A few weeks back I commented on how many coaches had lost their jobs in college football this season. Apparently kismet had one for the road as just a day after the last game of the season Jim Leavitt gets the axe for the alleged mistreatment of a player. Coach Leavitt is the only coach in South Florida history having launched the program in 1995. Apparently there is nothing you can do to garner the benefit of the doubt, especially when the alleged victim denies the claims himself. You’d figure that when there technically isn’t a willing victim that you could keep your job throughout the investigation but nope. I guess the collegiate staff knows something we don’t.
Go Alabama.
The Rose Bowl was a pretty good game all things considered. It actually looked like it was going to be a one sided affair until Colt McCoy went down with a shoulder injury after the fifth play of the current drive. It was the weirdest thing; McCoy took a hit in the back that didn’t look that bad, even in the replays. He gets up and his arm is limp. Essentially the game was over.
For a time it looked as though the Texas defense would at least keep the game close, but Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson had other ideas. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram scored a couple of touchdowns and broke 100 yards rushing on the way to becoming offensive player of the game. Couple the rushing attack with McCoy’s freshman back up and things looked bleak.
The back up Gilbert actually managed to find Jordan Shipley more than once for scores and Texas got to within three late, but Alabama simply wouldn’t be denied. They ran behind Ingram all the way to the championship. Even though I’m in the playoff camp I must admit that the game was great from beginning to end. Now, if they could just play one more game against Boise.
Trust me, they’ll fight.
Floyd Mayweather wasted no time in verbally attacking Manny Pacquiao and Top Rank Boxing after they called the fight dead yesterday, saying that he wanted to whup Paquiao’s punk ass. It’s funny that the guy throwing up all the road blocks is now complaining about procedure. Mayweather knows that he’s at fault and is scrambling to save face.
The details of the situation paint a strange picture. Floyd Mayweather Sr. suddenly started making accusations that Manny was dirty without any actual evidence. PED’s is a flash word in today’s society and dangerously doesn’t necessarily require a pesky little thing like evidence for it to do its intended damage.
I really hate to speculate but it just seems like Mayweather’s camp saw some tape and realized that he was in serious trouble, and his arrogance suggested that there was no way he could lose unless the other guy was cheating. They say that Pacquiao has risen in weight class and retained his power and speed. So have a lot of other boxers, including one Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Two wrongs.
The action on the field of sports is a mixture of ferocity and beauty. But off the field, where the money is? Man that can be down right ugly. Josh Cribbs feels utterly disrespected by the Cleveland Browns because they are only raising his pay from around $ 900,000 to a cool 1.4 million. Unfortunately Cribbs feels like that total isn’t competitive enough with the rest of the league at his position. Some would agree, and of course some think he’s complaining unfairly. The situation is hairy to say the least. I think both parties share some of the blame.
In most instances contracts are legally binding, but it seems like that idea is negotiable when it comes to pro sports. Cribbs has three years remaining on his current contract, he’s asking for a renegotiation before his contract has expired. Doesn’t that seem a little unfair? After all, he signed the contract; shouldn’t he adhere to its terms? Its instances like this make it hard to feel for athletes that say their being mistreated by the owners.
Cribbs has made it clear that he refuses to play another down unless his demands are met basically, forcing the hands of the front office to either pay of trade the kick returner. It continues to amaze me that things like this happen and players are still stunned when a team kicks them to the curve. Let’s be honest, the NFL and its players are in a constant cycle of sticking it to each other over a couple of bucks.
