Wake Forest (!), Michigan, UC Santa Barbara, Catholic Women's University - Wow. College Athlete Initiation Photos and Stories Hit The Internet

The outing of hazing rituals continues. (That's a tame photo of members of the UC Santa Barbara Women's Lacrosse Team.)

It appears the UC Santa Barbara Lacrosse Women's Lacrosse Team had a great time at their initiation in 2004. How do I know? Because the photos of it are here!

They have something in common with the University of Michigan's Men's Lacrosse Team, but they're a lot tamer.

But Wake Forest's Women's Volleyball Team had a heck of a party this year. It had women bound to a post with colored pencil writing all over their bodies. You can see that page of photos here.

That's a pict of members of the James Madison Women's Club Soccer Team before things got dark -- because of blindfolds.


And Catholic Women's University is anything, but! These women got a male stripper and did some stuff that's -- well, take a look with a click here.

Elon University's Men's Baseball Team seems to think having their guys sport bras and chuck vats of some kind of weird drink -- or maybe it's just beer -- is a cool thing. Take a look here.

Badjocks.com has a full report on all of these activities; it's where I got the links. I found out about all of this while reading the Chicago Sun Times.

What's going on? Well, nothing that's not happened before, with one difference: it can be recorded and reported quickly and easily.

So now, we're seeing the World as it really is.

The New MacBook - In Black!

Well, I've got to get a new MacBook, even though I've got an i-Book G4. It's time for two computers. Besides, it comes in black.
I wonder if Steve Jobs is having a Next flashback? Maybe the next i-Mac will be in the shape of a black cube.

That would be cool.

No, the "2001" Black Monolith would be a better form.

Titans QB Steve McNair Testifies Before Arbirator; Decision On June 1 - AP and NFL Wire

Steve McNair testifies; decision expected by June 1
NFL.com wire reports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 16, 2006) -- An arbitrator heard more than seven hours of testimony on whether the Tennessee Titans breached quarterback Steve McNair's contract by barring him from working out at the team's headquarters.

McNair, who parked his sport utility vehicle in the lot for visitors and not the players' gated area, left the hearing along with agent Bus Cook without making any comment.

Richard Berthelsen, general counsel for the players' union, said arbitrator John Feerick hoped to return a decision by June 1. The union argued that McNair should be allowed to work out or be released.

"Every player has a right, we believe, to be on club property to participate with his teammates. That's the only place where a player is protected in terms of if he's hurt and gets his salary," Berthelsen said.

"For a team to say, 'You can't be on our property because we don't want to have that risk,' then the risk is unfairly shifted to the player."

The Titans want protection from the potential liability of an enormous salary-cap hit if McNair is hurt, or they want a new, cheaper contract to reduce that cap number. The team issued a statement expressing confidence the arbitrator understands the issues in the case.

"We will not issue any further comment on the issue until a decision has been rendered," the statement said.

Negotiations between the Titans and Cook have been nearly nonexistent. Cook worked out a deal with Baltimore last month after being given permission to talk with the Ravens during the NFL draft. A trade fell through when the Titans said Baltimore's offer was insignificant.

The Titans drafted Texas quarterback Vince Young with the No. 3 overall pick.

Berthelsen said McNair testified he would prefer to remain with the Titans until he decides to retire. The 11-year veteran was the NFL's co-MVP in 2003, has won more games for this franchise than any other quarterback and led the Titans to the playoffs in four of five seasons through 2003.

Most of the hearing was spent with the Titans cross-examining McNair about his offseason workout habits, according to Berthelsen.

"It was mainly irrelevant things like, 'You weren't here much in the past, were you? So why do you want to be here now?' But it wasn't really to the point," Berthelsen said.

Asked if the Titans appear to want McNair back, the attorney said:

"It's a pity a player who has meant as much as he has to this franchise being told in his 11th year he can't be on club property, especially since he's under contract. I can't think of a player who's done more for this franchise. It is a shame that things have come to where they've come."

The Titans must either rework McNair's remaining year or release him to create enough salary-cap space to sign their rookies. They traditionally don't begin signing rookies until July.

Both McNair and his agent have said the quarterback is healthy enough to play another three or four years. But he has missed 10 games over the past two seasons because of injury, and the Titans have shown no inclination to take expensive risks with veterans.

Tennessee released Eddie George, the team's all-time leading rusher, in July 2004 only after the running back declined a pay cut and asked to be waived.


AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Fomer Raiders QB Rich Gannon Flies Down To Tampa To Help Coach Jon Gruden With Chris Simms - Tampa Times

Gannon puts hurtful past aside to aid Bucs QBs

By JOANNE KORTH, Tampa Times Staff Writer
Published May 17, 2006

Ex-NFL quarterback Rich Gannon, right, in town to help Bucs quarterbacks, chats with Jon Gruden, his former coach.
TAMPA - Retired quarterback Rich Gannon still hasn't gotten over the beating the Bucs gave his Raiders, and him especially, in Super Bowl XXXVII. Nor has he forgotten the hit by Derrick Brooks that essentially ended his career.

But he's here to help.

Honest.

Gannon, who ran Jon Gruden's version of the west coast offense with precision in Oakland, is spending two days in Tampa tutoring the Bucs' crop of young quarterbacks. Gannon attended meetings and a light practice Tuesday and will do so again today as the team continues with offseason workouts.

"It's good to be here and good to get a chance to work with the quarterbacks a little bit," said Gannon, who played 18 seasons before retiring in August 2005.

"Jon asked me to come down and talk to them a little bit and share some things that have helped me play the position over the years. You pick up valuable tips and keys that can help these guys, I hope. I'm happy to do that."

Gannon has more NFL experience than the five quarterbacks on the Bucs bloated offseason roster combined. Starter Chris Simms, whose father, Phil, was a Super Bowl MVP, values Gannon's insights because Gannon excelled in Gruden's offense.

"It's awesome," Simms said. "If there's anybody who's perfected this offense in the last 15 years, you'd probably say him and Steve Young. It's just tremendous to hear his view on things and I look forward to picking his brain because he has so much to offer."

Gannon, 40, played three seasons under Gruden in Oakland and three under Tampa Bay quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett when Hackett was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City in the 1990s. Those ties were enough to overcome any discomfort he felt being at One Buc Place.

"I walk in the building and there's pictures of me getting sacked in the Super Bowl," Gannon said. "It will always be a sore spot. ... But it's funny, I was just showing Monte Kiffin my notes from the game. I told him it's unfortunate we couldn't get to some of this stuff because of the way the game went."

A journeyman until he signed as a free agent with Oakland, Gannon was an instant success with Gruden. He threw for more than 3,400 yards and went to the Pro Bowl three straight seasons. In 2002, Gannon was named league MVP for leading the Raiders to the Super Bowl, but they were soundly beaten by the Bucs with Gruden on the opposite sideline.

Gannon retired because of a neck injury sustained in a regular-season game against the Bucs in 2004 during a helmet-to-helmet collision with linebacker Brooks. Gannon was scrambling for positive yardage and slid into Brooks. He never played again.

Gannon said he has no intention of reviving his playing career as a veteran backup for the Bucs or in becoming a coach, prefering the schedule of his current job as CBS analyst to an 80-hour work week.

Among the points Gannon is emphasizing with Simms, Luke McCown, Tim Rattay and sixth-round pick Bruce Gradkowski is the importance of staying healthy. A big part of that is knowing when, and how, to scramble, something that made Gannon effective.

"Your biggest value to a football team as a quarterback is lining up under center every Sunday," said Gannon, citing the durability of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Brett Favre. "That's really your value to a football team, to be a consistent performer and be a guy who takes care of himself physically and mentally, a guy who understands not only his strengths but also his limitations."

Impressed with Simms' physical tools, grasp of the system and command of the huddle, Gannon suggested Simms could round out his game by becoming more elusive in the pocket.

"Adding that dimension to his game can certainly help him," Gannon said. "If it's a point of emphasis, something you work on during the offseason, it's usually something you do better with the following season, whether it's taking care of the football, not turning it over, or helping your football team by pulling the ball down on a couple occasions and maybe running for some first downs. That can make him a more complete player."

In sharing insights gained during his 18 NFL seasons, Gannon was glad to return favors to Gruden and Hackett for the positive impacts they had on his career. He drew the line, however, after a rainy morning practice when he was offered dry clothing.

"They tried to slip some Super Bowl stuff on me," he said. "I thought that was a little bit much."

Mike Holmgren Reportedly Commits To Seahawks Through 2008 - Seattle PI

Mike Holmgren deal imminent
He commits to Hawks through '08

By DANNY O'NEIL
SEATTLE P-I REPORTER

Most of the suspense over Mike Holmgren's future was sapped last week when he said he wanted to keep coaching the Seahawks beyond 2006.

The rest will evaporate when the team announces the two-year extension of his coaching contract, which could be as soon as today.

Holmgren and the team agreed to terms of a two-year extension, according to a source. The news was first reported by the Tacoma News Tribune.

Holmgren has one season remaining on the eight-year, $32 million contract he signed to come to Seattle from Green Bay in 1999. The two-year extension goes through 2008. The terms of the extension, including salary and whether there are any exit provisions, were not known late Tuesday.

The deal formalizes what became clear over the course of last week: Holmgren didn't want questions about his coaching future hanging unanswered over the upcoming season. The team already made it clear it would like to extend Holmgren's contract.

