Thursday, January 25, 2007

Thursday 01/25 A.M. Quickie:
Bush, 'Boys, HD NHL, Roush and More

Whether you're Richard Nixon or Paris Hilton (or Sean Salisbury) or Reggie Bush, those damn recordings will always getcha.

If there really ARE actual audiotapes of Reggie Bush talking about gifts and cash he received as improper benefits while playing at USC, it's going to be much harder for him to pull a "Who me?" act. (via Yahoo, who as usual have been all over this story)

And, oh by the way: If it all plays out like it looks like it's going to, USC will have its national title(s) vacated and Bush will have his Heisman taken away. (Wait: Is it like Miss America, where the runner-up gets the Heisman? Like you'd be upset if Vince Young got it...)

We can argue about whether that's too draconian a punishment, but I assume we can all agree that if there are rules in place and everyone else is (purportedly) following them, there has to be a punishment for those who don't. And I suspect there will be.

Who would have guessed that Lane Kiffin would be in a BETTER position jumping ship from next season's consensus No.1 college football team to coach the most hapless team in the NFL?

But even a 0-16 season with the Raiders will be better than being back with an NCAA body-slammed Trojans, where you can't spell "s-a-n-c-t-i-o-n-s" without an "S-C."

Speaking of Sean Salisbury: ProFootballTalk is all over the latest on his controversy, and this was obvious yesterday: By not 'fessing up right away and simply (and self-deprecatingly) blaming it on his fire-ready-aim speaking style -- and by specifically denying he said what he said -- both Sean and ESPN put themselves in the impossible position of defending what anyone who listens to the clip can obviously hear: He said "Jew." Sean blames the bloggers (go figure), but now the story is getting traction in mainstream media, which is a thornier problem for Sean. Prediction: There WILL be a reversal, but there will NOT be a firing.

NFL Coaching Carousel: The Cowboys want Jason Garrett to be their new offensive coordinator. Wait: Or is that new HEAD COACH? Even if he isn't named head coach now, it's obvious he will be soon enough. You have to wonder if that will affect the Cowboys' ability to hire a head coach whose role would be, at best, interim. Why not just go the trendy route and simply give the job to Garrett now? Sink or swim, baby!

Super Bowl XLI Update: The Thursday before the week before the Super Bowl is the apex (or nadir, I guess) of the coverage. All the storylines have been worn out from Monday through Wednesday and there's nothing new until the teams get to the Super Bowl host city. (I mean, hell: I'm in Chicago right now and I'm struggling to find the big stories that are anything more than more of what you've heard before.)

NHL All-Star Game: I actually watched a portion of the second period – in HD, no less! There's no question: HD makes watching hockey a lot better, as all the fans (and league execs) have claimed. But I still couldn't get too fired up.

Aussie Open: It finally gets interesting! Serena will play Maria in the final.

NBA: Shaq returns. And, guess what? It's not like it helped: The Heat lost to the Pacers. Meanwhile, the Suns streaked to their 15th straight win. Yes, it was over the Knicks, but at least NY made a game of it.

Conspiracy nuts, unite: Michael Vick's security tape from Miami airport was erased? Of COURSE it was. The whole thing is so freaking sketchy.

MLB: Willie Randolph given contract extension by the Mets through 2009. That's probably the smartest deal Omar Minaya will pull in 2007 (unless, of course, he gets Dontrelle Willis). I think Randolph will have the Mets celebrating a World Series title by the time his new deal runs out.

College Hoops Parity Watch: Texas A&M looked like a real contender after waxing Oklahoma State last weekend... then they lost to Texas Tech last night. LSU? More like LS-Who after a loss to Vandy. And, guess what? After watching Northwestern frustrate Ohio State into a ugly win for OSU last night, I'm suddenly very shaky on the Buckeyes' chances in March.

NASCAR Preview: (No, this isn't my big one.) As I've alluded, the most intriguing dynamic of the new season is the entry of Toyota into NASCAR. (And as I've said before: Imagine if MLB doodled along for the last 100 years without the Yankees, then they suddenly dropped in with that all-star lineup and $250 million payroll this season.)

You can almost understand Jack Roush's frustration. Almost. Instead, Roush comes across as oh-so-bitter in his criticism of Toyota. It's not like Roush himself hasn't spent to win; it's just that now he's playing in a game where there's an even bigger spender -- and, dare I say it, a smarter spender, too. (Speaking of smart spenders, Roush is going to sell a stake of his team to Red Sox owner John Henry, who knows a thing or two about being smart while spending.)

I can only imagine what it means for the psyche of the sport's longtime owners, drivers and fans that a new team long-associated with Japan -- even though Toyota makes and sells more cars made in the US than the other US car companies do -- is going to come in and kick their asses.

