Gwinnett Baseball Players Shine in NCAA Tourney

The excitement of the NCAA Div. 1 Baseball Tournament is here. All around the country teams and players are ready to shine and earn their way to that one city in the Midwest synonymous with championships: Omaha, NE.

Many of these players hale from Gwinnett County, GA. Georgia Tech took the first step last night in getting to Omaha by defeating cross-town rival Georgia St. 9-3 in the opening round of their regional. Two Gwinnett area ball players on the Yellow Jackets squad played big roles. Second Baseman Connor Winn, a Freshman from Suwanee, GA (Wesleyan School) went 2 for 3 with an important bunt single in the fifth inning, an inning which saw 5 Tech runs cross the plate. Jr. First Baseman Tony Plagman, also a product of the Wesleyan School, drew a walk to score win later in the inning.

Georgia St. had a Gwinnett player do well in a losing cause. Freshman Catcher Michael McCree (Lawrenceville, GA Berkmar HS) went 3 for 4 in the loss against Tech. McCree also had two hits in the Panthers' loss to Elon in the elimination game on Saturday. Georgia Tech faced Southern Miss in the winners bracket, and Chase Burnett, a Sophomore OF from Buford, Ga and Buford HS, went 1 for 3 with a double and scored two runs. Tony Plagman went 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs. But despite the efforts of both players, the Jackets fell to the Golden Eagles 10-7 and they will face Elon in the elimination game on Sunday at 3pm.

As mentioned earlier, other Gwinnett players are contributing in the other regionals. Freshman OF Zach Cone from Stone Mountain, GA and Parkview HS, went 2 for 6 to help the Georgia Bulldogs rout Ohio St. 24-8 in the opening round of the Tallahassee Regional. The Bulldogs lost to Florida St. in the winners bracket on Saturday by a score of 8-2. In that game, FSU Freshman OF James Ramsey, another alum from the Wesleyan School in Norcross, entered the game as a pinch runner in the Seminoles half of the eighth inning. Two hits later, Ramsey came around to score one of the Seminoles' 8 runs. In their opening game of the regional against Marist College, Seminole Sophomore Catcher Parker Brunelle, a high school teammate of Ramsey at Wesleyan, drew a walk and scored a run in the eighth as FSU routed Marist 16-4.

In other action, the Alabama Crimson Tide lost their two games in the Clemson Regional. Oklahoma St. beat them 10-6 Friday, and Tennessee Tech eliminated the Tide 6-2 on Saturday. Although he didn't play in the Tide's two defeats, Jr. Walk-On Catcher Brock Bennett, who played his high school ball at Greater Atlanta Christian, has loyally served as the Crimson Tide's Bullpen Catcher the past 3 years in spite of only playing in 5 games in his career. During his Freshman year, Benett singled in his first collegiate at-bat against Canisius on Feb. 16 2007. That's making the most of your opportunities.

In the Louisville Regional, Vanderbilt lost to Middle Tennessee 5-4 on Friday, but blanked Indiana 10-0 in the elimination game on Saturday. The Commodores Face their in-state rivals Sunday. Vandy has a Gwinnett pitcher from, you guessed it, Wesleyan. He's Grayson Garvin, a Freshman from Suwanee, GA. He didn't see action in Vandy's first two regional games, but for the season, he has a record of 0-1 with a 7.82 ERA with 8 walks and 18 strikeouts. He also has a .333 batting average in limited action.

The Georgia Southern Eagles lost Friday night to Gonzaga 19-10 and then ended their season with a tough lost to Cinderella minded Utah 11-10. Utah moved its record to 27-30 while the Eagles finished the season at 42-17. The Eagles have a bright future, however, with Red shirt Freshman Catcher Rick Anderson. Anderson, another Wesleyan School product from Norcross, GA, hasn't played a lot this year, but he has 4 at bats and has scored a run. By the way, Georgia relief pitcher Steve Esmonde, a Jr. from Lilburn, GA and Parkview HS, pitched 2 innings in the Dawgs win over Ohio St. He gave up 2 hits and 1 run and teammate Justin Earls, a Jr. pitcher from Suwanee, Ga and Collins Hill HS, could see action on Sunday as the Dawgs try to stave off elimination against Ohio St. One other thing, just so we are covering all of the Gwinnett players involved one way or another in the NCAA Tournament. Georgia Tech Jr. Left handed Relief pitcher Taylor Wood, out of Greater Atlanta Christian, hasn't pitched in the Jackets two games but could see action tomorrow against Elon if needed.

