It has arrived. Let the games begin. I hope you all got your fifteen brackets filled out and ready to go. For those of you stuck at work, we are here to help:
Gus Johnson not your cup of tea? You work for some Communists who might have blocked streaming video? Well, how about a gallery of Marisa Miller squeezing her rack into some bikinis? You. Are. Welcome.
Sorry my Better Half is not available for a running diary of all the days action. She is somewhere in the air between Los Angeles and Chicago on her way to visit BFF.
Enjoy the first day of games everyone; especially those men who got snipped this week just so they could stay at home for these two days. God bless your commitment.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Oh the Madness!!!
[Editor's Note: we've been having some technical difficulties with the site over the past couple of days and few things are still not back to normal. If anything appears out of the ordinary or is not working properly, we apologize. Hopefully we'll be back up a running properly soon . . . and hopefully this Link Dump works properly.]
So, Selection Sunday is right around the corner and all the major sports media outlets have there Cinder-Bracket-Bouble-Ology-Watch-Ella stories running at full speed. As always, I am uber-excited for the tournament, especially after (knock on wood) the Bruins complete their magical run to the tournament this weekend (nothing says dominant conference like your conference tournament champion getting a 14 seed). As usual, I will be spending some of the opening weekend in Las Vegas with my friendsgoing to some shows placing bets on random five-twelve match-ups.
But as excited as I am for Selection Sunday and the start of the Tournament, there is one thing about this time of year that gets me annoyed: all the other bracket-type features websites and blogs run this time of year. I can not tell you how many emails we get around this time of year or how many links pop up on our favorite sites directing us to some bracket trying to determine "The Greatest Sports Movie of All Time" (Caddieshack), or "The College with the Hottest Chicks" (decent), or "The Best Celebrity Couple", or, of course "The Hottest Woman" (ok, I can get behind that one . . . that's what she said . . . ba-ZING). Even How I Met Your Mother had an episode based on a bracket (but that one was totally awesome, no complaints here). I mean, look, if Sports Illustrated wants to decide the "Hottest Swimsuit Photo of All Time", you are not going to see me complaining (though, let's agree to disagree on the result . . . a fair choice, but I think a little swayed by Ms. Decker's current popularity . . . plus, the bracket lost all credibility once the editors decided to leave out this picture). But why does it have to be in bracket form and why does it have to in March? Is March "Bracket Appreciation March"? Did Congress declare March "National Bracket Month"? I mean, it is only a matter of time before someone starts up "The Best Non-NCAA Tournament Bracket" bracket (hmm . . . I could be onto something, maybe I should copyright that or something . . . anyone know a good attorney?). And then, it is only a matter of time until the whole world comes to an end, which is kind of a bummer.
I do not normally say something like this, but it should let you know just how tired of this I am: please do not send me any links to brackets. I spend a decent amount of times on sports websites and blogs, so there is a good chance (read: I guarantee) I have seen it already. I know, I know, I am not one to chastise my readers, but a man can only take so much. I hope you understand where I am coming from on this one though, and can find it in your heart to stick around as a GameTime, TBD© fan. Maybe these will help:
So, Selection Sunday is right around the corner and all the major sports media outlets have there Cinder-Bracket-Bouble-Ology-Watch-Ella stories running at full speed. As always, I am uber-excited for the tournament, especially after (knock on wood) the Bruins complete their magical run to the tournament this weekend (nothing says dominant conference like your conference tournament champion getting a 14 seed). As usual, I will be spending some of the opening weekend in Las Vegas with my friends
But as excited as I am for Selection Sunday and the start of the Tournament, there is one thing about this time of year that gets me annoyed: all the other bracket-type features websites and blogs run this time of year. I can not tell you how many emails we get around this time of year or how many links pop up on our favorite sites directing us to some bracket trying to determine "The Greatest Sports Movie of All Time" (Caddieshack), or "The College with the Hottest Chicks" (decent), or "The Best Celebrity Couple", or, of course "The Hottest Woman" (ok, I can get behind that one . . . that's what she said . . . ba-ZING). Even How I Met Your Mother had an episode based on a bracket (but that one was totally awesome, no complaints here). I mean, look, if Sports Illustrated wants to decide the "Hottest Swimsuit Photo of All Time", you are not going to see me complaining (though, let's agree to disagree on the result . . . a fair choice, but I think a little swayed by Ms. Decker's current popularity . . . plus, the bracket lost all credibility once the editors decided to leave out this picture). But why does it have to be in bracket form and why does it have to in March? Is March "Bracket Appreciation March"? Did Congress declare March "National Bracket Month"? I mean, it is only a matter of time before someone starts up "The Best Non-NCAA Tournament Bracket" bracket (hmm . . . I could be onto something, maybe I should copyright that or something . . . anyone know a good attorney?). And then, it is only a matter of time until the whole world comes to an end, which is kind of a bummer.
I do not normally say something like this, but it should let you know just how tired of this I am: please do not send me any links to brackets. I spend a decent amount of times on sports websites and blogs, so there is a good chance (read: I guarantee) I have seen it already. I know, I know, I am not one to chastise my readers, but a man can only take so much. I hope you understand where I am coming from on this one though, and can find it in your heart to stick around as a GameTime, TBD© fan. Maybe these will help:
- If you had the Hartford Courant in the "First Paper to Run Article About How NCAA Office Pool Will Turn You Into a Degenerate" pool, please collect your winnings to the right.
- I was under the impression Tiger did not have much of an image left to manage.
- Jim Schwartz goes all ex-boyfriend-stalker crazy to land himself a top free agent; no complaints here.
- Yes Dan, you are just an idiot.
- Lethargy rehab? Is nothing safe from rehab theses days?
- When you are used to playing in hockey hotbeds like Raleigh and Nashville, things in D.C. can be scary.
- The Canada Post puts out amber alert on hockey cards.
- So, about that time you had sex with your sister . . .
- I do not know what is sodder, the fact Florida State has a "Sod Cemetery" or that someone bothered to asterisk each of the vacated wins.
- The Pinstripe Bowl? Is that really something we need?
- This year's MLB pre-season "race remarks taken out of context" are brought to you by [*spins wheel*]: Torii Hunter.
- Looks like Nails has gotten himself caught in yet another [legal] pickle.
- It must be a contract year.
- Some quick math tells me that is 1,050 per prostitute for the entire event, or thirty-five per prostitute per day. Gross.
- Nothing says "It's baseball season" like a bench-clearing brawl with not one, but two felony assaults.
- While Jimmy Fallon might have fallen short on his Saved by the Bell reunion efforts, he certainly knocked this one out of the park.
- And then he topped off the week with this reunion.
- My Better Half and I are visiting my Bro and SIL at the end March and we plan on seeing a Boston Bruins hockey game. We better also see this.
- Real bears playing hockey. Enough said.+
- This was an inexcusable omission from last week's Link Dump. Rest assured, we have addressed the issue and "taken care of it".
