The First SNL Appearance for a NASCAR Driver -- What's next, will he admit that he likes men?

Waddell Gets Win in Thrashers Coaching Debut -- Well, I guess the firing stirred the boys up. I for one am hoping for a decent follow up to Fraser, who I thought was a stand-up guy

Charlotte Buys Into The Tire Bowl -- It really IS a sports town, I know its hard to believe.


Saturday NFL Picks

Philadelphia (-2) at N.Y. Giants – Win and you are in for the Giants, who have been amazing as of late, I still like Andy Reid for coach of the year. Eagles are no pushover, and plying at the Meadowlands will not intimidate this team. Take the Eagles lay the 2
Winner – Philadelphia (+2)


Kansas City at Oakland (-7) -- Still no Priest for KC, and no Deion for the Raiders. The Chiefs can put up points in bunches. So the question becomes…can the Raiders score with them. I think so. Take the Raiders Straight up, but not the points.
Winner – Oakland


Just a reminder!

Donnan Out of Running for UK Job -- That means every publicly-announced cantidate has said he is not interested....Who The hell would take that job anyway?

UGA Opens the Checkbook for Richt -- Good move, way to go Dogs

One Down in Atlanta - Thrashers Fire Fraser -- Can Kreuger be far behind?

UPDATE- 5:40PM Two down.....None to go, first good call by AOL-TW in the past 2 months.

Jerry Lindquist -- One of the Best end of year columns I have seen

2 Sides to Every Story --
I sat at work last week, and watched a neat feature on SportsCenter about last year's Heisman Trophy winner, Eric Crouch. The way the story played out, you felt a lot of sympathy for a guy "that had always been a quarterback"(apparently not exactly the truth), and was "shocked and saddened"(again, untrue) to learn he was drafted as a wide receiver. Well apparently, according to the St. Louis Media, there are two sides to every story.

No Deion in Oaktown After All -- The Superchargers put the kaibosh on a Sanders return.

No Chow For Wildcats, Kentucky Goes to Bed Hungry -- I am just gonna say two words at this point....Jim Donnan

Monday Link-Up


Louisville Gets Their Man -- an SEC Guy, and Former Assistant returns to take the reigns of the Cardinals

More FSU Problems -- Another player suspended for Sugar Bowl

Kentucky's Search for a New Football Coach Plods On -- Mississippi's Cutcliffe Bows out. Can you just hire Jim Donnan and be done with it?

The NFL Playoff Picture is a (tiny) Bit Clearer -- Still Over half of the teams in contention.

Collegefootballnews.com -- Checking in with two good articles in the last few days
Cavalcade of Whimsy -- One of the most entertaining columns on the web.
2003 Heisman Preview -- Definitely a Must Read

A Good NY Times Piece on Point Shaving -- Nice of them to mention Florida State

Former Football Coach May Turn to Politics

Worried, With Good Reason -- How many chances do you get anyway?


That does it for me, if you spot something worth linking, throw it in here.....Happy Monday

Quick Hit On Chris Leak

I figured since I am telling his recruiting story, you should know how he is doing on the field. The NC/SC Shrine Bowl is one of the coolest high school traditions anywhere. Take the best players from North Carolina, Face them off against the pride of South Carolina in Charlotte. You have a recipe for one hell of a good football game (normally). Leak threw for 184 yards and three touchdowns, one shy of the all-star game record and was named N.C. offensive most valuable player. The North wins 28-0. It was the Tarheels' first victory since winning 38-20 in 1998, when they were led by a familiar name...Quarterback C.J. Leak, of Independence High.

Sunday Link Roundup

Mark Bradley of the AJC Speaks Out on the Braves Baffling Offseason
He hits the nail on the head, this is exactly what I would have said if I were paid to write.

Neon-Deion to Return for Playoffs?
Good, get him out of the studio, and let him get embarrased on the field.

More Bowl Talk
I never realized the story behind the Bacardi Bowl (played in Havana) was so damn funny.

The Chris Leak Saga Part 1

One of the best features on ESPN.com this season has been the Blue Chip Diaries. Watching first hand what these kids go through, what they are thinking has been really cool.

Chris Leak is the #2 Ranked quarterback in the country. The kid has won three North Carolina state championships, and is Mr. Football in North Carolina this year. His recruiting experience has been something akin to a Shakespearian three act. You may remember the name Leak. His brother, C.J. is a quarterback as well. A bench warmer for the Phillip Fulmer over in Knoxville. This is where things got complicated for Chris. Lets Take a look at how this grand drama unfolded.

Diary #1 -- August 29th -- Just a general hello from Chris, a little glimpse into his mind. We see an intense competitor, and maybe just a little of a me-first attitude, from the prep star.

Diary #2 – September 5th – Analysis of the rivalry game. First mention of Tennessee.

“Last Sunday, both Phillip Fulmer, the head coach at Tennessee and Randy Sanders, the offensive coordinator, called to wish me luck as well. My Dad and I went to the Vols' game against Wyoming in Nashville last Saturday. We had tickets on the 50-yard line, which was quite a perk. I had never had such great seats before. It was a great game, especially since my brother C.J. got in during the third quarter and made some things happen. Fulmer and Sanders not only wanted to make sure that I enjoyed the game, but, more importantly, they told me I'm their No. 1 prospect -- that they want me more than any other player in the country. For any coach to say that, right now, this early in the game, means so much. It's a great feeling and it's good to know that my hard work is paying off.
I know through my brother's recruiting process that coaches will tell you want you want to hear. I know that they will tell 10 different guys that they are that school's No. 1. But for Tennessee to lay that on the line this early is really special. It is the only school to tell me I'm their No. 1.”


Are you paying attention? There are important things going on here.

#1 First mention of Daddy Leak. He dominated C.J.’s recruitment. Which is a story in itself. C.J. Committed to Notre Dame, changed his commitment on signing day and went to Wake Forest. Started for Wake, before suffering a horrible injury, and transferring to the Vols.

#2 Telling you what you want to hear. That has a HUGE impact on the Leak Recruiting Process.


Remember this Later.


This is Part one of a Special Feature, a glimpse into the Chris Leak Recruiting process. The series ends with the expected announcement of a Commitment January 5th.

Ahhhh Christmas Parties

Great for seeing folks that you don't see very often, and for getting some decent scoop.

Backstory: I have a cousin, a big football guy with ties inside both UGA and FSU. Good guy, and one hell of a high school football player Unfortunately he had a child, didn't really like the books, and never played college ball.

The Scoop: The Adrian McPhearson/FSU gambling story....is much bigger than it appears. A source of his inside the FSU Athletics Department says that the investigation is going to eventually end on allegations of point shaving. McPhearson missing a pass here, a fumble there. All very nasty stuff. If it turns out to be true, FSU is in for some very hard times.

Football Recruiting:
Dogs Push for the Nation's Top Class

With Sean Bailey in hand, Ernie Sims Could push Georgia to the top of the recruiting world.
Several seasons of top classes have the Bulldogs riding high. Richt has continued excellent recruiting by both Goff (man, I just said excellent and Goff in the same sentence) and Donnan. For those of you (Gabe) who don't think Georgia is gonna stay at the top of the SEC for a while. Look closer, what you see will suprise you

Parkview Extends Winning Streak (45-0) Wins Another Georgia State Title
This is just an amazing high school program.