Photo of the Day: Braylon Busted

27 year old Jets wide receiver, Braylon Edwards, was arrested yesterday morning at 5:15am for having illegally tinted windows. Once the police had pulled him over they smelled alcohol and Edwards failed the Breathalyzer blowing .16 Edwards was at a charity event Monday night hosted by his teammate Jerrico Cotchery.

Reports came out this morning that Edwards, expected the cops to give him a break and let him off. "We were coming from a party. How about I just leave the car and take a cab and go home?" Edwards told officers during the stop. He would go on to question the validity of the stop, "Why was I stopped for having tints if my driving didn't lead you to believe I was drunk?"

The Jets last night said Edwards will not be suspended. However, he will not be allowed to start Sunday night's game in Miami and will be fined $50,000 by the NFL.

The Heart of the "Little Giants"

As most college football Saturdays go, yesterday evening I found myself on the edge of my seat, jaw half way to the floor eyes fixated on the TV screen, as the final moments of overtime in the Michigan State at Notre Dame ticked away. The game was three hours of two historic football programs fighting to maintain relevance and gain a spot in the Top 25.

The 2nd half proved to be, blow-by-blow, a battle of will that led the two teams into overtime. The Spartans won the coin toss and chose to be on defense first. With Notre Dame receiving the ball, they would drive it up the field and score a field goal putting them up 31-28. Michigan state had to respond with at least a field goal to keep the game alive and push it into double overtime and the Fighting Irish defense was going to make sure this task was as difficult as possible. Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins took a back sack, pushing the Trojans barely within field goal range for their inexperienced kicker.

It was at this moment that Michigan State football coach, Mark Dantonio decided to make a very ballsy move calling for a play we would later find out is known as "Little Giants." A direct snap went to the holder Aaron Bates (who actually was a high school QB), as receiver, Charlie Gantt, fumbled through the defense and ran down the sideline. Bates then tossed up the pass to Gantt who went for a 29 yard TD to end the game. Notre Dame stood there like many of us at home, stunned, jaws half way to the floor. While the full house of Michigan State fans exploded in a celebratory uproar for what their team had just pulled off to finish the game.

But the story of this team and the heroic efforts of their coach didn't end there. Reports this morning came out that gutsy coach Dantonio, went into Sparrow Hospital emergency room early Sunday morning with heart attack like symptoms. Doctors performed a cardiac catherterization procedure on Dantonio, during which they used a stent to open a blocked blood vessel leading to his heart.

Dantonio is expected to make a full recovery but will remain in the hospital a few more days. There is no clear timeline on when we can expect to see him back on the sidelines, and until his return offensive coordinator Don Treadwell will be taking on the responsibilities of head coach.

And the Oscar goes to...

With 16 games left in the Yankees’ 2010 season, and in a pivotal series against the Tampa Bay Rays (who currently lead the AL East division by a half game over the Yankees), Derek Jeter got hit on the elbow by a pitch and was awarded first base. Or so everybody thought. The only person who seemingly saw the play correctly was Rays’ manager, Joe Maddon, who got thrown out of the game for arguing (his argument was right on the money) that the ball hit the base of Jeter’s bat – not his elbow – and as such, he should not have been awarded first base. It goes without saying that, had instant replay been used in this situation, it would have taken the umpire less than 30 seconds to see the play correctly and make the right call. But this is not an article about whether or not instant replay should be used in Major League Baseball.

This article is addressing this one very specific play, the few minutes immediately after Jeter was “hit” by the pitch, and the sports world’s general reaction to the whole incident. Immediately after the pitch hit the base of his bat, Jeter flung his bat behind him, spun around and shook his elbow out. He then made his way off to the side, bent over with his hands on his knees and allowed a trainer to come out and find out what was “wrong with his elbow.” Based on his actions, the umpire deduced that he had been hit by the pitch and awarded him first base.

In the wake of this incident, there have been numerous baseball fans who have condemned Jeter’s actions, calling him a cheater and criticizing his integrity. Personally, I think all these people are being very hypocritical in their criticism on Jeter. All these critics act as though in a tight race for the division, in a pivotal series, and with their team down a run, they would not take any little advantage they could to try to help their team win. Jeter tried to gain an advantage for his team by acting a little. Players in every sport pull this acting job all the time. An outfielder traps the baseball between the grass and his glove, and holds up the ball trying to signify that he made the out in hopes that the umpire would call the batter out. A pitcher clearly throws a pitch outside the strike zone but the catcher catches the ball and tries to quickly slide it inside the strike zone in an attempt to influence the umpire to call a strike instead of a ball. A basketball player barely gets touched and falls to the ground under his goal in order to draw a charge on the player who was driving to the hoop. A football player catches a ball low in the end zone after it skips off the grass but holds the ball up in the air in an attempt to show the ref that he did indeed make the catch. We all see flopping and diving prevalent in soccer, with numerous teams earning game-winning penalty kicks off a perfectly orchestrated dive.

