Two Quickies: Kenny George; The Replacement Players

Last college basketball season, I wrote about a player named Kenny George from UNC-Asheville. At 7'7" and in possession of the top field goal percentage in the NCAA, you'd think he had it made, but his size seems to get in the way of him living a normal life. This is a guy whose dad has to drive across the country to pick him up from school because he can't fit on an airplane. And I felt a tinge of sadness watching him play, mainly because he seemed to be in pain. Although I'm sure he loves basketball, there's an air of exploitation surrounding him. I'm not suggesting that UNC-Asheville is necessarily the culprit, but it's just an uneasy feeling I get.

Well, now it looks like he's going to miss the entire upcoming season. George is currently laid up in a Chicago hospital following two surgeries due to a foot infection, and his coach says that he's probably not going to even attend school this semester, which sucks because this is his senior year. (Although he could possibly have another year of eligibility if his injury is non-sports related. I actually had an extra year of sports eligibility when I started law school. . . but God denied my petition for 28 hours in a day.) Hopefully, he will be able to at least return to graduate even if he can't play . . . something tells me that even if he takes the year off, he has a good shot at being picked up by an NBA team who wants to take a chance on him. While I don't think his body will handle too many years in the league, though, I do hope he gets a shot - for his own sake and no one else's . . .


The latest episode of "Pull the Plug on the QB," features the Minnesota Viking's Tarvaris Jackson. Vikings coach Brad Childress announced Wednesday that Jackson will be riding the pine from here on out until further notice. In his place will be 15-year veteran Gus Frerotte - aka the poster child for "one time a bride, usually a bridesmaid." He made a name for himself with the Washington Redskins where he made the Pro Bowl in 1996 (12 years ago) but was perhaps even more famous in our nation's capital for spraining his neck during a touchdown celebration (but at least he scored, DeSean) and ending up in the hospital.

Only two weeks in and the coach is shaking things up. Childress clearly doesn't like what he sees and apparently neither do the fans as they vocally expressed their disapproval of Jackson's playing during the last game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Vikings have certainly woefully underperformed in their first two games, but I'm not sure anyone on the team was expecting this move, not even the two men who are swapping jobs. Right now, Jackson has barely 300 yards in his two starts - Tony Romo and Donovan McNabb both had about that on Monday night. Which doesn't have to be a bad thing (everyone can't be Romo and McNabb)...if you're still getting it done other ways. Oh, there's the problem: Despite Adrian Peterson rushing for 160 yards, the Vikings never scored a touchdown in Sunday's game against the Colts. Childress probably thinks, like many folks, that if you've got a player like AP, who's still performing at AP-level (i.e., LT - I know, the toe, but 2007 counts, too) you ought to be winning, or at the very least, scoring.

Frerotte has had a very, very (very) long time to become a premier QB in this league, and if it hasn't happened in 14 years, I don't see 15 being the charm, so we'll see how long this lasts. But, boy oh boy, life is tough for a starting QB, isn't it? We're just two games in, and this season has already changed at least one institution: fantasy football. All those "draft the best QB first" owners will definitely be re-thinking that strategy next year . . .

Just Running

So it turns out I really do need sleep. And today was one of the least exciting sports days that I can recall. That can only mean one thing:

1. Kobe Bryant is taking it like a man (what does that really mean?) and is deciding to forego pinkie surgery. Coincidentally, several people I know who've played basketball have really fmessed up pinkie fingers that they never got fixed. It may not look pretty, but as long as his pinkie can support the ball, he'll probably be OK. I always knew he was tough.

2. San Francisco 49ers QB Alex Smith looks like he's out for the year with a broken shoulder. (This was not supposed to be an injury report, I swear). And it looks like he's thrown his last pass for the 49ers - for good. He came in with high hopes, and ended up . . . injured. I recall a certain someone from my fantasy team (who may or may not read this blog) who had him on their team and ended up regretting it. It sounds like another case of a guy with an injury that needs time being forced to come back before he's ready. And unfortunately, the person who pays the worst price is always the athlete. Check out this article by Jemele Hill, where she virtually composes an open-letter to Shawne Merriman asking him to stop playing. (Turns out he didn't have a choice.) And as an added injury-bonus, DJ Gallo from Page 2 explains why Matt Cassel's better than Tom Brady. Funny stuff.

