Keep This Kid In Your Prayers @ Christmas:
The older brother of Alabama center Jermareo Davidson, injured last month in a shooting, died Wednesday in an Atlanta hospital.

Dewayne Watkins sustained a gunshot to the head on Nov. 7 and was paralyzed.

Davidson learned of his brother's death after returning to Tuscaloosa late Wednesday from the Crimson Tide's trip to Raleigh, N.C. Alabama defeated North Carolina State 82-75 and Davidson had 10 points and seven rebounds.

The death of Watkins just over a month after Nikki Murphy, Davidson's girlfriend, died in a car accident in Atlanta. The two had been to the hospital to visit Watkins and were returning to Tuscaloosa when the accident occurred on Nov. 11.

Murphy was driving and died the next morning at the hospital. Davidson did not sustain any serious injuries.

"I have never known any student-athlete, from the time I was a player to now, who has endured so much heartache in such a short period of time," Tide coach Mark Gottfried said in a statement Thursday.

"Our thoughts, our prayers and our hearts are with Jermareo, his mother Madonna and his family."


Keep This Kid In Your Prayers II
CB Johnson has surgery on arm
Tennessee junior cornerback Inky Johnson underwent surgery Thursday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to repair nerve damage in his right arm and shoulder.

Tennessee head athletics trainer Jason McVeigh reported that Johnson was doing well after the lengthy procedure and is recovering. McVeigh said Johnson's doctors expect the Atlanta native to be released from the hospital by early next week.

Johnson suffered what McVeigh called a traumatic injury while making a tackle late in the Vols' Sept. 9 win over Air Force. Initial surgery was performed the next day at UT Medical Center to repair ruptured blood vessels.

Since then, Johnson has been receiving daily physical therapy by the UT sports medicine staff. He hasn't had normal functional use of his right arm since the injury and has kept that arm in a sling most of the time.

Johnson, who had an interception, two additional pass breakups and 10 tackles in two games, served as an honorary team captain for the Vols' 16-13 win over Alabama on Oct. 21.

If It Looks Like a Choker and It Smells Like A Choker….
Owens spoke publicly for the first time since he was snubbed this week in Pro Bowl voting despite his NFL-high 11 receiving TDs. He went to five straight Pro Bowls from 2000-04.

"My goal isn't to make the Pro Bowl. I know what I can do on the football field. My numbers speak for themselves," he said. "My goal is to go to the Super Bowl. ... I've been over to Hawaii five times, so I'm not really missing anything."

Owens has 77 catches for 1,040 yards, his seventh career 1,000-yard season. He has also dropped 12 passes, one of which would have been a touchdown in a 22-19 loss at Washington.



Saban Insists He’s not going anywhere: OK?
So on Thursday, Saban - who has tried to denounce the story about him potentially going to Alabama numerous times in recent weeks - again, and adamantly, denied that he's headed back to the college ranks.

"I guess I have to say it," Saban said. "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."

When the stories linking Alabama and Saban began circulating last month, almost immediately after Shula got fired following a 6-6 season, the former coach at Louisiana State said he was flattered but not interested.

He's bristled at nearly every suggestion about him leaving the Dolphins since.

"I don't know how many times I've got to respond to rumor and innuendo," Saban said. "I have no control over that. I've stated what my intentions are and they really haven't changed, so I don't know what the issue is. And I don't know why people keep asking about it. What they talk about over there is their business. But what's happening here is my business and our business, and that's what we're focused on."

Saban acknowledged earlier this month that Alabama approached his agent about its coaching job, but he declined an invitation to talk to the Crimson Tide.

Saban agreed to a five-year contract worth at least $22.5 million with Miami on Christmas Day 2004. He'll celebrate the second anniversary of that deal Monday night, when the Dolphins - 6-8 this season and 15-15 in their two seasons under Saban - host the New York Jets.

Reporter: "Why don't you just say you're not going to be the Alabama coach?"

Saban: "I think I just said that. Did I not say that?"

Reporter: "Well, you didn't say it in those words."

Saban: "Well, then I guess I have to say it. I'm not going to be the Alabama coach. I shouldn't even have to comment on this. I think I've said this over and over and over again."

Asked if Alabama's search was taking a long time, Saban said, "They handle their business. It's none of my business."

Alabama is not expected to make a move for another coach until next month, when the NFL regular season and college bowl season has ended. West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez declined Alabama's offer on Dec. 8.

Saban has been the Tide's top candidate since Shula was fired.

Bellotti's postgame act is the biggest flop in Vegas
Friday, December 22, 2006
John Cazano: The Oregonian
LAS VEGAS I t was unacceptable. It was embarrassing. It was a total failure.

Not the football game.

The performance of the losing head coach afterward.

Oregon was outclassed Thursday night on the football field at Sam Boyd Stadium. Brigham Young laid a 38-8 back-alley whipping on the Ducks in the Las Vegas Bowl.

You saw it. I saw it.

Then, after it mercifully ended, Oregon coach Mike Bellotti sat around with a pair of dispassionate eyes, speaking with a flat, hollowed-out voice, refusing to own the moment.

