Vince Young Runs Light Years Past Michael Vick

Since I was a lad, I pictured the quarterback position as being traditional. The center would hike the ball to the quarterback, who would enter the pocket and look for an open receiver. If no receivers were open, then the quarterback would either throw the ball away or scramble for his life. Sometimes change is good and there have been scrambling quarterbacks (Steve McNair and Randall Cunningham) who have altered my traditional view of the quarterback position, but if you're going to change something, please get it right.

Upon Michael Vick’s entrance into the NFL, I despised him immediately. This hatred is primarily because he radically changed the role of the quarterback position and did it terribly wrong. The role of scrambling quarterbacks reached its height when Vick entered the league. One would assume that Vick would be quite a challenge because defenses would never know whether Vick would pass or take off running down the field for twenty yards. But NO! Vick spends each progressing year hurt or gaining somewhat decent numbers (I’m talking about throwing numbers, not rushing - After all, what’s the point of rushing for 200 yards if you still lose the game?!) And still sportscasters praise his unique style of play and predict good things for him. Sportscasters need to set their alarm clocks because it’s time to wake up and realize Vick is no good and will never win a Super Bowl. As I watch Vick play, I don’t even think he knows what he’s going to do half the time. I understand his receivers are less than mediocre, but if you overthrow them half the time or set them up where they are going to get pummeled right after the catch I wouldn't be able to catch the ball either. Vick is too inconsistent, inaccurate with his throws, and makes poor decisions because he is always in a hurry to take off running with the ball. Basically, the Falcons will never win a championship until Vick becomes a running back or learns to pass. But enough about Vick. Let’s move towards the future of scrambling quarterbacks.

After watching Vince Young play in college, I somehow magically accepted the notion of scrambling quarterbacks. I sat their after the Rose Bowl and said to myself, “Mike, you know, scrambling quarterbacks are fun to watch...when they get it right. Oh yeah and...get a haircut you bum.” I knew Vince Young had the potential to dominate in the NFL and sure enough if the Titans would have started him from the beginning of the season they would have had a much higher winning percentage and would have owned at least the Wild Card. But let us not dwell on what would have been. After all, Young will be around next year and as a Colts fan that scares me. Vince Young impacted the Titans like no other quarterback I’ve seen in awhile. He not only brings excitement to the game with his well-balanced and executed mix of rushing and passing, but the most important thing is HE WINS. Hell, he not only wins, he comes back from 4th quarter defecates where most people would have turned their televisions off and soaked in a bathtub (Giants anyone?...and I like bubbles in my bath). I almost feel sorry for Vick, who has spent 6 years trying to fit into the role of a scrambling quarterback while almost instantly, Vince Young enters the league and is successfully doing what Vick tried to perfect during his six year span. To end this argument about which scrambling quarterback is better, I'll pose a question: Who would you rather rely on when your team is on their own 10 and down by four points with two minutes left in the game?

Funny Sports Bloopers

Perhaps I should correct my title. Half of these bloopers aren't so funny, but rather, just so extreme you have to cringe at the thought of these things happening to you. Yet, this remains my favorite sports blooper video on youtube.

You gotta laugh when the dude throws the biker into the water.

Ricky Williams' 2007 Season Lasted Six Carries

Ricky Williams' 2007 season is over before it could even begin. The Miami Dolphins running back, who was reinstated last month after a one-year suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, suffered a torn chest muscle in the Dolphins' 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night football. The injury apparently happened when Steelers linebacker Laurence Timmons pursuing a Williams' fumble, stepped on Williams' right shoulder blade. It was a terribly unfortunate, cheap hit that shouldn't have happened. One of those hits where you just happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. After all the hard work, time, and effort Williams put into his training to get physically back in shape its ashame his season had to end so abruptly.

Sean Taylor And The Inventor of Gatorade Will Be Missed

Today is truly a sad days in sports because we must mourn the loss of two individuals who impacted the game in remarkable ways.

Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor died Tuesday after he was shot in his home by an apparent intruder. The 24-year-old player died at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he had been airlifted after the shooting early Monday. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league will honor Taylor's memory at all games this weekend. Taylor's No. 21 will be painted in a grass parking area leading into Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va. In addition, No. 21 will also be painted in front of the Redskins Hall of Fame store. Fans already began a makeshift memorial by laying flowers on a field near the front entrance to the practice facility. Several people paid respects at Taylor's parking space.

