A Few Thoughts and Links

*We have a new frontrunner for Dumbest Move of the Year.

*Florida DE Carlos Dunlap, village idiot. Five days before the biggest game of the year, this potential Top-5 pick not only decides to get drunk but then he decides to drive? Florida and (pushover) head coach Urban Meyer wisely suspended him from the Alabama game for being an idiot.

*Ken Davidoff echoes my sentiments on the Billy Wagner fiasco and Begie Molina idea.

*You are better than this, Tiger.

Vince Young, Theo Fleury and Some Cool Links

*Maybe there is hope for Vince Young after all (not on the field of course). Classy move.

*Theo Fleury was thisclose to making it back to the NHL. I would have loved to see that.

*This is incredible. I love the cackling.

*I love it when fans do stupid harmless things. This one might take the cake.

*If you hate punts, head down to Arkansas.

*Want to be a professional athlete? Don't expect to get rich or stay rich. I wish I could say that I used this as the basis for not pursuing a sports career. Unfortunately, it was really my lack of athletic talent that left me no choice.

*Wow.

*The proof is in the pudding. Please fire Omar.

Interesting Links et al

* Trivia Question: How many players from the 2003 NCAA Football Championship Game (Miami vs. Ohio State) have played in the NFL?

*Personally, I never grow sick of Wonderlic Test articles. Here's one that pacified me.

*Honey, I'm going to the game. I'll be back.... never.

*I'm a bit late to the party, but analyzing umpires seems like the next wave of sabermetrics. Along those lines, check out this article.

*This story is incredibly weird and not just becuase a 20-year old stud prospect has a 43-year old wife. Although Tabata might be older than his listed age, that's still a huge age gap.

*I need more details on this story. Specifically, what's the story with this scam? I am probably getting this wrong, but it seems like the scammers were trying to sell money in exchange for... money." Come over and buy our money at a discount."

*Trivia Answer: 51

Sports Pet Peeve and Some Links

--Sports Pet Peeve #38: The Big 10 calling itself the Big 10. Has anyone figured out why the Big 10 hasn't changed its name to the Big 11? There are 11 teams in the conference; the conference logo (see below) has the shadow of an "11." You promote yourselves as institutions of higher learning. Do the intelligent thing here.



--Great non-football related parody.

--Martin Havlat, you just made a lot of friends.

--Predictably, Ben Sheets and Oliver Perez are inching towards the Rangers and Mets, respectively.

--Pretty cool way to measure the level of dominance by pitchers.

50 Straight Losses and Thought Provoking Links

A Date with Infamy


After losing last night to Loyola, the N.J.I.T. Highlanders have lost 50 consecutive men's college basketball games, no small feat. Ironically, before this impressive run, Loyola was the last team to suffer even 31 straight defeats. I digress...at least temporarily.


How long will the streak last? Well, N.J.I.T. figures to lose again on Saturday against UPenn which would run the streak to 51 straight losses. But then comes the big one. Their best chance of winning (perhaps this entire season) comes on Wednesday, January 21, when they host the Bryant Bulldogs (2-17). In fact, I so firmly believe the Highlanders will win that I will waste, err, spend $1.75 on a PATH train ticket to watch it live. Why? Great question. Aside from watching history (if you can call it that), I will go because I attended the game in which Loyola ended its aforementioned 31-game losing streak, and it was an unbelievable experience.


The stage was set. Perennial MAAC doormats, the Marist Red Foxes, came to Loyola sporting a 5-12 record. The Greyhounds who were without a victory in almost a full calendar year jumped to an early lead and held on in front of a packed house of about 1000. As the final whistle blew, those in attendance rushed the court as if the Greyhounds had just won the National Title. This was the first and last time I was part of a court-rushing session. And it was awesome.

I'm holding out hope that I can do it again on Wednesday.



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Links

--Was "the clear" legal? You decide.

--Is Randy Levine a criminal? You decide.

--At least Domino's offers CinnaStix. The Mets' new patch offers nothing.

--I would watch. Would you?

--Loyal reader Matt Scally and blog favorite Keith Law think Tim Raines belongs in the HOF. Do you?

--Sir Charles has been bounced by T-Mobile which is a shame because I actually don't mind those "Fave 5" commercials.

--Keep up with Brandon Jennings here. He won't be confused with a poet laureate any time soon, but there are some interesting entries.

--Unibrowed Joe Flacco, 23 going on 43?

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Stat of the Day

--Each of the last four underclassmen that won the Heisman Trophy and then returned to school finished third in the voting the following year: Ty Detmer, Jason White, Matt Leinart and Tim Tebow.