Mojo this: Muller upset ranks right up there

NEW YORK -- For the last four years, Andy Roddick has been money in the early rounds of the U.S. Open. After losing his first-ever match here in 2000, Roddick went 16-0 on his way into the quarterfinals and broke through with the title -- his only Grand Slam -- in 2003.

On Tuesday night, Roddick ran into an unconscious 22-year-old from Luxembourg who didn't care if he has the fastest serve ever recorded. He wasn't concerned that Roddick is the latest, greatest hope of a nation in search of a new men's tennis hero. Or that he is the centerpiece of an elaborate promotional campaign.

Where's Andy's mojo? American Express advertisements have posed the question relentlessly for days. Look no further than Gilles Muller, a free-swinging, 6-foot-5 left-hander who actually hit the ball harder than Roddick on the day Roddick turned 23.

Before an eerily quiet near-capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the No. 68-ranked player among ATP players destroyed and stunned the No. 4-seeded Roddick, prevailing in three consecutive tiebreakers, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (1). Muller won seven of the last eight points in a upset of epic proportion.

Villanova over Georgetown in 1985? The New York Jets in Super Bowl III? Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson? In its modest first-round way, this match was right up there on the scale of surprise.

Muller hit 24 aces -- seven more than Roddick -- and a fairly hysterical 65 winners. Muller never really seemed to understand where he was or what he was doing. They each managed one break of service, but Muller played the big points better.

How did he do it?

"I have no idea," Muller said. "I told myself to enjoy it -- and I did, every minute."
Afterward, Roddick was stoic.

"I don't really remember a loss where I felt that bad afterwards," he said. "I just felt like the whole time I was trying to find something, as opposed to just having it."

Mojo.

The USA Network had some jingoistic fun at Muller's expense early in the match, wondering who the second-ranked Luxumbourgian was -- the answer: Laurent Bram and Gilles Kremer, tied at No. 1414. And while Luxumbourg, a country tucked in among Belgium, France and Germany, is smaller than Rhode Island and has a population of less than a half million, it produced a massive result.

Muller was 0-3 in career Grand Slam singles matches until breaking through earlier this year in the first round at Wimbledon. In the second round he took out Rafael Nadal -- the second seed here -- in four sets. Last year he beat Andre Agassi in a run to the final in Washington, the closest he has come to a significant title.

The pivotal game was the ninth of the match. Roddick was serving, predictably, for the set and seemed destined to enjoy a typical straight-sets first-round victory, like ones authored earlier by Roger Federer, Nadal and Agassi. But Roddick was broken and Muller seemed to steady his game.

In the tie-break he ran out to a 4-0 lead, but even when Roddick came back to narrow the margin to 5-4 he didn't flinch. In fact, he had the audacity to try a drop shot at that critical juncture -- and it succeeded.

"I let him back in," Roddick allowed, "and he started playing really well after that."
Roddick's serve was serviceable enough, it was his backhand that betrayed him. Muller said his strategy going in was to work the backhand -- Roddick's weakest shot -- and, when it never seemed to materialize, he attacked it. At one point in the third set, USA commentator John McEnroe called it "beyond abysmal."

The second-set tiebreaker was a thrilling display of good tennis. Muller erased a set point at 5-6, then Roddick did the same at 6-7. With Roddick leading 8-7, Muller laced an unreturnable forehand. At 8-all, a lunging forehand volley dropped for a clean winner. With Roddick serving at 8-9, a weak volley allowed Muller to push a backhand down the line.

The third-set tiebreaker was a disaster for Roddick. Down 5-1, he walked to the other side of the court with his white Lacoste shirt in his mouth. A final, laconic (and appropriate) backhand into the net.

And so, the eager, brown-eyed Muller -- officially, the best male player in the history of Luxembourg -- heads into the second round of the tournament, where he will play Robby Ginepri on Thursday. But first, he will play with Ginepri in doubles, against the Czech team of Frantosek Cermak and Leos Freidl in the relative obscurity of Court 14.
Muller insisted it wasn't the best match he ever played.

"I don't think I was playing unreal," he said. "I was playing good. The most important thing was that I stayed focused and calm the whole match. I told myself, 'Don't be nervous, it's a big chance to play. The whole world is watching.'

"I was also sometimes lucky. In the tiebreak in the last set, I hit some balls like to the line, with the frame to the line on one return."

Roddick won this event in 2003 and finished the year ranked No. 1. He was 21. Considering the expectation that he created, the subsequent two years, despite a steady flow of titles and prize money, have been vaguely disappointing.

Roddick lost in last year's Open quarterfinals to Joachim Johansson in five sets, and now this loss will live with him or a long, long time. Will it spur him to the level of a multi-Grand Slam winner or is he a one-hit wonder?

"Twenty-four hours ago, I was really optimistic about my chances here," Roddick said. "I had the best week of practice I've ever had before a Grand Slam. I'm in a little bit of shock right now.

"I'd give anything to go back four hours right now."

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

Two to go: Chase race heats up after Bristol (AP)

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) - Jeff Gordon is in, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is out and Matt Kenseth suddenly is knocking on the door.

The typical bumping and banging at Bristol Motor Speedway shuffled the championship standings, ensuring the race to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship will go down to the wire.

Kenseth, written off months ago as an also-ran this season, has surged back into playoff contention. His dominating victory Saturday night in the Sharpie 500 - Kenseth's first win in more than a year - pushed him right onto the playoff bubble.

The top 10 drivers in the standings after the Sept. 10 race in Richmond, Va., will be eligible to race for the title, and Kenseth is a mere 11 points out of contention. His climb has taken everyone by surprise, from his rivals to Kenseth himself.

"I was saying the last few weeks that I thought we were out of (the Chase)," Kenseth said. "We were in the late 30s (in the points standings), and we were 200-and-some points out. And not just 200-and-some points out, but we had six cars in between us and 10th.

"That's hard to do - to gain points and have a great day, that can happen. But to have five or six people have trouble and have a great day for several weeks in a row is a difficult task."

Somehow Kenseth has pulled it off. He was as low as 36th in the points standings early in the season, was 20th eight races ago and 15th when he started Saturday night's race.

But after starting from the pole and leading 415 of the 500 laps, Kenseth jumped four spots in the standings to 11th.

Now on the verge of making the Chase, Kenseth could give car owner Jack Roush all five of his drivers in the 10-car field. Roush drivers Greg Biffle (third), Mark Martin (fifth), Kurt Busch (seventh) and Carl Edwards (eighth) are currently in the top 10.

"We've got a really nice group of cars that can go do pretty much on any given day what anybody can do in the business," Roush said. "If we don't put (all five) in the top 10, it's going to be because I've done something to screw them up. I sure don't want to face that."

The Roush contingent will face stiff competition from the drivers vying for their spots.
Gordon, the four-time series champion, raced his way into eligibility with a sixth-place finish Saturday night. It felt almost as good as a victory for Gordon, who has struggled the past two months to put a complete race together.

Considered one of the best drivers in history at adapting over the course of a race, Gordon and his team have struggled lately with changing conditions and mid-race adjustments to the car. The problems have threatened to keep him out of the title hunt, but his Bristol run moved him into the 10th and final qualifying spot.

It's the first time since mid-June that Gordon has been in playoff contention, but Gordon isn't breathing easy yet. He knows he needs strong runs in California and Richmond to lock himself in.

"I'm still concerned," Gordon said. "The way our season's gone, no matter how good we're running, no matter how bad, you just never know what's going to happen."

Earnhardt, meanwhile, isn't concerned about anything.

His team is showing signs of life after a season-long slump, and he was able to rally from starting 41st at Bristol to an eighth-place finish. Still, he's 15th in the standings and would need all five drivers in front of him to have terrible runs for Earnhardt to qualify.

"I'm not even worried about it," he said. "I'm having fun driving these race cars, and that's all I think about. We dug ourselves a pretty big hole (in the points), so I'm just going to keep driving and have a hell of a good time doing it."

One driver not enjoying anything right now is Kevin Harvick, who likely saw his championship hopes eliminated at Bristol when he was inadvertently wrecked by Dale Jarrett.

Harvick dropped two places in the standings to 16th after Jarrett intentionally wrecked Ryan Newman as payback for earlier contact. Harvick was trailing the two cars when Jarrett made a sharp right turn into Newman, and Harvick couldn't avoid running into them.

But instead of blaming Jarrett, Harvick focused on the inability of his Richard Childress Racing team to field a competitive car this season.

"We don't deserve to be in the Chase, anyway," he shrugged.