Sean Taylor was one of the fiercest and most competitive safetys imaginable. After much success in college, he was drafted in 2004 by the Redskins and became the starter in just the third game. He recorded his first interception in the sixth game which sealed a victory for his team. The potential he had was incredible and his efforts will not go unnoticed.

I find eerie how the players I draft in video games have been dying in reality. First, Joe Kennedy on my MVP baseball team died in reality and now Sean Taylor, who I drafted on a fantasy team in Madden, was killed. I am not joking here.

The news in this post doesn't get any happier. I grew up on Gatorade. I absolutely loved the deep-quenching cold taste of Gatorade. Today, I came home to find out the inventor of Gatorade passed away. Dr. Robert Cade, who invented the sports drink Gatorade and launched a multibillion-dollar industry that the beverage continues to dominate, died Tuesday of kidney failure at age 80.

What people don't realize (such as myself who drank Gatorade his whole life) is that Gatorade and other sports drinks are treated like a science and experimentation goes into developing the perfect drink. Cade's researchers determined a football player could lose up to 18 pounds (90 to 95 percent of it water) during the three hours it takes to play a game. Players sweated away sodium and chloride and lost plasma volume and blood volume. Using their research (and about $43 in supplies) they concocted a brew for players to drink while playing football.

What happened next is a nice, light-hearted story. According to ESPN:

The researchers added some sugar and some lemon juice to improve the taste. It was first tested on freshmen because coach Ray Graves didn't want to hurt the varsity team. Eventually, however, the use of the sports beverage spread to the Gators, who enjoyed a winning record and were known as a "second-half team" by outlasting opponents.

After the Gators beat Georgia Tech 27-12 in the Orange Bowl in 1967, Tech coach Bobby Dodd told reporters his team lost because "We didn't have Gatorade ... that made the difference."

So, there you have it. Gatorade was named after the Florida Gators. Gatorade has expanded tremendously since. Instead of the original four flavors, there are now more than 30 available in the United States and more than 50 flavors available internationally.

Super Bowl without the Patriots?

I know it might be a little too early to predict this years Super Bowl but isn’t everyone else already saying that the Patriots will be there and win?
So here is where I will rant on how this just might not be the case.

Let’s start with the AFC. The winners of the AFC divisions should be New England, Indianapolis, and San Diego and yes I feel it might just be the Cleveland Browns. The wild card teams would then go to Pittsburgh and Jacksonville.

Why the Browns to win their division? Let us take a look at the remaining schedule.

The Browns next five remaining games left are against the Cardinals, Jets, Bills, Bengals and 49ers. Cleveland already a 7-4 team can possibly win all 5 remaining games going 12 -4 on the season.

Pittsburgh has to play the Bengals, Patriots on the road, Jaguars, then both Rams and Ravens on the road. The Steelers who are 8-3 can possibly lose 3 of the next 5, especially since they way they are playing as of late and struggle on the road, might give them an overall season record of 10 – 4.

If this being the case then the fist round bye will go to New England and either Cleveland or Indy depending on how Indy finishes.

Now with all that said, San Diego lets face it is not all that great, Pittsburgh struggles on the road, Indy is all banged up, Jacksonville is sketchy, so that leaves New England and Cleveland.

The last time Cleveland played New England the Patriots ended up winning. This was largely due to Cleveland’s running back and wide receiver that got injured at the start of the game. Cleveland also turned the ball over 4 times while driving down the field.
I believe there is a blue print to beat New England and with a healthy Cleveland team, they have that blue print as long as they can hold on to the ball. The Browns have the second most potent offense in the AFC to get it done.

Now to the NFC!
Not much to talk about here.

The teams that should win their division are the Cowboys, Packers, Buccaneers, and Seahawks. Possible wild cards might be the Giants and Lions.

Do we really need to analyze this?
The outcome should be clear here with no surprises coming down to Dallas or Green Bay.
My pick for the NFC would be the Dallas Cowboys.

So now to the Super Bowl should be a piece of cake for the Dallas Cowboys as they roll easily on the Cleveland Browns.

Dallas 35 Cleveland 21.

The Steelers Sink the Winless Dolphins 3-0

The Steelers-Dolphins game was even worse than the Dolphins-Giants game in London as far as weather and field conditions go. The field was so muddied and destroyed from the storm, that ESPN had to provide on screen computer graphics to tell the viewer where on the field the players were because the numbers on the field vanished. A terrible field and dreadful weather caused the Dolphins and Steelers to rewind to a different NFL era, a time when points came at a premium and one field goal could decide a game. They trudged through the quagmire of Heinz Field, nearly going all night without scoring. Nearly.