3. I caught the tail end of the L.A. Angels/N.Y. Yankees game on ESPN. The Angels clinched the AL West with the win, the first team to have a solid spot in October. I also caught the familiar champagne bath after the game. I thought about how it was funny to see a team celebrating like that just for making the playoffs, but I guess the season's so long and the playoffs only include a few teams so it's a bigger deal than in other sports. But who knows. Baseball has so many "traditions" that it's hard to keep track sometimes . . . I may have mentioned here that I used to turn on baseball games to take naps, and I actually fell asleep during the game tonight, but maybe it was just a Pavlov's dog reaction. I can fully admit I'm more ho-hum than usual because no team I care about has been in contention. This fight between Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez and Torii Hunter did pique my interest. Just a bit. Actually, the fact that Derek Jeter passed Babe Ruth's Yankees record for most hits also interests me. As you saw a few days ago, I'm skeptical of any accolades received when the playing field fails to include everyone who could beat you. Congrats, Jeter.

4. Continuing the theme, allegedly, there's this like, really big college football game on Saturday featuring USC v. Ohio State - the #1 and #5 ranked teams in the country, respectively. I haven't been much of a college football fan but I think I may watch this one. That is, if I have energy after Camp Obama . . . if not, DVR will have to come through in the clutch. Have I mentioned how much I love DVR yet? Or how happy I am that I never gave Comcast my money for this service?

5. #3 and #4 above made me realize now that I need to expand my sports horizons so I have more to write in these run-downs (I rarely run out of material for the longer posts, I just run out of time!) Since football's primarily a Sunday event, there just isn't much action to keep my attention on the weekdays. . . until the NBA starts up. Jessica Simpson/Tony Romo stories just don't do it for me - although the "Yoko Romo" tag was amusing.

6. I know it's usually five, but just as I was about to wrap this up, I turned on vh1 to check out Luke's Parental Advisory. When I turned it on, I wasn't sure which "Luke" they were referring to (Luke Jensen got a reality show?) but then I saw that Uncle Luke aka Doo Doo Brown, former fearless leader of 2 Live Crew, has his own show. In the two minutes I saw, I caught the following: Luke and his fiancee, Kristin, appear to be getting married soon, so they are sitting with someone talking about potential videographers. The other guy tells Uncle Luke about a few and notes that one of them shoots "pornos." Luke, naturally, says he wants this guy. Why? Because he is "good at close ups" and "taking tight shots" (and as Luke later tells us, "You know he can get the money shot.") When Kristin protests, this other guy says he's siding with the bride on this one. She actually seems like a classy lady. Further proof that love really is blind.

Running From City To City

So much excitement in the world of sports, just over the weekend. I wish I had another person to write for me, but thus far, it's just me (if you want to guest blog, let me know!) So that means not enough time to cover everything. My selection:

1. Exciting first weekend in the NFL. My brief observations: Brett Favre looks good in his new suit, eh? Did he really call them "New Yorkians"? As I told Novak Djokovic, I'm available for American culture lessons...Way to go Aaron Rodgers, even doing the "Lambeau Leap" like that other guy. Keep winning, they'll forget all about him...More and more the NFL seems like it stands for "Not For Long" with all of these significant injuries on day one, including Brady, Vince Young, Nate Burleson, at least 15 others. What gives?...What happened to the Colts?...The Philadelphia Eagles, and more specifically, Donovan McNabb, look very good...St. Louis looks...the same. And with the Lions performance, that makes two of them...Kudos, though, to Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan. Keep winning, they'll forget all about him...Happy to see Jay Cutler (with his Denver Broncos) doing well in his first regular season game since learning he has diabetes. Very much looking forward to seeing how the rest of this season shakes out, and I don't even have a fantasy team. Go figure.

2. U.S. Open wins by Roger Federer and Serena Williams. I love seeing people (around) my age still getting it done. Serena's final was much more interesting than Fed's, but the best matches were definitely played in their quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, respectively. Each got a "milli"* and a half for their efforts and regained their respective perch at the top of the rankings - Fed, of course, not having left that long ago. This is a huge deal for Serena though, hence the high racquet throw at the end of the match. Her win effectively silences all of the critics who said her and her sister weren't dedicated to the game. They don't need to do what everyone else does. They're really just that good. And so is that Oreo commercial featuring the Williams sisters vs. the Manning brothers (see video in right corner). I love the concept but must admit I'd prefer it was for something healthy like, PowerBar, rather than Double Stuf Oreos. Ah, well.

