Sorry, We're Open
by: jmoriello
The Bottom 10: May 4, 2008
May 04, 2008 | 9:20AM | report this
Catching up with the best of the worst from a week in sports that was so busy that Jose Canseco and Pat Riley are off the hook on the premise that they’ll mess up again sooner rather than later. And I’m not even going to get into the dust-up over the dad who accidentally served Mike’s Hard Lemonade to his 7-year-old son at a recent Detroit Tigers game:

(10) Ryan Perrilloux: The LSU sophomore quarterback reminds me of the old gag in which a man complains that he gave his wife a credit card with no limit on it — and she exceeded it anyway. Perrilloux was finally tossed off the team Friday after having been the recipient of more breaks than Evel Knievel’s skeletal system. Perrilloux was suspended last summer when his name surfaced during a counterfeiting investigation and he was also caught trying to enter a casino with a phony ID. He was involved in a nightclub fight in November, causing him to miss the Alabama game, and was suspended again in February for his casual approach toward attending classes and workouts. He was benched for LSU's spring game and finally earned his one-way ticket out of football amidst reports he may have failed a drug test. I imagine the Bengals will now petition the NFL for a do-over of the seventh round of the recent draft because they overlooked a newly available QB prospect.

(9) Hobart College: Last weekend, the board of trustees announced that the Upstate New York men’s lacrosse team would drop down from Division I to Division III, where the Statesmen once won 12 consecutive NCAA championships. By Friday, they’d changed their minds in the face of an angry response by the alums and announced the team would stay in Division I. Way to be decisive, gents. Their next announcement will be that they’ve split the difference and decided to give Division II a shot.

(8) H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger: The “Friday Night Lights” author came across like the north end of a south-bound horse on Bob Costas’ much-discussed HBO special, obfuscating whatever valid points he might have had regarding the cesspoolish nature of some blogging by letting fly with a profane attack against Deadspin.com editor Will Leitch. There is a lot of God-awful blogging out there and Deadspin can sometimes be to journalism what Wilt Chamberlain was to abstinence, but Bissinger looked like the new-media hate-mongers that he was railing against. And let’s not even visit the discussion about the lives that Bissinger affected in a negative way with the book that gave birth to the movie and TV series of the same name. I happen to think that a lot of what Bissinger wrote about Texas high school football was probably dead-on accurate, but others feel he might have taken journalistic license with some aspects of the story along the way. Is his work automatically more credible because it appeared in three forms of “traditional” media rather than on the Internet? I’ll leave it to media ethicists to decide who’s done more damage — me for not seeking Bissinger’s response before writing this or Bissinger for his affront to civil discussion in a national forum.

(7) Pat Putnam: Breaking new Bottom 10 ground, the Sports Illustrated boxing writer earns his place posthumously as it now appears that the stories he told before dying in 2005 about his time as a Marine and Korean War prisoner were less accurate than Wesley Snipes’ tax returns. Details that emerged just hours before the Boxing Writers Association of America was scheduled to present the Pat Putnam Award for courage and perseverance caused the organization to delete references to the writer during the annual awards dinner in Los Angeles. In the aftermath of the damning investigation by a group that sniffs out phony war tales, Marines officials said they cannot find evidence that Putnam ever earned four Purple Hearts or the Navy Cross.

(6) Loose lips in the NBA: If you thought the Cleveland Cavaliers’ dissing of LeBron James was out of line, how about the people who are spilling the NBA’s secrets. Once again, the results of balloting for one of the league’s major awards – this time MVP – seeped out prematurely as the Los Angeles Times reported that Kobe Bryant is the winner. Compared to the way the NBA leaks, the Titantic really was just making a scheduled stop to pick up ice.

(5) Tim Montgomery: Already awaiting sentencing for his role in an elaborate stolen-checks scheme, the former Olympic sprinter was indicted last week on heroin distribution charges. The former Fastest Man of Earth, 33, stands accused of dealing more than 100 grams of the drug in Virginia in the last year. A U.S. District Court magistrate ordered him jailed pending a bond hearing, which probably won’t go well considering his May 16 sentencing on the checks charge could fetch him nearly four years in prison. Marion Jones is starting to look like the model citizen in that former relationship.

