The NFL has announced that it is shutting down NFL Europa after 16 seasons. Commissioner Goodell said it was a business decision in the best interests of the National Football League. NFL Europa had developed a fairly decent fan base in Germany where 5 of the 6 teams were based, but the league was apparently losing somewhere around 30 million dollars a year. Commissioner Goodell went on to say that the NFL is looking for new ways to make the league more popular worldwide. Apparently the league thinks that playing a couple of regular season games overseas every year will accomplish that goal.
I'm sorry to see NFL Europa close its doors. I have to admit that I watched the games on the NFL channel every week. I think there has to be a bigger reason behind the league folding than simply just losing 30 million dollars a season. You know that 30 million dollars isn't that much money to the NFL. I don't know what will happen with American football in Europe from this point forward, but I would love to see some investors start a new league in Germany now that the NFL has already developed a fan base there.
I just wish someone over in the NBA brain trust would put us out of our misery and kill off the WNBA. Losing NFL Europa would be worth it to me if the WNBA also went belly up. The WNBA is the worst basketball I have ever seen in my life.
Friday, June 29, 2007
McCarty joins U of L staff
It was announced today that former UK basketball player Walter McCarty will join Coach Rick Pitino's staff at the University of Louisville. McCarty will be replacing Marvin Menzies who was recently named the new head basketball coach at New Mexico State University. Menzies replaced Reggie Theus at NMSU who recently vacated the head coaching position there to become the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings. Reggie had also previously been an assistant on Louisville's staff under Rick Pitino.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Floyd Landis update
It was reported today that Floyd Landis is still optimistic that he will win his fight with the USADA. Floyd says he is eager to return to racing and he plans to return to the Tour De Farce next year if he is exonerated. Floyd says his hip feels great and that the only thing keeping him from training is all the time he has lost to the legal fight with the USADA.
I'm still not convinced that Floyd really is innocent. But, I am 100 percent convinced that the French lab that conducted the tests on Floyd's urine is completely incompetent. If they're not incompetent, then they must have purposely fabricated Floyd's positive results. Either way, I don't see how anyone could trust any results that come out of that lab ever again. From what I have read that lab has broken virtually every rule and regulation regarding drug testing on an international level.
I hope Floyd turns out to be found completely innocent. Then, I hope he does go back to France next year and defeats every one of those pansy ass foreign riders. After he wins I want to see him riding through Paris waving a giant flag that says, "FRANCE SUCKS!"
Gillespie scores again!!!
6'6" DeAndre Liggins of Chicago has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Kentucky. Liggins will be a high school senior this fall and will enroll at Kentucky in the fall of 2008. Liggins is considered to be a major signing and is expected to be a McDonald's All-American this year. Every major scouting firm has Liggins listed as one of the top 30 prospects in next year's senior class. He is considered to be very versatile. It is thought that he is more than capable of playing in college at either guard position or at small forward. Liggins has the reputation of being an excellent ball handler and an even better passer. Some of the scouting agencies are a little concerned about his shooting ability which is something that Liggins has apparently been working very hard to improve.
Billy Gillespie has really impressed me with the signings of Patterson, Legion, and now Liggins. I can't remember being this excited about Kentucky recruiting since Pitino left.
Billy Gillespie has really impressed me with the signings of Patterson, Legion, and now Liggins. I can't remember being this excited about Kentucky recruiting since Pitino left.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Escaped again!!
This will probably come as no surprise to those of you who know me, but I escaped serving on a jury again today. This is the second time that I have been summoned to appear and then been dismissed by either the prosecutor or the defense attorney. I have no idea who asked for my dismissal or why I was dismissed in either case. But, I will be nice enough to tell you what I did in both instances that may have led to my dismissals in case you ever find yourself being summoned for jury duty. Before I start I would like to state for the record that I do believe it is every American's civil duty to serve on a jury at some point in their lives. I hope to someday serve on a jury and do my part, I've just decided that I'm not ready to do my civil duty quite yet.