3. I am really curious to know what in the world Monta Ellis did to his ankle that would cause him to lie to the Golden State Warriors about its cause. He claimed he hurt it playing basketball, but then it was discovered that he tore his deltoid ligament and had multiple scrapes and scratches, "not typical of a basketball injury." I got scratched in basketball once and still have the scar on my arm to prove it, but yeah, he really should have made sure his story would check out better than this before he decided to lie. I don't know him, but I'll guess it's something silly that violates his contract like wheelies on an ATV or motorcycle, parachuting, extreme jump roping, bear-wrestling, etc. I'm kinda hoping it's one of the latter two and not any of the first three. The truth comes to the light eventually...

4. Marion Jones left prison. Sad. (Some of these news stories are a little harsh, don't you think? I don't see other admitted dopers getting treated this harshly.)

5. I saw an ad the other morning for a new show on National Geographic called Dogtown: Saving the Michael Vick Dogs. Normally, I would think this was a great idea...if it weren't the season premiere of the Dogtown series and if it didn't include his name in the title. It seems a bit exploitative, premiering not coincidentally within a day of the Atlanta Falcon's own season. Not that I expect much out of Hollywood these days, but I thought National Geographic was different. I guess I was wrong. Why can't we let sleeping dogs lie?





*If anyone caught the MTV VMA's last night (DVR is again my new best friend!), 'Lil Wayne has officially taken over James Brown spot as the hardest working man in showbiz. The Kid Rock set confirmed it. I think his pants are the same length as the sleeves of my coat, though - he's not even sagging, he actually has them cut to only come up to his hip. What next?

"Knee" England Mourns the Loss of Its Golden Boy

Yuck. Knees really aren't supposed to bend like that.

If you're here, you've probably already heard the news that New England Patriot's QB Tom Brady is a wrap for the season. All this talk about consecutive starts, Tom always gets up, ended in the blink of an eye - or a blow to the knee.

While I'm sure this makes some teams and players happy, to any real competitor worth his salt, this should be seen for what it is: a terrible thing.

Brady's departure during the first quarter of the first game was probably the last thing anyone thought was possible - kind of like seeing Superman knocked down. Remember when he was in that foot cast gallivanting around town with Giselle? No one (including me) thought it was a realistic possibility that he was not going to play - and he did indeed play.

So yesterday, when he was screaming on the field, didn't get up, and didn't at least return to the sidelines for the rest of the game, the Patriots must have known this time was serious, but I'm sure they hadn't allowed themselves to believe he was really going to be done.

Of course, now the Patriots will have very low expectations from here on out this season, considering their backup QB, Matt Cassel, has been a groomsmen and never a groom since he was in high school. Cassel says he's ready, and he did eek out a win yesterday, but even he had to admit he's no Tom Brady. Not too many guys are, Cassel, and therein lies the significance of the loss. Ironically, I mused in a post about eleven months ago about whether it's the QB, the other players on offense, or the blocker that made the Pats so good. I guess we'll finally get our answer.

As I said before, any true competitor is upset by this. No one should want to beat the team minus its star - the win's just not as sweet when there's an asterisk after it in the minds of everyone, including the now-winner.

This reminds me of what happened to Lolo Jones (whose good looks make this an even better analogy than I had anticipated) in the Olympics a few weeks ago. In case you missed it, Jones was the far and away favorite to win the gold medal in the 100m hurdles. And for the first eight hurdles of the race, she held a commanding lead and was well on her way to a win. But, God had another plan. Instead of clearing that one like she'd done the others, her foot hit it, and - miraculously - she kept her balance but faltered enough to leave her with a seventh place finish. Had she tripped over the first hurdle, the eventual winner, Dawn Harper, might have had greater cause for celebration (at least in my book - she was quite ecstatic when she won). But Jones fell after she was way ahead, which made everyone who came behind her seem more like also-rans (pun more than apropos) than winners. Not to take anything from the medal winners, but I would much rather beat the champion than have the champion get taken out by something or someone having nothing to do with me.

