Dyson & Wiggins Suspended Indefinitely

Doug Wiggins, Jerome Dyson and Jim Calhoun - Courant Photos

I just came across on UConnHuskies.com:

University of Connecticut sophomore men’s basketball players Jerome Dyson (Rockville, Md.) and Doug Wiggins (East Hartford, Conn.) have been suspended indefinitely from the team for violation of team rules, it was announced Friday at the team hotel by head coach Jim Calhoun.

Neither player accompanied the team on its trip to Indiana, where the Huskies will play the Hoosiers Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Assembly Hall.

And this quote comes via the Hartford Courant from head coach Jim Calhoun:

“It obviously isn’t something that is making me particularly happy,” Calhoun said shortly after arriving at the team hotel Friday. “This particular suspension is mine, no one else’s. I took the action based upon what I felt was in the best interest of our basketball team and the university.”

Umm folks, this isn’t good. This comes at a bad time for the Huskies as they have been playing well lately and had a chance to beat Indiana tomorrow. Now, I’m not so sure. But I am sure Calhoun had ample reason to suspend them.

This is Wiggins second suspension this season as he was banned from the locker room for part of the preseason.

Theo Avoids Arbitration Again

Kyle Snyder - Reuters photoBoy Wonder has done it again. Theo Epstein has once again avoided arbitration with one of his arbitration-eligible players as he announced the Red Sox have signed Kyle Snyder to a contract for 2008. The deal is a 1-year non-guaranteed contract for $835,000.

This leaves just Kevin Youkilis as the only unsigned arbitration-eligible player for the Red Sox. Right now the two sides are about $1.2 million apart as Youk submitted a number of $3.7 million while the Red Sox countered with $2.525 million. The hearing for Youk is scheduled for February 18th in St. Petersburg, FL. Hopefully the two sides will come to a deal before that.

Given that a lot of teams are locking up their younger players with long-term deals, could the Red Sox follow suit.

In The Red Zone – Super Bowl XLII Edition Vol. 5

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Some fun facts about the University of Phoenix Stadium, which is hosting Super Bowl XLII. It is the 19th stadium to host the host the Super Bowl. It is the first time the Super Bowl will be held in this stadium.

Naming Rights: The University of Phoenix paid $154 million for 20 years.

UOP Stadium - Glendale AZ

Location: 1 Cardinals Way, Glendale AZ. The stadium is located adjacent to and south of Jobing.com Arena, home to the NHL Phoenix Coyotes, and Westgate City Center, a master-planned, mixed-use retail, entertainment and commercial development.

Prime Tenant: Arizona Cardinals (NFL)/Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (NCAA BCS Bowl)

Stadium Type: Retractable Roof

Designer: HOK Sport in conjunction with Hunt Construction and Urban Earth Design

Exterior: Designed to resemble the barrel of a cactus

Continue reading →

In The Red Zone – Super Bowl XLII Edition Vol. 4

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More from the who’s a dirty player department:

First San Diego Chargers center Nick Hardwick just can’t let go of the entire Richard Seymour deal.  Wednesday on San Diego’s XX Sports Radio 1090 he restated his claims about Seymour and added that Seymour headbutted a Chargers coach during warmups. 

In the interview he was asked to compare Seymour to Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth:

“The deal is, Haynesworth isn’t incredibly dirty,” Hardwick said. “He’s just tries to intimidate you, like before the snap and after the snap staring you down. It’s not like when you’re walking back to the huddle you’re getting your foot stomped on or tripped, or when he’s runs by you back to his own huddle he’ll like elbow you in the back or head butting you after the play, things like. Head butting your coach before the game.”

When pressed by the hosts, Hardwick said, “I’m done … I said it … I’m done,” and declined to elaborate.

“Whatever,” he said. “I’m moving on. It will probably come up next year. What’s he going to do – play harder?”

As for the incident with the coach Seymour got into a pregame jawing match with Marcus McNeill prior to the game and a San Diego coach came over to pull McNeill away.  ProFootball Talk has the video of the confrontation and while Seymour did get into the grill of the San Diego coach it does not appear that he headbutted him.

