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| Friday, November 17, 2006 |
Bo Schembechler collapsed and died during an interview about the Michigan-Ohio State game.
Bo Schembechler, who became one of college football’s great coaches in two decades at Michigan, died Friday after taping a TV show on the eve of the Wolverines’ No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown with perennial rival Ohio State. He was 77.
 “This is a tremendous shock and an irreplaceable loss,” University of Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman said at a news conference at Providence Hospital in Southfield, where the coach died.
Schembechler collapsed at the studios of WXYZ-TV in the Detroit suburb and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. His death at 11:42 a.m. was confirmed by Mike Dowd, chief investigator for the medical examiner’s office in Oakland County.
Police were sent to the station about 9:25 a.m. along with the city’s fire department and escorted the ambulance, Southfield police spokesman John Harris said.
“It was probably not a heart attack; it just stopped working,” Dr. Shukri David said.
Schembechler had a heart attack on the eve of his first Rose Bowl in 1970 and another one in 1987. He had two quadruple heart-bypass operations, and doctors implanted a pacemaker to regulate his heartbeat after he became ill during a taping at WXYZ on Oct. 20.
No great surprise given his age and long history with heart disease. Still, he was a legendary figure in college football and will be missed.
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| Friday, November 17, 2006 |
Mickey Spagnola offers some stats explaining why the 9-0 Indianapolis Colts are only favored by a single point when they visit the 5-4 Dallas Cowboys Sunday.
Ramiro’s Boy: OK, we know all about “Archie’s boy,” Manning leading the NFL with a 104.5 quarterback rating. But do you realize Ramiro Romo’s boy, Antonio, is second right now? OK, I understand he’s only thrown 128 passes, nearly 200 less than Manning – but it says right here in the NFL stats he’s the second-ranked quarterback with a 101.2 rating. No great divide, right? (Wink, wink.)
No Backseat: Been hearing all week how the Colts have the second-ranked offense in the league. Yeah, well, the Cowboys have the sixth-ranked offense. Know what the difference is? But 6.7 yards a game. That’s nothing. And how about this: The Cowboys have the third-ranked defense. The Colts are 16th. So take that!
All Points Bulletin: Yeah, well those rankings might be about yards, but what about points? This Colts team scores beaucoup points, right? Not so fast there, buddy. The Colts have scored 249 points so far this season. Your Dallas Cowboys? Try 250. No kidding, look it up. They each average about 27.7 points a game. And defensively, not even close. The Colts have given up 189 points. The Cowboys, 174. So there.
Huge Spreads: Don’t think just because the Colts have won nine consecutive games that they have been dominating this year. They win, no begrudging that. But of their nine victories, seven have been by no more than seven points. In fact, four have been by no more than three points. The only big wins have been over Houston, 43-24, and Washington, 36-22, and the Cowboys have done that. As for the Cowboys, well, would you believe all five victories have been by at least 17 points, as many 17-point victories in nine games as they’ve had in the past five seasons? Right on.
First Dowwwwnnnnn: This is rather incredible. The Colts convert a league-high 55.8 percent of their third downs into first downs. Man, a 45-percent rate is good. So getting them on a three-and-out is rare and just getting them to punt at some point would be a major accomplishment. But, guess who is second when it comes to third-down percentage? That’s right, the Cowboys are, converting at a 49.2 rate. In fact, the Cowboys have converted 64 third-down opportunities into first downs while the Colts have 58 times. Go ahead.
Very interesting, indeed. And, of course, the Cowboys have done much better offensively since switching to Romo three and a half games ago.
I’m rooting for the Cowboys, of course, and think they have a legitimate shot to win. I’d bet on the Colts, though, if forced to do so and given only a one point spread.
UPDATE: I should note that this matchup was my preseason pick for the Super Bowl. The Colts pick looks a lot better than the Cowboys pick right now, mostly because the Dallas D has not emerged as the dominating force that they should be “on paper.”
Dave George at the Palm Beach Post thinks it’s the former.
WEST PALM BEACH — Can’t tell you who will win the LPGA’s first million-dollar jackpot Sunday afternoon, but figuring out who won’t is a cinch.
Ai Miyazato, Thursday’s first-round leader at the ADT Championship with a sweet 68, she’s toast.