Jeff Reed's 24-yard field goal with 17 seconds left Monday night gave Pittsburgh a 3-0 victory over winless Miami, the first time in 64 years an NFL game went that long without any points. Hanging with the first-place Steelers (8-3) for 59½ minutes, Miami (0-11) almost pushed this mess to overtime, where Pittsburgh is 0-2 this season, but the Dolphins managed only 159 yards while going nowhere nearly all night.

The field was covered during the daylong rain, but quite a bit of water found its way under the protective tarps and there were numerous puddles and mushy spots once the covering was removed. Wide receivers slipped on several pass plays, and running backs repeatedly lost their footing before tacklers arrived. This was a game in which the weather dictated the style of play more than any offensive or defensive scheme. Pittsburgh struggled to get its running game untracked as the field was too sloppy for their offensive line to pull or trap to make the off-tackle play work, and neither team was able to run the ball outside the tackles with any effectiveness.

If anything, this was a game Miami had the best chance of winning because the weather conditions nuetralized any advantages the Steelers could have had over them.

Bears' Cedric Benson's Season Is Over

The Chicago Bears first round draft choice in 2005, Cedric Benson, needs surgery after injuring his left ankle Sunday. Benson, who took over this season as the Bears' starter after the trade of Thomas Jones to the Jets, broke free for a 21-yard run in Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos, but he was hurt as he landed while being tackled by Denver safety Hamza Abdullah. Soon after he had to be carted off the field following the second-quarter play.

"It's tough when you lose your starting tailback. Cedric went down with a season-ending injury, which is a tough break," Bears coach Lovie Smith said Monday, the day after the Bears beat the Broncos 37-34 in overtime. Benson gained 47 yards on eight carries before he was hurt Sunday. He'd rushed for 674 yards this season on 196 carries, an average of 3.4 yards per carry and had four touchdowns.

Benson had taken his share of criticism for the lackluster performance of Chicago's running game, one that is averaging only 3.3 per carry. Devin Hester, who had a 75-yard punt return and an 88-yard kickoff return, both in the third quarter against the Broncos, should be made the returner and running back. He is that insanely good and fast at what he does.

Ricky Williams Activated Against the Steelers

In need of running back help because of an ankle injury to Jesse Chatman, the Dolphins activated halfback Ricky Williams from the league's exempt list. Williams is returning to the NFL after 18 months. He served a drug suspension that was extended from May until two weeks ago on the recommendation of the league's drug counselor. This summer, Williams moved to Boston and spent time with drug counselors reviewing his life and past habits.

It is not known whether he will be on the active roster for tonight's game against the Steelers, but it is likely. Williams had a great week of practice and players on the team remarked how well he did and how much of an asset he could be for this game.

The question is will Ricky Williams be the difference maker for this struggling Dolphins team against that tough Steelers' run defense? Probably not. However, he will take the pressure off Beck and he most likely will participate in a bunch of plays to gain lost experience back. The next question is when Ronnie Brown returns next year, will him and Williams split time like Holmes and Johnson tried to do or will one of them go off to another team to be in the spotlight?

The Buffalo Bills Do Something Right

Rookie Trent Edwards was announced as the starting quarterback instead of the awful J.P. Losman. Edwards was chosen the team's starter by coach Dick Jauron on Monday, a day after J.P.Losman was ineffective in a 36-14 loss at Jacksonville. Jauron said he hopes Edwards can give the sputtering offense a spark against Washington on Sunday.

Losman turned over the ball three times against Jacksonville and has looked shaky in each of his last three starts. Although Losman engineered fourth-quarter comeback wins against Cincinnati and Miami, his play has been inconsistent. In his four starts since taking over for Edwards, Losman averaged only 209 yards passing and had three touchdowns and five interceptions.

There is no contest between Edwards and Losman. The bottom line is when Losman plays, the Bills lose and when Edwards plays, the Bills win. The Bills were horrible the first few games of the season with Losman. Then, when they put in Edwards, they won 4 games and were becoming a surprising team. However, Losman came back in and the Bills started losing again. Edwards is the Bills' future quarterback, not Losman. Why can't they realize that?

