Saturday, January 27, 2007

Super Bowl Party: Michelle Nunes, Stacey Burns, And Other Hooter Girls From "Best Damm" Confirmed For Bauer's Pure Rush - Miami



See the party video here!

The Hooter Girls that recently and regularly appear on Fox's "The Best Damn Sports" show are confirmed to appear at the Bauer's Pure Rush - Miami Super Bowl Party. Among them is Michelle Nunes (below), who represents the Hooter's Casino Hotel, Las Vegas, and who won the 2006 Hooter's International Swimsuit Pageant held at the Aladdin Resort.

(Check out our Playboy Super Bowl Party coverage with a click here!)

Michelle Nunes competed against 124 girls from countries throughout the world for $150,000 in cash and prizes.



Stacey Burns is the tall, energetic host of a sports talk radio show on ESPN, a student, and of course a Hooters girl. This San Antonio resident describes herself as a tomboy who loves margaritas and explains that it takes only two drinks to get her hammered, "There’s a great bar in San Antonio that makes them with 75 percent Everclear,” she says.

The Hooters is a chain of 425 restaurants in 46 U.S. states and 19 other countries that targets male customers with an all female waitress staff.

The giant Bauer's Pure Rush Party on February 1st starting at The Havana Club at 200 South Biscayne Boulevard, 55th Floor with a buffet dinner and cigar bar from 8 PM to 10 PM, then moving to Brick's at 66 SW 6th Street at 10 PM and going on to 5 AM, is a collaboration between Baeur's Worldwide Limousines and Pure Rush, with Fox Sports Radio, The Havana Club, and Bricks.

Super Bowl Party: Bauer's Pure Rush - Miami Sexy VIP Party

This giant party on February 1st starting at The Havana Club at 200 South Biscayne Boulevard, 55th Floor with a buffet dinner and cigar bar from 8 PM to 10 PM, then moving to Brick's at 66 SW 6th Street at 10 PM and going on to 5 AM, is a collaboration between Baeur's Worldwide Limousines and Pure Rush, with Fox Sports Radio, The Havana Club, and Bricks. The website is http://www.purerushmiami.bl...

Expected Guests : Troy Aikman, Anquan Boldin, Ray Brown, Luis Castillo, Terrell Davis, Will Demps, Donnie Edwards, Rick Fox, Jeff Garcia, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Ike Hilliard, Dhani Jones, Lennox Lewis, Kenny Mayne, Willie McGinest, Shawne Merriman, Chris Myers, Ephraim Salaam, Richard Seymour, Brandon Short, Osi Umenyiora, Venus Williams, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress, Troy Smith, Rich Eisen, Jeremy Schaap, Trey Wingo, Jesse Palmer.

Just a few celebrities and athletes that have attended Pure Rush parties include... Will Smith Lennox Lewis, Kid Rock, Roger Clemons, Ashton Kutcher, Barry Bonds, Brian McKnight, Carmen Electra, Carson Daly, Charlie O'Connell, Chris Myers, Chris Klein, Daisy Fuentes, David Wells, Emmitt Smith, Gena Lee Nolin, Gillian Barberie, Ian Ziering, Jamal Anderson, Jason Giambi, Jay-Z, Jerry O'Connell, Joe Namath, John Stamos, Jose Conseco, Kirstie Alley, LeAnn Rimes, Magic Johnson, Mark Mulder, Marcus Allen, Marc Anthony, Mariah Carey, MYA, Nelly, Nic Cage, NSync, Patti LaBelle, Paul Pierce, Penelope Cruz, P-Diddy, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Ray Romano, Shannon Elizabeth, SHAQ, Sheryl Crow, Tara Reid, Taylor Dayne, Tom Arnold, Tom Cruise, Rob Schneider, Run DMC, Star Jones, Warren Moon, Wyclef Jean, Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly, Jeff Gordon, Eddie George, Tony Dorsett, Ottis Anderson, Chuck Foreman, MC Hammer, Carl Eller, Thurman Thomas, Ricky Watters ... (less)

Friday, January 26, 2007

Oakland Raiders Cornerback Fabian Washington Happy With Change To Lane Kiffin - SF Chronicle

Raiders turn to fast Lane
REACTION: Oakland players welcome the change
David White, SF Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington has not spoken with Lane Kiffin. He doesn't know the coach's birth date, his philosophies on the vertical offense or exactly how he plans to turn around the worst team since 2003.

Here's what Washington does know: For the last two years, Kiffin held the keys to the juggernaut USC offense, and that alone has Washington pumped to get next season started.