Holmgren acknowledged last Thursday he wanted to stay, and by that time his agent, Bob Lamonte, had been to Seattle at least twice to meet with Seahawks officials and do the heavy lifting in negotiating an extension. Lamonte did not return phone messages on Tuesday.

In the months since the Seahawks' Super Bowl loss to Pittsburgh, Holmgren talked to reporters at different points about the process of introspection before deciding his future. He said he had asked the team for a little time to decide on what he wanted.

His short-term plans were never in doubt because he had a year remaining on his contract.

Seattle's regular-season record is 63-49 in Holmgren's seven seasons as head coach. The Seahawks have made the playoffs four times -- including the last three seasons in a row -- and in 2005 set a franchise record for regular-season victories (13) and reached the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.



Holmgren has a 2-4 record in playoff games with the Seahawks.
The question was what he wanted beyond the 2006 season. After all, he came to the Seahawks as the top man in the football food chain. He had the two-pronged job of coach and general manager and the biggest paycheck of any NFL coach.

He lost the general manager's responsibilities after the 2002 season. It was the first demotion of his career and it stung.

In many ways, the 2005 season was a vindication of some of Holmgren's personnel choices as general manager. After all, his handpicked players were the foundation for the league's highest-scoring offense. He traded for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who made the Pro Bowl. He drafted Shaun Alexander, who was named the league's Most Valuable Player, and left guard Steve Hutchinson, who was named to his third Pro Bowl.

At the league's annual owners' meetings in March, Holmgren admitted there was still an itch to try his hand as general manager again. That fueled speculation about whether Holmgren wanted more responsibility than would be possible in his current job. The Seahawks hired Tim Ruskell as president in February 2005.

Holmgren also talked of his wife's hope that the Seahawks would win the Super Bowl, allowing him to ride off on a white horse as the first man to coach two different teams to Super Bowl victories.

Holmgren took the Packers to consecutive Super Bowls after the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Green Bay defeated New England in Super Bowl XXXI, and then lost to Denver in Super Bowl XXXII.

If he stays for the length of the contract extension, Holmgren will get three more chances to return to the Super Bowl.

Layover At OHare Airport

I'm in the O'hare Hilton and it's after midnight. I arrived here from Atlanta, where I was visiting Mom for about over two weeks. Then I needed to get back to Oakland and so thought I could wait stand-by -- big error. I made it as far as Chicago, then got bumped from flight after flight. Maybe the 6:30 AM holds a prayer?

I went to a cool bar that's like walking into a 1940s variety show and speakeasy, and in the Hilton. Poor marketing. The O'Hare Hilton does nothing to sell you on this place. You have to walk in and see it.

So, I sat at the bar with some guys from Canada. They didn't know each other. I was having a great conversation with a guy named Ian. So another guy -- who was pretty drunk -- decides he's gonna by me a glass of wine; I accept (would not say no, unless I'd had too many; this was just one). But after a while, as I'm leaving, he starts into a statement: "Well, I don't care if you're black or white, I like ya. Ya know, black..."

My response was "That's between you and your therapist." I didn't give him time to finish. I just paid my bill -- well I was already in the process of paying it -- got up and left. And no, I didn't have that wine he offered.

Why is it that some white men in bars -- it's happened too many times to avoid the generalization -- have to go into racial conversation after they've had a few? What's up with that? It's really sick. I mean here I was thinking "This is a well-adjusted man," and then....Poof! Not!

I think -- well, let me put it this way: I don't care what the reason is, just put the kabash on it.

It happens way too often and I'm developing a zero-tolerance for it. And if you're white and female and see this and do nothing to stop it, you're no better. This is crazy. If I stopped to list the number of times this has happened -- in detail -- you'd puke. It even happened on the plane ride from Atlanta to Chicago. The guy I was sitting next to was well-meaning, but just launched to a commentary on blacks and interracial dating. Once I causally explained that racism is considered to be a mental illness and why this was, he chilled his words a bit and we were back on a good coversational course..

I was happy I slipped the "therapist" line in. It fit.

EA Sports Sued Over Madden NFL Game Feature - I Know The Person Who Filed The Suit; He Has A Case

I just saw this web information while in search of something else:

"EA sued over Madden feature

Electronics Arts, the world's largest game publisher, is finding itself in a legal battle over one of the features of its popular Madden NFL 06 game. Pernell Harris, owner of Virtual Jam, has sued the game maker over breach of contract and confidentiality violation.

According to Harris, he met with EA in 2003 to discuss some ideas he had concerning a football game titled Heart of a Champion. In the game, players take a high school athlete from the preps to the pros, making sure they get passing grades and even picking their parents to assure an optimum gene pool.

Legal papers flew when Harris noticed some of these features were included in this year's edition of Madden NFL 2006. Harris is seeking unspecified damages, restitution, and lawyer's fees.

EA doesn't seem bothered by the allegations. A company spokesperson told Reuters, "We have read the complaint and the allegations are completely without merit."

Madden NFL 2006 was released in August, and is one of the top-selling games of the year."

Actually, the EA spokesperson is wrong. I know the person who fied suit. In fact, I just wrote about him. He's ex-24 star Pernell Harris.

EA sports isn't taking Harris seriously and I believe it's for a set of reasons that boil down to race and style. Pernell's African American, and not of the style one would associate with a game-making geek. That's less true for me. But the point is that's no reason for EA to doctor the truth, yet that's what they did.

Pernell showed me the evidence EA presents as valid: an email they gave to his attorney that's obviously doctored in such a way that the contents of some email was placed on another sheet of paper, but leaving off the date the email was written and the email adress. This email is suppose to show that the person Pernell talked to who was with EA gave the other staffers some idea but before he met Pernell. But the trouble is the email has no real date on it -- it has a doctored one. Some content was copied onto another sheet of paper, and the paste job is obvious.

In other words, you know what an email looks like when it's printed out. It's got not only the information you need, but all of the other code information, too and a date that doesn't appear in memo form. Microsoft outlook's date stamp doesn't appear as if it were a form letter. This doctored paper does.

EA should be ashamed. They basically think Pernell and his attorney can be had by a simple shop job like that. Fortunately, Pernell has friends who understand how the game works, and -- as a game maker -- I'm one of them.

EA should stop haging with Tiger Woods and pay attention to this case. Pernell has a gripe, and EA's statements to the contrary are without merit. That I can state, because someone in their office is playing fast and loose with the truth.

Stay tuned.

NFL / Disney Collaboration Produces "Invincible" - Video Of Press Conference For Movie

As part of the events for NFL Draft week in New York, a press conference was held at Gustavino's and on "Invincible", a new Disney movie about Vince Papale, a walk-on who became a star for the Philadelphia Eagles. Mark Walburgh (who plays Vince), Papale, Grer Kinnear (who plays Dick Vermiel), and producers Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray (The Rookie) are in this, as are the NFL's head of marketing, Phil Guarascio.

I was part of the media covering this event, and so arrived a bit early. With few people around, I decided to get some scenes of the set up before the press conference. After it, I was able to talk with Guarascio and one of the film's producers, Gordon Gray.

Here's the video:

A Walk In New York From Chelsea Piers To Gustavino's In The Queensborough Bridge

While I was in New York City for the NFL Draft, I decided to take a walk to Gustavino's from the NFL Draft luncheon at Chelsea Piers. Because it was a warm late April day, and I had about 20 blocks to go, I hailed a cab. While in the cab, I spotted some bald guy in a top-down Mercedez driving with a dog almost on the steering wheel. Finally, I got to this neat place called Gustavino's which is built into the base of the Queensborough Bridge.

All of this is on video here:




What I like most about the video is New York City: the noise, the architecture, the feel of the World's Greatest City.

Sen Barbara Boxer Calls For End To NSA Spying Program - Oakland Tribune

Boxer rips into NSA at Mills graduation
Senator says U.S. security agency's phone spying must be halted
By William Brand, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Sunday, May 14th, 2006

OAKLAND — The National Security Agency telephone spying program must be stopped, Sen. Barbara Boxer told graduating students Saturday morning at the Mills College commencement.

"If our government begins spying on our telephone conversations without any reason, then the terrorists have already won — because we will have lost the essence of America. If we allow this to continue ... we will have lost what makes us free," Boxer said.

Later, Boxer, D-California, and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, spoke to reporters about the vast telephone project.

Lee said she intends to introduce a resolution of inquiry in Congress. "We want to know whose phones were involved and we want the administration to give us reasons for that," she said. "The problem is, we justdon't know what the facts are right now and we need answers."

Boxer told reporters that the Senate will have its first opportunity to inquire into the NSA project when Gen. Michael Hayden appears before a Senate committee over his nomination to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

"Gen. Hayden has a lot of questions to answer; we have to be very challenging," Boxer said.

Hayden is believed to be the architect of the operation, which involved searching phone calls made by millions of Americans for patterns relating to terrorists.

Boxer said she believes the operation clearly violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. "People are not allowed to be searched without a proper warrant issued by a judge," she said.

She said she believes if the operation had been taken before a judicial panel for approval, a warrant would not have been granted.

Asked about the Iraq war, Boxer said America needs to withdraw, starting by sending National Guard troops home to their families and jobs. "The fact is, our presence in Iraq now is nonproductive. Our presence is feeding the insurgency."

When you have Iraqis saying it is better that you leave, it is time


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to go, she said.

Boxer, the Mills commencement speaker, drew cheers from the moment she arrived.

Mills President Janet Holmgren awarded her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and noted that Boxer has been a courageous advocate for the rights of women, children and families. "She sponsored the Violence Against Women Act and shepherded it through Congress," she said. "As Democratic chief deputy whip, Ms. Boxer is poised to be the president of the United States, don't you think?"