Yesterday, Roush threw out the word "war," which I think is ridiculous on lots of levels. He also used "siege," and I appreciate that Roush himself has developed a "siege mentality," but he sounds ludicrous. I presume his intent is to drum up jingoistic passions among NASCAR fans. As always, the fans will show themselves smarter than that – they'll follow the winners. And that must be what has got Roush so nervous.

(By the way, it's not like I'm a NASCAR fan. Most of you aren't either. But this Toyota-enters-NASCAR storyline is one of the most intriguing in sports this year – and probably of this decade, given NASCAR's rise to prominence. It's certainly the biggest storyline to happen to NASCAR itself in a long time.)

Finally: How ironic that it's the Duke LAX prosecutor Mike Nifong who is going to end up effed, and not the players he targeted.

-- D.S.

76 comments:

NA said...

How can you mention tennis and not mention that Roddick got absolutly waxed by Federer (again) 6-4, 6-0, 6-2.

Unknown said...

Dan, Ohio State beat Northwestern by 32 points a week ago. Last night's closer game is the opposite extreme. So OSU is probably 20 points better on average. What do you expect to happen when 2 teams play each other so soon after the first matchup? The shock is gone. That won't be the case in March.

Give SC the Death Penalty!

Of course you didn't get fired up about hockey last night...it was an all star game. Is there a single all star game that ANYONE gets fired up for!? Of course not.

TJ said...

Answer: After watching Mississippi State frustrate Florida into a ugly win for UF last night, I'm suddenly very shaky on the Buckeyes' chances in March.

Question: What would Dan have typed this morning had he wanted to avoid having half his commentors tear their hair out and call him a #$%^ing homer in all caps?

TJ said...

And by Buckeyes, I of course mean Gators.

jhawkjjm said...

Dan, don't give up on hockey because you couldn't get into an all-star game. In that game there's no hitting as nobody wants to hurt someone going into the second half. Much like how defense is missing in the NBA all star game.

Big 12 was always going to come down to the game between aTm and KU... in Lawrence. What a week for Bobby Knight and TT though, first they knock off then #5 KU followed by #6 aTm, only thing more impressive would be if both games were on the road rather than at home.

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised you didn't comment specifically on the WWL's coverage of the NFL, Dan. It's the week leading up to the week leading up to the Super Bowl, and one of the main tabs on ESPN.com is a picture of Terrell fucking Owens.

People complain all the time about the amount of spotlight he receives, yet they continue to over-analyze everything he says and catapult his every move into the forefront.

If nobody pays attention to him, he'll fizzle away soon enough...

nep1293 said...

I literally had no idea the NHL all star game was last night. Wednesday night??? There in NO football this week. Why not Sunday? I wouldn't have watched it anyway but still.

