NFC North Preview: Minnesota Vikings

And now the final stop on my NFC North voyage... the Minnesota Vikings. I live and die by the Vikings each Sunday, which made the beginning of last year rather painful.. anyway, hopefully things improve this year. Here's a look:

About Last Year: As bad as things were on the field at times, they were even worse off the field. I'm sure you've all heard about everything a million times, but hopefully all of those problems are in the past. On the field, the Vikings sucked at the start of the year, and then Daunte Culpepper got hurt. Now, that's certainly not the only reason the Vikings turned things around in the 2nd half. Heck, it wasn't even the biggest thing. In the 2nd half of last year the Viking defense turned into a shutdown, turnover-forcing machine, and this was the biggest reason the Vikings were playoff contenders by the end of the year. Anyway, they finished 9-7.

What they Added: First and foremost, a real coach. For a multitude of reasons, Mike Tice was awful. Brad Childress and the rest of the staff is not real experienced, but I feel 100% better and more confident with them in the helm, because I think they actually know what they're doing and stuff. Elsewhere, the biggest pickup was obviously Steve Hutchinson, the best OG in the league. Sure, they overpaid a little bit, but they could afford to. They also get back Pro-Bowler Matt Birk on the O-Line. Chester Taylor was also brought in to try and bring stability to the running back position. He hasn't looked great this preseason, but he's a solid runner that should also be able to catch some balls for the Vikings. Defensively, Ben Leber was brought in and will start at LB for the Vikings. They also picked up Dwight Smith to start at safety.

What they Lost: Well, Daunte Culpepper is gone. Though it's not like the Vikings didn't have time to prepare for that, because he was out over half the year. Still kinda disappointing that the Vikings lost their 2 most talented players in a 2-year span. But that's the past. Another big loss is Koren Robinson, and again, I think we all know about that. It's not easy to replace your #1 WR who also happens to be a Pro-Bowl kick returner right before the season begins. Defensively, Lance Johnstone is gone, and he was an excellent pass rusher for the past couple years. In the secondary, the big loss is Brian Williams, who stepped in greatly when Fred Smoot was injured, but left for Jacksonville in the offseason. Safety Corey Chavous is departed as well. All in all, there was definitely a fair amount of turnover as Brad Childress tried to remake the team into what he wants it to be.

What does this all mean? I have no idea. If things clicked right away and the Vikings went 11-5, I wouldn't be really surprised. If the offense never came together and the Vikings finished 10-6, I wouldn't be overly shocked. There's just so many variables and so many new parts that it's hard to see how things will work at this point. However, I'm optimistic. The defense has looked great this preseason, and the front 4 has the potential to be top front 4 in the league. The linebackers are improving and the secondary is solid. Offensively, they have a very talented Line, it just needs time to come together. Brad Johnson has always been a very solid QB. If the line plays up to its talent level, the Twins should be a solid running team, and Brad will have the time he needs, which allows him to be an accurate passer. Call me crazy, but I see 10-6 and a share of the division title... but I may be biased!


I should also mention that I'll be out of town for the Labor Day Weekend, so obviously this won't be updated for a couple days. So anyway, enjoy the holiday and the sports weekend, especially some excellent college football games!

Jerrell Powe Sacks the NCAA

Jerrell Powe, a prized football recruit for the University of Mississippi, has secured an important court victory in his quest to gain NCAA eligibility. Here's the story: Powe, rated as the country's top defensive tackle prospect and a top 25 overall prospect, is a learning disabled student who has played at Wayne County High School in Mississippi and also Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia (coincidentally, the same school where former NBA player Korleone Young, who I often write about, attended). But Powe received some bad news last week, when the NCAA declared him ineligible due to insufficient academics: he had to obtain a 2.50 GPA in "14 core high school classes" and a 17 on his ACT and while Powe scored an 18 on his ACT and finished with a combined high school GPA of 2.54, the NCAA apparently believes that Powe's GPA reflects too many correspondence classes at Brigham Young University, and also "too many irregularities in his high school course work and transcripts." The NCAA also alleges that Powe has repeatedly refused to "clarify" certain questions that it has about his course work.

In fairness to the NCAA, remember the context of its thinking here: it has been harshly criticized in recent months over "diploma mills" that enable high school football prospects to radically improve their GPAs, including by taking un-timed exams that they grade themselves (see our blog's coverage of Florida's infamous "University High School"). Having said that, there is no apparent evidence that Powe has received that style of "schooling" on his way to a 2.54 GPA. But still, the NCAA is probably uniquely sensitive to the topic of academic standards at this time.

But the NCAA may not have the final word. For one, Ole Miss doesn't want to lose one of its top recruits, so it immediately filed an appeal with the NCAA on behalf of Powe.

But Powe isn't waiting for the appeal to be heard. Instead, he has hired a lawyer: Attorney James Carroll (right) of Carroll, Warren & Parker in Jackson, Mississippi. And the move appears to be a good one, as several hours ago, Carroll secured a temporary restraining order requiring that Ole Miss enroll Powe. Here's the story from Robbie Neiswanger and Rusty Hampton in the Clarion Ledger:

Lafayette County Chancery Court Judge Edwin Roberts Jr. said Ole Miss must allow Powe to enroll in school by Friday — the final day students can enroll for the fall semester. Roberts also said in court papers that because Powe has met the NCAA’s minimum requirements for academic eligibility, Powe should be placed on athletic scholarship and be allowed to practice with the team, in accordance with NCAA rules and the binding scholarship papers Powe and the university signed in February.

So what will Ole Miss do: follow the NCAA or follow Judge Roberts? Although the University has no comment (other than "it's an unprecedented situation"), I think the answser is fairly obvious: follow the judge. Not matter how much the NCAA likes to flex it's muscle, it can't expect Ole Miss to pick it over a judge and face contempt of a court order.

**Please See 9/17/2006 Update: Jerrell Powe Drops Lawsuit Against Ole Miss: Where Will He Now Play Football?

REAL MADRID. MORES CHANGES & NEWS

Some interesing players situation changes in the last day oftransfer deals. As usual REAL MADRID take the newsheadlines, with big names.It was the REYES - BAPTISTA swap deal that took REYESfinally to REAL MADRID. Arsenal oked it in exchange forReal´s Brazilian Baptista.Atletico de Madrid now wants its "3M€" pre-agreement priceback in payment.Difficult to prove, as it is one word against the

An Accommodationist Season Begins

College football begins here in Toledo at 8:00 pm EST tonight when the Toledo Rockets game against the Iowa State University Cyclones arrives via satellite. The other games of the day are the ESPN-featured Mississippi State – South Carolina matchup and Northwestern’s game at Miami of Ohio, which has been dedicated to the memory of late NWU coach Randy Walker.

This season promises to be an interesting one for college football and the once-embattled Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Longtime readers will recall early postings which questioned the legality of the BCS arrangement under federal antitrust laws, such as Greg’s post from November 2003, Rick’s post from October 2005, Mike’s December 2005 post and guest-blogger Chad McEvoy’s December 2005 post.

This season represents the first to be played under a “five-bowl” BCS system. The fifth bowl was agreed to back in 2004 as part of an effort to ward off threatened antitrust action against the BCS and its privileged conferences. Under the new system, the champion of a mid-major conference like the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Western Athletic Conference (WAC), or Conference USA can earn an automatic BCS bid provided that:

a. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,
b. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.

However, if two or more mid-major champions would qualify under these rules, only the higher BCS-ranked team would earn an automatic berth, while the other would be limited to consideration for an at-large berth (something that, while possible, remains unlikely).

The additional bowl and possibility of an automatic berth for a mid-major conference champion drastically reduce the likelihood of an effective Sherman Act challenge against the BCS, if for no other reason that the odds are there won’t be two such teams in a given year. Since only an undefeated, mid-major conference champion would have standing to challenge the BCS system, the new approach takes away that potential plaintiff. Now, one would likely need two undefeated mid-major champions (or possibly one-loss teams with quality wins over major conference opponents) for there to be one excluded team legally capable of raising a challenge.

For those who still dream of a college-football playoff, I guess all this means cheering for the likes of Utah, TCU, Northern Illinois, Tulsa and Toledo.

College Football Picks: Week 1

Well this is a new thing I'll be doing... actually it's not really new because I didn't have this blog as this time last year, so there is no precedent for this! But anyway, I'll just pick out what I think are the 5 biggest/best college football games of the weekend, and make my picks on who will win. Since there are already games starting today, this is a little earlier than normal, but here we go.

