Jan 13th 2009 3:34PM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
The Kansas City Chiefs have hired New England Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli as their next general manager, likely signaling the end of Herm Edwards’ tenure as the Chiefs’ head coach.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network first reported the Pioli news, and although there’s no hard news about Edwards, it stands to reason that Pioli would want to bring in his own head coach. In Edwards’ three years as head coach, the Chiefs have gone 9-7, 4-12 and 2-14.

For the Chiefs, hiring Pioli makes a lot of sense: He’s highly regarded as one of the best personnel evaluators in football, and he’s played an integral role in assembling the Patriots dynasty.

For the Patriots, it’s the second time this week that head coach and general manager Bill Belichick has lost one of his top lieutenants, coming just two days after offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos.

UPDATE: Michael Smith reported on ESPN that Edwards had already come to terms with the fact that he was going to be fired whenever the Chiefs found a new general manager, and that Pioli will clean house with the coaching staff.

Jan 13th 2009 5:00PM by Adam Gretz (author feed)
Entering this season, expectations around the Pittsburgh Penguins were at an all-time high, or, if nothing else, as high as they’ve been since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were suiting up for the team. Here we are in the middle of January, and the Penguins are closer to getting John Tavares or Victor Hedman in this summer’s draft than they are to getting the top spot in the Eastern Conference. That’s a problem.

To say the team is falling shot of expectations would be a disservice to understatements everywhere. Simply put, this team stinks right now.

Naturally, when a team struggles, everyone looks to make any and all changes to right the ship, and it usually begins an ends with the man behind the bench, in this case, head coach Michel Therrien.Continue Reading

Jan 13th 2009 5:45PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
The short answer: no … or at least, not yet.

Just days after learning that Nets owner Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards development (which includes the Barclays Center, ostensibly the Nets’ future arena) in Brooklyn might be dying comes word that the team is negotiating to play three exhibition games next October at Newark’s Prudential Center, the shiny new arena that’s also home to the New Jersey Devils.

On the surface, big deal, right? Teams play out-of-market exhibition games all the time — it’s a good way to expand regional interest in the team. But if you connect the dots, those three games might represent something bigger.Continue Reading

Jan 13th 2009 6:00PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Miguel Paul is a short point guard for Missouri. He wears number three on his jersey. His last name is, obviously, Paul. His nickname is MP3. So when you see that his claim in the most recent Mizzou media booklet that he is the “first cousin of New Orleans Hornet Chris Paul”, well, you don’t blink twice.

But you probably should. Michael Kelly, a senior at Missouri traveled all the way to New Orleans to do a story about the two cousins and their success on the hardwood, and was met with a shocking little surprise.

As Matt Moore, Mizzou alum says, “the hits just keep on comin’!”Continue Reading

Jan 13th 2009 6:10PM by Brian Cook (author feed)
Last year there was an enormous blowup in the blogosphere about whether or not Nick Saban’s massive over-signing was ethical or not. A few months, one Jimmy Johns nose-candy arrest, and a half-dozen suspicious medical scholarships later, and Saban managed to cram his class in and even had scholarships left over.

This year Alabama is recruiting within reason, but it’s another SEC coach messing with the kids he’s in charge of: Steve Spurrier. First, he’s told senior non-starters to GTFO:Continue Reading

Jan 13th 2009 6:45PM by Eric McErlain (author feed)

It’s been said before that fighting is really the lifeblood of lower minor hockey in North America, a statement that never seemed more apparent recently than when I watched two clips of separate melees between the Corpus Christi IceRays and the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs that took place on Boxing Day. It’s not everyday you get to see a pair of goalies run while playing the puck behind the net, but that’s exactly what these two clips actually feature.

By the time it was all over, the refs has assessed 200 penalty minutes and six suspensions. Over at Hockeyfights.com, they can’t stop talking about it. For all the details, click here. A second clip is after the jump.Continue Reading

Jan 13th 2009 7:30PM by Will Brinson (author feed)

Las Vegas is, by all accounts the single best place to watch the NCAA men’s basketball tournament . The individual games, of course, are much better viewed at the arena themselves, but if you want to catch every single round and every single game, Las Vegas is the ticket.

Which probably explains why FOX Sports is sending Billy Packer and Bob Knight to Sin City for a little analysis once the NCAA tournament kicks off. Except for that whole part about college athletics supposedly not embracing anything to do with gambling.Continue Reading

Jan 13th 2009 8:00PM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Randy Couture talks UFC 94:

“I think Georges St. Pierre is one of the most dynamic fighters we’ve had in mixed martial arts,” Couture said. “He’s firing on all cylinders. He’s a good-sized 170-pounder.”Continue Reading

Jan 13th 2009 10:10PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Lest you miss the reference in the title, coffee is for closers only. So says Alec Baldwin anyway. N.C. State and Sidney Lowe, at the moment, don’t know much about the sweet, sweet joys of caffeine.

That’s because, following a 78-65 loss to Florida State tonight (a classic “closer-than-the-box-score if there ever was one), State has lost a trio of heartbreaking games on the season. Marquette and Florida were the traditional kind; late buzzer beaters or tough shots by their opponents sunk the Wolfpack’s chances.

This, on the other hand, was a total collapse on both ends by Lowe’s team in the final five minutes. Courtney Fells’ best play was tumbling over the scorer’s table, Brandon Costner couldn’t hit from outside, Ben McCauley was busy being overmatched on both ends of the floor and Julius Mays, bless his soul, was trying to fill a void that has haunted the Pack for a few years now.Continue Reading

Jan 13th 2009 11:15PM by Will Brinson (author feed)

Jodie Meeks is a baller. He was Player of the Year. He averaged 23 plus points as a senior in high school. He was 2007 All-SEC Freshman Team and All-America Freshman Team. And he’s only 21. But yet, he just broke the record for most three pointers made, and , by a player in the University of Kentucky history.

This is no joke, folks. Kentucky, as you may or may not know, is kind of a decent basketball school. They had this guy named Adolph Rupp. He did okay. And Rick Pitino (who can’t even hold a candle to Rupp) still managed to become a college basketball legacy in the Bluegrass State.Continue Reading