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February 10th, 2004
07:36 pm - Oh
and everywhere i checked the line was even. in fact, i did a little investigative work and went to the local reservation. the indians had the line at even so the game would have payed.
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06:27 pm - Thats what Im taking about
All right, I am getting blasted here and loving it. Thats what I like to see. So here we go now.
I completly forgot that Paul took a shot at his girlfriend so thumbs up for pointing that out. Talk about wasted potential that guy was moving up in the rankings and had a belt which could have made an attractive matchup for a big name. The gloves around his neck were ridiculous. Robey had a tattoo???
Mystery Man- For the record I hate all Sun Devil sports with the exception of the baseball team. I especially hate Ike Diogu as he is one of the main reasons that ASU sucks this year. I agree Pitt is on the VERGE of being a great team. But if your on the VERGE of that, that makes you a good team. I read the selection commitee article as well and I can assure you that if Gonzaga wins out they will be a 1 seed. The fact is, Gonzaga has become americas sweat heart team. After the upsets they have pulled off everybody in america roots for them. They have played in some classics like the game last year against Arizona. There two losses have come against the only two undeafeted teams in the country. They will be strongly considered at the end of the year, you watch and see. Kentucky plays two ranked opponents in their last two weeks. There is no way they will emerge from both of those games intact, let alone the drive through the SEC tourny. Miss. State had them beat if it was not for a fluke tip. That team is on fire and will not lose for the rest of the regular season if they get by the gamecocks tomarrow. I think they can beat Kentucky but we will see. When you stack the losses up here, the Hall loss really hurts Pitt. Your talking about two teams that lost to the cream of the crop and one thats carrying around a loss to a second tier team. I think you miss read the column as the guy said that if they won out they would have to be considered but worst case scenario, a loss in the WCC tournament would drop them to four. I could not find the article to confirm this though. I was forced to listen to the game on the Seton Hall radio network and the commentater kept saying how tired Barret was. How the guy could not even hold his head up. So ya let the guy drive and try to make a leaning jumper in the lane. He was 2-7 in both overtimes and had considerably cooled off. He had missed two similar shots in both OTs. I would have rather had Krauser on the floor shooting to tie then Graves shooting to win would'nt you. Or at least let someone else take the foul. Mark was right there, get out of the way and let someone else make a good play to block the shot or take the foul.
Kinger- Shit in the bed. I perfer "what the hell are you doing here paul?? what happened you shit the bed." Or maybe, sometimes you eat the bar, sometimes the bar eats you. Similar but anytime I can work in a Big Lebowski refrence I try my best. As far as the celebration goes, I have said it before and will say it again Pat King is all about the face time. I tried for two years to get a god damn comment in the Valley News and Kinger would not tell the guy to call me. He would not share the press with me. Oh well, what are you going to do when you play with a guy like that. Kinger do not even try to refute this, "Rome wasnt built in a day, but it appearently could have been with me and Pappy here." I bet you told that to some guy at the PPG while hording column space from those poor Nucks. I feel bad for them, poor humble Nucks confronted by two playboys like you and Papciak. Interesting comment about Graves. Everybody says the guy has great rotation and can really shoot the ball. He does not get many oppurtunities to shoot which could contribute to his misses in games. But it always seems like the ball takes a left hand turn right out of his hand. Torey give us some info here on proper shooting form and wheather Graves has it or not.
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04:36 pm - Sorry Adam
Man. what happened to Paul Spadafora. This guy was on the rise at one point. Smellermen and Kenny could not stop gushing over the guy. It seems to me he has not fought for at least a year. No wonder nobody wanted to give Dimichele a scholarship. Spadafora is not exactlly doing a great job of representing the downtrowden Mckees Rocks community.
A judge this morning fined boxer Paul Spadafora $400 for urinating on Liberty Avenue during a boozy binge last year.
Judge Kevin Cooper found Spadafora guilty of public intoxication and disorderly conduct for the incident in October. A charge of open lewdness was lowered to a summary offense of disorderly conduct. The bad-boy boxer also has to complete 100 hours of community service.
The judge imposed the maximum fine for each charge - $200 - after defense attorney William Difenderfer unsuccessfully argued in City Court for a lower fine.
"It's because Spadafora is who is he is, he is responsible to conduct himself in a certain way," Cooper said.
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04:27 pm - Jerseys
Interesting debate going on in a diffrent site. Lets see what you boys think. TJ Ford just had his number retired at Texas. He is two years removed from school. Is it to soon to retire Larry's number 1?? If it is when would be more appropriate??
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04:07 pm - Disturbing
This morning I did not have much time so I wrote something real quick and looked for an interesting article. I saw ref assulted and threw it up. Since it got a comment allready I read the article. Seriously, I almost got sick. I could not believe that someone would do that to someone else. I mean here is a guy who I am guessing is a former player who for the love of the game is trying to do a service for these people and he ends up in the god damn hospital. I think we have all yelled at a ref before but for a non participant to assult someone doing a public service is ridiculous. Jack was 56, one year younger then this guy, and if someone picked him up and bodyslammed him he would have been seriously injured. Christ when you get old falling down the stairs can kill you. I cannot even describe how sick and unfeeling the human race is. I just hope that guy was alright and continues calling high school games. Just really sick stuff.
