The newest scoop in the sportz world brought to you by the Silva boyz, Andrew, Phil, and Pete. We specialize in football but we try to keep tabs on all things sportz. If you need the inside info, then you've come to the right place.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Who Needs Wins When You Have Fans Like This
Sure the Cowboys owned Jake Delhomme and the Panthers Sunday night, but I really feel kinda bad for Delhomme. After all, he let this woman down. Deborah Voit, pictured here, was arrested for stalking Panthers QB, Jake Delhomme. Here is an excerpt of the events.
Voit's latest trip to the jail, this time on charges of stalking Delhomme, comes after what team and police sources describe as a nearly week long series of events that left the Panthers quarterback fearful for his own safety, and his family's safety. Friday, October 6, two days before the Cleveland game, Delhomme told police Voit came to Bank of America Stadium, got past security, and followed him onto the practice field. Team sources say Voit also handed coach John Fox a letter for Delhomme. Saturday, October 7, team sources tell 6NEWS Voit showed up this time at the Westin Hotel. She again made her way past security to the floors where the team stays. Sources said she went room to room, knocking on Panther players' doors, looking for Delhomme's room and later called his room at least twice. Sunday, October 8, on game day against the Browns, police sources say Voit called Delhomme at his hotel room at least five times, starting at 7:45 a.m. before the team breakfast. On Monday and Tuesday after the Cleveland game, police sources tell 6NEWS there were up to a dozen more calls of Voit phoning Delhomme's parents and other family members hundreds of miles away in Louisiana, looking for the quarterback's cell phone number in Charlotte. Finally on Wednesday, October 11 team sources tell 6NEWS Voit parked her car at a Third Ward restaurant next to the Panthers practice field and tried to get past security again. This time she was arrested for trespassing, and felony stalking. Court records show Delhomme wants Voit prosecuted.
Wow. With fans like Voit, it makes me feel like painting my face is pretty lame.
After the Patriots blow-out win over Minnesota Monday night, it doesn’t seem like it can get any better for their coach Bill Belichick. The truth is Belichick coached the game with the knowledge that his son is a confirmed pot-head. Bill’s son, Stephen (pictured to the left) was arrested late Saturday night when the cops busted him and a friend getting blazed in a parked car. A police report states, “the car reeked of marijuana.” Yesterday Stephen pleaded guilty in court and will be on probation for the next six months. Yeah, that fool looks like he would get mad blown. Now Bill knows where all the allowance he was giving his kid went to.
There is a new Cooper post up at GoFridayNight.com. Check it out using the link in the right column. Also since this is a-low week, be sure to check the blog at Go Friday Night everyday this week because we will try to post something often. We might even post our juicier a-low posts here at Silva Sportz just because the Abilene Reporter News sanctions me on the Cougar blog but I am my own grandpa here baby! Aww, Vegas baby! (meaning the Silva boyz are in charge and we post whatever we want here) Go Cougars!
As if Dallas Cowboys “passing game coordinator” Todd Haley didn’t have enough on his mind. First, he had to deal with the whole T.O. beef from a few weeks back. Then there was the whole benching of Bledsoe, new quarterback issue. However, I think Haley’s newest “problem” could take the cake, or the salad that is. It seems Haley is suing a Southlake McDonalds because his wife and nanny found a dead rat in a salad from Mickey D’s. The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports:
According to the lawsuit filed in Tarrant County, on June 5 Christine Haley ordered $14 worth of food, including the salad, at the drive-through at 2155 West Southlake Blvd. She took the food home, where she and Kelley began eating out of the salad bowl. The women ate a few bites before they uncovered what they later determined to be a stiff young roof rat on its back, with its whiskers intact and its mouth agape. The women gagged and vomited repeatedly, the lawsuit alleges.
Haley, his wife, and the nanny (not Fran Drescher) are suing for $1.7 million because "since eating salad that may have touched the rat and touching the dead rodent with their forks, the women have had difficulty keeping food down and can no longer go out to eat, the lawsuit states. They are forced to make their food from scratch, allowing themselves to see each ingredient placed in the dish they are cooking". *Note to self: do not eat at McDonalds in Southlake.
So it is pretty much consensus that this year’s World Series is ridiculously lame. Bud Selig may think that “the sport has never been more popular” but the reality is this: The 2006 World Series is on its way to becoming the lowest-rated Fall Classic of all time. Game3 recorded a 10.2 rating, down 7% from Game 3 of last season's White Sox-Astros matchup. The three-game ratings average of 9.9 is down 7% from the first three games of last year's Series. The 2005 World Series was the lowest-rated (11.1 average for Chicago's four-game sweep) Fall Classic in history. So how low has baseball sunk? So low that people would rather watch A.C. Slater battle Jerry Springer in dance-off than tune in to the baseball world championships. I mean this is the World Series, it’s the big dance for the whole enchilada and yet fans are turning away left and right. So what is the reason that people just aren’t interested in viewing baseball anymore? I’ll give you three reason why I think people just aren't interested in baseball.
1) Baseball is sooooo drawn out. The regular season is drawn out to 162 games. Sorry but with that many games, it’s hard for every game to count. Teams can go on 10 game losing streaks and be perfectly fine. Even now we have the World Series which is drawn out to seven more games. Suspense can only build so long. After a week of a “championship” it’s excitement wears off. Then there’s the games themselves. Most last well over 3 hours and they simply are not exciting. During that 3+ hours the majority of the game is in a lull with not much going on. MLB, you gotta figure out a way to make the games count more.
2) Lack of superstars. Baseball players must be happy with their guaranteed, ridiculously large salaries because MLB does absolutely nothing to market it’s players. I mean think about how many commercials you see during the NFL season with Peyton Manning or Donovan McNabb. Even first year players like Reggie Bush have a commercial on almost every hour. During the NBA season you can’t watch a show without seeing a Lebron or K.G. commercial. Not only that but football and basketball stars are funny and entertaining in their commercials. Now compare that to MLB. Not counting an actual advertisement for a baseball game, when is the last time you have seen a commercial or ad with a baseball player in it? Who is the most well-know MLB star? Barry Bonds and he is know for being hated! Baseball is a league of “average joes”. The majority of baseball players could walk down the street and you wouldn’t think twice that they were a professional athlete. Baseball if you wanna build a fan base for your sport, build a fan base for your players first.
3) Baseball needs to get rid of the intentional walk. What is the most exciting play in baseball? Hands down it’s the home-run and the more men on base when the homer is hit, the better. Fans love nothing more than to see the games biggest stars do what they do best. But what happens in baseball when there are two men on base and one of the games biggest stars comes to bat? They intentionally walk them so that they can’t make the big, exciting play. Can you imagine if other sports did this? What if Kobe wasn’t allowed to take game-winning shots because he was “too good”. What if the NFL took Mike Vick out of games on third down? It just doesn’t make sense for your sports biggest stars to not be allowed to make your sports biggest plays. I know people will say it’s “strategy” but it’s just another way to make the game more borrrrrrrrring…..
