yards, averaging 3.9 yards per completion. Flacco also threw 4 interceptions. Meanwhile, Carson Palmer was awful...at least when he threw to T.O. and Ochocinco. The duo combined for 7 catches on 20 targets. Palmer threw a total of 12 passes to rookie WR Jordan Shipley, and TEs Jermaine Gresham and Reggie Kelly. Eight of those 12 passes were completed. The Bengals were 3-18 on third down and 0-4 in the red zone. Bengals Kicker Mike Nugent was 5/5, scoring all 15 of the teams' points. In other words, the Bengals should thank Flacco (for the 4 picks) and Cam Cameron (for not giving Ray Rice the ball more) for the ugly win.

- So maybe Jahvid Best is for real. I pretty much ignored him last week. I know he had two touchdowns, but he only had 20 yards on 14 carries. But his numbers this week were too good to ignore. Best rushed for 78 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns. He added 9 catches for 154, with one of those catches going for a touchdown. I think 232 yards of total offense and 3 touchdowns makes him legit.

- The Patriots are undefeated in the first half of games this year. Too bad they are forced to play the second half. Last week, after dominating the Bengals in the first half, they were out played in the third and fourth quarters. Luckily, their 24-3 lead was insurmountable. This week they weren't as lucky. The Patriots took a 14-10 lead into the locker room against the New York Jets. But the second half belonged to QB Mark Sanchez and the Jets. After the game Tom Brady said the Patriots "sucked." That pretty much sums it up. But the season is two-weeks young, and I'm still picking the Patriots to win the AFC East.

- Rough day for my fantasy football teams. Unless Pierre Thomas and the New Orleans defense combine for 20+ points on Monday Night Football, I'm going 0-3 this week. Chris Johnson (34 yards, 0 touchdowns today) will make it up to me. Brett Favre (0 touchdowns, 3 interceptions)? I'm not so sure. Someone trade me a quarterback. UPDATE: Pierre Thomas and the New Orleans defense saved me from a winless week.

- The 49ers beat themselves. The silly mistakes and turnovers were too much to overcome. There was a bad snap that resulted in a safety, a couple of interceptions, and a couple of fumbles. Last night the Saints were beatable. The 49ers had more first downs, were better on 3rd down, were better in the red zone, rushed the ball better, and had more passing yards than the Saints. The Saints, however, had no turnovers, and move to 2-0 on the season.

National League Triple Crown Update

Since ESPN spends all morning talking about the American League, or more specifically, the AL East, here's an update on the National League triple crown race.

St. Louis Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols, Colorado Rockies OF Carlos Gonzalez, and Cincinnati Reds 1B Joey Votto are all still among the National League leaders in all three triple crown categories.

Home Runs
1. Albert Pujols - 39
3. Joey Votto - 34
4. Carols Gonzalez - 32

Batting Average
1. Carlos Gonzalez - .341
3. Joey Votto - .325
6. Albert Pujuols - .307

RBI
1. Carols Gonzalez - 106
2. Albert Pujols - 104
2. Joey Votto - 104

If Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and Evan Longoria were in a race for the AL Triple Crown, it would be the lead story on Sportscenter every day. But the NL, and more specifically the Rockies and Reds, get little attention from the ultimate sports network. I don't think we'll see a triple crown winner. Carlos Gonzalez probably has the batting title wrapped up, and Pujols will more than likely finish with the most home runs. But it's a good story, a story that gets no love from ESPN. Depending on how their respective teams finish, these three guys will be in the conversation for NL MVP. Here's to hoping ESPN and baseball fans everywhere are paying attention.

Reggie Bush "gives up" Heisman Trophy

Reggie Bush was the best college football player in the country in 2005. I remember watching Bush as he rushed for over 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns. Bush finished the 2005 season with 2,890 all-purpose yards and 19 TDs. So it was no surprise that Reggie Bush was awarded the 2005 Heisman Trophy. He had 705 more first-place votes than the runner-up, Texas quarterback, Vince Young. Bush received 2,541 total votes. Young received 1,608. There's no question the Heisman belonged to Reggie Bush.