Same goes for Il Mi Chung and Julieta Granada, two more hard-chargers from the tour’s international ranks, even though they barely missed grabbing the early lead themselves.
Oh, and here’s the part that may turn my newspaper photo into a dartboard around here. Boca Raton’s Morgan Pressel, an iron-willed tour rookie, and LPGA glamour girl Natalie Gulbis won’t be winning here, either, regardless of their early climb into the tournament’s top 10.
The logic is simple enough, if not exactly infallible.
No player who has yet to win an LPGA tournament can be expected to hold her nerves together Sunday afternoon with a cool million on the line.
All that talk about getting one putt for all the money on No. 18 is just talk. False bravado. Pure practice-green fantasy.
More likely, everyone will be gagging by the turn at No. 9, no matter how experienced. After that, one or two veterans, probably multiple-winners of major tournaments, will stumble forward into championship position, but even then it may be no prettier than Shaq shooting free throws at the NBA Finals.
Sorry, but that’s the spectacle the ADT’s new format provides, with fresh scorecards issued to the elite eight players Saturday night and a heart-racing Sunday sprint to the finish from there.
Mr. George who writes about LPGA golf or any golf all of two weeks out of the year, thinks of himself as an expert on the tours. Lets put that to rest right now.
*- As the ADT Leaderboard stands at present, 6 non-LPGA tour winners will make the cut to Saturday’s 16. That is out of a possible eight non-winners. At present Annika Sorenstam will miss the cut and Lorena Ochoa is on the cut line.
*- More importantly, Non-winners have won majors on the LPGA on a regular basis. Last year it was Birdie Kim and Jeong Jang. Birdie’s win may have been a fluke, but Jang was arguably the best non-winner on tour at the time. At present JJ is one of the 10-15 players on tour.
Don’t forget Se Ri Pak winning the 1998 LPGA for her first LPGA win either.
*- Miyazato and Chung have both been either player of the year or a top 3 money winner of respectively the JLPGA and KLPGA tours. Miyazato’s record of wins is more impressive, but as we all know the KLPGA is becoming almost an LPGA minor league. The talented players coming from that tour to the LPGA is as long as its talented.
Talented non-winners win major golf tournaments all the time. The ADT may be for more money, but a major like the US Open or LPGA is just as stressful or more so. Winning tournaments under alot of pressure is an regular happening on the LPGA. For both the great players like Pak, or unknowns like Hillary Lunke
Bottom line- Dave George is clueless about pro golf. He ought to stick to writing about the Dolphins and Marlins.
From the Sun-Sentinel-
DAVIE · Sidelined Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper said Thursday the mending of his surgically repaired right knee is not going as smoothly as he had hoped and acknowledged that he may not play again until 2007.
“Right now, I’m at a point in my patella, I get a sharp pain when I’m trying to push off,” said Culpepper, who will miss his sixth straight game Sunday. “The strength is coming back better. I think the little sharp pain … if I can get past that point, I think I could be very explosive. But I also want to get to 100 percent so I can be effective and be a dominating player.”
Culpepper said he wants to play again this season but that he understands the risk could outweigh the reward.
“Of course I want to [play], but I’m going to be very smart about it,” said Culpepper, who is signed through the 2013 season. “I’d be disappointed, but at the same time I’ve got to keep my eye on the big picture. It’s really not about short term; it’s about long term.”
Culpepper, who owns the NFL record for combined passing and rushing yards in a season, said the pain doesn’t occur when he plants to throw, but rather when he begins to make a “quick move.”
“I don’t know if I have to have [more] surgery. I doubt that as of right now,” Culpepper said. “I think it’s more strengthening my quad.”
Did Nick Saban and the rest of the Dolphin coaching staff know how much Culpepper’s knee was troubling him? The more I read about Saban, the more I notice his stubborn streak. Once his mind is made up, he sticks to a decision and doesn’t like being second guessed even when things are going poorly. In TFM’s opinion, Saban did just that with Culpepper through the first four weeks of the season. The result is Miami went 1-3 against four teams with losing records.
Long-term I think Miami has just squandered money and a draft pick on Culpepper. His knee hasn’t healed in a year and I think this is a sign of how damaged it truly is. Duante’s effictiveness as a QB is very reliant on his mobility. With one very damaged knee I think Culpepper’s future career as an NFL starting QB is looking very doubtful. As do the Dolphins’s short-term prospects. This team needs to re-build, and quick fixes at QB are just not working. Where’s Jay Feeley these days?
