T.O. Blames Romo and Witten - Jesus may be next

http://www.star-telegram.com/332/story/1089729.html

Look, it’s Eldorado Owens doing again what Eldo has always done. No new news here.

He’s an excuse-making, finger-pointing, fake-crying (that January scene is still laughable) fool. A talented football fool, although not worth the fraudulent behavior to any team with an owner in his right mind.

That’s why Owens is at Valley Ranch.

When the strong media reports surfaced at Valley Ranch on Thursday, it was no surprise Eldo was again involved in excuse-making, finger-pointing, and fake-crying, this time about his role in the offense.

Look out, Tony Romo. As if Tony doesn’t have enough problems, now he’s got Eldo mounting one of his familiar campaigns to take down a quarterback, and take down a team.

Great timing, of course. Owens could care less it’s the Giants coming to Texas Stadium on Sunday night. And that the Cowboys are in a win-or-else situation. He’s the Me Man.

But Romo must be doing something right. This time Eldo is involved in a back-stabbing campaign, based on several reports. With Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia he was verbally out front in going for the jugular, not the back.

In a case of bad judgment, Patrick Crayton and newcomer Roy Williams were receivers who became Owens’ lap dogs, joining Eldo in taking their complaints on Romo to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

Too bad for Crayton and Uno Uno. They lowered themselves to slime level. The whine of the threesome, according to Clarence Hill of this newspaper, was Romo’s distribution of passes favoring tight end Jason Witten.

A "buddy system" was the focus, which means Witten was getting more balls (which he’s not, at least compared with Owens) because he and Romo are close friends. This crap, of course, has Eldo written all over it.

Then ESPN.com’s Ed Werder followed with a report right out of Desperate Housewives, male version.

Get this:

" …Owens has expressed resentment toward Romo, apparently jealous of the quarterback’s relationship with Witten.

"Owens feels that Romo and Witten hold private meetings in which they create plays the two will use in upcoming games without including Owens in the conversations." And Romo "seeks to deliver the ball to Witten regardless whether Owens is open."

This is like a squabble in eight-grade girls’ P.E.

Unfortunately, there’s no reason to doubt the validity of any of it. It’s Owens.

For the record, Werder, a veteran reporter and a longtime member of the Cowboys’ media contingent, was "congratulated" Thursday by a Valley Ranch front office executive for "writing the truth about this guy."

Actually, the biggest worry here really isn’t Owens, or at least he shouldn’t be. Jerry Jones continues to dangle dead rats by the tail, and the snake eats well due to Mr. Jones’ pampering. Eldo is simply being Eldo.

But where is the leadership at Valley Ranch? How does Garrett, for one, allow three whining wideouts to come in for a shoulder cry without first telling them, "Hey, let me get Romo and Witten in here, and we can all hash it out?"

Weak, Jason. Real weak.

Then there’s Wade. His reply on Thursday at Valley Ranch was, "I know nothing." The sad truth is he was telling the truth. Wade knows nothing.

Jerry? He’s still in hiding after his stupid remarks postgame in Pittsburgh concerning Marion Barber’s "toughness."

Snow cone stands have more leadership than the Valley Ranch football team.

Romo, meanwhile, is coming off his Pittsburgh moment, and attempting to recover in time for the Giants.

But the irony of Owens yelping about favoritism for Witten is that Romo’s biggest interception problem of this season is attempting to force passes to Eldo. Two of the picks in Pittsburgh were on balls thrown to Owens, the first of which he was a disgrace in flat quitting on a route.

Reportedly, Eldo is still miffed because he was open on the game-deciding pick thrown in Pittsburgh late in the fourth quarter. It’s true, according to those who break down film. Owens was open at the sticks.

The problem for Romo was that he had a blitzing linebacker in his grill and on a "hot" read, threw what he hoped would be a timing route pass to Witten.

On the last play of that game, Crayton was open at the 50-yard line, and Romo flat missed him, instead hurling a pass in Witten’s direction that he never saw.

After that loss in Pittsburgh, Owens was a finger-pointing fool, directing all the blame at Romo, who had already taken the blame. It’s not that Eldo wasn’t factual, just flat wrong in saying it, while also not mentioning his gutless lack of effort on one of the picks.

Oh, yeah, did I mention the Giants are coming to town? It’s win or else for the Cowboys. But the struggling quarterback is already being blitzed and blindsided like crazy. By his own receivers.

Nice team.

Randy Galloway, 817-390-7760

Shaq finally plays like the future Hall of Famer that he is

All season Shaq has looked out of shape, old and lazy. Last night, he finally played like the most feared player in NBA history which he is known for.

http://www.star-telegram.com/190/story/1084643.html

The Suns beat Milwaukee in Phoenix for the 21st straight time, matching the San Antonio Spurs' string of 21 straight home victories over Golden State for the longest active streak. The last Milwaukee victory in Phoenix came on Feb. 21, 1987, when the Suns played in Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the city's West Side.

O'Neal hit 14 of 19 shots from the floor and 7-of-12 from the line, and added eight rebounds and three blocks. It was O'Neal's first 30-point game since March 9, 2007, for Miami against Minnesota.

O'Neal was also assessed a technical foul on a hard foul on Richard Jefferson late in the game.

Amare Stoudemire added 22 points and Steve Nash had 19 points and 10 assists on a night the Suns offense reverted to the free-flowing style the team favored under former coach Mike D'Antoni. Phoenix scored a season-high 36 points in the first quarter, then topped that with 38 in the second on its way to a season-high 74 first-half points.

Charlie Villanueva scored 24 points, Michael Redd had 23 and Richard Jefferson added 22 for Milwaukee, which has lost six of its last eight games.

O'Neal asserted himself early. The Suns shot 63 percent from the floor in the first quarter but led only 36-35 after Villanueva took an inbounds pass, dribbled 50 feet and swished a 21-footer at the buzzer.

That's when O'Neal took over. With the Suns trailing 47-46, O'Neal hit a layup and drew a foul on Francisco Elson. O'Neal missed the free throw, but on the next possession he sparked a fast break with a block shot.

After O'Neal hit another shot in the lane, he drew a double-team and dished to Stoudemire, who dunked to give Phoenix a 56-49 lead.

Meanwhile, Nash was slicing up the Bucks' defense. He had seven assists in the first half, and the prettiest one came on a fast-break dunk by Stoudemire, who drew a foul on Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

Phoenix led 74-64 at halftime. The Suns shot 66.7 percent from the floor and had four players in double figures.

The Suns cooled off in the third quarter with Nash and O'Neal resting on the bench.

Milwaukee crept within 93-90 on Dan Gadzuric's layup late in the period, but Stoudemire hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Phoenix a 96-90 lead heading into the fourth quarter. It was Stoudemire's second bucket from beyond the arc in four tries this season.

Notes:@ The last time the Bucks won in Phoenix, the Suns' Goran Dragic and the Bucks' Joe Alexander, Mbah a Moute and Ramon Sessions were not yet a year old, and the Suns' Robin Lopez had not yet been born. The Bucks' first-round pick that season was Scott Skiles, their current coach. Skiles did not play in that game. ... This was the first of back-to-back games for both clubs. The Suns visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, while Milwaukee wraps up a three-game western swing at Golden State.

CC Sabathia Yankees' deal to be the richest ever for a pitcher

More reasons ticket prices are a joke!

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2008/12/cc_sabathia_to_sign_with_yanke.html

CC Sabathia has informed the Yankees that he will not be negotiating with any other teams and will sign with them for the largest contract ever given to a pitcher in baseball history.


There had been talk during the negotiations of adding an opt-out clause to allow Sabathia to get out of the contract after two or three years if he didn't enjoy playing in New York. The official did not know if such a clause would be included in the final deal.

Sabathia informed Yankees GM Brian Cashman of his decision Tuesday night in a meeting at the pitcher's home near San Francisco. After meeting with Cashman on Sunday and Monday in Las Vegas, Sabathia called Tuesday to ask Cashman to come and meet with him and his wife in California. With expected offers from the Giants and Angels not forthcoming, Sabathia told Cashman he had decided he wanted to be a Yankee.

Details were still being worked out this morning, but Sabathia will be taking a physical shortly, and an announcement is expected sometime within the next week.

Meanwhile, the Yankees continue to pursue other free-agent pitchers, with A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe at the top of their list. Ben Sheets is another free-agent starting pitcher at whom they're considering a run. But Sabathia was their priority all along -- all of their other pitching plans were secondary to their efforts to land the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner. Now, it appears they've pulled it off.

Sabathia's decision was first reported by the New York Post on its web site.


See more in Dan Graziano

UK goes to third straight Bowl - they didn't deserve it - and I'm a UK fan stating this

http://www.kentucky.com/817/story/619116.html

When it came down to its bowl destination, the University of Kentucky football team used the theme that ultimately decided the 2008 presidential election.

It was time for a change.

There was talk of the Wildcats, who finished the regular season at 6-6, making a third straight trip to the Music City Bowl. But UK Coach Rich Brooks and his players opted for the school’s first-ever trip to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, where they will compete against East Carolina (9-4) on Jan. 2 in Memphis’ Liberty Bowl Stadium.

The Music City Bowl had expressed interested in having the Wildcats again, but UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said the players ultimately saw the Liberty Bowl as a more attractive option.

“Part of the bowl experience is to let the student-athletes see different things,” Barnhart said. “We’ve been to Nashville several times to play Vanderbilt. We’ve been to Nashville twice for the bowl game. (Memphis) is a place that we haven’t been. This will give us a chance to do something different.”

The players seemed to welcome the opportunity for a new experience.

“I think the coaches and Mr. Barnhart knew that it was important for us to find a way to get to another city because it’s easy to lose interest,” said junior defensive end Jeremy Jarmon.

“I felt the vibe that the guys didn’t want to do the same thing three times in a row,” senior running back Tony Dixon said.

This will be the 50th anniversary of the Liberty Bowl, which also hosted Paul “Bear” Bryant’s final game as head coach at Alabama.

Brooks will be participating in his third Liberty Bowl. He played in the game as a senior at Oregon State in 1962 when the Beavers beat Villanova 6-0, and he was an assistant coach at UCLA in 1976 when the Bruins were beaten by Bryant and Alabama, 36-6.

“We’re very honored to have the University of Kentucky,” said Liberty Bowl Executive Director Steve Ehrhart. “A great part of our 50-year history is to have top programs and outstanding coaches and players being a part of our tradition. We’ve wanted to have Kentucky as a part of our history for a long time, and we’re glad it’s finally happening this year.”

“It’s great that we’re playing in the 50th anniversary of a game that I actually played in when the game originated in Philadelphia,” Brooks said. “I think it’s an honor to play a conference champion, particularly one that was as hot to start the season as East Carolina was, and the way they finished the year will be a great test for our program.”

Jarmon, a native of Memphis, made the official announcement in spirited fashion during a timeout in the second half of Kentucky’s basketball game with Mississippi Valley State.

Jarmon is no stranger to the Liberty Bowl, having played in the Liberty Bowl High School All-Star game his senior year.

East Carolina was one of the country’s hottest teams early in the season, when the Pirates posted wins over then No. 17 Virginia Tech and No. 8 West Virginia in their first two games. They endured a three-game losing streak that started in mid-September, but they rebounded down the stretch and beat Tulsa 27-24 in the Conference USA championship game to earn their Liberty Bowl berth.

“East Carolina is an outstanding team,” Brooks said. “They had two of the most impressive wins that anybody’s had all year when they beat Virginia Tech and West Virginia back-to-back, and they beat a very good Tulsa team in their championship game. They’ve got an outstanding defense and an experienced quarterback. We’ll have to play very well to have a chance to win the game.”

This will mark the Pirates’ third trip to the Liberty Bowl. Nearly 4,000 ECU fans welcomed the team back to Greenville, N.C., after the win over Tulsa.

“It’s going to be a phenomenal trip,” East Carolina Coach Skip Holtz said. “This is what we’ve talked about beginning with the first day of practice — the road to Memphis and what we’ve got to do to get there. I can’t tell you how excited we are as a program and as a university to be there. It’s a fitting reward for the team and the fans, because they put it out there on the line, too.”

NFL to lay off at least 150

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3757152

NEW YORK -- The recession has hit the NFL.


The league said Tuesday it is cutting more than 10 percent of its headquarters staff in response to the downturn in the nation's economy.

The cuts were announced in a memo to league staff by commissioner Roger Goodell. The league is eliminating about 150 of its staff of 1,100 in New York, NFL Films in New Jersey and production facilities in Los Angeles.

Goodell said these were difficult and painful steps, but necessary in the current economic environment.

The NFL has been symbolic of the wealth surrounding professional sports, but it now joins the NBA, Major League Baseball and NASCAR in announcing layoffs.

In a related development, the NFL has indefinitely suspended plans to play a preseason game in China as the New England Patriots closed their operations there, according to Sports Business Journal.

"There has been some belt-tightening given the economy, and one of the things we suspended was our operation there," Patriots spokesman Stacey James said, according to the report.

The Patriots, the only NFL team with an on-site presence in China, had been slated to play a preseason game there as early as 2009. That game will not occur, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, according to the report.

That decision became "increasingly apparent earlier this year once we locked into having three years of games in the [United Kingdom]," McCarthy said, according to the report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Related Topics: NFL, New England Patriots

Fans split on support for Kragthorpe

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20081209/OPINION02/812090359/1002/SPORTS

Not optimistic
To paraphrase Yogi Berra, sometimes people tell us the most just by talking. I have no reason to believe that Coach Steve Kragthorpe is anything but a good man, but it just isn't working. Twice in the past 10 days, within the context of C-J interviews about his disappointment with the team record, he has used the phrase "If I were a U of L fan. ..." In my opinion, that's the problem. We need a coach who actually is a U of L fan and will have the same passion for the program as those of us who have been flash-frozen in Liberty Bowl games and drenched by torrential rains at the Florida State upset.

Kragthorpe came to the U of L program with great credentials, and I have no doubt that he knows the sport. Since Tom Jurich has assured us that the coach will continue in his position, I sincerely hope that it begins to click immediately. However, as I look at the 2009 schedule and the prospective recruiting class, I just don't see it getting any better. I've never wanted to be so wrong in my life.

JIM DECKER
Louisville 40245


Fan base problem
The problem with the University of Louisville's football program is not the coach, the coordinators, the players or the athletics director. The problem is the fans, and I speak from experience and as a fan myself. I understand Tom Jurich's support for Steve Kragthorpe and the rest of the coaching staff, but I don't understand the absolute hate the fan base has shown Kragthorpe since he arrived from Tulsa.

Perhaps, the fan base is still disgruntled by the disappearing act Bobby Petrino pulled on us. Perhaps, the fan base is hard-headed and runs away from change instead of embracing it. Perhaps, the fan base is ignorant of college football ways since we are traditionally a basketball school.

I may be cursed and hated among my fellow fans for saying this, but I believe in Kragthorpe and what he is doing with the football program. You can't start building a program back up without tearing it down first. You have to hit your low before you can hit your high, and you can see that progressing all throughout college football.

Louisville can rise to the top again, but it needs a supportive fan base that is willing to trust Kragthorpe until his contract has ended. Again, a football program cannot get better without getting worse. I know it's hard, but that is the way it is. That is why I will continue to be out at every game -- painted up, screaming my heart out and supporting my team, because that is the only way players, coaches, coordinators and our football team will get back to prominence.

SCOTT BEARD
Louisville 40208

U of L Beats Lamar

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B2/20081208/SPORTS02/81208047

The University of Louisville completed its run through the Marques Maybin Classic with a 78-56 win over Lamar tonight.

The Cardinals beat three teams in three days by an average margin of 32 points.

Samardo Samuels led U of L with 15 points while Terrence Williams added a game-high 13 rebounds.

Williams, Jerry Smith and Samardo Samuels joined Lamar's Kenny Dawkins and Ohio's Jerome Tillman on the all-tournament team. Earl Clark was named the Most Valuable Player.

The classic was named after the former U of L guard who is 13th on the all-time scoring list. Maybin, who played at U of L from 1997-2001, was paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident on Aug. 5, 2003.