Kerry Wood Returns To The Cubs

Pitcher Kerry Wood, who's career has been plagued by injuries forcing him to switch from the starting role to a relief pitcher, agreed Monday to a $4.2 million, one-year deal to return to the Chicago Cubs. Wood, the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year, can make an additional $3.45 million in performance bonuses. He had a $1.75 million salary this year. This right-hander went 1-1 last season with a 3.33 ERA in 22 relief appearances. He didn't join the team until Aug. 5 when he made his first appearance since June 2006.

When Wood is healthy, he is tops in the majors as far as pitching goes. Wood ranks fourth on Chicago's all-time strikeout list with 1,323, while his .215 batting average against is the lowest of any Cub pitcher in franchise history with a minimum 1,000 innings pitched. Most notably for Wood was when he struck out 20 Houston Astros in just his fifth major league start in 1998 and went 13-6 in that first season, helping the Cubs win the NL wild card.

It is unknown at the moment if Wood will continue in a relief role in 2008 or get his starting job back.

Does Anyone Remember Drew Henson?

This struck me as amazing. I was watching the 10 ten draft busts for the NFL on one of the ESPN Networks and #1 was Ryan Leaf. I had no idea he was so bad, winning his first 2 starts before getting hammered and flipping out the next 3 years. However, I remembered there was this one player who was supposed to be the BIGGEST star out of college and he was just a flop and seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. But, I couldn't remember his name and it bothered me! My brother said it was Drew Brees, but Brees is still playing and the guy I'm thinking of isn't. Then, a week later his name popped in my head: Drew Henson.

I remember recently Drew Henson was supposed to be the biggest star out of college, but he wasn't. I was curious to see where he was now and this is what I found from Wikipedia.

Henson played professional baseball for the Columbus Clippers, then the AAA affiliate of the Yankees, during the next two years, but only had 9 at-bats in the majors. In 2004, he chose to give up baseball and return to football, joining the Dallas Cowboys after they traded their third round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft to the Houston Texans in exchange for Henson's services.[2]

On Thanksgiving Day 2004, Henson started his first game for Dallas. Henson went 4-12 for 31 passing yards in the first half before leaving the game with the score tied at seven. Head coach Bill Parcells opted to insert veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde and the team went on to win the game 21-7. In 2005, Henson had a poor training camp showing and landed third on the depth chart behind Drew Bledsoe and Tony Romo.

After the 2005 campaign, Parcells announced that Drew Henson would be allocated to NFL Europe league to work on his skills. In 2006, Henson was assigned to the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe, where he almost led them to the World Bowl only to finish third behind the Frankfurt Galaxy and the Amsterdam Admirals. On August 23, 2006, Parcells stated that Henson would not be on the Cowboys 2006 roster. With Bledsoe as the starter, and Romo having had a strong preseason, Parcells was not inclined to keep Henson on the roster. His official status was unclear until August 24, when he was officially released. Having cleared waivers, Henson was free to sign with any NFL team. On September 27, Henson signed on to the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings, but was then released on October 10. He was signed again by the Minnesota Vikings on December 6, 2006.

On March 15, 2007, Henson signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings.[3] However, he was cut from the team during training camp August 27, 2007. Despite falling short in Minnesota, Henson continues to pursue an NFL career. According to ESPN.com, Henson tried out for the Jacksonville Jaguars in late October 2007 because of an injury to quarterback David Garrard, but the Jaguars instead signed Todd Bouman to a one-year contract.

So, he decided to play baseball first, but was never given a chance. Then, he went to the Cowboys, but was never given a chance there because Bill and Vinny have a long history together and Romo was making his rise. I was wrong though. Henson didn't drop off the face of the Earth, just the face of America. That's why he disappeared. He went to play in Europe and was never signed again on an American team. Anyway, at least my curiosity about Drew Henson has been satisfied. You guys can rest.

Washington Redskins' Sean Taylor Shot And Wounded At Home

Taken from ESPN:

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was in critical condition after he was shot at his Florida home Monday, police said.

Sean Taylor

Miami-Dade County police officers were dispatched to Taylor's home at about 1:45 a.m. and found him shot. He was then airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital, police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said. He didn't know where on Taylor's body he was shot.

The Miami Herald reported paramedics found Taylor with a gunshot wound to the groin. A family friend who did not want to be identified told ABC-TV 10 in Miami that Taylor was shot twice.

A brief statement from the Redskins said Taylor was undergoing treatment at the Miami hospital and that police were investigating. His family has asked that no information about his condition be released at this point, said hospital spokeswoman Lorraine Nelson.

Taylor has a home in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay that he bought for $900,000 two years ago.

