It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Friday Night Lights Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous, that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up at any time on Friday.

Yet again, we get another good(at least on paper) matchup in college football before the majority of action on Saturday. This week it's #5 West Virginia heading to Tampa to face #18 South Florida. Last year, USF upset WVU in Morgantown. It should be a good game, though all I can think about when I hear West Virginia and/or Pat White is this clip from a WVU/Pitt game.

While I'll be rooting for USF, if I get to see Pat White imitating a bull on the sideline I'll be more than happy.



Happy Friday!

Coach Fran Selling Secrets Like A Chinese Spy

Doesn't it always seem that things pile on when the going gets tough?

Fresh off of a blasting by the 'Canes where Coach Fran's gameplan(don't give the ball to one of our best players, FTL!) was called into question numerous times, and an ESPN preview that features no text there comes word that Franchione sold inside information to boosters willing to pay $1,200 a year for it.

Texas A&M football coach Dennis Franchione said Thursday he has discontinued a secret e-mail newsletter sent to select boosters willing to pay $1,200 per year for team information that Franchione routinely has withheld from the public.
"I knew it was probably going to be controversial," Franchione said. "I certainly didn't mean for it to be that. When I knew you guys were starting to ask around a bit, I thought, 'Maybe we shouldn't do this.'"

It also calls into question whether he was withholding injury information because of the "it is not our policy to discuss them" angle that he always stresses, or because he was hoping to recruit more subscribers with the promise that they would be getting something that no one else was. There's also some speculation as to whether the people receiving the "inside" information could have used it for benefit in gambling, but since they "signed something" Franchione doesn't seem to believe that to be the case.

Because of the confidentiality agreement, Franchione said, he doesn't believe any of the subscribers used the information for gambling.

"We asked them to sign something," Franchione said. "And for them not to do that."

He added: "Most of these people are tremendously loyal Aggies."

Sure they might be loyal, but he has no idea who they're forwarding the newsletter to and what those people might be doing with it.

There also seems to be something wrong with a coach giving personal assessments about players in a newsletter like this. The players listed in the article can't be pleased with having their names and assessments out there for others to read.

The newsletter also provided a candid assessment of the Aggies' receiving corps.

"Privately, Coach told me last night that Earvin (Taylor) and Pierre (Brown) are very steady but with average speed," McKenzie wrote. "Kerry (Franks) has great speed, but (is) inconsistent in receiving."

This can't do anything for team morale, and it appears that the beginnings of getting Coach Franchione out of College Station could be underway.

Is Michael Vick Really Just An Idiot?

By now we all know about Michael Vick's involvement with dogfighting. He pleaded guilty to being involved so there's no denying that. However, something we haven't figured out is does he do stupid things because he has no regard for the consequences of his actions, or because he's an idiot?

That question got a little harder to answer this afternoon seeing as how Michael Vick tested positive for marijuana.

A federal judge placed tighter restrictions on Michael Vick on Wednesday after he tested positive for marijuana.

Because of the result, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson placed special conditions on Vick's release, including restricting him to his home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and ordering him to submit to random drug testing.

The urine sample was submitted Sept. 13, according to a document by a federal probation officer that was filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday."

So, here's Michael Vick, with the spotlight firmly on him, yet knowing that his every move will be scrutinized he violates a condition of his pretrial release.

You can look at this situation much the way Vick's other situation could be looked at. Did he really think that if he was caught engaging in this illegal behavior that nothing would happen? Or, did he think that there was nothing wrong with smoking some weed?

The two sound similar, but they are indeed very different. If it's the first, then Vick has decided that at a certain point the law does not apply to him. He's conducting his life under the assumption that he's above the law, and he should be punished accordingly. If it's the second, then obviously Michael Vick has no grasp of the concepts of right and wrong and punishment. In that case, he probably should undergo some type of mental evaluation and testing to determine just how impaired his judgment is.

I can't believe that someone who is severly impaired mentally could function as an NFL quarterback, but Michael Vick's actions have definitely brought that into question.

Stampeding Horses? Get Your Bite On!

Remember when horses were giant, majestic creatures that seemed to pose no harm to humans? We rode them off into sunsets, and did our very best to mend their injured hooves(Grow hoof! Grow!). Now they're all wild, with their stampedes and such.

"Doug Sauter, who coaches the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League, was at the fair Saturday attending the Centennial Expo's Draft Horse Show when he saw a Belgian horse break free from its reins. That caused a chain reaction that spooked other horses, he said Monday."

But have no fear because Coach Sauter knew exactly how to stop those wild horses, and surprisingly it didn't involve a firearm, taser or lasso.

"The coach of Oklahoma City's minor-league hockey team helped prevent a possible stampede of Belgian horses at the Oklahoma State Fair by biting one of the animals on its ear.

He bit the ear of one of the spooked horses to stop it from stampeding.

"That's how you stymie a horse," he said.

"You bite as hard as you can, and it won't move."

Obviously it's Sauter's glorious mustache that's given him all of these mystical powers. Though, it's unfortunate that he wasn't contacted to help heal Barbaro. Because if his bite can stop a horse, his kiss would definitely cure it of laminitis.

My Take On ESPN's "Michael Vick Town Hall Meeting"

Will over at Deadspin has a decent rundown on the "event" with links to commentary by Fynal Cut and Nation of Islam Sportsblog.

This is what I took away from the whole thing.

First, the crowd was overwhelmingly pro-Vick. This point was made even more obvious when one of the panelists(Chuck Smith I believe) compared Vick to a person who committed murder because they both knew what they were doing when they perpetrated their crime. The crowd did not like that one bit, and their loud boos conveyed that quite clearly. However, he did have a good point because Vick had to know that what he was doing wasn't in his best interest but he did it anyway, and now he has to pay the price for it.

Also, former Falcons player Terrence Mathis was there, but all he seemed concerned with was letting everyone know that he's forgiven Vick for what he's done. Great insight there Terrence, thanks.

Anyway, it does appear that there will be some support for Vick should he ever be up for reinstatement into the NFL. This is may be the best thing he's heard in months because public support could influence Roger Goodell one way or another. Just as some have accused Goodell of coming down too harsh on Vick because of public opinion and the Humane Society's outcry for justice, he might be more apt to let him back into the league if it appears that a majority of people have forgiven him.

In any case, the town hall meeting last night came across as a pretty big trainwreck to me because the panelists seemed to be genuinely interested in voicing their opinions, but the audience didn't want to hear any of them. Unless they were saying that Vick had been unfairly targeted, then they probably would have stood up and cheered for half an hour. Once again, ESPN presented us with something that in theory could have worked, but ended up crashing down in flames.

College Football Debriefing

Each week, after all of the games have been played, I'll re-visit some of them and give my take(synonym for biased, slightly informed opinion). It's called the debriefing because whatever happened during your chosen team's game you probably felt like you were part of a crime scene, or maybe a terrorist attack. Whether you thought you were robbed by the referees, or got to witness some WMD's exploding in your stadium, this is where we'll re-open fresh wounds and examine the positives and negatives. But since we're all college football fanatics, probably mostly the negatives.

