Peyton Manning Would Like A Shot At A Gold Medal

Apparently, Peyton Manning did not enjoy seeing Michael Phelps win eight gold medals at the Olympics without being able to do something about it. Oh well, at least he performed better on Saturday Night Live.

Refusing to stand idly by Mr. Manning has decided to put his stamp of approval on a petition to get the Olympic Committee to include American football on its list of sports. And based on his words at weplay.com, it sounds like he's pretty damn serious about the whole thing.



And if you don't agree, then you're obviously being completely bogus.

(In the interest of disclosure, in the e-mail I received pertaining to this I was offered a $25 gift certificate to Eastbay for posting the "widget". However, putting this up for humor far outweighs any credit at Eastbay.)

The Gators Have Some Holes To Fill

This is somewhat old news, but I didn't get a chance to cover it last week. Greg Mattison, the co-defensive coordinator, has left Gainesville to be the linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens.

Apparently, he had been courted before because he's a friend of the Ravens new head coach John Harbaugh. Mattison turned down the first offer, but accepted the second one. The position didn't stay vacant for long, however because former Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney was brought on board to fill it.

Last year, McCarney was the Defensive Line Coach/Assistant Head Coach for a South Florida squad that surprised a number of people. Under his guidance, the Bulls tallied 30 sacks and 113 tackles for a loss. They allowed 130.5 rushing yards per game, but only gave up 8 rushing touchdowns through the season. Hopefully he can mold some of Florida's defensive linemen into a beast like George Selvie was for USF.

Though they were able to fill Mattison's position, Florida still has to fill holes at the safeties and running backs coaching spots. Both of those positions underperformed last season, so the Gators need to fill them with coaches that can make an immediate impact. It will be interesting to see who Coach Meyer goes with when selecting the replacements. Hopefully, the new safeties coach can keep the secondary from getting torched so much in '08.

The Five Words That I Did Not Want To Hear

Over the weekend, I discussed Zach Thomas's release with some of my friends who are also Miami Dolphins fans. For the most part, we all agreed that Thomas had been a phenomenal player, and that the Dolphins were fortunate enough to have held onto him for as long as they did. However, the defense isn't getting any younger, and cutting some veterans to make way for new talent is just part of the sport. Then I read the one thing that my friends and I feared the most:

Zach Thomas Meets With Patriots

Ugh. As if seeing Wes Welker morph into one of the best receivers in the league last year wasn't hard enough, now we might have to deal with the same thing on the other side of the ball. I understand that releasing Thomas was the business aspect of pro football, and that the Patriots have a need for him and are great at bringing in players and seemlessly intergrating them into their team. However, I'm not sure that I can take another season of watching a former Dolphin flourish with a hated rival while he helps beat the Dolphins twice during the regular season. I would like to see Thomas win a Super Bowl before he retires, just not with the Pats.

Note To Announcers: Of Course They're Signaling That Way

Since the end of the NFL season is alomost here, I thought this would be a perfect time to address an issue that has become a pet peeve of mine. Even if you've only watched one football game in your life I'm sure you've seen/heard it, though you might not be aware of it.

And what is it?

It's when the announcers go out of their way to make us aware that the players on the field are signaling either that they've recovered a turnover, or that they're signaling that a penalty is against their opponent. Of course the players are signaling that way. What the hell else would they do? Have you ever seen a player signal that a penalty was against their team, or that they turned the ball over and didn't recover it? No? Didn't think so.

So, please announcers, follow the action on the field, but when the players are signaling that their team has done something good don't feel the need to beat it into our brains that that's what their doing. It makes us feel like you think we're stupid, and really pisses some of us off.

Jon Kitna Better Be Saying His Prayers Saturday Night

Jon Kitna, probably the NFL's most openly religious player, might need some help from the heavens on Sunday when he faces the Dallas Cowboys. If he doesn't get it, then Terrence Newman might be the one making sure he has a "religious experience".

You see, after Detroit beat Dallas last year with Kitna throwing four touchdown passes, the Lions' quarterback made some comments that certain Cowboys' players didn't appreciate. In particular, Kitan singled out cornerback Terrence Newman and linebacker Bradie James. He stated that Newman wasn't as skilled as Seattle corner Marcus Trufant, and added that the Lions weren't scared to throw his way. He also said that throughout the game that James looked lost.

