'THE EDGE' (COMING SOON!!) |
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#2 ON ESPN'S TOP PLAYS FOR FIRST HALF OF 2006 TIPS APPRECIATED!!! |
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WOULDN'T BE WIMBLEDON WITHOUT THIS HAPPENING AT LEAST ONCE (AT LEAST THE ANNOUNCERS GOT A KICK OUT OF IT)   |
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TOP STORIES - JULY 12, 2006 Get your NFL football tickets now at TickCo. They have all team Cardinals tickets, Cowboys tickets, Packers tickets, Colts tickets, Patriots tickets, Titans tickets and more. Get your Super Bowl tickets here! WE'RE BACK!!! The internet sports leader returns after a brief hiatus over the fourth of July holiday and a not so quick turnaround. On a personal note I did not have my usual vacation resources - the library instuting a 20-minute limit on out-of-towners plus Fisher Price/WebTV connection speed was a bad combination to say the very least!!! Look for KACSPORTS to continue to bring you the very best from the constant variety of sports - and fear not, the fifth annual edition of fantasy football rankings are coming soon!!!  BILL TO BAN INTERNET GAMING FLIES THROUGH HOUSE: I will expound much more on this eventually in the blog section. America is supposed to be the land of the free, it's also about to become the only place where on-line gaming is outlawed. With conservatives such as Nebraska's Tom Osbourne leading the fray, a law that would ban internet gambling easily passed in the House of Representatives by over a three-to-one margin. If the bill becomes law, credit card companies would no longer accept payments and agents would work with ISP's to block access to gambling sites. Among those lobbying for the bill include professional sports leagues, as well as the horse racing industry. Betting on the ponies (as well as state lotteries) would get an exemption - the horse industry believes that with other forms of on-line gaming banned bettors would come crawling back to their business. I'm just surprised that someone who had Barbaro at 1-5 didn't shoot him before he got to the vet. Online gambling sites' stock took a tumble when the negative news was announced. Online gambling stocks have dropped dramatically since reports out of the Capitol last week that the legislation would pass. Industry insiders are fearing that this is could mark the beginning of the end for poker's recent surge in popularity. The bill now goes to the Senate, where at the moment it is not considered a high priority - but may very well come up before the November elections. And you can 'bet' the Prez will sign off on it in two seconds. An endless war, gas prices doubling, and now 21st century-style prohibition - nice little legacy Bush is building.DANICA HEADING TO NASCAR??? DP has denied any interest in the past, but father T.J. Patrick was said to be trolling Chicagoland Speedway over the weekend, saying that he is trying to get Danica to move to NASCAR. Patrick's current contract with her IRL team expires at the end of the year, so this could merely be leverage. This comes straight on the heels of Juan Pablo Montoya's bombshell announement of making the unprecedented move from Formula One to NASCAR. Montoya will be driving Chip Ganassi's #42 car in 2007.  ZZ-BOTTOM UPDATE: While otherwise 'classy' performer continues to be vilified in the world press, an anti-racism group based in Paris called 'SOS Racism' said Monday that France captain Zinedine Zidane was called a 'dirty terrorist' by Italy's Marco Materazzi before the now infamous head-butting incident late in Sunday's World Cup Final. Some background here, Zidane is of Algerian decent and according to Wikipedia, Zidane proclaims himself as a 'non-practicing Muslim'. SOS Racism says they will inquire to FIFA about the matter, soccer's main governing body has been sponsoring a stepped-up campaign against racism in the sport - which was a theme during the month-long tournament. Zidane says he will give his side of the story in the coming days. REACT: You knew something had to been said to set off Zidane like that, it isn't like he had a Wayne Rooney reputation or anything. That said, he just could not do that - whatever was said, Italy got what they wanted, ZZ out of the game and eventually the Wold Championship. Good thing Zidane doesn't play baseball and doesn't have to go to bat with A.J. Pierzynski behind the plate. GREAT INTERNET GAME!!! You're Zid, the object is to headbutt as many Materazzi's as possible and get red-carded out of the game.CLUB OWNED BY PACKERS LINEBACKER TARGET OF RACISM??? Green Bay city crews quickly painted over graffiti