Syracuse and Miami Are Who We Thought They Were!
Well, maybe not exactly, but Louisville and Texas A&M fans have to be residing in the same deep, dark hole right now. The Aggies traveled to the Orange Bowl for the final Thursday night game in the antiquated stadium(it's a trap!), and the 'Canes beat them down like it was 1987 and TAMU had shown up wearing Oklahoma uniforms. If Coach Fran thought his seat was hot before, he better have a fire extinguisher, a few thousand buckets of water and a flame retardant suit because it's on fiyah(!) now. I'm sure TAMU fans had to be happy seeing their bruising tail/half/elephantback Jorvorskie Lane rumble for 2 yards on 2 carries. Awesome!

And Louisville? They lost to one of the worst teams in Div.-1 football(screw the FBS, we're adverse to change!), Syracuse. They even lost in Papa John's Stadium where the only thing the Cardinals had been losing were notches on their belts because of that delicious pizza complimented by your choice of garlic or cheese dipping sauce.

The Top 5 Rolled On...For The Most Part
USC hung 47 points and 500+ total yards on Washington State. LSU struggled a bit with South Carolina by only putting up 28 points and 360 yards. Oklahoma took Tulsa behind the woodshed and did unspeakable things en route to 62 points and 550+ yards. Florida(rose colored glasses alert!) never seemed to hit on all cylinders against Mississippi as they posted up 30 points and 500 yards. And West Virginia blew out East Carolina to the tune of 48 points and almost 600 yards. Of course the two SEC teams struggled a bit because it's the toughest conference on this planet, and all of the other ones too!

Don't Look Now, But Michigan is 1-0 In The Conference
After App. State and Oregon, Michigan was getting written off by a lot of people. However, they showed on Saturday that at the very least they're interested in winning the Big 10, and hopefully screwing up someone else's season(Ohio State you're on notice!). Lloyd Carr rode Mike Hart just about until the wheels fell off(44 carries, 153yds, 1TD) as the Wolverines welcomed the Nittany Lions into their (getting) Big(ger) House, and then sent them off to do the walk of shame after getting freaky.

SEC Football Really Is Great(Homerism Warning)
Of course I'm a fan of SEC football. Who isn't? Oh you're not? Well, I'll have to report you to Homeland Security as being un-American. Seriously, the Georgia at Alabama game was one of the best this season. 'Bama scored 10 fourth quarter points to tie the game at 20, and force overtime. Then in OT Georgia holds them to a field goal, and on UGA's first OT possession Coach Richt lets Matt Stafford unleash his precision keg throwing skills for the winning TD. It was awesome, especially because I hate Dick Satan, and his gray suit. The South Carolina at LSU, and Florida at Mississippi games were closer than expected, but that just made for a better day of football(and increased pepto intake). Plus we had Kentucky scoring 21 unanswered points to beat Arkansas 42-29. After the Woodson safety, and Felix Jones kickoff immediately afterwards it looked like the Wildcats were doomed, but they battled back and won. And Andre Woodson played well again.

My (insert respective team here) Did This Well
They avoided a letdown loss after a big win against Tennessee the week before. Thanks to the announcers I now have seared into my brain the fact that there were 18 players on the Florida team making their first roadtrip. It was nice to see them grind out a closer than should have been win against an SEC opponent on the road. It should prepare them somewhat for heading to LSU in two weeks, and by some I mean about .0001%.

My (insert respective team Didn't Do This Well
Score, avoid penalties, cover the deep pass. Tebow put the team on his shoulders, and scored through the air and on the ground. However, the Gators racked up another 14 penalties for 127 yards, and they gave up 310 yards passing. Including a 77 yarder that brought Mississippi within 3 points of tying the game. I can still remember imploring Meyer through the picture box to put in Major Wright, and take out Kyle Jackson at least for a few plays. Of course, what happens? I get to see Joe Haden and Major Wright trying to catch Mike Wallace as he runs past them and to the end zone. Is Reggie Nelson available on Saturdays?

Heismens!
Like passing? How about these QB's? Graham Harrell's wonderful performance(46-67[67!], 646yds, 5TD, 0INT) resulted in a loss, but now he leads the nation in passing yards(1,963) and TD's(19). Curtis Painter has quietly put up almost 1330 passing yards and is second behind Harrell with 16 TD's. Brian Brohm was another losing QB this weekend, but like Harrell it's not because he couldn't help the offense put up points. Brohm went 45-65, 555yds, 4TD's and 2INT's. He's second to Harrell in passing yards with almost 1,700.

How about running? With his performance this past Saturday Mike Hart has started to distance himself from the rest of the pack. He leads the country with 655 yards, though Steve Slaton did add to his totals with 110 yards and 1TD against ECU.

Friday Night Lights!
Another week, another great weekday game. This week we get to see West Virginia travel to Tampa to take on USF. Both are undefeated, with identical 2-0 conference records, and WVU will be looking to avenge their 24-19 loss last year that knocked them out of BCS title contention. Raymond James will be rocking, and USF will be eager to add another win to their impressive list over the past few years.

Consider yourself debriefed!

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Prince Is A Balla Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous, that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up at any time on Friday.

This week we get to "rediscover" one of the greatest TV experiences of all time. The "Chappelle Show". Seriously, what else could have ever brought us "I'm Rick James, bitch!", "I'm rich bitch!", "I bought this baby straight cash!", or a ton of other colorful one liners? In addition to all of that hilarity we also got to hear Charlie Murphy's(darkness everybody!) account of playing Prince and The Revolution in a game of basketball. The NBA might want to look into scheduling some exhibitions with Prince and his crew if they ever want to attempt to attract viewers. I know I would watch if there was a chance to see Prince "cross cats up like Iverson".



Happy Friday!

JaMarcus Russell Was Obviously Holding Out For One Of These

You thought that Oakland Raiders quarterback and number one overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell held out for a lot of guaranteed money, but in reality he just wanted the Raiders to include a vehicle in the deal. Unfortunately, this guy obviously wouldn't part with his Raidermobile, and Russell had to accept that certain demands just wouldn't be met.

And yes, that one sticker reads "Pirates of the Coliseum". I'm not sure what is weirder, the fact that this guy is driving this around in Central Florida, or that he's not wearing spikey shoulder pads while behind the wheel.

College Football Debriefing

Each week, after all of the games have been played, I'll re-visit some of them and give my take(synonym for biased, slightly informed opinion). It's called the debriefing because whatever happened during your chosen team's game you probably felt like you were part of a crime scene, or maybe a terrorist attack. Whether you thought you were robbed by the referees, or got to witness some WMD's exploding in your stadium, this is where we'll re-open fresh wounds and examine the positives and negatives. But since we're all college football fanatics, probably mostly the negatives.

USC Did Their Best To State Their Claim As #1
At the beginning of the season everyone was saying that Nebraska was going to be USC's first big test, and that the Cornhuskers were looking for revenge after last year's game. Well, on Saturday it looked like USC had a cheetsheat, and paid off the professor after they put Nebraska down 42-10 early and held off a comeback attempt to win 49-31. USC's offensive line dominated all night en route to racking up 313 yards rushing with an 8.2ypc average. LSU's defense is probably better, but USC can put up points with anyone in the country. Orson(and Stranko) at EDSBS have some pretty good illustrations of just how dominant USC's offensive linemen were.

LSU Is Still The #1 Team In The Country
The Tigers beat an MTSU team that put up 42 on Louisville(pay no attention to Kentucky!) by a score of 44-0. With their backup quarterback. So far, over three games, LSU has allowed 7 points, and an average of 128 yards per game. And when the offense is averaging 45pts and 480 yards per game that equals lots and lots of wins.

