Is Notre Dame, an institution that for the longest time did not accept invitations to bowl games (and not just in seasons in which it finished 6-6), an institution that for the longest time did not accept female students, and an institution that in football has been forever fiercely independent, finally beginning to seriously consider joining a conference?

 

On Tuesday in New York City, Fighting Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick met with a few reporters and conceded that, in terms of current conference realignment rumors, “You can each come up with a scenario that would force our hand.”

Such a scenario has two overriding factors: money and brand relevance. Beginning this season ESPN and its partner ABC will have the television rights to the four BCS bowls and the BCS Championship Game through 2014 (ESPN will air the BCS title game from 2011-2013 and ABC, which will retain exclusive control of the Rose Bowl, will air the 2014 BCS championship game from Pasadena). As Disney influence over college football continues to expand, Swarbrick must consider how Notre Dame’s exclusive contract with NBC to air Fighting Irish home games (which runs through 2015) impacts his program.

Currently, Big Ten schools receive $22 million annually in television money, according to a recent report on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.” Notre Dame, through its contract with NBC, receives about $15 million. That’s correct: Indiana and Purdue both earn nearly 50 percent more in television money than fellow in-state program Notre Dame, even though the Irish dwarf both schools in terms of national interest.

Then comes the matter of Notre Dame maintaining — many would say reclaiming — its national prestige.

Swarbrick, a Notre Dame alumnus who earned a law degree from Stanford, said college football is in a period of peak instability, and that “we are at a point right now where the changes could be relatively small, or they could be seismic.” In an environment in which a playoff is seriously being discussed — a scenario that, to listen to the voices who dominate ESPN (and who, presumably, would not be so foolish as to directly contradict the wishes of ESPN executives on air), would be welcomed by that “family of networks” — Swarbrick and Notre Dame president Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., must consider where a Notre Dame that has no conference affiliation and no home games broadcast on ESPN might fit.

It has been 22 years since Notre Dame, a school that won a national championship in all but one decade between the 1920s and 1980s, last played for the national title. And the truth is that when Notre Dame is not mired in mediocrity, as it has been for the past 15 years, its independence only extends its appeal: the school’s many fans and alumni draw strength from it while its even more numerous legion of ardent detractors use it as the source of their vitriol. Either way, Notre Dame football receives more attention than any collegiate program, football or basketball, and most pro sports franchises.

As long as the Irish are winning. It has been a long time, however, since the Irish were consistently special (26-24 over the past four seasons). And so, within the confines of the Golden Dome and the Joyce Athletic & Convocation Center, Fr. Jenkins and Swarbrick, respectively, must wonder whether this fallow period represents a blip or if it is a symptom of the changing landscape of college football. If they conclude the latter, then expect Notre Dame to join a conference.

It is ironic that the first ESPN “College GameDay” episode to air from a campus site took place at Notre Dame (before the 1993 tilt between No. 1 Florida State and the No. 2 Irish). GameDay is emblematic of how college football has changed in the past two decades: host Chris Fowler and analysts Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit are rock stars as soon as they step on campus. GameDay hasn’t visited South Bend in five seasons (the ‘05 USC-Notre Dame classic). It’s also somewhat funny that at halftime of ESPN football games viewers are returned to a studio that features Lou Holtz, the last messiah to resurrect Notre Dame from the ashes, while Notre Dame’s NBC viewers get … Jimmy Roberts.

Nearly two decades ago the first age of the super-conference was born, as the Southwest Conference (SWC) was sacrificed in order to create the newfangled SEC and expand the Big 8 to the Big 12. Then in 1992 the SEC, taking advantage of a loophole in the NCAA by-laws, created a lucrative conference championship game. The era of expanding conferences without regard to geography (Louisiana Tech, for example, is a member of the Western Athletic Conference) was upon us.

Swarbrick is concerned, and rightfully so — “I’m spending 50 percent of my time talking to people about this” — that we are at the dawn of the next age of the super-conference. When a few conferences, such as the Pac-10 and Big Ten, expand to join the economic elite of the SEC and Big 12 and separate themselves from the rest of the pack. And perhaps eventually those elite conferences become the framework for a playoff structure. At risk is whether Notre Dame passes up its opportunity to enlist with these elite and the ramifications of failing to do so.

(An aside: In 1987 Sports Illustrated had the opportunity to purchase ESPN. Really. The magazine passed. If you don’t think the magazine regrets that decision every day … some opportunities only come around once.)