I actually had the NHL Center Ice package for 3 years before the lockout, the fact that I don't give 1 cent about the league now must say something really bad.
~~~~~
Damn Aussie Open, when I heard Federer-Roddick was Thursday night I assumed it was US time.

Seriously, how long until Federer gets bored?? Sampras at least played some 5 setters and looked beatable. Roger Federer will go down as the best athlete who ever played, he is unbelievable.

With Nadal regressing a bit this should be the year he gets the French, and possibly the whole Grand Slam. I really wish more people in the US would take some time to watch this guy play.

kway34 said...

After watching Northwestern frustrate Ohio State into a ugly win for OSU last night, I'm suddenly very shaky on the Buckeyes' chances in March.

You better be just as shaky on Wisky then (at NW, they won 56-50) and UF (back-to-back survivals against the Mississippi schools).

RevScottDeMangeMD said...

dave...i disagree with your statement. tennis is at it's highest in American tennis since mcenroe, conners, etc.

federer is just THAT great. seriously...there is no doubt that he will go down as the greatest tennis player ever. and i truly believe he is the greatest athlete in the world right now.

also...after reading that espn.com E-ticket story...i am thanking god I did not live in Georgia growing up.

Anonymous said...

One of the coolest parts about the NHL all star game was having the announcers talk to Marty Turco the whole third period while the action was going on (sometimes when the puck was in his own end). That being said, the NHL needs to get on a more watched network (probably has to be ESPN). The game is a lot better and I believe the players will be more than willing to interact with the announcers and bench reporters. The commissioner can't resign with Versus, he needs to work something out with ESPN

Natsfan74 said...

The interview with Sampras last week was great -- he said Federer will win 17 or 18 Slams because he is the dominant player in the game right now without any real competition. Pete had other great players throughout his era, including some great matches with Andre. He didn't say he would win, but he said he'd love to match up against Federer when he was in his prime....

Toyota is not the Yankees. They are the Marlins. New team, probably not on solid footing yet, but might be able to spend enough to win a championship ('97), but won't sneak up on anyone ('03).

All-Star game was fun, but nothing to get fired up about. Biggest surprise -- Crosby and Ovechkin combine for 1 point in a 21 goal game. More interesting is that the "other guy" Briere had 5 points last night to be MVP (in a losing effort).

Anonymous said...

if you listen to the tennis guru's, even past champions, they ALL say that federer is/will be one of the best ever, if not the best ever no matter the competition.

I watched the 2nd period of the all star game too, and while i turned it off after that, i will say that the passing those guys were making was awesome, even if nobody on defense did anything. Still not enough for me to watch hockey regularly though...ill just wait for the playoffs round 3 and 4.

The USC thing...sound like to me somebody has a grudge digging this stuff up after the fact. I think anyone is extremely naive to think that college sports are not full of "funny money." My brother in law used to play for the broncos and he would tell me that his teammates that played for auburn and alabama said they had to take a pay cut to come to the pros.

This will undoubtedly resurface the whole issue of whether athletes should be paid in college or not...and I think the simple answer is YES...but not like a pro...consider this:

I get an academic scholarship to a university, and in turn, I also get a assistantship with the university to assist a teacher or dept, for which in turn i get 600-1000 a month for my work, on top of my scholarship. I have no idea why anyone should think that the athletes should not be given the same consideration, considering playing college sports is a full time job in it of itself. Its just silly.

Anonymous said...

Roger Federer depresses me. At least all other great athletes look human from time to time. He's invincible, a machine...he's Drago with a tennis racket. The only problem is that there's no Rocky to make it interesting.

Big D said...

Two pretty impressive things happened in the NBA last night.

First, Deron Williams dropped 21 assists in the Jazz' game. That's pretty sick.

Second, apparantely the Heat are the master of the double-header situation, as they were able to lost to the Pacers while beating the Knicks to extend their winning streak to 15...

That's pretty impressive.



Just poking a little fun here. Can't remember the last time I posted without a typo of some sort.


By the way - am I the only one who scrolled completely past anything NASCAR related in this post? Honestly - if I want to see cars go fast, with insane drivers passing at the craziest angles, I'll go watch the Route 93 central artery in Downtown Boston. It's probably cheaper, too.

kirby077 said...

Re:Federer is obviously great and "one of the greats," but how much of his dominance is as a result of a lack of competition?

When one person is so much better than everyone else and wins everything, it's difficult for other players to get recognition. The only reason there was the big 5 in golf was because Tiger struggled for a bit and allowed others to come to the forefront.

Federer has now made 7 straight Grand Slam Finals and 11 Grand Slam Semi-Finals in a row.

His dominance is not because of lack of competition, but because he's just that much better than everyone else.

Perks said...

I agree with the Federer sentiments, in that he doesn't really have competition until the French Open and Nadal is there. Even still, I think Federer is the dominant tennis figure-- but that's it. People like Ronaldinho, Tiger, LeBron (or Kobe or Nash) still hold sportsman honors above him simply because of the outside competition.

Perks said...

And I agree with Big D--

