2009-2010 Heisman Hopefuls

A few days ago Dom posted his Heisman Candidates ranking the Top 15 with an added bonus of 5 sleeper picks for your enjoyment. Being as competitive as I am I want to have more candidates left on my list than him as the season progresses. This is proving pretty difficult considering how early it is and the fact that Dom apparently paid attention to my Heisman Buster Articles over last season. Regardless, I have managed to put together a list of guys to watch.

Note: I am not even going to humor anyone by adding in WR’s, if Crabtree wasn’t in the running than no other WR in the foreseeable future will be either.

The Default Three: Finalists/ Past Winners
Exactly the same as Dom had put it, except with a different order.

QB Colt McCoy: Texas
QB Tim Tebow: Florida
QB Sam Bradford: Oklahoma

Why is Colt the early Favorite?:

Colt McCoy should have won the Heisman this past season for the same reason that Tebow deserved to win it the year before. Bradford was probably the best pure quarterback in the nation, but McCoy did more for his team to win. The Heisman isn’t the Davey O’Brien and it is not the Doak Walker, it is the best College Football Player. From my perspective McCoy embodied that notion and did all the things needed to put Texas in the best position to win as a player, not just a quarterback.

Why Not?:
Tebow. When the media starts debating whether or not a player is the best ever it should make other candidates nervous. Two National Championships and Two Heismans provides for a pretty solid story line. Especially, in a time when “athletes are so out of control” and good ol’ home schooled Tebow is standing right there ready to accept the honors.

The Rest of the Pack

QB Terrelle Pryor: The Ohio State University
2008: 631 Rush Yds, 1,311 Passing Yds, 6 Rush Tds, 12 Passing TDs, 4 INTs, 1 Receiving TD, 145.62 QB Rating

Pryor made an immediate impact on the Buckeyes last season and gave the nation a taste of what he is capable of doing. It has been a long time since I have seen a freshman quarterback step into such a huge role and handle himself the way Pryor did. The scariest thing about his performance was how quick his learning curve. While he did have freshman moments there is no doubt that his athleticism will land him a Heisman before he leaves Columbus.

RB Jahvid Best: California
2008: 1,580 Rush Yds, 246 Rec Yds, 2,247 All Purpose Yds, 16 Total TDs, 131.7 Rush YPG, 8.14 YPC

Best was on my list of Heisman Busters for the majority of last season, and deservedly so. His 2008 numbers are impressive especially considering that he missed a game due to injury and his touches were limited because of it. If he can stay healthy and Cal can keep on track Best is poised to be the premiere back in the nation.

RB Noel Devine: West Virginia
2008: 1289 Rush Yds, 185 Receiving Yds, 1537 AP Yds, 4 TDs, 99.15 Yds PPG

Were still waiting. The follow up to powerhouse Slaton was supposed to be the sequel that everyone actually wanted to see. Unfortunately, he has been in White’s shadow and his rushing numbers may have been affected by his quarterbacks happy feet. Look for the sophomore slump to be over and Devine to be on top of the Big East rushing board.

RB: Joe McKnight: USC
2008: 89 Attempts, 659 Yds, 2 TD, 21 Rec, 193 Yds, 1 TD

This was a tough call for me. McKnight might be one of the most physically gifted backs in the nation, but he has been stuck in a role player position. With the face of USC changing, McKnight might finally have a chance to shine.

QB: Max Hall: BYU
2008: 3,957 Passing Yds, 330/478 69%, 35 TD, 14 INT, 156.88 QB Rating

I was leading the Max Hall bandwagon last year, and am big on Non-BCS school getting some recognition for their performances. Fortunately, he fell short against Arizona in the Vegas Bowl. I thank him for that. That being said I think Hall has the skill to put up huge numbers again, and be considered a solid sleeper throughout the majority of the season.

