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TOP STORIES - MARCH 3, 2009 2009 PRE-SEASON RANKINGS ARE OUT!!! Top 40 drivers ranked for NASCAR 2009... 2009 KAC FANTASY BASEBALL (BIGGER THAN EVER!!): CATCHERS | FIRST BASEMEN | SECOND BASEMEN | THIRD BASE | SHORTSTOPS | OUTFIELD (AL) BULLS LOSE TWO ICONS: Longtime coach/broadcaster and team ambassador Johnny Kerr passed away last Thursday at age 76 after a year-long battle with prostate cancer. Kerr starred playing high school ball in Chicago, then later led Illinois to the Final Four. Kerr was selected as a player in the team's 1966 expansion draft, but then immediately became the team's first coach, becoming the only NBA expansion team to ever make the playoffs in it's first year with a 33-48 record. Just two weeks ago, Kerr was given a tribute during halftime of a game at the United Center - which featured Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen as speakers in addition to a video message by President Obama. Last Thursday the Bulls also learned of the passing of longtime player and broadcaster Norm Van Lier. Employers were concerned after he did not show up the previous night for his pre and post-game show appearances on television, Van Lier was found the next morning with the television still on during a welfare check. Van Lier teamed with Jerry Sloan in the backcourt of some strong Bulls teams in the 1970's., then became a broadcaster for the team during the Michael Jordan era and even did stints as a guest DJ on a local rock station. TWO NFL PLAYERS AMONG FOUR MISSING AT SEA: Detroit Lions defensive end Corey Smith and Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper are among four boaters missing off Florida's Gulf Coast, according to the Coast Guard. Smith and Cooper were on Smith's 21-foot vessel which Saturday morning for a fishing trip and did not return as expected. The National Weather Service says seas were about 2 to 4 feet Saturday morning, but increased to 7 feet by late Saturday night. Corey Smith, 29, had 30 tackles, including three sacks, and an interception in 12 games last season for the Lions, has also played for the 49ers and played college ball at North Carolina State. Cooper, 26, played college ball at Washington and has played for five different teams in his five-year NFL career. Smith and Cooper were teammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few years back The other two men on the boat also have football backgrounds, Will Bleakley and Nick Schuyler both played college ball for South Florida.  UPDATE - BOAT FOUND, ONE SURVIVOR: The Coast Guard has found a overturned boat 30 miles of the coast of St. Petersburg, with Nick Schuyler clinging to the side of the boat. Early reports have Schuyler talking to rescuers and saying the anchored boat was flipped by a huge wave, and that all four boaters had lifejackets on and were clinging to the side of the boat at one point, but that the other three had become separated (developing...)THE CHASE FOR THE NFL DRAFT: Great article from last weekend on Missouri TE Chase Coffman, the son of longtime Packers tight end Paul Coffman, one of hundreds angling to get drafted into the NFL come late-April. Paul Coffman says he would love to see his son get drafted by Green Bay, although that's a longshot for that to happen. Chase Coffman (6'6" 245) caught 90 passes and ten touchdowns in Missouri's prolific spread offense last season, the knock from scouts is that Chase didn't get to do enough blocking out of that system. ANOTHER PGA EVENT IMPACTED BY ECONOMIC CRISIS: What had been known as the Wachovia Championship will now be known as the Quail Hollow Championship. Wachovia had been recently bought out by Wells Fargo, and assumed the sponsorship of the tournament through 2014. But the corporation decided that it would make no sense to use the Wachovia name while using the Wells Fargo name could result in potential backlash. The decision comes one week after Northern Trust was called out for hosting lavish parties at the PGA Tour event they sponsor in Los Angeles. Northern Trust recently accepted $1.6 billion in government money. Wells Fargo meanwhile was given $25 billion from Uncle Sam. The Wachovia event has attracted some of the strongest fields of non-major Tour events, with players getting such perks as Mercedes for courtesy cars along with lavish gifts and activities for the significant others. Wells Fargo plans on continuing the financial terms of their sponsorship, even if the name doesn't appear on the tournament, for the duration of the contract.  