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(10/01/08 4:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Remember in seventh grade when your dad was last able to win a game of one-on-one against you? You know, the over-competitive nature of his post-up, the unnecessary strength used when grabbing a rebound and that extra “oomph” given when blocking your shot over and over again.Brett Favre is your old man in the NFL right now.After a couple of poor outings from No. 4, Favre put on a clinic for the ages against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. And like your old man huffing and puffing as he checked the ball out to you at the top of the key, Favre’s 289-yard, six-touchdown showing was an uncomfortable return to the good ‘ole days.Brett the Jet has shown he still can get it done at a high level like he did during his glory days with the Green Bay Packers in the mid-to-late ’90s.But watching him do it, clad in an age-appropriate 1960 New York Titans jersey, was just flat out bizarre. What else do you need to prove Brett? I get it. You are one of the three greatest quarterbacks of all time, and your dominance at the pro level is uncanny. But the more the season plays out, the more it seems you are just hanging on to hang on.He craves the attention ESPN gives him. In turn, I change the channel whenever they mention his name. The iconic quarterback is becoming bigger than the league itself. His intentions were selfish during his summer “retirement,” and they are even more self-serving now.And like Dad in the driveway, Brett, we get the point – and we quit.You can play. You are older and wiser and craftier than the competition. But it doesn’t erase the fact you are ancient, and your tired act is painful to watch. Just go away Brett Favre.Week 4 winnersLarry Johnson, running back, Kansas City Chiefs – 198 yards and two touchdowns made this the first game of the year that LJ was worthy of a start. And it proved that the Denver Broncos are a far cry from any sort of playoff impact.Lance Moore, wide receiver, New Orleans Saints – With Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey out with injuries, the jury was out on whether quarterback Drew Brees could keep staggering numbers without two of his top targets. Moore got it done with 101 yards and two touchdowns.Matt Schaub, quarterback, Houston Texans – Michael Vick’s former backup threw for three scores and 307 yards in a road loss to Jacksonville. It’s hard not to root for down-on-their-luck Houston, who could pull an emotional upset against the Colts on Sunday.
(09/24/08 4:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With three weeks in the book, we can already tag a number of high fantasy draft picks as 2008 busts. But there have also been a number of players who have come out of nowhere who should last on your roster. Now I pose the question to you, who would you rather have on your roster?Randy Moss, wide receiver, New England Patriots, or Eddie Royal, wide receiver, Denver Broncos?A month ago, unless you lived in the greater Denver area, you probably would have never heard of Royal. Now on the verge of October, the Virginia Tech product is putting up better numbers than a guy who caught 23 touchdowns last year. Moss is supporting the haters who thought his numbers would go down with Tom Brady’s knee and the Patriots title hopes by playing at a sub-par level and not being as dominant as possible. At the end of the week, Royal ranked 11th among all receivers in points, while Moss, a first-rounder in many drafts, was tied for 28th.Braylon Edwards, wide receiver, Cleveland Browns, or Chansi Stuckey, wide receiver, New York Jets?Edwards has been even more of a disappointment than his team as a whole, netting 73 receiving yards for a whopping six points. The most telling stat about Cleveland’s No. 17 is his shaky hands – he has eight catches and five drops. Stuckey, meanwhile, has shined as the Jets third receiver and has caught three touchdown passes. According to Yahoo.com, Stuckey’s point total has more than quadrupled Edwards’ for 2008.Steven Jackson, running back, St. Louis Rams, or Felix Jones, running back, Dallas Cowboys?Jones, a backup who probably was selected in your fantasy draft near round 12 or 13, has five more points than the guy who was likely selected with your fourth or fifth pick. Jackson is putting up mediocre numbers on a horrendous team and will have a better second half of the season, benefitting against playing weaker opponents late. But there is no excuse for the results. Jackson hasn’t found the end zone yet, and Jones has reached it twice rushing the ball and once on a kick return. A side note: Baltimore Ravens fullback Le’Ron McClain has more points than Jackson.Peyton Manning, quarterback, Indianapolis Colts, or J.T. O’Sullivan, quarterback, San Francisco 49ers?Manning has precisely four fewer points, three more interceptions, the same amount of touchdowns, 79 less passing yards and – hear this Colts fans – one less win that O’Sullivan, who sounds like a guy who you would expect to scam you when buying a Hyundai rather than someone to lead you to the end zone. 3 on the WireSteve Slaton, running back, Houston Texans: If he’s still available, pick him up immediately. Houston is only going to improve as the season goes along, and Slaton has all the makings for putting up Offensive Rookie of the Year numbers.T.J. Duckett, running back, Seattle Seahawks: Wow, I can’t believe I’m making a T.J. Duckett reference in 2008. But his three touchdowns means he is stealing goal-line carries away from Julius Jones, and that makes him worthy of a start when your team is in a pinch.Anthony Fasano, tight end, Miami Dolphins: Fasano is probably having a better year than your tight end, and you just don’t know it yet. Pick him up when your TE needs a bye.