QB Kellen Moore: Boise State
2008: 3,486 Yds, 281/405 69.4%, 25 TD, 10 INT, 157.11 QB Rating

Try as I might to stray away from the Boise phenomenon Kellen Moore really gets my attention. His numbers are really impressive considering he was just a freshman. Boise will continue to get better while maintaining national coverage left over from a Fiesta Bowl that seemingly ended ages ago. Moore just needs to keep doing what he has been doing and eventually the accolades will start to come his way.

QB Zac Robinson: Oklahoma State
2008: 562 Rush Yds, 3,064 Pass Yds, 8 Rush TDs, 25 Passing TDs, 10 INTs, 235 Passing YPG, 166.84 QB Rating

Zac Robinson had a brief stint in the limelight last year and his OK State team made some noise. The fact of the matter is that being a Big 12 quarterback comes with some huge expectations these days. Were Robinson playing in another conference he may garner more attention towards Heisman Candidacy than he will in his current conference.

RB Evan Royster: Penn State
2008: 1,236 Rush Yds, 160 Rec. Yds, 12 TDs, 6.47 YPC

Royster is another guy that was on my Heisman Busters list last season. Towards the end of Penn State’s run it started to appear that Clarke’s presence was more important than Roysters and he started to fall out of the spot light. I was able to watch a good amount of Penn St football last year, and it appeared that Royster was feeling the effects of sharing the work load. If Royster is able to be the main back and get his touches he will be near the top of the Big Ten Rushing board.

RB Jonathon Dwyer: Georgia Tech
2008: 200 Attempts, 1,395 Yds, 12 TD, 8 Rec, 209 Yds, 1 TD

No one could have seen the success that the newly implemented triple option would have at GTech. Dwyer was a big part of that getting 200 touches in 2008. Georgia Tech is a sleeper team and every underdog needs a face for national coverage. I think Jonathon Dwyer should be it in 2009.

QB Tony Pike: Cincinnati
2008: 2,407 Passing Yds, 199/324 61.4%, 19 TD, 11 INT, 136.39 QB Rating

Cincinnati earned a bid to their first BCS Bowl game last season, and although they fell to Virginia Tech it is a big step for the program. Pike is a guy that the Bearcats will be relying on to be successful in 2009. He is a long shot for Heisman, but hey the Big East gets an automatic bid so anything can happen.

QB Andy Dalton: TCU
2008: 2,242 Passing Yds, 182/307 59.3%, 11 TD, 5 INT

Not a lot to say, but think that his name should come up considering the majority of people probably don’t recognize it. The Mountain West is an interesting conference that shouldn’t be overlooked. Keep in mind that you can thank the MWC for one of the most over used phrases in College Football: “BCS Buster”.

RB MiQuale Lewis: Ball State
2008: 322 Attempts, 1,736 Yds, 22 TD, 35 Rec, 325 Yds, 0 Fumbles

You have to give it up for the little guy. MiQuale gets it done week in and week out and it is great to see a MAC team getting some national recognition. Unfortunately, he does play in the MAC and that is reason enough to not give him a shot at the Heisman.


4Real Out….





More after the jump...

College Football: Post Season Awards Don't Always Add Up

What is the perfect ending to a college football season dominated by upsets? How about crowning the first underclassmen in the Heisman’s storied history. Tim Tebow becomes the first sophomore to ever have his named etched on the bronze stiff arm, but does the mythical image created by the media really live up to what the trophy has historically represented?

The issue becomes whether or not the media has influenced the award to the point where it no longer holds the same prestige. The media has undoubtedly placed the Heisman in a league of its own in terms of prestige, but how do the other top honors predict its winner?

Breakdown of Top Honors in College Football:

Tier 1:
The Heisman Memorial Trophy: Awarded to Nation’s Most Outstanding Player (Dates back to 1935)
Voting: United States is split into six regions each of which contains 145 media votes. Each previous winner also has votes as well as one going to the public. Every ballot works on a point system assigning 3 points for first, 2 for second, 1 for third.

