Terrell Owens Hearing

Former/Current Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens reports to his arbitration hearing this morning to discuss his future this season. Owens and the player’s union are arguing that he should be release outright and become a free agent. Apparently his 4 game suspension seemed a bit steep to Owens and Co. This all boils down to money. Owens is worried that every game he misses is money not in his pocket. The Eagles want some of his signing bonus back for violating a clause in his contract. Who will win? We should know soon.

Is Owens really that bad of a guy? He speaks the truth and runs his mouth. The truth is hardly ever popular, but it is always better than lying. If McNabb were in an interview and someone asked if the Eagles would be a better team with Jerry Rice in his prime, do you think McNabb would say no? Put yourself in T.O.’s shoes. He may be a jackass in the locker room, but when it’s game time he is a prized steed. The question always asked is, does talent always win over character? In most cases it does. But is T.O. really a bad team mate?

I’m sure the quarterbacks have a love/hate relationship. He turns their 10 yard throw into a 60 yard touchdown. He makes quarterbacks look good. But is this talent enough to cause management to look away when he is being a jackass? In the Eagles case, no it wasn’t. Is T.O. really a bad teammate? Would you rather have a murderer on your team or someone who runs their mouth? Leonard Little has 2 DUIs under his belt and manslaughter. No exactly a model teammate if you ask me. But where was the uproar from St. Louis management? Ray Lewis killed someone too (he wasn’t convicted, but neither was O.J.) and now he is a superstar in this league. Since when did murder become tolerable and being a loudmouth intolerable?

The list can go on and on about drug users and players with domestic violence charges on their record, but the question still remains … is T.O. really a cancer? Is he that bad of a teammate? I hope the arbitrators side with T.O. just because he is a great entertainer and that’s what the NFL is. He didn’t kill anyone. He isn’t coked up. Let the Eagles cut him, and let T.O. get on with his life.

Florida Gator Basketball

The Florida Gators continued their win streak last night with a victory over 18th ranked Wake Forest. The Gators notched their first “big win” of the season in a year that was supposed to be sub-par. If you are new to my blog, you will soon realize that a lot of my posts will cover Gator Basketball (I am UF Alumni hard at work). If you don’t follow Gator ball, then hopefully you will learn a few things by reading my posts.

Lee (1st round New York Knicks), Roberson (who knows where?), and Walsh (also fell off the face of the earth?) all either graduated or left early to the NBA draft last year. They were the Gators Big 3. High expectations last year led to huge disappoint in their early NCAA Tournament departure. And an early NCAA departure led to the Gators not being ranked. True men’s basketball fans know the Gators are still a solid team. Defense will be our specialty this season. Without the inconsistent hot dogs Walsh and Roberson, the Gators can concentrate on playing fundamentally sound basketball.

Chris Richardson is not the offensive threat that Lee was, but man can he fill the pain. Richardson is a big man that can grab the boards and throw down a nasty dunk. Adrian Moss (Randy’s cousin who looks just like him minus the dreads) is a defensive beast. He is the windex man when it comes to cleaning the glass. He also has that feisty attitude that Randy has. Moss usually ends up with 4-5 fouls every game, and he does not back down from a fight. His energy and enthusiasm drive this team. Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey, and Corey Brewer make up the guards and small forwards. Humphrey is a 3 point machine. He is automatic from beyond the arch. Now, if you follow basketball you have probably heard of Corey Brewer. I swear the man has glue on his hands. Steals and forced turnovers are his game. Corey is a high energy player that loves to run up and down the court. There is no slack in his game.

Now that the Gators don’t have their ball hogs this year, I can see them going further in the NCAA Tournament. They are still a very young team. Moss is the only senior. This could be a Cinderella year for the Gators, but more than likely it will be next year.

picture taken from alligator.org

Georgia Tech Placed on Probation

What is it with major universities and breaking NCAA laws? Now I know that every school probably uses some illegal recruiting methods or tried to persuade professors to give the players “extra time” for assignments, but for a university like Georgia Tech to field academically ineligible athletes is just plain stupid. Isn’t GA Tech known to be a top tier academic school? Surely it is no Harvard or Yale, but it has to be better than most public state universities.

Georgia Tech was placed on probation by the NCAA for 2 years. I hope they weren’t planning on going to the NCAA tournament and possibly the Final Four this year. What a joke college sports has become. It pisses me off that people who can hardly read can be accepted into college just because they play sports. College athletes have tutors and mandatory study time. How can they not maintain academic eligibility. I don’t know what the minimum GPA is, but I’m sure it’s low.

