Citing all the recent predictions fhat have pushed the Detroit Tigers ahead of the Indians as the favored team in the AL Central, Cleveland's general manager, Mark Shapiro, took steps he claims will insure the Tribe will not only be in the playoffs, but should make them the eventual World Series Champions in 2008!
Indians' brain trust, GM Mark Shapiro and Manager Eric Wedge
"After much deliberation and soul searching, we have come to the conclusion that it is in the best interests of the Cleveland Indian organization and it's fans to sign Barry Bonds to a three year contract. We feel his bat and leadership will become recognized as the capstone to this team and we are confident Barry will take us to the promised land!"
A smiling Barry Bonds as he confirms the deal.
Bonds stated that he was very appreciative of the Indians' offer and will strive to do his utmost to fulfill the team's high expectations and to be a good team player. In a Q and A session after Bonds issued his statement confirming the deal, he was asked how he thought he'd like hitting in the Jake (Cleveland's home ball park, Jacobs Field). Barry thought for a moment and then a big smile spread across his face, "That right field foul pole is what... 325 feet? I think I'm going to like it just fine!"
Jacobs Field Layout - 325' down each foul line.
Stay tuned for any repercussions this revelation may create!
While on a mission for a friend I ran across something on the YouTube site that I couldn't believe! It simply crushed my notions about one of Major League Baseball's most beloved icons, Mr. Met...
Watch at your own risk and please turn away if Mr. Met is one of your favorites...
No matter how you cut it, the famous night time soap opera of the late 70's and 80's, DALLAS, somehow just doesn't go away... Here is a look at what has transpired during the 2007 season and what we can expect to see in 2008...
How did Bill Parcells (Sue Ellen Ewing) get bounced off the show? After a major investigation it was determined that he didn’t die, he wasn't kidnapped by Miami Vice, he just couldn’t live with Jason Garrett (Cally Harper) who J.R. (Jerry Jones) was beginning to show a love interest in, so he moved to Miami!
Ray Krebbs (Terrell Owens,) Jock Ewing’s (Tom Landry) illegitimate son, and J.R. (Jerry Jones) hit it off two seasons ago with J.R. taking his half brother under his wing while hoping to coax another dozen or so touchdown receptions out of him.
Tony Romo (Bobby Ewing) and Jessica Simpson (Pamela Barnes) continue their sordid relationship in and out of the public eye while half brother Krebbs, eer Owens, looks on enviously as Bobby (Romo) throws more passes Pamela’s (Simpson) way than his. Will Bobby and Pamela get married? Will Ray’s greatest fears be realized?
During an off season of reruns, Lorimar Productions has tried to stimulate interest in the new 2008 season by advertising that J.R. (Jones) and his wife’s (Bill Parcells or Sue Ellen) sister Kristin Shepard
(Darren McFadden) are having an affair. Will it cool off or will Kristin continue to be a torrid romance interest for J.R. since Sue Ellen (Bill Parcells) walked out and J.R.’s roving eye is set free?
Another story line that may be developed during the latest season of DALLAS could involve J.R.’s (Jerry Jones) illegitimate son, James Richard Beaumont (Pac Man Jones) who may become a prime player in the series.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we can expect to see J.R.’s (Jerry Jones) niece, Lucy Ewing (Marion Barber), continue to run around with all the Boys. Bobby (Romo) and Pamela (Jessica) will continue their on again off again relationship while Ray (Owens) looks for ways to influence Cally Harper (Jason Garrett) to look his way instead of paying attention to J.R. (Jones).
In another storyline, will J.R.’s other brother, Gary (Wade Phillips), survive beyond the 2008 season if Ewing Oil (the Cowboys) once again is blocked on consummating the Super Bowl deal or will J.R.’s latest burgeoning affair with Cally Harper (Jason Garrett) bloom into full unadulterated, unfiltered love and Gary (Phillips) be pushed into a spin-off set in California, thought at this time to be named Davis’s Landing? Only time will tell.
