Run Out of Town

Packing (or should be) for another weekend of adventure. And so we run:

1. I watched my second college football game this season, coincidentally involving the USC Trojans again, this time against the Oregon State University Beavers. Ok, not so coincidentally, because USC is the #1 team in the country, but, still coincidentally because I hadn't planned to watch it. Oregon State has USC's number, huh? Wow. I was looking around at some other sports blogs during the game and saw that most had pretty much dismissed Oregon State, despite last year's defeat of the Trojans. OSU (the other one) had this tiny tailback, Jacquizz (?) Rodgers who they say is 5'6" but looked to be about six inches less than that on the field. And I've seen some 5'8" guys in the NFL and this guy was nowhere near that. I'm guessing he's closer to a Prince-ly 5'4" (Rogers, ironically, is Prince's middle name). What's with short stars at Oregon schools? University of Oregon basketball player Tajuan Porter, one of the better players in the PAC-10, is also reportedly 5'6", but I think this is just an acceptable cutoff height. In any case, Rodgers, the self-proclaimed "little dude," lit up USC for 186 yards on 37 carries. Most yards on USC since . . . Vince Young in the BCS national championship game back in 2006 - another college football game I watched. His older brother and OSU wide receiver, James (why'd they do that to the younger one?), had two scores of his own. That's quite a story to tell to their kids . . . just like Al Bundy, but real. USC tried to come back in the second half, but the Beavers held off the Trojans (um . . .) for the win. Just another example of why they still play the game.

2. Kimbo Slice on PTI.

I don't know too much about his "sport" - mixed martial arts (coincidentally, I mentioned it on the blog the other day for the first time in the WNBA post) - but I am somewhat familiar with his story: homeless streetfighter on YouTube to superstardom as an ultimate fighter. What I didn't know is that he went to the University of Miami on an academic scholarship, even though he was a talented football player in high school. After watching this interview, I'm not surprised. My dad actually sent me a text last night asking me to post on Kimbo (I just can't call him Slice), but when I saw him on PTI, I realized daddy-o was right. His "five good minutes" Thursday is one of the better interviews I've seen in a while. "I'm just a little squirrel in this big world and I'm still trying to get my nut." Very regular person doing extraordinary things. Love it.

3. I'm calling this one "Knicks betta have my money!" Continuing with the video theme, Stephon Marbury and his chest decided to come out of hiding on Thursday. Starbury sat down with a local NBC affiliate to discuss all the rumors about what he will be doing (or where he will be sitting) when the Knicks season starts. He says he's not taking a penny less than the Knicks owe him (which he shouldn't, they're the ones who agreed to pick up his hefty contract when he came from the Phoenix Suns). He also says he's mentally, spiritually, and physically right . . . I'll stop my cynicism here because, say what you want about Marbury, I really do think he's a good person. He could maybe use some work on his delivery. It's a fairly long interview, but certainly one worth watching (although the difference in volume between Marbury (low) and the reporter (high "deaf") may get annoying).

4. The NFL has ruled that the Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee was not intentionally gouged in the eye during the Ravens win over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. The Ravens submitted film to the league for a determination on whether the alleged "gougings" (two times in two separate incidents) were intentional. Apparently, the films showed the opposing Browns' players reaching under the visor to poke McGahee in the eye. Now McGahee may not play due to the injury to his eyes. Eye gouging? Is this 2008 B.C. or A.D.? You don't hear that term too often these days, probably with good reason. The last time eye gouging got my attention was in fifth grade when they showed us The Birds for Halloween. I won't spoil it for you in case you haven't seen it yet - even though you've had 45 years - but all I know is I have never liked birds ever since. Hmm. Ravens = birds. Creepy.

5. Monta Ellis, the over well-paid guard for the Golden State Warriors, claimed that he got scraped up and ripped up his ankle playing basketball. Surprise! Since exactly no one has ever been injured in basketball that way, it turns out Ellis was fibbing, and he really got hurt while riding a moped. At a slow speed. Of course. If you're going to lie (which I don't condone) then at least make it make sense. He had to have known the truth would come to light at some point, so now not only did he lie, but he told a really bad lie. Of course, on the flip side, he had everything to lose. Literally. That $66 million they're paying him for the next 6 years could have gone up in smoke. Under the terms of the standard NBA contract, Ellis violated the provision covering (pardon my French) "******** up your career doing some dumb ****." Really, I quoted that verbatim. They ought to add "poor lying" to the terms, too, which should be worth at least a few extra paychecks. He's just lucky that they need him now that Baron "I make sand castles with Jessica" Davis has defected for the Sacramento Kings. Hopefully he has learned his lesson.