When asked where the passion was, Bellotti said, "You'll have to ask the players."

Then Bellotti was given the opportunity to back down from his earlier statement about BYU not being a top-half of the Pacific-10 Conference team. And the coach of the fifth-place Pac-10 team, which just finished embarrassing itself in front of the biggest crowd ever to see an organized sporting event in Nevada history, said, "My opinion has not changed."

Hold it right there, Mr. Sledgehammer.

BYU was better than Oregon. That's not debatable today. The Cougars would have won more conference games than the Ducks. Nobody can argue otherwise. The real question is, where in the Mountain West Conference would Oregon have finished?

Dead last -- given the kind of effort it showed Thursday.

Ducks fans who supported the program by coming to Las Vegas, paying $50 per ticket, several hundred dollars in airfare, more money for hotels, rental cars, gas and meals should be immediately offered a subsidization. Instead, Bellotti, who should have asked for forgiveness (it's his program, right?) offered to his followers a meek and unsatisfying, "Come back next year, we'll do better."

The man in charge left the apologizing to his players, including running back Jeremiah Johnson, who said, "That was a Mountain West team that wasn't supposed to be as good as us, but they clobbered us.

"I'm embarrassed."

You have to wonder whether Bellotti's heart still is in coaching football. He had no answers. He accepted almost no accountability for the loss. His game plan failed miserably, but worse yet, his team -- the most accurate reflection of any coach -- had no passion.

"Where's the heart?" a Ducks fan leaning over the railing of the stadium asked.

Bellotti has expressed interest in the athletic director position, which is being vacated by Bill Moos, and if this is the best effort the coach can muster anymore, maybe now is the ideal time to bring in someone with a pulse and some vision.

Jeff Tedford, anyone?

In the days leading to the game, running back Jonathan Stewart said he thought some of his teammates were ready for Christmas. Oregon hasn't won a bowl game in four seasons, and counting. But it's the way the Ducks lost Thursday that is disappointing.

You could have stomached Oregon losing by a field goal. You could have accepted the Ducks having an unfortunate evening in which they played hard but suffered too many turnovers. You could have accepted BYU simply being superior, but what you got was a total meltdown of a program that didn't show up to play for the fifth time this season.

Oregon would have been better off politely declining the Las Vegas Bowl invitation and saving everyone the time. But Bellotti's reaction to the non-performance goes down as an alarming development.

Bellotti gets the big contract. As part of his deal, he rakes in a percentage of tickets sold at Autzen Stadium. He gets the use of cars and a membership to the Eugene Country Club.

He's swallowed the hook and parlayed some early success into a small empire, and if Bellotti is doing his job at a high level, that's all just and acceptable.

But for all of the glory and ego and monetary gain, when he's underperforming and failing in his job, the last thing he should be doing is disrespecting BYU and passing the accountability to his players.
It's poor form, Coach.
It's also your program, Coach.
You still want it, right?
** What A Rip Job!**

Phil Mushnick: New York Post Tells The Truth!
SPITTING ISN'T BLACK OR WHITE TERRELL OWENS
Spit at Falcons' Hall.
December 22, 2006 -- IT'S all so confusing. Spitting in another man's face, for example. Apparently, in a football game there's a wrong time to do it and a less-wrong time to do it. Did you know that?

In 1997, after Bill Romanowski, white Broncos LB, spit in the face of J.J. Stokes, black 49ers WR, the despicable act was widely condemned as a racist, despicable act.

Given that Romanowski already was known as a psycho - four months earlier he was fined for breaking the jaw of white QB Kerry Collins in a preseason game - I figured Romanowski was an equal-opportunity bad guy. But, OK.

Then, in 2000, Regan Upshaw, black Raiders DL, spit in the face of Josh Miller, white Steelers punter. That didn't make a lot of noise or news. Perhaps, then, it was less despicable and/or racist than the Romanowski-Stokes episode.

This past January, Sean Taylor, black Redskins DB, spit in the face of Michael Pittman, black Bucs RB. That made a lot of news and noise as a just-plain-despicable act, probably because it happened during a playoff game. And it didn't help Taylor that he previously had been arrested for a felony assault.

But so, too, had Pittman.

This past Saturday, Terrell Owens, black Cowboys WR, teammate of Stokes in '97 and an author of children's books, spit in the face of DeAngelo Hall, black Falcons DB. For a moment, I was prepared to regard this as a despicable act that plainly spoke for itself.

Then Sunday, on CBS' pregame show, Shannon Sharpe implied that it had historical and regional significance. Sharpe said that because both he and Owens are "from the South," they know that spitting in another man's face is among the worst things Owens could have done.

Odd, up here in the North it's considered an act of kindness.

It gets so confusing. In the meantime, until I get this sorted out, I'm going to stick with my original, gut feeling: Spitting in someone's face during a football game is a despicable act, no matter who does it or where they're from.

Another thing that leaves me confused is why John Madden, now with NBC and still widely (and reflexively) hailed as the best football analyst in TV history, is quick to belittle game officials when he doesn't know the rules.

Sunday night, the Chiefs blocked a Chargers' punt. The ball bounced past the line of scrimmage, where it was touched by a Chief, then fallen on by a Charger.