Kinger- You know my bottom line with the Pitt game is, its okay to struggle and not play well. Your going to have games like that but good teams find ways to win when there having a bad game. The foul call on Krauser was a joke but he has got to give Barret room if he has 4 fouls. Pitt may have just blown their shot at a number 1 seed as Mississippi State and Gonzaga are moving on up. I am not sure about Dukovich but I remember his kids being assholes too. I think the senior Dukovich was a little older though.
Damn the man, save the empire. Continue the struggle for all us educated sports fans against the many ignorent ones. There is not many of us so making your voice heard to 30 idiots went along way to perserving the cause. Incidently, the D III nationals are in Arizona this year. Drake's St. Vince squad looks like a lock to get in. Your team however, is no where to be found among the rankings. Get your ass in gear so we can party in the valley.
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12:19 pm - Nostradomus
Yes thats right. Go ahead and call me Ron Cook. The diffrence is I had the stones to gurentee a Pitt loss against the Hall. If you took it to your bookies like I said, good move. If you did not you should have listened to me. Pitt lost last night by 1 after a double overtime game against the Hall. Antonio Graves took the last shot once again and missed. As i had also said before when Krauser scores 20+ Pitt losses. He had only 4 rebounds and 3 assists and fouled out on a questionable foul in the second overtime. This was the second game that Jaron had to play with four fouls for an extended period of time. Krauser and Brown combined for 13 of Pitts 24 tournovers. This was a very dissapointing effort from Pitt and things do not get easier as they host UCONN on SAT. They still are atop the Big East thanks to a UCONN loss at Norte Dame. The good news is Pitt shot 46% despite 1-6 shooting from Page who has recently admitted that his ankle has been affecting his play.
In unrelated stories, Larry endorsed Tyler Palko as the next great Pitt player during his NFL announcement. Mike Tyson admitted he has only 5,000 dollars in his bankaccount after earning over 200 million during his carrer. He earned 6 dollars during the month of September. Willie Williams the Miami linebacker turned himself in after a warrent was issued for his arrest in Dade County. Peter Gamons recently said that the Pirates had the worst offseason of any major league club.
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12:17 pm - Jeez
Deer Lakes School District Superintendent Mark King said it sounded like a melon hitting the floor when a Hampton parent came out of the stands at a Friday basketball game and body slammed a referee, causing him to hit his back and head on the hardwood.
Peter Dukovich, 47, of Elgro Road, Hampton, was charged with simple assault and assault on a sports official. Dukovich is accused of attacking referee Ronald Bell, 57, of Scottdale during a Deer Lakes/Hampton boys varsity basketball game at Deer Lakes High School.
Dukovich's wife, Raelynn Dukovich, 43, was charged with disorderly conduct for her alleged involvement in the incident.
The game was played at 4 p.m. and was only open to parents and grandparents because a fight erupted between fans after a basketball game last year at Hampton High School.
Earlier this year a game that was only open to parents and grandparents was played at Hampton High School without incident.
Friday's incident at Deer Lakes caused the game to be suspended.
West Deer Police Chief Jon Lape said there was a shoving match between a Deer Lakes player and a Hampton player on the court and the game was halted near the end of the third quarter to try to resolve the situation.
Lape said Raelynn Dukovich became irate and was yelling obscenities at the officials. Lape didn't say if the Hampton player involved was Dukovich's son.
The chief said that when Raelynn Dukovich was asked to calm down she became belligerent toward police and King. Police decided to escort her out of the gym, Lape said.
King said that's when about 15 to 20 parents from both sides came out of the stands. Most listened to police and went back to their seats, but Peter Dukovich attacked Bell.
"He picked the official up, slammed him to the floor, hitting his back first and then his head. We called an ambulance right away," King said. "It was scary, I thought he was going to be seriously hurt."
"He was very incoherent. He tried to get up and he fell right back down again," King said.
Bell, who sustained a concussion in the incident, was taken to a hospital Friday and released that night, King said.
The superintendent said Dukovich probably is about 6 feet 2 inches tall, while Bell probably is about 5 feet 8 inches and weighs 170 pounds. King said he's not sure why Dukovich decided to go after Bell.
"I really felt terrible. He came clear from Scottdale and got hurt," King said.
When reached Monday at his home, Peter Dukovich said there's another side to the story, but he didn't want to make a statement at this time.
Bell could not be reached for comment.
The players witnessed the incident, but were sent to the locker room shortly after it happened. King said he's embarrassed that people who are supposed to be role models would become involved in such an incident.
Police decided to escort the Hampton fans out of the gym and Hampton's athletic director, who was at the game, decided not to continue the contest, King said.
"As Hampton fans were exiting they were taunting the Deer Lakes fans," King said.
Additional police from West Deer, three police officers from Indiana Township and three police officers from Richland responded to the scene. There were no additional incidents or arrests after the game.
Both schools have tapes of the game, but King said the Deer Lakes tape cuts off after the altercation between players, and doesn't show the attack on Bell.
