Prison Has Not Been Kind To Michael Vick

Michael Vick is officially on another planet. According to a story at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the disgraced quarterback who holds the all-time record for fantasy QB draft busts says he is hoping to earn $10 million per year upon release from sabbatical in Federal Prison. $10 million........per year.

Please tell me that Vick is just kidding. Did the ASPCA sign him to a Great Dane-sized endorsement deal? I hope he's not counting on special appearances during the offseason at Petco Park. Maybe Vick was channeling alter-ego Ron Mexico and really meant 10 million pesos per year? Even that amount is highly unlikely.

Maybe in an alternate universe there's a chance to make Peyton Manning money for a guy with a QB rating of 75. But on the planet Earth, some team in desparate need of a backup QB, hoping Vick still can run a little after a 3-year hiatus will take a chance on him..........for the veteran league minimum, which is about $9.4 million less than $10 million.

I still haven't heard what the NFL is planning to do with all those Vick jerseys yet.

Paging Rob Childress

You think Mike Anderson wishes Rob Childress was still around? I wasn't kidding when I said Anderson would follow Frankie to a choking job, er, coaching job at Ohio U by 2012. But this pitching staff is looking more and more like the staff from the movie The Sandlot by the game.

In losing 2 of 3 to a good Oklahoma team, the NU staff gave up 37 runs, an inspiring 12 and third runs per game. Add in the solid pitching effort against Northern Colorado, giving up another 23 in those 2 mid-week games and the staff has allowed 60 runs in its past 5 games. Marissa Miller might actually have a lower ERA throwing against Northern Colorado.

Show Me The Money

Yesterday, Bo Pelini and the entire staff were given salary increases bringing Bo's salary to $1.851 million, up about 68% from the $1.1 million he received last season. The original contract was also extended one season through 2013. All of Bo's assistants received significant raises, including Shawn Watson's bump to $375,000 per year.

After hearing about how bad the economy is tanking right now and the thousands losing their jobs on a daily basis, as well the hundreds of thousands taking pay cuts around the nation, it's good to see there's a profession immune to the downturn. In fact after John Calipari officially signs what's rumored to be a 8-year, $35 million deal to coach Kentucky's basketball program, college sports appears to have zero impact from economic factors. 8 years, $35 million?

I think we are all happy for Bo and his staff. Last season was a major improvement and considering the insane pay of the rest of the Big 12 head coaches, Osborne likely felt he had to give some raises. Reading his comments, it seems as if Osborne would rather make a move now instead of waiting for a few years, when the average pay for a Big 12 head coach could approach GM bailout money. As an AD, Osborne is looking to secure the future of the program but said "I'm hoping we don't have to redo this every year."

In other words, TO probably wonders what the hell happened to salaries after he left the game after winning a National Title in '07 with a $150,000 base. In retrospect, you have to feel for TO. He probably feels like a 12-year old kid in Vietnam making Nikes for $3 a week.

Pelini said that he "is very appreciative of the commitment Coach Osborne...has made" and let's hope that means stability among Pelini's staff and a long tenure at Nebraska. I don't think anyone in this state would complain if Pelini gets paid Bob Stoops money with similar consistent results on the field every season.

That being said, when does it end? College athletes are still students and the overwhelming majority don't have a chance at the pro level. In other words, to you college seniors receiving a degree in May with hopes to find a job in this economy, good luck to you. Although the success on the field might help a little in securing a full-time job for your average student-athlete, it's good to know your coaches are reaping some benefits.

Time Travel is Possible (Part II)

For all you loyal DXP readers, you might remember the 1st installment in the "time travel" series from last year here. A broke, degenerate Adrian Peterson traveled back in time and lost his mind at a Jacksonville Subway, calling the cops as his sandwich wasn't made according to his instructions. I speculated that he might be delivering a Gray's Sports Almanac for current AP, but there was not a single perfect NCAA b-ball bracket in the $100 million challenge, which AP obviously would win if my theory held water.