Newman responded on Tuesday with some comments of his own.

"Basically what it boils down to is you've got to watch what you say. Your mouth can't write checks that your (expletive) can't cash. That's what it comes down to," Newman said. "Everybody's going to see those quotes. He better just hope I don't blitz off the edge, because I've got 15, 25, 30 (thousand dollars), however much it would be for a fine. I've got that much for one fine. Revenge will be sweet definitely."

Of course the NFL sent Newman a nice letter indicating that he'll be under surveillance this weekend, but at least it adds an extra angle to the game. Hopefully Kitna puts some Holy Water in that Gatorade bottle.

PacMan Gives Back To The Community One Wrestling Event At A Time

Last Friday, I told you about PacMan Jones meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his suspension and possible early reinstatement. I stated that I didn't think PacMan would be reinstated because of his ongoing legal woes, but it turns out that it might have been for a different reason.

About a month ago, PacMan told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he felt he had done enough to warrant an early reinstatement.

"I think I did enough. I did pretty much everything Mr. Goodell asked me to do. So, all I can do is just wait and go back to speak with him," Jones said in an interview in Sunday's editions of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Jones said he's been using the time to restore his image. He also has two felony coercion charges pending against him in Las Vegas for a strip club fight and triple shooting on Feb. 19.

"I'm just staying to myself, taking this time out to worry about things I need to do better as a person -- whatever I got to do in the community, whatever I have to do to better my image as a person so I can get back on the field," he said Friday.

So, what did PacMan, a player who is willing to do whatever it takes in the community, do to help his case?

He bought wrestling tickets.

For Atlanta students to watch him wrestle.

Jones had met with the commissioner last week in New York, pleading for some leniency and an early return. But the cornerback whose biggest community service was buying wrestling tickets for Atlanta students to watch him at a pay-per-view event last month didn't convince Goodell.

If there was any doubt as to why PacMan's legal woes have become what they are that should erase most of it. He had the opportunity to show Commissioner Goodell with actions, not words, that he was serious about helping his community and getting reinstated in to the NFL. In fact, it reminds me of something he said during his wrestling appearance.

"You talk a lot. But one thing about me, I don't talk the talk, I walk the walk."

Yeah, and that walking is going to be done away from the football field for the remainder of the NFL season.

There Will Be No More Friday Night Lights For Raines High School

High school football played under the lights on Friday night has become such a big tradition nationwide that they've made movies and TV shows about it. However, if you're a fan of Raines High School in Jacksonville you better bring your sunglasses for the last two home games of the season.

Neighborhood violence has put an end to a high school tradition at one Northwest Jacksonville campus. Effective immediately, there will be no more home night games for the Raines High School football team.


Athletic officials told WJXT-TV that they worry students could be at risk because of increasing violence near the school.


The changes mean fans planning to attend this Friday's game featuring Raines and Bishop Kenny need to get to the field early. School officials have moved the game to 1 p.m.

The school district has decided to move the school's remaining two home games to Friday afternoon because of safety concerns.

A shooting that happened about two weeks ago near the school as a Raines football game against Lee High School was letting out prompted administrators to consider a change.

While it is sad that violence is the cause for the schedule change, administrators say that the change isn't permanent and it is nice to see that they're being proactive. Though, the 1PM kickoff seems to be a bit odd. Aren't the kids still in school at that time? Maybe that's why Florida ranks so low in most of the state education lists.

Damn The Man And His Double Standards!

I'm all for protecting our children from predators and perverts, but sometimes it seems like people go a little too far. Like telling two high school seniors that they had to leave a football game because of their bikini tops and body paint.

Jessyca Altenbach and Monica Cummings are best friends. They do practically everything together and last Friday night was no different.

They're seniors at Manatee High School in Bradenton. They wanted to show their school spirit at the home football game against Riverview Friday night. So they slipped on bikini tops and painted their bodies the school colors. Altenbach says "We were thinking about it about 3 weeks before. We saw the guys do it. We thought it was a good idea. I've never seen a girl do it before so we were like let's do it."

The girls say it took them an hour and a half to get ready and they drove to the game sitting on beach towels afraid the paint would rub off.

But when the girls got to the game to take their seats in the stands school administrators say people in the stands started to complain about their appearance.

Apparently, some people complained that the way the girls painted themselves it looked as if they didn't have on any clothes, and they believed it to be "highly suggestive and offensive".

