Yahoo! Sports reported recently that Reggie Bush will be stripped of his Heisman award he won back in 2005. They quoted two anonymous sources as proof that the Heisman trust (the voters) will strip Bush of the award soon. USC, Bush’s university, has been sanctioned by the NCAA for recruiting violations and Bush was a considerable part of that.
Since this report, Yahoo! has received tons of traffic and this story has been picked up by a zillion newspapers, websites, bloggers and forums. Kudos to Charles Robinson for writing such a far reaching story. Few can do that.

Here’s the “rub” here though-
The Heisman is not an award someone wins by running a race. Bush didn’t run 100 meters faster than anyone else and consequently win a gold medal.
The Heisman award is not even for the best college football player, but for the most outstanding-a completely subjective term.
The Heisman award is voted upon by a committee aka as a trust. The committee, like any voters, is supposed to research each player and form their opinion of the winner based upon that research.
Suppose a voter finds out the President of the United States was once a shady politician. Can he take his vote back? Are the voters in America allowed to re-vote after they find out this news? Of course not.
No one that follows college football thinks that the Heisman trust is the body of the NCAA that investigates recruiting violations, so why act like they should have known now?
Stripping an athlete of the honor of winning an award five years after he won it is a “bush league” tactic to try and make those that voted for him feel better.
It will not change the fact that Bush won a highly debated vote between he and Vince Young.
It won’t change that he was virtually unstoppable at USC. I mean he was outstanding! And the award is supposed to go to the most outstanding college football player.
The best player win the Walter Camp award, not the Heisman. This one was voted upon already. There’s no do-overs, that’s bush league.

Another former Brooklyn Cyclone, Dillon Gee, made his major league debut for the Mets tonight against the Washington Nationals. He was opposed by Cuban defector Yunesky Maya, who also made his major league debut.

Before he even threw his first pitch in the big leagues, Gee was staked to an early 3-0 lead on a 3-run first inning homer by Ike Davis. Davis crushed Maya’s offering deep into the center field bleachers for his 18th home run of the year.

Unlike the other Mets’ starters, Gee benefited from actually pitching with the lead. I wonder how Johan Santana feels that the Mets rarely score for him and meanwhile they are plating three runs early for some rookie making his debut.

That being said, Gee looked fantastic tonight, not allowing a hit through the first five innings. Imagine: the Mets haven’t had a pitcher throw a no-hitter in their 48 year history, but could Gee, making his major league debut, be the first?

Naturally, Mets’ fans will have to wait at least one more day, as Met killer Willie Harris led off the sixth inning with a home run. The homer was the only run allowed by Gee, who finished with seven innings pitched, two hits, one run, three walks, and four strikeouts. He looked very impressive tonight and hopefully can string together a few quality starts as the season winds down.

Gee bares some similarity, in my mind at least, to former Mets’ starter Rick Reed, who pitched for the team in the late 1990s-early 2000s. Reed was a control specialist who did not overpower hitters but relied more on hitting his spots. Though he had three walks, Gee strikes me as someone who lives and dies by his control. A more contemporary example would be Tom Glavine. Let’s just say Glavine was not too prone to hitting his spots, especially in the unspeakable final game of the 2007 season.

Gee also smacked an RBI single in the second inning, adding to his terrific night.

Rarely does a player collect his first big league win, hit, and RBI in the same night, but Gee was truly something else.

Before we get too excited about Gee, let’s see how he fares in his next few starts. But I do have to say, he certainly earned those next few starts with his performance tonight.

Officially ranked as the 31st most valuable NFL franchise, the Jacksonville Jaguars are pleased to announce they will be hosting a sold out event this coming Sunday when the Jaguars kick off their season against the Denver Broncos. The Jaguars didnt lead the league in any team or individual stats in the 2009-2010 season, but did finish on top when it came to game blackouts last season. I caught up with Gil Flores from the team’s message board and asked her from a fan’s point of view, what really was the problem last season?