(09/17/08 3:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Is there any doubt who your No. 1 pick would be if you were on the clock in your fantasy draft tomorrow?LaDanian Tomlinson? Not for me. He has 13 points through the first two games, and he looks like he aged from 29 to 35 in the offseason.Adrian Peterson? Minnesota’s back looks to be the best player in the NFL, but the Vikings’ lack of an able quarterback makes me believe his numbers will taper off toward the end of the season. If Sunday’s game was any indication for AP, he will probably have more than 350 carries for the season, which makes it seem like his yards per carry will plummet.Brian Westbrook has got to be your guy. Probably underlooked again in your draft, Westbrook is a monster. The Philadelphia Eagles’ running back had more than 2,000 total yards last season, yet his touchdown total was not as much as the likes of Joseph Addai and LT.No matter, because Philadelphia looks to be a top-three offense in 2008. Quarterback Donovan McNabb is better than ever and with rookie wide receiver DeSean Jackson primed to be the Eagles’ No. 1 pass catcher – if he remembers to hang on to the ball until he gets in the end zone – everything adds up to Westbrook having the biggest year since Tomlinson’s 30-touchdown campaign in 2006.Jackson has emerged as enough of a playmaker to force opposing defenses to have to game plan for him. Couple that with McNabb’s increased mobility and ability to spread the ball around to his group of steady receivers, and more attention has to be paid to protecting against the Philly pass. That’s where Westbrook comes in.The guy is a phenomenal runner inside the tackles and is arguably the best in the league outside of them. With receivers having to step back and respect the McNabb-Jackson connection, it will allow Westbrook open territory to run wild while letting the wide outs lay a deeper block downfield. Plus, it forces a slower linebacker to pick up Westbrook on pass plays, where he is clearly the best back in the league at catching balls.After two weeks, he is tops among position players with 48 points. And if I had to do it all over again, I would have no problem selecting Westbrook as the No. 1 pick in my draft.Week 2 starsJay Cutler, quarterback, Denver Broncos – The Santa Claus, Ind., native had four touchdowns and 350 yards. Now if he could only get a decent haircut to match those numbers, I wouldn’t be so reluctant to give this guy a start.Calvin Johnson, wide receiver, Detroit Lions – 129 yards and two touchdowns speaks for itself against a good Green Bay defense. We’re seeing the beginning of a Hall of Fame career. Too bad if he stays with Detroit, he’ll probably never make a Super Bowl just like former NFC Central great Chris Carter.Brandon Marshall, wide receiver, Denver Broncos – No week one, no problem for the man who claimed he would break Marvin Harrison’s NFL record for catches in a season, despite being suspended for off-the-field problems. Marshall had 18 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown. If you give him half those numbers for an entire 16-game season, Marshall would break Harrison’s record of 143 by one. Oh, and his other numbers would be pretty good, too – 1,328 yards and eight touchdowns.
(09/10/08 4:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Two things I learned this week: The NFC is better than the AFC, and if you listened to me last week you probably lost your matchup.In case you missed the big news out of the New England-Kansas City game, quarterback Brodie Croyle will be missing some time after separating his shoulder against the Pats. Oh, he’s not the big news? Forgive me.Pats quarterback Tom Brady is out for the season. Considering all the hoopla surrounding this injury, the only people legitimately missing his presence outside of Patriots fans – and the butt-kissing media who incessantly sweat him and his 50 touchdowns every day – are Brady’s fantasy owners.Do you think Brady would take back all those second-half, blow-out touchdowns he threw last season to break Peyton Manning’s record for a healthy 16 games in 2008? If you don’t believe in karma, coach Belichick, I suggest you start.As for the thousands (dozens? five? anybody?) who maybe followed my advice last week, I apologize. I’m not sure who was rustier, this fantasy lover or Peyton Manning. To be fair, we both had the same number of holes in our lineups and neither of us played in the preseason. Don’t fret. It’s a long season. Especially for those of you who had Brady.Week 1 starsDonovan McNabb, quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles – Philly looked like one of the best teams in the NFL last weekend as McNabb led them to a 361-yard, three-touchdown performance over the St. Louis Rams. Up next is a Monday night tussle with Dallas.Michael Turner, running back, Atlanta Falcons – Maybe it was because Turner had a career’s worth of fresh legs to carry the Dirty Birds, or maybe we saw a glimpse of what coach Mike Smith brings to a team who tied for the third-worst record in the league last year. Or maybe Turner’s 220 yards and two touchdowns were simply a product of Atlanta’s opponent being Detroit. Time will tell, but this was a great week for the Burner.Eddie Royal, wide receiver, Denver Broncos – In probably the least-viewed game of the week, Royal put together a 9-catch, 146-yard performance with a touchdown to boot. Don’t jump on his bandwagon just yet, because back for the John Elways is Brandon Marshall in week two.3 to startAdrian Peterson, running back, Minnesota Vikings – AP still had a great game against the Packers and is now licking his chops to play Indy’s patchwork run defense at Minnesota’s home opener.Anquan Boldin, wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals – After seeing the Jets’ receivers carve up the Miami secondary, angry Anquan gets at least his first touchdown of the year in a week 2 stomping.Ryan Grant, running back, Green Bay Packers – This pick is simply on principle, Grant is playing Detroit.On the wireMatt Cassell, quarterback, New England Patriots – With all those weapons, why not give the guy who is going to throw to them a shot?Shaun Alexander, running back, free agent – Rumor has it he will sign with a team within the next week or two. Look like a pro in your leagues for picking him up before this happens. Also, Alexander says he is healthy again and ready to return to form.Tim Hightower, running back, Arizona Cardinals – The Cards gave this man a goal line carry over Edgerrin James. Make sure that if this happens all season you are getting those points.