"Hey, I'm excited about it," Washington said Tuesday in a telephone interview from his offseason home in Florida. "I hope he can do just half of what he did at USC with us. For what he's done there, I definitely think he can make it happen for us."

A sampling of players shared Washington's anticipation after Raiders owner Al Davis introduced Kiffin, now the former USC offensive coordinator, as Oakland's head coach at a news conference Tuesday.

Yes, Kiffin is only 31. No, he doesn't have NFL experience beyond one year at an entry-level job in Jacksonville, and that was seven years ago.

What Kiffin does have is six years of success working with Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. His time spent with the Hollywood blockbuster known as USC football is buying a lot of advance cred among players.

"I don't care how old he is," Raiders center Jake Grove said. "I just want to win. Mr. Davis thinks that's the one who is going to help us win football games. I'm open to anything.

"Hopefully, he can help bring us back to where we're winning football games again and competing for Super Bowls."

If it seems as if Kiffin is being accepted with no concerns voiced, it's because the players, like many fans, are to the point where they will give someone -- anyone -- a chance to awaken the Raiders from their extended catatonic state.

Today's players don't go on about the rich history of Raiders football, like Davis did during his news conference. They grumble about going 2-14 last season and losing an NFL-worst 49 games in four years.

They clearly are weary of all the losing. If it takes hiring a college assistant who's the youngest coach in the NFL, and the youngest in franchise history, whatever.

If anything, Washington thinks Kiffin's age will help him work with today's players in ways former coach Art Shell, 60, couldn't in his only season back with the team.

"I think he'll be able to relate more with us," said Washington, who just finished his second NFL season. "It's going to be good to get some new energy around here. He's young, but he's been coaching at a high level. It's not like they pulled him out of Conference USA."

He's right: Kiffin comes from the Western Athletic Conference.

Kiffin was a reserve quarterback at Fresno State from 1994 through '96. He gave up playing and joined the staff of first-year coach Pat Hill as a student assistant in 1997.

For two years, Kiffin coached players who, in some cases, were older than he. That experience should help with the Raiders, who had nine players on last year's roster who were born before Kiffin. The majority were in elementary school at the same time as their new coach.

"You could tell right away he was real bright, a real sharp guy," Hill said. "He picked up on things real quick. This is great news for him. He's really on the fast track."

Cal coach Jeff Tedford was Kiffin's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Fresno State. When Kiffin began interviewing with the Raiders late last week, Tedford was one of three coaches he called for advice.

Tedford, who has been pursued by various NFL teams since coming to Cal, encouraged him to jump at the opportunity.

"He's always had a bright mind and has always been a very dedicated, hard worker," Tedford said. "I think this is a good decision by both sides."

USC coach Pete Carroll said the same about Kiffin, his choice to replace offensive coordinator Norm Chow two years ago.

Though Kiffin clearly benefited from a roster of All-America players every year, Carroll credited Kiffin with putting USC's talent to best use -- something Davis said he must do with a Raiders roster that got limited production from high-salary offensive players Randy Moss, Jerry Porter, LaMont Jordan and Robert Gallery.

"His ability to get the most out of his players has been obvious," Carroll said. "His expertise and the success he's had with our offense will play to the strengths of the Raiders' personnel. It will be exciting to see it unfold."

"Demote Lane Kiffin Blog" A Harbinger Of A Possible Raiders Future

I found this blog called "Demote Lane Kiffin" and created right after USC's loss to UCLA and aimed squarely and directly at Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin, who's now the Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders. It contains some interesting observations which fly in the face of the Raiders assertion that Kiffin's the right man to fix the offense. Here's a taste:

I agree wholeheartedly will all your views about the lame and unimaginative playing we have seen from USC's offensive side of the ball since Chow left. Kiffin has been outcoached since he has been offensive coordinator but was fortunate to have the talent last year to protect him from criticism. He is very inexperienced and is constantly being stopped by experienced defensive coordinators like we saw against UCLA. Like some coaches said after watching the UCLA game , he made no adjustments what so ever. Did he even think about running some outside screens to the running backs or wide receivers or maybe hmmmm I don't know keeping in more people to block so that Booty could find that mismatches that at WR that USC has?!?!? Yeah , I am upset USC lost but more furious on why we lost, poor coaching on the offensive side of the ball and that is not acceptable. Get rid of Kiffin now and insure that USC will remain a power house defensively and offensively.