The irony in all of this, of course, is that Notre Dame initially became a national brand specifically because it was spurned by the Big Ten. In 1926, as Knute Rockne and the Irish were at the height of their powers, Notre Dame’s application to join the conference was voted down, primarily because the athletic directors at Michigan (Fielding Yost) and the University of Chicago (Amos Alonzo Stagg) were suspicious — and perhaps just a little bit envious — of Rockne’s success. By spurning the Irish, the Big Ten forced Notre Dame to take to the national stage, where the school became the first of its kind to engender coast-to-coast appeal.

Earlier Tuesday a Notre Dame fan spoke for most of the school’s faithful when he remarked on Twitter, “The argument for joining a conference almost always boils down to … ‘We gave up.’ ” There is much truth in that sentiment. An independent Notre Dame that can consistently finish in the top five makes up for in prestige and merchandising much of what it might sacrifice in television money by not aligning with the Big Ten…..UH, DUH! STUPID, ANY TEAM WOULD!!!!….gawd they’re so smart and so stupid all at the same time!

The question is, can an independent Notre Dame draw and develop players who have no personal memory of a time when the Irish were the brand name in college football? Is the Irish brain-trust up to that challenge, or is it simply more expedient to abandon the attempt, to allow the school’s football independence go the way of bowl-game refusals and all-male student bodies?

“GO BEN GO!”

NATIONAL TITLE, Track & Field 2010

The No. 1 University of Florida men’s track and field team captured the first NCAA Indoor Championship in program history on Saturday night, scoring 57 total team points and the Gator women placed fourth to cap off one of the most successful national meets in program history at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas.

The Gator men scored 57 total team points, winning by 13 points over Oregon and Texas A&M, who finished tied for second with 44 total team points. The No. 4 Florida women placed fourth with 33 total team points. The Ducks won the women’s team title with 61 points, while Tennessee was second with 36 points and LSU was third with 35 points. It was the first top-five indoor finish on the women’s side since the Gators were second nationally in 2005.

The national championship by the Florida men’s track and field team marked the 23rd by a Gator team (all sports) in program history.

“It has been a long journey and I’m just so proud of my athletes and my staff,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “I’m almost at a loss for words because of how happy I am. We kind of felt coming in that the first team that got to 50 would be the national champion. Everybody that put on the Gator uniform got after it this weekend. It shows the direction this program is headed in to win a national championship on the men’s side and to finish fourth on the women’s side.”

Over the course of the weekend, Florida captured national titles in the women’s mile (Charlotte Browning), men’s 60-meter dash (Jeff Demps), women’s shot put (Mariam Kevkhishvili) and men’s triple jump (Christian Taylor). The Gators also recorded 16 All-America honors on the weekend.

Freshman sprinter Jeff Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.) became the first person in school history to win the NCAA men’s 60-meter dash championship, doing so in a time of 6.57. That’s just shy of the school-record-setting time of 6.56 that he set in the preliminaries last night. Senior sprinter Jeremy Hall (Jacksonville , Fla.) placed sixth in 6.66. The Gators earned 13 total team points in the men’s 60m dash.

Senior thrower Mariam Kevkhishvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) became just the second woman in NCAA history to capture three consecutive NCAA indoor shot put titles, claiming the championship on Saturday with a school-record toss of 18.59m/61-0. That shattered her previous personal-record throw of 18.56m/60-10.75.Kevkhishvili has now won 13 consecutive indoor competitions dating back to her 2008 NCAA Indoor Championship also held in Fayetteville, Ark. Regina Cavanaugh of Rice is the only other woman in NCAA history to accomplish that feat, doing so from 1984-86

Junior distance runner Charlotte Browning (Pullborough, England) became just the second person in school history to win the NCAA mile championship, doing so in a time of 4:35.66. Browning, the 2010 SEC Indoor Champion in both the mile and 3,000m run, is the first Gator woman to win a national champion in the mile since Becki Wells did so in 1997. Browning set the school record in the women’s mile already this season at 4:31.24.

Sophomore jumper Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) broke his own school record in winning the NCAA title the men’s triple jump, becoming the first athlete in school history to break the 17-meter plateau at 17.18m/56-4.50. Taylor captured the event for the second consecutive year, becoming the first person to win back-to-back NCAA men’s indoor triple jump title since Walter Davis of LSU accomplished the feat in 2001 and 2002.

Freshman jumper Omar Craddock (Kileen, Texas) placed seventh in the men’s triple jump to earn All-America honors in the first NCAA meet of his young career with a mark of 16.15m/53-0.

