Dave Hyde | Sun Sentinel blogs

Caption Contest: What's a paler Sammy Sosa saying?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:14:18 -0500

What is Sammy Sosa saying to his wife? Possibilities: 1. "It doesn't matter who's wrong or right, Just beat it, beat it, Beat it, beat it, beat it. 2. "Remember in the movie Airplane, where they said, 'Never bet on the white guy?" 3. "Yeah, The bottle said, 'White-osterone,' but who would've thunk this was really the side effect?" Last Week's Winner What's Bobby saying - or the cheerleader's thinking? OK, there were several variations of these two, but these are the top two winners: 1. "I can't believe they still ask me why I don't want to leave." -- Phinagain w. "Viva Viagra!" - SWFlafan

Would Parcells be interested in Bryant?; Porter disappears

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:20:19 -0500

RUNNING AND HYDING: 1. No surprise here, but Sunday's loss again showed how a top receiver changes games -- and, again, why the Dolphins lack that player. This coming Sunday against Tampa Bay you'll get to see the probable top free agent* receiver in Antonio Bryant -- and it will be intriguing to see if Bill Parcells is more interested or completely turned off considering their history with Bryant. (I should mention here, as an alert commentator wrote, there are other big-name receivers in the last year of contracts. But it's hard to see the others having a realistic chance of actually coming free. San Diego's Vincent Jackson, Denver's Brandon Marshall and Dallas' Miles Austin (a Jeff Ireland find in Dallas as an undrafted free agent) are the top receivers on their teams and are sure to be re-signed by their teams. Ditto for Braylon Edwards with the Jets, whom the Dolphins had a chance to grab and didn't. So that's my reasoning that Bryant is going to be top, probable option of the list.) Bryant has No. 1 receiving talent, as he caught 83 passes for 1,248 yards (15.0 average) and seven TDs last year. In an awful offense this year, with limited quarterback play, he has 16 catches for a 14.3-yard average and two TDs this year. The question: Do the Dolphins brass seen him as dependable? There's history here. As Cowboys coach, Parcells got in a heated exchange with Bryant, who threw a practice jersey in Parcells' face. He was soon traded to Cleveland for the immortal Quincy Morgan. Then, as USA Today wrote, Bryant then, "had a run-in with police in 2006 that led to a four-game suspension and his release from San Francisco." * There were a drug-test issue that Bryant sued the league over. He sat out the 2007 campaign. Tampa Bay brought him back to the league with a one-year, veteran's minimum, $600,000 contract in 2008. (* I had some misinformation there about the extent of Bryant's troubles.) This is from a Yahoo! sports story last year in which Bryant discusses Parcells: " 'He’s The Godfather,' ” Bryant says. “So all the coaches in the league say, ‘[Expletive], he’s got no regard for authority. I got no chance.’ ” "Yet Bryant says he and Parcells cleared the air, with the coach informing the receiver of his clashes with former Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor. Bryant says he has spoken to Parcells “on several occasions” and that the current Dolphins executive vice president “sends messages to me through other coaches.” Among the messages: “Keep it up,” Bryant says." So who knows? 2. Another top free-agent receivers who has a different sort of questions is Houston's Kevin Walter. Walter has 60 and 65 catches the previous two years with 4 and 8 touchdowns, respectively. He is around that catch pace again with 27 and has one touchdown. The obvious issue is whether he's a No. 1 receiver. Walter plays opposite Andre Johnson, who is what the Dolphins (and most every other team) need. So Walter surely benefits from defenses built around stopping Johnson. 3. On Mel Kiper's Big Board, two receivers crack the first round: Dez Bryant (spelling corrected), suspended from Oklahoma State, and Illinois' Arrelious Benn. Looks like Benn will be the top option here, as Bryant is expected to go the 10th pick. Benn has the size (6-2, 220) that Dolphins want. Plus, they can get a good scouting reporter from Vontae Davis about him. After that? Kiper's top five senior receivers are: 1. Mardy Gilyard (6-1, 180) of Cincinnati. 2. Brandon LaFell (6-3, 206) of LSU. 3. Jordan Shipley (6-1, 190) of Texas. 4. Dexter McCluster (5-8, 165) of Mississippi. 5. Erick Decker (6-2, 215) of Minnesota. 4. An intriguing option would be tight end. New England's Ben Watson, who turns 30 next year, is the top free agent as of now. But Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham is 6-6, 258 and a great receiver. Florida's Aaron Hernandez (6-2, 250) is the second-best option right now, Kiper says. 5. Andre Johnson might be the lone great receiver without diva qualities. Moss, showing off his, stepped to the podium after the game and told reporters, “Y’all got two questions, so use ’em wisely.’’ He left in the middle of the third question. That was better than Joey Porter. If you talk as much and as loudly as Porter does, you have to face some music after games like Sunday. Only the Sun-Sentinel's hustling Omar Kelly got a quote from Porter. He stiffed the assembled media at his locker, most of them from Boston, considering the headlines he made this week about the "cheating" Patriots and how rules were made to protect Tom Brady. This is the second week after a tough loss that he's ducked out without talking to the media. Worse, he left rookie Vontae Davis with the spotlight on his mistakes rather than stepping up and taking some of the attention off Davis. 6. More crucial to the Dolphins season than whether Porter talks is how he plays. Which isn't very well right now. No tackles Sunday. Only 2.5 sacks on the season. Do we start seeing Cameron Wake (a fourth sack Sunday in limited use this year) more now? 7. It's Old Friends Week in college, as Miami goes to Butch Davis at North Carolina and Florida goes to Steve Spurrier at South Carolina. 8. Ted Ginn Jr. showed again Sunday his role is as a specialty player and not a receiver. 9. The opposing quarterback pendulum swings the other way again. A season of facing Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan now faces Tampa rookie Josh Freeman.