The combined batting average of all the Gwinnett players participating in the NCAA Tournament happens to be .324 after the first two days of competition. Connor Winn, Chase Burnett, and Tony Plagman have gone a combined 4 for 16, Zach Cone of Georgia has gone 2 for 10, and Michael McCree of Georgia St. has gone 5 for 8, all of this for a total of 11 for 34, an average of .324. The action continues Sunday. Lets hope the Gwinnett players keep up their outstanding work.

Calipari Strikes Again. Beware Big Blue!

First it was UMASS player Marcus Camby wearing thousands of dollars worth of jewelery which he couldn't afford. The former star of the Minute Men was receiving benefits under Head Coach John Calipari's watch. The result: The Massachusetts Men's Basketball Program had to take down their 1996 Final Four banners. The Minute Men's appearance in the 1996 Final Four was stricken from the record by the NCAA.

Now there is another alleged violation committed under Calipari's watch, this time at Memphis. Allegedly, a former player for the Tigers, supposedly Point Guard Derrick Rhodes, had a "Ghost Tester" take the SAT for him. Memphis has been down this road before. The team reached the 1985 Final Four under former Head Coach Dana Kirk. Back then they were called Memphis St. The program was later put on probation by the NCAA because of violations committed by Kirk and some of his assistants. Could Memphis have to take down their Final Four banners just like UMASS had to? One common thing, or in this case, person in both cases, is John Calipari.

Kentucky is not satisfied with mediocrity. That's why they fired Billy Gillespie. However, they are literally willing to win at all costs by hiring someone who brought down one program and may very well bring down another. In both cases, Calipari claims to not have been aware of the wrong doings of his players. That is a poor excuse. He is the CEO. It was on his watch. Like Rhode Island and Georgia did with Jim Harrick (and we know what happened at those schools), Kentucky will do with Calipari. Winning is the name of the game, even if it's for the short run. Forget moral obligations. At least Gillespie, who is suing Kentucky for "Termination Without Cause", didn't break the rules. Actually, there was a cause. He didn't win. But if Gillespie had violated NCAA rules in recruiting, or had players receiving benefits, and been able to get Big Blue to a Final Four or win a National Championship, so what!

Kentucky is selling its basketball soul to the Devil, just like Rhode Island and Georgia did with Jim Harrick, and just like Indiana did with Kelvin Sampson. Al Davis's words ring loud and clear: "Just Win Baby, Win!" Kentucky has taken the words of former Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardy to a new level: "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing." Of course, Lombardy didn't mean for his statement to allow for cheating and breaking rules, but schools like Memphis, Kentucky and others are willing to embrace winning as the "only thing" none the less, and no matter what the cost.

All College Athletes Start Out Young

Most of these articles I write are about current and sometimes past college athletes. However, the path to an athletic scholarship begins at the Little League level, Pop Warner level, YMCA level and other youth programs.

For the past 5 years or so , I've had the privilege of filming many of these future college stars, kids in the Gwinnett Football League, the Greater Gwinnett Baseball League, and many other leagues and programs in the Atlanta area as well as other parts of the Southeast. It has been a joy to see the youngsters play and witness the talents that they display. I'm convinced that some of these young athletes will go on to play at the collegiate level.

I've had the privilege of filming for a company in Suwanee, GA called Play-By-Play Advertising. Mark Blumen is the CEO and he also hosts a High School Sports TV show called "The Coaches Corner." He interviews Gwinnett County (GA) high school coaches and shows highlights of their teams games on the show, some of the highlights were my camera work. The company also films youth rec league events and sells dvds to the3 parents, players and coaches so they will be able to treasure these memories forever.

In the last three years, however, I have been able to form my own business called Time Capsule Sports Productions. I film Youth, High School and small college sporting events and make available dvds of those events to the players, parents and coaches. My work is primarily outside of Gwinnett County and is concentrated in other parts of Atlanta as well as other areas of the Southeast. I have filmed several high school athletes who have and will obtain athletic scholarships. I'd like to thank Mark Blumen and Play-By-Play Advertising for my start in this industry. It has been very profitable in more ways than just monetary.

For those of you who are parents of high school athletes who are working towards earning an athletic scholarship, I film high school games and send up to Bryan College in Dayton, TN dvds of deserving student-athletes who I think can compete at the college level. If you would like information or if you would like for me to come film your Son or Daughter's sporting event, you can contact me via email at kgus@joimail.com. My phone# is 770-378-2569 and my company is Time Capsule Sports Productions. You should also contact my friend Mark Blumen at Play-By-Play Advertising. He can be reached at mark@playbyplayadvertising.com. His website is http://www.playbyplayadvertising.com/ and http://www.thecoachescorner.net/.