Freshman sprinter Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.) earned All-America honors, finishing third in the men’s 400-meter dash in a career-best time of 45.74, which goes down as the third-fastest time in school history. Senior sprinter Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) was eighth in 46.60.

The men’s 4×400m relay placed fourth overall in a time of 3:05.78, using the quartet of Preston Wilson (Orlando, Fla.), McQuay, Jovon Toppin (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad) and Smith to earn All-America honors.

With two All-America honors in the meet, Smith became Florida’s all-time men’s leader in total All-America honors with 15 in his career. He surpassed Mike Morrison (14) for the all-time lead – indoors and outdoors combined.

Senior jumper Shara Proctor (The Valley, Anguilla) earned All-America honors in her second event of the weekend, placing third in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 13.71m/44-11.75.

Junior thrower Keely Medeiros (Luziana, Brazil) finished eighth in the women’s shot put to earn All-America honors with a toss of 16.44m/53-11.25.

Florida opens its 2010 outdoor track and field season on Saturday, March 20, when it travels to Orlando, Fla., to participate in the UCF Black and Gold Challenge.

NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (MARCH 12-13, 2010, FAYETTEVILLE, ARK.)

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Men’s Heptathlon – 12 p.m. ET (AUTO: 5,675; PROV: 5,325)

15th/DNF. Gray Horn – 4,256

Heptathlon 60mH (AUTO: 7.70; PROV: 7.91)

15. Gray Horn – 10.78 (403 points)

Heptathlon Pole Vault (AUTO: 5.50m; PROV: 5.20m)

13. Gray Horn – 4.40m/14-5.25 (731 points)

Heptathlon 1,000m Run (Not an NCAA Championship Event)

–. Gray Horn – DNS

Women’s Shot Put – 5:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.90m; PROV: 15.20m)

1. Mariam Kevkhishvili – 18.59m/61-0 (10 points)

8. Keely Medeiros – 16.44m/53-11.25 (1 point)

Men’s Triple Jump – 6:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.15m; PROV: 15.45m)

1. Christian Taylor – 17.18m/56-4.50 (10 points)

7. Omar Craddock – 16.15m/53-0 (2 points)                           

Women’s Mile Final – 7:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 4:37.00; PROV: 4:46.70)

1. Charlotte Browning – 4:35.66 (10 points)

Women’s Triple Jump – 7:30 p.m. ET (AUTO: 13.30m; PROV: 12.65m)

3. Shara Proctor – 13.71m/44-11.75 (6 points)

Men’s 400m Final – 7:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 46.15; PROV: 47.25)

3. Tony McQuay – 45.74 (6 points)

8. Calvin Smith – 46.60 (1 point)

Men’s 60m Final – 8:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.60; PROV: 6.71)

1. Jeff Demps – 6.57 (10 points)

6. Jeremy Hall – 6.66 (3 points)

Men’s 4×400m Relay – 9:25 p.m. ET (AUTO: 3:06.50; PROV: 3:10.40)

4. Florida – 3:05.78 (5 points)

(Preston Wilson, Tony McQuay, Jovon Toppin, Calvin Smith)

 

FLORIDA NCAA CHAMPIONS (ENTIRE WEEKEND)

• Charlotte Browning – Women’s Mile – 4:35.66

• Jeff Demps (Yes, the “RB” from the Football team!) – Men’s 60m – 6.57

• Mariam Kevkhishvili – Women’s Shot Put – 18.59m/61-0

• Christian Taylor – Men’s Triple Jump – 17.18m/56-4.50

 

FLORIDA ALL-AMERICANS (ENTIRE WEEKEND)

• Charlotte Browning – Women’s Mile – 4:35.66 (1st)

• Omar Craddock – Men’s Triple Jump – 16.15m/53-0 (7th)

• Jeff Demps – Men’s 60m – 6.57 (1st)

• Jeremy Hall – Men’s 60m – 6.66 (6th)

• Mariam Kevkhishvili – Women’s Shot Put – 18.59m/61-0 (1st)

• Tony McQuay – Men’s 400m – 45.74 (3rd)

• Tony McQuay – Men’s 200m – 20.80 (8th)

• Keely Medeiros – Women’s Shot Put – 16.44m/53-11.25 (8th)

• Kemal Mesic – Men’s Shot Put – 19.26m/63-2.25 (2nd)

• Shara Proctor – Women’s Long Jump – 6.64m/21-9.50 (3rd)