Harvick has been so frustrated with his team that he has postponed discussing a contract extension with Childress, claiming he doesn't want to lock himself into a new deal until he's comfortable with the direction the team is headed.

Jarrett, meanwhile, likely ended his Chase hopes in a fit of road rage. NASCAR believed he intentionally wrecked Newman and penalized him two laps, causing Jarrett to finish 31st.
It dropped him three spots in the standings to 14th and likely out of playoff contention.
Jarrett left the track without comment, but Newman had plenty to say.

"Mine was unintentional and his was intentional and that's all I'm saying," Newman said.

"NASCAR can do what they want with it. By no means did I purposely wreck Dale Jarrett.
"I was surprised and shocked when he later ran into us. I wasn't expecting it. I'm really disappointed, as is this whole team."

Tradesports Update

With College and Pro Football season both starting this week I thought it would be appropriate to update you as to the Tradesports markets for both BCS Champion and NFC/AFC conference Champions.

In the NCAA, USC is far and away the favorite to win the Rose Bowl at 33.5/34.9. The University of Texas would be a distant second at 9/9.9. Other teams worth mentioning but priced below Texas would incude Oklahoma, Miami, Michigan, and LSU.

The picture in the NFL has not changed that much since our last update but I have listed the AFC and NFC prices below for the favorites.

NFC

Eagles 27/28 (I still think this is a solid short, bet it and bank your 27 points)
Falcons 12.1/12.5
Panthers 11.6/12.5
Vikings 11.0/12.5

AFC

Colts 22/22.8
Patriots 19.1/21.2 (Alpha thinks the Pats are a solid buy at 21.2)
Steelers 11/11.5
Ravens 10.4/11

Until tomorrow - Adios!

Double Conspiracy?

I had an interesting thought the other day while I was in my smaller office with the white chair. I was thinking about how watching Cindy Sheehan, Howard Dean, and the rest of the Democratic Party continue their slide into oblivion was in a large part connected to the mega powerful 3.3 Million Member Moveon.Org. For those of you who still believe the lie that the Republicans are the party of the rich you ought to take a look at the braintrust behind moveon.org, it's kind of like looking at the Forbes 400 list. Anyway, Moveon.org is very radical and a bit anti-American to say the least and I was thinking how great it is that they came about because as long as they are around and are influencing the Democrats the left will continue to run as fast as they can from mainstream America and will fast become irrelevant as a national party. So I got to thinking about this and all of sudden I said, "Wa-La."

Just maybe! Just maybe! Moveon.org was actually started by a bunch of very smart Republican double secret agents? Just maybe! Maybe, they said, "hey - we can finally destroy the Democratic Party forever and ever!" So these smart guys decided to run with their idea and they went and got the richest leftists they could find including our good friend George Soros and his buddy John Sperling and conned them into believing their aim was true! George grabbed the idea and started to pour his body, soul, and money into it thinking "we can finally destroy the Republican Party forever and ever!" The problem is that George and John are so rich that they are completely out of touch with what America is and what normal American people are like so it never occurred to them the end result of their actions would be to actually destroy forever the message they so cherished, the message of liberalism.

Howard Dean and Cindy Sheehan are perfect examples of just exactly how this destruction is taking place. The reason these wacko's are so angry with the President and his administration is the Republicans don't even take them seriously anymore. How could you?

You can look at Cindy and tell she is mad. You can listen to the tape of Howard Dean's blood curdling scream and tell that he is mad.

The only way the Democrats will be able to win in the next cycle will be to distance themselves from moveon.org and Howard Dean. Will they do it? I don't think so. I think the Democrats have effectively places themselves in a car with no breaks going down a steep hill with Howard Dean at the steering wheel, and Cynthia McKinney, George Soros, and Cindy Sheehan all trying to take the wheel from him.

We here at Alpha Tickets are all hoping that Dick Cheney will run and mainly to see Helen Thomas off her self in a public way and to see the rage of the left finally go over the cliff at the bottom of that steep hill.

Until tomorrow - Adios!

Countdown to September

Stewart Mandel, SI.Com

You'll have to excuse me, but with the first Saturday of the college football season a mere 10 days away, I no longer can contain my excitement. It's getting to the point where I feel the need to break into song.

When the moooooooon is in the seventh house ...

It's a little strange no longer having a Kickoff Classic or BCA Bowl to serve as an appetizer, like last season's Virginia Tech-USC game. How many hours did the NCAA waste on that decision, and did it somehow determine those events to be "hostile" or "demeaning?"

And Jupiter aligns with Mars ...

And don't give me this South Carolina-UCF-on-Thursday-night b.s., either. I'm supposed to be so excited about Steve Spurrier's return that I should want to watch his Gamecocks play a team that went 0-11 last year?

The peace will guide the planets ...

Arizona-Utah on Friday night is slightly more compelling, but then again, you're going to need a program to recognize anyone on this year's Utes. I think even the trainers followed Urban Meyer to Florida.

And love will steer the stars.

But then there's Saturday! A full-blown, honest-to-goodness, noon-to-midnight slate of gridiron madness. With 10 days to go, here are the 10 things I'm most looking forward to about Sept. 3:

10. Omar Jacobs. I must admit, for all his gaudy numbers, I didn't see the Bowling Green QB in action very much last year. High noon, on ESPN, at Camp Randall. Prediction: Jacobs lights up Wisconsin's rebuilding defense for 380 yards.

9. The Charlie Weis show. Although it's a little ridiculous that a 5-7 and 6-6 team the past two years merits an ABC primetime kickoff and a GameDay visit, I admit to being curious to see whether Brady Quinn suddenly goes Tom Brady on Pittsburgh.

8. Frank Solich visits Northwestern. The ex-Nebraska coach won't really know what he's getting into until his Ohio team plays at Central Michigan or Buffalo, but a season opener at half-empty Ryan Field should provide a nice preview. Curiosity factor No. 2: Whether a Wildcats team that's already lost five projected starters for the season will be able to field 22 by kickoff.

7. Derrick Williams and Justin King. All right, JoePa. You've been building these guys up for eight months. If I'm going to make the effort to find someone who gets ESPNU just to watch your boys take on South Florida, I want to see nothing less than reverses, crazy motion plays, 100-yard kick returns and five-receiver sets.

6. How quickly will USC score 50? I say early in the third quarter. One of the most talented college offenses ever assembled opens its three-peat campaign against Hawaii, one of the nation's worst defensive teams the past several seasons. New coordinator Jerry Glanville should leave his extra tickets not for Elvis, but former player Deion Sanders. The Warriors could use the help defending USC's receivers.

5. My girlfriend's birthday. Yes, believe it or not, it's that day. But in a sign of her considerable coolness, she's agreed to do the actual, reservations-and-champagne birthday dinner a night earlier and join me for dinner on the couch in front of the television Saturday night. Not bad for a girl who just six months ago thought first and 10 were New York City cross streets.

4. Ted Ginn Jr. vs. Ryne Robinson. Ohio State fans are foaming at the mouth waiting for the first time Ginn breaks an 80-yard punt return or turns a short underneath route into a 60-yard touchdown. Who wouldn't want to see that? But you know, the Buckeyes' opening opponent, Miami of Ohio, has a speedster of its own in Robinson, who's returned five punts for scores.

3. Chris Leak running the option. I covered Florida's spring game yet never got to see it happen. I did get to see the junior throw some nifty long passes, but he did that under Ron Zook, too. Something tells me that sometime fairly early against Wyoming, Meyer will dust off his first shotgun triple-option play. Of course, the Cowboys saw it the past two years against Utah.

2. The new Auburn. A prominent Atlanta columnist predicted this week that Georgia Tech not only would win at Jordan-Hare on opening night but that the two teams would finish with the same record: 7-5. Apparently no one's bothered to tell him how good Auburn's defense is. The Tigers might not score much, but there's a distinct possibility stadium workers will need to scrape Jackets QB Reggie Ball off the turf afterward.

1. Boise invades Athens. In one of the most interesting intersectional matchups in recent memory, the WAC's Broncos visit SEC power Georgia, which, according to both the rankings (the Dawgs are No. 13, Boise No. 18) and the oddsmakers (Georgia by 6.5), isn't considered all that much of a favorite. Will Jared Zabransky run wild against the Dawgs' NFL-depleted defense?

Survey says ... not likely, but it will still be a lot more fun to watch than ESPN's 5:30 p.m. ET programming this Saturday: horse racing. Yes, it must be college football season.

By the way, for those of you who got the lyrical reference at the top of the Mailbag ... you're welcome. For those of you who didn't ... please, I beg of you, hurry up and go see The 40 Year-Old Virgin. You'll thank me later.