Taylor, 24, is in his fourth season with the Redskins after playing at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American in 2003. He leads the team with five interceptions but has missed the last two games with a knee injury.

In 2005, Taylor was accused of brandishing a gun at a man and repeatedly hitting him during a fight that broke out after Taylor and some friends went looking for the people who had allegedly stolen his all-terrain vehicles.

Taylor reached a deal with prosecutors last year after they agreed to drop felony charges against him. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors in the assault case and was sentenced to 18 months probation.

The man, Ryan Hill, also sued, seeking at least $15,000 in damages. Hill suffered bruising to his body, incurred medical expenses and lost wages because of the fight, the lawsuit said.

My Interpretation of Week 12 in the NFL

Green Bay 37 beat Detroit 26 - This was one of the more exciting games to watch. I haven't had the pleasure of watching the Packers play this year so it was such a treat to see Favre shine on Thanksgiving Day. The Lions played good too and kept the game relatively close. However, their hopes of a Wild Card are fading away. The Packers on the other hand look amazing and I can see the experienced Favre passing through Dallas' secondary next week.

Dallas 34 beat New York Jets 3 - At this point of the day I felt as tired as a fat man on Thanksgiving so this game received little attention. We all knew the Cowboys were going to destroy the poor Jets. This game wasn't even close. Even the anchormen at halftime were joking about struggling to stay awake during this game.

Indianapolis 31 beat Atlanta 13 - The Colts scared me in the beginning. I sat there thinking that this was another game where they would struggle to win. However, after letting the Falcons score the first 10 points, the Colts broke out and Peyton Manning had a great game.

Cincinnati 35 beat Tennessee 6 - Its about time for me to stop believing in the Titans. I picked them to win in order to keep the race for the AFC Wild Card close, but clearly the Browns and Jaguars are better than the Titans. I enjoyed watching Palmer and the Johnsons put up an offensive show like they should. Its ashame the defense didn't show up all year.

Cleveland 27 beat Houston 17 - What can I say about Cleveland that hasn't already been said. In the end, the Browns have too much offensive fire and they are truly the comeback team of the year. It would be nice, however, if they had more attractive helmets.

Oakland 20 beat Kansas City 17 - This game was meaningless and could have easily gone either way, but Culpepper and company edged out Croyle for the win.

Seattle 24 beat St. Louis 19 - I called for the Rams to upset the Hawks and it very nearly almost happened. Bulger's concussion forced Frerotte too enter the game, but he didn't do too bad. Jackson ran like a beast this game, but the Hawks clawed back in the 2nd half and earned the win, protecting their slim division lead.

Minnesota 41 beat New York Giants 17 - We all know Eli can't play well in the second half of the year. There's a rumor that as the temperature drops lower and lower, Eli's performance gets worse and worse. It must be true and this game proves it. I didn't even know the Vikings had a defense until this game. After this game, I was able to name every player on the Vikings' defense.

Tampa Bay 19 beat Washington 13 - Perhaps it was Campbell's 2 interceptions that hurt the Redskins in this one. Campbell allowed Barber to become the Bucs' all time interception leader.
The Bucs have padded their lead in their division even more.

New Orleans 31 beat Carolina 6 - Drew Brees either has very good games or really bad ones. This was a good week for him....or at least better than Carr, who got benched after throwing 2 interceptions. The Saints continue their march in pursuit of the Bucs.

Jacksonville 36 beat Buffalo 14 - The Jags continue to nip at the heels of the Colts and have set up a showdown to determine the status of the division lead next week. However, I don't think the Jags are that great. 15 of their points came off of 5 field goals. They simply don't have the offensive power to match up with the Colts, who's players are recovering more and more just in time for the important games.

San Fransisco 37 beat Arizona 31 - I really liked Arizona in this one and it could have gone either way. The 49ers won off of a mistake: a fumble recovery which led to a touchdown. Warner threw the lights out of the ball for 484 yards. I find that more impressive than the way the 49ers won, but I know it doesn't matter because it comes down to who wins the game.

Chicago 37 beat Denver 34 - Denver's loss breaks the tie for the division lead and puts the Chargers in front of them. Hester set the Bears' return record and no matter how hard teams try to kick away from him, he always finds a way to recover and run with the ball. Perhaps at this point teams would be better off kicking out of bounds and forfeiting 40 yards to prevent a return touchdown, but that wouldn't be any fun.