Michigan Got A Win At Home!(Notre Dame Still Winless)
In the game "someone has to win" of the week, Michigan took out their frustrations from the App. State and Oregon debacles on Notre Dame as they cruised to a 38-0 victory. Mike Hart made good on his guaranteed victory by rushing for 187 yards and 2 TD's. The only positive is that it wasn't a home game for ND because I don't think even Touchdown Jesus would have stayed for the fourth quarter. ND hasn't scored an offensive touchdown yet this season, and their schedule doesn't get much easier.

Defense Wins Championships
At least that's what they've always told us. It's probably why over the last few years Louisville has been a great early season pick as possible Big East champ and national title contender, but always stumble at some point. Sure they can score points in bunches, but their defense always seems to allow them in that fashion as well and this year is no different. The only difference is that it caught up to them very early this season, as Kentucky downed the Cardinals 40-34. Andre Woodson played sharp all night, and looks to be a great leader for the UK team.

Nick Saban Has Time For Winning
Saban has his team sitting at 3-0 after the Crimson Tide pulled out a win against Arkansas, and I'm sure the fans couldn't be happier. I however, am not thrilled because I'm also a Miami Dolphins fan. So from here on out, Nick Saban will be known as Dick Satan.

My (insert respective team here) Did This Well
Won! Beating Tennessee 59-20 is good enough for me. They did everything well! If I had to pick one thing, though it would be the rushing attack. Coach Meyer knows how to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers, and that often means lining up a receiver in the backfield(Harvin, Fason, etc.). It's worked so far, and the rushing attack looks the strongest it has in years.

My (insert respective team here) Didn't Do This Well
Penalties are still a concern(9 for 66yds), but at least there wasn't one on the Brandon James return TD!

Heismens!
Colt Brennan? Maybe you've heard of him? Hawaii rebounded from a scary close game the week before to hang 49 on UNLV. Brennan's stats: 26-32, 298yds, 2TD's, 0INT and 3 rushing TD's. The week he scores less than 4 total TD's will cause widespread panic among UH fans.

Sam Bradford. If he keeps leading OU to wins while completing almost 80% of his passes, then he deserves some type of recognition.

Steve Slaton & Ray Rice. Running backs that have the fortunate situations of their coaches giving them the ball all the time. Tied for the nation lead in rushing TD's at 8 both are strong runners. Though, it does seem that Slaton hasn't gotten off to a great start, and I expect him to pull away from the competition as the season progresses.

Don't Forget Thursday(and Friday) Night!
We've got some more Thursday night games lined up this week as Western Kentucky and MTSU face off, and Texas A&M heads to the Orange Bowl to face Miami. It will be interesting to see how TAMU does against UM, and should give us a decent idea how they stack up against an OU team that put up 51 points on the 'Canes. Whatever happens it still beats anything else that's on TV that night.

We also get Oklahoma traveling to Tulsa on Friday night in what could be considered a "trap" game for the Sooners. Tulsa has enough firepower to make it interesting, but OU should get passed them.


You've been debriefed!

"This Is Going To Be Interesting To Say The Least..."

There are all kinds of phrases that could be considered famous last words. Things like "hey, watch this" or "what could possibly go wrong?". And after Killacycle(irony, ain't she a bitch) inventor Bill Dube's burnout demonstration at the Wired NextFest we can add "this is going to be interesting to say the least".



Holy shhhh...

Thankfully Mr. Dube is ok, as this could have been much, much worse.

Remember Kids, Your Favorite Team Sucks

We've all known that the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry is one of the most intense in all of sports. But when the kids get hurt has it gone too far?

Griffin Whitman, a 10-year-old Red Sox fan from Swampscott, was excited to attend his first Yankees vs. Red Sox game Friday night. The young autograph -collector was even more thrilled to score Yankees outfielder Shelley Duncan’s signature before the game. That is, until Griffin read the message from the 27-year-old rookie: “Red Sox suck! Shelley Duncan.”

“It was cool to get his autograph,” Griffin said. “It didn’t make me feel happy when he wrote that.”

Griffin’s mother, Karen, blasted the Yankees slugger’s bad manners.

“This is someone who wears the Yankee uniform and is on the payroll and should be setting an example for 10-year-olds,” she said.

Personally, I'm not a fan of kids, so I don't really care and actually find some humor in this. Though, I'm sure some of you out there will call Shelley Duncan a jerk, or tell him to f-off or throw beer on him at the next game. Whatever, that's what you get when you ask for an opponent's autograph while wearing the colors of their most heated rival. Besides, it was the kid's first game, he had to get introduced to the animosity firsthand at some point. At least Duncan included an exclamation point!

The Browns Get No Love Even When They Win

Yesterday, the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals put on a display of airpower usually reserved for when the U.S. military invades a country. There were bunker busters, Hellfires and Bulldogs flying all over Cleveland Browns Stadium. Though, that last one probably pertains more to the fans in the "Dawg Pound".

If you thought Cleveland had no chance at beating Cincy in shootout, then you were very, very wrong. Derek Anderson threw for 328 yards, 5TD's and 1INT as the Browns beat the Bengals 51-45. This, less than one week after Cleveland had traded away former starting quarterback Charlie Frye.

Cincy did put up good numbers, Carson Palmer passed for 401yds, 6TD's and 2INT's, and Chad Johnson finished with 11 receptions, 209 yards and 2TD's. However, Cleveland came into the game as a 7.5 point underdog at home, and pulled out the win. Yet, Yahoo! Sports decided to put up a picture of Chad Johnson stiff-arming Leigh Bodden on their frontpage.

Seriously? They couldn't find a picture of one of Braylon Edwards' 8 catches or his 2 touchdowns? What about Kellen Winslow and his 6 catches and 1 touchdown? Or even Jamal Lewis as he rushed for 215 yards and 1 touchdown?

I understand that Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson are bigger "stars" than Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards, but the Browns played a helluva game yesterday and pulled out a pretty crazy victory. It only seems fitting that they should get more recognition than a picture of their cornerback getting a hand to the grill by Ocho Cinco.

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Florida vs Tennessee Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous, that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up at any time on Friday.

In honor of the great rivalry that is Florida vs Tennessee this week's "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" is devoted to getting you, the reader(hi mom!) amped for the game. Obviously, this is going to be heavily slanted towards Florida, but whatever. Urban Meyer is 3-0 against the Vols, and that's far enough back into history for me. Well, that's not entirely true because we're going to step into the wayback machine to see Lawrence Wright say "hello" to Joey Kent. It's like shaking hands, but waaaay better. If you haven't had your fill of hate this week head on over to EDSBS for some second helpings. Happy Friday!

If Tony Hawk Had A Twin He Would Have Taken Over The World

Tony Hawk is probably the most recognizable skateboarder ever. Can you imagine if he had a twin? They would have ruled halfpipes and empty swimming pools all over the world. Instead, we got only one Tony Hawk, and his Birdhouses and video games. However, we do get two Puehse skateboarders, and they're looking to take the skate world by storm.

With tremendous talent, Nic and Tristan Puehse (pronounced PEW-zah) of Shingle Springs, Calif., outside Sacramento, have become a grass-roots marketing phenomenon. Their ability has taken them to China and onto “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” They have 14 sponsors, including Nike and Gatorade. And they are the stars of one of the most popular skateboarding videos on YouTube, a clip that has been viewed more than 2.5 million times since it was posted in January.

Of course they couldn't do this without support from their parents, but the father comes across a little Marv Marinovich-ish.