Tier 2:
Maxwell Award: Awarded to College Football’s Player of the Year (Dates back to 1937)
Voting; All members of the Maxwell Football Club have the right to place their vote for this and many other awards. What does that mean? For $35 a year or $750 for life you too can vote.

Walter Camp Award: Awarded to College Football’s Player of the Year (Dates back to 1967)
Voting: Done by what appears to be an exclusive group of 20 members that oversee the foundation and thus become eligible to vote. A small $25,000 dollar annual fee is all you’ll need for this privilege.

Tier 3:
Doak Walker Award: Awarded to Nation’s Top Running Back (Dates back to 1990)
Voting: Run by SMU. Ten semifinalist are voted on by the the SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors who send that list to a National Selection Committee for the Award the cast votes for three finalists and then again for a winner. This panel is made up for Media and former All Americans and All Pro players. You can see the list here

Davey O’Brien Award: Awarded to Nation’s Best Quarterback (Dates back to 1981)
Voting: A selection of Media personalities and past winners. New this year is the addition of the fan vote which takes the public’s top three picks into the semi finals and adds 5% to their total votes during the voting for finalists and the winner.
Selection Committee List

Now that we’ve run down the awards lets take at some history of the winners and how the other four awards influence who wins the Heisman.

Three Resumes to Keep in Mind:
Tebow is the first underclassmen to ever win the Heisman. He played on a team that went 9-4 and landed 16th in USA Today Poll, 13th in the AP poll, and 12th in the BCS standings. He currently has two more years of eligibility left and has made numerous comments about graduating being the most important thing to him and his family… inferring he won’t leave early.

Tebow also won the Maxwell and O’Brien Awards.

Archie Griffin is the only player to ever win the Heisman twice (1974 & 75). 1974 saw them as co-champions of the Big Ten while in 1975 they won outright. Both years they lost in the Rose Bowl ending with records of 10-2 and 11-1 respectively.

Grffin won the Walter Camp both years and the Maxwell in 75.

Darren McFadden became only the second player in Heisman history to be named runner up twice without winning the award. Glenn Davis took second honors in 1944 and 45 before winning it in 46, however, with McFadden declaring for the draft that stat is solidified. He also becomes the second player to ever win the Doak Walker Award Twice ( 2006 and 07). Ricky Williams did it (1997 and 98) before adding the Heisman to his resume later on in 1998.

McFadden’s total: Walter Camp 07, Doak Walker 06 and 07, no Heisman.

What does this mean?
Starting at 1990 from the conception of the Doak Walker Award the Breakdown looks like this:

1990-2007 (18 Seasons)
13 players winning the Walter Camp Award won the Heisman

7 players had won the Doak and the Walter Camp. Five of those players went on to win the Heisman ( McFadden becomes the 2nd player not to)
• Larry Johnson was the first without winning the Heisman even though he brought home the Walter Camp, Doak Walker, and the Maxwell.

9 Players have won both the Maxwell and the O’Brien: Five went on to win the Heisman. Jason White won both in 04’ but won his Heisman in 03’ with just an O’Brien.

Like I had written in a previous article,the Heisman is inconsistent. At one point or another the talent portrayed by these athletes was rewarded. Slighting McFadden in this years Heisman race was worse than what Larry Johnson endured in 2002 in which he didn’t even finish second in the Heisman race. This is during the same year that he took home the other three most prestigious awards (Brad Banks takes the O’Brien and Runner Up position to Carson Palmer for the Heisman). It comes down to the issue that first the media won’t let him win it because he is a sophomore, the next you tell me that it was because his team wasn’t good enough. Arkansas finished with an 8-5 record, 3rd in SEC West with a conference record of 4-4 and lost in the Cotton Bowl to Missouri who finished fourth in the AP Poll. Instead you are going to give it to a sophomore whose team went 9-4 and sat third in SEC East with a 5-3 record. To top it off Florida with Tebow behind the helm lost in the Capital One Bowl to a Michigan team who was 18th in the final AP vote.