Attenbach and Cummings have stated that they want both guys and girls to be able to support the team with body painting, and they're hopeful that they'll be able to do so for "Senior Night" this Friday.

Altenbach says “I want to see a change. I want it to be either guys can do it and girls or no one can do it. It shouldn't be guys can do it and we can't."

Jessyca and Monica say this Friday is "senior night" and they want to dress up the same way for that big game. They plan to ask the principal for his approval first.

Hopefully, the school lets them support the team in this manner, which isn't really all that "suggestive or offensive". And if they're scared of shady behavior, then they should hire Chris Hansen and his staff to work the gate.

Not Even Toothpicks Can Shut Down The Tawas

The Tawas Braves had compiled a 5-2 record and were fighting for a playoff berth as they headed into their matchup against the Alcona Tigers last Friday. The winner would make it into the playoffs, and the Braves expected the normal crowd of 1,000 fans to be there supporting them at their homefield.

Unfortunately, something came up and the game had to be moved 40 miles away to Alcona's home stadium.

That something was toothpicks. Thousands of toothpicks strewn across the field.

Thousands of toothpicks caused a big problem for the Tawas Braves high school football team.

Friday night's highly anticipated matchup between rivals Tawas and the Alcona Tigers was to determine a play-off spot for one of the teams, WNEM-TV in Saginaw reported.

The game was scheduled to be played at Tawas, but thousands of toothpicks sticking up out of the ground on the field prompted officials to move the game 40 miles to Alcona's home field.

Instead of the usual 1,000 fans showing up for a Tawas home game, only 150 made the trek to Alcona.

The venue change didn't hamper Tawas though, as they hammmered Alcona 49-0. However, they might want to be cautious about their next home game because some feel a prior beatdown might have caused the toothpick fiasco.

Students from the toothpick-laden school have alluded to the involvement of students from Oscoda, which Tawas beat 72-0 a few weeks ago. It was a record worst for the school.

The toothpicks were removed one by one by fans and school officials.

Seriously? Tossing thousands of toothpicks onto a rival's field after they whooped your ass? Sounds pretty weak. Though, Joe Paterno might want to look into it as punishment for some of his players. I'm sure that Beaver Stadium can hold a helluva lot of toothpicks.

Khalif Barnes Doesn't Understand Valet Parking

Khalif Barnes seems to have a hard time operating a motor vehicle. A little less than one year ago he was arrested and charged with DUI. In that incident he basically called the residents of Jacksonville racists, and wondered aloud in the back of patrol car why they would even have an NFL team there.

If you thought that was interesting, then you should get a kick out of Khalif's latest automotive mishap. In which he wrecks his 2007 Mercedes causing an estimated $10,000 worth of damage, calls the police to report the accident, tosses the ignition key into the grass then flees the scene.

Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Khalif Barnes was cited for reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and violating a term of his probation following a one-car accident in which he plowed his Mercedes into a tree.

Barnes called Jacksonville police to the scene of the accident near his house early Saturday morning, but when officers arrived Barnes was not there. When they knocked on his door at home, he wasn't there, either.

What officers found, however, was the lineman's 2007 Mercedes Benz against a tree and keys in the grass. Police estimated damage to the car around $10,000.

Sure Khalif, just toss the keys in the grass, and we'll get this Mercedes back to you in pristine conditon, no questions asked.

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.

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.

Bo Might Not Know Diddley, But We Sure Do

Bo Diddley suffered a heart attack last Friday while undergoing a medical check-up, and he's currently in cardiac care. Diddley suffered a stroke this past May which impaired his speech and speech recognition.

For sportsfans, his series of commercials with Bo Jackson have to be among some of the most memorable. During the 90's, a number of people repeated the catchphrase "you don't know diddley", myself included.

Hopefully Mr. Diddley pulls through without any further complications. Get well soon, Bo!

The "Muck Bowl" Doesn't Cave Into ESPN

You would think that if ESPN had any interest in televising a high school football game that the schools involved would do anything to get the game on TV. Even if it meant screwing up the scheduling for their other opponents. However, that's not the case in South Florida, where the "Muck Bowl" between Glades Central and Pahokee is an annual occurence.

