Epic Photo: Eastern Jerseys

These are some jerseys that Brandon and I both agree are awesome. JustSON exclusives. These are real, twill sewn numbers jerseys.

Seattle P-I test results still unknown

This evening I came across this blog post by Kenneth Corbin in which he talks about the future of journalism and how the Seattle P-I is testing the waters in this new media age.

And if that's not interesting enough, check out this site. It's called Paper Cuts and it shows exactly how many newspaper jobs have been lost to-date. And also where these cuts have been made. Great time for print journalism right? Well, looks like to survive journalism must adapt. Kinda like JustSON. Welcome to the future.

WASHINGTON -- In some ways, the Seattle P-I is one of the best testbeds the country's got going for what local journalism will look like after the city paper takes its inevitable place behind the glass case at the Smithsonian.

The paper, formerly the beta daily in a two-newspaper town, ended its 146-year print run in March, a victim of declining circulations and the spare economics of digital advertising.

The paper, though eulogized thoroughly, was reborn as a Web-only experiment, a digital news organization pruned from an editorial staff of almost 180 down to about 20.

"It's an adventure," said Monica Guzman, who carriers the title of "news gatherer" at the online-only incarnation of the Seattle P.I.

That title refers to the diversified role of what old-media types knew as reporters. Now, Guzman says everyone on staff does everything. Next Saturday, she'll take a turn at the production shift, leaving her in charge of managing the Web site. All writers are to be trained how to use a camera, to ease the load of the one full-time photographer on the P-I's staff.

"There's this acknowledgment that reporting isn't just reporting in the traditional sense," Guzman said this afternoon at the Gov 2.0 Summit. The event, co-hosted by O'Reilly Media and TechWeb, focuses principally on government and technology, but justified the panel on the future of journalism for the civic good that investigative reporters sometimes provide.

As a "news gatherer," Guzman said she is often cast in the role of facilitator, marshalling the verve of bloggers and citizen journalists by doing things like packing the P-I's site with raw government data that leads to a wellspring of fact-based reporting and commentary, much of it of the hyper-local variety.

"Any time we put up a database online, it just takes off," she said.

So, given the tools, time and inclination, anyone can be an investigative reporter of the sort that helps keep civil servants honest?

Well, it's an experiment. Seattle, Guzman readily admitted, is blessed with a comparatively tech-savvy population that has spawned a vibrant blogging culture. The way she tells it, they're getting street cred in the halls of power. Whereas a couple years ago, press passes for new media types were hard to come by and the desk sergeant might not have given a blogger the time of day, in Seattle of 2009 it's "bad news" for the officials who don't work with the blogging community, Guzman said.

Some of them are even making money, farming out paid assignments, she said.

Enough to shine a light on City Hall, to avoid the descent into the golden age of corruption that David Simon darkly warned a Senate panel about back in May?

Too early to tell. But it's hard to argue that Seattle isn't better off for the online P-I and its burgeoning courtship with the local bloggers. So the experiment continues.

Epic Video: Always play to the whistle

Fast-forward to 1:10. Watch the great catch and then the field goal attempt. After the field goal try, watch a terrible error that cost the player's team the game.

Also, this has got to be the most over the top TV guy. He's terrible.

Best. Seahawks Jersey. Ever.

Thank you Deadspin.

Epic Video: I want to see Ric Flair in a cage match with Charlie Weis

Where's Stone Cold Steve Austin when you need him?

Dangerous... hehehe.... man in Spokane

Found this on Huckleberries, God Bless that blog.

The FBI is looking for this man, who robbed the INB bank branch at Hawthorne Road and Nevada Street at gunpoint Tuesday. Officials say the suspect tied up bank employees with duct tape during the robbery. Dangerous

Oh man, only in Spokane. (That is not Casey by the way).

What a Tuel

At WSU, they like to gently work young talent along and develop them until they're absolutely ready.

That's why true freshman Jeff Tuel got thrown to the wolves against USC last week and will hopping from the frying pan into the fire against Oregon at Autzen Stadium this weekend.

No pressure, kid.

Actually from what we saw from Tuel against USC, this might be the spark that the Cougars are looking for. Not this season. Seriously? You think there's any hope whatsoever for this season? What Cougar-shine have you been drinking? We're talking about the future. Hope you brought your time machine.

Paul Wulff developed Erik Meyer and Matt Nichols at Eastern Washington, both throwing them out on the field early in their collegiate career. They may not win this year, but Wulff knows how to turn these young guys into eventual winners.

Say hello to the the start of the Jeff Tuel era.

Epic Video: Fall Season Lineup

Fall is here. And with fall comes the new season of television. Check out this promo for the new shows on ABC.

P.S. See if you can find Tony Danza with Who's the Boss?

Yep

These are the uniforms Brandon prefers to the Seahawks green ones.

Ugh.

