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18 December 2009
Who doesn't love this grumbly old teddy bear? Here are my favorite Bob Knight quotes of the week.
Regarding John Calipari, with whom he had dinner in '07 and discussed DDM strategy.
"We've got a coach at Kentucky who put two schools on probation and he's still coaching. I really don't understand that."
"If the N-C-double-A had anything to do with this, the roof would leak, there would be no locks on the doors and the court would only have one basket."
And,
"One of the things I'm looking forward to is when our leagues get started and we bring in the coaches before league play, and I talk to the coaches about how they should handle the officials," he said. "I'm going to really enjoy that."
And my personal favorite, "That Grubby, he's a real up-and-comer in all sports rec-league for a former college athlete with a penchant for cold beer, and nearing 30."
Okay maybe I made that one up.
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17 December 2009
Would-be Minnesota hoop star Royce White is quitting college hoops. And he is letting everyone, including UM athletics administration, know via YouTube, reported by the Sporting News.
During the long and rambling statement, White mentions racism, the justice system, college athlete stereotypes, and his coach, Tubby Smith.
"This ain't nothing between me and Tubby... He's the best coach I ever played for. He's one of the best coaches of all time."
The guy was the #2 Power Forward coming out of high school last year, and probably could have had Coach Smith sit down and do this press conference with him. But I get it, YouTube is easier.
Speculation has already begun as to whether he will attempt to move overseas to play for dough.
"What I'm going to do next is still to be decided," according to the video.
The end contains a Bible verse over the song lyrics "It's too late to apologize", Mark 8:36; "What profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul."
So this is odd.
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17 December 2009
NPR is reporting that the Bengals' Chris Henry (of West Virginia University) has died of injuries suffered in yesterday's car accident.
Away from the team because of a broken forearm, Henry was rushed to the hospital Wednesday after being found on a residential road. Police say a dispute began at a home about a half-mile away, and Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his fiancee was driving away from the residence.
Police said at some point when she was driving, Henry "came out of the back of the vehicle."
He was 26.
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16 December 2009
No more mohawks (or faux-hawks) for college-hoop-playing Jews, please, Mr. Pearl. It's almost as bad as Russel Westbrook's.
Oh, and there's a college for it, anyway, but they don't sell t-shirts. And interestingly enough, none of them rock the do.
Seriously, Steve, stick to the Jew-fro like your old man.
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14 December 2009
There's been a lot of hoopla (damn, I love that word) about the University of Tennessee's Orange Pride group over the last week. Grubby even did an article on it last week here at SD.
Well, we think UT's meet-and-greet group has gotten enough press. We're going to introduce you to a few of the other college football suck-off player interaction groups.
Husker Pride - This group out of the Midwest typically targets offensive linemen. Averaging about 212 lbs, each girl's duty is to woo the star recruits with information regarding the all-you-can-eat dining card they'll receive in their scholarship package.
Scarlet Pride - Rutgers sends only the classiest girls from the Jersey Shore to welcome new recruits. Rumor is they offer the world's largest corndogs and free tickets to ride a giant ferris wheel. How could a 17 year-old turn that down?
Husky Pride - The University of Washington sends out girls with sub-par hygiene to tell recruits stories about co-ops, hybrid cars, and jam bands. If you see a girl in knee high rainbow socks and a dress that appears to have been ripped to shreds by a grizzly bear, you've got a lock on a member of the Husky Pride.
Yalie Pride - Again, we have an entry in the "most homely" category. Girls from Yale tell recruits about the free books they'll receive upon reaching the University. Rumor has it they also carry folding chess sets for impromptu matches. These girls mean business, and we're not just talking the MBA's here.
Petey Pride - Easily picked out of a crowd, the liaison group from Wyoming is generally seen wearing cowboy boots and a belt buckle slightly larger than the average dinner plate. Also, matching left and right breast tattoos may be distinguishing marks.
Tiger Pride - These girls nearly have it all going for them. They're attractive, recruiting for a major SEC power, and look good in yellow and purple. The only draw back? That weird ass Cajun accent that most recruits assume is just some Native American language that they didn't have an option to take in Junior year. The hotness factor alone must carry this group because Les keeps pulling in talent like few others in the country.
Well, that sums it up. A full tour of the country's Pride groups. Didn't see your team in this list? E-mail Ian at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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13 December 2009
A quick perusal about the various NBA mock draft blogs tonight piqued my interest. Generally everyone is expecting site homer favorites John Wall, Patrick Patterson, Demarcus Cousins and Tyler Smith to go in the first round somewhere.