After some initial and understandable confusion, ref Jeff Triplette signaled that it was Chargers' ball, then flipped on his microphone to explain: "The ball was recovered by the kicking team beyond the line of scrimmage."

(It was similar to the famous/infamous Thanksgiving Day, 1993 blocked field goal that squirted out of Cowboys DL Leon Lett's arms. Miami recovered, past the line of scrimmage, then, given a second chance, kicked the winning field goal on the last play of the game.)

Sunday, however, Madden remained in the dark: "I don't know how you can have a blocked punt and not get the ball."

Following a commercial, however, Madden pretended he knew how all along. He explained it as if he were the first guy to get it instead of the last. Yep, went past the line of scrimmage. Yep, Chargers' ball.

Rather than do the good-faith thing, rather than say, "Oops, I misread that whole thing" (the confusion was understandable), Madden pretended that, 1) He knew it all along, and 2) We're too stupid to know he didn't.

That kind of approach always confuses me.

ESPN confuses me by hiring lots of experts who confuse things. ESPN hired Desmond Howard, a Heisman Trophy winner, perhaps because he won the Heisman.

Tuesday, ESPN televised the season's first bowl game, the Poinsettia, Northern Illinois vs. TCU. At halftime, Howard, in the studio, said he was particularly looking forward to the Holiday Bowl. (Way to go, Desmond, that's an ESPN game!)

Then Howard said why: The Holiday Bowl would be interesting because of Texas' unsettled QB situation, starting with Javon Snead, who has declared his intent to transfer.

But Texas isn't playing in the Holiday Bowl; it's Texas A&M vs. California.

Those Knicks and Nuggets who "failed to exercise good judgment," Saturday, that's confusing, too. Guys who have chosen, often on several occasions, to permanently vandalize themselves with tattoos, in some cases right up to their ear lobes, are expected to exercise good judgment? It's all so confusing.

Give Richt Credit:
Richt puts Smith's penalty at 6 games

Georgia coach Mark Richt has decided to suspended redshirt freshman offensive lineman Ian Smith for the next six games following his alcohol-related arrest last month. That penalty is two games above what the athletics department called for in this situation.

Smith has also been put on probation for his entire academic career; another alcohol-related incident would mean immediate expulsion for Smith, who has had two in the past year.

"The main thing for [Smith] is to try and do what is best for him and the issue that he has with alcohol," Richt said. "And we had to decide: Is it better for him to be here or to move on to somewhere else?

"I was thinking about maybe moving him onto [Georgia Military College] for a year and then bringing him back. But we felt our best opportunity to help him with the alcohol issue was to have him right here with us on a daily basis. So that's why we decided to let him stay."

Here's Wishing you a joyful and peaceful Christmas season. As the great Ray Parker once said. 'Lets remember who'se birthday this really is!'

Merry Christmas

Tony B

I’m not stupid. Neither are you. When Alabama isn’t talking with anybody about their job, it means they’re waiting on Saban. What else could it be? I said yesterday on the show that I believe Saban IS the guy. I said it was going to happen. I’m not alone. Here’s a report published yesterday on NFL.com
Alabama insists Saban is the guy
Quoting a source, the NFL's Web site reported Wednesday that Miami Dolphins Coach Nick Saban is still the University of Alabama's top candidate to become head coach and the school "will not, under any circumstances, take no for an answer."
According to the report at NFL.com, "One NFL head coach even said he had been told that Saban was getting closer to accepting a job at Alabama."
Saban has repeatedly denied interest in the position, which opened last month when Mike Shula was fired as the Crimson Tide's head coach.

Bradshaw hurting but will play for Vols
Results of MRI show no shoulder damage
Dane Bradshaw already had told himself that he was going to play on.

But he received some added peace of mind Wednesday, when he learned that MRI results didn't reveal any tears or structural damage to his ailing right shoulder.

"Playing hurt is part of the game, and I'm willing to do that," said Bradshaw, who practiced Wednesday and will play Saturday against Texas. "I wish I could play at 100 percent, but I don't think anybody is at the end of the season.

"I was worried, but I always assumed that I was going to play no matter what."

The relief around the entire Tennessee basketball program was obvious Wednesday when word spread that nothing was seriously wrong with Bradshaw.

He's played with pain in both shoulders since initially hurting his left shoulder against Butler on Nov. 22 in the NIT Season Tip-off in New York. A few days later, the pain shifted primarily to his right shoulder.

Bradshaw spent nearly two hours Tuesday undergoing MRIs on both shoulders. The diagnosis of all the doctors after examining the results was that Bradshaw has biceps tendonitis in both arms and a bone bruise in his right shoulder, according to Coach Bruce Pearl.

After practicing Wednesday, Bradshaw will rest today. Pearl said the Vols would be smart in not overdoing it with the 6-foot-4 senior forward in practice the next few weeks.

Following the Texas game, Bradshaw may get a cortisone shot to help with the pain.

"When he left my office Tuesday morning at 9 o'clock (for the MRI), after he walked out the door and so he could hear it, I said to Coach (Steve) Forbes, 'There goes our season walking out the door right there. Hey, Dane, good luck at the doctor,' " Pearl recounted.

