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TOP STORIES - SEPTEMBER 24, 2008  2008 FANTASY FOOTBALL (EXPANDED!!!): QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS/KICKERS/TEAM DEFENSES GARY SHEFFIELD - OWNED!!! The call of Mike Hegan and Tom Hamilton on the Cleveland broadcast of this was absolutely hilarious. Gary Sheffield glares at pitcher Fausto Carmona after being drilled with a pitch, after Sheffield takes his base, Fausto throws to first. After deciding being forced to dive to the base was too much after getting plunked, Sheffield charges the mound, where Fausto puts him in a headlock and goes to town on him - while Hegan explains to the Cleveland audience that Sheffield's 'been taken to the woodshed'. And it gets even better, Sheff is also pissed that someone took a cheap shot from behind while in the headlock, he says that the players are only supposed to restrained the combatants - and has vowed revenge the next time the teams played, and also says he doesn't care how much he's fined for saying it - that he has the money to cover any fine. Class act, for 20 years running. Here's a little news flash for Sheff - I know most players when the benches clear play peacemaker, but we can't guarantee that cooler heads will always prevail - get 40 players/coaches out of each dugout/bullpen and you may always see someone play enforcer, look out for a teammate, or some other loose cannon just going off. Don't charge the mound (a punishable offense in any circumstance last time I checked) and you won't have to worry about someone else out on the field looking for trouble. And one last piece of advice, going after Cleveland is one thing, but don't start anything with the White Sox - dealing with Ozzie Guillen and A.J. Pierzynski is not advisable.BUDWEISER ROOFTOP ORDERED RESTORED AT WRIGLEY: Remember the simpler times??? A few apartment tenants along Waveland and Sheffield Avenues would congregate on the rooftops during games and maybe even have a little cookout. Then greed took over, the buildings started charging admission, and eventually bleachers nearly as big as the stadium itself went up like the Dubai skyline, forcing the Cubs to eventually ask for their cut. And now, just in time for the pennant drive, we now have the well-known Budweiser rooftop beyond left field. A landlord who already owns other buildings in the area bought the Budweiser building, and rejected a near $90,000 quarterly payment, claiming it was late, and had a tarp drawn over the roof during the Cubs homestand last week. The manager claims the advertising space is now for sale to the highest bidder. Meanwhile Budweiser took legal action and a judge on Friday ordered the tarp removed. Will it be enough to curse the Cubs for one more year???  GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS HITS EPL SOCCER: Not unlike NASCAR, most soccer teams around the world sell sponsor space on their uniforms, which can sometimes lead to unwanted publicity. This week perennial powerhouse Manchester United opened defense of their Champions League title while being proudly sponsored by....THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. A few years back MUFC ditched a telecommunications company in favor of a new lucrative sponsorship ($103 million U.S. for four years) with AIG Insurance. Earlier this week, AIG was bailed out by the U.S. Government, one of just several institutions said to be in serious trouble as stock value plummeted worldwide. Perhaps MAN-U should had seen if Enron was available first. Manchester United is just one of several entries in the Premiere League alone who now have sponsorship woes. Newcastle United sponsor Northern Rock was taken over by the British government earlier this year while West Ham covered up the logo of their sponsor, a tour operator which ran out of money last week. In addition, newly promoted West Brom has been sponsorless since the start of the season - when West Brom pleyed West Ham, it marked the first time in the 16-year history of the Premiere League where both teams were without sponsorship. And finally, Aston Villa, owned by Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner, decided to donate this year's ad space to a local children's hospice. AIG is also the sponsor of a tennis tournament scheduled to take place in Japan next week, it is said the takeover will not affect the status of that event.MORE TROUBLE FOR BRANDON MARSHALL??? Chargers fans are pinning this past weeks stunning last-second loss squarely on the broad shoulders of referee Ed Hochuli for blowing an inadvertent whistle. But what about commissioner Roger Goodell, who suddenly decided to reduce Brandon Marshall's suspension from three games to one - of course Brandon only went on to catch 18 passes, tied for the second highest single-game total in league history. Now comes word that a domestic complaint stemming from a March incident has been filed, wasn't that about the time Marshall was slipping on Mickey D's bags??? That's how the Chargers secondary could have stopped him - just throw Big Mac wrappers on the field - guess I can blame that loss on the coaching staff (and not the ref