Duke Lacrosse Accuser Writing A Memoir

You have got be kidding me?!? I would rather read the memoir of the Little Boy Who Cried Wolf Too Many Times... At least that children's story is older than 29 year of age unlike Crystal Mangum.

Crystal Mangum is the stripper who falsely accused three Duke Lacrosse players of raping her in a bathroom after she performed for a private party. Her accusations quickly sent these three young men's live on a downward spiral. Mangum changed her story repeatedly as the investigation went on. An investigation that would have not seen the light of day had it not been a re-election year for the District Attorney Mike Nifong, who was obviously trying to gain the support of minorities in the area. Charges were finally dropped over a year later when Mangum declared that she did not know for sure whether she had been raped.

If this lady can write a book, then OJ Simpson should also be allowed to release his book about how he did not kill Nichole Brown, but if he did, this is how he would have done it.

Lorenzo Washington Moved To Defensive End

A great story appeared in today's Press-Register about Coach Saban being unable to sleep (Oh My Gosh... He's Human)Saban Loses Sleep, and getting out of bed to go over a few things.

After making a list of defensive linemen and linebackers, Saban decided to move Lorenzo Washington to defensive end. Since Washington was the lone starting defensive tackle in what was Saban's newly introduced 3-4 defense, this is a pretty big move.

I don't know what this means for the defensive end position, but what this does tell me is that Terrance Cody and Josh Chapman are doing great at defensive tackle. That is great news since Cody is new to the Alabama Team after transferring from a JUCO program and Josh Chapman is a red shirt freshman. It's obvious these two young men are making great strides.

Fantasy Sleepers

I decided to get away from college football for a second and talk about something else that makes football season more enjoyable, Fantasy Football. Although I have never won my league, I have some how managed to get second every year I have played. Not many would be proud of this, but I like being consistent. I thought I would give you a list of the players that may still be on the board in the 4th round on. So dorks, take your contacts out and grab your retainers because the Fantasy Drafts are starting. Here are some of my sleeper picks.


Willis McGahee (RB, Baltimore Ravens): Although McGahee will probably be take by the 3rd round, he is destined to have a big season. Why you ask? Two words: Lorenzo Neal. That's right, the man that led the way for Eddie George, Corey Dillon and Ladainian Tomlinson to Pro Bowl seasons is now blocking for McGahee.


Anthony Gonzalez (WR, Indianapolis Colts): With Harrison's career beginning to slow down and Reggie Wayne getting all of the attention from DBs, Anthony Gonzalez is set to increase his production from a stellar rookie season.


Chris Henry (WR, Cincinnatti Bengals): He might be a trouble maker off the field, but as long as Chad Johnson is out with a hurt shoulder he is going to causing trouble for many secondaries through out the NFL.


Ricky Williams (RB, Miami Dolphins): He's had his problems in the past, but he's looking very good this preseason. With Ronnie Brown coming back from a tough injury, Williams could become the feature back in this offense.


Leonard Pope (TE, Arizona Cardinals): Pope, an athletic 6-8, 250lbs. TE out of Georgia, is about to enter his 3rd season and I feel like he is going to have a breakout season. You might not want to listen to me on this one because I thought he was going to have a great season last year.


Chris Johnson (RB, Tennessee Titans): Although LenDale White is not the fastest man in the NFL, he is quick for his size. Chris Johnson will give the Titans a dramatic change of pace with his 4.24 sec. 40 yard dash he ran at the Rookie Combine. The Titans love to run the ball and unlike Reggie Bush, another quick RB/WR, Johnson can run between the tackles.



Rashard Mendenhall (RB, Pittsburgh Steelers): Mendenhall is going to be a great compliment to Willie Parker's quick speed. Mendenhall has had a difficult time in camp getting his timing down, but I strongly feel like he will be in a rhythm by week 2 or 3.


Bo Scaife (TE, Tennessee Titans): Yes... Yes... I know that the Titans added Alge Crumpler, but I can guarantee you that Vince Young is not going to leave his fellow Longhorn teammate empty handed.


Michael Bush (RB, Oakland Raiders): Bush had to take last season off recovering from a broken leg he received his last year at Louisville. Although McFadden is the future of the team, the Raiders didn't chose this guy, knowing he was going to have to sit out an entire year, for nothing. Bush has something to prove to the NFL as well as himself.


Donte Stallworth (WR, Cleveland Browns): Stallworth was able to make a few big plays while fighting for PT in last year's New England Patriot's crowded receiving core. He is going to get more playing time this season and many open looks with Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow getting most of the attention.