It appears more evidence has emerged to support the age-old question of whether or not it's possible to bend the space-time continuum. This time it's not some washed up homeless guy pulling a Hal McRae at Subway. That's right, Oklahoma superstar Blake Griffin has traveled back in time and somehow became New York Governor David Paterson.


Un-fu*king-canny, right? I mean, when I saw these photos it was like I was riding in a car with Chris Brown on the day of the Grammys. BAM, right across the face. But why did Blake Griffin come back to become the Governor of NY? Forget the Biff Tannen bringing back a Gray's Almanac this time.

I guess a multi-million dollar contract and Lottery pick in the draft wasn't enough for Griffin. I'm guessing he chose New York for the prestige and future political potential, and the timing is pretty obvious. With No. 9 getting caught banging a high dollar hooker, Griffin waltzed right into office.

I'm not even kidding when I say Griffin will be the next President. Obviously he had to leave the NBA early with Dwight Howard or Kevin Garnett poking him in the eyes and knocking out his vision. I'm guessing this post might create a little controversy in New York today though. I mean Syracuse and OU tip off in a matter of hours. Will the New Yorkers cheer for the in-state team or for the team their future Governor plays for? This story is so much bigger than the UConn story it's not even funny. You're welcome Jim Calhoun, me breaking this little gem should take the heat off your boys for the rest of the tourney. And for no reason at all, former NY Governor No 9's hook below:

Jim Calhoun 1, Yahoo Sports 0

Looks like UConn was pretty bothered by that "groundbreaking" report of recruiting violations, dismantling Purdon't last night. I posted about this already, but someone tell Yahoo they are still the Washington Generals of search engines. Google has clowned those guys so many times it's not even funny.

Ode to UConn

So that son of a bitch Dan Wetzel over at Yahoo Sports is trying to throw Jim Calhoun and the Huskies off their game with this BS story about 24 hours before their Sweet 16 game with Purdon't. I'll have you know Dan, that just because you have UConn losing to Memphis in your tourney bracket doesn't mean you can write a story about some recruiting violations from 3 years ago on the eve of the biggest game of UConn's season thusfar. There's a little something called "journalistic integrity" you obviously know nothing about. Who does this guy think he is, Ed Bradley? You write for Yahoo Sports. If you had any journalistic talent don't you think the guys at SI or ESPN would've come calling by now? Even those morons at DXP wouldn't hire you (yes, we shredded your worthless resume and please stop sending it to us.)

Over here at DXP, integrity is our motto. And I will admit, I too have Memphis beating UConn for a Final Four spot. Does that mean you see me digging up phone records from some washed out recruit from 3 years ago? The kid didn't even play a single game for UConn. There's a time and a place, and it's called "after the season ends" to start slinging mud.

Didn't that douchebag Dan Wetzel see this clip of Calhoun tearing apart a journalist after a comment about Calhoun's salary? "Get some facts and then come back and see me." The guy writes a check for $15 million to the university every year, so don't think he's going to be intimited by some phone records.

After that idiot from Yahoo Sports put this story out, I will be pulling for the Huskies to win it all.







By the way, if you want to bet the games tonight, don't forget to check out Bodog (real, fake, fake, fake, real):

Tim Tebow Speech Immortalized?

Am I on another planet or something? According to this story, Urban Meyer had a plaque placed outside the front of Florida's Stadium with the Tim Tebow "I will work harder than everyone" speech engraved for all fans to walk by in disgust.

Looks like the line to blow Tim Tebow got a little longer. After listening to Thom Brennaman and the worst announcer in sports history, Charles Davis, call the BCS title game this year, I didn't think anyone else needed to get on their knees for another year at least.

For a speech to be engraved on a plaque, it must be so inspiring and legendary, that it literally makes every fan remember exactly where they were at the exact moment an athlete was talking. Using that standard, only a handful of speeches qualify for plaque status.

At the top of the list has to be Lou Gehrig's "Luckiest Man" speech. That's pretty much the gold standard for athletes giving a speech. You can throw in Jim Valvano's speech at the 1993 ESPY awards, which is one few times it's perfectly acceptable to cry in front of another man. You can add Knute Rockne's "Win One for the Gipper" to the list. But Tebow's speech? Not in the same league, not even the same ballpark, and probably not even the same sport.

What's next? Does Urban Meyer want to put a bronze statue of Tebow at the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton before the 2010 draft? Solid work Urban, you just weakened a nation today. I will go out on a limb and predict before the BCS title game next year, someone in Florida will claim that Jesus has returned to earth and he wears #15 for the Florida football team. The only reason to get excited about the Orange and Blue will still be the tail.

Where's the 1st Spring Practice Report?

I'm not even kidding when I say the Omaha World Herald should be shut down. I would Rocky Mountain News these guys so fast it would make Tom Shatel's stomach spin. We are at least 10 minutes into the 1st practice of the spring and the "Big Red Today" page still has something from 10:15am? What's next? A story about how we just found Saddam Hussein in a rat-invested hole in the ground? This story is older than Mike Wallace. It's not like the newspaper industry isn't thriving with $$$ these days. Don't these guys know I can barely post from my computer at work without hearing how Cody Green looks? Come on, give me something. Is the hip okay? How do the passes look?

Rivals Spring Preview

In case you missed it, Rivals released their very brief spring preview of the '09 Huskers here. They are really going out on a limb by listing the QB battle as "the buzz" for this spring. Anytime I even here the word "rivals" anymore I immediately think Rivals smokeshow Ashley Russell. And since I have 100% creative control of DXP while Sammy Vegas is on a mission to destroy the remaining 23 brain cells he has left in Miami, here is a primer of Ashley. Wonder if Erin is starting to lose some sleep at night? Because I will go out on a limb and say the 2nd picture down could be the greatest Kentucky Derby outfit worn since Churchill Downs was built. If this pic is from last year's Derby I don't think anyone within 100 feet of her even cared that Big Brown won.

The Scout 300

It's that time of year again. That's right, it's time to talk recruiting.

Scout.com has just released their Top 300 recruits for the 2010 class. Although I think we all could really care less at this time as we have more pressing issues to worry about (Cody Green's health), it was good to see at least one future Husker make the list. In fact, offensive guard Andrew Rodriguez (Aurora, NE) came in at an impressive #71. And regardless if he chews tobacco as a high school junior or not (see picture), his 6-6, 300 lb. frame will help open holes in many years to come, ala Toniu Fonoti (we could only hope). Other notables towards the top of the list on the Huskers' radar include OLB Justin McCay, QB Blake Bell, RB James McConico, S Dietrich Riley, WR Marcus Lucas, and DE Jordan Allen.

On a side note, sorry for the sporadic posts as of late. I am down here for the time being and hopefully I can make it back alive and with limited damage to my already limited brain cell count to blog another day (no worries, I'll have some photographic evidence). In the meantime, A. Rose will move into the DXP editor's office and carry the site for awhile. Don't get too offended.

Scottie Pippen or Blake Griffin?

Scottie Pippen move over, you have company. No, I'm not referring to another top 5 selection in the upcoming NBA draft, although that's a lock. I'm talking about Blake Griffin joining Pippen on the NBA's all-time, all-ugly team after his rookie season in '09-'10. I don't think I've seen such a brutal face since I saw Eric Stoltz light up the screen in Mask, not the Jim Carrey version.

Don't get me wrong, Blake Griffin is an absolutely beast on the hardwood, but can't CBS digitally alter his face or something? The techonolgy has been out for years. Everytime I watch Gangland on the History Channel, there is at least one guy whose face is altered to conceal his identity.

When a guy who looks like a mix between The Predator and Carrot Top looks like the #1 draft choice, scouts take notice. And Oklahoma, I'm not just saying this because Sam Bradford looks like Fu from The Golden Child either. Let's face it, Christopher Nolan could've saved millions by casting OU athletes as Harvey Two-Face in The Dark Knight, instead of spending on make up. You are some ugly human beings.

Good for Roburt Sallie

Former Nebraska basketball commit/student Roburt Sallie (sophomore) had a terrific day for Memphis. Sallie's 35 points (10/15 3 pt. shots), 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 assist were the ONLY reason the No. 2-seeded Tigers advanced past CS Northridge in the first round of the NCAA tournament today.

