Midwest Sports Shorts

Sports Briefing - College Football - Receiver Sues Over Injury - NYTimes.com

2010-08-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

Sports Briefing - College Football - Receiver Sues Over Injury - NYTimes.com

Elway Speaks

2010-05-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

I'm always interested when John Elway speaks his mind about the Broncos. Remember that Elway and Broncos' owner, Pat Bowlen, are very good friends. Elway is generally very, very supportive of the moves that the front office makes. Elway's approval is pivotal in the mile high city. Tebow can fit the mold that Elway created. Lots of hard work is ahead, but he has time to make those improvements.

Click on the picture of John to watch this very recent video. He is cautiously optimistice in regards to new Bronco quarterback, Tim Tebow. I would love to hear Tebow's comments about Elway.

Roethlisberger's police buddies under scrutiny - Associated Press - NFL - Sporting News

2010-04-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

Roethlisberger's police buddies under scrutiny - Associated Press - NFL - Sporting News

Been wondering how long it would take for this part of the story to "become the story." Big Ben is clearly well connected. The fact that he has police officers working for him, makes many believe that he has been involved in a variety of nefarious activities over the years. Where will this story end? Pittsburgh fans are going to grow tired of Big Ben or will they be satisfied with a winning quarterback at any cost?

CU Introduces Boyle As New Men's Basketball Coach - CUBuffs.com—Official Athletics Web site of the University of Colorado

2010-04-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

CU Introduces Boyle As New Men's Basketball Coach - CUBuffs.com—Official Athletics Web site of the University of Colorado

Interesting biographical sketch on the new basketball coach at the University of Colorado. Its always terribly interesting, as a basketball coach, to see how a successful college coach makes the right moves to achieve their goals. Coach Boyle started out as an assistant coach at various high school programs and then made the leap, over many years, to a head coach in the Big 12. Good luck, Coach Boyle!

"My job description is to win football games"

2009-04-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

After the dust has settled on the Jay Cutler trade, it seems to be a good trade for both Bears fans and Bronco fans.

The Bears have been looking for decades for a franchise quarterback. A quarterback who can get the ball down the field in a hurry and put up points in a hurry. Cutler is that guy! The Bears have meandered with mediocrity at the signal caller position. One of those "mediocre" quarterbacks was Kyle Orton. I do believe that Cutler will miss the tremendous receiving corps that he enjoyed in Denver. The combination of Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall only slightly overshadows the tandem of Rashied Davis and Brandon Rideau (seriously).

In Broncoland, the fans are uneasy. The new kid, Josh McDaniels, is doing things very differently than Coach Shanahan. I am not going to hide the fact that I am a die hard Bronco fan, and this transition makes me nervous. However, I am incredibly happy that Jay Cutler is long gone! Yes, his talent is rarely seen in the NFL. However, he completely lacks leadership and the intangibles that it takes to play quarterback. Cutler was called the "next Elway" by Mike Shanahan. However, that was a terrible comparison. The only similarity was the prodigious arm strength that both quarterbacks possess. Elway could lead his team. Cutler was not able to lead his team in a positive direction. He could not get over the hump, so to speak. His record was poor, especially at home! Bronco fans will be very forgiving to Orton. I think we'll like Kyle Orton, as he will not turn the ball over and the players will love him. Check out what he wanted to when he first got to Denver. We want a winning football team in Denver and Orton or Mark Sanchez (if we trade up to pick him) will be the answer. Jay Cutler was the problem. Thank you Pat Bowlen.

Bye Bye Billie

2009-03-27T17:41:00.000-07:00

Just yesterday, the University of Kentucky was saying that they would take their time to evaluate Coach Gillespie's tenure at UK before making any decisions about his future in Lexington. Today, he's gone! Mark Story has a great story about who might fill his shoes.