Now we move onto Osi Umenyiora of the Giants who was interviewed on HBO’s Real Sports by Bob Costas.  And during his interview he lays claim that Patriots OL Matt Light is a dirty player.  The transcript comes from HBO:

Osi Umenyiora: “It was a good matchup the last time. I mean, I think I got him a couple of times, he also got me a couple of times. It was a war out there and to be honest with you, I not quite sure that he thought that he was going to see me again because of some of the things he did and said during that game. But, you know, unfortunately he does have to see me again.”

Bob Costas: “Trash talking is one thing, you seem to be implying that he made some dirty moves. Did something happen outside the pale?”

Osi Umenyiora: “He was doing a couple of things that you know he shouldn’t have been.”

Bob Costas: “Like what?”

Osi Umenyiora: “Hitting after the delay and trying to, I don’t know if he was trying to intimidate me, I don’t know what he was trying to do, but he did a couple of things that he shouldn’t have done and, you know, now we are really going to go at it this time.”

Bob Costas: “Were there angry words?”

Osi Umenyiora: “A couple.”

When asked if the Patriots were a dirty team:

Osi Umenyiora: “I wouldn’t call them a dirty team, I wouldn’t say that. I haven’t really experienced them as a team to be dirty. They have certain individuals like I am sure we have certain individuals who are perceived to be dirty but people wouldn’t call them a dirty team.”

Red Sox News & Notes – 1/25

Red Sox News & Notes @ SOX & Dawgs

Jacoby Ellsbury was busy yesterday in Maine as he was on hand at the Dunkin Donuts in Westbrook, Maine to help the franchise promote a new menu item. He was there with representatives from the Boston Red Sox who also brought the World Series trophies with them.

Jacoby Ellsbury at Maine Dunkin Donuts - KeepMEcurrent.com photoEllsbury even took time to work the drive-thru window and help serve some customers. I am sure they were pretty shocked to be getting their morning cup of java from the Red Sox center fielder. Unfortunately, Ellsbury didn’t have time to sign autographs for the masses.

Ever since the Red Sox current ownership took over the team, they have made it a point to honor the life of Jackie Robinson on his birthday, January 31st, which happens to fall just two days after mine. This year, the Red Sox plan to hold the biggest celebration for Robinson in team history.

“The Red Sox are proud to host this two-day ‘Celebration of Life for Jackie Robinson,’ a great American who was much more than a ballplayer,” said club president/CEO Larry Lucchino. “We decided to expand the event so that both children and adults could learn more about this man of character and courage who had such a profound effect on our country.”

On January 31st, the Red Sox will host youngsters from area after school programs to kick off the festivites. On February 1st, the Red Sox will host an event entitled “Sports, Race and the Legacy of Jackie Robinson” at 5:30 PM in the EMC Club at Fenway.

The panel will include Bill Russell, Boston Celtics legend and 11-time NBA champion; Elaine Steward, Red Sox vice president/legal affairs and former Jackie Robinson Scholar; Faye Fields, entrepreneur and part-owner of the Washington Nationals; and Steve Jacobson, Newsday columnist and author. Internationally recognized legal theorist and Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree will moderate the panel. Red Sox play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo will serve as the master of ceremonies.

Coincidently, Black History Month also starts on February 1st. A truly amazing panel for an amazing person. If you are interested in attending the event, tickets are $50 and can be obtained at the fenwayparkwriters.org website.

Ellsbury’s visit a breakfast treat [KeepMEcurrent.com]

Sox announce Robinson tribute [redsox.com]

The National Lampoons Sports Minute (Or So) – 1/25

The National Lampoon Sports Minute

Written by Steve Hofstetter, Keith Alberstadt, Adam Hofstetter, Cody Marley, Ryan Murphy, Elliot Steingart, and Chris Strait

Dan Marino’s cell phone went off twice on a CBS’ Sprint Halftime Report. Turns out it was Tom Brady and Eli Manning, calling to rub it in.

The Super Bowl is set with the Giants and the Patriots. It’s about time New York and Boston had some kind of rivalry.

Muhammad Ali Enterprises is launching an official online store. Details are still shaky.

The good news is that Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova battled at the Australian Open. The bad news is they were both fully clothed.

NCAA Division II will expand to Canada, in a new division known as the N-C-Eh-Eh.

Bobby Knight has become the first men’s Division I coach to reach 900 victories. Knight thanked IKEA.

The Lakers’ injury list continues to grow. Pretty soon, Kobe Bryant will run out of people to not pass to.

