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TOP STORIES - JANUARY 8, 2009   DID PACMAN ORDER HIT AT SCRIP CLUB??? The Cowboys released Pacman Jones yesterday, and one report says a new 2007 incident that has come to light as a possible reason. ESPN is scheduled to air a piece scheduled this weekend where three Atlanta-area men allege that Pacman ordered a hit on them two months after Pacman was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The story will say that the case remains open, but police are not actively investigating. Pacman denies the report and is promising a lawsuit saying 'It will be a lawsuit in a week against ESPN. That's stupid. It's so stupid I have no more comments.' BREWERS PLAY-BY-PLAY VOICE HEADED FOR THE A-T-L??? Just when I was getting excited about the prospects of this guy getting on Milton Bradley as a divisional foe. Needing a replacement for the late Skip Caray, as well as Pete Van Wieren, who retired at the end of last season - the Atlanta Braves are reportedly targeting Brewers announcer Jim Powell. The Atlanta paper contacted Powell by phone last week, where he offered no comment. Powell is originally from the Atlanta area and cut his teeth in the broadcasting business in that region. Maybe Powell can sell his house and bolt town before the cold wave hits next week.  HELL'S BELLS COMING TO MILWAUKEE: BONG, BONG, BONG, sounds like TH51 is onboard with the Brewers - 1 year/$6 million, a possible $1.5 million in incentives, option for 2010 - pending a physical. REPORT - SAM BRADFORD HEADED FOR NFL DRAFT: According to this report, the Heisman winner will turn pro barring a catastrophic injury in Thursday night's national championship game, Bradford is projected as a top-ten overall pick on most draft boards. Bradford obviously cannot declare anything until after Thursday's night. Also, Georgia QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno are also expected to announce their future plans Wednesday with both expected to turn pro - Stafford is thought to be at least a slightly better pro prospect than Bradford. 0-16, AND GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!! Considering that he was perhaps the best color analyst the FOX network has had (and actually that isn't saying too much) in it's 15 years of covering the NFL, it would figure that Matt Millen would resurface on NFL TV coverage sooner rather than later. But that didn't make things easier on what's left of the Detroit Lions fan base when Millen surprisingly appeared on NBC's playoff coverage over the weekend. In a segment with Dan Pugh, Millen took responsibility for running the Detroit franchise into the ground in his seven years as GM. Then again, it's easy to talk a good game on TV when the network is paying you to appear - Lions fans are bent that Millen never made himself available to the local media as things turned progressively worse over his seven years running the team. And it gets better, NBC also says that Millen will again be an analyst for the network's Super Bowl coverage in a few weeks. Also there was no advance notice that Millen would be on NBC last weekend in fear of possible backlash before he even got on the air - or that Detroit fans might camp outside of 30 Rock waiting to brick him.BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU: Alexander Semin may fight like a sissy, but at least he doesn't do this. Another chapter to the bitter rivalry between the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres was written when Ottawa's Jarkko Ruutu bit the hand of Buffalo enforcer Andrew Peters. overshadowing Buffalo's 4-2 win. Says Peters later (w/thumb bandaged 'It's not the injury, it's the incident. Just the fact that that happened it's unfortunate. It's not good for the game of hockey.' And not good for Jarkko in particular, you think he won't have a bulls-eye going forward??? TEDDY ATLAS UNLOADS ON 'RECKLESS' FAVRE!!! Best known for being one of boxing's all-time renowned trainers, Teddy Atlas was also on the New York Jets payroll as a 'special assistant' before being let go along with close friend Eric Mangini and his staff last week. Now Atlas is measuring some jabs towards the legacy of Brett Favre, saying the Mangini was doomed from the second the Jets pulled the trigger on acquiring #4 last summer. Atlas calls Favre 'a selfish guy', saying that the public sees a fan favorite in Wranglers who can get up from any hit, but that there is also 'another side'. Atlas adds that the quarterback leads like the jab in boxing, and that if the jab, or quarterback, is reckless, then bad things tend to happen, and that Favre was reckless.  $180 MILLION - I GET HALF!!! When the Red Sox and Angels both said publicly that they were no where in the financial ballpark to land Mark Teixeira, was there ever any doubt where he would land??? Now the Yanks can go and trade some prospects for Albert Pujols and be done with it (he can always DH). Meanwhile word is that it was Leigh Teixeira who finally told her hubby to sign with the Yankees. Incidentally, if you are wondering about the origin of the name Teixeira, it is Portuguese. Here is a minister of defense named Nuno Teixeira and there's also a Teixeira in a Portuguese soccer league.BC-YA LATER??? Homeboy and possibly defiant Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski interviews for the New York Jets vacant head coaching position, despite orders from the university that he would be fired for doing so. The AD says he'd like to see Jags in his office as soon as possible, but as of yet has not returned his calls. Do I small an Al Davis-style termination for cause in the making?? The real kicker is that Jags is considered a longshot to land the Jets job, a hiring that would make the most sense if the team was trying to bring Brett Favre back (Jagodzinski is a former Packers OC) The AD adds that he wants a coach that is going to stay at BC 'for a long time'. In another clue that the coach may be looking elsewhere, it is said that the football program appears to be heading for a bad year in recruiting, with one blue chip prospect reportedly having second thoughts on signing with BC. It is said that the Boston College job involves much more than the actual coaching and recruiting, such as making public appearances etc.. Jagodzinski has three years left on his BC contract and is 20-8 over the past two years, with his team winning the division title each time. OKLAHOMA/BYU TO OPEN 2009 SEASON: The two teams are slated to play on a neutral field at the Dallas Cowboys new stadium. If the Sooners were to win their division, it would mean they would end up playing in the Dallas area three times in the 2009 season, as the Cowboys stadium also plays host to the Big XII Championship game the next two years. The Oklahoma/BYU contest will mark the beginning of a five-year contract which will bring college football to the $1.1 billion dollar facility each Labor Day weekend - just another of a growing list of events the venue has already landed including Super Bowl 45, the 2010 NBA All-Star game, the 2014 Final Four, the 2013 NCAA Regional Finals, as well as the Cotton Bowl. Texas A&M is also slated to play Arkansas at the stadium in each of the next ten years, and Notre Dame also has a 2013 game against Arizona State scheduled there. SAN DI-EGO - CHARGED: Vincent Jackson couldn't crack the stat sheet in San Diego's playoff win last Saturday night, but has no problem making the rap sheet after being pulled over at 2 AM on State Route 52. An officer stopped Jackson after spotting his 2008 GMC Sierra braking abruptly, speeding and weaving, with about as much success getting open as he did the other night. The Chargers say they are aware of Vinnie's 'off-field issue' and that 'obviously we're disappointed' and that 'moving forward' the team will monitor the situation. Jackson is said to be already on probation from a previous DUI arrest. OU PROVIDES BULLETIN BOARD MATERIAL: Fresh off Nick Saban thinking his Alabama team could handle Utah with one arm tied behind his back comes a beauty from Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks, who says that Tim Tebow doesn't stack up against the top three quarterbacks from the Big XII, comments which T-squared basically laughed off during today's media day. Was it a true statement??? Debatable, but that isn't the point - do you really want to fire up that team, playing in it's own backyard, any more???  ONTARIO LEAGUE PLAYER DIES AS RESULT OF ON-ICE FIGHT: Ontario Hockey League Senior player Don Sanderson dies at age 21, three weeks after he lost his helmet and his head hit the ice after he and his opponent tumbled to the ice at the end of an on-ice fight. Sanderson was was out cold for 30 seconds, then regained consciousness, but soon after slipped into a coma before undergoing brain surgery. The tragedy has raised awareness about helmet safety as well as fighting at the amateur level in Canada. Fighting is tolerated less than at the professional level, with participants receiving automatic game misconducts. Players who remove their helmets during fights receive an additional 'gross misconduct' penalty. It has been long part of the strategy in hockey fights for the participants to try to remove the opponents headgear (example here). It is also part of hockey fight etiquette for a player with excessive headgear (a visor or facemask) to remove such gear when fighting an opponent with less gear. Sanderson had been involved in four fights in 11 games for his Senior league club. Sanderson was briefly honored with a video tribute at the Toronto Maple Leafs game (w/players tapping their sticks) and the tragedy was also discussed on Don Cherry's Coaches Corner segment during a CBC telecast. Even though the incident is considered a freak accident, local law enforcement is investigating as a matter of procedure. SEMIN ANALYSIS: Too bad that defunct MMA promotion couldn't find this guy when looking for someone at the last minute to lose to Kimbo Slice. Washington Capitals winger Alexander Semin gets off the injured list just in time yesterday to 'fight' the Rangers Eric Staal - disturbing video is above. The incident happened after teammate Alex Ovechkin (who can get physical) was checking some people around. I do have to get Semin the decision and maybe even a few of the puck bunnies watching enjoyed it. My real concern though is that Semin was putting himself at real danger of aggravating his lower body injury and putting himself on the shelf for three more