Grubby just forwarded me an email from "Lane Kiffin." The actual email was from a webmaster or something, but that's not the point. The bulk of the email was much more interesting than the fact that Lane Kiffin can't send out an email on his own (he might be worried about another secondary violation). The University of Tennessee was announcing that it will be promoting Eric Berry as a Heisman candidate. Here's part of the email:

Earlier today we officially announced we will be promoting Eric Berry as a Heisman candidate throughout the coming season. We are putting our full support behind Eric and hope that we can count on your support as well.

It also goes on to say that there is a website everyone should check out, www.berry4heisman.com. If you don't enjoy 100,000 people cheering, "Eric, Eric..." with clapping in the background, I'd suggest turning your speakers off before going to the site. You can't blame Tennessee for getting Berry's name out there. Lots of schools have been pimping players for the award. Heck, Oregon put a huge billboard of Joey Harrington up in Times Square in NYC with hopes to inflate his stock (he finished 4th).

Look, I'm not trying to disparage Berry's talents or piss Grubby off, but this seems to be a bit much. A look through past Heisman winners shows that no player that solely played defense has ever won the award. Charles Woodson, who mostly played cornerback for Michigan, famously beat out UT's own, Peyton Manning, for the 1997 Heisman. Woodson had 8 INT as CB, 2 TD receptions as a WR and 1 TD returning kicks. Berry could definitely have the 8 INTs in his future (he has 12 INTs in his first two seasons), but don't expect any snaps on offense. Lane Kiffin told GoVolsXtra.com that he, "would never play someone somewhere based on any award."

So, with all three Heisman finalists (Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow) from last year back playing again this year, Eric Berry probably won't win the Heisman. But, for a rabid fanbase that just sat through an awful 4-8 season, you have to respect UT and Kiffin for trying to get the fanbase excited about football again. I think as long as a Michigan cornerback doesn't take home the trophy, UT fans won't be too pissed.

Only 45 days 'til the next "Greatest catch I've ever seen!"

Disclaimer:  If you are Mike Patrick, it happens daily.  I hate it when people only speak in superlatives.  It's the worst thing you could ever possibly do to a fan.

There are many reasons for college athletes to miss part or all of a football season.  Football may be the easiest sport in which to overcome a key loss as well.  While losing a star quarterback, running back, or safety may seriously hamper a team, most people will agree that football is a sport that usually packs a little more depth than others.  Today we'll take a look at some of these missing parts for teams this year and how some quirky things can cause players to miss all or part of a football season.  (*Note: not all of these players will miss the entire season, while some may miss no game time at all, but in our opinion they all should.)

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We'll start off with South Florida kicker Maikon Bonani (Brazilian, I know you were wondering).  Bonani will likely have to redshirt this season after falling nearly 4 stories from an amusement park ride this weekend in Tampa.  Maikon was working at the park when he thought the door to a passenger compartment of a ride was improperly secured.  He held onto the door, trying to make sure it was safe for the park-goers, until he was 35 feet off the ground.  He then dropped to the ground sustaining serious, but not life threatening, injuries.  It's tough for this kid to likely end up missing a full year but we'll hope he fully recovers.  He was trying to help people out after all.

Next up we have Anthony Dixon of Mississippi State.  Dixon was recently pulled over and charged with DUI when police found him swerving through parking spaces along the road.  The best part of the story involves the two empty champagne bottles found in Dixon's back seat.  Classy!  Dixon refused a field test but Coach Dan Mullen explains that this issue will be taken care of "within the program."  I suppose that means he'll get away with mostly a hand slap.  By the way, since Mullen took over for Sly Croom there have been 4 alcohol or drug related incidents.  So when is Marvin Lewis taking over the special teams job down there?

Next up we have a player that may not miss time at all, though he should.  Kurt Wermers, former offensive lineman for Cohron's Michigan squad, recently transferred to Ball State.  Wermers cited a lack of family values and suspect recruiting for the reason he transferred.  Let's see what an online bullshit translator has to say about that statement.  "Lack of family values and not getting along with players being recruited" loosely translates to "I wasn't good enough to play there and they were recruiting over my head."  Sounds about right.  Oh, also Wermers was academically ineligible when he decided to transfer.  Son, you made a good choice.  When you're not even good enough to warrant the coaching staff getting you a hot blonde to do your homework it's time to move on.

