Primetime College Football: Trojans vs Ducks
TALENT
The Trojans look to stay in the hunt for an eighth consecutive league title and shore up some defensive breakdowns when they visit the Ducks and their prolific offense. In less than two months, Oregon (6-1, 4-0) has made a season that could have become defined by an embarrassing loss at Boise State and LeGarrette Blount’s infamous punch into one with a chance to win its first Pac-10 title since 2001.
Riding a six-game winning streak, the Ducks, off to their best conference start since opening the 2000 season with seven straight league wins, stand alone atop the Pac-10.
USC (6-1, 3-1) and Arizona are tied for second, and either team could take the conference crown by winning out.
USC coach Pete Carroll Trojans have owned at least a share of the Pac-10 title each season since Oregon last won it, but they’ll likely be out of the running should they lose this weekend. To avoid that fate, USC’s defense will likely need to improve upon its performance from last Saturday’s 42-36 win over Oregon State. The Trojans allowed the Beavers to roll up 482 yards of total offense, the most yielded by USC since giving up 556 yards to Texas in a 41-38 Rose Bowl loss following the 2005 season.
It was also the second straight shaky defensive effort for USC, which gave up 367 total yards in a 34-27 defeat at then-No. 25 Notre Dame on Oct. 17. The Trojans allowed an average of 8.6 points and 238.6 yards in their first five games.
Proving it for 60 minutes against a high-powered Oregon offense led by a healthy quarterback Jeremiah Masoli should be quite a challenge. Masoli missed the Ducks’ 24-10 win over UCLA on Oct. 10 with a knee injury, and the offense never got in sync. He returned to the lineup last Saturday and didn’t seem to miss a beat, passing for 157 yards and a touchdown and running for 54 yards and two scores in a 43-19 victory over Washington. The versatile quarterback is the key to Oregon’s offense, with the team averaging 45.7 points and 484.7 yards in the last three games he has played.
LaMichael James, Oregon’s workhorse since Blount’s suspension, has rushed for 657 yards and six touchdowns in his last five games. The redshirt freshman running back totaled 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Huskies, and has had at least one run of at least 26 yards in each of his last six games. While Masoli and James lead the offense, the Ducks’ defense has been just as impressive.
Oregon coach Chip Kelly Ducks limited Washington to three points through three quarters last week, and has held three of its last four opponents to 211 yards or fewer. The Ducks’ 19 takeaways are tied for the Pac-10 lead – posing a tough challenge for mistake-prone Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley.
The freshman has thrown at least one interception in each of his last three games, including two last week. Barkley has thrown for 1,540 yards with seven TDs and five interceptions in six games this season.
USC may need its steady ground attack featuring Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford to take the pressure off Barkley. McKnight was limited last week because of sore hands and finished with 65 rushing yards on 11 carries, but Bradford ran for a career-high 147 yards and two scores.
The Trojans defeated Oregon 44-10 last season but lost 24-17 loss to the then-No. 5 Ducks in their last trip to Autzen Stadium in 2007. That was USC’s only defeat in the last five meetings.
PICK: University of Oregon Ducks
Primetime College Football: Horns vs Cowboys
TALENT
Texas star Colt McCoy is the reigning Big 12 offensive player of the week and the nation’s second-most accurate passer. The lone remaining teams with perfect Big 12 records meet with first place in the South Division on the line when McCoy and the Longhorns try to extend their 11-game winning streak over the Cowboys in Stillwater.
Texas (7-0, 4-0) hasn’t lost to Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-0) since a 42-16 defeat Oct. 4, 1997, and leads the all-time series 21-2. The 1997 game was the last time the Longhorns entered this matchup as an unranked team while the Cowboys have been ranked just three times during the 11-game slide.
The Cowboys believe this is their best chance to end that run of futility, having won five straight since a 45-35 loss to Houston on Sept. 12.
Oklahoma State will have to do a better job of slowing down McCoy, whose 71.7 completion percentage is second in the country to Arizona’s Nick Foles (72.3). McCoy has been even better against the Cowboys, completing 79.4 percent for 1,019 yards to go 3-0.
In his lone visit to Boone-Pickens Stadium on Nov. 3, 2007, McCoy was 20 of 28 for 282 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He helped engineer a comeback from a 21-point deficit entering the fourth quarter in a 38-35 victory.
McCoy passed for 391 yards – his highest total in a Big 12 game – and two touchdowns while the Longhorns used two big defensive stands in the fourth quarter for a 28-24 win over the Cowboys last season in Austin. Last week, McCoy threw for 269 yards and three scores while completing 26 of 31 passes in a 41-7 rout at Missouri, earning conference offensive player of the week honors and extending his school-record streak of consecutive games with a TD pass to 24.
Coach Mack Brown Longhorns lost three defensive starters in the first three rounds of the NFL draft in April, but its current defense is ranked second in the nation. Three of the last four Texas opponents have managed fewer than 175 yards of offense, and the last five have averaged 0.8 yards per carry.
Zac Robinson has thrown for 629 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in two career matchups with the Longhorns. He was sacked five times in last season’s loss. The quarterback is 218 yards away from breaking Cowboys coach Mike Gundy school record for career passing yards (7,997). Robinson was 23 of 27 for 250 yards and a season-high three touchdowns in last Saturday’s 34-7 win at Baylor.
Cowboys running back Kendall Hunter, an all-Big 12 selection as the league’s leading rusher a season ago, has missed the last five games with a sprained ankle and is expected to have a limited role if he plays Saturday. Hunter ran for 161 yards on 18 carries at Texas last year. Keith Toston has replaced Hunter the last five games, averaging 97.0 yards on the ground.