In conclusion, those are just a few of the reasons that I thought of why baseball is so lame to watch on TV. Selig may be happy right now because the money is rolling in, but he needs to wake up and see that he is losing a fan base in a hurry. Sorry baseball, I wish I could tell you that I am going to watch the rest of the World Series but the reality is I will probably find something better to watch. Maybe Emmitt Smith will be on TV dancing again.
Lamont Jordan Crying...No Seriously, He Sheds Some Tears
This is from a few weeks ago on Sunday night. Lamont Jordan just fumbled on a crucial drive when the game was still close for the Raiders. Do you think he's upset?
Am I a jerk for posting this? Oh, well it's still funny when he eats that towel at the end like a dog.
Another Theisman Contradiction...Are You Really Surprised?
Joe was on Mike and Mike this morning and was discussing the recent Monday night game. The discussion was how bad the Cowboys offense looked and Joe sorta came to their defense by saying, "What people forget is how good the Giants are. New York is the best team in the NFC". Well, they do have alot of quality stars and they have beaten some really good teams, there's just one problem. Just last week on Monday night Joe presented a discourse on why the Bears where the best team in the NFL. He even said that they would go undefeated! Geez, a team has one bye week and Joe replaces them at the top of his team-crush list. What gives? Oh yeah, he's an IDIOT!
Postive Tests Have Legitimately Come From Over-the-Counter Supplements
I know you’re probably getting tired of hearing about the Merriman/’roids posts from the past two days, but I really feel I must share some recent information that I came across. First, I really think this makes total sense. Second, check this article out that proves a person really can fail a drug test from over-the-counter supplements. It involves NFL running back Mike Cloud. I believe Cloud’s positive test occurred in 2003. Here is an excerpt from the article.
The former Boston College star's unfortunate situation began when he took a basic chocolate-flavored protein powder (Nitro-Tech) while with the Chiefs, then subsequently tested positive for metabolites of the steroid nandrolone. Nothing regarding nandrolone appeared on the label that would so much as hint at such an addition to the ingredients. The league tested the product and found it to be the culprit and confirmed it appeared to be an innocent mistake. But the NFL has a zero-tolerance policy that has helped clean up the league from illegal steroids, and Cloud was nevertheless hit with a four-game suspension without pay.
As you may have noticed, Nitro-Tech protein is a very popular product that can be purchased at any supplement store. With that being said, I would bet good money that Nitro-Tech has since changed their formula or ingredients as a result of their lawsuit, so I doubt that Merriman’s case is the exact same as Clouds. At the same time, it shows that testing positive can occur from over-the-counter, legal supplements. In conclusion, I am not necessarily defending Merriman, but I am defending the truth. What do you think?
Hey everybody, it’s time for everyone’s favorite sports blog game….”Guess That Injury!!” Boy, have we got a good one for you today. Ready? Okay, no cheating!
Number sixth ranked tennis player Kim Clijsters was forced to stop training for two days due to an injury she sustained when she…. A) Tripped over her dogs playing soccer B) Slipped in the bathroom on a towel C) Was involved in a minor car accident D) Burned her hand making Halloween cookies
If you answered D then you are wrong, the correct answer is A! That’s right Clijsters was playing soccer in her backyard with her boyfriend and her dogs when one of her dogs took her tennis-playing self down! And it was a good enough tackle to bruise Clijsters tailbone and make her miss valuable training time. Oh, Kim didn’t you learn from this, don’t screw around with a dog and his soccer ball! Thanks for playing everyone!
This is the first season that the NFL is implementing “flexible scheduling” meaning that for the Sunday night games that air on NBC (except for last Sunday, curse you World Series) in weeks 10-15 and week 17, NBC will have their choice of what game to air. And NBC has made their first choice for week 10. Drum roll please. And with the first pick in the scheduling draft for the game to air the evening of November 12th, NBC selects…. Bears vs Giants! Not a bad match-up if both teams keep playing like they have been as of recent. This very well could be a match-up of two first place teams. Fox will replace Bears/Giants which was scheduled for 3:15 CST kickoff by moving up (or would it be back?) anyway Fox will move Saints vs Steelers from noon to 3:15. That should be a pretty good game too, so in my opinion, flexible scheduling, so far so good.
Thanks to Sarah Anderson for today's look-a-like. Still wondering if she saw Bindi first and said, "hey that little girl looks like Jim Mora!" or saw Mora and said, "that coach looks like the Croc Hunter's daughter!" Either way, here ya go.
Okay kids, here is the latest on Shawne Merriman and his failed drug test and subsequent suspension. Merriman is appealing his suspension so he will continue to practice and play for the Chargers. The reason for the appeal? Merriman’s attorney David Cornwell said he believed Merriman tested positive for the steroid nandrolone, which is prohibited under the league's substance-abuse policy. Cornwell said the substance was in a supplement Merriman has been taking. So Merriman and his lawyer are appealing his suspension due to the fact that they claim Merriman tested positive not due to steroid abuse but rather because he took a tainted substance. Which as I reported yesterday here on Silva Sportz totally contradicts what Merriman says on his own website where he says that he is not taking any supplements at this time. But back to the issue of Merriman saying he took a “tainted” substance. Could an athlete really give a positive steroid test due to a supplement he/she is taking? Well before I answer that, let me give you some background on nandrolone, the substance Merriman tested positive for. Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid (a muscle-building chemical) which occurs naturally in the human body, but only in tiny quantities. It is very similar in structure to the male hormone testosterone, and has many of the same effects in terms of increasing muscle mass, without some of the more unwanted side-effects such as increased body hair or aggressive behavior. For an excellent further explanation, read here. But back to the point of testing positive for nandrolone due to supplements. Merriman is not the first athlete busted to make this claim. Olympic sprinters, boxers, and several other athletes that have failed drug tests claim that the nandrolone in their system arose from the use of protein milkshakes and the amino acid creatine, which are perfectly legal and used as dietary supplements to increase weight. This is essentially what Merriman is now claiming. So could he be correct? In 2000, Aberdeen University conducted a preliminary investigation that found that dietary supplements themselves are harmless and produce no increased levels of nandrolone. Exercise alone, too, doesn't cause any problems. But a combination of both dietary supplements (none of which contain a banned substance) and exercise can result in a positive nandrolone test. The reason for this is still unclear, but one theory is that there is a link between heavy training, the dehydration that goes with it, and their effects upon the components of high protein diets. However this is not conclusive, so there is still many unknown facts about nandrolone. In my opionion, Merriman’s suspension will stick. We will never know if he intentionally took the steroid or his test was due to an accident. Either way Merriman’s reputation has definitely take a hit and he has a lot or work to do to clean up his now tarnished image. However, I’m sure for Charger fans a deep play-off run would help.