So goes Brady, who also "hit the hurdle" after having already established himself as the leader in the race for the top the QB of his generation. No viable argument can be made that any QB playing today has come close to what he's done at such a young age and with such dominance, and just that fast, beating the Pats just took on a whole lot less significance.

The NFL is certainly going to be brooding for a long time. There go the ratings, the merchandise, the fans at the games of terrible teams who showed up just to see Brady and his Pats.

And finally, Brady himself. What's he going to do all year? Actually, I'm sure he'll be right there with the team as much as humanly possible for an injured person. Good thing that the football season is short so he won't have to suffer through it too long. I'm not a big Pats fan but I am sorry to see him gone, just out of the pure love of knowing I'm seeing the best of the best compete.

Oh, and there is one more greatly affected party who ESPN won't lament in the weeks to come: fantasy owners who thought they had it made in the shade when they got Brady. Good thing I waited too late to play because with my penchant for winning drawings, that probably would have been me. And this post would have been a lot less pleasant.

Here's to a speedy recovery, Tommy. We'll miss you.

Scary Moment On Ice

I don't really have much time to do a run down this evening but I didn't want to let a day go by without talking about this scary and sad story.

If you haven't heard, the Florida Panthers' Slovakian forward Richard Zednik had his carotid artery nearly severed by the skate of his teammate, Olin Jokinen, in a freak accident after Jokinen fell to the ice head first during a game in Buffalo against the Buffalo Sabres.

Zednik has the wherewithal to clutch his neck and leave the ice immediately, which was about the best he could do in a situation in which he could have died in a very short amount of time, especially if the artery had been completely severed.

Zednik's currently in stable condition.

Fans and players were a little upset that the game continued despite the injury. This is a tough one to call. I am sure the players were shaken because they weren't sure if he was near death or what his condition was. Especially for his teammate whose skate did the cutting. I would assume hockey players know the seriousness of getting cut in any major artery, much less the one that connects to your brain, so it must have been quite difficult to keep playing for all of them. They did announce an update at the game, which provoked a standing ovation from the Sabres' fans.

It's funny (not "haha" funny, but coincidence funny) because whenever I think of hockey, I think of freak accidents like that happening, like getting one's fingers cut off or getting cut in the face. I am surprised things like this don't happen more often. I heard there were a few other recent accidents like this in the NHL involving people getting cut with skates. I would hope that they will use this as an opportunity to protect them with at least one layer between their skin and the ice, particularly when it comes to the potential to sever major arteries.

I just pray that he makes it out of this OK and doesn't have any lasting residual damage, for him and for his family.

UPDATE #2: It's A Wrap, Ricky

Well, don't call it a comeback.

Ricky Williams is done before he gets started. Out for the "season" with a torn pectoral muscle.

What a letdown. All this hype to have it end so quickly and like this.

Better luck next year!

Mean Girls . . . Part Deux

Ricky Williams came, saw, and went, all in the same night.

If anyone was watching the mucky mess that was Monday Night Football, then you, too, witnessed the return of Ricky Williams to the Miami Dolphins despite having tested positive several (ok, 4) times for marijuana.

Perhaps you also saw the second quarter when Pittsburgh Steelers' linebacker Lawrence Timmons step on Williams' shoulder as he was attempting to go after a fumble. Out went Williams, never to return again.

If you watch the replay (which I will post as soon as it becomes available), you can see Timmons' foot turns unnaturally out to the side and steps down on Williams' shoulder, even though the natural movement would have been to step with his foot facing straight ahead, thereby avoiding Williams' shoulder altogether. The official word is that he injured his pectoral muscle.

That was just cruel. Here's this guy who obviously has a problem - I say obviously because if the league and the teams thought he was just a weedhead, he would not be returning to the NFL - and you're just going to purposely try to injure him after the play is over? I don't say this often, maybe ever, but I really think the league should review this and fine him. It looked that blatant.

The Dolphins are bad enough as it is. On Monday night, they lose two more running backs to injury (Williams and Jesse Chatman), to add to their already depleted roster, and they just looked defeated. I really feel bad for them. It can't be fun to be in that locker room week after week.