PICK: University of Texas Longhorns
Primetime College Football: Cocks vs Vols
TALENT
South Carolina (6-2, 3-2 SEC) eked out a 14-10 home victory last week against Vanderbilt on Stephen Garcia’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffrey early in the fourth quarter and an intentional grounding penalty that effectively ended a Commodores’ comeback in South Carolina territory.
South Carolina’s previous two conference victories were by a combined eight points against Kentucky and Mississippi, and the Gamecocks opened the season with a 7-3 win at North Carolina State. That victory is South Carolina’s coach Steve Spurrier lone road win since Oct. 11, 2008, at Kentucky. The Gamecocks have lost at SEC rivals Georgia on Sept. 12 and Alabama on Oct. 17. In contrast, South Carolina started its current seven-game home win streak by beating the Volunteers 27-6 last season.
Garcia threw for a pair of touchdowns as the Gamecocks built a 21-0 halftime lead in that game, but they face an improving Tennessee team that nearly upset Alabama on the road last week. Garcia finished with 312 yards in beating Vanderbilt one yard shy of his season high and he’s thrown at least two touchdown passes in three of the last four games.
The emergence of Jeffery as a top-flight threat has helped Garcia flourish. The freshman, who had a season-best eight catches and 161 yards against Vanderbilt, has 382 of his 443 yards in the past three games and has scored all five of his touchdowns in the last four contests.
In a 12-10 loss, the Volunteers (3-4, 1-3) had a pair of field goals blocked in fourth quarter, including one as time expired, and Daniel Lincoln missed another from 47 yards just before halftime. Tennessee also out gained Alabama 341-256.
Since a slow start in which he had five touchdowns and seven interceptions in his first three games, Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton has averaged 264 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Crompton, however, was 5 of 8 for 39 yards in last season’s loss to the Gamecocks.
During an early furor after his hiring, coach Lane Kiffin allegedly told Jeffrey he would “end up pumping gas” if he signed with South Carolina. Spurrier also questioned if the new Tennessee coach had violated a recruiting rule by not taking a required NCAA test.
It could be a difficult night for Crompton and Garcia as each will face two of the better pass defenses in the country. South Carolina ranks third in allowing 141.3 yards per game, and Tennessee is No. 6 (155.9 ypg) behind All-American safety Eric Berry. The Volunteers are also 10th in total defense, giving up an average of 269.7 yards, while the Gamecocks are 14th (288.9 ypg).
Tennessee has not allowed an offensive touchdown in its past two games, while South Carolina allowed its only TD last week on a 99-yard kickoff return.
Spurrier is 11-7 all-time against the Volunteers but 2-2 with the Gamecocks. In addition to its home dominance of South Carolina, Tennessee leads the series 21-4-2.
PICK: University of Tennessee Volunteers
Primetime College Football: Cougars vs Irish
TALENT
Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis team will try to inch closer to a possible BCS bowl bid when it faces lowly Washington State at the Alamodome here in San Antonio. Notre Dame’s last six games were decided by a touchdown or less, having earned its fourth win in that stretch by beating Boston College 20-16 at home.
The Irish (5-2) needed Jimmy Clausen’s go-ahead 36-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate, then a pair of interceptions in the closing minutes to seal the victory. Their previous three victories over Michigan State, Purdue and Washington were all decided by late go-ahead touchdowns, but Notre Dame came up short on a late goal-to-go situation in a 34-27 loss to Southern California on Oct. 17.
They’d certainly be disappointed with anything but a lopsided win over Washington State, which is 3-17 since the beginning of last season. The Cougars’ porous defense has allowed an average of 41.5 points in that stretch.
Washington State gave up three first-quarter touchdown passes to California’s Kevin Riley in last Saturday’s 49-17 loss, meaning Clausen should have plenty of opportunities this week. The junior is one of 13 players nationally with more than 2,000 passing yards, and he has thrown 16 touchdown passes including eight to Tate compared to two interceptions.
The bigger concern for the Irish is a defense that has allowed more than 400 yards per game. BC had 349, but Notre Dame forced five turnovers and held its opponent under 20 points for the first time since a season-opening 35-0 win over Nevada.
The emerging presence of freshman linebacker Manti Te’o has helped and has averaged a team-best nine tackles since his first start three games ago.
Washington State (1-6) may help with Notre Dame’s defensive issues. With an average of 72.6 rushing yards, the Cougars’ ground game ranks 116th out of 120 Bowl Subdivision teams.
The last two weeks, Washington State coach Paul Wulff Cougars have combined for one rushing yard, although freshman quarterback Jeff Tuel had his best statistical game of the season against Cal, going 28 for 42 for 354 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
The Cougars continued to have problems with protection, however, as Tuel was sacked five times. They gave up 12 sacks in a 27-14 home loss to Arizona State on Oct. 10.
The Irish, who are 14-0 all-time on Halloween, beat Washington State 29-26 in overtime at Notre Dame Stadium in the teams’ only previous meeting Sept. 6, 2003.
PICK: University of Notre Dame
Primetime College Football: Wildcats vs Sooners
TALENT
The Sooners look to build off a dominating victory while trying for a fourth straight win over visiting Big 12 North leader Kansas State.
The post-Bradford Era begins against Kansas State (5-3, 3-1), the North’s surprise leader which has dropped three straight to Oklahoma since a 35-7 win at Norman on Dec. 6, 2003. Road dates against Nebraska and Texas Tech, plus home games versus Texas A&M and No. 13 Oklahoma State follow on the Sooners’ schedule.
Third in the Big 12 South, Oklahoma (4-3, 2-1) rolled to a 35-13 victory at Kansas, moves on with improving freshman quarterback Landry Jones, who’s thrown for 1,363 yards and 13 touchdowns with six interceptions in six games. Receiver Ryan Broyles is one of his favorite targets and the team leader with 36 receptions and eight touchdowns.