Without a doubt, UK fans will be pushing for Billy Donovan or John Calipari. Both of those would be outstanding in Kentucky blue. It seems that Donovan might be a better fit. He would love to get to a real basketball school. Calipari completely controls his sad conference and certainly gets paid handsomely. Travis Ford is a hot coach right now and Izzo may have run the course in East Lansing. Lots of interesting names out there, especially when it is one of the top basketball schools in the nation. How about Jeff Capel?

I'm guessing it won't be Capel or Ford. Kentucky just got burned on former Big 12 coaches. Look for Billy Donovan to be the guy!

Here are the candidates!

Here are the basketball schools in order:

1. North Carolina

2. Kentucky

3. Kansas

4. UCLA

5. Duke

Kentucky's biggest fan, Ashley Judd, could be their best recruiter!

Bo Don't Know

2008-09-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Its very interesting! The Virginia Tech Hokies came to Lincoln with a very average, young football team. They grew up over the course of 4 quarters. Never did the game "feel" in doubt. The Hokies were toying with the Huskers. The Husker defense would bow its neck every time the Hokie offense got close to the endzone, but the Hokies were better. More disturbingly, the Husker offense cannot mount any sort of rushing offense. The Huskers will not beat a substantial team without being able to run the football. Tom Shatel in the Omaha World Herald does a tremendous job of breaking down this loss in his column. On to other matters. Coach Pelini's tirade was to be expected, but not condoned. A coach must be more calculating. In most cases, a coach that goads the referees into an unsportsmanlike penalty is trying to motivate his team. Pelini showed his lack of maturity and experience. His penalty did not cost the Huskers a victory, but it certainly brings his temper into play for the rest of the season. Wait until the Huskers play a "good" team. What type of behavior can we expect when the Huskers hit the road against a Big 12 opponent? Regardless, we knew that we were getting this from Pelini when he was hired. There are reasons why he hadn't been a head coach. His mentors, including Les Miles, would have never exhibited this type of behavior. I do appreciate his fiery disposition and it has rubbed off on the players. However, it might cost the Big Red a game in the future.

Notre Dame vs. Cal Poly

2008-09-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

What an interesting day in South Bend, Indiana! Can Notre Dame fans continue to be satisfied with the inept team that is put on the field every season? Since Brady Quinn left Notre Dame for the NFL, this team has been floundering. San Diego State's coach, Chuck Long, has some very interesting quotes at the conclusion of this game. Coach Long had to ponder about which team was better, Notre Dame or Cal Poly. I wonder how many 5 star, blue chip recruits are playing at Cal Poly. I took a peek at Cal Poly's 2008 recruiting list. I don't see too many blue chippers, other than the #115th ranked tight end in the country, Karl Winkelman. If you just want to look at tight ends, Notre Dame recruited and signed the 4th and 15th best tight ends in the country. This isn't really about tight ends, Cal Poly, or San Diego State. The story should be Coach Charlie Weis. According to the Coaches Hot Seat Ranking, Charlie Tuna is #29. I imagine when these rankings are updated, he will be much closer to the top of the list. Playing in South Bend should at least give you 14 points, especially against a poor team. Enough. Michigan comes to town next Saturday. Even if Notre Dame wins, Michigan still has the cutest cheerleaders.

Darrell "Five Star" Scott

2008-08-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

Football fans in Boulder, Colorado may be in for a real treat as the "Darrell Scott Era" is about to begin. The Boulder Daily Camera has a great interview with incoming freshman and a very good review of his summer. Read the article closely as it does raise some red flags. It mentions that Scott has occasionally been late for meetings. How will "Hawk Love" feel about Scott's tardiness? No big deal...if he turns into the stud that most predict for him.

In neighboring Oklahoma, Coach Bob Stoops has made a tough decision. He has kicked Josh Jarboe off the Sooner football team. Here's a link to the Josh Jarboe video. The video reminds me of a very bad SNL skit. I couldn't believe what I was watching! Coach Stoops has been criticized for taking too long to boot Jarboe off the team. Dave Sittler of the Tulsa World has an interesting take on why Stoops may have hesitated in kicking this young man off the team...and it isn't just because he was rated as the 13th best player in the nation!

