MLB

A good baseball column by Tim Marchman of SI. He compares the Ben Sheets and Jon Garland signings and finds the smartypants As not so smart.

NFL

Mark Kreidler on the Raiders. "Back to square one" with Jamarcus Russell.

Tom Brookshier, RIP

From Sports Illustrated. For me, Brookshier and Pat Summerall calling a 4 p.m., Sunday afternoon Rams-Cowboys game will always be the zenith of professional football. They were a terrific pairing and it's hard to believe that Summerall worked so many years without his ex-Eagle partner. Once when a Rams lineman got hurt, Brookshier went on for 20 seconds about what the Rams backup guard Bill Bain could and could not do. Whatever happened to this kind of knowledgeable announcing? Brookshier was a good one.

Kurt Warner

Here's an SI cover shot from back in the day. Warner is one of my all time favorites and I'll miss him. Hard to believe there are people who still don't think he's a Hall of Fame quarterback. And on that subject, who off those Greatest Show on Turf teams will go to the Hall. I say Warner, Faulk, Pace and Bruce for sure. Holt will get some support and London Fletcher was that good., but never appreciated. He was the heart of an underrated championship defense.

MMA

Herschel Walker win debut.

Senior Bowl

A good wrapup from Tony Pauline of SI.com Dexter McCluster was one of his standouts. A MLB who I like a lot, Daryl Washington of TCU, also earned excellent reviews. Taylor Mays took another bashing and Eric Norwood looked dazed and confused in coverage. One difference between the two, Mays didn't play well for USC last year; Norwood was very good for the other USC.

Rams staff prepares for draft

The St. Louis braintrust is in black.

Nash Nance headed to Tennessee

The power of prayer pays off for Tennesssee. Nance is a solid QB prospect but hardly a can't-miss. Rogers has enormous talent but is a train wreck waiting to happen. I have never thought he would suit up at Georgia and whereever he finally commits, getting on the playing field will prove a lot harder.

NFL Draft

Don Banks of SI offers his first mock for 2010. Pretty standard but with the addition of wide receiver Damian Williams and Tim Tebow to the first round. Williams can play and he could well go in the first, but Tebow is an insane pick that high.

Senior Bowl

Five who have stood out. Perrish Cox looks like a player to me every time I saw that team in action. Then the knucklehead gets suspended for the Bowl Game. You have to wonder about his common sense. That boner will cost him draft spots and money, but I still think he'll sneak into the first round if he makes some plays in the game. When Patrick Robinson is considered the second best CB prospect in the draft, a player like Cox could really surprise. If the Rams get him at the start of Round 2, I'd be happy.

Why I hate the NFL Draft ...

It was 1996 and a talent-needy Rams team had accumulated 10 picks, including three in the third round. They had the 11th pick of the first round, plenty good enough to nab them a quality player. Right?
So, the Rams were primed to add starters and depth.
Didn't happen.
Please grab your barf bag before you read the following:

1. TYe Hill-CB
2. Joe Klopfenstein-TE
3. Claude Wroten-DT
3. Jon ALston-LB
3. Dominique Byrd-TE
4. Victor Adeyanju-DE
5. Mario Hagans-WR
6. Tim McCarigle-MLB
7. Mark Setterstrom-G
7. Tony Palmer-G