Jones benefits from a dominating Oklahoma defense, sixth in nation allowing 264.9 yards per contest. Though coach Bob Stoops Sooners allowed 550 yards in a 58-35 win at Kansas State last season, the Wildcats are averaging 15.5 points per game while going 1-3 on the road, compared to 38.0 at home where they’re 4-0.
Offensively, running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray hope for another big game against Kansas State. While the pair has combined for 830 yards this season after each rushed for more than 1,000 yards a year ago, Brown ran for 142 yards and Murray 104 with two TDs versus the Wildcats last season.
Oklahoma has averaged 44.0 points during its three-game winning streak over Kansas State, which begins a rough final stretch that concludes with games against Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
Though coach Bill Snyder Wildcats have allowed 44 total points at home this season, it’s giving up an average of 32.3 on the road. Since early losses at Louisiana-Lafayette and UCLA, the Wildcats have won three of four. One week after a 62-14 rout of Texas A&M, Kansas State beat Colorado 20-6 last Saturday to take a one-game lead over Iowa State in the North.
After allowing 739 yards in a 66-14 loss at Texas Tech on Oct. 10, Kansas State has dominated the first half the past two weeks, leading Texas A&M and Colorado by a combined 58-6. The Wildcats have forced 10 turnovers and recorded nine sacks in those contests after getting six the first six games.
Kansas State’s running game has been a big part of its recent success. The Wildcats are second in league averaging 186.5 yards on the ground and 218.0 in their last two games. Averaging 101.8 yards per game, junior Daniel Thomas rushed for a career-high 145 yards and a TD on 20 carries against Colorado.
Kansas State, which hasn’t started 4-1 in league play since 1999, has lost four in a row against ranked opponents since winning 41-21 at then-No.7 Texas on Sept. 29, 2007.
PICK: University of Oklahoma Sooners
Brad Childress Goes Drag Queen On Team Plane
On the team flight back from Pittsburgh after a 27-17 loss, head coach Brad Childress decided the best way to loosen up the team was to enter into his craigslist night life attire or maybe he was meeting Marv Albert at the airport and was trying to save a little time.
Calvin Caseys FOUNDATION Picks
Weekend of 31-1
***(OVERALL: 25-18)***
NCAA
Take USC and minus 3 at Oregon
Take South Carolina plus 6 over Tennessee
(Bonus Pick) Take Georgia plus 14 1/2 against Florida
NFL
Take Minnesota plus 3 over Green Bay
Take New York Jets minus 3 against Miami
(Bonus Pick) Take New York Giants minus 1 at Philadelphia
BLOCK CITY: Your Victim-Courtney Lee
Dwight Howard, you have been charged with the crime of Representin.
And the verdict is Guilty.
Happy Halloween From SGE
Teddy Ballgame
Sports Grind Entertainment wants to wish you a fun and safe Halloween. If you have any Halloween costume pictures you would like to share with Sports Grind Entertainment, we sure would like to see them.
Primetime College Football: Mounties vs Bulls
TALENT
West Virginia has needed second-half comebacks to win its last two games, the Mountaineers hope to assert themselves as serious Big East title contenders in a visit to South Florida, is trying to rebound from back-to-back losses to the league’s other top teams. Mountaineers (6-1, 2-0) are trying to keep up with reigning league champion Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, both of which are more highly ranked and also unbeaten in conference play.
West Virginia will face both of those teams in November, but first it must focus on the Bulls, who helped derail the Mountaineers’ national title hopes the last time the teams met in Tampa. South Florida’s 21-13 win on Sept. 28, 2007, was West Virginia’s only road loss in an 11-2 campaign.
Coach Bill Stewart’s Mountaineers have averaged 15.0 points in their last three games against the Bulls, going 1-2. West Virginia won 13-7 at home last season despite being out gained 326-280. The Mountaineers have trailed Marshall 7-3 before winning 24-7 two weeks ago, and they were behind Connecticut on Saturday before Noel Devine’s 56-yard touchdown run with 2:10 to play gave them a 28-24 win. The game was an emotional one as UConn played for the first time following the death of cornerback Jasper Howard, who was stabbed in an on-campus incident the previous weekend.
West Virginia’s conference-best running game has keyed the Mountaineers’ current four-game winning streak, as Devine is averaging 148.0 yards per game in that stretch. Devine is seventh nationally in total rushing, had 171 of his 178 yards in the second half against UConn.
Quarterback Jarrett Brown was unspectacular against the Huskies as he returned from a mild concussion, and the Mountaineers may try to rely on Devine again. South Florida (5-2, 1-2) ranks first in the Big East defending the pass but seventh against the run, allowing 132.4 yards per game.
After giving up 189 rushing yards to Cincinnati in a 34-17 home loss Oct. 15, the Bulls allowed 214 to Pitt en route to a 41-14 road defeat Saturday as All-American defensive end George Selvie had just one tackle.The Bulls also struggled offensively against the Panthers, as redshirt freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels went 4 for 8 for 54 yards and two interceptions.
The Bulls are 21-6 at home since the start of 2005 and they could provide a strong test for West Virginia, which is just 1-1 on the road. The Mountaineers won at Syracuse but lost 41-30 at Auburn on Sept. 19.
PICK: University of South Florida Bulls
Game 2 Of World Series Sees Drop In Viewers To 18.9 Million
105th
The Yankees’ Game 2 win over the Phillies drew a 13.6 overnight rating on FOX. 18.9 million viewers for the Phillies/Yankees Game 2 helped FOX to the highest rated Thursday night in primetime on any network since the BCS National Championship Game in January.
The 18.9 million viewers is the fourth-most of the year for a non-NFL sporting event, behind only the BCS National Championship Game, the Rose Bowl and Wednesday’s Phillies/Yankees Game 1.