Last night Tony Romo finally got the nod at starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately, he wasn’t much of an improvement from the man the replaced Drew Bledsoe. Each played a half, with Romo throwing for more yards, 227 to Bledsoe’s 111. Romo also threw two touchdowns versus none for Bledsoe. However Romo had three interceptions to Bledsoe’s one. So who should the Cowboys go with next week against the Carolina Panthers and consequently the rest of the season? I would argue that Romo is the way to go-mo. Although Romo did not perform anywhere near where he was expected to, I do believe that the main difference between Romo and Bledsoe is that Romo has upside. We know what we are getting with Bledsoe, an old statue that makes poor decisions with the ball. Romo at least needs a chance to see what he can do. I am not saying that Romo is the answer but at least the Cowboys organization needs to know that. I am 100% sure right now that Drew Bledsoe is not the answer. I have no idea how Romo will play in future contests. For those people who might think that I am being too hard on Bledsoe, well I am not the first person who didn’t think that he could be a quality NFL starting quarterback. Bill Belicheck didn’t think Bledsoe could get the job done either that is why he gave him to the Buffalo Bills. Bills coach Mike Mularkey also didn’t think Bledsoe had what it took and let him go too. However Bill Parcells likes Bledsoe and also the Cowboys didn’t have many options at quarterback at the time, so Drew came to Dallas. However his time has clearly passed and now we look to the future. Let Romo quarterback this team for the rest of the year. After these next ten games the Cowboys will know whether Romo is the future of this franchise or not. If not, then they address the quarterback position in next year’s draft or free agency. What do you think the Cowboys options are at quarterback at this point?
I would like to take this time to vent about ESPN’s Monday Night Football. I am fed up with the announcing crew and the constant “show” that some very good football games have been made into. I won’t get into how much the announcing stinks, just Google “MNF sucks” and you will find countless examples. I am venting about the constant celebrity guests that have to appear every week. A few weeks ago, I thought James Denton was about as worse as it could get. Okay, maybe that was the actual worse guest they could get, but the point is why does ESPN feel the need to interrupt good football games with these interviews? Listen, I love Emmitt Smith just as much if not more than anybody else, but even I’ll admit that if I want to know about him on Dancing with the Stars, then I’ll freakin’ watch that show! I heard someone say this past week that quality announcing has gone out the window these days, at least on TV. Television announcers rarely if ever give insight into the actual game such as down and distance, formations of the offense and defense, game strategy etc. Instead while the game is going on they plug ABC’s other shows that no one wants to watch. (except you Ugly Betty, which coincidentally, I have never seen plugged). If you want to hear an example of quality announcing, listen to a game broadcast on radio some time. So since I am so frustrated I decided to let ESPN know how I felt. I found this page on their website where you can send in a complaint. I did and I would encourage you to do the same. My only advice would be that you please be intelligent. If you just shoot them an e-mail that says they suck in all caps with a few choice swears thrown in, I don’t think they will take you too seriously. My hope is that they would receive enough complaints to realize that they have a legitimate problem on their hands and they will in turn take steps to correct it. Let ‘em know how you feel!
Also, here is a commentator address where you can send a letter to any commentator on ESPN. I would suggest doing this also, but like I said earlier no threats or swears but rather a coherent, intelligent explanation of your feelings about them and suggestion you have for improvement.
I was going to write a nice post about the Kenny Rogers brown stuff controversy but then I came across a post at The Sports Pulse that basically said everything that I was going to. So why do the work when you can have someone else do it for you! I will say this, if I was a Cardinals player I would be pissed that my manager didn’t do anything about the brown stuff. I mean if I’m competing for a world championship, I’ll take every opportunity I can to bust my opponent. Then again maybe LaRussa was afraid of something like this happening again.
First the Chargers lost starting linebacker Steve Foley due to getting popped by a cop. Then Sunday, another starting linebacker, Shaun Phillips, was lost by the Chargers when he injured his right calf against the Chefs. Now perhaps the biggest loss of all, the Chargers will be without their best defender and budding superstar Shawne Merriman. Merriman didn’t injure anything, except maybe his hormone levels. It was reported Sunday by Chris Mortensen that Merriman will be suspended for four games for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. The initial positive test occurred more than a week ago with Shaun Rogers and Matt Lehr but unlike Lehr and Rogers, a source says Merriman’s positive test was definitely for steroids and not a related supplement. It was also reported that both Merriman's “A” and “B” samples had come back positive. Basically that means this wasn’t any type of fluke or accident or mistake and there is no doubt the test really was for what it said it was for. Now it will be interesting to see if the Chargers and Merriman attempt to make up some type of excuse for the positive test. Apparently they are as Merriman is in the process of appealing his suspension. Also the San Diego Union Tribune cites a source that said the appeal process is ongoing and that there is “a reason behind this (appeal)” and “this is not the finality of it.” Interesting to see what that means exactly. Also it is unknown right now when the suspension will actually begin, but Merriman would be eligible to return Nov. 26 against the Oakland Raiders if he sat out immediately. First-time offenders of the NFL's steroid policy receive a minimum four-game ban without pay. A second positive test gets you eight games, and a third positive gets a yearlong suspension. Here is something else I find really interesting. On Merriman’s website he has a question and answer section. Someone sends him this question. “What supplements do you take if any?” Merriman’s answer, “I am not taking any supplements at this time.” At first I thought this was simply ironic and pretty funny in light of the recent incidents. However, the more I thought about it, I simply cannot believe that Merriman is being honest with his answer. Merriman is in the position that his sole career is based on him being able to perform physically. He is required to have his body in top physical condition. Why would he not take any supplements at all? In the past I have been involved with serious bodybuilding and weightlifting and I know from experience that it is almost a requirement for athletes at the level of Merriman’s to take some type of supplements. For example, Merriman is listed at 6’4” and 270 pounds so a man his size that pushes his body to the limits that he does simply cannot get the amount of required protein and nutrients needed to maintain and perform at the level he does. Remember a supplement is in no way a steroid or anything illegal. I don’t know how Merriman defines supplements, but I would consider it to mean protein powders, nutrition bars, vitamins, etc. So then why would Merriman say that he takes absolutely nothing? To me that seems almost like a guilty conscience speaking. Rather than try to separate truth from lie, legal from illegal, prohibited substance from allowed, it is just easier for Merriman to say that he takes nothing. As of right now, Merriman is probably the most famous NFL player who has ever been suspended for steroids. I have already read some rumors of people saying that Merriman didn’t deserve his rookie of the year award or even to be drafted as high as he was. They think that Merriman is the athlete he is now simply due to steroids. Those people are simply uneducated on supplements, athletic training and weightlifting. I have no idea how long Merriman has been taking whatever prohibited substance he has been taking. My guess would be that he started taking his banned substance recently, as he was rigorously tested previously last year and his time leading up to the draft. Merriman has stated over and over again that his goals are to help the Chargers win and to personally become the best defender in the league and even history. I think Merriman is naturally tremendously gifted and he works his butt off in the gym. He got caught up trying to achieve his goal of being the most dominant defender and someone he thought was a friend fed on this goal and offered Merriman something enticing and illegal. With that being said, Merriman has broken the rules and he deserves the punishment set before him. Regardless of the reason that he was wrong, he was ultimately wrong. Hopefully Merriman can put this behind him and learn from his foolish mistake. Not only has he hurt himself but he has hurt his team and he better hope that the Chargers are still in the playoff hunt when he comes off his suspension. Let us know how you feel about the whole issue.