And take a look here:

Anonymous said...
Thanks for the perspective, but 9 total points in a game is a little different than 9 total points in a half. Don't forget that the 2 superstars were present against Texas and the same play calling did not get it done-review the Texas game and see for yourself. In contrast, Norm's dissection of the Sooners is more than obvious and his adjustments: apparent. We are not saying fire Kiffin because he is not Norm Chow. Fire him because he is far from competent for this offense-if you don't think so watch the last 2 seasons and see the BS calls he consistently makes. Fire him because he is here based on connections and not talent or experience. Fire him because he has proven he is unable to drive this offensive machine. One side of the experiment has been proven: with Kiffin in control and 2 superstars we could not win a championship. With Kiffin in control and 2 superstars gone we could not win a championship. The formula is simple, superior talent + excellent coaching = success 2003-2004. Superior talent + poor coaching = close games and losses 2005-2006. Most likely, Kiffin is not going anywhere and we shall revisit this next year when Kiffin episode 3 comes to fruition.


And finally...

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Our wishes and dreams have come true! Lane Kiffin, better than being fired, has been HIRED! Thanks to that genius in the Bay Area, Al Davis, the USC faithful no longer have to worry about inept play calling on offense to ruin our chances at another National Championship.

It looks like Steve Sarkisian will be the big man on Offense. I can live with that for now. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully he's learned more from Norm than Lane did about offensive changes and varied playcalling.

Ahhhh, it's a good day to be a Trojan!

On Radio Show, Norm Chow Criticized Lane Kiffin's Play Calling At USC - Orange County Register



This article has not been widely reported, but is worth reading in light of the Raiders hiring of Kiffin as head coach. Note that Chow says that DeWayne Walker, a black coach and the UCLA Defensive Coordinator, dismantled the USC offense. Makes you wonder why the Raiders didn't talk to him rather than select the underqualified Kiffin..

Chow praises UCLA's Walker, criticizes USC's play-calling
USC football notes: Norm Chow takes a small shot at USC's offensive coaches.

By MARK SAXON
The Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES – Former USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow took a shot at the current play-calling tandem of Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian in an appearance on a Southern California radio show Tuesday.
"I know DeWayne Walker may be better than both of those guys," Chow said on KLAC/570. "DeWayne Walker is a heck of a football coach, which is why I wasn't too surprised he did what he did at UCLA."
Chow worked with both Kiffin and Walker at USC in 2001. Walker's UCLA defense largely dismantled the USC offense in a 13-9 Trojans loss early this month.
Kiffin said Chow's words didn't bother him much.
"Obviously, I worked with the guy for four years and DeWayne for a year, but what someone says about you really has nothing to do with how you go about your work every day," Kiffin said.
USC's play-calling was criticized at times this year, never more than after the UCLA loss. Kiffin points out that the Trojans averaged 30.3 points per game after losing Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, plus LenDale White, an NFL tight end and three starting offensive linemen.
USC was third in the conference in scoring behind Cal and Oregon. The Trojans had the same number of turnovers as in 2005 and two fewer sacks.
"I feel very proud of these players," Kiffin said.
GRIFFEN COMMITS
USC's biggest recruiting commitment so far this year might have come Wednesday, when Avondale, Ariz., defensive end Everson Griffen announced he would attend USC instead of Michigan or Notre Dame. Both Kiffin and Coach Pete Carroll had visited Griffen, and the coaches made the 6-foot-4, 265-pound athlete their top priority.
Some USC coaches think Griffen is the best player they have yet recruited. The Trojans are working on four consecutive highly ranked classes. Griffen ran the 40 in 4.55 seconds.
USC also has a commitment from Tucson, Ariz., offensive lineman Kristofer O'Dowd, meaning it snatched two top recruits from the back yards of conference rivals Arizona and Arizona State.
NOTES
Freshman safety Antwine Perez has filed paperwork to transfer and has left the team, Carroll said. Perez is back home in New Jersey, and there are reports he is trying to transfer to Minnesota.
Freshman Taylor Mays was picked to start ahead of Perez, who also was blocked by sophomores Kevin Ellison and Mozique McCurtis.
Carroll spoke with both Perez and members of his family.
"He's looking for a better opportunity to play," Carroll said. ...
Mays was wearing a cast on a swollen hand Wednesday and was scheduled to have precautionary X-rays. Carroll said he should be OK. ...
Junior defensive end Lawrence Jackson said his decision to return for his senior year might have been different if he hadn't gone the first eight games of this season without a sack.
"It could have been different, but it didn't happen," Jackson said.