Game 2 drew a 42.5 rating in Philadelphia, off slightly from a 44.5 for Game 1, meanwhile, the game drew a 29.8 in New York, up a tick from a 29.7 for Game 1.
Through two games, the 2009 World Series is averaging a 13.7 overnight rating, the highest average through two games of the World Series since ’04.
NBA Delivers No Tips
Est. 1946
The NBA has notified teams that referees are no longer allowed to tip the guys who work the locker room. Reports Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com
The “no-tipping” policy is part of the new two-year collective bargaining agreement between the league and the referees’ union,
“We expect all team and arena personnel to adhere strictly to the ‘no tipping’ policy, and ask that you provide notice of the new rule immediately to any affected personnel. If you learn of any referee who has paid a tip or other form of compensation to a locker room attendant or other personnel in violation of the CBA, please notify one of us.”
It was unclear if the policy had any connection to allegations by disgraced ex-referee Tim Donaghy. The NBA has said it will review any new allegations made in Donaghy’s book.
Special “Stand-Up to Cancer” Ad To Run Game 3 Of World Series
SU2C
The fight against cancer means a lot to the Sports Grind Entertainment family and we are have to report that Major League Baseball and Stand Up To Cancer, who have been joined since it’s May 2008 launch, in it’s continued message to battle cancer has now teamed up Mastercard Worldwide. They will come together for an historic live event to occur during Game Three of the 2009 World Series on Saturday, October 31, incorporating the live crowd inside Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia into a “Priceless” public awareness spot produced by Stand Up To Cancer Founding Member Laura Ziskin.
The spot will air between the start of the second and end of the third innings and will be broadcast live on FOX as well as inside the stadium. Near the conclusion of the 30-second spot – which celebrates the powerful emotions baseball creates – the action will turn live to the ballpark, where actors Terrence Howard and Minka Kelly will encourage the rest of the crowd and the viewing audience to “stand up” to cancer.
Stand Up 2 Cancer raises funds for innovative research conducted primarily by teams of scientists, aimed at accelerating the development of new cancer treatments in order to save lives now. MasterCard is also donating $1,000 for every home run hit throughout the entire 2009 Postseason. Through Game Two of the World Series, 50 home runs have been hit, resulting in a $50,000 donation thus far. Major League Baseball has given a $10 million donation to Stand Up To Cancer.
Does Vince Young Have The Endorsement Of His Teammates?
Always Behind The 8Ball
Titans coach Jeff Fisher said on Thursday that his starting quarterback would be Vince Young but if he is to replace Kerry Collins, as team owner Bud Adams prefers, the No. 3 overall pick from 2006 might have some work to do to win over his teammates.
“I still have faith in Kerry Collins, that’s our guy,” LB Keith Bulluck said. No one in this locker room, no one on this team said anything. That call came from the head.”
Bulluck deferred questions on Young’s readiness to the QB.
Added TE Bo Scaife of Young “I hope he’s ready. … Only Vince knows when he’s ready. Practice is different than the game.”
HIP HOP HAS COME A LONG WAY
Jay-Z is the 1st hip-hop artist to perform at Yankee Stadium (new or old).
“I think it’s special for all of New York,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter, who also uses the track as his at-bat music, said, according to MLB.com. “I think it almost seems like it’s the anthem for New York right now,” Jeter added. “I got an opportunity to get to know Jay-Z throughout the years and he’s very, very talented doing a lot of things. But he knows what he’s doing, so I think New York has kind of embraced that song.”
In a statement, Jay added that performing this track at Yankee Stadium was important for him.
“As a die-hard Yankees fan, I’m honored to perform a song that celebrates the greatness of New York in one of our city’s most important landmarks, Yankee Stadium,” he noted.
Like Myself, Jimmy Rollins Isn’t Impressed With Yankee Stadium
Speed and Swag, Got It All
Jimmy “Party Starter” Rollins, spoke before and after Game 2 of the World Series, about how the atmosphere at the Bronx’s new ballpark didn’t live up to his expectations or the standard set 105 miles southwest in Philadelphia.
“What I thought it would be like compared to what this is like, I would have to say it’s completely different,” Rollins said before Game 2. “They had a legacy over there from the hallways, the monuments, everything. Here, it’s brand new. It’s a different ballpark.”
Asked if Yankee Stadium were a different atmosphere for a World Series game, Rollins replied, “You’d like to believe so. It’s really more of a different atmosphere at our ballpark, which is so loud and rowdy. I expected that when I came here, but I heard one big cheer, and that was on a home run. Other than that,” Rollins said before finishing his quote with a shrug of the shoulders.
Totally agree with the “Party Starter”, throughout the season I’ve been asking myself didn’t it seem louder in the old Yankee stadium. The sound of the new Yankee Stadium doesn’t match anything of the old at least that’s the way it plays through the television set, even last night the ‘Who’s Your Daddy’ chant at Pedro Martinez never seemed to get going or when it did, it just didn’t pack the boom as it once did when he was in a Boston Red Sox uniform.
I’m not sure if it’s that the seats are so expensive that they haven’t been able to sell out that many games or the new fans sits on their hands more often than not, but Rollins is right.
Primetime College Football: Heels vs Hokies
TALENT
Virginia Tech’s have a chance to reach a third straight ACC title game, meanwhile North Carolina may be hard-pressed to even make a bowl game. The Hokies look to bounce back from their first conference loss when they host the Tar Heels, who are still seeking a league win after tumbling from their preseason Top 25 ranking.