And I've learned mine. I need more time and sleep! Enjoy the presidential debates (if they happen) and the weekend (pretty likely to happen)!

PnC Is Ready For Some FOOTBALL!

What a weekend. Camp Obama (which will be sending me to a battleground near you!). The Sarah Palin interview with Charlie Gibson. Tina Fey knocking her impression of Palin out of the park on Saturday Night Live . . .



Michael Phelps, uh, hosting SNL . . .

And sports. Where should we start?
I'll go in order (sorta) of occurrence:

So I was all excited for my first planned real college football viewing of the season, featuring Ohio State and USC, and I have to say I was pretty disappointed. It wasn't much of a contest from what I saw, so I got into conversation with a friend during much of it . . . unless someone was getting hit - hard! Well, I don't think this game will affect the Trojans because you can't get much higher than #1, but it wasn't entirely clear where Ohio State would rank because they lost to #1. Maybe they're #2 . . . maybe not. Maybe #13. I've seen the 100,000 comments from OSU fans on ESPN.com so I'm not trying to get hate comments from those who stumbled on this page from Google, but even they have to admit that was fairly unwatchable. This was on the premier national stage, so I'm sure the glare hurt worse, but they found a disappointed bedfellow in . . .

Michigan vs. Notre Dame. All you need to know is that the Wolverines had 7 fumbles, 6 turnovers, which resulted in 3 touchdowns for Notre Dame. Yes, it was mucky and nasty, as it was in a lot of parts of the country on Saturday, but they were both playing in the same conditions. It's funny (not "haha") that this used to be a huge rivalry, even outside of South Bend and Ann Arbor. I was just thinking yesterday that these programs aren't really relevant anymore except to their students and alum. Allegedly, they're both rebuilding (the Fightin' Irish
perhaps moreso than the waning Wolverines). But how long is that going to take?

Freak accident at the game: Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis had both his MCL and ACL torn when his defensive end crashed into him on the sidelines following a block. I always wondered if people ever got seriously injured standing that close, and now I know. Not as much outcry about this as there was for Tom Brady. I think it was a dirty hit. . .Unlike that weakling Brady who decided to succumb to the knife*, Weis says he's going to forego surgery (for now) so he can remain in the danger zone they call the sidelines, proving there's no "i" in coach, either . . .

Pro football. I like to end on a good note so let's start with the Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers. Not a good week for the State of Michigan (in sports, anyway -- the Tigers just lost a doubleheader, too, to the Chicago White Sox). Unfortunately, being a Michigan team wasn't the only similarity the Lions had to the Wolverines. After coming back against the Packers in the second half, and going up 25-24 late in the game, the Lions -- or should I say Jon Kitna -- threw 3 interceptions in the last 5 minutes of the game. Even better, the three interceptions came in about 3 minutes - no, I'm not kidding. Two straight weeks facing young (or un-tested) QB's in Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers, and two straight bad losses. But they still manage to sell out every week. I might compare this to the phenomenon of voting for the same regime and expecting a different result . . . but I digress.

Speaking of Brett Favre, or teams that used to feature him, the NY Jets game against the New England Patriots was supposed to be very interesting a week ago. Brett vs. Tom, like an early Christmas gift. Alas, it didn't pan out that way, and to be honest, this game was ho-hum at best. I tried to watch it in real-time, and failed, then tried to DVR it, and couldn't get through it again. As not-interesting as it was, the Patriots are 2-0, and Matt Cassel has now started and won his first game since high school. I wonder when they'll start the predictions about them matching the '72 Miami Dolphins . . .