Stanford at (21) Oregon
Ok, so this isn't the most exciting game ever. But Stanford should be improved this year under Walt Harris, and being led by Trent Edwards at QB. Edwards completed almost 63% of his passes last year, throwing for 17 TD and 7 INT. But Oregon is too tough. They're experience and talented in the backfield, and they're always very tough to beat at home. I like OREGON, 28-14.

(6) USC at Arkansas
The first look at the brand new Trojans (or at least it seems like they're brand new). Arkansas should be much improved this year, but I'm not sure they'll be able to match up with USC, even at home. There is still some uncertainty at QB, as Mitch Mustain figures to get the call sometime this year, although he won't be starting in Game 1. The Trojans are young, but as I've written, I expect big things from them, and I don't think they'll start off with a loss. USC 34-17.

(9) Cal at (23) Tennessee
A very intriguing matchup to start the year. Cal figures to be a strong contender for the Pac-10, while the Vols know they have to improve greatly on last year's mark or Phil Fulmer could be gone. Cal announced they'll start Nate Longshore at QB, and they just need someone to be efficient with Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett at RB. For the Vols, they again have a good defense, but Erik Ainge has to be a lot better than he was last year. But I don't see it in game 1. Even in Tennessee, I like CALIFORNIA 21-17.

(2) Notre Dame at Georgia Tech
The Irish may be ranked 2nd but they can't take Georgia Tech lightly. Tech has possibly the best WR in the nation, a playmaker at QB, a solid defense, and home-field advantage. There's a reason they beat Auburn and Miami last year. For the Irish, they obviously have to be better defensively. The offense could be the best in the country, but that won't mean anything if they can't stop anybody. But I think they'll stop Ga. Tech enough to pull it out. NOTRE DAME 35-24.

(11) Florida St. at (12) Miami
And now the Monday nighter! Last year, this game set offensive football back about 10 years, but things look to be smoother this year. For one, Kyle Wright and Drew Weatherford have experience playing, and they look to be the top QBs in the ACC. The defenses are very good as usual. It's rare to have such a big conference game to start the year, which makes this one all the more exciting. But in the end, I think Kyle Wright makes just enough plays at home to beat the Noles... MIAMI 16-13.

What are your predictions?

NFC North Preview: Green Bay Packers

As I continue on with these NFC North previews, the next on the list is the Green Bay Packers. Basically, the team I love to hate more than any other in sports. So let's have a look.

About Last Year: Let's put it this way, with all the injuries to their RBs, I think they were even scouting me at one point. The season was that bad for GB. They finished 4-12, Brett Favre threw like 100 INTs, and their best WR got hurt right away. And then after the year the Packers had to go through 5 months of Brett Favre's "will he retire or won't he?" Add it all in, and 2005 is probably a year the Packers would like to forget.

What they Added: Well, they managed to get some good underachieving defensive guys! Charles Woodson is talented, and has had a nice career, and he'll be looking to rebound in the Packers secondary. Rian Pickett will add depth along the line, and he's another early draft pick that hasn't really panned out. In the draft, the Packers added AJ Hawk, who's going to be really good. Also, reports are that Abdul Hodge is also looking real solid for the Packers. You wouldn't know it if you just watched the Bengals/Packers game, but the defense should be pretty decent. Elsewhere, long-time head coach Mike Sherman is gone, replaced by Mike McCarthy, who lasted worked as the O-Coordinator for the SF 49ers... you don't sound impressed? Although the Packers will get like 10 RB from injury, and that's nice.

What they Lost: For one, reliable kicker Ryan Longwell is gone, leaving for the friendly confines of the Metrodome. Longwell has been a consistent, reliable threat and should be missed. Center Mike Flanagan is also good, as he's not with the Texans. The D-Line also took a hit as big Grady Jackson is gone. Jackson didn't rush the passer, but he was very solid against the run. Offensively, the big loss is Javon Walker due to trade. He wasn't going to playing for GB, and so they had no choice. But I can't say I'm too upset. Despite his injury last year, I expect nothing less than a very good year from Javon, a very talented WR.

What does this all mean? It means relief probably isn't really in sight for GB. The O-Line still isn't good, the RB aren't that talented, and the WR not named Donald Driver aren't very reliable (in other words, get Donald Driver for your fantasy football teams). Meanwhile, they're working in a new coach, and the defense hasn't looked too impressive. I see a lot more INT for Favre, a lot more frustrations for the Packers, and another losing season. 5-11 sounds about right.

SEVILLE GOES TO THE TOP OF "LA LIGA"

SEVILLE played LEVANTE to end the 1º round of the SPANISHLEAGUE. A brilliant & attractive game that took Seville to the topof the 1º Division ladder with a 4-0 win, which included a HAT -TRICK by KEPA.Score Results:Kepa ( 3) 28´ 50´ 87´Kanoute 8´The 1º Division Ladder Top 5 looks like this.1. Seville 3pts2. Getafe 3. FC Barcelona4. Deportivo de Coruña5. Valencia CFThe league takes a short break

MORE SPANISH FOOTBALL TRANSFER NEWS

With 2 days left to shut transfers & the market is red hot.ATLETICO DE MADRID finally shut the deal with Dynamoof Moscow for its Portugues International midfielderMANICHE. He has signed for 3 seasons & will be officiallypresented tomorrow to fans & media.REAL BETIS has signed 2 players, young Brazilian RAFAELSOBIS who will debut in the Brazilian national squad & playedin Porte Alegre, & Young

What’s Wrong with Tony Kornheiser

The hiring of Tony Kornheiser for the Monday Night Football announcing team continues an unfortunate trend. Increasingly, commentators don’t talk about the game they are supposedly covering. Instead, they talk about "sports issues," usually sports law issues, while the game goes on in the background. Both baseball and football give us the worst of this, as the many dead spots during the action give ample room for the commentators to pontificate about the state of the game, the commissioner’s doings, player-manager disputes, and the like. Last year’s MNF team, John Madden and Al Michaels, distracted the viewer constantly from game action, especially when the score became even a little one-sided. It’s as if the commentators prepare with talking points instead of game film.

But why employ ex-jocks or former coaches to try their unpracticed hands at this brand of meta-commentary when one can get a pro? Hence the hiring of a full-time, experienced opinion-maker like Mr. Kornheiser.

Maybe it’s just personal preference. I don’t want to watch the Sports Reporters or Bryant Gumbel when I tune in to a football game. It’s the game match-up that draws me, not a chance to hear Kornheiser pontificate or Dennis Miller offer canned one-liners. The constant argument is distracting. I used to go to a church that played music during the recitation of prayers. Who thought this up? Who thinks this is a good idea, to say to the audience we’re going to do one thing, lure them to the activity of that thing, and then, while doing that thing, distract them with something else? Ads for MNF hype the upcoming game and its stars; they don’t say tune in to hear someone give brief, offhand opinions on close issues. I no more want to hear Tony speculating on the legality of mandatory drug testing while a halfback runs off tackle than I want to hear soft rock music kick in while I’m reading from a prayer book. It’s also frustrating. Joe Theismann can explain how a quarterback reads defenses, but he’s obviously not very adept at trading arguments with a professional writer who in high school had his head in Latin conjugations while Joe had his arm around a cheerleader.

No, the fair opponent for Kornheiser’s attempts at quick intellectualisms would be the nemesis who helped make his career, Michael Wilbon. I enjoy PTI. I love MNF. I also have a TIVO. If for some bizarre reason I want to watch the two shows simultaneously I could make it happen. There might be a few folks for whom this sounds appealing, but I suspect not most of us. I like my expert football commentators to be expert in football.

Muslim Footballers Sue New Mexico State for Religious Discrimination

My colleague Howard Friedman's Religion Clause reports that three Muslim students dismissed from the New Mexico State football team have sued the school and coach for religious discrimination. The students are represented by the ACLU. As Howard explains,

The suit, filed on behalf of Mu'Ammar Ali, Anthony Thompson and Vincent Thompson by the ACLU of New Mexico, alleges that Mumme made Muslim students feel like outcasts, questioning Ali about his attitudes toward al-Qaida. Coach Mumme had other players recite the Lord's Prayer after practices and before each game, but made Muslim players pray separately. A University investigation of the charges found no evidence of religious discrimination.

While forced recitation of the Lord's Prayer (or any prayer) before a game is objectionable, cases like this face an uphill battle. Part and parcel of the American idea of football coaching is the paradigm of coach-as-tormentor. Comments that might be insulting, or even actionable, in a normal setting, are commonplace and expected in the post-game locker room.

