A friend's take on the Tennessee football team's ongoings

The beauty of the Web 2.0 world is the advent of user generated content. A prime example of that? Well, this blog right here, of course -- a fine example of why the blogging folks like myself matter in getting the word out.

Okay, enough idealistic diplomacy. Instead, I'll hit you with a dose of more user generated content: an opinion piece authored by a high school friend and a student at the University of Tennessee. Though the student newspaper at Tennessee turned his letter to the editor down, who am I to blockade the dissemination of valuable opinions?

After overhearing people discussing it seemingly all day, I really think everyone is being a little too harsh on our freshman football felons. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning their actions, and I’m sure we all shared the same reaction when we saw the news headline that three of our players were arrested, thinking to ourselves “These guys are dummies. Oh my God, please don’t let it be Eric Berry.... wait, what the hell is a 'mike edwards'.” However, the outcry of criticism that has followed is confusing to me. First of all, contrary to what I keep hearing, I think this reflects terrifically upon the integrity of our University, proving that our boosters clearly aren’t providing our players with any illegal gifts or cash to play here. Secondly, stop with the double-standard when judging athletes; I mean, let’s be honest, who hasn’t at least thought about committing an armed robbery once or twice in their life? Granted, these players didn’t quite Oceans 11 their failed heist, as the Strip doesn’t exactly qualify as “incognito.” In fact, if they had taken their pellet gun a few blocks into the Fort, it would have been an email from UT police breaking the news, rather than a suave Sportscenter host. Anyway, my point is that I think we should ease up on Nu’Keese and Janzen, and stop pretending like anybody actually cares whether our football players have “moral integrity” just so long as they pay enough visits to the endzone. Perhaps I’m simply numb to it, since I’ve been getting robbed repeatedly by the UT athletic department every time I want a football ticket.

-Brennan Scotland

Top 3 players who won't contribute to Zags' scoreline this season

There's been lots of chatter on the sports front as to who will fill the scoring holes around Matt Bouldin this season: Will Demetri Goodson turn into a threat from the perimeter to go along with his Flash-like quickness slashing to the cup? Can Robert Sacre stay healthy and provide the big body inside Gonzaga needs to keep opponents out of the lane and off the boards?

I don't know any better than you do. Instead, I'll tell you what I do know: who won't be contributing to the stat sheet with Austin Daye, Jeremy Pargo, Ira Brown and Josh Heytvelt departed.

1. David Stockton: Okay, he has the pedigree for being a star at GU -- but so what? With dad John and grandfather Houston in the cushy seats at McCarthey Athletic Center, you can bet they'll want to see the little guy get some time on the floor. Problem is, he doesn't have the attributes to help the team out. Clearly undersized for the Division I and even Western Athletic Conference game at 5-10 and a gaunt 150, his physical attributes won't allow him to bang around on the floor with larger, more athletic opponents (Read: Call up Karl Malone at Lousiana Tech and hit the weights). Additionally, he's buried in the pecking order behind G.J. Vilarino and Grant Gibbs, so he won't see the hardwood much this year.

2. Chris Pontarolo-Maag: After playing second fiddle to last year's most notable walk-on suiting up for the Zags, Andrew Sorenson (19 games played, 3.9 minutes per game), Pontarolo-Maag steps into the high-profile role of the Zags best practice player/cheerleader/garbage time hotshot. In seven games of action last year, he went 1-4 from the field and missed his only three-pointer he attempted. This is good news for Pontarolo-Maag, who should be on pace to shatter those standards from last year and move a few rungs up the Zags all-time scoring list this year when he gets some time off the pine.

3. Mike Hart: Another of the walk-on breed in the vein of Pontarolo-Maag and Sorenson. Although he has the size (6-5) of a D-I prospect, I assume the skill set isn't as filled out as Coach Few would like to see, which explains his 3 minutes of time he logged in the exhibition game against Alberta. Hart does have a record of success from Jesuit High School in Portland, where his team made the state tournament annually and he played against the likes of Kyle Singler and Kevin Love during his prep basketball career.

Whitworth soccer could nail down trifecta of titles tomorrow

On the precipiece of a historic day tomorrow, the Whitworth men's soccer team could venture into uncharted territory tomorrow. A win over visiting in-state rivals Whitman College would give the Pirates a third consecutive Northwest Conference title, a feat that has not come to pass in almost 20 years. Whitworth was the last team to complete the three-peat, winning three straight from 1988-90.

But Whitworth sports have seen a revival over the past 10 years, as teams across the board have pushed the school into the upper echelon of athletic achievement in the region. The Whitworth football team is 66-29 over the past nine-plus seasons. The women's cross country team ran to their first Northwest Conference title in school history this season, following up on a second-place team finish in 2008 and the first ever NCAA Championships qualification in 2002. The men's cross country team won their first NWC title in 2008 and earned their first berth to the NCAA Championships.