Casey, these jerseys are disgusting. What were you thinking?

Don't leave your plane on the street corner

Apparently somebody lost something...

Boundary County Sheriff’s deputies and U.S. Border Patrol agents are working together Tuesday to search for a stolen airplane. According to Airport Manager Dave Parker, a Cessna 182 was stolen overnight from the Boundary County Airport in Bonners Ferry.

Boy i hate when you leave you plane alone for one minute and somebody steals it. Now where are the thieves going to land, because don't you think somebody would notice a stolen airplane?

Epic Photo: Whoops Bob! It appears to be broken

"Hey! Something appears to be wrong down here."

The funny thing is, these broken water mains in LA may be because of a water rationing measure.

Since Sept. 1, there have been 43 breaks that have flooded or damaged streets, compared with 21 in September 2008, 17 in September 2007 and 13 in September 2006.

The rash of blowouts began in June, when a new drought-induced water policy went into effect, a circumstance leading outside engineers and analysts to question whether water restrictions are contributing to the problem.

Under the policy, residents are permitted to water their lawns only on Monday and Thursday, causing a surge in water flow those days that may be taxing the system, said Richard G. Little, a policy analyst at the University of Southern California who studies public infrastructure. “I am one person who thinks there is something odd going on here,” Mr. Little said.

Local government appears to be working all cylinders! Naturally they wouldn't assume everyone would try and water their lawns on the same day that they were allowed to. Who would of thunk it?!

Maybe the Spokane City Council aren't the only dummies in America...

Shock members of new arena football league

Arena Football has been resurrected, say hello to Arena Football 1...

Tulsa, OK: Arena Football 1 was officially introduced this afternoon at a press conference held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With this announcement, it is assured, the game Jim Foster invented will be competitive and above all fan friendly. Long serving arena football executive Jerry Kurz was introduced as Commissioner of the newly created league that will unite former AFL, af2 and other indoor football teams under the Arena Football 1 banner.

As of right now three markets from the AFL will be business: Chicago, Phoenix and Orlando. One of the smaller markets will be none another than Spokane, meaning the dream of the Shock becoming an AFL team has kind of come true.

While I'm assuming there will be some sort of tier system, here's the other markets they'll have in the AF1.

The initial sixteen teams and their respective markets are: Arizona, Arkansas, Bossier-Shreveport, Central Valley (Fresno, California), Chicago, Iowa, Jacksonville, Kentucky, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Spokane, Tennessee Valley (Alabama), Tri-Cities Washington, Tulsa, Utah (Salt Lake City). Additional teams will be announced by October 9th.

Wait a minute! Tri-Cities gets an AF1 team? Weren't they like the worst market/team in the af2? Oh boy... let's hope they're put in Tier 2 and ran out of the league in a year or so.

Epic Video: Brandon's favorite song

Here's one of Brandon's favorite song. Whenever it's on, he dances to it.

The Big Sky Conference is in Montana's jockstrap

I hate the Big Sky Conference. It might as well be called the "We love Montana" conference because I swear the Grizzlies run the league office. After having one of the best performances in the nation, EWU running back Taiwan Jones has to share honors with two other Big Sky Players...

In a rarity, the league has selected tri-Players of the Week on Offense with Montana quarterback Andrew Selle, Weber State QB Cameron Higgins and Eastern Washington running back Taiwan Jones all sharing the honor. For the second straight week, Eastern Washington linebacker J.C. Sherritt is the Defensive Player of the Week. Portland State’s Aaron Woods is the Special Teams Player of the Week.

Jones has 190 yard on just 15 carries and 4 touchdowns. That's Barry Sanders numbers right there. Meanwhile Selle and Higgins both had good performances under center but their numbers are something that happen every weekend by a QB in the Big Sky Conference. Jones' running numbers are something of a rarity.

He scored on nearly a THIRD of his carries.

Ridiculous Big Sky Conference, don't even try and pretend you're a real league office.

Area high school football player dies due to head injury

This sucks in the worst possible way...

A 17-year-old high school football player from Spokane died after suffering a head injury during a game Friday night.

Andrew “Drew” Fremont Swank, a junior at Valley Christian School, was pronounced dead at 9:42 p.m. Sunday, according to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Swank was a star player for the school’s football program, which began in fall 2007, according to news archives. The team was playing Washtucna High School at Washtucna, south of Ritzville.

Several kids die each year playing high school football, and i remember recently hearing about a high school coach being put on trial after one of his players died from heat exhaustion. While risk is inherit with the game of football, you hate to see this sort of thing and this should be a reminder to everyone how vigilant everyone has to be about the game of football.

From manufacturers of the football equipment, to the designers that are coming up with "concussion-proof" helmets, to the coaches being very careful about head injuries and teaching the players to tackle properly, to the emergency response and trainers at the actual games making to proper diagnosis.

One thing that really irks me about high school football is when coaches send players back into the game when they're a little hazy after a big hit. After seeing some high school coaches be very, very careful about their players and respecting their health over the results of the team, it only makes the other "coaches" that couldn't care less about a high school students condition seem worse than the scum at the bottom of the locker room showers.

I'm not saying this has anything to do with this death, but Swank's passing should be another wake up call for people around the country.

Why there has been no baseball posts

Just to calm down all you baseball fans out there...

The reason I haven't been posting about the Mariners and Red Sox lately has been the simple fact that the season for both of these teams has basically been decided. Seattle is not going to the playoffs but have posted a very impressive season - all things considered. However there really hasn't been anything of note to write about them in a while, unless Felix wins the Cy Young.

The Red Sox are pretty much in the playoffs via wildcard, and even though they got swept by the Yankees this weekend it was essentially a meaningless series since both teams are headed in the postseason. Sure the Sox maaaay have closed the gap on the Yankees in the divisional race and with some luck maaaaay have won the AL East Division (we're talking a lot of luck and a Yankee meltdown), realistically that wasn't going to happen. Better to be resting your guys and playing relaxed the rest of the season instead of pushing for the divisional crown.

So once the postseason kicks up, I'll be posting about the MLB again.

Epic Photo: Apparently, he's from Green Bay

Thank you, Deadspin.

What I learned about the NFL this weekend

1. Kurt Warner plays like he's being controlled by a Madden player that's drunk, passed out, in a food coma and slobbering all over the controller.

2. Indy Coach Jim Caldwell is a good coach, but he also thanks God every night that he has Peyton Manning under center. Art Shell could win with that guy.

3. NBC has got to do away with the tape delay during the halftime interviews. Watching Bob Costas and Rex Ryan awkwardly talk over one another and then stare at one another was just horrible TV. It's 2009, Ryan may be thousands of miles away but if I can text somebody in Boston, NBC should sure as hell be able to get him the real-time audio.

4. Rex Ryan has no chin.


5. That is the worst sight ever for Seahawks fans. Seneca Wallace can't win as QB, and those are the most gawd-awful jerseys ever.

6. Michael Vick apparently was expecting to be a starting quarterback by now. And everyone else was expecting Vick to produce more than seven yards of offense by now.

7. Despite every media outlet in the country writing off the New England Patriots... yep... they're still good.


8. Do we really have to go here? The Titans are 0-3. CRAP!

Green didn't mean win

Sadly the green jerseys weren't enough for a win today.

I think they looked awesome though. Although the one I bought in the off-season has blue numbers with white trim, which I think look better.

Also, I heard that the bright green burned out Brandon's eyes. Poor guy.

Top 25 Poll after Week 4

After a flurry of upsets yesterday, we've got some shake-ups in the Top 25 Poll. I'll spell it out for you...

1	Florida (55)	4-0	1490
2	Texas (1)	4-0	1420
3	Alabama (4)	4-0	1400
4	LSU	4-0	1225
5	Boise State	4-0	1203
6	Virginia Tech	3-1	1190
7	USC	3-1	998
8	Oklahoma	2-1	979
9	Ohio State	3-1	957
10	Cincinnati	4-0	946
11	TCU	3-0	896
12	Houston	3-0	844
13	Iowa	4-0	788
14	Oklahoma State	3-1	591
15	Penn State	3-1	470
17	Miami (FL)	2-1	452
18	Kansas	4-0	418
18	Georgia	3-1	418
20	Brigham Young	3-1	349
21	Mississippi	2-1	340
22	Michigan	4-0	271
23	Nebraska	3-1	256
24	California	3-1	206
25	Georgia Tech	3-1	185

That's right, Boise State is the No. 5 team in the country. The same Boise State from the little ol' WAC. The same Boise State that the Idaho Vandals love to hate. Judging from the Broncos' CAKE schedule for the rest of the season, they could move up further in the rankings if anyone above them tumbles (most likely, since they are in bigger, tougher conferences).

And this also highlights how unfair it is to these big conference schools sometimes because they do have to play tougher games that these smaller schools (who always complain about not getting a fair shot at the national title, but load their schedule up with UC-Davis) and have more stumbling blocks to overcome.

Example, Hawaii a few years ago. Most overrated team. Ever.

College Football Roundup... when are the Cougars going to join the WAC?

#12 USC 27, WSU 6 - Washington State called a time out before time expired so they could score a touchdown and make this game look closer than it actually was. USC bullied WSU until freshman QB Jeff Tuel stepped in for the Crimson and Gray (14-22, 130 yards) and instantly showed that he was the best prospect the Cougs have under center. This guy should have been playing the entire season so far. Bad game for USC, they should have won something like 60-0 if they wanted to show they're still elite, now they have some huge question marks. At least the game produced this humerous photo...

"What's your name? Paul Wulff? Oh! Nice to meet you! Where's the head coach of the Cougars?"

#1 Florida 41, Kentucky 7 - I was watching the History Channel the other day and you know how every other show is something along the lines of "10 ways the world is going to end." Well one of those reasons is Tim Tebow getting injured. When I saw the hit last night on Tebow I screamed "NOOOOOOOO TEBOOOOOWWWWWWW!" but was comforted by the image of a 60-year old Gator Fan lady being embraced by a 21-year old male Gator Fan.

See? Tebow's injury can bring us all together.

UTEP 7, #2 Texas 64 - Well at least Mike Price didn't bring any strippers out onto the field.

Iowa 21, #5 Penn State 10 - Penn State was shocked that their athletic department had actually scheduled somebody other than a Div. II school.

#6 Cal 3, Oregon 42 - (Insert Blount sucker punch joke here). ZIIIIING!

#8 Boise State 49, Bowling Green 14 - The color commentary guy on the Bronco's radio network kept saying "and the fans are heading to the exits..." every five minutes, making me wonder if fans kept coming back in and leaving, or they had homeless people that wandered into the stadium looking for food and decided they'd rather go hungry than watch Bowling Green.

Texas Tech 28, #17 Houston 29 - I know what you're thinking... who the hell is Houston? Ladies and Gentlemen, Conference USA! Admitting random schools since the Big East raided their charter members.

Idaho 34, Northern Illinois 31 - The Vandals are the best football team in the state of Washington.

#24 Washington 14, Stanford 34 - Well there goes that flukish Top 25 rating.

Hasselbeck confirms green jerseys

Matt Hasselbeck confirmed that the Seahawks will be wearing green jerseys tomorrow.

Here's what his Twitter page said:

"Nate Burleson & Co. going green tomorrow (you saw it here first)"

He also attached the picture to the left of Nate showing off the new uniforms.

AWESOME!!!!

Uniforms that Casey also likes

Scroll down on this blog and you'll see Casey is freaking out over the Seahawks wearing their bright green jerseys tomorrow (sigh, what a disaster). While I think the Sounders look good in the Rave green jerseys for soccer, these kind of super bright colors don't belong on a football field.

I know I'm not the only one that hates the bright greens, and I know Casey is the only one that likes them... because he likes these uniforms too...







I rest my case.

Seahawks to debut green jerseys

I was watching ESPN this morning when Chris Berman was talking about the NFL games. He picked the Seahawks to beat the Bears on Sunday 20-19.

After that, he also said that the Seattle Seahawks would be debuting green uniforms for this game. I'm not sure if they'll look like the one pictured to the right or not, but he did say they were an 80's style retro uniform. So I have no idea.

I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

I believe that the Hawks would be wearing green thanks to the Sounders FC. The Seahawks have seen the overwhelming support the lime green (rave green actually) color of jerseys for the Sounders have. And nothing is cooler than going to Qwest Field for a Sounders FC game and seeing a lime green stadium. It rocks.

If you follow JustSON, then you know our thoughts on the green Seahawk jersey pictured here.

I love them. In fact, I own one. And I love wearing it around on gameday because I stand out.

Brandon on the other hand hates them. He would rather be forced to wear a pink Hello Kitty dress through downtown Spokane than the green jersey. (And I'm not saying he hasn't)

And that's what we want to know. What are you're thoughts Seahawk fans on a green jersey? Love it, hate it. We want to hear about it!

Things that are bigger underdogs than the WSU Cougars

The Cougars are 45-point underdogs today against the University of Southern California, meaning that the Trojans are more likely to lose against a collection of tackle dummies than Washington State University athletes.

However, things could be worse, I've come up with a list of underdogs more hopeless than the WSU Cougars.

Poland VS Germany, 1939 - The Polish had horses, the Germans had tanks.

A seagull VS a black hole - The bright side on this is that perhaps the black hole is some sort of portal to a seagull heavan where it's just one big park populated with old people handing out bread crumbs.

A 40-year old man VS Male pattern baldness - Ask Karl Malone. This is a hopeless fight.

VHS VS DVD - Think of it this way, how many VHS tapes have you bought in the last five years.

Pedophile VS Chris Hansen - On Dateline, Hansen lays down the law against Chi-mos. WSU will be shoved to the ground and handcuffed in the very same way.

Dogs VS Michael Vick - Oh wait, too soon?

I've noticed something

Have you ever noticed that Gargamel, the sworn enemy of the smurfs...


Looks like a certain M*A*S*H corporal...

I'm not saying, but I'm saying... apparently Clinger had some time off on Saturday mornings and he used it to terrorize the Smurfs. Bastard.

Epic Photo: Ticket to Ride

Well you won't forget that Green Day concert you went to, and neither will your kids.

Epic Video: It's the WEEKEND

Heck yeah! Time to get wild and crazy. Like these guys.

Epic Photo: Every NFL player should wear these instead of helmets

Thank you Sheldon Brown for doing something AWESOME during pregame intros for the Eagles. However, the NFL did fine him $10,000 because they're super lame and all-powerful.

I haven't been this impressed since somebody wore a Ryan Leaf mask and carried prescription drugs around before pregame intros... okay, just kidding, that was actually Ryan Leaf himself.

What's wrong with a little props though? The Mariners Bullpen had their helmets from "Gladiator" and Clinton Portis wears a different costume every time he does a press conference.

I mean, NFL, does that not look like the coolest thing ever? Can the man have a little leeway?

The difference between Casey and I

1. Work

CASEY - Works at a successful legal office in Seattle, Wash. wearing business casual clothing.

BRANDON - Roams the streets of Spokane photographing squirrels and selling them for rent money.

2. Television

CASEY - Casey enjoys Man vs. Wild, and was actually almost on TV himself as a reality TV star.

BRANDON - Enjoys Man vs. Food, and was almost on The People's Court and Maury.

3. Exercise

CASEY - Likes to take 8 mile hikes on the weekend.

BRANDON - Likes 8 frozen pizzas during the weekend.

4. Relationships

CASEY - is engaged.

BRANDON - has a restraining order against him.

5. Drug Use

CASEY - Flintstone vitamins.

BRANDON - Did you know you could huff Whip Cream?

6. Favorite Photo

CASEY -


BRANDON -

Epic Video: Parks and Recreation

Watched this tonight. It's a lot like The Office. And it's pretty darn funny.

From the People Who Brought You the Office, Starring Amy Poehler! Thursdays at 8:30/7:30c on NBC!

Epic Video: David Caruso one-liners

Here's a montage of CSI:Miami (aka the worst show on television) one liners by David Caruso. It highlights basically how this show is a steaming pile of dog crap.

"Maybe...I'm the worst actor in ... the world"

"YEAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Should the Seahawks have drafted Mark Sanchez?

With the emergence of Mark Sanchez as the next coming of Joe Flacco, the Seattle Times ran this column asking the question about the Seahawks picking linebacker Aaron Curry in this year's draft as opposed to the USC quarterback.

Matt Hasselbeck is down, Mark Sanchez is up, and Aaron Curry is all over the place. Knee-jerk reaction: The Seahawks should've drafted Sanchez.

Well, thank Lombardi the knee jerks don't rule the game. It's a pertinent thought to wonder whether the Seahawks were right to choose Curry, a future star linebacker, over Sanchez, a potential franchise quarterback, in last April's draft.

It's worthy of re-examination. But ultimately it's a fruitless pondering because you can't make revisions in hindsight, and besides, the Seahawks made the right choice, at least in this scribe's estimation. Amazing how one hit, one broken rib, can nullify months of sanity. Hasselbeck took the hit trying to score a touchdown, felt the pain, and now for the third time in four seasons, he's out with a worrisome injury.

We could run around in circles all day in retrospect as this columnist is doing (he doesn't want to make an opinion in an opinion article). But instead of listening to this paid guy who obviously can't actually say anything with 800 words, I'll rely on public opinion. Seahawks fans I have to ask you this...

Would you rather have Mark Sanchez under center right now?

Epic Photo: Road Sign in Montana

No joke, actually taken in the state of Montana. Sometimes these guys make it much too easy.

Thanks Keenan for sharing this photo with all of us.

Epic Video: Sherlock Holmes trailer

This show looks amazing. I'll see in the theaters. That's for sure.

Plot Summary: In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, "Sherlock Holmes" sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Giant squid

I am fascinated by all the unknown. Big Foot, yeti, Nessie, all that type of stuff.

And I think it's awesome when people come across things like giant squids. Since they fall in the cryptozoology area.

Check out this article of a giant squid that was caught off the coast of Louisiana.

You can buy Bumblebee!

Saw this over on superherohype.com today:

Reuters reports that Megan Fox's black leather motorcycle costume, a 17-foot-tall robot and more than 100 other props, costumes and set pieces from the "Transformers" movie franchise are going up for auction near Los Angeles next month:

Auctioneer Profiles in History said it expected the 3,200 pound (1.45 ton) Hero Bumblebee robot from the first movie in 2007 to fetch $60,000 to $80,000 at the Oct 8-9 auction.

The disassembled robot is currently stored in boxes. All the items were consigned by the films' Viacom Inc-owned distributor, Paramount Pictures, and their director, Michael Bay.

Bids can be placed in person at the auction in Calabasas, outside Los Angeles, by phone or live on the Internet.

Epic Video: New Man vs. Wild tonight

Tonight is a special Man vs. Wild. It's called "The Inside Story." It's supposed be more about the show from the crew's perspective. Looks awesome.

Shackleford out as head coach of the Spokane Shock

Huge news from the Lilac City if you're an arena football fan. Coach Shackleford - who took the Spokane Shock to two Arena Cups and won one of them - is out as coach. He will be replaced by former Shock player and assistant coach Rob Keefe.

Adam Shackleford is out as head coach of the Spokane Shock and he will be replaced by former Shock standout Rob Keefe, The Spokesman-Review has learned.

The Shock, who are on the verge of moving into a new league that is expected to compete at the highest level of arena football, issued a press release late Wednesday morning announcing Shackleford won’t be back for a fourth season as head coach. Spokane went 19-1 in Shackleford’s final season, winning the ArenaCup title last month in Las Vegas.

“We really gave ‘Shack’ a month to get off the (ArenaCup) championship and come back down and get ready for next season,” Shock majority owner Brady Nelson said. “Unfortunately we didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy the championship because we know we’re playing in this new league and it’s going to take another level or commitment and work.

“The more and more we started working toward our goals, the more we felt we wanted to go in a different direction.”

Shackleford was disappointed with ownership’s decision.

“I wanted to be here, I planned on being here and was still working hard, and I was fired,” said Shackleford, who coached Spokane to three division championships, two conference championships and one ArenaCup title in three seasons. “I don’t want anybody to think this is what I wanted.”

I'm not going to jump to any conclusions here without any facts, but the news itself is very stunning since he won the Arena Cup Championship last year. Wow.

Russia invades the NBA

Russian Billionaires as sports team owners add the possibility of foul play. European soccer has had the dynamic and guess what? The NBA will be jumping into the "we have no idea what the hell this guy is going to do" zone. Mob hits on Lebron? Vodka swilling cheerleaders?

Awesome....

NEW YORK -- Russia's richest man has a deal to buy a controlling interest in the New Jersey Nets and nearly half of a project to build a new arena in Brooklyn.

Mikhail Prokhorov's Onexim Group announced the deal Wednesday with Forest City Ratner Companies and Nets Sports and Entertainment. They say they have signed a letter of intent to create a partnership for the development of the Atlantic Yards Project.

According to the agreement, entities to be formed by Onexim Group will invest $200 million and make certain funding commitments to acquire 80 percent of the NBA team, 45 percent of the arena project and the right to purchase up to 20 percent of the Atlantic Yards Development Company, which will develop the non-arena real estate.

Prokhorov would be the first non-North American NBA owner.

NBA commissioner David Stern praised the move, saying it will help the NBA expand globally and ensures that the Nets, whose current principal owner is Bruce Ratner, will have a new arena.

Some people may say that I'm being a close-minded American, but who cares?!?! It's fun to make fun of the Russians. I'm sure they do the same thing.

Seahawk fans, get ready for a season of crappy run defense

Not only did the Seahawks lose last Sunday to the 49ers 23-10 but Frank Gore ran all over them, which is a huge problem. If you want to be successful in the NFL, you've got to be able to stop the run otherwise your offense may never see the ball. However when Seattle gives up a lot of yards to a back, it's usually a bad omen for the rest of the season.

Stopping Gore was Seattle's priority one, two and three, which made the fact the Seahawks failed to get so much as a hand on Gore on those two plays even worse.

"We had too many except-for plays," Mora said. "Like, Frank Gore. We did a good job on him in the run game, except for two plays."

Diagnosing what went wrong on those two plays is easier than discerning exactly what they mean. Is it possible to iron out the deficiencies in the run defense with a little bit of instruction and a lot more discipline?

Well, the Seahawks' history says this just might be the sign of things to come.

Gore finished with 207 yards, the fifth time an opponent has run for more 200 yards in a game against the Seahawks.

The good news? Seattle has never allowed more than 200 yards rushing in two different games in any season. The bad news? In those five seasons that Seattle gave up a two C-note ground game, the Seahawks never finished higher than 21st in the league in rush defense.

So don't expect them to stop anyone on the ground this season. We saw on Monday Night how the Wildcat offense and a well-balanced running attack could keep Peyton Manning off the field for three quarters (but he only needs like two plays to score), now imagine that being implemented against the Seahawks. If you can't stop the run, teams will just bleed you for eight minute drives until your defense cracks.

Get worried Seattle fans, get worried.

Epic Photo: This Seahawks fan is probably a virgin

Gosh great day for photos! Found this on Deadspin.

Epic Photo: Dust Storms in Sydney

Apparently there's been some dust storms over Sydney, Australia, making everything look red from the dust in the atmosphere. Check these out...



Wow, that's unreal!

Epic Video: Gooby

Man oh man.

They would have been better off making a Calvin and Hobbes video. This is the same idea anyway.

Epic Photo: If Brandon and Casey were Gator fans

Yep.

Standing room only at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium

$29 for this view...



What a joke!

Found this on Deadspin.

The Wildcat works, the 2-minute drill doesn't

There's been a lot of hype around the Wildcat offense that the Dolphins use and there's also been a lot of detractors. Even though Miami lost last night 27-23 to Indianapolis, NFL coaches should look at the following...

Time of Possession

COLTS
14:53

DOLPHINS
45:07

If Peyton Manning is not involved in this game, the Dolphins win it. The Wildcat works, Tony Sparano's two minute offense doesn't. But everyone tomorrow is going to say "See! The Dolphins' offense doesn't work," which is completely wrong.

Peyton Manning was on the field in the third quarter for THREE PLAYS. That essentially takes him out of the game. This is what Bill Parcells (who's not coaching, but watching from a high perch in Land Shark Stadium) use to do with his Giants teams - eat up the clock and not let the other offense out on the field (hence, they can't score).

The genius of the Dolphins offense is that they don't use the Wildcat every play, they mix in mostly traditional plays and then occasionally have somebody other than Chad Pennington take the snap. They have the right personnel for the system (a stable of good running backs and West Virginia's former QB Pat White to also take snaps) and they implement it right. It's a very efficient system and had Manning not connecting on some long passes, we're looking at a different outcome.

Since this is a copy-cat league I'd like to see other teams implement it as well and have the right people in place. Jim Mora Jr. from Seattle should be taking notes right now since it seems Seneca Wallace may have to take more snaps for the Seahawks this season.

Sounders FC and the postseason

Here's an interesting reaction by Seattle Times beat reporter Jose Romero after the Sounders tied with Chivas USA on Saturday...

Six draws at home. They could be losses I suppose.

Just another frustrating result at home and I could hear it in everyone's voices. Want to clarify one thing: Brad Evans said that maybe he should have gone down earlier when talking about the takedown in the box that wasn't called late in the game and maybe he would have gotten a PK. He did go on to say that he isn't one to just go down in the box unless someone is impeding his progress.

At this point it is still very difficult to say which teams will get into the playoffs. I'd put money on Houston, but everything else is up in the air. It's clear though that a Seattle win today would have really helped its chances, and now Sounders FC has to get it done on the road.

Seattle outshot Chivas USA 12-4. The Sounders also finished with a 10-3 advantage in corner kicks. That's dominance and a very winnable game.

Eight cards were issued.

The attendance (32,710 in some drizzle) was the largest for a Seattle home MLS match this season. Impressive when you consider the UW game and a Mariners game on the same day, UW game at same time.

Apparently you can't tie yourself to the playoff and while currently sitting third in the Western Conference, nothing is guaranteed since the teams below the Sounders FC have played fewer games. These last four games are going to be huge for the team. Time to start biting your knuckles....

Epic Photo: Here's a reason boxing is a joke

Mayweather's skin starts to crawl once Kellerman calls him on his crap, and then things really start to get interesting about two minutes into the video. What a circus, it was like a bad WWE skit.



Found this on Deadspin.

The College Football Top 25

Tim Tebow, you look happy and sorta like a douche in this photo. Anyways... here is the Top 25 in college football...

1	Florida (55)	3-0	1488	1
2	Texas (2)	3-0	1428	2
3	Alabama (3)	3-0	1390	4
4	Mississippi	2-0	1213	5
5	Penn State	3-0	1212	5
6	California	3-0	1169	8
7	LSU	3-0	1120	9
8	Boise State	3-0	1038	10
9	Miami (FL)	2-0	920	20
10	Oklahoma	2-1	862	12
11	Virginia Tech	2-1	852	13
12	USC	2-1	825	3
13	Ohio State	2-1	810	11
14	Cincinnati	3-0	739	17
15	TCU	2-0	674	15
16	Oklahoma State	2-1	478	16
17	Houston	2-0	455	21
18	Florida State	2-1	363	NR
19	Brigham Young	2-1	349	7
20	Kansas	3-0	347	22
21	Georgia	2-1	318	23
22	North Carolina	3-0	271	24
23	Michigan	3-0	247	25
24	Washington	2-1	194	NR
25	Nebraska	2-1	132	19

Wait a minute? Washington at 24? That's got to be the most knee jerk reaction in college polling I've ever seen. They beat Idaho and a USC team that overlooked them. Maybe if they won another Pac-10 game or two... but to go from 0-12 to ranked in country is just ridiculous. Somebody punch Casey before he gets too happy about the Huskies.

If the Cougs win next week will they be in the Top 25 as well? They play USC.

Oh who am I kidding? They'll lose by 80.

Cowboy Stadium too big?

While watching the Dallas Cowboys - New York Giants game last night, a broadcast that turned out to be a three hour infomercial for Jerry Jones thanks to NBC's constant butt kissing. However, it is pretty tough to deny that the new Cowboys Stadium was awesome.

- Players entered through a club/sports bar area in the arena. Can't wait until someone gets a beer poured on them.

- The jumbo tron is massive. This thing is almost indescribable and when people 1,000 years from now talk about the fall of the United States they'll say "it's because these idiot Americans spent millions of dollars on a TV screen instead of health care"

- 105,000 people attended the game - an NFL record.

- George W. Bush and John Madden sat in the same suite and could be seen on NBC talking. I would have paid a large sum to sit in on that nonsense.

This is not just a football stadium but a landmark of Jerry Jones' ego. And while football fans in Dallas will be enjoying the building, they'll pay dearly for it. So will fans across the league.

Why?

By one-upping everyone else in the league, Jerry Jones has made every other stadium in the NFL look like cracker jack box. Remember when Arizona opened their new stadium a few years ago and everyone was all gaga over that? Who's talking about it now? Every other team in the league has built a fairly new stadium or renovated it in the last 10-15 years, but they're not even close to the level of decadence that new Cowboys Stadium has.

So does this give NFL owners the right to start complaining for new stadiums in the next 5-10 years? Remember when the 15-year old Key Arena was suddenly too old to host the Sonics because it didn't have "modern amenities?" Is every football stadium now going to need a jumbo tron bigger than a humpback whale?

And these stadiums aren't built for the fans, they're glorified theme parks designed to take as much money from you the fan as possible.

Over a billion dollars was pumped into this stadium... I hoped the NFL doesn't think other teams and their fan bases will want to do that in their cities in the near future.

Epic Video: New fish found

This is cool!

Epic Photo: Eagles go with black jerseys

And they shutout Northern Colorado 16-0. Pretty good day for the Eags. Now, can anyone tell me how they heck I can get a black jersey?

Friday Night Lights: Saturday Recap

Cascade Christian played Sequim for the final game of the Friday Night Lights edition.

The result:

Cascade Christian 21, Sequim 7

That makes week one of the competition between The Tacoma News Tribune and JustSON.

Results:

TNT: 1-4 JustSON: 2-3

Overall:

TNT: 1-4 JustSON: 2-3

College Football Roundup: Upset Special

#3 USC 13, UW 16 - In the stunner of the century, the Washington Huskies upset the men of Troy in the biggest upset in the history of college football. No joke, ladies and gentlemen as no team has lost 15 of 16 games and then beat a team as highly ranked as Southern California. However, one could say that USC lost the game as much or more than the Huskies won it.

Why am I being such a negative Nancy? Because they still lost to Paul Wulff and the Cougars in the Apple Cup. Yes - these Washington State Cougars...

SMU27, WSU 30 - Remember when the Cougs were routinely ranked in the Top 10 in the country? Now an overtime win against a team that recieved the NCAA death penalty years ago will probably be the only victory they sniff this weekend.

#8 Cal 35, Minnesota 21 - You should always beat a team with these kind of jerseys...

Is this 1932? Did they let Casey pick the colors out? And why do I feel like stopping at a crosswalk when I see these.

Duke 16, #22 Kansas 44 - People actually showed up to this game, thinking they were going to play basketball.

#11 Ohio State 38, Toledo 0 - The Buckeyes were fine since they weren't playing a team from the Pac-10 or in a Bowl game.

Temple 6, #5 Penn State 31 - The Big Ten likes scheduling these monster out of conference opponents don't they? They might all compete for the FCS playoffs as well.

East Carolina 17, #24 North Carolina 31 - For a second there I thought I was looking up a score from the directional school haven of the Big Sky Conference.

Eastern Michigan 17, #25 Michigan 45 - Eastern Michigan is actually located in the student side section in Michigan Stadium.

North Texas 7, #4 Alabama 53 - I'm going to venture a guess and say that North Texas didn't cover the spread.

#18 Utah 24, Oregon 31 -


Utah apparently thought they were playing a "Rollerball" team.

#19 Nebraska 15, #13 Virginia Tech 16 - Funny thing, when they panned to the crowd MICHAEL VICK jerseys were readily visible. America, ladies and gentlemen.

Tennessee 13, #1 Florida 23 - Why does Tim Tebow dress like Ed Harris from "Apollo 13" now?

Florida State 54, #7 BYE WEEK 28 - BCS Spoiler Brigham Young apparently thought they should choke in trap games like the big boys too.

#10 Boise State 51, Fresno State 34 - This game was actually played indoors, on a 50-yard football field.

San Diego State 20, Idaho 34 - Here is how the WAC standings look right now...

Boise St.		1-0	3-0
Idaho		1-0	2-1
Hawaii		0-0	2-1
Fresno St.		0-1	1-2
Louisiana Tech		0-0	1-2
New Mexico St.		0-1	1-2
Nevada		0-0	0-2
San Jose St.		0-0	0-3
Utah St.		0-0	0-2

I'm setting a dumpster on fire when Boise St. plays Idaho, that will be a hell of a game.