Bob Stoops to Notre Dame Rumors Persist

It has been a speculation-filled week in South Bend, as everyone wonders who will succeed Charlie Weis as head coach at Notre Dame. The best [read: funniest] email we received on the subject that encapsulates the rumors:

I heard from a former [redacted] school professor who taught at ND [redacted] that Stoops is going to be named on Monday. He claims that his source is reliable.

Notre Dame visits Stanford tonight in likely what will be the last game for Weis, QB Jimmy Clausen, Source: The Big Lead RSS Feed

Tiger Cancels Cops Again, Releases Statement

TMZ.com reports Tiger Woods has canceled his appointment at 3p ET today with police to discuss his car accident Thursday night.

He released this statement on his official website:

As you all know, I had a single-car accident earlier this week, and sustained some injuries. I have some cuts, bruising and right now I’m pretty sore.

This situation is my fault, and it’s obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I’m human and I’m not perfect. I will certainly makeSource: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Smorgasboard: Give Thanks for Tebow vs. Bowden

This one will be a bit shorter — I got some familial and non-familial duties to attend to as Friday unfolds. I could use a horrible Thanksgiving pun about this being “the appetizer” to the “main course” that is next Saturday, but I’ll spare ya. There’s a few interesting things going on across the next 48 hours on college gridirons, and goddamn it, that’s what we’re going to discuss. That and a few other things entirely unrelated to college football.

Top Five Games Source: The Big Lead RSS Feed

Photos: Tiger’s Smashed SUV At The Crash Scene

Here are some photos from WFTV in Orlando of Tiger Woods‘ smashed up SUV at the crash scene outside his Isleworth home on Friday:

 

We don’t have every angle of the car in the photos, but the pics do make you wonder why Woods’ wife Elin Nordegren needed to smash out the back window of the SUV with a golf club to allow him to escape the vehicle.

The ORLANDO SENTINEL reports “Woods’ Escalade received $5,000 to $8,000 worth of damage to the front bumper andSource: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Mets interested in DeRosa

Mark DeRosa is a 34 y/o right handed hitting super utility, despite not having a primary position DeRosa has played 100 games or more in the last seven of eight years.
He has over 300 games at 2B and 3B, 150 games in right field, over 100 games at SS, 50 games in left field and 20 games at 1B.
He is a .275 lifetime hitter with a .343 OBP and a .767 OPS.
I think DeRosa would be a great addition but this year with so many holes and so many teams interested in him, I can't see Source: Mets Fever RSS Feed

Who would you rather: Matsui or Damon

Decisions, decisions, decisions. For the Yankees, with a few key older players hitting free agency, this winter is chock full of them. None of the choices the team will have to make is more fraught with emotion and potential impact than the one that looms regarding Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon.

By many accounts, the Yankees will try to bring back one of their two left-handed bats but not both. Right now, Matsui is the sentimental choice. Rebounding from an injury-plagued 2008, he hadSource: River Avenue Blues RSS Feed

Dexter McCluster: Biggest Cutback Since The UAW

Best individual performance of the day (so far) belongs to Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster, who rushed for 324 yards in a 42-17 win over Tennessee.

(With apologies to our beloved United Auto Workers)

Highlight of his day was this amazing scamper, which featured a sweet sideline-to-sideline cutback that punctuated a 71-yard run.

Video after the jump, courtesy Matt Hinton at Yahoo Sports’ Dr. Saturday. (more…)

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Firing Weis to be a Costly Decision for Notre Dame

You can say the buzzards are really circling Charlie Weis now, as Notre Dame suffers yet another defeat, a 27-22 loss to Pittsburgh that leaves the Irish at 6-4. So it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion amongst many media circles that Charlie will be saying sayonara to South Bend at season’s end.

Note: There is a poll within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

However, letting Weis go is not just a matter of a simple “Sorry, Charlie,” Source: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Francoeur will return...

I thought Jeff Francoeur was one of the few bright spots this year for the NY Mets, so it came as a surprise to hear many fans express apprehension about Frenchy's future with the team. At the end of the season there was discussion that the club could offer him an extension beyond his arbitration years. It was then that some fans expressed reservations about signing him long term and a few wanted him non-tendered. Frenchy is a free swinger who will strike out a lot, but at 25 y/o with whatSource: Mets Fever RSS Feed

NFL Power Rankings: Week 9

Peter King has his Fine Fifteen, ESPN has its own composite power rankings, and the legendary Dr. Z’s weekly power rankings were a must-read until he was stricken silent by a stroke last year. So, why can’t TBL get in on the fun? Here’s the ninth installment of the 2009 NFL in-season power rankings, featuring (unless TBL yanks the picture again) former Dawson’s Creek guest star Bianca Kajlich (can’t believe she didn’t adopt a stage name). [Ed. She's also known as LandonSource: The Big Lead RSS Feed

Video: High School Football Bounce Pass For TD

Couple-three weeks ago, I posted a behind the back high school football touchdown pass. Now, howsa ’bout a football bounce pass that goes for a score?

Brad Heap of Mountain View (AZ) High School throws a bounce pass behind the line of scrimmage against Rocky Mountain High School (ID) to receiver Baue Stapley. Stapely then throws a touchdown pass  to D.J. Geroux.

Video after the jump.
(more…)

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Video: Fedor Knocks Out Rogers In Second Round

Fedor Emelianenko knocked out Brett Rogers tonight in the second round of their MMA fight in Chicago:

AOL’s Michael David Smith:

Rogers connected with Fedor early and made him bleed from the nose, and he more than acquitted himself in the fight, getting control of Fedor on the ground and looking better against Fedor than any opponent has in the last few years.

But there’s only one Fedor, and in the second round, he showed why he’s the greatest ever, leveling Rogers Source: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Zenyatta Legend Eternal Without Announcer Call?

Hope you’ve gotten to see Zenyatta’s stunning win at the Breeder’s Cup yesterday. Considering all the circumstances before and during the race, the filly’s victory was beyond astonishing. Certainly goes down as one of the greatest performances ever.

(Inset: Santa Anita track announcer Trevor Denman - Photo Credit)

But I’m not so sure track announcer Trevor Denman shouldn’t be credited with a good portion of what will be Zenyatta’s everlasting legend. If you think Source: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Gigantic Ski Jump Ramp At Soldier Field. You First

At first glance you might think that the image below is a Photoshop, but you’d be wrong, my friend. That’s an actual ski ramp built in — actually over — Soldier Field, with a tiny ski jumper in mid-flight, circa 1954. My thoughts: Chicago, wind, man in mid-air about 150 feet off the ground … what could possibly go wrong?

Here’s the thing under construction (it’s 165 feet at the taking-off point). Sheesh. DEPUTY DOG has a pretty amazing collection of photos of insaneSource: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Want To Get Away? Gus Johnson Sorry For Gaffe

Gus Johnson had only just gotten over Brandon Stokley’s deflected TD reception against the Bengals when a controversy arose surrounding his interesting choice of words during the Jaguars-Titans game on Sunday. In calling a Chris Johnson touchdown run, Gus said that the Titans running back had “getting-away-from-the-cops speed!” Whoops.

Gus Johnson is very sorry, kind of. And he said so today, in one of the most striking non-apology apologies in the history of anything. In fact,Source: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed