Antonio Smith taking shot at NFL
Posted by Rickey Hampton | The Flint Journal January 13, 2008 12:03PM
Antonio Smith has spent his high school, college and professional basketball career snaring rebounds. In his new career, the former Northern High and Michigan State star is looking forward to snaring a few touchdown passes.
Smith, 31, who has played professional basketball in the CBA and overseas abroad since 1999, is planning to give the National Football League a shot.
He plans to participate in the upcoming MSU pro day and hopes to land a spot on an NFL roster for the 2008 season as a tight end. Smith, who actually grew an inch to 6-foot-9, and two shoe sizes from 13 to 15, played football briefly during his high school days at Northern.
"It's something I've always thought about doing, but I was always busy with basketball," said Smith "I decided that this would be the time to try it, before I got too old.
"I want to give it my best shot. I don't want to not try, and live the rest of my life wondering if I could've done it. I am confident. There is no question in my mind that I can do this."
Ordinarily, a 31-year-old trying to make it as a rookie in the NFL would have practically no chance.
But Smith, who checks in at 255 pounds, is an extraordinary athlete with all the physical abilities, including strength to take -- and hand out -- the grueling punishment that is part of the NFL.
He has that NFL gene pool running through his body. His older brother, Fernando, played seven years in the NFL. His younger brother, Robaire, just finished his eighth NFL season with the Cleveland Browns.
Fernando and Robaire were known for their size and athleticism. But Antonio is the best athlete in the family.
"I understand what it takes," said Smith. "I've studied the game. I've looked through my brother's playbooks over the years just to get an understanding of the terminology and how the game works. So, it won't be as new to me as people think."
Picking up the game won't be a problem. Smith's athletic intelligence is one of his greatest assets. It's no reason to think it won't translate to another sport.
During his career at MSU, Izzo raved about Smith's understanding of all the nuances of the game. When Smith spent last season working as a graduate assistant, Izzo said he could be a great coach because of his intelligence and leadership abilities. In fact, Izzo credited Smith, who played at MSU from 1995-99, for rejuvenating MSU basketball.
"He was the guy who started the whole thing," said Izzo, of the championship-caliber teams, keyed by the famed Flintstones. "Even though the (Mateen) Cleaves class gets all the credit, Antonio probably dragged everybody here."
Smith hasn't ruled out a career in coaching at some point. But one thing he knows he wants to do when his athletic career is over is work with the young people in the Flint community.
"Momma Cleaves (the late Fran, mother of Mateen) used to talk to me about the importance of giving back to where you come from," he said. "That has always stayed with me and I want to do just that. I'd like to open up a gym and have programs available for kids. I want them to know there are a lot of positive things in life beyond sports.
"And when I get that gym opened, I am going to dedicate it to her."
Smith's dream of playing in the NFL is a longshot, but it's by no means impossible.
This soft-spoken, "Gentle Giant," as Mateen used to call him, is a tremendous competitor. He has all the attributes an NFL player needs -- size, speed, athletic ability, leadership and character.
Only time, which he doesn't have a lot of, will tell if that's enough to earn him a place in the National Football League.
If there is an athlete who can make such a longshot happen, it is Antonio Smith. I won't be betting against him.
(c)2008 mlive.com. All Rights Reserved.
Sports Central's 2007 Year in Review (Pt. 2)
By Marc James
Monday, December 31, 2007
2007 was a monumental year for Sports Central. We published over 500 original stories and had a record 3.4 million visits. As we head into 2008 and get ready to celebrate our 10th year online in August, let's pause and remember the most memorable stories we ran in 2007.
This is part two of a two-part series. If you're new to the site, you're sure to find some hidden gems in our archives, so enjoy and happy New Year!
July
Is Chris Benoit Really Sports News? - The mainstream sports media has cracked open its file on professional wrestling's many tragedies, and SC's Greg Wyshynski tries to understand why they care and what they're attempting to say about Chris Benoit's place in that horrific history.
The Value of the No. 1 Pick - Greg Oden is now a Trail Blazer. But will the pick really shape the future of the franchise? Is Greg Oden the next Tim Duncan or Kwame Brown? A quick look back at the draft over the last 10 years reveals the first pick isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
Jordan vs. Beckham - Soccer superstar David Beckham has some people believing that he's bigger than Michael Jordan ever was in basketball. But in this latest edition of the Jester's Quart, SC's Greg Wyshynski respectfully begs to differ, and tells us why.
Debunking Tennis' Biggest Myths - Roger Federer, a failure on clay? Rafael Nadal can't play on any surface other than clay? Rod Laver was lucky to win his titles? It seems that if some fallacies are repeated often enough, casual tennis fans begin to view them as a fact, says SC's Mert Ertunga.
August
10 Tips For Striking Fantasy Football Gold - With the NFL's preseason schedule getting underway, SC's Matt Thomas visits the world of fantasy football, offering up his 10 secrets to creating a successful fantasy draft. These tips are not to be ignored if you are serious about winning your league.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Biggest Snubs - The Pro Football Hall of Fame held its annual induction ceremony on Saturday, adding six members to its storied fraternity. But many worthy players and coaches remain on the outside, looking in. SC's Brad Oremland breaks down the Hall's biggest snubs.
Hypocrisy, Culture, Murder, and Vick - It's not that what Mike Vick did was right. It's just that few of us, depending on how we kill animals for entertainment ourselves, are in a good position to condemn him. SC's Kevin Beane passes out some condemnations of his own in the Slant Pattern.
September
A Quest For Something Lost - Nearly half of NFL training camps have moved into year-round facilities, pushing the intimate campus setting to the brink of extinction. With the Giants and Jets soon to follow, SC's Bob Ekstrom takes a pilgrimage through NY and reflects on this passage of summer.
McNabb and the Racist Fans - SC's Greg Wyshynski weighs in on Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb's comments about the way black quarterbacks are treated and looks at fans who choose to use racial slurs to criticize them. Is this much ado about nothing?
Fantasy Sports Takes Another Victim - Millions of men and women play some fantasy sport. SC's Jeff DiNunzio was never one of them, until now. See how he got addicted to fantasy sports, and drafted a squad of NHL players that threatens every fantasy veteran in his league.
October
An American's Sports Odyssey Into Soccer - SC's Ross Lancaster has been a bona fide soccer nut for nearly five years. Read to see just how this happened, and what challenges following "The Beautiful Game" poses for someone who still loves the American sports traditions of football and basketball.
Farewell Baseball, From Yours Truly - Goliath got up with just a bruise, took his sword, killed David, and fed his flesh to the birds and wild animals. Sound familiar? No? Then you must not be a baseball fan. But this playoff season, SC's Alvin Chang is breaking off his relationship with baseball.
November
Tennis Match-Fixing? Don't Believe It - Betting has been the latest issue on the table for professional tennis. But did it really need to be the huge issue in the media? SC's Mert Ertunga explains why the match-fixing question is overrated and how the ATP let it become that way.
Can LeBron Average a Triple-Double? - When LeBron James was entering the NBA and analysts said he could average a triple-double, SC's Alvin Chang thought they were crazy. He thought it was just one of those things people said to emphasize how good a player really is. But LeBron just might do it.
December
Limiting the Sean Taylor Impact - In this week's Jester's Quart, SC's Greg Wyshynski believes there are three reasons why the impact of Sean Taylor's tragic death was diminished, and lays the blame on the Washington, DC media's constant Redskins saturation.
The Annual Tennis Holiday Wish List - As 2007 and another year of tennis comes to a close, SC's Tom Kosinski brings us his annual Christmas wish list as only he can. Professional tennis ended 2007 on a sour note, but maybe the holiday season can sweeten the game for 2008.
'Roid Rage: Fallout From Mitchell Report - From San Francisco to Santo Domingo, keyboards, bars, and water coolers are abuzz. Baseball's Mitchell Report has fans and sportwriters in an uproar, but the owners needn't worry about their cash cow. SC's Bijan C. Bayne explains why.
Clemens and Steroids: We Called It - The biggest name mentioned in the Mitchell Report was Roger Clemens. Last June, SC's Brad Oremland identified Clemens as a likely user of performance-enhancing substances, comparing his performances before and after he played for the Red Sox.
The NFL's Best Offense Ever - The 2007 New England Patriots are making history, at or near record-setting pace in key offensive categories at both the team and individual levels. But before we crown this year's Pats as the best offense in history, SC's Brad Oremland examines their competition.
Contents copyright (c) Sports Central 1998-2007.
NFL gets frosty with Marshall
Jerry Greene | FROM THE CHEAP SEATS
December 11, 2007
The No Fun League has Scrooge-like definitions of "unsportsmanlike conduct," but Brandon Marshall doesn't care.
Marshall, a product of Lake Howell High School and UCF, had just caught the first of his two Sunday touchdown passes for Denver when he scooped up one-two-and-three handfuls of snow from where it had been pushed to the side of the field Sunday. Wheeee!
But the snow seemingly turned yellow as more than one official joined in by tossing their flags into the air, too. The Broncos were penalized 15 yards for "unsportsmanlike conduct" because Marshall was "using props" after his TD.
"It was all for my family and friends in Florida," he later told the media. "They don't get to see snow much. I wanted to show them snow."
Awwwwww. He did it for us. That's nice.
"I was surprised they called it a prop," he told the Associated Press. "You got to have fun sometimes. That's what it's all about. This is like playing Pop Warner football and drinking Kool-Aid and eating Pop Tarts. That's what you have to do in the NFL."
You got to love his attitude, especially when they pay you a whole lot of money, too. That's like having your Pop Tarts and eating them, too.
Marshall, a fourth-round pick in 2006, is earning his cash. He caught 10 balls for 115 yards and the two TDs in Denver's 41-7 thrashing of Kansas City. He now leads the Broncos and is eighth is the NFL with 1,029 yards on 75 catches.
That's putting him in big company. At 6-foot-4 and at least 230 pounds, Marshall looks like he can hold his own against anyone.
"He's a big, big man," said Bronco FS John Lynch to The Denver Post, "and he wants to be special. Put that all together and you've got the makings of a star. I think he's already there."
And he loves playing in the snow. Only the NFL would find something wrong with that.
PERSONAL P.S.: Growing up in Hialeah, I didn't believe in snow. Called it "Yankee propaganda." Then I finally saw it at age 18 on a trip to Washington, D.C. Had my first snowball fight with two girls and lost badly. Also discovered rum balls on that trip -- way too many rum balls. It's a terrible thing to get sick in the snow.
READERS ARE RIGHT
*"Jerry -- My 2 cents on the NFL Network. If the Patriots are going for 16-0 when they play the Giants [on NFL Network only], I'll go to a relative's house and watch. If we aren't going for 16-0, I'll skip the game and do Christmas stuff with the family. I can live without the NFL because it's not religion and it's not family. Life will go on just fine without them."
-- Aroon Acharekar, Orlando
I suspect Aroon speaks for a lot of folks, even pro football fans. And, yes, it appears the same sentiment is growing about getting along without seeing every Magic game on TV, too. The truth is that our lives offer so many diversions, no one group should believe it is indispensable. My guess is that there was a time when the circus thought that was true.
* "Jerry -- Have you thought about how much you could have made this year by betting against the No. 2 college-ranked team each week?"
-- Raff Ellis, cyberspace.
Now you tell me, Raff.
TOP TUESDAY TIDBITS
* Memo to Tim Tebow: Tim, what you should do now is withdraw your name from consideration for next year's Heisman Trophy. You've got the trophy; now tell everyone that your focus for 2008 is the SEC Championship, a team goal.
* So I happen to tune into the Delaware-Southern Illinois game and the analyst said: "This is Delaware football." OK, I'm sorry, Delaware, but that sounds funny.
* And the Southern Illinois coach's name is Jerry Kill. Priceless.
* Bobby Johnson coaches football at Vanderbilt. But he may get an offer -- from Duke. Some guys just can't catch a break.
CHEAP THRILLS
TONIGHT'S TOP TV
The Best of SportsCenter, 8, ESPN. Incredibly egocentric and self-serving? You betcha, but who can blame ESPN for doing an hour on the best of its 300 or so promos from the last 15 years? I've forgotten the details of my favorite but it ends with Charley Steiner yelling, "Follow me! Follow me to freedom!" A lot of ESPN talent has yelled that over the years and then are never heard from again.
CBS, PATS JUST RULE
The Pittsburgh-New England game Sunday got a giant 18.4 rating for CBS, giving the network this season's top three games: Indy-New England (22.5), Dallas-New England (18.5) and this one. Can you spot the common denominator?
BUT WE'RE JUST NO. 29
Maybe it's because we don't have our own NFL team but the greater Orlando market was 29th among the big cities with a 17.5 rating, less than the national average for the Steelers and Patriots. Hey, maybe we don't like the Pats? You think?
THE FOUR AMIGOES?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was accompanied into the ring Saturday by his Dancing With the Stars buddies: Mark Cuban, Helio Castroneves and Wayne Newton. There was a brief commotion, however, when Newton bent over and his face fell off.
CLOSING COMMENT
After the Miami Dolphins' loss to Buffalo, lineman Vernon Carey was shocked to learn how many times his teammates had fumbled. "Eight fumbles? We're playing like a [bleep] high school team." The Dolphins have not confirmed that Carey will issue a public apology to high school teams everywhere.
The Seats return Wednesday to shed a tear for the Dolphins. Send your sob stories to jgreene@orlandosentinel.com or 633 N. Orange Ave., Orlando 32801. And have a nice day.
Copyright (c) 2007, Orlando Sentinel
Herb Smart: Darren McFadden should win the Heisman
Let's get this straight.
I feel that Florida quarterback Tim Tebow should win the Heisman today.
His numbers (29 TD passes, 22 rushing TDs) are as staggering as his consistency (at least one rushing and one passing score in all 12 games this season).
There's only one problem.
Tebow is a sophomore.
And Heisman voters have never selected a soph for college football's most prestigious award.
Probably for the same idiotic reason there will never be a college football playoff -- tradition.
Hey, at least I didn't say money.
But, in reality, Arkansas junior running back Darren McFadden will win the award.
He's simply the sexier choice for voters.
The '06 runner-up to Troy Smith backed up last year's numbers with 1,725 yards and 15 rushing TDs this season.
And he also threw four touchdowns.
And the ol' he'll-get-it-next-year argument won't apply for McFadden because I'm betting he'll go pro -- especially with the success of the Vikings' Adrian Peterson in the NFL this year.
Tebow, on the other hand, will need another year of NFL grooming under Urban Meyer.
Hence, he'll win it next year.
Let's hope I'm wrong.
Here's the real question: Since the Heisman is usually the kiss of death in the pros, why would anyone want to win?
Copyright (c) 2007 The Merced Sun Star.
Tony T's Sports Betting TV Show Preview with Football Betting Sportsbook Casino NFL Odds Plus College & NFL Football Picks for This Weeks Tony T's Sports Bets Show
Tony T's Sports Bets Sports Betting TV Show airs live Friday's at 5PM ET/2PM PT and re airs Saturday and Sunday at 12PM ET/ 9AM PT. Here is the preview for this week's show and the list of 6 College and Pro Football games that will be covered from a sports betting perspective. Tony T's Sports Bets is an Interactive Sports Betting Information TV show that focuses on sports betting on College and Pro Football airing on Vlaze.com Broadband Television Network.
Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) October 30, 2007 -- Join Tony T and his sidekick Erin Coscarelli as they break down the big TV games on Tony T's Sports Bets TV Show sponsored by BetonBattles.com airing live on http://vlaze.com/tonyt
Tune in at Vlaze.com on Friday at 5PM ET/2PM PT for the show and call in or IM with questions and sports bets for their "Bettors Window" segment of the show. The show re-airs Saturday and Sundays at 12PM ET/ 9AM PT.
Tony T's Sports Bets TV Show is interactive so Tony T will take your IM's and phone calls.
Here are the big TV games they will break down from a sports betting perspective with sports odds from sportsbooks on Friday's show. Tony will select 3 sports bets from both College and Pro Football's big TV games using sports betting odds from sportsbooks:
Show 9
November 2nd 2007
Friday Night College Football
Nevada @ New Mexico St (8PM ET) (ESPN2)
Saturday College Football Games
LSU @ Alabama (5PM ET) (CBS)
Arizona St @ Oregon (6:30PM ET) (FSN)
Florida St @ Boston College (8PM ET) (ABC)
Texas A&M @ Oklahoma (8PM ET) (ABC)
Wisconsin @ Ohio St (12PM ET) (Big 10 Network)
Nebraska @ Kansas (12:30PM ET) (FSN)
NFL Games
Green Bay @ Kansas City (1PM ET) (FOX)
Carolina @ Tennessee (1PM ET) (FOX)
New England @ Indianapolis (4:15PM ET) (CBS)
San Diego @ Minnesota (1PM ET) (CBS)
Dallas @ Philadelphia (8:15PM ET) (NBC Primetime)
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh (8:30PM ET) (ESPN Monday Night Football)
Video on Demand: Tony T's Sports Bets TV Show Trailer
Tony T lays down the sports odds and his sports bets for his sports betting TV show. Click http://vlaze.com/84148 to view Tony T's Sports Bets TV show trailer.
About Tony T:
Tony T's Show Page at http://www.vlaze.com/tonyt
Tony T is the host of Tony T's Sports Bets TV Show sponsored by BetonBattles.com airing live Fridays at Vlaze.com at 5PM ET/ 2PM PT. Tony T's job is to help his viewers pick winners when they make sports bets on Pro and College Football. Tony T is a life long Raiders fan but when he places sports bets on the Raider games he puts aside his passion for the silver and black. Most guys out there could care less about sports unless they can bet on it. Tony T helps to provide his viewers what they can't get from the radio and TV and that is an Interactive TV show that focuses on betting on College and Pro Football using sports betting odds from sportsbooks. Whether a big bettor or a small bettor is looking for help to fill out parlay cards, looking for sports bet odds from sportsbooks, nfl picks or college football picks or help filling out office pools and death pools check out Tony T live on Fridays at 5PM ET/2PM PT. Tony T will give out the sports odds for your sports bets from sportsbooks on his show. The show is interactive so Tony T will take phone calls. The show repeats on Saturdays and Sundays at 12PM ET/ 9AM PT to get his viewers ready right before kickoff.
There will be no talk of dog fighting, cat fighting or cock fighting because it really doesn't matter to sports fans. Tony T won't talk about who Tony Romo is dating this week because it really doesn't matter to sports fans.
The 4 most important questions football fans want answered are the following:
Should one lay the points?
Should one take the points?
Should one play the over?
Should one play the under?
This interactive TV show helps answer the 4 most important questions from sports fans.
Visit Tony T's Sports Bets TV show by clicking: http://vlaze.com/tonyt
Tony T also gives out 3 NFL picks and 3 college football picks on his TV Show.
So before stepping up to the Las Vegas sportsbook sports betting window with sports bets, before filling out a parlay card, before putting a call into the man or before turning in an office pool check out Tony T's Sports Bets on Vlaze.com live Fridays at 5PM ET/2PM PT and repeats Saturday and Sunday at 12PM ET/9AM PT.
The show is available on Video on Demand by 11PM ET/ 8PM PT every Friday Night!!
Visit Tony T's Sports bets TV show page by clicking: http://vlaze.com/tonyt
Show sponsorship available by emailing tonyt@vlazemedia.com for advertising opportunities.
(c)Copyright 1997-2005, PRWeb. All Rights Reserved
Top-10 Gambling Books
22 October 2007
10.) Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling
By David Schwartz
This is the definitive tome on the gambling's lost history. It traces gambling roots from its ancient beginnings in Africa and Asia to its current incarnations on the Internet, and details everything in vivid and captivating prose.
9.) Dead Man's Bluff
By James Swain
The lone fiction book to make our list is a classic mystery novel that focuses on a blind poker player named Skip DeMarco, who attempts to scam the world's largest poker tournament in Las Vegas.
8.) The Greatest Gambling Stories Ever Told: Thirty-One Unforgettable Tales of Risk and Reward
By Paul Lyons
This is a compilation of 31 gambling stories that end in both success and failure. It's an easy read and covers an entire range of gambling activities that date all the way back to ancient times.
7.) The National Football Lottery
By Larry Merchant
Before Merchant became famous as an HBO boxing broadcaster, he wrote this classic gambling book back in 1973 about the life of a professional gambler betting pro football. Despite all of the changes in both the NFL and the world of sports gambling, it remains an entertaining and worthwhile read.
6.) Take Me To The River
By Peter Alson
The crafty Alson, whose "Confessions of an Ivy League Bookie" could have also made our list, takes you on a fascinating first-person journey as he goes on a grand finale-type of trip to Las Vegas to play in the 2005 World Series of Poker before settling down and getting married.
5.) The Smart Money
By Michael Konik
A whirlwind portrayal of a freelance writer's association with the Brain Trust, a sports-gambling network that uses him as a "beard" to place its bets at an assortment of Vegas casinos. It's a non-fiction gem that reads like a fiction novel by entertaining the reader with captivating characters and compelling storylines.
4.) The Odds
By Chad Millman
Millman chronicles the lives of three distinctive professional gamblers during an entire season of betting on college basketball. The trials and tribulations of this trio are presented in an alluring style by Millman, who brings out the best and worst of all three characters.
3.) Bets, Drugs, and Rock & Roll: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Offshore Sports Gambling Empire
By Steve Budin
Anyone with even a slight interest in the gambling world will be enthralled with the story of Budin, a pioneer in the industry who was the owner and founder of SDB Global, one of the world's first sportsbooks to open up shop offshore.
2.) Bringing Down the House
By Ben Mezrich
The amazing tale of a group of MIT students who, back by investors, take on Las Vegas by communicating with gestures and card-counting code words at the blackjack table. If the forthcoming movie, starring Kevin Spacey, is as riveting as the book, Oscar nominations are sure to follow.
1.) Super System
By Doyle Brunson
The bible of all poker books. It was published more than 20 years ago, but this is a simply a must read for Texas Hold'em players of all levels and it's written by one of the game's legends.
Copyright (c) 2002-2007 Casino City, Inc. or its affiliates.
Out of Bounds: Football anyone?
y Jake Linger
It seems like just yesterday that the NFL was playing yet another meaningless and lackluster Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii in February. But, here we are in September and already headfirst into the third week of the young football season. As it stands right now, there are quite a few surprises throughout pro football, maybe none bigger than the 2-0 start of the Houston Texans. This is a team that has been around for about a blink of an eye in the NFL and it has not been pretty. But, once the team shipped career disappointment David Carr out of town and brought in former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak as head coach, the atmosphere surrounding the team began to take place.
How happy is Texans quarterback Matt Schaub? A few months ago he was relegated to being Mr. Backup to Mike Vick, formerly - yet still sort of currently - of the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons allowed Schaub to go to the Texans and now he is running the offense of a 2-0 team, and they look good!
How about the Redskins getting off to a 2-0 start as well? I'm not sure how surprising it is at this point to find the Redskins co-leading the NFC East, but since every prognosticator east of Fantasy Island predicted that the Philadephia Eagles were going to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, maybe it is a bit shocking that the Redskins handled Philly this week on Monday Night Football to stay unbeaten.
The difference for Washington this season is that running back Clinton Portis is healthy. And as good of a runner as Ladell Betts is, the team goes as Portis goes. In 2006, Portis injured a shoulder during the first preseason game and never fully recovered throughout the season. He rushed for only 523 yards and the Redskins suffered through another highly disappointing losing season.
Having quarterback Jason Campbell playing well is key for coach Joe Gibbs as well. Everyone knows that the order of priority in the nation's capital works north from President Bush to the chairman of the Federal Reserve to whoever is the quarterback of the Redskins, especially if it is the week after defeating the Dallas Cowboys. Campbell is playing decent enough to win games, but the Redskins are still only scoring 18 points per game, which ranks them as 20th in the league. After watching that insufferable 2000 Super Bowl season for the Baltimore Ravens - indeed one of the biggest flukes that the NFL has ever seen - we all know that a great defense can remedy a futile offense, but again, the season is two games young and I am hardly going to begin to predict that Washington is in trouble ... that would be way too offensive.
I will, however, predict the Super Bowl right now. Anyone betting against New England is obviously a fan of wasting cash. As a lifelong Broncos fan it pains me to say this, but I think that New England will defeat Denver in the AFC Championship game and advance to yet another Super Bowl, where the Patriots will defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 38-36.
Here is something else that I can predict: O.J. did it! This time, the former USC Trojan and Buffalo Bills running back has been caught on audio tape making an attempt to steal memorabilia that he claims belongs to him. Currently, "The Juice" is being held in a Las Vegas jail without bail. Now, I really don't want to pour it on thick here, but is there a chance that O.J. was set up this time? Think about it: people are still bitter over the 1995 verdict that set Simpson free on murder charges ... why not entice him into committing a crime just to get him behind bars once again?
There is no word as to where the white Ford Bronco was heading this time around, but as it was recently suggested to me in a very nice phone conversation with a very decent Bowie resident, the original O.J. trial is still sort of taboo in some places, so I will leave it there and wait for facts to come out, but do you think LVPD will call Marcia Clark out of retirement for another shot at The Juice?
And finally, I will offer to you folks that there is little that is more exciting than watching a football game from the playing field as I did a week ago in College Park where Maryland faced off against the fifth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers at Byrd Stadium.
A friend of mine is Eli Osterloh, the assistant director of athletic bands at the University of Maryland at College Park under the direction of Dr. L. Richmond Sparks. Eli was able to get field access for me, his fiance, Stefanie, and her sister, Carla. Our seats were right underneath the UM marching band ... it was insane! The noise level was at a ludicrous high, and the student section was just to our left. There are so many things that Terps fans do right and do well, and coming out to support any of the school's teams during big games is about as big as it gets.
The game was a huge match-up not only because WVU has risen to the top echelon of collegiate football teams, but because this is an annual rivalry between two bordering states who share and enjoy a much celebrated history. Not to mention, the game was televised in prime time on ESPN, the worldwide leader in everything.
One of the truly awesome sights that I witnessed last Thursday was walking into Byrd Stadium behind the marching band and getting that perspective of 53,000 people screaming at the top of their collective lungs. There was a healthy host of Mountaineer supporters (all bandwagoners, I'm sure) in house, but Maryland was charged with protecting that house, and for the better part of 2 1/2 quarters, the team did just that.
I watched from about 25 yards away as the Terps fumbled away their first offensive snap of the game, and it was disappointing to give a team of West Virginia's caliber that type of momentum, but somehow I could have cared less. Now the fourth-ranked team in the nation was driving right toward me, and they would eventually score for the 7-0 lead.
The Terps would tie the game and head into the locker room at halftime down only 14-7.
I would be lying if I said that I wasn't secretly hoping to watch the goal posts being carried over to "Frat Row" following one of the biggest upsets in Maryland Terrapins history. For the record, I do not condone that behavior, but I certainly do celebrate it!
Due to everyone having to get up early Friday for work, we had to leave just minutes into the third quarter with the score still at 14-7. Now, in the time it takes to walk to the car and head over across Route 1 to Cluck-U Chicken for a delicious Cluckwich, the score had ballooned to 28-7, and finally 38-14, which ended any hopes of seeing the crazies in red shouting "Fear the Turtle" until the early morning hours ... so I did it myself and not one neighbor has spoken to me since.
I urge anyone who has a chance to personally witness the speed and the sound and the feel of a collegiate or professional football event to take full advantage of doing so. Watching a game on TV is great, but it cannot replace what it really feels like to see what the quarterback sees, or feel the safety running right at you at full speed.
I guess what I am saying is, go run onto the field and enjoy yourself ... wait ... what?
Copyright (c) 2007 The Bowie Blade
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