McFadden Deserved the Heisman. Take nothing away from a stellar individual effort from Tebow but were we ready to put him in place to join Griffin as the only two time winner, or God Forbid let him stand a top as a three time winner solidifying the mythical stature the media has created for him.

4Real Out....
More after the jump...

Winners go home and F the Prom Queen

Why is Bromo smiling? I think it's a pretty easy question to answer. No it's not because he's an NFL starting quarterback, but that helps. I don't think it's because he is on a Dallas team that is looking at the NFC Championship game already. I think it has more to do with the last year he's had. It's been a whirlwind where the undrafted Sigma Pi man out of Eastern Illinois made his way to replace the former 1st rounder Drew Bledsoe, and in the year since then he has been linked to Carrie Underwood, Sophia Bush, and now Jessica Simpson. Despite what T.O. says who wouldn't want to be romantically linked to Ms. Simpson. Of course that got me thinking how is it a man can get 3 ladies of that caliber. Underwood, Bush, and Simpson, in one year no less. And then I realized, the Quarterback always gets the girl. Don't believe me, look back at your High School.

I remember being a Freshman and John Rattay (Brother of NFLer Tim) had one of the hottest girls in school at his side. Of course when my buddy Wes took over, he had options but no game. At U of A, the third stringer, Adam Austin, had a cutie on his arm for the last couple years. There is something about Quarterbacks and having some innate ability to pull hot chicks.

Speaking of Tim Rattay, he belongs on this list, his wife Allison (at right) seems to be a pretty good looking piece, unfortunately this was the only picture I was able to find, but that's not the end of the list of back-ups with hot girlfriends/wives. Tim Hasselbeck's wife, Elisabeth, of The View and Survivor fame isn't too bad, and neither is "Free Agent" Tim Couch's wife, the former Barker Beauty and 1999 Playboy Playmate of the Year, Heather Kozar (Left). No relation to fellow former Browns 1st round pick signal caller Bernie Kosar, strictly coincidental. Couch isn't the only NFL QB able to pull one of Hef's ladies. The obviously heterosexual, again despite what T.O. says, Jeff Garcia had a little luck with one of the magazines beauties. He recently married the 2004 Playmate of the year, Carmella DeCesare. (Right).

These aren't the only QBs who have a pretty face waiting for them when they get home. Former Broncos/Cardinals/Buccaneers Quarterback, and Current Handball upstart, Jake Plummer, made waves when he started dating his current wife. Former Broncos/current handball cheerleader Kollette Klassen. (Left) I wouldn't mind running into her combing the halls of the United States Handball Association Hall of Fame located right here in Tucson, AZ. We all know about Matt Leinart's connections with Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears, which is fine, he's a young guy but how many of us out there are aware of who his baby momma is? To answer that one for you it's Brynn Cameron (Right). The USC women's Guard is the mother of Cameron Leinart, and ain't too bad on the eyes either. And then of course there is Tom Brady the "Father of the Year" (ditching Bridget Moynahan when being told she was pregnant) who is currently with super-hottie Giselle. How can you not hate Tom Brady.

So what's the point of all of this? Well Hesiman Trophy winner Tim Tebow has been getting lots of google searches, primarily for stats and mock drafts, but an increasing number of those searches are pre-destined to land on this picture of Tim Tebow, with a very well endowed female counterpart. Double D-Bow is getting an early start on the Professional tail, but it looks like he'll be in good company. Whether they're a career back up, retired, a "free agent", undrafted, skipped over by every team 5 times, and some 6, a journey man, an ex-CFLer, these guys all have one thing in common. The lovely ladies flock to them. Also there is something to be said about guys named Tim and Tom playing QB and pulling ass, I count 5 on my list, I think I just found the name if I have a son.

More after the jump...