None of this would have been possible without the support of their father, Michael, a man with a vision, a video camera and a marketing plan.

“If they continue to progress like they’re doing, there’s no doubt they’re going to be pro,” said Michael Puehse, who has helped his sons’ careers by sending videotapes of the boys to potential sponsors since they were 6.

Oh well, with any luck we'll see them kicking ass in the X-Games in future years, and not losing their shoes on a crazy jump attempt. Besides, seeing them skating in unison is a bit mezmorizing, though it's also a little freaky.

"The Juice" Might Be Getting Squeezed Again

O.J. Simpson was questioned early this morning about any involvement he may have had in a robbery of sports memorabilia at the Palace Station Casino in Las Vegas. He's not currently in custody, but there is a news conference scheduled for later today to discuss the crime.

Investigators questioned O.J. Simpson about a break-in at a casino hotel room involving sports memorabilia, police said today.

The break-in was reported at the Palace Station casino late Thursday night, police spokesman Jose Montoya said.

Simpson was released and is believed to be in Las Vegas, Montoya said.

"We don't believe he's going anywhere," he said.

That doesn't sound too serious until you read that he allegedly went into someone's room, and "reclaimed" some items that he felt belonged to him.

FOX5 News interviewed a man, Thomas Riccio, who claims to have witnessed the incident which sparked the allegations. Riccio said he works for Universal Rarities, an auction house based in California, and that a customer had contacted him recently and said he had personal items that had belonged to O.J. Simpson. The customer claimed to have confiscated the items from Simpson because Simpson owed them money, Riccio told FOX5 News.

Simpson, perhaps believing the items were still rightfully his own, walked into a hotel room at Palace Station on Thursday night along with several other people and reclaimed the items in question, Riccio said. Simpson did not use force when entering the room and was unarmed, and never acted violently during the ordeal, Riccio said.

There's also some speculation that this might somehow coincide with the release of O.J.'s book "If I Did It". Perhaps as a promotional ploy of some sort?

Regardless, it's nice to see that O.J. has moved off of the golf courses in South Florida, and into the casinos in Vegas to find the killers that he's been tracking all of these years. Keep up the great work Inspector Clouseau!

Greg Spires' Wrecked Porsche Cayenne

Tampa Bay Bucs defensive end Greg Spires let his teammate, Donald Penn, borrow his Porsche SUV, and this was the result. Spires says that it's "no big deal". Though, the owner of the parked car that Penn smashed into seems to think it is.

The Mother's Day gift that Amy Lucas' children gave her 12 years ago was parked in her driveway when she heard a crash, she says.

The crash report shows Spires has insurance, but Lucas doubts she will be properly reimbursed for the true value of the Oldsmobile.

"I'll never get the money I put into that vehicle," she said. "We used to put it in car shows. Now, it just looks pitiful."

Looks like the Bucs have a roster full of great drivers with Penn and Stevens. You can see more pics in the gallery. Oh yeah, what's up with listing Spires' address in the story?

Cross Country Runner Dies From...Drowning?

It appears that a high school cross country runner from South Florida died due to drowning. Officials speculate that Corey McKenzie felt overheated during his race, and waded into a lake near the course where he became entangled in some plants and drowned.

McKenzie, 15, was pulled out of a shallow lake at Vista View Park in Davie on Tuesday, almost 17 hours after his race ended. Broward Medical Examiner Dr. Joshua Perper said McKenzie, a sophomore, likely suffered from heat exposure, or even heat stroke, and accidentally drowned after he went into the lake to cool himself and got tangled with plants in the water.

This is the first time that I've ever heard of a runner drowning while attempting to cool themselves off during a race. It is definitely a tragic event, but now the FHSAA wants to mandate more course monitors, the use of bicycles or golf carts to track the runners, and has thought about possibly moving the season to October. Though, some of the cross country coaches from the area don't think that those type of measures are necessary.

Coach Roy Chernock, of John I. Leonard in Greenacres, said there is no need for mandates.

"We are professionals," Chernock said. "We don't need for them to give us rules if we can handle what we are doing. ... To push for more rules would be a disservice to our sport."

I ran cross country in high school, and never felt so overheated or dehydrated that I felt the need to seek out a lake or pond to take a dip in. It is unfortunate that McKenzie passed away while trying to cool himself off, but I don't think a bunch of new rules should be put in place as sort of a kneejerk response. Setting up one or two water stations along the 3.1 mile course should be enough to help with any type of dehydration issues, and it should keep the runners from having to seek out an alternative water source.

Fallout From The Vick Suspension, Less Sellouts?

Since Michael Vick won't be making any appearances in the NFL anytime soon(unless it's picking up trash outside a stadium in an orange jumpsuit), it also means that fans of his won't be purchasing tickets to NFL games. For the most part this probably isn't a big segment of the ticket purchasing crowd, but how might it affect a city where the local NFL team isn't a huge draw and there have been rumors of the team moving to Los Angeles.

Say, a team like the Jacksonville Jagurs?

Well, the Jags failed to sell out their game against Atlanta this Sunday, and consequently the game will be blacked out.

The NFL blacked out Sunday's Atlanta-Jacksonville game Thursday morning because of lackluster local ticket sales.

There are about 4,000 tickets available for the game at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, and it was unlikely the Jags would sell all of them by today's 1 p.m. deadline. The NFL requires the game be a sellout 72 hours before kickoff.

The Jags never faced an Atlanta team with Vick at QB, so it's difficult to draw any comparison. And they have had a problem with games being blacked out, including almost having their '07 season opener blacked out.

However, not having a flashy player like Vick on the field has to keep some people from buying tickets, especially for a franchise that has trouble drawing fans in the first place.

How Does Dale Jr. Compare To "The Intimidator"?

With his 30th place finish at the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was officially dropped out of contention for the "Chase For The Championship". It marks the second time in three years that Dale Jr. won't make the cut for the 10-race playoff. It's also fueled some criticism of the driver, and questions as to why he hasn't been able to win a race the entire season while his father was able to amass seven championships over his career. But how much more success did Earnhardt Sr. have at the same stage in his racing career as Dale Jr. is at now?
Obviously NASCAR had changed quite a bit in the 24 years between when Earnhardt Sr. started in '75 and Dale Jr. joined the ranks in '99. However, it's still about having a fast car, getting around the track and pulling off quick pit stops. In that sense, things are pretty much the same.

In putting this comparison together, I realized there were a few different ways it could be done. I could take numbers strictly from between the ages of 24-31 for both drivers, or I could throw out Earnhardt Sr.'s first 3 years when he didn't race much and start counting his stats at age 27 when he participated in the same amount of races as Dale Jr. did at age 24(5 races). I ultimately decided to use the stats from when they both started at age 24, and compile a winning percentage. Here is what I found:

Dale Earnhardt Sr.(between the ages of 24-31): 128 races, 7 wins, 5 poles, 47 top fives. Won roughly 5% of his races, placed top 5 in roughly 36%.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.(between the ages of 24-31): 255 races, 17 wins, 6 poles, 69 top fives. Won roughly 6% of his races, placed top 5 in roughly 27%.

As you can see, at roughly the same stage both Dale Jr. and his dad put together similar statistics. Though Earnhardt Sr. did win his first championship at age 29, whereas Dale Jr. is still searching for his first.