(09/03/08 3:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Finally, we will no longer have to scratch tally marks into the concrete walls of the NFL-less prison which summer brings. Soon Warden Goodell finally jingles his keys and opens our regular-season doors Thursday, you better believe that millions will be flocking to their computers to get those final lineups in before kickoff.You see, for people like myself, the NFL season isn’t all about wins and losses, wars in the trenches and punt coverage. Quite the contrary – it’s all about yards and touchdowns. I don’t care if the San Francisco 49ers go 13-3; if they can’t score more than their dismal 219 points next year, I won’t be paying attention. Forget 2008 playoff teams like the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with their stagnant offenses. Give me bottom feeders like the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals. At least these teams can lose with a bit of pizzazz.Three to startKurt Warner, quarterback, Arizona Cardinals – Anointed starter Matt Leinart seemed better trained for an IU tailgate than for a high-powered offense. Last season, Warner finished 11th in passing yards despite playing in only 14 games. In the last eight weeks of the season, Warner threw 21 touchdown passes.Chicago Defense/Special Teams – The only reason you wouldn’t start the Monsters of the Midway is because they will be playing in a raucous Lucas Oil Stadium against the high-powered Indianapolis Colts. But considering Peyton Manning should be rusty, the Colts’ offense might be a little slow out of the gate. On special teams, Chicago kick returner Devin Hester will have a field day against a special teams unit that is near the bottom of the league perennially. Two touchdowns is a possibility for Hester, who shined in Superbowl XLI. If I were Tony Dungy, I wouldn’t kick the ball to the dynamic returner unless the game is a blowout.Rashard Mendenhall, running back, Pittsburgh Steelers – As tough as it is for me to give any player from Illinois credit, Mendenhall is going to score his fair share of touchdowns. The Houston Texans surrendered 15 touchdowns against the run last year, and Mendenhall will get his chances on the goal line because incumbent speedster Willie Parker can’t get it done in the red zone. Look for my shoe-in for offensive rookie of the year to have a big week.Three to sitDarren McFadden, running back, Oakland Raiders – Despite the hype, McFadden is still a member of the Oakland Raiders, a team who only punched it in 11 times on the ground last year. Don’t be surprised if Justin Fargas, who had more than 1,000 yards last season, carries the load until Oakland is mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. Lucky for McFadden owners, chances are his time will come by week 7, when his talent will be too much to keep off the field.Selvin Young, running back, Denver Broncos – Oakland, though, is solid against the run. Denver is a great running football team, with Young getting the starting nod. The only thing that worries me is there might be two guys who coach Mike Shanahan brings up from the practice squad in the first week who we have never heard of to take some of Young’s carries away.Take a rain check on starting this former Texas Longhorn. Don’t let him sit in one of your slots and go sour on you before he breaks out. Make him prove something to the football world before he gets named Denver’s next best rusher.Steve Smith, wide receiver, Carolina Panthers – Smith’s punch on defensive back Ken Lucas not only hurt Lucas, it resonated on owners who picked this dynamic receiver. His two-game suspension is tough to stomach, but his talent is too much to drop.
(08/28/08 3:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fantasy football is back, baby.One thing already troubling me this season: Why aren’t people starting to give wide receivers the respect they deserve over running backs? The trend of running backs by committee is growing at the same time more No. 1 receivers are accounting for higher percentages of their offenses. Take the Indianapolis Colts, for example. In 2006 Joseph Addai came on strong as a rookie and finished the season with 4.8 yards per carry, good for sixth in the league with running backs that had more than 200 carries. This happened all while splitting time with backup Dominic Rhodes. With Rhodes gone in 2007, Addai seemed to wear down easier as his yards per carry dropped to 4.1. Now Rhodes is back and should be expected to have more carries than last year’s backup, Kenton Keith (121). All of this means fewer yards, touches and touchdowns for a more efficient Addai.At the same time, wide receiver Reggie Wayne emerged as Peyton Manning’s favorite target after Marvin Harrison injured his knee. Wayne led the league with 1,510 yards last season, accounting for about 46 percent of all the Colts’ returning passing yards. Even if Harrison returns to be half as good as he was before the knee injury, Wayne was a one-man wrecking crew last year, comparable to Carolina Panther wide receiver Steve Smith in 2005. That not enough for you? The threat of Harrison on the other side, as well as an improving Anthony Gonzalez and the best pass-catching tight end Dallas Clark means one thing for Wayne: open space.Despite him being selected roughly 10-15 picks after his teammate in your draft, I see Wayne as a better draft pick than running backs such as Addai, New York Giant Brandon Jacobs and Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars. These players, as well as guys like Marshawn Lynch of the Buffalo Bills and Frank Gore of the San Francisco 49ers, either have other teammates who will earn carries or have too high of expectations to live up to the preseason hype.Another player in the mold of Wayne is Braylon Edwards of the Cleveland Browns, who had 212 fantasy points last year as one of two legit passing options for Browns quarterback Derek Anderson. With the addition of wide receiver Donte Stallworth, it only means more catches. Why pass on a guy like this for oft-injured big-name players like Washinton Redskin Clinton Portis and Baltimore Raven Willis McGahee? Receivers are quickly becoming the new running backs. Treat ‘em like it.Quick Hits•Avoid Pittsburgh Steeler’s running back Willie Parker like the plague this season. Rookie Rashard Mendenhall has looked better than Parker in the preseason and will carry the load for the Steelers, especially around the goal line.•If you haven’t drafted and are new to fantasy football, here is a quick reminder of something that constantly will happen in your draft that I will never understand. Do not draft kickers and defenses until the last couple rounds. There is no parity between players at the two positions. The fifth-best defense is not much better than the 12th-best defense. The same goes for kickers.•New England quarterback Tom Brady should be considered the third-best player in the draft, right behind LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson – you could make the argument of Peterson going first, too.t’s great to have you back, fantasy football!