With all of the hype about Urban Meyer at Florida and Les Miles at LSU, and how those two teams could battle it out for the SEC crown, no one seems to have noticed that a first-year coach never has won an SEC title. What makes Meyer and Miles the favorites to win the conference? --Sam, Thomasville, Ga.

I've been sensing a lot of Meyer-and-Miles skepticism among their SEC rivals, and understandably so. If you're a Tennessee fan, and your coach has been consistently successful for 13 years, you're probably wondering, what's so special about this Meyer guy that he's going to come in and beat the Vols with a team that's lost five games each of the past three years? However, I have to laugh whenever fans reference that "no first-year coach has ever won the SEC title" stat. Fifteen years ago, a guy you may have heard of named Steve Spurrier took over a Florida team that had lost five games the year before and, using an unconventional new offense, led the Gators to the best record in the conference. Technically, they did not win the conference championship, but only because the program was ineligible due to NCAA sanctions.

The situations Meyer and Miles are walking into seem similar, and in fact the very nature of the SEC actually can lend itself to quick success by an outsider (provided there's already talent on hand). The conference is very conservative, with schools usually firing one lifelong Southerner and replacing him with another, who proceeds to run virtually the same system as the guy before him, and the guy before that. Therefore on the rare occasion when someone actually does introduce a new concept, opposing coaches are caught off-guard.

Witness Auburn last season, where offensive coordinator Al Borges, primarily of a West Coast background, came in, installed some nifty new plays and, voila! Using almost the same personnel that lost five games a year earlier, he helped shape an undefeated season. Nick Saban, another "outsider," took over an LSU team that had won three games the year before and led it to eight wins his first season and an SEC title his second. I'm not guaranteeing Meyer or Miles will have that profound of an impact -- in fact, in Miles' case, the high rankings seem based more on the work of his predecessor -- but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the newbies, either.

With all of the talk of high-powered offenses and the spread option, there seems to be a notion that defenses are always trying to "catch up." However, we have seen some great defenses on the last few national title winners. What would you say is the most important component that characterized all these great defenses: raw talent of the players, the scheme itself, or the coach's ability to game plan for a specific opponent? --Steve, San Jose, Calif.

There's no question that every national title winner since 2000 (Oklahoma, Miami, Ohio State, LSU and USC) has had a dominant defense. I would argue the most important aspect of the Trojans' success the past two seasons -- more than Matt Leinart, more than Reggie Bush -- has been their overpowering defensive linemen (Kenechi Udeze, Shaun Cody, Mike Patterson), who helped produce the nation's No. 1 run defense both seasons and paved the way for a combined 105 sacks in 26 games.

If you look at the other teams, the one, unifying theme is dominant defensive linemen (LSU with Marcus Spears and Chad Lavalais, Ohio State with Will Smith and Darrion Scott, Miami with Jerome McDougle and William Joseph), who, in turn, help produce an impenetrable rush defense (In addition to USC's No. 1 ranking, both LSU and Ohio State finished third in the country against the run).

However, you also have to give credit to the minds behind those defenses. Oklahoma's Bob and Mike Stoops did things with disguised coverages and zone blitzes that opposing offenses simply couldn't handle. Saban was on the absolute cutting edge when it came to NFL-style blitz packages. And Pete Carroll's staff is hands-down the best in the country at devising plans to fit a particular opponent (i.e. giving Aaron Rodgers the short stuff but preventing the big plays that allowed the Trojans to hold Cal to 17 points last year, or the way their linebackers went after Jason White in the Orange Bowl in a way few previous opponents had attempted).

Every year, recruiting practices by major programs seem to be getting worse. I just read that Myron Rolle, a top recruit from New Jersey, received a message from Florida governor Jeb Bush [relayed by Florida State University president T.K. Wetherell] to apologize for missing dinner with Rolle while he was visiting the Seminoles. I know FSU is a state school and all, but this seems a little over the top. Do you think the governor of a state should get involved in recruiting high school players? --Keith, New York

As you may recall, the NCAA formed an emergency task force two years ago -- a response in part to the steak-and-lobster treatment of another one-time FSU recruit, Willie Williams -- to enact a stricter set of guidelines on what schools can and cannot do to lure prospects. In fact, just last week Tennessee self-reported a secondary violation after a basketball assistant posted a hand-colored sign next to the Vols' locker room door welcoming a visiting recruit. Only the NCAA would take the time to draft legislation outlawing a sign -- or a personalized jersey, or a putting a player's picture on the JumboTron -- but never think to address whether it's appropriate to invoke the help of the governor in landing a stud cornerback. (Speaking of which, do Miami and Florida get the same favor when they need it?)

Why is it that you only answer quirky questions? I asked about a month ago how you thought Greg Robinson would do at Syracuse and got no response, yet you printed questions about Arrested Development, Jennifer Love Hewitt et. al. What's the deal? --Pete Kiely, Jacksonville Beach, Fla.

Well, Pete, we're dealing with a national audience here, and, no offense, but there's a whole lot more interest in Arrested Development, Jennifer Love Hewitt or any number of other cute-yet-somehow-already-over-the-hill-at-26 actresses than there is about a perennial 6-6 football team that plays its games in a garage in upstate New York.

OK, sorry, that's a little harsh. To answer your question, I have mixed feelings about Robinson. I have great respect for what he did as a coordinator, both with the NFL's Broncos and Texas, and I understand why AD Darryl Gross would want to try to emulate USC's approach by bringing in a defensive-minded guy with pro experience. But USC is USC and Syracuse is Syracuse. USC has both a strong home base and national appeal from which it can recruit the type of athletes necessary to run a pro-style system.

Robinson may well turn the Orange into a dominant defensive team, but I question the decision to go with a West Coast offense. He's going to have a hard time getting a lot of 4.4 receivers from Florida and California to come to snow city. Granted, it's the same challenge Bill Callahan is facing at Nebraska, and he's done quite well recruiting-wise, but Nebraska also has a much more recent history of excellence to sell. There's only so many times you can say to a kid, "Donovan McNabb played here."

Recently I was offered a free trip to Puerto Vallarta by my girlfriend's parents. I was totally stoked for the vacation ... until they told me when we would be making this little voyage. The dates: Dec. 30-Jan. 7. This, as you know, falls during possibly the most exciting week of college football -- and that's especially true when you consider my Hawkeyes could be playing in one of the biggest games of their illustrious history. My question is, do I take the trip or turn it down for the possible chance of seeing Iowa play in a major bowl game? --Fisk, San Diego

I guess it all comes down to just how much faith you have in your boys, Fisk. As far as I know, Puerto Vallarta, though in another country, is not exactly the middle of Bangladesh. I'm sure the hotel gets American TV, and I'm sure you'd have no trouble getting away from the family for four hours to watch Drew Tate and Co. in the Outback Bowl, if that's where they end up. If, however, this does turn out to be the season of all seasons for Iowa, and the Hawkeyes not only reach their first Rose Bowl in 15 years but are also playing for the national title -- and you're stuck watching it at a tiki bar in Mexico while your buddies are in Pasadena -- there's simply no way you're going to live that down for the rest of your life. Sorry, it's true. Choose wisely, my friend.

I'm curious about your thoughts on coaching changes in the Pac-10. Which new coach -- Tyrone Willingham at Washington or Walt Harris at Stanford -- is most likely to significantly improve his team's record in 2005? And which additions/subtractions at the coordinator level do you think will be most significant? --Jeff Stockwell, Winston-Salem, N.C.

In my opinion, Willingham, who's already demonstrated he can win in the Pac-10, is a better coach than Harris. Willingham will return Washington to respectability at some point, whereas I'm not as sold on Harris' chances at Stanford. In the short-term, though, Harris has better personnel on hand -- particularly players who fit his pass-happy system -- and has a better chance of having a good first season.

In terms of coordinators, the obvious "subtraction" that comes to mind is Norm Chow, but I really don't think USC will feel the brunt of his departure until next year. Matt Leinart can coach that offense on his own this season. The true test of Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian will come when they have to break in a new QB, either John David Booty or Mark Sanchez. So for most painful subtraction, I'll go with Oregon State losing offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, who had great success there the past two years but is now at Wisconsin.

The best addition, as I've mentioned several times before in this space, is Gary Crowton as Oregon's new offensive coordinator. Things may not have gone well at BYU, but back when he was at Louisiana Tech there wasn't a much scarier offense in the country (Nebraska fans still remember the day Tim Rattay threw for 590 yards on them).

