Categories
General Sports

SportsCenter goes football crazy in November


SportsCenter certainly isn’t making any friends with fans who like sports not named football. We’ve always known that ESPN was partial to the pigskin (and we can’t really blame them), but Sports Business Daily did some research and found that SC basically wipes every other sport right off the docket during November.

The study showed that last November the fellas behind the desk yapped about football for a whopping 15 hours plus during their nightly 11:00 airings! Outside of football, the NBA was about the only sport talked about, accounting for 3:46:36 during the entire month. Obviously this country is football crazy, especially during November and December, but the show is called SportsCenter, right?

Boxing– 0:00:25
Etc– 1:19:32
MLB– 1:35:23
MLS– 0:02:28
MMA– 0:00:00
NASCAR– 0:47:13
NBA– 3:46:36
NCAA Basketball– 1:53:13
NCAA Football– 4:38:22
NCAA Women’s Basketball– 0:05:15
NCAA Other Sports– 0:00:00
NFL– 10:40:46
NHL– 0:32:58
Olympics– 0:00:53
Tennis– 0:01:46
WNBA– 0:00:00

Links:

[Awful Announcing]: Breaking Down Sports Center In November

Categories
College Basketball

Free March Madness basketball! Get your free March Madness basketball here!


If you are anything like us then it is NEVER too early to start getting ready for March Madness. Unfortunately, stupid commitments like work or school used to get in the way of spending countless hours on the couch, eating Fritos and bean dip, chugging Yuengling by the case and watching hoops, hoops and nothing but hoops. Well, we can’t help you with the pigging out, getting blitzed or slothing around all March, but we can help you get your b-ball fix during the big tourney. Actually, the fellas at NCAASports.com are responsible, but we’ll still take the credit.

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Links:

[NCAASports.com]: March Madness on Demand

Categories
Utah Jazz

Kirilenko doubles as Utah’s bracketologist


The Utah Jazz know a thing or two about pro hoops, after all they are one of the top teams in a vicious Western Conference. But it looks like the guys could really use a refresher course in College Basketball 101.

Like most coworkers, the Jazz got together and set up a March Madness pool for bragging rights and probably a nice chunk of change. So, who has the cleanest bracket on the team after all but four teams have been eliminated you ask. Why, Andrei Kirilenko of course.

I’m telling you,” Kirilenko said, “I filled out my brackets in, like, 30 seconds.

If a Russian dominating the team’s tourney pool isn’t strange enough for you, then what do you think about Jazz sophomore C.J. Miles claiming that he doesn’t even care about bracketology. Now, that’s just sad. But guard Derek Fisher can’t get over the fact that Ivan Drago is winning the team’s pool.

That’s proof that there’s no science to the whole thing. I’m like tied for eighth or ninth or something like that. I’m so far removed from college basketball. Other than the big schools, I don’t even know half these schools.

And then you always have the problem with that guy in the office that fills out multiple brackets and then brags about getting one right.

This is my first time to participate with the Jazz and, personally, I think you should only be able to submit one bracket,” Fisher said. “But people around here, you can submit, like, four, five or six brackets. That doesn’t make any sense to me. So of course you can end up in first place because at some point, one of your brackets is going to be good. But if you just have to pick one bracket, which I did because I’m a man of (integrity), you’re tied for ninth.

Sounds to us like somebody is a lil’ bitter.

Links:

[NewsOK.com]: Kirilenko knows his stuff

Categories
LA Lakers

Phil Jackson doesn’t care about March Madness



Turn that crap off!

A lot of people in Memphis last night might have considered Kobe Bryant to be the enemy as he dropped 60 points on the lowly Grizzlies. But there were a lot more people who would have preferred to get their hands around the neck of the Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson.

Last night’s LA/Memphis contest was being played at the same time as Memphis was matching up with Texas A&M in the Sweet Sixteen and the game was being shown on the jumbotron as Bryant was humiliating defenders live. There were sudden outbursts from those in attendance over the game on TV instead of the game on the court and Jackson got fed up with the fans loyalty to their school after Lamar Odom started clanging free throws because of the unexpected cheers.

