Lane Kiffin is funny. He’s funny because he is so god a manipulating the media. He gets free media coverage better than any other coach in college football. Yesterday Lane Kiffin offered a scholarship to a 13 year old. Here’s the article from ESPN if you want to read it. The best part about all of this is that ESPN and just about every other major news source picked it up and will talk about it and discuss it for the next 2-3 days. That means Lane Kiffin and USC will be repeated at least a million more times in the next 2-3 days. Kiffin is brilliant. College football is over right now, but everyone is talking about USC. They aren’t talking about the signings that they made, no they are talking about the fact that Kiffin signed a 13 year old.
For Kiffin though it doesn’t really matter, in the end offering a scholarship and giving an actual scholarship are two different things. If the kid turns out to be the real deal, then USC will have the first shot at him. If he doesn’t then it is easy for USC to walk away and just say they thought it was in good fun. Kiffin may not be liked by many, but you have to respect the fact that he is better than Mike Kryzewski of Duke at getting free publicity.
You have to feel for a guy like Tim Tebow. Actually I guess i’s more like we should be praying for him and his boldness for standing up for what he believes in. If you don’t know what I am talking about then you probably have not been reading the news as of late. Tebow is set to be in a Super Bowl ad where him and his mother talk about his birth. Long story short, Tebow’s mother was told by her doctor to have an abortion because the child (Tim) was most likely not going to make it because of how sick his mother was. Needless to say he did make it and went on to be one of the greatest college football players of all time and possibly one of the most influential individuals in the U.S. over the past 2-3 years. Well, here is the latest from the “debate”.
It will be interesting to see what transpires over the next few days. There has been more talk about this commercial than there has of the game, which is fine by me. I hope that they tie (even though that is not possible for all of you non-sport people).
So as I was sitting here watching football today and watching my fantasy team (win of course) and it reminded me of a great article that Bill Simmons wrote. This article was what really piqued my interest in Bill Simmons and made me appreciate his writing. Hopefully you will find it as enjoyable as I did. I also find it funny that he wrote this article as the Patriots were 6-0. That means they were on their way to the Super Bowl where they would lose to the NY Giants. So going undefeated in the season was almost at their grasp. Anyways, enjoy reading the article. Here is the link.
Oh and by the way I hope you enjoy the picture that is with this post because it is a picture of the Nicaraguan children who received the New England Patriot Champion t-shirts. In other words the shirts the Patriots would have worn if they had actually won.
I came upon this YouTube video a while back of Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson leaping over a bar 66 inches off the ground. That’s jumping over Tom Cruise!
New facts have arisen in the Dante Stallworth murder case. Stallworth reportedly told police he drank up to four shots of tequila the night he drove into, and killed 59-year old Mario Reyes in Miami – although he wasn’t counting (which may be true since he registered a .126 on the breathalizer). Stallworth also tested positive for marijuana which was released in a toxicology report. Justice seems to be eluding the case since Stallworth was able to basically buy himself a shorter jail sentence. However, Roger Goodell never fails in cracking the whip. Instead of Stallworth catching passes in the NFL, look for him to be riding his bike around Miami for a long time.
So here’s one for you, Michael Vick may be joining football faster than originally thought. An article by ESPN.com shows that the new United Football League is interested in bringing Michael Vick into the fold. The league is obviously interested in the marketability of Michael Vick (think MLS bringing David Beckham into the league). While the move is not definite it provides another opportunity for Vick who is still awaiting a decision from the NFL regarding reinstatement. To read the article by ESPN click here.
ESPN has awarded the Los Angeles Angels as the Ultimate Franchise. Be sure to read the article here on ESPN.com and you can also read about the methodology they used to come up with the Ultimate Franchise here. The top five looked like this:
Los Angeles Angels (MLB)
Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)
Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL)
Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
I have to be honest, these rankings seem a bit ridculous. Four of the top five franchises have to be the Steelers, Phillies, Penguins, and Lakers. The reason: THEY WON. If you are basing an Ultimate Franchise based off of fan experience, then that is the number 1 thing. The fact that four of the top five did not win their respective championships is nuts. Only the Redwings even made it to the finals (other than the Steelers). You have to love the way that ESPN conducts polls, I feel like I am watching American Idol for sports now. Here are the rest of the standings.
Michael Vick, fresh off his two-year stint in federal prison, was recently put on a construction crew in Virginia. Once the NFL’s highest paid player, Vick is now making $10 per hour working in the hot sun. This has got to be a humbling experience for the former Falcon. Some will put the question out there, “Should he really have served that long of a sentence for what he did?” While this question is alright to entertain, it’s not going to matter. It is what it is.
For his own sake, I hope things turn around. Although when asked to liquidate his assets in order to pay unsecured creditors, Vick was reluctant to give up one of his two homes and other luxuries. One verse comes to mind when I read things like this:
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10
I can say from experience that the Lord humbles the proud, that he breaks us down in hopes that we search Him out. My prayer for Vick, if he does not know Christ, is that he will recognize the fact that there is hope. No, it’s not in football, money, or fame – but in Christ alone.