• Shara Proctor – Women’s Triple Jump – 13.71m/44-11.75 (3rd)

• Calvin Smith – Men’s 200m – 20.67 (6th)

• Calvin Smith – Men’s 400m – 46.60 (8th)

• Christian Taylor – Men’s Triple Jump – 17.18m/56-4.50 (1st)

• Christian Taylor – Men’s Long Jump – 7.93m/26-0.25 (2nd)

• Men’s 4×400m Relay – 3:05.78 (Wilson, McQuay, Toppin, Smith) (4th)

 

Final NCAA Indoor Championship Men’s Team Scores

1. Florida – 57

2. Texas A&M – 44

2. Oregon – 44

4. LSU – 42

5. Arkansas – 38

Final NCAA Indoor Championship Women’s Team Scores

1. Oregon – 61

2. Tennessee – 36

3. LSU – 35

4. Florida – 33

5. Texas A&M – 31

Antonio “dont drug test me” Bryant, formerly of the Cowboys, Browns, 49ers and Tampa Bay! (Oh, and he sat out a year whilst “suspended/dismissed”,..that’s a good thing, right???) Will bring his talents and baggage to CINCINNATI!….Having been one who wanted Lav Coles to work out here, this normally wouldn’t be much cause for celebration,…BUT!, considering the alternative!?…Well, its like “Ocho-Cinco de March Madness” all over this town! Terrell Owens isn’t coming in now!!! Yip-freakin-EEE….AND!, stupid ASS Chud Johnson can explain to his new team-mate how they are gonna be life-long buddies now, after having “twit”-endorsed TO like he was a sex starved School boy! Should make for a cozy relationship, huh?!

Bryant comes in with some problems in tow,….then again, this being Bungle country that’s kind of  a requirement here! He also seems to be of the now WAY too popular “I’m-overly-entitled-because-I-play-Football-and-I-am-a-wideReceiver” crowd, that our own Chud Johnson (and TO) is a chapter President of;…aaannnddd,I can’t imagine Bryant being worth 7million a year, considering he’s only “played” at the “high” level one year;…– but, that’s more an NFL economics question than anything else, I guess. He’s been a smaller scale TO, so, I guess we got the lesser (and younger) of two similar evils. STILL!…whew!…its NOT T.O.!   Fantastic!!! Up next, dump the Chump(Chud). Hey, I can hope, right?

 

WELCOME TO TOWN, Mr Bryant!

Soon, there will be a NEW Jackass in town! Hated in towns across America!;…From San Fran, to Baltimore, to Philly, to Dallas, and even bUFfalo!….He’snow headed here, and you can thank Cincy team mouthpiece, Chud Ocho-Side-Show-act-o for his interest. Yeah, many of the same fans who find value in Chud, a jerk who cost his team in both playoff loses (out of 2 …and both were at home, btw….meaning, this team was suppose to win those games) will LOVE following hims as he endorses an even  bigger distraction to our town! The same guy who killed his team by just being “himself” in both our playoff games (in the last 20+ seasons), wants to further ruin the team by bringing in his equally distracting idol….and, maybe his lover, too?…TO! (totally owesome!)

Quick review: Chud Johnson acted like a little freakin’ jackass in the locker room during half-time of the 2005 season play-off game against Pittsburgh. In a game where the Bungles lost Carson Palmer and needed a guy to mature and step up, they got Chad Johnson the f’in baby-ass instead! They still led at halftime; but! Chud, knowing there were camera’s rolling out on the field, was upset about NOT getting enUFf balls thrown his way. After all, he needed to exploit his face and camera’s generally followed the ball, not guys who’s nads fold up inside their bodies during big games! SO!, because he’s so juvenile and assy (its a word!) he reportedly got in such a “tizzy” that he took a bitch slap at a Coach. I can only imagine it was a “bitch slap” because Chud seems like he’s a sissy-bitch. After all, I’ve seen him try to block, and anytime he’s been hit, he’s gone DOWN  (Gawd I love that vid!) like a sack of dirt!. Chud did start to block a little in 2009, but at 14-million a year that’s a little late for him to get props. Then there’s that dive he took late in the game up in bUFfalo a few years ago, when he was just too scared after getting grazed?(The video showed he was almost completely missed!) That was about pathetic. Still, I understand many of the fans in town still bend over for his ass, so, he’s a least got y’all fooled. Of course, most of you probably chase the red (laser) light up and down the wall too. After all, side-shows like Chaud are here to divert attention. His side-shows acts, which have failed to help “his” team win even ONE playoff game (or even ONE must win game, for that matter), stay…but, he wont even once try the STFU and play method JUST once to see if that MIGHT be MORE helpful to an actual TEAM minded goal (WINS!)?… than his Bullshit skits have? (and they’ve failed miserably at all “TEAM” goals)…. Well, I sure hope winning is still a goal here….despite continual evidence to the contrary.