Finally we'll stay at home for the final analysis of ineligibility.  Jeremy Jarmon from the football Wildcats was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for testing positive for a banned substance.  Jarmon pled ignorant on the matter, and we tend to believe him based on previous conduct, but either way he is off the team and on to the Washington Redskins.  It's understandable that things like this happen when you try to run a 150 person operation like a college football team.  What I hope Coaches Brooks and Phillips take away from this are that there are certain athletes who are at a premium.  All conference defensive ends in the SEC are one of these type of players.  When you have one you had better have someone watching out for that guy 24-7, no matter his typical character.

I want to take a minute and weigh in here on some comments being made around the country today regarding SEC football.  The art of "holding one's tongue" is not one I seem to have been born with  (which works out well when one writes for a daily blog).  As we continue in the nothing-real-to-discuss segment of the year -- June-August in the college sports world -- people tend to get a little wackier with ideas the more the boredom/insanity/Saturday-sobriety sets in.  Here are a few faves thus far:

Joe Solomon says Tim Tebow will win the Heisman. False.  While the opportunity to drop back and pass may be more abundant for Superman this year, that won't necessarily be a good thing.  Yes, he's potentially the greatest player/leader/spokesman in NCAA history, but the loss of a key playmaker to the NFL (Harvin), that had previously taken up scout/film time for opposing defenses makes his run at a second stiffarm unlikely.  Look for the Sam Bradford/Colt McCoy winner on October 17 to take home the trophy amassing ridiculous passing numbers this year.  Other interesting candidates I can get behind are OSU's Dez Bryant (WR), Alabama's Julio Jones (WR, but with no real QB to get him the ball), and Tennessee safety Eric Berry.

The news hasn't been good at all this week for University of Tennessee fans. Two wide receivers were lost for most, if not all, of the season early in the week. As if that weren't enough, prized 2010 basketball recruit, Josh Selby, said today he was no longer committed to UT. Citizens of Knoxville haven't been this depressed since Grubby moved away.

For the football team, the injuries to Austin Rogers and Denarius Moore don't do the Tennessee offense any favors. Rogers, who tore his ACL, will miss the entire season. He took a medical redshirt in 2006 and will now have to petition the NCAA for the ever elusive sixth year of eligibility. Moore has a broken bone in his left foot and does not know yet how long he will be sidelined. For a team that ranked 10th in the SEC in scoring offense last year, the news couldn't be worse. Quarterback, Jonathan Crompton, needs as much help as he can get and definitely doesn't need to lose any of his other targets before the season starts.

The de-commitmentof Josh Selby doesn't do Bruce Pearl any favors either. Scout.com has him ranked as their #3 PG in the class and #11 overall. Selby would have been Pearl's second 5-star recruit to suit up for the Vols. If losing a top player in the country isn't bad enough, Selby's college destination could sting worse. The internet is abuzz with rumors of Selby ending up at John Calipari's former or current school. Apparently, Selby and Memphis commit, Will Barton, are close friends. And, Calipari is the trendy coach for any elite PG after putting the last two he coached in the NBA after just one season. Tennessee fans may have to watch a player who was once thought to be a lock for wearing orange, and he could be playing for their most hated of enemies.

Chin up, Volunteer fan! Lane Kiffin should have his new squad playing an exciting brand of football. And, even if the results on the field aren't great, the tailgating in the Vol Navy will be as good as ever. Bruce Pearl and the boys should be fine as well. If nothing else, your team has some of the best rappers in the country. The bad news for Knoxvillians? It doesn't sound like Grubby's moving home anytime soon.

Folks, it has been an odd summer. I am sitting in the South on a Saturday afternoon in July and the temperature hasn't (and won't) hit 80. The NBA's offseason has calmed and a lot of people can't get very excited about a Nationals/Padres game on a Tuesday night. Alas, I have good news. College football is only seven (7!) weeks away! We've already started trying to appease you with our Conference previews, but every Saturday one of us (whoever thinks of it first) will give you a taste of what Saturdays in the fall look like at the Stadium Drives compound.