So, completely devoid of any school spirit, Jackson went to referee Bob Delaney and demanded that he turn the close college contest off the big screen. And he did; with three seconds remaining and the Tigers up by a deuce.

I went to the scorer’s table and said, ‘That’s not right,’ “Jackson said later.”This is the game that’s being played here. Delaney did the right thing.

Eventually Memphis would advance to the Elite Eight after defeating the Aggies and the crowd in attendance would give a standing ovation when the score was finally revealed. While Jackson acted like his normal pompous self, at least Lamar Odom could roll with the punches.

Their team is in the race for a national championship,” he said. “It wasn’t surprising
at all.

The Zen Master could learn a thing or two from his pupil.

Links:

[LATimes.com]: NCAA action is distraction to Jackson

Categories
General Sports

Odds and Ends: The Worldwide Runner Up in Online Sports!



The new king

Duh duh duh… duh duh duh. It seems that FoxSports has overtook ESPN.com in the Nielsen NetRatings. The 800 lb gorilla has been stepped over. This story is getting a ton of play in the blogosphere because bloggers hate ESPN. While Fox Sports, The Sporting News, and especially AOL Sports embraced bloggers, ESPN gave them the finger.

This news that ESPN.com has been dethroned might have been the reason why ESPN.com’s Editor in Chief was relegated to a lesser role yesterday. Seems that the bad karma associated with stealing scoops finally caught up with them. Now if only Versus would get their shit together, we might have an alternative to Sportscenter and Stu “Boo Yah” Scott.

In other news…

[Techdirt]: Why Blacking Out March Madness Online Doesn’t Make Sense

[SignOnSanDiego]: when a Terrell Owens or Michael Vick or Antonio Gates jersey is sold, each of the 32 NFL teams gets about 11 cents.

[isporty]: Top 10 Dirty Sports Names (How is Lucious Pusey not #1?)

[Farther Off the wall]: Which Dodgers monkey/intern designed this tshirt?

And finally, we have two random items. First is this excellent video of Ricky Gervais being brillaint. And second is this tidbit from the New York Post: “New York Ranger Brendan Shanahan was blindfolded and ball-gagged as trannies danced around him.” Sounds like a great time.

Categories
College Basketball

Why didn’t Drexel and Syracuse get into the tourney? Money


We’ve heard a lot of theories of the selection committee setting up matches not because of relative strength of teams but because of possible second round matchups that would be phenomenal for TV ratings. Gonzaga – UCLA anyone? Well, this is the first we’ve heard of the reasoning why teams like Syracuse and Drexel didn’t get in this year.


Two years ago, the NCAA bought – that’s right, the organization spent more than $50 million to purchase – the National Invitation Tournament. The other tournament, March Not-So-Madness, had gone along very nicely for years by hosting the NCAA’s rejects in a separate-but-unequal shadow tournament.

Now the NCAA owns it. Now the NCAA has incentive to make sure some attractive teams are available for the NIT field. The committee can’t get away with sending Wisconsin and Pittsburgh to the NIT – even Dick Vitale would figure that scam out – but it can send a few big programs from a few big markets.

Drexel and Syracuse, Kansas State and Florida State. They will draw nice crowds and decent TV ratings to their NIT games.

As if Drexel and Syracuse fans aren’t pissed enough. Now they find out that they didn’t make the tourney cause they are too good… for TV ratings anyway.

Links:
[Philly.com]: Phil Sheridan | Enough unfair exclusions: Add teams

Categories
College Football

Two ex-FSU players charged with robbing teammate



Jeff Rouse

There’s so many things wrong with this story. First, look at the photo to your left. Does that look like a man who would rob someone? Not particularly. Does that look like a man who if he were to rob someone, would leave a glove with his jersey number at the scene of the crime? Well… yes. In a world of dumb athletes, Fred Rouse might take this year’s top award.