Virginia Tech (5-2, 3-1) lost its season opener to Alabama but looked like a possible BCS title contender in winning five in a row from there, including a 31-7 rout of Miami on Sept. 26. Then they lost a showdown at Georgia Tech on Oct. 17, losing 28-23. Virginia Tech held its previous three opponents to 142 yards rushing, but the spread-option offense of the Yellow Jackets had 309 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Coach Frank Beamers Hokies are one of four teams in the ACC Coastal Division with one loss, joining Duke, Virginia and Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets already have played six conference games, meaning the Hokies need an upset by either Wake Forest or Duke if they’re to have any chance of reaching Tampa on Dec. 5 to play for a third consecutive conference title.
Tyrod Taylor the junior quarterback is fourth nationally in passer rating (159.7) and had one interception all season before throwing two against Georgia Tech. Taylor has averaged 204.0 yards through the air in his past three games with five touchdown passes. Taylor’s job has been made easier by the emergence of redshirt freshman tailback Ryan Williams, who has rushed for 100 yards or more in five of the Hokies’ past six games.
The Tar Heels (4-3, 0-3), who have the nation’s seventh-ranked defense but have lost three of four. Butch Davis Tar Heels averaged 164.0 yards and totaled 10 points in losses to Georgia Tech and Virginia, then looked sloppy again in a 42-12 victory over Georgia Southern. The offense was much better last Thursday against Florida State, totaling 333 yards – 238 on the ground – but the Tar Heels blew an 18-point lead in the second half to lose 30-27.
It’s been the offense that’s burned the Tar Heels in their meetings against Virginia Tech since the Hokies joined the ACC. They’ve averaged 274.6 yards and 12.8 points in losing all five matchups.
Last season, however, Virginia Tech needed to rally to beat North Carolina 20-17 in Chapel Hill. Tar Heels quarterback T.J. Yates was 11 of 18 for 181 yards and a touchdown while Taylor threw for 125 yards and two interceptions, but Yates got hurt early in the fourth quarter and backup Mike Paulus’ two INTs helped the Hokies come back to win. Yates, who threw four interceptions in seven games last season as a sophomore, already has eight this year.
North Carolina hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent on the road since a 38-3 win at Clemson on Oct. 20, 2001.
PICK: Virgina Tech Hokies
Fresh Kicks: Lil’ Dez Big Nike
Lebron you got over 20 triple doubles can I HAVE one!
Lil’ Dez, made famous in the LeBron-Kobe puppet commercials, has gotten his own Nike shoe.
While Kobe got got his ring, Lil’ Dez got some kicks. Kobe’s biggest fan got a pair of signature kicks – the Lil’ Dez Big Nike.
The Lil’ Dez Big Nike has a completely red leather upper, with the block letter “NIKE” on the heel replaced by “LIL DEZ.” The little man himself is featured on the tongue, and his handwritten note “Congrats Kobe” is on the lateral side just below the collar. The outsole is white with sparse dark speckles.
Lane Kiffin Is A Fan Of Lil Wayne
In his new song, Banned From TV, Lil Wayne, a huge sports fan, drops the names of Terrell Owens and most surprisingly gives a shout out to the University of Tennessee Volunteers head coach.
Wayne includes this line, “Smoke weed, talk sh*t like Lane Kiffin.”
Now Lane Kiffin has acknowledged the endorsement via Twitter, tweeting today,
“looking forward to another great practice today and a huge game Saturday … also a huge shout-out to Lil Wayne for boosting our street cred!”
Game 1 Of The World Series Attracts 19.5 Million
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Fox was as dominant as the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday night. Fox easily took home the ratings race with its coverage of game one of the World Series
According to early time zone-adjusted Nielsens, the game drew a 6.3 rating in the 18-49 demo, with 19.5 million viewers watching — the highest game 1 total in five years. A share had yet to be determined.
The Book The NBA Doesn’t Want You To Read
Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy’s tell-all book “Blowing the Whistle: The Culture of Fraud in the NBA” has been canceled by Triumph Books and parent company Random House out of concerns over potential liability, the book was to have covered Donaghy’s experience as an NBA referee and the events leading up to his conviction on federal wire fraud charges.
“Somehow, the NBA got wind of the project and let Random House know in a threatening-type correspondence that they would object to the publication of such a book and they threatened that they would sue if they did go ahead and do that,” said the publisher. “Random House considered that and … just pulled the plug on it.”
Donaghy, 42, remains behind bars for a probation violation following his 15-month prison sentence. He was scheduled for release on Oct. 24.
However, Deadspin received a copy of the book and released excerpts from the now canceled book (so jealous they have a copy) [Via Deadspin]
On Gambling Refs:
To have a little fun at the expense of the worst troublemakers, the referees working the game would sometimes make a modest friendly wager amongst themselves: first ref to give one of the bad boys a technical foul wouldn’t have to tip the ball boy that night. In the NBA, ball boys set up the referees’ locker room and keep it stocked with food and beer for the postgame meal. We usually ran the kid ragged with a variety of personal requests and then slipped him a $20 bill. Technically, the winner of the bet won twice-he didn’t have to pay the kid and he got to call a T on Mr. Foul-Mouthed Big-Shot Du Jour.
After the opening tip, it was hilarious as the three of us immediately focused our full attention on the intended victim, waiting for something, anything, to justify a technical foul. If the guy so much as looked at one of us and mumbled, we rang him up. Later in the referees’ locker room, we would down a couple of brews, eat some chicken wings, and laugh like hell.
We had another variation of this gag simply referred to as the “first foul of the game” bet. While still in the locker room before tip-off, we would make a wager on which of us would call the game’s first foul. That referee would either have to pay the ball boy or pick up the dinner tab for the other two referees. Sometimes, the ante would be $50 a guy. Like the technical foul bet, it was hilarious-only this time we were testing each other’s nerves to see who had the guts to hold out the longest before calling a personal foul. There were occasions when we would hold back for two or three minutes-an eternity in an NBA game-before blowing the whistle. It didn’t matter if bodies were flying all over the place; no fouls were called because no one wanted to lose the bet.