Anyway!…If the SECOND playoff game the Bengals “hosted” (and have BEEN in since 1990!) Mr “Productive”-o decided that after he was shut-down by D Revis in the Season’s FINAL game of the year (the week before), that he’d buckle down and concentrate ONLY on Football to prepare himself like a professional might, in an effort to help his team win this pending playoff game!….YEAH RIGHT!!…HA!..Man, that’s a freakin’ laugh!..No, instead, in typical jackass form he promoted himself (yawn, again!) by expressing that he’d “own” Revis in the rematch. He went on that week to continue to busy himself with other-than-football-related issues, such as; Express that the “man-on-man sex” he had during the week was proof he was “ready” to play, and then further ready himself by arranging to have the big rig truck he bought himself for his birthday; delivered and set up on display at the stadium. You know, all the important things ALL those wr’s from Indy and N’awlins do/did before their games. Yeah, RIGHT!(again)…Chud also busied himself by proposing that he’d change his name back to “Johnson”, if Revis wasn’t his “bitch” by game’s end. Well, add bet welcher to Chud’s long list of asinine characteristics. The D!ck-head still goes by that ridiculous Ocho-crap-o name! and still, the drones of fans stand by him (while he laughs at them).

Chud’s list of accomplishments continue with his bashing of the City, the fans, and all the players who expected him to actually lead the team by “playing” well (novel concept, eh?)….AND, as a team leader (defined by his time here, his salary and his self-promotion) he was critical of the expectations of him???? After all, they only get to play Cleveland TWICE a year!…OH, and he had that really good game against Miami that year they only won one game;….in week 17 no less!

THIS is the guy endorsing another guy who is as BIG an asshole, but has advancement down the diminished capacity career line a slight bit more! The Bills let him walk, and its been reported that NO OTHER TEAM HAS ANY INTEREST IN TERRELL OWENS at all. CHUD has taken all he’s meant to the city, and all that TO brings to the table, and the fact NO ONE else wants him, and decided assholes love company, and pioneered the Bungles signing the senior distraction/cancer! In true BT Barnum fashion, Mikey Brown has listened, and will probably sign this Class “A”9as in asshole) distraction and team destroyer. They made strides last year, but were a deep threat short of a good offense. Signing a guy NO other team wants, JUST MAKES GOOD SENSE! After all, we still have Chud!…and if HE were anything close to as good as he (and some of YOU) think?..He’s have moved on LOOOOONNNGGG ago! He knew no other team wanted him, and that no other fan base would put up with his diversionary clown antics. Other teams and other teams’ fans expect winning football over clowns!…or, at least a careful mix of both!

I feel really really bad for The Saints,….all they got was a Super Bowl win,….WE still have Chud and his tired ass act!…SUCKERS!!!…AND!, as a bonus, WE still use that tired old chant we stole from them YEARS ago!; ”Who Dey!?”…”WHO DEY?” (HA HA in their FACES!!!)….Well, since 1990?, “Who Dey” = everyone!! Can you imagine a more ridiculous chant for a this team? The only team to have zero playoff wins since 1990?!?!?

IF there is a saving grace here, its this;…..THERE does exist ONE guy in the NFL who is a BIGGER (and better) self-promoting media whore, than Chud (though to THIS guys credit, he has achieved a ga-zillion times more than Chud in his career); and that’s, you guessed it, Brent (I know) FaVre! The whore is going to prolong his “retirement/staying” presser for a few months yet, so I guess the idea that he and TO hook up for a last hoo-haa, is a possibility!??? The NFL has LONG lost its “sport” focused approach, and has been slowly sliding into the being what “pro” Wrestling is; Side-bar stories and distracting loud-mouthed idiots are now the driving force!….Sadly, its been eaten up by the fans so well, its now all the foundation the NFL has left, and what they now need to pursue to continue. This is no longer “Football”, but just another long-breathed staged Reality Show. Drink it in!….ITs gonna be grape flavored THIS year!

COOKE cleans up SAVARD: BOOM!