800 WINS - ON THE DIME: Raging controversy going on in East Hartford Connecticut. Coach Jim Calhoun did get his 800th career victory last night at Marquette, but thanks to a media firestorm started last weekend, it is not the biggest story involving Calhoun right now. During a post-game presser last weekend, a graduate student who is also a political activist as well as freelance journalist/blogger (and had a credential by the school), asked Calhoun about being the highest paid state employee in Connecticut, and would he consider taking a paycut in the current economic climate. Calhoun agrily responded by saying, 'NOT ONE DIME', then told the reporter to 'shut up', noted that the basketball program brings in $12 million back to the state annually, then told the reporter to come back when he had 'some facts'. Now others are weighing in with support towards Calhoun, and others towards the reporter. Women's coach Geno Auriemma (5 years/$8 million) is among those who have Calhoun's back, saying that it's unfair for the coach to be asked that question in that setting when the topic should had been the product on the floor. But some people in high places in the state are not happy with Calhoun's outburst, the governor called the incident an 'embarrasing display', and now leaders of the state's General Assembly's higher education committee want the coach reprimended, saying that the episode does not reflect well on the state or the university. Now Calhoun has issued a statement saying his comments were 'misinterpreted' as being insensitive. The journalist/blogger has sparked firestorms before, last year he was arrested after trying to approach the state's governor during an inaugural parade, he was detained 13 hours for being considered a 'threat'.MANNY RAMIREZ SAGA - DAY 110: New offer made, 2 years, $45 million, more money up front in 2009 than previous offer. But who are the Dodgers bidding against, besides Manny retiring - guess Manny being Manny isn't going to hurt Manny very much in the end. TIGER THROUGH ROUND 1: Mostly uneventful 3 and 2 victory over Brendan Jones, the competition now gets tougher, with Tim Clark in Round 2 and teen sensation Rory McIlroy possibly looming in Round 3, and the likes of Camilo Villegas or Geoff Oglivy potentially in the quarter-finals. And if Tiger wins the whole thing??? It would be quite a statement, but the question I hear no one asking, would seven rounds of golf in five days be a bit much for first event back??? FRED COUPLES PLAYED L.A. EVENT WITH HEAVY HEART: As usual, Couples contended on one of his favorite courses - what was not publicized until later was that Couples estranged wife died earlier in the week from breast cancer. Couples said that there wasn't much to say about the complicated break-up, and decided to play last week anyways, in part because he is not considered welcome on the wife's side of the family. TOP TEN ALL-TIME SPORTS CRIMINALS: Let the debate begin on this one - 10. Pete Rose, 9. Ugueth Urbina (he and some people tried to set farm workers on fire), 8. Maurice Clarett (wore body armor so cops wouldn't taser him), 7. Mike Danton (NHL player tried to hire a hit man to whack his agent), 6. Don King, 5. Mike Tyson, 4. Michael Vick, 3. Rae Carruth, 2. Tonya Harding, 1. O.J. Simpson. So much for Tonya's recent plea that she has suffered enough humiliaton, but I'd bump Carruth and possibly even Vick up a spot. And like every top-ten list, there's plenty of omissions. You have to find room for Jayson Williams, or how about Ray Lewis (acquitted for the most part but very sensational at the time), or Pacman Jones, or Albert Belle, and no doubt plenty else left on the cutting room floor.GREG NORMAN SAYS TIME FOR TOUR PLAYERS TO TAKE A PAYCUT: Easy for him to say considering he and Chris Evert has already made their wads - here's what the Shark had to say... 'I wouldn’t be surprised if prize money is scaled back in the U.S. just out of respect to every citizen and taxpayer over there who is suffering dramatically. It seems like on the PGA Tour the players are still playing for a million dollars, like they’re recession-proof.' Norman spent a good part of the 1990's No. 1 in the world golf rankings and built a business empire that still has him ranked amongst Australia’s highest-earning athletes. TOP PLAYER DISCLOSES POSSIBLE HUGE LOSSES FROM STANFORD: Henrik Stenson is one of many investors who has funds that became frozen when Allen Stanford was busted last week. Stanford, which title-sponsors the PGA Tour’s annual Memphis event and the LPGA’s season-ending tournament, was accused Feb. 17 of an $8 billion investment fraud. Stenson signed a three-year endorsement contract with Stanford last year, at which time he also put a lot of his financial into a Stanford bank account. Stanford, which title-sponsors an annual PGA tour stop as well as the LPGA’s season-ending tournament, was accused last week in a $8 billion investment scandal. In all various sports may lose upwards to $100 million in events in which Stanford had sponsorship in. Other prominent athletes caught up in the situation include New York Yankee outfielders Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady, Damon says he currently cannot pay his bills while Nady says his credit cards are now tied up. FBR OUT AS PHOENIX SPONSOR AFTER 2010: That is a biggie:, what has become one of the signature events on Tour, draws over a half-million for a weekend, 170,000 in one day?? Travelers did renew a sponsorship for it's tournament through 2014 while Accenture recently re-upped to continue sponsoring the Match Play Championship. But golf's problem is obvious, it's a sport where way too much of it's sponsorship is tied up with the financial/investment business, not a good thing right now.ANOTHER NHL COACH GETS PINK SLIP: Quick - what do the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Ottawa