(08/07/08 1:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>By announcing the addition of IU senior Drew Allenspach to the athletics director search committee on Tuesday, IU President Michael McRobbie drew praise from student leaders, who called the announcement a sign of the president’s commitment to student opinion.McRobbie faced some criticism earlier this week after announcing a 13-member search committee and failing to include a student in that initial announcement. A follow-up announcement issued in a news release on Tuesday included a list with Allenspach’s name.“I am very honored to be selected to the committee,” Allenspach said.A senior business major and captain of the men’s golf team, Allenspach was named a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America and also earned honors as an Academic All-American in 2007.“Drew has distinguished himself as both a student and an athlete, and I am confident he will give our students an effective voice in the search process,” McRobbie said in a press release Tuesday.The 14-member search committee, headed by IU Vice President for Engagement Bill Stephan, has not set a timetable for when the committee will recommend candidates to McRobbie.While some initially expressed concern Monday that McRobbie would not include a student on the search committee, University spokesman Larry MacIntyre said McRobbie had always planned to include a student representative. Since many students are still gone for the summer, he said it took the administration “a couple of extra days to locate a student.”Chair of the Student VOICE Project Alexandra Chtchedrina expressed concern Monday about what appeared to be a lack of student representation on the search committee. Tuesday’s announcement brought a change in Chtchedrina’s attitude, however.“What better way to increase collaboration and understanding between students and administrators than to work together, side-by-side on such matters?” she added in an e-mail.IU Student Trustee A.D. King said Tuesday’s announcement was a positive move for McRobbie.“I think the appointment is indicative of President McRobbie’s commitment to students,” King said.Cases where student interests are involved will continue to require their representation in the future, King said.“I believe it is especially important to have student representation on this committee because our students care deeply about the teams that represent Indiana University in intercollegiate competition,” McRobbie said in the press release.
(08/06/08 11:37pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>USA Today reported this week that the NFL has released its new “Fan Code of Conduct” whereby disruptive (and drunk) fans will have their season tickets revoked if they act in an unruly manner.This decision marks the point where the NFL officially ceases to become a professional sports league and transforms into Disney World on FieldTurf. In Roger Goodell’s snow globe of a football league, commercial success off the field has become more important than the product on the field.Let me give you a run down of the specifics on the code, one through six:1. “Behavior that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal in nature.”Does stabbing people count? It does? Great. Well there goes the infamous Black Hole that the Oakland Raider nation calls home. I don’t think the NFL and Oakland P.D. have enough personnel and tear gas to tell that crowd that they have to behave. 2. “Intoxication or other signs of alcohol impairment that results in irresponsible behavior.”If the NFL does this, fans will buy less beer, the product of an industry that generates the greatest ad revenues for the league. This seems a little backwards to me. Plus, beer and football go hand-in-hand for many people. Striking fear in the hearts of beer-drinking fans will dampen the time honored tradition of tailgating. Plus, if you are a Chicago Bears fan in 2008-09, drinking alcohol in excess might be the only way to numb onself against the results of the upcoming season. The same goes to our Cincinnati readership.3. “Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.”This one scares me a bit. If the NFL teamed up with the FCC to watch an Indianapolis Colts game with me and my crew, we’d make MTV’s Janet Jackson Superbowl XXXVIII performance seem like an episode of Sesame Street. I would lose my season tickets after the blown coverage on Adam Vinatieri’s first kickoff.4. “Interference with the progress of the game (including throwing objects onto the field).”Watch out Philadelphia, I assume the fine print of this part of the code includes tossing d-cell batteries at players. 5. “Verbal or physical harassment of opposing team fans.”Now hold on a second! What is the point of attending a game if you can’t harass an opposing team’s fan? Whether Goodell likes it or not, that is what football is all about. Internet blogs are filled with banter trashing an opposing team. It is what fuels rivalries. Plus, considering the less-than-warm receptions the New England Patriots are expected to receive in visiting stadiums, bouncing people who harass opposing fans might give the pats a home-field advantage in all 16 games this season. 6. “Failing to follow instructions of stadium personnel.”If an usher tells me to sit down because a less enthusiastic fan is offended, I probably won’t listen. If a food vendor tells me my debit card has been declined, I probably won’t listen. These issues don’t merit the loss on an investment on season tickets.The sad part of the “Fan Code of Conduct” is that many people’s violations of such rules make up the heart and soul of their NFL experiences. Please remember that the roots of the NFL are extremely violent and savage. To scare wild and unruly fans away from stadiums is sacreligious.
(08/05/08 5:56pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Drew Allenspach, a senior business major and captain of the men's golf team, has been named to the search committee to find a replacement for IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan, according to a press release."Drew has distinguished himself as both a student and an athlete, and I
am confident he will give our students an effective voice in the search
process," IU President McRobbie said in the press release. "I believe it is especially important to have
student representation on this committee because our students care
deeply about the teams that represent Indiana University in
intercollegiate competition."Recently, Allenspach was named a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Allenspach earned honors as an Academic All-American in 2007.The 14-member search committee, headed by IU Vice President for Engagement Bill Stephan, has not set a timetable for when the comittee will recommend candidates to McRobbie.
(08/04/08 1:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The search to find a successor for IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan has officially begun.IU President Michael McRobbie announced Friday that he has selected a search committee to find a new athletics director. On June 26, Greenspan announced he would resign his position effective at the end of the calander year.McRobbie has appointed a 13-member committee comprising faculty, administrators, alumni and Athletic Department representatives to conduct the search. At the head of the committee is Bill Stephan, IU’s vice president for engagement.“I am extremely pleased that Bill Stephan has agreed to lead this important search,” McRobbie said in a statement. “Bill’s long standing commitment to excellence at Indiana University and the strong personal and professional relationships he has cultivated across the state make him the ideal person to chair this committee.”Stephan’s current role is to “assume statewide responsibility for economic development programs and initiatives”, according to a June 2007 press release from IU media relations. Previously, Stephan was IU’s vice president of university relations and corporate partnerships.“I look forward to working with President McRobbie, our very accomplished committee and our many friends and supporters of IU, all of whom are committed to bringing forth exceptional candidates,” Stephan said.Stephan also served on the search committee that recommended current IU basketball coach Tom Crean.The committee will not be commenting on the progress of the search until the decision on Greenspan’s successor is announced.
