The Greatest College Sports Call-In Show Of All Time

I always swore after 7 years I would return to writing again and here I am. Ready to recap the last 7 years of sports: Patriots still cheat. Jets still suck. Politics dominate sports. ESPN has taken a nose dive. Nick Saban is still in charge of college football. The Georgia Bulldogs finally gave up on the whole pray for wins thing and started tossing flea flickers to start off games. Did I miss anything? Sorry, go grab an Almanac.

Today the big news outside of the president and every other talking head arguing about what position your body should be in while you listen to a song before a sports game, is the FBI arresting assistant coaches in a federal bribery probe. 

Now, most people are going to say that they knew this stuff was going on already. Whats the big deal? And they would be right. At this point I don't quite understand why they don't just allow a college to just openly pay a recruits family in cash for his services and tax the family on the gift money and be done with it. Sure would ruin a lot less lives and make for less shady dealings going on between assistant coaches and players. Instead, the NCAA still pretends that the head coaches of these schools know nothing about what the assistants are doing to help secure these recruits when they make their campus visits.

A laugh out loud moment from the article and NCAA President Mark Emmert:

NCAA President Mark Emmert called the nature of the charges "deeply disturbing" in a statement released later Tuesday.

"We have no tolerance whatsoever for this alleged behavior," Emmert said. "Coaches hold a unique position of trust with student-athletes and their families and these bribery allegations, if true, suggest an extraordinary and despicable breach of that trust. We learned of these charges this morning and of course will support the ongoing criminal federal investigation."

Really Mark? No idea? C'mon man. Nobody is, not even the staunchest of NCAA defenders is going to believe that assertion. Emmert and company may have learned of the charges this morning but certainly not the investigation. This has probably been ongoing for years. The NCAA will pretend to be happy about this investigation to clean up their sport but in reality its only going to hurt their revenues with major powerhouses likely getting strict penalties and deconstructing the programs.

The direct stated involvement of Adidas is pretty interesting timing as the company just passed Nike's Jordan shoe monster brand for the first time ever in the last couple weeks. Now I could break down all the semantics of what should really be considered a bribe and what is just the cost of doing business? Or asking if it is really fair for these underpaid assistant coaches who are just carrying out the dirty work for multi-million dollar head coaches to be arrested and take the fall?

But those are topics that will be ripped to shreds until there is nothing left on very inciteful shows like First Take and the 6PM Entertainment Sportscenter over the next week. Instead, I want to focus on the hotline that the FBI has set up to report NCAA violations. Because THIS is the real gem in the story today.

The full details on this hotline can be found in this Bloomberg story today. Excerpt:

As the FBI helped announce fraud and conspiracy charges on Tuesday against 10 people linked to NCAA basketball, it publicized a dedicated line (212 384-2135) to gather more tips in the same vein. Joon Kim, the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, went so far as to encourage participants in sports bribery to rat themselves out. “Better for you to be calling us, than for us to be calling you,” he said.

Does everyone realize what a gold mine this is? I pray to God that this hotline falls under the FOIA guidelines and that we are able to request the messages left. With the brunt of this investigation falling in SEC states like Kentucky and Mississippi, can you IMAGINE the messages that are going ot be left on that machine?

Ole Miss fan: "Those dirty cowbell waving SOBs over in Starkville are always paying players! BY GAWD IT AIN'T FAIR! Everyone wants to blame everything on the Rebels but those stinkin' Bulldogs are over there squattin on gold cowbells to get their recruits. HOTTY TODDY!"

Alabama fan: "Everything is fine in the state of Alabama. Nothing to see here."

Auburn fan: "Everything is fine in the state of Alabama. Nothing to see here."

The potential here goes so far beyond anything you could hear on Paaaaaawwl's radio show. This would be the greatest college sports call-in show of all time. This stuff is personal and the hatred that goes into these rivalries being reported to the FBI is a show I would tune in for every single day. So please. ESPN, FS1, Ryen Russillo. Be the heroes we need. Get these tapes.

Monday Night Hard Knocks

Ravens @ JETS (-1) 7 PM

This is one of the most highly anticipated games of the first week. Both teams enter the game with their mouths flapping and egos exploding. Ray Lewis has been testing Sanchez's psyche all week, pointing out that when he throws a lot, the Jets usually don't come out on top. I don't think the Jets are entering this game with the intention of having Sanchez put on a show. This will be a low scoring game with the Jets pounding the ball on the ground and the Ravens attempting to go deep with new weapons Boldin and Houz.

While both defenses come in highly touted, the Jets have the edge. The Ravens come in with more reputation supporting their defense than performance. Ed Reed is out and the Ravens secondary in general is anonymous for the first time in a long time. When CB Dominique Foxworth went down during training camp, the secondary became even thinner. The Ravens go into tonight with 18 players listed on the injury report, with only 3 of those 18 even possibly playing tonight. DT Mount Cody is out as well, putting a lot of pressure on Ngata, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs to stop the run. Even with the Ravens new offensive attack, I cannot see them defeating the Jets in their New Meadowlands debut. Watch for the Jets to make a statement to live up to all the talking done during Hard Knocks.


New Hard Knocks (-1) over the original Hard Knocks

Chargers @ CHIEFS (+6) 10:15 PM

The Chargers enter this season as a favorite to win the AFC West. The Chiefs enter their second season with Matt Cassel and Jamaal Charles. Both teams are offensive minded, but the Chargers enter with more questions than the Chiefs. Vincent Jackson has gone AWOL and the San Diego backfield is going to be relying on a rookie to carry the load on the ground. The Chiefs need to start the year off right. They haven't had success in the last few years and what better way to start the season than with a win on Monday night. Win may be too much to ask, but covering +6 could be attainable.

If you stick with trends, the over is an easy play. The Chiefs have hit the over in 15-5-2 over their last 22 home games. The Chargers have hit the over in 8-3-2 of their last 13 games against the AFC West. Small play on the over could be the smartest play.


Chiefs +6 and OVER 45

Welcome back MNF. We've missed you.

The Return of the King

 Football is finally back. Sure, the college season started last week and people will say that week one of the college season is better than week one of NFL, but when it comes down to it, the NFL playoffs kick the BCS in the face everytime. A lot of interesting things happened today, here's a few:

Calvin Johnson's spectacular touchdown catch (incomplete pass)

This was officially highway robbery. The Lions entered the season with hope that they have not experienced in years. A wunderkind QB that appeared poised to make the team relevant again. A stud wideout that can make high jump style one-handed catches. A defense that appears ready to actually challenge opposing QBs. Just when you think that the Motor City is ready to rise from the ashes, they get smacked in the face and then kicked while they are down. Matthew Stafford goes down in the first half from a vicious blindside hit, returns in a sling. Then, despite losing their QB, the Lions fight back, stop Chicago four times in a row on the goal line. The meaning of what it is to be a Detroit Lions fan was fully expressed in their final offensive play. That was a touchdown catch. Johnson made an incredible, game-winning touchdown catch that by a rule that should be thrown out was nullified. I would not be surprised to see the NFL address this rule in general this week.

The Cowboy's final play of the first half

The 'Boys came into this game as somewhat handicapped favorites. Several offensive lineman out, which caused Romo to be throwing in a hurry the entire game. You cannot trust a backup lineman to match up with Albert Haynesworth. All of this aside, the biggest mistake of the game was not technically the fault of anyone on the field. The coach that was responsible for calling a screen-toss rather than either running the ball up the middle or taking a knee is the sole individual responsible*. Take it into the half. Regroup. The Cowboys have more talent than the Redskins. But a play like that sucks the wind out of a team. The Cowboys had the entire halftime to think about that play while they waited to get back on the field. If you ask me, that was the end of the game right there.

*SIDE NOTE: Just saw Wade Phillips post-game interview. He took the blame but then said "If you catch the ball with 4 seconds left, you don't need to go for that extra yard." That sounds like he's blaming his player for trying to get downfield. What the hell did you think he was going to do Wade?! It's his fault for trying to do something with the ball on one of the dumbest play calls of all-time? C'MON MAN!