REAL MADRID TRANSFERS. PLAYERS FOR SALE & LOANS

REAL MADRID is cleaning its house out for the new season, whilesome furniture will be given a new shine & will stay. Thats thecase with RONALDO who has commented that he is happy withMadrid & wishes to stay many years. What do you expect him tosay? The reason he is still there is that Milan & Inter didn´tcome to an agreement with Real; now its Ronaldo´s chance toprove himself again & is training

NFC North Preview: Detroit Lions

After looking at the Chicago Bears yesterday, next on the list is the Detroit Lions.

About Last Year: Um yeah, I think this is something most Lions fans would like to forget. The Lions finished 5-11 last year, including losing 6 of their last 7 games. They had the QB carousel of Joey Harrington and Jeff Garcia, which didn't work out well. The Joey Harrington Experiment finally ended, and Garcia is gone as well. There were a couple of good things happening, like Roy Williams showing he's an excellent receiver when healthy, or Dre Bly showing he can be a playmaker on defense, but there was a lot more bad than good. Such as the fact that Matt Millen is still employed.

What they Added: First and foremost, some coaches. In his Rod Marinelli, a no-nonsense head coach. More importantly, at least in my mind, is that Mike Martz is on board as O-Coordinator. I think Martz is an awful coach, but he's a very good offensive mind. For the offense, QBs Jon Kitna and Josh McCown were brought in for a total overhaul, and it looks like Kitna will be the starter. They also brought in Corey Bradford at WR, who's not a real great player, but if nothing else should provide more competition for guys like Mike Williams and Charles Rogers, who have fallen very far out of favor it seems. TWFE has a complete offensive look for the Lions. In the draft, they added a playmaking LB in Ernie Sims, and then added depth in the secondary with Daniel Bullocks. Jamar Fletcher was also brought in to help replace some CB that left.

What they Lost: Well, Joey Harrington and Jeff Garcia are gone, but that's kinda addition by subtraction. They also lost some CBs in RW McQuarters and Andre Goodman, and brought in Jamar Fletcher to try and help offset that. But for the most part, other than the coaches, we're going to see a lot of the same Lions this year. I'm not sure that's a good thing.

What does this all mean? It means it doesn't look like the Lions will be competing for the playoffs yet, even in the weak NFC North. Unless Mike Martz can completely overhaul the offense to make it more dangerous (and if anyone can, he can), I don't like Detroit's chances. A lot of their skill players are perennial underachievers, they're starting a new QB, and the defense is still young and a little thin in spots (although I should mention here that I LOVE Shaun Rogers). But all in all, even some Lions fans aren't that excited for the season to start... and I can't blame them. My guess is 6-10, with a shot at 7-9.

Should male college athletes be allowed time off for paternity leave?

That's the question posed by a pending lawsuit filed against the NCAA by Kansas defensive tackle Eric Butler, who was denied an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA after missing the 2001 season following the birth of his daughter, Angelina (Kelly Whiteside, USA Today, 8/24/06, "Suit tests ban on leave for father-athletes"). NCAA regulations give a student-athlete 5 years to complete 4 years of playing season eligibility. However, the NCAA's pregnancy exception states a school "may approve a one-year extension of the five-year period of eligibility for a female student for reasons of pregnancy." Butler brought a federal civil rights claim alleging the NCAA violated Title IX since its pregnancy waiver applies only to females. A U.S. District Court has already denied Butler's request for a temporary restraining order, and Butler has requested emergency relief from the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit because Kansas' season opens Sept. 2 against Northwestern State.

Butler argues that the NCAA should give college athletes the same opportunities that people in the normal workplace have, citing the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 which gives men who work at companies with 50 employees or more the right to take up to 12 weeks of paternity leave. Experts for the National Women's Law Center say that if eligibility is extended for child rearing then it should extend equally to men, but if eligibility is extended because of the physical effects of pregnancy then it should not extend equally to men. And the NCAA's position is that the rule explicitly states that it only applies to female students whose physical condition due to pregnancy prevents their participation in intercollegiate athletics.

The legal question in this case for purposes of establishing a Title IX claim is simply whether the NCAA's rule "discriminates on the basis of sex". I don't think it does. The rule doesn't treat women different from men; it treats pregnant women different from men as well as non-pregnant women. Many women (those who are not pregnant) are treated the same as men under the rule, and thus the rule does not treat similarly situated persons differently on the basis of sex.

But even if the rule does treat people differently because of, or on the basis of, their sex, disparate treatment prohibits "unjustified" sex-based distinctions. A rule that discriminates on the basis of sex is justified if the rule is necessary to address the special needs of a particular sex. For example, a rule that prohibits female students from participating in contact sports with male students is justified based upon the physical differences that exist between men and women. Here, the pregnancy exception is necessary because pregnant women can't physically participate in collegiate athletics.

SPANISH FOOTBALL & TRANSFER NEWS

CELTA & FC BARCELONA played tonight their1º round match in which Barça won 2-3 in a lessthan conviencing & tough match, which Gudjohnsonsolved in the last minutes of the game.The scorers were:1-0 Baino1-1 Eto´o1-2 Messi2-2 G.Lopez2.3 GudjohnsonTomorrow the last match of Round 1 will be played betweenSeville - LevanteEx-Betis player JOAQUIN was officially presented tomedia & fans by his newclub

New Sports Law Scholarship

New this week:

Aaron J. Hershtal, Note, Does Title IX work after school? California applies the three part test to municipal sports, 12 CARDOZO JOURNAL OF LAW AND GENDER 653 (2006)

Lacie L. Kaiser, Comment, Revisiting the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961: a call for equitable antitrust immunity from section one of the Sherman Act for all professional sport leagues, 54 DEPAUL LAW REVIEW 1237 (2005)

Toni Wehman, Comment, Not part of the game plan: school district liability for the creation of a hostile athlete environment, 77 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO LAW REVIEW 767 (2006)

NFC North Preview: Chicago Bears

As you may or may not know or care, I'm a big Vikings fan. I'd pay good money to see a Vikings Super Bowl win. Which is neither here nor there, I guess. But anyway, this results in me paying special attention to the NFC North, because that's obviously the Vikings domain. Which is why I'll preview each of the 4 teams in the division, because I don't really have the stamina to cover all the teams in depth. I'll go in alphabetical order, which means the Chicago Bears are up first.

About Last Year: It was a nice run for the Bears, no denying that. Led by Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, they had the best defense in the NFL. They were fast, they tackled well, got to the QB, and were pretty good in coverage. In the regular season they only gave up 202 points, which was by far the tops in the league. All of this helped them go 11-5 despite an offense that was mediocre at best. Things improved once Kyle Orton was pulled for Rex Grossman, but Grossman wasn't exactly a world beater either. All in all, a season that started without a lot of expectations ended at 11-5 with a division title, and a 29-21 2nd round playoff loss to Carolina.

What they Added: First and foremost, they added a good QB to provide insurance if Rex Grossman can't stay healthy. Brian Griese has been very productive, but with Chris Simms coming up, there was no room for him in Tampa Bay. So far, he's look very solid in the preseason, and if Grossman struggles, it wouldn't surprise me a bit to see Griese get the call at QB. Everywhere else, it was about depth. Most notably, they added to the defense with CB Ricky Manning Jr. With Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman already in place, Manning adds another talented part to the defense. In the draft, they also looked to add defensive depth, with guys like Danieal Manning, Dusty Dvoracek, and Jamar Williams. Apparently, you can't have too much of a good thing.

What they Lost: Not much. Jerry Azumah is gone, but they replaced him with Ricky Manning Jr and rookie Danieal Manning. Terrence Metcalf is gone, which decreases the depth at OG, but they're not going to miss him much I don't think. All in all, surprisingly little turnover on this Bears team.

What does this all mean? Well, it means the Bears are the favorites in a weak NFC North. Certainly they look like they'll have a great defense again, with basically everybody back. The questions are still with the offense... how much slack will Rex Grossman get? Can Cedric Benson be an every down back? Can one of the young WR become a big play guy? In the end, I'm guessing about 10-6 for the Bears and another division title. All the ingredients are there to be a good football team again - great defense, solid running game - they just need some consistency from the offense.

SPANISH FOOTBALL. "LA LIGA" KICKS OFF FOR 2006/07

The Spanish League kicked off this weekend with mixed results& 2 matches left to be played Monday & Tuesday.FERNANDO TORRES scored the only goal for Atletico de Madrid init´s victory over Racing de Santander. Real Madrid disappointed athome with a 0-0 draw with Villareal. Deportivo & Zaragozawas the match full of goals with Deportivo winning 3-2.Results:Espanyol 0 - Gimastic de Tarragona (Campano

German sport newspapers

Divided by the Berlin Wall in free democratic press and communist press, german sport newspapers wrote differently about the extraordinary sport achievements of the two countries: German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) and Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland). After the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1990, Germany became one of the greatest nation sport ever had, and sport press couldn't be different!