“Last year’s blackouts were a direct result of the fans’ lack of confidence in the Jaguars’ Front Office to put a competive team on the field. Several years of watching the Jaguars Personnel Department waste picks on reaches and trade away picks for unproductive choices are over. There’s a newly found sense of trust due to the hard work put in by Gene Smith. He makes draft choices to help the team, not to make coaches or fans happy. A good roster helps a team to win, and winning solves everything, including a blackout problem.”

The marketing team and ticket sales department really struck gold this season as commissioner Roger Goodell labeled the “Teal Deal” the best marketing package ever offered to NFL fans. With this new package, each fan that buys a multi-game package will receive a coupon book that has over 300 discounts to locally well known establishment throughout the city.

The Jaguars, looking to start off the season with a win will be very eager to hit the field for many reasons. After playing two seasons in a stadium that was nameless, it will be nice to be a part of the new Jag era playing on now what is called, “Everbank Field”.  New logos and signing package around the stadium will join the Jaguars as they take the field. Along with all this excitement, they will also welcome in college local phenom Tim Tebow.

Tebow will be listed as the back up for Denver, but that wont stop the cheers around Everbank Field for the Former Florida Gator. Many Jacksonville Jaguar Fans wanted the QB as their first overall but General Manager Gene Smith didn’t see the value at pick 10 in this year’s past draft. It should be interesting to see if the 304 pound Tyson Alualu can get to starting QB Kyle Orton for his first official NFL sack. Denver’s offense has looked good over the past month, reports show if the Jags can not get pressure up from; they will be in for a long day.

Match-Ups to Watch:

Broncos: Kyle Orton Vs Jaguars Front 4
Jaguars: VERY YOUNG secondary Vs Denver’s new WR look
Jaguars: Maurice Jones Drew injured Knee Vs Denver Defense

Predicted Score: Denver 24 Jacksonville 17

Jacksonville and it's fans will welcome in the first round pick with open arms, even if his plays will be limited

Tim Tebow- NFL Draft 2010- Denver Broncos

When you win 3 conference titles in four years all eyes are on you, every team gets up when they play you. When a team feels they are the new team to beat, they talk smack about how it is your turn to step aside, and this is their year. CMU has been that team in the MAC for the last four years, and everyone else has been trying to knock them off. Temple is the first MAC team that gets a chance this year and they are also a team that has done a lot of talking, well at least their fans have. Coming in to the year Temple was the preseason pick to win the MAC east, and the MAC title overall, and it didn’t take long for their fans to post stuff on CMU message boards, it happened before the teams first games of the year last Thursday. Both teams beat FCS teams, CMU did have the easier game vs Hampton, while Temple had the defending FCS champs Villanova and had some problems with them, winning only 31-24. But this Thursday we will all see for ourselves which team is the early favorite to win the MAC. CMU has never lost to Temple, they have only played them twice, and both of those times CMU was led by Dan LeFevour at QB, who is the FBS leader in total touchdowns and is now with the Bengals.

Temple is led by talented Running Back Bernard Pierce, who had only 75 yards on 20 carries vs Nova ‘a down game for him. Pierce had a great freshman year which made the Temple folk start a Heisman campaign for him. I will say this about him, he is a good running back, but he will not win the Heisman, he will not even be in the top ten, let alone the top 5. In saying that, he is someone that the CMU defense will have to keep a close eye on. Luckily CMU is led by the best defensive player in the conference in my eyes in Nick Bellore. All Bellore did in his first game this year was have 11 tackles has he led his defense to a shutout. Temple will be much better then Hampton, but CMU is use to winning, and even though they have some new faces at some important postitons, QB being the most obvious, they have enough winners on this team, that they will be ready to play. The game is on ESPNU and this team will be eager to show that they are still the team to beat in the MAC.