I could go on and on. But pointing out all these examples throughout sport is not to say that it is ok for this to be happening. I am just pointing out that it is the nature of the beast that is sports. As long as two sides are competing against each other people are going to try to push the boundaries to see what they can get away with. I am also pointing out for those who are condemning Jeter’s actions last night that this sort of acting does take place in baseball. Jeter was not the first baseball player to try to get away with something or try to gain an advantage for his team by acting a little, and he’s definitely not going to be the last. All tv remote-wielding critics need to realize that Jeter’s “antics” were nothing more than a passionate player’s attempts to get his team to the top of their division any creative way he could.

College Football Update: Week 3

Sorry for the delay folks. The College Football Update will usually run on the Sunday following the game but this week we're giving you a special midweek edition covering the first two weeks as well as previewing some games for the upcoming week 3 matchups.

Boise State – BCS Buster or BCS Busted?

• The first two weeks of the college football season for Boise State have been extremely bipolar for the Broncos. They started out with a big 4th quarter comeback to beat Virginia Tech and catapult themselves to number 3 in the nation and the talk of National Championship game was in full effect. Then the very next week Virginia Tech loses to lowly  James Madison and, in the opinion of many media members, submarines any chance of Boise make the Title game. It’s only week 3 and there are still many games to be played so I don’t think that Boise is out of the running yet. It does seem a bit convenient that Boise State’s strength of schedule would be so dramatically affected the week after the National Championship game was so certain for them but perhaps that is just the conspiracy theorist in me coming out. What do you think?

Strong QB Showings

• The first two weeks also gave us some great quarterback play (Kellan Moore, Andrew Luck, Ryan Mallett) as well as some early Heisman candidates in Michigan’s QB Denard Robinson (43 for 62, 430 yards and two touchdowns through the air & 455 yards and three touchdowns on the ground) and Ohio state QB Terrelle Pryor (29 for 52, 480 yards through the air and four passing touchdowns & 130 yards with 1 touchdown rushing the ball.) These two guys can get it done with their feet but they would almost prefer to beat to beat you down with their ability to pass. When Michigan and Ohio meet on November 27th I hope both of these guys are still on a roll because if so, that should be one special game.

What to Watch for This Weekend

• No. 24 Arizona at home against No. 9 Iowa
• These two teams have allowed a combined 11.0 points per game in their first two so the defense may be the key to this match-up. Both team’s offense thrived in their first two games but those were against inferior opponents. This week should spell the true test to see which team actually deserves its ranking.

• Nebraska traveling to Washington to take on Jake Locker and company
• While Nebraska seems to outmatch the Huskies at every position except for quarterback, that won’t stop Jake Locker from trying to push his team to the next level and use the big stage to demonstrate why the Bills should choose him first in next year’s draft.

• No.19 Stanford matching up against Wake Forest
• The Cardinal will be hosting the Demon Deacons at home trying to avenge a loss suffered at the hands of Wake Forest last season. The game last year was decided by a single touchdown but now these two teams look to be trending in opposite directions. Wake Forest was embroiled in a shootout with usual ACC bottomfeeder Duke while Stanford absolutely demolished a once proud UCLA team. The ACC teams struggled last weekend, let’s see what they come up with this week.

Upset Pick(s) of the Week:  No.10 Florida at Tennessee & No.12 Arkansas at Georgia Bulldogs

• I have two this week to make up for lost time. I picked South Carolina to upset Georgia last week but this time I’m going the other way Though the Bulldogs dropped out of the rankings on the heels of its loss to South Carolina and the possible continued suspension of leading receiver A.J. Green, they may bounce back against a Razorbacks team that has lost six straight to Georgia. If Green returns for this, I think we may see an upset.
• I also think that the struggles that Florida had been having on defense will finally come to bite them in the butt in Neyland Stadium on Saturday. Tennessee struggled to finish the game against No.5 Oregon last week but maybe that experience toughened them up for this upcoming matchup with the Gators. Florida quarterback, John Brantley will look to rebound from a slow start but might find that difficult in such a hostile environment in Knoxville.