It’s true, Silva Sportz has made a new pal. David runs the site SportsBlogging.net where he reviews and posts about sports blogs. Why does this man do this you might ask? For one simple reason, he likes it! David is an admitted sports junkie who says he “scours the internet for new sports blogs every day”. I recently submitted Silva Sportz to David so that he could check it out and give any critiques he had. Here is what David had to say about us. I know what you’re thinking and no I didn’t pay him anything and no we are not related. His generous comments notwithstanding, I do enjoy the site. He has some helful tips posted and obviously features a nice variety or sports blogs. So check it and be sure to show him some love.
I just came across Andrea Kremer’s blog at NBC sports. Andrea is a sideline reporter for NBC’s Sunday Night football show. I think the official name is something like, “NBC Sunday Night Football Night in America for Football on Sunday Night.” Something like that. Normally I don’t give the female sideline reporters much credence, and it has nothing to do with me being sexist. It’s just most of the time those chics (okay kinda sexist) don’t have much worthy to say, other than who injured what and how. Kremer’s blog however may be the exception, as it is rather insightful. Her most recent posting is about her most recent assignment, the Raiders vs Broncos game from the 15th. Kremer begins by basically ripping the Raiders. She isn’t really ripping them per se, but more like being honest about where they stand, which in turn reads as ripping. She writes this regarding the Raiders: “You simply know they're going to lose. You can feel it during the game and you can see it in the blank stare of their head coach, Art Shell. Sunday night, Shell must have felt like an emergency room doctor who couldn't stop the bleeding of a trauma patient rushed into the hospital.” Kremer then goes on to say that Oakland can’t lure top coaches there and top players don’t want to stay. Kremer then reports some news regarding wide-out Jerry Porter than was interesting, to say the least. On October 14th Porter was suspended for four games for conduct detrimental to the team. What exactly does “conduct detrimental to the team” mean? (Here’s where it gets juicy) Kremer reports that,
in Friday's (October 13) practice, Porter was goofing around and Shell asked him to stop. He continued to mess around saying he was just having fun and Shell didn't exactly embrace that attitude. Porter continued complaining about the length of practice -- "how bleeping long are we practicing today." That was it for Shell and he kicked him off the field.
But it doesn’t stop there, no sirree! Kremer goes on to say that it looked like Porter was actually going to possibly get some P.T. for the first time all season due to an injury to Johnny Morant, the Raiders other receiver. Porter had been running scout team for the defense but when Shell asked him to get some reps with the first team offense Porter refused to join them! As if that wasn’t bad enough the problems go back even farther than that. Kremer goes on to say,
Shell said the problems extend beyond their issues in the off season when coach and player clearly got off on the wrong foot from day one, with comments like, Porter complaining that the Raiders should've hired Mike Martz. As for the man Shell did hire as his offensive coordinator, Tom Walsh told me the last meaningful conversation he had with Porter was in February, a few days after he was hired, when Porter came by his office to introduce himself and talk about some basic concepts of the offense. One Raider official told me that in addition, back in March, Porter let it be known to the coaches: "if you put me on the field, you don't know what you'll get from me." I'm told it was said in a tone more as a taunt than an excited-to-show-you-what-I-can-do attitude....
Wow, Porter is a piece of work and I ain’t just talking about this. I don’t know what happened to make Porter think that his s*** don’t stink, but I will give Art Shell props for putting him in his place. The Ray-duhs may be a freakin’ joke, but they are Art Shell’s freakin’ joke and don’t you forget it! Anyway, you may want to check out Andrea Kremer’s other blogs, as she has proven to me that sideline broads (sexist??) sometimes have something worthwhile to say after all.
If you don’t already know, Dominic Rhodes is the starting running back of the Indianapolis Colts. He went to Abilene Cooper, the same high school as the Silva Boyz. The oldest of the Silva boyz, Andrew, played on the same football team with Rhodes. Rhodes has always been a special talent, leading the Abilene Cooper Cougars to the 1996 5A State title game. Unfortunately, that day was not the Cougars day, and we lost to Austin Westlake who was quarterbacked then by current New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. After high school Rhodes then went on to Tyler Junior College where he twice earned All-America honors. Rhodes then transferred to Midwestern State University where he set several school and conference records. In 2001 Rhodes was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent. That year Rhodes rushed for 1,104 yards the most ever by an undrafted rookie free agent in NFL history. You can read Rhodes’ complete biography and career stats here. As you can see, we are proud of our hometown star. In fact we want to do our part to see Rhodes is rewarded for his hard work with a trip to the Pro Bowl. The NFL allows fans to vote for the football players they would like to see in Honolulu here. Once there simply click “VOTE NOW” and then you select the stars you want to go to the Pro Bowl. You can vote for every position but if you would rather, you can select to vote for just one position or just one player. So vote for Dominic Rhodes. Then vote for him again. Then once more just because. Hopefully we will see Dominic in Hawaii come February!
Do you want the good news or the bad news first? The good news is that Tony Kornheiser is now saying that he is done with Monday Night Football! The bad news, he is finishing out the rest of the year. Actually, the more I think about it, this is a win-win situation. We get to continue to hear and see Kornheiser make a fool of himself for ten more weeks, but if even when he gets unbearably annoying (talking about his fantasy team, getting information blatantly wrong, lusting after James Denton) we will know deep down in our hearts that he will be outta there soon! Kornheiser said he has "no plans at the moment'' to return to Monday Night Football next season. "At the moment, in my mind, I always thought I signed up for one year.” Tony goes on to say that he hates the traveling, but he knew he would. What he didn't anticipate was the amount of preparation it takes each week. Wait a second, is he trying to say that he prepares? I ain’t buyin’ it. I have to wonder why Tony would say that he thought he signed up for one year. Why would he go into this thing knowing he wouldn’t really enjoy it, even if only for one year? My guess is that what Tony didn’t really bank on is the ridiculous amount of blogs, articles, and e-mails sent to him that say how much he flat out sucks. Now all we have to do is get rid of Theisman.
Did you know that fool Calvin Johnson, Jr. can’t lose? Even if Johnson gets sick or injured, he has an NCAA-affiliated insurance policy that would pay him up to $3 million if he can’t sign with an NFL team. If I’m Johnson, I might have to grab me some turf-toe and go chill for a few. On a serious note, I wonder how many other players have this policy in place, ie: Michael Bush and Adrian Peterson.
Did you know…that only 32 percent of Americans consider themselves fans of professional baseball? That is according to a new AP-AOL sports poll that was released Thursday. The poll also stated that 48 percent of fans want Barry Bonds to fall short of Hank Aaron's homerun record; 33 percent would like Bonds to break it, and another 16 percent said they didn't care. Hey, that only adds up to 97%. I think the other 3 % want just don’t want to ever see this again. Ever.
Did you know…teenagers and pedophiles aren’t the only ones gettin’ down on MySpace. (scroll down to “Support for Jackson”)
Did you know…Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren will wear a pink "cancer awareness" ribbon on the sideline during Sunday's game as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Look, just ‘cause homeboy has breasts, doesn’t mean he has to wear the ribbon – does it?