We both would like to assist you in helping your Son or Daughter realize their dream of being a college athlete and getting an athletic scholarship.

Men's Volleyball and Soccer Get the Shaft Due to Title lX

UC Irvine just won the 2009 NCAA Div. 1 Men's' Volleyball National Championship by Defeating Southern Cal 3 games to 2. Congratulations to the Ant Eaters of Irvine. It's too bad, however, that they are among only a hand full of Men's VB Varsity programs when just about every college in the country with an intercollegiate athletic program has a Women's Varsity program.

Why is it that there are so many Women's College Volleyball programs and so very few Men's programs. Yes, many other colleges and universities have Men's "Club" programs. The University of Georgia is one of them. Most of the premiere Div. 1 Men's VB programs, of course, are in California, where Volleyball is most popular. However, there are some universities in the Midwest that have Men's Varsity Volleyball programs. By Varsity, I mean that the university funds the program. If it's student funded, then it's considered "Club." Ohio St., Penn St., Indiana/Purdue/Ft. Wayne (IPFW) and Ball St. have excellent Men's VB programs. Why are there not more?

The main reason that I hear for this is that infamous Congressional ruling made on June 23, 1972 called Title 9. It goes like this: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." OK, fine. I have absolutely no problem with Women having equal access to college athletics, but why should that snuff out "Minor Men's Sports", such as Volleyball and Soccer?

I know we're talking about Volleyball here. As I've mentioned before, just about all major universities and many small colleges have club volleyball teams. Some of these club teams are capable of holding their own and even beating some of the Men's Varsity programs, but they won't get a chance to do that because so much of a school's athletic funds have to go to the Women's programs.

Title 9 is even affecting some Women's sports programs such as Cross Country. A few years ago, James Madison University cancelled their Men's and Women's Cross Country programs because they claimed that the legislation of Title 9 forced them to do so. In an ESPN episode called "Outside The Lines", hosted by Bob Lee. Then NCAA President Miles Brand said in so many words that these universities who are cutting some of their intercollegiate athletic sports are using Title 9 as an excuse and that the real reason is that they are not managing their funds in a way which would allow them to keep these sports.

Mr. Brand may be right, but I'm not sure. As I mentioned at the top of this article, only a hand full of universities have Men's Varsity Volleyball programs. Also, every Big llX school except Kansas St. has a Women's Varsity Soccer program and no school in the Big llX has a Men's program. Many men would like to have a chance to win a "true" National Championship in both Volleyball and Soccer.

I say the heck with Title 9. Hello Title X! I would author Title X like this: "All American institutions of higher learning are free to fund equally both Men's and Women's Athletic programs and should not be compelled by Title 9 to over fund Women's sports while under funding Men's." Well, I didn't write it in Government Language, but you get my drift. We need more Men's Volleyball and Soccer programs in Div. 1. One other reason why there needs to be more Men's VB programs is so Volleyball Teams like Hawaii, who finished the season 9-18, won't be ranked #15 in the nation like they were in this year's AVCA Poll. Also, someone tell me why Div. lll Carthage University's Men's VB team was ranked #12 in the nation with a record of 8-25? I rest my case.

Idiot University...College Athletes and Coaches Run a Muck

Thousands of student-athletes attend colleges, do their school work, excel in athletics, and graduate. The majority of these student-athletes don't run a foul of the law or make stupid decisions.

However, this article is going to focus on the all too many college athletes who break the law while in school or make silly, stupid decisions which negatively effect themselves, their teammates, and the institution they represent. I have a special college that these athletes can enroll in. It's called Idiot University.

Idiot University has a graduate school for those who have their undergraduate degree, but have continued their unlawful and senseless escapades. Idiot University is also open to those who have yet to earn their Bachelor's Degree. These student-athletes have lost sight of what a privilege it is to play college sports. By the way, Idiot University is not just limited to players. Coaches are also eligible and a few have gotten their Bachelors, Masters, and some are working on their Doctorate degrees. Here is a list of candidates who have qualified for enrollment into IU:

Odell Thurman, Cincinnati Bengals, University of Georgia

Odell Thurman was a Defensive End at UGA. He was a Second Round draft choice by the Bengals in 2005. During his rookie season, Thurman led the Bengals with 148 tackles, four forced fumbles and five interceptions. However, Thurman was suspended by the NFL in 2006 for violating the League's Substance Abuse Policy. Then on Sept. 25 of 2006, Thurmond was arrested for DUI and the NFL extended the suspension for the rest of the year.

The Bengals should have seen this coming. While at UGA, Thurmond was arrested 4 times. He has been clearly doing what he is suppose to do at Idiot University and has already completed his doctoral work in Repetitive Criminology.

