Texas vs. Nebraska Officiating Crew: Some conspiracy theorists - probably residing in Nebraska - are filling the interwebs with some fun facts about the officiating crew from the Big 12 Championship game. A reader emails in: "Gene Semko, Side Judge, El Paso, Tx. Mike Defee, Back Judge, Beaumont, Tx. Bobby Ables , Field Judge, Texarkana, Tx. Walt Anderson, head of Big 12 Officiating, Sugarland, Tx and alum of UT Dental School." The reader noted that the referee, Tom Walker, is from Omaha, Nebraska. We're still waiting to see what college the time clock operator went to. [World Herald, OWH] (22)
We’ve got some pretty terrific tipsters who are like us: They enjoy a good conspiracy theory. Consider the following:
* Eugene Parker used to be Deion Sanders’ agent. (Haven’t been able to find a link anywhere talking about why or when they parted.) * When Michael Crabtree announced he was going to the NFL, he worked out at Prime U, Deion’s “workout camp.” Crabtree signed with Eugene Parker. Read the rest of this entry »
Dez Bryant: The Oklahoma State wide receiver's facebook posting has now been basically confirmed by Deion Sanders, who spoke to the New York Times about what the Snafu in Stillwater. "Sanders said he and Bryant visited an athletics center called Fieldhouse USA, where Sanders met with a group of business partners to consider using it for Prime U, his organization for training players in preparation for the N.F.L. Sanders said he did not enter into a business agreement with Fieldhouse USA ... Sanders said Gary Oliver, director of operations at Fieldhouse USA, called the N.C.A.A. to report a violation involving Bryant’s interaction with Sanders."[Bold emphasis ours.] Before dismissing this as a disgruntled businessman ratting someone out ... we'd love for some folks to look into the background of Prime U. "Training players in preparation for the NFL" ... wonder if any NFL agents are connected to those guys? [New York Times] (13)
Just when you thought you’d never hear the name Myron Piggie again in college basketball circles, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports asks a question that will surely invite an avalanche of angry rants from Durham fanboys: Read the rest of this entry »
John Calipari: The media smells blood in the water. ESPN's Dana O'Neil: "Kelvin Sampson got tarred, feathered and run out of the game (and rightly so) for phone digit-itis. Yet Memphis, John Calipari and Derrick Rose get the amnesia penalty for a fraudulent SAT score and free rides on a team plane." Geoff Calkins of the CA: "Care to guess what significant friend of Calipari’s has deep connections in Detroit? William Wesley a.k.a. Worldwide Wes, the most mysterious and connected man in college basketball. Who knows how this all played out? But if you think Calipari didn’t know how his star player qualified to play basketball at Memphis, I have a 2007-08 Final Four banner I’d like to sell you. Of course he knew. He absolutely knew." (71)
Sexting, with Reggie Miller: The greatest player in Indiana Pacers history has revealed to TMZ the racy text messages that were sent to him by Ali Kay, a 25-year-old chick who was engaged. Surely her fiance didn't know that she was texting these photos to Miller; otherwise, he probably wouldn't have flown this banner up and down the Malibu coast over the weekend. (22)
When you read Bob Ryan’s latest column, don’t you feel get the sense he’s going to roll up to Ortiz at Fenway this weekend with either a cup seeking for a pee test, or ask the slugger what’s really in those “eye drops?” Read the rest of this entry »
We’ve got some pretty terrific tipsters who are like us: They enjoy a good conspiracy theory. Consider the following:
Louisville’s 
Just when you thought you’d never hear the name Myron Piggie again in college basketball circles, 
John Calipari: The media smells blood in the water. 
When you read Bob Ryan’s latest column, don’t you feel get the sense he’s going to roll up to Ortiz at Fenway this weekend with either a cup seeking for a pee test, or ask the slugger what’s really in those “eye drops?” 