CLEAN hit or Cheap shot? Pittsburgh and Boston are becoming as heated as the old Philly/Rangers use to be. It looks like Cooke will be suspended for this shot. Kinda think it was a purposely dropped elbow, but hey, its hockey!…

…at The Honda? He just MIGHT!

The G-String Question: Is the reaction dumber than the question itself? HELL YES!

The Bucs are off the hook.  The single dumbest question of the NFL Scouting Combine was asked to Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

“Someone asked me if I wore a g-string or a jock strap when I played,” McCoy told the NFL Network set Monday to disbelief, laughter, and amazement.

Analyst Mike Mayock wanted to know McCoy’s reaction to the question.  The affable defender just left his mouth open in a stunned expression. 

We heard a few stories in Indianapolis of coaches jokingly messing with players during interviews, but none sounded as creepy as this.

The video of the interview is oddly not yet on NFL.com. That’s probably a coincidence.  Or perhaps the league is embarrassed.

REALLY, Jackass?..You think the NFL is embarrassed that some one reported that a player was asked a question off of the normal script? Gheesh, how long have you been following Pro Football? These questions judge reaction, no one is interested in the actual answer,..well, unless it involves Paris Hilton, a bipolar Koala bear, and a rented U-Haul.

The general reaction has been that poor Mr McCoy should be offended!….Awww, maybe if his feelings ae hurt, the question served its purpose. After all, it was HE who felt the need to share this snip-it with the rest of the class. The “character flaw”, in part, is ALL his!

 

If they awarded medals after each bobsled run at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, former Florida track and field athlete Steve Mesler would have two golds in his pocket – or around his neck.

A pusher on the USA I four-man bobsled piloted by Steve Holcomb, Mesler was in the winning sled in each of two runs Friday at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

However, the Florida graduate must make it through two more runs Saturday before he can claim a medal. Total time from the four runs determine the order of finish.

The United States has not won an Olympic four-man bobsled gold medal since 1948 at St. Moritz.

Mesler, an alternate on the 2002 Olympic team and part of Todd Hays’ seventh-place team at the 2006 Games, graduated from Florida in 2000. As a Gator, his sport was track and field, his specialty the decathlon.

As a right-side pusher and third man in the sled, the 6-foot-2, 206-pounder’s job here is to push like crazy, load quickly and hang on.

Both starts were strong, with emotions in check.

“We don’t stand at the top of the hill and say ‘this is it, this is the Olympic Games.’ That’s not gonna get us anywhere,” said Mesler, 31. “It’s pretty obvious. We don’t need to tell each other. All you’ve got to do is open your eyes and see the (Olympic) rings everywhere. So we just act as if our goal is to win the race today. That’s what we did, so we’re going to hope to go out and win the race tomorrow.”

USA I’s start time of 4.75 seconds, briefly a track record, ranked second overall on the first run, behind Germany I’s 4.73.

USA’s second start matched the 4.73, but ranked fourth overall. Germany I again was faster with a track-record 4.70.

USA I reached a top speed of 95 mph, flying through a wet snow on a 33-degree day.

Holcomb, who placed sixth in the two-man competition here that ended Sunday, simply outdrove Germany I’s Andre Lange. No easy task, as Lange already bagged the two-man gold here and is the two-time defending champion in the Olympic four-man competition.

USA I finished first first run in a track-record 50.89 seconds, the second in an even faster 50.86. The combined time of 1:41.75 leads Canada I by 0.40 seconds, with Lange’s Germany I another four-hundredths back. The next-best American sled, Mike Kohn’s USA III, is in 12^th place, 1.36 seconds behind USA I.

“I’m going to sleep well,” Mesler said. “When you go to bed the night before (the first runs), you’re not sure if you’re going to be fast, you’re not sure how it’s going to go. You feel like you are.

 “We know we’re fast on this track now. We know we can start. We know ‘Holcy’s’ driving. We know the equipment’s running. So we can go to bed knowing all we have to do now is come out and do our job.”

Others may not sleep as well. Six of 25 sleds crashed – three on the first run and three on the second. USA II, driven by John Napier, turned over on the second run but slid across the finish line to put the team in 17^th place.

Four sleds withdrew earlier in the week. Three of those were because of injuries suffered in crashes either in the two-man competition or four-man practices. A Dutch team dropped out because Edwin van Calker said he wasn’t confident in his driving ability on the track.

Two weeks earlier, a luger from the country of Georgia was killed on the same track.

Mesler, who came to the Gators from Buffalo but has resided for the last seven years in Calgary, respects the track. He does not fear it, though.

