Author: clay

Categories
College Football

Bob Stoops set to earn $6 million, despite being Mr. Unclutch


Bob Stoops is in hog heaven right now. At the end of this year, Stoops will complete his 10th season of service for the Oklahoma Sooners which means he’s about to get paid – big time! Stoops is going to collect a one-time bonus of $3 million on New Year’s Eve for the decade of work, which combined with his $2.77 million salary for the year means Stoops will bring home close to $6 million this year (including performance bonuses). Good investment? Athletic director Joe Castiglione sure seems to think so.

People may question why we do certain things,” Castiglione said. “But we can measure his impact, not just with success on the field, but the way our team generates interest and excitement because of the leadership of the head coach. He positively affects so many elements of the athletic program, campus community and the state — you could talk about it from the infusion of excitement to the economic impact.”

“Bob Stoops is worth every penny and always has been and always will be.

We see where Castiglione is going with this and it makes complete sense. There’s no doubt that the guy generates tons of revenue for the university, but we’re football fans, all we care about is wins and losses, so we have a slightly different view on the coach. Stoops is an excellent coach, there is no questioning that, but let’s take a quick look at his track record. Sure, he only has 17 losses compared to 90 wins, but it’s not the number of losses but rather who the losses are to.

His first season at OU, he went 7-5. We’ll let that one completely slide by. In 2000, he won the National Championship, so bravo coach. Then in 2001, things start getting interesting.

2001 – #4 Sooners lose to unranked Oklahoma State at home in season finale
2002 – #1 Sooners lose to unranked Texas A&M on the road then #3 Sooners lose to Oklahoma State on the road
2003 – #1 Sooners lose to #13 Kansas State in Big 12 Championship, followed by #3 Sooners loss to #2 LSU in National Championship
2004 – #2 Sooners lose big, 55-19, to #1 USC in National Championship
2005 – #7 Sooners lose season opener to unranked TCU in Norman, #21 Sooners lose to unranked UCLA, unranked Sooners lose to rival Texas and then go on to lose to Texas Tech
2006 – #15 Sooners lose to #18 Oregon, #14 Sooners lose second straight to Texas, #7 Sooners get shocked by #9 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl
2007 – #3 Sooners lose to unranked Colorado, #3 Sooners lose to unranked Texas Tech and #3 Sooners close the season by losing to West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl

All we’re saying is if someone is going to get a huge bonus, they can not lose even half the games listed above. Still, from a big-picture perspective, it was probably a smart investment by Oklahoma.

And let’s not forget the big man’s perks.

In addition, Stoops is also provided with
*2 automobiles with insurance

*35 hours annually of private airplane use

*Membership and monthly dues at a Norman-area golf course

*20 football tickets

As a side note, if you’re in the mood to make yourself feel like total crap today then just check out the Bob Stoops salary calculator.

Links:

[NewsOK.com]: Bob Stoops is the six million-dollar man…after bonuses, that is

Categories
All Other Sports

When good dunks go bad

Dwight Howard thrilled the world over the weekend by putting together a series of dunks that will be talked about for months and years to come. Apparently, that got the guys at on 205th thinking and they put together “The 22 Worst Dunks Ever”. Great idea, but somewhat sloppily executed considering there are only 13! Anyways, it’s still a great compilation worth checking out. Here are two of our favs:

Links:

[on 205th]: The 22 Worst Dunks Ever*

Categories
All Other Sports

First a beagle wins best in show and now this!


Hunting is foreign to us. We’ve never sat in a tree for hours on end, waiting patiently for a turkey or a deer or a pig to cross our path so we could pump it full of lead. Bobby Knight might love it, but it just isn’t our cup of tea. However, we do love dogs. So, it was a big time shock to us to hear that bloodhounds aren’t the only dogs that come in handy when you’re out in the woods looking for game. Turns out that god’s cruel joke on the world of canines are actually blood thirsty beasts.

Poodles were the original hunting dog, brought to Eastern Europe from Asia. They just took a wrong turn when they came to the U.S.,” said Eileen Jaskowski, among a handful of breeders determined to set the direction straight.

This may seem a strange quest to anyone whose perception of poodles starts with velvet cushions and ends with rhinestone collars. But Jaskowski is dead serious — as illustrated by an excited dog with a mallard clutched in its teeth.