Senators have in common?? Well, for one - the were the four NHL teams that were assigned to open the current season with two games in Europe ahead of the rest of the league. All four organizations now have something else in common, they have all now have whacked their head coaches. Heads up for Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, and Florida - the NHL has already announced that those four teams will all open the 2009-10 season in Europe, those coaches might want to start updating their resumes now. CHARLES BARKLEY GETS FIVE DAYS: Will serve five days in jail, pay $2,000 in fines, be required to attend an alcohol treatment program, and will now be forced to install ignition interlock device on his vehicles. Barkley just returned to his analyst gig on TNT last week, and apparently found something else to do on his down time, he will be featured on a Golf Channel reality show starting next week. KYLE BUSCH BIDDING FOR UNPRECEDENTED WEEKEND TREBLE: Kyle makes NASCAR history Saturday by winning two races in one day, dominating both the Truck and Nationwide Series races. Kyle goes for the weekend sweep in Sunday's Cup race.  CEREMONIAL THREE-COUNT FOR JAZZ OWNER LARRY MILLER: Longtime NBA owner passes away at 64 at his Salt Lake mansion due to complications to Type 2 diabetes. Miller's health took a turn for the worse after suffering a heart attack last summer, which led to 59 days spent in the hospital, and was hospitalized three more times after that. Since the heart attack Miller was considered clinically dead five times, and most recently coded in December. Miller had both legs amputated just last month, and got more bad news in the last couple of weeks learning he had contacted a rare disease that causes calcification of the arteries in which is only survivable with daily dialysis. Miller declined the treatment, it would had likely only bought him several more months. After dropping out of the University of Utah, Miller eventually went into the car business while also moonlighting as a fast-pitch softball pitcher. Miller would soon build an empire including 42 car dealerships, movies theaters, real estate, ad agencies, and eventually sports ventures including the NBA team as well as funding the building of a downtown arena. The Jazz organization was hemorrhaging money when Miller borrowed $8 million to buy 50 percent of the franchise in the mid-1980's, and later loaned $14 million more to assume full ownership and eventually invested $73 million more for the arena. Miller's philanthropy work also became well known, helping to build a community college as well as donating towards other projects with various universities in the area. Miller's rooting interest for his basketball team remained until the very end, as he reportedly cheered his team's home victories over the Lakers and Celtics this week.DID GIVING UP ON-LINE POKER SAVE ROCCO MEDIATE'S CAREER??? Rocco credits a woman named Cindi Hilfman for much of his PGA Tour success over the past year. Rocco considers Hilfman as his physical therapist, his spirital guru, and as his 'life coach'. Hilfman is a self-admitted 'hippie chick' and the inspiration behind Rocco's 'peace sign' belt buckle. So how has Hilfman helped besides stretching him out before each round and monitoring his biomechanics??? She got him to reduce his alcohol intake and also got him TO QUIT ON-LINE POKER!!! Paul Azinger should take note, quit the cards and he can even win on Tour again. WRESTLING LEGEND IMPLICATED IN NURSING HOME DEATH: Actually I was still expecting to find this man still in the squared circle against the likes of Bockwinkle, Baron Von Raschke, Ken Patera, and Sheik Adnan-Al Kaissie in some legends wrestling circut at a high school near you. But former pro wrestling champ Verne Gagne is 82 and in a nursing home now, and suffering from Alzheimer's which has apparently led to a tragic incident. Gagne is now being implicated in an incident last month in which he threw 97-year old Helmut Guttman to the ground at a memory loss unit of a nursing home, Guttman suffered a head injury and a broken hip in the fall - and died three weeks later. Families of both involved have given the sympathies for both men involved in the incident - and it is said criminal charges are unlikely. However the incident is sparking the question on whether dementia patients should be held accountable for their actions. Verne Gagne is a pioneer in the pro wrestling industry, starting the American Wrestling Association from the ground up in 1960, and being the executive producer for the promotion's weekly television taping. Before the promotion faded in the mid-1980's Gagne had helped launch the careers of Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura, amongst others. Helmut Guttman was a very notable person in his own right, a noted cancer researcher and violinist who escaped Nazi Germany in 1936 - I know, one can very much argue that cancer researcher trumps pro wrestling star.  