SportBild: http://www.sportbild.de/
Kicker: http://www.www.kicker.de/
Der Tagesspiegel: http://www.tagesspiegel.de/sport/
Hamburger Morgenpost: http://www.mopo.de/sport/hsv/
Handelsblatt: http://www.handelsblatt.com/news/Default.aspx?_p=200015
Rheinische Post: http://www.rp-online.de/public/start/nachrichten/sport
Sueddeutsche Zeitung: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:http://www.faz.net/s/Rub9F27A221597D4C39A82856B0FE79F051/Tpl~Eaktuell~Sressort.html

College Football Preview: Roundup

After what probably seemed like months and months to you readers, my college football previews are finally over... in case you missed any, here they are.

Conference Previews (conference winner)
ACC (Florida St / Miami - Miami)
Big East (Louisville)
Big 10 (Ohio St.)
Big 12 (Texas / Nebraska - Texas)
Pac-10 (USC)
SEC (Florida / Auburn - Auburn)
Independent/Mid-Majors

Other Previews
Best Games
Heisman Hopefuls
National Title and other BCS Bowls

How was it? Did I spend too much time and you got bored with it? Let it all out.

And by the way, first games of the college season are Thursday!

FIFA Election Monitors En Route to Nigeria

Back in May, I posted on FIFA efforts to suspend Cambodia's soccer federation after the ruling government engaged in manipulation of the federation's elections. In an effort at preventative shaming, FIFA has now decided to deploy election monitors to Nigeria to monitor Tuesday's election of a president for the country's soccer association. Given Nigeria's soccer prowess (currently 11th in FIFA's questionable world rankings), the state of soccer in that country is of far more international concern. Five candidates are vying for the soccer association's presidency. Although the candidates have engaged in a televised debate, critics have charged that few hard questions about candidates' ethics were raised. In a country where all major political parties have been charged with election rigging, it's no surprise that a soccer association could fall victim to the same sad state of affairs (as Greg noted in March, Nigerian soccer refs are permitted to accept bribes). Hopefully, international attention will be more lasting and effective than it has been in Nigeria's political arena.

College Football Preview: BCS Bowls and Predictions

Well after looking at all of the major conference and possible contenders, the Heisman hopefuls, and all of the best games, it's time to get to my predictions for the title game and the BCS bowls, as well as my predictions.

BCS Title Game
Notre Dame vs. Texas - The Irish have a tough schedule, but I think they have all the weapons offensively, and the defense should be better this year. Going into USC and winning won't be easy, but I think they can do what the Trojans did to them last year. For the Longhorns, they lost Vince Young, but they've returned a boatload of talent. They get the Buckeyes at home, and it's early in the year which will magnify OSU's youth, and I think give Texas the cushion they need. By the title game, I think Jevan Snead will be firmly entrenched as the starting QB, and the Longhorns have more talent across the team to take out Notre Dame. That's why I like TEXAS as my repeat National Champions.


Fiesta Bowl
Louisville vs. Oklahoma - With the game against WVU coming at home, I like Louisville to win the Big East. Brian Brohm is very talented, and he has weapons around him in Michael Bush and Marco Urrutia. For the Sooners, Rhett Bomar is a huge loss, but Adrian Peterson is the best RB in the nation, and they have a great defense. I think they'll use that formula to go through the Big 12. However, LOUISVILLE has too many weapons, and I like them to win here.


Rose Bowl
USC vs. Ohio St. - Finally back to a more conventional Rose Bowl, pitting the best of the Pac-10 and the best of the Big 10. Troy Smith is one of the best QB in the nation, while Ted Ginn is a great playmaker. The Trojans are loaded with young talent that should bve matured by the end of the year. However, I like OHIO ST's experience on offense and young talent on defense to get them the Rose Bowl win.


Orange Bowl
Miami vs. West Virginia - I like Miami to win the ACC, putting them in the Orange Bowl. I think Kyle Wright is going to make the steps to be an excellent QB this year, and he has enough around them to lead them to a conference title. For WVU, their schedule shouldn't be too challenging other than the trip to Louisville... but that should be enough to end the undefeated season and end the title dreams. But the season will end on a high note, as just like last year, I like WEST VIRGINIA to win their BCS Bowl game.

Sugar Bowl
Auburn vs. Florida St. - I think Auburn is the best, most balanced team in the SEC, and they have the best chance to run the table in that conference because of a comparatively favorable schedule. Kenny Irons is a great weapon, and Brandon Cox to Courtney Taylor could become a common theme. For FSU, Drew Weatherford is developing into a very good QB, but he might be a year away. I like FSU to lose a game or two and wind up with an at-large berth. In this game, I think the best team in SEC shows why it's the best conference in America, and AUBURN wins.


END OF SEASON TOP 10
1. Texas
2. Ohio St.
3. Auburn
4. Notre Dame
5. Lousiville
6. USC
7. West Virginia
8. Oklahoma
9. Miami
10. Florida

What's your pick for the National Title game, and who do you have winning it?

AC MILAN SHUTS DEAL WITH REAL BETIS & SIGNS OLIVEIRA

Spanish paper, Marca, has announced that AC MILAN has signedBrazilian & REAL BETIS forward OLIVEIRA for 15,000,000€.This operation comes after Milan´s attempt for Real Madrid´sRonaldo failed, as they asked for 30M€ & Oliveira was its nextmore economical option. The news is up on Milan´s web site.

SPANISH FOOTBALL "LA LIGA" KICKS OFF SEASON 2006/07 THIS WEEKEND

The new 2006/07 SPANISH 1º DIVISION season starts thisweekend. "La Liga" - as its also known - kicks off with a whole lot of new players & stars, maintaining it as the "best"league in the world.Here is the Round 1º fixture:Valencia-Betis (Saturday)Osasuna-Getafe(Sunday)Racing - Atletico de MadridReal Madrid - VillarealRecreativo-MallorcaDeportivo-ZaragozaAt.Bilbao-Real SociedadCelta-Barcelona(

FOOTBALL: SPANISH NATIONAL SQUAD LIST

The SPANISH NATIONAL SQUAD has been announced & there are no changes to the list given for the ICELAND friendly.Spain begins its EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP road on Septemberthe 2nd against LIECHTENSTEIN - at home & September the 6thagainst NORTHERN IRELAND - away.Here is the list of players:Atlético de Madrid: Antonio López, Pablo Ibáñez, Fernando Torres,Mariano Pernía.Arsenal: Cesc y ReyesBarcelona:

EUROPEAN SUPERCUP FINAL. FC BARCELONA - SEVILLE

The European Football season kicks off tonight in Monacowith the 1º title up for grabs between last years European CupChamps & UEFA Cup Winners. Its an all Spanish affair betweenFC BARCELONA & SEVILLE in tonights EUROPEANSUPERCUP FINAL.The favourites are Barça who are in fantastic form so early in theseason. (Seville training in Monaco, courtesy of AS.com)Possible line -ups:Barcelona: Víctor

College Football Preview: Best Games of the Year

Well I've gone through all the conferences, and looked quickly at the best games from each conference, but as we get closer and closer to the end of this preview it's time to take a look at all of the best game overall, conference and non-conference.

SEPTEMBER

2nd - Cal at Tennessee - An excellent start to the year... Cal looks to be Pac-10 contenders this year, while Tennessee needs to rebound from the disappointment of last year.
4th - Florida St. at Miami - Best opening weekend game, believe it or not this could determine the ACC Champion.
9th - Ohio St. at Texas - The long-awaited rematch of last year's great battle... probably the second most looked forward to non-conference in all of college football. Both teams look like title contenders.
16th - Michigan at Notre Dame - The Irish went into The Big House last year and sprung what looked like an upset... can the Wolverines do the same to the Irish this year?
16th - Nebraska at USC - Is Nebraska back? Are the Trojans able to overcome the losses? Lots of questions will be answered.
16th - LSU at Auburn - Great SEC matchup between two extremely talented teams.
23rd - Penn St. at Ohio St. - Penn St. beat them last year, but can they do it again without Michael Robinson?