Originally, the "Muck Bowl" had been scheduled for November 2, which at that time was the final Friday of the season, but the FHSAA didn't want high school players participating in games before school had started, which was scheduled to happen at the time, and they pushed back the start of the season by one week and moved the "Muck Bowl" to November 9. This change meant that Glades Central and Pahokee were scheduled to play Suncoast and Vero Beach respectively on November 2.

One idea was to move the "Muck Bowl" to either Thursday, November 1 or Friday, November 2, but that would hamper the schedules of not only Glades Central and Pahokee but also their opponents.

"We're not going to back out on Vero Beach, and we're not going to mess up multiple schedules for the Muck Bowl to be on TV," Palm Beach County Athletic Administrator Yetta Green said. "If we start moving teams and dates around, it's going to unravel the schedules of at least six teams. It will all snowball."

As of right now it appears that ESPN won't be covering the "Muck Bowl" due to the scheduling, but it's nice to see someone, especially at the high school level, do what's right and not cave in to the pressure of potentially having a game televised on ESPN.

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - College Football Is Almost Here! 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 was thinking about holding off addressing the start of college football season until next week when, you know, it actually starts, but I couldn't help myself. College football is a wonderful, magical and oftentimes heartbreaking sport that I enjoy following each and every year. I told myself that I wasn't going to get too rabid this season due to Florida satisfying my championship craving, but I can already feel the anticipation that leads to heightened excitement working its way back.

Until the games start next Thursday, feel free to watch this highlight video repeatedly to help you get amped up. College football is back! Happy Friday!

High School Football, Where A Loss Really Isn't A Loss

For the most part, when there are two teams playing each other in any sport you think that either the game counts or it doesn't count for both of them. However, that's not always the case in high school football where "interstate games" often don't count for both teams.

For example, Miami Booker T. Washington asked the FHSAA to make its game against Summerville count as a regular season one. The FHSAA complied because they took "into consideration that Washington, which was 12-2 last season, had only nine regular-season games scheduled". Though, it probably also has something to do with the fact that the game is going to be nationally televised on ESPN, and the more competitive it is the better the ratings will be.

This isn't the first game this season that counts as a regular season contest for one team but not the other.

Jacksonville First Coast, which was 9-2 last season, will meet Berkeley (8-6) at 4 p.m. on ESPNU. That's a game that counts for Berkeley, but not for First Coast.

"One of the agreements we made was, we would play this game like it's playing for a state championship," said Marty Lee, First Coast's coach.

Two weeks ago, Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes -- the South Carolina power that hosts Orlando's Dr. Phillips, on Sept. 6 -- won 41-35 against Charlotte, N.C., Independence. But the loss did not end Independence's 108-game winning streak because it came in a preseason scrimmage.

On the surface these arangements don't seem too unordinary, but I wonder what other teams from these conferences think about one of their opponents getting a win for playing a team that's not "penalized" for losing. It's similar to an NFL team getting credit for a regular season win for a victory they racked up in the preseason. Obviously that wouldn't be fair to the other teams, and I'm curious if anyone has, or ever will, question the validity of these high school games.

Eugene Gross, Heading Back To School For The AAFL

I'll admit, when I first heard about the AAFL, I was a bit skeptical. Though, it's hard not to be when you look at all of the different football leagues that have popped up and then folded throughout the years. However, the same was probably said about the AFL when they started, and look what that's become.

The more I read and hear about the league, and the more interaction that I have with the people working hard to make this league a reality, the more excited I get to see this thing kick off next spring. It's also made me hopeful that a number of former athletes will return to their former college or university to get their degree. Athletes like Eugene Gross.

Gross was a very successful running back for the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, starting at tailback all four years. Despite being able to run and catch the ball well(he holds the MTSU record of total receptions by a running back), he went undrafted following the completion of his senior season this past year. Gross views the AAFL as his way to continue playing football, but there's one problem. He doesn't hold the four year degree from his college that is required by the AAFL. So he's heading back to school to pick up the 13 credit hours he needs for his diploma so that he can continue playing the game he loves in a professional league.

Former MTSU running back Eugene Gross has an additional incentive to finish his degree. Gross wants to play in the new All-American Football League, but it requires players possess a four-year degree.

Gross, who recently earned his real estate license, lacks 13 credit hours to graduate with a bachelor's degree in sports psychology. The All-American Football League is set to start in 2008.

"I want to put the pads on again because I've still got the love for the game in me," said Gross, MTSU's all-time leader in receptions among running backs.