2008 Heisman Watch

With only about 360 days until the 2008 Heisman Trophy is handed out it’s time to start answering some of the tough questions of next year and look back at the 2007 winner and losers:

Is Tim Tebow done with his Thank You speech yet?
How pissed is Darren McFadden last year he lost and everyone said, “It’s because you’re a sophomore” this year he lost…to a sophomore.
Who does Tim Tebow vote for next year?
Is it possible to win back – to – back trophies ever again? Leinart’s Senior numbers were better than his Junior numbers but he lost.
Will the trophy ever be given to anyone without the word “back” in their position ever again?
Should the trophy be re-awarded as the best “Back” in the game? Not since Desmond Howard in 1991 has anyone without “back” in their position won it. Cornerback Charles Woodson edged out Quarterback Peyton Manning in 1997 as the only Defensive player in the last 57 years. (4 out of the 92 total winners did not have the word “back” in their position).



Top Candidates for the 2008 Trophy (going into the offseason, draft announcements could change these results):



Tim Tebow, Florida – He has improved each year, surprised a lot of people through limited playing time his Freshman year to turn around and score 51 regular season touchdowns his Sophomore year. Impressive. He’ll have a good chance to go BCS Bowling next year with improved Gator talent, vets who were there in 2006, and a lot of players leaving for the draft on other teams.
KNOCK: In his first season as QB1 he led his team to 3 heart-breaking losses, does he have the stuff to lead the program successfully his Junior year? Also, since Archie Griffin voters are absolutely opposed to having a 2-time winner, don’t expect a lot of votes unless he scores 60+ TDs next season.



Darren McFadden, Arkansas – Deserved the trophy in 2006 and was in the running in 2007. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t even supposed to be a starter last year. The chances he stays are slim, but after an unimpressive season for the Hogs maybe he’ll stick around to try to help turn the program around.
KNOCK: 4 losses this season including a 17 carry 43 yard performance against Auburn. Also the high probability he will enter the NFL Draft.



Chase Daniel, Mizzou – Led Missouri to the number 1 ranking this past season. I’ll repeat, led Missouri to the #1 ranking this past season. He finished off this season with only 10 INTs to 33 TDs with an offense that was scouted by saying, “Come to Mizzou, we’re Division 1, I swear, you’ve probably seen us on the bottom of the Big XII for years”. If he stays he will improve.
KNOCK: The same reason he is at Mizzou instead of Texas or Oklahoma, size, he is not the typical quarterback size. He is under 6 foot which means occasionally heaving off his back foot under pressure which leads to turnovers. Also in his 2 biggest games (Oklahoma and Oklahoma) he had more INT’s than TDs . Those were the only two games this season where that happened.



Sam Bradford, Oklahoma – As a True Freshman under an immense amount of pressure at a Big XII powerhouse Bradford accumulated 34 TDs and only 7 INTs. He got knocked out early against Texas Tech, and Oklahoma lost by 7. He was limited against Colorado, and Oklahoma lost by 3. Oklahoma was well deserving of a shot at the National Championship over LSU and did not get the nod. Tim Tebow has opened the door for Sophomores to win the Bronze Stiff-Arm, and Bradford just might be the leading candidate.
KNOCK: He will be a Sophomore, and Tebow has not guaranteed that the age bias will go away. After a couple of injuries, will he make it through next season? Will he suffer a Sophomore Slump?



Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech – Absolutely ASTOUNDING numbers his freshman year. 125 receptions and 21 TDs for the true freshman (Tim Brown’s Heisman Winning season he had 39 Receptions for 3 TDs). The pass happy Red Raiders will only look to amass greater numbers next year, but will teams just triple cover him and allow him no catches. He is dangerous.
KNOCK: He plays at Texas Tech, and like Bradford will be a Sophomore. He can’t control how many looks he gets, there are two reasons few Wide Receivers win the Trophy. The Forward Pass wasn’t nearly that common early on and teams can guard WRs and game-plan them. If a defense takes away a QBs best target, it doesn’t matter there will be another one somewhere. The word “back” is nowhere in his position title.



Don’t be surprised to see at least 3 of the above players in New York for the ceremony next year. And surprisingly in the running for Heisman there may be 2 sophomores and a past winner as leading candidates. Something that is pretty rare in the game, but we’re looking at some serious talent next year. And don’t’ forget that there will be others vying for a chance to strike the Desmond next fall.