"He means everything."

Bradshaw's tip with 1.9 seconds left was the winner in the Vols' 79-77 victory over Oklahoma State on Monday night. His steal a few seconds earlier put the Vols in a position to win. He leads UT in assists (46), blocks (10) and is tied for the steals lead with JaJuan Smith (27).

"He's a vital part of everything we do," freshman center Duke Crews said. "You take him out of the equation … and you've got to find a new playmaker. That's not the easiest thing to do."

Bradshaw said pinpointing the problem would make it easier on him, even if the pain persists.

"It's going to help because when it hurts, now I know what it is rather than thinking that I'm making it worse or tearing it even further," said Bradshaw, who put off surgery a year ago and played with a torn ligament in his right wrist for much of the season.

Bradshaw says the shoulder pain won't limit him as much as the wrist did last season.

"The wrist took me out of all the little plays I could make, getting my hand on the ball and things of that nature," he said. "Hopefully, this thing will ease up toward the end of the season."

Pope to re-enroll at UT in January
Offensive lineman Cody Pope, who was sent home in August because of an NCAA Clearinghouse problem, said Wednesday that he has received a qualifying standardized test score and plans to re-enroll at Tennessee in January.

Pope spent the football season back home in San Diego trying to improve his test score after his original score wasn't validated. He signed with the Vols in February, went through a semester of summer school and also practiced with the team during the preseason right up until fall semester classes began.

The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Pope will have four years of eligibility. He also will be able to go through spring practice next year.

"Now that things have worked out, I can honestly say that this has made me a stronger person," Pope said. "I definitely wouldn't want to go through it again. But now when I start my college career, I'm going to be a year older, a year stronger, and I've got a redshirt year if something happens and I need to take it."

Southern Cal recruited Pope out of high school, and he said he heard from the Trojans again once he didn't qualify back in August.

The Vols also are waiting to hear whether defensive end Gerald Williams received a qualifying test score. Williams, who first signed with the Vols in February 2005, spent last semester at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy.

Coker on trip: Coach Phillip Fulmer said suspended tailback LaMarcus Coker would make the bowl trip, and Fulmer expects the former Antioch High star to play in the game.

"I anticipate him getting done what he needs to get done," Fulmer said. "He still has time to do that."

Coker wasn't allowed to practice this week after landing in Fulmer's doghouse. Fulmer didn't specify what Coker had done, but indicated that it was academic-related.

C-Low’s Blog On Bradshaw:
When the Vols get in trouble, when the game’s on the line, when they need to answer a run - the play almost always goes through Bradshaw in some capacity.

Bad shoulder or not, he’s the face of this team, more so than even last season.

He’s also carving out his rightful place among the toughest, most unselfish and most inspiring athletes to ever play at Tennessee.

Not bad for a guy with a .412 career shooting percentage.

Jimbo Fisher FSU Bound?/To Face Saban Next Year?
Fisher has every reason to go to FSU
Kevin Scarbinsky!!!
Jimbo Fisher wanted the job as UAB's head football coach but couldn't have it. He could've had the job as Louisiana Tech's head coach but didn't want it.

Now it appears Fisher has found a new job he wants at a school that wants him.

It may not be announced until after the bowl games, but insiders expect Fisher to become the new offensive coordinator at Florida State.

If everything goes as planned in Tallahassee and Tuscaloosa, Nick Saban will just have to find someone else to run his Alabama offense.

Moving from LSU to FSU may seem like a lateral move, but it makes sense for the 41-year-old Fisher on so many levels.

He wants to work with a head coach who won't meddle quite as much as LSU's Les Miles. Bobby Bowden knows a thing or two about offense himself, but he and Fisher have a built-in comfort level from the start.

Who taught Fisher how to run an offense and call plays? Terry Bowden, who coached him when Fisher was a record-setting quarterback at Salem and Samford and hired him at Samford and Auburn.

Who taught Terry Bowden how to run an offense and call plays? His dad, Bobby Bowden.

Fisher wasn't born into the Bowden coaching family. He didn't marry into it, either. He earned his way in.

Despite the strange turn of events that turned UAB away from him, and despite his decision to turn down about $650,000 a year from Louisiana Tech, Fisher still wants to be a head coach.

Bowden's Florida State assistants have made a habit of getting promoted to top jobs. In the last 12 years, South Carolina (Brad Scott), North Carolina State (Chuck Amato) and Georgia (Mark Richt) all have found their head coaches on Bowden's staff.

Scott and Richt proved that if you do a good job as the FSU offensive coordinator, there's a good chance a BCS school will make you a head coach.

As Fisher's been reminded, Bowden is liked and respected in the profession, which makes him an excellent reference. You couldn't exactly say the same for all of Fisher's bosses.

And then there's the most intriguing part of the Bowden equation. He can't coach forever. He's going to have to retire someday. Isn't he?

When that day comes, there will be a line a football field long to replace him. By helping to bring back the magic at Florida State, Fisher could put himself in prime position to succeed Bowden.

There are almost as many reasons for Fisher to leave LSU as there are for him to go to FSU. Here's a big one: His quarterback may be leaving, too.