One place where Temple should have a big advantage is in the kicking game. Temple’s kicker  sophomore Brandon McManus made 4 field goals on Thursday where CMU’s true freshmen kicker Paul Mudgett was only 1 for 4 on field goals himself. If the game comes down to field goals you have to give Temple the edge. I of course have confidence in CMU and will pick them to win until I see them lose a MAC game, it hasn’t happened in over a year. I think both teams will come out ready to play, and the defences will control the game early while the offences settle in. CMU needs to take care of the ball, but if they do that, I think they can go to a prefect 3-0 vs the Owels and come back to Mt. Pleasant with a 24-17 win.

I have been tardy in my posts the past week, so it’s time to catch up.  This post will cover 3 subjects; 1) The 49ers final preseason game against the Chargers, 2) notable roster cuts and 3) my game by game perditions.

Preseason Game #4 vs. the Chargers

The victory over the Chargers was the last piece to a perfect preseason.  Whoopee…it’s the preseason.  What I did like is how the defense protected a 3-point lead in the 4^th quarter with the Chargers pushing.

Anthony Dixon showed some speed, agility and power when he broke a 46 yard touchdown run.  I’m excited to see what he will do in the regular season.

I think the 49ers showed they have the schemes that complement the players’, skills and players are buying into the systems.  It is fair to have high expectations for this squad.

Notable Roster Cuts

On Saturday, September 3^rd, teams had to have their roster down to their final 53.  The two most notable were 4th year man WR Jason Hill, and 5^th year man RB Michael Robinson.  The release of Robinson solidifies Dixon as the number 3 running back, but you will see Dixon and Brian Westbrook splitting time behind Frank Gore.  Don’t forget the inverted wishbone formation.

The 49ers made another cut on Monday, September 6^th, when they cut 3^rd string QB Nate Davis.  This cut signifies my first official case of being wrong, but trust me, it won’t be the last.  I was of the opinion that Davis could be the 2^nd string QB.  Coach Singletary did not hide his frustration with Davis’ slow development.  The 49ers then went and signed Heisman trophy winner Troy Smith to a one year deal.

My Season Predictions

I am going to put my Swami hat on and predicted which games the 49ers will win and lose this year.  I give you full permission to call me out if I am way off, but in return you will need to give credit for anything I get right.  Here we go;

Week 1 – San Francisco at Seattle – WIN

Week 2 – New Orleans at San Francisco – Lose

Week 3 – San Francisco at Kansas City – WIN

Week 4 – San Francisco at Atlanta – Lose

Week 5 – Philadelphia at San Francisco – WIN

Week 6 – Oakland at San Francisco – WIN

Week 7 – San Francisco at Carolina – WIN

Week 8 – Denver at San Francisco (in Wembley Stadium) – WIN

Week 9 – Bye Week

Week 10 – St. Louis at San Francisco – WIN

Week 11 – Tampa Bay at San Francisco – WIN

Week 12 – San Francisco at Arizona – WIN

Week 13 – San Francisco at Green Bay – Lose

Week 14 – Seattle at San Francisco – WIN

Week 15 – San Francisco at San Diego – Lose

Week 16 – San Francisco at St. Louis – WIN

Week 17 – Arizona at San Francisco – WIN

Final Record 12 – 4

This concludes my preseason review.  Keep an eye out for my Week 1 preview on the game against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Tuna is done.  Bill Parcells has handed over control of the Miami Dolphins to GM Jeff Ireland. Parcells will remain a team consultant.

Parcells inherited a Dolphins team that was 1-15 and turned them into an 11-5 division champ.  Over the past few seasons, Parcells has whipped out his Rolodex and brought over many players and personnel he has had success with before, most notably from the Dallas Cowboys.

While Parcells is football royalty and has made many great decisions, the team could really use more seasoned veterans to teach the team’s many youngsters a thing or two.   The Dolphins have been making questionable cuts recently, including those of Nate Ness, Charles Grant, and David Martin.

To Jeff Ireland:  We’re counting on you to get this team into shape and make a Super Bowl run. We want you to end up more like Albacore and less like Anchovy.

What a Labor Day! Accompanied by pulled pork sandwiches, salsa, football-shaped oreos, WAY too much soda, and wonderful friends last night, I watched with bated breath as the Boise State Broncos took on the Virginia Tech Hokies in Landover, Maryland.