I'm never one to dwell on 'what ifs' much. I will, however, always wonder about the jump start that Roburt Sallie would have given Doc Sadler and the Husker basketball program. The way Roburt was shit on (sorry for the lack of a better phrase) by the NCAA and Big XII definitely makes you realize that these kids are just a number in the grand scheme of things.

If your familiarity with how exactly the Roburt Sallie situation went down at Nebraska is a little lacking like mine, then read on about a cross-country trip that no college athlete should ever have to endure again.

Sallie originally committed to Washington in 2005 out of high school, but after he was declared ineligible shortly after, he decided to attend one more year of prep school at the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina. Sallie would then commit to Nebraska and coach Barry Collier over schools such as Memphis, Kansas, Maryland, and Wake Forest for the 2006 season.

After arriving on campus at Nebraska, Sallie would become the focal point of a witch-hunt conducted by the NCAA Clearing House. The grades were good. The test scores were good. But where they legit? That's when the NCAA came to a consensus that they needed actual tests and homework papers that he completed while he attended preparatory school. Easy enough, right?

Being the beautiful minds that they are, the NCAA kept his file open and had not come to a decision as August turned to September and classes at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln began. In the meantime, Nebraska was in a coaching turnover with Barry Collier out and Doc Sadler in. However, Sallie still intended on playing ball that winter for coach Sadler, which unfortunately meant that someone ENROLLED him in classes.

Then on September 14th of 2006 and several weeks after classes began, the NCAA finally came to a decision and told Sallie that he would indeed not be academically eligible to play at Nebraska. From there, Sallie would leave Nebraska and head to the City College of San Francisco and would not play basketball at all in the 2006-7 season.

In the 2007-8 season at the City College of San Francisco, the 6-5 combo guard would average 17 points/game and lead the school to a 24-7 record all while being named the 'California Community College Player of the Year.' On November 12th of 2007, Sallie would recommit to the Huskers and Doc Sadler. Said Sallie, "the program at Nebraska is going nowhere but up, and I want to be a part of it."

All that Roburt Sallie had to do now was finish up his associate's degree, which he was on track to earn in the summer of 2008, and return to Nebraska for his remaining three years of eligibility. That's when the NCAA decided to step back in and stop this madness.

After further review on June 4th of 2008, the NCAA found a big, big problem. Sallie was found to be in violation of Big 12 Conference Rule 6.2 which states "that any student-athlete who enrolls at a conference institution, part-time or full time, must meet NCAA initial eligibility requirements." Apparently, he should have just been permitted to attend classes and not actually enrolled in classes. Since Sallie did not meet these requirements when he first enrolled at Nebraska, it prevented him competing for the Cornhuskers or any other Big 12 school. Three separate appeals by Sallie and his attorney were been denied by the NCAA and the Big 12.

The rest is history as he ended up at Memphis over Kentucky, Maryland, and Cincinnati. Sallie has been playing around 15 minutes a game during Memphis' run this year and has been averaging only 4.5 ppg. However, his star is on the rise on a team full of NBA talent and with two years remaining, expect to hear much more. And if today's game is any indication of how good this young man will be, then watch out and don't get to get too sick about it.

It's a terrible shame that a kid would have to go through these extraordinary lengths only to be turned down for his efforts time and time again. For THREE years he kept true to his word and busted his tail in the classroom in order to become a Husker. I'm not sure exactly if this was a mishap because of a coaching turnover that involved the stupidity of an administrator or not, but hopefully no other kid has to ever go through something like this again.

Nobody has had a tougher road than Roburt Sallie to get to where he is now. He will deserve every accolade that he will get the rest of this season and beyond. And if there is a silver lining to this whole situation for Roburt, it's the girls. Memphis girls are smokeshows.