King and Hampton Superintendent Lawrence Korchnack said the tapes will be reviewed to see if any disciplinary action will be taken against any of the players.
"It has not been brought to my attention that the tape indicates that there should be any student discipline," said Korchnack, who wasn't at the game.
Korchnack said it's always a shame when violence occurs.
"You don't want violence to be the first reaction," he said.
King said school officials were being proactive and provided adequate security for the game. The superintendent said there were two West Deer police officers, one school security guard, two principals and two athletic directors in attendance.
During a regular game attended by 300 to 400 people, there usually are four or five police officers on duty, King said.
That policy was put into place after an incident that took place during a Deer Lakes/Valley basketball game in 2001. At that game, a Valley player got into a fight with a fan who was not a student at the school. The Valley player's father punched the fan. The fan and the Valley player's father were charged with disorderly conduct.
King and Korchnack said they don't know what WPIAL officials will rule or what actions will be taken if the two schools play in the same section next year.
"Next year our recommendation will be no spectators at all if we stay in the same section," King said.
"We need to rectify the situation and make some provisions so something like this doesn't occur again," Korchnack said.
Both men said they will listen to WPIAL recommendations.
Korchnack said if either team had made the playoffs the incident might have had a bigger impact. Friday's game was the last game of the year for both teams.
WPIAL Executive Director Larry Hanley didn't return a phone call for comment.
Duane Newton, the PIAA representative for the WPIAL, said he wasn't at the game but is aware of the incident. He said there have been situations where schools have played games with no fans allowed to attend.
He said in basketball, more than football, fans are closer to the action. He said most officials don't seem to be worried about such an assault.
"We give PIAA camps three times a year and nobody comments on that," Newton said.
Mike Manko, a spokesman for the Allegheny County District Attorney's office, said the charge of assault on a sports official is rare. It carries a maximum penalty of a five-year jail term or a $10,000 fine, or both.
Dukovich was released from the county jail on his own recognizance. He faces a preliminary hearing Feb. 25 before District Justice Suzanne Blaschak in West Deer.
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February 9th, 2004
12:52 pm - Sorry
Well, first let me apoligize to Mr. King. I meant it all in good fun. As far as the pissing matches go, I feel like I have to do that to keep people coming back to the site. But I am sorry.
Tim- The ties to home are tough to break but this is a real troubling statement about Pitt. Pitt may be playing in a watered down confrence soon but Tulane?? We just lost two prized recruits and we are in the process of being turned down by guy whos program was almost terminated last year. We may be looking at the end of a good run for Pitt if this trend continues.
I could not believe that Morelli blasted Gordan and the Penn Hills program. This is Western Pa. not California. The fact is the offense's in our region are all based on the run. That statement bassicly corroborates what Torey said about Gordan-Moreeli relationship. The fact that he and his dad have the same barbed wire just seems mildly pathetic to me. Equally pathetic was the fact that Mr. Morelli called himself one of the best dads in the world.
Dylon- That was a bad move to bash people based on the sport they chose to play. After all, you were a soccer player. A sport that is bassicly comprised of outcasts who cannot handle a real mans sport. The fact you played soccer completly destroys your ability to critize others. Torey was also a basketball player and as I recall briefly flirted with football.
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February 8th, 2004
05:54 pm - Morelli Madness
I know this is a hell of alot of posts for one day but I am a dork and throwing one more up. I highly suggest you read this whole article at Pittsburgh Live but I will give you a few quotes from it. Its about how Morelli decided on PSU but the stuff about Morelli and his Dad is just to funny to pass up. I gurantee that the Morelli family will never do an interview for the Trib again. The piece is titled A Recruiting Odd-ysse
Greg Morelli has been criticized for living vicariously through Anthony, but no one can question his devotion to his only son. "They don't know me," Greg, 42, said. "I'm one of the best fathers in the world. I'm tired of being the bad guy."
"They really rolled out the red carpet," Greg Morelli said that day. "I walked in Walt Harris' office and they had an authentic jersey with No. 14 on it. He said, 'It's yours as soon as you make a commitment.'
"They've got my heart now." By this past Wednesday, Greg Morelli had undergone a complete change of heart. He stood by his son at the Penn Hills media room, beaming as Anthony announced his choice: Penn State
Theirs is a tale of an overzealous father and the prodigy son he guided through a recruiting process described by coaches and analysts as one of the most bizarre the college football world has seen. And one this city won't soon forget.
That he invested countless hours into Anthony's development. That they are so close, they have matching barbed-wire tattoos on their left biceps.
"Nothing they do surprises me," Lemming said. "Pitt was on its way to having one of its best years in a long time. When Morelli left, it snowballed. So, you can probably blame that on his dad." Greg protests assertions that he was a puppeteer, and he resents portrayals as a "Daddy Dearest." "This was Anthony's decision," Greg Morelli said. "It wasn't daddy's decision."
After the meeting, Morelli realized his chances of playing early - an important factor in his decision - were slimmer than expected when he committed. "Palko and (Luke) Getsy have been down there two years and know the offense like the back of their hands," Morelli said. "I felt like I was behind." Morelli started to listen to his family's pleas to look at other schools. One family member said Anthony, who went against their wishes in picking Pitt without taking other official visits, simply "didn't want to face the firing squad again."