Jr. WR Bruce Figgins, UGA

Another more recent student-athlete at IU is also another UGA player. Junior Wide Receiver Bruce Figgins was suspended for 6 games of the 2009 season . Reports are that he failed a drug test. The severity of the suspension tels me that he is a repeat offender. He is well on his way to earning his Masters in Moronic Pharmacology from IU.

Head Football Coach Lane Kiffin, Tennessee

Though Kiffin has not committed any legal infractions, he has certain violated the laws of tactfulness, truth and self-control. As I mentioned in my previous blog on Lane Kiffin, He has made false accusations against another coach in the SEC, verbally slammed another university in the attempt to recruit a player, and embarrassed Tennessee by puling a silly stunt involving one of his assistants and a recruit. Right now, Kiffin is a Freshman at Idiot University. His lack of people skills, tactfulness, and fact finding have him well on his way to earning a Bachelor's Degree from IU.

Former Head Basketball Coach Dana Kirk, Memphis

Many of you reading this blog won't remember this name. Some of you weren't even born. Back in 1985, Memphis made it to the Final Four in Lexington, KY, where they lost to the eventual NCAA Champion Villanova. the school was called Memphis St. back then. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the trouble didn't stop with the loss to the Wildcats. Memphis St. was put on probation the following year by the NCAA due to violations committed by Head Coach Dana Kirk and others. Kirk was fired and later served four months in prison for tax evasion. The Accounting Department at Idiot University is second to none in teaching its pupils the values of skirting around the tax laws, as well as the art of stealth fully bending the rules of recruiting in college sports. Kirk is well on his way to being certified as a "Par-illegal" at IU.

Former Head Basketball Coach Dave Bliss, Baylor

We have a strong candidate for Invalid Victorian at Idiot University. He's former Men's Head Basketball Coach Dave Bliss. Back in 2003, Bliss was caught on tape instructing some of his players to tell investigators that Baylor Center Patrick Dennehy, who was murdered by teammate Carlton Dotson, had paid for his tuition by dealing drugs. It was found out that Coach bliss had paid a total of $7,000.00 for a portion of Dennehy's tuition not covered by financial aid. He also did the same thing for another player, Corey Herring. Bliss admitted to making the payments, a violation of NCAA rules. Bliss was forced to resign by Baylor President Robert Sloan. The scandal nearly destroyed the Baylor Men's Basketball Program and it took five years for the Bears to get back to respectability, as they made it to the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

There were allegations that some of Bliss's players were using marijuana and alcohol and that Bliss ignored it. Also recruiting violations and lying to investigators make Bliss a strong candidate for Invalid Victorian at Idiot University.

There are many more student-athletes and coaches who have enrolled in Idiot University by virtue of their disregard of the law, ignorance of the policies of their respective universities and athletic conferences, and unacceptable behavior. Former Oklahoma and Indiana Basketbal Coach Kelvin Sampson, several student-athletes involved in a huge cheating scandal at Florida St., and former Tennessee Punter Dustin Colquit are all doing well at Idiot University. These student-athletes have their Doctorates, Masters, and Bachelor's Degrees. Congratulations! For what?

Lee Baseball Team Set for NAIA World Series

The Lee University Baseball Team gained a berth in the NAIA World Series with a 22-4 romp over Belhaven College. The Flames ran their overall record to 50-12 and will take on Campbellsville University in the first round of the 2009 Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, ID this Friday.

The Flames were led by Sr. First Baseman Chris Warters. The 2nd Team All-American from Los Angeles had 5 hits in the contest along with 11 RBIs and a mammoth home run in the first inning. Warters now has 77 RBIs on the season and is 5 away from tying his own record of 82 he set last season. He is batting 447 with 16 home runs and 77 RBIs.

Lee University, an NAIA school located in Cleveland, TN, has had a top notch Baseball program for quite some time. The win over Belhaven gives the Flames their 50th win of the season. Lee has won at least 50 games for the fourth time in the last five years. The Flames are currently ranked 10th in the nation. Their first opponent in the NAIA World Series, Campbellsville, is ranked #8 nationally.

One player on the Lee squad hales from Lilburn, GA and was a stellar player at Providence Christian Academy. His name is J.D. Pullen and is a Freshman Outfielder. Though he has not had much playing time this year, Lee Head Coach Mark Brew is very high on the young man: " JD is one of the quickest players on the team and can really cover some ground in the OF. He really fits into our offensive system being able to run the bases and play really strong defense. If he continues to improve at the plate, JD could turn into a solid player in the future."