Hawk's Blog

2008-08-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

CU coach, Dan Hawkins, is kind of known as a free spirit. I came across his blog and I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. He doesn't update it very often, but I was drawn to his parenting tips. His kids have all graduated from high school and moved on to college, so this seems to be very reflective on his part. There are 33 tips and they are incredibly random. Some of them are humorous and some are very serious, but they show his true spirit. He seems like a real guy, who isn't interested in what others feel about him. I can see why he is such a good recruiter. Parents and players really like this coach. In addition, Coach Hawkins is building a program that will be good for years. He doesn't take short cuts to success. He is “doing it” the right way!

Click on Hawk's Blog.

NCAA Hypocrisy

2008-07-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

The fantasy football world is changing greatly. CBS has recently announced that they will feature a college football fantasy game. In this past, there have been lame attempts at college fantasy football. However, according to this Wall Street Journal story, CBS Sportsline will use real players from NCAA BCS conference schools.

A couple of interesting items that seem to be overlooked. The NCAA doesn't want other private entities to make a profit off of "their" amateur football players. However, they have no problem making ludicrous amounts of money for themselves off of these young men. In addition, CBS has such a sweet deal with the NCAA for men's basketball, it is ironic that they are flying in the face of this mammoth organization on this particular venture. CBS is well aware of the money they can make through web advertising to fantasy football junkies.

Steve and Barry's Files for Bankruptcy

2008-07-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a story about the "cheap hoodies" from Steve and Barry's. They have filed for bankruptcy. If the University of Michigan cuts off S & B, then many other universities will likely follow. If you want to read more about the bankruptcy check out MarketWatch. Interesting that so many famous people have placed clothing lines in their stores. I imagine Sarah Jessica Parker, Venus Williams, and Stephon Marbury are a little concerned right now.

Tribute to John Wooden

2008-07-08T20:24:00.001-07:00

I came across this interesting blog entry from SoCal. It seems that this wonderful tribute to Coach Wooden is on the outside wall of an English classroom. At the dedication of the mural, Wooden was asked what his favorite part of painting, and he replied "...my wife." This guy is amazing. His modesty and consistent approach are remarkable. Here is the LA Times story. Coach Wooden also has a great website. I have many of Coach Wooden's books and they are inspirational and terrific for anyone who works with young people. He always seems to keep sports in perspective.

Midwest Sports Quick Hitters

2008-07-01T21:40:00.001-07:00

25 years ago Joe Delaney jumped into a Louisiana pond in an attempt to save 3 children. Do you remember that story? He lost his life. This tremendous article chats with one of the survivors, 25 years later. Very interesting! (The Kansas City Star)

I was cruising around looking at some of my favorite blogs and came across this website while visiting the Wizard of Odds. Check out this link to MapGameDay.

Banning tobacco is becoming more and more common. Oklahoma State University is banning all tobacco products on their campus. I love their kickoff campaign. They want all campus employees to put on gloves and pick up cigarette butts and they will be awarding prizes to those that pick up the most. The trend continues. (The Oklahoman)

Those interested in youth sports will be highly interested in this article in the Omaha World Herald. Too many of our young athletes are playing too many games and not enough practice on the fundamentals. I know that the Midwest Sports Boss has a young one who is smack dab in the middle of this unfortunate phenomenon. (Omaha World Herald)

Here's the first college football warm up story. Stewart Mandel at Sports Illustrated gives us his pick for the ten most pivotal games of the year. Three Big 12 games are listed. One of those is the November 1 tilt between Texas and Texas Tech in Lubbock. The Red Raiders are getting an amazing amount of preseason publicity. Are they worthy? (SI.com)

Since the Midwest Sports Boss is located in the heart of Big Red Country (Nebraska), I am very interested in college football coaching changes. We don't have to worry here, as Bo begins his tenure. However, according to the Coaches Hot Seat, Ty Willingham, Kirk Ferentz, and Nick Saban better win more than a few games. Check out the latest update. (Coaches Hot Seat)

Let's finish with this very bizarre site. College mascot look alikes. Very strange. I can't explain, just check it out (Derober)

Be back much sooner next time.