(07/24/08 12:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Ian Rickerby has been named IU’s new assistant athletics director for compliance.The announcement comes two days after the IU Athletic Department
announced former Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance Chad Hawley
would retain his position with the Big Ten Conference.
“Ian’s combination of coaching experience, front-line support in the
compliance office including serving as the liaison to the new men’s
basketball staff as they successfully fulfill NCAA sanctions, and
knowledge of IU will serve him well as he transitions into this
leadership capacity,” Associate Athletic Director and Grace Calhoun
said Tuesday in a statement.
Hawley dismissed possibilities of problems within the compliance
department as the cause for his choice to retain his position within
the Big Ten in a statement on Sunday.
“With respect to my decision not to go to IU, suffice it to say that I
was really looking forward to working with (IU Director of Athletics)
Rick Greenspan,” Hawley said. “After his resignation, I re-evaluated
the situation and decided it was best to stay in my current position.
My decision had nothing to do with the failure-to-monitor allegation.”
Rickerby was named director of compliance on March 1, 2007, after
spending five years as an assistant coach for IU’s women’s soccer team.
“I am thoroughly committed to moving the IU Athletic Department
Compliance Office forward as we adapt to the ever-increasing demands
placed upon us and our profession,” Rickerby said in a statement. “I am
thrilled that the University has shown the confidence in me to continue
my work with the coaching staff and administration here in Athletics as
we focus on ensuring the best possible academic and athletic
experiences for our student-athletes.”
Rickerby’s duties as director of compliance included acting as the
primary contact for rules interpretations, overseeing the monitoring of
rules compliance and assisting with rules education, according to a
press release. A national search is taking place to fill his vacated
position.
“When Chad decided to remain at the Big Ten office as the chief
compliance official, I immediately consulted him to discuss staffing
strategies,” Calhoun said in a statement. “He felt very comfortable
that we had a solid solution internally in Ian, and fully endorsed
Ian’s promotion into the Assistant AD for Compliance role.”
(07/23/08 11:19pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite not stepping onto the field, Greg Middleton has already had quite a summer.The junior defensive end was nominated as one of 36 pass rushers named to the preseason Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award. Middleton earned honors by being named one of eight finalists for the Hendricks award in 2007.“It feels real good to be named to the lists,” Middleton said. “It puts added pressure on me to perform at a high level next fall.”This most recent accolade brings Middleton’s preseason watch list total to five. The six-feet-three-inch, 275-pound end has also been named to two watch lists for the nation’s best defensive player – the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Middleton has also been named to watch lists for the Rotary Lombardi Award (down linemen and those defensive players who line up within five yards of the football) and the Lott Trophy (Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year).In 2007, the Indianapolis native earned All-American honors from The Associated Press, The Sporting News, CBSSports.com, SI.com, Rivals.com and CollegeFootballNews.com.Middleton led the nation and set a school record with 16 sacks all while becoming IU’s first defensive lineman since Adewale Ogunleye to earn first team All-Big Ten honors since 1997.With all the preseason hype surrounding him, the Pike High School grad stressed the importance of putting the Hoosier’s success in front of his own.“I’m going to do whatever I can do to help my team play 13,” Middleton said. “Whether it is getting to the quarterback or drawing double teams. Whatever it takes to help out my teammates.”Middleton’s summer has been filled with classes and workouts. He is trying to improve his game in order to get faster.“I’ve done a lot more speed training than I did last year to help out on my pass rush off the edge,” Middleton said. “My training will help me out a lot.”Middleton has also found time to squeeze in a couple games of EA Sports NCAA ‘09, where he is ranked as the ninth best defensive end in the annual college football video game. His first game was with the Hoosiers, and he recorded two sacks as himself.“The game is pretty good,” Middleton said. “(Running back Marcus) Thigpen and (Wide receiver) Ray Fisher are really good in it.”Middleton and the Hoosiers kick off play against Western Kentucky on Aug. 30.
(07/06/08 11:43pm)
At the time this column was scribed, the American and National League All-Star teams had not yet been announced. The difference between my opinion and what will really happen is the lack of Yankees on the list. It’s inevitable, especially since this year’s game will be played in the Bronx, that about 12 Yankees and Red Sox will make the team. But in reality these two teams are in second (BOS) and third (NYY) in the AL East. Where’s the Tampa love? (None here.)