Well, it belonged to him until September 14, 2010. After an NCAA investigation he was retroactively declared ineligible for the 2005 season and USC was severely punished. I'm not getting into the NCAA investigation - that's another post for another day, but the aftermath of the investigation created a controversy that, until this week, was left unresolved. Bush announced yesterday that he was "giving up" his award. And by "giving up" I mean he was forced to hand it over. Word leaked a few days ago that Bush would be stripped of his Heisman, so he did the only thing he could do to save a little bit of dignity - give it up so they couldn't take it.

So now with Bush "forfeiting" the Heisman, what will the Heisman Trophy Trust do with the award?

Well, there are basically three options:

A. The Heisman Trophy Trust can give the 2005 Heisman Trophy to runner-up Vince Young. That makes sense, right? Young was next in line wasn't he? But what about USC quarterback Matt Leinart, who received 18 first-place votes and a total of 797. If Reggie Bush had been ruled ineligible before the season began, Leinart would've been directly effected. There's no doubt opposing teams would've defended the Trojans differently. Would Leinart's numbers have been worse since he lost his starting running back and best play-maker? Or maybe Leinart would've thrown the ball more, adding up more yards and touchdowns. Without Bush, maybe Leinart wins the 2005 Heisman. So I'm sorry Vince, you're not getting the trophy.

B. They could re-vote. I'm not spending much time on this one, because I don't consider it an option. Re-voting for a five-year-old award is ridiculous. You would be asking voters to ignore the successes (or failures) the 2005 Heisman hopefuls have experienced since the original voting took place. For example, Deangelo Williams and Elvis Dumervil have had success in the NFL, while Brady Quinn and Matt Leinart have been huge busts. It would be impossible to ignore such information. So, on to plan C.

C. Leave the award vacant. No one knows how a Reggie Bush-less season would've played out. Even if Leinart finished with similar numbers, there's no way to know how the votes Bush received would've been distributed among the other finalists. So the 2005 Heisman Trophy should be awarded to no one. To me, this is the obvious choice. I don't think any individual or group can make an accurate and unbiased decision on what happens to the trophy. Therefore you must leave it alone.

Today the people with the opinions that matter made their decision. In a statement released this afternoon, the Heisman Trophy Trust said,

"As a result of Reggie Bush's decision to forfeit his title as Heisman winner of 2005, the Trustees have determined that there will be no Heisman Trophy winner for the year 2005."

The Trust went on to say,

"It was a difficult decision to return the Heisman Trophy and he (Bush) exhibited great character in acknowledging his mistakes and accepting the consequences."

So there you go. Reggie Bush gives back his trophy and the trustees decide no player won the Heisman in 2005. There will be an empty line next to the year in the official Heisman records. USC has removed all Reggie Bush pictures and memorabilia from campus. His name has been erased from the NCAA record books.

Now that we're finished with all of this nonsense, no one will ever know that Reggie Bush won the 2005 Heisman...right? WRONG. The memories remain. They can't take that away. And hey, if I forget, I'll just go to You Tube and look up Reggie Bush highlights. We all know, and we'll always know, who won the 2005 Heisman Trophy. To be clear, I'm not condoning his actions, which were clearly against NCAA rules. And I'm no way insinuating that Reggie Bush should be allowed to keep the Heisman. What I am saying is that it doesn't matter if he has the actual trophy in his possession. It doesn't matter if there is no official winner of the 2005 Heisman. I know who won it. Decades from now I'll still know who won it, and I'll tell my kids who won it. In 2005 I knew Reggie Bush was the best player in college football that season. Five years later my mind hasn't changed.

Iverson to China?