- Look at that, Heidi Montag (at least I think that's Heidi Montag) did something almost funny.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Time To Let It Out
The Chief can not decide whether he should be happy or insulted that nothing came into the GameTime, TBD© inbox inquiring about our weekly gift to the World Wide Web last week. While we are sorry we were not able to get you a Link Dump last week, Kristen Bell seemed to ease your pain nicely. But for the record, the Chief does actually agonize over the things that go on around these parts of the Internet, which is why you get the following Link Dump introduction this week:
As the deposition I [Editor's note: The Chief] was stuck on last Friday pushed on to its tenth (of 12.5 . . . happy Friday to you to) hour, I decided to zone out for a bit and take a look at some of the more recent GameTime, TBD© posts. That is when it hit me: I have really done a solid job of avoiding posting original material on here lately.
My Better Half is always trying to get me to open up more about how I am feeling, and probably for good reason. I have always played it pretty close to the chest when it comes what is going on with the big guy. I have been working on that and, while progress may be slow, it is progressing. But now I realize this same pattern of behavior has spilled over to the pages of GameTime, TBD©. You see, I started this blog for two reasons: (1) as a creative outlet from my otherwise not-so-creative-outlety job (a little mental stimulation is good for the soul), and (b) to provide the world with a little west coast regarding sports and chicks . . . but mostly sports and mostly my Los Angeles Kings. In previous years (3.5 and counting!), I was pretty successful at doing so. But that changed this year and I think I have figured out why. In previous years, the Kings were bad. And let us be honest, we are talking Whitney-Houston-Recent-Australia-Performance bad. So it was easy to make light of the situation, crack a few jokes, and tell everybody that next year is going to be different. Well, the problem is, the ever illusive "next year" has finally arrived. I have waited eight years for the "next year" to actually get here, and now that it has I have held everything in. As sad as it sounds, I have been living and dying with every game, waiting for the shoe to drop. And I have been afraid that if I start talking about it, the dream might end. But now I realize that is not fair to you, the avid reader, me, the man aging twenty years in one hockey season, or my Better Half, who nobly sits next me during every game. I also realize that I should not be afraid of what is going on, but rather, I should embrace it. So I vow to stop holding it in and finally let it out . . . as only I can (which means some pop culture references, a lot of crazy talk . . . oh, and a bunch of hot chicks). And I promise it will start with something new being produced this weekend. You. Are. Welcome.
Well, clearly I have got a lot of work to do, so I best be getting to it. So, while I go saddle up my horse (that's what she said), here are some things you might have missed from the past week or two:
As the deposition I [Editor's note: The Chief] was stuck on last Friday pushed on to its tenth (of 12.5 . . . happy Friday to you to) hour, I decided to zone out for a bit and take a look at some of the more recent GameTime, TBD© posts. That is when it hit me: I have really done a solid job of avoiding posting original material on here lately.
My Better Half is always trying to get me to open up more about how I am feeling, and probably for good reason. I have always played it pretty close to the chest when it comes what is going on with the big guy. I have been working on that and, while progress may be slow, it is progressing. But now I realize this same pattern of behavior has spilled over to the pages of GameTime, TBD©. You see, I started this blog for two reasons: (1) as a creative outlet from my otherwise not-so-creative-outlety job (a little mental stimulation is good for the soul), and (b) to provide the world with a little west coast regarding sports and chicks . . . but mostly sports and mostly my Los Angeles Kings. In previous years (3.5 and counting!), I was pretty successful at doing so. But that changed this year and I think I have figured out why. In previous years, the Kings were bad. And let us be honest, we are talking Whitney-Houston-Recent-Australia-Performance bad. So it was easy to make light of the situation, crack a few jokes, and tell everybody that next year is going to be different. Well, the problem is, the ever illusive "next year" has finally arrived. I have waited eight years for the "next year" to actually get here, and now that it has I have held everything in. As sad as it sounds, I have been living and dying with every game, waiting for the shoe to drop. And I have been afraid that if I start talking about it, the dream might end. But now I realize that is not fair to you, the avid reader, me, the man aging twenty years in one hockey season, or my Better Half, who nobly sits next me during every game. I also realize that I should not be afraid of what is going on, but rather, I should embrace it. So I vow to stop holding it in and finally let it out . . . as only I can (which means some pop culture references, a lot of crazy talk . . . oh, and a bunch of hot chicks). And I promise it will start with something new being produced this weekend. You. Are. Welcome.
Well, clearly I have got a lot of work to do, so I best be getting to it. So, while I go saddle up my horse (that's what she said), here are some things you might have missed from the past week or two:
- Olympians have been shown to be much more satisfied with a bronze than a silver, even though it is clearly the Jan Brady of medals.
- Note to self: Steve Williams, not a good wingman (ladies, I'm just joking . . . but seriously . . . joking . . . seriously).
- "I haven't seen Tiger since the late '90s", but that check he sent me last week to write this sure was nice.
- Bill Simmons compared Tiger's eventual comeback to that of Muhammad Ali. Want to see how it turned out?
- Here is a golf story about a girl named Kandi (yes, with a "K") and it somehow does not involve Tiger. Go figure.
- "As I stood there looking like a Roy Orbison impersonator in my specially polarized glasses, I made a mental note to call my wife and apologize for the money we'll be dropping on 3-D televisions in the next few years."
- Highlights of this story include: "DUI", "Chevrolet Equinox", "bike patrol officer", "cited and released", and "Oregon Cheerleader" . . . who can be seen here on the left.
- Kansas to Kentucky: We see your Ashley Judd, and raise you one "adult" film star.
- Perhaps the Oregon cheerleading team should steal a play out of the Texas A&M-Commerce (Casino?) football playbook.
- I do not buy it. I am fairly confident Erin Andrews is plenty used to spinning and turning in heels. [Editor's Note: Hey-OH!]
- Can someone please tell me what exactly "digital insertion with their fingers" means?
- When sports stars talk about money, it is usually just as funny as you would expect.
- My favorite part of the NFL offseason went down on Monday. Have a look.
- Wind 1, Team 0.
- Our boy from Tweet Boxx is back, but now he is laying down the law in his office. [Editor's Note: strong language.]
- I am sure by now you all know ESPN got pranked by Howard Stern's Captain Janks at Scott Van Pelt's expense. On the off chance you have not actually seen it yet, here you go.
- I think, for once, I am actually going to side with the coach.
- Douchy McDoucherson has come out of retirement . . . and he is douchier than ever.
- As my friend Barnicle put it: "It's like the best Mouse Trap game ever."