LSU junior JaMarcus Russell could be a serious Heisman Trophy contender if he returns for his senior season. The Mobile native could be a first-round NFL draft pick if he decides not to return for his senior season.

Expect him to go ahead and go pro.

Either way, next season's Alabama-Florida State game could have more story lines than a mini-series. It will be Bowden's first game against the program the Birmingham native always wanted to coach. It could be the first time Fisher and Saban have coached on the same field but on opposite sidelines.

Then Alabama and UAB fans alike can wonder what might've been.
ESPN's Howard just a bit confused
Thursday, December 21, 2006

ESPN's Howard just a bit confused
Maybe it's time that Desmond Howard understand that Aggies don't appreciate being mistaken for Longhorns — and vice versa.

That's what the ESPN commentator and Heisman Trophy winner did Tuesday night in a bowl game preview aired on ESPN.

"In the spirit of the holiday season, I want to see the Holiday Bowl — Cal vs. Texas," Howard told viewers.

And then to show that he'd done his homework, he added, "I'd really like to see the matchup with the Thorpe Award winner, Aaron Ross of Texas, vs. an up-and-coming superstar, DeSean Jackson of Cal. And I'd like to see if Nate Longshore and Marshawn Lynch, the quarterback and running back of Cal, can hit a groove because that Texas defense is going to be ready for them. Now, with Jevan Snead leaving, I don't know what they're going to do in case (Colt) McCoy gets hurt. I mean, the last two times I saw McCoy, he was out of the game."

Um, Cal will play Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl. Texas will play Iowa in the Alamo Bowl.

The Texas A&M logo at the bottom of the screen while Howard was talking should've been a hint.

Howard appeared on "SportsCenter" on Wednesday night and apologized to Texas and Texas A&M fans for the mix-up. He added that, whether the game featured "Texas with the A&M or without," he was picking Cal to win.
Ex-Gator critical of Meyer (Orlando Sentinel)
Marcus Thomas says the UF coach's bashing has hurt his pro prospects.
Six weeks after parting ways with the Florida football program, former Gators defensive tackle Marcus Thomas said Coach Urban Meyer created an atmosphere at Florida that he couldn't handle.

He said the rules were too strict, and he said his suspensions, dismissal and what he perceives as Meyer's bashing will hurt his probable future in the NFL.

In his first extensive interview since his Florida career ended Nov. 3, Thomas called Meyer a good person who typically wants the best for his players. "He's a good person in general who wants nothing but the best for all his players," he said.

Then he paused and lifted his hands by his ears, moving them as if to create a tunnel.

"But he's the kind of guy who says, 'If you do that, you're a bad person,' " Thomas said. "He says, 'This is the way to go. This is how it is. And if you're not doing that, you're a bad guy.' "

At lunch with a group on Monday, Thomas recalled how his conversations with Meyer used to go.

"He'd say, 'I'm going to destroy you to the [pro] scouts,' " Thomas told the table.

"How often would he give you that?" Thomas' agent, Rich Burnoski, asked.

"All the time," Thomas said. "On a regular basis."

Wednesday night, Meyer declined to talk about the specifics of Thomas' situation.

Meyer played little active role in the decisions about Thomas' punishments for repeated positive drug tests. The results of those tests, UF officials say, left no choice but for his dismissal.

Regardless, Thomas' actions have damaged his draft status. Frank Coyle, publisher and head scout for draftinsiders.com, said Wednesday that Thomas is one of the top three defensive tackles in the draft but could fall several rounds because of his off-field conduct.

"The NFL can be very forgiving," Coyle said. "But . . . this guy has got a lot of red flags flying when teams look at him."

Thomas played in five games before being dismissed. He had 26 tackles, including 5.5 for loss, and was third on the team with four sacks. He was suspended for the opener against Southern Miss, played against UCF and Tennessee, then was suspended again for two games, wins over Kentucky on Sept. 23 and Alabama on Sept. 30.

In his comments Monday, Thomas referred to the stipulations that accompanied his reinstatement Oct. 5, two days before the Gators beat LSU at Florida Field. The stipulations included attendance in a rehabilitation program, limited out-of-town travel and a new roommate -- senior wide receiver Jemalle Cornelius.

Thomas and Burnoski said Thomas was dismissed before the Nov. 4 game at Vanderbilt after violating several of those stipulations. Thomas said he believes had he sat out another suspension -- the four games in November -- he would've been eligible for reinstatement in time for the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.

But UF sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity because federal law prevents the release of specific information about students, say Thomas failed another drug test during the season -- this one for Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate, or GHB -- and that his dismissal was permanent.

GHB usually is identified as a "date rape" drug, but it also is alleged to have similar effects to anabolic steroids. GHB is listed as a banned drug in UF's University Athletic Association Substance Abuse Program Policy.

Thomas and the UF sources acknowledge that he failed three marijuana tests during his time at Florida. The last two came this year; the first came in 2003, before Thomas began his first season as a Gator.