It's Just A Game

What do you think Walter Camp would think if he was able to see the monster known as College Football today? You may be asking yourself, who is Walter Camp? He is known as the "Father of American Football". Camp entered Yale in 1876 and served as the Yale Football Team's Captain from 1878-1879. For over 50 years, he served on many different football rules committees. On top developing what would become a multi-billion dollar sport, Camp was also a journalist. At the time of his death in 1925, he had write nearly 30 book and over 250 article -- many of which appeared in Harper's Weekly.

Now that I have introduced you to Mr. Camp, what do you think he would think knowing that lives of journalists and their families are threatened every year because of the game he made such great contributions to build up? Host of The Big Tailgate on
WPTF-AM in Raleigh, N.C., Taylor Zarzour, has received multiple death threats for leaving #7 West Virginia, #10 Auburn and #18 Tennessee off of his voting list for the Associated Press' Preseason Top 25. Although I do believe all three of those teams deserve to be included in the Preseason Top 25, in no way do I believe that Zarzour, his wife or his children deserve to be threatened over a list that ultimately has no significance... Or at least it doesn't have any significance when compared to a human life.

The next time you get angry about a bad call, a bad remark, a bad play or whatever else can possibly happen to upset you over a football game, remember that this money tree known as College Football was once just a bunch of overgrown kids playing for the pure love of the game. It was not about advertising dollars, paths to the NFL or recruiting. It was strictly college students playing to pass their free time

Saban On The Cover of Forbes

I have been hearing all day about the Saban article in which he is also on the cover of Forbes. This is a pretty big distinction not only because it labels him as The Most Powerful Coach in Sports, but also because he is the first ever coach to make the cover of the magazine which was founded in 1917.

The second distinction I gave you is the most important of the two. Although the way Forbes decided he was The Most Powerful Coach In Sports was through a mathematical formula, it was a formula they created though mathematical variables they feel are important. These variable are an opinion.

I also have a feeling that too many people who follow sports, this is not a big dealto them unless they are fans of an SEC school. Why not a big deal to the rest of the nation? Let me answer that questions with a question. How many people do you know that actually subscribe to Forbes? How many of you actually read more than five copies of Forbes before the Saban issue?

Many have started to question whether the article is a negative for Alabama Football and I say that is To Be Determined. The determining factor is how fans would react if we had an 8-4 or 9-3 season (which to me 9-3 is not bad). It is important to remember that just because out coach is on the cover of Forbes, we are still a work in progress.

I really enjoyed the article and I thought I would give you some excerpts that I feel put to rest many negative rumors people use to put Saban in a negative light.

Football finances 77% of the athletic department, bankrolling nonrevenue sports like swimming and softball. It also has kicked back millions of dollars to university academic programs

Why do Ivy League schools even bother to field teams that are never going to win a bowl game? It keeps the alumni money flowing. That's how you pay for the English department

-University of Alabama president, Robert Witt

Witt can also argue that not a penny of Saban's salary comes from either students or taxpayers. It comes from Athletic department revenue, which consists of broadcasting fees, as sponsors, donations from "boosters"...ticket sales and shoe and apparel endorsements.

While with the Dolphins, he turned down an invitation to dine with President Bush so as not to miss practice.

I find it hard to believe that many coaches would be so determined to win that they would turn down dinner with the President.

Goalline Troubles?

A few days ago,I read Bama On-line's report about the first pre-season scrimmage that took play last Saturday (8/09/2008) and there is one part of the report I am having a difficult time getting out of my head. It is the part that goes:

"Terrence Cody has shown progress in the middle. The defense stopped them first and [goal] at the one four straight times with him in the middle knocking them back," Saban said.

This is alarming to me because it reminds me of two years ago when Alabama was almost unable to score in the red zone. Maybe Terrance Cody is that good of a player, but I find it hard to believe that a JUCO Transfer can stop an offense four straight times at the one yard line.

The good news is that this is just the pre-season and this is the time to make mistakes and correct them.

Some Good News On The Defensive Side

The latest rumors coming out of Tide preseason camp is that Josh Chapman has made real strides in his game over the offseason. It is real early in the camp, but reports at the moment have the redshirt freshman making a significant contribution this upcoming fall.

This is great news for the Alabama Nation which is hoping to hear more news like this about their shallow defensive. With Chapman stepping up, that would give a great three man rotation at the nose guard position when you throw Booker and JUCO newcomer Terrance Cody into the mix.

I will give you more news as I hear it.