Being an Alabama alum and lifelong Crimson Tide fan, I've always had a natural hatred for Notre Dame. However, I've also recently developed a severe loathing of Tennessee. When Tennessee and Notre Dame play each other, whom do you think I should pull for to win? My in-laws are die-hard Irish fans, so if I pull for the Vols, they will throw things at me and cut me out of the will. (I am married to their daughter, an Auburn alum). Yet I would rather kiss you on the mouth than root for Notre Dame. What should I do? --Aldon Hughes, Atlanta

Let me get this straight. You're an Alabama fan married to an Auburn fan -- and your in-laws are Notre Dame fans. Are there ever any mornings where you wake up and just want to run away?

But c'mon, Aldon, this isn't hard. Tennessee is your school's hated rival, not Notre Dame. The Vols are the ones who ratted your team out to the NCAA, remember? I thought 'Bama sends you a letter explaining that with your tickets. So, clearly, if given a choice, you have to side with the Irish. But sorry, I don't exactly care to kiss you, either.

Opposite directions

BROOKLYN, Mich. – When it comes to qualifying for this season's Chase for the Nextel Cup, life has resembled a freeway lately for Matt Kenseth and Elliott Sadler.

Like being mired in stop-and-go traffic, Kenseth has been slowly plodding along in the local lanes, trying to get himself and the No. 17 Ford back into contention for the Chase.
"We're just running the best we can run every week," Kenseth said.

Sadler, on the other hand, has been in the fast lane – in reverse. In the last eight races, he has plummeted 10 spots in the standings from third to 13th.

"I think my worst nightmare has come true," Sadler said. "I've put us in a position where we've got to win the next couple of races to try and get into the Chase."

While most attention in recent weeks has been on whether Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make NASCAR's so-called playoffs, Kenseth has been quietly moving up in the standings.
His third-place run in Sunday's GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway marked his fourth top-five and seventh top-11 finish in the last nine races. During that period, the Wisconsin native has climbed from 24th to 15th in points.

"I still don't think we're quite in the form that we were maybe a couple of years ago or three years ago, but we're turning it around and we're getting better and that's all I can ask for," said Kenseth, who won the Winston Cup championship in 2003.

Being in the top 15 is quite a contrast to where he was a month ago. After finishing 36th in the season's second Pocono race, Kenseth thought his Chase chances were gone.

"After we left there, we were so far behind that I sort of forgot about it," Kenseth said.
But Kenseth suddenly is back in the running – although he quickly adds that time may not be on his side – sitting just 104 points behind 10th-place holder Jamie McMurray.

"All you can do is the best you can every week and let those points fall where they may," Kenseth said. "Yeah, if everything goes perfect the next three weeks we could make it, but it's definitely a real, real long shot.

"We're still trying to get as many points as we can every week and still try to lead laps and try to win if you can and finish as high as you can. So, we'll just see how it shakes out."

Sadler's performance, meanwhile, has been the antithesis of Kenseth's of late, as the Virginian has been mired in one of the worst slumps of his nearly seven-year Cup career.

The driver of the No. 38 Ford tied his season-low (39th) Sunday at Michigan, marking his fourth finish of 32nd or worst in the last six races.

Sadler ran as high as seventh at MIS before making a costly error, losing control of his car and crashing on lap 82. He finished 26 laps down.

"I don't know what I'm doing as a driver to mess up so many times," he said. "I was a little loose in traffic all day, but I didn't really expect it to be that loose. So I just made a driver mistake and I have dug a hole that's maybe too deep for my team to get me out."

Sadler mathematically is still in the hunt, sitting eight points behind No. 12 Gordon, 15 points behind No. 11 Dale Jarrett and only 66 points behind McMurray. He also remains 38 points ahead of Kenseth and 16 points in front of 14th-place Kevin Harvick.

But missing the top 10 in each of the last seven races has definitely cost Sadler. One more bad finish and his Chase hopes will likely be all but gone.

But Sadler does have something to look forward to in the next two races.
Nextel Cup now heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for Saturday night's Sharpie 500, where Sadler sat on the pole and finished second in the spring. Sadler also has one of his three career Cup wins there.

If he can avoid trouble and have a strong performance at BMS, he also has high hopes for the following week at California Speedway, where he won last fall.

"We're not going to give up," said Sadler, who is winless this season. "Yeah, we're making our chances a long shot, but it's not over with yet."

Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski is a Yahoo! Sports NASCAR analyst. Send Jerry a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Departures aside, Pats are 'talented' bunch

FOXBORO, Mass. -- It could be I'm just way too into electronics, but when I consider the Patriots and all the challenges they've overcome the past four seasons -- and the new ones some feel will lead to their dethronement -- I can't help thinking of … Radio Shack.

We've got questions. The Patriots, well, usually they've got the answers. They have a way, by the end of the season, of turning "How in the world are they going to?" into "How on earth did they?"

"We have handled a lot of change in the last two years," said linebacker Don Davis, who played two games at safety last season. "Tons and tons of change. Whether we're going to Washington and we have four starters out, or our safeties go down and we have a linebacker playing safety, or we have two street free agents playing corner -- we've been able to step up to the challenge, every single time. So why would this year be any different?"

For starters -- and this is just what some people say -- former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis is now the head coach at Notre Dame, and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is the head coach of the Browns. And if that weren't enough, Joe Andruzzi, Tedy Bruschi, Ted Johnson, Ty Law, David Patten and Roman Phifer -- all members of three championship teams -- are gone.

But if we've learned anything about the Patriots, it's that they know how to plug in players. New inside linebackers Monty Beisel and Chad Brown are having trouble plugging holes, but there are a few things to keep in mind about their struggles. First, they're learning a new, highly complex system. Together. Bruschi and Johnson played thousands of snaps in Belichick and Crennel's defense. Together. And it isn't as though Bruschi was the same guy in 2000 that he had been the past two seasons. He got better, enough to become a Pro Bowler. Not to sound like a coach, but if Beisel and Brown continue to work at it as diligently as they have been, they're bound to improve.

The Patriots' problems defending the run in the preseason aren't all their fault, either; there have been breakdowns in other areas, committed by veterans of the system. Plus, there is a lot of thinking that takes place in this defense. Miami is adopting a similar scheme, and after the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Zach Thomas talked about how the Dolphins were a step slow because they were thinking and not reacting. The same thing is happening in the middle of New England's defense. The coaches are working to try to figure this out, too, while the rest of the league has spent the last four years studying the Patriots. For all we know, Beisel and Brown might not even start on opening night.

"Anytime a player goes from one system to another," Belichick said, "one thing that could be a problem is breaking old habits. It's not that you don't understand what the new responsibilities or plays are, but just the fact that you've been doing something a long time and you're kind of used to doing it, it's a habit, and that's not what's required in the other system and that means kind of undoing something before you can even start to do something new … There's a period of time where you are a little bit, I don't know, unsure might be the word, or it might just be that you're not reacting as quickly as you would when you become more confident and have experienced more plays."

"I can remember my first year coming here," Davis said. "When you come from a 4-3 to a 3-4, it's just totally different. Your thinking is different. I consider myself a fairly intelligent guy, but it took me a minute to pick it up."

It may take a while for Belichick's young offensive assistants to develop the feel for the game and the gift of anticipation Weis possesses. Certainly, the Patriots will miss him on game days. Still, the offense shouldn't miss a beat. Belichick knows offense; you don't get that good at defense without knowing something about how the other side lives. Belichick has thought this offensive coordinator plan through, for sure, and he believes it will work.

So do his assistants. Ask Belichick the best way to become a good head coach, and he'll tell you it's to hire a good staff. Ask anyone who's seen Belichick then (Cleveland in the early '90s) and now, and he will tell you Belichick isn't as much of a micromanager today. Depth isn't limited to the Patriots' roster. Belichick has coached his young coaches on how to coach his way, a la Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells and Bill Walsh. Receivers coach Brian Daboll, 31, and quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels, 28, who appear to be the key members of the coordinator committee, both will hold the title of offensive coordinator for some team in the very near future.

For now, though, it's likely that Belichick is trying to protect them by not naming one OC and making him accountable/accessible to the public. "We'll work it out," he said. "We'll call something. Ultimately, in the end, I think I will be responsible for it, just like I've always been. I'm sure when [something] goes wrong you will be asking me about it. I understand that. Whatever we call, ultimately that will be my responsibility. If you want to put me down as the play caller, then go ahead and put me down."

Eric Mangini will do just fine running the defense. He's coached with Belichick for eight years and knows how to teach his scheme. You've seen him work miracles with the secondary the past two seasons. "Sometimes people can be so smart and lose their personality and it's difficult to learn from them," Chad Brown said of Mangini. "He has that teacher side that makes him a great communicator."