All in all, Dale Jr. isn't too far off of the pace of his father, and his contentious relationship with his stepmother has to have been a burden on him over the past few seasons. It will be interesting to see how he performs with his new team. Rebounding all the way back to winning a championship next season would be an ideal way to shut up his critics, and draw more favorable comparisons to "The Intimidator" and his seven titles.

The Fries Knew It All Along

These two guys are the duo known as "Charlie's Frye's". Last season they wore costumes depicting french fry boxes with their moniker on it to support their starting quarterback. After Cleveland's trade of Frye to Seattle I was curious as to how they would respond.

Would the Cleveland police have to talk a large french fry container off of a high ledge? Would they burn their outfits outside of Cleveland Browns Stadium in protest? Or would they create new outfits in memory of Charlie?

How about none of the above? It seems that "Charlie's Fryes" gave up on him before the season even started.

We will no longer be continuing the "Frye Outfits" this year. I will go back to being called "Dawg Pound Mike". I will have a new site at www.dawgpoundmike.com. I just felt it was time to put away the "Frye Outfits". I still beleive Charlie will be our starter and have a great NFL career with the Browns. Dan and I started ths together to support Charlie. With Dan's new job and not being able to be at every home game...we decided we would end it. I will still be at every home game and every road game as well! I will be in section 118 of the Dawg Pound wth my jersey..."Dawg Pound Mike" stop by and say hello!

We both think Charlie is a quality quarterback but we really dont care who is the guy! We just want to see our Browns play for a Championship! GO BROWNS!!

I guess Charlie should have seen it coming when Dan got that new job, and his two most visible supporters quit on him. But on the upside maybe he can get some fans to start "Charlie's Dulce de Leche Frapuccino Blended Coffees".

Wearing "Racist" Football Jerseys Is Never A Good Thing

Once again we get another example of how things are a little different south of the Mason-Dixon line. Nathan B. Forrest High School in Jacksonville, FL is still named after a prominent KKK member, and their football jerseys are representative of the uniform he wore during the Confederate War.

The school, named for a Confederate army general and prominent Ku Klux Klan participant, is not performing to the academic standard set by the state's educational authorities.

The student body also happens to be 51 percent black.

Ironic?

We could argue until the end of time about the fairness of Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests and the circumstances of each student, for which there are many valid points.

But I challenge you to think about this simple question: How much power does a name carry?

When the school's doors opened last week, some community members feared and others hoped Forrest would have a new name. A community survey indicated the majority of residents -- albeit mostly outside the school district -- wanted a less controversial figure to represent the school.

But football players, again, will wear maroon and gray Rebels jerseys for Nathan B. Forrest this fall.

This situation reminds me of the Ole Miss Rebels, and the actions they undertook a few years ago to get rid of symbols that are considered "racially diversive".

Mississippi will sideline its Colonel Rebel mascot this football season(2003), taking another step to distance itself from the South's Confederate past.

In the last decade, Mississippi has been steering its image from the Old South by phasing out symbols that some say are racially divisive. Confederate battle flags, once pervasive at football games, have been banished and "Dixie" has been dropped as the school's unofficial fight song.

It seems odd that a high school would continue to function under the name of someone who had an association with one of the most racist organizations to ever exist. Especially after what transpired at Ole Miss, and after the confederate flag was brought down from over top the state Capitol in South Carolina. There is a petition to change the name, and it will be interesting to see if the Duval County School Board approves a change.

When Rugby Fans Attack

Sure, soccer houligans have been known to get a little crazy, but you don't often hear about rugby fans throwing down and getting dirty dirty. Especially not against TV reporters. However, that's exactly what happened in Australia during a live broadcast outside of Olympic Park.

Channel 7 sport reporter Ben Davis was tackled to the ground by an inebriated fan during a live cross from the Broncos/Melbourne Storm NRL finals match at Olympic Park.

He had been interrupted several times as four men skylarked in the background – one even tried to stick his tongue in his ear.

"They had been hanging around during the commercial break and I had said to them 'if you want to carry on on national television that is fine; just don't touch me on air'," Davis said last night.

He said he was hit in the head a number of times during the attack, which occurred just after he was taken off air.

"There was about four or five of them, I confronted (one) off air, saying 'I don't come to your workplace and do this' and then his brother and a couple of others came in and hit me in the head a couple of times. We all ended up on the ground."

Davis has wrist and hand cuts.

I've seen numerous people act like jackholes while on live TV, but I don't ever recall seeing the reporter end up scuffling with them. The worst part is that the assailants fled before the police arrived, and police are relying on the video to catch them.



And it's great to see that the cameraman came to his defense. Remind me not to depend on someone who operates a camera in a time of distress.

It's Always A Good Idea To Keep Your $20 Million Investment On The Sideline

As if the Miami Dolphins didn't already have enough problems this season. Some thought that Miami's signing of Joey Porter wasn't a shrewd move because of his injuries last season and his age. Others thought the acquisition of Trent Green wasn't smart because of his concussion last season. Many thought the drafting of Ted Ginn was a horrible idea because he was still slightly injured and Miami needed a quarterback(cough-Brady Quinn-cough).

If they thought those decisions were stupid, then they must really like the decision that Cam Cameron and his staff made on the Redskins' overtime winning drive in which they kept Porter on the sideline. Yes, instead of having one of their best players on the team out on the field, they kept him off of the field because they didn't feel he was familiar enough with the nickel and dime packages.

Coach Cam Cameron and defensive coordinator Dom Capers chose to limit Porter's participation because of all the time missed while recovering from Aug. 7 arthroscopic knee surgery, but also because Porter isn't familiar enough with the nickel and dime packages.

"He knows the base package extremely well," Cameron said. "We want to get to the point where he knows all three packages the way that he wants."

Well, that's great Cam except that with Porter out the Redskins rushed seven times for 45 yards to set up the game winning field goal. In fact, Clinton Portis gained about 1/3 of his yardage on that OT drive alone.

Even if he's not totally familiar with the nickel and dime he had to be a better option than "backup defensive backs Michael Lehan, Travares Tillman and Cameron Worrell", who were subbed in with the different packages. Though, it's just another great decision that Cam Cameron has made in his early days as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Even Sportscasters Have To Mix It Up Sometimes

Apparently, there was a pretty heated exchange between a sportscaster at a local Fox affiliate and the station's News Director.

Lake Mary police expect to wrap up their investigation today into a complaint by WOFL-Channel 35 sportscaster Thomas Forester that his boss pushed him during a dispute.

Police went to the station Thursday after Forester called for help. He told them he had been meeting with News Director Bob Clinkingbeard and tried to leave the room, but Clinkingbeard blocked his exit and "bumped" him intentionally, according to a police report.

Forester told police he wanted to press charges, according to the report.

As of now, no charges have been filed, but I'm curious as to what caused the flare-up. It had to be pretty significant if Forester wanted to press charges. According to one account, Forester was actually shoved up against a wall by Clinkingbeard.

"Clinkingbeard, 47, became so enraged with Forester's reluctance to carry out an assignment, he confronted him in a hallway and shoved Forester against a wall. Angry and shaken, Forester retreated to his desk and telephoned Lake Mary police."

I'll be keeping an eye out for the video should it ever be available for the public to view. I'll post it up if I ever get it, or shoot me link if any of you out there find it.

Now We Know What Belichick Has Under That Sweatshirt

All this time we've wondered what New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick hid under that sweatshirt. Was it some Pete Carroll style abs? Maybe a six pack of Sam Adams? What about a blackbook full of married women's phone numbers?