(06/30/08 9:05pm)
Indiana University Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan announced Thursday that he would step down from his position at the end of the calendar year. \n“This has been a very difficult time, and I am aware that I have become the focus of criticism, which will continue to distract Indiana University from its core educational mission,” Greenspan said in a press release. “Consequently, I believe a new person will be in a stronger position to lead IU Athletics moving forward and it is in IU’s best interests for me to stand down.”\nGreenspan’s resignation comes the same day the NCAA announced a sixth allegation against the men’s basketball program, claiming IU failed to monitor the program’s compliance to NCAA rules. The specific terms of the allegation include IU not complying with its own self-imposed corrective action as well as standard NCAA rules.\nGreenspan said it was time to make a change.\n“It’s a difficult decision, but not one that I regret in any way,” Greenspan said in a press conference Thursday evening at the Hoosier Room at Memorial Stadium.\nIU President Michael McRobbie accepted Greenspan’s decision to step down and praised Greenspan for his accomplishments as director of athletics.\n“It is common knowledge that IU athletics had significant financial difficulties before Rick took over,” McRobbie said in a statement. “He has focused attention in the department to correcting that situation and today our athletics finances are substantially improved and IU’s athletics department is now on stable ground financially.”\nIU’s president was prepared to fight the school’s most recent NCAA accusation.\n“I am extremely disappointed with this additional allegation by the Committee on Infractions,” McRobbie said in the statement. “I believe our compliance program worked, and have remained steadfast since I first learned of this situation in my belief that Rick Greenspan and the compliance staff did their job. We uncovered the violations, perhaps not immediately, but the appropriate behavior was uncovered, reported promptly and investigated thoroughly.”\nThe press conference was not altogether a somber affair.\nWhen asked if he would have done anything different during his tenure, Greenspan responded, jokingly, “I probably would have been a fitness instructor.”\nGreenspan said staying at IU until the end of 2008 will help McRobbie with finding a permanent replacement without going through a temporary successor.\n“I’m extremely disappointed I’m only going to get to work with him for another six months,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “As the basketball coach, (I will) be able to help him every step as we go forward in his six months and also be side by side with the president and his team as we fight this vigorously. \n“We’re not going to change our stance whatsoever in our building the program. We are rebuilding a team, we are certainly rebuilding a culture inside that team, but we are not rebuilding a program at all ... We obviously have to get through some hurdles. And this is one of them. But we’re building for the long haul and that’s exactly the stance we’re going to take with our current team, with our recruits for the future and everybody else we come in contact with.”
(06/27/08 3:40pm)
Indiana University Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan announced today that he would step down from his position at the end of the\ncalendar year. \n“This has been a very difficult time, and I am aware that I have become the focus of criticism, which will continue to distract Indiana University from its core educational mission,” Greenspan said in a press release. “Consequently, I believe a new person will be in a stronger position to lead IU Athletics moving forward and it is in IU’s best interests for me to stand down.”\nGreenspan’s resignation comes the same day the NCAA announced a sixth allegation against the men’s basketball program, claiming IU failed to monitor the program’s compliance to NCAA rules. The specific terms of the allegation include IU not complying with its own self-imposed corrective action as well as standard NCAA rules.\nGreenspan said today at a press conference that it was time to make a change.\n“It’s a difficult decision, but not one that I regret in any way,” Greenspan said in a press conference Thursday evening at the Hoosier Room underneath Memorial Stadium.\nMcRobbie accepted Greenspan’s decision to step down and praised Greenspan for his accomplishments as director of athletics.\n“It is common knowledge that IU athletics had significant financial difficulties before Rick took over,” McRobbie said in a statement. “He has focused attention in the department to correcting that situation and today our athletics finances are substantially improved and IU’s athletics department is now on stable ground financially.”\nIU’s president was prepared to fight the school’s most recent NCAA accusation.\n“I am extremely disappointed with this additional allegation by the Committee on Infractions,” IU President Michael McRobbie said in a statement. “I believe our compliance program worked, and have remained steadfast since I first learned of this situation in my belief that Rick Greenspan and the compliance staff did their job. We uncovered the violations, perhaps not immediately, but the appropriate behavior was uncovered, reported promptly and investigated thoroughly.”\nThe press conference was not altogether a somber affair.\nWhen asked if he would anything different in during his tenure, Greenspan responded, jokingly, “I probably would have been a fitness instructor.”\nWhen asked if he would have hired Kelvin Sampson again, Greenspan said, “That’s an easy question that doesn’t really merit an answer. If we spend all of our time looking in the rear-view mirror, I don’t think we spend time looking in the windshield seeing what’s ahead. I see that answer is self-evident, but I think it behooves us as an institution and, certainly, me to look forward. I think it’s regrettable, extremely regrettable that the actions of a few have brought such disappointment to so many.”\nGreenspan said staying at IU until the end of 2008 will help McRobbie with finding a permanent replacement without going through a successor.\n“I’m extremely disappointed I’m only going to get to work with him for another six months,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “As the basketball coach, be able to help him every step as we go forward in his six months and also be side by side with the president and his team as we fight this vigorously. \n“We’re not going to change our stance whatsoever in our building the program. We are rebuilding a team, we are certainly rebuilding a culture inside that team, but we are not rebuilding a program at all... We obviously have to get through some hurdles. And this is one of them. But we’re building for the long haul and that’s exactly the stance we’re going to take with our current team, with our recruits for the future and everybody else we come in contact with.”