found on the wall of a nightclub that is owned Nick Barnett. The wall of the FiveSix Ultra Lounge, which faces an alley, had a racial slur and several swastikas spray-painted on. The incident occurred after the mayor asked the City Council to reconsider a decision to deny Barnett a liquor license renewal for the club. The council had voted against the renewal, based on police calls and neighbor complaints about the club. Accusations of unfair treatment of Barnett surfaced since then, considering that a committee recommended a license approval for another club with a similar history. Barnett also gained media attention in regards to a jaywalking incident in which he was walking with two reporters - both of whom were white - only Barnett was ticketed in that case. Late last week the Common Council reversed course, and will give Barnett a chance to renew his license under an abatement plan. NEWS ON BENNY THE BULL... In what is supposed to signal a major power shift in the NBA's Eastern Conference, premiere defensive center Ben Wallace bolts the Pistons for the Bulls, signing a contract in the 4 year/$60 million range. AND NEWS ON BENNY THE BULL... Not Ben Wallace, but a different Benny. After being cited for driving a mini-motorcycle without a license at Taste of Chicago, the mascot known as Benny the Bull is run down by Chicago police, and Benny compounds things by PUNCHING THE COP!! If you're saying you thought you've heard of a Bulls mascot getting in trouble before, you're right - someone who portrays another mascot known as 'Da Bull' wound up on probation after attempting to sell some weed in the Cabrini Green Housing project a few years back. Maybe the Bulls mascots should take a cue from Bango the Buck and stick to scuba diving in high school pools.NASTY HORSE RACING CRASH: Horse breaks leg going into first turn, two horses and their riders go down. Jockeys are in the hospital, the horses??? Bang, bang. ANOTHER DRUDGE HEADLINE, CHILD GANGED RAPED BY FOOTBALL PLAYERS??? The rape of a runaway 11-year-old girl from a local group home may have involved as many as 10 men, most of whom are football players at local Bay Area community colleges. Police have arrested two men in connection with the incident, and officials said they identified eight others as persons of interest in the case. They say most or all are students at either Fresno City College or Reedley College.  ROB VAN DAM BUSTED: Hard-core wrestling icon is 'legitimately' suspended by WWE for 30 days after drug charges involving he and another wrestler in the promotion. RVD was pulled over for speeding, and the cop immediately noticed a marijuana smell. RVD was found in posession of weed as well as five Vicodin pills. The other wrestler was booked for drug paraphernalia as well as other controlled substances. RVD has been suspended for being in violation of the promotions 'wellness policy' (you mean Vince actually wrote one out??). This has to rank as the shock of the century - after all RVD's gimmick has been that of a stoner throughout his career - the man even has pictures of cannabis on his singlet!!!ZZ DOESN'T COME OUT ON TOP: Red Bull??? Try red card. Zinedine Zidane sends his bald head into the chest of an opponent, earning himself a red card in the closing minutes of overtime v. Italy - did notice how the Italian went down just like he got gored by Rhyno on ECW, what great actors (VIDEO). Already without Thierry Henry, France goes on to lose the penalty kick competition. Earlier in the weekend, it was reported that MLS's New York Red Bull franchise was considering an offer to Zidane, the transfer fee would be an arm and a leg but then again this is New York with new owners, who might want to relive the old Cosmos days. YET ANOTHER PITCHER ARRESTED!!! Always nice to see Milwaukee Police spokesperson Annie Schwartz in a national wire story. Authorities waited past midnight earlier in the week to arrest Reds pitcher Brian Shackleford on sexual assault charges. Shackleford pitched to one batter late in the Reds 13-inning loss to the Brewers. Shackleford joins Brett Myers, Estaban Loaiza, Scott Sauerbeck, and Jason Grimsley among hurlers who have found themselves in various degrees of legal problems the past three months.  