I TOTALLY scrolled past the NASCAR stuff. But, I think it also might be because I don't know anything about it (and don't want to).

Anonymous said...

Thank god its over and back to real Hockey Night In Canada with no weekends affected!!!
There is NHL hockey this weekend by the way and since there is no NFL maybe some people will go to a real hardhitting NHL game and become a fan for life.

Re: Toyota in Nascar
They will take a 2 or 3 years to be competitive and even compete for a Cup and they need better drivers, Vickers has some potential and Jarrett is past his prime.
They will be very lucky if they win a race this year and no Toyota will make the Chase.

Natsfan74 said...

I totally disagree with paying college players, in any sport. First, where do you draw the line -- football makes money so they get paid, swimming loses money so they lose scholarships? Second, they do get paid. They get a free ride and room and board available, as well as guided admissions, into college. Plus, they get to travel, they get clothes and gear, and depending on the sport and the location, they assuredly get other perks on campus.

I am not naive enough to think that paying players doesn't go on, but I know the NCAA is a lot more rigorous in trying to prevent it now. These athletes live like rock stars on college campuses. As if a FREE college education isn't payment enough. Ask any kid who didn't get into Georgetown or Notre Dame the past few years what they think about their basketball or football players!

Kevin said...

Apparently MLB is talking about making their Extra Innings package exclusive to DirecTV. Haven't they learned anything from the grief that the NFL is getting for that policy. It sounds like a great way to further alienate the fans. What happens when DirecTv loses its monopoly on NFL Sunday Ticket and 2/3 of their subscribers leave (since, like me, they are only there for Sunday Ticket)? Then MLB will be screwed.

Natsfan74 said...

Sorry to ruin a perfectly good sports blog day with college football talk, but the ACC just posted their combined schedules for 2007 on their official website. Interesting to note -- all 12 ACC schools play a top 20 out of conference opponent (granted 3 of them are against ND). In addition to the annual rivalry games (Clem/ South Carolina, Georgia/ GT), there are some interesting matchups for the coming year:
Virginia Tech @ LSU, Miami plays Marshall, @ Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Florida State plays Neutral Site Alabama, and @ Florida. Labor Day game this year is FSU vs. Clemson (Bowden Bowl).

Big D said...

@ kevin:

Wouldn't that be the mother of conspiracy theories? The NFL gets hugely popular and signs a contract with exclusive rights with DirectTV. MLB follows suit, inking a 10-year exclusivity deal. The NFL's deal expires (or they break the contract and pay off DirectTV), and they immdiately move to normal cable providers to get their product in more households, while leaving MLB holding the bag.

Actually, forget all of this - it's just too far-fetched, even for me.

Big D said...

Just realized... I don't think "exclusivity" is a word. Sounds cool though.

NA said...

verbal97 said...
Roger Federer depresses me. At least all other great athletes look human from time to time. He's invincible, a machine...he's Drago with a tennis racket. The only problem is that there's no Rocky to make it interesting.


Funny. I was reading all the responses about how Federer is good but has no competition and my immediate Rocky comparison was to Mason "The Line" Dixon.

Aitch said...

I'm glad the Prosecuter in the Duke case is taking some heat. It was pretty obvious from the begining that this whole thing was a with hunt. The 'dancer' made incositent statements and the whole investigation was screwed up. No DNA evidence from the players was found. It was pretty obvious that Nifong was using the racial tensions in Durham as a vehicle for re-election. He got his re-election, but in the end he may be disbarred anyways. That's what should happen when you lie and cheat. This guy tried to ruin the lives of three kids - who I think most of us can agree are innocent - in order to further or sustain his own career. Good luck in forced retirement, pal!

@Big Smitty, Marcomarco, and anyone else who lives in the Attleboro area, I'll be doing an acoustic show with a good friend of mine this Saturday night at LA Roberts in North Attleboro. You guys should pop in and check it out if your around. (I know, shameless self-promotion. lol)

Anonymous said...

Toyota has already been on the Truck circuit. Culturally, when they switched from Winston Cup to Nextel Cup that was probably bigger news.

And racing is a sport. More than golf, certainly.

As far as eyes glazing over, I follow nearly every mainstream sport, and even I can't recognize baseball players if they aren't from NY or Boston or once played there. This whole Pujols thing was a complete mystery to me.

That guy is good? Did he break any records? How could he come out of nowhere last year like that?

Anonymous said...

Does anyone else think Federer simply had enough of everyone thinking Andy Roddick has been on some sort of roll since the end of last season and has retooled to be the best tennis player in the World? That all the press Roddick gets for his lovefest with Jimmy Connors, the new attitude, the *insert weak superlative here* was finally enough for Roger to put an end to the media infatuation?

If you ask me, it was very "Tiger-esque", putting down a foe simply because people thought you were done when in reality you were getting bored and needed something to piss you off. In fact, I think we should call any star's beatdown of a more hyped, but weaker skilled, uh, rival, getting "Tigered". Or in this case, getting "Rogered".

Thoughts?

Anonymous said...

Any chance this Reggie Bush thing makes Pete Carroll more willing to move to the NFL. I bet he wishes he knew this was coming before he said no to the Dolphins

Mega said...

Does anyone else remember that when the Duke lacrosse "story" first broke, the groups who camped outside their house demanding justice and an apology (without the fair trial even happening)?