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| Thursday, November 16, 2006 |
Former Dallas Cowboy and NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith won this year’s “Dancing with the Stars” competition.
 Emmitt Smith danced off with the mirror ball. The three-time Super Bowl champion, who proved to be as nimble on his feet in the ballroom as on the football field, was named the winner of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” Wednesday night. With the victory came the glittering trophy.
The NFL’s all-time leading rusher beat out actor Mario Lopez. The hunky, dimpled Lopez was generally regarded as the series most dynamic celebrity dancer, but the public’s vote, the deciding factor after the contestants had tied in the judges’ tally at Tuesday’s final dance-off, brought Smith the victory.
“It is awesome! It is awesome!” declared Smith, after hugging his professional dance partner Cheryl Burke. “We came a long way, we really have.”
I don’t care a whit about these type of shows but am a huge Emmitt fan, so I’m happy he won. And this marks yet another victory over the San Francisco 49ers, as Jerry Rice managed to come in only second last year!
GHW
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| Thursday, November 16, 2006 |
Barry Bonds may not sign with the Giants for next year if they continue to pursue other options.
As the agent for Barry Bonds sizes up the market for the No. 2 home-run hitter in history, the prospect of Bonds leaving San Francisco for another city is growing less unthinkable by the day. Agent Jeff Borris, sounding resolute, said Wednesday that teams in both the National and American leagues are actively pursuing Bonds, and that some are interested in pushing the process forward at a quicker rate.
“There’s a realistic possibility that Barry could wind up playing for another club,” Borris said. “I know the general consensus out there is that Barry’s going back to San Francisco, but there are clubs out there that have demonstrated sincere interest. They want answers as soon as possible, and they’re entitled to them.” Borris said the Giants would be making a “gross miscalculation” if they assume Bonds has no other opportunities and is set on returning to San Francisco for a 15th season. “The Giants have cornered the market on the best player in the game over the last 14 years,” Borris said. “Now, other teams have a chance to get in on him.”
While Borris said some suitors are content to fly “under the radar,” there’s a bit more Bonds-related buzz making the rounds as the general managers meetings progress.
With Oakland slugger Frank Thomas on the verge of signing a deal with the Blue Jays, the Athletics could have an opening for a designated hitter. But serious doubts exist over whether general manager Billy Beane will pay anything close to the $18 million that Bonds made in 2006.
Meanwhile, the Giants are negotiating with the representatives for free agent left fielder Carlos Lee and center fielder Juan Pierre. Lee hit 37 homers and drove in 116 runs last year between Milwaukee and Texas. If the Giants’ interest in him is genuine, that would all but preclude a return to San Francisco for Bonds.
When ESPN.com surveyed 20 front-office people over the past week on assorted hot stove topics, 15 predicted Bonds would re-sign with San Francisco. Several executives wonder if other clubs are prepared for the inevitable media frenzy as Bonds — who has been dogged by steroid-related controversy — approaches Hank Aaron’s career mark of 755 homers. Bonds finished this season with 734 homers.
The Tigers were mentioned in early speculation because of Bonds’ previous relationship with manager Jim Leyland, but they filled their designated hitter void last week by acquiring Gary Sheffield in a trade with the New York Yankees.
It would be nice to see Bonds finish his career with the Giants, the team with whom he has spent most of his Major League career. Still, given his recent history of injuries, it makes far more sense for him to move on to the American League as a DH, possibly adding two or three years to his longevity.
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| Thursday, November 16, 2006 |
The NFL has relented and will allow head coaches to wear suits on game day. Sort of.
Mike Nolan and Jack Del Rio are ready to suit up. The San Francisco coach and his Jacksonville counterpart have the NFL’s permission to wear dress suits designed by Reebok during two games this season. Nolan is expected to debut his old-school outfit — a black suit, a white shirt and a red-and-gold-striped tie — at the 49ers’ home game against Seattle on Sunday. Del Rio also will wear a suit-and-tie ensemble in Monday night’s home game against the Giants.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the 49ers coach has permission to “test-drive” the suit at two games this season. “Working with Reebok, they were able to come up with something that should work for him,” McCarthy said.