UPDATE: Check out Part 1 and Part 2 for updated Heisman Candidates
Also receiving votes (from me): Todd Boeckman and Chris Beanie Wells from Ohio State, Pat White and Steve Slaton from WVU if they stay, Knowshon Moreno from Georgia, Graham Harrell from Texas Tech, Colt McCoy from Texas, and the longshot Senior Willie Tuitama from Arizona.
More after the jump...

It's Heisman Day

It's Saturday everyone and that means today is the day that we find out if Tim Tebow is the first ever underclassman to win the Heisman, or if Colt Brennan can pull it off after a semi-soft schedule. Maybe McFadden will pull it off after finishing second in voting last year despite the 4 losses for the "Hogs" this year and the 43 yard performance against Auburn or perhaps Chase Daniel whose numbers are incredible was a major catalyst in bringing Mizzou into the title picture but he couldn't get past Oklahoma (his numbers are comparable to Graham Harrell of Texas Tech, who could get by Oklahoma). Either way the whole season this has been debated, ad nauseum and tonight it will be decided. Will the winner display it at a local eatery, travel with it every weekend, sell it to pay off bills, all of which have been done before with this storied trophy for the best player in College Football. One thing to consider, is the Heisman really worth it. Let's look at some of the past winners post Heisman successes.

In the first 20 years many chose to pursue military service, continued education, and entering the job market over playing in one of the struggling leagues available. Of the first 20 winners there was only a total of 53 seasons of football played, and not all in the NFL. Leon Hart (8), Alan Ameche (6), Doak Walker (6) and Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy (9) account for 29 of those seasons. Ameche among the most notable of these professionals following his collegiate career playing in 4 Pro Bowls, Doak Walker the other, who appeared in 5 Pro Bowls and is also the first Heisman Winner in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The next 10 years led to more NFL appearances and success with 65 total seasons played between them with the most notable of that decade coming in the form of the second Heisman Winner to eventually make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Paul Hornung. Hornung played in 9 NFL seasons with 2 Pro Bowl Appearances and 1 MVP. Also during this period Roger Staubach won the award and was the 3rd Heisman winner in the Hall. Staubach played in 4 Super Bowls, won 2, and the Super Bowl VI MVP as well as appearing in 6 Pro Bowls. After the successes of a few of the Heisman winners people started to expect more out of a Heisman winner once entering the NFL. Unfortunately during that period of time there was another first. Terry Baker (1962), considered by many to be the first real NFL bust of a Heisman winner.

In the next 10 years there was only 9 winners due to the legendary Archie Griffin, the only two time winner who had an average statistical NFL career in 7 seasons. Also during this period was Orenthal James Simpson, more commonly known as O.J. He won the Hesiman for his slicing (down the field) and slashing (of opposing defenders) at USC and not in Brentwood. He was the 4th Heisman Winner in the Hall (though technically He and Staubach tied to be the first and Hornung and Walker tied for third due to the timing of elections into the Hall). There was also Jim Plunkett during this period who was the Rookie of the Year and then after a few down seasons was the Comeback Player of the year during a 16 year career. And the last notable of this time being 1966 Winner QB Steve Spurrier before he was the Ol' Ball Coach. His NFL numbers a forgettable 40 TDs and 60 INTs in 10 seasons.

The folllowing decade was a little bit more promising leading to the professional careers of Tony Dorsett (Hall of Famer and 4 Pro Bowls in 12 seasons) and Earl Campbell (Hall of Famer, Rookie of the Year, and 3 time Player of the Year in 8 seasons). This decade also led to Charles White who played 9 seasons with 1 Pro Bowl but more importantly was 3 - 0 in his 3 appearances on America Gladiators. This decade gave us Marcus Allen (1x MVP, 6x Pro Bowler, and wrapped up a Hall of Fame Career after winning the 1993 comeback player of the year) and Herschel Walker. Walker is considered by many to be one of the best college football players of all time and also one of the biggest disappointments in Professional Football. After playing a few years in the stepchild USFL he had a lengthy but un-miraculous professional career. Even being made fun of annually in Minnesota for the trade the Vikings made that led to 9 picks for Dallas which in turn led to Emmit Smith and turned the team around with a solid nucleus of role players added through the drafts. There was Doug Flutie who played 21 seasons and had his own cereal, but only played 12 of his 21 seasons in the NFL, averaging less than 7.5 games per season during that period. Flutie was also the first person to be shorter than the trophy, a high distinction. Lastly was Bo Jackson who was probably the best college football player and could have been a great pro had he not put off football for baseball his first couple years and had a plastic hip his last year in the NFL. Of his high marks though are his unbeatable appearance in TECMO Super Bowl and the ProStars cartoon where He, Michael Jordon, and Wayne Gretzky solved Crimes.


The nest 20 years of winners were led off by Vinny Testaverde, Tim Brown and Barry Sanders (Hall of Fame) that made people once again think the Heisman could lead to a succeessful career the likes of Allen or Simpson. Unfortunately during this period the opposite was more common after the careers of Andre Ware (almost no NFL game play), Ty Detmer (definition of career back-up), Gino Torretta (5 teams in 4 years, careers stats 5/16 for 41 yds, 1 INT and 1 32 yd touchdown), Charlie Ward (NBA), Rashan Salaam (mention his name in Chicago I dare you), Danny Wuerffel, Ricky Marley errr Williams, Chris Weinke, Eric Crouch (the face of the future All-American Football League), and Jason White (retired before taking a snap).

In total 8 Heisman Winners have entered the NFL Hall of Fame, 20 have been to multiple Pro Bowls/AFL/CFL All-Star games, 5 have won 5 MVP, 1 CFL MVP and 1 USFL MVP, 3 Comeback Players of the Year, and one three time American Gladiator winner. What the will future hold for today's young men remains to be seen but with America Gladiators coming back on TV I can only hope someone challenges Charles White's 3-0 record.
More after the jump...

Today's Top Stories

Marc Crawford not informed Slap Shot was fictional, put a bounty out on Scott Moore.
Marc Crawford, current LA Kings coach, former Canucks coach is being implicated in one of the dirtiest hits in NHL history, and it was all done from the bench. Multiple reports came out in the last 24 hours citing recent court documents that stated Crawford was behind Bertuzzi’s career-ending attack on Scott Moore a few years ago. Reports state that the attack was pre-meditated and was called for while in the locker room as retaliation from an earlier shot delivered by Moore to Markus Naslund, the Canuck captain earlier that season in February. After ordering the hit Bertuzzi attacked Moore from behind breaking 3 vertebrae in his spine and ending his career. The recent reports are part of sworn testimony by Bertuzzi while being investigated in the $38 Million dollar lawsuit being put together by Moore’s attorney.

The NBA playoffs get off to a great start in 2007-2008 campaign.
NBA officials must have realized that 82 games is a long time and decided to showcase some quality match-ups much earlier in the season than usual. This coupled with increased quality and intensity of play might just bring the NBA back into the limelight much earlier than it’s usual April/May debut. Recent match-ups have included:
11/26: Washington @ Dallas, Phoenix @ Golden State
11/28: WAS @ San Antonio, Houston @ PHX
11/29: Denver @ Lakers, HOU @ G. S.
11/30: LAK @ Utah, Orlando @ PHX
12/1: Toronto @ WAS
12/2: ORL @ LAK
12/3: ORL @ G. S.
12/5: PHX @ TOR, DAL @ S. A. , LAK @ DEN
12/6: DEN @ DAL
12/7: PHX @ WAS, TOR @ Boston, UT @ S. A.
12/8: UT @ DAL
12/9: HOU @ TOR, G. S. @ LAK
That’s 21 games between two .500+ teams in a 2 week span. This is a good thing for the NBA, and for the sports fan.

What else are you supposed to do on Monday night?
ESPN released its numbers from Monday Nights Ravens vs. Patriots game and they were not only the highest the network had ever seen (12,529,000 homes average) but with over 17.5 million viewers it passed Cable’s all time highest rated program. Take that High School Musical 2. Thus further proving a few theories I have always maintained. ESPN has better programming than the Disney Channel, Football provides more viewing pleasure than Musicals, the 17.2 million people who watched High School Musical 2 need to get off the couch, 17.2 million (estimated) people watched a made for Disney Musical.

Florida Doomed to Lose
Sorry to the folks in Florida. It really must be kinda tough to be a fan of pretty much any team in the US’ Wang. Every time the Marlins win they trade away most of their roster. And this time, they weren’t even winning they just decided screw it and got rid of the last two people on their roster with WS rings from only 4 years ago. Do the Marlins think it will be easy to replace the All Stars Stats? Cabrera finished off last season with 34/119 and batting .320/.419/.542. And Willis’ numbers, though slightly down from past years included a 10-15 record in 35 games started with a 5.17 ERA but a career ERA of 3.78 and Florida is losing one of their better bats in Willis. A real shock is that he heads to the AL. How can you even support the Marlins at this point when the players there don’t last longer than 5 years. Is it even worth buying any Marlins gear. In Miami, Wade has only played in 10 games leading former All-Star and Shaq’s first little buddy to stack up over 20 minutes/game this season. When Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway is in your starting line-up and it’s not 1994, that’s a bad thing. And Shaq’s been limited to under 30 minutes/game due to the fact that he’s 35 and 325 lbs. The state only has 2 football teams in the final top 25 and one of them is South Florida who had one of the craziest years in College Football History. Furthermore typical Bowl powerhouses (until recent years) Miami (5-7) and Florida State (7-5) finished out of the BCS picture for the 2nd straight year. Florida State is playing Kentucky in the Music City Bowl and Miami didn’t even qualify for a bowl game. And Florida is getting a gift playing after New Years in the Capital One Bowl. Oh and they are the home to the Miami Dolphins.

Don’t get upset at the numbers
To cap off a column I wrote a few months ago about the wacky College Football season here are some final numbers going into Bowl Season:
Tim Tebow: well deserving of the Heisman with 29 Passing TDs and 22 Rushing TDs and only 6 Total Turnovers, but might not receive it because he’s a Sophomore.
Colt Brennan: well deserving of the Heisman with 38 Passing TDs and 8 Rushing TDs and almost 4200 yards passing (in limited minutes due to blowout and injury), but probably won’t receive it because he played at Hawai’i.
Final Tally: 61 total times a Top-25 Team lost, 28 of those were top-10 teams, 7 times (in 14 weeks) the #2 team lost, 4 times the #1 team lost (3 of those the #1 and #2 lost in the same week) twice the #4 team lost, 3 times the #5 team lost but after all of that the #3 team only lost once all season. Of course when said #3 team moved the #2 they didn’t fare so well. Yet these same voters who ranked Cal (6-6), Oregon (8-4), BC (10-3) and South Florida (9-3) as a #2 during the season are the one’s deciding that deserving teams can’t play in the National Championship game, wonderful system. Fun Stat: LSU was 6-0 this season as a #2 Ohio State 3-1 as a #1.
There was a 15 lateral victory by Trinity College and Jonathon Weiner actually called it, perfectly, pretty much ensuring a good shot at a successful future in broadcasting. But the best quote of that game, and of the entire college football season, by far was by a little known 6 foot even 250 lb offensive lineman Josh Hooten, who not only once but twice held the ball, if only for a nano-second, during the 15 toss drive, including the blind over his head toss. “On these lateral plays, a lot of times there’s some fat guy trying to score and he gets tackled at the 10-yard line. I didn’t want to be that guy. I just hot-potatoed it and looked for someone to block”.

See Ya Tomorrow Sports Fans.
More after the jump...