I hear folks talking about the Patriots being vulnerable, but I just don't see it. They are deeper in the secondary and they're still stacked at D-line. They look loaded at receiver and should be better on special teams. Tom Brady, Deion Branch, Corey Dillon, Rodney Harrison, Richard Seymour, Adam Vinatieri, et al -- New England still has enough good players to make the new coaches look good.

"Sometimes, when it seems like we've had the most changes," Belichick said, "those have turned out to be some of the better years."

The knock on recent Patriots teams always has been that they "lacked talent." Each championship season they've improved as the year progressed, and they always seem to peak around playoff time. But not this group. This has the potential to be the best of this run.
Two exhibition games. We've had what amounts to a peek at the Patriots. It's too early to declare the dynasty dead.

Michael Smith is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

Good Morning Sports Fans

Well my prediction of Greg Biffle dominating the NASCAR scene in August is not playing out. Greg is currently hanging in at third in the overall standings for the Nextel Cup. I predicted a win at the Brickyard, the GFS, and the Sharpie so I guess I could be right once out of three shots.

Get your Sharpie 500 tickets here:

www.alphatickets.com

I must be maturing

I just want everyone to know that I have exercised considerable restraint from weighing in on the Cindy Sheehan story. I am sure that most of my readers can guess that I place her in the same group as Tom Cruise, and Terrell Owens. In this case I have restrained only because she is a Mother who has lost her son. Of course her leftist inspired lunacy and rantings at the President have made me almost go over the edge on a daily basis but still I remain silent.

I do have one vent in general at Ms. Cindy, Moveon.org, and all of the other lemmings following the leftist movement without clue.

If this war in Iraq is a war for oil then why in the hell am I paying $70 to fill up my wife's car and close to $50 to fill up mine?

No Mas

We have finally grown tired of the T.O. debacle just like we did Mr. Cruise. While they are both idiots and we have found a lot of humor in them we can no longer take it. It's time to move on to other things.

As for the Eagles, before the week started I was sure they would repeat as NFC Champions but now that the week is coming to an end I am sure they will not. After all of my T.O. bashing and the smart story I provided you about the Madden and Campbell Soup curses I am positive that the Eagles just have too many obstacles in their way. We also can't forget what a hard time the Eagles had getting into the Super Bowl with their many NFC Championship appearances where they came up short.

On Tradesports.com it may be a smart bet to just start selling the shit out of the Eagles to win the NFC contracts at 28. If I am right you can pick up a nice easy 28 points. Another way to play this is to buy the Falcons, Panthers, and Vikings because you have to figure that one of those three teams will be in the Super Bowl if the Eagles are not.

Until tomorrow - Adios

Rich T.O. Biographical Info

I was surfing news sites yesterday looking for more scoop on what will happen with Terrell and I found that he has his own web site www.terrellowens.com. If you go to his web site and read his most interesting Bio you will find that:

1) Terrell's Father's name is Tit

2) Terrell's full name is Terrell Eldorado Owens

3) Where Elvis had the Jungle Room in Graceland, Terrell has the Chocolate Room at his Atlanta Mansion.

These are all very funny things about Terrell. I have been getting a lot of mileage out of the Father's name. Hi, please meet my Father, his name is Tit.

Until tomorrow - Adios

More on T.O., My Own Observations

I once heard someone say that they could not help themselves from watching Howard Dean whenever they saw him on T.V. because it was like watching a car wreck in slow motion. Watching Terrell Owens saga is somewhat like this for me. T.O. is an exceptionally gifted athlete, but not a very smart person. My prediction is that his relationship with the Philadelphia Eagles organization is coming to an end. The Eagles would be smart to either trade T.O. or just flat out release him. It is possible that no team would want the man. He creates such a freak side show wherever he goes and is certainly not what you would want for team chemistry.

T.O. showed himself in Atlanta over the weekend and attended the Atlanta Falcons pre-season matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Mr. Owens sat right behind the Falcons bench. There was a lot of talk the next day that Owens was trying to get himself traded to the Falcons. It makes a lot of sense when you consider that Owens played on a San Francisco team that had Falcons Head Coach Jim Mora as an assistant coach. Owens has also played with several of the players on the current Falcons roster and maintains a home in the Atlanta Metro area. Owens is from Alexander City, AL which is a short two hour drive from Atlanta. All of these things add up, but one thing does not. In to the picture walks Arthur Blank. Arthur Blank is the owner of the Atlanta Falcons and former head of Home Depot, Inc. Mr. Blank is all business and runs his team in that fashion. In my opinion there is no way in Hell that Arthur Blank will bring a player like T.O. into his organization.

Rumors were flying yesterday that the Eagles were trying to set up a trade with Detroit to send T.O. to the Lions. A spokesperson for the Lions flatly denied this Rumor and said the Lions would not be interested in Terrell.

I think the logical place for Terrell is Oakland. I think Miami ought to send Ricky Williams out to Oakland and the Eagles should send Terrell to Oakland. The Raider Nation would certainly welcome these gifted misfits with open arms. The combination of Williams, Owens, and Moss may be tough to beat if you can keep them out of jail and off drugs.

Meanwhile in the Tradesports market the Eagles have been losing a little ground due to all the controversy surrounding the Owens freak show. The Falcons, Vikings, and the Panthers seem to be equally picking up the slack. Over in the AFC, the Patriots have re-assumed their role as the bettor’s favorite to win the AFC Championship.

Until tomorrow - Adios!

No Way Eagles Will Survive 2005 Season

This is from Peter Schrager at Fox Sports.com.


I'm one of those ridiculously superstitious sports fans. Friends and family hate watching games with me. Yes, I'm the guy who will sit on the same spot of the same couch for three straight hours as long as my team is winning. I saw absolutely nothing wrong with the 1991 Minnesota North Stars (remember them?) when they refused to change their underwear throughout a dazzling playoff run. Wade Boggs' pregame chicken routine struck me as obvious, not bizarre. And I didn't have to watch Games 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the ALCS last year. The second my buddy Patrick asked me, "Who's it going to be for the Yankees in the World Series — the Astros or the Cardinals?" during the Game 3 blowout at Fenway, I knew all three teams were doomed.

So when I witnessed Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb appear in Sports Illustrated, grace the cover of Madden 06 and show up in a Campbell's Soup commercial — all in a seven-day span — I immediately deemed the Giants NFC East champions. There was no way — no chance — the Eagles were going to survive the 2005-06 season.

You see, the Madden cover curse, the Campbell's soup commercial curse and the Sports Illustrated cover curse (though McNabb merely appeared in the mag and was not actually on the cover) are like the holy trinity of sports hexes. Imagine seeing a black cat, walking under a ladder and saying "candyman" three times into a mirror all at once. That's what Donovan McNabb did this week. Eagles fans better get ready for the Mike McMahon era. Not to be a doom-and-gloomer, but there's simply no possible way McNabb lasts at quarterback for the entire season. You can overcome team conflict, major injuries and a divided lockerroom; you can't overcome the hands of fate.

For those of you unfamiliar with the three curses, let me enlighten you.

The Madden cover curse dates back to 2000, the first year the Electronic Arts video game featured a player instead of John Madden on its cover. Coming into the season, Eddie George was the most consistent running back in the NFL, ready to take the Tennessee Titans to their second straight Super Bowl. Instead, he was the Madden cover boy, suffered an injury-plagued season and saw the Ravens manhandle the Titans three times en route to a Super Bowl trip of their own.

In 2001, Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper graced the game's cover. Sure enough, he suffered a season-ending injury in Chicago. 2002's cover boy? Coming off seven straight 1,000 yard seasons, Marshall Faulk rolled his ankle, missed six games and failed to carry the Rams deep into the playoffs. 2003? With the "Madden curse" already of great legend, Michael Vick stood up and assumed the role. As a result, he got hurt, missed most the season and saw the Falcons stumble to a losing record. Last year, Ray Lewis was the game's face. Though he avoided any major injuries, the Ravens went 9-7 and missed the playoffs.

The Campbell's Soup commercial curse, though less publicized, is just as damaging. Over the past few seasons, Chunky soup commercial victims tend to either suffer major injuries or blow big games in clutch situations. After appearing in a few of these ads with an actress playing his mother, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis battled with injuries throughout the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Kurt Warner, a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame after record-breaking seasons in 1999-2001, has had a disastrous NFL career since his inspiring cameos in the soup commercials. I'm convinced Terrell Davis' early retirement can be directly linked to his involvement in these ads. Neil Smith? Done. Out of the league altogether. Brian Urlacher? The guy's like the Allan Houston of football — apparently really talented, but always in street clothes, injured on the sidelines. After Michael Strahan became the face of the soup ads, the New York Post discovered that he had been guilty of foul play, messing around with the nanny behind his wife's back. He also spent most of last season out with an injury.