The men's golf team won three straight NWC titles from 2004-2007. The men's basketball team will look to build upon three straight conference titles when the season tips off this fall. The women's soccer team is enjoying their second winningest season in school history at 16-3 this year. And the men's team has won over 73 percent of their games in their last ten-plus seasons.

It's been a banner decade for Whitworth sports. And on the cusp of adding another trophy to the athletics case, fans should be content to sit back and enjoy the golden age of Division III athletics in Spokane.

Crazy legs

Growing up, I watched a lot of football with my family. My Grandpa Don, a down-home Cajun from New Orleans, always has something to say about the game. Whether he's shouting "Run, boy, run!" at the tube or saying "You stupid son of a..."

One of the most notable of his sayings, however, is "That boy runs like 'Crazy Legs' Hirsch out there." This post is a tribute to the good times I've had watching football with him.

Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, starred for the Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference. An oustanding player, Hirsch posted career numbers of 387 catches, 7,029 yards and 60 touchdowns. Hirsch also won an NFL championship and was named Pro Player of the Year with the Rams in 1951 after posting a 66-reception, 1,495-yard, 17 touchdown season. Hirsch was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

Hirsch split his time playing college ball between the University of Wisconsin and later the University of Michigan, where he was assigned to during his stint in the Marine Corps. He was a letterman in four sports at Michigan: football, baseball, track and basketball. Hirsch died in January 2004 at the age of 80.

Hirsch can be seen making brief appearances in videos here and here.

Reasons why the Cowboys won yesterday

Though this blog masquerades as a Pacific Northwest news source, I do still have a soft spot for my favorite team. And in light of such a crucial win yesterday -- coupled with a 24-17 New York Giants loss to the Arizona Cardinals which dropped the Giants into a tie with the Cowboys atop the NFC East standings -- I thought I would explore three aspects of the game which contributed to a Cowboys 'W':

Tony Romo stayed off the turnover schnide.

Much maligned for his propensity for turning the ball over, Romo protected the football well, didn't hold onto the ball too long in the pocket (with the exception of his sack on the first drive of the third quarter) and pulled out some magical footwork to keep plays alive (notably his touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton before halftime). Dallas won the overall turnover battle, with Felix Jones' fumble the only blemish against the Falcons three turnovers.

Miles Austin again provided the Cowboys with a big play threat.

With the home run ability Felix Jones provides missing the previous two games, Miles Austin stepped into the limelight against Kansas City. He proved his run after the catch skills were not a fluke by turning in six receptions for a total of 171 yards on the day. Austin, who coming into the season had only 18 total receptions, saw his yards per reception average bubble up to an astronomical 24. Austin's quick feet in and out of comeback routes and deep fly patterns make him a threat to break into the open field at all times.

Pressure on Falcons QB Matt Ryan kept the Falcons passing offense in check.

After posting one of the league's top pass rushes last season and boasting DeMarcus Ware as the NFL's sack leader, the Cowboys had only generated 10 sacks through the first five games of the season. The defense unloaded on Ryan yesterday, taking the ex-Boston College QB down four times in the pocket yesterday. Ryan had Cowboys' meat hooks in his face all day, rushing his tender feet out of the pocket to throw the ball away or forcing poor throws into coverage, which led to two interceptions and Ryan's lowest completion percentage of the young season.

Making blogs (including this one) better

A great article on a blog I read from time to time on Yahoo!.

Hopefully, this increasing "urban sprawl" of blogging will lead, as Puck Daddy indicates, to local bloggers landing jobs in mainstream media as large, conglomerate companies seek to localize content.

Which, in turn, means people like me might be able to obtain jobs for companies like, let's say, ESPN. Fingers are crossed...

Top Alaskan high school mascots

While reading on ASAA's website about the new high school that opened up in Juneau last year, I wanted to know what their mascot was. I found it to be the "Falcons," a very ordinary name. However, Alaska being Alaska, I knew there had to be some schools out there with some strange ones. Here's what some digging produced, in the form of a top three:

3) Chaputnguaq Shaman - Chefornak, AK - Like many rural communities are, I imagine, a spiritual name. Hopefully spells and charms must be removed along with all jewelry before stepping onto the court, gypsy twirls.

2) Aniak Halfbreeds - Aniak, AK - Half man, half...whale? Many small rural communities (Aniak has an enrollement of 40 students) have mascots that identify with local icons or creatures. While I am not sure of the actual presence of werewolves or vampires in Aniak, I have heard whispers of Twilight and Underworld movies being shot here in the near future.

1) Malemute Malemutes - Koyuk, AK - Utterly redundant. I am just distressed by this. You are telling me the best name you could come up with for the school was Malemute, and then to top that off, you wanted the mascot to mirror the school's moniker? Envision: "Starting at guard for the Malemutes," and "When I say Malemute you say Malemutes." This could cause poor grammar too. When will we differentiate between the school name and the mascot name?

Honorable mention: King Cove T-Jacks and Rookies, Kokhanok Warlords, Mountain Village Strivers, Yakov E. Netzvetov Axtam Taligisnikangis(es?ers?)