Thomas said he smoked marijuana for the first time the night of the 2003 Orange & Blue Game in April, when a set of then-Gators offered it to him at a Gainesville party two months after he had signed with UF out of Jacksonville's Mandarin High. Thomas tested positive that June and spent the summer enduring early morning punishment runs, but never missed a game.

Thomas said he didn't smoke marijuana again until this past June. Asked Monday if he thought he had a drug problem, he shook his head twice.

These days, Thomas is back in his hometown of Jacksonville, working out with a personal trainer and preparing himself for February's NFL Combine and a series of private workouts with pro teams in coming months. He also hopes to earn a spot in the Jan. 14 Senior Bowl and should know of his status soon.

He considered attending the SEC title game earlier this month but decided he didn't think he could handle watching. So he said he watched on TV, sitting by himself in a hotel room, tearing up every so often.

"Playing in that kind of game is why you go to the University of Florida," he said. "I had that thought in my mind, 'Why aren't I out there?' "

He wonders, too, about what he'll do Jan. 8, when the Gators meet Ohio State in the BCS National Championship Game. He may fly west to watch in person, or sit alone again and view from afar.

"It's going to hurt me a lot," Thomas said. "Mistakes were made. I'm just trying to get things right for me."
Mark Bradley Of AJC On Reggie Ball’s Career Ending Suspension:
I can’t say I like Ball, but I was kind of hoping he would have a big game against West Virginia. Nobody, I thought, deserved to close a career the way he’d played against Georgia and Wake. But now he doesn’t even have the Gator Bowl as a finishing act, and that’s nobody’s doing but his. We can blame Gailey and Patrick Nix for not making him a better quarterback, but who else can be faulted for not making his grades?

His first collegiate home game saw him riding on the shoulders of his fellow students. His last collegiate game ended with Reggie Ball brushing past reporters and refusing comment. I wish I could say there’s some greater lesson therein, but I’m not smart enough to find one. I see only a strange story, a sad story, a story of potential unmet and opportunity gone sour.

Georgia Hitting The Jucos:
JUCO players sign, add depth along both lines
That was all it took for Richt, the Bulldogs' head coach, to be convinced to bend his stance on not recruiting junior college players.

"It was pretty simple," Garner said. "[All I had to do] was to get him to look at our film."

That film showed a glaring need for maturity along its lines. Georgia got plenty of it as four junior college players signed Wednesday — 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman Scott Haverkamp of Kansas' Butler Community College and Georgia Military College teammates Vince Vance (6-8, 310 pounds, offensive lineman), Jarius Wynn (6-5, 275, defensive lineman) and Corvey Irvin (6-4, 275, defensive lineman).

The Bulldogs still are expecting to get Joe Blaes, a 6-2, 290-pound offensive lineman from Kansas' Coffeyville Community College.

These five could make up as much as 18 percent of the Bulldogs' 2007 recruiting class. In Richt's previous five seasons, Georgia signed only two junior college players, both of them two months after he was hired and was scrambling for recruits.

"We really needed it bad," Richt said. "If we didn't get some help in at the midyear, it was going to be a really, really rough spring."

And quite possibly a really rough 2007.

"You just need some mature guys who can come in and compete," Garner said. "You work your whole career to get a quarterback like [Matthew] Stafford, and you feel like you have got some really good running backs and the receivers are coming along and you need some guys that need to be able to protect the quarterback and open up some holes."


Reader Alert: This Will Make You SICK!
Average baseball salary rises 9 percent
Baseball salaries were booming even before the free-agent escalation that began more than a month ago. The average salary shot up 9 percent this year to $2,699,292, according to final figures released Wednesday by the Major League Baseball Players Association. The increase was the highest since a 12.8 percent rise in 2001 and makes it likely the $3 million mark will be broken next year or in 2008.

Baseball salaries are soaring, with Alfonso Soriano ($136 million), Vernon Wells ($126 million) and Carlos Lee ($100 million) agreeing to nine-figure deals since the end of the season, boosting baseball's total of $100 million contracts to 11.

Still, no one has approached Alex Rodriguez's record $252 million, 10-year contract, agreed to after the 2000 season.

The New York Yankees had the highest average salary for the eighth consecutive season, but their average dropped to $6.95 million from a record $7.39 million the previous year.

Houston was second at $4.28 million, up from ninth place in 2005. Boston was third at $3.99 million, down from $4.17 million the previous season, followed by the New York Mets ($3.86 million), the Chicago White Sox ($3.81 million) and the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals ($3.78 million).

The AL champion Detroit Tigers were ninth at $3.06 million, up from 15th.

Florida's average of $594,722 was the lowest in the major leagues since 1999, when Kansas City was at $534,460, the Marlins at $561,111 and Montreal at $572,290.

Among the teams with the 10 highest averages, only San Francisco ($3.8 million) had a losing record (76-85). Among clubs with the 12 lowest averages, the only one with a winning record was Toronto (87-75).


Texas Scouting Report:
Freshmen Mason, Durant make key shots late to lift Texas
Arkansas coach Stan Heath figured the raucous 11,936 fans who watched his team face Texas on Wednesday night were looking for the same thing as he on a pivotal Longhorn possession near the end.

Kevin Durant? Absolutely. A.J. Abrams? Sure.