We played this little game during the regular season and summer league. After a game, all three refs would gather around the VCR and watch a replay of the game. Early in the contest, the announcers would say, “Holy cow! They’re really letting them play tonight!” If they only knew…
During one particular summer game, Duke Callahan, Mark Wunderlich, and I made it to the three-minute mark in the first quarter without calling a foul. We were running up and down the court, laughing our asses off as the players got hammered with no whistles. The players were exhausted from the nonstop running when Callahan finally called the first foul because Mikki Moore of the New Jersey Nets literally tackled an opposing player right in front of him. Too bad for Callahan-he lost the bet.
I became so good at this game that if an obvious foul was committed right in front of me, I would call a travel or a three-second violation instead. Those violations are not personal fouls, so I was still in the running to win the bet. The players would look at me with disbelief on their faces as if to say, “What the hell was that?”
On Star Treatment:
Relationships between NBA players and referees were generally all over the board-love, hate, and everything in-between. Some players, even very good ones, were targeted by referees and the league because they were too talented for their own good. Raja Bell, formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now a member of the Charlotte Bobcats, was one of those players. A defensive specialist throughout his career, Bell had a reputation for being a “star stopper.” His defensive skills were so razor sharp that he could shut down a superstar, or at least make him work for his points. Kobe Bryant was often frustrated by Bell’s tenacity on defense. Let’s face it, no one completely shuts down a player of Kobe’s caliber, but Bell could frustrate Kobe, take him out of his game, and interrupt his rhythm.
You would think that the NBA would love a guy who plays such great defense. Think again! Star stoppers hurt the promotion of marquee players. Fans don’t pay high prices to see players like Raja Bell-they pay to see superstars like Kobe Bryant score 40 points. Basketball purists like to see good defense, but the NBA wants the big names to score big points.
If a player of Kobe’s stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell. As part of our ongoing training and game preparation, NBA referees regularly receive game-action video tape from the league office. Over the years, I have reviewed many recorded hours of video involving Raja Bell. The footage I analyzed usually illustrated fouls being called against Bell, rarely for him. The message was subtle but clear-call fouls against the star stopper because he’s hurting the game.
Allen Iverson provides a good example of a player who generated strong reaction, both positive and negative, within the corps of NBA referees. For instance, veteran referee Steve Javie hated Allen Iverson and was loathe [sic] to give him a favorable call. If Javie was on the court when Iverson was playing, I would always bet on the other team to win or at least cover the spread. No matter how many times Iverson hit the floor, he rarely saw the foul line. By contrast, referee Joe Crawford had a grandson who idolized Iverson. I once saw Crawford bring the boy out of the stands and onto the floor during warm-ups to meet the superstar. Iverson and Crawford’s grandson were standing there, shaking hands, smiling, talking about all kinds of things. If Joe Crawford was on the court, I was pretty sure Iverson’s team would win or at least cover the spread.
If Kobe Bryant had two fouls in the first or second quarter and went to the bench, one referee would tell the other two, “Kobe’s got two fouls. Let’s make sure that if we call a foul on him, it’s an obvious foul, because otherwise he’s gonna go back to the bench. If he is involved in a play where a foul is called, give the foul to another player.”
Similarly, when games got physically rough, we would huddle up and agree to tighten the game up. So we started calling fouls on guys who didn’t really matter-”ticky-tack” or “touch” fouls where one player just touched another but didn’t really impede his progress. Under regular circumstances these wouldn’t be fouls, but after a skirmish we wanted to regain control. We would never call these types of fouls on superstars, just on the average players who didn’t have star status. It was important to keep the stars on the floor.
Madison Square Garden was the place to be for a marquee matchup between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks. I worked the game with Derrick Stafford and Gary Zielinski, knowing that the Knicks were a sure bet to get favorable treatment that night. Derrick Stafford had a close relationship with Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, and he despised Heat coach Pat Riley. I picked the Knicks without batting an eye and settled in for a roller-coaster ride on the court.
During pregame warm-ups, Shaquille O’Neal approached Stafford and asked him to let some air out of the ball.
“Is this the game ball?” O’Neal asked. “It’s too hard. C’mon, D, let a little air out of it.”
Stafford then summoned one of the ball boys, asked for an air needle, and let some air out of the ball, getting a big wink and a smile from O’Neal.
On His Fellow Referees: Dick Bavetta:
Crawford wanted the game over quickly so he could kick back, relax, and have a beer; [Dick Bavetta] wanted it to keep going so he could hear his name on TV. He actually paid an American Airlines employee to watch all the games he worked and write down everything the TV commentators said about him. No matter how late the game was over, he’d wake her up for a full report. He loved the attention.
“Look on the bright side everybody, MORE playoff games for you guys and Dick, maybe you will get to be crew chief in the 7th game of the Finals, which is a travesty in itself you even being in the Finals.”
On His Fellow Referees: Tommy Nunez:
My favorite Tommy Nunez story is from the 2007 playoffs when the San Antonio Spurs were able to get past the Phoenix Suns in the second round. Of course, what many fans didn’t know was that Phoenix had someone working against them behind the scenes. Nunez was the group supervisor for that playoff series, and he definitely had a rooting interest.
Nunez loved the Hispanic community in San Antonio and had a lot of friends there. He had been a referee for 30 years and loved being on the road; in fact, he said that the whole reason he had become a group supervisor was to keep getting out of the house. So Nunez wanted to come back to San Antonio for the conference finals. Plus, he, like many other referees, disliked Suns owner Robert Sarver for the way he treated officials. Both of these things came into play when he prepared the referees for the games in the staff meetings. I remember laughing with him and saying, “You would love to keep coming back here.” He was pointing out everything that Phoenix was able to get away with and never once told us to look for anything in regard to San Antonio. Nunez should have a championship ring on his finger.