And then there's Donovan McNabb. Lest we forget the fourth quarter of last year's Super Bowl? Yes, Andy Warhol or not, there's something "funky" linked to these soup cans.

The granddaddy of sports curses, though, has to be the Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Granted, McNabb only appeared in last week's issue, not on the magazine's front cover. Nevertheless, the coincidence of any article focused on McNabb (this one on his workout routine) and his tumultuous week in the headlines can not be ignored. Some of the famous Sports Illustrated cover hexes? Here's just a few from the past 15 years:

Sept. 30, 1991: Ramon Martinez graces the cover with the Dodgers up two games in the National League West. Martinez subsequently loses his next two starts, and the Dodgers finish the season a game behind the Braves.


Aug. 30, 1993: Florida State kicker Scott Bentley is the face of the college football preview. He goes on to miss seven extra points that season.

April 25, 1994: Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson headlines the NFL Draft Preview. Ten years later, it is safe to say "Big Daddy's" NFL career was nothing more than a "Big Bust."

Jan. 13, 1997: Kerry Collins and Mark Brunell appear on the cover after leading their expansion teams to the NFC and AFC championship games. Sure enough, both teams lose the next week.

Oct. 20, 1997: After upsetting top-ranked Florida, LSU's football team gets the cover. They lose the next week to Ole Miss 36-21.

Aug. 13, 2001: Sports Illustrated preseason No. 1 Oregon State is on the cover of the College Football Preview. They go 5-6 and fail to play in a bowl game.

Nov. 26, 2001: Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch is the SI cover boy. His next game, Colorado upsets the Huskers 62-36.

Combine these three jinxes, and it should be to absolutely no one's surprise that Donovan McNabb was front and center in the week's biggest sports controversy. At this point, Eagle fans might want to stop reading (if they haven't already). Unfortunately, it seems as though things are only going to get worse.

Todd Pinkston's season-ending injury? Hmm…

Freddy Mitchell got injured too. Though he's not even an Eagle anymore, it seems as though anyone ever linked with McNabb is going down.

If I were an Eagle player, I probably wouldn't leave the house this preseason. Bad things will undoubtedly happen.

Ugh, and now Rush Limbaugh wants to get involved. It's only August, and already these curses are overlapping, producing disastrous results. Run for the hills, Eagles fans. Run for the hills. Watch the Phillies blow the NL wild card now too. Yes, hexes such as these are so powerful, that they carry over to different sports too.

All in all, I'm rooting for Donovan McNabb. If he defies the football gods and leads the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory, he will free me from my many strange superstitious rituals. He will also put to rest three of the most powerful sports jinxes.

I just don't have much faith. It's one thing to win an argument with Terrell Owens. It's another to defy destiny.

You can e-mail FOXSports.com contributor Peter Schrager at PeterSchrager@gmail.com.

Freak Style

This piece is from John Clayton at ESPN.COM on TO.

Eagles knew T.O. spelled trouble

By John Clayton ESPN.comArchive



In retrospect, Terrell Owens should have followed through on his threat to hold out of training camp. By showing up and having a verbal fight with coach Andy Reid that caused him to leave the Philadelphia Eagles camp Wednesday, Owens did a disservice to himself and the Eagles.

The Eagles knew Owens could be trouble. They put clauses in his $49 million to protect themselves for situations like Wednesday. According to his contract, Owens could be forced to pay back $1.725 million of his $2.3 million signing bonus if he's involved in any incident that is considered conduct detrimental to the team.

Clearly, a verbal fight with his head coach is conduct detrimental. Supposedly, Owens was suspended for refusing to attend a mandatory autograph session, and for practicing away from the rest of the team. That was violation of his contract because it clearly states he has to do some mandatory signings.

Whether he was told to go home or left on his own Wednesday is irrelevant. Owens' attitude kept getting worse as camp dragged on. Quarterback Donovan McNabb said last week his relationship with Owens was businesslike, a clear dropoff from the good relationship of a year ago.

Owens went his way after practice. McNabb went another way. It's similar to the way Owens reacted with Jeff Garcia before Owens had some blowups with his former 49ers quarterback. Owens and McNabb are two of the best offensive talents in the game. They don't have to be buddy-buddy to be successful on the field.

But, by showing up and getting the one-week suspension, Owens is only causing his problems with the team to bubble over. Pretty soon, it's going to be hard for McNabb and the offense to accept him back.

The problem for the Eagles is that the team needs Owens more than ever. Todd Pinkston is out for the season with a torn Achilles. Greg Lewis is too short to be asked to be the other starter. Lewis is a great inside threat because of his great speed. Second-round choice Reggie Brown has to come through just to make the three-receiver set work, but it's going to be hard for the Eagles to think Super Bowl if Lewis and Brown are the starters.

Something has to be done to patch this relationship. A suggestion would be telling Owens what is probably ahead for him after the season. While the Eagles can't let Owens win by having his way in getting a new contract or his release, the two sides need to part ways after the season. He has a $7.5 million roster bonus that was purposely negotiated as a way to either firm up the relationship or simply say two years was enough.

Telling Owens this will be his final year in Philadelphia could be the settlement of the differences. First, Owens would get what he wants free agency and a chance at a bigger contract. Second, this wouldn't be a contract renegotiation. It's just making a decision. For the Eagles, Owens creates too many distractions for the relationship to go beyond two years.

Pinkston's injury leaves the Eagles in a tough spot. They need Owens if they want to be in the NFC title game. They have to get through this year and then say goodbye to him.

It's management's job to provide leadership and direction. Owens' direction with the Eagles is clearly heading out the door. So tell him. Tell T.O. to be on his best behavior the rest of the season and let him start making plans for the future.

In the meantime, the Eagles can start shopping for replacements. Maybe they can make a trade with the Falcons for Peerless Price, who doesn't have a long future in Atlanta as a $5 million-a-year third receiver. Price is a very good second receiver. It didn't work in Atlanta for him being a No. 1 receiver, but he could be a good No. 2 for the Eagles.

The Eagles got a steal when they got Owens for two second-day draft choices. His presence in the offense helped propel them to their first Super Bowl under Reid. But good things can turn bad and the problems only get worse for Owens in Philadelphia.

If Owens knows he is a free agent after the season, he can focus on his game and help the Eagles win. The situation wouldn't be this ugly had Owens simply stayed out camp. Owens wouldn't be in a position to lose $1.725 million. The Eagles wouldn't have such a disrupted training camp.

Holdouts normally aren't good. Under the circumstances, though, an Owens holdout would have made life a little easier for Eagles in their Lehigh training camp.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

Super Freaky 2

I hate to double blog in a day but this is breaking news....

Word is that T.O. has left the Eagles training camp at Lehigh University.

There are reports this afternoon that wide receiver Terrell Owens exchanged words with Head Coach Andy Reid at a team meeting and was asked to leave.

Owens then got his belongings and cleared out of Eagles training camp at Lehigh University, according to one television report.

Welcome to the Republican Party

I did not write what you will find below, but I wish I did. I found this piece this morning and thought it was so right on that I had to share it with you.

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. She considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, but her father was a staunch Republican. One day she was challenging her father on his beliefs and his opposition to high taxes and welfare programs. He stopped her and asked how she was doing in school.

She answered that she had a 4.0 GPA, but it was really tough. She had to study all the time and never had time to go out and party. She didn't have time for a boyfriend and didn't really have many college friends because of spending all her time studying. On top of that, the part-time job her father insisted she keep left absolutely no time for anything else.

He asked, "How is your friend Mary?"

She replied that Mary was barely getting by. She had a 2.0 GPA, never studied, but was very popular on campus, didn't have a job, and went to all the parties. She was always complaining about not having any money, but didn't want to work. Why, she often didn't show up for classes because she was hung over.

Dad then asked his daughter why she didn't go to the Dean's office and request that 1.0 be taken off her 4.0 and given it to her friend who only had a 2.0. That way they would both have a respectable 3.0 GPA. Then, she could also give her friend half the money she'd earned from her job so that her friend would no longer be broke.

The daughter angrily fired back, "That wouldn't be fair. I worked really hard for my grades and money, and Mary just loafs. Why should her laziness and irresponsibility be rewarded with half of what I've worked for?"

The father slowly smiled and said, "Welcome to the Republican Party."