Where are those people now? If I were those lacrosse players, I would be camping outside THEIR houses and demanding an apology on the bullhorn, day and night, nonstop, 24/7. Of course they won't do it seeing that they have just a little more class than the activist groups who decided they were going to be prosecutor, judge, and jury before the real evidence even came out.

Unknown said...

Meh, screw the Duke case. I'm glad their names will be cleared...but they still look like preppy pricks.

That story about the kid in Georgia who is serving 10 years for getting oral sex? Now that is a ridiculous injustice. Seriously, how many times does a southern state need to show off how backwards it can be? Have some decency and common sense please. And soon. Otherwise, Ohio will try to one-up you by banning oral sex altogether or something. sigh

Trey (formerly TF) said...

I am to the point of being OVER Terrell Owens, his life, his team, his coaches, his attitude. I really don't give a FUCK. This is a guy who doesn't listen to sports radio, I can only imagine what thats been like.

Is it a story? Yes, but not to the extent that certain media outlets are making it. With Peyton finally having a shot at getting the monkey off his back, with Rex Grossman, the guy who many wanted on the bench, getting the Bears back to the Superbowl, and several other stories flying around the NFL, is it really necessary to throw TO at us again?

Joe (Dayton)

Trey (formerly TF) said...

Duke Rape case:

Mike Nifong deserves everything coming to him. He used the Duke kids as pawns for a political gain, without evidence he destroyed the lives of those kids (no matter how snobbish some might find them).

The sad thing is that he's not only scarred the kids, but the community, which has had a history of racial tension. It will take many years to overcome this in Durham.

As someone in the legal profession, ethics is very big these days in the communities you practice in. It's lawyers like this that ruin it for all of us.

Joe (Dayton)

Anonymous said...

Dan, perhaps you are jewish and just mad that Salisbury made the comment and want to play victim? I dunno, sounds like that to me, fucking crybaby biooootch. :)

Trey (formerly TF) said...

Ma4tt (the 4 is silent) said...
tf -

Two things made me MUTE SportsCenter this morning: Stephen A. on the Hotseat, and the TO story. I almost wanted to kill myself when I heard TO was in the news again, but then I thought, hey, I've got 65,000 reasons to live.

*puke*


Sad thing is Matt, I don't watch SportsCenter either. I know stories like TO, etc just get rehashed. I usually just take in the 2 minutes of Sports on Robin and Company on Headline News or watch ESPN News, more highlights than an hour of SportsCenter.

Natsfan74 said...

States that ban certain sexual acts intend to use them as "lesser included" offenses. That means that if someone is already on trial for something big (rape or molestation), the prosecutor can add these "lesser included" offenses onto the overall prosecution. They are a lot easier to prove (consensual or not, oral is still oral) and can either provide a more sure conviction or extend the prison time for someone who is already guilty of the major crime.

Now, enforcing it in this particular case is, I think, a bit ridiculous. Yes, the girl was 15. Yes, she did it of her own free will. Yes, that is illegal. But the guy was 17. Technically, according to how the law is written, he could have been celebrating his 16th birthday the day before her 16th birthday and the punishment would be exactly the same. Explain to me how that makes sense? What makes more sense is the Hawaii law "Reasonable expectation of age differential", which would say a 15 year old (under the age of consent) is reasonable to be with a 17 year old (still in HS), but probably not with a 19 year old college kid. Then the Jury has to determine what is reasonable. But at least it isn't black and white with no exceptions.

NA said...

rafael -

Don't know where you're getting your info, but he didn't get 10 years for oral sex. He got 10 years for aggravated child molestation, as the girl blowing him was only 15. You have to be 16 to legally consent in Georgia. Being 15, whether consensual or not, makes you jailbait.

Personally, I think it's a good law.


It may be a good law, but do you think he got what he deserved. It's not like he was a teacher... he was a Senior in HS having sex with a Sophmore (possible a junior in HS). Can you imagine the amount of arrests if all these cases were brought to court.

Unknown said...

It's a good law if the guy (or girl) is in their 20s and older.
Two high schoolers only 3 years apart? Give me a break. The 'innocence' of 15 and 14 year old teenagers is pretty much nonexistent.
A Senior and a Sophomore involved in sexual acts...I'm sure a lot of us here would be guilty of that.

Besides, the greater injustice is that the law got changed...but not retroactive to help Wilson out!
Good job Georgia.

Anonymous said...

Roger Federer is a God.

It's not lack of competition, he simply plays the best tennis I've ever seen. His forehand is one of the best shots in history, his footwork/balance is incredible, and his instincts are the best we'll probably ever see.

If you read all of the post-match interviews, he keeps saying how he was reading Roddick's serve well, and that's how he was able to position himself so well to return it. Let me tell you, that is not something that I think anyone else in the world is capable of doing, and he made it look easy.

TJ said...

When a 15-year old is involved, though....

A 15-year old and a 17-year old. Two kids. At basically the same level of physical and mental development. I mean, come the fuck on.

I still remember when I turned 18 and my dad gave me the "leading to the delinquincy of a minor" speech (my girlfriend was 15 at the time). I knew I had to be careful once I hit 18, but what 17 year old in the history of the world should be held to the standard that this kid was apparently held to.