(06/26/08 1:44am)
When 1983 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Archie Dees was drafted second by the Cincinnati Royals in 1958, the pipeline between Hoosier basketball and the NBA was officially opened.\nFifty years later, Eric Gordon hopes to add his name to a long list of Hoosiers selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Since Dees was drafted a half-century ago, 17 other Hoosiers have been selected in the first round.\nGordon opted to pack up his game and take it from Bloomington to the next level. Prognosticators have the Indianapolis native going anywhere from third to 12th in Thursday night’s draft.\n“The draft is so up in the air,” senior Michael Golembo said. “He could go up to the top three but hopefully he doesn’t drop past the top six or seven.” \nAccording to ESPN.com’s Chad Ford’s most recent NBA mock draft, Gordon is slotted No. 5 to the Memphis Grizzlies, a team with two first-round draft picks.\nGordon reportedly worked out in Minneapolis, Minn., Monday with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T-Wolves hold the third pick in the draft and are looking to build around standout big man Al Jefferson, the bait in the 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics’ trade for All-Star Kevin Garnett.\nD.J. White joins Gordon as another hopeful first round draft pick. The last time two Hoosiers were taken in the same first round of a draft was in 1993 when guards Calbert Cheaney and Greg Graham were selected at No.’s six and 17, respectively. Three members of IU’s 1976 National Championship team – Scott May, Quinn Buckner and Bob Wilkerson – were selected in the first 11 picks of the 1976 draft.\nWhere Gordon will be selected won’t be determined until at least 7 p.m. Thursday.\n“He might be going to the Knicks at No. 6,” senior Dan Hidder said. “I think he’s a little overrated, but he should go closer to No. 9.\nSenior Brian Masfield thinks Gordon may be better suited to run the floor rather than just score, which he proved he could do last year by leading the Big Ten in scoring with 20.9 points per game.\n“Gordon could be someone similar to Chauncey Billups,” Mansfield said. “He could be a good shooting guard and potentially a very good point guard.”\nGolembo is glad he was able to witness what all indications prove will be the next Hoosier drafted in the first round.\nWhen asked how he’ll feel when he sees Gordon suit up for whatever team chooses him, Golembo didn’t hesitate.\n“I’ll feel proud to see someone who went to the same school as me in the NBA,” Golembo said.
(06/19/08 5:28pm)
Indiana freshman rower Ellie Benson was named to the 2008 Division I Pocock All-American Second Team on June 6, becoming the second All-American in IU rowing history, according to a press release. She joins Laura Lazaridis, who earned All-America status in 2005 and 2006, as the only All-America rowers at Indiana.\n“The big thing is she’s a freshman and earning the honors,” IU coach Steve Peterson said. “That alone says something about the potential she has.”\nBenson, a native of Kensington, Md., was caught off guard when she heard the news.\n“I was in Key West fishing when my friend’s dad called me and told me,” Benson said. “I was excited.”\nBenson was a member of the Varsity Eight during the 2007-08 season for the Hoosiers and led them to wins over Dayton and Eastern Michigan. She also received First Team All-Central Region accolades last week to make her eligible for the All-American team.\nAthletes are eligible to be named All-Americans if they have first been named to their respective All-Region First team. From there, they are evaluated using boat performance, individual achievements, indoor rowing machine score, nomination rank and coach’s comments, according to a press release.\nOne of Benson’s goals is to reach a good sprinter ERG score, which is the standardized testing for the indoor rowing machine. Benson said she wants to break the seven minute mark on 2000 meters.\n“Its a team goal,” Benson said. “It’s definitely something I want to achieve.”\nPeterson has faith in his rower.\n“Ellie is strong and athletic,” Peterson said. “She brings a winning attitude, she’s always happy and really enjoys to challenge and support her teammates. She is the ideal teammate to have, especially in rowing where teamwork is so critical and invaluable.”\nThe IU rowing team is very young and is looking forward to improving on the groundwork laid by coach Peterson.\n“Our young talent is great for the future,” Peterson said. “Any coach is excited to have some of their best people in their program be young. The seniors to be were the 1st recruits the program has had and since then the talent has gotten a lot better. We’ve improved every year and have become a well respected program.”
(06/15/08 11:34pm)
Before the doldrums of summer sports hit me square in the face some time in the next month, I have forced myself to be glued to coverage of the NBA Finals, the race for the Triple Crown and the U.S. Open these past couple weeks. Coincidentally, all of these events have featured their biggest stars facing ‘devastating’ injury. Some of the hyped-up ailments are unquestionably more legitimate than others.\nIf you weren’t watching game one of the NBA Finals, Paul Pierce twisted his knee in the Lakers-Celtics colossal match-up. The collective heart of Celtic-nation skipped a beat when the guard writhed in pain while on the floor. Pierce seemed as though his left leg needed to be amputated. No. 34 was then carried from the court to the underbelly of the TD Banknorth Garden where he was wheel-chaired to the locker room. The series was in limbo for the Celtics.\nI take you back to the weeks leading up to June 7’s Belmont Stakes. Superstar horse Big Brown had a crack in his left hoof. After weeks of repair and surgery on the animal’s foot along with hourly updates on his condition, his status for being a lock for the last leg of the Triple Crown was still up in the air.\nTiger Woods had knee surgery a couple months ago after the Masters Tournament and sat out eight weeks from competitive golf to recover. His season hung in the balance.\nFive minutes after Pierce was wheeled off with his “injury” he was back on the court. And five games after Pierce’s spill, it’s all but inevitable that the Celtics will be crowned NBA Champions. Something’s fishy.\nPierce has sizzled in the Finals and any ill effects from his knee injury are not visible. The emotional effect he had on his team by running out from the locker room and igniting a comeback was electric, but to really believe that the likely Finals MVP was hurt at all is ludicrous.\nBig Brown came in with god-like 1-4 odds on winning the Belmont. He finished dead last. After a spectacle on who was to blame for the horse not winning, Big Brown was deemed fine to race. Money talks, but horses walk – apparently not too well with a crack in their foot. Big Brown had the heart of a champion but the hoof of hack.\nWoods lead by a stroke after the third round of the U.S. Open this past weekend. After many of Woods’s mind-blowing shots, he was noticeably wincing in pain from the pressure put on his wounded knee. Woods, in front of 52,000, dazzled the crowd with an array of eagles and back-from-the-dead recovery shots to post an amazing back nine on Saturday, all without the full support of his leg.\nLooking at the three injuries side-by-side, Pierce is a faker, Big Brown is a loser and Woods is gritty. Pierce is putting up one of the better finals performances in history, but to credit him with being the next Willis Reed, a former New York Knicks star who played a game seven on a broken ankle, is utterly absurd. Woods, who was ahead in the Open at the time this column was written, is putting together a storybook performance and putting another finishing touch on his epic career.\nThere is a difference between great and legendary. Pierce is a great player, but his forced dramatics in game one really put a damper on what could have been a comeback for the ages. Woods is a legendary golfer, and his ability to contend for a major championship while on a bum knee is incredible.\nIf performance under fire is any indication, Tiger Woods will go down as the greatest athlete ever to live. At the same time, Paul Pierce should be remembered, to me, for his theatrics as much as his skill.