Justin Mason? Not really.

But with Durant and Abrams well-guarded, Mason drove down the middle of the Razorbacks' zone defense, double-pumping before laying the ball in while getting fouled with 12 seconds to play. Mason made the free throw, completing a three-point play to give the Longhorns a two-point lead en route to an 80-76 victory at the Erwin Center in the first game between the two schools since 1991.

"I don't think anybody in the building thought he was going to take that shot," Heath said. "He made a great drive and a great play."

Mason, a freshman guard, said, "I think maybe I surprised them."

The drama was far from over after Mason's play. Arkansas had a chance to tie when guard Gary Ervin was fouled by Matt Hill while driving to the basket with five seconds left. Ervin, who had made free throws with nearly 78 percent accuracy before Wednesday, missed both shots. The ball rolled out of bounds after hitting the Razorbacks' Charles Thomas in a crowd of players, although he disagreed with the ruling.

"Homecourt advantage is all I can say," said Thomas, a forward who produced 19 points and 10 rebounds. "It shows you you can't leave the game in the hands of the referees."

Arkansas (8-3), forced to foul, sent Durant to the line. Durant, the gifted freshman, made two free throws with three seconds to go, securing the victory.

Durant, a 6-foot-9-inch forward, had 28 points and 13 rebounds, leading everybody in both categories. But he helped make the game interesting by missing four of nine free throws in the second half. Before Wednesday, he had converted 43 of 47, dazzling 91.5 percent accuracy.

"I was surprised," Durant said. "I think I blacked out at the free-throw line."

Both teams struggled at the line during the second half. Arkansas hit just 4 of 11. The Longhorns converted 9 of 18 after hitting all eight in the first half.

Texas (8-2) also had problems preventing the bigger Razorbacks from taking offensive rebounds. They had 19, seven by the 6-8 Thomas. But Patrick Beverley, a 6-1 freshman guard, collected six offensive rebounds, though none in the second half. Beverley played a strong all-around game: 19 points, eight rebounds, seven assists.

Durant showed exceptional versatility as well. A perimeter player by nature, he spent much of the game effectively posting up inside to score.

"Whatever my team needs, I'll try to do," Durant said.

The same could be said for several others. Freshman point guard D.J. Augustin had 16 points and four steals. Mason passed for a season-best seven assists.

Abrams scored eight of the Longhorns' first 12 points, was shut out for more than the next 29 minutes — Arkansas used a box-and-one defense for part of the time — but hit a pair of three-pointers with 6:48 and 3:25 to play.

Sophomore reserve Connor Atchley matched his career-best with four blocks and scored seven points.

"Far and away the best game he's played here," coach Rick Barnes said.

Longhorn fans contributed as well, showing up in much larger numbers than the 5,442 average before these old rivals hooked up on Wednesday.

"Cheering for our baskets and disrupting Arkansas," Durant said. "A great atmosphere."


How 'bout them Lady Vols?

TB

Sonny Smith was great on the show yesterday! He was talking about the Tennessee job and the potential that always existed here in hoops. He said he considers this job, and always has the second best job in the league! Think about that for a second. He was serious. In fact, I went back and reviewed a tape of a conversation I had with him and he was singing a similar tune about 4 years ago on the air to me. His thought that it’s harder to put people in the seats and get people to pay attention before bowl games are played than actually win on the floor in the league is really a strong statement. His contention that the college community is jealous and ‘afraid’ of what could be is brutal honesty. As Beano likes to say ‘get you some of that!’

How Good Is This UT Job Vs The Other UT Job?
Read This From the Austin-American Stateman
Arkansas Tickets Still Available!
Horns play Razorbacks Wednesday at Erwin Center.
University of Texas officials know better than to make firm predictions about how many fans might show up for a basketball game.

But they do estimate that 14,000 to 15,000 tickets will be distributed for the Longhorns' game against Arkansas on Wednesday. Tip-off is 8 p.m. The Erwin Center seats 16,755. As of Monday afternoon, about 3,000 tickets remained. They cost $8 to $15.
Average home paid attendance through five games is 10,146. Nearly 8,700 season tickets have been sold. But the turnstile average — those who have shown up — is 5,442.
**5,442** Did you read that?

BTW: Good luck to the Lady Vols tonight against WVU. Pearl has really eclipsed them with his long shadow.

Beano’s observation about the fake 10 win plateau is right on the money! 21 teams currently have 10 wins. Another 11 have a chance themselves to get to the mark including the Vols. All the while Mike Hamilton is trying to sell that it’s a sign that UT is inching toward the elite and that this is a season that is raise-worthy. That is complete bunk and the numbers prove it! All you’ve done is add a sure fire win when you’re a power school like Tennessee so a 10-3 is really a 9-3 record of old. Not a bad season. Pretty good actually. But not worthy of giving out raises!

Go Guys Go! From Today’s Orlando Sentinel:
Four Florida juniors asked NFL executives for guidance about leaving school early to enter the league's draft.