I'll give you a minute to finish puking.
OK, let's look at this collection of screwups.
1. I won't bitch about Hill too much. He looked like a possible player at Clemson, though there were some red flags attached to him.
2. A horrible pick. I said so at the time. What were they thinking? No speed. Mediocre blocker. A total waste.
3A. Red flags everywhere. The Bayou Bengal could play some, but he was an a-hole waiting to collapse on himself. Long gone now after a surprising drug suspension.
3B. Jon Alston. He tries hard but an OLB weighing about a buck-eighty is not going to help you stop the run. A terrible pick. Got some time at LB with the Raiders, but everybody does.
3C. Dominique Byrd? If they thought Klop could play, why take another TE one round later? Turns out both of them sucked. Byrd also came with red flags, which proved prescient. Basically this Ram draft had more red flags than the 1966 May Day parade in Moscow.
4. Victor Adeyanju is a solid backup. No complaints.
5. The Rams loved to convert players from one position to another and tried this with Mario Hagans. What they did was convert a 5th round pick to a sack of crap.
6. Tim McGarigle got hurt and never had a chance to really show off. That said, he didn't show THAT much in college either. He was a plugger at best for a team that badly needed some athletes.
7. Mark Setterstrom has some ability and is still with the team. He's a solid backup, though the Rams have been forced to start him. A good seventh round choice.
7. Tony Palmer. ANother stab at building line depth. ANother failure. Palmer was gone after enjoying a sip of Sanka.

So, ten picks and a lot of money netted the Rams Setterstrom and Adeyanju.
That's why I hate the NFL draft.

NFL Draft

Taylor Mays shows out in Mobile. The problem is he didn't look so hot on the field this season. Opinion on Mays is all over the place. He's probably a first rounder, but COULD slide on down in round one. Good 40 times will help him and he's got the size.

NFL

Gregg Easterbrook delivers a Brett Favre beatdown that even I think is a bit much ... and I am sick to death of the kid from Kiln.

MLB

The top 100 prospects from FanHouse. Braves have several listed, including Heyward and Mike Minor, the lefty from Vanderbilt.

NFL Draft 2

A good mock by Ryan Houston. He's very high on Earl Thomas of Texas and Navorro Bowman of Penn State.

NFL Draft

Georgia defensive tackle Jeff Owens is at the Senior Bowl. I pegged him as a future NFLer after his freshman year. He was a really good inside pass rusher and solid against the run even then. He did not become the powerhouse DT I thought he would, in part due to a serious injury that cost him a season.
I saw one pre-draft guide that had him listed as a 5-6th round pick. Manure! Owens is a much better prospect than that and if he works hard before the combine should move up draft boards. He can play, as can his UGA cohorts Kade Weston and Geno Atkins. All will be drafted.

The Braves

Jordan Schafer is ready to play ... but where will the Braves use him? Centerfield at AAA makes the most sense as he needs plenty of at bats after last year's debacle. From Dave O'Brien's blog.

The Raiders keep Cable

It looks like Crazy Al might have sniffed around some other possibilities and got rebuffed. Why any up and coming coach would take this job now is beyond me?For the moment, Tom Cable is back, The thing is if Oakland could get squared away at quarterback they could be a solid team. They are a few good free agents and draft away (OL and linebackers) from fielding a decent roster. Getting McFadden rolling would make them much better and Michael Bush is a great chance of pace. It comes down to Jamarcus Russell and right now there is no reason to think he will start delivering.

College football

Dooley still building coaching staff in Knoxville. Apparently Georgia hired the last def-co available. From the Times Free Press.

NFL Draft

Some thoughts on the first 12 picks ...