OCTOBER

7th - Oklahoma vs. Texas - The Red River Shootout has been lopsided the past couple of years, but the Sooners will be looking to regain their mojo this year after last year's whooping.
14th - Florida at Auburn - How will Urban Meyer's offense look against a fast and talented defense in Auburn? Can the Gators shut down Kenny Irons? Excellent matchup on both sides.
14th - Michigan at Penn St. - Wolverines won this game last year on a pass as time expired ending Penn St.'s hopes for a perfect season, now the Nittany Lions look for revenge at home.
21st - Texas at Nebraska - If Texas gets by Oklahoma, Nebraska has the best shot to beat Texas of anyone in the Big 12, especially at home.
28th - Florida vs. Georgia - The great rivalry game usually produces great games... this game will likely decide the SEC East.


NOVEMBER

2nd - West Virginia at Louisville - Game should decide the Big East, and with the talent on these clubs, this has the potential to be one of the most entertaining games of the year.
4th - Virginia Tech at Miami - Beamer's Boys will be very good defensively, while Miami has some offensive talent. These two teams have been playing great games since the Big East days.
11th - South Carolina at Florida - Steve Spurrier's return to The Swamp. Enough said.
18th - Cal at USC - If USC is going to lose a game in the Pac-10, my money would be on this being the game.
18th - Michigan at Ohio St. - One of the best rivalries in college football. Both teams appear to be very talented, and this could have Big 10 and National Title implications.
25th - Notre Dame at USC - At least for me, the game I'm looking forward to the most. Last year's game was the most entertaining game that I can remember watching, and even though some personnel have changed, the Trojans have the talent (and should have the experience by the end of the year) to beat Notre Dame. These two teams will be undefeated when they meet. You heard it here first.
26th - Florida at Florida St. - Another great rivalry game. Two very talented teams on both side of the ball.

What games are you most looking forward to?

SPANISH FOOTBALL. EURO CUP DRAW, PRIZES & TRANSFER

Funny how luck works sometimes,REAL MADRID is in Group E & joins Olympique de Lyon, Steaua& Dinamo Kiev. New Real playerDiarra will meet his ex-companionsin European Cup competition.FC BARCELONA is in Group A & joins Chelsea, Werder Bermen & Levski.VALENCIA is in Group D & joinsRoma, Olympiakos & ShakhlzrDonetskTalking about the European Cup, the prizes for the best players for lastseason were

Why Do We Love Hating Maurice Clarett?

Harvard Law professor Jon Hanson and I have an op-ed in today's Providence Journal:

Jon Hanson and Michael McCann: The psychopathology of athlete worship

Providence Journal

Thursday, August 24, 2006

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.

TO SPORTS FANS, it probably wasn't a surprise to learn that former Ohio State University football star Maurice Clarett was arrested again the other week. The evasive running back who had carried the Buckeyes to the 2002 National Championship was unsuccessful in evading the police in a car chase that occurred near the home of a witness in his upcoming robbery trial. As if his location and the arsenal of four loaded guns in his car weren't suspicious enough, Clarett was sporting a Kevlar vest at the time.

Much like Clarett in his glory days, the story has legs, powerful legs. Everyone has now seen the post-arrest photos of Clarett, dressed in a jail-issued jumpsuit and looking beleaguered. Sports writers around America have penned countless condemnations of Clarett and his bad life choices. The following sample of news headlines give a flavor of the indignation:

"After Saying He Had Changed, Clarett Goes Down Familiar Path" (The New York Times).

"Maurice Clarett in Dire Need of a Reality Check" (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

"Clarett's Misplaced Sense of Manhood Meant Nothing but Trouble" (The Akron Beacon Journal).

Editorialists ratcheted up the righteousness. Scott Soshnick, of Bloomberg News, told readers in a column entitled "Maurice Clarett Doesn't Deserve Your Sympathy": "Clarett has no one but himself to blame for his latest incarceration." An editorial said, "all [Clarett] ever has been is a knucklehead." Another, entitled "Don't Cry for Clarett," attributes his failings to "self-absorption," "ego, and arrogance."

Letters to The Columbus Dispatch got even nastier (Ohio State is in Columbus). One: "Big Mo's actions only confirm what my pappy always said: 'Beauty is only skin deep, but stupidity goes clear to the bone.' " Another called for "a citywide ban against Maurice Clarett," saying that "[a]nyone wearing No. 13 this year during Buckeyes games should be encouraged to burn their jersey."

It is obvious that people care about this story; what isn't so clear is why. Why are Americans so interested in an event that, with a different culprit, would have spread no further than the local crime blotter? And why are so many sports writers preoccupied with a man who never played a down in the National Football League and who hasn't played college football in over three years? Most perplexing, why the vitriol? Why do we pile insults on a young man who is already a has-been?

Is it because a young black man was arrested and jailed? Nope. After all, we barely notice that over 15 million Americans are arrested each year and one out of every four black men will go to prison in his lifetime.

Might it be because he was carrying concealed weapons? Uh-uh. Thousands of people are arrested each year for that, and it is not a crime that elicits general outrage. In fact, more and more states are passing laws making it easier to carry a concealed weapon.

To understand why we Americans enjoy villainizing certain sports figures (Ron Artest, Terrell Owens, Rafael Palmeiro, Lawrence Phillips, Mike Tyson), it is helpful to understand why we make super-heroes of others.

Consider the most celebrated athlete in recent memory, Lance Armstrong. He has been the recipient of too many accolades to count, including Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year," the Associated Press's "Male Athlete of the Year" (four times), and ESPN's ESPY Award for "Best Male Athlete" (again, four times). Is Lance talented and successful? To be sure. And, yes, he won the Tour de France seven times -- more than any rider in history.

But those successes alone are not what make Armstrong our hero. In fact, not long ago Americans cared as much about French cycling races as they do about English cricket tournaments. In Armstrong's case, it wasn't so much the race that made the man; it was the man who made the race. And what we admire in this man is not that he is a winner, but that he is a winner after having nearly lost his life to testicular cancer.

We love loving Lance because his success confirms our faith in the power of perseverance. The message for us all is the American creed: We can overcome our situation, no matter how grim, if only we work hard and choose wisely.

Consider also ESPN's award for the "best sports moment of the year." In the single basketball game that Jason McElwain played in high school, he scored 20 points in just 240 seconds. Sure, that was an outstanding accomplishment, but what made it the "best moment" is that "J-Mac" is autistic and had spent the rest of the season as the team manager.

Oh, we love those stories! Indeed, we pay good money to see movies about fictional sports figures (from Radio to Rudy to Rocky) who overcome their situations.

This brings us back to the more tragic Clarett story. Why do we love hating Maurice? For the same reason -- just from a different angle. Clarett was at the cusp of fame. Had he simply chosen better, as one editorialist wrote, Clarett "would be signing autographs in some National Football League training camp right now. He'd be the face of a franchise. He'd be a millionaire. He'd be wearing Nike shoes and getting paid to do it. He'd be posing for magazine covers and billboards, instead of mug shots."

The message of Clarett's story is just the flip side of the same creed: If we work hard and make good choices we will succeed, but if we are lazy and make bad choices, we will fail.

And why do we love that message? Social science provides several reasons, but among the most important is our subconscious craving to believe that our world is just and that anyone can overcome circumstances. When our heroes are "good guys" who make "good choices" and our villains are "bad guys" who make "bad choices," that craving is satisfied.

If someone succeeds, he deserves it; if someone fails, he has no one but himself to blame. Feels good.

Jon Hanson and Michael McCann -- professors at, respectively, Harvard Law School and the Mississippi College School of Law -- are writing a book on how sports shape beliefs about law and policy.

College Football Preview: Other Teams to Watch

After going through all of the major contenders, that just leaves those teams that are either not in a conference (here's looking at you Irish) or those teams that are in the Mid-Majors. I could go through them all, but well, I'm not quite that ambitious, so I'll just take a look at those that possibly have shots for a BCS Bowl or are just interesting.

Notre Dame: We all know the story last year - good offense, bad defense. Well, the good news is that there are 9 starters back on defense. The bad news... is that there are 9 starters back on defense. The problem with the Irish defense was speed last year, something that, from all reports, they have worked hard on improving during the offseason and through recruiting. If the defense can even be average, well, the Irish have a shot to go far, because the offense could be the best in all the land. Charlie Weis is a mastermind, Brady Quinn is the best QB in the nation, and Jeff Smardizja (I spelled that horribly wrong), is an excellent receiver. Add in Darius Walker, Rhema McKnight, and a good O-Line, and lots and lots of points will be put up in South Bend. They've got early season tests, but all eyes are on their trip to USC late this year, which could be one of the best games of the college football season.