MLB Update

It's an off day for a lot of baseball teams. Don't worry, this should satisfy your baseball fix.

As it turns out, I've got a better grasp of how the American League will pan out than the National League based on my predictions. There's no coincidence because I'm a Red Sox fan and this season has brought new meaning to the word "realistic." I won't bore you with a rant, but as I predicted, the four teams leading their races for playoff spots (Yankees, Twins, Rangers and Rays) are all still pretty firmly entrenched in first place. The only race that may heat up could be the Central, but I don't think the White Sox have the pitching to overtake the surging Twins.

In the NL, I'm somewhat surprised by what has transpired. The East and West are both shaping up to be very exciting the final four weeks. The Phillies have overtaken the Braves and lead by half a game. I expect the Bravos to make a push at the end, but the Fightin Phils have experience aplenty with much of their 2008 World Series and 2009 NL Champion squads intact. I think the biggest question is how Roy Halladay will pitch in a game that actually means something since he's been the best pitcher in baseball never to make the playoffs. It could make for some interesting drama. If I were the Phils, I would've kept Cliff Lee because he's proven himself and when he returns from his injury, the Rangers will benefit from it.

The Reds are hanging tough in the Central and have capitalized on a serious tank job by the Cardinals. The wheels pretty much came off for St. Louis after the dropped series against Pittsburgh and Washington, the worst of the worst in baseball. Like my Sox, I say stick a fork in 'em, the Wild Card belongs to whoever doesn't win the East.

Which brings me to my next point. The NL West teams have been beating each other to a pulp and have closed the gap on the Padres. San Francisco has made the most of of the Pads colossal 10-game losing streak and cut the lead to two games. They also trail the Braves by two in the Wild Card. Also in the mix for the Wild Card are the red-hot Rockies. I'll admit, I counted them out, but they've won seven in a row and should be in the mix til the bitter end.



One other story line to watch for is the quest for the elusive triple crown. For those unfamiliar with the legend, the triple crown winner in baseball is the major league leader in home runs, batting average and runs batted in during the regular season. The last time this legendary statistical feat was achieved was in 1967 when Carl Yastrzemski achieved it for the Sox. We have three bonafide contenders in the NL. The first should come as no surprise since Albert Pujols is one of the faces of the game. He is first in the NL in dingers (36), third in RBIs (98) and sixth in average (.311). Next is Joey Votto who would get my vote for NL MVP if I had one. He is second in the NL in homers (t-32), ribbies (99) and average (.326). The third guy is someone you've never heard of unless you're a Rockies fan or follow teams in the NL West. Carlos Gonzalez is leading the NL in hitting at .340, is first in RBIs with 100 and tied for second with Votto with 32 round-trippers. Quite an impressive threesome. If one of them does it, it will be even more impressive because this is supposedly the "Year of the Pitcher" with so many no-hitters and near no-hitters and what not.

The hunt for the Triple Crown is also extended to the AL where it's more of a two man race. Miguel Cabrera has been putting fear in the eyes of opposing pitchers all season and his stats are nothing short of excellent. His 110 RBIs are tops in the majors, his .333 average is second in baseball and his 33 four-baggers put him tied for fourth in baseball with Paul Konerko of the White Sox. Of all the candidates, his resume is the strongest. The other guy in the AL is Josh Hamilton. The game's top offensive center fielder leads the majors in hitting at .361, is ninth with 31 homers and has 97 runs driven in to tie him with Minnesota's Delmon Young (what the hell?) for tenth in baseball. Not too shabby but the power numbers need a shot in the arm--er a bit of a boost, for him to surpass Cabrera. Hope you didn't fall asleep reading this, I've been up since 2:30 am.

Battered and Bruised: Recapping Notable Pre-Season Injuries

We have been counting down the days till the start of this football season since the Saints marched the Vince Lombardi trophy back to New Orleans after Superbowl XLIV. In anticipation for the day that we get to see our favorite teams face off against each other on the line of scrimmage, many of us take to watching overly glorified scrimmages preseason games.

I have mixed feelings about the pre-season and how much it really tells me about my team and how they will do in the long haul. On one hand, we have the ability to size teams up, see how much depth on their roster and see how some of our newly acquired players fit with our team. But preseason injuries are inevitable in the NFL. And within the span of four weeks, several teams are faced with the threat of losing one of their key players for a significant part of the regular season. And this year was no different as we kept a watch on the injury report to see if some late greats and young hopefuls could keep themselves together long enough to take the first snap of the regular season.

As we count down the final hours before the start of the season, lets take a look back on the notable injuries of this season that have been keeping us up at night.