Graduates — 217 women received bachelor's degrees and 194 men and women received master's and eight were awarded doctorates — stood and cheered.

Boxer, 65, is in her third term in the Senate. She was elected to the Marin County Board of Supervisors in 1977, then served in Congress from 1983 to 1992. She graduated from Brooklyn College in 1962 with a B.A. in economics.

Holmgren told Boxer she would like the Mills podium, which she had shortened so the senator would not have to stand on a box as she often does at speaking engagements. Both Boxer and Holmgren stand 5 feet tall.

She said Boxer demonstrates that if your goal is to change the world and make things better, size is not important.

Lee, a 1973 Mills graduate, introduced Boxer. She noted that when set out to run for the state Assembly in 1989, Boxer backed her strongly when she was unknown.

"If the White House and the administration were run by a woman like Barbara Boxer, we'd be in greater shape than we are today," Lee said.

Reggie Bush's New Orleans Press Conference Reveals How USC Prepared Him For The NFL

What's fascinating to me is the degree to which college football is -- at it's highest levels -- just like pro football in practice, preparation, and schemes. The idea that the NFL is "a whole 'nother level' is fading somewhat, as former NFL coaches from Bill Walsh when he was at Stanford, to Pete Carroll at USC and Bill Callahan and Charlie Weis at Nebraska and Notre Dame are bringing the pro game to the NCAA.

Much of the results of that evolution are evident in this May 13th New Orleans Saints Press Conference, after Bush's first rookie mini-camp.


TRANSCRIPT: Reggie Bush
May 13, 2006, NewOrleansSaints.com
May 13, 2006 – 8:07 pm

Q: Was it your groin that you tweaked today in the first practice?

A: "No it was my hamstring. It is all right. I just tweaked it a little bit stretching, ironically. It will be fine with a couple of days of good rehabbing. It will be fine it is nothing major."

Q: Will you be able to do something tomorrow?

A: "I hope so. I am looking forward to it. I have to talk to the trainers and the coaches and see how they feel and if they want me to or if they don't want me to. As far as I am concerned I am ready to go."

Q: Have you had problems with your hamstring before?

A: "No, not at all."

Q: You did it stretching today?

A: "Yeah I was stretching today and just tweaked it stretching. It was a little weird."

Q: Was it frustrating not being able to go?

A: "Yeah it was it was frustrating sitting out there. I couldn't be in there and I wanted to be in there and just learning."

Q: In the time you were out there practicing. What did you think?

A: "It felt good. I was real happy to be there. I was just happy to be back to football. It has been a while and I was excited to be out there playing football again and it felt good. I was a little rusty but it will come with time."

Q: What do the think the biggest adjustment will be from college football to the NFL?

A: "I don't think there is a major adjustment other than just adjusting to the whole NFL experience. The level and obviously the game play and game speed are different. I think adjusting to that and other than that I think that is it. Just adjusting to that and just preparing myself for the different mentality."

Q: Having won the Heisman Trophy and all of the success at USC and being the number two pick in the draft. Do you think the coaches are going out of their way to make you feel like you are just another rookie?

A: "As far as I am concerned I am just another player. I am just another guy trying to prove myself again. That is the type of person that I am. I always feel like I have something to prove no matter what level it is and no matter what I have accomplished. I am always going to feel like I have something to prove and I think that is where it helps me be successful just keeping that mentality."

Q: What was your impression of how Coach Payton runs practices after going through today?

A: "A lot similar to what Coach Carroll use to do with the way we ran practices at USC. Obviously, Coach Carroll is a former NFL head coach so he has a lot of experience with that. For me it was nothing different it was very similar to the way we ran practices at USC."

Q: Do you think that is an advantage for you?

A: "I think so. Yeah. It is funny you said that because I was thinking it. I feel I had an advantage just being familiar with the way practice was run and the style and the tempo of practice."

Q: How important to you is it to have your contact done and be there for the first day of training camp?

A: "Very important. I told my agent I wanted to be here in camp on time and whatever it takes I want to be in camp on time. I don't want to get caught up in holdouts and things like that. I think it is important to start off on a good foot and a good note and not only with the team but with the city."

Q: How different is the terminology between here and what you had at USC?

A: "It is similar in certain respects in some of the plays and some of the ways they run their schemes are similar, very similar. Obviously some of the terminology is different but I think the scheme and the way they call plays are similar to what we were use to at USC."

Q: What do you think will be the most effective way to use you in this offense?

A: "Coach Payton and I have had a chance to talk and they are planning on using me in similar ways to how I was used at USC, giving me the opportunity to make plays from the receiver position, running back, and returning punts and kicks."

Q: If the league does not allow you to wear number five. Have you chosen another number?

A: "I haven't chosen a number but I am looking forward to it. Obviously I would love to be able to wear number five but if I don't I understand. I know there has been a rule for years before I got to this point and gotten here. It is something that I would like to happen but if it doesn't there is no loss and no worries."

Q: Do you have fall back number or a leader in the clubhouse?

A: "No, not right now."

Q: Is getting a player with your ability more of a challenge for the coaching staff?

A: "I don't think it will be that challenging. Just put me out there and let me make plays. I don't know as far as I am concerned I know the coaching staff is very excited to have me here as well as I am excited to be here and be able to help this team turn this program around and be able to make plays from different spots on the football field."

Q: Today was mostly rudimentary and you were mostly in a one-back set. Do you think that is just the start and they have not even scratched the surface to what they can do with you?

A: "Yeah, definitely we have not even scratched the surface yet with what the coaches are going to do with me in the offense. We are just getting started it is only day one today of minicamp. It is still early, still very early and we still have a lot of stuff to learn and a lot plays to learn and all of the different terminology to learn. It is still early."

Q: What do you make of all of the attention you have received in New Orleans already and do you enjoy it?

A: "I do enjoy it and the way the city has embraced me and welcomed me has been crazy for me. To be here, and like I said I am so excited to be here, from day one since I got here the city and the coaching staff and the player have welcomed me with open arms."

Q: Have you spoken with Deuce McAllister yet? And how do you envision the two of you sharing the ball?

A: "I haven't had a chance to directly speak with him. I know most of the players will be here starting Monday with workouts so I am pretty sure we will get a chance to sit down. I am looking forward to playing with Deuce. I hear he is a great person and a great running back. I have seen him play and I know what he is capable of and like I said I think I can help take some of the pressure off of his shoulders and bring some more fire power to this offense."

Q: Have you spoken to the Hornets Chris Paul? Do you think with the two of you up and comers in each of your leagues help bring some attention to this community?

A: "I haven't had a chance to talk to him but I know a lot about him. I watched him in college and he is a great player and I am a big fan of his."

Q: Is there a ballpark number you are telling your agent to ask for in order to sign a deal?

A: "No, nope, not at all. I haven't told him a particular number. We want to see if we can get the best deal obviously but I know the Saints are more than happy to have me here and we are looking forward to working together and not working against each other."

Q: How deeply involved are you in the negotiations?

A: "We talk very often about the negotiations and how the process is going. The past couple of days I haven't had a chance to talk to him because I have been kind of busy but we talk often about it."

Q: Has there been any progress?

A: "Yeah, I am confident that we will get this contract done on time and as soon as possible and be in camp on time."

Q: Have you had a chance to grasp what you really mean to this city and the rebuilding process? One fan described it as a divine intervention it that a little weird to you?

A: "Yeah, it is a little weird but it is something that I am looking forward to doing. I am looking forward to helping turn this city around and bring something exciting back to this city. Obviously I am aware of all of the devastation that took place here in the last year or so. I am excited about the opportunity to be able to turn this city around and like I said bring some happiness back to the city."

Q: Do you think you have a chance to establish a connection with the city that not a lot of rookies do?

A: "Yeah I do. We are already taking part in community service projects. We are helping put back together a football field. I forget the name of the field but it is one of the oldest fields here and we are going to put Astroturf on it so it gives the teams a chance to play on it. We are also adopting an autistic school which was going to be shut down and we are going to help donate money through adidas and through the NFL and we are going to donate some money to keep the school open."

Q: Have you had a chance to go tour the area?

A: "I did. When I got drafted and flew down here we had a chance to go tour the ninth ward where the hurricane hit. It is pretty devastating and it gave me a sense of what I was playing for and not just football team but a city that was looking for us to bring some happiness back."

Q: What did you see?

A: "Just complete destruction. It looked like a war zone. I saw trucks flipped over, houses on top of other houses, just all kinds of chaos. I can just envision what happened and what they were going through. For me I think it was good to see that and good to know what ultimately this team is playing for."

Q: After the way everything has played out over the last couple of months was it good to just get back out there?

A: "Yeah it was. Like I said I was excited to be here today and get back to football and just doing what I do best. I love playing football and it felt good to be back on a team and back around other football players and coaches and the smell of the grass and all of that. It was good to be back on the football field today and I am looking forward to it."

Q: Do you think you will get a lot of opportunities as a kick returner?

A: "I don't know. I hope to get as much opportunity as I would like and as available but I don't know and it is up to the coaches. It is still very early on in day one of minicamp so we haven't even gone through the official training camp yet so we will see as time goes on. We will see how much my role will play on this offense and on this team."

Q: Is the heat a little different here instead of California?

A: "Yeah I am already aware of that part but today was beautiful and it reminded me a lot of southern California. I am aware of the humidity and all of that but that is not going to effect me at all."

Q: Did Pete Carroll give you any advice heading into the pro game?