Friday, February 26, 2010
Hot Chick Friday
It is one of those sad Fridays when we here at GameTime, TBD© have actual "work" getting in our way. And with the likelihood of not having enough time to provide you with your weekly dose of fun and flare commonly known as the Link Dump, we are forced to appeal to the masses (and by masses we, of course, mean mostly our male readers and those female readers who don't mind checking out an attractive woman while thinking "yeah, if I swung that way I'd hit it" . . . we L-O, L-O, L-O-V-E those female readers, they're our favorite . . . but I digress) by posting a picture of hot chick and hoping you will find it in your hearts to forgive us.
The Chief pointed out that you are probably expecting a picture of Marisa Miller or Kate Beckinsale. And who would blame you? They are two of The Chiefs favorites, having proudly held down the top two spots of his "Celebrity 5" list for the last few years. But he decided to mix things up today, deciding instead to finally introduce to one of the remaining three on his list. So, without further adieu, we proudly present to you Kristen Bell, number three on The Chiefs "Celebrity 5" (and rumored to have made my Better Half's "Celebrity 5" . . . reason number eleventy billion why my Better Half is better than yours).
We offer Ms. Bell as our humble apology. As always, if the storm ends early, we will do our absolute best to get at least some links up. In the meantime, we hope Ms. Bell helps provide at least a little enjoyment to your Friday.
In the event we are unable to get back to you later today, we wanted to remind you, have a great weekend everyone!
P.S. Let's get fired up. Happy Friday!
The Chief pointed out that you are probably expecting a picture of Marisa Miller or Kate Beckinsale. And who would blame you? They are two of The Chiefs favorites, having proudly held down the top two spots of his "Celebrity 5" list for the last few years. But he decided to mix things up today, deciding instead to finally introduce to one of the remaining three on his list. So, without further adieu, we proudly present to you Kristen Bell, number three on The Chiefs "Celebrity 5" (and rumored to have made my Better Half's "Celebrity 5" . . . reason number eleventy billion why my Better Half is better than yours).
We offer Ms. Bell as our humble apology. As always, if the storm ends early, we will do our absolute best to get at least some links up. In the meantime, we hope Ms. Bell helps provide at least a little enjoyment to your Friday.
In the event we are unable to get back to you later today, we wanted to remind you, have a great weekend everyone!
P.S. Let's get fired up. Happy Friday!
Friday, February 19, 2010
The Bar Is Open
If you are an avid reader of this fine website (and really, who isn't?), then you know that we here at GameTime, TBD© have generally tried to avoid talking about Tiger Woods and his little "situation". The Chief was of the opinion, and still is of the opinion, that something of that magnitude should not be speculated on. Do we have our theories on what really happened that night? Of course we do. But The Chief said early on that we would not talk about it until we heard something concrete from the source. Finally, we got that today and, now, the bar is open.
First things first: I do not, for one second, believe I ever "knew" Tiger Woods. With all the press and media coverage (whether wanted or unwanted) celebrities, athletes, and politicians get these days, a lot of people begin to feel like they really know all the famous people out there. News flash: you do not. You know what they are willing to show in public. Do not get me wrong, infidelity is a big . . . nay . . . HUGE no-no to me. And yes, my common decency does allow me to feel disappointed that a man who has prided himself character and integrity got himself into such a situation. But Tiger does not now, and never has owed me an apology, and he has never owed one to anyone else other than his family, Elin's family, and maybe some close friends. I appreciate what he said today, and I do believe he was as sincere and sorry as he came across as being, but it is just ridiculous that he even had to hold this press conference in the first place. The only thing I care about hearing from Tiger is (1) when he is returning to golf, (b) how much he is paying Elin to stick around, and (iii) which girl was best (kidding . . . but seriously . . . I'm just joking . . . seriously though . . .).
Which brings me to point two: now that he has had this press conference, there are still some things I am skeptical about:
(1) If Tiger is truly as angry about the rumors/lies he claims people have been spreading, why wait two and a half months to speak up? Clearly, some sort of physical altercation occurred that night, and all signs point to Elin coming out the winner. Tiger can protect her now, then, and forever, but a simple release on his website would have done that and could have done that from the very start. So no, Tiger, I do not believe your teeth look brand new simply because you have had impeccable dental hygiene over the past few months.
(B) You are in therapy (which, don't get me wrong, is great), because you got caught. We are not stupid. If the National Enquirer never runs its story, Elin never goes all Buster-Douglas-versus-Mike-Tyson on you, you are still playing golf, and probably on your second round of skanks, having played through the first eighteen holes. Sure, you may have realized the error in your ways. But have some respect for our common sense. Do not try to make me believe you would have magically come to this realization had you not gotten caught. All celebrities, athletes, and politicians play this card and it drives me nuts. Well, all except one: Michael Vick. He admitted in an interview to DP that, had he not gotten caught, he would probably still be doing the things he was doing. Now that is a man.
(III) I am not trying to open a can of worms here, but was anyone else thrown off by the performance-enhancing drugs denial? Yes, I know a story about PEDs snuck into the press cycle about a month ago, but it just struck me as odd that, in the middle his "I'm sorry I'm a man and I like sex" apology, Tiger would issue such a strong denial and then move on. I am not about to accuse the man of using them (doing so is the third rail of sports blogging), but his statement regarding PEDs really caught me off guard.
Before we get to the reason you are all really here (yes, I've accepted the fact you're here for the links and not my words of wisdom), I have one last thing to touch on. Why is it that only famous people have sex addictions? Or, more specifically, married famous people. Derek Jeter plows through more tail in the average off season than Tiger Woods has in the past few years, yet Jeter is the man and Tiger is in therapy. I understand the obvious point of Tiger being married and Jeter being single; really, I get it. But find me a man who says he does not like sex and I will gladly call him a liar to his face. I am sure my Better Half is going give the business tonight (baZING) about the actual medical side of addictions and why, yes, it is possible, but I can not help but feel a little suspect about the whole thing when the only time I hear about sex addiction is when someone famous gets caught straying from his marriage.
With that, I hope we, as a society (but mostly the media) can all move on now. To show you just how ready and willing I am to move on, here aretwo three Tiger-related and several non-Tiger-related things you might have missed from the week:
First things first: I do not, for one second, believe I ever "knew" Tiger Woods. With all the press and media coverage (whether wanted or unwanted) celebrities, athletes, and politicians get these days, a lot of people begin to feel like they really know all the famous people out there. News flash: you do not. You know what they are willing to show in public. Do not get me wrong, infidelity is a big . . . nay . . . HUGE no-no to me. And yes, my common decency does allow me to feel disappointed that a man who has prided himself character and integrity got himself into such a situation. But Tiger does not now, and never has owed me an apology, and he has never owed one to anyone else other than his family, Elin's family, and maybe some close friends. I appreciate what he said today, and I do believe he was as sincere and sorry as he came across as being, but it is just ridiculous that he even had to hold this press conference in the first place. The only thing I care about hearing from Tiger is (1) when he is returning to golf, (b) how much he is paying Elin to stick around, and (iii) which girl was best (kidding . . . but seriously . . . I'm just joking . . . seriously though . . .).