LSU Adds Practice Facility

2008-07-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

LSU basketball has been stumbling along for the last couple of years, but the revenue brought in by the football team has allowed them to upgrade the practice facilities. This seems to be a common theme for basketball recruiting. Many programs that have fallen into mediocrity or worse think that adding a practice-only facility will improve recruiting. Check out LSU's new practice facility that they have just broken ground on.

Click here for the article.

Midwest Sports Quick Hitters

2008-05-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

Cliff Branch was better known for his days in the NFL, but his college career was interesting as well (The Denver Post).

Bill Self's new recruit has a pretty good pedigree (The Kansas City Star).

Like the CU Buffs need any other obstacles to success in big time college football (Neill Woelk at The Daily Camera).

Owen Field gets a facelift (The Oklahoman).

This video helps explain the effect of blogs on the sports world. My little spot on the web doesn't even make a dent compared to what the guys in this clip are discussing (Deadspin).

Coach Pelini gives a speech. I haven't found the time to watch the entire 45 minute speech, but here it is (The Columbus Telegram).

Attendance at spring football scrimmages vary from program to program. Former National Championship coach Bill McCartney tried to help out his old team (The Birmingham News).

Charles Barkley and The Teleprompter

2008-05-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Super funny! Chuck reminds me of Ron Burgandy in this clip. Check it out! Barkley appears ready for more prime time air time. Team him up with Dan Patrick and stand back.

Kudos to Larry Eustachy

2008-05-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

Just came across a tremendous editorial piece by Blair Kerkhoff in the Kansas City Star. It is quite amazing how the most embarrassing events in our lives can be the most influential. I love how Eustachy has dealt with his alcoholism and is so willing to share his tribulations with others. You hear of coaches and athletes who admit their problems (Roger Clemens), but never truly "fix" the problems.

Eustachy was a tremendous coach at Iowa State, who could really recruit. I haven't kept tabs on him at Southern Mississippi, but I am hopeful that he turns that program into a winner.

If you want to reminisce about Coach Eustachy's transgressions, checkout Dan Shanoff's piece.

Basketball and No Beer for You!

2008-05-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

The University of Nebraska is finally contemplating building a new basketball arena to replace the aging Bob Devaney Sports Center. The new arena will be off-campus, as it will be located in the historic Haymarket area of downtown Lincoln. There are still a few hurdles to cross before the arena is built (like finding the money).

The Huskers have long needed an arena downtown near restaurants and bars. The success of the Qwest Center in Omaha, which is home to the Creighton Bluejays, is driving this initiative to build a new downtown arena. Doc Sadler is in dire need of an arena to recruit better athletes to Lincoln. As a Husker basketball fan, I was hoping that the university would be interested in pleasing the fans. Wouldn't it be fun to watch Big XII basketball and have a beer? However, NO BEER FOR YOU!

Billy Cannon to College Football HOF

2008-05-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

Heisman Trophy winner, Billy Cannon, is finally being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. With icons like Lou Holtz and Troy Aikman, Billy Cannon will likely be overlooked when the induction occurs in December.

What's the big deal with Billy Cannon? Any astute college football fan is aware of the great LSU teams of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Billy Cannon was the hard-charging, two-way motor that drove those teams. He was certainly on his way to being inducted much earlier, but he was snagged in a counterfeiting scheme and hard times followed. Read the amazing biography of Billy Cannon. How many dentists have won the Heisman Trophy? In addition, have you ever seen Everybody's All American? Good flick! It was supposedly loosely based on Billy Cannon's life.