I never thought I'd see the day when Allen Iverson was forced to play overseas. Iverson's personal manager, Gary Moore, is saying no NBA team has shown interest in signing the 35-year old free agent, and playing in China is a possibility. Iverson, who has averaged 26.7 points a game over his career, with an average of 29.7 PPG in the playoffs, is one of the best pure scorers in the history of the NBA. He is arguably one of the top five scorers, pound-for-pound, that we've ever seen, winning the scoring title four times. Iverson was the Rookie of the Year in 1997 and the league MVP in 2001. He was an 11-time All-Star, winning the game's MVP award in 2001 and 2005.

I don't believe that out of 30 NBA teams, no team would consider taking a chance on signing Iverson for the upcoming season. But with training camp approaching, no one has made the call.

Moore recently said, "We're very astonished," that no one is showing interest in the veteran guard. Moore added, "I don't think he's done."

Iverson has been hobbled by injuries the past couple of seasons. There is concern about his attitude, and the fact he may not want to accept a role coming off the bench. Add to that he's not a big fan of practice, and I understand why many teams will avoid signing the aging superstar. But his talent and his toughness have never been questioned. Somewhere in the NBA, there has to be a team that could use an experienced, scoring guard, that can provide them with 15 solid minutes a game. And he is sure to sell tickets and jerseys, which is never a bad thing.

Allen Iverson is a future Hall-of-Famer. He's one of the best and most exciting players I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Hopefully he'll finish his career in the NBA.

Iverson's Top 10 Plays (well worth the three minutes to watch)


And you can't talk about Allen Iverson without this classic video...

NFL Week 1

- Calvin Johnson was robbed. Plain and simple. I saw him catch the ball. The fans, the players, the coaches all saw him catch the ball. And the referees saw him catch the ball. Both feet were down. His butt and one arm were on the ground, and he's holding the ball with one hand in a controlled manner. He caught the ball. BUT, the rule says he didn't. The controversial rule states,

"If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete."

So the official made the correct call. But that doesn't make it right.

See for yourself...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSYDYI4F4xs

- Michael Vick is back. He was 16/24 for 175 yards, 1 TD, and a 101.9 QB Rating. He also picked up 103 yards on 11 carries. Solid.

- Arian Foster is beast. Foster finished with 3 touchdowns and 231 rushing yards on 33 carries.


- The Bengals didn't live up to the hype. Cedric Benson lost a fumble. Terrell Owens dropped a couple of balls that should've been caught. Carson Palmer threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. The Bengals' special teams gave up a touchdown on a kickoff return to open the 2nd half. The Bengals didn't come ready to play, at least in the first half. And the Patriots did. But there are plenty of positives to take away from the first game of the season. The Bengals outscored the Patriots 21-14 in the second half. Palmer threw for 345 yards and 2 TDs, but threw that costly interception. Chad Ochocinco had a huge game, scoring a TD with 159 receiving yards. Rookies Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham both had solid debut performances. The Bengals were a perfect 2-2 in the red zone and 3-3 on 4th down. They had more first downs and more total yards. So it wasn't all bad. In the end, it's only one game.

- The Vikings should play every week on Thursday. Football is much more enjoyable on Sunday when no one talks about Brett Favre.

- Thank you C.J. Spiller for killing my fantasy team.

- And thank you to Dallas Cowboys' offensive tackle Alex Barron. Thanks for putting Redskins' linebacker Brian Orakpo in a choke-hold to negate that game-winning touchdown pass by Tony Romo. (I have no beef with Romo or the Cowboys. This is purely fantasy football related.)


- The Jets' offense looked awful. Six first downs. 1-11 on third down. ZERO touchdowns. Mark Sanchez only threw for 74 yards (2.9 yards/pass) and had a quarterback rating of 56.4. The Jets only had 176 yards of total offense. Doesn't matter how well their defense plays, they can't win if they can't score. They have alot of work to do before the Patriots come to town next week.

- Ray Lewis is still a bad man. That hit on Dustin Keller was nasty. Maybe Keller was still a little shaken up when he went out of bounds too early, didn't pick up the first down, causing the Jets to turn the ball over on downs, thus losing the game.