TCU: They were an early-season loss at SMU away from going undefeated, and they return 8 starters on offense and 6 on defense. They've got an excellent rushing attack spearheaded by Robert Merrill and Aaron Brown at RB. They start out at Baylor and home vs. Texas Tech, and if they pass those early season tests a BCS bid is not out of the question.

Utah: The Utes are back and one of the best mid-majors in all the land. They've got an experienced defense with 8 returning starters. Also, even though QB Brian Johnson won't play this year, they still have experience at that position. They won't be as good as the Alex Smith/Urban Meyer show, but they'll win more than the 7 games they won last year.

Boise St: Dan Hawkins is gone, but they've still got lots of talent on the offensive side of the ball, led by Jared Zabransky. They averaged over 36 points a game last year, and they return 9 starters on offense (and 9 on defense). Look for them to be an exciting team and once again a force in the MWC.

Tulsa: The C-USA champs should be very good again this year, as they return 17 starts including QB Paul Smith. They finished 9-4 last year (including a Liberty Bowl win over Fresno St.) and once again they look to be the class of C-USA.

UTEP: But Tulsa's biggest competition in C-USA should come from UTEP and QB Jordan Palmer. Palmer is one of the most talented QBs in the country, but he has to make better decisions and take better care of the ball. If he can cut down on TOs, then UTEP will be potent offensively and big contenders to Tulsa.

Houston: The Cougars will be an entertaining team to watch because of QB Kevin Kolb. As he goes into the year, he has already thrown for 9,155 career yards and 55 TD. There are definitely some good QBs in C-USA.

UCF: They won't be contending for the BCS, but they're an interesting team because of the huge turnaround last year. They'll return 18 starters from an 8-win team, and once again will look for a bowl berth under George O'Leary.

Hollywood Talent Firm Consolidates Sports Agent Biz

SFX, Octagon and IMG, collectively, once dominated the player representation business. Consolidation in the sports agency industry involving these companies, which began in 1995, dramatically changed the sports agent market and transformed the industry from a "mom and pop" environment into the world of big business in which few independent sports agents remain prominent today. [However, one independent agent, Scott Boras, continues to flourish in the baseball industry and is arguably the most dominant agent in any single sport. In 2005, Boras virtually controlled the free-agent market in baseball by signing six premium free agents to more than $400 million worth of deals.]

This year, the agent business was consolidated even further with Creative Artists Agency’s decision to buy and merge the practices of former IMG football agents Tom Condon and Ken Kremer and former SFX football agents Ben Dogra and Jim Steiner. In an instant, the merger created the largest NFL player representation firm in the country, with about 140 players, including stars such as Shaun Alexander, Peyton and Eli Manning, and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams. CAA, a Hollywood talent firm, also purchased IMG's baseball practice lead by Casey Close.

When a company purchases a sports agent business, what is it really buying? The primary assets consist of the player-agent representation agreements. But the players association regulations governing agents in all four sports permit the players to terminate these agreements at will upon just a few days notice. And players frequently switch agents, so there is a risk that some of the agency's clients will not even be the agency's clients at some point or another after the sale. So in essence, the buyer is really just purchasing the future commissions owed by the player to the agents under these agreements. [The regulations only permit commissions to be paid to the agent as and when the player is paid his salary during the term of his player contract.]

The other primary asset purchased consists of the individual agents themselves via an employment agreement with the agent. But here too, it is very common for disputes to arise between individual agents and the agency that employs them, and the agent ends up leaving and takes clients with him resulting in a lawsuit. In the July 31 edition of the Sports Business Journal, Liz Mullen notes that many agents are speculating how long the marriage will last at CAA:

No sooner was the deal announced than other agents started saying it would never work. They reasoned that egos would clash, that players might shy away from being represented by what one agent called “a monstrosity,” and that Condon, long recognized as the most powerful NFL agent, and Dogra, an up-and-comer, would struggle over issues such as who would recruit which players. Arn Tellem, the prominent basketball and baseball agent who was formerly CEO of SFX Sports and is now CEO of athlete management for Wasserman Media Group, said that the most successful agents are extremely competitive and have a hard time working with their former competitors. “It is not in most agents’ nature to make it work,” Tellem said.

Another legal issue that arises from consolidation in the industry is the increased potential for conflicts of interest. Such a conflict can arise when an agency represents two or more similarly situated players at the same time who are competing for a finite number of available positions in the league, or, even if not competing for the same position, competing for a pool of available dollars that teams are willing to spend on players at that particular time. Representing over 140 NFL clients means that CAA is representing an average of 5 players per team. At some point, CAA will be negotiating contracts at the same time for multiple free agents competing for a job. An agent owes a fiduciary duty (duty of loyalty) to serve the best interest of each individual client, and it will be difficult for CAA to do so in this scenario. The NFLPA will be closely monitoring this situation.

REAL MADRID. DIARRA ITS 4º SIGNNING.

For the REAL MADRID fan this is the photo they have beenwaiting for, MAHAMADOU DIARRA, finally dresses inwhite. The operation cost about 26M€, although SFS thinksit may be more & a 5 year contract.Diarra could play against Anderletch in the Bernabeu Trophy,he is the big hope to solve the midfield "hole".SFS wishes him luck!

College Football Preview: SEC

And finally we move on to the best and deepest conference in all the land - the SEC. According to the first USA Today poll, 8 of the top 30 teams in the nation reside in the SEC. They're deep, talented, and it's going to be extremely difficult to come out of that conference unscathed. Let's take a closer look:

Player of the Year: Unlike some other races, there is no clear cut favorite here, at least in my opinion. Kenny Irons of Auburn obviously has a great shot at this, coming off of a 1300 yard, 13 TD year. The Tigers offense will be absolutely loaded this year, and defenses won't be able to focus on Irons, which should only help. Chris Leak should also be in the discussion. He's very talented, very experienced, and we all know what QBs have done once they've been comfortable in Urban Meyer's offense. Plus, he's got great talent behind him (more on that later), so he'll have to play well to keep his job.

Those two are the favorites, but there are some darkhorses. One is Sidney Rice of South Carolina, one of the best WR in the nation. He has an experienced QB in Blake Mitchell throwing to him, and Steve Spurrier is still a great offensive mind. A final candidate is JaMarcus Russell of LSU. Only a junior, he's got a lot of experience and has always been very talented, and like Leak, has players behind him that can play. But when you add it all up, I like Chris Leak to take things home. He's got Urban Meyer there, plus the receivers are healthy and extremely talented.

Freshmen to Watch: It's the year of the freshmen QB in the SEC, but let's start with a WR. Percy Havin from Florida is one of the best incoming players in the country, and his speed and versatility shoud allow him to contribute immediately for Florida in the passing game and on special teams. Elsewhere for the Gators, QB Tim Tebow should get some playing time immediately, even with Chris Leak there. He's a perfect fit for Urban's spread offense, and should be a star in Gainesville. Elsewhere, Matthew Stafford should get some early playing time for Georgia, with DJ Shockley gone. He's got a great arm, and might be the best freshman QB in the nation. A final guy is Mitch Mustain from Arkansas. It doesn't look like he'll start the year, but if they struggle at that position, don't be surprised to see Mustain in there, especially with his high school coach as the offensive coordinator.

Breakout Players: A lot of people know about him already, but I think Brandon Cox will establish himself as an excellent QB in the SEC and NCAA for Auburn. The offense hardly missed a beat after losing Brown/Cadillac and Jason Campbell, and Cox was a big reason for that. Another guy is Andre Caldwell, who is coming off of injury, and should have a big year with Leak/Tebow at QB. A final guy is Brent Schaeffer, the transfer who will be a big part of Ole Miss' offense and will be the key if Ole Miss can take a step forward.

Other things to watch: Can anyone come out of this conference undefeated to have a shot for the title game? There are just so many good teams it's extremely tough. If things break right, teams like Auburn, LSU, and Florida can be top 5 teams, this conference is that good.

Best Games:
- LSU at Auburn - An early season matchup facing two talented and experience teams. The winner has a huge advantage in the West. (September 16)
- LSU at Florida - Once again, just two quality teams. (October 7)
- Florida at Auburn - The 2 best teams in the SEC in my mind and two of the top teams in the nation. (October 14)
- Florida vs. Georgia - How's this for a 4-week span: LSU, at Auburn, vs. Georgia. Wow! This rivalry game is always entertaining. (October 28)

Projected Order of Finish

East
1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Tennessee
4. South Carolina
5. Kentucky
6. Vanderbilt

West
1. Auburn
2. LSU
3. Arkansas
4. Alabama
5. Ole Miss
6. Mississippi St.