A: "Coach Carroll really just talked to us about how similar it is to the way we did things at USC like I said before. Our practices and a lot of the things we did are very similar to the NFL level. He said that it is a business and you have to have that mentality and there a lot of things done different at the NFL level than from the college level. The game is faster and there is more responsibility placed on your shoulders so a lot things like that."

Oakland Raiders QB Kerry Collins Remains Unemployed As Of This Date - CBS Sportsline's Clark Judge

According to Clark Judge over at CBS Sportsline, Kerry Collins' best days may be behind him. He's still an unaquired free agent. He counted $12 million against the Raiders salary cap, and it's unlikely, given the flood of younger quarterbacks on the market, that a veteran with only a strong arm and a habit of making turnovers in important situations will be selected.

That written, Collins unfortunate disadvantage is that he's not played in a short, ball control offense. He's been the victim of coaches who were 1) in love with his arm, and 2) not the most innovative play designers.

Mobilty is not really his problem. He's perceived as "immobile" by the fans of the teams who place him in "old-school," Sid Gilman-drop-back passing offenses.

Nothing against that foundation of the modern game, but it's easy to instruct a defense to stop it.

Lions trade QB Joey Harrington to Miami Dolphins - NFL and AP

Lions trade QB Harrington to Dolphins

NFL.com wire reports

DETROIT (May 12, 2006) -- The Miami Dolphins acquired quarterback Joey Harrington from Detroit for an undisclosed conditional draft pick, giving the Dolphins a fallback position if new starter Daunte Culpepper isn't ready for the season's first snap.

"We're pleased to have Joey Harrington join the Dolphins," head coach Nick Saban said in a statement. "We will work with him to get him acclimated to our system as quickly as possible."

The Dolphins had been searching for a backup to Culpepper and targeted Harrington, the former No. 3 overall pick who didn't live up to expectations in four years as the Lions' starter. Harrington had expressed his desire to play with the Dolphins.

The Lions released a statement announcing the move.

Culpepper, acquired from Minnesota this offseason, is recovering from a serious knee injury and may not be ready for the Dolphins' first regular-season game -- at Pittsburgh on Sept. 7.

The other two quarterbacks on the Miami roster, Brock Berlin and Cleo Lemon, are young and untested.

Harrington went 18-37 as a starter with the Lions. He threw 60 touchdown passes and 62 interceptions, and his career passer rating is a modest 68.1.

Detroit had been expected to cut ties with Harrington before June 15, when he was due a lucrative roster bonus. He'll likely be replaced by Jon Kitna or Josh McCown, both former starters for other teams who agreed to terms with Detroit this offseason.


AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Superman Returns - June 6th - Trailer

Given the less-than-stellar record of summer "blockbusters" at the box office, the producers of "Superman Returns" should aim for the DVD market ASAP. But if this movie provides the kind of special effects and story balance to rival the X-Men series, maybe the makers of this flick can eat without taking Pepto Bismal.

Here's the trailer for "Superman Returns":

Clarke Wolfe Wants To Play "Wonder Woman"...So Bad She Made Her Own Video -- And It's Not Bad

I ran upon this video in the moment of looking for off-beat material for my blogs. While it may be that, Clarke Wolfe's home-made trailer of her as "Wonder Woman" in the planned movie is nothing short of terrific.

No, Clarke's obviously not a female bodybuilder; she needs to add about 30 pounds of muscle. But she's got the Wonder Woman look down. Plus, I give her points for editing; the dialog could use some work, too. But heck, it's a great try and deserves to be seen.

Here's Clarke!

Britney Spears Announces (Second) Pregnancy On David Letterman's Show - Video

I know this made CBS President Les Moonves totally happy. Plus, David Letterman almost certainly trumped Jay Leno in the late night ratings war. And all because pop star Britney Spears decided to have another kid.

Here's the video:

Holmgren Wants To Coach Beyond 2006 - Seattle PI

Holmgren wants to return after 2006
Talks ongoing regarding contract extension

By CLARE FARNSWORTH
SEATTLE P-I REPORTER

KIRKLAND -- Mike Holmgren does want to coach the Seahawks beyond the 2006, season, the final year of his existing contract.

Holmgren acknowledged that publicly for the first time Thursday after the final practice of the team's minicamp.

"I would like to (coach beyond this season), and I think they want me to," he said.

As for the ongoing negotiations and when an agreement might be reached, he offered, "It takes a little time. ... There's a lot that goes into a contract. That's what we're banging around a little bit."

Holmgren had been vague when asked previously about this future, saying he needing time to decide what he was going to do. He did not want to commit to coaching past this season until he was sure that was the right decision.

Now, it seems to be a matter of when he might sign the extension the club has been talking about since February.

Holmgren's agent, Bob LaMonte, met this week with club president Tim Ruskell and CEO Tod Leiweke.

"They've had some talks, some real good talks," Holmgren said. "So it's ongoing and I'm feeling good about stuff. But nothing has been finalized yet."

Holmgren took some time after the team's run to the Super Bowl to ponder his future and discuss the situation with his wife, Kathy.

"We like it here a lot. We really do," he said. "I'd like to hang around."

Holmgren is due $7 million this season as part of the eight-year, $32 million contract he signed in 1999.

Vince Young To Get BET Reality Show On NFL Draft Journey -- Fox Sports

I just hope someone puts a camera in front of one rather tipsy woman in the Young group -- which was huge -- at the NFL Draft. I was going back to my table when she got in my way and said something so unintelligeble I figured she'd had a few before the Draft. Believe me, you'd have come to the same conclusion, too.

Titans rookie QB Young to get reality show - Fox Sports

According to a published report in the Nashville City Paper, former Texas QB and current Titans rookie Vince Young will be starring in his own reality TV show.

Young, 22, is having a crew from BET document his life from the months leading up to the NFL Draft and into the early part of his first season with Tennessee in a show called Vince Young: The Next Level.

Fans will be able to see Vince Young more than just on the football field. (Mark Humphrey / Associated Press)

Emmy-Award winning producer Brendon J. Carter will be heading up the six-episode show, which is slated to start airing in October. Young's show is the first in the sports-themed Next Level series that will focus on other athletes in coming episodes.

"They'll follow him around through the whole process. People see the end product, but they don't know all the things he's had to do to get himself prepared for that," Young's agent Major Adams said. "They've been following him around since March, and they should be finished following him around sometime in June."

Carter wants to depict life for the QB as he makes the move from college star to multi-millionaire pro. Carter believes Young's background mixed with his future could make for must-see TV.

"This is a sports-based reality TV show," Carter said. "It focuses on athletes who are in transition. They may be making the transition from college to the pros, or maybe from high school to college, or someone who is making a comeback from a career-threatening injury."

"We went to church with Vince and his family on Easter Sunday," the producer went on to say, "then went home and had Easter dinner with them. The pastor at the church blessed me and the crew while we were at church."

Young, fresh off leading the 'Horns to a NCAA title, is the perfect candidate for TV viewing, according to a BET executive.

"We have delved into the reality genre before, and it's been pretty successful for us," said Michael Lewellen, BET's senior VP of corporate communications. "For us, from a ratings standpoint, the sweet spot is ages 18 to 34, and we feel like Vince Young is the type of person who has the appeal that fits those demographics."

Four Black NFL Commissioner Candidates Names Sumitted To League

AP and Fox News get the award for bad reporting. They deliberately failed to report that the candidates were black in their story headlines. I know what that's about: "if we don't tell them about race, they won't think about race" - knock it off!

Four candidates for NFL commissioner search

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - The Fritz Pollard Alliance, a leading force in the push for diversity in the NFL, has submitted four minority candidates for consideration as commissioner Paul Tagliabue's replacement.

While FPA founder Cyrus Mehri would not identify the candidates, he confirmed the number.

"That is true," said Mehri, a Washington attorney. "Just like the Fritz Pollard Alliance has done for all positions in the NFL over the last few years - for coaches and front office positions - we prepared a list of candidates, but we will not make the list of names public. At some point we would expect an announcement of the list of finalists."

The group's involvement was first reported in Thursday editions of The Washington Post.

Tagliabue announced his resignation in March and hopes to be out of the job by July. NFL owners will meet in Denver later this month to discuss the search for his successor.

Eight team owners are on the search committee, which is headed by Pittsburgh's Dan Rooney. Rooney sent the FPA's list of candidates to Korn-Ferry International, which was hired by the NFL to oversee the search.

"As far as we know, there's never been this kind of inclusive search for a commissioner of any of the major league sports," Mehri said. "What they have done is set out that they will embrace the diverse candidate slate for this search, and one or more minority candidates are seriously considered for this job.

"We applaud the league for that."

There has been speculation that Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, and Harold Henderson, who heads the league's management council, are among the four candidates submitted by the PFA.

The Reggie Bush "Number 5" Issue

In my view there's not much to say about this. In my opinion, Reggie Bush should wear the number "25" and not "5." Yes, "5" was his college number and yes, it's the focus of his Subway campaign. But you know what, his marketing rep Mike Orenstein should have calculated this problem and planned for Reggie to have a campaign called "From 5 to 25: My Trip To The NFL"

...Say it's not too late to do that.

Jacksonville WR Jimmy Smith Retired Wednesday

I saw it on NFL Network and wish him well. It was a nice ceremony, and it's apparent that Smith was well liked. He got out the right way: not injured, healthy, and no coach forcing him to retire.

Nice.