For now Dallas fans, enjoy your reruns confident in the knowledge that J.R. (Jerry Jones) is scheming just for you…
Any hardcore NFL fan is aware of the Pro Football Scouting Combine held in Indianapolis each year where representatives of the various NFL organizations actually test a group of around 300 former college football players who have been invited to participate. This is carried out so that each NFL prospect will hopefully have his potential fairly assessed. Although most of the tests are physical in nature, intended to insure that the individuals are healthy and capable of performing certain feats of physical prowess so they can be compared against a set of standards, there is one set of tests that are designed to weigh each participant’s mental abilities. This is especially important for invitees hoping to play certain positions that require a higher level of intelligence. Those positions being quarterback, offensive lineman, middle linebacker and safety.
For your enjoyment (ahem…), here are 27 sample questions from the Wonderlic, Inc. company, a leader in human resource intelligence testing, followed by the answers. Give the questions a fair shot and see how you do:
Math:
1. A physical education class has three times as many girls as boys. During a class basketball game, the girls average 18 points each, and the class as a whole averages 17 points per person. How many points does each boy score on average?
2. Randolph has 8 ties, 6 pairs of pants, and 4 dress shirts. How many days could he possibly go without wearing the same combination of these three items?
3. John is a mechanic. He makes $8.50 an hour, plus $3 extra for every oil change he performs. Last week he worked 36 hours and performed 17 oil changes. How much money did he make?
4. A box of staples has a length of 6 cm, a width of 7 cm, and a volume of 378 cm cubed. What is the height of the box?
5. What is the average of all of the integers from 13 to 37?
6. A basketball player averaged 20 points a game over the course of six games. His scores in five of those games were 23, 18, 16, 24, and 27. How many points did he score in the sixth game?
7. Arnold is about to go on a 500-mile car trip. His mechanic recommends that he buy a special highway engine oil that will save him 50 cents in gas for every 25 miles of the trip. This new oil, however, will cost $20. Is it worthwhile for Arnold to buy the oil if he has a coupon for $4 dollars off the price?
8. If three inches of rope cost 7 cents, how much would 2 feet of rope cost?
Logic:
9. What is the next number in the sequence: 5, 10, 20, 40,...?
10. What is the next number in the sequence: 3, 8, 18, 38...?
11. What is the next number in the sequence: 5, 9, 17,33,...?
12. What is the next number in the sequence: 9, 3, 1, 1/3,...?
13. What is the next number in the sequence: 24, 12, 6, 3...?
14. Which of the following numbers represents the greatest amount: 6, 6.0, 0.600, 60?
15. Which of the following numbers represents the smallest amount: 0.400, 0.04, 4.0, 40?
16. Which of the following numbers represents the smallest amount: 3.26, 0.54, 89.00, 0.09?
17. Which of the following numbers represents the smallest amount: 3899, 629, 89001, 9867?
Language: Choose the best answer…
18. CREDIT CREDENCE These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
19. VINTAGE NOVELTY These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
20. ASPIRE SPIRE These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
21. PRODUCE REDUCE These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
22. ABSTAIN RETAIN These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
23. CONVERT INVERT These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
24. RESUME ASSUME These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
25. SIEGE BESIEGE These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
26. PUNISH SKIRMISH These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
27. CANDOR CONDOR These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
Wasn’t that fun? Okay, now check your answers against these…
Answer: 14. Since the class has three times as many girls as boys, the class is composed of 75% girls and 25% boys. To find the number of points each boy scores on average, we solve the following equation: 0.75*18 + 0.25*X = 17, where X is the number of points each boy scores on average. Solving for X gives X = 14, so the boys average 14 points per game.
Answer: 192 days. There are 48 different combinations of ties and shirts (8 different ties for each of the 6 pairs of pants), and then four different shirts for each of these combinations. In numerical form: 8 x 6 x 4 = 192.