Rarely as of recent has a movie come along that I really, really wanted to shell out the $7 for and break down and go see it. Then I saw the previews for the new Scorsese flick, “The Departed” and it seemed interesting enough. Then there is the all-star cast including DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Nicholson, Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, the dude from the Donald Logue show, and last but not least, the great Anthony Anderson (you didn’t know he was in this picture) and how could I pass this up! Then the reviews came out and it seemed like everyone who saw this movie absolutely loved it. Well, almost everyone. Shaq and his wifey recently went out to see the movie and were heard groaning and sighing loudly because at the beginning of the movie apparently Jack Nicholson says “nigger”. It was also reported Shaq and wifey left within minutes because they didn’t like the use of the offensive term. I haven’t seen the film yet, so I really would have to see what the content of the scene is when the dialogue is used before passing judgment. I mean, I would never agree that it’s okay to degrade people with words, but often times we do view many things we don't agree with (gratuitous violence comes to mind) for the sake of entertainment. Also I’m sure Jack was acting and I know he attends lots of Laker games so I would imagine he has love for bruthas, at least for Kobe. But in the end, if Shaq was truly offended then I would say he did well by walking out of the movie and taking a stand for his beliefs.
I’m still trying to figure out why everyone is acting so shocked that Tiki Barber (real name Atiim Kiambu Barber) has recently announced that this will be his last year of football. Loyal readers of this site know that Silva Sportz broke this back in July. As I said then, and I still maintain today, if Tiki wants to hang it up, then who is to say otherwise? This is a personal decision between Barber and his familia and those people and those people alone should make the decision whether Barber is back toting the rock next year. So while I back Barber and whatever choice he makes, I would caution him that there is a wrong way to go about this, and Barber is running the risk with recent comments that he wouldn't commit to saying his retirement was 100 percent certain: "It's week six of the NFL season, so I won't say that." However, he also said there was "nothing" that would change his mind. This seem like a bit of a contradiction to me and I think that is the worst thing a player could do. Now I understand there are circumstances such as injuries where players have a tougher time coming to a decision as to whether or not to hang up the cleats. However, with Tiki, he simply wants to pursue other things and with his above comments he comes across as flip-flopping between whether he’ll be back with the G-Men or not. "I have a lot of interests and I've never wanted to be solely defined as a football player," Barber said. First, I would say right now Barber’s body is hurting and as I heard former NFL’er, Mark Schlereth remark recently, every player considers retiring at this point in the season when you are feeling those hits from last Sunday and preparing to do it all again the next Sunday. Secondly, sorry Tiki, but no matter what you go on to accomplish, you will be hard-pressed to make everyone forget that you got your start in athletics. If you don’t believe me, just ask this guy. So what are Tiki’s other interests? Well appeared a number of times as a guest host on Fox News morning show, “Fox and Friends” and has signed a contract with the network to be a general contributor and appear each Tuesday (dubbed "Tuesdays with Tiki" or "Tiki Tuesday") on the morning program. Barber has even gone so far as stating that his goal after football is to become a host of NBC's “Today show”. Tiki and his brother Ronde have also recently released their third children’s book. In conclusion, I’m really not surprised why Barber would even bring retirement up at this time of the year. Regardless, a Barber-less Giants would certainly be a weakened Giants team. There are few backs in the league who are as complete and as consistent as Barber is and has been over the past years. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
NBC Sports has an interesting piece that speculates who would fill what role if the NFL was a high school. It is a pretty funny article that also lists the NFL’s “10 most popular kids.” Here is a small excerpt.
“Bill Parcells not allowing his rebellious students to use the bathroom during fifth period history, Jerry Porter once again skipping Art Shell's disorderly science class, and new principal Roger Goodell sitting mouth open, hair disheveled, staring at the list of students facing suspensions.”
The article also lists the NFL’s “10 most popular kids” with some funny blurbs about each one. For example, about Mike Vick:
“There was a lot of talk about Vick when he was still in junior high. He was tearing up the blacktop at lunch and dominating sixth-graders in P.E. class. When he got to NFL High as a freshman, he impressed with phenomenal highlights on junior varsity.”
And regarding Reggie Bush:
“Bush is definitely the coolest kid in the freshman class; hanging out with upperclassmen, going to the senior class parties and might even score a date to the prom.”
About Ray-Ray:
“He's the kind of guy who will hit another guy in the arm as he walks by in the halls. The other guy will act like it didn't hurt that bad and even give a little half-hearted smile -- mainly out of insecurity -- before muttering to his friend what a jerk Lewis is. Then later when that guy is walking with a cookie or something, Lewis will deliver an even bigger punch knocking the cookie to the ground. Lewis will then pick it up, run 15 yards the other way where he will eat the cookie and do a spastic, very scary style of dance.”
The article’s author, Jimmy Spencer, also has some sick Saved by the Bell references. He says about Donovan McNabb:
“He's well liked and people think he's super. But this guy is up to something, like Jessie Spanos' New York City stepbrother.”
Now that’s a great sportswriter. Spencer ranks T.O. as the most popular kid at NFL high and says this about him:
“Owens has it all and that's why he is the most popular kid at NFL High. He's Zack Morris and A.C. Slater combined. He is the class clown, the bully, charming and good looking, and he drinks up every ounce of attention that showers him.”
I came across this article that list the pay-outs the fighters received at UFC’s last two pay per view events, UFC 63 & 64. You can read the entire list of salaries for every fighter on the cards here. Here are a few of the notables:
(from UFC 63) Matt Hughes: $130,000 (defeated BJ Penn) BJ Penn: $50,000 (lost to Matt Hughes) Rashad Evans: $24,000 (defeated Jason Lambert) Danny Abaddi: $5,000 (lost to Jorge Gurgel)
(from UFC 64) Anderson Silva: $50,000 (defeated Rich Franklin) Sean Sherk: $22,000 (defeated Kenny Florian) Rich Franklin: $21,000 (lost to Anderson Silva) Kenny Florian: $8,000 (lost to Sean Sherk) Kalib Starnes: $5,000 (lost to Yushin Okami)
I have no idea how the UFC and the fighters arrive at these amounts. You can see Matt Hughes got paid the most but I can understand that, as he is one of the more popular men in the UFC. However, I can’t help but thinking Rich Franklin got screwed. If wonder if it was really worth the $21 large for Rich to get his nose seriously smashed by Silva’s knees?
Lions DT Shaun Rogers has been suspended for four games without pay by the NFL for using a banned substance. The substance wasn’t anything illegal but rather an appetite suppressant Rogers had purchased at GNC. Rogers said he was trying to control his weight and he didn’t know he had done anything wrong until he tested positive during training camp. I have no idea why Rogers is just now being suspended, but I bet he never imagined his fatness would cost him this much $$$.
Falcons offensive lineman Matt Lehr was also suspended 4 games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
I don’t know how you can get much more ironic than this.