Michael Vick finally looked like Michael Vick

For the first time since he was on the Falcons, Vick showed flashes of his immense talent. Vick pulled off a few scrambles that I thought were no longer in his repertoire. He even showed that he can complete a pass or two. Surely this will spark debate on the Cold Pizza shows about whether Vick or Kolb should be the starting QB. This debate is nice, but maybe the bigger issue is why did you get rid of McNabb? Neither Vick nor Kolb looked as if they could lead this team to any kind of playoff berth. McNabb did not look spectacular, but look at the difference between the two number one wideouts on each team:

Desean Jackson - 3 catches, 30 yds
Santana Moss - 6 catches, 77 yds

Neither had a spectacular game, but Jackson had nearly no impact on the game minus McNabb. Moss had several key first down catches. McNabb makes his receivers look good. Philly could be in big trouble.

Alex Smith is still Alex Smith

The 49ers were picked by many "experts" to be the only possible team that could come out of the NFC West. All of these picks rested on the assumption that Alex Smith was finally ready to become a winning NFL quarterback. These assumptions came crashing down as Smith threw two interceptions against a no-name Seahawks defense and effectively took his team out of the game. The worst being an early 3rd quarter pick-six to Trufant that put the game out of reach at 21-6. It may finally be time (second time?) to close the book on Alex Smith. The guy is just not cut out for NFL size expectations.

The Colts D (or lack thereof)

For the first time in his career, Peyton Manning may not be able to throw enough touchdowns to pick up a mediocre defense. Rookie Arian Foster gashed the Colts defense, even worse once Bob Sanders went down. The Colts defense was exposed today as havign some serious holes. Manning threw the ball 57 times! And racked up 433 yards and 3 TD! Those numbers are usually easily associated with a Colts win. Not today. Unless the Colts get a few players to step up on defense, it could be a very long year for Indianapolis.

The Carolina D (and lack of offense)

The Panthers score looks like the defense got tossed around and toyed with in a 31-18 loss to the Giants. But looking into the box score, one would notice that the defense had a helluva game.

Carolina defense: 1 sack; 1 safety; 3 interceptions; 1 fumble recovery; 1 blocked kick

The Carolina defense had something ridiculous, close to 30 sacks in the preseason alone. They have a speedy, ball hawking defense that will hang in there with the best of them all year, but none of that will matter if Matt Moore throws 3 key interceptions, one of which was in the endzone. This is a team that has a defense that could end up being the top in the NFC, but a QB at the helm that just looked lost today.

Tomorrow, DA-DA-DA-DAAAAAAAA... a double dose of Monday Night Football. Lets see if the Hard Knocks can defeat the Kings of Hard Knocks. Getcha popcorn ready...

The Baskett Face

Two days after the most-watched Super Bowl of all time, the party still has yet to die down in New Orleans. More than likely, Scott Fujita is leading whatever Mardi Gras festivities going on after declaring, "I'm gonna be drunk for a month."

This Super Bowl was an interesting entity this year. Leading up to it, I could not get excited about the matchup. There wasn't that big character player that would entertain the masses with a gimmick and there wasn't a long standing rivalry between these two teams. The game spoke for itself though, with the Mighty Manning being the one who cost his team the game. Sure, Reggie Wayne probably should have turned around quicker or at least tried to make a play on the ball, but the stat says Manning: 1 INT.

Staying with Manning, some have blogged this week that Manning showed poor sportsmanship by getting the hell outt dodge once the final knee was taken. There is no rule in the NFL that says Sports Illustrated and ESPN get to show Drew Brees and Peyton Manning embrace at the end of the game. Manning is the ultimate competitor. Losing the Super Bowl goes far beyond simply being the losing QB for Manning. Manning was the surrogate coach of the the Colts. You really think the corpse of Jim Caldwell was calling plays on the sideline? No! Manning was making the calls and the plays all at once in the position of field general. Manning is the closest thing to a player-coach that there is in sports today (LeBron is right there as well). Would you want to be on the field as the confetti falls for the other team? Think of it as a fan. Would you hang around to be taunted by fans of the winning team? Probably not. Lay off Manning and let the robot leave in peace. Besides, he probably wanted to check in with his agent to make sure the richest contract in NFL history would still be in the bag.

The CBS presentation of the Super Bowl was impressive. Prop bets offered about how many times the broadcast would show Kim Kardashian, Archie Manning, Eli Manning or any other celebrity were wiped off the board. Archie was shown just once and there were no FOX-esque celebrity spotlights during the broadcast. CBS was entirely focused on the action unfolding on the field, steering away from the cliche off field heartstring stories. They left the celebrities and Hurricane Katrina stories to the pregame shows, and I think it was a classy move.