Answer: $357. John's base wage can be figured by multiplying his pay per hour by the number of hours he worked: $8.50 x 36 = 306. His bonus for oil changes is calculated by multiplying the payment per oil change by the number of oil changes performed: 17 x 3 = 51. These two products can then be added together.
Answer: 9 cm. Volume is calculated as the product of length, width, and height, so if height is set as Y: 6 x 7 x Y = 378. This can be rearranged to 378 / 42 = Y = 9.
Answer: 25. This kind of problem can be easily solved by simply finding the average of the two extremes in the range: (13 + 37) / 2 = 25.
Answer: 12 points.
Answer: No. Arnold will only save $10 by using the oil (.5 x (500 / 25)), and this is still $6 less than the cost of the oil.
Answer: 56 cents. First, divide the number of inches in 2 feet (24) by 3; then, multiply this number (8) by the price of 3 inches of rope: 8 x 7 = 56
Answer: 80. The next number is found by multiplying the previous number by 2.
Answer: 78. The next number is taken by adding one to each number and then multiplying this sum by 2.
Answer: 65. The next number is found by multiplying the number by 2 and then subtracting one from the product.
Answer: 1/9.
Answer: 1.5. The next number is found by dividing each number by 2.
Answer: 60. Be sure to identify the position of the decimal point.
Answer: 0.04. Be sure to identify the position of the decimal point.
Answer: 0.09. It may be helpful to say the numbers out loud: "9 hundredths" is clearly smaller than "54 hundredths."
Answer: 629. Make sure to note the number of place values rather than simply looking at the value of the first digit in the number.
Answer: A, Have similar meanings. Both credit and credence can refer to a belief in the truth of something.
Answer: B, Have opposite meanings. Vintage refers to something old, while novelty refers to something new.
Answer: C, Have neither the same nor different meanings. To aspire to something is to set it as a goal, while a spire is the pointed top of a building, especially a church.
Answer: B, Have opposite meanings. To produce something is to bring it into existence, while to reduce it is to take part of it out of existence.
Answer: B, Have opposite meanings. To abstain from something is to refuse it, while to retain something is to keep it with oneself.
Answer: A, Have similar meanings. Both of these words can mean to change the purpose or direction of something.
Answer: C, Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
Answer: A, Have similar meanings. Both of these words can mean to attack or crowd around.
Answer: C, Have neither similar nor opposite meanings. To punish is to penalize, while a skirmish is a small fight.
Answer: C, Have neither similar nor opposite meanings. Candor is fairness and openness in expression, while a condor is a kind of bird.
So you’re a genius, huh?
Now get this… The test as given at the Scouting Combine allows 12 minutes to attempt to answer 50 questions such as those above. The kicker is that those taking the test can practice as much as they want going in and they are in fact encouraged to do so. Sound like a good time? Throw in the fact that each prospect’s overall ranking among his peers is directly impacted by how well he answers these questions. This in turn has a direct correlation to the dollars each prospect may be able to demand in compensation for his services. The pressure to do well must be great.
