I do not care, not one bit, about the Tiger Woods story. Although I have found quite a bit of humor in how people are handling it, and feel it is my duty to share this with you.
"I'm kind of filled with sorrow for Elin since me and my wife are at fault for hooking her up with him, and we probably thought he was a better guy than he is.
I would probably have to apologize to her and hope she uses a driver next time instead of a three-iron."
Here are a few other tweets that made me chuckle.
By using Tiger Woods' definition of 'transgressions,' I haven't transgressed anyone in a long, long time.
Dear Brett Favre, Can you retire again? Thanks, Tiger
I would like to apologize to my friends and family for my transgressions. By transgressions I mean being awesome. Thanks.
All of this does make me wonder if Buick, after having publicly stated that they back El Tigre, is considering a new promotional campaign. Perhaps: "Buick. Back seats big enough for Tiger-sized infidelity." Or even returning to a former slogan: "Buick, it makes you feel like the man you are!" Indeed.
I'm not even going to touch the "Gatorade. Is it in you?" campaign. Tiger story, please go away.
I haven't fully dedicated myself to the college basketball season yet, not with college football still sorting itself out and my Gators still hunting a title. But, having no social life, I have been able to slowly start immersing myself into the hoops world lately. So with the season about a month old, here's some random notes and observations. In other words, I am bored at the office.
- Brian Zoubek is still at Duke. As hard as that is to fathom, it makes even less sense that the Duke fans have their own hand-signal to flash whenever Zoubek does something remotely helpful for his team. On the rare occasions when Zoubek isn't tripping over his own feet or fouling anyone within his reach, you can catch the student section making a "Z" signal with their hands, accompanied by a loud "Zeeeeee!" chant. Yes- I'm serious. A guy who has career averages of 3.8 points and 3.4 rebounds has his own cheering section. And Duke fans wonder why people make fun of them.
- At some point this season, a heralded freshman like Kentucky's John Wall or Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors will make a semi-vague remark to a reporter about "next year". This will prompt delusional fans to begin believing that this player is actually considering returning to school his sophomore year. This happened with Greg Oden, this happened with Michael Beasley, this happened with OJ Mayo. The lesson? Don't believe them. These guys have one goal in mind, and that goal isn't graduation. So enjoy them while you can, because once the season ends, they are as good as gone.
- It's hard to watch a Gonzaga game without hearing the announcers trip over themselves to praise Matt Bouldin. For some reason, every broadcasting team in America feels the need to hype Bouldin as an NBA player. The only problem is that I can't find Bouldin on a single mock draft anywhere. Not one. Turns out, NBA GMs aren't crazy about undersized shooting guards with average athleticism and no defensive ability. This doesn't take away from Bouldin's college accomplishments- the kid is definitely a player. But let's not act like he's a sure fire pro. My guess is he'll be the best player in the Spokane-area YMCA men's league next fall.
- North Carolina is huge. The Heels have six players in their rotation who are 6'9" or taller; John Henson, Deon Thompson, Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller, David Wear and Travis Wear. And they're set to add 6'8" SF Harrison Barnes next year, as well as a 6'6'" SG in Reggie Bullock. Talk about passing the eyeball test for a basketball team. Runner ups in clude Gonzaga and Wisconsin, who each boast five players in their rotation who are at least 6'9". As the old saying goes, you can't teach height.
- Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City must have one heck of a training program. How else do you explain Kansas freshman Xavier Henry, who looks like a WWE wrestler? Seriously-this guy looks more like a linebacker than a shooting guard. Actually, it's too bad he didn't decide to play football at Kansas. Think Mark Mangino would have thought twice about getting in this guy's face?
- UCLA is bad. As in 2-4, with a 27-point loss to Portland bad. And that's not the Blazers either. Apparently there is a Portland University, and they have better basketball players than the Bruins. They also have come up short against Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton, and, to top things off, forward Drew Gordon has announced he will transfer. Gordon certainly isn't a superstar, but it's not a good sign when your third-leading scorer decides he'd rather play elsewhere...six games into his sophomore season. Who would have thought the loss of Jrue Holiday would send the Bruins spiraling so quickly?