Hunter Lawrence's Girlfriend

Who is Hunter Lawrence you ask? He is the place-kicker for the Texas Longhorns who apparently loves to kick long both on and off the field. Although I'm not real sure about his girlfriend, Meaghan, I do know that she rates up there with any of the girlfriends I've shown you before as far as looks go. Supposedly, the fine people at Busted Coverage got their hands on these photos of Meaghan and Hunter in action through ways I'm not sure they want anyone to really know. Either way, they still got them.

First things first though. Since it has been way too long since I've plastered any pictures of girlfriends up on here, I'd thought it couldn't hurt to refresh your minds a little so you have something to compare the lovely Meaghan to.

Sam Keller's Girlfriend
Not Tim Tebow's Girlfriend
Chase Daniel's Girlfriend
Colt McCoy's Girlfriend
Casey Dick's Girlfriend
Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford's Girlfriends
Lane Kiffin's Girlfriend Wife

Even though Hunter is a field goal kicker, you can clearly see he is outkicking his coverage on this one. I'm sure Mack Brown has a spot at punter with the name Hunter Lawrence written all over it for next season.

DXP Basketball Tourney Contest

Now that you have had almost a full day to look up and down the tournament bracket, feel free to join us in our tournament challenge. The winner receives either ten thouand for a winning bracket or a million dollars for a perfect bracket. That's a million dollars from Yahoo and that's if you win the national contest. That's not ten thousand or a million dollars from the DXP slush fund for winning the DXP contest. I believe our fellow bloggers from Mizzourah will be joining us again. Therefore, the competition is once again ours to lose even though they have a better basketball team.

Go to following Yahoo link by clicking here.
Enter Group ID#: 134946
Enter Group Password: big 12 ballers (all lower case)

Friday Night TiVo Recommendation

First off, sorry for the absence of late. Our DXP college basketball tourney will be up and going soon and hopefully you can join. I know that last time I had to dominate the College Bowl Pick 'Em simply because we had Missouri and Kansas bloggers/fans joining us, but this time I'll keep it fair and blindly pick teams like Memphis, Washington, West Virginia, and Arizona State to go to the Final Four.

Secondly, it would be blogger malpractice if I didn't return a promise I made a few weeks back.

Today is the day!!!! Three USC Song Girls are starring in E! Network's 'Hot Girls In Scary Places' that debuts tonight. I wish I was hip enough to Twitter this show, but I'm not so you're on your own.

One of the girls in the show is Lindsay Grubbs. Lindsay is hot.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

Fat Man, Little Boy, and Andre Smith

Has anyone in the history of the NFL draft blew up like Andre Smith? His stock has dropped faster than Citigroup's. Once projected as the top overall pick in the upcoming draft, Smith suddenly up and left last month's combine in Indianapolis, burning millions in guaranteed money in the process.

Apparently Smith left the combine for good reason after seeing the results from a private workout for NFL scouts at his Pro Day this week. His 40-second dash time of 5.28 seconds was not impressive, and his 19 reps on the 225 lb bench press are an embarrassment. To put that in perspective, 185 lb Florida WR Percy Harvin put up 19 reps. How does a 335 lb lineman lift the same amount as a WR?

Observers said not one of Smith's numbers at the Pro Day would have put him anywhere near the top-10 at the combine. The reality of his draft situation is that Smith could be looking at not even being picked on the first day, let alone the first round, let alone the top pick. After being suspended for the Sugar Bowl by Coach Saban, it's been nothing short of a downward spiral for Smith.

If it's any consolation Andre, you will still be a couple notches above Maurice Clarett.

Frank Solich-ing the Husker Baseball Program

It might be a little early to start making comparisons, but it's starting to feel like Mike Anderson is 'Frank Solich-ing' the Husker baseball program. Yes, I know the Huskers have never finished outside of the top 4 in Big 12 play with Anderson at the helm. Yes, I know he is the only coach in Husker history to win a game at the College World Series. Yes, I know Mike Anderson has won the Big 12 regular season twice and the conference tourney once. Yes, that 2005 season was one for the history books with 57 wins, a Husker record likely never to be equaled. Yes, the guy has an all-time record of 255-116-1 as of this year (why does 255 wins sound so familiar?). Yes, we've made the NCAA tourney every year but once in Anderson's tenure.