Antowain Smith Is Now A Houston Texan - CBS Sportswire

Texans sign Smith to back up Davis at running back
May 8, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans agreed to terms with running back Antowain Smith on Monday, giving the team a backup for starter Domanick Davis.

Last season with the New Orleans Saints, Smith filled in for Deuce McAllister after he suffered a season-ending knee injury and ran for 659 yards and three touchdowns.

The 34-year-old unrestricted free agent, who attended the University of Houston, has 6,881 yards rushing and 54 touchdowns in nine NFL seasons. He has also played for Tennessee, New England and Buffalo.

After passing on Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush in favor of defensive end Mario Williams in the draft, the Texans were in need of another running back. Davis missed five games last season with knee inflammation.

Also on Monday, Houston re-signed offensive lineman Zach Wiegert.

Wiegert started five games at right guard and seven games at right tackle last season. The 6-foot-5, 296-pounder missed four games with an ankle injury. He has started 128 games in 11 NFL seasons and has been with the Texans since 2003.

Terms of the deals were not released.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Not Again, Howard Dean! - Man, What's Up

I like Howard Dean. I really do. Of course, I don't know the man. I just read where he made a comment to a Christian Rights organization that the Democratic Party Platform says "marriage is between a man and a woman."

Well, I'm straight, it doesn't say that, and I don't care.

I think Howard is trying to be this liberal hipster guy, but in reality is a conservative WASP. I first came to that conclusion at a fund-raiser I went to in San Francisco two years ago.

Howard Dean was the focus and he started giving his speach. But when he mentioned African American's he looked at me directly, as if to "reach" me. He then made sure to mention Gays in the next sentence and so on. Afterward, as I shook his hand, he said "We need your support" but his expression communicated that he did't need me as a person, but me as a black person.

I came away with a kind of "yucky" feeling about Dean.

Then he became the head of the party; I wondered why.

I'm still wondering.

I hope Howard doens't blow our advantage. We'll see.

New York City - Upcoming Wireless Hearings Note!

This is an email I got on the upcoming wireless meetings in New York:

I just wanted to remind everyone of our upcoming hearing on wireless Internet access in New York City parks on Monday, May 15 at 1 PM in the Committee Room, City Hall. Apologies for the lateness of this reminder. If you have any questions, please contact Jeff Baker (jeffrey.baker@council.nyc.ny.us / 212-788-9193), Counsel to the Committee on Technology in Government, or Colleen Pagter (colleen.pagter@council.nyc.ny.us), Policy Analyst to the Committee on Technology in Government.

On Monday, May 15, 1:00 to 4:00 PM in the Committee Room, City Hall, the Committee on Technology in Government, chaired by Council Member Gale Brewer, will be holding a joint oversight hearing with the Committee on Parks, chaired by Council Member Helen Foster of the Bronx, on the topic of wireless Internet access in New York City parks. The Parks Department, the Central Park Conservancy and several private technology providers are expected to testify.

On Thursday, May 18, 1:00 to 2:00 PM, the Council Chambers, City Hall, the Committee on Land Use and the Committee on Technology in Government will hold the Executive Budget Hearing with the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications.

As always, the public is welcome. No RSVP is necessary.

Matt Leinart Rags On The Media - ESPN.Com

Matt's a little upset with the media and bloggers like me. But what he doesn't understand is that he's public figure and that anything he does -- especially in an Internet world -- gets reported immediately and often.

What he also fails to mention are the perks he gets for being "Matt Leinart:" the free dinners, the killer table at Spago, the loaner cars, and so on.

When I headed the effort to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland, I worked a 14-day stretch with about four hours of sleep per night. Then, after a "Master Of The Universe" type day, I went out and had cocktails -- lots of them. The end result was that I fell asleep at the wheel of my car and almost ended up in an accident because I went the wrong way up a freeway ramp.

The story was in the Oakland Tribune. I offered to resign, but the City Manager, Robert Bobb, didn't take it, saying "I guess you understand that you're a public figure now."

Yep.

Here's Matt


Leinart feels image is blown out of proportion

By Matt Leinart
Special to ESPN.com

Editor's note: Former USC QB Matt Leinart gave ESPN.com an exclusive look into his life leading up to and following the NFL draft.

My draft party in Las Vegas last week was great. I had been looking forward to it since I was in New York City for the NFL draft. It wasn't meant to be a spectacle. It was meant to be a place where I could get away and enjoy myself one last time with my close family and friends. That's all it was. I had a great time. My family had a nice dinner. It was an intimate setting. It was a celebration.

People can make whatever they want about it. It amazes me what went on in the media in regard to Paris Hilton following my party.

There are people in the media who just want to see what they want to see and write what they want to write. "Oh he's linked with so and so." No, I'm hanging out with someone who's a friend.

It's all this media attention. I guess you could say it's my fault, but at the same time, I'm just being a normal dude. It's hard because people who are close to me know who I am and how I act. I'm hanging out and having a good time with friends. I have my circle of friends who I've known since I was younger and trust. Then there are people who I've built relationships with in the L.A. world. There are guys in my situation that would've been a hundred million times worse than me. I didn't take advantage of anything. I haven't done anything other than be a normal person.

Celebrities have no privacy. When I was growing up, I used to look at them differently because of their fame. They're always in the tabloids. When something is said about them and you don't know if it's true, you just choose to believe it's true because it's written. It's entertainment. They're stories. My life has almost become a part of that for whatever reason.

Celebrities are really just normal people. They're just as normal as any other human being. The media portrays them in a certain way. It constantly involves their private life and it sucks. It really does. I've gotten a taste of that. It's always: Who am I dating? I'm not dating anyone. I'm really not. There's no time for me to date anybody. I hang out with people. I have a good time. I turned 23 years old today. What people don't even realize is that I was in a relationship for a year that just ended a few months back. It's a joke.

Everywhere I go and everybody I talk to gets out in the media. It makes me look a certain way when in reality I'm just a normal guy. I'm having a good time. I realize I have to make good choices and I've done all the right things. It just sucks. I'm not going to sit in my house every night, play with my thumbs and not go out.

Some of these people in the media are just a joke. I realize people are doing their jobs, but there are some people who aren't doing a good job of it. They like getting involved in people's business. They like making people miserable and bending the truth just to make their stories look good. That's all the gossip magazines are. That's what the draft became. I was really disappointed in the process because it takes away from the football. It gets to all the other little technical stuff. I realize that's part of it, but what does me being too "Hollywood" or being from L.A. have to do with me playing football? It doesn't make sense. These people have nothing else to say. I had a great three years. There's really nothing bad to say, so of course they want to say something bad. They just want to find the negatives.

My No. 1 priority is football. It always has been football. Look at my résumé. Look at the last three years. I still had to deal with all the media and "Hollywood" stuff that's going on. It didn't affect my play. I can guarantee you there were thousands of football players out there doing worse things than me. No one even gave a crap about what they were doing. It's dumb, if you ask me.

I put all my time and effort into being a football player. I want to be the best quarterback I can possibly be. I want to win the Super Bowl. I want to be in the Pro Bowl. I have goals and expectations.

When my teammates in Arizona get to know me, they're going to see I'm just a normal dude that came from L.A., loves football, and is going to be a leader.

I'm not going to let the media and all these other people control my life. I'm better than that.

I've Never Heard Of A Divore Party Until Now

I was riding with my godmother and Mom while here visiting Atlanta, and my godmother mentioned something about a "Divorce Party." I'd never even knew that existed, so I did some research. Click on the link to this post for more information.

What's funny to me is the "Whom To Invite" section:

"Whom to invite

People who have been through divorce are usually the best guests to invite to your divorce party. Your divorce lawyer will probably appreciate being invited but probably won't come. Most women I know invite only other women, and most men I know (who are far less likely to throw divorce parties) invite both genders. Because of the probability you're going to get stupid, you probably should avoid inviting anyone from your workplace or others whose impression of you would change if they see you in a (ahem) state.

Unless you and your spouse are really cooperative, your divorce party is no place for your children, even if they're adult children. Your children need to maintain as good a relationship as possible with both their parents, and inviting them to your divorce party is unlikely to help.

I'm going to scare many of you when I say this, but you shouldn't think it heretical to invite your STBX. For many of you, the whole idea of this is to celebrate not being with your spouse, and if so, you shouldn't consider inviting your STBX. But knowing as I do that most couples who divorce don't hate their spouse, I understand that far more divorcing spouses get along with their STBX than the culture realizes. If you and your STBX still have friends and interests in common and would enjoy spending the evening together, by all means throw a party together."

..Interesting!

More On The Houston Texans / Profootballtalk.com War - A Motherload Of Rumors Of "Backstabbing" Fears In The Texans Organization

Forio at Profootballtalk.com knows how to stoke the fires of ire. This time, he's obviously got the hairs of Houston Texans representatives standing on end with a constant flow of rumors about Charley Casserly. Forio's good at communicating what he's told, but should note it as rumor until confirmed. Writing "a league source tells us" can only work for so long.

But with this post it's apparent that Profootballtalk.com's launching a kind of nasty attempt to throw all of the possible Texans-related heresay rumors out in one shot. This could backfire. I do agree with Forio regarding how the Houston Chronicle covered the Casserly story, but there's also a fine line of access to the team they have to protect. Forio -- it seems -- doesn't have such concerns.

I mean it's not a CIA-level issue, so some level of care should be excercized. But that written, I love Forio's work.