The Flames open their first round game in the World Series with Campbellsville University from Campbellsville, KY on Friday at 11:30am EDT in Lewiston, ID. Good luck to the Flames! Information in this article was gleaned from the Lee University Athletic Website www.goflames.com

Paulus Done with Basketball...Wants to play Football

Greg Paulus has spent the last 4 years a a Point Guard for the Duke University Basketball Team. However, with one year of eligibility left to play a college sport, he is strongly considering playing Quarterback at either Syracuse, Michigan or other universities.

Paulus, a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, NY, visited SU this past week to explore the possibility of playing football for the Orange. "I love Syracuse," he said. "I lived there a long time and it's home. There's been some interest and it's something I'm looking at."

Coming out of high school, Paulus was rated the top high school quarterback in the country, but decided to play basketball for Coach K at Duke. Now he is itching to return to football for one more year. He has also had a workout with the Green Bay Packers, and he says that other NFL teams and universities have contacted him. Being that he is a tremendous two-sport athlete, Paulus is exploring his professional options with both football and basketball.

Paulus has spoken to to other colleges but didn't reveal the names of those colleges. Right now, his two top choices are Syracuse and Michigan. There is a chance he could go to Ann Arbor and play for the Wolverines. He met with Head Coach Rick Rodriguez and got reacquainted with former SU Football Coach Greg Robinson, who is on Rodriguez's staff.

This is weird. I've never heard of playing one sport at one school and playing another sport at another school. It's probably happened before perhaps at the small college level. College Football analyst Beano Cook says that this did take place back in the 1950s. I would love to see him get the starting QB job wherever he goes. It's strange how he is able to have another year of eligibility in another sport. I wonder why he wouldn't play football at Duke. Head Coach David Cutcliffe has the program going in the right direction, and to have someone like the caliber of Paulus to play Quarterback would only help things. I'm sure he would probably play immediately for the Duke Football Team.

This scenario, of course, has happened in the pros. Michael Jordan leaving the Chicago Bulls to try his hand at Baseball. We all know how that went. Coming out of the University of Minnesota, Dave Winfield was drafted by teams from MLB, the NFL and the NBA but decided on Baseball. Deon Sanders played for MLB's Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds among others, while also playing football for the Atlanta Falcons, S.F. 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens. Bo Jackson was a Running Back for the Raiders and played Baseball for the Kansas City Royals.

Really all I can say is that I wish him the best. I would say that someone playing two college sports at two different universities is a first for me. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of it. If he succeeds at the QB position at whatever school he's at, will he decide to play only Professional Football or only Professional Basketball. Perhaps he will join the multi-sport professional athletes mentioned above who possess the rare ability to excel at the highest levels of two different sports. Another thing to consider, Paulus hasn't touched a football since high school. I find it hard to believe that he will be able to perform at a very high level on the football field. He may have a better shot at Professional Basketball since he's been a quality basketball player at Duke for the past four years. Perhaps I'm wrong. We shall see. Only time will tell, and Paulus only has one collegiate year of football to prove himself.

Scholarships, Whether Academic or Athletic, Are Conditional

As I was doing research on my article about Tennessee Head football Coach Lane Kiffin and his silly war of words against other SEC coaches, I came across a story about South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier and how he revoked the scholarships of a few players because of their work ethic and performance on the field.

This took place, I believe, about 3 years ago. When it happened, over 90 high school football coaches in the state of South Carolina protested by signing a petition and calling the revoking of the scholarships "unethical."

When I first heard about it, I was disappointed for those players and was glad that of group of high school coaches would stand up and defend them. None of these players broke the law and, as far as I know, they were in good academic standing with the university. There are many examples of student-athletes getting in trouble with the law and getting a "slap on the wrist." Perhaps running stairs, internal discipline, missing two or three games, but after their first offense, they did not have their scholarships taken away unless they were repeat offenders. you can only give so many chances.

Just today, University of Georgia Head Football Coach Mark Richt suspended a player for testing positive for drugs for the second time. The suspension was 6 games, a severe penalty considering that's half the season and that player will essentially have to start all over to earn playing, which will be used by others during his suspension. However, I did not hear that the player in question is going to have his scholarship revoked.

All that having been said, a scholarship is earned based on perofrmance. There are many students who lose their academic scholarships because they are not able to maintain the grades necessary to keep the scholarship. Should athletic scholarships be any different?
Athletes who earn full scholarships to big time schools are being rewarded much: tuition-free education, free room and board, extra help with tutoring, free books, etc. Whether they will admit it or not, these student-athletes are being "paid to play."

