It’s Independence Day weekend coming up and we’re getting ready to rock out and blow up some cans with Black Cats. So in preparation of the the fireworks menagerie, we’re gonna give you more bang for your buck on this week’s Crib Sheet. Before everyone goes out to stick explosives into other containers and shoot bottle rockets off, please remember to be careful, especially your hands. They need to be healthy to handle the frosty beverages over the weekend and later on in the fall for college football. Now here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:
- Mark your calendars, the Michigan vs. Notre Dame game September 12 at 3:30 pm ET. Both programs are looking to rebound and we should be witnessing a treat as two boisterous head coaches fight for their jobs.
- To no surprise, the BCS rejected the Mountain West’s proposal of an eight team playoff. Hopefully this will end the playoff talk for awhile. We all know this is not going away forever.
- Texas student assistant coach Matt Nader got a big ole gun pulled on him at the golf course last week. Apparently he was arguing with a Texan and he later showed up with a gun ready to go. Seeing as this all took place in Texas, I’m not too surprised. Crazy thing was the gun toting Texan was 73, talk about a cranky golfer.
- After another death and settlement from complications due to sickle cell traits at Rice University, the NCAA will start recommending that test for sickle cell issues be conducted at universities. After this and the death of former Missouri Tiger Aaron O’Neil, it would make more sense to require the testing of players for these issues. The NCAA and schools make bank off of these kids, let’s make sure they get taken care of while they promote the schools on the field.
- Look out Missouri Tigers, the kid of a maybe future NFL Hall of Famer is coming your way in Derrion Thomas. He wasn’t high up on anyone’s radar due to only one year of playing high school ball, but he does look and play like his dead dad. Let’s hope this walk on will do well over in Columbia. My advice to Derrion: remember to wear a seat belt.
- USA Today has a profile of Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing. It looks like it’s another one of those, short Big 12 quarterback come from behind stories. The difference this time is Kansas might actually have what it takes to win the big game. They did it on the Orange Bowl, maybe it’s their year this year. Sorry Chase Daniels, have fun trying to play for the Redskins.
We were starting to get worried here at the Crib Sheet that this week’s news would be weak. Wednesday rolled around and we were totally saved. Perhaps Easter had something to do with the slow news over the weekend. This week we sift through some practices and look at some red tape a danglin’ around. Here we go:
- Bo Pelini is spitting out chewing gum again in Lincoln. He’s fired up after a bad practice and is telling everyone on the block about it. It seems to work fine up there as Nebraska is turning the corner and it’s nice to see some passion from a coach when you’re living with the Pinkel/Mangino/Snyder non speak on a daily basis.
- Mike Leach is a definite oddball and his practice tactics are proving it. Making players study on the field in the snow and some high balancing is unique enough. Still I’m not sure if it will work this year after losing Michael Crabtree.
- Glen Winston is going to jail for 6 months for kicking the tar out of fellow Michigan State athlete A. J. Sturges. I thought hockey players were supposed to be tough? I guess not. Then again, he was up against Winston and Michael White from the football team. Two football players > one hockey player.
- Texas is trying to lure the College Football Hall of Fame away from South Bend, Indiana. Both Dallas and Arlington have put together proposals to build a hall as well as convention center in support of the move. Traditionally Notre Dame is king for football but recent years have shown the Fighting Irish’s prominence waning. Now is a good time to snatch the hall, especially in a state where people eat, sleep, and crap football.
- Other universities are interested in Kansas Atheltic Director Lou Perkins and the Jayhawks are willing to pay up to keep him. That makes sense. The guy produced a national champion basketball team and built and honest to goodness football team down there in Lawrence. So another $750,000 goes to Lou. I’m sure it will eat into Mark Mangino’s Ho Ho fund.
- Bill Snyder still has no clue who’s gonna quarterback the Kansas State Wildcats. It’s a tough job to replace the overrated Josh Freeman. Chances are we’ll see all three start next season and the one who does a better job with the option will get the nod.
- Legal documents stuffed in the AP’s pocket show that the Missouri Tigers officials and staff failed to follow proper steps to keep Aaron O’Neil from collapsing and eventually dieing back in 2005. The director of sports medicine for the athletic department apparently even rejected suggestions from concerned players to check up on O’Neil. Yet another example of the Tigers dropping the ball, off the field even.
- Former Duke basketballer Greg Paulus, after trying out for the Green Bay Packers, sat down with Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez to explore the possibility of using his one year of eligibility to play college football. So the Rich must be feeling the heat already because even the Duke football doesn’t want him. Both Paulus and Rodriguez are starting to look a little silly here.
What is with the Crib Sheet coming out after major late night holidays? First it was Fat Tuesday, which prompted a cold, and now we have St. Patrick’s Day. The Hooley over at Lew’s Grille and Pub was rocking last night as the beer was flowing and the babes were showing. The traditional corned beef and cabbage was again very tasty but Disco Dick and the Mirrorballs disco sucked. The week of college football news did not suck, however.
- It seems Colt McCoy is pulling a Tim Tebow and doing charity work in his offtime. This should help him out on his campaign for the Heisman Trophy this year. Although seriously, if Tim Tebow is coming back, there might be a chance the Tim will win a 3rd time in a row. Bolster those resumes!
- Some smart folks over at the University of Kansas did a study about true home field advantages and discovered that Nebraska has the largest of them all. That makes sense considering the whole state goes to the games. My problem is, advantage or not, their home record wasn’t the best in the time of the study. Still, it’s pretty cool to play with numbers.
- And a new four year deal hit the BCS with the four big daddys (Fiesta, Sugar, Rose, and Orange Bowl) agreeing to a four year extension. Expect to hear the sports media complain about it for a couple of weeks and then fall back on it, say, about the middle of the season. No surprises here.
- Huzzah! An Ohio State Buckeye cheerleader, the captain nonetheless, is trying out for the football team. Looks like he can run fast. I bet he can jump pretty high. I’m thinking that the huddles might be a little too annoying. Maybe he can help them come up with better endzone celebrations.
- Wow Miami of Ohio is looking like a small class team by scheduling two games on the same day, one against Colorado. When asked about it, officials from the MAC are doing some major buck passing. Don’t tell Coach Hawkins or he’ll remind us what conference team and football division they’re supposed to play.
- Missouri finally settled with Aaron O’Neil’s family after his death on the practice field before the season started in 2005. I guess they had to wait a bit for the program to generate some money through the athletics before they could write them the check. Meanwhile, the family of a student, Erek Plancher, will file suit against the University of Central Florida after he collapsed and died on the field last year. It seems like the condition drills always take out some kids like that. The large heads of the coaches is the issue here. They don’t want thier kids to be soft and go the ultra pushy machismo way to do it. Maybe legal action should be allowed against the coaches in the scneario? Jail time possibly?
- The Bryce Brown lottery is over with double B picking Tennessee. Okay so he had visits to the Vols the last week or so but was nice enough to keep Kansas State in the running. Don’t fret! It’s time to celebrate the last mention of Bryce for a long time.
College Sports, Kansas City style