1.The Rams need a good DT and "Gotterdammerung" Suh is the standout choice. Looks like a perfect fit since no QB rates that high. I'd love to see Eric Berry in the secondary, and it's not out of the question, but Suh makes the most sense. Rams could look to the top of Round 2 for a QB.
2. The popular thought seems to be the Lions will go for OL help to protect Stafford. Russell Okung would fit that bill, but their defensive line is in even more dire straits. I have them going for the Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy with an eye for a LT to replace Backus in round two.
3.Joe Haden, the Florida CB, makes the most sense except teams like to get better close to the line of scrimmage early in the draft. Derrick Morgan of Ga. Tech would give the Bucs a rush DE and if neither one of the top DTs slides to three, Morgan would make a good choice.
Note: Tennessee's Eric Berry would be a possible pick at 2-3 as well but those teams need CBs more than safeties. If they decide Berry can make the transition, as has been mentioned before, he could go in either spot.
4. Does Washington stick with Jason Campbell. If they do they can look for a LT but if they are ready to make a move, they'll take Sam Bradford. I'm betting they stick with Campbell and draft Russell Okung.
5. Kansas City is still in transition on defense which is a tough thing to pull off because they are so short of talent on the offensive side of the line. Dez Bryant could be a great fit teaming with Bowe at WR, but Berry can start right away at S and make a big impact.
6.Seattle needs to get a LT or defensive help with this pick but if Sam Bradford slides I think they could take him. Matt Hasselbeck looked like Mark Bulger's twin last year and Seneca Wallace is not the answer.
7. Cleveland's defense has holes everywhere and the offense isn't much better. With Bradford gone they will stick with the QBs they have and take the best player. For my money that will be Dez Bryant who will come into camp as their best receiver.
8. Anthony Davis is a big, nasty OT who can give the Raiders a nice upgrade on either side. A very good fit.
9. Buffalo also needs OT help and it just so happens that this year there are several top linemen in the draft pool. Maryland's Bruce Campbell would be a good addition, but Florida's Joe Haden has fallen and is a better value. They take Haden.
10. Jacksonville is close to being a playoff team so I don't think QB is the route they will go. Sorry Jimmy Clausen. The secondary is a mess and they need another WR to help Sims-Walker. With Dez Bryant and Haden gone, I have them taking Texas safety Earl Thomas. A trade up for Haden is possible.
11.Let's assume Denver can't kiss and make up with Brandon Marshall. They'll deal him and start looking for a wide receiver. Good luck. Other than Bryant, top of the draft WRs are hard to find. The Broncos could go for a linebacker or a DL, but I'll toss the dice and say they grab Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen. By season's end he will be as good as Orton. Maybe better.
12. A big time wide receiver would help Miami a lot but finding one here will be tough. They could use a fast OLB to spell Jason Taylor and Joey Porter and Sergio Kindle looks like a great fit to me. (Florida's Carlos Dunlap could help at DE as well.)

Dawgs

Georgia adds a DB coach.

College football

Tennessee holds on to top recruit.

Chattooga player commits to Louisville

Senorise Perry follows former Florida coaches to Cardinals land. Perry is a burner who was recruited as an "athlete." I think he's probably a wide receiver and returner. There are stories of a 4.28 40 run at a camp in Gainesville. Grades may be a problem but the kid is working at it. He shared the ball a lot at Chattooga and "only" ran for 900-plus yards. He could have had 1,200 if they made a workhorse out of him.
Louisville recruited an athlete and got a very good one.
This is my story from The Summerville News.

Braves

Glavine could take a teaching role. Let's hope after the debacle last season Glavine and the Braves have a meeting of minds.

Dawgs get a D-Co

Cowboys' Grantham to head Georgia D. From the Athens Banner Herald.

MLB fantasy sleepers

Here are a dozen to keep in mind. I like Borbon a lot and Prado looks like a good 2B for years to come.

More on Kiffin

Bill Plaschke ridicules the selection of The Brat, who he calls "a lightweight."

The Lane train stain

Pat Forde calls a jackass a jackass in his look at the meteoric rise of a Lane Kiffin, a medicore-to-lousy head coach -- based on his record -- who now is the overlord of the USC football program. And here's a second column to hammer home the point.

----

I would remind my many fans, particularly the orange-garbed ones, that I predicted this very happening the day Lane Kiffin was hired. I guess we're supposed to feel sorry for the Big Orange folk now, but it's hard to work up much sympathy for those obnoxious Lane Trainers who giggled and cooed at every obnoxious statment their uppity young hero made. Maybe they do deserve the return of the moribund Phillip Fulmer, as some of the braindead muckety mucks in Knoxville are working to make happen.
Jeebus! What a mess.
I hope someone will put together a video tape of Kiffin's brash statements, all those comments about how he was gonna tear the SEC a new one. Tail tucked firmly between his hairless legs, the boy wonder of football never made it happen, choosing instead to square off annually with Cal State-Azuza or whoever makes up the PAC of Crap 10 these days.
Do you realize what a loathsome sleaze you have to be to make people say "You know, I've got to side with Al Davis on that one!"
Lane Kiffin is that loathsome sleaze.