The Super Bowl also marked the return of the Manning Face. It has been largely absent this season, as he lost only one game in the regular season. Much more importantly, we had the introduction of the Baskett Face. This was meant to be. So closely related to basket case, Hank Baskett truly embodied the Face. I introduce to you, The Baskett Face:

Wait, wait, that doesn't do it justice. Let's zoom in a bit.

 

Aaaah, that's the ticket. Embrace this face, because who knows if we will ever even see the Baskett Face ever again in the NFL.

A good game for 3.7 quarters and Brees shone with no interceptions throughout the entire playoffs. He is now the face of the NFL, and I have no problem with that. At least he isn't Tom Brady. Or Brett Favre. Just retire already.

Now I'm deprived of football until August. I'm in the midst of my depression for the week and if the NFLPA and the NFL owners don't figure out this CBA crap, my depression will become dangerous. The possibility of having no NBA and no NFL in 2011 is a terrifying thought. But until then, I'll watch the combine and get ready for the draft. And look at the Baskett Face.

Super Bowl Props

With the Super Bowl approaching, I will be making my annual tribute to the gambling mecca event. The game has an absolutely absurd number of player props to bet on, not to mention the usual coin flip and National Anthem over/under. I mean this year goes beyond anything I can remember in recent memory with the prop bets. "How many times will Pete Townshend do his legendary windmill move?" O/U 5.5.  So let's dive right in...

Coin Flip:
Tails never fails. This one is simple, and quite frankly is one of the best odds you'll get on any Super Bowl bet. 50/50? I'll take those odds any day.

How long will it take Carrie Underwood to sing the National Anthem?
Over 1 minute 42 seconds. Go ahead, sing it yourself. See how long it takes you when you aren't performing it with millions of people watching. Underwood is a female vocalist and shes going to stretch out those cords for a while. I think the standard yearly 1:42 gets crushed this year.


Will A Member of The Who smash a guitar on stage during the halftime show: 
No -190 odds. Ever since Nipplegate, the halftime show has been tamer and kinder on viewers. I doubt that The Who will get that crazy for the (maybe) 3 songs they are going to sing. Why waste a guitar after just 3 songs?!

Which CBS Show will get the most promos during the game? 
Two and a Half Men 15/1 odds. With Charlie Sheen jailbound after his holiday freakout, I would assume that they want to push this show until they cancel it when Sheen heads to the big house for a few years. This is actually the longshot bet with Undercover Boss being the odds on favorite at 1/2.

What color top will Kim Kardashian be wearing at the Super Bowl?
Black 5/6 odds.  The options here were "White", "Black" or "Any other color." At first I thought, wouldn't she just wear Reggie? Then I was like, no shes probably too fashion conscious to do that (despite the fact that certain girls can look real hot in jerseys). I would guess that she will go with a black top and some kind of gold scarf or shawl or whatever the hell the things are that go around your neck for fashion.

How many times will CBS announcers fully mention Hurricane Katrina during the game?
Over 2.5. I can easily hear them bringing up Katrina in the early-going, say the first Saints possession, especially if they score a TD. I can also absolutely hear them saying it again if the Saints are kneeling it out or if they score late in the game. Other than that, you could easily get a return from halftime or halftime mention...that's 3 right? Katrina will be pounded home. Gotta go for the heartstrings if you're CBS. What they should really have up is the O/U for the number of times it will be mentioned in the pregame show. I would put those odds at about O/U 3743 times. Not sure which way I would swing...

How many times will CBS show South Beach during the game?
Over 2. This one is real easy. You're going to see South Beach at the beginning of the game when it is still light outside, and at least another time when it gets dark. That puts you at a push. The only way to go is up after that so play it safe and take the over. Unless the forecast is for rain. If that is the case, stay away or take the under. No one likes a rainy beach.

How many times will CBS show Bourbon Street on TV during the game?
Over 2. Bourbon Street is something that everyone wants to see. Who can resist no law and drunken debauchery. Try and tell me if you were heading out the door, but you saw that the Cops episode of Mardi Gras was coming on, you wouldn't stall and watch at least the first 5 minutes, after which you would find yourself watching the entire marathon. The Big Easy is Easy Money.