The Steelers weren't doing much of anything themselves on that nasty field (the Steelers won the spectacular game 3-0), but no need to add insult to injury - literally.

Perhaps the NFL should also take some flak for letting the players play in such a mess and risk injury in the first place. Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger called it the worse conditions that he has ever played in, and I think he was telling the truth. I actually saw a punt land in the field. Didn't bounce, didn't roll. Just landed, like he'd kicked a javelin. It's too easy to get hurt just playing the game without having to worry about the playing surface.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Life just isn't fair sometimes.

Probably no one knows that right now better than Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Joel Zumaya. While playing the role of the good son, Zumaya tried to save some belongings from the attic of his parents' home in California as the wildfire closed in.

All of a sudden, a heavy box falls on his pitching shoulder, he has major surgery, and now it looks like he'll miss half of next season because of it. And he was on track to be a closer (i.e., close out the games) . . .

There are plenty of times growing up when my parents asked me to do something and I wished something would fall on my arm so I didn't have to be bothered. Now that I'm older, I see this may have been a little shortsighted.

Zumaya already missed three months of last season after somehow rupturing a tendon in his middle finger while warming up in the bullpen.

Strange injuries make you think that God might be trying to tell you something. Hopefully he'll learn whatever it is while he's healing up. His rookie year was 2006, when he helped the Tigers make their run to the World Series, so hopefully this won't be a career-altering or -ending injury. No one will really know the deal until he can throw again, which means not until next March at the earliest.

In the meantime, keep an eye on this guy since he seems a little accident-prone. Maybe Michael Jackson still has that tank he can borrow:

This Can't Be Life

Interesting Top News stories on ESPN.com. Witness:

1. Delhomme to have season-ending elbow surgery.
2. Green suffered most severe type of concussion.
3. Ankle to sideline Bucs RB Pittman for 6-8 weeks.
4. Texas' Sweed out for year.
5. USC's Booty hurting. (Headline guy has been waiting for this all year)
6. Spinal cord injury ends career for Hawks' Strong

The first headline on the page is about the NY Yankees' Roger Clemens' injury. That means 7 of the top 11 stories are about injuries, and 6 of them are football injuries.

We need to do better. Especially in a sport like football, where the careers are short and there's a higher-than-it-should-be chance that any play could make that even shorter, where they push the players through school and put virtually no emphasis on any other life skills, I really think we should take a step back. I know it's fun to watch guys tackle each other and body slam each other, but something has to give.

I'd say maybe the guys need to be in better shape, but I'm not sure you can ever be strong enough to bear having a 300 lb man dive head first into your knee. Instead, it might be worthwhile for the NFL to consider changing the tackles that are allowed. I know I said Travis Johnson was being insensitive yesterday, and he was, but I see his point. These guys just don't have other viable options if their careers end tomorrow. And it's because of the high likelihood of injury that their pay is tied to the games actually played and to the few number of years that they will probably be on top of their sport (less so for QB's and WR's).

I know the NFL is working to improve post-career options, but it needs to start when they are in school. Even college is too late. It should start all the way back in elementary school. This may be falling on deaf ears, but if you're an educator and you have an opportunity to intervene in the life of a young football player and make him well-rounded, please take it.

'Who Dropped The Soap' Not So Funny Anymore

If I'm Trent Green, I would start being a little nicer in the lockerroom to the offensive linemen. For the second straight season, Miami Dolphins quarterback Green was forced to leave another game with a concussion after a nasty hit from Houston Texans defensive tackle Travis Johnson. He left the game and is not expected to play next week, and perhaps longer. Green missed half of last season with a concussion after taking a hit in the opener while a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

This has an interesting subplot. The play happened after Green handed off the ball to a rookie who fumbled it, and in the scramble to tackle him, Johnson says Green tried to tackle him at the knee. Johnson did not take too kindly to this, and he stood over Green in a taunting manner while an immobile Green lay immobile on the field, for which he received a penalty. Said Johnson (remember, he's the defensive tackle, Green is the QB) about the "hit" by Green:

"The bottom line is, it was a malicious hit. It was uncalled for,'' Johnson said. "He's like the scarecrow. He wants to get courage while I wasn't looking, and hit me in my knee instead of trying to hit me in my head. God don't like ugly, you know what I mean?