And Miami baller Alonzo Mourning announced he may not retire after this year. Just what Florida needs: more old people who can’t drive. Why not stick around? The team’s doing great with him. How bad are the Miami Heat? In comparison, the Dolphins are now just mediocre.

For more of the Sports Minute (Or So), visit minuteorso.com

Paw Prints – Roundball Edition

Paw Prints - Roundball Edition @ SOX & Dawgs

Just a few days after prank callers hit the SEC women’s basketball coaches teleconference with some lewd questions, another set of prank callers (or perhaps the same ones) hit the Big East men’s basketball coaches teleconference with similar questions. The people who did the calls posed as writers for newspapers across the country.

Although the questions were not as lewd as the questions posed to the SEC coaches, one Big East coach was asked whether or not he watched his players shower.

UConn head coach Jim Calhoun probably said it best about the prank calls.

“I wish some people would get a life.”

Unfortunately, Stu Padasso couldn’t be reached for comment.

If you were hoping to catch UConn recruits Elena Delle Donne and Heather Buck participate with their respective teams in the “Connecticut Classic”, you will need to make other plans.

Due to the fact that an NCAA violation might happen, the games have been once again moved. At first they were to take place on February 10th at Gampel Pavilion. Then the CIAC said that the games couldn’t be played on a Sunday due to the CIAC rule of no athletic contests on Sunday. The games were then moved to Eastern Connecticut State University on February 9th.

But because event organizers wanted to secure the building for free that might have caused an NCAA violation for ECSU. Now Heather Buck’s Stonington High School team will take on Windham High at Windham High on February 9th at 7:00 PM.

Delle Donne’s Ursuline Academy team will now probably play Manchester High School at the University of Hartford’s Chase Arena at 7:30 PM, if event organizers can secure the facility. It’s not guaranteed they will play there but it is probably the top option right now. That is of course if they lease the arena.

NBA All-Star Starters

Garnett doing things he likes to doBoston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett received the most votes from the fans and will start for the Eastern Conference on February 17th in New Orleans.  Garnett garnered 2,399,148 votes to make his 9th All-Star start and 11th All-Star team of his career.

Joining KG as the Eastern Conference starters are:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James
  • Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard
  • New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd
  • Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade

Starters for the Western Conference are:

  • Denver Nuggetts guard Allen Iverson
  • Denver Nuggetts guard Carmelo Anthony
  • Houston Rockets center Yao Ming
  • Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant
  • San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan

The coaches for each conference will pick the reserves and they will be announced next Thursday.

Stand Up Bill

Those that accuse New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick of not having a sense of humor, have never seen or been to one of his press conferences.

This comes from Mike Reiss from the Boston Globe’s Reiss’ Piece’s blog:

presserPatriots coach Bill Belichick held his Thursday press conference (10:50 a.m.) at Gillette Stadium. It didn’t take long before he was asked about QB Tom Brady and his health.

“I don’t have any comment on it,” Belichick said.

Asked if Brady would have a full workload in practice, Belichick said: “We’ll go out there and I don’t know. The injury report will be out next Wednesday, and we’re excited to give that to you. I can’t wait to give that to everybody.”

That drew some laughter by those in the media workroom.

I understand he closed with “try the veal, I’ll be here all week”.

Falcons Name New Head Coach

Atlanta Falcons new head coach Mike SmithThe Atlanta Falcons have named Mike Smith their new head coach replacing Bobby Petrino who fled to Arkansas after only 13 games of a four year deal.

Smith who had been the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator signed a four year contract worth between $8 million and $10 million. This is Smith’s first stint as a head coach at any level, but he is a nine-year league veteran and has served the past five seasons as the Jacksonville defensive coordinator. Under his stewardship, the Jacksonville defense was statistically ranked among the top six in the league on three occasions. Before joining coach Jack Del Rio’s staff in Jacksonville, Smith was the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive line coach for three seasons, 1999-2001.

Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff says the 48-year-old Smith, a 26-year coaching veteran, “has strong experience with winning teams, a track record of success, a solid, smart approach to the game, and high character and integrity.”

Smith was one of seven candidates interviewed for the job, some prior to Dimitroff’s hiring as the general manager earlier this month. He is the third head coach hired by the Falcons since 2004.