It's time to give Vick his second chance

7/22/09 1:51 PM

Post by David Helman — So the NFL's greatest rushing quarterback of all time is an unrestricted free agent, available to anyone, and nobody's scrambling to make a deal? The guy who did this is on the open market, and nobody's buying? Oh. Right. That. Yeah, Michael Vick ran a dog fighting and gambling ring in Virginia for six years or more. Yeah, he (or at least his "employees") executed and abused dogs. But yeah, the dude has served two years in prison. He's serving three years probation and his public image is ruined beyond any hope of repair. He's basically completely broke, and the odds of NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell lifting his suspension in time for him to play in 2009 are slim to none. So that's three seasons without football, two years in prison...

It's time to respect Erin Andrews

7/20/09 11:33 PM

Post by Andy Schwehm — The last time I saw Erin Andrews was in Rosenblatt Stadium, very nicely dressed and walking around the field after LSU won the national championship. A few days before that, I had the pleasure of interviewing her on the field shortly before LSU’s game against Arkansas. Now, I’ve seen her in a new light – filmed naked and through a hotel peep hole on a terrible video camera. You have no idea the amount of e-mails, Facebook messages, text messages, carrier pigeon messages, etc., etc., that I have received in the past 48 hours telling me of such occurrences. I get it. OK. I get it. She’s attractive. She’s blonde. She’s tall. She’s associated with sports. And she’s not married. In other words,...

Virtual N(CAA)-sanity

7/17/09 2:22 PM

Post by David Helman — In what has become the holiest of summer traditions, I dropped my annual $60 on the latest issue of EA Sports’ college football video game, NCAA 2010, a couple nights ago. This is my eighth copy of NCAA — I never bothered to buy the original edition with former FSU senior citizen Chris Weinke on the cover — and roughly my 430th dollar spent on simulating college football. Names like Harrington, Fitzgerald and Bush stare out at me every time I go to the video game shelf — which is kind of funny because many of the disappointing editions of the game actually feature players who would go on to be … well, disappointments (looking at you Harrington, Weinke … Reggie? We’ll see). I haven’t had much time with...

Forget useless comparisons, appreciate what we have

7/14/09 10:14 PM

Post by Jerit Roser — So, I'm watching the 2009 MLB All-Star Game, and broadcaster Tim McCarver is telling me that the speed and acceleration on the base paths of Tampa Bay outfielder Carl Crawford is second only to Hall-of-Famer Lou Brock... I'm sorry, Tim — and no disrespect to Mr. Brock, but I doubt that seriously. And more importantly, we should stop caring if that's the case. I'm not saying I don't appreciate Lou Brock or his speed. The former Southern Jaguar broke into the Majors with the Chicago Cubs and spent about 15 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals before retiring with the career record for stolen bases in 1979. Brock's 938 successful swipes stood atop the list until Rickey Henderson passed it up a few years back. And while I doubt Brock was...

Dean's return is the right choice

7/14/09 10:06 PM

Post by Robert Stewart — “Don’t be a fool. Stay in school.” Yes, it’s a line from the movie “Van Wilder,” but it’s also words of wisdom Blake Dean took to heart before this past weekend came and went. The junior designated hitter finally made his decision about his baseball future Friday, announcing his decision to return to LSU for his senior season on his Facebook page. He was drafted in the 10th round by the Minnesota Twins in the MLB Draft back in early June. Four teammates and four LSU signees were selected before him. Passing up a potential lucrative contract isn’t something you make a decision on in about five minutes — it takes more like five weeks. For Dean, it took a little more than four weeks. And...

Wednesday's biggest free agent news won't show effects for another year

7/9/09 2:07 AM

Post by Jerit Roser — The NBA lifted the moratorium on signs and trades at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday morning, allowing several big names to switch teams following the week-long negotiations leading up to the event. But one nugget of information — a nugget that'll be hard for several teams, especially the New York Knicks, to swallow — has made the day's comings and goings easy to push onto the back burner for a later post. As for that later post, Rob, Andy and David, I'm calling dibs now. As for the day's news which will prove most influential on the league's future, let's get to it. Shortly before the league lifted the moratorium on transactions, a memo was sent out to all the league's teams addressing the expected salary cap and luxury-tax threshould for the...

Big Baby to the Big Easy?

7/7/09 5:04 PM

Post by Jerit Roser — No offers have been made to former LSU standout forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis since free agency opened last week, according to ESPN and other media outlets. But the New Orleans Hornets are apparently among the teams interested in Davis — who, it should be noted, is a restricted free agent, meaning Boston can match any contract offer. Former Tigers Marcus Thornton and Terry Martin are already on the verge of playing for the Hornets' summer league team and trying to secure spots on the final roster come fall. For what it's worth, it's always exciting to see local college standouts make their way to the Saints and Hornets, and Davis certainly proved his worth last season filling in minutes for an injured Kevin Garnett with the Celtics. ...

Tiger, Federer still have a little work to do, but let's appreciate them both while we can

7/7/09 3:43 PM

Post by Robert Stewart — There’s been an interesting debate going on in our newsroom in particular about two high-profile stars in their respective sports. And I’d bet most people are asking the same question right now after the conclusion of Wimbledon this past weekend and the British Open not too far away. Who’s more dominant in his respective sport, Tiger Woods or Roger Federer? Better yet, which one is closer to the “best of all-time” moniker in his sport? It’s actually pretty easy to argue either side, considering the two athletes’ inordinate amount of success at the highest level in their games. But making a decision is far more difficult. On one hand, there’s Woods, who’s second all-time in major golf championships...

Federer vs. Tiger: Advantage to Tiger ... for now

7/7/09 12:29 AM

Post by David Helman — So apparently I missed another epic Wimbledon final on Sunday. That's right, I not only slept through the Nadal-Federer classic but this year's Roddick-Federer tilt as well. Guilty as charged, my fault. But I didn't need to see the match itself to be stunned by the accomplishment Roger Federer just pulled off — 15 major titles and six Wimbledon wins. The dude's won at least one Grand Slam tournament in every year since 2003 and took home multiple titles in '04, '05, '06, '07 and now '09. I was 14 when he won Wimbledon for the first time, which means this year's incoming freshman weren't even in high school yet. Talk about a stunning stretch of dominance. The only comparison is a relatively easy one to make, as Tiger Woods, the longtime...

MLB fans picked solid All-Star lineups

7/7/09 12:28 AM

Post by Andy Schwehm — Well, the people have spoken, and the MLB All-Star lineups have been announced. One thing seems to be for sure — people are tired of steroids. Two huge names were left off the lineups in Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez, both the subject of much steroid scrutiny. The fans got something right. They need to keep these guys off the rosters, and, to be honest, anyone who has been suspended from the league for performance-enhancing drugs should be left off the ballot completely, as in the case of Ramirez. The voters were also right by making Cardinal first baseman Albert Pujols the highest vote getter ever. The St. Louis slugger is having his best season ever, batting .337 with a .460 on base percentage to go...