- The Renardo Sidney gamble has paid off for Mississippi State. So far, the talented but troubled recruit has not committed a foul, screwed up a defensive assignment or even missed a single shot this year. Of course, he also hasn't scored a point, grabbed a rebound or blocked a shot...mainly because he has yet to suit up. The Bulldogs are waiting on an NCAA investigation to wrap up, and in the meantime, they've dropped two of their first six games. With Sidney having a reputation for being lazy and not overly concerned with his weight, there's a good chance he won't make any significant contributions even if the NCAA eventually clears him to play. But hey, at least it got Mississippi State basketball in the headlines for a few weeks right?
- This may deserve it's own column at some point. I stumbled across this the other day, and I have since been passing it on to everybody I know. By now, most fans are well aware of Michigan SG, Manny Harris - an All Big 10 pick last year. What many may not know is that Manny is, in fact, his nickname. His given name? Corperryale L'Adorable Harris. Isn't your life better for knowing this?
Our buddy Yoda, better known as ESPN writer and Basket- / base-blogger Eric Angevine, is being noted on Colin Cowherd's SportsNation show today. Check it out at 4pm on the U or 12:30am on the Deuce.
Congrats Yod.
I'm still looking for that Jemele Hill bobblehead, by the way.
Some food for thought or questions to chew on during your Thanksgiving meal (see how I made the food joke twice in the opening line)
- Kansas football coach Mark Mangino is being investigated for verbally abusing players. Is this the first time the fat kid has ever been the bully?
- The drunken idiot that punched Jimmy Clausen in the face will finally be the center of attention at this year's family Thanksgiving dinner. That is, until Uncle Gary gets drunk and starts rambling about abortion and suicide. Do Catholics drink during Thanksgiving?
- Who is more embarrassed at Thanksgiving dinner...the girl who comes home for the first time after everyone in her family has discovered she is a stripper, NuKeese Richardson, or Isiah Thomas? I say the stripper. People recover from armed robbery and Isiah Thomas doesn't know how to be embarrassed but you can't recover from being a whore.
- There are plenty of rumors swirling around Charlie Weis and his position as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame. We can all be thankful that Charlie Weis does not eat when he is stressed and that tomorrow is not a national holiday focused on eating.
- Does Brett Farve eat Wrangler Jeans for Thanksgiving dinner with a side of pain killers?
- The Saints are undefeated. If this won the 'How can God pay us back for Hurricane Katrina' vote then the people of New Orleans need to be flooded again.
- Jimmie Johnson won his 4th straight NASCAR championship. True NASCAR fans don't respect a man that doesn't have a Dale Earnhardt mustache.
As we all scatter to the 4 winds for the next day or so, the majority of us will reconvene Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, KY. Until that time, I'll be in a tryptophan-induced coma with my rascally little brother. But on Saturday, however, Thundercats Are Go! It's Revelry Week folks!
ERIC! won last week, again, going 6/7, but as of press time he has not yet delivered this week's picks. I guess that's one way to ride off into the sunset.
The team standings remain tight with 2 weeks left of picks, with ELTT up on LKIAC by 2 games.
The individual standings are as follows:
Josh Cohron - 43 Eric Angevine- 42 Colin- 41 Jason Brubaker- 39 Holly Anderson- 38 Ian- 38 Grubby- 37 Mr. Ashley Burns- 34
1. It's not a fight if you get punched in the face at a bar and don't respond. The word "fight" implies a willingness to participate. That dude is not at all, ever, under any circumstances, going to be in a "fight." (see Exhibit 1)
2. Who wouldn't want to punch this guy in the face? (See Exhibit 2)
I'd like to be the first to welcome myself to this illustrious writing staff at Stadium Drives. Sorry it has taken so long but I went Michael Crabtree on the GM of Stadium Drives. I wanted to hold out for even more money but when I realized the team was having some success without me I thought I better jump on the bandwagon before it was too late. As Mr. Crabtree has done I hope to make an immediate impact and be an active participant in the decline back down to slightly below medoicre. Side note: That was more of a knock on the 49ers season than the website.