I remember one nightmarish game I worked with Joe Crawford and Phil Robinson. Minnesota and New Orleans were in a tight game going into the last minute, and Crawford told us to make sure that we were 100 percent sure of the call every time we blew the whistle. When play resumed, Minnesota coach Flip Saunders started yelling at us to make a call. Robinson got intimidated and blew the whistle on New Orleans. The only problem was it wasn’t the right call. Tim Floyd, the Hornets’ coach, went nuts. He stormed the court and kicked the ball into the top row of the stadium. Robinson had to throw him out, and Minnesota won the game.
[...]
Later that week, Ronnie Nunn told me that we could have made something up at the other end against Minnesota to even things out. He even got specific-maybe we should have considered calling a traveling violation on Kevin Garnett. Talk about the politics of the game! Of course the official statement from the league office will always read, “There is no such thing as a makeup call.”
That very first time Jack and I bet on an NBA game, Dick was on the court. The team we picked lost the game, but it covered the large point spread and that’s how we won the money. Because of the matchup that night, I had some notion of who might win the game, but that’s not why I was confident enough to pull the trigger and pick the other team. The real reason I picked the losing team was that I was just about certain they would cover the spread, no matter how badly they played. That is where Dick Bavetta comes into the picture.
From my earliest involvement with Bavetta, I learned that he likes to keep games close, and that when a team gets down by double-digit points, he helps the players save face. He accomplishes this act of mercy by quietly, and frequently, blowing the whistle on the team that’s having the better night. Team fouls suddenly become one-sided between the contestants, and the score begins to tighten up. That’s the way Dick Bavetta referees a game-and everyone in the league knew it.
Fellow referee Danny Crawford attended Michael Jordan’s Flight School Camp years ago and later told me that he had long conversations with other referees and NBA players about how Bavetta propped up weak teams. Danny told me that Jordan himself said that everyone in the league knew that Bavetta cheated in games and that the players and coaches just hoped he would be cheating for them on game night. Cheating? That’s a very strong word to use in any sentence that includes the name Dick Bavetta. Is the conscious act of helping a team crawl back into a contest “cheating”? The credo of referees from high school to the NBA is “call them like you see them.” Of course, that’s a lot different than purposely calling more fouls against one team as opposed to another. Did Bavetta have a hidden agenda? Or was he the ultimate company man, making sure the NBA and its fans got a competitive game most times he was on
the court?
Studying under Dick Bavetta for 13 years was like pursuing a graduate degree in advanced game manipulation. He knew how to marshal the tempo and tone of a game better than any referee in the league, by far. He also knew how to take subtle-and not so subtle-cues from the NBA front office and extend a playoff series or, worse yet, change the complexion of that series.
The 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings presents a stunning example of game and series manipulation at its ugliest. As the teams prepared for Game 6 at the Staples Center, Sacramento had a 3–2 lead in the series. The referees assigned to work Game 6 were Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, and Ted Bernhardt. As soon as the referees for the game were chosen, the rest of us knew immediately that there would be a Game 7. A prolonged series was good for the league, good for the networks, and good for the game. Oh, and one more thing: it was great for the big-market, star-studded Los Angeles Lakers.
In the pregame meeting prior to Game 6, the league office sent down word that certain calls-calls that would have benefitted the Lakers — were being missed by the referees. This was the type of not-so-subtle information that I and other referees were left to interpret. After receiving the dispatch, Bavetta openly talked about the fact that the league wanted a Game 7.
“If we give the benefit of the calls to the team that’s down in the series, nobody’s going to complain. The series will be even at three apiece, and then the better team can win Game 7,” Bavetta stated.
As history shows, Sacramento lost Game 6 in a wild come-from-behind thriller that saw the Lakers repeatedly sent to the foul line by the referees. For other NBA referees watching the game on television, it was a shameful performance by Bavetta’s crew, one of the most poorly officiated games of all time.
The 2002 series certainly wasn’t the first or last time Bavetta weighed in on an important game. He also worked Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers. The Lakers were down by 13 at the start of the fourth quarter when Bavetta went to work. The Lakers outscored Portland 31–13 in the fourth quarter and went on to win the game and the series. It certainly didn’t hurt the Lakers that they got to shoot 37 free throws compared to a paltry 16 for the Trail Blazers.
Two weeks before the 2003–04 season ended, Bavetta and I were assigned to officiate a game in Oakland. That afternoon before the tip-off, we were discussing an upcoming game on our schedule. It was the last regular-season game we were scheduled to work, pitting Denver against San Antonio. Denver had lost a game a few weeks prior because of a mistake made by the referees, a loss that could be the difference between them making or missing the playoffs. Bavetta told me Denver needed the win and that it would look bad for the staff and the league if the Nuggets missed the playoffs by one game. There were still a few games left on the schedule before the end of the season, and the standings could potentially change. But on that day in Oakland, Bavetta looked at me and casually stated, “Denver will win if they need the game. That’s why I’m on it.”
I was thinking, How is Denver going to win on the road in San Antonio? At the time, the Spurs were arguably the best team in the league. Bavetta answered my question before it was asked.
“Duncan will be on the bench with three fouls within the first five minutes of the game,” he calmly stated.
Bavetta went on to inform me that it wasn’t the first time the NBA assigned him to a game for a specific purpose. He cited examples, including the 1993 playoff series when he put New Jersey guard Drazen Petrovic on the bench with quick fouls to help Cleveland beat the Nets. He also spoke openly about the 2002 Los Angeles–Sacramento series and called himself the NBA’s “go-to guy.”