Let me start off by saying that I honestly cannot decide whether to kill Kellen Moore or marry him. Last night’s MVP nearly gave me a heart attack when he waited until the last 2 minutes of the game to show what he’s really made of.

The Broncos started the game strong, recovering a Virginia Tech fumble within the first minute of the game and cashing in on a field goal from the 44 yard line. Then, on the next VT drive, the Broncos tackled Ryan Williams for a loss as well as sacking Tyrod Taylor. To make it even sweeter, Austin Pettis (the one, the only, the AWESOME) blocked the punt. Yeah, that’s right. He BLOCKED a punt during “Beamer-ball”. One play later, he was hoisting a touchdown catch from Kellen Moore high into the humid air. After holding the Hokies yet again, Boise State took a rare sack and had to punt. Of course, they could always count on a friendly Virginia Tech player to rough the kicker and commit a personal foul all in the same play. 20 free yards and a pass interference call later, the Broncos scored another touchdown to go up 17-0 at the end of the first quarter.

I was feeling pretty darn good at this point. Up 17-0 is a very cushy place to be. To my eternal regret, I remarked to a friend sitting next to me that as long as we didn’t blow our lead like in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, we would be just fine for the rest of the game.

Famous last words, I know.

JINX! The Hokies came into the 2nd quarter as a completely different team. Tyrod Taylor started scrambling (forgive me for wishing he’d break his legs a few times during the game) and passing and Ryan Williams pulled out some crazy rushes. . . for a touchdown. “Oh well,” I thought. “It’s still a ten point lead. As long as we keep scoring, it doesn’t matter.” I felt even better when Kyle Brotzman drilled a 47 yard field goal and VT missed a 34 yard field goal. I really need to stop “feeling” and “thinking” during these crazy games. Three plays later, BSU fumbled the ball on the 39, giving VT EXCELLENT field position and handing them another touchdown, making the score 20-14. I admit, a few curse words entered my head at that point. Letting them get within one touchdown of us was not on my to-do list for the night.

During halftime, I fretted a bit, but managed to reassure myself that the Broncos had learned their lesson. After all, VT was committing penalties left and right. And we’d shut down their game for the most part. And Kellen Moore had yet to open up a can of whoop-a**. Right?

Wrong. BSU started out the half with two back to back penalties – an illegal block in the back and a false start – and had to punt it away. Virginia Tech had an unsuccessful drive and I silently (and not so silently) urged the Broncos to redeem themselves. Of course, once again I didn’t count on a holding penalty against us and Moore fumbling the ball after running into his own lineman, giving VT EXCELLENT field position and handing them another touchdown. (Is this sounding like deja vu or is it just me?)

This is where my nails began to disappear. (I just reexamined them and they’re bitten down to stubs.) Virginia Tech was AHEAD. Yes, it was only by one point, but they were AHEAD. We’d blown a 17 point lead. My Broncos eased my nerves a tiny bit when, three plays later, D.J. Harper rushed 71 yards for a touchdown. Everyone at the party was screaming so loud that we all went deaf and hoarse for a minute after that play. What a trooper! What a runner! Thank heaven for D.J. Harper! The extra point was blocked, but who cared? We were up again! The Broncos were far too smart to blow another lead or rack up more penalties!

Yeah. Right. Pass interference and roughing the kicker handed ANOTHER touchdown to Virginia Tech. Sure, we held them on the two-point conversion, but THEY WERE AHEAD AGAIN 27-26! Brotzman missing what should have been an easy 30 yard field goal did nothing to ease my nerves at that point. Then BSU roughed the passer, allowing VT to score a field goal and put them up 30-26, and almost made me lose it.

Another unsuccessful Bronco drive with 5 minutes left in the game was more than my nerves could handle. I packed up my computer and left the party, preferring to hear about the outcome hours later. I got back to my house and immediately began cleaning and packing things and ANYTHING to get my mind off of what could be the game that could ruin my whole year.