It is no secret that I am a University of Tennessee football fan. Events in recent weeks have given me a new perspective on my admiration and love for Vol Football. I am speaking directly to the arrests of three freshmen football players, Janzen Jackson, NuKeese Richardson and Mike Edwards, for armed robbery with a pellet gun. This was the first major backlash in the already intriguing Kiffin era at Tennessee. I have read the message boards, newspaper articles, and ESPN reports pertaining to the event. As a loyal Tennessee fan I offer these few words to the masses...
I Don't Care.
Yes, I was shocked when I read what had occured. I emailed, called and texted all my friends to inform them of the 'tragedy.' But deep down, I couldn't care less. I only care about one thing...winning football games. That sounds cruel, disrespectful and cold hearted, but if most fans really thought about it I'm sure they would agree with me. Here's why...
None of the three men involved in the incident serve as my measuring stick for the rights and wrongs of life. I do not know, have never met and will probably never meet any of these three playing for the University of Tennessee football team. In my eyes, they are athletes and football players that I watch religiously every Saturday in the fall and nothing more than that. Yes, that sounds selfish and cruel, but it is true.
Ask yourself this: Your team will win the National Championship in return for three of your players being arrested for armed robbery (a crime they were guilty of). Would you make that deal?
If you answer no you are lying to yourself, unless you work in the athletic office at that university. I'm sure there are even those in athletic departments, coaches included, that would take that deal.
Honestly, most every fan would make that deal. The majority of fans that would make that deal are disregarding the athletes as people and focusing solely on their athletic endeavors. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. At the end of the day, fans buy the merchandise and the tickets. Their support is demonstrated through revenue dollars and cheers. They show up and cheer but are not a direct influence on the success and failure of a student-athlete off the field. That outcome is up to the student-athlete himself.
Us fans are just spectators, watching and hoping for victories and success. We cannot expect student athletes to adhere to our own moral code or to behave in a manner we feel representatives of the university should. We can only support. It is up to the coaches and the administration to determine what is acceptable behavior and, of course, to win.
As fans we can cheer and demand success but we can't demand that student athletes behave a certain way nor should we get upset when they don't.
You hear these phrases every college football season. No matter if your team is a perennial powerhouse, in the rebuilding process, a middle-of-the-pack fighter, or a school smaller than most high schools. You're still likely to hear the words once week ten or eleven roll around.
"If only we had beaten..." "If we hadn't lost to..." "We should've beaten..."
You've heard them all before, and you've probably said something along these lines. Maybe even this season.
The fact is unless your team is Florida, Alabama, Texas, TCU, Cincinnati, or Boise State (are there really that many unbeatens?) everyone can think back on a key game (or games) during the season. Georgia Tech is an early season loss to Miami away from being undefeated and likely ranked fourth in the country. A slip up at NC State has Pittsburgh sitting squarely outside the top five looking in at conference mate Cincinnati. Both these school's fans are saying "If only."
The hopes and wishes don't stop with the big boys though. Living in Lexington, where the UK football team is a solid (if not surprising) 7-4, every football conversation falls back to discussions of Mississippi State and South Carolina. Every discussion starts the same way. Everyone is excited with the Georgia and Auburn wins, the games where Kentucky was thought to be the underdog. The talk soon turns though, as everyone wants to think about what might have been.
What if Mike Hartline didn't go down in the South Carolina game? What if Coach Brooks hadn't have called a fake on that field goal? For that matter, what would the season look like if Kentucky could have stopped Anthony Dixon just one time in the MSU game? "We'd be nine and two!" some will always say.
What if Hartline hadn't have gone down in the South Carolina game? Would Kentucky have leaned on a steady running game so strongly in the Auburn, Vandy, and Georgia games? Maybe they would have, but maybe Coach Phillips would have gotten pass-happy at some point and it could have cost Kentucky one or more of those games.
Also, Mike's unfortunate injury may have consequences on the 2010 season. Morgan Newton is getting valuable playing time, in important big time conference games. He has matured as the season has progressed, but had Mike have been taking the snaps all year Morgan could not have grown up as he has. Thus, UK fans are likely to see a somewhat seasoned Sophomore quarterback under center leading into next year instead of listening to another tired story of quarterback controversies all spring.