Or maybe a hidden camera that records through a tiny pinhole in the Patriots logo?

If that's the case, he wouldn't be the first New England Patriots employee accused of violating the NFL's policy on sideline cameras. He wouldn't even be the first this season.

NFL security confiscated a video camera and its tape from a New England Patriots employee on the team's sideline during Sunday's game against the Jets in a suspected spying incident, sources said.

The camera and its tape were placed in a sealed box and forwarded to the league office for investigation, the sources said.

The Patriots' cameraman was suspected of aiming his camera at the Jets' defensive coaches who were sending signals to their unit on the field, the sources said. The league also is investigating some radio frequency issues that occurred during the game.

The league's competition committee could conduct a conference call about the incident, which violates NFL policy, and ultimately recommend a penalty that could cost the Patriots a future draft pick or picks if it verifies that the team was spying on the Jets.

And apparently it's not the first time that the Pats have been accused of doing something like this.

"It's not their first time," a member of the committee, who did not wish to be identified, said.


In fact, Green Bay Packers president Bob Harlan confirmed a similar incident that occurred when the Patriots played at Lambeau Field last Nov. 19. The same cameraman who was questioned by NFL security on Sunday was also the one whom the Packers removed from the sideline and escorted from the field during their 2006 game, according to Packers security official Doug Collins.

"From what I can remember, he had quite a fit when we took him out," Harlan said. "We had gotten word before the game that they [the Patriots] did this sort of thing, so we were looking for it."

So, are the Pats employing a cameraman just to spy on their opponents in an attempt to steal their signals? I wouldn't put anything past Belichick, and the New England front office, though it still seems a little far-fetched. However, it does add a little more intrigue to the Jets/Pats game on December 16. I suggest the Jets demand that Belichick gets a pat down, and has to lift up his sweatshirt to reveal what's underneath.

Be Careful Who You Mug

I would never condone mugging, but if feel like you must mug someone make absolutely certain that the target is not a world-class martial arts enthusiast.

A blind judo expert astounded a mugger by pinning him to the ground after he tried to steal his cigarettes, police said on Monday.

The assailant, a 17-year-old man of Asian origin, spotted the 33-year-old, who police identified only as Emil E., at a train station in the southwestern town of Giessen and thought he would be easy prey, police spokesman Rolf Wellershausen said.

But what the attacker did not know, the spokesman said, was that his victim was a world-class blind judo wrestler.

The 17-year-old threatened the blind man, then punched him in the face, at which point the martial artist flipped him and held him down until police arrived.

The saddest part is that this judo expert is probably more athletic than most of my friends, and he could probably kick all of their asses. At the same time.

Jacksonville's Freaky Kicking Injuries Continue

Getting injured during the course of the game is a constant possibility for NFL players, even kickers. However, getting injured during pregame warmups is not something you want to be a part of, especially if you're the kicker(or getting injured during a celebration, I'm looking at you Gramatica!). However, that's exactly what happened to Jacksonville's starting kicker Josh Scobee yesterday.

For once, pregame warmups were significant. They cost Jacksonville a key weapon and a serious piece of strategy for Sunday's season opener. K Josh Scobee pulled a quadriceps muscle before the game when his kicking foot struck the turf. He kicked one more field goal and felt another twinge. Then he slammed his helmet to the ground. "It just wasn't a good idea to kick off or doing anything long," Scobee said.

The worst part is that his injury probably cost the Jags three points, the margin of defeat against the Tennessee Titans.

He booted one extra point and a 22-yard field goal, surrendering long attempts and kickoffs to P Adam Podlesh. Scobee's injury might have cost the Jaguars three points. Early in the third period they were forced to go for a first down on fourth-and-10 from Tennessee's 19-yard line. A 36-yard field goal was too long for Scobee to attempt. He told Coach Jack Del Rio that anything beyond the 15-yard line was too long.

Scobee was 7-7 between 30-39 last year, so it's pretty safe to assume that he would have knocked that field goal through. Had he been able to do so, Jacksonville would have tied the score at 13-13, and who knows what the outcome would have been.

Eventhough it does seem like a freak injury, maybe it shouldn't be too surprising considering that Jacksonville did lose a punter once to an ax incident that took place in the locker room.

Peter Boulware Wants Your House!

Peter Boulware has become the latest athlete to run for political office after ending his professional playing career. Today he announced that he's running for the House seat currently held by Loranne Ausley.

Former Florida State University defensive end Peter Boulware, who went on to a standout career for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, said Monday that he is a Republican candidate for a Tallahassee-area seat now held by term-limited Democrat Rep. Loranne Ausley.

"I care deeply about the issues facing Florida and the Panhandle, and I believe that I can be a strong voice for the residents of our community and make a difference in public service," said Boulware, who now is a vice-president of a Tallahassee car dealership and regularly featured in its television ads.

Three Democrats are already in the race to succeed Ausley in the decidedly Democratic district. Among them is Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, wife of television newscaster Mike Vasilinda.

Boulware does have his work cut out for him as a Republican running in a district that hovers around 55% Democrat. Though, it will be interesting to see how many of the voters remember his days as a leader on the FSU football team, and cast their vote for him.

NASCAR Fan Blood, It's The Best!

I believe that there's a horrible blood shortage in the state of Florida, at least that's what they're constantly telling us. Everytime I see one of those bloodmobiles I consider giving blood, though it's mostly because I know how easy it is to get wrecked afterwards.(Keep your cookies and juice, bring me alkeehol!).

Well, now NASCAR has entered the blood donating arena by providing free admission to next year's Daytona 500 qualifying races in exchange for your cells. I hope they screen for whiskey, Busch Light and tobacco.

Free admission to next year's Daytona 500 Qualifying races is the latest freebie being offered to blood donors Tuesday in a partnership between Florida's Blood Centers and the NASCAR Foundation.

From noon to 6 p.m., at the infield Boardwalk Club at Daytona International Speedway, donors are being urged to come and give a pint. In addition to free admission to the qualifying races scheduled for Feb. 10, 2008, donors will also receive a goodie bag with coupons for local restaurants and theme parks.

Donors can be as young as 16. There is no upper age limit.

I'm not sure I would include "give a pint" in the description because people(i.e. drinkers) will automatically think of a pint glass, and those are pretty damn big. Especially when they're holding your blood.

However, it is nice to see NASCAR doing their part to help build up the blood supply in the state. Though, Gunner's dad can't be happy about the 16 year old age limit. In fact, he would probably say something like "that's fucking bullshit".

Do What You Do Well Or Be Prepared To Lose

Every week you see a football team try and win their game in a manner that they're not used to doing. Whether it's getting into a shootout when you're used to grinding it out on the ground, or trying to continually run the ball when your quarterback can air it out at will. At the end of the game, usually one that results in a loss, people wonder why the team didn't stick to doing what it does best. This weekend's team was the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Over the past few season, the Jaguars have been known as a strong running team that uses their running success to set up the playaction pass. Last season, they were tied for 3rd in the NFL in rush attempts per game(32.1), in '05 they were ranked 8th(31.4) and in '04 they were ranked 15th(27.9). So what did they do yesterday with their rushing combo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew?

They rushed 13 times. Total. For a whopping 48 yards, and no touchdowns.

Instead, they asked David Garrard to throw 30 passes, and to try to win the game through the air. It's no wonder they lost to Tennessee 13-10.