Chargers 32 beat Baltimore 14 - The Chargers have won 5 of their last 7 and seem to be back, but beating the Ravens is not exactly the hardest task in the NFL. All a team has to do is outscore the Ravens because they never put up a reasonable amount of points to win a game, excluding last week. After all the bashing of Rivers, which really made me mad because if they were going to bash young quarterbacks Culter should have been first on the list, he came through with 3 touchdowns. Tomlinson, however, continues to put up mediocre stats.

New England 31 beat Philadelphia 28 - Many of you who continue to read my postings should realize that I am a Colts fan and can't stand the Patriots. If the Eagles would have beaten the Patriots (which they should have), the Eagles would have been one of my new favorite teams. The Eagles were in control of the whole game and they were marching up the field with 5 minutes left ready to take the lead when all of a sudden (I swear don't know what they were thinking) after these small 10 yard passes which were working too a charm, Feeley decides to bomb one for the endzone and he was intercepted. WHY DID HE DO THAT? Not only did it break from what was working the entire game, but it would have only given the Patriots more time on the clock. When the Patriots were on their way to going undefeated in a recent season, Feeley on the Dolphins stopped them with a win. Feeley knew how to pick apart the Patrriots defense and if he didn't make that ridiculous decision I wouldn't be going on this rant about how the Patriots are becoming very lucky that a few of their wins have come off of bad decisions by the other team. I do enjoy wat5ching Brady get mad when they are close to losing. But still, something seems fishy about that interception, as if Feeley was paid to blow it or something. Whatever the reason, the Patriots still haven't lost and I still can't stand seeing the record go to such an undeserv9ing team. I compare the Patriots breaking the record to Barry Bonds breaking the record: Belichick and Bonds both cheated and neither deserve it and the Patriots even got caught cheating. Get the asterisk ready.

NFL Updated News For Week 12

Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson was ruled out of Sunday's game against the New York Giants, leaving Chester Taylor to start in his place.

Quarterback Donovan McNabb will miss the Philadelphia Eagles' game Sunday against New England because of a sprained ankle and injured thumb. A.J. Feeley, who led the Eagles to a win over the Dolphins, will make his first start since 2004.

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and wide receiver Santonio Holmes won't play Monday against Miami after missing practice Friday for a third consecutive day.

Bills rookie running back Marshawn Lynch will miss his second consecutive game because of a badly sprained left ankle when Buffalo plays at Jacksonville on Sunday.

For Miami, middle linebacker Zach Thomas has been ruled out for his fourth consecutive game and will not play on Monday night.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Vinny Testaverde was ruled inactive for Sunday's game against New Orleans, a day after he awoke with a stiff back. David Carr will be in the spotlight for this week.

Major League Pitcher Joe Kennedy Passes Away

Joe Kennedy, who last pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays during a seven-year major league career, died early Friday morning while at home with family in Florida. He was 28...and its always very sad when a 28 year old passes away. The cause of death could not immediately be determined, agent Damon Lapa said.

After going to bed early, Kennedy woke up at about 1:15 a.m. Friday and collapsed as he was leaving a bedroom at the home of his wife's parents, Hillsborough County sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said, according to The Associated Press. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue took Kennedy to Brandon Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, she said.

Kennedy compiled a 43-61 record in seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks and Blue Jays.

As a left-hander, Kennedy broke into the majors in 2001 with the Devil Rays. In three full seasons with Tampa Bay he made 72 starts, compiling an 18-31 record. I always liked Kennedy and that is reflected in the fact I drafted him to round out my starting pitching rotation in MVP 2007. I saw the pitching potential he had when he was on Tampa Bay and its ashame he died so young and will never have that breakout year I knew he would have.

Bill Callahan Fired As Nebraska's Head Coach

I found this story rather interesting and read further into it. Here's clips of the article taken from ESPN:

Bill Callahan was fired as Nebraska's coach Saturday, his four-year stay marked by the most embarrassing losses at a football program once among the mightiest in the nation. Interim athletic director and Nebraska great Tom Osborne announced the dismissal one day after the Cornhuskers ended the season at 5-7 following a 65-51 loss at Colorado. They squandered an 11-point halftime lead by allowing 34 consecutive points.

"As a former coach this is a role I really don't like," Osborne said at a news conference. "I hate to sit in judgment of other people. I never envisioned being in a situation where I would have to make a decision on somebody's employment opportunity, but that's the nature of this business."

Callahan met with Osborne for less than 15 minutes earlier Saturday morning. ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach reported. Callahan left the football complex without speaking to reporters. After Friday's game, he said he enjoyed his time at Nebraska. "I have no regrets," he said.