Which brings me to point two: now that he has had this press conference, there are still some things I am skeptical about:
(1) If Tiger is truly as angry about the rumors/lies he claims people have been spreading, why wait two and a half months to speak up? Clearly, some sort of physical altercation occurred that night, and all signs point to Elin coming out the winner. Tiger can protect her now, then, and forever, but a simple release on his website would have done that and could have done that from the very start. So no, Tiger, I do not believe your teeth look brand new simply because you have had impeccable dental hygiene over the past few months.
(B) You are in therapy (which, don't get me wrong, is great), because you got caught. We are not stupid. If the National Enquirer never runs its story, Elin never goes all Buster-Douglas-versus-Mike-Tyson on you, you are still playing golf, and probably on your second round of skanks, having played through the first eighteen holes. Sure, you may have realized the error in your ways. But have some respect for our common sense. Do not try to make me believe you would have magically come to this realization had you not gotten caught. All celebrities, athletes, and politicians play this card and it drives me nuts. Well, all except one: Michael Vick. He admitted in an interview to DP that, had he not gotten caught, he would probably still be doing the things he was doing. Now that is a man.
(III) I am not trying to open a can of worms here, but was anyone else thrown off by the performance-enhancing drugs denial? Yes, I know a story about PEDs snuck into the press cycle about a month ago, but it just struck me as odd that, in the middle his "I'm sorry I'm a man and I like sex" apology, Tiger would issue such a strong denial and then move on. I am not about to accuse the man of using them (doing so is the third rail of sports blogging), but his statement regarding PEDs really caught me off guard.
Before we get to the reason you are all really here (yes, I've accepted the fact you're here for the links and not my words of wisdom), I have one last thing to touch on. Why is it that only famous people have sex addictions? Or, more specifically, married famous people. Derek Jeter plows through more tail in the average off season than Tiger Woods has in the past few years, yet Jeter is the man and Tiger is in therapy. I understand the obvious point of Tiger being married and Jeter being single; really, I get it. But find me a man who says he does not like sex and I will gladly call him a liar to his face. I am sure my Better Half is going give the business tonight (baZING) about the actual medical side of addictions and why, yes, it is possible, but I can not help but feel a little suspect about the whole thing when the only time I hear about sex addiction is when someone famous gets caught straying from his marriage.
With that, I hope we, as a society (but mostly the media) can all move on now. To show you just how ready and willing I am to move on, here are
- "Why don't you try reading the rules, Skankapotamus."
- In case you missed it, Tiger had a second press conference immediately after the first.
- Look at that, Bill Simmons did not buy it either.
- "Oh, here it is. Bratislava. Hmmm, capital of Slovakia. Oh, here's a fun fact: You made out with your sister, man!"
- Taking a brief time out for a serious note: the GameTime, TBD© family's thoughts and prayers go out to a great NBA coach and his family.
- Askmen.com put together a list of the "Top 10 Las Vegas Sporting Experiences". The list loses all credibility at Number 8, which clearly is Number 1.
- Mark McGwire would like you to remember he is not here to talk about the past.
- Attempted first-degree murder, five counts of arson, assault and battery, communicating threats, three counts of misdemeanor child abuse, injury to personal property, identity theft AND resisting a public officer? [*commencing slow clap*]
- Apparently robbing two people and swimming naked is a crime. Go figure.
- No, no Tony, tell us how you really feel.
- It takes a certain kind of person (white trash?) to wear a Cowboys jersey around Philadelphia the week after Dallas knocked the Eagles out of the playoffs; a type of person the TSA at Philadelphia airport would call a terrorist.
- T.O. likes to do his little on thing on the catwalk.
- Ladies, I hope you are ready for the most uncomfortably loud mani-pedi ever.
- Happy Friday! [Editor's Note: Is that the Sanchize?]
- How on Earth did this song not go big?
- Does anyone know when the funeral services are for the staffer who failed to tell Oprah about the birth mark?
- Last week, it was a great moment from The Price is Right. This week: Jeopardy.
- Word to the wise: When a (possibly racist) 67-year-old man wearing an "I AM a motherf****r" t-shirt gives you guff on an Oakland bus, just let it go. [Editor's Note: language is super NSFW.]
- Did you know Johnny Weir has his own television show? UH-mazing!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Glorious!
Oh, hello there. We sincerely apologize for GameTime, TBD© being inexplicably silent last Friday. We do not really have a good excuse for our error unless you count outright stupidity as a good excuse. The Chief was up in San Francisco to celebrate one of his buddy's thirtieth birthday (welcome to the "Dirty Thirties" Coov) and apparently got the "publish post" and "save now" button confused after putting the final touches on the Link Dump. As such, the post sat silently somewhere in the Internet world instead of being proudly displayed for the world to see. Since that stuff is now outdated (except, of course for some of the video clips), we move on as if nothing happened. Oh, wait, nothing did happen . . . so I guess we just move on.
What do you all have planned for the President's Day/Valentine's Day weekend? Valentine's Day falling on a long weekend is really a lose-lose for us men. Not only are women amped up for Valentine's Day, but now they want a whole weekend out of it. Yes, I am taking my Better Half away for the weekend because she deserves a quiet, romantic weekend of just the two of us. Just the two of us and twenty-four-hour-a-day coverage of THE OLYMPICS! Put your patriotic cap on, cause it is time to celebrate America's dominance in all thing sports for the next two weeks (except the biathlon . . . which is funny when you consider we are one of the few countries that pretty much encourages people to own guns).
As I am sure you recall from my ramblings about the 2008 Summer Olympics, I love me someme Olympics. And my love for the Olympics has grown even more since NBC started using its family of networks for round-the-clock coverage back during the 2000 Summer Olympics. I mean who does not want to stay up until two in the morning watching Team Equestrian Jumping on Bravo? More importantly, during CNBC's mid-day coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, I truly discovered the sport of curling, and my life has never been the same because of it. I scheduled my "studying" around all things curling that year, and it was worth it. I mean, it is chess on ice with brooms; UH-Mazing! How can you not love a sport in which the object is to "put the stone in the house"? Short-track speedskating? Giant Slalom? Who cares. Kari Erickson was trying to skip the women's team to the first United States medal in curling . . . ever. While she might have fallen short, she paved the way for skip Pete Fenson to lead his men's team to a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, which I watched, because I had yet again conveniently scheduled my law school "studying" around NBC's Coverage yet again. While the Winter Olympics might not garner the same excitement as the Summer Olympics (not having any snow in Vancouver isn't helping this year's Olympics any), I still get equally excited. Though it may sound like I am waxing poetic, here is why: because for two weeks, no matter how terrible things are with economy, or what is going on in the Middle East, or what evil empire I am denying insurance coverage to, we set aside our differences and celebrate accomplishments of people from around the world. It is when Bob Costas puts on his sweater, sits by the fire, and tells us about the hardships that many of these athletes have overcome to make it. And maybe, just maybe, this will be the year he lets us in on the secret of why Americans suck at the Biathlon (seriously people, it's skiing and shooting . . . what's the big deal?).
So, while I check out the event schedule for the next two weeks, and plan my "work" accordingly, here are some Olympic and non-Olympic related things you might have missed from the past week.
What do you all have planned for the President's Day/Valentine's Day weekend? Valentine's Day falling on a long weekend is really a lose-lose for us men. Not only are women amped up for Valentine's Day, but now they want a whole weekend out of it. Yes, I am taking my Better Half away for the weekend because she deserves a quiet, romantic weekend of just the two of us. Just the two of us and twenty-four-hour-a-day coverage of THE OLYMPICS! Put your patriotic cap on, cause it is time to celebrate America's dominance in all thing sports for the next two weeks (except the biathlon . . . which is funny when you consider we are one of the few countries that pretty much encourages people to own guns).
As I am sure you recall from my ramblings about the 2008 Summer Olympics, I love me some
So, while I check out the event schedule for the next two weeks, and plan my "work" accordingly, here are some Olympic and non-Olympic related things you might have missed from the past week.
- Marisa Miller was here, there, and everywhere during last week's Super Bowl festivities in Miami, and the world is a better because of it.
- If you are a guy and you live under a rock, you might have missed that Brooklyn Decker is this years Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl, officially giving her one more SI cover than her husband. Ouch.
- I hope those people enjoyed their flight to Vancouver.
- Excuse me? A what mating with a what? I do not think any drug testing is necessary for that guy.
- Why God, why?
- The Cincinnati Probation Officers are having a productive off-season.
- The Colts forgot to bring protection with them to Miami, at least according to their boss.
- In case you have trouble understanding Payton Manning's faces, here is a complete guide for you.
- Like the rest of the world, NCAA looks to ensure no one gets hurt feelings; looks to tackle boo-boos next.
- Of course, they are just bitter that the gravy train might not be so full in the near future.
- Screamin' A.'s arrogance never ceases to amaze me.
- Man who secretly videotaped Erin Andrews in the nude in her hotel room upgraded from "amateur stalker" to "professional nut job".
- "Happy Valentine's Day, honey. I love you."
- UH-Mazing on so many levels, it is almost too good to be true.
- Letterman's Andy Kindler went to the Super Bowl . . . tried to meet Reggie Bush.
- I am so confused. Am I supposed to want to make love or enjoy some BBQ?
- Even Ali G gets into the Olympics.
- I hope all my East Coast readers enjoyed the recent blizzards as much as this guy did.
- You see, you are supposed to take the skate guards off first.
Friday, January 29, 2010
I We Todd Did
It was a banner night in the GameTime, TBD© house last Friday night. My Better Half flew the coop and head off to San Diego for a "girls weekend", leaving me all alone as the king of my castle. Unfortunately, the plans for my big group orgy fell through, so that left my calendar pretty open. As you know, I was fully prepared to watch Coco host The Tonight Show for the last time, but how I was going to pass the time before it started was a complete mystery. Well, as life often does, the answer became clear the minute I got home.
For starters, my Better Half had ever so nicely sorted the dirty laundry in the bedroom. Now, I am not nearly as smart as she is, so it took me a while to decipher the code, which, as it turns out, was "Do the laundry." But laundry is not something that requires constant attention (unless sitting in your garage and watching a machine shake is entertaining to you . . . but then, I'd assume you're not reading this blog . . . but I digress), so I needed something to pass the time while the washing machine worked its magic. And that is when I saw it, right there on my DirecTV channel guide: the season finale of Jersey Shore. One word: UH-MAZING! I had never watched any of the season, but had heard plenty about it from the likes of BFF and Barnicle, one of my oldest friends. Barnicle had even hosted a Jersey Shore season finale viewing party the night before. As the show progressed, I could literally feel the brain cells in my head dying off. Then, out of nowhere, J-Woww (an actual character nickname) described her ideal man as a "juice-head gorilla", and when she went to the beach to find her some man meat, she inquired "Where are all the juice-head gorillas?" And that was when it happened, my IQ took a fifty point hit; that, and I was hooked. So hooked, in fact, I stuck around for Jersey Shore: The Reunion. I mean, who does not need to learn about the art of fist pumping? This is serious people, the beat wants to fight you so you have to beat the beat up. To think, for the longest time, I thought this was a big spoof; now I know it is real.
What I am trying to say is this: if I seem M.I.A. for the next week or so, do not be afraid. It just means my daily G.T.L. schedule has gotten the best of me. Speaking of which, I am running a little late on the daily schedule. So, while I head out to get my G.T.L. on, here are some things you might have missed to keep you entertained (and smart) for the rest of the afternoon:
For starters, my Better Half had ever so nicely sorted the dirty laundry in the bedroom. Now, I am not nearly as smart as she is, so it took me a while to decipher the code, which, as it turns out, was "Do the laundry." But laundry is not something that requires constant attention (unless sitting in your garage and watching a machine shake is entertaining to you . . . but then, I'd assume you're not reading this blog . . . but I digress), so I needed something to pass the time while the washing machine worked its magic. And that is when I saw it, right there on my DirecTV channel guide: the season finale of Jersey Shore. One word: UH-MAZING! I had never watched any of the season, but had heard plenty about it from the likes of BFF and Barnicle, one of my oldest friends. Barnicle had even hosted a Jersey Shore season finale viewing party the night before. As the show progressed, I could literally feel the brain cells in my head dying off. Then, out of nowhere, J-Woww (an actual character nickname) described her ideal man as a "juice-head gorilla", and when she went to the beach to find her some man meat, she inquired "Where are all the juice-head gorillas?" And that was when it happened, my IQ took a fifty point hit; that, and I was hooked. So hooked, in fact, I stuck around for Jersey Shore: The Reunion. I mean, who does not need to learn about the art of fist pumping? This is serious people, the beat wants to fight you so you have to beat the beat up. To think, for the longest time, I thought this was a big spoof; now I know it is real.
What I am trying to say is this: if I seem M.I.A. for the next week or so, do not be afraid. It just means my daily G.T.L. schedule has gotten the best of me. Speaking of which, I am running a little late on the daily schedule. So, while I head out to get my G.T.L. on, here are some things you might have missed to keep you entertained (and smart) for the rest of the afternoon:
- If you had Ray Maualuga in the "Next Cincinnati Bengal to Get Arrested" pool, you may collect your winnings now. Pays double if you also had "DUI in a 2003 Pontiac Sunfire."
- If you see this man in or around the Miami area on February 7, 2010, please contact your local police station. He may be rocking out a great set list.
- "Saintsmania" has permeated the city? EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIVES (or just take the week off).
- "This is not Detroit, man. THIS IS THE SUPER BOWL." Yes, I am offended (not really).