As it turned out, Denver didn’t need the win after all; they locked up a spot in the playoffs before they got to San Antonio. In a twist of fate, it was the Spurs that ended up needing the win to have a shot at the division title, and Bavetta generously accommodated. In our pregame meeting, he talked about how important the game was to San Antonio and how meaningless it was to Denver, and that San Antonio was going to get the benefit of the calls that night. Armed with this inside information, I called Jack Concannon before the game and told him to bet the Spurs.
To no surprise, we won big. San Antonio blew Denver out of the building that evening, winning by 26 points. When Jack called me the following morning, he expressed amazement at the way an NBA game could be manipulated. Sobering, yes; amazing, no. That’s how the game is played in the National Basketball Association.
In a follow-up email to the referee staff and the league office, Crawford railed about the lack of respect players had for referees and the NBA’s failure to back him up. Then, in a direct shot at the league’s embracing of referees like Dick Bavetta, he fired a sharp rebuke:
“I also told [Stu Jackson] that the staff is an officiating staff of Dick Bavetta’s-schmoozing and sucking people’s asses to get ahead. Awful, but it is reality.”
Crawford also touched on the fact that he was being excluded from working the playoffs that year:
On His Fellow Referees: Derrick Stafford and Jess Kersey:
Of course, Stafford had some friends in the league, too. I worked a Knicks game in Madison Square Garden with him on February 26, 2007. New York shot an astounding 39 free throws that night to Miami’s paltry eight. It seemed like Stafford was working for the Knicks, calling fouls on Miami like crazy. Isiah Thomas was coaching the Knicks, and after New York’s four-point victory, a guy from the Knicks came to our locker room looking for Stafford, who was in the shower. He told us that Thomas sent him to retrieve Stafford’s home address; apparently, Stafford had asked the coach before the game for some autographed sneakers and jerseys for his kids. Suddenly, it all made sense.
Referee Jess Kersey was another one of Isiah Thomas’ guys. They’d talk openly on the phone as if they had known each other since childhood. Thomas even told Kersey that he was pushing to get Ronnie Nunn removed from the supervisor’s job so that Kersey and Dick Bavetta could take over. This sort of thing happened all the time, and I kept waiting for a Knicks game when Stafford, Bavetta, and Kersey were working together. It was like knowing the winning lottery numbers before the drawing!
On His Fellow Referees: Steve Javie:
And then there was the ongoing feud between Javie and 76ers superstar Allen Iverson. The rift was so bad that Philadelphia general manager Billy King often called the league office to complain about Javie’s treatment of Iverson during a game.
Iverson was eventually traded to Denver, and in his first game against his former team, he was tossed after two technicals. Afterward, Iverson implied Javie had a grudge against him, saying, “I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal, and he threw me out. His fuse is real short anyway, and I should have known that I couldn’t say anything anyway. It’s been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad.” The league fined Iverson $25,000 for his comments, but most of the league referees thought the punishment was too lenient and were upset he wasn’t suspended. As a result, we collectively decided to dispense a little justice of our own, sticking it to Iverson whenever we could.
Shortly after the Javie-Iverson incident, I worked a Jazz-Nuggets contest in Denver on January 6, 2007. During the pregame meeting, my fellow referees Bernie Fryer and Gary Zielinski agreed that we were going to strictly enforce the palming rule against Iverson. Palming the ball was something Iverson loved to do, but if he so much as came close to a palm, we were going to blow the whistle. Obviously, our actions were in direct retaliation for Iverson’s rant against Javie. True to form, I immediately excused myself and made an important phone call.
Sticking to our pregame pledge, each of us whistled Iverson for palming in the first quarter-we all wanted in on the fun. The violations seemed to affect Iverson’s rhythm and he played terribly that night, shooting 5-for-19 with five turnovers. After getting repeatedly whistled all night long, Iverson approached me in an act of submission.
“How long am I going to be punished for Javie?” he quietly inquired.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Allen,” I responded.
So Jealous Deadspin Has A Copy
I wanna read.
Paul Milsap Forever Linked To Carmelo Anthony
A good way to start off the 2009-2010 NBA season but I’m sure we will see better million dollar moments. Utah Jazz’s Paul Milsap is forever linked to Nuggets Carmelo Anthony.
Andre Agassi Hated His Daddy
Gack
Another piece of Andre Agassi’s autobiography has come to surface before the book has officially hit the book stands. Yesterday it was reveled his use of crystal meth, an account of how he wriggled his way out of a suspension by lying to the ATP tour after failing a 1997 drug test and now the jarring contention that he always hated tennis “with a dark and secret passion” because of his overbearing father.
Among the material excerpted, Agassi calls his father violent by nature and recalls being in the car when his father pointed a handgun at another driver. He writes about making money by hustling people on tennis courts and remembers when, at 9 years old, he beat former NFL great Jim Brown in a match to win a $500 bet for his father. Agassi poignantly recalls a telephone conversation with his father after winning Grand Slam title No. 1 at Wimbledon in 1992.
This comes on the heels of Agassi writing that he used crystal meth a lot and in sometimes-positive terms, including reference to “a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I’ve never felt so alive, so hopeful — and I’ve never felt such energy.”
Since I’m the baseball apologist of the show and my sport has had some of its most prominent stars using illegal drugs, I ask my teammate Calvin Casey, whose a Agassi fan, to use the same evil doer script he once used on the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds now that the script has been flipped to Agassi.
They all lied, they all used illegal drugs, and in 2009 we obviously know more about PED and Gack use than we did in 1997-1998. Care to please explain your stance now.
Agassi, who has set up a 60 Minutes appearance on November 8, the day before the book’s scheduled release.