Interesting ending to the Denver Broncos game vs. the San Diego Chargers. End result is two last second losses and an 0-2 record for the Chargers. With about a minute or so left in the game, down by 8 points, around the 10 yard line, Broncos QB Jay Cutler clearly fumbles the ball (he'd already dropped it once a few minutes earlier), and the Chargers recovered it. But the ref blew the whistle (I couldn't hear it but he confessed to it) which deaded the ball at the 10 yard line. Saved by the whistle. Then Cutler threw a TD to WR ER (Eddie Royal), which meant the Broncos were only down by one. Then, I saw the unbelievable - really, even the other Broncos were surprised. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan and Cutler call for a two-point conversion for the win, at home, rather than just going for the extra point, which would have tied the game. In basketball, sometimes they'll go for the 3-pointer for the win rather than the two-point field goal if they have a better look at the former. But in football, since the extra point is pretty much a given, and every single game is so precious (as Chargers coach Norv Turner's post-game interview so aptly "alluded"), going for the conversion is pretty risky. But they went for it, and they converted it, with another pass from Cutler to Royal. The commentators alternated between Shanahan was "playing with the house's money" (i.e., they pressed their luck after they'd already lucked up with the bad call) and that the coach was showing his confidence in his team, more specifically, in Cutler. I agree. Whether they converted or didn't, knowing coach would bet the house on you has to do good things to the self-esteem. Smart man. All I know is that Shanahan has instantly earned my respect, because if they don't convert that, the secret service may have needed to return to Mile High Stadium to get him out of there. Or maybe the fans are nicer in Denver than they are in the rest of the country. Either way, people would have been pissed. . .but they won, so they're not (and to anyone who regularly bets for/against the Broncos, now you know). This just proves yet again that the only difference between a bad idea and a good idea is whether it worked. Kudos to Cutler, again, for keeping the party going under the circumstances. . .

Eli Manning and the NY Giants beat the St. Louis Rams. zzzzz. Which leads me to the real point of this post . . .


BRING ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!






*Severe sarcasm, in case you're new here.

Running Into the Weekend

Is it just me or is this the longest week ever? I feel like I've been going to work for a week straight already, and it's not even Friday yet.

Funny stuff out there today. This won't exactly be a run-down, but I am going to jump around a little bit.

First, Shaquille O'Neal is quite the character. Today, he played Nostradamus, informing the public that he will cease to be a professional basketball player in "735 days." He says he's going into law enforcement. There is only one word for this: awesome. Hopefully, he'll be a beat cop for a little while so someone can give him his own reality show. (I would DVR that, too.) Personally, I'd like to see him become a lawyer. He certainly has a way with people, and they love him even when he's openly dissing Kobe Bryant (T.O.: take note). This bodes well for his ability to sway a jury . . . but says nothing about his ability to rap. I hope he retires from rapping in 735 days, too . . . or sooner. I mean that in the nicest way possible . . .

Vince Young took to the cameras to re-affirm that he's OK and that there's nothing to worry about. I, for one, didn't believe you'd lost your love for the game, as some have charged. But I'm going to have to agree with the PTI guys here, Vince. Mama and coach don't just jump in the fray and call the police over nothing. People are hating on you and will continue to hate on you until you right the ship, but don't let them get you down. Keep fighting the good fight. You can do it . . .


I'm going to give this college football thing a try so I can see what all the fuss is about, starting with Ohio State's game vs. USC. It's not like I've never watched a whole game, it just didn't really factor into my family's sports viewing habits so I only really watched it if someone I knew was playing or a bowl game. I'm kind of mad that it's looking like I won't get to see this guy Chris "Beanie" Wells play, which means I may have to watch Ohio State play again at some point when he's finally back (which may help my viewership). 2,500 comments about one guy's injury on ESPN.com? Clearly, I'm missing something . . .


Speaking of Ohio, folks there are peeved with its native son, LeBron James, for his affinity for sports teams located outside of its borders. (Warning: I'm actually supporting him here. I think I'm getting soft in my old age.) He's a fan of the NY Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, and Chicago Bulls - all teams that have enjoyed tremendous success in their respective sports, particularly while James was growing up. It seems like he's just like half of the country in his preferences, even picking up on "America's team" in the Yankees and Cowboys. I don't really see anything wrong with that. While it may seem hard to understand how a man can root against the home team when he has lived there his whole life, I know plenty of people who have done it. My guess is popular teams gain the most fans they're winning, and the most successful teams tend to keep those fans even if they start losing. But, come on, it's LeBron James. He likes winners because he strongly identifies with what they do . . . win, which is more than can be said for most of the teams in Ohio (pro, not college, of course). Sure, it probably stung the Cleveland Browns to see him donning a Yankees cap, blue and silver tee, and saying what's up to his boys on the Dallas Cowboys sideline, but I think they should just be happy he's still playing in Cleveland . . . for now . . .

Speaking of Cowboys, Tony Romo made a stop on his way home from Cleveland last Sunday night to help a couple change a flat tire. The couple said that 100 cars drove by before someone stopped to help them. And he'd just gotten over a dozen stitches in his chin. I think it's great that he stopped, which I know most people (including me - not at night!) wouldn't have done, and clearly didn't do here. But I'm most happy that he knows how to change a tire. I had wrongly assumed my whole life that all men knew how to do this until a few months ago. This is one area where equality isn't so important . . .