But that’s not all. The person that Rouse robbed (along with fellow ex-teammate and Cincinnati 5th round draft pick A.J. Nicholson) was another teammate, Lorenzo Booker. Rouse and Nicholson stole approximately $1,700 worth of electronic equipment from the house. Rouse confessed to the crime and is charged with burglary of a dwelling, grand theft, and possession of ecstasy. He then sold out A.J. Nicholson faster than the Pistons are selling out Flip Saunders. An arrest warrant has been issued for Nicholson.

This isn’t the first time these two student-athletes have been in trouble. Nicholson previously pleaded to a DUI offense and Rouse was kicked off the FSU team in January for “conduct detrimental to the welfare of the football team”. FSU officials declined to comment but we believe robbing your teammates is detrimental to the welfare of the football team.


Links:

[ESPN]: Bengals pick Nicholson, Rouse charged in alleged theft

Categories
College Basketball

Bye-bye phone for Kelvin

Because Kelvin Sampson couldn’t stop using the phone at Oklahoma, the NCAA has banned Kelvin Sampson from taking any recruiting trips or making phone calls for one year. We’re not talking about a handful of impermissible calls. We’re talking 577 of them.

Even though Sampson won’t be taking any trips soon, he is lucky to have a job. There was a clause in his contract with IU that they could fire him without pay if the NCAA sanctions were tougher than the ones OU self imposed. Sampson says that he “learned an invaluable lesson” — just text message!

This is how the phone call from the NCAA to Kelvin Sampson informing him of the punishment should have gone.

Bye-bye, phone, for Kelvin.

No more phone for you. Your phone privileges are cut off.

I’m gonna write that down and put it on the fridge.

That’s the new rules in the house. I’m gonna take the old rules off
and put new rules up.

You gonna listen to me when I tell you to do something.

We gonna put new rules up.
We gonna put rules up. Rules up.

Rules. Rules.

One, ‘Kelvin cannot use the phone.’
Two, ‘Kelvin cannot… ‘

Since you’re such a smart motherfucker, you can’t go outside anymore either.

Cannot go outside ever again.

Now, put the rules up, Kelvin. You abide by my rules and my regulations, goddamn it. And the rules say ‘No phone and no outside.’

And I don’t give a fuck if the motherfucking house is burning down. If I come home and a fireman putting the house out, I say: ‘How you find out the house was burning?’

‘We got a call from Kelvin’, I kick your motherfucking ass.

Links:
[USA Today]: NCAA imposes recruiting ban on Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson
[IndyStar.com]: Shame on IU’s AD, president

Categories
College Football

Reggie Bush’s family house paid for by marketing agent



Our house… in the middle of the
heat… our house

We are shocked, shocked! to discover that top college football athletes are given things for free by marketers and agents.

According to state of California records, the house is owned by Michael Michaels, who has ties to a sports marketing company. (When did “sports marketing company” have the same negative connotation as “the mafia”?) In the Spring of 2005, Reggie Bush’s mom, stepfather and brother moved into the $757,00 home. NCAA rules for violating statutes prohibiting student-athletes from accepting extra beneifts from sports agents or marketing companies could mean that the games where Bush appeared could be forfeited. There goes the entire 2005 Trojans season.

The plan was for Michaels to steer Bush toward a sports agent named David Caravantes and represent Bush’s marketing efforts. However, Bush signed with Mike Ornstein and Joel Segal recently so it looks like that was $750k down the drain and a whole lot of trouble for Michaels. Reminds us of the NFL Network commercial: ‘I want him representing me. That guy is money.’

The bottom line is that Reggie Bush will get his money this weekend and there will be absolutely no repercussions for him or his family. It’s good to be a Top 10 pick.

Links:

[Yahoo]: Yahoo! Sports report: Reggie Bush’s family home
[MSNBC]: Investigation won’t hurt Bush in draft
[Sign OnSanDiego]: Parents of Bush face questions about home