nor commish) after all. IS BCS TITLE GAME ALREADY SET?? Are we already breaking down USC v. OU on January 8, with the SEC champ crying foul and a Mountain West team making a dumb argument that they deserve a chance at a title??? TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE??? NED YOST FIRED: (3:05 PM ET) Some thought  CUBS FLIRT WITH ANOTHER NO-HITTER: Astros finally get a hit off Ted Lilly in the seventh, their lone hit in two days in Milwaukee.'A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER': As an epic September collapse comes to fruition, Ryan Braun vents on his team's struggles. The Brewers have now been swept in their last series against the Red Sox, Cubs, Mets, and now Phillies - going a cool combined 0-14 - anyone think this team deserves anything near an RSVP for the playoffs??? INSULT TO INJURY - ZAMBRANO NO-HITTER AT MILLER PARK: Already unhappy about being forced to play their 'home series' v. the Cubs in Milwaukee, the Astros end up getting no-hit by Carlos Zambrano in front of a partisan Cubs crowd. HOUSTON IRATE: Says Astros owner and Bud Selig should share blame in scheduling debacle which could cost Houston shot at playoffs - some theorists even suggest that games were moved to Milwaukee to help Brewers playoff quest. Meanwhile I say the Brewers organization should also be blamed, they should had just said no to hosting what turned into an awkward situation. UCLA ROUTED 59-0: You are looking at UCLA's offensive highlight from Saturday's game, coach Rick Neuheisel limbering up his throwing arm during the pre-game - unfortunately Rick chose not to suit up and get under center himself. Maybe Rick should take out another newspaper ad vowing to end USC's local football 'monopoly'. SC beats Ohio State 35-3 while the Bruins lose 59-zip, as Danny White nephew Max Hall throws for seven TD's, six in the first half before BYU finally called off the dogs. And where are the sportscasters who claimed that UCLA's top two quarterbacks getting hurt in the spring was 'good', because maybe someone further down the depth chart could prove to be better. And how about UCLA rushing for all of nine yards, maybe some of USC's fourth-stringers will get frustrated by the lack of playing time and transfer. UCLA's alums are probably so embarrassed right now that if the Jaguars are on a Sunday night game anytime soon, Maurice Jones-Drew might elect to say what grade school he attended during the player introductions.TOM BRADY TO CHARLIE WEIS - WELCOME TO THE CLUB: Notre Dame coach says he feels 'like a player' after telling the press about his torn ACL/MCL suffered during the Irish's home game w/Michigan. The ND player who was blocked into Weis is getting razzed via text messages while Weis has received many calls from well-wishers, including Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who assured the coach he will only 'be struggling for a week'. The coach has decided against surgery for now, and considering his past misfortune while going under the knife that might not be a bad move. MISTAKEN IDENTITY?? PREP HOOPS STAR CHARGED WITH SEX CRIME: Police have charged an Ohio prep basketball player with sexual battery after an alleged incident. A 17-year-old girl claims that the 18 year-old had sex with her, she thought it was her boyfriend. The girl told police that the player and her boyfriend laughed about it and considered it a joke. The player is being held on $20,000 bail and is denying any wrongdoing - among other things a scholarship the player had with Bowling Green University could be in jeopardy - and the player could be looking at up to five years in jail.  HOUSTON TEXANS HAVE A PROBLEM: For the second time in four years, a NFL team has a homeless team, as Hurricane Ike has caused significant damage to Reliant Stadium, sending portions of five of the nine retractable roof panels crashing to the ground. The Texans re-scheduled Monday night home game with Baltimore is now off and the two teams will now have a bye week (TAKE ALL HOU AND BAL PLAYERS OUT OF YOUR FANTASY LINEUPS). The Texans' bye week is Week 8, the Ravens is Week 10 - the most logical solution would be to move a Texans/Bengals game from Week 10 to Week 8 (the Bengals bye week), which would then allow for Week 2's game to be rescheduled. The Texans next scheduled home game is not until Week 5, the first of three consecutive home games for Houston. The Astrodome and Rice Stadium are possibilities, although there is no word on damage on those venues. Meanwhile Minute Maid Park is said to have survived the storm well with only minimal damage - but the status for playing home games v. the Cubs Sunday and Monday remains in doubt with 80 percent of the city without power. Astros management had been staunch about playing the games in Houston as opposed to using a neutral site - but that stance appears to be softening with the damage in the city, Milwaukee is now mentioned as a possibility of hosting one or two of the games, where Cub fans would show up in force.TOMLINSON MAY MISS WEEK 2: When it's all said and done, Tom Brady's injury may go down as NOT being the most significant injury in fantasy football in Week 1, I have a feeling we won't be hearing the end of LT's turf toe for a while. NFL PLAYERS SET TO BATTLE OVER FANTASY FOOTBALL IN COURT: When MLBAM lost it's long-running battle with a fantasy sports outfit earlier this year I said this wasn't over, and indeed here we ago. NFL Players and CBS Interactive have sued each other over the right to use player statistics in fantasy games. And as I said regarding the baseball case, if the NFL or any other professional sports league were to win just one case in court, the precedent is then set across the board and MLBAM and everyone else would have the upper hand.  