And don't even get me started on that "the others took their medicine" bullshit. This probably wouldn't piss me off so much I weren't just starting law school and guys like this DA are people I might someday have to work for. Christ.

Big D said...

@ dan mega:

"Where are those people now?"


WEEI in Boston's morning show brings this up all the time. Even moreso, they bring up Jesse Jackson's blind allegiance to the "victim" in the case, and his pledge to pay for her college education, regardless of whether or not she was lying...

See, it's shit like this that gets me fired up. People always want to talk about issues not being black or white, and about "we've got to stop playing the race card," etc. And then something like this happens - a woman injustly cries "rape" against three members of the opposite race, and the immediate aftermath is "they're guilty, screw the trial".

It's taken almost a full year for the truth to come to light. Never should have taken more than a month or two - I don't care how slow the justice system is.

Big D said...

And to lighten the mood...

@ troy:

"I mean, come the fuck on."


No sir, I believe that was the problem in the first place...


Sorry, too easy.

TJ said...

@ big d - im going to get called on in class for laughing out loud just now...

Anonymous said...

Bid D - That is part of the reason I no longer listen to Denni and Callhan they always slant there take to be against certain people especially if they are Democrats.

Anonymous said...

I'm not certain that the competition for Federer really is that bad. I think he's just so good, that it makes it appear that way. In another alternate non-Federer universe, I think guys like Roddick, Nadal, Nalbandian, Davydenko, and to some extent Haas would be able to win a few grand slams in their careers. Marat Safin would've been really dangerous if he ever would've reached his potential.

But there's some good up-and-comers who could give Federer a run in the next few years. Obviously Nadal is there, but Baghdatis, Gasquet and Fernandez all seem to have enough that on a good day for them and a bad day for Federer, could oust him on any such day.

The thing about Federer is that right now the only way he can be beat is if someone plays their best tennis against his worst tennis, because even his bad tennis is as good as anyone else's good tennis in the world, at least in my opinion.

Federer would've owned Agassi in his prime, and I think Sampras to a certain extent as well. The guy who maybe could've given him trouble was Patrick Rafter in his prime.

By the way, Federer's quotes are so awesome. In regards to the match against Roddick:


"This was definitely one of my best matches I ever played," said Federer, who is seeking his 10th major title. "I had one of these days when everything just worked, I was unbeatable. It's just unreal. I was playing out of my mind. I am shocked myself.

Anonymous said...

Wow, in the last 2 days, NASCAR, NHL and Tennis what happened to this blog. I thought it was all football, basketball and baseball.

Natsfan74 said...

Depending on the surface, I think Sampras would match up really well against Federer. What Roddick tried to do was play like Sampras, but he didn't do it as well as Pete would. I would definitely like Pete's chances on grass or clay.

The difference right now is that there is no #2 guy out there who can beat Federer. Sampras won 14 Slams, but there were great players also in their primes when he was. Federer is so far ahead of his peers, there is no way he doesn't win 17-18 slams (as both Andre and Pete predicted last week) or probably more. He is in a league by himself right now. But -- people thought that about the Williams sisters only 2-3 years ago, when no one could beat them but them.

Anonymous said...

Federer already has had more success on clay than Pete has. Pete's game was just not suited to clay.

As for grass, I think Federer in his prime vs. Sampras in his prime on grass would be the greatest matchup ever. Natsfan, look at Federer on grass, it's actually his best surface.

Sampras' serve and volley abilities were pretty amazing, but I'd still give the edge to Federer based on his instincts and ability to read serves off the toss so well. Plus Federer covers the court so much more effectively than Pete. From playing and coaching tennis, Federer's footwork is probably the thing that most impresses me. Very little wasted movement, great balance, always leaves himself with a chance.

If it seems like I'm overly slurping Federer, it's because I totally am. If I were a 15 year old in Georgia... I'll just let that one go.

The heroin sheik said...

They have a great law in florida where if you have a prescription and it isnt in the bottle that is a felony. Combine that with driving your drunk friend home and him having said pill (1xanax) in his ashtray caused me the driver to get 18 months prison. Some law how the driver is responsible for everything in the car even if it is the passengers car. Even if the passenger testifies it is his the driver still has to take responsibility. God I love the south.

jhawkjjm said...

This is the really effed up part about the espn story:

"But because of an archaic Georgia law, it was a misdemeanor for teenagers less than three years apart to have sexual intercourse, but a felony for the same kids to have oral sex."

It would have been a lesser crime (in the eyes of the law) to sleep with her than to get a blowjob. WHAH?? HUH???

I'm curious what the laws here in Kansas are about stuff like this. We're so screwed up that evolution doesn't exist here.

kway34 said...

The Georgia story is a terrible miscarrige of justice and a totally effed up situation, but does anyone else see the humor that his lawyer goes by "B.J."?

Anonymous said...

Chris Henry better not get traded to the Falcons!!!

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was sent to jail for two days on Thursday after pleading guilty to allowing minors to drink alcohol in his hotel room last spring.
He is one of nine players on the team arrested in the past 13 months. Henry has been arrested four times as a Bengals player.
"You brought shame with this on yourself," Kenton County District Judge Greg Grothaus told Henry. "You embarrassed a lot of people."