Marcus Vick has been activated by the Dolphins. Vick had previously been on the practice squad but was moved up this week to provide needed depth at both quarterback and receiver. Vick will be the 3rd quarterback on the depth chart and also plays receiver, which will help the team out with an injury to Marty Booker.
Just about a week after we posted regarding the possibility of Darrent Williams becoming Silva Sportz first professional spokesman, we may have a second ambassador in the works. Whom you may ask? Well it’s none other than Syracuse quarterback Perry Patterson. You may remember Patterson was featured as a Look-A-Like on Silva Sportz last Saturday. Well that very day, Patterson, a relative unknown before, achieved national notoriety for giving the finger to the West Virginia fans during the Orangemen’s game against the Mountaineers. ESPN was airing the game and caught Patterson red-handed, or rather red-fingered. The clip was aired over and over on ESPN that weekend. Patterson has since apologized saying, "I made an out-of-character gesture to the fans and I let them get to me. It's not what represents Syracuse. It's not what Coach is trying to build in this program. It was completely out of character. I was embarrassed. I felt bad about it.” We here at Silva Sportz forgive you Perry. In fact we’d like to propose something like this as a business deal between us. Can't wait to hear from you soon!
Today's Quote of the week comes from da coach himself, Mike Ditka. Ditka said to Michael Irvin on the most recent Monday Night Countdown:
"Michael, penny for your thoughts but you don't have any. You're blind. You make no sense, Michael. None."
My first thought, “Ouch, coach.” My second thought, “Coach you are 100% correct and thank you for saying what everyone is thinking.”
While we're on the subject of how crazy Michael Irvin has gotten lately, here is a bonus picture of him when he wore that tiny tie. Irvin has been so ridiculous lately that he has fallen into that Theisman category where you never want to miss them speaking because you are sure they will say something wacky.
News And Notes - O-Coordinators Fired and Booger Traded
Today was the trade deadline for the NFL, 4:00 pm EST to be exact. And this is all we got: The Bucs sent DT Booger McFarland to Indianapolis in return for the Colts 2nd round pick in the ‘07 draft.
In other Bucs news (why do we care about the Bucs today?) Tampa Bay signed CB Phillip Buchanon, who was released by the Houston Texans yesterday.
NBC has this “flexible scheduling” bidness that allows them to select which games they’ll air in order to avoid anymore games along the lines of Raiders/Broncos from last Sunday night. My boy Matt Mosley is reporting that there is the possibility of the Cowboys/Colts game and even the Cowboys/Saints game could be moved to a Sunday night. More here.
Tell me why the Lyle-Klickitat-Wishram Cubs 7th graders are playing 11-man football with only 9 players? I know you think this was a one time thing due to injury or some other odd circumstance, but the truth is this is how the Cubs normally play week in and week out. Now you’re saying, “well these kids must suck” but the truth is the Lyle-Klickitat-Wishram Cubs haven’t lost a game in two years. The nine players, all of whom are playing every down of every game, say they do get tired, but refuse to give up. Coach Don Smith says, "They've got 50 kids our first game. I said 'guys, so what, we've got more heart than all 50- 48 kids over there'" Wow. I’ll give the Cubs their props ,but how embarrassing is that to get beat by this team? I would also be interested to see what kind of formations they line up in and what kind of defense they run.
I don’t even care to go into detail about last night’s game, but I feel as though something must be said. What is with the Arizona Cardinals? Who do they owe money to that they have to keep blowing these games? Let me refresh your memory… In week 3, Kurt Warner fumbled a snap at the Rams 18 with 1:46 to play and St Louis recovers to preserve the 16-14 victory . Then last week the Cards gave up a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter to let the Chiefs come back. The Cardinals still had a final chance to pull out the victory but Neil Rackers missed a 51-yard kick that would have tied it with 2 seconds to play. The Chiefs won 23-20. That brings us to last night. The Bears offense didn’t score a TD all night! The Bears had six turnovers, count ‘em six turnovers! Oh yeah, and the Cardinals had a 20-0 lead at halftime. So the Bears come back with defense and special teams and yet the Cardinals still have a chance to win, but Rackers misses again, this week from 41 yards out. But the best part of last night had to be Denny Green’s post-game press conference. I am still trying to find a video of it, but until then you can at least listen to him here. Green totally flipped out cursing and banging on the podium! Many people this morning are blaming the loss on Green, saying that he was too conservative with the playcalling. I prefer to blame the loss on Edge James. He looked terrible all night and then during the key final minutes in the game, Edge coughs up the rock. Edge you may have given your team black shoes and take them to skrip clubs, but I’m sure they would trade in those breasts and dark sneaks for at least a 3 to 4 yard average (James finished with a 1.52 yd avg). oh yeah, and not getting out-muscled by Urlacher wouldn’t hurt either.
*UPDATE: Found the video of Coach Green pissed off. Enjoy!*
The Big Lead has a nice review of Oklahoma’s 2006 season, or at least the things that I’ll remember about it. One of the most memorable moments had to be the one that occurred towards the end of last Saturday’s game against Iowa State. Here it is in case you have been living in a cave. (Note: This video is pretty low-quality, but at the same time, good enough quality to let you see the run and injury in question).
I have heard many people criticize coach Stoops for having Peterson in the game with OU ahead 27-9 with only 6:38 left in the game. I don’t think it is coach Stoops’ fault. He was attempting to run out the clock and he called a run play. Also all week and all game all we heard about was how this was the first game that Peterson’s father, Nelson was able to watch Adrian play. You see, during the 1990s, Nelson Peterson worked at a Wal-Mart warehouse in the small East Texas town of Palestine and helped coach young Adrian's pee-wee football teams. At the same time, he helped run a large crack cocaine trafficking operation that led to his arrest in 1998. Nelson spent eight years in federal prison in Texarkana and was released October 5th from an Oklahoma City halfway house. Nelson has never attended any of Adrian's high school or college games until Saturday. So with the big deal about Peterson having his father able to watch him play in person for the first time in years, I’m sure Adrian wanting to play as much as he could and I’m sure coach Stoops had no problem letting Peterson run out the clock. Except for one thing. Peterson, it seems, has 99 injury. In case you forgot, he dislocated his left shoulder in fall practice in 2004, reaggravated it during the regular season and then had surgery in that offseason. Peterson also missed one game last season and was severely limited in three others with a sprained right ankle. And now this. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge A.D. fan, but after watching the clip of Peterson’s run and subsequent injury, I have concluded that he was showboating as he went into the endzone. Now, I have heard one announcer say that Peterson runs reckless and that is true, but surely that can’t be a negative knock on Peterson? Every coach would love to have a back that ran with half the determination and passion that Peterson runs with. With that being said, why is Peterson so out of control as he enters the endzone? I know the guy clips Peterson’s leg as he crosses the goal line but I don’t see how Peterson didn’t have the balance to keep his feet on a hit that wasn’t nearly as hard as others he has broken and stayed upright. I think Peterson was just starting a dive into the endzone celebration style and when the defender hit him, it caused his own momentum to slam him into the ground hard thus breaking his clavicle. So we know Peterson is done for this season. He might be back for a bowl game, but that is really irrelevant right now, as their bowl game won’t be a BCS bowl or anything that counts for much. So now the question is where does this leave Peterson? Well he has a few options: 1) Peterson could come back to OU and play his senior season. This would be likely only if Peterson feels like Oklahoma will be a competitive team next year, as in competing for a National Championship. This is not going to be the case, so more than likely Peterson will make the jump to the pros. 2) So Peterson will make the jump. There have already been rumors that the Raiders have said they will surely take Peterson with the number one pick. I know there is no guarantee that the Ray-duhs will have the number one pick, but let’s be serious now, we all know they will. Now if I am Peterson I would simply refuse to play for that franchise so maybe that will factor into his decision to come out early. No one wants to play for the Raiders right now, not even people who play for the Raiders right now. 3) Here is one of the most interesting rumors I have heard. CollegeFootballTalk.com reports this: “Another note: some of our NFL scout friends told us that Peterson will not be a Top 5 lock in the 2007 NFL draft since the injury seems to be another indication that he is about as sturdy as Humpty Dumpty.” Now that is definitely interesting but I personally could not see the five worst teams in the NFL passing on a talent such as Peterson. However, stranger things have happened. Stay tuned to see what the future holds for Adrian Peterson.