- I heard his wife had already bought the shears.
- Three words I never thought I would write together: transgender sodomy lawsuit.
- If you are lucky, this man will be playing for your NFL team come next season. Congratulations.
- The SEC is not a fan of fans who love their schools in moments of great triumph.
- Talk about one of your all-time backfires. [Editor's Note: Make sure to watch the video as well, and then check out what happened while the news reporter was filming his intro to the story.]
- This is a story of a cursed high school hockey rink.
- Not too long ago, Charlie Davies was lucky to be alive. Now, it is possible he will be back with the national team in time for the 2010 World Cup.
- Meanwhile, this guy probably will not make it to South Africa this summer.
- It always comes full circle with sex offenders.
- I am sorry, Jim Nantz said what?
- I hope, for your sake, your college does not have to play the mighty Nanooks of Alaska, Fairbanks this season.
- With the Olympics right around the corner, I have found myself wondering what it would be like to compete in the Skeleton. Oh look, the answer.
- A decently funny Lonely Island spoof. Never thought it could happen.
- I am sorry, they have tremendous what?
- I am thankful there are people out there with may too much free time on their hands.
- Perhaps all celebration music should be this great. Oh yeah, nice goal too.
- And, yes, we can not have a post about Jersey Shore without one or two shockingly accurate representations of what the show is all about.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Great Googly Moogly
We are running a little behind schedule this morning (borderline afternoon), but that is not going to stop us from getting some entertainment headed your direction. No judge, no matter how long-winded or how meticulous, is going to stop GameTime, TBD© from getting you your weekly source of entertainment, or as you call it, the Link Dump.
Before we get to the goods [Editor's Note: that's what she said.], a brief comment on the Pacific 10 Men's Basketball Conference . . . or as I now call it, the Wac-10. The Wac-10 is appropriate for two reasons: (1) I think any team from the Western Athletic Conference (the actual WAC conference) could compete in the Pac-10 this season; and (b) things have gotten just down right wacky in the conference this season. Everyone (and their mother) knew the Pac-10 was going to have a down year in terms of overall performance, but no one knew it was going to get this bad. The conference is a combined 5-13 against AP Top 25 teams this year and all teams are within two games of the conference lead. California and Arizona State (really?) are tied for the league lead and Washington, the preseason favorite to essentially runaway with the league, is struggling at 3-4 in the league after last nights last-second loss to UCLA. Oh, UCLA.
It seems like only yesterday you were playing in your third-straight Final Four. After watching you struggle through your non-conference schedule (5-7), you started Pac-10 play with a surprising win over Arizona State. Then you got blown out by Arizona, and that pattern has continued; a nice win in your mid-week game, a blow out loss on the weekend. Yet I can not quit you. At 3-3 in the conference, you are right there in the mix. Now if only you would string a few nice games together with, oh, I do not know, a little effort. You might be surprised at the result.
So with that being said, I encourage you to follow the Wac-10 for the rest of the season. Not because of the great basketball you are going to see, but rather because of just how crazy-bad things are. But before you go boning (hehehe . . . bone) up on your Wac-10 information, feel free to check out some things you might have missed:
Before we get to the goods [Editor's Note: that's what she said.], a brief comment on the Pacific 10 Men's Basketball Conference . . . or as I now call it, the Wac-10. The Wac-10 is appropriate for two reasons: (1) I think any team from the Western Athletic Conference (the actual WAC conference) could compete in the Pac-10 this season; and (b) things have gotten just down right wacky in the conference this season. Everyone (and their mother) knew the Pac-10 was going to have a down year in terms of overall performance, but no one knew it was going to get this bad. The conference is a combined 5-13 against AP Top 25 teams this year and all teams are within two games of the conference lead. California and Arizona State (really?) are tied for the league lead and Washington, the preseason favorite to essentially runaway with the league, is struggling at 3-4 in the league after last nights last-second loss to UCLA. Oh, UCLA.
It seems like only yesterday you were playing in your third-straight Final Four. After watching you struggle through your non-conference schedule (5-7), you started Pac-10 play with a surprising win over Arizona State. Then you got blown out by Arizona, and that pattern has continued; a nice win in your mid-week game, a blow out loss on the weekend. Yet I can not quit you. At 3-3 in the conference, you are right there in the mix. Now if only you would string a few nice games together with, oh, I do not know, a little effort. You might be surprised at the result.
So with that being said, I encourage you to follow the Wac-10 for the rest of the season. Not because of the great basketball you are going to see, but rather because of just how crazy-bad things are. But before you go boning (hehehe . . . bone) up on your Wac-10 information, feel free to check out some things you might have missed:
- In non-sports related [read: hot-chick related] news, the world was rocked by news that Marisa Miller would parting ways with Victoria's Secret. Thankfully, Victoria has since stated the story is false. What would we have done without this?
- I did not realize "ambiguous sexual characteristics" required the creation of "special medical centers". I thought the five o'clock shadow (amongst other "things") usually gave it away.
- Are you ready for the AFC and NFC championships? The Sports Guy certainly is.
- You too can see JaMarcus Russell's c-cups for just a handful of beads.
- Hey Rueben, how have you been spending your time since being cut by the Giants? Oh, I see.
- With all the "hostess" hoopla going on in the SEC, Mississippi State is going a different route to attract recruits. [Editor's Note: sorry in advance for the picture.]
- I really wish this was a link to a story by The Onion. Sadly, it is not.
- While most Major League Baseball players are trying to get off the juice, Miguel Cabrera is trying to get off the sauce.
- Maybe he can get together with Hammer.
- Sportsmanship at its finest . . . if by finest you mean fouling the other team to keep the clock from running so you can still reach one hundred points. Karma's a bitch.
- John Daly (looking svelte as ever my man) weighs in on Tiger Woods 'cause . . . well . . . why not?
- This was the "Highlight of the Night" on Sports Centre . . . no, that is not a typo.
- You know that we are a suckers for a good nut shot . . . no matter how long ago it occurred.
- Could 2010 be the year of win? . . .
- . . . Guess not. Remember kids, crack kills.
- With the Olympics right around the corner, it is good remember the great moments we are likely to see (besides wardrobe malfunctions of course).
- David Letterman proves yet again
he ishis writers are still the funniest in late night television [Editor's Note: don't forget to watch Coco's final show on NBC tonight.] - Speaking of Coco, he is on a mission to spend as much money as possible during his final week at NBC. Here are attempts one and two.
Friday, January 15, 2010
This Sucks
I am sorry to say, the fine folks of GameTime, TBD© have been swamped and will not be able to get you your weekly dose of entertainment and news, more lovingly known as the Link Dump. We hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive us. We were looking forward to it because of all that has transpired this week (seriously, of all the weeks . . .). If by chance the storm breaks in the near future, we will see what we can do.