Case #1
I was called for jury duty in 1999. I don't remember all the details, but I do know that it was a check fraud case. I didn't know anything about the case before arriving at the courthouse. In this particular case I decided to make myself visually unappealing. I accomplished this by not bathing for two days prior to my jury date. Then, I wore a pair of dirty jeans complete with dirt and grass stains on them. I topped off the look by wearing a Confederate Railroad T-shirt that was emblazoned with a giant confederate flag across the chest. Once I was in the jury box for the voir dire I incessantly tapped my foot and rocked my body forward and backward like I was sitting in a rocking chair. I answered all the questions truthfully, but I took my own sweet time doing it. I was also sure to use as much of a southern drawl as I was capable of mustering. I was living well north of the Mason-Dixon line at the time. Almost everybody that lives in the North thinks you are an idiot if you have a southern accent. I was one of the first potential jurors dismissed that day.
Case #2
I was actually dismissed this morning for this one. This time I knew ahead of time that it was murder trial involving a wife who shot her husband. I'm not going to get into any details of the case, but it happened in my hometown and I was very familiar with the details that had been released by the media. I wouldn't have minded serving on a jury, but I did not want to serve on this one. So, I decided to try to get dismissed again. I'm a bit older than the last time I was summoned and I didn't think I could pull off the dirty hillbilly act again. So, this time I decided to go with the inattentive undecided over thinker. When I was called down to the jury box for voir dire I was careful to look really confused. I knew exactly where I was supposed to be seated because the bailiff had just explained it to everybody in the room, but I proceeded to walk up there and sit in the wrong seat. The bailiff caught it and informed me that I needed to sit in the assigned seat. I apologized and said I didn't hear her tell us where to sit. This was a lie, but they hadn't sworn me in yet. Once I was swore in, I passed my time by staring at every detail in the room. I looked at the carpet, the ceiling, and the walls. I looked everywhere but at the lawyer who was asking my fellow jurors questions. I was listening to everything that was said, but I was pretending to be completely disinterested in the whole process. The first time I was asked a question by the prosecutor I just sat there and stared at the far wall like I hadn't heard a thing the man had said. I waited for him to repeat my name before I looked in his direction and then I politely asked him to repeat the question. His question required a very simple yes or no response, but I rambled on for about 45 seconds without actually saying yes or no. Instead, I gave him a firm, "I'm pretty sure." Then when he was about to move on I asked him if I could change my answer. I continued "not paying attention" and never directly answering a question for the next 30 minutes through both the prosecutor and the defense attorney's questions. Not surprisingly, I was again dismissed. I figured neither side wanted to have a guy on the jury who wasn't capable of paying attention or following directions.
I'm not saying that my appearance or behavior got me out of jury duty either time, I'm just telling you what happened on both of those days. As far as I'm concerned, I didn't break the law in either case. I would have served on either jury if I had been selected. I didn't lie under oath or make up excuses why I couldn't serve. I showed up and let the system decide whether I would serve, or not. It worked for me and it may work for you too.
Case #1
I was called for jury duty in 1999. I don't remember all the details, but I do know that it was a check fraud case. I didn't know anything about the case before arriving at the courthouse. In this particular case I decided to make myself visually unappealing. I accomplished this by not bathing for two days prior to my jury date. Then, I wore a pair of dirty jeans complete with dirt and grass stains on them. I topped off the look by wearing a Confederate Railroad T-shirt that was emblazoned with a giant confederate flag across the chest. Once I was in the jury box for the voir dire I incessantly tapped my foot and rocked my body forward and backward like I was sitting in a rocking chair. I answered all the questions truthfully, but I took my own sweet time doing it. I was also sure to use as much of a southern drawl as I was capable of mustering. I was living well north of the Mason-Dixon line at the time. Almost everybody that lives in the North thinks you are an idiot if you have a southern accent. I was one of the first potential jurors dismissed that day.