Here is a list of the average scores the scouts are looking for by position as determined by Paul Zimmerman’s The New Thinking Man’s Guide to Pro Football:
As you may recall, a couple of years ago there was a big upset when the University of Texas’ quarterback Vince Young’s allegedly low Wonderlic test score was leaked to the media. Even the Texas Head Coach, Mack Brown got involved defending his former player. There is a lot at stake…
With all of this in mind, an article written by Dan Pompei in yesterday’s edition of the Chicago Tribune disclosed that a small group of this year’s NFL Draft prospects’ Wonderlic test scores have become public…
Here are those prospects and their Wonderlic scores:
Quarterbacks:
Matt Ryan, Boston College, potentially a top five pick – 32
Brian Brohm, Louisville, ranked by most as the second QB in the draft – 32
Joe Flacco, Delaware – 27
Chad Henne, Michigan – 22
Offensive Linemen:
Jake Long, OT, Michigan, also potentially a top five pick – 26
Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh – 28
Sam Baker, OT, USC – 27
Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt – 32
Godser Cherilus – OT, Boston College – 25
Brandon Albert, OG, Virginia – 23
Linebacker:
Jerod Mayo, MLB, Tennessee, the top rated inside linebacker – 26
Keith Rivers, OLB, USC, arguably the top rated outside linebacker – 16
Safety:
Kenny Phillips, Miami Fl., the top rated safety in the draft – 16
I have to speculate that Rivers and Phillips may have hurt themselves in terms of where they will eventually be selected in the draft, standing to lose a lot of money for their seeming lack of mental dexterity…
I first heard of this guy when my college education shifted from a community college in Central California to an agricultural school in Southern California. My sophomore year at College of the Sequoias was highlighted by the fact that our small college (around 3,000 students, and that seemed huge to me as my graduating class in high school had just over 100 students!) had just won the California State Championship in football by defeating Fullerton Junior College, a large community college from Orange County with an enrollment around 20,000 students.
It was quite a come down to enroll at a school where sports had very little importance. There was a small group of us from Central California in the School of Agriculture at California Polytechnic University, Pomona, because it offered the only Bachelor of Science degree in Citriculture anywhere in the country. We were a bunch of bumpkins in the BIG city where we all must have walked around with wide eyes and mouths agape for at least two months after first showing up in smog land. One Saturday early that fall we all decided to take in our first Cal Poly football game. I was amazed! There were bigger crowds at my high school games than the number of fans in the stands for this Saturday night home game against Cal State Los Angeles! Other than the lack of support for our football team, the next biggest impression I recall centered on this young quarterback who was forced to scramble around as the opposing team’s defense continually collapsed the Cal Poly Broncos’ pass protection. The QB reminded me of the Viking’s Fran Tarkenton. He’d roll this way and that, stop and look downfield, no one open, dodge a defensive end, roll back this way and finally break downfield for a few yards. Next play, same thing. It got real old, but this young scrambler had the Broncos in front by four points with time running out. LA State had the ball and on their last desperation play of the game, their tailback ran into a big pile up on a surprise draw play. The players on the field actually began standing and everyone in the stands thought the game was over when all of a sudden this little guy comes out of the far side of the pile and sprints (wearing only one shoe!) all the way down the far sideline for a touchdown to win the game! My buddies and I just looked at each other and shook our heads while sharing a sour expression… So this was Cal Poly Pomona football… Over the balance of that season and the next, while I continued taking courses toward my degree, I went ahead and attended a few other games as one of the song girls and I were seeing each other and I felt like it was the thing to do… I know, I know… Anyway, this same quarterback continued to try and carry the team on his back, but with very little success. He was personally rewarded for his efforts by being named the Southern California College Division player of the year despite playing for a 4-6-1 team. That's because he passed for 2,367 yards and 16 touchdowns. I graduated before the next season and moved on, but that quarterback stuck around and ended up setting 10 school passing records, most of which will never be broken as Cal Poly Pomona eventually dropped intercollegiate football due to lack of interest in 1982…
The next time I heard about this guy I was surprised to find that he had been picked up by the NFL’s fledgling Seattle Seahawks. He was signed as an undrafted free agent and had beaten out a couple of older, established quarterbacks and he was actually
starting for them! Jim Zorn had come out of literally nowhere to be named the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year following the Seahawk’s inaugural season in 1976 under Head Coach Jack Patera. Over the years, the left hander went on to make quite a name for himself as he continued to play his Houdini routine so that he could eventually hookup with his favorite receiver out of the University of Tulsa (and future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee), Steve Largent. Jim’s NFL playing career saw him remain with the Seahawks for a total of nine seasons (seven as the starter) during which time he was honored as the team’s MVP and as a Pro Bowler in 1978. From 1978 to 1980, the left-handed QB passed for more than 3,000 yards each year and was only the third player in NFL history to throw for more than 10,000 yards in his first four seasons. After new Seahawks’ Head Coach Chuck Knox was brought in and had Jim playing back-up to Dave Krieg for the 1983 and 1984 seasons, he moved on to the Green Bay Packers where he played back-up and intermittently started for the Packers in 1985. Jim played his last full season of professional football for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1986 and then came back for a few games in 1987 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a strike replacement player. When asked in an interview what the highlight of his professional playing career was, Jim didn’t hesitate as he responded, “The thing I remember most about playing the Raiders and this truly was a highlight, was how spent everyone was after those particular games. Every time we played them it was an absolute fight to the finish. There wasn't much left when you came into the locker room. Everyone expended their energies onto the field and it was very grueling type of game mentally and emotionally. Physically it was just a real battle.”
Steve Largent and Jim Zorn
In 1991 Jim Zorn’s name was added to the Seattle Seahawk’s Ring of Honor where he once again joined his old teammate and close friend, Steve Largent, along with four other former Seahawks.
Jim naturally moved from playing football to coaching it as he began down that road as the Quarterbacks Coach for Boise State University. This lasted from 1988 through 1991 and then he was off to Utah State University as their Offensive Coordinator for a three year stint. His final collegiate coaching position was with the University of Minnesota under Head Coach Jim Wacker, where he once again served as Quarterback Coach for the Golden Gophers for two years through the end of the 1996 season.
In 1997, Dennis Erickson hired Zorn to his first professional football coaching position as an Offensive Assistant with the Seattle Seahawks. This lasted for two seasons before he became the Quarterbacks Coach for a two year term with the Detroit Lions under Bobby Ross and then Gary Moeller. Then, in 2001 Jim was again reunited with the Seattle Seahawks organization as the Quarterbacks Coach under Mike Holmgren. Jim was schooled by one of the best quarterback coaches in recent NFL history and developed into a disciple of the Holmgren version of the “West Coast” offense. Jim continued on in this capacity for seven full seasons until last year.
With Coach Holmgren’s announcement that 2008 will be his last as the Seahawk’s Head Coach making a coaching shake up inevitable before the 2009 season when Jim Mora takes over, Jim began looking for a new challenge. On January 26th, he accepted the Offensive Coordinator job with the Washington Redskins, in a move that left many wondering what was going on. Following the team’s opening playoff game defeat and the subsequent second retirement of Head Coach Joe Gibbs, team owner, Dan Snyder, and the team’s upper management group immediately began filling out the team’s coaching staff before a new Gibb’s replacement had been hired. Now I’m not sure if these moves were unprecedented or not, but as a longtime NFL fan, I’ve never heard of such a thing. I always thought the hiring of assistant coaches was considered sacred ground, an entitlement left to an incoming head coach and understandably so since it’s his neck on the line…
So here we are, the playoffs are continuing and the Redskins are filling out the team’s coaching staff while a search for a new Head Coach was continuing. Prospective Coaches were being interviewed with much fanfare, and the month long search went on.
The candidates for the job included New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Jim Fassel, Steve Mariucci, Jim Mora and Ron Meeks.
Suddenly, on February 9th, the Redskins announced their search had ended as Jim Zorn was elevated from his new position as the Redskin’s Offensive Coordinator to become the sixth coach hired during Dan Snyder’s Redskin ownership tenure which began in 1999.
Throughout Jim Zorn’s football career as a player and coach, he has turned to his strong Christian faith as he has confidently faced his critics and proved himself a winner. If he continues to follow this script, Dan Snyder and his Redskins may well have finally found their coach for many years to come.
I’m a little biased when it comes to Jim Zorn as he represents the last bastion of the Cal Poly Pomona Bronco’s football legacy and I wish him nothing but smooth sailing as he leads one of the NFL’s most storied franchises, the Washington Redskins!