weeks. Next time head to the bench and get the fourth line to do the goon work. Let's just say the team's website employee fit in better filling in as the second-string gaolie a few weeks back than Semin does trying to fight. WINTER CLASSIC PULLS A 6 RATING: Very impressive, the highest US rating for any NHL game in 13 years and a 12 percent increase over last year's TV numbers, as the NHL's outdoor gimmick has basically become the league's marquee/All-Star-like event. Even more impressive was the ticket demand for the contest, which was said to have rivaled that of any sports event EVER in Chicago. If the demand had just been similar to a normal Cubs regular season game that would had been noteworthy, comparing to recent Cubs playoff games, White Sox World Series, the NFL, the Jordan dynasty - and in a recession, beyond remarkable.'I AM WORTH MILLIONS!!!' If this alleged statement is true, put this in front of even 'DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM???' in regards to best lines ever by professional athletes getting arrested. While being arrested by the cops the other night, NFL safety Ko Simpson informs police that he indeed plays for the Buffalo Bills and that he is 'worth millions'. So there's your winner in this year's pro athlete New Year's Eve arrest pool - and someone named Simpson playing for the Bills and getting in trouble, haven't we seen that before??? Incidentally, not to burst Ko's bubble, but he only made a measly 450K this past season - less of course whatever the league decides to fine him for this. BOB STOOPS EMERGES AS BRONCOS COACHING CANDIDATE??? Stoops is the only current college coach listed among eight possible candidates to land in Denver, who in stunning fashinoned canned Mike Shanahan this week. Of particular note is that Broncos owner Pat Bowlen just happens to be a 1965 OU graduate. IS CHASE UTLEY ROBBIE MADDISON'S CREW CHIEF??? For the second New Year's Eve in a row, Robbie Maddison gets a time-slot on ESPN where he performs a death-defying motorcycle stunt with his fiancee (still, maybe she isn't quite as anxious to take leaps) anxiously looking on. After successfully leaping onto the platform on top of a 100-foot high structure, Maddison then jumps down from the ledge to the landing ramp in one piece, except for a possibly broken hand. After the successful landing, ESPN plays the audio from his crew, with someone saying 'YOU ARE THE F*CKIN' MAN!!!', you would had thought the network would have the button on the delay as it was in case the stunt got terribly biffed. Maddison is in an apparent rivalry with Robbie Knievel, who was somewhere else in Vegas at the same time jumping over a volcano. I'm shocked that David Blaine wasn't somewhere else in town trying to prove he could tread water or something on a frigid Vegas night. Maddison's partner-in-crime was also on the program, he had been trying for the last year-plus to do a 360 somersault with his truck, he was scheduled to do the stunt on last year's program, but in his final practice run only did a 180, landing him on the shelf for the TV event. Just one other observation, if Joe Tessitore is calling your event, you are (a) not that relevant, or (b) you are a barely bowl-eligible college football program - at least Blaine draws ABC and Stuart Scott.  NYJ PLAYERS BEGIN FINGER POINTING AT FAVRE: The bickering has already been going on with other disappointing teams who had crashed out of the playoffs (Dallas, etc.), and you could see Jets players making a run with #4, and it has now indeed begun. Word is Favre went the Barry Bonds route this past season, hanging out in an office-like area designed just for him near the equipment room. An un-named player now says that there was a lot of resentment in the locker room towards #4, that he didn't reach out to socialize with his teammates (what - the ass grabbing didn't count??). Jets owner says Favre is welcome to come back, but #4 is going to take several weeks to make a final decision due to his bum shoulder. I would say that Favre could angle himself to wind up with the Lions (team he's been in contact with - check, team in which he could get two shots at the Pack next year - check), but remember the 'poison pill' provision (three first-round picks) in the Green Bay-Jets trade, it pertains to all three NFC North teams. That's more than a poison pill, that's a whole bottle of cyanide. THOMAS JONES - FAVRE SHOULD HAD BEEN BENCHED: Yeah, but that would have ended the consecutive games streak. Jets running back Thomas Jones gets on a segment on Hot 97 FM in New York suggesting that Favre should had been benched at some point during the team's freefall that cost popular coach Eric Mangini his job. Here was Jones statement - 'The other day, the three interceptions really hurt us. I mean, that's just realit. If I were to sit here and say, 'Oh, man, it's OK,' that's not reality. I don't like it, I know everybody else on the team doesn't like it. If somebody is not playing well, they need to come out of the game. You're jeopardizing the whole team because you're having a bad day. To me, that's not fair to everybody else. You're not the only one on the team. So when you get to the wire and somebody is just giving the game up, I mean, it's just not (fair).' Yeah, but benching Brett Favre is not allowed. TRADE FOR FAVRE A FAILURE: Guess you can conclude that when the season ends with the QB you dumped to get the upgrade beating you in your own building. And the only game the Jets won in the final five weeks is the one the Bills gift-wrapped to them in Week 15.CHARLES BARKLEY BUSTED ON DUI SUSPICION: Nailed at 1:30 AM after allegedly running through stop sign in a trendy Phoenix area. According to the police this was a run-of-the-mill arrest. It's said that Charles was given a blood test after initially refusing a breathalyzer test. PLENTY OF GOOD SEATS AVAILABLE FOR SUNDAY: Hosting their first playoff game in eight years on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings found themselves a whopping 14,000 tickets short of a sellout at the close of business on Monday. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals were 8,000 short of a sellout as of Monday, the Cards are only hosting their first playoff game since 1947. Ticket sales are going much better on the AFC side, at times not known for having the greatest home fan support, the Dolphins sold out their first-round game in three hours, while the Chargers as of yet do not have a sellout but word is ticket sales for their game Saturday night have been brisk. Teams are usually given until Thursday to sell out or face a local TV blackout. In the Vikings case, word is that the local TV station may scarf up any remaining tickets. ALL FOUR HOME TEAMS UNDERDOGS ON WILD-CARD WEEKEND: How's this for proof that the NFL Playoffs ought to be re-seeded. The A-T-L are favored to win by two at Arizona, the Indy Colts are a one-point favorite to win at the Diego Chargers, the Dolphins are a three-point underdog at home to the Ravens (B-More won in Miami by 14 in the regular season), and the Eagles are a three-point pick to win at Minnesota.  WHAT WAS UP DOC??? Controversial 1970's era pitcher Dock Ellis passed away last week at age 63, with wire reports highlighting Ellis as being remembered as the pitcher who threw a no-hitter in San Diego in 1970 while proclaiming to be under the influence of LSD. I had heard this story for many years thanks to radio commentator Dave Campbell, who was 0-3 leading off for the Padres. Of course no-hitting the Padres featuring Campbell (.213 career hitter) in their second year of existence (63-99) wasn't that much of a feat in those days, but considering Dock walked eight and hit another batter during his 'gem' certainly enhances the theory that he was on SOMETHING that day. But that is not my favorite Dock Ellis story, many years earlier I thought I had read about an incident when Dock went up against the heart of the feared Cincinnati Reds 'Big Red Machine' batting order while reading a Roger Angell (New Yorker magazine) essay. Thanks to the Big League Stew blog this week I was able to confirm it. Before facing the Reds at Three Rivers Stadium on May 1, 1974, Ellis told teammates that he needed to send a message to the Reds that night. Dock then took to the mound and the following ensued - Pete Rose gets drilled in the ribs, Joe Morgan takes one in the kidney, then #3 hitter Dan Driessen is likewise dotted. Cleanup man Tony Perez then drives in a run drawing a walk while dancing out of the way of four pitches. Ellis then aims two pitches at the coconut of legendary catcher Johnny Bench before manager Danny Murtaugh finally pulls Dock out of the game. So that was a pitcher throwing at two Hall-of-Famers, a third who statistically would had gone into Cooperstown first ballot, plus the teams #3 and #4 hitters. Have this incident occur today and Dock gets a warning after hitting the second hitter and is ejected after the third at the very latest, if a hitter hadn't gone to the mound first - Dock would then have faced a LENGTHY suspension and also be required to seek some help. Amazingly, the Pirates got out of that inning giving up only the one run, as the reliever then got a pop-up followed by a double play. Ellis career also featured a dust-up with a security guard in Cincinnati in 1972, Dock tried to prove that he was indeed a player on the visiting team by showing his 1971 World Series ring - I think they did have picture ID drivers licenses in those days. Ellis did take the high road after his playing days, speaking against the dangers of drug use.LOSING SUNDAY WOULD STICK WITH LIONS FOREVER: Already known as one of the worst NFL teams ever, the Detroit Lions travel to Green Bay on Sunday, the Packers are 5-10 on the season, they are five games ahead of the Lions in the standings. Unlike 'lovable losers' such as the 1962 Mets and 1976 Buccaneers, the Lions don't have the excuse of being an expansion team in his favor. And the season does not bode well for soon-to-be axed coach Rod Marinelli, New York Jets coach Richie Kotite was never heard from again after coaching a 1-15 team in 1996. But as bad as it is for the Lions, how would the Packers go down if they did the unthinkable on Sunday - would that be a possible career-ender for coach Mike McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson, and scar every single member of the Green Bay organization??? Let's look at it this week, every member of the Packers to a man say this week is a must-win. |