Rounding up with football, Ricky Williams proved that you can negotiate your own contract when he re-upped with the Miami Dolphins, all by himself, with no agent (Look ma, no hands!). I don't know how well he negotiated it, but if anyone can, he can. I think some of his past actions have caused people to underestimate how intelligent he really is. I'm encouraged to see veterans taking control of their own decision-making. Most lawyers/agents may not like what I'm going to say, but I look at it like this: if you've gone to trial 5 times for the exact same offense, you could probably do a pretty decent job defending yourself on the 6th one. Just a thought . . .


Have a great weekend!

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.

Would You Fire This Guy For $100k? What About $200k And Another Guy?

A reader sent me this link about how serious the fans/supporters/boosters at the University of Washington take their sports. I guess the Seattle Seahawks and the Supersonics just aren't doing it for them.

Apparently, people were not too happy with the team's performance this year (they ended up 4-9) and decided to let the school know about it. One guy - a lawyer, I might add - offered the school $100,000 to fire current coach Ty Willingham, and another $100,000 for a law school scholarship if the school agreed to fire the athletic director, Todd Turner. (So technically, UW could hire Mickey Mouse and Goofy, and still end up with $200,000.) The end result? Apparently the law school needs the money more because the AD is gone but Willingham is staying put.

This message is worth sharing here:

One alumnus, an elementary-school teacher in Seattle, despaired: "We are
Washington. At Washington you win football games or it just isn't Washington
anymore." He said he'd bought his infant daughter a Huskies cheerleader outfit,
but now vowed to stop purchasing UW merchandise and attending games until
Willingham was fired. "Because now Husky Saturdays are days of sadness and why would I want my daughter to share that?"

Yeah, why would he? Babies should not know sadness that early.

Va Tech RB Takes the Stand in Crack Cocaine Trial

Not a good past week for Virginia Tech's star running back, Branden Ore. First, his Hokies lost in the Orange Bowl to the Kansas Jayhawks.

On Wednesday, he had to take the stand in a drug case. Ore was subpoenaed (i.e., threatened with imprisonment if he failed to ) to secure his testimony. Appearing as a witness in the "possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute" trial of Tony Majette in a Western District of Virginia courtroom, Ore testified that Majette, the driver of the car he was riding in at the relevant time, threw a baggie of crack in his lap in a panic when they passed by police officers. At first Ore claimed that he didn't know anything about the drugs, but when faced with the prospect of not playing football if he went down for drug possession, he decided to speak up.

Well, I can't blame the man for speaking up. I wouldn't lose my shot at the big time (to gain a shot in the big house) over someone else's baggie of crack cocaine, either, especially if he tried to set me up first. Why he was even anywhere near any crack in the first place is a different story. I'll take the time here to make my usual plug: please, please, talk to these athletes about how getting caught up can ruin their lives. After last year's fiascoes, including the Michael Vick saga, I really need them to get this.

The Real 'Criminoles' Are Actually Paid To Be There

I don't usually say this, but this one makes me want to say, "Oy vey." What in the world were these people thinking?

Somebody thought it was a good idea to have the Florida State University football team take internet classes, even though they attend a perfectly good university where they can attend classes in person. It was interesting when Boston College started having its football team take night classes, but on-line class? That sounds fishy already. You've heard me wax philosophic on the farce that is NCAA's alleged emphasis on student-athletes, but this fiasco is near the top of the list of reasons why I don't buy what they're selling.

Instead of actually taking the exam themselves, some bright teacher's assistants and tutors decided that it would be a good idea to give multiple football players (as many as 25) and other student-athletes the answers to the internet exam. In addition:

The school's investigation found that a tutor gave students answers while
they were taking tests and filled in answers on quizzes and typed papers for
students.

According to one tutor, this had been going on since the fall of 2006.

Now these up to 25 football players may be suspended from playing in the upcoming bowl game - the upcoming terribly monikered bowl game, the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, and from playing in the first three games of the 2008 season. On another note, I really believe that they ought to re-think this whole name the bowl after the company sponsoring it idea.

I don't want to say that this is not surprising, but this is not surprising. It's also terrible, not least of all because it involved cheating. No, the most disappointing part of this story is that there are people in positions of authority and they think they are helping these kids when in actuality they are just doing them an extreme disservice. Then they "graduate" and can't function so well in the real world.