 “No, because we’re having good trips. We see those but Holcomb still has that same feel and it’s not going to change just watching other people crash.”

Between Holcomb and Mesler, in the No. 2 spot, is Justin Olsen of San Antonio. The brakeman and last in the sled is Curt Tomasevicz of Shelby, Neb.

“We’re right where we want to be,” Holcomb said. “We had a great day today and we’ll have another great day tomorrow.

“It’s not over yet. We’ve got another race ahead of us. This is basically like halftime.”

Steve Mesler, Curtis Tomasevicz, Justin Olsen and Steven Holcomb

They do work well together!

2009 — Position — 2010
Avery Barnes — LF — Tyler Thompson
Matt den Dekker — CF — Matt den Dekker
Riley Cooper — RF — Daniel Pigott
Brandon McArthur — 1B — Preston Tucker
Clayton Pisani — 2B — Josh Adams
Mike Mooney — SS — Nolan Fontana
Josh Adams — 3B — Bryson Smith
Buddy Munroe — C — Mike Zunino
Preston Tucker — DH — Austin Maddox

Rounding the bases Friday night, Austin Maddox wasn’t sure if he was going to wake up before he reached home plate.

Moments earlier, Florida’s freshman designated hitter had just belted the second collegiate pitch of his career over the right-center field wall for a two-run home run to give the Gators (1-0) a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

His trance ended after he touched home and realized what happened.

“First (at-bat). That doesn’t happen to many people, but it felt really good,” Maddox said.

It felt pretty good for the Gators all night in their season opener against South Florida at McKethan Stadium. Along with Maddox’s debut, junior infielder Josh Adams showed off some power by clearing the left field bleachers twice as the Gators defeated USF 6-2 in front of a crowd of 3,309.

While Maddox felt like his at-bat was a dream, Adams, who has won consecutive All-SEC accolades, said he had goosebumps after his first at-bat when he hit a two-run homer off Randy Fontanez in the first.

He was giddy after the hit, but he wasn’t very nervous coming into the game.

“Honestly, for a lot of us it felt like another scrimmage game because we’ve been scrimmaging so much,” Adams said. “About five minutes until game time everybody started getting that look like, ‘All right, it’s here. We’re ready to go.’ Everybody was ready and it was a good night.”

Besides Florida’s offensive explosion in the first, Friday meant the return of a familiar face. After spending the 2009 season sidelined after shoulder surgery, sophomore right-hander Tommy Toledo made his first appearance on the mound in more than a year.

He started strong as he struck out his first batter, but admitted jitters caught up to him while facing his third batter, Stephen Hunt, who saved the inning with a single to center. After Hunt stole second, Toledo walked Sam Mende off a wild pitch, putting runners at the corners.

Toledo then calmly struck out the next batter on a 3-2 count.

Toledo’s nerves didn’t leave him. His control problems landed him in a bases-loaded situation in the second, but like the inning before, he escaped with a strikeout and the clean sheet.

“It was definitely good to get my feet wet a little bit with the guys on and get those situations out of the way,” Toledo said. “I’m sure its going to be like that for the rest of the season, so I’m glad I got the first one out of the way.”

Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan pulled Toledo after 3 1/3 innings with four strikeouts, two walks and an unearned run off 71 pitches. He was replaced by lefty Alex Panteliodis, who picked up the win after 3 1/3 innings and three strikeouts.

Florida’s bats went silent after Fontanez found his rhythm. He retired six straight after giving up those four runs and went 6 2/3 with five strikeouts in the losing effort.

Adams, who went 3-for-3 on the night, hit his second homer in the fifth and drove in his fourth run with a double in the seventh that scored senior center fielder Matt den Dekker.

The early bat work proved too much for the Bulls, but nerves kept the game from getting out of hand as Florida committed two errors on the night and only five hits after the first inning.

Still, O’Sullivan was pleased with the solid opening.

“There’s nothing like opening day,” he said. “Everybody’s anxious and everybody’s kind of amped up. I could tell our (batting practice) was a little different. It’s always good to get the first one out of the way.”

His wounds must have healed up nicely, huh???…I can’t WAIT to hear what his Lawyer/Publicist, uh I mean, HE, has to say! I can only imagine his Families are gonna get back together!….His NIKE family (which is the most important of course) AND his “wife” family! (I hear Nike will NEVER “F” Tiger!….and, well, Elin might not either,????….Well, at least not “double penetration” style, like he’s now use to having!)