So now that a few days have passed since the royal rumble that occurred at the OB between the “M” and FIU, we are beginning to see what type of punishment will be handed down to those involved. The ACC and Miami suspended 13 players. All will miss Saturday's game at winless Duke. Sophomore safety Anthony Reddick was suspended indefinitely. Here is a list of the Miami players suspended along with their number so that you can find them in the film clip and see exactly what their part was in the melee. Anthony Reddick #26, this is homeboy swinging his helmet like a club. Carlos Armour #27 Chris Barney #79 James Bryant #45 Tyrone Byrd #67, comes charging in and tackles/bodyslams FIU player DajLeon Farr #11, runs into the middle out of nowhere and throws a bow/forearm blow to an FIU players back Ryan Hill #12 Bruce Johnson #22 Charlie Jones #34 Brandon Meriweather #19, Team Captain, visited a Children’s Hospital Friday morning, just a day before he was stomping fools. He is the one putting in work with his feet. Brian Monroe #15 Derrick Morse #71, spears into the pile after his bubba is taken down Randy Phillips #6
In addition to the ACC suspensions announced yesterday, the University of Miami Athletic Department is taking the following action: • With respect to fighting, any future violation will subject student-athletes to seasonal or permanent suspensions • The Athletic Department has re-emphasized to the football coaching staff the University's commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and their responsibility to communicate this principle to the student-athletes. • The coaches will be held accountable for any violation of this principle. • Any further action by a student-athlete that violates these principles will not be tolerated by the University. • Further, additional disciplinary measures will be taken for all involved players, including community service and other unspecified actions. Meanwhile, the Golden Panthers took a harsher stance -- dismissing two players, Chris Smith, #26 and Marshall McDuffie Jr, #24, and extending the suspensions of all other 16 sanctioned players indefinitely. Smith is the one who tackles the Miami player and punches him in the face. McDuffie Jr is pushed back by an official out of the screen, then charges back in and kicks the down Miami player in the head. FIU said that the suspended players also will participate in 10 hours of anger-management counseling, fulfill 50 hours of community service targeted at South Florida youth and remain on athletic probation through the end of the school year.
So is the one game suspension enough? Not in my opinion. I don’t really see how the suspension is much punishment. Did you know that this was the Hurricanes' third fight in their last seven games? And all that happens is that the 13 Miami players will miss Saturday’s game against Duke who is last in the ACC and hasn’t won a game all year. Sitting out this week against Duke just doesn’t count as any kind of meaningful punishment. And if you think it does, just ask Duke. You may think that FIU set the better example by dismissing two players from the team, however what you may not know is that the two players will remain on scholarship at FIU, meaning although they can’t play football, they will still receive a free education. One of the other big issues regarding the brawl was what would happen to Lamar Thomas, one of the announcers who made the infamous comments in the above clip. Thomas told ESPN's Dan Patrick on his radio show Monday that he was "a little hyped up," and "Anybody who knows me knows I played the game of football with my heart on my sleeve," Thomas told Patrick. Thomas also added, "Certainly in no way do I condone fighting, but what I was trying to say is that back in my day we would have handled our business." What? I think that means you do condone fighting, Lamar. All I can say is that since Thomas likes brawling so much, he may need to begin looking for a career with the WWE or something because Thomas was fired by Comcast Sports SouthEast Monday for his foolish comments. I also was curious as to how Thomas’ partner in the booth, Jason Solodkin felt, so I asked him. I sent Solodkin an e-mail and told him that I appreciated his professionalism during the obviously awkward moment of hearing his co-announcer attempt to justify what was taking place in front of them. I also asked Solodkin how he felt as he heard the comments Thomas’ made and what action he thought, if any, should be taken. Solodkin e-mailed me back this response:
"Andrew- Thank you for your comments. I believe a decision was made by the station regarding Lamar's position on the broadcast. I felt the scene on the screen could tell the story, and I was startled by the violence on the field. There really isn't too much that can be said in a situation like that (or that should be said, I suppose)..."
So I guess that’s it for now. But don’t expect this thing to go away anytime soon. The repercussions from Saturday will be felt for years to come by both universities and several players and coaches.
The Sports Pulse brings up an interesting point today. They wonder,
"Art Shell needs to find a new profession. Maybe Texas Hold Em poker? He has the best poker face. Whether it’s kicking a field goal, getting penalized, or not converting on 4th down, he has the same blank stare on his face."
This is exactly what the Silva men have been screamin' since the season started! What is up with the faces Art Shell makes on the sideline? He looks like...well, just look.