Linebacker Brandon Siler, defensive end Jarvis Moss and wide receiver Andre Caldwell confirmed that they sent paperwork to the NFL College Advisory Committee, which projects the draft status of underclassmen considering the move. Safety Reggie Nelson would not comment on the subject, but Yahoo! Sports has reported his filing, and a Florida Today report in November quoted his mother as saying she expected him to turn pro.

The move shows the four Gators are considering entering the draft but does not guarantee they will leave school. Underclassmen must declare their intentions by Jan. 15. Those that enter retain the option of withdrawing, without penalty, until Jan. 18.

Caldwell said Friday he relied on the advice of his coaches and his older brother, former Gator and current New England Patriots wide receiver Reche Caldwell, in making the decision.

"I talked to my family, and I'm putting it in the hands of the Florida coaches," Caldwell said. "It's a busy month, but right now I don't need to focus on that."

Moss, a probable first-day pick if he leaves early, said he's a bit farther along in the process. Besides submitting paperwork, Moss' older brother Chris has started investigating potential agents.

"He's doing a good job just feeling people out, seeing who we might want to be associated with," Jarvis Moss said. "He's trying to help me out. He takes it real seriously."

The committee, composed of 12 general managers or personnel directors from NFL clubs and the directors of the league's two scouting combines, has answered requests from about 65 players each year since its inception in 1994, according to an NCAA memo sent to athletic directors in October.

Any non-senior, draft-eligible player can ask for the committee's input before the Jan. 4 deadline.

Within two weeks of filing the proper papers, the player receives a non-binding assessment of which round he's most likely to land in. According to the memo, 64 percent of the players evaluated by the committee choose to remain in school.

Florida Coach Urban Meyer discussed filing with Moss, Siler and Caldwell before they proceeded, the players said. Monday, Meyer declined comment on the juniors, but he figures to remain an important factor in their final decisions.

"I just hope they listen to Coach Meyer," said Joey Florence, Moss' coach at Ryan High in Denton, Texas. "Jarvis and I talked about it a little, and I just told him to get with Coach Meyer. He'll do what's best for them."

Those final discussions won't come until after UF returns from Glendale, Ariz., and its national title matchup with Ohio State.

By then, only six days will remain before the early entry deadline. By then, the juniors should know how they feel, and the committee will have told them about where they stand.

"We can't worry about that stuff now," Siler said. "We're trying to prepare to play for a national championship. There'll be time for all of that."

Mark Richt Shoes A Lot Of Maturity! This from Today’s AJC!
Bobo moves to offensive coordinator
Richt made decision nearly a month ago to hand over play-calling reigns
Georgia coach Mark Richt made up his mind nearly a month ago.

He made his decision public Tuesday.
Mike Bobo is now the Bulldogs' permanent play-caller and offensive coordinator.

"I knew the minute I said, 'Mike I want you to call this [Georgia] Tech game,' that it was probably the last time I was going to call a game in a long while," Richt said. "You do something 15 years and you really enjoy it and it is an exciting part of the game, [it's tough to give up].

"But [calling plays] is just a lot easier to do when that is all you do. If that is all you do — coordinate it and plan it and get up in the booth and call it — that is a whole lot different than trying to do that and be head coach and do it from the ground. It is just very difficult to do."

So the torch, clipboard, title and expectations have been passed to Bobo, previously the team's quarterbacks coach.

"A lot of people will probably be concerned because I am only 32," Bobo said. "But I have been around football my whole life, with my dad being a coach. And I have been around lot of coaches, whether it was playing or coaching as a graduate assistant and now coaching. I am just going to do like I always do, and that is just work hard and prepare.

"I don't think anything I am going to do is going to make it become automatically magical. It is going to come down to us coaching the right positions individually and making sure they are ready to execute."

Bobo made the point clear that would still coach the quarterbacks.

"My main job is really to coordinate meetings and staff and practices," he said. "But with the players, my main job is to get [quarterback] Matthew Stafford ready to play, because that is the position that I coach."

Bobo, a former Georgia quarterback, was temporarily named the to call the team's plays prior to the regular-season finale against Tech. Georgia won that game 15-12 but scored only one offensive touchdown — in the fourth-quarter, on the longest drive of the season.

After reflecting on the game, Stafford could sense a difference in the style and tempo to the calls that were made.

"There are a certain style of plays in a row that I can tell the difference in Coach Bobo and [Richt]," Stafford said. "I have worked with Coach Bobo. I know what he is thinking when he calls a play. ... He's aggressive, for sure."

Well, maybe not that aggressive.

"Matthew is aggressive," Bobo said. "I would not call myself aggressive. I think Coach Richt and myself, both of us playing the position, we think along the lines of being aggressive. But I think Matthew, he is the one that wants to be aggressive, and he is probably trying to put it in my head."

Stafford said Bobo exudes a strong sense of belief in the players, and that comes across in the playcalling. Take the last drive against Tech when Georgia had a third down that could have ended the game had it not been converted. Bobo called for a pass play to Mohamed Massaquoi that had just been installed the previous week.

"He is pretty gutsy to use a play that we had run one week when it is third-and-the-game," Stafford said. "He just trusts the players to execute. It is a good feeling."

Bobo has been with Richt for six seasons. He previously worked at his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 1998-99.

Peace
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