LSU QB Ryan Perilloux Suspended, Keep Your Pants On Big-10errr11 Fans

So ESPN is reporting that LSU head coach Les Miles has suspended QB Ryan Perrilloux. The suspension comes down because Perrilloux violated team rules. What does that mean, we have no idea at this point. It'll come out because it always does, but I have no idea, at this point.

Settle down Big-10errrr11 fans. One, it doesn't really matter. The SEC isn't better than the Big-11, because of LSU or another team in their conference. The SEC's dominance stems a lot more from how bad the Big-11 is than from how good the SEC is. (Before I get a million comments from SEC fans freaking out. I know your are an above average conference, My point here is just how bad the Big-11 is). Two, that suspension is going to be about as effective as when coaches do the whole "I am not going to start so-and-so" as some form of punishment. Then they put the guy in in the middle of the first drive.

The LSU Tigers have suspended him, but they threw in the magic word in college sports, indefinitely. See when the NFL suspended Micahel Vick and Pacman Jones indefinitely. They meant until hell freezes over. But when a team like LSU uses that magic word. It means until I see how your backup does and possibly not even that long if Miles already knows those two aren't ready.

Right now the backups are junior Andrew Hatch, who began his career at Harvard, and redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee. Now I am not the SEC's biggest fan, but I am willing to admit. No one from the Ivy League is about to step in and take the reigns of the National Champion and guide them through the SEC. I do think Jarrett Lee will be ready someday. Someday is Latin for NOT TODAY BUDDY.

NASCAR: Car of Tomorrow Backfiring

NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow has become the Car of Today. It seems though that while NASCAR is embracing the Car by going with it full time this season. They just might be getting a negative effect that they didn't plan on.

The main purpose behind going to a car that the drivers pretty universally feel is more difficult to drive was competition. With the wide variety of tracks that NASCAR performs on, the smaller teams were starting to develop a disadvantage. Teams were getting to the point where they had three or four different style's of car. For the different style tracks. Then they would have backup cars for those styles. At 200,000 a car you can see how the price tag starts climbing and quickly. NASCAR's answer. The Car of Tomorrow. It is set up so that it can be used at every track. In theory it makes it a lot more realistic for the smaller team to compete. After this initial week-and-a-half I am not so sure it isn't backfiring.


Not only was Daytona won on team work. With winner, Ryan Newman, as well as teammate Kurt Busch acknowledging that it was definitely the two of them working together that brought about the win.


It was also lost on teamwork Tony Stewart tried to maintain his leaf when he dropped from top to bottom on the track to pick up Kyle Busch but Busch was no where to be found having already had to drop back a few spots in order to keep from being penalized for passing to far inside. With out the benefit of a teammate to work with Stewart didn't have a prayer of beating the two Penske teammates.

My overall strongest impression of the race was the effect of teamwork. While Earnhardt had been strong along with Johnson and Gordon in the early running. He was unable to amke any real headway when those two were out of the race. Stewart as well was in a position to win or assist teammate Kyle Busch in his win but they were unable to hook up in the end. While the winning tandem hadn't really been a big factor in the race, once they were able to hook up near the front they used that to win.


So how does all this tie in with the Car of Tomorrow. Once again the little guy is at a disadvantage. While a lot of the team work was a product of the fact that it was a restrictor plate race. I don't think anyone who was watchign didn't see how much more of a factor it has become with the new car. So once again the small team who is frequently a single car starts the race at a disadvantage.I can't wait to see what happens next week at Fontana.



What do you think of the Car of Tomorrow?

Linking up with RonDean

John Salley wants to get a NASCAR team going. Please let him draw Brad Dougherty back into the sport. The sport needs a little color errr ethnicity uhhh soul. What's the pc way to say every guy in the garage is white? (ESPN)

Mark Cubans yearbook is on Ebay, forget the lame hair I mean he still has that. How bout those pants(Yard Barker)

Reggie Miller invites you all to visit him in the Too Much Information department(insomniacs lounge via The Big Lead)

Since I would blast an athlete doing the wrong things I'll include this link on Caron Butler's turn around so I can keep telling myself I am fair(ESPN)

Since it isn't quite time for the combine here's your football fix(SportsbyBrooks)


I don't like Roger Goodell but atleast now I have a reason(Fanhouse)