(4) New York Daily News: Most multiple-part series that you read in newspapers are in the form of book excerpts. Rather than giving a sneak peak of an upcoming book, the tab pulled a sneak attack on Roger Clemens. Likely hand-fed The Rocket’s dirty laundry — and there certainly was a lot of it — by someone with a rooting interest in Brian McNamee in the upcoming defamation suit, the paper went into full tabloid mode and milked it for most of the week instead of hitting us with it all at once. Just another case of Mainstream Media out of control, I guess.

(3) Jay Bergman: The veteran baseball coach, six wins shy of 1,000 for his 26-year career at Central Florida, was fired amidst allegations of sexual harassment of a team equipment manager. According to The Orlando Sentinel, Bergman, 69, wielded a bat last month to simulate raping the employee. Bergman denies the allegation, but school officials have made him persona non grata and are saying they will not pay him for the remaining two years on his contract.

And that brings us to the final two “honorees” of the week, a pair of men whose time in the spotlight can be summed up as a case of “Lola, meet Lolita; Lolita, this is Lola.”

(2) Ronaldo: The Brazilian soccer star drove his girlfriend to her house Monday night and then picked up three prostitutes in Rio de Janeiro (where “play for pay” is legal, by the way). Upon reaching the hotel, though, the three-time FIFA player of the year discovered that the “ladies” were in fact transvestites. Police had to be called in to sift through a classic “he said, he said” dispute when the player said the prostitutes tried to extort money. For their part, the faux-females claimed Ronaldo threatened to harm them and also alleged the injured AC Milan striker is a druggie. Ronaldo’s statement to police said he was having psychological problems related to his bum knee. Umm, OK.

(1) Roger Clemens: The top three signs you’ve had a bad week? (a) You play for the Phoenix Suns; (b) The loyal opposition throws the anniversary of “Mission Accomplished” in your face 24/7; or (c) Your name is Roger Clemens. The week got worse by the day for Clemens, but it started pretty low — the newspaper story strongly implying that his friendship with country music performer Mindy McCready may have been of a physical nature while she was still a young teen. As any blackjack player would tell you, Raj, nothing good comes from hitting on 15.

 

24 Comments | Add a comment   categories: CFB, College Football, Media, Soccer
 
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Hanahan
May 4, 2008
7:41 PM
John...this is your best list yet. I tried to comment a couple of times earlier, but the godamn WHOOPS is back.

Funny how some people think Miles is a real disciplinarian after giving Perrilloux 6 or 7 chances.

jmoriello
May 4, 2008
8:05 PM
Hanahan: Thanks. LSU gave the kid more chances than I've ever given any of my girlfriends -- and I consider myself a very patient man.

oldskewler
May 5, 2008
7:27 AM
Great list! There comes a time where you have to cut out the cancer. I give Miles a little credit. I don't know much about the back-story for RP, but I do know that kids make mistakes. If they continuosly show you that they will not learn from them, then you do what Miles has done however painful it may be to your team or the relationships you have built. Sometimes, the kid responds well and sometimes not.

I can tell you, with a great amount of certainty, that the Friday Night Lights story is not embelished very much. I went to high school in San Angelo, TX. I graduated in 1991. I remember how awesome those Odessa Permian, Midland Lee, and Abiline Cooper teams were. I know that the entire region was swept up in Mojo fever. The side stories do not surprise me a bit.

Sorry about the long comments. I really enjoyed your list. Thanks.

gcoach
May 5, 2008
7:45 AM
Miles really had no choice but to get rid of Perrilloux this time around. If he shows up as the starter next fall then Miles loses a lot of respect...not only from his peers but from his players as well. Comes a point in time when what works best for the team becomes a priority. Miles finally got to that point. Finding a QB probably won't be as difficult as people think at LSU but when you end up with dissention and feelings of disrespect you can write that up to a long time to get over. Perrilloux will end up playing at a school like Sam Houston State, or wherever it was that Rhett "Mr. Selfish" Bomar took himself off to after leaving OU in the lurch a couple of years ago.

The New York Daily News got a lot of coverage from it's list of "anonymous sources" which can probably be translated to Brian McNamee's attorney. Anything to sell the paper, eh!

Apparently, in the case of Tim Montgomery, one can only be so fast. No matter how fast he ran he got tracked down after all. Agreed, Jones looks to be the better of the two...and she got, what, 3 years or something like that. Wow!

The one person no one wants to be like...Roger Clemens. Whether he is guilty of all the accusations or not...he is guilty of all the accusations. Simply because the Court of Public Opinion has nailed his story shut. At least we won't find him holding different teams for ransom for his services...halfway through the season...anymore!

edmonspk
May 5, 2008
10:48 AM
Beautiful! The last line was worth the read and more.

thebestthereiswasnwillbe
May 5, 2008
11:12 AM
Roger, Roger, Roger... i think you coulda filled the whole list with Roger's downturn this week.

good list, best one ive seen ya do

DownsA529
May 5, 2008
4:39 PM
Great list. I'm sure Ronaldo would trade for Clemen's follies; at least he got real ladies! Good fun throughout.

Evenspeedlikesthebirds
May 5, 2008
6:08 PM
i was about to rip clemens then i thought about all the bad stuff i did. i think i will shut up.

shortman888
May 5, 2008
10:30 PM
Ronaldo should be first this week. This guy is the biggest star in Brazil and he couldn't get any from his girlfriend. That is sad.

daho78
May 6, 2008
6:53 AM
Priceless.........first time I've come across this list. I cant believe that a guy like Roger Clemens would lie about steroid use, AND be a pedophile (alleged). These guys that get payed huge amounts of money to play a game will never cease to amaze me. Put down the candy Roger, and step away from the child. Hope he was wearing a cup this week, because I know its been painful to watch.

moab
May 6, 2008
7:51 AM
How can Rodney Harrison not be on this list. His actions could be the most damaging of all. Though not proven, the evidence looks pretty solid against him. Could be the end of his career and some prison time.

StevoinHTown
May 6, 2008
8:12 AM
Well, ya gotta figger that since these guys get paid millions to play a kids game all their life, that the 28 yr old Rocket prob'ly thought the 15 yr old Mindy was a peer...

SH201
May 6, 2008
9:15 AM
John, you are one funny guy, in whatever media you choose! Thanks for the right on takes and the wit in which you present them!

BahstonSux
May 6, 2008
10:03 AM
moab
May 6, 2008
7:51 AM How can Rodney Harrison not be on this list. His actions could be the most damaging of all. Though not proven, the evidence looks pretty solid against him. Could be the end of his career and some prison time.

YEAH, that would be GREAT if it was RODNEY Harrison, instead of MARVIN! HAHAHAHA

Willie Tasby
May 6, 2008
10:04 AM
Hey Roger, Miley Cyrus is 15. Wanna buy her a drink?

drlime1400
May 6, 2008
11:29 AM
Actually John, if you do the math, hitting on 16 is a winning proposition in blackjack...just don't split 5's or try doubling down on hard 12 too often.