The Deportation Blues

I do not really have time for a full fledged blog today due to Sarah being out at the immigration department all day. Sarah is in hopes of finally obtaining her "green card" or permanent residency. Sarah hails from England, but since she came to America she has married my good and helpful fishing buddy Joel Pharr, had a child named Evan, bought a car, bought a house, and has a pretty decent job working for me so needless to say she wants to stay! We want her to stay also. Sarah has proven to be a great employee and friend. The worst case scenario for todays appointment would be that they deport her and while her family in England would welcome her with open arms we would all be at a loss without her here.

Good luck Sarah!

T.O. - A Super Freak, Super Freaky

I think a reality show starring Terrell Owens may be almost as interesting as, "Being Bobby Brown." Maybe they ought to take some cameras out to Lehigh University and film some of the Philadelphia Eagles Training camp. Below you will find a piece that I read off ESPN.com this morning that I thought you all might find interesting.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Just as the sun came up Friday morning over what's called South Mountain at Lehigh University and began the day-long process of baking the Eagles practice field into a soufflé of stifling humidity and sweat, Philadelphia Mayor John Street showed up.
"I'm here to see Donovan," Street said. "I plan to tell them I'm looking forward to a trip to Detroit."

Within minutes, Street was on the sideline, and Donovan McNabb, all smiles, spotted him. Terrell Owens was in the training room for the second straight day, nursing a groin injury, so McNabb had shed the tension he'd exhibited all week.

He was loose, joking around with Greg Lewis and Reno Mahe, putting on a show in front of the mayor. When coach Andy Reid blew the whistle and the team shifted practice fields, McNabb stopped and grabbed the mayor's outstretched hand. The mayor got right down to business.

"I'm ready to go to Detroit," said Street, referring to the site of this season's Super Bowl.
McNabb let out his trademark hearty laugh.

"I'm looking forward to that parade," said McNabb, quickly joining his teammates. And Mayor Street joined about 15,000 of his constituents to witness another chapter in the longest running soap opera in all of pro football.

No one can stay away from Lehigh. The intrigue and drama change daily. The theater is fascinating and complex -- just like the cast of characters.

After losing three consecutive NFC championship games, the Eagles finally got within three points of winning their first Super Bowl. But their mercurial star wide receiver -- who many in the league warned the Eagles would be more of a cancer than a cure -- became a strange sideshow on a team that has been tortured by some of the more bizarre happenings in NFL history.

And the people of Eagles nation -- from the mayor to union workers -- are fixated on staying to the end, determined to find out how it all turns out. What is the final chapter? Will Owens pout his way through the season and cause the team to fall deeper into dysfunction? Or will McNabb blaze a trail to the Lombardi Trophy?

Terrell Owens has expended his good will with Philly fans. For the most part, Owens has been mute about his mindset. In a very curt interview with a local TV reporter, Owens said, "If it wasn't for my family ... I wouldn't be here." His body language and tone of voice suggested he was only in camp out of a sense of obligation.

In the process, Owens has kept his distance. After practice one day last week, he put on his noise-eliminating headphones and shot baskets by himself with an under-inflated ball in a parking lot behind the Eagles locker room on campus. It was a sad sight for a man who one year ago was celebrated as a savior.

In one year, he's gone from Prometheus to pariah.

Now, during practice, players do not come up to him and volunteer conversation. He walks on and off the field by himself, staring straight ahead, ignoring fans and cameras. Last year, he roomed with McNabb. This year, he's rooming alone.

The Eagles' public relations staff, which won the Pete Rozelle Award last season for P.R. excellence, has been jumping through hoops to try to anticipate what he wants, while keeping the media mollified. Reporters were so skeptical of Owens' groin injury on Thursday that, after the afternoon practice, Reid held an unscheduled media availability to emphasize his unhappy wide receiver was not faking it.

"He wouldn't do that," said Reid, even though no one suggested publicly that Owens would.

The fans, too, don't know what to think. On his first morning of practice Wednesday, Owens was greeted with hearty boos, then cheers. And then boos erupted again when he dropped a deep rainbow from McNabb. Owens has expended all the public relations capital that he built up last season -- the spectacular showmanship and the miraculous return from injury to play in Super Bowl XXXIX, all of that has been forgotten in the long spring and summer of his discontent.

Why wouldn't the fans have a schizophrenic reaction to Owens? His behavior has been impossible to predict. One day he wanted to be traded or cut, saying "I don't have to play for the Eagles." The very next day he announced he was coming to training camp because he didn't want to lose money in fines or the signing bonus the Eagles were ready to recoup.

"I plan to boo him all year long," said Jim Buchanon, a truck driver from northeast Philly.

"He's just trying to get his money," said Angela Arlen of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., who says she became an Eagles fan because of Owens. "The Eagles are making so much money. Look at all these fans here."

The mayor came equipped with an opinion.

"They are tough," said Street, referring to Eagles owner Jeff Lurie and team president Joe Banner. "This is their business. They can't be focused on one player. They have to be concerned with the big picture."

Street also recognized what is the worst-kept secret in the city -- that McNabb and Owens have become estranged. "They need to work it out," Street said. "They will."

It all started when Owens said to ESPN.com, "I wasn't the one who got tired in the Super Bowl." McNabb reacted angrily, saying "Just keep my name out of your mouth."

And that's exactly what the quarterback has attempted to do. In news conferences and interviews, McNabb refuses to utter Owens' name. For example, when Todd Pinkston got hurt on Thursday, McNabb said, "We had one wide receiver go down yesterday and Todd today."

Referring to Owens as "one wide receiver" was a significant clue that McNabb can't bring himself to give Owens any personal respect right now.

McNabb was asked if he needed to have a one-on-one summit with Owens to iron things out.

"I particularly don't want a private moment -- not right now," McNabb said. "It's really not needed. He's going through his situation, and that's between him and his agent, and management. The situation I'm going with is just making sure I'm doing the right thing out here on this field."

"I don't think you particularly have to like the individual or hang out with the individual," McNabb added. "I think you all have to have a good business relationship."

But this is not IBM. It's the NFL, where coaches constantly preach building team chemistry and forming the kind of family bond that can turn winners into champions.

Don't forget that no team since the Miami Dolphins in 1972 has lost the Super Bowl, then won it the following year. So this season the Eagles are attempting to make some serious history. They need to make it easier on themselves.

Early Indications

Nobody is selling rooms, nobody is selling tickets. It is now August 5th, the first pre-season football games will be played this weekend and we still have yet to sell a Super Bowl ticket. This is highly unusual. We normally sell a few right after the last Super Bowl is over and then a few more during the early summer and around the start of training camp. This year we have sold none. I just did something I said I would not do, which was to lower our prices on Super Bowl tickets. We are still not the lowest priced broker in the universe but like I always say to those looking at the lowest price, "you get what you pay for and sometimes that is nothing." I did not lower our prices dramatically, but I lowered them just slightly. We will see if things start to pick up here once the season gets underway.

We are also still getting quite a few calls from people who want to unload hotel rooms which is another bad sign. Hell, it was this early last year that a panic started to ensue around the lack of hotel rooms in Jacksonville.

The Falcons will get it on with the Colts tomorrow morning at around 5am EST. In case you did not know the game is in Tokyo.

Thanks again to John Poggendorf for writing our blog for us yesterday. He did a fine job yesterday even though we may disagree with his assessment on the Auburn/LSU matchup. However, I do agree with John the USC will run the table and play for all the marble in the Rose Bowl. My brother-in-law, Matt Bruder, has been working for us this summer while on break from High School and he read John's blog and disagreed with the USC theory. Matt believes that Arizona State will beat the Trojans, and he believes it so strongly that he bet me $10 that USC will not play in the Rose Bowl. We went ahead and priced out the Rose Bowl yesterday and put up a page on our web site. You can check it out at http://www.alphatickets.com/rose-bowl-tickets.htm.

Until tomorrow - Adios!

The View from Prescott, AZ

My name is John Poggendorf. All together now: WHO? Pronounced….HOW???

I live in Prescott, AZ. And that would be…..WHERE? 30 miles from nowhere and 20 from water?

And I’m spewing a few unbiased words on what Division 1 College Football Phanatics might expect to see this season…..WHY? Either because the owner of this blog needed a breather, or because he thinks the view is clearer from someplace where there’s nothing for a college football fan to do but keep up on the current, or during the annual great sports blackout (aka: baseball season), the next Division 1 College Football season (say: “Hallelujah!”).

I come from both the land and time of football’s Big 10 Tyranny, and was considered a heretic for following the likes of Texas A&M, Tennessee, Clemson, Auburn, GA Tech, VA Tech, West VA, LSU and my beloved USC (the REAL USC, the Trojans) and having the chutzpa to say they put a better grade of ball on the field than Woody and Bo. I still say it….and it’s truer today than it ever was! Now you get how unbiased this is all gonna be!