CUBS WILL STEER CLEAR OF IKE: Despite being persuaded by the Astros to fly into Houston Thursday night and at least getting a moved-up Friday afternoon game in, the Chicago Cubs have decided to fly back to Chicago after finishing their series in St. Louis Thursday night. Contingency plans are going on to possibly play the three-game series at a neutral site, which would hurt the Astros, who are very much in the Wild Card race, because any neutral venue would likely benefit the Cubs and their national fan base. The Astros would like to play the three games on Sunday and Monday, as of now an off-day for both teams. The latest forecast has the metropolitan Houston area very possibly taking a direct hit from the powerful storm. RAVENS/TEXANS MONDAY NIGHT: Will be played at 8:30 PM Monday, will not be shown on ESPN, only on CBS affiliates into the home markets. The regularly scheduled Monday night game is Philadelphia @ Dallas.DODGERS BECOME SUPERMEN WITHOUT KENT: How would Vin set this one up during a slow point in the Dodgers next game...'It's interesting to note, just two weeks ago the Dodgers season seemed to be in tatters, with the team going 1-10 and coming off a disastrous road trip. Then things off the field was even worse, with the news that Jeff Kent would be lost for the balance of the season, a loss at the time which appeared would be enormous. But then a funny thing happened, the team turned around, players started getting clutch hits, and Andre Ethier has emerged as a real force since the trade of Manny Ramirez, hitting .371 with nine home runs and 25 RBI - better yet, and I haven't spoken to Andre, but he probably doesn't even mind me saying it. And suddenly the Dodgers have now WON ten of their last eleven, and are suddenly in control of the National League West. And even better yet, Jeff Kent will probably be gone next year while I return for a 60th year of broadcasting, talk about addition via subtraction, and about the best laid plans of mice and men...' 'Appeared to be enormous'?? Don't ask me how Vin morphed into Joe Starkey for a second. But had the Dodgers known that getting Kent out of the picture would turn things around, then Joe Torre would had hired Bernard Pollard for a whack job on JK a month earlier. Incidentally, nice work by the Arizona Diamondbacks radio crew about 10 days back, when they were quoting Chicago papers saying that the Cubs were already shaking in their boots about the prospect of facing Dan Haren and Brandon Webb in the first-round of the playoffs. Oops, the Cubs can only now dream of teeing off on Haren like everyone else has lately. Actually, it's Manny Ramirez shaking over his upcoming meeting with the left-field bleacher crowd at Wrigley... SARAH PALIN - 'COCKY WACKO': Former Republican Senator calls GOP vice presidential candidate a 'cocky wacko' and said her selection as John McCain's running mate has energized supporters of Barack Obama. NASCAR DRIVER ADMITS TO PED USE: So much for NASCAR being immune to the steroids controversies that have haunted other sports. Defending Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday admits to using testosterone for more than a year before it was added to NASCAR's banned list. Hornaday admits to receiving the PED shipments between December 2004 to January 2006, and that the drugs came from the same anti-aging center that has been linked to drug-related scandals in the stick-and-ball world. Hornaday is currently second in the 2008 Truck Series point standings. TEXAS DOES NOT LIKE IKE: Another weekend, another storm wrecking havoc on the sports world. Hurricane Ike is on a collision course for the Texas coastline, and expected to make landfall early Saturday, and the latest track has the storm still being at hurricane strength as it passes over Austin, TX right about the time Texas is scheduled to host Arkansas on Saturday - I don't think that one is going to be played. Besides the weather, it's expected that local roads will be closed and the stadium be used as an evacuation site. Both teams have an open date just two weeks later, so I imagine that is an easy rescheduling. The wild-card contending Houston Astros are also in the middle of a homestand, talk is Friday's scheduled game against the Cubs may be moved from the evening to the afternoon. The University of Houston has already postponed a scheduled Saturday game and the Houston Texans are scheduled for a Sunday home game, the storm should be out of the area by that time but moving that contest to Monday night is also a possibility. Further