NFL Draft

Tech to lose three more juniors to draft field. All of these players will be drafted. Dwyer is a solid running back, probably a 2nd-4th rounder. Burnett is an active safety who can make a big play. Pencil him in the 2-3 range. Derrick Morgan is the stud of the group, a really good pass rusher with first round written all over him. I'd say a Top 10er, barring a dope smoking arrest or a 5 flat 40.

NFL Draft 2

Alabama MLB Roland McClain joins the draft class along with Florida's Carlos Dunlap, Major Wright and Maurkice Pouncey There was a ton of talent in the SEC this year and these guys can all play. McClain and Dunlap are first rounders. Pouncey will go by round three. I am not so sure on Wright, but draft expert Brian Lawson tells me Wright is a player. Teams will be looking at him closely.

NFL Draft

Georgia's Rennie Curran to enter draft class. He was super productive at Georgia, though not as much this season. He is smallish, but very instinctive and an excellent tackler. He can blitz. Curran will not be a high draft pick but he will be a productive NFL player.

Gone fishin'

New world record bass caught in Japan!

NFL Draft 2

USC running back Joe McKnight is in. I'm not a big fan. He looks like just another guy to me. But I will admit an anti-USC bias.

NFL

Pete Carroll to the Seahawks? Don Banks is all over the story. Good stuff here.

MLB

Best free agents still available. From the NY Times. I guess they are waiting for prices to come down, but I'm surprised no one has signed Jermaine Dye.

Braves get Glaus backup

Sign Eric Hinske. A good move. Hinske still has some pop in his bat and can play 1B,3B, LF and RF. HIs defense isn't stellar, but it's good enough. Hinske is a big improvement over Greg Norton.

NFL Draft

UCLA DT Brian Price enters the field. He's the third top flight DT to jump in. More to come? He's a first rounder and could go Top 15 with good workouts. From the LA Times.

NFL Draft

Reshad Jones to enter draft class. The Georgia safety can hit and he can snag an interception. Just ask Georgia Tech. But he is also inconsistent and can be beat deep. Sounds like a lot of other Georgia safeties, huh? He should stay in school another year and work on his coverage skills. But recent big games against Tech and Texas A&M may have him overvaluing his draft stock.

Baseball's worst contracts

An excellent column by the Runyonesquely-named Sky Andrecheck but it'll make you sick to see how much money Barry Zito is owed.

NFL Draft

He may be Best, but how good is he? Jahvid Best enters draft pool.

NFL

Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce!

NFL Draft

Joe Haden jumps in. He's considered the nation's best cornerback. A lot of teams could use him, but is he a Top 5 or Top 10 talent?

No Tour in 2010

Saving the Tour de Georgia. This event was a hit with the competitors, who were challenged by the rugged terrain of north Georgia. Lance Armstrong, whose presence MADE the race, was very positive about it as training for France.
The chamber of commerce crowd crowed about the big economic impact of the Tour, but that was a lot of baloney. The Tour may have rented a few hotel rooms, but there was little or no impact other than that. The riders, crews and handful of followers came to town and left in a flash.
As a viewer event the Tour is a waste. You see the racers go by twice at most and then they are gone.
I am not anti-Tour, just realistic about the real impact it has. It's a competitors' event, not an onlookers.

NFL Draft

Labor woes may flush record number of juniors into 2010 draft class. As a Ram fan, I certainly hope so.

NBA

Two Hawk draft picks make Chad Ford's Ten Worst of the Decade list. Chris Paul. They could have had Chris Paul!!

Buster Olney

I don't have the link but Buster Olney has a fine column on Moneyball in the current ESPN Magazine. It's the one with the football ref on the cover. There's also a big figure skating article!

Hoops

The NBA gets 2010 off to a blazing start. David Stern has to love this.