In short, no matter if you're a fan of GT, Pitt, UK, or any other school just stop saying "If only" and enjoy the season. Be proud you're following a one loss team, a team that is rebuilding strongly and headed back to national prominence, or even a team like Kentucky that is meeting or exceeding their expectations. Unless your team is just a complete and utter failure this year stop asking questions and enjoy one more week or football before we hit bowl season. It'll be a long winter, spring, and summer before you get it all back again.
For teams that haven't met in over 25 years, tonight's matchup of #6 Purdue and #9 Tennessee has a certain feel of familiarity. Here's a preview of some of the sub-plots to tonight's championship contest in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam tournament.
Pearl vs. Purdue. In coaching legend Gene Keady's final season, Bruce Pearl took his then UW-Milwaukee team into West Lafayette and came out with a victory. A fact which Pearl didn't shy away from mentioning yesterday in an interview, even side by side with the former coach of 25 years.
Big 10 Memories. Former player under Keady and current Boilermaker coach Matt Painter also has familiarity with Pearl. Painter's playing days were spent dribbling against Pearl's mentor Dr. Tom Davis' teams at Iowa. They ran a similar "controlled chaos" pressure defense system then as well.
Top 10 Icebreaker. Today is the first game of the '09-'10 season between two top-10 teams.
If you can't duck it... Last night's close 4-point UT win over DePaul was interrupted for about 10 minutes when a piece of the goal came off. It was repaired -- you guessed it -- with duct tape. The players were allowed a second post-halftime warmup segment, and the game continued.
Tonight's contest tips off at 8:30pm Eastern on Fox College Sports TV.
As if it wasn't already a certainty, Notre Dame's Charlie Weis sealed his fate with a home loss to UConn just a few hours ago. Now just 35-26 as he wraps up his fifth season in South Bend, good ole Charlie is as good as gone as the Irish prepare for a trip to Stanford to end the season. Another season of BCS promise down the drain, as the Irish once again proved you can't live off your reputation forever.
The prominent name being thrown around as a replacement is of course Florida's Urban Meyer, owner of two national title in his first four seasons in Gainesville. With his team focused on defending their title, Meyer obviously isn't talking about anything Notre Dame-related. And as he approaches legend status on Florida's campus, one might wonder why he would even consider leaving.
So here's a breakdown of the pros and cons for Meyer heading to South Bend, even as he prepares to lead his Gators to another championship.
GO
- Dollars. One rumor making the rounds is that Notre Dame is putting together an offer for upwards of $50 million to lure Meyer. While the Meyer family isn't exactly hurting for money as it is, it would be absurd to turn down that much money if the rumors are true. Florida's athletic department is more than willing to spend money on their coaches, but there's no way they would be interested in matching something like that. They'll wish Urban well, and then go about their business of finding another coach to fit their style. Current defensive coordinator Charlie Strong or former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen would be ideal choices.
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- Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City must have one heck of a training program. How else do you explain Kansas freshman Xavier Henry, who looks like a WWE wrestler? Seriously-this guy looks more like a linebacker than a shooting guard. Actually, it's too bad he didn't decide to play football at Kansas. Think Mark Mangino would have thought twice about getting in this guy's face?
- Kansas football coach Mark Mangino is being investigated for verbally abusing players. Is this the first time the fat kid has ever been the bully?
It is no secret that I am a University of Tennessee football fan. Events in recent weeks have given me a new perspective on my admiration and love for Vol Football. I am speaking directly to the arrests of three freshmen football players, Janzen Jackson, NuKeese Richardson and Mike Edwards, for armed robbery with a pellet gun. This was the first major backlash in the already intriguing Kiffin era at Tennessee. I have read the message boards, newspaper articles, and ESPN reports pertaining to the event. As a loyal Tennessee fan I offer these few words to the masses...
You hear these phrases every college football season. No matter if your team is a perennial powerhouse, in the rebuilding process, a middle-of-the-pack fighter, or a school smaller than most high schools. You're still likely to hear the words once week ten or eleven roll around. 
As if it wasn't already a certainty, Notre Dame's Charlie Weis sealed his fate with a home loss to UConn just a few hours ago. Now just 35-26 as he wraps up his fifth season in South Bend, good ole Charlie is as good as gone as the Irish prepare for a trip to Stanford to end the season. Another season of BCS promise down the drain, as the Irish once again proved you can't live off your reputation forever.
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 