The Lions' offense is familar, in terms of style and terminology, to what Morelli ran at Penn Hills. Of course, he and his father complained about Indians coach Neil Gordon's run-oriented attack, pining to pass more often to showcase Morelli's arm. "I liked the Pitt offense. It's great for a quarterback and receivers," Morelli said. "As far as my decision, there's a lot of similarities from Penn Hills to Penn State. I don't have to throw all of that out the window."
Penn State recruiting ace Tom Bradley opened the door for coach Joe Paterno, who charmed the Morelli family. The Lions convinced Morelli to take an official visit, where he became enamored with 106,537-seat Beaver Stadium, the stability of the Big Ten Conference and the possibility of early playing time. Some recruiting analysts disagree, pointing to Penn State's dismal track record in producing pro quarterbacks. Kerry Collins of the New York Giants is Penn State's only active NFL quarterback. "You leave a bona fide quarterback coach in Walt Harris," Lemming said, "to go to a school that isn't known for developing quarterbacks." Jay Paterno, however, is expected to be replaced as quarterbacks coach. His successor will be pivotal the development of Morelli, who possesses NFL tools but needs to improve his mental approach to the game.
Johnson advises Morelli and his father to concentrate less on their NFL ambitions and more on learning the intricacies of the most important position on the field. "These are young, high school kids. Some have a little better arm, some a better head, this or that," Johnson said. "They've got a few steps from here until Sunday games. I wouldn't mention Sunday to these kids ever. That's a long road ahead, a lot of third-and-10s away. I've heard his dad say that. It's crazy. They better get real. The NFL is a long way away."
I thought there were some interesting things there but to much for me to write about right now. I will get back to this.
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05:49 pm - Tulane
If you ask for it, it shall come. How bout this for service Dylon.
» More From The Times-Picayune
Tulane Football News
Frank Scelfo decides to stay
Tulane coordinator turns down Pitt
Sunday February 08, 2004
By Fred Robinson
Staff writer
New Orleans might be the city that care forgot, but it isn't the one Tulane offensive coordinator Frank Scelfo is ready to say good-bye to.
Scelfo, citing strong emotional ties to Tulane and the city, said Saturday that he turned down an offer to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh.
"This was a great experience for me. Pittsburgh is a great place with a great facility, and (Coach) Walt Harris is a first-class guy, but I had to follow my heart," Scelfo said. "Tulane University and the city of New Orleans are pretty special for me. I saw a lot of passion in a lot that happened last spring, and I couldn't see myself leaving. It's hard to walk away from all the things this city has done for me and my family. That's what it boiled down to."
Scelfo has been with Tulane for eight seasons and has served as the Green Wave's recruiting coordinator and assistant head coach, directing the team's wide receivers, tight ends and quarterbacks. He's the only coach on the staff that was an assistant on the 1998 undefeated team.
Scelfo, whose brother Chris is the Wave's head coach, said he understood that taking the Pittsburgh job would have given him more visibility as an offensive coordinator and could have moved him closer to his goal of being a head coach.
Scelfo would have replaced J.D. Brookhart, who left Pittsburgh to become the head coach at Akron. He had been on Harris' staff at Pittsburgh for seven seasons.
"You've got to take chances in life, but this one wasn't the time," Scelfo said. "When you say Big East and BCS, wow, that's big time. But I think we're big time, too. Why not us? Maybe I'm just looking at it in a different way, but why leave this place?"
The Pittsburgh salary, he said, "would have been a pretty good bump, but it wouldn't have been life-altering."
But more pay and coaching in a high-profile conference wasn't enough to convince Scelfo to take the job. He said his wife, Holly, and two sons were ready to make to the move to Pittsburgh if it was what he wanted. And his brother couldn't have been more encouraging, he said.
"Chris was very supportive. In fact, I had great support from everyone," Scelfo said. "That's what made the decision so hard, and in the end, that's what made it so easy."
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03:54 pm - Sorry
I forgot to comment on one of my favorite posts to date. But first, that was a helluva NHL all star game. It was what hockey should look like. Flow and continuity.
No Ron Cook and I are not engaging in any boy/man love. The real problem is Cook has realized he is an idiot and is stealing my column ideas from this very site!!!!! Can you believe he is blatenlty ripping off my ideas? I am writing a letter to the editor. For the record I do in fact hate Ron Cook because the guy is so god damn negeative. Nothing is ever good enough for him and he always blasts the Pens. He is right about the Pitt schedule though. ND opened on 15-2 run last night but Pitt came back to win. I am calling it right here, they lose to the Hall. Thats right boys take it to your bookies Pitt losses monday night on the road. Its a doughnut game as Kirk would say. With UCONN on Sat. Pitt will look right past the Hall and drop one they should have won.
Morelli- Hey theres no place like PSU if you want to be a gym teacher. Have fun Morelli teaching 8th graders dodgeball after you flame out in college. The QB coach in PSU is Jay Paterno. Boy I wonder if he got that job because he knows alot about the QB position. Have fun Tony learning from a guy who latched onto dadies coat tails.
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12:12 pm - Comments
Hope everybody had a nice weekend. I am going to tackle a few comments in this one. It may get a little long but stick with me here. There is some good stuff up there that I am a little dissapointed did'nt spark more reaction but oh well.
Kinger- Oh my god man, get off your knees. R.J. is not the second coming man. You do not have to shill for him just because he is a Pittsburgh guy. The reality of it is you are supposed to play where you get drafted. The guy is pulling an Eric Lindros here. So if you defend R.J, you are defending Eric here too. Is there any doubt that Eric was a punk when he refused to play in the great white north. Why should we feel any diffrently about R.J. That being said, I thought I was pretty fair in the article I wrote bashing both the Nucks and R.J. I guess you did not think so. Burke is a toolbag. He is alot like Billy Beane of the Oakland Atheletics. He let the success he enjoyed in a small market get to his head. He thinks he can run his mouth off about any subject now that he has a winner in the Nucks. As far as playing in the AHL is concerned, I really do not think thats the best idea for him. There are tons of guys in the AHL on NHL only contracts. That means to play in the AHL they would have to cross the pickit lines. In the past some have done that, most notably Torey's favorite Pirate Keith Osik. But for the most part it will not happen which means the AHL will be severly watered down. All the Junior prospects will stay with thier Junior teams meaning he will be playing against retreads and midlevel prospects. It might be good just to get back on the ice but the talent level will be so skewed who knows what kind of development will be going on. I saw somewhere he was done with the U.S. National Team but I guess you have the inside info here. When do you hear people say that quotes were taken out of context???? When people say really stupid stuff just like the Kessler quote. There is no defendind that. It was just a really dumb thing to say.
Torey-Goff- I think the owners do know that the NFL CBA is the best one in sports. Its just impossible to get a players union to pass something like that after everybody has seen what it has done to the NFL. The best we can hope for is the NBA CBA which is bassicly the same except contracts are guranteed.
As far as expansion goes Bettman really had good intentions here. The franchise start up cost was redistributed directly to the owners which helped bail out teams like Ottawa, Buffalo, Calgary and the Pens. At first he was trying to expand in areas that love sports teams. That and areas that do not have pro sports teams that capture the public eye (ie: The Wild, Bluejackets and Preadators) When he expanded to the sunbelt Bettmen was going for the TV contract. He put franchises in huge markets like Pheonix, Miami, San Jose, Dallas the Carolinas. He wanted to be able to go to ESPN and say "Look were in all the major markets." The problem is ESPN did not care. That 120 million TV deal is the main reason hockey finnances are so bad. The NFL has a 2.2 billion dollar deal. When that funnels down to the teams they get 77 million dollars which is enough to cover payroll. When the NHL funnels down they get 6 million a team which basically means they cannot even pay their star player. The TV deal just kills the NHL. Expansion has diluted the talent level but not as much as you would think. Right now you are seeing the Mario-Wayne affect where a bunch a kids who grew up watching them are ending up in the NHL. There are tons of great players 18-25 in the NHL right now. (ie:Kovalchuck, Heatley, Nash and Spezza)
You hit it right on the head Torey. Hockey needs to change a few things to make it TV friendly and more high scoring. When the NFL was a running league the rules were changed to favor the pass. When runs were down in baseball they put in the DH. When points were down in the NBA they put in the three point line. Hockey has got to adapt. Purists say that will skew the game and maybe it will. You cannot compare Babe Ruth and ARod because of the juiced ball theory. But who cares if it is going to save the game.
The first thing they need to do is change camera angles. The last game I saw was from the Kasslings owners box whixh is practicly on the roof. However, I got to see the paterns on the ice and the dynamics of line changes in the NHL. The NHL is the only pro league where players change on the fly. Embrace that, show the casual fan why thats a big deal and how a bad change can effect the game. Show the team concept behind hockey and how if your not in the right spot your killing your team. The way it is now 1/3 of the screen is the crowd and bench, thats no good. Move the nets back. It creates better shooting angles all over the ice and increases the chance of a rap around goal as the forward can more effectivly use the net as a pick. Officals have to be more consistent. You could probably say that about any league but it is most evident in hockey. In the playoffs and the last 5 minutes of any game you never see penalties called. Either call it that way the whole game or call it down the streatch. You can't have lawlessness at certain times because the officals are affraid to impact the game. Goalie Gear is a joke. There is no where to shoot the puck. If your going to penalize forwards for illegal curves you have to crack down on goalies. In fact cut it down as much as possible to increase scoring. The two line pass is as good as gone so I won't even comment on that.
Lastly the NHL All Star game is the best in sports and gets underplayed. The skills competition should be a major event as it is the only one like it in sports. Yea the NBA has one too but the best players do not take part in it anymore. The best in hockey do. Play it up.
Thats it for now.
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February 7th, 2004
03:10 pm - Retraction
Remember when I printed that Pitt might run into trouble when they played those run and gun Pac-10 teams in the tournament. That was the dumbest thing I have written on this site to date. After having watched Stanford and Arizona today, Pitt will kill both of those teams. If I was Lute I would quit coaching right now. Arizona is like the anti-Pitt. Unbelievable talent, absolutly no brains. They will call that game an "instant classic" but it was really terrible basketball. I don't think the shot clock went below 15 seconds the whole game. Arizona made two mindnumbing turnovers on the two final positions that were the most ridiculous display of basketball I have ever seen. Pitt will run these two of the floor.
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01:28 pm - St. Johns
What has happened to St. Johns?? What was once a proud basketball program has totally disenagrated. Even not so long ago they graduated guys like Ron Artest, Lavar Postell and Chris Mullen. In 1985 this team was 31-4. Recently they fired a great coach in Mike Jarvis and players were busted soliciting a prostitute. Not to mention what Fran Fraschilla did not to long ago. Everybody was saying "Poor Fran" when Bobby Knight blew up on the guy but come on now. Fran was a guy that pulled his pants down and showed his ass to his players and then grabbed one of his players byt the testicles. Not exactlly a stranger to emotional outbursts is what I am trying to say. Will a college basketball expert please explain to me why things have gone so wrong so fast??
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12:44 pm - Oh so this is why Miami wins.
MIAMI -- University of Miami officials concede they failed to properly perform a background check on the team's top recruit.But they did not rescind the scholarship offer to linebacker Willie Williams.
Williams, a Parade All-American, is on probation for felony burglary charges in 2002. He also is named in three criminal complaints stemming from a recruiting trip to the University of Florida last weekend.
The complaints could lead to his arrest in Broward County for a probation violation. If Williams is arrested, he could be sentenced to up to five years in prison, an administrator with the Department of Corrections said Friday.Miami athletic director Paul Dee said Friday coaches and officials will review all the information that becomes available before making a decision on whether Williams will be allowed to enroll in school."In situations of this kind, we have to be fair to the prospective student-athlete," Dee said in a statement. "All other indicators are positive, specifically his academic qualifications and the recommendations of coaches and administrators."Williams' criminal record paints a much different picture.He has been arrested 10 times since 1999, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement records.He was charged with theft as a 14-year-old, in 1999. He was arrested five times the following year, including twice on felony charges.His most recent arrest occurred July 11, 2002, when Pembroke Pines police charged him with burglary and possession of burglary tools, according to the Department of Corrections.Williams, then 17, was prosecuted as an adult on the felony charges. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 18 months of probation, court records show.Miami athletic department spokesman Mark Pray said the school performs background checks on each recruit, but he wasn't sure if it covers criminal records."The process used to screen backgrounds was insufficient in that it failed to reveal all that is now public," Dee said. "In this regard, we must improve our efforts to obtain information of this type in the future."Williams was less than two weeks from the end of his probation when he was named in the three complaints.Williams allegedly hugged a female student without her permission, hit a man at a bar and set off three fire extinguishers in his hotel -- all in span of five hours during the recruiting trip that began Jan. 30.
The State Attorney's Office in Gainesville will investigate the sworn complaints before deciding whether to officially charge Williams.Don Monroe, circuit administrator for the Department of Corrections, said Friday that his office was working with police and the state attorney's office in Gainesville to determine whether Williams violated his probation."If we're going to do something, we have to do it before his probation ends," Monroe said. "We think we have enough time to examine all the facts and not rush into anything."Williams' probation ends Wednesday.If the Department of Corrections decides Williams violated his probation, it would then present evidence to Circuit Judge Michael Kaplan, who presided over Williams' burglary case.The judge could then issue a warrant for Williams' arrest, Monroe said.Kaplan would have sole power to sentence Williams. Monroe said the sentence could range from extended probation to five years in prison --the sentence Williams' originally faced in the burglary charges.
Florida coach Ron Zook said Friday that Williams' case has prompted his staff to re-evaluate how it decides which prospects will be invited to the campus.
"We've got to do a better job of finding out everything there is to know," Zook said. "I mean, we're not the only ones. From my understanding, no one knew this."
Have fun with your new teammates Andrew. Real classy place you have chossen.
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February 6th, 2004
04:43 pm - YES!!!!!!!!
I found a gem of a website documenting player salaries and attendence figures. I will post a few things to show you what is wrong with hockey and then write an article in the future.
Salary Acumulated
JAGR, JAROMIR 74,694,851 $
TKACHUK, KEITH 59,788,674 $
HULL, BRETT 53,741,000 $
24 LINDROS, ERIC 47,917,000 $
25 LEMIEUX, MARIO 47,636,829 $
MODANO, MIKE 58,466,400 $
With the exception of Mario, these are all guys who have spoken out in favor of a Lockout. I guess they would be prepared to sit out for a while. I posted Mario to show that the greatest player in hockey history ranks 25th alltime in salary acummulated throughout his carrer. (I think this list began in 1990 so perhaps the 6 years Mario played in the 80's are not being factored in but I am not sure.)
This year there are 15 or so players making between 9 and 11 million. 10 years ago the top salaries look like this.
1 LINDROS, ERIC 3,500,000 $
2 YZERMAN, STEVE 3,214,520 $
3 LEMIEUX, MARIO 3,000,000 $
3 GRETZKY, WAYNE 3,000,000 $
5 ROY, PATRICK 2,659,300 $
In 1992 the Pens had the top payroll at 15.7 million, Rangers 2nd at 14.8. Today the top two are Detriot and New York at 77.7 at 70 million respectivly.
In 1994 the top 100 players made an average of 1.26 million. In 2000 they made 4.05 million.
This was all pretty interesting to me. I don't know maybe I'm a dork.
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12:19 pm - Lockout
See how I got you to mention the lockout there Kinger. It was the subject I really wanted to write about but figured people would bitch at me for it. So I let you mention it. Oh yes, I am the puppet master. There are not enough comments yet for me to warrent writing a whole article trying to defend myself. Hopefully we will get some chatter this weekend. For now here is the CBA article. I will begin with a few quotes I found.
"In professional sports now, if you can't control your expenses, you're in trouble. If you put a gun to my head, I wouldn't buy any team, including the one I own. And we're in better shape than most, because we don't carry any debt."
The notoriously parsimonious Bill Wirtz, owner of the Blackhawks.
"Bob Goodenow will kill me but if we're going to be realistic about things probably 75 per cent of the league is overpaid. But we're not paying ourselves. There are people giving it to us and no one is putting a gun to their heads. Something has to be done if we're going to fix this. I don't think there can be a stoppage. I don't think the game can afford it, especially in Canada where it's vital we at least have this many teams up here."
The always quotable Brett Hull.
"I can't wait to find out if some of these guys can operate in a system where you can't just go out and spend what you want to spend. I can't wait for that day when it comes down to who can do their job."
Canucks' general manager Brian Burke
"That was economic suicide, and the stupidest thing I've ever seen. They're spending $80 million, and we're a better team than they are. I think we're in a position long term where this team has an opportunity to dominate long term. If (fans) are waiting for us to spend $80 million they should move to New York and buy season tickets for the Rangers. They have a lot of overpaid, egotistical athletes and don't make the playoffs. Two things make me happy: the Kings winning and the Rangers losing."
Kings' president Tim Leiweke on the Ranger's approach to team-building.
"I don't want to talk about today's market anymore because nobody can make sense of what the market is. It's all over the map. There's a bunch of lunatics out there throwing money away. I'm sick and tired of it. It's lunacy. Punch me in the head and tell me I'm stupid, but that's the way I feel. There's no sense to it anymore."
Oilers' general manager Kevin Lowe.
"There will never be a salary cap. I've told the players to be prepared for a long lockout by the owners. It may last a year, it may last two or three years, but we will never accept a salary cap. This isn't the NFL. I'm confident the players are prepared for whatever happens."
NHLPA president Bob Goodenow.
The punch me in the head quote by Kevin Lowe is a classic. Okay now my take. The Pens free fall actually began back in 1991 when Howard Baldwin bought into the team. He and Roger Marino became 50-50 partners in the Pens and never agreed on the direction of the franchise. In fact back in 1998 when Plan B was taking form Baldwin signed off on taking 10 million from the RAD found to improve Mellon Arena instead of getting in on Plan B and trying to get a new arena. Baldwin did this without Marino's knowledge and they were frozen out of Plan B. Marino and Baldwin got into a bitter dispute about the direction of the franchise and after becoming 120 million in debt foisted the franchise onto Mario. Mario perhaps made the dumbest move he has ever made by buying the franchise. This brings us to present day. In todays NHL there are a handfull of teams, similar to MLB, that spend ridiculous amounts of money on midlevel players. This has undermined the owners inflounce in CBA discussions as it can be said that the owners have made their own bed. There is no TV money in hockey, attendence is down and players are being paid an extraordiany amount of money considering the league is drowning. With the exception of MLB the NHLPA is the strongest union in America. Bob Goodnow leads the union and has said under no circumstances will the players accept a hard cap. Goodnow claims that the players are prepared for the future and have dug in to prepare for the long run. We are witnessing historic times as the NHL may not exist next year. Owners are lossing massive amounts of money and will still have to pay their leasses on public stadiums even if they lock the players out. The Pens and a number of other teams will not be able to afford these payments for very long and could effectivly become defunct. There has been talk of other leagues starting up but the reality is the players will not be able to command the salaries in the new league like they do in the NHL. The players better wake up here. It is one thing if the owners are attempting to take advantage of players but the reality of this is almost all NHL teams are in the red. 76% of league revune is redisttributed to the players. That is higher then any other league. Are you going to tell me a guy like Ryan Malone is prepared for future without hockey?? I don't think so. Guys like Jermey Roenick who has been making millions since the league started is ready but not Malone. Like the situation with the teams, the NHLPA is top heavy. The guys who make all the money have all the inflounce and would welcome a lockout if it meantg perserving their paycheck. The vast majority of players are opposed to the lockout as they will be in the unemployment line after not to long. Everybody says the NFL system is ridiculous. I guess it is if your a player but what about what David Stern did with the NBA. There is a hard cap with max contracts that are guarenteed. That seems resonable to me. The problem is Gary Bettmen is no David Stern. In fact Bettmen and Selig rival for worst commisioner in sports. Bettmen will not have the stones to wait out Goodnow and the players which means the result of the CBA negotiations will be a win for the players. Roger Marino made in interesting comment not to long ago saying, "Hockey is dead and they haven't thrown the dirt on its face yet," he says. "You can't break even in hockey. In football, everybody makes money, because it's structured the right way. In hockey, the union is so damn strong. They had a strike in ‘94 that almost killed the game, and then they didn't improve it. They don't have the leadership there." Marino left Pittsburgh after suffering a reported loss of $40 million.