Hey T.O. Just wanted to let you know that I have been a huge fan of yours in times past. I was ecstatic the day I learned you would be wearing the silver and blue because I thought that you would surely help my team achieve their goal of winning another championship. T.O., I don’t know if you’re aware or not, but a lot of other lifelong Cowboys fans said that you were nothing but trouble and they didn’t want you on our team. I defended you though. I said surely you had learned your lesson and you even said yourself that you’d be on your best behavior. You also said to get our popcorn ready ‘cause you were gonna put on a show once the season started. Then camp started and you had the issue with your hamstring. You missed nearly the entire preseason and again people said we shouldn’t have bothered with you. Again I defended you saying that once you got healthy it would be all worth it. Well, you know the story. What followed was your injury to your hand followed by your “alleged” suicide attempt. I gotta be honest with you T.O., I almost lost my voice that week defending you to nearly every person who had ever seen a football game. But still I stood by you because I knew what they had forgotten. See, I know you’re not supposed to look ahead but, I’ll admit I was looking to October 8th, you know, your “homecoming”. That was another tough week having to listen to all those Eagles fans. T.O. in case you aren’t aware they really don’t like you! Then came the big game. I saw you on the sidelines. You were upset. I just knew the media would try to spin it and say that you had broken, that you were back to your old ways of throwing your quarterback under the bus and blaming everyone else for your lack of production. But, hey I was frustrated too, heck, who wouldn’t be after dropping a close game to a heated rival? At least that’s what I told everyone who said you were a punk. Oh, one more thing T.O. I hate to bring this up, but you know what else I saw in that game against the Eagles, the game you were supposed to show the world that you were worth the $25 million not to mention the drama? I saw you drop at least two passes that you should have caught. I know nobody’s perfect, T.O. You’re human, it’s just that afterward you said that they didn’t get you the ball enough and all I could think about was those drops. In a way that brings us to where we are now. This week you asked “Why did ya’ll bring me here?” Then I heard about how you were late to Wednesday’s practice this week. Hey, you don’t have to explain to me T.O. So you had a case of the B.G.’s. As the saying goes, when you gotta go, you gotta go. But what I don’t understand is why you blew up on coach Haley. You say he disrespected you, but T.O. he is your coach after all. I’ve never played on the professional level but I have had plenty coaches chew me out. I just chalked it up to them being the coach and me being the player. You know that whole subordination thing. You realize you’re making it harder and harder to come up with reasons for your behavior that people actually will buy? T.O. I gotta be honest with you. I am getting a little worried. This week during a press conference someone attempted to ask coach Parcells a question about you and coach said he wouldn’t answer anymore questions about you because he was tired of talking about you! I think people are getting tired of you T.O. What do I tell them? Just this morning ESPN showed a graphic that said you’re a league leader. Unfortunately, you are second in the league in "on target" drops, meaning balls that were catchable but dropped. Who do we blame that on? Please write back soon, T.O. I got my popcorn ready but unfortunately it’s getting stale quickly. Don’t worry though T.O. I know it’s not your fault. Your pal, Andrew
Much has been made about the fact that Ohio State’s newest stud linebacker, James Laurinaitis, is the son of former wrestler Animal of L.O.D./Road Warrior fame. The jokes have been relentless, “he plays like an animal”, and so on and so on. Most of the comparisons between father and son are pretty lame until today. I heard on College Gameday that Laurinaitis hits his fellow linebacker Marcus Freeman with a chair before games to get themselves fired up. It didn't give specifics, such as does Freeman take it on the back like Zeus or does Animal Jr. hit him on the dome? I wonder if Tressel knows about this? Either way they are cool for that. Their routine might even beat John Henderson’s pre-game ritual.
If Hotel doesn’t get his act together, a McQuistan boy could take his jaerb.
Did you know that Oakland Raiders head coach Art Shell owns a coaching record of 11-1 versus the Denver Broncos. Does that mean that the Munchos will get beat by the Ray-duhs Sunday? No, this isn’t 1990. The Art Shell sucks and the Raiders suck. Broncos by 14.
Did you also know that Drew Bledsoe needs one touchdown pass to become the 12th player in NFL history with 250 career scoring passes.
There had been some debate as to whether or not young rook Pat Watkins would lose his job this week after getting burned by the iggles Sunday. Watkins was yanked when Hank Baskett beat him for an 87 yard TD. Watkins was replaced by last year’s starter Keith Davis. Well as of Wednesday’s practice, Davis and Watkins are sharing time with the first team. When asked in his news conference if he knew who would start Parcells answered, “that’s a good question. I don’t know.” Parcells was also asked if Watkins big plays given up were rookie mistakes to which Parcells responded, “Doesn’t matter.”
Another note regarding the safety situation, Dallas gets Marcus Coleman back after a four game suspension for substance abuse.
T.O. may finally be getting frustrated with his lack of touches. Owens admitted Wednesday that he has questioned why he is here. He also said he received a text message from Drew Bledsoe saying, “Stay with me.” Owens: “I do question why I‘m here“ (Matt Mosley’s Cowboys Blog)
Parcells also said in the press conference that he didn’t notice any of T.O.’s “antics” on the sideline of Sunday’s game.
Parcells: “I’m very impressed with Carr…I think they’re doing a really good job with him, I really do”
Drew Bledsoe said on his radio show he wanted to get Owens involved in the game last Sunday. Bledsoe was then asked about “words on the sideline” between himself and Owens to which Bledsoe responded. “We were all frustrated by the game and the way it was going. He (Owens) wasn’t out of hand, he wasn’t out of line, any of those things, it was just frustration by all of us.”
This is what T.O. is reading or at least what is inside his locker. Young rook Sam Hurd attends Jakes’ church, The Potter‘s House in Dallas.
Darrent Williams - Silva Sportz First Professional Spokesperson?
Here is what I know: Sunday evening Silva Sportz posted "The Verdict Is In On The Mohawk" then less than twenty-four hours later Darrent Williams of the Broncos debuted this on Monday Night Football.
Sure, I guess it could be a coincidence, but I think we all know deep down that Williams clearly read Silva Sportz at some point between Sunday evening and his game Monday evening. DW, do your thing big dog, next time all we ask for is a shout-out in the post game press conference or maybe you could write "Silva Sportz" on your under-eye black.
Dwayne Jarrett will play Saturday against Arizona St despite an injured left shoulder, which is good news for the Trojans as they will most likely be without their other stud receiver, Steve Smith who injured an ankle last week. Also Cal's Marshawn Lynch will attempt to go against Washington State despite a sprained ankle. Michigan receiver Mario Manningham underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday on his knee and will miss Saturday's game against Penn St.
University of Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall is no Randy Quisenberry when it comes to drinking beer or actually just buying it for that matter. Randy Edsall Isn't Playing (The Mighty MJD)
While we were still celebrating the great victory over Oklahoma from last Saturday, sadly our joy has turned to sadness. Yesterday, Monday, Oct 9th, the beloved Bevo passed away. Bevo was 22. You may now beginning mourning.
Michael Irvin has done it again folks. Irvin just continues to say things so outrageous that he illicits outrageous comments from his co-workers. It started with this.
And now most recently this.
I was fortunate to witness this live last night after Monday Night Football and I almost died laughing when Irvin actually pulled his eyelids down! Not only that but I also find it hilarious how pissed off Steve Young gets! This ranks right up there with Chad Johnson's "Hugh"!
This morning on Mike and Mike (and I am not sure how they got on this topic) Golic and Greeny talked about who has the remote in their house. Golic says his 11 year old daughter is the hardest to get it away from. Greeny then says that his kids watch Hannah Montana and he really likes it. Golic says something about how much he likes the show too. Golic says, “I don’t know how they haven’t figured out who she is yet!” Greeny says, “You know it’s got Billy Ray Cyrus.” Golic: “And his daughter, his real daughter!” Greeny then says that in his household they watch Suite Life and he really likes that one. And then he remarks that Ashley Tisdale was the same one in High School Musical. (By the way, click on that Ashley Tisdale link to hear an ill remix of “Kiss The Girl” from Little Mermaid) They also mentioned something about That’s So Raven.
My purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Two ways I do this are by being the best husband I can be to my amazing wife, Jenny and the best father I can be to my four children.