"My agent is trying to get a tryout set up for me, but I've got to focus on school so that I can graduate in December and keep playing."

And while getting fans to come to the games is a great indicator of the league's success, if they can motivate former student-athletes to go back to school to finish their degree requirements that might ultimately be the most successful aspect of it.

Are That Many High School Football Players Really Using Steroids?

This high school football season in Florida is going to be a bit different than past ones because of a bill signed into law by Governor Charlie Crist back in June. The law states that athletes and their parents must consent to the "anabolic steroid random testing program" before they can play any regular season games.

I don't have a problem with the program, but one quote from an Orlando Sentinel article on the matter caught my eye. This is from Nathan Keller, a senior middle linebacker at West Orange High School.

"I'm sure a lot of kids that are hearing about this today are pretty scared, because I think a lot of guys are juiced," said Nathan Keller, a middle linebacker entering his senior year at West Orange High School. "I think a lot of guys might not play football once they realize they could get tested."

"I wouldn't be scared or nervous, because I know I'm not on steroids," Keller said. "But there are probably five kids on every football team out there that are doing at least something to get bigger."

Five kids on every team that are juiced? There are 18 high schools in Orange County alone, so that would mean that close to 100 kids are using steroids. For some reason that number seems awfully high to me. Though, not all 18 of those schools have football teams. Hopefully the new bill can help eradicate the problem that seems to be so big in our area high schools.

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - NCAA '08 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.

Today's posting has been severly hampered by a flaky internet connection running slower than the Minnesota Vikings' decision making process during the 2003 Draft(sorry Eric!). Anyway, I'm determined to get one post through this U.S. 101-like gridlock. Because nothing fuels road-rage like sucking down exhaust fumes for multiple hours on your way through Cal-i-forn-i-a!

I already posted up one eye-orgasm inducing clip via YouTube, but one is never enough. Especially when it comes to clips of a badass college football game. So sit back, and enjoy the show. And remember to hit up Every Day Should Be Saturday for your daily affirmations as we continue to get closer to kickoff.









And the one that will never, ever get old:



Happy Friday!

The All-American Football League: Taking Graduates Of Your Favorite College, Leaving Phone Messages

An onslaught by the common cold has precluded any updates(unlike Disturbed, I am not down with the sickness), but I have managed to post up one golden nugget.

While Mark Cuban's idea for a football league got a good amount of press, the All-American Football League has flown under the radar a bit more. However, the marketing efforts are starting to pick up steam as it approaches the proposed launch date next April.

The league is doing its best to embrace the college atmosphere, which is probably to be somewhat expected since it's being created by guys like Cedric Dempsey(former NCAA president) and Doug Dickey(former University of Tennessee AD). Supposedly the league is even going to have "colleges' bands and cheerleaders" attending games(FAMU FTW!).

As far as prospective players, the only stipulation is that the participant must have graduated from a 4-year college or university in the state where the team is based. In that respect, it is very different from the XFL, AFL or the proposed Cuban Football League that are seen by many as just using NFL castoffs. While most of the guys eventually paid to play in the AAFL probably did participate in the NFL, for a short time at least, using only "homegrown" talent(no Marcus Thomas, not that kind of homegrown) will help add to the college-like atmosphere that they're hoping to create. Also, seeing guys who were once fierce rivals come together in a team setting to beat another state's team will just add to the buzz. Right now, the plan is to have the league be comprised of eight teams.

Also, the AAFL isn't trying to compete directly with any existing football leagues in terms of scheduling. The games will be played in the spring into the summer, and won't try to go head-to-head with the NFL, NCAA or even high school. They've also got a set up in place where the games will be played at "universities known for college football"(the University of Florida is already on-board), and the games could be broadcasted on a private netowrk with no commercials. Though, there's no TV deal just yet.

Since tryouts are slated to begin tomorrow, July 3, receiving a phone call today regarding a scrimmage between former Gators and Vols piqued my interest. As did the tailgating encouragement, though college football fans don't usually need too much encouragement in that department. Anyway, here's the message that was left on my answer machine today. Replace the University of Florida fanfare with your favorite school's, and let me know if it increases your interest. I am curious how they got my telelphone number, as I don't contribute enough(know of any blog related opportunities? hit me up!) to be considered a big time booster by any means.

AAFL Phone Message