Case #2
I was actually dismissed this morning for this one. This time I knew ahead of time that it was murder trial involving a wife who shot her husband. I'm not going to get into any details of the case, but it happened in my hometown and I was very familiar with the details that had been released by the media. I wouldn't have minded serving on a jury, but I did not want to serve on this one. So, I decided to try to get dismissed again. I'm a bit older than the last time I was summoned and I didn't think I could pull off the dirty hillbilly act again. So, this time I decided to go with the inattentive undecided over thinker. When I was called down to the jury box for voir dire I was careful to look really confused. I knew exactly where I was supposed to be seated because the bailiff had just explained it to everybody in the room, but I proceeded to walk up there and sit in the wrong seat. The bailiff caught it and informed me that I needed to sit in the assigned seat. I apologized and said I didn't hear her tell us where to sit. This was a lie, but they hadn't sworn me in yet. Once I was swore in, I passed my time by staring at every detail in the room. I looked at the carpet, the ceiling, and the walls. I looked everywhere but at the lawyer who was asking my fellow jurors questions. I was listening to everything that was said, but I was pretending to be completely disinterested in the whole process. The first time I was asked a question by the prosecutor I just sat there and stared at the far wall like I hadn't heard a thing the man had said. I waited for him to repeat my name before I looked in his direction and then I politely asked him to repeat the question. His question required a very simple yes or no response, but I rambled on for about 45 seconds without actually saying yes or no. Instead, I gave him a firm, "I'm pretty sure." Then when he was about to move on I asked him if I could change my answer. I continued "not paying attention" and never directly answering a question for the next 30 minutes through both the prosecutor and the defense attorney's questions. Not surprisingly, I was again dismissed. I figured neither side wanted to have a guy on the jury who wasn't capable of paying attention or following directions.
I'm not saying that my appearance or behavior got me out of jury duty either time, I'm just telling you what happened on both of those days. As far as I'm concerned, I didn't break the law in either case. I would have served on either jury if I had been selected. I didn't lie under oath or make up excuses why I couldn't serve. I showed up and let the system decide whether I would serve, or not. It worked for me and it may work for you too.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Rod Beck dead at 38
Rod was found dead in his home Saturday by the local police who were responding to a call. Foul play is not suspected.
This one hits home for me. Rod never played for any of my favorite teams, but he was always a guy that I liked watching and reading about. I'm sure we'll get to hear the stories from his former teammates over the next few days, but I'll go ahead and tell you now that you won't hear from anybody who didn't like the man. Everybody loved Rod Beck. He was just one of those people who made no enemies. I loved reading the stories about Rod living in his Winnebago when he made a comeback in the minors at the end of his career. He actually parked the RV at the ballpark and would sit and drink beer with the local fans who stopped by to say, "hi."
An exact cause of death hasn't been determined, but I do know that Rod had some difficult battles with drug abuse in the past. All I know is that Rod was taken from this earth too early. 38 years old is too young to die. I'm not 38 yet, but I'm getting close and I'm not ready to go yet.
My thoughts and prayers are with Rod's family and friends.
This one hits home for me. Rod never played for any of my favorite teams, but he was always a guy that I liked watching and reading about. I'm sure we'll get to hear the stories from his former teammates over the next few days, but I'll go ahead and tell you now that you won't hear from anybody who didn't like the man. Everybody loved Rod Beck. He was just one of those people who made no enemies. I loved reading the stories about Rod living in his Winnebago when he made a comeback in the minors at the end of his career. He actually parked the RV at the ballpark and would sit and drink beer with the local fans who stopped by to say, "hi."
An exact cause of death hasn't been determined, but I do know that Rod had some difficult battles with drug abuse in the past. All I know is that Rod was taken from this earth too early. 38 years old is too young to die. I'm not 38 yet, but I'm getting close and I'm not ready to go yet.
My thoughts and prayers are with Rod's family and friends.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Colts news
The Indianapolis Colts claimed defensive back Antonio Perkins off waivers from the Cleveland Browns. Perkins was a 4th round draft pick from Oklahoma in 2005. He has only appeared in six games over the last two seasons for the Browns.