toward Dallas, TCU is talking about reschedules a home date with Stanford from noon to 6 PM. One area the storm will not impact is Louisiana, LSU has gotten the OK to play this week's home game after postponing last week due to repairing stadium damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav. IT WILL STILL BE C. JOHNSON ON THE UNIFORM: Chad Johnson thought he finally got over the NFL when he legally changed his surname to Ocho Cinco a few weeks back. Well guess what, his named isn't changed in the NFL's or Reebok's eyes - word is Chad can change his nameplate, but only if he buys all of the jerseys with his old name on it - the cost, a cool $4 million, a price even too steep for Chad. The NFL has also gone overboard in preventing other players from merely changing his numbers, a list that includes Detroit rookie Kevin Smith, who wanted to change from #34 to his college number of 24. In MLB, Manny Ramirez also waffled on what his Dodgers number would be, but was told he had to stick with #99 as the printing presses were already in operation.  PICTURE OF THE DAY: This screenshot is from last year, Utah had just executed an onside kick while up 43-0 on Wyoming midway through the third quarter. As you can see, one of the Wyoming assistants was none too happy about it. But you never know, 43-nil leads are never safe in the MWC. Wyoming wound up getting a reprimand from the league while Utah's head coach admitted he made a 'bad decision'.COULD BRETT FAVRE HAVE LANDED IN NEW ENGLAND??? At first glance, you'd say that things have suddenly brightened for Favre, he led the Jets to a win while his team becoming a player in the AFC became much more realistic with a certain New England quarterback going down. I did the point earlier in the summer on my blog - that maybe Brett Favre should sit tight, that he could get a glorious opportunity with a contender had he waited - that you never know when a Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning might get hurt. Well Brady did go down, and now Peter King is amongst those asking 'What If??' Sure, he could beat the Patriots this Sunday, but had he waited and played his cards right, he could conceivably wound up as a Patriot. And it isn't like staying in Green Bay wouldn't had even been a bad option - they didn't look bad last night with that Aaron Rodgers bum at the controls... POLICE TOO ROUGH WITH ECU FANS??? When a back-water college program starts winning some big games at home, the pitch invasions by the fans often follows, and trouble often is not too far behind. This turns out to be the case after East Carolina takes down it's second big fish in as many weeks, adding a victory over West Virginia to the one over Virginia Tech the week before. ECU is reviewing complaints that fans who stormed the field after the game were struck or thrown to the ground by officers. Investigators are interviewing witnesses and evaluating 'videos from several sources'. The police chiefs concedes that some of what was seen on film was 'sickening in nature'. Of course nothing like this has ever occurred at West Virginia after big wins - this will go on until the colleges crack down like the pro sports in regards to fans/students storming the field. VINCE YOUNG OFF THE DEEP END??? Is VY's career about to flame out in a sad, spectacular fashion, as with what happened with Michael Vick?? Titans management place a call to Nashville police after they were unable to contact their quarterback Monday night. VY ended up meeting with coach Jeff Fisher AND police later on in the evening. This comes one day after VY sprained his MCL after being booed unmercifully by the fans. A police spokesman also said there was also an unloaded gun in the glove compartment of VY's vehicle, under Tennessee law that is legal as long as there is no ammunition in the gun. VY was scheduled for an MRI on the knee on Monday, but that was rescheduled with no explanation. MONEY PLACED ON OBAMA TAKING OVER REINS OF EPL TEAM: Just three games into the new season, two managers have already quit in the English Premiere League, the latest being Kevin Keegan whose latest tenure at Newcastle United lasted all of seven months, actually six months more than some were predicting. The other job opening is at West Ham, and (as with everything else in British sportsbooks) bets are being placed on who will be the next manager of that team. For 10,000-1 odds a bettor can put money down on literally anyone getting the job, and one such bet has Barack Obama dropping his bid to become U.S. President to instead try to guide the Hammers to Premiere League glory. The bet was only for just under $20 US - but as they say across the pond, I don't fancy his chances of collecting on this one, it's figured that the wager was just made for publicity's sake. Barack's odds of getting that 'other job' is much better according to the London bookies, Obama currently goes off at 4-9 while John McCain is listed at 13-8. Here's a more realistic shot in the dark - Barack wins the election, the Packers go 8-8, and McCain and Sarah Palin wind up settling for replacing Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy... |