I expect to see significantly more rush attempts for both Taylor and Jones-Drew when they face Atlanta in week 2.

College Football Debriefing

Each week, after all of the games have been played, I'll re-visit some of them and give my take(synonym for biased, slightly informed opinion). It's called the debriefing because whatever happened during your chosen team's game you probably felt like you were part of a crime scene, or maybe a terrorist attack. Whether you thought you were robbed by the referees, or got to witness some WMD's exploding in your big house stadium, this is where we'll re-open fresh wounds and examine the positives and negatives. But since we're all college football fanatics, probably mostly the negatives.

LSU IS The Best Team In The Land
The Tigers totally dismantled a pretty good Virginia Tech team on Saturday night en route to a 48-7 blowout. Any hopes I had of this being a good game were pretty much gone by halftime, and were really gone in the third quarter when Ryan Perrilloux stepped in to throw a long TD to Early Doucet. The Tigers held the Hokies to just 149 net yards while racking up close to 600 net yards themselves, including almost 300 yards rushing. Right now, it looks like LSU has the inside track on the BCS title game, and they should be ranked ahead of USC which played the powerhouse that is idle! Also, Oklahoma looked pretty dominant as well. Their O-line looked as good as any in the country, and Sam Bradford played great. Don't be surprised if they creep up the rankings throughout the season.

The Upsets Continue
Last week we got Appalachian State over Michigan. This week we got Washington over Boise St., South Carolina over Georgia and USF over Auburn. The Huskies always play hard at home, and Taylor Tharp throwing 3INT's didn't help Boise State. UW could be a sleeper in the Pac-10. Spurrier finally got his win against UGA as head coach of South Carolina, and Matt Stafford appeared to have done a few too many keg lifts because he was off all night(43.2% completions). USF took down another big football school with their win over Auburn. The game probably shouldn't have even gone into overtime, but USF's kicker had a little trouble keeping it between the uprights. If the Bulls can play solid defense, they could contend for the Big East this year. Louisville and WVU haven't looked outstanding, though Rutgers has played pretty well.

Not A Fan of Upsets? What About Close Calls and High Scores?
We certainly got both of those week(end). It started out with Louisville having to score as much as they could in order to get past a gritty MTSU team(58-42). Seeing 100 total points on the board with the teams only seperated by 16 at the end of game always means that at least the viewers had fun. WVU played it a little close against Marshall in the early Saturday game(11AM only encourages breakfast drinking!), but pulled away late. Nebraska barely got past a tough Wake Forest team that was without its starting QB(20-17). Cal had to hold off a late game surge by Colorado State for their win(38-24). Texas A&M needed three OT's to get past Fresno State(47-45)(The J-Train is a beast!). Hawaii had to go to OT to defeat Louisiana Tech(45-44). Even Wisconsin had to score late to pull out their victory over UNLV(20-13).

It's Going To Be A Long Year In South Bend and Ann Arbor
We all kind of knew that ND was going to have a down year this year. The inexperience at quarterback was bound to be a problem. However, losing the first two games by a combined score of 64-13 is never fun. This week they get a Michigan team that followed up an upset by Appalachian State by getting smoked by Oregon, 39-7. After last week's loss, everyone wondered how Michigan would fare against a similar offense with faster and stronger athletes. Well we got the answer Saturday afternoon, and it was "fucking horrible". Oregon, ahem "Scoregon", put up points at will, and even used a successful statue of liberty play to set up a successful statue of liberty fake. After which, I'm surprised that Lloyd Carr didn't calmly lay his headset down on the turf, and walk out of the stadium never to be seen again.

My (insert respective team here) Did This Well
Well, the Gators ran the ball extremely well. Kestahn Moore has actually done a nice job as the starting back, and Tebow continues to stiffarm his way to the endzone.

My (insert respective team here) Didn't Do This Well
Pass defense(again) and penalties. The secondary got torched again for almost 300 yards passing and two TD's. The defense as a whole had trouble containing Omar Haugabrook in the second half. The Gators also racked up 11 penalties for 104 yards. They had the same problem last year, and I'm sure that Coach Meyer can't be happy about it carrying over into this season.

Heismens!
Colt Brennan makes his second straight appearance here after completing 43-61 for 548 yards, 4TD's and 1INT against LaTech. Hey everybody we're all gonna get leied!

Ray Rice makes his debut here after his 175 yard, 2 TD performance against Navy. Rice now leads the nation in rushing yards with 359(and 5 TD's).

Brian Brohm's passing performance lead his Louisville team to victory. His QB rating is 226.5 and he has 9TD's and 0INT's so far on the season.



Until next week, consider yourself debriefed.

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Office Space Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous, that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up at any time on Friday.

I'm sure that at some point we've all had one of those weeks where we didn't want to do what we were doing anymore. The movie "Office Space" really does a great job of hammering that point. And for some reason I felt like posting this clip.

"I don't like my job, and I don't think I'm going to go anymore."

Classic! Happy Friday!

UNH Keepin' It Gangsta

When you hear the name "University of New Hampshire" it probably conjures up images of drive-bys, gang signs and organized beatdowns. And rightfully so because their backup QB has been charged with murder after he and his friends beat a surfer to death in San Diego.

The backup quarterback for the University of New Hampshire has been charged with murder and suspended from the team, university officials said Friday.

Junior Henri "Hank" Hendricks was charged with murder, assault and battery in San Diego in connection with the beating death of a professional surfer. He will be arraigned on Sept. 10.

San Diego media outlets reported that police said that Hendricks and four others are members of a gang known as the Bird Rock Bandits. They are accused of killing Emery Kauanui Jr. on May 24

Apparently Kauanui spilled his drink on one of Hendricks' friends, and they all decided to retaliate.

Kauanui, 24, died May 28, four days after he was beaten in La Jolla. Seth Cravens, 21; Eric House, 20; Matthew Yanke, 21; and Orlando Osuna, 22, were previously charged in connection with the meeting.

Prosecutors said that Cravens delivered the fatal blow to Kauanui in a fight that started between Kauanui and House. According to Kauanui's girlfriend, the fight began when Kauanui accidentally spilled his drink on House.

Supposedly there were MySpace accounts for some of the guys involved, but I couldn't find them.

Some members of the Bird Rock Bandits maintained MySpace pages that glorified their love of football, drinking, drug use and other activities, although several of the sites have been edited since the arrests.

Osuna's MySpace page lists his interests as girls, watching football, skateboarding and snowboarding. He says he would like to meet Bob Marley, the reggae-music legend, who died in 1981.

Apparently, these guys played high school football together, though they seemed to have be in trouble during those times as well. Nothing like using your teamwork skills to kill someone.

Two of the suspects, Cravens and House, played football at La Jolla High. David Ponsford, their coach, said he wasn't shocked to learn of the accusations against them.

“I had heard some stuff about them just hanging around and partying,” Ponsford said. His reaction to the arrests: “I guess the best words are 'surprised' and 'disappointed.' ”

Both youths challenged authority at times during their football-playing days, Ponsford said of Cravens, who was a running back, and House, a receiver and linebacker.

It's sad to hear that Hendricks, the one that has made the most of his football talent, got caught up in this mess. From the UNH site it sounds like he had some decent QB skills.

Hendricks has shown great improvement heading into his junior season and is slated as the backup quarterback. Posted a solid effort in UNH’s spring football game completing 14-24 passes for 165 yds. and a pair of TDS, along with no interceptions.