Wow, talk about an eye opener. Who knew? What’s next, is someone going to tell us that pugs are ideal for mountain top rescues if you latch a keg of brandy under their necks?

Links:

[Denver Post.com]: Poodles ready to hunt

Categories
All Other Sports

Floyd Mayweather faces his BIGGEST challenge to date, even if it’s fake

Floyd Mayweather doesn’t need any cheap gimmicks to keep his name in the headlines or to remind people that he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but that didn’t stop him displaying his twinkle-toes on Dancing With the Stars. On Sunday, he did it again by hopping in the ring with The Big Show at the WWE pay-per-view No Way Out. In case you haven’t heard, Mayweather teed off on the big fella and broke his nose, leaving one pissed off, bleeding giant wanting revenge. On Monday Night RAW, Show got what he wanted when he convinced Mayweather to take him on in a wrestling match. We don’t know how the WWE plans to spin this thing, but it should be interesting to watch. Hopefully, just hopefully, it ends with another flurry of fists; just like it started.

Categories
Boston Celtics

Around the Rim: Kevin Garnett is almost ready for his close up


1. Welcome back?
Kevin Garnett cares about one thing and one thing only – winning. The Big Ticket missed the Celtics last nine games in addition to sitting out the All-Star game with an abdominal strain, but he appears to be almost back to his normal self which makes Boston far above average once again.

I’m trying to play Tuesday,” Garnett said from NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, according to The Boston Globe. “It’s been miserable. To be honest, miserable. But I’m in a good place mentally. I’m dealing with it.

The Celtics are in Denver tonight and Garnett said how he felt after Monday’s practice would play a big role in whether he takes the court or not. While the entire franchise is dying for Garnett to get back on the floor, they’re not stupid enough to rush it at this point. After all, they’ve won five consecutive games and own a 7-2 record since losing the big fella.

2. Agent 0 to the rescue

The Wizards got some terrific news on Monday, learning star guard Gilbert Arenas was cleared to participate in light, non-contact drills after having knee surgery last season. Arenas proved to be one of the most explosive scorers in the league, racking up 50 and 60 point games like clockwork. There’s no timetable for his return, but just hearing of his comeback has to energize Caron Butler and Antwan Jamison who have been carrying the load since Gilbo went down. Another piece of good news for the Wizards came in the form of Etan Thomas getting the nod to practice for the first time since undergoing open-heart surgery. Again, no definite timetable, but definitely good news.

3. Dare we say it? Jason Kidd is on his way to Big D
After a little tweaking, it appears that the Jason Kidd to Dallas trade will go through. However, before we go off analyzing the nuances of this trade, we’re going to wait for the official word to get dropped from NBA headquarters. Until then, we’ll stick with the major player – Kidd. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard are going to love having this guy around and Mark Cuban isn’t even going to know who to cry over anymore. Not only will he have the sweetest shooting big man in the game on his roster, but he’ll also own the only player in the league who can completely change a game without scoring a single point. The only immediate drawback we can think of for Dallas is that the city is going to get sick of seeing Kidd’s big-headed kid on the tube every five minutes.

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Orlando (33-21) @ Detroit (39-13)
Now that the All-Star festivities are over and behind us, it’s time to forget all about Dwight Howard’s spectacular collage of throw-downs and start focusing on what’s important which is the race to the playoffs. Before the break, Stan Van Gundy `motivated’ Howard back to peak performance and with the wave of momentum currently underneath him, the Pistons might end up facing a snarling beast tonight. Of course, the Pistons have several proud All-Stars on its squad who will look to end Superman’s high flying act. And if you’re lucky, Rasheed Wallace might just jack up another lefty trey.

Buzzer Beater: Cedric Ceballos finally did something more embarrassing than his ridiculous blindfold slam dunk from a bunch of years back. The former Sun and current Suns on-court announcer was arrested on Sunday for driving with a suspended license. Turns out California had a warrant out for Ceballos and he got caught at a Cali gas station after an attendant called the cops because he tried to pay for gas with a bunk credit card. It was a quick in-and-out of the pokey for Cedric whose hearing is scheduled for March 18.