This Week In Sports February 18, 2008

• John Rocker announces he used steroids with MLB assistance- Blog
• Vikings Kenechi Udeze has rare form of Leukemia - Blog
• Jason Kidd Trade is On-Again,Off-Again all week - Blog 1, Blog 2
• Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee appear before Congress - Blog
• Indiana head coach, Kelvin Sampson, accused of more NCAA violations - Blog
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. Continues success with his new team - Blog
• Mike Bibby traded to the Atlanta Hawks - Blog
• Finally a dunk contest worth watching - Blog
• Ryan Newman wins the Dayton 500 - Blog
• East wins an All-Star game that actually seemed to matter - Article

NASCAR: Daytona 500: Recap

The 50th Running of the Dayton 500 ended up a lot better than it seemed it was going to. After the offseason of anticipation. The build up of all the driver and team switches. Not to mention the influx of all the open wheel drivers. I couldn't wait to see how things would play out when they dropped the green flag. It turned out I would have to wait a little longer than that.

As they rolled off to start the race, I immediately found changes I liked and changes I didn't. Rather than introduce the drivers row by row, each driver was pictured stating their name and where they are from. Kind of a cool thing they picked up from their football broadcasts. Cool to see guys take pride in their home towns. Though I do not look forward to the drivers modifying it the way football players do. I definitely could pass on Fox's other new addition. They have the new Gopher Cam which is set down into the track. It is an annoying view that provides nothing to the race view.

One of the heavily covered aspects was the fact that it is the 5oth anniversary of the race. Michael Waltrip managed to improve drastically over last years race. Last year he was penalized for a fuel additive coasting him 100 points. This year will start he started a little by leading a lap to get 5 points. He also rolled gold wheels for the first run of the race that were pulled at the first pit stop, they will be auctioned for charity.

For the first half of the race it seemed that this might be shaping up to be a very dull repeat of last season. While the Gibbs and Hendrick racing teams were running one through four through much of the first half. About the only interesting aspect of that is the fact that the Gibbs team is now running Toyotas. As that was happening I couldn't help but wonder what NASCAR would think of a foreign nameplate winning the Anniversary edition of a sport that has always been American. Those thoughts only get stronger as Kyle Busch continued to be the strongest car in the field.

All of this started to get a lot more interesting with 40 laps to go. Around that time Hendricks flag ship man Jeff Gordon went out of the race with suspension issues. Dropping that team to Jimmie Johnson, newcomer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and other(Casey Mears). Then Roush Fenway's team took a nice hit when David Ragan slid up the track, for no reason at all, at least that's how it appeared to me. On his way up he managed to take out Mr. Roboto, Matt Kenseth.

Once we got recovered from that caution we got rolling again... briefly. Just a few laps later last years Champion Jimmie Johnson got loose in the middle of the pack and took out himself and Martin Truex Jr. This ended up being a huge blow to teammate Earnhardt on two fronts. Not only had he know lost an ally in the ever important drafting game , that Daytona has become with restrictor plates. He also didn't pit, just as he hadn't on the previous caution. While the last move was strategy, this one came about because to many guys were chatting on the Radio, and Crew Chief Tony Eury, Jr. couldn't get on to tell Junior in time.

So then we got rolling again... briefly (Are you picking up a trend here). At this point we got to enjoy my least favorite aspect of NASCAR. The "Who is Juan Pablo Problem Montoya Going to Wreck This Week" game. This weeks lucky winner, Clint Boyer. Boyer, who happened to be leading at the time, ended up spinning off the track and into the infield. On the bright side he didn't end the race on his roof and on fire like he did last year.

Now with 14 laps to go we get things started for the final time... Almost final. As the green flag dropped everyone abandoned Juan Problem and he dropped like a stone. Then as they were coming through the turn Dave Blainey slid up track in front of Montoya and went into the wall. It is possible that Kevin Harvick made a brilliant move by slightly nudging Blainey, in a much more intelligent way than Montoya had done a few laps earlier(Disclosure, Harvick is my favorite driver and I can't stand Montoya) So to the caution we go.

Now to the Green-White-Checker. It turns out we will be going for the final time now for sure. In a bit of crafty driving Ryan Newman managed to work around Tony Stewart which put them about equal but then Newmans teammate Kurt Busch came in from behind and pushed both of them across the finish for a first time 1-2 finish for team owner Richard Penske.

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