Comparing Baseball Salaries to Income Inequality in the United States

Kevin Drum of Washington Monthly (probably my favorite non-sports blog) has a very interesting post on growing income inequalities in the United States, as he uses the growth of baseball salaries to explain his position (which, in sum, is that while aggregate wealth keeps increasing in the U.S., the rich and powerful have the greatest access to it, so they take most of it):

[I]t's not just the top 20% who have gained relative to the bottom 80%, it's also the top 1% who have gained relative to the 10% just below them. Do we really believe that the top 1% have an enormous educational advantage compared to the top 10%? And that this gap has increased over the past 50 years?

Consider professional baseball. Today's top players routinely sign contracts that pay them $5 million a year. A-Rod signed one that paid more than $10 million. But 50 years ago, the highest paid player earned about $300,000 (in inflation-adjusted terms). Why the 30x increase?

It's certainly not because A-Rod is relatively more valuable to the Yankees' pennant chances today than, say, Mickey Mantle or Roger Maris were in their day. Rather, what's happened is that there's fantastically more money sloshing around in professional baseball than in the past thanks to skyrocketing TV, radio, and merchandise sales. More money means higher salaries.

But that's not automatic, of course. There's another piece to the baseball puzzle: in 1966 the baseball players union hired Marvin Miller, a former negotiator for the U.S. steel workers, to head their organization. In 1972 they went on strike, and ten years later the reserve clause was history, free agency was in full swing, and player salaries were going through the roof. This is not a coincidence.

Similarly, the broader economy has grown enormously in the past few decades, but without a Marvin Miller on their side almost none of this growing pile of money has gone to middle class workers. And this, I believe, is the root cause of skyrocketing income inequality: economic growth combined with stagnating median wages has produced a colossal amount of extra money sloshing around in the system, and it has to go somewhere. And since the rich and powerful run the system, where else is it going to go but to the rich and powerful? They aren't going to dole it out to the less fortunate out of the goodness of their hearts, after all.

Alright, I'll admit it: I inserted the A-Rod picture above, which depicts his infamous and feeble attempt to knock the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove in Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series (sorry, the Yankees' five game sweep of the Sox this past weekend still has me aggravated). But going back to Drum's post, he mentions Marvin Miller. Miller as you know, was a labor economist who served as executive director of the MLBPA from 1966 to 1982. During that time, and as Drum notes, he radically improved the rights and earning capacities of the baseball labor force.

So is Drum right: Does our country's middle class lack a "Marvin Miller type figure," and does that in part explain why so many in the "middle class" seem worse off than the "middle class" of years ago? I suppose some might describe Ralph Nader as the Marvin Miller of the middle class, although Nader, while influential, has not been in charge. What do you think?

SPANISH FOOTBALL. GOOD & BAD NEWS.

Big night for Spanish Football, with European Cup qualifiers &a friendly match in BarcelonaVALENCIA qualified forthe European ChampionsLeague by defeatingSALZBURG 3- 0 at homein front of a full house.Scorers were F.Morientes,D.Villa & D. Silva.The bad news was thatOSASUNA couldn´t maketheir dream a reality. Theyonly managed a 1-1 drawat home against HAMBURG.Here the away goal was the key,giving

Floyd Landis and Justin Gatlin Doping Scandals: Should Congress Get Involved?

Chris Graham of the Augusta Free Press has an excellent article on whether Congress should conduct new hearings on performance-enhancing drugs in the wake of the Floyd Landis and Justin Gatlin doping scandals ("The Politics of Steroids," Aug. 20, 2006). As you know, Landis is an American cyclist who won the 2006 Tour de France and who was recently fired from the Phonak team after a positive doping was confirmed, while Gatlin is an American sprinter who holds the world record in the 100 meter sprint and who also recently tested positive for doping. Graham wonders if Congress might consider holding hearings on doping in sports, much like it did in 2005 in the wake of the baseball steroids scandal.

Graham interviews several people for the story, including me:

"I would be surprised if Congress acted again on this issue in the near future," said Michael McCann, a professor at the Mississippi College School of Law and a regular contributor to The Sports Law Blog. "This certainly has garnered the attention of the sports world. But with elections coming up, with the war in Iraq, with Israel, it doesn't seem as if there is a window of time to address this," McCann told The Augusta Free Press.

Bob Thompson, the director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, points to another issue that could be serving to hold back congressional action. "I don't feel yet like we've really reached that point of total public outrage all united together in one sort of voice," Thompson said . . .

Arthur Caplan, the director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, thinks it is wise of Congress to steer clear of getting involved in the issue any more than it has. "The issue here is that there really isn't any right or wrong about what to ban or prohibit in sports once you get past risk," Caplan said . . .

Paul Haagen, the co-director of Center for Sports Law and Policy at Duke University, offers two other reasons for Congress to keep its nose out of the regulatory end of things. "With the international sports, I think there is a really strong case that this ought to be left to the World Anti-Doping Agency - and the reason for that is when you're dealing with international competitions, there's a lot of suspicion from country to country that individual countries are protecting their athletes, that they're not interested in rooting this out . . ."

Check out the story for more. Do you think Congress should get involved at this time, or ever?

World Series of Poker Champion to Face Lawsuit? SPOILER WARNING

For those still awaiting ESPN's September 26 broadcast of the August 10 World Series of Poker Main Event final table to find out who won it all, please STOP READING NOW.

The Las Vegas Review Journal gossip column reports that WSOP main event champion Jamie Gold may soon face a lawsuit from financial backers who will seek to claim some share of his WSOP $12 million payday.

There are rumblings of an "explosive" development in a story rife with more twists than an episode of "The Sopranos."

An insider says look for court challenges over whether Gold agreed to divvy up a share (or shares) of the $12 million prize he won at the World Series of Poker's main event Aug. 12 at the Rio.

* * *

Yes, Gold was sponsored by the gaming site, bodog.com, Horn said. But, "He will be an ambassador. No money was involved."

An Internet report claimed Gold's sponsor would get 50 percent.

According to the same article and to the Defamer blog, Gold is also coming under fire for alleged exaggerations and misrepresentations of his background and career as a Hollywood agent.

UPDATE (8/25/06): Yesterday, news broke that a lawsuit had been filed against Gold by another Hollywood promoter (rather than bodog.com). A judge has issued a TRO preventing the Rio from paying out half of the $12 million prize.

SAMUEL ETO´O. ONCE AGAIN SHOWS HIS TRUE COLOURS

You can put a marketing & publicrelations aura on anyone, especiallysporting personalities. There is a lotof cash to be won showing a non-selfish & humanitarian image.Hey , why not help an orphan schoolin your home country, give gifts atthe local children´s cancer wardor show up defending some ecologicalevent.That makes you a great guy. A rolemodel & an example for the rest ofus mortals to

College Football Preview: Pac-10

After a short hiatus, I'm back (though probably not better than ever), and ready to get back into the college football previews with the season right around the corner. Now the Pac-10, which features my favorite team (UCLA), but it hasn't really been all the competitive of late, as USC has looked down on everyone else for the past few years. They have the talent to do that again, but they'll be very young. Let's take a look.

Player of the Year: The favorite coming in is Cal's Marshawn Lynch. He's an explosive runner, has a good offense around him, and will get the ball (even with fellow RB Justin Forsett there). He is one of the top returning RB in all of college football. Elsewhere, USC has great athletes once again, led by WR Dwayne Jarrett, who might be the best WR in the nation, coming off of 29 TD in his first two years. The biggest darkhorse in this race could be John David Booty, who looks to be stepping in as the USC starting QB. Remember what happened the last time USC replaced a star QB? There are no shortage of weapons for Booty (including the best WR corps in the nation), so if he stays healthy, he could be a candidate here. Lastly, whoever wins the ASU QB job will be in the running. Right now, it looks like Sam Keller has the inside track, but Rudy Carpenter showed last year he can put up big numbers and win ballgames. But in the end, I think it will come down to Marshawn Lynch being the most talented player in the conference, playing on a good Cal team. I like him to be the Conference Player of the Year.

Freshmen to Watch: It'll be really interesting to watch the trio of freshman RBs for USC - Stafon Johnson, Emmanuel Moody, and CJ Gable - because all of them could get chances this year. The frontrunner to get the most carries of the 3 is probably Stafon Johnson, one of the top RB prospects in the nation. For other freshman, we don't really have to look further than the Trojans skill players, because WR Vidal Hazelton could also have an impact on offense and special teams. Sure, the receiving corps is loaded (Jarrett, Steve Smith, Patrick Turner), but they were loaded last year and Patrick Turner got on the field. Pete Carroll is not shy about playing freshman, so Hazelton should get his chances.