A few minutes later, I received a frenzied phone call from a friend telling me that BSU had just scored. I seized the remote and turned the TV on just in time to see the replay of Kellen Moore’s pass to Austin Pettis. YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! OH, KELLEN MOORE, YOU’VE FINALLY DECIDED TO SHOW THEM WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF-

Except he did it too quickly. Oh, Kellen, did you REALLY have to leave them a whole 1 minute and 9 seconds? Did you really have to make me worry excessively for that torturous minute? Three incomplete passes and a sack later, I was weak with relief as I called up my ex from Virginia to tell him that Boise State had won.

Thankfully, Boise State is heavily favored to win all of their upcoming games, with the only other challenge an Oregon State team that nearly toppled TCU on the road. However, knowing BSU’s record on the Blue, I’m not that worried. GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!

As a side note, my heart goes out to Wyoming, who we are playing next in Week 3. Three freshman players are injured and one is dead after a car crash in Colorado.

When and Where: 12 p.m. Saturday at Michie Stadium.

Series History: Hawai’i won the only meeting between the two schools, beating Army 59-28 in 2003.

Last Week: Hawai’i (0-1) lost 49-36 against USC. Army (1-0) defeated Eastern Michigan 31-27.

Matchup: Two very different styles of play offensively. Hawai’i used three different quarterbacks while racking up 588 yards total against USC last week. The Warriors threw for 459 yards. Army will keep the ball on the ground with their triple option attack and look to chew the clock. The Black Knights rushed for 308 yards against Eastern Michigan last Saturday. A key factor in the game will be the health of Hawai’i quarterback Bryant Moniz. Moniz left the game against USC with an apparent head injury, but judging by Rich Ellerson’s weekly press conference he is preparing as though Moniz will take the field against the Black Knights Saturday. Ellerson also spoke about the defensive scheme’s ability to adjust to different offenses, and that will certainly be necessary this week.

Player to Watch: FB Jared Hassin. Hassin was my player to watch last week and he delivered with three rushing touchdowns including the score that gave Army the lead for good against Eastern Michigan. Hassin was awarded the rivals.com Independent Player of the Week Award for his performance in his first collegiate game. Against a team like Hawai’i that can score fast and often it is important to control the pace of the game while also being productive with offensive possessions. Hassin is key here because effective inside running will open up the rest of the Army offense as it did last week.

Potential X-Factor: WR Kealoha Pilares. Slot receiver Kealoha Pilares caught five passes and racked up a career-high 176 yards receiving and scoring three touchdowns against the Trojans in week one. Pilares put his speed on display as he consistently beat the USC defensive backs. With much of the defensive attention focused on All-American Greg Salas, Pilares will have opportunities to make more big plays this Saturday.

Prediction: There will be an old school vs. new school feel to this game. Look for Army to chew the clock on offense while Hawai’i tries to strike quickly when it has the ball. It will be important for Army to keep Hawai’i off the board early because the Warriors have the ability to pile up points quickly and Army’s offense is not built to come back from multiple-score deficits. The Hawai’i defense did miss a good amount of tackles last week and if they are undisciplined in their assignments the Black Knights could hurt them on the ground. In the end I think the pure speed of Hawai’i will be too much for the Army defense. They will keep the game competitive though, despite the difference in speed. Rich Ellerson had a great quote in his weekly press conference about the resiliency Army showed last week:

“In terms of the team’s personality; their emotional resilience and the ability to hold onto their belief does not surprise me at all. I think that started last year, and it carried over to this bunch, and I would have been shocked and disappointed if that wasn’t the case. I knew they had that resilience and presence, and I knew they would fight through some adversity. We’re going to be in a fight like that every week, and if we don’t think so, we’ll get our hearts broken. But, I think our guys love that about themselves, and they like that about their teammates. We’ll always wish we were faster and stronger and smarter, but we’re not going to take a backseat to anyone in terms of competitiveness and resilience.”

Army will not back down in this game, but it will be a very tough matchup physically. Hawai’i 38, Army 21

The rest of the press conference can be found here.