Categories
All Other Sports

At last, the chess club has someone to pick on

Okay finger jousters of America, you’re off the hook for now because we’ve finally found something that makes your lame little tickle fight look like a bar room brawl. We present to you the World Freehand Circle Drawing Championship.

Circles really aren’t our thing, but if there’s a competitive league for freehand triangle drawing then we’re all in.

Categories
College Football

Vince Young returns to Texas for his senior year


Beware Big 12; Vince Young is back at Texas. But this time, the Oklahoma State Cowboys don’t have to worry about VY once again torching them on the athletic field; instead, they have to worry about his performance in the academic field.

Young is back on the 40 Acres to finish his degree, which about the only thing he didn’t accomplish during his first tenure at Texas.

I’ve been making some good Bs right now. I’ve been making some high Bs. Hopefully the As are coming,” Young said Monday.

Young has been away from Austin for two years, since leading the Longhorns to the 2005 national championship. In January 2006 he gave up his final year of eligibility and declared for the NFL draft, where he was the third pick overall.

He then agreed to a six-year contract worth $58 million, with a guaranteed signing bonus of nearly $26 million.

It’s the largest signing bonus paid to a UT athlete. And now Young becomes one of the first former Longhorns to come back to school while he’s still active in the NFL.

When he left, Young made a promise to himself and to his family that he’d finish school.

“I just wanted to come back and finish up because I wanted to show not only myself and my family, but all the people that have respect for me, that school is the key,” he said. “It’s not all about the money. It’s not all about the fame. It’s about helping people out.

Young is currently taking 12 hours, strategically scheduled so he can be in Nashville over the weekends for mini camp and rehab on a pulled quad. But like always, Vince is calm, cool and collected about his situation. About the only thing rattling the campus hero is the possibility of embarrassing himself at graduation.

I hope I don’t fall or trip over myself crossing the stage,” Young said. “That would be funny.

Links:

[Statesman.com]: Vince Young goes from NFL star to student

Categories
General Sports

Step aside Justin Timberlake, the dance world has a new J.T.


The latest cast of Dancing With the Stars was announced on Monday and, as usual, there were some sports figures gracing the list; most notable was Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor. While we’d love to crack on Ja-Tay for learning the samba and salsa, there’s not much you can say to humiliate a guy who just spent a season sweating for one of the most pathetic teams in NFL history. And considering that his male competition consists of dorks like Penn Jillette, Steve Guttenberg and Adam Carolla, we figure Taylor stands a decent chance. Anyways, if Emmitt can do it, anybody has a realistic shot.

Oh, but the fun doesn’t end there. Some female sports stars also made the cut.

Kristi Yamaguchi and Monica Seles will be cutting rugs as well. Let’s just hope that DWS provides tighter security than those knuckleheads in Hamburg.

Links:

[AssociatedContent.com]: `Dancing with the Stars’ Announces Season 6 Contestants

Categories
Dallas Cowboys

Even after his post season debacles, everyone wants to be Tony Romo


People love to hate the guy, but somehow Tony Romo wound up with the top-selling NFL jersey from April 1, 2007, until last Friday. Now, we know that Cowboy fans bought them by the bushel and Jessica Simpson and Terrell Owens were good for a couple apiece, but we didn’t realize Romo could sell more than Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. Of course, we didn’t realize Burger King slightly overcharged us for our nightly combo meals either.

Here are the rest of the top 10 jerseys. Now go make fun of every grown man you seeing wearing one.

1. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

3. Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers

4. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

5. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers

6. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

7. Eli Manning, New York Giants

8. Randy Moss, New England Patriots

9. Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears

10. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers

The biggest shocker of the list comes in at No. 17 where Brady Quinn resides, right between the Cowboys Jason Witten and the late Sean Taylor. Derek Anderson has got to feel like crap when he looks at that.

Links:

[CNBC.com]: NFL’s Best Selling Jerseys–1 Through 20

Categories
Philadelphia Phillies

Kyle Kendrick would have probably prefered a shaving cream pie to the face

So the Phillies went balls to the wall, pulling out all the stops in order to pull a fast one on Kyle Kendrick and it worked like a charm.

The ol’ `traded to a Japanese baseball league’ gag works every single time.