Unfortunately, it looks like he'll be quarterbacking a prison team for the next few years.

So You Think You're Tough

Would you attempt this? Yes, that's "glacier surfing", and Garrett McNamara and Kealii Mamala make it look relatively easy. Craziness...

All Your Big Tenleven Belongs To Urban Meyer

First, there was the BCS title game against Ohio State where Urban Meyer's team put on a display of asswhoopery of great proportions. His team showed what speed and quickness could accomplish against an opponent not used to seeing a squad loaded with fast personnel at every position. Some thought it was a fluke, that the longer layoff really hurt Ohio State, or that Ted Ginn would have saved them from their humiliation(maybe if he could block Earl Everett or Ray McDonald or Jarvis Moss or, well you get the idea).

Then came the Michigan loss to Appalachian State.

But before we get into that, let's have a little background info about coaches "sharing" ideas and philosophies. Due to his success in implementing the spread option offense, Meyer has had other coaching staffs visit him in Gainesville to learn how he does it. Over the past two years, that list has included Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and more recently Appalachian State. Now do you see where this is headed?

Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore headed down to Gainesville to check out Meyer's system, and against Michigan it was a Meyer-esque style attack that provided one of the biggest upsets ever in college sports.

Meyer said early in the week that he had gotten to know Appalachian State Coach Jerry Moore. Moore visited the UF coaching staff to learn more about the Gators' spread option offense.

The Mountaineers' version of that scheme helped them shock then-No. 5 Michigan 34-32 Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium. Meyer saluted Moore again Thursday and said he may call him for a favor.

"I want to see that game film," Meyer said.

In comparing film from both the Florida/Ohio State and Appalachian St./Michigan matchups you can see similar wrinkles, and how Meyer and Moore used their faster players to help spread the field and keep the defense on its heels.

So, as you watch these App. St./Michigan highlights remember that Urban Meyer had a hand in this, and that it was payback for anyone who still believed that Michigan should have played OSU in the BCS title game last year.

Why Winning Your Season Opener In The NFL Is So Important

With the regular season of the NFL set to kick off tonight, I thought I would check out how the teams that eventually appeared in the Super Bowls over the past ten years did in their season openers. Let's just say that if your team loses on Sunday don't plan your Super Bowl party around them.

Over the past ten years, there have been 20 teams that made Super Bowl appearances(this kind of math is easy and fun!). Their combined season opener record is 16-4. Of those four losses, three were in road games('02 Tampa Bay is the lone home loser to appear in the SB), and two of the four were suffered by the New England Patriots(just another reason to hate Belichick, Brady and Co.!). The only good news is that 3 out of the 4 losers actually defied the odds, made the Super Bowl and ended up winning it. Well, it's good if you're not a fan of the '05 Seahawks(see, they really should have won that game).

So, if your team plays at home this weekend and loses, then you can probably kiss those Super Bowl aspirations goodbye. However, if they play on the road and lose, then things might not be so bad come next February.

Every Once In A While Those School Songs Work Out

So today, while checking out UF themed ringtones, I came across a rap song by a group called "Pearly Whites". This was no ordinary rap, no it was far superior to any of that bling bling hippity hop the kids listen to these days(seriously, a bay bay?). It was about the Florida Gators, and the first version I stumbled upon was about Florida whooping the Buckeyes in the BCS title game last season. Though, the demonish sounding "chomp chomp" at the end might scare the children a bit(especially the ones in Ohio).



What I didn't know at the time was that this was actually a "remix". The original is a rap about the SEC and the Seminoles. Here's a clip of that as well, please disregard the low-budget video.



I have to admit, most of the time I don't enjoy fan songs about particular teams. Too often they seem poorly put together, and result in the fans of that school enduring more ridicule. However, these two aren't that bad, though it helps if your team has some rings and trophies to redeem yourself with.

Zombie Nation, It's Not Just For PSU Football Fans Anymore!

In case you're not aware of the whole Penn State/Zombie Nation thing here's a video to get you up to speed.



Now, in searching for that I came across a number of other Penn State related zombie nation videos. Including this one which features a member of the Penn St. club baseball team, Mark Mihalik. I have a feeling that he survives on brains and Doug Mirabelli highlights.

College Football Debriefing

Each week, after all of the games have been played, I'll re-visit some of them and give my take(synonym for biased, slightly informed opinion). It's called the debriefing because whatever happened during your chosen team's game you probably felt like you were part of a crime scene, or maybe a terrorist attack. Whether you thought you were robbed by the referees, or got to witness some WMD's exploding in your big house stadium, this is where we'll re-open fresh wounds and examine the positives and negatives. But since we're all college football fanatics, probably mostly the negatives.

Most of the powerhouses roll.
When you see scores like 73-10(Louisville vs. Murray St.) or 79-10(Oklahoma vs. North Texas) it's usually a good indication that you're still in the first two weeks of the season. For the most part, the teams that should win did win(yes, that's item 2, quit jumping the gun). However, a couple of the wins were much closer than they probably should have been. Case in point, Texas: 21, Arkansas St.: 13. Sure, it was 21-3 in favor of UT at one point, but Arky St. did rack up almost 400yds of net offense. That won't work next week against a tenacious TCU team(alliteration, yeah!).

You DO NOT Want To Lose Your Home Opener To A 1-AA School.
First, this FBS/FCS madness has to stop. In fact, I'm sure that it could be partly to blame for Michigan's meltdown in their "It Used To Be A Big House But Now It's More Like A Gigantic Fishbowl". When Lloyd "karma is a bitch" Carr(don't think we haven't forget about your UF cheapshots sir!) saw FCS he must have thought it meant "Free Cheezburger Series". Unfortunately, it was Meeechigan that got lollerkatted(thank EDSBS for that hilarity). And congrats to Appalachian St., and all of their fans. Their win is truly what college football is all about.

My (insert respective team here) Did This Well.
For me it's obviously the Gators. And what did they do well on Saturday? Passed the ball. I had heard about Tebow's arm strength and his new throwing motion, but no one had seen him play as the full-time starter. He played, and played quite well. His final stats were: 13-17, 300yds, 3TD, 0INT. And Riley Cooper? Dare I say Chris Doering redux?(but with more speed).

My (insert respective team here) Didn't Do This Well.
They didn't defend the pass particularly well, especially early in the game. Sure it was the first drive of a brand new season, but UF's pass defense looked shaky on WKU's opening possession. Against a stronger opponent it would have resulted in at least a field goal, if not a touchdown. There was some pressure on the QB throughout the game, but the corners and safeties have to tackle better and make better reads(I'm looking at you Tony Joiner and Kyle Jackson). See, even when your team wins 49-3 there are negatives. Gotta love college football fans!

The Earliest of Early Heisman Watches.
Colt Brennan is still putting up monster numbers in that quarterback's paradise known as Hawaii. His stats for the weekend? 34-40, 416yds, 6TD's, 0INT, free rum runners.

Marlon Lucky ran wild on Saturday, to the tune of 233 yds and 3TD's. Consistently putting up anything remotely close to that on a weekly basis will put everyone on notice.

Earl Bennett had a great receiving day, 13 rec. 223yds 3TD's. He's coming off of an 1100+ receiving yard season, and will be Vandy's go to guy.



So there you have it, some of the stats and storylines from this weekend's amateur action. Now please put your underwear back on because this isn't that kind of a debriefing.