"My knee ain't never hurt like it hurt today,'' Johnson said. "If you want to hit me, hit me in my head, hit me in my chest, don't hit me in my knee. I'm trying to eat just like everybody else. So, to hit me like that, that showed me what type of man he was.''

Um, ok, Johnson, we get it. Dirty hit by Green. Only the guy didn't walk off the field, he was taken in a stretcher, and you walked off. You may well play next game, and he will not. I know it's football, but you might want to change the battery on that sensitivity chip.

Speaking of injured QB's, the Arizona Cardinals' Matt "that's just my baby daddy, and no I'm not Tom Brady" Leinart is out with a broken collarbone.

Tough week to be a QB. Reminder to us all to treat our offensive linemen or linewomen with care!

Not NBA-Bound, But Dancing with the Stars - Perhaps

So Greg Oden did his first official press conference following microfracture surgery on his knee that will keep him out of his first year in the NBA.

I really feel sorry for him because he is a genuinely nice kid with a good heart. I hope he takes this time to nurture and grow, eat, sleep, crap with the basketball so that it's an extension of his arm.

And stay away from that Dance Dance Revolution game. He joked that he did not get hurt playing the dance video game is kind of like the foot version of that memory game Simon, only set to music. If you haven't watched, um, uncoordinated teens play it, hit up your local arcade because you're missing out. That's funny that he admitted that he owns it and plays it. Maybe that's where he learned this move here:

Sorry, he fell right into that. Rest up, kiddo.

Update #1: Oden is "Oh, Done"

As an update to my previous post, and a crushing blow to the Portland Trailblazers, their star Greg Oden may be out for the entire season following his knee surgery. They're already comparing this to the debacle that was Sam Bowie, one of the most colossal draft disasters of all time (if you go to the link, note that I came up with "colossal" on my own, and the fact that it appears on this other site is pure coincidence . . . or an indication of just how bad it was). You see, in the 1984 draft, Bowie was selected second overall by the Portland Trailblazer - after Hakeem Olajuwon, who was taken first by the Houston Rockets, but before a player of "spotty" potential . . . none other than his Airness, Michael Jordan.

Now, if you're asking yourself, "Who the heck is Sam Bowie?" then you understand why it is now considered the worst draft decision of all time. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and nobody knew Jordan was going to be as good as he was (especially after Zeke and the Detroit Pistons stuck it to him all those years, until he finally broke through). But while Jordan blossomed - an understatement, I know - Bowie had a career plagued with injuries, and he never amounted to the player that the Trailblazers thought they had.

Enter Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Bill Simmons, a writer for Page 2 on ESPN.com, has always been pro-Durant. But Simmons says that if there was a tie between them, then the Trailblazers should have gone with Durant just based on their injury-risk. I tend to agree with him. Of course, now that Oden's out for a little while, I'm sure they're re-thinking their choice. Check out the Trailblazers' press conference - I know they wanted to cry. Especially when everyone starts calling to cancel their season tickets. And it can't help matters that if Durant stays healthy, he may well be one of the greatest of all-time.

I think it's too early to start calling the Oden pick "Bowie 2.0" but I do hope the youngster comes back and silences his critics. Yes, I called him a youngster.

Update on Injured NFL Tight End Kevin Everett

Good news for the Buffalo Bills' Kevin Everett. Despite previous reports that indicated he may never walk again, it appears that Kevin has feeling in his limbs and he may be able to walk again after all. I thought it was a bad sign when he didn't move immediately, but God, who has been in the miracle biz for years, and modern technology intervened, and he may be able to lead a normal life. All the best for a speedy recovery, Kevin.

At Least It's Not Hip Replacement: Oden Having Knee Surgery

You've all heard the "he's really 48" talk, so I'll spare you. I've seen him in person and something about him seems youthful even if he doesn't look the part.

If you haven't heard, Greg Oden, the #1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft for the Portland Trailblazers, is going under the knife. Arthroscopic knee surgery before you ever play an NBA game, and after only one year of college, is not a good sign. But it's not like he has to jump too high, so hopefully they're doing these surgeries better than they used to. Or maybe the Blazers should have just taken Kevin Durant. Only time will tell.