Now I love college sports, but this is just embarrassing and it’s happening everywhere, not just Georgia Tech. The majority of students do work hard in school and their respective sports and because of a few slackers their college athletic careers might be ruined. This is a bad situation for any school. You lose scholarships, recruits, and current athletes might transfer out.

Shame on your Georgia Tech. Shame on you!

picture is taken from alamoflag.com

Houston Astros Offseason

What do the Houston Astros need this offseason to reach the big game again and actually win it. Getting swept in front of the whole world to a team that hasn’t won a World Series in a 100 years is quite embarrassing. What if the Astros had a big bat in their lineup to give Berkman some protection? What if Manny Ramirez had that Astros Star on his hat in 2006. What will it take for the Astros to finally win?

People who follow the Astros will tell you that owner Drayton McLane only puts up enough money to make the team competitive. He has said it time and time again. He won’t spend the big bucks. It’s time for Drayton to open his wallet and go get someone.

The Astros have a wonderful farm system. Guys like Lidge, Oswalt, Backe, Burke, Taveras, Lane, Everett, Ensberg are all home grown boys. Every one of them was brought up to the big leagues in the Astros farm system. You can’t win a World Series solely on farm talent, just look at the Braves. You need to bring in free agents that fit in your system.

It’s every Astros fan’s dream to see Adam Dunn come play for Houston. He is a native of Houston and will be a Free Agent after this 2006 season. The Astros have some excellent minor league pitching talent that they can package to the Reds for Dunn near the trade deadline. If the Reds are out of contention, they will need to trade Dunn, because odds are he will file for free agency and sign with the Astros anyways. Better get something for him now while you still can. Item #1: Adam Dunn.

Do the Astros need a new catcher? You either love or hate Ausmus. Some rave about his defense and game management abilites while others loathe his lack of production at the plate. This guy grounds into a double play every game and he has a noodle for an arm. Frank Thomas could steal a base on Ausmus. Benji Molina and Ramon Hernandez are both free agents this offseason. It’s time to bring in a replacement for Ausmus. Item #2: Ramon Hernandez.

With the status of Roger Clemens uncertain, the Astros will need to find another starting pitcher. They had the best rotation in baseball (that is up until the World Series). The Astros have enough young pitching. Andy is our oldest SP and he is only 31 or 32. Someone like Millwood, Morris, or Loaiza might be a good fit for this club. Of course we can always dream of getting A.J. Burnett, but that won’t likely happen. Item #3 Matt Morris (only if Clemens retires).

There you have it. That’s what the Astros need to start winning some playoff games. Sure they can be competitive with what they have, but they can’t be champions. If the Astros need anything it is a big bat. Enter Adam Dunn.

Jaguars vs. Titans

Here comes the most heat rivalry in Jaguar’s history. These teams have hated each other since the Titans were the Houston Oilers. The Jaguars got their first ever franchise win over the Oilers back in 1995. The rivalry intensified when in 1999 the Jaguars went 14-2 in the regular season losing both games to Tennessee. The two teams eventually met in the AFC Championship in Jacksonville. How could one team beat another 3 times in the same year? I remember it was only like the first or second time it had ever happened. The Jags dominated everyone that season, everyone that is, except the Titans.

Tennessee leads the series 12 games to 8, but this year the tables have turned. Last years Jaguar victory at Tennessee marked a new era. Now the Jaguars are on the rise and the Titans are going through cap hell. How does it feel? The Jaguars will be pumped to play this game on Sunday. Stroud is a beat when he plays against the Titans. Not to mention it is somewhat of a homecoming for Henderson, so he should put on a nice show for the crowd.

There won’t be any Fred Taylor this weekend, but I’m not as worried as I used to be. When Fred said he wasn’t going to play it pretty much meant that we were going to lose. But things are different now. The Jaguars have Greg Jones who is a manchild. When given the rock he performs. He is not flashy like Fred. He doesn’t dance like Fred. But what he does is get consistent and tough yards, which is something Fred couldn’t do. I can’t count the last time Greg was given the ball on 3rd and 1 and he didn’t convert.

Jimmy Smith is also listed as questionable. He should play. Apparently he tweeked his hammy in practice Wednesday, hopefully this isn’t just an excuse to bench him. Even if it was, I’m not too worried about this situation either. Wilford and Jones have proven they can handle the load. If only Leftwich could be a little more accurate with his throws. I am looking forward to seeing Pacman Jones. I guess he’s been somewhat of a bust early on, but has been performing on special teams.

Prediction: Jaguars 28 Titans 14