Boise State's schedule just got weaker...

Division 1-AA school James Madison went on the road at Virginia Tech and beat the Hokies. The loss is arguably one of the worst losses in the Frank Beamer era at VA Tech. James Madison becomes the second D1-AA school in history to beat a ranked D1-A school. The other was Appalachian State's upset at Michigan in 2007.

Virginia Tech 16
James Madison 21

Still saying Boise State is good.
Also still saying their schedule is terrible.

Always remember...

Ten years ago if I had said "September 11" to you, it wouldn't have meant anything. On September 11, 2001 that all changed. I was a senior at Harrison County High School and spent my mornings in the gym working with Coach Whitaker and Ms. Emery. A little before 9 AM that morning I was in Coach Whitkaer's office by the gym. CNN was covering a fire at the World Trade Center's North Tower. Just a few minutes after learning a plane had crashed into the building, the second plane flew into the South Tower. Mr. Barr, the principal, had stopped by to ask me about our Senior class meeting that was scheduled later that morning to talk about our class trip to New York City the following spring. He joined us in the office watching the news coverage. By this time Ms. Emery was in there as well. We all watched in silence, our eyes were fixated on the screen. After flipping back and forth between a couple of stations, CNN stated the plane crashes may have been the act of terrorism. That's the moment when our country, our way of life, were forever changed. This was the day that the words "terrorism," "Osama bin Laden," "Al-Qaeda" were introduced to our vocabulary. This was the day our country came under attack and thousands of innocent lives were lost.

Throughout the day we watched the news coverage in every class. Instead of discussing our class trip to New York City in our meeting, we began discussing other options. We learned about the plane crashing into the Pentagon, the towers collapsing, and the fourth plane crashing in rural Pennsylvania. The White House and Capitol were evacuated, as well as the United Nations buildings in New York. All air traffic in the United States was grounded.

We've all seen countless pictures and videos of the planes crashing, people leaping from the top floors of the towers, the buildings collapsing, and the chaos that ensued on the ground. Those images are still fresh in my mind.



The course of this great country changed that day. I know I'll never forget the chain of events and the different emotions that I felt; I was shocked, scared, angry, and confused. Millions of lives were impacted. It's important for every American to always remember the thousands of people that lost their lives that day, and to keep their friends and families in our hearts as they continue to cope with this tragedy nine years later. I am proud to be an American. I thank God every day for those who serve and protect our country. And whether or not you agree with the military efforts our country is involved in, it is your duty as an American to support our troops. God bless the United States of America.

An SEC coach punished for violating NCAA rules...

...and it's NOT Kentucky's John Calipari. The University of Tennessee released a list of self-imposed sanctions for the Men's Basketball team earlier today. Head Coach Bruce Pearl lied to the NCAA during a 17-month long investigation concerning possible recruiting violations. Athletic director Mike Hamilton is taking away $1.5 million of Pearl's salary over the next five years and Pearl is forbidden to leave campus to recruit for the next twelve months. The salaries of assistant coaches Jason Shay, Tony Jones, and Steve Forbes have been reduced by 25 percent as well. Shay cannot recruit off-campus for three months, Jones for nine months, and Forbes for an entire year. And remember these sanctions are self-imposed, as the NCAA investigation is ongoing. The NCAA investigation should be wrapped up by December.