ADPrecognize!
May 6, 2008
1:06 PM
Marvin should top next week's list. If you were an NFL superstar getting paid millions to play football five months out of the year, why in God's name would you go down to the worst neighborhood in Philly and buy a beat up car wash for 200 grand and a nightclub. Oh and why does he have a gun that can penetrate kevlar? The guy's braindead. I don't care what the investigation finds.

rhettt
May 7, 2008
9:33 AM
And Roger C. is the one bringing it on himself. Mr. Mitchell contacted Roger about coming in and meeting with Mitchell and crew. Then, they sent Roger two certified mail notifications at least ten days ahead of the release of the report. Roger finally admitted he knew four days ahead of the release. Roger had a chance with 60 minutes, mr. Wallace. Then Roger practically demanded the hearing with the US Legislature. Then Roger pushed the defamation suit, knowing his own personal life was full of character flaws. The disgrace he is subjecting himself, his family, his friends, his women to, is all being generated by Roger Clemens. And he just can't seem to grasp that. He is so arrogant he thinks he can say anything or act any ole way, and the general public can't see through his endless charade.

docdan24
May 8, 2008
12:38 PM
Hey, Roger was just rubbing in the cream when he thought he was in the clear

scaa
May 8, 2008
12:44 PM
Poor Rocket my bumhole. This guy can't be a man and just cop to what he's done. What a punk. I'll be very happy to not see his bust in Cooperstown. If he would tell the truth, he could take his lumps then in five years all would be forgiven. But no. He lies to the end, just like Rose. Well no boo hoo from your former fans boys. You deserve nothing.

rampantfanatic
May 8, 2008
2:27 PM
jmoriello
Finallly my suspi*cions have been confirmed with regard to Brazilian soccer players and tranvestites. Apparently they just don't come out to ply their wares at the Rio Carnival only. Surely Ronaldo ought to have known once he saw the he-she's Adam's apple ? But then again he probably wanted to cop a feel of the he-she's package.


Tim Montgomery , Marion Jones what's not to like about how both of their careers have ended abruptly in disgrace ?

Roger someone ought to be telling you that it's no longer permissible for you to be seen outside of a middle or school. And most certainly not outside any of the TGIF franchises. And by the way Rog' TGIF doesn't mean 'that girl is fifteen so you can nail her. '
Strippers are permissable as they're usually above the age of consent and willing to go down for a trick or two.



rampant' aka tophatal .........


Last edited by rampantfanatic on May 8th at 2:28 PM.

profjoeh8
May 9, 2008
9:22 AM
transfer?
so any speculation to what school will give Perriloux his 9, 10, & 11th chances? U of Cincy? FSU? they're usually open for business. K-state? they'll take anybody.
or
will he not want to sit out a year (or behave) and go down to the D-1AA route for some good ole playoff fun and complete obscurity until the bengals or lions take him in the 7th round in a few years?

edhardiman
May 10, 2008
7:51 AM
John,
What a week. This was a great read...In regards to Buzz, I think he showed great courage in his tirade, it isn't often a pompous one trick pony will use spittle to great effect when making a complete and utter #### out of himself.

He's "honed his craft" which we have other names for including the one the White Sox recently coined when they "stacked their bats" in front of a blow up doll in their locker room.

He's milked Friday Night Lights to the point I expect a musical on Broadway any minute.

Blogging is a derisive term amongst old media types because they don't control the gateway, hell they don't even understand it. People will always find a way to read what they like regardless of platform be it book, newspaper or "gasp" a computer.

Had there been an actual blogger on that stage Buzz would have gotten his #### handed to him as most bloggers are no strangers to trolls like him.

Are some bloggers bad? Sure. The more important question is; are some newspapers unreadable? You bet try reading the NYT, Philly Inquirer or the Washington Compost if you're not a leftist or bitter Marxist, I wouldn't wrap dead fish in that twaddle...they aren't failing because they're scribbling brilliant stuff they're failing because they are so out of touch with reality they couldn't find 99% of people who read blogs with a hand held GPS, map and a Sherpa...

uscdad2004
May 14, 2008
11:47 AM
im starting to miss coach dorrel now i heard he is destroying a pro franchise

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ABOUT ME


jmoriello
I am John Moriello, a sportswriter for a little more than a decade before catching the World Wide Web bug in 1995. I've since worked on a variety of online projects. In my spare time, I am president of the New York State Sportswriters
Association
. We are concerned primarily with covering high school sports, including producing weekly rankings in the major team sports and the selection of all-state teams.
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