I liken a scholarship like getting hired by an employer to do a job. The employer sees potential in the employee. He believes that the employee has the ability to make money for the company and the employee is compensated accordingly. But if after a while the employee is not producing the desired results, the employee is terminated. The coach sees potential in the player. He feels that the player can make a positive difference for his team and perhaps even be a key role for the team winning a championship.

However, if that player is not performing at a level worthy of the scholarship given to him, and there are other players contributing at a higher level, then it only makes sense that the player's scholarship is either reduced or taken away and given to the player who is contributing more. In fact, at SEC Media Days when this had taken place, Spurrier made this comment regarding the players who lost their scholarships. "We had walk-ons who were contributing more." Spurrier said.

As a former walk-on college athlete myself, I know the hard road walk-ons face. You are not on scholarship, you have almost no hope of playing time unless your team is up or down by 30. You have to work your butt off in practice to show the coach you are worthy of being on the team and that you can contribute on the field during a game. There are several scholarship players ahead of you because they are more talented. A walk-on almost has to work harder than the scholarship player because the scholarship athlete has a cushion. They know they will start or at least play. They know they're better. That's why I'm glad for student athletes who come in as walk-ons but end up getting scholarships. That's exiting.

I wonder what these players were not doing. Were they just going through the motions in practice. Were they not hustling. If that's the case, that's a shame. they didn't appreciate what they had been given. If they didn't give 100%, they cheated themselves. However, these players were recruited and signed by Spurrier's predecessor, Lou Holtz. If they truly were trying as hard as they can to live up to the scholarship awarded to them, then to revoke their scholarships, even if the walk-ons were contributing more, was wrong. Find a way to award the walk-ons scholarships and still keep the players in question on scholarship.

I don't know what happened to those players. they were stranded with no where to go and that's sad. But one message that Steve Spurrier is sending loud and clear. You will earn what you get no matter who you are. That's a good thing. Our society needs more of this philosophy. Spurrier is not the only coach to revoke or reduce a scholarship of a player who is not performing on the field. I know of other coaches at other schools who have done the same. As I mentioned earlier, many academic scholarships are taken away because of failure on the part of the student to maintain the necessary GPA. To have a scholarship is a privilege, not a right, just like a Driver's License, just like a job.

And Lane Kiffin Said "Let There Be False Accusations, Verbal Insults, and Embarrassment on Me and the Tennessee Football Program." And There Is.

I know this is old news. Lane Kiffin made several outlandish comments and a false accusation which angered several SEC coaches: Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, and Urban Meyer. This all took place back in February, but the story won't end until the end of the 2009 season, when the vols will probably finish something like 3-9.

This young, misguided and arrogant man, who happens to be Tennesse's Head Football Coach, had the audacity to tell a recruit in South Carolina that if He went to play for the Gamecocks, he would probably be pumping gas for the rest of his life. That comment alone, in my opinion, is grounds for his dismissal from UT.

The 33 year-old Kiffin is new to the SEC, and he could not have started off worse than he has. Surely University Presidents and Athletics Directors would expect their coaches to conduct themselves with class and dignity. Kiffin has shown neither with his behavior. He not only slammed South Carolina's football program, but also the university itself and its academic programs.

If I'm the AD at Tennessee, I'm embarrassed. My athletic program and my university are made to be a laughing stock. For this one incident, I would give him the most severe reprimand possible if not out rightly firing him. Of course, however, this is not the only incident.

Speaking at a morning gathering of 1,000 Tennessee fans in Knoxville, Kiffin publicly accused Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer of breaking NCAA rules by making a phone call to UT recruit Nu'Keese Richardson while Richardson was on the UT campus making an official visit. “I’m going to turn Florida in right now in front of you,” Kiffin said to the crowd. “Nu’Keese was here on campus (on his recruiting visit) and his phone kept ringing. “One of our coaches said, ‘Nu’Keese, who’s that?’ He said, ‘Urban Meyer.' Kiffin went on to explain what the so-called violation was: “Just so you know, when a recruit is on another campus, you can’t call him. I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn't get him.” Coach Kiffin said. Kiffin even went so far as to attack Richardson's high school in Pahokee, FL, saying that they couldn't be trusted to fax Richardson's Letter of Intent to UT.

There's only one problem, Mr. Kiffin. that "rule" you are referring to DOESN'T EXIST! SEC Commissioner Mike Slive: “The phone call to which Coach Kiffin referred to in his public comments is not a violation of SEC or NCAA rules. We expect our coaches to have an understanding and knowledge of conference and NCAA rules.” Slive said. His comments not only slandered our coach, but he violated SEC rules by publicly criticizing another coach and institution.” Slive continued.