The kids (some, not all, since at least one blew the whistle) think it's cool because the teacher is cheating for them, but there's nothing cool about never being mentally challenged. Football of all sports is a short-lived experience, even if they do make it to the pro ranks. The least they could do is develop some skills, or just practice learning, so they can make a living after football. Someone else had to know this was going on and let it go on, and whomever they are, they should all be fired. FSU's athletic director, Dave Hart, Jr., pictured above, will be stepping down at the end of the year.

It should be interesting to see how this affects the Gaylord Hotels game. Ick.

Yes, Vacancies

If you've been on the site for any amount of time, then you know I don't typically do college football stories.

That's mainly because I don't usually have too much to add that you couldn't already find on ESPN.

Today, though, I was intrigued by the number of college coaching positions that have suddenly opened up (voluntarily or otherwise):

Houston Nutt (pictured above - but not a mascot) from Arkansas

Chan Gailey from Georgia Tech

Ted Roof from Duke (yes, they have a football team)

Jeff Bower from Southern Mississippi

Bill Doba from Washington State

Joe Novak from Northern Illinios Univeristy

BUT one position has been filled: Mike Sherman was hired as head coach at Texas A&M.

I guess this is the result of all of their seasons ending last week. Add to this list the vacancy left last Monday by Lloyd Carr at Michigan and that's a lot of potential coaching positions. I might have to submit my application . . .

BC Football Full of . . . Evening Students?

Some folks came down on me on ArmchairGM.com when I said that there is really no "student" in student-athlete (at least with respect to the "prime time" sports).

And now this article :

Touch of class goes a long way for Boston College

---

By Ivan Maisel ESPN.com

=== Night School Dividends ===

Once you get past the obvious difference in talent, one of the biggest ways in which NFL football is more advanced than college is the amount of time that the players devote to the game. In college, coaches are limited to 20 hours of practice and meeting time per week. In the NFL, 20 hours barely gets a team into Day 3.

Matt Ryan has been able to devote more time to football this season.

The pros have all day. There are no classes, no study hall, no tests, no finals. It's a job.

If there is a hybrid form of football somewhere between the NFL and college football, it is being practiced at No. 2 Boston College. That's not because of the Eagles' talent, although several players will be drafted in April.

"I don't have any classes during the day," quarterback Matt Ryan said with a straight face. He tried, anyway. Then he started laughing. College without classes is pretty much the ideal way to live.

Ryan and 16 teammates, 12 among them starters, already have graduated. NCAA rules dictate that players must be enrolled in a minimum number of hours. Ryan and most of his graduate teammates take a class three nights a week.

Their days are wide open. Though the NCAA imposes the 20-hour limit, there is no limit on voluntary work.

This is a loophole that the NCAA wishes every school exploited. Few universities have the graduation rate that Boston College does. This season, it's paying off on the field.

"To really be able to concentrate on football and not have the distractions that school brings -- as it should; that's the point of being a student-athlete, but it does take time away -- I've been able to prepare a little more," Ryan said. "I can enjoy it … I always prepared the best I could. I feel like I'm prepared better."

Ryan spends his days hanging out with his co-captain, fellow fifth-year senior and postgraduate student Jolonn Dunbar.

"We're the type of guys that are going to go in there and watch and try to put the team in the best situation we can," Dunbar said. "It has nothing but an upside to have guys like that. The whole day, we're hanging out, watching film, working out. I think that helps tremendously. I'm sure that's part of the reason we're in the position we're in."

I know they said this means higher graduation rates . . . but did you catch that quote:

To really be able to concentrate on football and not have the distractions that school brings -- as it should; that's the point of being a student-athlete, but it does take time away -- I've been able to prepare a little more," Ryan said.

Distracted from football by school? Now you tell me where the priority is . . .

Impatient at the Cracker Barrel It Is

As an update to this previous post, in which I asked whether we had a case of felony burglary or simply impatience at the Cracker Barrel, that question has finally been answered.

Prosecutors came to their senses and dropped all charges against Tony Joiner, a safety for the University of Florida Gators football team, after the company declined to go forward with any charges against Joiner. As the prosecutors said, "without a victim, there is no crime." (Sound familiar, Kobe?) That means he can travel to the team's came against LSU today.

BUT his coach was not so forgiving. Head coach Urban Meyer stripped Joiner of his role as captain, stating that being out late on a Monday night is not the behavior that he expects out of a leader of the team. Coach Meyer said that he will travel to the game, but he is going to pay a "heavy price" for the next four weeks. This to me sounds like he's not going to play for perhaps the rest of the season, maybe until bowl game time.