WRESTLING ANNOUNCING ICON STILL KICKING: Fantastic article from SLAM.ca from last summer regarding announcer Rodger Kent (seen here with the even more legendary Crusher), for many years the ringside voice on the AWA's All Star Wrestling tapings and in my opinion the best announcer (with all due respect to Gordon Solie) in the history of wrestling. Also known as Rodger Vogel, Kent's career spanned well over 50 years and included work as a morning radio DJ, co-host of a children's show, the host of a 1960's show called The Minnesota Sportsman - Kent also eventually found a second career as a licensed chiropractor, and used some of his chiropractic lingo on his wrestling calls. Kent often acted with surprise over developments in the ring, he says it's because no one let him in on the script beforehand. The article also reveals that Kent was not much of a fan of Verne Gagne, the two clashed over salary and Kent refers to him as a cheapskate. You can get a very good sample of Kent's work over the years in this Youtube video tribute.NCAA TO CRACK DOWN EVEN MORE ON TAUNTING??? You thought the Jake Locker penalty that cost Washington it's only chance to win a game last year was bad??? If the NCAA has it's way we may even have more fun in the future - the latest rule change on the table would make any act of taunting before the ball-carrier reaches the end zone as a 'live ball' fall - touchdown would be NULLIFIED, 15 yard penalty from the spot of the foul, now what would be constituted as taunting I'm sure would be one huge gray area. In a more sensible change, the NCAA is considering making the punter fair game if he rolls to the left or right before punting - this would be to stop the ever-increasing strategy of the 'rugby punt'. And finally the playoff - don't hold your breath, it ain't coming anytime soon, in fact look for the BCS instead to give the Mountain West Conference an automatic berth, then add the Cotton Bowl as a sixth BCS game, in other words it's going to get WORSE.  BLAME IT ON RIJO - HE'S NOT WHO THEY THOUGHT HE WAS: It took only two weeks, but we have found a worse baseball executive decision than the San Diego Padres drafting Matt Bush overall a few years back. Working as a special assistant to the Washington Nationals, Jose Rijo claimed to have discovered a premiere prospect in the Dominican Republic a few years back named Esmailyn Gonzalez, the scouting report said that he was a five-tool player, with a glove like Ozzie Smith and potentially a bat like Miguel Tejada. In July 2006, the Nationals paid to have Rijo fly the player up to sign a contract, which was hammered out in two hours at a Washington restaurant. The Nationals signed the player to a $1.4 million contract, at the time it was said the Nationals had outbid the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rangers for his services. Also Nats GM Jim Bowden and team president Stan Kasten claimed that un-named teams were attempting to sabotage the Nationals from signing the player. At 16 years old Gonzalez was touted as a cant-miss prospect and his signing was hailed as a message to the rest of Major League Baseball that the Nationals were going to be a player in mining Dominican talent. Fast forward to today and the latest Sports Illustrated bombshell - it turns out that Esmailyn is a hell of a lot like Tejada - he was not 16 years old, he was 20 - which makes him 23 now. It gets even better, he really isn't Esmailyn, he is Carlos Alvarez Daniel Lugo, according to four sources to SI. And there's more, it says he doesn't run that well, and his throwing arm is only average. Oops - a little egg on the face there?? Maybe they should have worked him out at the stadium before taking him to the diner, instead sounds like they got taken to the cleaners. It should be noted that players outside of North America are not subject to the annual June amatuer draft - MLB has worked with the players union for years to get a worldwide amateur draft worked into the Collective Bargaining agreement. Only one question remains, where is the real Esmailyn Gonzalez - I think it's safe for the Yankess and Scott Bora$$ to get him out of hiding now...NASCAR'S TURN IN THE DRUG TESTING ARENA: NASCAR completes it's first round of mandatory testing ever, clearing all drivers competing in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, and Truck Series. But there are questions about the pit crew members in the three series, who were also tested. Kevin Harvick said he dismissed two members of his Truck Series crew who tested positive, while two Cup Series drivers disclosed that they had crewman test postive, but cleared later in follow-up testing. Those who go over the wall on pitstops have come under scrutiny in recent years, and many crewman have said to have gotten bigger and stronger, as teams have searched for candidates with backgrounds in sports such as football and hockey. NASCAR does not have a specific list of banned drugs, but it is said that the labs are testing for steroids, amphetimines, and recreational drugs. THEY SHOULD HAVE NAMED HIM 'DELE': I guess the Oklahoma City Thunder is now officially in the NBA, as 'Rumble the Bison' made his debut during the team's home game against the Hornets Tuesday night - Rumble was 0 for 2 on the night on attempted dunks. The former Seattle Sonics had 'Sasquatch' as it's mascot, he was left behind along with the team's names and colors during last summer's relocation. |