Starting September 5th, you all can expect:

• Lots of trash talking
• Grubby putting more orange on this site than should be legally allowed
• Michigan's return to prominence
• Kentucky's QB play to be shaky at best
• Posts in the middle of the day bemoaning awful coaching decisions
• Florida to be very, very good
• Arguments with no end
• Ian writing about Dicky Lyons Jr. (even though he's not at UK anymore)

All those things, and much more. Come on, it's only seven weeks. If we all band together we should be able to make it through.

As July slides gracefully to a close and August ramps up, you won't be able to throw a miniature rubber football in any direction without hitting a pre-season position/player/team ranking of some kind.  Putting a 2009 value on something before the first ball is snapped or field goal missed (I'm looking at you Daniel Lincoln) does one thing and one thing only: keeps us sane until September, when we can back up our misapplied value systems with actual statistics.

Today I'd like to take my stab at an SEC quarterback ranking for something a little more applicable during these hot and lazy summer months.  Best Beer-lympics event partners.

As I write this, it's been exactly one month since the Lakers capped a terrific season with their 15th NBA championship. Since that day, we've seen a wild offseason ensue, with moves ranging from questionable to downright bizarre.

Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace, arguably the two most combustible personalities in the league, have joined the Lakers and Celtics respectively as they seek championships. Shaquille O'Neal is set to become The Big Witness as he hopes to help LeBron get his first ring. Trevor Ariza parlays his terrific postseason into a nice contract with Houston, where he likely won't get the chance next year to play with Yao Ming, whose foot injury may sideline him for all of 2009-10. The Magic, who were three wins away from a title, have dramatically altered their lineup with the addition of Vince Carter and Brandon Bass, as well as the loss of Hedo Turkoglu. Things have gotten so crazy that Allen Iverson, a future Hall-of-Famer who is desperate for a ring, is set to join either the Clippers or the Grizzlies, two of the worst teams in the league. And we haven't even mentioned the draft, where the Timberwolves spent three first round picks on point guards.

With that in mind, here's a look at some of the wildest off-season stories.

 The West get stronger:  In today's NBA, if you're not moving forward, you're falling behind. That's why the Spurs, who won 54 games last year, shook up their lineup with the addition of scorer Richard Jefferson, who should provide an instant burst of energy. Not standing pat, the Lakers went out and acquired Artest, whose toughness and defensive ability should make him an instant fan favorite...as long as he stays on his best behavior. Not to be outdone, the Mavericks worked out a deal for Shawn Marion, giving them an important piece as they hope to move into the upper echelon of the conference. Denver has been relatively quiet so far, but still acquired Arron Afflalo to fill Dahntay Jones' role and also worked out a trade for speedy PG Ty Lawson on draft night. With Portland and Utah also looking to make moves,  it's safe to say the West will again be a battleground next season.

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It wasn't enough nearly ruining the most storied college basketball program in the country. It wasn't enough starting Mark Coury for almost an entire season. It wasn't enough offering scholarships to players who now can't get an offer to a team in a major conference. It also wasn't enough alienating one of the most passionate fanbases in sports. No, Billy Gillispie seems to have trumped all of those feats with his latest venture.

Rick Bozich of the Courier Journal reports that Gillispie is penning, "The Billy Gillispie Story." Let that sink in for just a moment.

Here are some possible chapter titles:

•  Merrick Inn Has the Greatest Pool in Lexington!
• Getting Kicked Out of Desha's
• My Date With Jeanine Edwards
• How I Got Back at Jeanine Edwards for Not Putting Out
• My Night Out on the Town With Bruce Pearl
• 24 Year-Olds Will Do Anything, I Repeat Anything If You Coach at UK
• Sleeping With Your Players' Girlfriends for Beginners
• Hanging Around Too Long: April 2009-June 2009 in Lexington

I'm not sure if you ever saw a Gillispie press conference, but if his writing skills are on par with his orating this book should be read at a 2nd grade level.

Tonight's big event is the Midsummer Classic, the MLB All Star game in St. Louis.  As a college sports blog we wondered how many players starting the game tonight actually played college ball.  It was actually more than we thought.  The roster and our take on the players after the jump.

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