Ah, well. Sounds like a pretty good kid to me. I think the coach is being harsh because of all the attention this has received, which is unfortunate. But at least he's not looking at doing a bid in the slammer. And hopefully, he still has a girlfriend!

Felony Burglar or Impatient at the Cracker Barrel? You Decide

I was perusing the front page of ESPN.com when I came across this story entitled "Florida Safety Joiner Charged with Felony Burglary." Of course, I clicked on the link to the article, expecting to be disappointed by yet another incidence of crime by a football player. Except this time, I was disappointed by all those involved, from the police officers to the journalists who reported this "story."

The story starts out that Tony Joiner, a safety for the University of Florida Gators, is the 8th player on the team to be arrested in the last 9 months. Then, it goes on to say what Joiner did. Apparently, Joiner's girlfriend's car was towed away, and he went to the towing company to pick it up, having arranged to come in advance. He waited for the tow company owner to arrive, and when he did not after some time, Joiner got impatient and tried to take the car off the lot. After a witness confronted him while he was closing the gate, he returned to the lot and waited for the police to arrive.

Now, Joiner was definitely impatient, at worst, guilty of making a dumb mistake, but is he deserving of a felony burglary charge? Well, here is the burglary statute in Florida, if you are interested:

1. Entering a dwelling, a structure, or a conveyance with the intent to commit an offense therein, unless the premises are at the time open to the public or the defendant is licensed or invited to enter; or

2. Notwithstanding a licensed or invited entry, remaining in a dwelling, structure, or conveyance:

a. Surreptitiously, with the intent to commit an offense therein;
b. After permission to remain therein has been withdrawn, with the intent to commit an offense
therein; or
c. To commit or attempt to commit a forcible felony, as defined in s. 776.08.

(Don't worry about S. 776.08 since it's not relevant here).

And burglary is a felony in Florida, which means if you're found guilty, there goes your right to vote (surprise, surprise). Technically, this might be deemed burglary because at that time, the car could not be retrieved since it had become the property of the towing company once it was lawfully in their lot. That would mean if he took the car without paying, he had the intent to enter the lot and commit an offense ("stealing" his girlfriend's car). But as the property owner states below, the gate was left open - does that mean it was open to the public? And where was the person who had arranged with Joiner for him to pay and pick up the car? If you have ever had your car towed (and I have, several times), then you know those places are guarded like Fort Knox, land mines and all.

More importantly, once the police officers realized what had happened, and that the owner of the property that leases to the towing company was not taking issue with what happened, I think they should have worked it out so Joiner wouldn't get charged. This is what would normally happen, anyway. I mean, the owner had his info, so Joiner wasn't going to get very far. I like what the property owner had to say in defense of this being a misunderstanding:

"I don't know if he was late or early or what," said [Stan] Forron, who plans to urge the state attorney's office to drop the charges. "I don't understand why he was arrested. Is it a crime? Yes and no. It's kind of my fault because I left the gate open.

"It's like going to breakfast at Cracker Barrel and when you go to leave there's no one there to take your money. How long are you going to wait?"

Well, I recommend Joiner pass on the Cracker Barrel visits, too, if he can help it,m but if no ones is around to take my money, and I don't have change, I'd leave, too. I wish they would tackle me in the parking lot to pay my bill and then try to press charges against me.

But instead of explaining any of this, this first thing we see on ESPN.com that Joiner's being charged with felony burglary, and half of their readers probably never clicked on the link to see the rest of the story.

Now, I'm not saying what Joiner did was OK, but I am saying that we're dealing with a college kid here and, even putting aside the racial undertones of the situation with those who brought the charges, I think the media needs to be a little bit more responsible with the power of the pen that they possess. Truthfully, I think that people of all ages would have probably done the exact same thing in Joiner's situation if they needed their car at 5 a.m. And let's keep in mind that this was his girlfriend's car. Give this man a gold medal for taking a felony in honor of his girl!

But seriously, from the officers who charged him with felony burglary, to the writers who led their stories on this situation with the "felony burglary" tag and lumped Joiner in with the number of arrests of other players on the team, I think everyone involved was a little hard on this college kid. Particularly the media who are notorious for making something out of nothing. Now with all this attention, it's unclear if or when Joiner will be rejoining the team.

Coach Gundy's rant is starting to make more sense every day.