Grothaus sentenced Henry to 90 days in jail. He suspended all but two days, and ordered Henry to begin serving those two days immediately.
"It's good that this case involving Chris has been resolved," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "Now Chris must continue to strive to mature and grow both as a player and as a person."

On June 3, Henry was charged with driving under the influence in Clermont County, Ohio. He is to appear in court there Feb. 15, but prosecutors expect an agreement that would avoid a trial.

Henry originally was charged in Covington with three counts of unlawful transaction with a minor. Police said he brought alcohol for three females -- ages 18, 16 and 15 -- in a Covington motel room April 29. One of the three, Monica Beamon, 18, was charged with murder in Cincinnati last September.

Big D said...

Re: Reggie Bush's um, "cash grab"...

Here's the thing - does anyone thing Bush (or any college athlete, for that matter) really cares if they get caught accepting gifts?

Once they're out of school, if they are playing in a professional league, they could not care less about a "measly" couple hundred thousand worth of gifts.

USC suffers more because of this, though it serves them right - until the NCAA wakes up and starts paying their players, schools should be held responsible for the actions of their players if the actions violate NCAA rules.

If Reggie has to return his Heisman, so what? If he has to repay his "gifts", so what? If he has to repay his scholarship money to USC, so what? The guy got paid mega-money the day he signed with the Saints. There's no amount of a reasonable fine that could bother him.

And for the record, I like Deadspin's idea about how to recover the Heisman, but I'd rather see Brian Urlacher act as the Repo Man. That would lead to endless hilarity.

marcomarco said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
marcomarco said...

@ h, big smitty

LA Roberts

I always like finding small bars with good food. I might be in attendance that night.

How are the wings?

marcomarco said...

@ smitty

$1 PBR drafts...bad memories of high school parties where I had oral sex

So, who were the lucky guy(s)?



Sorry, too easy.

Anonymous said...

Enough about Federer the God, did anyone see Serena's pic on ESPN a few days ago where she's screaming? I can't get it out of my head, she is a beast.

And I know this is a few days late, but Mutumbo was at the State of the Union. Was anyone else waiting for Bush to say something like, "We need more troops in Iraq" and the camera pans to Motumbo doing the finger wave??

Trey (formerly TF) said...

Big D said...
USC suffers more because of this, though it serves them right - until the NCAA wakes up and starts paying their players, schools should be held responsible for the actions of their players if the actions violate NCAA rules.


I gotta disagree, it seems so smart and easy to give some stipend to NCAA student athletes, however, so many athletic departments alreaddy operate in the red that it would virtually distroy a school if that had to pay all 700+ Student Athletes a monthy stipend.

Joe (Dayton)

Big D said...

@ big smitty:

That actually seems quite reasonable. So there's no way the NCAA would ever accept it.

Of course, if every school was allowed a stipend for their athletes, then boosters would just find another way to make their school more, uh, "appealing".


By the way, I just found this in the comments section over at Deadspin. The whole premise of the "party" is just skewed as all hell, but you've got to see some of the photos.

Especially #4 - the whitest man in America, wearing a Dirk Nowitzki jersey no less, flashing gang signs.

TJ said...

What if the NCAA came up w/ a standardized monthy stipend, for living expenses. IE food, transportation and housing if on campus housing isn't feasible for some reason.

But that's what happens. Isn't it? There's no way I got a better scholarship than our football team and mine was enough so that I never had to take out loans. Does anyone know what exactly the scholarships are that athletes get at the big schools? Because I think if people knew what all these guys got, the "pay college athletes" talk would go away real quick.

Natsfan74 said...

College athletes that get 100% scholarships (mostly limited to football and basketball) get tuition, room, board, and books plus free access to many university services, including health care and tutoring (colleges provide 100% health care coverage to athletes). For students who do not want to live in the dorms, they do not get a stipend towards their room and board, unlike Navy guys, who get extra money when they do not/ cannot live in the barracks.

Plus, most of these guys get totally slack jobs for large wages, which is *legal. Athletes can take part time jobs at established and reputable businesses, which are normally in abundant supply. The reason the Oklahoma QB got in trouble is because he wasn't actually working there, just listed on the payrolls. If he had gone to work every single day and played video games with customers, they could have called him a salesman and paid him everything they already did.

jhawkjjm said...

don't forget all the other perks that the football and basketball players receive: shoes, sweatshirts, jackets, etc. May not seem like much but when "official XXXX University" sweatshirts and whatnot sell for 50-60 bucks its pretty steep for some students.

Natsfan74 said...

The sweatshirt and shoe deal is huge. Technically, the athletes are not allowed to keep the stuff. But, most equipment managers will call the equipment in damaged condition and will "discard" the stuff for the athletes. Plus, athletes normally get 2 tickets for all home games (in great seat locations) and 1 seat for all road games. So at a place like tOSU, where it takes a $2500/yr donation to get onto the list to buy 2 tickets at $500/ea for a season, the average cost per game for a pair of tickets is $500 (given tOSU plays 7 or 8 home games per year). The athletes get that same pair for free.

Brian in Oxford said...