Breakout Players: There are some solid young QBs in the Pac-10, and perhaps none of them is better than UCLA's Ben Olson, at least on paper. We've probably all heard the story - he was a top prospect, went on his Mormon mission, then came to UCLA - so he has the talent. If he can pick up the offense well, he should be very productive replacing Drew Olson. Another young QB is Willie Tuitama of Arizona. He was very productive for Arizona once Mike Stoops took the redshirt off, and that should just create momentum for this year.

Other Things to Watch: Can anyone in the Pac-10 beat USC? The three best teams other than UCLA are Cal, Oregon, and Arizona St... which all go on the road to play USC this year. In other words, my guess is a resounding no. Another interesting thing is to see who will be Cal's starting QB... Nate Longshore was it last year until he got hurt, and then Joe Ayoob came in an struggled. If they can get any type of reliability and consistency there, they will be firing on all cylinders. And sorry Washington fans, despite an experienced QB and improving D, Washington doesn't have enough to crawl much higher than the depths of the Pac-10.

UPDATE: All of this ASU QB talk is null becuase now it looks like Sam Keller may have been released from his scholarship, and possibly plans to transfer. Needless to say, this is big news for the Pac-10, Rudy Carpenter, and whichever team Sam Keller might possibly go to (Nebraska?) Very interesting stuff indeed.

Best Games:
- Arizona St. at USC - The Sun Devils gave USC a tough test last year, and with their talented QBs, they have a chance to do that again. (October 14th)
- California at USC - Cal remains the last Pac-10 team to beat USC way back when. (November 18th)
- Arizona St. at Arizona - The in-state rivalry should be made better as Arizona gets better. (November 25th)

Projected Order of Finish

1. USC
2. California
3. Arizona St.
4. Oregon
5. UCLA
6. Arizona
7. Stanford
8. Oregon St.
9. Washington St.
10. Washington

OLIVEIRA RETURNS TO BETIS 9 DAYS LATE

Brazilian forward RICARDO OLIVEIRA finally returns toincorporate himself withBETIS with a 9 day delay.Here is the run down. Lastseason he experienced aterrible knee injury - 6months. So Betis signedanother player that took hisplace.Oliveira recovered aheadof time, but could´nt play dueto the fact, that someone elsehad his place.So Betis decides to loan him to SAO PAULO so he can pick upform &

New Sports Law Scholarship

New this week:

Kevin J. Cimino, Note, The rebirth of the NBA - well, almost: an analysis of the Maurice Clarett decision and its impact on the National Basketball Association, 108 WEST VIRGINIA LAW REVIEW 831 (2006)

Jonathan Deem, Note, Freedom of the press box: classifying high school athletes under the Gertz public figure doctrine, 108 WEST VIRGINIA LAW REVIEW 799 (2006)

Leslie Ann Dougiello, Casenote, Inequitable procedures win gold in Olympic arbitration, discussing Jacobs v. United States Track & Field, 374 F.3d 85, 2d Cir. 2004, 24 QUINNIPIAC LAW REVIEW 887 (2006)

FC BARCELONA WINS THE SPANISH SUPERCUP

FC BARCELONA has beaten ESPANYOL 3-0 tonight to winthe SPANISH SUPERCUP 4-1 on aggregate, & take the 1ºofficial title for the new 2006/07 season.Barça was awesome with all their star players in excellentform & proving that they are favorites so early in this new season.The goal scorers were XAVI & DECO who scored twice, giving us a great display of indivual & collective skill. It was all touch

MOTOGP. SPANISH RAIDERS DO WELL IN CZECH GP

ALVARO BAUTISTA gets closerto the 125cc World title after winning his race today in theCzech GP.Race results:1. Bautista2. Kallio3. G. TalmacsiWorld Ladder & Points:1. Bautista 230pts2. Kallio 161pts3. Pasini 147ptsIn the 250cc catagoryanother SpaniardJORGE LORENZO won & expandedhis lead in the World title race.Race results:1. Lorenzo2. Dovizioso3. AoyamaWorld Ladder & Points:1. Lorenzo 199pts2.

¿MILAN & INTER GOING AFTER RONALDO?

While RONALDO is quietly training to recover from aroutine knee operation inMadrid, back in Italy, 2 teamsare desperately attemptingto have his services: AC MILAN& INTER MILAN.So much so that, local paperAS, has commented that bothhave contacted REAL MADRIDto express their desires & eachhas promised that it will paymuch more than what the otherhas to offer.Currently, Real has a small dilema:¿

SPANISH FOOTBALL. LAST MATCHES BEFORE NEXT WEEKS "LIGA" KICK-OFF

Spain´s most prestigious summer tournament "El Carranza"has been won by the hosting team, CADIZ who are in 2ºDivision. They defeated tonight 1º Division team BETIS onpenalties after drawing 2-2 after 90 minutes.The match to determine the 3º place was between VILLAREAL& REAL MADRID. A free kick by RIQUELME gave his side thevictory winning Real 1-0.The final satndings 1.Cadiz; 2.Betis; 3. Villareal

Are golf courses good for economic growth?

At the Conglomerate Blog, Maryland Law Professor Lisa Fairfax asks whether building golf courses can spur economic growth in developing countries. She's done some research on the subject, and found studies that indicate golf courses promote growth. While there are some obvious endogeneity issues here, I wonder whether the same can be said for American states. Is building golf courses a route to economic development?

GOOD START FOR SPAIN IN THE BASKETBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

SPAIN began well in the BASKETBALLWORLDCHAMPIONSHIPS beingheld in Japan.Spain defeated New Zealand86 - 70 in its opening GroupB match.The experts give the Spanishnational side an excellentchance of going far in thistournament. They have a newgeneration of young & classplayers, many of which are inUS NBA sides.The team is lead by star player PAU GASOL, with other overseasstars as CALDERON,

MANICHE CLOSER TO ATLETICO DE MADRID

ATLETICO DE MADRID hope to shut the ongoing transfersaga with Portugues International & Dynamo Moscow playerMANICHE, this Monday.The player is in Madrid, Atletico has put the offer on the tablefor Dynamo, but an important offer from Turkey has come inthus causing "confusion". The player has expressed that hewishes to play with Atletico, & the club has said it will waituntil Monday. The local

REAL MADRID SIGNS DIARRA & GET KNOCKED OUT IN PRESTIGIOUS SUMMER TOURNAMENT

REAL MADRID & OLYMPIQUE DE LYON have come to anagreement to have DIARRA transfered to the Spanish Club.The deal is 26,000,000€ (1 more if RM win the European Cup).This ends months of negotiations, which included the playerrebelling against his French club to force the situation.The other news, is that REAL MADRID were knocked out lastnight by BETIS, in the prestigious summer tournament"CARRANZA".

Out of Office AutoReply

Well all, it's time for me to head back to school, which means I'll be moving all of my stuff in, which means my computer access will be sporadic, which means I'm not even going to bother to try to post anything, and just take the weekend off.

I know for some of you, reading this blog is probably like the highlight of your day, so accept my humble apologies. As they say on PTI, I'll try to do better the next time!

Golfer's Suit Against Agent Heating Up

Discovery battles have surfaced in pro golfer David Toms' suit against his agent, Links Management Group, LP. In a slip opinion available at 2006 WL 2355865, a federal magistrate judge denied Toms' motion to compel a deposition of Chad Campbell, another golfer and client of the same agent. Toms' lawsuit claims, as reported by a Baton Rouge TV station, "breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty -- not looking out for Toms' best interest -- and seeks the termination of the contract and compensatory damages with interest." The federal magistrate elaborates:

Plaintiff's lawsuit generally alleges that he and Defendant are parties to a written contract; that Defendant breached the contract by not diligently developing, negotiating or managing prospective merchandising endorsements or sponsorships for Plaintiff; that Defendant alienated existing clients and other business associates of Plaintiff; that Defendant has not treated Plaintiff fairly, preferring instead to promote other golfers at the expense of Plaintiff; that Defendant has recouped fees to which it is not entitled under the contract; that Defendant held large endorsement checks for long periods of time, thereby depriving Plaintiff of interest on the money . . . . The petition asserts claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, rescission of the contract, and unjust enrichment. Plaintiff also seeks a declaratory judgment regarding termination of the contract.

The relationship between professional athletes and agents -- and the fiduciary law issues posed by breakdowns in the relationship -- is one of the most interesting and challenging areas of sports law. This case will be one to watch for a later substantive opinion.