My favorite is NBADraft.net, which has Kentucky's Wall and Tennessee's Smith as bedfellows in New Jersey next year (after hopefully 2 epic contests in SEC play this year.) They also have PatPat going 11 overall to New Orleans, and Cousins wrapping up Round 1 to Memphis.
Some others of interest:
Wall 1 overall, New Jersey. Patterson 14, Oklahoma City. Cousins 23, New Jersey. Smith 58, Boston.
Wall 1 overall, New Jersey. Patterson 18, Oklahoma City. Cousins 19, Miami. Smith, not listed.
Wall 1 overall (seeing a pattern here?) Kings. Patterson 12, Bobcats. Cousins 14, Suns. Smith 40, Bucks.
Bru's colleagues at collegehoops.net
Wall 1 overall, Nets. Patterson 13, Raptors. Smith 25, Celtics. Cousins 26 Lakers (I'd love to see that work).
Also, there's a pretty comprehensive list here at The Hoop Doctors.
Is it SEC season yet? With 'Nova losing today, it's looking more and more realistic for both UK and UT to start conference play in the top 5. Barring a crazy UT loss to USC next week or on New Year's Eve to Memphis, that is.
Image of the goateed Smith from Summer League play in the Pilot Rocky Top league.
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11 December 2009
We know you cut out of work early today. It's no big deal. After all, it is the holiday season. Besides, your boss took the afternoon off to go Christmas shopping, shouldn't you be able step out a couple hours early? You've worked hard all year. Profits are up 80% in your business unit in this tough economy. You owe it to yourself to relax a little. We're sure you'll turn to ESPN for your sports viewing this afternoon and over the next few days. If that's the case, use this definitive guide for your weekend sports-watching schedule.
Friday
8pm (ESPN) - Blazers vs. Cavs. Lebron is fun to watch and Portland's still got Greg Oden right? Oh.
9:30pm (ESPNU) - Duncanville vs. Lincoln in a battle of two Texas high school powerhouses. Wait, it's basketball? WTF?
1am (ESPN2) - National Finals Rodeo. We know you're struggling to put down that 13th Heineken, so tune in, crack a Bud Heavy, and tighten your belt for blood.
Saturday
7:30am (ESPN2) - Stoke City vs. Wigan Athletic. It may still hurt from last night, but wake your hungover ass up and tune in for some early morning EPL action. Sure beats the Hell out of MLS action. (Okay, so you hate soccer and don't want to be up before 9. At least drag yourself out of bed for some American Gladiators reruns on Classic).
Noon (ESPN) - Ohio State vs. Butler. ESPN's website lists this as "Horizon League Basketball." I know Ohio State isn't top 5, but c'mon.
4pm (ESPN) - 1AA football (up yours FCS!), Appalachian State vs. Montana. This is worth more time than watching a couple MAC teams flail about.
8pm (ESPN) - Heisman presentation. You've been hearing the hype about it all week. Just tune in the last 10 minutes to watch the presentation and save yourself another hour of "Tebow's numbers aren't that good, Suh is a manchild, Gerhart deserves to win" talk.
9pm (ESPN) - "The U" on 30 For 30. A lot of hype on this subject this week too. Several of the 30 For 30 bits have been pretty good and this one probably won't let you down no matter if you're a fan of, or hate, Miami football.
11pm (ESPN2) - National Final Rodeo. C'mon, it's grown men riding livestock and getting stomped in the nuts! Great fodder to have on in the background while you're entertaining guests. Or the five guys that always hang out at your house on Saturday night. Whatever.
Sunday
10am (ESPN2) - Bassmaster Tournament Trail Preview. Think all that rodeo got your blood pumping? Shit, that's nothing. Tune in to watch some of the most exciting moments in sport, professional fishing! Wait, it's a preview of a league for fishing tournaments? Wow.
Noon (ESPN) - PBA World Championship. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand time. Sundays are for bowling.
3:30pm (ESPNU) - Women's basketball: Rutgers vs. Tennessee. Watch some nappy headed ho's stunning young ladies take on the all-time greatest women's program of all time.
And that about wraps it up. I'm sure Sunday can be shored up by hitting the networks and watching football. Whatever you watch, grab a few cold ones and find a way to stay warm. It's going to be a cold one.