University of Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley didn't take Kiffin's comments lightly either. "There was no rule violation and we have confirmed this with the Southeastern Conference,” Foley wrote in his statement. “It is obvious that Coach Kiffin doesn’t know that there is not a rule precluding phone contact with a prospect during an official visit on another campus during a contact period. His allegations are inappropriate, out of line and, most importantly, totally false. It is completely unfair to Urban Meyer, our coaching staff, our football program and our institution. The appropriate action at this time in my opinion is for Coach Kiffin to make a public apology." Foley continued.

When you become a coach at a university which belongs to the best and most prestigious conference between sea to shining sea, don't you check your ego at the door? How foolish! This man is not up for the job. Other bloggers who have commented on this subject have suggested that Raiders owner Al Davis knew something no one else did. I agree with them. Kiffin doesn't have the maturity and the common sense necessary to conduct himself as he ought as a coach in the SEC. Don't you also try to find out what the rules are and become knowledgeable about recruiting rules in college football? But wait, there's more.

Kiffin also made a personal attack against recruit Marlon Brown, who signed with Georgia. He called Brown a "Grandmama's Boy." Why would you hurl personal insults at an 18 year old kid just because he didn't sign with your school. Brown is gonna play for a man who is the total opposite of Kiffin. Mark Richt is a man of class and dignity. Yes, he made a mistake when he had the entire team run on tot he field to celebrate Georgia's first touchdown in the game against Florida 2 years ago. He regretted that move and apologized for it. Other than that, Richt has been exemplary and represented UGA well. Kiffin is the antithesis of Richt. Kiffin should take decorum lessons from Richt. Coach Richt doesn't need to comment on the matter. Richt, Brown and company will make orange blood spill at Neyeland come 10 October.

But for Kiffin, it wasn't enough to falsely accuse Urban Meyer. He had to go after Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. According to ESPN.Com's Chris Low, Kiffin said that Saban should "thank" Tennessee Assitant Coach Lance Thompson for the Tide's No. 2 nationally ranked recruiting class. Thompson even told a crowd of Tennessee fans gathered in Knoxville that Saban would never be able to get one of his players.

Ironically, while Kiffin accuses Urban Meyer of breaking a recruiting rule, a rule which doesn't exist, Kiffin himself, along with Ass. Coach Ed Orgeron, violate a recruiting rule which DOES! Kiffin and Orgeron used a fog machine to stage an entrance into Neyeland Stadium of a recruit during an official visit Jan. 9, and held a mock press conference with 16 recruits in the stadium's media center. It is a recruiting violation to simulate a game experience for a recruit during an official visit. UT became aware of the violations when a member of the school's compliance staff read a prospect's account of the occurrence in an article. Tennessee sent a letter to the SEC and the NCAA notifying them of the violations. In the letter, the University stated that “The violations occurred due to an incorrect assumption by the football coaching staff regarding official visit activities.”

After all of this, I'm surprised Kiffin is still the Head Coach at UT. He's a profound embarrassment to that university. Philip Fulmer, for all his faults, never behaved like an out of control child like Kiffin is. Kiffin's Father, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ass. Coach Monte Kiffin, who now serves in a role in Football Operations, must be thinking. "I thought I raised my Son better than this."

Fulmer was run out of town, yet as far as I know, he never broke any NCAA rules because he knew what the rules were and were not. I liken the false accusations Kiffin hurled at Urban Meyer like current L.A. Galaxy Soccer Coach Bruce Arena taking a Head Coaching job with an English Premiership team, accusing Manchester United Head Coach Sir Alex Ferguson of breaking an FA (England's governing body for Soccer)
rule which he thinks exists but really doesn't, talking trash to other coaches in the league, and calling a player who decided not to sign with his team a coward.

Both the English Premiere League and SEC Football do have something in common though they are different sports and one is armature and the other professional. They are both steeped in a tradition of excellence, have a past and present history of great players and coaches, and have fans whose passion is probably second to none. Newcomers to leagues such as these need to check their egos at the door, show respect for the game they play or coach, and familiarize themselves with the rules and regulations of said league. Lane Kiffin has done none of these things. I may be wrong, but I predict that he will not last the 2009 season. Information in this blog was gathered from sources such as Chris Low at ESPN. Drew Edwards and John Adams both at Govolsxtra.com, and Gene Wojciehowski at ESPN.

Luther Takes Over at Armstrong Atlantic State

A few blogs ago, I mentioned the almost immediate impact that Head Men's Basketball Coach Jeremy Luther had on the Newberry College Basketball Program. Newberry had been mired in the mud of mediocrity, but in two years, the tandem led the Indians to one of their best seasons ever at an overall record of 21-8.