Profootballltalk.com - Did NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Get Involved In Steelers Hiring Of Mike Tomlin?

This comes from Profootballtalk.com. If it's true that Goodell did get involved by suggesting to Rooney that someone like Tomlin be the choice, I so wish hed done that in the case of the Oakland Raiders, who hired the way, way underqualified Lane Kiffin and mainted a kind of affirmative action for young white guys. Notice how none of the white male media types are screaming about this, but they are focusingg on Tomlin?

January 23, 2007

DID STEELERS YANK RUG FROM GRIMM?

As the media continues to try to understand the process that resulted in conflicting reports regarding whether the Steelers would hire Mike Tomlin or Russ Grimm to be the team's next head coach, the hot rumor at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama (where various league types currently are gathered) is that Grimm was indeed offered the job before it went to Tomlin.

As the story goes, the Steelers called Grimm on Saturday and told him not to believe what the media was reporting about Tomlin. Then, the Steelers and Grimm negotiated a contract, and Grimm was told that he could tell his family that he was the guy, which he did.

But then, as the story goes, Commissioner Roger Goodell got involved and suggested to Steelers chairman Dan Rooney that it would be nice if the Steelers would hire one of the minority candidates, given that the Rooney Rule was named after him. Rooney relented.

On Sunday morning, Rooney met with Art II and Kevin Colbert and told them about the decision. Both initially disagreed because a deal had been done with Grimm. But the contract hadn't been signed, and Art II and Colbert deferred to Dan.

Grimm was then told about the decision, and he was obviously pissed. But, to date, he has been discreet regarding his displeasure, presumably because he plans to continue working in the industry that has only 32 job locations. Tomlin was then called on Sunday afternoon, and he was informed that he was the guy.

One source told us that he has been hearing this rumor "all day" in Alabama. Though we're not saying that any of this actually happened, the mere fact that this story is making the rounds at the Senior Bowl is newsworthy, in our opinion.

Especially since the events that transpired on Saturday night and Sunday were so damn bizarre.

Meanwhile, a reader tells us that Mike Prisuta of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has been insisting in radio appearances that his story linking Grimm to the job was on the money. Though we poked fun at Prisuta's predicament on Sunday, it could be that he was right, after all.

Is NY Jets Hall of Famer Curtis Martin Calling it Quits?

Martin's time to go draws near Will He or Won't he?????
BY TOM ROCK
Newsday Staff Writer

January 26, 2007

The question for Curtis Martin now appears to be when rather than if.

The future Hall of Fame running back, who last carried a football for the Jets more than a year ago, has been grappling with his decision to retire since having surgery on his right knee in December 2005. Yesterday, speaking as a recipient of the Thurman Munson Award for excellence in competitive and philanthropic work, Martin made his most definitive statements regarding the end of his playing career.

"I believe that we're going to wait until afterwards so we can sit down and brainstorm on when the best time is for myself and for the team," Martin said, regarding the front office's involvement with the Senior Bowl and Super Bowl. "We'll probably follow up after that. I'm just not really sure right now."

Martin said he is looking forward to broadening his involvement in philanthropic endeavors once he has officially closed the book on his playing career. He said he has put aside 12 to 15 percent of every paycheck he has earned in the NFL for his self-funded foundation that helps the homeless, single mothers, inner-city children and others.

"While I was playing, I wanted to keep football as my focus and do what I could off the field when time permitted," he said. "Now that that moves to the forefront and football seems to be somewhat behind me, I believe you'll see more of what I've been doing and what I am planning to do."

On Tuesday he will accept the Munson award along with Patrick Ewing, Carlos Delgado, Rich Gossage and Mike Mussina.

Martin ran for 14,101 yards, fourth most in NFL history. He spent the past season on the physically unable to perform list. Earlier this month, Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said Martin is projected to be on the 2007 roster when the league year begins from a salary-cap and contract standpoint, so a retirement announcement might not come until then.

And my Slant:
So why All the Hush Hush "were gonna wait" line? We Knew at the end of July 2006 that Curtis probably wasn't coming back, regardless of my Posts from that time frame, and what he said at that time. We Knew and saw that Curtis could only walk normally with a supportive brace on his knee. At least he has admitted that he won't be suiting up anymore. Hey, the guy is nothing but a class act who will be truly missed on the NY football scene. Hopefully he lands a job on one of the local cable outlets doing Jets Coverage(is anyone at Sports Net NY, Fox Sports NY, or MSG reading this??? GIVE The MAn A JOB(since none of you will give me one!!!!)