Media Watch:
Body in 2005 Shawne Merriman Photo Was Jamal Williams: I was wrong when I posted two photos Monday morning showing what I thought was Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman in 2005 and again in 2007. I now believe that the 2005 photo was actually Merriman's head and neck photoshopped onto the chest and shoulders of a teammate, Jamal Williams. Merriman's 2005 photo is to the right; Williams' is to the left.
Carr Makes Retirement Official: This week's Worst Kept Secret in College Football is no longer a secret. In reality, it never was. (It should be noted that our own Brian Cook broke this story on MGoBlog last week, long before anyone in the "traditional media" picked up on it.)
Two Detroit Writers Try (and Fail) to Defend Their Ordonez Votes: Magglio Ordonez did have a great year, but Alex Rodriguez had a better one. Good enough, in fact, that if A-Rod hadn't been around this year the Yankees would likely have missed the playoffs; during their early slide, Rodriguez was the only buoy. If the Yankees lose out on the 14 or so wins Rodriguez provided with his incredible season, they go home far before the Canadian Soldiers get involved.
Michael Vick, Mike Tyson and Barry Bonds Can't Stop Us From Loving Sports: Maybe we've reached a point where we're so jaded that we just shrug at stuff like this. Maybe we should feel angry, or even outraged. But I actually think it's a good thing. The best thing about sports is that we can enjoy them at almost any time, under almost any circumstances. We can always love sports, no matter how flawed some sportsmen are.
TV Writers' Strike Could Put Mixed Martial Arts on Network Television: The best option might be to have MMA during the time slot that currently goes to Saturday Night Live, which will be in reruns until its writers return to work. Meanwhile, UFC is reportedly talking to CBS about putting some of its shows on network television. That could help CBS appeal to the elusive young male demographic.
NASCAR Crash Videos:
Top 8 Spectacular NASCAR Crashes of 2007: From the last-lap pile-up during the season-opening Daytona 500 to the Chase-changing crash at Dover in the fall, here's a look back at the biggest hits from the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Season.
NFL:The Debriefing: Do the Patriots Have the Greatest Offense Ever? If Parcells is out on that limb, I think it's safe for the rest of us. This is the most dominant offensive force the NFL has ever seen.
Packers Accused of 'Bounties': Packer defensive backs offered monetary incentives to the defensive linemen if they could hold Vikings running back Adrian Peterson under 100 yards in their meeting last week at Lambeau Field. In that game, the rookie left the game with a right knee injury that caused him to miss Sunday's win over Oakland (Peterson is also likely to miss Sunday's roadie against the Giants). Of course, it was Packer cornerback Al Harris who delivered the hit, but it still makes for an eerie coincidence when you think about these "incentives". The league's rule against these types of payments is very clear-cut.
Expect the NFL to Change Instant Replay Rules, Make Field Goals Reviewable: I've heard from multiple sources today that you can pretty much count on the NFL competition committee to recommend -- and the teams to adopt -- a rule change this off-season to make field goals reviewable, both with coaches throwing challenge flags and, in the last two minutes of halves and in overtime, with the replay official buzzing the ref.
NBA:Your Very Own Life-Sized Dirk Bobblehead: Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News peers into Mark Cuban's upscale gift offerings (hat tip to J.E. Skeets). A life-sized Dirk Nowitzki is available for an undisclosed price (and a possibly real photo in included with Sefko's story). But you know what? That's not even close to being the most creepy option.
Jason Kidd's Bogus Journey: He talks about mental weakness, about overall frustration about New Jersey not being able to finish games. The Nets have lost five straight, including that heinous Saturday game versus hapless Miami.
Stephen Jackson Enjoys Jumping on Tony Dungy's Trampolines: "I remember when I was suspended for the brawl in Detroit, he took some time out of his day to come over and talk to me. He encouraged me to keep my head up. He told me that things do happen, but that at the end of the day you have a chance to change things. You know, regardless of his status and who he is, he still takes the time out to worry about other people." He wasn't the kind of guy who was always borrowing your tools? "If anything I was always running over to his backyard to jump on his trampolines. He had three trampolines in his backyard!"
NCAA Basketball:Lil' Romeo Announces His Signing at USC: What really makes this worth observing is that he had a press release issued on the subject of his signing: "Percy Romeo Miller 6'1" All-American point guard for Beverly Hills High School has signed-on with the USC Trojans Basketball team as a member of their 2008 Class. The agreement, made official last week, makes Miller the first hip-hop entertainer to get a full athletic scholarship to a prestigious academic university such as USC."
St. Mary's Will Upset Oregon: The Gaels are pretty talented, too, led by forward Diamon Simpson who just recently notched his first double-double of the season. St. Mary's also has a pretty imposing post presence in Omar Samhan who already has 11 blocks this season, including a six-block performance against Drake. You don't see guys like Samhan in your typical mid-major programs.
Knee Injury to Louisville's David Padgett Could Be Career-Ending: ESPN is reporting that the injury will sideline him for the rest of the season. Padgett hurt the knee Sunday against Jackson State, and an MRI today revealed that the kneecap is fractured.
MLB:
Why Baseball Purists Are Scared of Replay: Under the proposed baseball replay system, Matt Holliday's phantom touch of home plate wouldn't be reviewable because it wasn't a home run. But say the umpires couldn't agree on the call and went to the replay anyways to get it right. Would that be terrible? It doesn't seem like it would, but I'm sure that the purists would tell you it would create a slippery slope.