The National Football League's Competition Committee, at the request of the Kansas City Chiefs, will consider the question of player's hair length at their meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, later this month. Evidently the topic has already been discussed earlier during competition meetings. The Chiefs' management would like to see a rule enacted that would limit the length of a player's hair so that his name can be read on the back of his jersey. The Chiefs' management considers long hair both a uniform violation and a safety issue.
I believe most NFL fans have wondered at one point or another why these long haired players aren't being grabbed by the hair. It certainly appears to be a good way to leave an unforgetable impression on an opposing player. I understand that in 2006, Kansas City running back, Larry Johnson, pulled down the Steelers' Troy Polamalu from behind by grabbing ahold of his hair.
Is this truly a violation of the uniform rules? Is it a safety concern? The NFL rule makers will let us know sometime in the near future...
Here are a few NFL performers that would be faced with trimming their hair if this rule is passed...
I've been looking around in the history of NASCAR, kind of spurred on by JayJay's recent series of articles. Through this process I naturally got involved reviewing dirt track racing. Most of the past, present and, I'm sure, future NASCAR driving stars have or will cut their teeth on these types of tracks around the country. I came across one dirt track in particular located outside of the western Ohio village of Rossburg that is owned by none other than Tony Stewart!
Now this may not come as a revelation to any of you diehard auto racing fans, but I found it very interesting. Stewart's Eldora Speedway first hosted racing in 1954 and then, 50 years later, this storied old half mile track was purchased by the NASCAR icon from the man who built it, Earl Baltes.
Even fringe NASCAR fans have heard of Tony's racing passion and the fact that he is normally very outspoken. His passion has led to several confrontations over his years on the Cup circuit and consequently the man enjoys either a love or hate relationship with most fans.
The way I see it, and especially in a pressure-packed sport as competitive as this, Tony's is just one of many outspoken personalities striving to win week in and week out. If he and the other drivers weren't this way, they wouldn't be where they are...
With this in mind, and remembering some of the bad publicity in his past, I was surprised to find that for the last three years Tony has sponsored a race at his Eldora Speedway facility that benefits both the Tony Stewart Foundation and the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, N.C., which serves children ages 7 to 15 with life-threatening health issues. The camp was formed by NASCAR SPRINT Cup Series driver Kyle Petty and wife, Pattie, to honor the life of their late son, Adam.
The race, known as Prelude to The Dream, is held each year on a Wednesday evening during the first week of June so that top flight NASCAR drivers can donate their time and participate. Here is a promotional photo of last year's drivers.
Can you tell who won last year's event?
Included are some of the biggest names in the sport, folks like Jeff Gordon, who had last raced on the storied track in 1991, Juan Pablo Montoya, Carl Edwards, Bobby Labonte, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Bill Elliott ran the 30 lap event in front of several thousand fans, who, at $25 an adult ticket, certainly got their money's worth!
Here is a look at the 26 car field...
Now that looks like a blast!
"I feel so fortunate to have a facility and a lot of friends that are also supportive of Victory Junction," Stewart said. "It wasn't hard to put this event together from the standpoint of getting the drivers to come."
Here is another view of the event...
After looking through these scenes and finding how dirt track racing is really the starting point for most drivers, and then reading the various drivers comment on how much fun it is to get back to running on a dirt track, it got me to wondering...
Today's NASCAR circuit runs on four different venues, the super tracks, the mid-sized tracks, the short tracks, and the road courses, all paved tracks. Why has NASCAR divorced it's dirt track roots when it comes to the Cup series?
This led me to looking around in terms of dirt tracks that feature adequate seating capacities to support an annual NASCAR Sanctioned Sprint Cup event. Lo and behold, I found that in 2000 and 2001 last week's NASCAR venue, Bristol Motor Speedway, had an event in which they covered the concrete track with 700 cubic yards of sawdust under 8,000 cubic feet of red clay soil brought in from a local farm. This enabled the track to host a World of Outlaws' Channellock Challenge race.