Nolan first broached the idea shortly after he was hired by the 49ers in 2005. He believes the ensemble will project an image of authority while also honoring his father, Dick, the 49ers’ coach from 1968-75, and Hall of Fame coaches such as Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi.
But the NFL couldn’t immediately give permission, citing its lucrative outfitting contract with Reebok. Nolan has worn pullovers and polo shirts during his tenure, but has worked with Reebok’s designers to come up with the natty ensemble he’s expected to show off Sunday.
Dan Reeves is thought to be the last NFL coach to wear a suit on the sideline. Coaches have been required to wear team-issued clothing since 1993.
A good move by the NFL, although I’m a bit dubious of dress suits designed by a sneaker company. I understand the desire to generate revenue by having the coaches sport sponsored apparel. Still, the players and assistant coaches will be doing that, anyway. Frankly, most head coaches will, too, out of sheer comfort and practicality. But a proper suit was what men like Halas and Landry wore. Surely, honoring that tradition should be permitted.
From AP-
PARIS – Floyd Landis insisted Sunday he was drug free when he won the Tour de France, and said that a French laboratory “made some mistakes” when its results showed he had elevated levels of testosterone.
The American’s positive doping test came less than a week after he won cycling’s biggest race on July 23.
Although the Chatenay-Malabry lab is accredited by the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency, Landis believes it got his test results wrong.
“Even the best people make mistakes,” Landis said in an interview for French television. “I can’t say that the lab is always a bad lab, but I can say that in this case it made some mistakes … I did not take testosterone.”
Landis was fired by his Phonak team within an hour of the positive test. In the following days he said a number of factors could have triggered the findings, including thyroid medication, cortisone injections for a damaged hip, dehydration, his tendency to produce too much testosterone, or some whiskey and beer he drank to celebrate winning the 17th stage the day after crumbling in the Alps.
“I have to rely on my lawyers and the scientists, because I am a bicycle racer,” Landis said. “That’s all I know. I have to wait until the scientists can prove it. I hope that everybody will try to keep an open mind.”
Landis couldn’t explain why his tests showed a testosterone-epitestosterone ratio of 11:1 — well above the accepted limit of 4:1.
“I was not trying to make a connection between alcohol or with the drugs test,” he told the Stade 2 sports program. “I was trying to tell a story in detail of what happened the day before, and hoping somebody maybe had an explanation.”
Testosterone, a male sex hormone, helps build muscle and improve stamina. The urine tests were done July 20 after the 17th stage victory during a grueling Alpine leg, when he regained nearly eight minutes against then-leader Oscar Pereiro.
The comeback was hailed as the best single-stage ride of modern times, and one of the best ever in the 103-year Tour history.
Give it up Floyd. Nobody believes your excuses anymore.
The Miami Dolphins(2-6) play host today to the Kansas City Chiefs(5-3). Last week the Dolphins stunned most football fans and prognosticators by beating the previously unbeaten Chicago Bears 31-13.
This week Miami goes up against a long-time AFC foe. These teams have quite a bit of history together, this game being the most famous of any Dolphins-Chiefs clashes. The Chiefs QB Damon Huard played for Miami in 1999, going 4-1 as a starter in place of an injured Dan Marino. Did Miami miss something when they let Huard go to play Jay Fiedler?
None of that really matters. Miami won last weekend but mostly thanks to Bear turnovers. They set up 28 of Miami’s 31 points. This week I expect Miami to come to earth again. Prediction- Kansas City 27, Miami 17.
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| Friday, November 10, 2006 |
Where the heck did these two teams come from again? Rutgers has always been a bad program. After winning the first college football game ever 6-4 over Princeton, (November 6, 1869, actually, meaning that the anniversary was this past week), they seemingly lost every game since until a couple of years ago.
Now, they are national title contenders.
I love teams like Rutgers. They show the BCS to be the farce that it is. They are at a huge disadvantage in the polls, because voters are less likely to promote them. They came into this week ranked behind the one less West Virginia, which had just lost to Louisville.
It is going to be interesting to see where the BCS puts them.
Louisville is a great story in its own right. A second tier football program until the past few years, Louisville itself would have shaken up the BCS. Louisville doesn’t have the tradition that the other top programs have, and the fact that they were number 3 this late says a lot.
Rutgers has yet to play West Virginia, which could be a tough game. If they run the table, it will make for a VERY INTERESTING decision process for the BCS title game.
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