After all of those accolades, I'm still putting Mike Anderson on the Frank Solich watch. Why you ask?

No one has to be reminded of Frank's rapid demise after playing Miami for the National Title after the '01 season. We quickly digressed in the '02 "Seagram's" season going 7&7, sealing Solich's fate. Although there are several reasons for the demise, recruiting is chief among them. Frank's 1999 recruiting class is a good example of signing a group that, in retrospect, brought in too few contributors on the field. Now, let's get back to the baseball program.

First of all, Dave Van Horn put this program on the map. If Ford and GM instantly turn a profit in 2009, that turnaround would pale in comparison to what Van Horn did at Nebraska. He inherited a program that went 7-23 in Big 12 play in 1997 and within 2 years won the Big 12 tournament an amazing 3 consecutive years. We are well aware of the 2 consecutive CWS appearances by the Huskers in '01 and '02 and the construction of one of college baseball's best venues in Haymarket Park that followed this success.

Since then the program has become a model of consistency in the Big 12, having made the NCAA's 5 of the past 6 years. So why call out Mike Anderson now? I see this program declining in the past few years. Expectations aren't to make the CWS every year, which would be unrealistic for the northernmost team in the Big 12. But consecutive losses to Manhattan and San Francisco as a #6 national seed in 2006 is unacceptable.

The problem in the past few years for Anderson is the lack consistent hitting. Since the Huskers hit .310 as a team in '06, the overall batting average has sunk to .288 in '07 and .276 last year. By comparison, Van Horn's teams went .338, .325, .334, and .314 in his final four years. If you can't hit .300 as a team, history is not on your side. If Anderson can't get guys to hit, it could be a long wait for another Big 12 title. This year's group looks poised for another sub-.300 season, with little early indications of a team that has the ability to make the NCAAs.

In the '05 season, the team barely hit over .300, but posted an insane 2.69 team ERA, the first sub-3.00 ERA in at least a decade which lead to a 57 win season. Joba Chamberlain, Johnny Dorn, and Brian Duensing lead that team with their arms and had Alex Gordon hitting .372. I can only hope we can lean on home grown Nebraska talent like that in the future, although that could be a once in a generation phenomenon. But since then, the team ERA has ballooned to over 4.00, not a bad number if you have some big bats, a luxury the Husker team has not had since the Van Horn days.

I get that it's always going to be hard to get guys to come play in Lincoln. At best you are hoping for about 6 months a year you can even play outdoors and for pitchers throwing in Lincoln anytime before April, you have injury risks. That said, look at the field and the fan support. Rivals ranks Hawks Field as one of the top 10 venues in college baseball, along with powerhouses Texas, Rice, Florida State, and Arkansas. Nebraska should own recruiting in this region with no competition from bordering states such as Iowa and Colorado and a Big 10 conference that's worse than the Sun Belt in the sport. This is where Anderson has followed Solich's lead of poor results in recent recruiting efforts.

Recruiting in college baseball is tricky with the future plans of top players dependent upon the MLB draft, but still, we have to get some better talent. Last year's group was ranked an abysmal 91st by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, behind powerhouses like Manhattan and San Francisco. Iowa was ranked ahead of us. Anyone know what the average attendance is at Iowa baseball games? I'm guessing 275 a game. We had 3,300 come out for a Wednesday game in late February against North Dakota. Last May, over 7,600 showed for a May series with A&M. How can you not recruit with that kind of fan support? Recruiting matters in more than just football.

As of March 1, Anderson and the Huskers are sitting at 5-3-1 on the season. Not so impressive when you consider wins against Louisiana-Lafayette, North Dakota, Missouri State, and Sam Houston State as well as losses to St. Mary's, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Missouri State. After being predicted to finish 7th out of 10 teams in the Big 12 this season, it is definitely going to be an uphill battle to even make it into the NCAA postseason. Ouch. So, yes it's early, but I'm going out on a limb and predicting Mike Anderson will be coaching at a MAC school near you by 2012. Does Ohio U. have a baseball baseball program? Yep.