This Afternoon, they officially took over a Div. 11 program that is currently enjoying success. Luther was named the new Head Men's Basketball Coach at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA and it is probable that his assistant, Travis Dotterer, will join him in the same capacity at AASU.

Luther replaces Jeff Burkhamer, who resigned to take the position of Head Men's Basketball Coach at Lander University. This past season, Burkhamer led the Pirates to a 23-7 overall record and a 15-5 finish in the Peach Belt Conference and an appearance in the NCAA Div. 11 Tournament. Luther has proven he can get results. The Pirates lose 5 Seniors and some players are transferring, but he should be able to get the Pirates back to the high level of play they're use to.

If he isn't one of the players transferring, Sr. Guard Patrick Shokpeka should be a key factor in the upcoming 2009-10 season. As a Junior, Shokpeka played in all 26 games averaging 4.8 points per game, 20 assists, 13 offensive and 18 defensive rebounds. Shokpeka transferred to AASU last year from Atlanta Metro Jr. College, where he averaged 13 points per game, 6 rebounds and 4 assists a game. He comes from an area of Atlanta loaded with athletic talent; Gwinnett County. While at Berkmar High School,Shokpeka averaged 20 points and 6 rebounds per game his Senior year. He earned All-Gwinnett County honors and was named the team's MVP. He also is the only player in Berkmar H.S. history to score 40 points and grab 20 rebounds in one game.

Should Shokpeka return for his Senior season, and if Coach Luther can bring in some quality recruits, the Pirates may be able to have a decent season in spite of the losses to graduation and transfers. If the 2009-10 season turns out to be sub-par, it won't stay that way for long. Luther will soon have the Pirate program back at the upper tier of the Peach Belt Conference. He may also have AASU making serious noise nationally as well.

Tebow-led Gators Have a Great Chance to Repeat

As a Georgia fan, it sort of hurts me to say this, but I must face the facts. With Florida Heisman Trophy QB and National Champion Time Tebow returning to the Swamp, the Gators should be the odds on favorite to repeat not only as SEC Champions, but also as National Champions.

Tebow's performance and leadership were legendary a year ago. He rushed for 673 yards and scored 12 rushing touchdowns, and he completed 192 of his 298 passes for 2,746 yards and 30 touchdowns. Simply incredible.

The only huge loss for the Gators is big play Wide Receiver Percy Harvin, who was just drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings. Tebow's O-Line is coming back, and the Gators were able to land some excellent recruits, such as Freshman Wide Receiver Frankie Hammond, who caught 4 catches for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Orange and Blue Spring Game.

The Gators Will also have the services of two Gwinnett County players, both from Buford High School. Freshman Fullback T.J. Pridemore showed his ability by catching a two-yard TD pass from Tebow for the first touchdown in the Orange and Blue Game. Pridemore's high school teammate and current Florida teammate, Sophomore DT Omar Hunter, spent his Freshman Year on the Scout Team, but should battle for more playing time this season.

As for Tim Tebow, perhaps nobody wants to win as bad as him. He's like North Carolina Basketball's Tyler Hansbrough. He WANTS IT! He'll do anything to win a championship. If jumping into a lake full of hungry gators would somehow win Florida another title, he'd do it. (Well, maybe he doesn't quite want it that bad.)

Dawg, Vol and Cock fans, it looks like another year of the Gator in the SEC East. I wouldn't be surprised either if the Gators hoist another National Championship Trophy in 2009.

Pre-Season Games in College Football is a Good Idea

Instead of the BCS teams playing Div. 1AA patsies to open their seasons, why not plays these 1AA opponents in pre-season games. That is a good way for both teams to work out the kinks in their play before the season starts.

They are already doing that in Georgia high school football. Major college basketball teams play Div. 11 and NAIA teams in exhibitions before they tip off for real. Of course, the poster child for pre-season games is the NFL, but also the NBA has a pre-season and their is Spring Training in MLB.

I don't see why Bowl Division College Football cant have 2 pre-season games before their first opener. Georgia could play GA. Southern in pre-season. It would still be like a regular game, it just wouldn't count in the standings. It would force these teams to get rid of the "weak sisters" on their schedules and play the bigger fish.

If you have teams going 13-0 during the regular season, and they didn't have any patsies on the schedule because they already played the patsies in pre-season, those teams cant be penalized for having a weak schedule because they played the weaklings in pre-season and started off the season playing stronger opposition. Kansas St. has no business playing E. Illinois unless it's a pre-season game. Utah has no business playing Weber St. unless it's a pre-season game. These smaller schools could still get the payday from the big schools for these games. They would just be played during the pre-season. Tennessee Tech has no business playing Auburn unless it's a pre-season game. Need I say more.