Here's the latest:

McCLAIN MOPS UP

Renowned and respected NFL journalist John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who has drawn our ire of late with his decidedly un-journalistic approach to the dissolution of the relationship between Texans owner Bob McNair and G.M. Charley Casserly, finished the job in grand fashion in the paper's Thursday edition with a headline proclaiming that "McNair Rejects Reports That Casserly Was Fired."

Since we're the only quasi-publication that ever reported that Casserly was getting the heave-ho -- and since we received multiple communications from the team's front office disputing our report -- it's clear that McClain was referring to us.

McClain says that McNair "emphatically" denied that Charley got the pointy-toed boot. "No, he has not been fired, so you can forget that," McNair said during the press conference announcing Casserly's departure.

McClain also writes that Casserly is not happy with reports that his exit wasn't voluntary. "Yeah, I am upset about that," Casserly said. "I'm glad that question was asked and Bob answered it. I have not been fired. There's absolutely no truth to it. I could have stayed on but chose not to."

Apparently, however, NO ONE has asked McNair or Casserly whether there will be a buyout of the final year of Charley's deal. As we've recently explained, G.M.'s and coaches who get fired are entitled to continue to be paid. G.M.'s and coaches who quit on their own with no input or pressure from the organization are not. If (as we've heard from multiple sources) Casserly received a buyout, the implication is that the move wasn't truly a resignation.

There's more objective evidence to suggest that this wasn't Charley's decision. He wants to become the NFL's vice president of football operations, a position that was vacated earlier this year by Art Shell. But Charley hasn't applied for the job yet.

So who in his right mind quits the job he now has before finding out whether he'll get the job that he desires?

With the NFL currently in the very early stages of a search for the next Commissioner, don't you think that the folks at Park Avenue might decide to wait on permanently filling that position until, you know, the guy who'll be running the place after Paul Tagliabue steps down has a chance to provide his input? So it would have made sense for Casserly to stay put for another year, see how the Commissioner selection process plays out, work subtly behind the scenes to figure out who will likely be the next Commish, throw support and effort behind that person, and let nature take its course.

Unless, of course, Casserly was pushed.

And we firmly believe, based on everything we've heard, that he was.

An industry source informed us on Wednesday that Broncos coach Mike Shanahan warned new Texans coach Gary Kubiak that Casserly would try to claim credit if/when Kubiak turns the team around. Thus, the thinking is that Kubiak concluded that Casserly needed to go. The source also told us that Casserly still wanted the team to select Reggie Bush with the first overall pick in the draft, and that it was McNair and Kubiak who came together and decided that Mario Williams was the right call -- especially since Kubiak's offenses in Denver churned up plenty of yards with no-name tailbacks.

Why do we care about any of this? Because we've got a low tolerance for bullsh-t. And we think that's precisely what the Texans have cooked up -- and what McClain has been serving with a side of home fries.

Finally, some might wonder why McNair would be so adamant that Casserly wasn't fired. Here's our theory. McNair feels genuine gratitude for Casserly's efforts, and McNair wants him to be able to leave on a positive note -- regardless of anything that was said or done behind closed doors. Besides, successful sports franchises don't fire key employees, because successful sports franchises don't hire employees who later should be fired. We've actually heard this week that McNair didn't want to fire coach Dom Capers, and we believe that the "firing everyone will make us look stupid for hiring them in the first place" dynamic played a role in McNair's thinking. In McNair's mind, poop-canning the team's original head coach and original G.M. after a 2-14 effort in the franchise's fourth season of play could be seen as an implicit admission that, to date, the Texans have failed.

Of course, they have failed on the field. (In the bank accounts, it's a different story.) Regardless, the last guy who should be declaring defeat at a time the team is launching a new era with Reggie, er, Mario Williams is the dude who owns the joint.

Rumor - Ex- Houston Texans Casserly Reportedly Believed Bush Wasn't Telling Truth About Agent Problems - Profootballtalk.com

Another Charley Casserly-related rumor from Profootballtalk.com. This one has sting and gives some look into why Reggie Bush didn't become a Texan. But if this is the case, why did the Saints feel obligated to take the Heisman Trophy-winner with the second pick? What did Bush say? Did the Texans have a PI looking at Bush? Or is Profootballtalk.com just being fed a rumor to put the Bush story back into play?

Here's what was on Profootballtalk.com

CASSERLY THINKS BUSH WASN'T TRUTHFUL

A league source tells us that former Texans G.M. Charley Casserly believes running back Reggie Bush was not truthful in a pre-draft interview with Casserly and Texans owner Bob McNair regarding reports that Bush and/or his family received benefits in violation of NCAA rules during his career at USC.

The source contacted us on this point in specific response to our recent suggestion that Casserly wanted to select Bush with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, even after McNair and coach Gary Kubiak had decided to focus on Mario Williams.

Per the source, Casserly and McNair both concluded after interviewing Bush regarding the reports that they did not believe him. Thus, they decided that they didn't want Bush to be the face of the franchise moving forward.

We're also told that Casserly, a member of the competition committee prior to his official Wednesday resignation, had been arguing vehemently against allowing Bush to wear No. 5 as a member of the Saints, and that Casserly's position was influenced by the belief that Bush had not been truthful -- and by his opinion that the situation surrounding Bush embarrassed the league in the days leading up to the draft.

Officially, the league and the competition committee have taken no action regarding Bush's request, according to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "The jersey numbering system, which is reviewed and modified from time to time, is on the [competition committee's] agenda," he said in a Thursday morning e-mail. "Whether it will be presented for a vote at the league meeting in Denver on May 23 is TBD."

Most of the league insiders to whom we have spoken believe that Bush's request ultimately will be rejected. When one player can dictate NFL rule changes, where does the process stop? And what kind of a message does that send to guys like Edgerrin James, who has wanted to wear No. 5 since joining the league in 1999?

Also, the notion of the league bending for Bush could imply to the casual observer that Bush is somehow bigger than the league. When the USFL changed its jersey rules in the mid-1980s as an inducement to get Michigan receiver Anthony Carter (who wanted to wear No. 1), the move was further evidence that the "other" football league was a chicken sh-t operation.

Does the NFL really want to be in that same category? We doubt it. Not for Bush. Not for anyone.

Seattle Seahawks Plan New Headquarters in Renton, WA - Seattle PI

Seahawks have grand plans for new headquarters

By DANNY O'NEIL
SEATTLE P-I REPORTER

KIRKLAND -- The image depicts a boat pulling away from a modern and angular facility sitting lakeside.

It's a computer-generated image sharp enough to be mistaken for a portrait. There are even birds gliding above the boat, and on Tuesday, Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke gave voice to the vision behind the graphic.


"As we say, the boat pulling away from the site depicts the most coveted free agent in the NFL pulling away to get on a seaplane having just signed a contract to be a Seahawk," Leiweke said.

That is one of the hopes on which the Seahawks' new headquarters is built, put on the 19-acre site that sits between I-405 and Lake Washington. Paul Allen acquired the land with hopes of locating his technology companies, and in less than two years it will be the home for his football team.

The plans were officially announced Tuesday in Kirkland in a presentation that began when the lights dimmed for a slideshow. It showed the team's original training facility, which was on the water at Carillon Point in Kirkland. Then it displayed the present facility on the Northwest University campus, and finally, the plans for the future facility in Renton, which will be on twice as much land as the current headquarters and include five times as much square footage.

It's a project designed to take the franchise in the upper-left corner of the country and put it in the center of the league's landscape with a facility attractive enough to counteract the handicap of Seattle's geography in the NFL.

"We have to work harder than some other teams because of where the flow of players are and where they're coming from," president Tim Ruskell said. "We have to go above and beyond, do a little bit more in that regard, and we do that for the most part.

"I think the last part of the puzzle was the facility. Not only to attract them, but to keep players here."

Construction will begin in October. The timeline for completion is about 20 months. Training camp will be held at the facility beginning in 2008 instead of at Eastern Washington University in Cheney.

Logistics still need to be worked out as to what access fans will have to watch training-camp workouts. Leiweke pointed out that because Qwest Field is fewer than 10 miles from headquarters, it will make it easy to hold preseason events such as a scrimmage at the stadium.

The seeds for a new headquarters can be traced to when Ruskell was hired as president in February 2005. One of Ruskell's first observations, Lieweke said, when he took over was the possibility of expanding the current facilities.

"We realized there weren't a lot of opportunities to do that so we started dreaming the first day Tim was here," Leiweke said.

Ruskell has seen what the lack of a new facility can mean for a franchise. In 17 years with the Buccaneers, the team stayed in the same headquarters. He spent one year in Atlanta before coming to Seattle, and that season showed him the boost a state-of-the-art facility can provide. Falcons owner Arthur Blank modified the Falcons' practice facility in Flowery Branch, Ga., to make it one of the best in the league. A dining room, players' lounge and dormitory all were added to the construction project.

The result was higher participation in offseason training programs, said Ruskell, improving from somewhere around 40 percent to more than 90 percent.

The headquarters became a magnet that didn't just attract players to the team, but pulled guys already on the roster closer.

"It was a facility that players wanted to go to and you had more and more players living in the community," Ruskell said.

Ruskell said he was initially surprised the Seahawks did not have a permanent indoor practice facility given the frequency of precipitation in the area. The team had a practice bubble, a tent-like, inflated structure. The bubble blocks the view of nearby apartment units, and the team can only use the bubble during designated periods.

"That hurt our offseason program in terms of players would have to go over to the University of Washington to make sure they got their workout in in the offseason," Ruskell said.

Ruskell first saw the site for the new facility from the water. He was in a boat with Leiweke.

"I think we were pulling his kids on a 'tube,'" Ruskell said. "We weren't looking for land. It wasn't like we were Lewis and Clark."

But it was clear that even before the Seahawks played in their first Super Bowl last season they were looking at a new frontier of expectations.

Texans Casserly Resigns - Houston Chronicle Report

Well fired or resigning Charley Casserly's no longer with the Houston Texans as of today.

My guess on the overall problem with the Texans organization is their are too many "company men" who are seem afraid to really take a position opposite team owner Bob McNair and stick with it. Your response may be "they want to keep their jobs" but I don't think it lead to making good decisions. The result seems to be too much analysis, rather than a mix of gut level "trigger pulling" and analysis. In that case, Reggie Bush or Vince Young would have been a Texan.

But was Casserly fired? This was all fueled by speculation. It may be that Charley just plain wanted out of the GM grind and saw an avenue and took it.

I'll have more on that.

May 11, 2006, 2:57AM
McNair rejects reports that Casserly was fired

By JOHN MCCLAIN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

One of the worst-kept secrets in the NFL became public Wednesday when Charley Casserly resigned as the Texans' general manager to pursue a position as vice president of football operations and development at the league office in New York.

Casserly and Texans owner Bob McNair denied reports he had been fired.


"No, he has not been fired, so you can forget that," McNair said emphatically during a news conference at Reliant Stadium.

Casserly, who will stay on the job until June 1, was angry at reports he was fired.

"Yeah, I am upset about that," he said. "I'm glad that question was asked and Bob answered it. I have not been fired. There's absolutely no truth to it. I could have stayed on but chose not to."

Casserly could have stayed for the last year of his contract. He said the late-season hiring of consultant Dan Reeves behind his back had nothing to do with his decision.

When Art Shell left his job as the NFL's vice president of football operations to return to Oakland as the Raiders' coach, Casserly became interested in the job.

"Charley indicated to me that he would like to pursue some other opportunities and that he has an interest in a position that's open in the league office," McNair said. "I've told Charley that I will support him in every way to secure a position there.

"I've already talked to (NFL executive vice president and chief operating officer) Roger Goodell about it and recommended Charley. I think he would be terrific for the spot."

John Beake has filled Shell's job on an interim basis.

"When I first spoke to Charley about (a contract extension), he made it known to me his interest in the position at the league office," McNair said. "I'm disappointed that Charley won't be with us. I can't thank him enough for all he's done — his loyalty to the organization, his hard work and his contributions."

McNair will wait a week before starting a search for Casserly's replacement. McNair will meet with coach Gary Kubiak before he starts the interview process.

Expect Denver assistant general manager Rick Smith and Green Bay director of pro personnel Reggie McKenzie to become the leading candidates.

"I don't foresee any kind of drastic thing," McNair said about a possible front-office restructuring. "Organizations evolve, and as we go forward, we'll look at what our needs are and (find) the best way to organize to take care of those needs.

"This is a big change because Charley's the guy I've been working with all this time. I valued his advice and counsel. He's had a tremendous impact on our organization."

Casserly could have resigned after the season, but he wanted to work with Kubiak to try to repair the damage created by the 2-14 campaign.

"You leave either in December, or you leave in May after the draft," Casserly said. "I didn't feel comfortable leaving at the end of a 2-14 season.

"I thought Gary was a tremendous hire. I wanted to go through free agency and the draft working with him. I enjoyed my time with him. I thought we had a productive offseason, and I think this team's headed in the right direction.

"I don't know that anybody in the league had a better offseason than we did."

Casserly and Kubiak developed a good relationship.

"I hate to see Charley go," Kubiak said. "I worked well with him. I have tremendous respect for him. We had four good months together, and I'm sorry it's not going to be more. I learned a great deal from him.

"This has been a tough day, but I realize this is a business and that we have to move on."

After 29 years with the Washington Redskins and Texans, Casserly said he's not interested in another general manager's job right now.

"This was a difficult decision, but it's a decision that I made based on the things I want to do at this point in my life," he said. "I've enjoyed my time in Houston. I've enjoyed the relationships, especially with the staff.

"I think we have a tremendous staff here. I think anybody that comes in and wants to make any changes is making a huge mistake."

Black Eyed Peas Concert Tickets - Video: Let's Get It Started!

This is one of the best videos produced in my opinion, as it captures what the song's about. "Let's get it started" You can buy or sell "Peas" tickets with a click on the title of this post.

Here's the video.

Video - Pearl Jam In Concert Performing "Betterman"

Just in time for their concert series, Pearl Jam performs "Betterman" in this video.

You can get Pearl Jam concert tickets with a click on the tile of this post.

Here's Pearl Jam:

COMMISSIONER TAGLIABUE PRESS CONFERENCE - LOS ANGELES STADIUM WORKING GROUP

From NFLmedia.com

DALLAS – MAY 2, 2006

We had some very good meetings. All 11 of the owners on the Los Angeles working group were here. We started with an internal discussion last night and met early this morning. We officially began shortly after 8:30am and went until
after 2:00pm. The commitment of time, the interest and the energy of the owners were very good. Most of all, it was a reflection of the quality of the presentations that we had from Anaheim and Los Angeles, in particular the Coliseum.
Both of them gave us a really good overview, not only of the stadium projects, but of the demographics of the immediate fan base and also the overall development of downtown LA and the core of Orange County. Both presentations, which were very high quality, were very informative and really provided the basis for some excellent dialogue. The owners all appreciated not
only Mayor Villaraigosa and Mayor Pringle being here, but also the governor as well. The dialogue when the governor was present focused to some degree on the importance of the business community and having the business communities
be supportive and be committed, making everybody understand the value of an NFL team as an economic engine in the community and also as a community asset.

We also appreciated the Pasadena representatives being here. We had an excellent exchange with them.

The long and short of it is that we have a lot of information to digest. Certainly our staff has been immersed in these issues for the past year or more. But for our owners, this type of first-hand dialogue and first-hand opportunity to speak with political leadership in these communities, including the entire state with the presence of the governor, gives us a lot to digest.

We will be having a conference call with this working group next week to talk about their thoughts and ideas on next steps. We will be meeting with the working group in Denver on Monday, May 22. We will then report to the membership on Tuesday, May 23. We are also going to discuss further with the Pasadena representatives next week and try to understand exactly the status of their proposal, including the ballot initiative. If need be, we will talk more with members of the working group on Pasadena issues separately from our conversation next week on the Los Angeles Coliseum and Anaheim issues.

Q: Will a decision be made on May 23?

PT: That’s what we’re going to be talking about. There is a lot to digest here, not just in terms of projects, but in terms of business community support.

Q: The governor talked about the possibility of having two teams in the market. How realistic is that in the short-term and near future?

PT: If you limit it to the short-term and near future, then one team is our immediate goal. We’d like to have one team in a state-of-the-art stadium, wellsupported both in the short-term and long-term within the community. Longerterm, two teams is a realistic goal.

Q: If there is too much to digest to make a decision soon, where does that leave Anaheim with the upcoming May deadline?

PT: I’m not going to speculate on that.

Q: What stood out in each presentation?

PT: They both emphasized that their stadiums would be very fine NFL football stadiums.

In Anaheim, previously, we shared a baseball stadium. This would not be the case in Anaheim this time. It would be a football stadium located in close proximity to the Angels’ stadium. It would be at the core of a lot of the broader residential and commercial development efforts.

Similar things we’re discussing in respect to the Coliseum. It would be a state-of-the-art stadium, not a retro stadium. They emphasized and highlighted all the investment that’s taken place in downtown LA.

I think both groups did a terrific job of emphasizing the attractiveness of their stadiums and the broader economic developments in the context in which the stadium is being projected. We did have a discussion about costs, which is a
continuing concern. There is a recognition that construction costs have escalated dramatically and will continue to escalate given the worldwide economic pressures that there are for steel, petroleum and everything else that factors into construction costs. Those in turn led to some good discussion on financing, naming rights, PSLs and about the role of the business community being a surrogate, in a sense, for public investment of tax dollars. The business community, as in the case of Carolina and New England, has strongly supported those teams in a variety of ways. So, financing a stadium with private resources, team resources and league resources becomes realistic.

Q: Did each side provide convincing arguments that the costs of each project would be made up in the long run?
PT: Each side clearly understands the challenges and we’ve identified a number of areas to look into. A lot of additional work will have to be done.

Q: What do you think was the biggest accomplishment today?

PT: First of all, uninterrupted four-to-five hours of focused discussion on issues in southern California is an accomplishment. With the expanded group of 11 owners, we had a lot of new, different points of view from Steve Tisch, Jeff Lurie, Bob McNair, Jerry Jones and others who previously weren’t part of the working group. Everyone came away feeling that it was the best time spent on these issues. I felt that having it here, having it in this setting, having it focused with a relatively small group and with a compact group presenting gives us an excellent understanding of these issues.

Q: You’ve always been accused of not wanting to rush…
PT: Nobody has accused me of rushing this issue.

Q: If there is any uncertainty when you get to Denver, will you rush this and move ahead?
PT: I’m not going to get into that. I’m not going to rush, but I want to emphasize that this is the year for us to make a decision, up or down. We’re not going to keep moving sideways.

# # #

Day Three Of Raiders Mini Camp Features - "Seabass" Kicks Ball Into Next Property

This report is from Raiderfan.net, which you can access with a click on the title of this post. As usual "RaiderDee" -- DeMarcus Davis -- gives a good and complete report of Day Three at Oakland Raiders.