The result of the upcoming CBA will either result in the end of the NHL or a similar agreement to the 1994 one that will lead to the end of the Pens.
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February 5th, 2004
11:28 pm - Umberger
Torey while you are hunting down the Clarret story, perhaps you could get us an R.J. Umberger update as well. As you should know by now R.J. has chossen to sit out the year instead of signing the Canucks contract. The story here began last year when R.J. was encouraged to find an agent by the GM Brian Burke. He did so, effectvly ending a very good college carrer. He percieves that the Canucks low balled him by offering a 700K signing bonus and 700K and some change per year. He might be right as the Canucks did pay Matt Kessler, a teammate of R.J.'s whos was selcted 15 spots behind him, a 100,000 more in base and bonus. If he is not signed or traded he will be a UFA come June.
My take here is that both sides are hurting themselves. The Nucks obviously lose a first round draft pick for nothing. 6-2, 220, good hands and a shot cannot be found just anywhere. Burke has dug himself in though saying "the kid can play XBOX till June, there is no way anything is happening before that." Burke is known for his jewishness and being a tough nut to crack.
R.J. is very responsible here though. The Nucks offered him Kessler's exact contract and his response was, (actual quote here)"I am not taking KESSLER money." One of the alltime stupid things to say to the Canadian press. He is not doing himself any favors by sitting on his ass. And don't think he might not get frozen out here. The hockey world is a fraternity as Teddy Nolan found out. Anger the wrong people and it does not matter how good you are.
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03:32 pm - Storm Players Accused of Rape
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Police questioned members of the St. John's basketball team after a woman accused players of rape early Thursday.
The woman said she met the players in a nightclub in suburban Pittsburgh and returned to their hotel, where she was raped, police said.
Police didn't identify the players, or say how many were accused, but said several were interviewed by police and then released. Detectives with the sex assault unit were investigating.
St. John's officials didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
Pittsburgh beat St. John's 71-51 on Wednesday night.
Since the writing of this article 4 players have been suspended for violating "team rules" including Irving their leading scorer. Orgy any one???
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10:34 am - Morning Buzz
He are some interesting quotes from today with a little comentary. If anybody else find some gems throw em up.
Morelli was purposefully vague about his reasons for backing away from Pitt. He wants to major in kinesiology, which he said Pitt does not offer. He was impressed by Beaver Stadium and Penn State's on-campus training facilities, as opposed to Pitt's far-flung venues.
"I like the fact that everything is real close, so I don't have to hop on buses all the time for practice and everything," Morelli said. "Playing in front of 110,000 people is going to be real exciting. And the campus, everything is in walking distance."
Morelli said he was turned off by rumors that Pitt coach Walt Harris might soon bolt for job at another college or in the NFL. However, Morelli does not seemed concerned about how long 77-year-old Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who is coming off a 3-9 season, will last.
"Coach Harris is a great quarterbacks coach, but I can't base my decision on him being there," Morelli said. "As far as I know, Coach Paterno isn't going anywhere."
Morelli is right Pitt does not offer Kinesiology(reads H.S. Gym teacher.) Pitt refuses to use its scientific name and instead just calls the major Motion Scienece. Reading the quotes I really cannot help but see how underhanded this whole thing was. Somebody was in Morelli's ear saying that Harris would not be around and it was most likely JoePa. Some series tampering here. But if kids are expected to be held accountable for their commitments I guess that means anythings fair game.
"A lot of the Pitt (recruits) were bugging me this year because Pitt had a pretty good year and Penn State didn't," Moon lineman A.Q. Shipley said. "Guys like Morelli and Johnson were trying to get me to switch. And then they (wound up) looking to go somewhere else."
Shipley paused and laughed.
"Recruiting's a whole different world, man," he said.
He..He He you fuckin ass hole. There are a few quotes for you. If you find anything else please put it up. My take here is that there was obviously as Harris put it some "Negative" recruiting going on here. Tom Lemming said it was one of the most dynamic classes in football before yesterday. Its to bad that it all fell apart yesterday. Some of this must fall on Harris' head. Losing one guy, maybe two would have been okay but this mass exodus is entirely unacceptable. Somebody fell asleep at the control tower here. I will write something more substantial later.
Maurice Clarret is all over the news. Not only does he have this gambling stuff hanging over his head but he also won his lawsuit against the NFL yesterday. This will no doubt be appealed untill either it gets to the Supreme Court or the NFL wins and Maurice decideds to go back to college.
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