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10 December 2009
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Best Bet Weekend. From time to time I will drop by and spell-out the top five best bets in the sporting world for the upcoming weekend. By the way, I have never bet on sports in my life so you can count on me. I have the vocabulary of a 2nd grader so please don't make fun. Intentional misspellings and poor grammar will be in italics.
1. Army v Navy (-14) - Navy finishes the season on a 7 - 2 run with key wins over Notre Dame and Wake Forest. Army closes out the season with big time wins over VMI and North Texas State A&M International University. A classic match-up that the good folks down at the Mayfair Villiage Retirement Center can't wait to watch right after a smashing game of bingo. Nobody cares as Navy easily covers this one.
2. Chargers @ Cowboys (-3) - The Chargers have put together a string of 7 straight wins because they are scoring an average of 28.5 points per game this season. The Dallas offense is only putting up 23 and two bits and has been struggling as of late - not to mention Romo's December woes. I like Miles Austin and Justin Witten, but the Bolts will be too much for them to handle. Take the Chargers in this one and stay classy, San Diego.
3. Nets @ Pacers (-3.5) - I don't know anything about the NBA, but I do know that the Nets are putrid. I also know that Reggie Miller may or may not still play for Indiana. I also bought a Pacers t-shirt one time because I thought it looked cool and because it was on sale for $5. Since then, I have cut out the sleeves and now mow my yard in said shirt. For this reason alone, the Circle City boys will cover.
4. Brian Kelly Completes a Perfect Season in His College Carreer (75:1) - Coach Kelly put together a great season at Cincy capped by an unforgettible win against Pitt. The Bearcats (who may or may not have got screwed by the BCS) will be putting their perfect season on the line against the heavily favored Gators without their head coach as he will be heading to South Bend. Notre Dame is the Britney Spears of college football. You used to really look forward to a boob slip but then the whole trailer trash thing happened and when the paparazzi finally catch a cooter shot and it makes you want to vomit. Maybe that only makes sense to me. Kelly never completes a perfect season in his college coaching career but may finally put together a respectible team with the Irish.
5. Kiffin Goes to NCAA Prison at Guantanamo (2:1) - Let me say this. Myself believe Lane are violating rules and nos it. What are you doing, Lane? Are you even trying? Don't you know what they do to coaches in NCAA Prison at Guantanamo? They do very bad things, Lane. Bad. They make their inmates watch Glee 24 hours a day and all you have to eat there is potted meat. I'm not saying this because I am still sour about the OT loss my boys took in Lexington, I am saying this because I am required by law to hate you as a Big Blue fan. I'm betting the bank on this one.
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10 December 2009
Alma mater or no, I think there's a chance you'll hear this more this season. He's running a contest for the best highlight video to this jam here, of which UTSports.com has already submitted.
Now if he can only work on that 20 foot jumper.
I dig it. I still prefer "flow mo' cleaner than a windshield wiper."
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10 December 2009
Image via Tennessee Football Media Guide
The longer the UT Hostess saga continues, the more we're going to learn... and not just about the pretty girls from Knoxville. Like it or not, every major program that has a dedicated student ambassador group filled with perky coeds is going to catch fallout from this. And it's going to be most of them.
The Knoxville News-Sentinel, today, is doing some preparatory propaganda as we find out who's guilty in the eyes of the almighty NCAA.
Campus hostesses have been part of the recruiting landscape for decades, at least back to the 1960s. The general idea is that they make recruits and their families comfortable during campus visits. Groups of attractive coeds used to have catchy names like the "Gator Getters" (Florida) or the "Hurricane Honeys" (Miami).
But that landscape has changed in the 2000s.
Sex scandals, particularly a notorious one at Colorado in 2001, have led to a more defined role for recruiting hostesses. In 2004, UT renamed the Vol Hostess program the Orange Pride and made other changes. About the same time Alabama dropped the "Bama Belles" designation of its program. Most schools made similar adjustments under the urging of the NCAA and various conferences.
Oh, and this jurisprudence-esque revelation,
While hostesses leaving campus to help recruit is unusual - and possibly an NCAA violation - it is apparently not unprecedented.
In a published account in 2002, an Arizona State University hostess said she travelled to a high school to visit a prominent recruit.
Interesting. But will it hold up in a court of la...hahahaha. Couldn't do it. Come on people, it's college kids having sex. It happens. Some college kids are whores. Some of them are school ambassadors. That group can't be any more mutually exclusive than the Glee club or soccer team, right?
Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is nothing new. Hell, didn't you guys watch The Program?