"Other notables from today’s camp was Sebastian Janikowski kicking a 42 yard field goal so hard that it not only went through the uprights, it went over the uprights, over the net, and beyond the barrier fence that separates the Raiders facility and the adjacent Oakland International Airport! ‘Seabass’ also successfully kicked a 45 yarder and a 55 yard field goal. He didn’t miss any today. Perhaps it was Coach Shell’s proclamation that the entire team would have to run one lap for every missed field goal by Seabass! Shell informed both Janikowski and the team what the consequences were. To my knowledge, no one has had to run any laps.

Speaking of running laps, there was no making the Rookies run shuttle drills. In years past, rookies would have to run sprints after the last day of mini-camp (Sunday). Coach Shell said that he never made any of his rookies run laps when he coached the first time and that he wasn’t going to while he was coaching this team. Veteran OL Adam Treu had the look of guilty disappointment when the word was given that there was no ‘running of the rookies.’"

Draft '06 review

The 2006 NFL Draft-A Final Review of day 1


Now that the draft is over, we can begin to look at which teams picked who and why.
Most teams are faced with the challenge each year of needing to go beyond selecting the best player available at each position. This was never more obvious then in this year's draft where the Jets used both their first round choices on offensive linemen. But what about teams that make picks that has you scratching your head saying, "Why did they get him for?"

The Packers had many holes to fill, and traded the talented receiver Javon Walker for a #2 pick to Denver, yet they choose LB A.J. Hawk with their #1 selection, the 5th overall. It's quite clear that Green Bay felt they needed more help on the defensive side of the ball, and had been zeroed in on Hawk for over a month. Many considered Hawk the best defensive player in this draft and were it not for Mario Williams' stock rising so fast, could have been a top 3 pick instead of #5. Are two spots a big deal? It’s only worth a few million dollars.

With the two Bay area teams selecting 5 and 6, I'd have loved to have a copy of the Chronicle from Sunday morning to read the rants of Raiders fans griping about the selection of Michael Huff. While Mr. Huff is a fine talent and the top rated DB in this draft class, he went a bit too high at #7. Same for Donte Whitner to the Bills with the next pick, and Ernie Simms to Detroit following at #9.

Rounding out the top 10 was the second major surprise of the draft. Matt Leinart was not the happiest person in Radio city music hall that early afternoon. When he wasn’t selected #3
by the Titans, we knew he would fall. We didn’t think he'd get past the Raiders at #7, but we knew all along that Oakland owner Al Davis never picks QB’s in the first round. The Cardinals are one happy team however, because they got someone who now has something to prove to the 9 teams that passed him up.

The steal of the first round could be Jay Cutler at #11 to Denver. While he played at Vanderbilt, Cutler has a rep as a hard worker who makes things happen. People have begun to make comparisons to Tommy Maddox, who was drafted in John Elway‘s 9th season, as Cutler has been drafted in current Qb Jake Plummer’s 9th season. I can assure you that Cutler is no Maddox.

Others who reaped the benefits of a twisted draft board in the first round:
Dallas obtained OLB Bobby Carpenter with the 18th selection. His bloodline speaks for itself.
New England selected RB Laurence Maroney with the 21st pick. After Bush, Maroney was in a three-way tie as the next best back in this draft.
After the Steelers traded with the Giants to move up seven spots, they selected wide receiver Santonio Holmes. This was the first year in some time that the wide outs didn’t rise up higher in round one. The other two RB’s considered to be in the top of the draft class were also selected late in round one. DeAngelo Williams went to Carolina at #27, and then Joseph Addai became an Indianapolis Colt at #30.
Round two saw 3 receivers and one "slash"type go to teams that all needed to add speed the position. Chad Jackson was considered to be the best wide out in this draft by many.
So much for that train of thought. He went #36(4th in round 2) to New England.
Eight picks later at #44 the Giants obtained Sinorice Moss, the younger brother of Santana Moss, also a Miami Hurricane wide out. Sinorice told us in a telephone press conference last week how happy he was to be coming to a team that wanted him. There was even talk of him being the Giants first pick after the trade down with the Steelers.
Others who did well the rest of day one: The Jets got what could be a steal in Oregon QB Kellen Clemens, who has incredible zip on his passes according to several insiders. Dallas got Notre Dame TE Anthony Fasano. The Ravens selected OC Chris Chester from Oklahoma. Tampa Bay got Jeremy Trueblood, the OT from Boston College.

Finally, some round three selections that made sense: The Cardinals selection of TE Leonard Pope of Georgia, who was thought of as a round one talent. Miami taking Derek Hagan, the Arizona State wide out. San Diego's selection of QB Charlie Whitehurst of Clemson, and Tampa Bay choosing Notre Dame Receiver Maurice Stovall. The Texans tried to get big at the beginning of the 3rd round with back-to-back Offensive Linemen, Charles Spencer of Pitt, and Eric Winston of Miami.

Next: Day two Gems

Madonna Launches Concert Tour - "Beautiful Stranger" Video

Starting at the Forum in Inglewood, Madonna will launch her concert tour.

Madonna's simply one of the most popular pop-icons. See her perform in this Austin Powers Video "Beautiful Stranger":

"Golden Girl" Cal's Olympic Star Natalie Coghlan and Writer Michael Silver and Talk About The New Book

My friend Michael Silver spent much of his life litterally dumped into the pool of water that is the culture of the Cal Women's Swimming Team. He dived in to write about Seven-Gold-Metal Champion Swimmer Natalie Coghland, and came out with a great book called "Golden Girl."

I took a video of their book presentation held at The Book Passage In Corte Madera in Marin County.

Here's the video.

Stephen Colbert In "The 1 Second Film" Made At Sundance 2005

These guys are attempting to raise $1 million by making one second film clips but all tied together. Their video making the rounds is funny, and has an even higher level of relevance because Stephen Colbert carved out a great role in the film.

Check it out:

The NFL Playbook: The Poorly Written Document A Rookie Faces - The Mike Martz Playbook

It's rookie mini-camp time, and like your third date with that girl you always liked it marks the time to get excited all over again -- only this time about the upcoming football season.

But for a rookie it's a hard time, especially because they have to memorize the contents in the playbook they're given. If they're Detroit Lions first year offense players under offensive coordinator Mike Martz, they're forced to absorb the contents of a playbook that's over 400 pages -- and poorly written.

How do I know? Because I'm reading the St. Louis Rams offense playbook from 1999 -- there's little different from the offense shown in this playbook and what the Lions and Washington Redskins players will learn this year.

This is what the Lions' Wide Receiver Mike Williams has to remember:

"We will number our holes according to the points of attack with EVEN numbers going to the right and ODD numbers going to the LEFT."

"Numbering of Backs: QB is #1, R is #2 regardless of set; H is #3 regardless of set."

Williams has to remember not only what a "Zero" route is (a shallow pattern into the short middle of field just five yard deep) but how to run it against "Retreat Zone", "Retreat Man" ,"Cloud" , "Trail", "Bump" , and vs. "Quads" -- all are types of defensive coverage approaches.

He has to know the difference between "Trade Deuce Right" and "Trade Double Right" (the fullback is next to the weakside tackle in the former and in the slot between the weakside tackle and the split end in the latter), and that's just in the "D Variations"

The what?

But hey, I'm reading the playbook. He's got to remember this stuff.

What ads to this is the playbook itself is so poorly written. There's not an extensive table of contents. The plays are not well organized. Indeed, there should be a chapter for each kind of pass there is. And each play should have it's own page and segmented so that each offensive player knows what they're supposed to do in that play. Kind of like the Cal offense.

I've got that playbook too. It's the best organized playbook I've ever seen. Each play has it's own page. There's a page on special strategies. For eample, Cal calls it's two minute offense "Bonzai" -- who can forget that? There are also special chapters on screen passes.

How do I know this? Because I'm looking at Cal's offensive playbook, too.

In fact, It's clear to me that some NFL teams should study their college counterparts for playbook design ideas. The 2005 Notre Dame Offense playbook is well-segmented, yet detailed and there's no play that's simpler than what's ran in the NFL. Moreover it' reveals a varied offensive attack that has just one weak spot: an apparent vulnerability to defenses that play multiple-fronts and zone blitz.

But heck, if you've got to get to that level of complexity to beat Notre Dame, that's saying something for their playbook. The only other answer is to have better athletes, but that's another story.

Rookies coming into the NFL have to learn a new playbook and absorb a lot of information. Since the concepts in the NFL are really not more advanced than those at colleges like Notre Dame and Cal, why not make the playbooks easier to read?

There's no sense in fooling your own players.

24 Star! - Pernell Harris Is Agent Harris Of Fox TV's "24" - Video

If you remember the scene in 24 where Jack Baeur crash lands on an island, then you may remember an African American FBI agent on that plane. You may also remember him as the person who asks Baeur to "stand down" with his gun pointed at Mr. Baeur.

That man is "Agent Harris." His real name is Pernell Harris and lives and works in Oakland, California. He's currenly Assistant GM at Gold's Gym in Oakland. In my next video, we'll include scenes from 24 featuring Parnell. But for now, here's the video interview of Parnell Harris:

Damon Connolly For Assembly - Marin County

My good friend Damon Connolly's running for assembly in Marin County, California. I took this brief video at one of the many house parties thrown for him this year. Ever the gracious host stopping to talk to all of the attendees, Damon managed to give me some of his time to encourage you to vote June 6th and to explain who he is and that his main concern is getting the state to give kids -- he's a father of two girls -- the best education possible.

Here's Damon Connolly: