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The Blue Devils went 1-11 last season. From AP-
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke fired Ted Roof on Monday, two days after the Blue Devils concluded a 1-11 season with their ninth straight loss.
A news conference was scheduled for Monday afternoon to discuss the program. A person close to the Duke program, speaking on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not been made, said athletic director Joe Alleva would announce Roof’s dismissal.
The coach’s career record dipped to 6-45 after a 20-14 overtime loss to North Carolina, the Blue Devils’ fourth straight to their main rival. Duke has lost at least 10 games in three straight seasons, including a winless 2006.
After snapping a 22-game losing streak with a victory at Northwestern, the Blue Devils lost nine straight to end this season.
Duke has had exactly one coach with a winning record while at the school since 1966. That was Steve Spurrier, who coached the Blue Devils from 1987-89. Coaching Duke Football is a thankless job. You would think someone would have to be a masochist to take a job in Durham.(No I’m not applying.)
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| Monday, November 26, 2007 |
Texas A&M has hired Mike Sherman as their new head football coach.
Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman was introduced as Texas A&M’s coach Monday, three days after Dennis Franchione resigned.
Sherman, 52, has been an assistant head coach with the Houston Texans for two seasons under Gary Kubiak, a former quarterback for the Aggies. Sherman also has ties to A&M. He was the offensive line coach from 1989-93 and then in 1995-96 under R.C Slocum. Kubiak was A&M’s running backs coach in 1992 and ’93.
Franchione took a contract buyout and stepped down Friday, less than an hour after Texas A&M beat Texas 38-30. Defensive coordinator Gary Darnell was named the interim coach Saturday and will lead the Aggies (7-5, 4-4 Big 12) through their bowl game. The Aggies are expecting an invitation Sunday.
That was quick. Sherman doesn’t have much of a record as a head coach or as a recruiter, which makes this a rather odd choice.
Another Division I coach is looking for new employment.
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech fired coach Chan Gailey on Monday, two days after a sixth straight loss to rival Georgia ended a disappointing season.
Athletic director Dan Radakovich called an afternoon news conference to discuss the football program. A person familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made, said Radakovich would announce Gailey has been dismissed after six seasons as the Yellow Jackets coach.
The move was widely expected after Georgia Tech (7-5) came up far short of another run at the Atlantic Coast Conference championship one year after winning its division. Also, Gailey never beat the school’s biggest rival, losing 31-17 to the Bulldogs on Saturday.
Gailey was both head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphin Offensive Coordinator before taking his gig at Georgia Tech. Make a bet he is back coaching in the NFL in 2008.
There isn’t much in the way of details yet.
ASHBURN, Va. – Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was the victim of a shooting at his Florida home, according to a statement released Monday by the team.
The brief statement from the Redskins said Taylor was undergoing treatment at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and that Miami-Dade County police was investigating.
His family has asked that no information about his condition be released at this point, said Lorraine Nelson, a hospital spokeswoman.
Taylor, 24, is in his fourth season with the Redskins. He leads the team with five interceptions but has missed the last two games with a knee injury.
I wish Taylor a speedy recovery.
Taylor has had a history of off the field problems. From DUI to armed assault. At present it is too early to draw conclusions as to why Taylor was shot.
Update- AP is reporting Taylor is in critical condition.
MIAMI – Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was in critical condition after he was shot at his Florida home Monday, police said.
Miami-Dade County police officers were dispatched to Taylor’s home at about 1:45 a.m. and found him shot. He was then airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital, police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said. He didn’t know where on Taylor’s body he was shot.
Miami(0-10) plays at Pittsburgh(7-3) tonight. This marks the second year in a row these teams have met in a nationally televised game.
Much of the talk revolving around tonight’s game is how much will RB Ricky Williams end up playing. My guess is quite a bit considering that RB Jesse Chatman has a bum ankle at present. Either way, John Beck has to perform better than he did against the Eagles. There were good indications from the QB in that game despite of his 56.8 passer rating.
Bottom line- It will be at least another week before Miami wins a game this season. My prediction- Pittsburgh 21, Miami 14.
Am I the only one upset about the home run record incentive Arod is about to get? He could earn an additional $30 million if he passes Barry Bonds’ career home run record. 1. passing Mays, Ruth, Aaron and Bonds isn’t enough of an incentive by itself?, 2. what’s to stop him for swinging for the fences all the time?
Why the Yanks are giving him this and 10-year deal I’ll never know. By passing those historic names on the home run list, Arod will become enshrined in baseball history (even moreso than now) while increasing his fame and financial/marketing clout. There will be plenty more money there for him that the Yanks should not feel a need to ‘share’ with Arod the extra (if there is any) money they’ll make from the home run chase.
The second part is even more frustrating. Here’s a scenario: tie game in the late innings, runner on 2nd, two outs, Arod up. The count goes full. He strikes out swinging at a slider in the dirt because he’s swinging for the fences, inning over. He doesn’t get any closer to his incentives by merely taking a walk or even hitting a game-winning single. The only way he does inch closer is by parking a ball into the seats, hence the overanxiety. We won’t know that’s the reason, but it will be a thorn in our mind, torturing us. Was he swinging for the fences? Was he unwilling to walk? Same thing with all the pop-ups, double-play grounders, two-strike swings, full count swings, etc. It really, really irks me. It’s like Hank, Brian and Arod are putting the productivity of one player above that of the team. If they’re going to give him $6 million for each home run record broken, why not the same for every title won (or why not $10 million for that)? And because of the ridiculous length of the deal, it’s a problem that’s going to bother the fans, managers, front office, and especially his teammates for the next decade. Honestly, I’d rather them just give him $305 million straight up than add in these stupid HR incentives. If Arod got booed for grounding into a double-play before, there’ll be even more reason to boo him now since we’ll have the suspicion that he’s swinging for the fences. If they just give him all the $305 million, at least there wouldn’t be any suspicions. Despite the extra $30 million, it’s preferable in my mind. Why is Yankee management giving in? Ugh…
- Here’s another example of how wildly Arod will be overpaid for the next decade (still hard to fathom the length). Projections are, of course, no sure indication of a player’s productivity, but they are worth at least a look when splurging on a record-setting deal.
He’s not projected to have a single year OPS of more than 1.000, and will bat under .270 the last half (five years) of the deal. If this projection is remotely close, it will be a debacle the likes of which will make Carl Pavano look like a bargain (well, almost).
Brian and Hank, back out now while you still can!
What are their plans?
BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing, preparing to host the 2008 Olympics, has ordered hotels to provide condoms in all bedrooms in a bid to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS after cases of infection soared 54 percent in the first 10 months of this year.
Announcing the move, the official Xinhua news agency made no direct reference to the Games, saying only that all the Chinese capital’s 700 hotels must comply by the end of 2008.
With many thousands of visitors due to crowd into the city for the Olympics, which run from August 8 to August 24, every hotel is likely to be sold out.
While hotel managers must provide condoms for their guests, Xinhua said, they are not required to make a loss. The city health bureau said it was up to them how much to charge.
I thought the state set the prices in a communist nation. Then who says mainland China is communist any more?
Will the Olympic athletes get condoms too? If they do, will they be charged?
Author John Le Carre may have termed China’s plans as ‘extra special service’. Blogger GI at ROK Drop ponders if Chinese hotels will put condoms on pillows like some do with mints.
First the Miami Dolphins play a home game out of town, next up could be the Marlins.
Major League Baseball and Puerto Rican officials are working toward bringing the Marlins back to San Juan.
El Nuevo Dia reported discussions were underway to have the Marlins and Mets play a three-game series at Hiram Bithorn Stadium sometime next season. With Puerto Rican stars Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, the Mets would be an attractive opponent for the Marlins, who would be the home team.
Yet the Marlins could end up playing another opponent on the Caribbean island if the numbers aren’t right. The Marlins are prepared to give up three home games only if it’s financially worthwhile. Mets-Marlins games generally are among the best attended Dolphin Stadium.
What’s next? The Florida Panthers playing playing the New York Rangers in Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, or Gaborone?(Capital of Botswana)
Moving a New York series to another location is a kick in the balls to those Marlins fans who attend these games. The money matters more than the team’s fans. Then that has been the Marlins’ history for ten years at least.
He died in Florida today. RIP.
TAMPA, Fla. – Major league pitcher Joe Kennedy died early Friday morning, a Hillsborough County sheriff’s official said. He was 28.
Kennedy passed out at home and was brought to a hospital, Hillsborough County sheriff’s spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. She had no further details.
Kennedy’s agent, Damon Lapa, told ESPN.com that Kennedy died while at home with family in Florida. He did not return phone calls and an e-mail from The Associated Press.
“We were terribly shocked,” Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey said. “From what we understand he was in Bradenton … to be the best man at a wedding today.”
Godfrey said he didn’t have any particulars on the cause of death.
“When a 28-year-old man dies it’s terrible,” he said.
The left-hander was 43-61 in seven major league seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays. Kennedy compiled a 43-61 record with a 4.79 ERA, pitching 908 2/3 innings over 222 career appearances.
ESPN.com first reported the news of his death.
Kennedy made his major league debut in June 2001 and made his last appearance in relief on Sept. 29 in a 5-3 win over Tampa Bay.
Some of you may remember how East German athletes were made to use steroids and the consequences that had. Yvonne Buschbaum’s story is different.
BERLIN: German pole-vaulter Yvonne Buschbaum announced her retirement Wednesday, saying she had long felt as if she were “in the wrong body” and planned hormone treatment.
Buschbaum, 27, finished third at the European Championships in 1998 and 2002.
“I feel as if I am a man and have to live my life in the body of a woman,” Buschbaum said in a statement on her Web site announcing her retirement. “I am aware of the fact that transsexuality is a fringe issue, and I do not want to be responsible for it remaining on the fringe.”
Buschbaum asked for respect for her decision and urged observers “not to draw false conclusions.”
“I do not dope,” she said, adding that her “upcoming hormone treatment” contributed to her decision to quit, as did a persistent injury.
Anyone else note the irony in Buschbaum being a ‘pole’ vaulter.
Good luck to Yvonne or whatever name she takes in the future.
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