Osborne said he told Callahan at the end of October there would be a coaching change if Nebraska finished with a losing record. LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini and Buffalo coach Turner Gill are the names mentioned most often to fill one of college football's glamour jobs.

Nebraska's dismal season followed one in which it reached the Big 12 championship game. This year also featured a 76-39 defeat at Kansas, the most points allowed by a Nebraska team.

It will cost the university more than $3.1 million to buy out Callahan's contract, which was to run through the 2011 season. The contract was signed in September before a series of the most lopsided losses in decades and the firing of athletic director Steve Pederson, who hired Callahan.

Osborne said he had not yet spoken with any coaching candidates.

"The next few days I'll try to talk to four or five people," he said. "I would like to move it along as fast as I can because recruiting is really critical at this time."

The New York Knicks Have Become A Joke For Basketball

That is putting it lightly. The New York Knicks have been plagued by off-court issues, player disloyalty, and very poor performances. In the Knicks' lost to the Pistons, marking their 8th straight loss, Pistons' guard Flip Murray said, "They looked like they didn't want to compete. They were just out there. All you had to do was look at their body language. I don't know what's going on over there, but they've got a lot of issues."

New York has lost eight straight and speculation is growing that Isiah Thomas might not be coaching much longer.The awful start has only compounded problems for him and Madison Square Garden after being defeated in a sexual harassment trial. Knicks fans have been chanting for Thomas to be fired, but the Hall of Fame point guard was welcomed with mostly cheers when he was introduced in an arena where he led the Bad Boys to back-to-back titles.

But is it really all Thomas' fault? Thomas and the Knicks started the game with energy, keeping the game close for several minutes. But despite hearing Thomas scream "Rotate!" or "Stay in front of him!" the Knicks were often out of position, leaving Detroit alone to take and make shots from all over the court. Thomas is well aware of the position he is in when he said, "It's not about the players right now. This is where coaching comes in. I have to make sure I give my team enough confidence and courage to go out and compete and execute a game plan. When you're in a hole like this, it's not about the players. It really is about the coach. If I'm depending on a player, then I'm placing responsibility in the wrong place. This is about me doing a better job."

Isiah Thomas, I'm still waiting to see when your "better job" will take place.

Nobody Likes A Cheater

The title of this article has been used by those who have played any type of competitive game, but who would have imagined this phrase would someday be applied to a major league sport, specifically baseball. The use of steroids by major league baseball players is the cause of this cheating. Steroids in baseball has always been an issue, but has not taken center stage until the release of Jose Canseco’s, 'Juiced', in which he specifically points out baseball superstars, such as Mark McGwire, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, and Rafael Palmeiro, who potentially may have used steroids. Canseco himself also admitted to using steroids during his career and pointed towards the company BALCO as the source of the production of these steroids. The steroid controversy has reached the Senate where the ongoing argument is how the league should regulate the use of performance enhancement drugs as a result of baseball commissioner Bud Selig failing to do so properly. My question, however, is what is the harm of baseball players using steroids and the effects of steroids on the game of baseball and its fans.

Steroids are illegal in the United States. There is NO way it would be all right for athletes to take steroids and not make them legal for everyone else. If steroids were made legal in major league baseball, then children who look up to this sport and the players would view this as an advertisement stating there is no harm in taking this drug. Meanwhile, steroids harms the body in terms of heart and liver damage, strokes, elevated cholesterol, and other life threatening problems I doubt Major League Baseball would want to be held responsible for. The last thing baseball needs is parents threatening to file lawsuits against them because children interpreted their claim as being all right to take steroids.

Baseball players use steroids as a muscle enhancement drug. By improving themselves artificially, players provide a better show for the crowds, increase their paycheck, and earn more revenue for their ball club. If you’re sitting in AAA and you have a wife and three kids, and the guy in front of you is hitting 25 home runs and playing second base, you’re looking up and saying to yourself , “how am I going to support my family? When am I going to get the big contract?” My response is if one needs to resort to steroids because they don’t have the power on their own to produce a home run quality swing, then they should not even be in AAA to begin with. There are numerous players, including pitchers, who are able to hit home runs without using this illegal performance-enhancing drug. Baseball players need to understand power alone does not foster a home run swing. Rather, the more important ingredients are skill, accuracy, and timing. Athletes should not have to put their lives at risk because they are at a disadvantage nor should they feel forced to harm their body to keep up with the sluggers ahead of them.