Here are a couple of stills of the WoO event at Bristol...
The salute to fans at the Eco Quest sponsored event.
Bristol dressed in red clay!
Stewart was asked a few years ago if NASCAR should host a dirt race. "I wish they would," he said. "If the drivers get a vote, I can promise you I'd vote for (a dirt race on the schedule)," Stewart added. "I told the guys that when they put the dirt (on the track), Bristol had been a perfect place. Since they put the dirt on there, they should just leave it on there and let us run the 500-lap Cup race on dirt."
Now I ask you, does Tony Stewart sound like such a bad guy?
Why not include at least one race on dirt per season in the Sprint Cup Championship series for old times sake? I'd bet it would be a genuine fan and driver favorite!
So here it is, mid-March and one of the greatest sports spectacles in America is about to begin. The brackets have been filled and we are now on the cusp of three weeks that will end with the crowning of a new NCAA Basketball National Champion. Yes, it's once again...
So why is this a crying shame? Let me explain, but first, answer a couple of questions...
First, what is the most popular sport in America? If you said something other than football you'd better think again.
Second, why is the NCAA National Basketball Championship Tournament known as the "Crown Jewel" of the NCAA? The answer to the second question is that it is an honest to goodness tournament.
The NCAA basketball tournament is seeded based upon which teams have won their conference championships and on each of the other participants' season long records against quality competition. The eventual champion will be faced with winning the title on the court by defeating the greatest teams from around the nation. What a concept! And so they call it the "Crown Jewel" of the NCAA and yet it takes place in a sport that is not the most popular in college.
Now I'm sure that there will be an argument made by someone (most likely someone involved in the bowl game process) that claims that college football is so popular because of the current bowl system. To that I call baloney, and I'm being very nice right there.
It is a crying shame that every sport in the NCAA with the exception of it's most popular sport, football at the Division IA level, plays a season-ending championship tournament. (Notice I'm not using the latest vernacular "FBS" or "Football Bowl Series" since it glorifies the bowl system that has kept the game under it's thumb for decade upon decade).
When will the NCAA find the nerve to re-take control of it's premier sporting event from the bowl games and their sponsors? Isn't it about time to install a Division IA football national tournament? It would surely rival the NFL and it's Super Bowl Tournament as the most popular sports event in America and rightfully take over the title "The Crown Jewel" of the NCAA!
How did Bill Parcells (Sue Ellen Ewing) get bounced off the show? After a major investigation it was determined that he didn’t die, he wasn't kidnapped by Miami Vice, he just couldn’t live with Jason Garrett (Cally 
Harper) who J.R. (Jerry Jones) was beginning to show a love interest in, so he moved to Miami!
continue their sordid relationship in and out of the public eye while half brother Krebbs, eer Owens, looks on enviously as Bobby (Romo) throws more passes Pamela’s (Simpson) way than his. Will Bobby and Pamela get married? Will Ray’s greatest fears be realized?
Another story line that may be developed during the latest season of DALLAS could involve J.R.’s (Jerry Jones) illegitimate son, James Richard Beaumont (Pac Man Jones) who may become a prime player in the series.
Jones) niece, Lucy Ewing (Marion Barber), continue to run around with all the Boys. Bobby (Romo) and Pamela (Jessica) will continue their on again off again relationship while Ray (Owens) looks for ways to influence Cally Harper (Jason Garrett) to look his way instead of paying attention to J.R. (Jones). 
In another storyline, will J.R.’s other brother, Gary (Wade Phillips), survive beyond the 2008 season if Ewing Oil (the Cowboys) once again is blocked on consummating the Super Bowl deal or will J.R.’s latest burgeoning affair with Cally Harper (Jason Garrett) bloom into full unadulterated, unfiltered love and Gary (Phillips) be pushed into a spin-off
test a group of around 300 former college football players who have been invited to participate. This is carried out so that each NFL prospect will hopefully have his potential fairly assessed. Although most of the tests are physical in nature, intended to insure that the individuals are healthy and capable of performing certain feats of physical prowess so they can be compared against a set of standards, there is one set of tests that are designed to weigh each participant’s mental abilities. This is especially important for invitees hoping to play certain positions that require a higher level of intelligence. Those positions being quarterback, offensive lineman, middle linebacker and safety. 
year at College of the Sequoias was highlighted by the fact that our small college (around 3,000 students, and that seemed huge to me as my graduating class in high school had just over 100 students!) had just won the California State Championship in football by defeating Fullerton Junior College, a large community college from Orange County with an enrollment around 20,000 students. 
because it offered the only Bachelor of Science degree in Citriculture anywhere in the country. We were a bunch of bumpkins in the BIG city where we all must have walked around with wide eyes and mouths agape for at least two months after first showing up in smog land. One Saturday early that fall we all decided to take in our first Cal Poly football game. I was amazed! There were bigger crowds at my high school games than the number of fans in the stands for this Saturday night home game against Cal State Los Angeles! Other than the lack of support for our football team, the next biggest impression I recall centered on this young quarterback who was forced to scramble around as the opposing team’s defense continually collapsed the Cal Poly Broncos’ pass protection. The QB reminded me of the Viking’s Fran Tarkenton. 
He’d roll this way and that, stop and look downfield, no one open, dodge a defensive end, roll back this way and finally break downfield for a few yards. Next play, same thing. It got real old, but this young scrambler had the Broncos in front by four points with time running out. LA State had the ball and on their last desperation play of the game, their tailback ran into a big pile up on a surprise draw play. The players on the field actually began standing and everyone in the stands thought the game was over when all of a sudden this little guy comes out of the far side of the pile and sprints (wearing only one shoe!) all the way down the far sideline for a touchdown to win the game! My buddies and I just looked at each other and shook our heads while sharing a sour expression… So this was Cal Poly Pomona football… Over the balance of that season and the next, while I continued taking courses toward my degree, I went ahead and attended a few other games as one of the song girls and I were seeing each other and I felt like it was the thing to do… I know, I know… Anyway, this same quarterback continued to try and carry the team on his back, but with very little success. He was personally rewarded for his efforts by being named the Southern California College Division player of the year despite playing for a 4-6-1 team. That's because he passed for 2,367 yards and 16 touchdowns. I graduated before the next season and moved on, but that quarterback stuck around and ended up setting 10 school passing records, most of which will never be broken as Cal Poly Pomona eventually dropped intercollegiate football due to lack of interest in 1982… 
as a Pro Bowler in 1978. From 1978 to 1980, the left-handed QB passed for more than 3,000 yards each year and was only the third player in NFL history to throw for more than 10,000 yards in his first four seasons. After new Seahawks’ Head Coach Chuck Knox was brought in and had Jim playing back-up to Dave Krieg for the 1983 and 1984 seasons, he moved on to the Green Bay Packers where he played back-up and intermittently started for the Packers in 1985. Jim played his last full season of professional football for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1986 and then came back for a few games in 1987 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a strike replacement player. When asked in an interview what the highlight of his professional playing career was, Jim didn’t hesitate as he responded, “The thing I remember most about playing the Raiders and this truly was a highlight, was how spent everyone was after those particular games. Every time we played them it was an absolute fight to the finish. There wasn't much left when you came into the locker room. Everyone expended their energies onto the field and it was very grueling type of game mentally and emotionally. Physically it was just a real battle.”
out the team’s coaching staff before a new Gibb’s replacement had been hired. Now I’m not sure if these moves were unprecedented or not, but as a longtime NFL fan, I’ve never heard of such a thing. I always thought the hiring of assistant coaches was considered sacred ground, an entitlement left to an incoming head coach and understandably so since it’s his neck on the line… 