How much Nike is looking forward to this can only PALE in comparisson to what WE the public are expecting! NOW all you Tiger fans can watch Golf again!…YA,YA,YA,YA,YA,YA!!!!!!

Tiger Woods will end nearly three months of silence Friday when he speaks publicly for the first time since his middle-of-the-night car accident sparked stunning revelations of infidelity.

However, his agent said Woods will not take any questions from a small group of media.

“This is not a press conference,” Mark Steinberg said Wednesday.

It will be Woods’ first public appearance since Nov. 27, when he crashed his SUV into a tree outside his Florida home. Woods’ only comments since then have been made through his Web site.

“It will be good to see Tiger’s face again, and see that he’s actually out there somewhere,” Stewart Cink said. “I think this is the beginning of the comeback process for him.”

Woods is to speak at 11 a.m. Friday from the clubhouse at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., home of the PGA Tour.

“This is all about the next step,” Steinberg said. “He’s looking forward to it.”

Still, there was strict control over the appearance, typical of Woods’ career.

Steinberg described the gathering as a “small group of friends, colleagues and close associates,” who will listen to Woods apologize as he talks about the past and what he plans to do next. He said three wire services have been invited — The Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg — and he asked the Golf Writers Association of America to recommend pool reporters.

Only one camera will be in the room to provide live coverage via satellite. Steinberg said other writers with proper credentials could watch from a hotel ballroom more than a mile away.

“The first time out, he’s better controlling it,” Padraig Harrington said. “Over time, there will be questions. At the moment, the best thing is a more controlled environment and gradually ease his way back into it.”

Steinberg said in an e-mail announcing the public appearance, “While Tiger feels that what happened is fundamentally a matter between he and his wife, he also recognizes that he has hurt and let down a lot of other people who were close to him. He also let down his fans. He wants to begin the process of making amends and that’s what he’s going to discuss.”

The timing is peculiar. It will be held during the third round of the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, sure to steal attention away from the first big event of the year. Accenture was the first sponsor to drop Woods when he became embroiled in the sex scandal.

“He’s got to come out at some point,” Rory McIlroy said. “I suppose he might want to get something back against the sponsor that dropped him. No, I don’t know. It just went on for so long. I’m sick of hearing about it. And I’m just looking forward to when he’s getting back on the golf course.”

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said he did not think Woods’ appearance was going to undermine a World Golf Championship event.

“We have tournaments every week,” Finchem said. “I think it’s going to be a story in and of itself. A lot of people are going to be watching golf this week to see what the world of golf says about it, my guess is. So that will be a good thing.”

As far as the PGA Tour’s part in the Woods event, Finchem said: “We were asked to make the facility available and to help with the logistics. That’s what we’re doing.”

Steinberg said only that Woods’ appearance during the championship was “a matter of timing.” Asked if it could have waited until Monday, he said, “No.”

No other news conference this week drew a larger crowd of reporters than the 20 who surrounded Finchem, a testament to how Woods has dominated the conservation at the Match Play.

“We’re all better off when he’s playing,” Adam Scott said. “I’m curious as to when he’ll return to golf.”

As for the timing?

“It’s his choice,” Scott said. “I guess the tour is hosting it there.”

Woods made a spectacular fall from his perch atop golf. He was believed to have been the first athlete to gross $1 billion in earnings and endorsements and, at 14 majors, was closing in on golf’s record of 18 majors held by Jack Nicklaus.

It all collapsed in the early morning hours the day after Thanksgiving.

Over the last few months, Woods has been on the cover of gossip magazines and the butt of jokes on national talk shows.

In the days before Woods’ accident, a National Enquirer story alleged the world’s No. 1 golfer had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess. Following the crash, a stream of women came forward to claim they had romantic relationships with Woods. One woman provided Us Weekly magazine with a voicemail she said Woods left her three days before the crash, asking her to take his number off her phone.

Woods admitted to “infidelity” in a statement on his Web site in mid-December and has been on an indefinite break from golf ever since.

Ian Poulter, who went extra holes to win his opening match, was among those curious to hear what Woods had to say. His only hope was to hear about it later.

“Hopefully, I’ll be on the golf course and not listening to it,” he said

http://guyism.com/2010/02/your-guide-to-the-sexy-olympians-of-vancouver-2010.html

 

Well, they made another one, just for you!

Go figure, apparently SOME people are uptight!?!?.. People in this country can get freaked out about some one else’s opinion or views?..WOW! -Who’d have thunk it?