Which Super Bowl commercial will have a higher rating on USA Today's annual Ad Meter?
Budweiser 5/8 odds. Interestingly, Miller Lite and Coors Light are not even listed on this bet (other than the "Other" category). Bud seems to come out ahead every year, with the only commercial that may have beat out Budweiser this year being one that CBS has already rejected.

How many times will CBS show Eli Manning on TV during the game?
Under 3. Nobody cares about Eli. The only way that this goes over is if Eli remains attached to Archie by the hip for the entire game. Show me Cooper, the red-headed stepchild of the Manning family. Show me the one brother with no ring, as he just tries to ride on the coattails of his two mega-successful QB brothers. In fact, give me an entire profile and follow him for his typical day. That would be something I would be interested in.

Cooper: "Well, first, Dad wakes me up with a stare of disgust from my basement room. Then he tells me to mow the lawn or get a job in the NFL cause that grass isn't going to mow itself. After that, I go downstairs and eat some fruity pebbles while Eli and Peyton eat their Wheaties. Once I'm finished with the lawn, I go upstairs and play Madden with any team other than the Giants, Saints or Colts and I feverishly attempt to injure my brothers in the game, cause if I tried in real life, Dad would stop paying for my Xbox Live subscription."

Please CBS. Give me Cooper: The Untold Manning Story.

Check back later this week for my Super Bowl pick and other props that look to be enticing.

The False Prophet

With Joe Mauer entering a contract year on the heels of a season that netted him the MVP award, a Gold Glove, and the lead in the statistical categories of slugging, on-base percentage, batting average and OPS, the guy is poised to make a few dollars either in free agency or from a contract extension. Everyone should have seen this coming. He has been scouted and praised since he was in high school, gracing Sports Illustrated's pages since he got his first pimple. His accolades and hype have gotten him this far and he finally seemed to have a true breakout superstar season in 2009. The rumors flying around are estimating a contract of at least $200 million for eight years. This would immediately vault him into Pujols and A-Rod territory. But the real question is, does he really deserve it?

The guy has gotten his due for being a prolific hitter at the position of catcher. A modern day Johnny Bench or Yogi Berra. But is he really THAT unique? I beg to differ. Lets look at another catcher in the National League that has similar stats with 90% less pomp and hype. I am going to put these career stats side by side and let you decide who has the better career so far:

G: 611 AB: 2123 R: 263 H: 623 2B: 156 HR: 91 RBI: 389 BB: 200 AVG: .293 OBP: .356 SLG: .497 OPS: .853

Honors: 4 consecutive All Star Selections and 3 Silver Sluggers through 4 full seasons

G: 699 AB: 2582 R: 419 H: 844 2B: 158 HR: 72 RBI: 397 BB: 368 AVG: .327 OBP: .408 SLG: .483 OPS: .892

 Honors: 3 time All-Star, MVP, 3 time Silver Slugger, 2 Gold Gloves

The first player has played 88 games less than the player on the bottom and had 459 less at bats than the player on the bottom. This is interesting because the player on top has 19 more home runs, only 2 less doubles and only 8 less RBIs! He plays the same position and on a team of similar composure offensively. Figure out who it is yet? Give up? The top career stat line is Atlanta's Brian McCann.

McCann is hidden in Atlanta, a team that has been in a playoff drought of late after so many consecutive years of success. He is the centerpiece to the Braves offense and he comes at a Wal Mart bargain bin price. McCann signed a contract extension in 2007 for 6 years/$27.8 million. Mauer is looking at possibly making close to that in a single season. The Braves upper management should be trembling right now because McCann is almost certainly going to seek arbitration or a new contract if his current play keeps up.

Looking at those stat lines make me wonder if Atlanta even knows how good they have it right now. If McCann were a free agent, he'd be making $20 million per year with those kinds of power numbers at the catcher position. With less years in the league and less hype to go with it despite a similarly impressive stat line to Mauer, McCann will continue to quietly rack up stats and All-Star appearances at Turner Field until 2012 or at least the summer of 2012 (when the Braves unload him, knowing that they won't be able to afford him on the open market). Maybe then, McCann will emerge from the shadow of hype that is Joe Mauer.