Some people are calling for Pearl and/or his assistants to be fired. Some people are saying the sanctions are too harsh, saying the recruiting limitations could affect the school for several years to come and the salary cuts were excessive or unnecessary. But I'm satisfied with the punishment. I think Hamilton made the right moves, and he deserves credit for taking such swift actions against his own program. Many schools have imposed recruiting restrictions on themselves in an attempt to appease the NCAA. But I've never heard of an Athletic Director going after a coach's money the way Hamilton did. Coach Pearl will miss out on $500,000 of his $1.9 million salary in 2011. Even to someone averaging over $2 million a year between now and 2015, that's alot of money to lose. Hopefully this decision by Tennessee will set a precedent. If you break the rules, there's a chance your wallet could take just as big of a hit as your school. Losing $2 million is alot scarier for a high-profile coach than a post-season ban, no TV, recruiting restrictions, etc. that may or may not follow him to the next job. For coaches that leave programs facing sanctions, it's a way that the coach responsible for the sanctions can be held accountable for his actions. If Pearl left for the NBA tomorrow, it wouldn't matter what type of punishment the school or NCAA impose on Tennessee...but losing $1.5 million hurts, and I'm guessing it hurts bad.

What the NCAA has in store for Tennessee remains to be seen, and it could be months before we find out. But until then, I'm content with the job Mike Hamilton has done handling the situation.

links...
Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/feed/2010-09/vols-penalties/story/tennessee-self-imposes-penalties-on-basketball-program

Associated Press, from ESPN.com http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5554682

Peace out Darnell

Darnell Dodson is no longer on the UK Men's Basketball roster...from Marc Maggard's Twitter account

marcmaggard

Darnell Dodson is off UK's basketball team and won't be coming back..... http://bit.ly/9dQLYt

The Darnell Dodson saga has finally come to an end. If he's really gone, I only have one thing to say...good riddance. Dodson was one of my least favorite UK players of the last few years. I didn't like his attitude, and I didn't like his game. He came to UK with the reputation of being a dead-eye shooter. He played 15 MPG and shot only 35% from behind the arc - not horrible, but hardly outstanding. He was fifth on what I consider to be a poor outside shooting team behind Josh Harrellson, Eric Bledsoe, Jon Hood, and Patrick Patterson. And he wasn't any better on the other end of the court. Is this decision final? I have no clue. But I hope it is. Peace out Darnell. If you need any help moving your stuff out of the Lodge, hit me up.

Boise State a title contender?

Boise State is legit. They are a good, solid football team. They beat another good football team in Virginia Tech. A win against a top-10 program is a good win for any team, but it’s a great win for Boise State. Too bad that’s the only good football team they’ll play all season. Yes I know they play Oregon State, but they just lost to TCU. Being ranked #24/22 (AP/USA Today) and losing your first game probably means you’re on your way out of the top 25, at least for now. That leaves VA Tech as the only ranked team Boise St. plays all season. But I’m in a giving mood, so I’ll say Boise State plays two ranked opponents. They’ll beat Oregon State at home on September 25, and then enjoy the cake-walk that is their conference schedule. They’ll finish the season undefeated, again, and be in the discussion for the national championship game. I don’t have a problem with them being in the discussion. But I have a major problem with them playing for the national title, if that is where the chips fall.

Alabama is probably the best team in the SEC. Their schedule includes games against five ranked opponents; Penn State, Arkansas, Florida, LSU, and Auburn. Ohio State is the best team in the Big 10. They play four ranked teams; Miami, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Iowa. Texas, the best team in the Big 12, plays only two teams currently in the top-25, but those teams are Oklahoma (#7) and Nebraska (#8). Not to mention the quality of the un-ranked opponents Alabama, Ohio State, and Texas will face is much greater than the un-ranked teams in the WAC. I know there were several teams in the WAC that made bowls last year, but six wins in the WAC to become bowl eligible is less than impressive, at least to me. Boise State beat VA Tech with a month to prepare. They had a month to prepare for both Oregon and TCU last year. And they had five weeks to prepare for Oklahoma in that classic Fiesta Bowl match-up in 2007. Would they survive a four-game stretch like Florida’s schedule in October of this year: at #1 Alabama, vs. #21 LSU, vs. Mississippi State, vs. #23 Georgia with a record of 4-0?…or even 2-2?

My point is this – I have no love for good teams in bad conferences. If Boise State wants respect, and wants to be taken seriously as a “college football powerhouse,” they need to leave the WAC. It’s that simple.