But back to the assignment. Here’s my psychohistorical take on what can we the addicted can look for in the way of world class adrenalin rushes this coming season.

Overall, I think we see my USC Trojans playing Tennessee for all the marbles in The Rose Bowl on Jan 4th. In fact, I’ve already asked the owner of this blog for two tickets to the game. But how do we get there, and more invigorating what are the key games en route to Pasadena?

First things first: If anyone runs the table this season, it’s USC. But even that could be in jeopardy. In the off season we lost half our coaching staff including Norm Chow (at least he’s in the pro’s) and a ton of defense both on the line and at linebacker. But we had a great recruiting year, remain deep at every position, return a star-studded offense and do have Dallas Sartz and Keith Rivers at LB. If we remain focused and healthy USC goes undefeated. Arizona State (Oct 1) will push us very hard. But more than ASU or even Cal, the game I’m looking forward to most is a late season contest with Fresno State (Nov 19). They are a dramatically underrated squad in my opinion, returning a ton of lettermen and a superb defense. And….don’t forget this is Pat Hill’s live audition for inclusion in the soon-to-be PAC 12, a seat they richly deserve! Beware Fresno State!!!

The SEC is THE power in college football….period! But Tennessee gets to the Rose Bowl to play USC with a wealth of wealth. They’re solid and deep everywhere you look: a defensive front, linebackers and secondary that can stop trains; skill extraordinaire; the single best recruiting year in the country; improved special teams….and more. If the Vol’s get past their back-to-back killer games against @ Florida (Sept 17) and much worse @ LSU (Sept 24) they go all the way too. I think the Vol’s loose at Tiger Stadium but they win the SEC Championship and BCS-rate their way to Pasadena.

LSU is my other personal heartthrob of a team. The fans make for a rough crowd more often than not, but I L-O-V-E dem Bayou Bengals. This year LSU is one of the most gifted teams in the country! The main fears for me this year with LSU is the new head coach situation in general and the uncertainly of the quarterback situation in particular. Miles style is visibly different from Saban’s and will have some difficulties with the treasure trove of remaining (and recently recruited) Saban-style players. Then there’s JaMarcus Russell’s uneven, dare we say it erratic, performances. If he settles down all’s right in Baton Rouge; if he doesn’t Miles goes with true freshman and #2 QB recruit in the country Ryan Perrilloux (second to #1 Mark Sanchez who went to USC thank you very much). The problem there is that as good as Perrilloux is, he’s a true freshman QB in the SEC. Think that through.

The first real Seldon crisis of the 2005-6 season rears it’s ugly head early on Sept 10 when Ohio State plays Texas. This will be a rape-and-pillage, take-no-prisoners barfight between two of the country’s best teams that will define both their seasons and their post season bowl rankings. Texas brings fantastic offensive and defensive lines into play and an unbelievably talented young QB to the party while Ohio State returns nearly everyone, has it’s QB situation now in hand, sports superb linebackers on “D” and world-class wide-outs on offense. But…they play in The Horseshoe. The long and short of this is that I see Texas losing to Ohio State here. Then Ohio State has trouble with Iowa and ultimately drops its season finale’ to Michigan in the Big House which takes the Buc’s out of the hunt while Texas rolls on from here but plays a mega-weak schedule…..thus putting both Texas and Ohio State out of the hunt for a Rose Bowl berth.

Other than these, the “must see” games for me all year are:
(1) LSU –vs- Auburn on Oct. 22 @ Death Valley. Were Saban at the helm for the Bayou Bengals I’d be more comfortable, but the 10-9 Auburn win last year and 130+ decibels in Death Valley’s North End year will be enough. GEAUX TIGERS!!!
(2) Bama –vs- Auburn on Nov 19 @ Jordan-Hare. Bama wants revenge but TS. Fly War Eagle!
(3) Boise St. –vs- Fresno State on Nov 12 @ Fresno. An aerial circus and bare-knuckled brawl all the way and for the WAC Title even though it’s early. Go Dawgs!
(4) Georgia –vs- Florida on Oct 29 in The Swamp. The annual hate spree made all the worse by last years 31-24 Georgia win. Go Gators!
(5) GA Tech –vs- Clemson on Oct 29 in Atlanta. Both in the top 25 and a real grudge match given last years 28-24 GA Tech win at Clemson. GO JACKETS!!!
(6) Tennessee –vs- Florida on Sept. 17 @ The Swamp. Especially after last years 30-28 Tennessee win in Knoxville. What a bar-fight this will be! GO VOLS!!!
(7) Miami –vs- VA Tech on Nov 5 in Blacksburg. Last year 16-10 advantage VA Tech. I’m going out on a limb here and say this year VA Tech surprises Miami again…and embarrassingly by more. Go Hokies!
(8) And lastly….every SEC game you can catch. Guys who are 3rd and 4th on the depth charts in the SEC could darn well start for clubs in other conferences. There IS no off week for any team this year in the SEC!

FIGHT ON!

John Poggendorf

Busy Busy

In an effort to provide the search engines with their much needed fresh daily content I write to you today only to let you know that there will be no blog entry for the day. We are just too damn busy here at Alpha Tickets. Please check back tomorrow. Later this week we will have a guest entry from my good and knowledgeable friend John Poggendorf of Prescott, AZ. John will update all of you on what we can expect when the pigskin hits the field in the NCAA this fall.

Adios!

NFL Tradesports/Ticket Reserve Update

Here we are in August with training camp almost over and the first pre-season NFL games fast approaching. Things are heating up and teams are starting to come together. Consequently we have started to see some action and minor changes in the markets for conference champions. Both conferences still favor the same teams but there has been some movement amongst some other teams that we have no discussed here yet.

Below I will list the Tradesports and Ticket Reserve prices for specific teams to reach the Super Bowl. The Tradesports prices are prices of 0-100 contracts that will trade all season long and if the underlying team wins the conference the contract will expire at a value of 100, and if not 0. In the meantime, the prices of the contracts will fluctuate with the fortunes of the team. One way to look at it is if the Eagles are 26.8/29.7 that means it would cost you 29.7 per contract and that the price reflects that bettors see the Eagles as a 30% chance to win the conference. The Ticket Reserve prices are prices for what they call Fan Forwards. A Fan Forward gives the holder the right to purchase one Super Bowl ticket at face value if the underlying team on the contract reaches the Super Bowl by winning its conference championship.

NFC Tradesports Ticket Reserve


Philadelphia Eagles 26.8/29.7 699

Atlanta Falcons 9.5/10.9 100

Minnesota Vikings 9.6/11.7 125

Carolina Panthers 8.6/9.9 125

AFC

Indianapolis Colts 17.0/20.9 225

New England Patriots 18.0/18.9 369

Pittsburgh Steelers 9.0/10.9 245

Baltimore Ravens 9.7/11.9 99

I am here to go on record as saying there is only one way the Indianapolis Colts make it to the Super Bowl and it is the same way the Atlanta Falcons will have to do it. Home Field Advantage throughout the playoffs.

Until tomorrow - Adios!

She's Back!

All of us here at Alpha Tickets were very relieved on Friday when Ainu appeared again for her second post. While we were concerned that she may have killed herself after her inaugural blog it appears that she is only minorly disturbed and claims to find humor in the dark side of life. We here at Alpha Tickets can certainly appreciate the dark side of life since we work inside of it everyday. You can check out the warm currents blog at http://kuroshio.blogspot.com/.

If you read my blog from last week about forcing Nature's hand it seems to have worked. Temperatures here in the Southeast have come down by about ten degrees since I started drinking brown liquor again. Hell, it was even cool enough on Friday that I fished in the afternoon. I went out with my good and helpful friend Joel Pharr and we caught a slew of bass on a variety of different soft baits. I landed a 5lber on a YUM dinger! The world of soft plastic baits is an ever growing world and it includes some of the craziest product names. I will soon be devoting an entire blog to soft plastic baits for your amusement.

The Brickyard 400 is this weekend and we are in the late stages of covering orders. The event is following the same predictable pattern which is buy them at less than face and try like hell to get face out of them. If you have to send them to the street, May God Bless you, because more than likely they will come right back to you unsold like a boomerang.

The PGA Championship is almost here starting next Monday at Baltusrol in Springfield, NJ. The tickets for this event are also predictably below face with the exception being the Sunday ticket which is the only day that is sold out. The Sunday tickets are going for around $130 for the grounds pass which puts it significantly above face value. Tiger Woods is hot, can he do it again?

Until tomorrow - Adios!