all for playing minor league football/basketball....sheesh!

My guess, attleboronians, is that you can't get GOOD beer for only a buck. You get what you pay for. Hey, does Allen Ripley from the '78 Red Sox still live in Attleboro?

Anonymous said...

Athletes also get a per diem for food while traveling and for every day they are on campus during school vacations. They bank anything they don't spend on food.

Along with the free books, when they sell them back at the end of the semester, they bank that too.

Aitch said...

Big Smitty, Marcomarco... We do mostly hard rock and some classic rock tunes, totally stripped down to a single acoustic guitar and two vocalists. The wings are pretty good I must say. The entire menu is pretty decent and reasonably priced. I'm not a fan of PBR, so I stay away from the dolalr drafts, BUT they have another deal which is 5 of the 7oz bud light "ponies" for $5. This basically the equivelent of 3 longnecks, so it is a pretty good deal. Hope to see you guys. I'll be sitting down front, next to the kid with a guitar. lol. We start around 9pm

Aitch said...

@ Brian in Oxford, Yea the Pabst Blue Ribbon for a buck is not really a great beer. But not a bad way to get loaded if you are short on funds. lol

TJ said...

Athletes also get a per diem for food while traveling and for every day they are on campus during school vacations. They bank anything they don't spend on food.


Ah, per diem. It's also the very best reason to be in marching band or basketball band. When our football team played @LSU in 2003, the band stayed in New Orleans instead of Baton Rouge, and with a modest per diem, well... it was a good trip. And for the Sweet 16 last year, there is something cool about being able to look up the best restaurants in Minneapolis knowing you've got the athletic director's money to spend. Good times.

Brian in Oxford said...

I was listening to Schlereth this morning talking about guys scrounging for meal money in college because they didn't have jobs.

My question woulda been, don't athletes get meal plans? Sorry if it's not domino's, but they could go to the mess hall and get stuff if they wanted, no?

Unknown said...

so, i dont know how I'm missing it..

but if anyone knows where I can go to sign up to be able to comment on deadspin, let me know. heh

Anonymous said...

"And I know this is a few days late, but Mutumbo was at the State of the Union. Was anyone else waiting for Bush to say something like, "We need more troops in Iraq" and the camera pans to Motumbo doing the finger wave??"

Good one man. What an awesome image.

I don't see anything wrong with that party, but I could see how someone would. But take those same photos, call it a "gangster party," and have it on any other weekend, and nobody would say a thing. So whatever.

Unknown said...

Sean Salisbury

I actually followed the links and listened to the piece. Is everyone out there stupid? He was talking about Peyton Manning driving down the field. He said he has to crunch and jew down the field. He obviously meant chew. When you are speaking fast and for a long time, some letters or sounds get mangled. This is an example of hysterical oversensitive morons making an issue of a complete non issue. I am Jewish and I don't even think there was 0.1% of anything remotely anti-semetic in what he said.

People are just a little too sensitive these days and are looking for any possible way to think they are slighted.

The mainstream media has not picked this up since it is a complete non-starter as an issue.

The heroin sheik said...

Troy in gville you ever go to the rotator. When I was at UF it had quarter domestic drafts and 50 cent newcastle drafts on wednesdays. Then on thursdays you went to CJ's for nickel beers.

I am all for giving the college athletes some more money. I also think that if they make money from an outside sport like jeremy bloom then they should be allowed to keep all of it and not lose their eligibility. However I think that they should be happy that they are getting a great education for free. I was lucky that I never had to take loans out for school as I had scholarships and was at a state school, but I still had to pay for food and my apartment and books. Still I was happy to be attending my dream school and getting my education for free. I bet some of the athletes are getting educations that are worth well over 250k and many of them haven't even learned anything other than that they will always get a free ride because they can throw a ball. I think that with all the money they bring into universities that maybe the players should get maybe a portion of the gate. Say if you were to take a dollar from every ticket sold and split it amongst both teams evenly. If you were to play at florida and they drew 75k fans then there would be a 75k dollar kitty. IF there are a hundred players on each team then each player would receive 375 dollars a game. The positive to this is that players on crap teams who don't draw fans will at least get some decent cash when they play away. Otherwise you could just make it a set mount for every game in every div I conference.

jtb said...

how about the goddamn travesty that is shaq starting at center after missing the entire first half with a hang nail while carmelo anthony has to sit and watch it at home, again, after leading the league in scoring the first half?

Natsfan74 said...

1. If you pay football/ basketball players from the gate receipts, what do you do with swimmers and gymnasts and baseball players and other sports that generally have little or no gate? In college sports, generally only 2 programs make money -- football and basketball. Only 3 women's sports programs in the country make money (UConn hoops, Tennessee hoops, and Hawaii volleyball). So does this mean that female athletes don't get paid, while men do?

2. Anyone who bitches about Rory being left out of the NHL all-star game cannot bitch because Shaq starts in the NBA. Fans vote for who they want to see. And personally, I am glad Carmelo got left off, after a 15 game suspension for being a sucker punching bi-atch....

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