As mentioned earlier, baseball players take steroids to provide better shows for their fans. The cliche “ignorance is bliss” applies here because when a fan likes his favorite baseball player, he likes that player for who he is and what he has accomplished. However, if that athlete becomes exposed to the fact he used steroids, the cliche “ignorance is bliss” switches to “say it ain’t so.” Fans of that player no longer admire his work because they realize he is a fake. Rafael Palmeiro is a good example. Fans of the Baltimore Orioles loved Palmeiro until his recent exposure of using steroids. He even lied to the Senate about his use. Now fans of the Orioles do not wish to associate the bird with that player. In addition, as a result of steroids being used by players, stats and records are being blown away and history is being rewritten unjustly. Our national pastime is being tainted by drug abuse. When legends like Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth set and broke records, they did not have the luxury of steroids. Players breaking records today are doing it unfairly, and steroids is the cause of that.

Therefore, steroids should be banned from baseball and drastic actions should be taken to keep steroids from being used further. Steroids is polluting baseball because newer players are feeling required to resort to steroids and harm their body in order to compete. This pollutes the sport further. The MLB should test everyone, instead of random players like they do now, simultaneously at a specific date. The fact some players get away with using steroids and others do not is unfair. Players who still wish to pursue steroids even after they realize the possible consequences of their actions should do so at their own risk because steroids raise the probability of that player becoming injured, especially if taken in large doses over time. In other words, if players do not wish to stop taking them because of legal consequences, then they should stop taking steroids because they will be screwed health-wise in the long run.

Priest Holmes Announces His Retirement From The NFL

Three-time Pro Bowl tailback Priest Holmes, who returned to the field with the Kansas City Chiefs last month following nearly two years of inactivity, has decided to leave the game, and announced his retirement at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

Holmes, 34, spent the past few days counseling with family members and friends, and speaking with medical experts about a re-occurrence of the neck problems that sidelined him for two years, two sources close to him told ESPN.com on Tuesday night. The decision to retire came after Holmes suffered three hits in last Sunday's game at Indianapolis that left him with some tingling in his extremities.

The Kansas City franchise's all-time leader in total touchdowns (83) and rushing touchdowns (76), Holmes set a then-league record by scoring 27 times in 2003. That record has since been broken.

Holmes spent the final half of the 2005 season on injured reserve and the entire 2006 campaign on the NFL's physically unable to perform list. Because of the head and neck trauma, and a serious hip injury that threatened to end his career in 2004, Holmes has played in only 19 games since the end of the 2003 season.

Holmes stated, "I have truly been blessed with the opportunity to play in the National Football League. I will be forever grateful to the Hunt family and the Chiefs organization for the opportunity to come to Kansas City, where the community embraced me from Day 1."

I want to say Holmes is lying about this statement. After all, this guy WAS treated badly, but then again, his team was only looking out for him and it just so happened Larry Johnson stepped into the picture. Here's a guy who was an amazing rusher for his team, but a series of injuries set him back. So, the Chiefs did what any team would do and that is to get a running back to temporarily replace him. Except, Larry Johnson was so good, that he not only stole Holmes' starring role, but he basically replaced Holmes and Edwards refused to put Holmes back in. In the end, however, that was a good move on Edwards' part because he realized Holmes was too hurt to run full-time and thus the retirement. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Johnson is having an awful year as well.

Wizards' Guard Gilbert Arenas Will Miss 3 Months

Washington Wizards leading scorer Gilbert Arenas underwent two different surgical procedures on his left knee on Wednesday and will miss about three months. Arenas had been experiencing swelling and soreness in the knee which he had surgically repaired late last season. After sitting out the past two games, Arenas did not travel with the team to Charlotte and underwent an MRI Wednesday morning, which revealed a cartilage tear. Team physician Dr. Marc Connell repaired a partial tear of the meniscus and performed microfracture surgery on a non-weight bearing bone on the side of his knee.

At 6-5, the Wizards are having one of their better seasons and if the Magic weren't as good as they are, this would turn into a divisional race. Not to put the Wizards down, but I'm not too particulary fond of them. I can see why Arenas is their leading scorer. They have no one else to carry the load. DeShawn Stevenson and Antawn Jamison need to carry the pace. The reason I have little faith in this team is because at one point I had Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and Brendan Haywood on my fantasy team and they didn't do anything for me. In fact, I think Haywood earned me negative points one game. Therefore, Arenas injury will prove devastating for the Wizards.