Dez Bryant

The Bad News: The Cowboys were the first team to suffer a potentially serious injury to one of their key players. During training camp, Bryant went down with a high ankle sprain and missed all but the first week of practice. The anticipation around Bryant and the potential impact he can have on the Cowboys is what makes this injury concerning to fans. With the Cowboys trading up in the draft to pick up Bryant, scouting reports about his speed and agility, and the infamous rookie shoulder pads training camp drama, there has been quite a bit of hype around a player that has played in a full game since September 19, 2009 before the NCAA suspended him.
The Good News: Bryant thinks his ankle is 100% and we should finally see some of his potential unleashed this Sunday against the Redskins

Byron Leftwich
The Bad News: With Ben Roethlisberger out for the start of the season, it was essential that the Steelers have a solid QB roster to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Steelers had brought in Leftwich at the end of last season to be their starting quarterback while Roethlisberger was out. Now, Dennis Dixon is the guy who will be running the show with career backup Charlie Batch waiting in the wings. The Steelers began the season with a solid line up of 4 quarterbacks and now they are down to just two with Leftwich on the sidelines for most of the first month with a strained left knee ligament.
The Good News: Big Ben’s suspension has been reduced to 4 weeks and he will be retaking the reigns on this team October 17th when Pittsburgh meets Cleveland.

Gibril Wilson
The Bad News: The Bengals safety Wilson is out with a torn ACL and MCL and will miss the entire season after suffering the injury in the 2nd pre-season game. He signed this spring as a free-agent and the Bengals hoped that he would add experience and depth to the position.
The Good News: Although this leaves Cincinnati pretty thin at the safety position Coach Marvin Lewis is expecting to see the young guys on the team step-up to the plate since they will be filling the No. 4 position internally.

Donnie Avery

The Bad News: The Rams #1 Wide Receiver is out for the year after suffering a torn ligament in his right knee during the preseason game against the Patriots. This is a pretty big blow to the Rams offense since Avery is the arguably one of their few threats on offense. While the Rams scrabbled to find a replacement it started to look like the much celebrated Bradford had no one of quality Laurent Robinson to throw the ball too.

The Good News: The Rams were able to find a replacement to add some much needed experience and to the Wide Receivers roster in Mark Clayton who they picked up from the Baltimore Ravens. Clayton is a product of the Boomer Sooner machine like QB Bradford and they even have had the experience of working together in the past. The experience and familiarity may be enough to hold the Rams together through this season.


Sidney Rice

The Bad News: The Vikings have been plagued with injuries all off-season. Wide Receiver Rice will miss the first 6 weeks of the regular sesason. Although this doesn’t completly cripple their offense, it is disappointing to see, particularly because the Vikings success last year was in large part due to Rice’s 1,312 yards and 8 touchdowns. Even more concerning is that it looks like this situation could have been prevented. Rice initially injured his hip in the NFC Championship game against the Saints, but doctors continually told him in the offseason that it would heal with rest and he would need surgery before the start of this season. But apparently the doctor was wrong and the situation worsened forcing Rice to opt into surgey.
The Good News: Rice isn't out for the entire season and a healthy Rice is better than no Rice. As he reports on his blog, he should be back later this season to "help the Vikings make a push for the Super Bowl."

Now there are some key players that are "healthy" but their previous injuries are still in the back of our minds. Just to mention a few:

Donovan McNabb, Redskins- foot injury

Troy Polamalu, Steelers- knee injury

Brett Favre, Vikings- ankle injury

Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals- sprained MCL

Wes Welker, Patriots- knee injury

Michael Bush, Raiders- thumb

Clinton Portis, Redskins- sprained ankle

What major players did I forget? And what impact will their absence have on their teams this season?

NFL Preview: Superbowl Picks

Finally we are coming to the end of our NFL preview and we are finishing up with the biggest event in the entire football season: the Super Bowl. We asked our writers for their picks for the winners of the Vince Lombardi trophy and no one could agree...

Super Bowl Picks

John: 

Packers vs. Pats with my New England Patriots taking the Super Bowl title.

Johnny C: 

Dallas, Romo and company finally get over the hump when Dez Bryant gets healthy.

Kevin: 

Houston Texans are going to win it all regardless of who they play.

Michelle: 

Colts vs. Cowboys, and as much as it pains me to pick against Dallas, the Colts will win it all. 

Sport4Prophet: 

Packers vs. Colts, the Packers in an F-U Favre season from Aaron Rodgers provides Peyton Manning with his second straight loss in a Super Bowl