A popular choice
Georgetown just did what it does best: land yet another big man. And now the Hoyas are inching closer to a top-10 ranking for their 2009 recruiting class.
“You have to have the big guys,” recruiting expert Bob Gibbons said. “They’re loading up.”
DaShonte Riley, a 6-foot-11 center from suburban Detroit Country Day School (basketball alums: Chris Webber, Shane Battier), verbally committed this weekend. He’ll join Florida State transfer, and Reston native, Julian Vaughn as well as Hollis Thompson, a four-star recruit.
Riley chose Georgetown over Xavier, Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan.
“He’s an enormous kid with a big wingspan and the ability to block shots and he shows off in spurts,” said Scout.com recruiting analyst Dave Telep. “He’ll have a chance to be a really good one, but there’s work to be done. … There’s a lot of natural talent and ability. He’s always been the best-looking, most imposing athlete. Now is the time to put the pieces together. He has to eliminate that word potential.”
Said Gibbons, “He’s verymobile, very athletic — a top-50 player. He runs the floor extremely well. He’s more athletic than Roy Hibbert and gives them that size. [With Vaughn], this solidifies them as a top-12 class.”
If prized center recruit Greg Monroe leaves after his first year — Telep doesn’t think he will — then the Hoyas would still have big men available. By the way, Telep rates Vaughn as a top-80 player and Gibbons said he should ultimately fill the role left by Vernon Macklin, who transferred to Florida.
Meanwhile, at Maryland, the Terps continue to wait for word on whether or not recruit Tyree Evans will be admitted.
The 6-foot-3 junior shooting guard has bounced around the lower college levels because of repeated academic issues and run-ins with the law.
One giant leap toward turmoil
The first step to an uncapped year — and possible work stoppage in the NFL — could begin today. The NFL owners, according to published reports and multiple sources, could opt out of their labor deal as soon as today.
Either side can opt out by Nov. 8, which means the original agreement that was set to expire in 2013 would then end two years earlier. It would also mean an uncapped year in 2010 (though players would not have free agency until after six years rather than the current four).
“It’s a shame because the game couldn’t be any better,” one NFL executive said. “[Former commissioner Paul] Tagliabue screwed this up. He just wanted out and he didn’t want his legacy to be a war.”
Tagliabue helped negotiate the current pact — where the players get60 percent of the revenue — before leaving office. The owners’ complaint is that it should be 60 percent of the net profits and not the gross as it’s currently structured.
But Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL players union, said the players won’t take less than 60 percent of the revenue.
“The owners disagree on how they should share,” the executive said. “No one likes it. The owners are entrenched. … And I understand the players’ mentality. This thing has to be blown up.”
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Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis?
The Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl after the 2006 season. Now the city is expected to win it again, this time to serve as host.
A highly placed NFL source told The Examiner’s Jim Williams that the NFL will award the 2012 Super Bowl to Indianapolis, opting for the Midwestern town over Phoenix and New Orleans, in that order.
And it appears New Orleans will continue to miss out on the NFL’s biggest game, the source said. The reason? The city lacks sufficient funds to host the game and safety is an unspoken concern.
So, for now, it appears the Super Bowl will rotate between Phoenix, Tampa, Miami, Dallas and then a northern site every so often. Detroit and Minneapolis are the only northern cities to have hosted this game.
The Super Bowl will played in Tampa after this season, followed by Miami and then Dallas in 2011.
COLUMN INCHES
Opinions from around the nation on the hottest topics in sports:
» This LeBron James is different from the 18-year-old kid who came into the NBA wanting everybody to like him. With the Celtics celebration going on behind him, he walked off the court, his eyes staring straight ahead, his head held high. [Larry] Bird was like that too. … Defeat ate away at him.
— Bill Livingston on how the Cavs’ superstar reacted after the Game 7 loss Sunday. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
» It was no big deal that the Penguins refused to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy on the ice. Nobody does that. It’s considered bad luck before the Stanley Cup final. But … they wouldn’t even let the trophy inside their dressing room — a strong indication that they are far, far from satisfied.
— Joe Starkey writing about the Penguins’ mindset after winning the Eastern Conference. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
» By now, Cubdom has seen the entire erratic spectrum enough to adopt a golden rule: As sure as [Alfonso] Soriano will blow your mind, he’ll inevitably torture your soul. … Right now, he looks like a bargain at $136 million for eight years. In a month, he might be on the disabled list or in a strikeout rut.
— Jay Mariotti on the mercurial nature of Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano. (Chicago Sun-Times)
» Based on Notre Dame’s boasting about principle and an unswerving devotion to integrity, an explanation seems logical. But [Charlie] Weis isn’t offering one. Fans, it seems, aren’t clamoring for one. Neither are administrators. The notion of an irrelevant past isworth a chuckle, considering the Gibraltar-sized hunk of diamonds and gold Weis wears on his ring finger in public.
— Brian Hamilton writing about Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis and his silence on his role in Spygate. (Chicago Tribune)
ON THE RECORD
“I think what we have is very good, but we need to continue to get better, we know that. If that means some personnel changes that need to happen, then so be it.”
— LeBron James after his team’s 97-92 loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. James scored 45 points.
“I’m the one who thought it was a [expletive] foul ball. I saw it on the replay. I’m the one who [expletive] it up so you can put that in your paper.”
— MLB Umpire Bob Davidson, who ruled a Carlos Delgado fly ball foul, when it actually was a home run in the Mets’ 11-2 win over the Yankees.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 » Audi Q7 SUV’s purchased by New England quarterback Tom Brady for his linemen Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins and Stephen Neal. The cars start at $42,500.
45 » Professional tennis matches flagged during the past five years to be further investigated because of suspicious betting patterns. The International Tennis Federation, the ATP, the WTA Tour and the four Grand Slams released a 66-page report on Monday.