WORLD CUP STATS THAT MATTER!!! Italy and France could very well go 120 minutes without scoring Sunday, but you can at least look forward to plenty of dives, tantrums, and fake injuries - especially if you go by a string of 'alternative statistics' tracked by a British software company with way too much time on their hands. According to an unofficial count by watching the first 62 games on TV, Italy leads in dives with 32 while France has been credited with 28 tantrums. Croatia, France, Italy, and Portugal came into the weekend tied in 'bullying the referee' incidents with five - a great feat for Croatia considering they only played the three first-round games. The company also compiled a 'foul play index', awarding points for yellow/red cards, bullying the ref, fake injuries, dives, tantrums, etc. Paraguay compiled the highest score at 45, followed by Italy at 40. The infamous slugfest between the Netherlands and Portugal helped those squads compile a score of 37. Apparently last weeks post-game extracirriculars between Germany and Argentina did not get them on the list. Trinidad/Tobago are the 'angels' in the field, their FPI was the lowest at 14, they were follwed by Brazil, Costa Rica, and Sweden with 15. Despite two red cards v. Italy, the United States placed fifth with 16. MOST PLAYERS 'NOT REALLY HURT': Of 156 on-field treatments (out-numbering the number of goals) in the first 62 matches, 88 were not noted in postgame reports according to the head of FIFA's medical committee. Even so, the people with the 'DOC' vests have been less busy this time around. On average medics have tended to 2.2 players per match, compared to 2.7 in 2002 and 2.4 in 1998. Just tell the actors to get up and quit whining. FRENCH COACH WON'T PLAY SCORPIOS??? Very interesting tidbit during ABC's World Cup Final telecast - as it was disclosed that France coach Raymond Domenech will not put a Scorpio on his roster. Domenech also tries to stay away from employing Leo's, as he supposedly considers them to be show-offs. IRATE FAN CAUSES BUS TO WRECK: Berlin bus driver crashes into a parked Merecdes after being belted in the head with a beer bottle by a passenger who had disputed his views over Germany's loss at the hands of Italy. The passenger and the driver were alone in the bus at around 2 AM when the driver suggested that the German team may just simply not be good enough. At that point, the passenger - wearing a #20 Lukas Podolski jersey, rails the driver with the bottle and fled through an emergency exit. GERMAN PLAYER WEARS DEFIBRILATOR??? Ghanaian-born Gerald Asamoah suffers from a heart condition where the flesh lobe that separates the right and left heart chambers is extremely thick, causing an arrhythmic heart beat. For this reason, Asamoah wears a defibrilator during games. To my knowledge, Asamoah did not see any action in any of Germany's seven World Cup ties but became the first African-born player to represent Germany when he made his first cap last year.DRUDGE HEADLINE - HARVARD FOOTBALL CAPTAIN FACES CHARGES: Yes, it even happens in the Ivy Leauge. Matthew Thomas, 22, has been indefinitely suspended from the team after allegedly breaking into ex-girlfriend's dorm room and later assaulting her. Witnesses saw Thomas, an all-Ivy Leauge linebacker (6'1" 245), choke the alleged victim with one hand before 'he suddenly lifted her and drove his knee into her chest' according to a criminal complaint. Coach says the player is history if allegations prove to be true.  I TOLD YOU SO!!!! I decided to see if I could write a caption as good as the Sun after Wayne Rooney's debacle on Saturday. But the developments were of absolutely no surprise if you read this page three weeks ago - England is what it is, soccer's version of an NBA Olympic Dream Team - plenty of bling, plenty of money, plenty of fast cars, and plenty of knockout women. But the sum of all the parts don't quite come together - and a Swede coach with glasses held together with rubber bands certainly does not help. And did I call my shot with Rooney or what??? I told you his intermittent explosive disorder would bite England straight in the ass, and that is exactly what happened. If someone in America who doesn't watch Manchester United 40+ times a year could see that, then what exactly did England expect??? Actually America has had a direct equivalent to team England for years, they're called the Minnesota Vikings. Feel free to take on the U.S. team in a friendly anytime - although I'd hate to pick a dog in that fight. Meanwhile, I'll grade your damn team for you England...Robinson (GK) - 6 (clean sheet has to be worth something), Neville 5, A. Cole 5, Gerrard 6, Rio Ferdinand (as opposed to a fake Ferdinand??) 4, Beckham 3 (what the hell happened to his match fitness??), Lampard 6, Rooney -12, Terry 7 (how many times did he throw a lifering out to that team??), Lennon 6, Crouch 6 (at least the subs tried - although getting my man Sol Campbell in would had been a nice touch). OTHER GAMES: Alright, here's something I didn't call, France taking out Brazil??? I saw a little bit of that in HDTV - wow, talk about seeing the beads of sweat coming right off Ronaldinho's head, brilliant. Meanwhile I'd like to say that Zindine Zadane has two more games (France plays in a third place game even if they lose the semi-final), but he already has a yellow card in the bank - so if (actually when) he gets booked Wednesday that automatically becomes the last game of his international career. Meanwhile Argentina's manager books town after they lost out on a golden opportunity to take down the Aryan All-Stars right in Hitler's palace. Got two words for Argy's boss - Lionel...Messi - should of played him. Completely Useless By September... Actually it's barely July and the Chicago Cubs don't have much of a purpose. Presented with a chance to actually win one game from the White Sox, the Cubs send Ryan Dumpster out to protect a one-run lead. As Cub fans know, that is way too much to ask. Dumpster actually got the first two batters, but last time I checked three outs are required to get through an inning. Next two batters get on which brought J.A. Pierzynski to the plate. Of course Jack goes yard, and the bleacher crowd proceeds to throw every projectile they could find onto the field. Now that's uncalled for, we all know Cub fans are the greatest in the world - but you can't have that type of behavior. Actually I think it's a pretty close call between England and Cub fans on who destroyed more property Saturday night. Now that has to be Dusty's last straw.SOMEBODY COOL DOWN JOE MAUER!!! This guy is going off like Rod Carew 30 years ago. And as you might imagine, half the woman in the Twin Cities are chasing him - this guy might have start filing restraining orders soon. But it's not exactly like Mauer is looking for dates right now - he's reportedly dating Miss USA. Who does he think he is - an English World Cup player??? AL INTERLEAGUE ROMP: Tigers, White Sox, and Twins 41-8 v. NL. Also Red Sox 14-2, Mariners 13-3, Devil Rays 11-5, Royals 9-7.TOUR DE FRANCE ROCKED BY DOPING SCANDAL!!! Looks like Lance Armstrong has definitely picked the right year to skip this race - as Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso and Francisco Mancebo have been disqualified from the race after being named in a doping investigation in Spain. Those are only the three riders who happened to finish second, third, and fourth last year. You have to wonder if this vindicates Lance once and for all - let's just say if he was doping at least he had plenty of company. 2003 DRAFT BUST ARRESTED: Would-be Patriots defensive lineman Jonathan Sullivan pulled over after running through not one, but two stop signs. And there was more, no seat belts as well as weed in the car. Cop asks if he had any weapons, and Sullivan produces a handgun - and the car belonged to neither he or the passenger. If you think this was just one bad night, think again. A huge reach as the #6 overall pick by the Saints a few years back, it is reported that Sullivan was fined 75 times by the team in 2005 alone - did the guy ever have anything left in his paycheck??? Sullivan was also caught wolfing down food in the locker room before a game last year and is already on the verge of eating himself out of the league. GREAT NASCAR STORY!!! Sometimes the best stories in stock car racing are the guys racing at the back of the field. I went to last week's Busch Series race at the last minute - and noticed an plain, non-descript silver unsponsored #28 car. The entry was obviously overmatched by the rest of the field - and I was giving a little Bronx cheer when he finally came around seconds after the second-to-last place car. On the verge of already being lapped following the end of Lap 4, the #28 pulls into the pits and calls it night - as most that are known as 'field-fillers' do. Then I did a litte research on who the driver was - his name is James Hylton, and he is 71 years old!!! Hylton once upon a time was a mainstay in Cup racing. According to Wikipedia, Hylton made his debut in 1964 and earned $100 for a 19th place finish. Things would get better quickly however, Hylton finished second in points in both 1966 and 1967. Hylton remained a regular in the Cup circuit into the early 1980's. Hylton has stayed active racing throughout the 90's and this decade racing in some smaller series. Hylton's appearance in Milwaukee last Saturday was his first Busch Series start since 1982. He was on the track so briefly that the official NASCAR results did not even reveal the car make - according to Hylton's web site it was a Chevy. |
2003 NFL DRAFT PROFILES