The Colts also waived offensive guard Matt Tarullo. Tarullo had been signed by the Colts last month after he was waived by the Giants.
The Colts also waived offensive guard Matt Tarullo. Tarullo had been signed by the Colts last month after he was waived by the Giants.
College Recruiting
I made a joke the other day about Billy Gillespie offering a scholarship to a 3 year old. I made the joke because I thought it was a little crazy for Billy to offer a scholarship to 16 year old Dakotah Euton. Not because I think Dakotah is undeserving. I just think it is getting a little ridiculous when college coaches start offering scholarships to freshmen in high school. I just read a story today that Tim Floyd (head coach at USC) has offered a scholarship to a kid in Illinois who just finished the eighth grade. THE EIGHTH GRADE! What on earth is going on? Where are we going to draw the line? I can't imagine what it would have done to me mentally if I had started receiving scholarship offers when I was 14 years old.
I'm not the only one that thinks this is wrong. Mike Fields wrote a really nice piece today urging Billy to sign one of Richie Farmer's kids. In case you were wondering, Richie's boys are ages 10, 8, and 5. I would recommend you read it if you get a chance. It is a little tongue in cheek, but Mike does do a nice little interview with Richie.
I'm not the only one that thinks this is wrong. Mike Fields wrote a really nice piece today urging Billy to sign one of Richie Farmer's kids. In case you were wondering, Richie's boys are ages 10, 8, and 5. I would recommend you read it if you get a chance. It is a little tongue in cheek, but Mike does do a nice little interview with Richie.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
UK news
Billy Gillespie has offered a scholarship to 3 year old Tanner Smith of Oak Lawn Preschool. Tanner is still considered a "project," but Miss Amy (Tanner's preschool teacher) says that Tanner learns fast and should be completely potty trained by this fall. Tanner currently stands over 3 feet tall and is projected to be a power forward by the time he reaches college age. It is believed that Tanner is the first prospect from the high school class of 2022 to be offered a scholarship. When Tanner was asked if he will accept UK's early scholarship offer, Tanner smiled and said, "I like ducks."
Seriously, Billy Gillespie has signed high school freshman Dakotah Euton to a letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Kentucky. Dakotah just finished his freshman year at Rose Hill in Ashland, Kentucky. Dakotah just turned 16 in March and he is already 6'8". Nobody seems to know too much about the kid except that he can really shoot the ball. Also, Florida apparently offered Euton a scholarship this spring but Dakotah chose Kentucky instead.
Derrick Jasper's knee surgery apparently went OK and it is being reported that he should be ready to go when practice starts in October.
Seriously, Billy Gillespie has signed high school freshman Dakotah Euton to a letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Kentucky. Dakotah just finished his freshman year at Rose Hill in Ashland, Kentucky. Dakotah just turned 16 in March and he is already 6'8". Nobody seems to know too much about the kid except that he can really shoot the ball. Also, Florida apparently offered Euton a scholarship this spring but Dakotah chose Kentucky instead.
Derrick Jasper's knee surgery apparently went OK and it is being reported that he should be ready to go when practice starts in October.
Terry Hoeppner passed away this morning
Coach Hep died this morning at 6:50 A.M. according to a statement issued by Indiana's Sports Information Director. The cause of death was listed as complications from the brain tumor that Terry has been battling for some time. It appears that Coach's death was somewhat unexpected because it had been reported earlier that the Coach's family had been expecting his return home from the hospital this Friday.
I am sure that Coach Hep will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Jane and the rest of his friends and family.
I'm not sure if they have football in heaven, but if they do I'll bet there will be some teams looking to give Coach Hep a job. From the things I have read about the man I know I wish I had been given the opportunity to play for him.
Rest in Peace, Coach.
I am sure that Coach Hep will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Jane and the rest of his friends and family.
I'm not sure if they have football in heaven, but if they do I'll bet there will be some teams looking to give Coach Hep a job. From the things I have read about the man I know I wish I had been given the opportunity to play for him.
Rest in Peace, Coach.
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