But rest assured, we will never leave you empty handed. Our lone offer this week is Stephen Colbert and Mark McGwire's case of "pussy eye" [Editor's Note: his words, not ours]:
Have a great weekend everyone!
But rest assured, we will never leave you empty handed. Our lone offer this week is Stephen Colbert and Mark McGwire's case of "pussy eye" [Editor's Note: his words, not ours]:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Sport Report - Gilbert Arenas & Mark McGwire | ||||
| ||||
Have a great weekend everyone!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Look What I Found
Here at GameTime, TBD©, we strive to bring you not only entertaining original work and weekly news, but also inside scoops that might not be available elsewhere.
I was enjoy lunch at my office desk last Friday, reminiscing about the fabulous Link Dump we had completed earlier in the day, when I nearly choked on my sandwich [Subway, eat fresh]. I had swung by ESPN.com to see if anything exciting had occurred and Chris Mortensen was reporting that Pete Carroll was leaving USC for the open Seattle Seahawks coaching position. I will admit, I was a little surprised when the Seahawks fired Jim Mora, Jr. after only one year, and it made sense that they would only fire him if they had someone lined up already, so I could see the validity in the Mort Report's . . . err . . . report. But I believe an ESPN scoop about as often as I believe the hot bartender is actually hitting on me and not just working for a bigger tip [read: not often]. Plus, these Pete-Carroll-to-the-NFL rumors happen every year and, as a UCLA fan, I have gotten tired of hoping he makes yet another bonehead decision and actually leaves for the NFL. But when I head Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News' Inside USC claim, while it was not official (because Seattle still had to comply with the "Rooney Rule" . . . is there any bigger sham in the NFL than the "Rooney Rule"? . . . what a joke . . . but I digress, something for another day), Carroll to Seattle was a "done deal".
Even though I am a UCLA guy, I, like everyone else in Southern California, know more than a few people who attended USC. Some of them annoy me to no end, while others are actually decent human beings. One such person is my buddy TR. He is one of those rare USC alums who, while a die hard fan, is down to earth and can talk evenly about SC and UCLA (like I said, rare). He, like many of the educated, knew Pete Carroll was a . . . err . . . not nice person, but put up with it because they were winning. TR is also a guy who always knows someone. Need tickets to something? TR can get them. Want to get into the newest and hottest club? Not a problem for TR. We all have a friend like this. So when the news broke, I immediately sent TR a text to see (1) how he was doing, and (b) what, if anything, he had heard from inside the USC Athletic Department. He, like most SC football fans, was praying it was not true but promised to get back to me once he talked to his "guy in the athletic department". Well, as promised, I received an email yesterday with some interesting details. This whole thing is one big power play pulled by the Board of Trustees, who are fed up with the job Mike Garrett has done. Here is the text of the entire email fromTR's "guy in the athletic department":
"Here is exactly what is happening, in a nutshell:
The early success of Pete Carroll ["PC"] created a chain reaction at USC. Whereas before, Mike Garrett was extremely hands-on in his treatment of football, he decided to let PC run the show without any interference. Further up the food chain, the University gave Garrett free rein to give PC free rein.
PC had unprecedented control of the football program. He often talked about that fact as why it was superior to being in the NFL. He could get any player he wanted into school, he raised funds for his own projects, he decided who his staff would and wouldn't be, he pushed for upgrades to facilities, he did everything in his style, with no restrictions, etc., etc., etc.
Over the course of time, there were issues. Players acting like fools (as they often do), investigations, PR embarrassments, etc. Individually, they were able to be handled without any problems. But over time, their accumulation started to create a perception that PC wasn't in control of things and that, indeed, NO ONE was in control.
Now, when [former basketball coach Tim] Floyd was hired, Garrett (in his infinite wisdom), decided to take the same hands-off approach with basketball. His [theory] was that if you leave your coaches alone, they'll succeed. As a result, there was zero oversight over basketball, as with football. Of course, this came back to bite Garrett on the ass, as Floyd (left to his own devices) got the program into trouble.
This is when the Board of Trustees started having enough and started demanding that Garrett re-assert his control over these two sports. Then, a few other PC pecadillos hit the grapevine and by the time the McKnight story hit, the University was well on its way to going over Garrett's head to take back control of what they saw as an out-of-control situation. This is why you saw University PR and legal handling Floyd's issue and McKnight's issue.
As all this happened, a movement started growing among the Trustees to use this whole process to get rid of Garrett and replace him with someone like [former USC quarterback and current Trustee] Pat Haden. Garrett did not have control of his coaches and his coaches were embarrassing the University. [Garrett] was brought into [USC President Steven B.] Sample's office at one point and Sample ripped him a new asshole. Garret, in an effort to show he had control, started getting involved in football and basketball and the [transition has] not been good as PC hasn't had to deal with Garrett butting in for most of the last eight years.
In the end, PC left because his most coveted possession--total control--was on the way out. He would've no longer been able to get whoever he wanted into school, he was going to have to relinquish control over how he did some things and there was going to be meddling over who could be on his staff and what kind of discipline would be instilled over the program.
Feelers started coming to PC during the season and when the offer from Seattle finally came, he took it. Simple as that. It was, in his mind, the best option available to him as he would no longer be able to be himself (as he saw it) at USC. Furthermore, it is in his nature to want to compete and proving himself at his true love--the NFL--has always been in his heart.
There will be some dirty laundry aired in the next few months. [Editor's Note: As Yahoo! Sports is reporting, the NCAA has concluded it's investigation of the USC Athletic Department (focusing on football and basketball), and this same guy has assured us sanctions are coming (likely in the spring) and they will be "disastrous".] But that is really not the reason PC left (though a lot of things contributed to the effort of the University to take back control)."
Take what you will from that email, but I thought I would at least share some of my thoughts: (1) I do not care what people say, the pending sanctions absolutely had something to do with Carroll's decision to leave; (b) if we needed any additional evidence that Carroll is a douche, I think we have it; and (iii) it appears time for Mike Garrett to update his resume.
It will be interesting to see what comes of USC's coaching search. There are already reports that the search is in the hands of Pat Haden and Trustee Chair Ed Roski, not Mike Garrett, and the pending sanctions against the program and/or athletic department will not make it any easier. A lot of names are already floating around (TR is begging for Boise State's Chris Peterson, but I don't see him leaving the friendly confines of the smurf turf with all that is going on at USC with NCAA and the fact Boise St. has a legitimate shot at the national title next season). Although he is denying it, my money is on former-USC linebacker Jack Del Rio. I know he has fifteen million reasons to stay with Jacksonville, but, as noted in last week's Link Dump, his job is not exactly secure at this point in time. I would not be surprised to see some financial settlement occur, whereby Del Rio "resigns" from the Jacksonville coaching position (a man has to keep his dignity) and becomes the new coach of the USC Trojans. So, I would like offer this one piece of advice to Mr. Del Rio when he begins his formal negotiations with USC: do not forget to ask for the house on The Strand.