(05/22/08 1:21am)
Nostradamus isn’t really as wise as people think.\nMany view the 16th-century seer as a prophetic figure, citing his writings as predictions for infamous world events such as The French Revolution and World War II. Another oft-noted Nostradamus prediction: the end of the world on December 12, 2012.\nFor Hoosier basketball, the date for the end of our basketball world could be little different. \nAfter bearing witness to the end of the Kelvin Sampson era, which included a gutting of the roster – eight players are gone, five leaving with eligibility left – and an impending slew of infractions, I thought it would all be over. I believed after all the drama, Sampson would be somewhere hiding in a rabbit-hole and the players would be out of our lives forever. I was sure we could just move on with the Tom Crean era.\nAnd then the ultimate sign the apocalypse of the storied IU men’s basketball program was arriving became unsealed from a novelty envelope during Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery.\nI predict on June 26, Kelvin Sampson’s new team, the Milwaukee Bucks, will draft his prized recruit Eric Gordon, thus letting us relive the torture that was IU basketball’s 2007-2008 season 82 nights a year, in the big leagues.\nI had feared the June 26 draft as soon as Sampson signed on with Milwaukee, one of the most pitiful franchises in the NBA. Year in, year out the Bucks pick in the top 10. With less-than-great picks such as T.J. Ford (traded after an unfortunate and unforeseen injury), Andrew Bogut (rather than Chris Paul or Deron Williams) and Yi Jianlian, Milwaukee is notoriously mediocre. This year, they slipped to the No. 8 pick in the draft.\nGet this: Since the end of the college season, Eric Gordon’s stock has slipped. Though he had a wrist injury, the former Hoosier hasn’t done anything to improve his draft standing. Through the great media hype machine, some argue at least a half-dozen players are better than Gordon. This places him at around the No. 8 pick – right into the open arms of Sampson and the Milwaukee Bucks.\nAnd if my prediction does come true, all hell will break loose.\nImagine turning on your television to watch the night’s highlights. You see Sampson, the assistant to former Chicago Bulls head coach Scott Skiles, and Gordon again on the same bench. It would be living my worst nightmare.\nI would be living hard enough to forget the sorry ending to what was easily the school’s worst basketball season. Next season when I flip on SportsCenter and stumble upon a Milwaukee Bucks recap, I will see the two together and be forced to remember the pain and suffering I had during my last year in Bloomington. It seems all too inevitable. Chad Ford from ESPN.com agrees my prediction will come true in his first mock draft.\nGordon and Sampson will go down in Hoosier history together. Fittingly, their college basketball careers ended abruptly and unceremoniously. And when they both begin their NBA careers, there is a good chance it could be together. If this happens, June 26 could be a day remembered in Hoosier infamy.\nIf Gordon and Sampson join forces on the Bucks, it will be the end of the world as we know it.
(05/15/08 12:46am)
When we open the daily newspaper to read about another 6-foot-5-inch, 212-pound NFL wide receiver with character issues, we barely bat an eye.\nNew England wide receiver Randy Moss runs over meter maids while Dallas wide receiver Terrell Owens overdoses on pills. Cincinatti wide receiver Chad Johnson gets on television and demands a trade, while former teammate Chris Henry fails another drug test. Former Carolina Panther wide reciever Rae Carruth is in jail for at least 18 years after conspiring to murder his girlfriend and unborn child.\nSo it goes.\nWe sigh and think to ourselves, “What else is new?”\nBut Tuesday afternoon, news broke that Hoosier favorite and new Buffalo Bill James Hardy had a confrontation with his father. Hardy was said to be “beating up his father” when a woman yelled at him, pleading for the all-conference player to stop. It was then that Hardy pulled a gun. The police were called, but Hardy left the scene before they arrived. As the dust settled, the younger Hardy was not arrested and the police have no intentions to “pursue the matter any further.”\nJames Hardy will go down in Hoosier history as one of the greatest pass-catchers to ever don the cream and crimson. This is the same James Hardy who in May 2006 was arrested on battery charges (later dropped) for abusing his girlfriend and their son; the same James Hardy who received raucous cheers from the Hoosier nation for every one of his record setting 16 touchdowns in 2007. Did we ever really know who James Hardy was?\nWe bragged to our friends at rival schools about how Hardy could easily have stopped playing football and been a star forward on the basketball team. We loved watching James Hardy play football every Saturday and could sense he might do great things in the NFL.\nBut his character issues keep piling up. With our guilty-until-proven-innocent attitude toward celebrities, Hardy is quickly ruining his reputation as a Hoosier great and is shaping into the mold left by other players, such as Dallas defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones and former St. Louis running back Lawrence Phillips, whose troubled pasts blinded their bright futures.\nThe Hoosier nation needs Hardy to get his act together. In 10 years, I want to be able to sit down with my kids and watch a Bills game and talk about how I got to watch Hardy take the Hoosiers to their first bowl game in 15 years.\nHardy has every opportunity to succeed in the NFL. But if he continues behaving like this, we’ll forget his receptions and remember his convictions.\nCome on, James. We are rooting for you.