[Editor's Note: here's your fun fact for the day: Mark McGwire (yes, that Mark McGwire) played baseball for USC from 1981 to 1984. The starting catcher those years? Why, that would be none other than Jack Del Rio. Grab a napkin, homie. You just got served . . . with knowledge.]
I was enjoy lunch at my office desk last Friday, reminiscing about the fabulous Link Dump we had completed earlier in the day, when I nearly choked on my sandwich [Subway, eat fresh]. I had swung by ESPN.com to see if anything exciting had occurred and Chris Mortensen was reporting that Pete Carroll was leaving USC for the open Seattle Seahawks coaching position. I will admit, I was a little surprised when the Seahawks fired Jim Mora, Jr. after only one year, and it made sense that they would only fire him if they had someone lined up already, so I could see the validity in the Mort Report's . . . err . . . report. But I believe an ESPN scoop about as often as I believe the hot bartender is actually hitting on me and not just working for a bigger tip [read: not often]. Plus, these Pete-Carroll-to-the-NFL rumors happen every year and, as a UCLA fan, I have gotten tired of hoping he makes yet another bonehead decision and actually leaves for the NFL. But when I head Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News' Inside USC claim, while it was not official (because Seattle still had to comply with the "Rooney Rule" . . . is there any bigger sham in the NFL than the "Rooney Rule"? . . . what a joke . . . but I digress, something for another day), Carroll to Seattle was a "done deal".
Even though I am a UCLA guy, I, like everyone else in Southern California, know more than a few people who attended USC. Some of them annoy me to no end, while others are actually decent human beings. One such person is my buddy TR. He is one of those rare USC alums who, while a die hard fan, is down to earth and can talk evenly about SC and UCLA (like I said, rare). He, like many of the educated, knew Pete Carroll was a . . . err . . . not nice person, but put up with it because they were winning. TR is also a guy who always knows someone. Need tickets to something? TR can get them. Want to get into the newest and hottest club? Not a problem for TR. We all have a friend like this. So when the news broke, I immediately sent TR a text to see (1) how he was doing, and (b) what, if anything, he had heard from inside the USC Athletic Department. He, like most SC football fans, was praying it was not true but promised to get back to me once he talked to his "guy in the athletic department". Well, as promised, I received an email yesterday with some interesting details. This whole thing is one big power play pulled by the Board of Trustees, who are fed up with the job Mike Garrett has done. Here is the text of the entire email fromTR's "guy in the athletic department":
"Here is exactly what is happening, in a nutshell:
The early success of Pete Carroll ["PC"] created a chain reaction at USC. Whereas before, Mike Garrett was extremely hands-on in his treatment of football, he decided to let PC run the show without any interference. Further up the food chain, the University gave Garrett free rein to give PC free rein.
PC had unprecedented control of the football program. He often talked about that fact as why it was superior to being in the NFL. He could get any player he wanted into school, he raised funds for his own projects, he decided who his staff would and wouldn't be, he pushed for upgrades to facilities, he did everything in his style, with no restrictions, etc., etc., etc.
Over the course of time, there were issues. Players acting like fools (as they often do), investigations, PR embarrassments, etc. Individually, they were able to be handled without any problems. But over time, their accumulation started to create a perception that PC wasn't in control of things and that, indeed, NO ONE was in control.
Now, when [former basketball coach Tim] Floyd was hired, Garrett (in his infinite wisdom), decided to take the same hands-off approach with basketball. His [theory] was that if you leave your coaches alone, they'll succeed. As a result, there was zero oversight over basketball, as with football. Of course, this came back to bite Garrett on the ass, as Floyd (left to his own devices) got the program into trouble.
This is when the Board of Trustees started having enough and started demanding that Garrett re-assert his control over these two sports. Then, a few other PC pecadillos hit the grapevine and by the time the McKnight story hit, the University was well on its way to going over Garrett's head to take back control of what they saw as an out-of-control situation. This is why you saw University PR and legal handling Floyd's issue and McKnight's issue.
As all this happened, a movement started growing among the Trustees to use this whole process to get rid of Garrett and replace him with someone like [former USC quarterback and current Trustee] Pat Haden. Garrett did not have control of his coaches and his coaches were embarrassing the University. [Garrett] was brought into [USC President Steven B.] Sample's office at one point and Sample ripped him a new asshole. Garret, in an effort to show he had control, started getting involved in football and basketball and the [transition has] not been good as PC hasn't had to deal with Garrett butting in for most of the last eight years.
In the end, PC left because his most coveted possession--total control--was on the way out. He would've no longer been able to get whoever he wanted into school, he was going to have to relinquish control over how he did some things and there was going to be meddling over who could be on his staff and what kind of discipline would be instilled over the program.
Feelers started coming to PC during the season and when the offer from Seattle finally came, he took it. Simple as that. It was, in his mind, the best option available to him as he would no longer be able to be himself (as he saw it) at USC. Furthermore, it is in his nature to want to compete and proving himself at his true love--the NFL--has always been in his heart.
There will be some dirty laundry aired in the next few months. [Editor's Note: As Yahoo! Sports is reporting, the NCAA has concluded it's investigation of the USC Athletic Department (focusing on football and basketball), and this same guy has assured us sanctions are coming (likely in the spring) and they will be "disastrous".] But that is really not the reason PC left (though a lot of things contributed to the effort of the University to take back control)."
Take what you will from that email, but I thought I would at least share some of my thoughts: (1) I do not care what people say, the pending sanctions absolutely had something to do with Carroll's decision to leave; (b) if we needed any additional evidence that Carroll is a douche, I think we have it; and (iii) it appears time for Mike Garrett to update his resume.
It will be interesting to see what comes of USC's coaching search. There are already reports that the search is in the hands of Pat Haden and Trustee Chair Ed Roski, not Mike Garrett, and the pending sanctions against the program and/or athletic department will not make it any easier. A lot of names are already floating around (TR is begging for Boise State's Chris Peterson, but I don't see him leaving the friendly confines of the smurf turf with all that is going on at USC with NCAA and the fact Boise St. has a legitimate shot at the national title next season). Although he is denying it, my money is on former-USC linebacker Jack Del Rio. I know he has fifteen million reasons to stay with Jacksonville, but, as noted in last week's Link Dump, his job is not exactly secure at this point in time. I would not be surprised to see some financial settlement occur, whereby Del Rio "resigns" from the Jacksonville coaching position (a man has to keep his dignity) and becomes the new coach of the USC Trojans. So, I would like offer this one piece of advice to Mr. Del Rio when he begins his formal negotiations with USC: do not forget to ask for the house on The Strand.
[Editor's Note: here's your fun fact for the day: Mark McGwire (yes, that Mark McGwire) played baseball for USC from 1981 to 1984. The starting catcher those years? Why, that would be none other than Jack Del Rio. Grab a napkin, homie. You just got served . . . with knowledge.]
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