Where were Taylor and Porter? Brady and Moss star again

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:56:05 -0500

They unleashed the WildPat, or Pat-Cat, or White-cat, or whatever you want to call the option Pat White ran to great effect. They used the Wildcat. They had Ronnie Brown throw a touchdown. They had Chad Henne take a reverse handoff. The Dolphins keep doing everything creatively possible to score points , and it kept them in the game against New England. You know what New England did? Tom Brady threw to Randy Moss. That’s how the Patriots won, 27-17. When it was creative, the Patriots offense became Brady to Wes Welker. That’s the difference between where these franchises are. In some respects, this was a repeat of the Indianapolis game, though the Dolphins didn't dominate the time of possession as in that game. Still, the Colts had quarterback Paeyton Manning making big plays. The Pats had Brady and Moss. And the Dolphins big play makers? They were supposed to be Joey Porter and Jason Taylor on Sunday. They were the ones asked to provide the pass rush on Brady. Porter even made big headlines in Boston this week for talking. But about the only place Porter showed up Sunday was on the scoreboard at game's end under the caption, "No tackles.: (Porter didn't even talk to the assembled media after the game, which was pretty weak considering how much he talked during the week). The Dolphins had a couple of sacks of Brady. Cameron Wake got a sack just before half that helped limit the Patriots to a field goal. Randy Starks got what essentially was a coverage sack. Taylor had three tackles. Porter had none, though he did have a quarterback hurry when he hit Brady's elbow as the quarterback threw. So with it's star missing on defense, with it having no playmakers as receivers, the Dolphins had to be perfect and creative and innovative on offense. And against a team with stars like New EEngland that's not going to be enough most of the time. Look at the drive to start the second half. Sixteen plays. Sixty-six yards. Ten minutes, 9 seconds. Four players took the snap from center. The option, the Wildcat and the conventional offense was run. And the touchdown came on a 1-yard pass from Brown to Joey Haynos. That is great coaching and great execution. But the Patriots came back with a 71-yards pass from Brady to Moss in what was a day at graduate school for rookie cornerback Vontae Davis (an interception on the first drive, a professional push-off by Moss on the second for a 36-yard catch, the touchdown and then 2-point conversion by Moss and then a fine tackle of Welker to give the offense a chance in the final minutes). There were other big issues in the game: • Where was the pressure on Brady? He was sacked twice and Joey Porter hit him once on the arm while throwing. But he had too much time to throw the ball with those receivers against a rookie-heavy secondary. Jason Taylor and Porter were invisible. Porter made headlines all week, then didn't talk to the assembled media after the game. New England did show him at the end of the game on the bench wiith the caption of, "No tackles." • The final Dolphins drive. Brian Hartline dropped a pass. Henne called a time-out when they didn’t have one (a delay of game penalty resulted). And then Ted Ginn Jr. dropped a pass. Ugh. That, right there, underlines why the Dolphins have to go to the Wildcat and option attacks. And you know when we know the Dolphins are on a talent part with the Patriots? When we talk less about them. That’ll mean the Dolphins think their talent can win out. Don’t get me wrong. This is innovative coaching and gives the Dolphins a chance to win. A year ago, the Dolphins sprung the Wildcat on Bill Belchick and the Patriots. On Sunday, it was the Wild-option. It was Pat White – repeat: Pat White – coming on to spark a struggling Dolphins offense and pulling the Dolphins into the game at halftime. The Dolphins were being outgained 180-82 yards when White entered the game with 9:05 left in the second quarter. Here was the play-by-play from there: Ronnie Brown runs for 2 yards to Miami 22-yard line. White keeps option and runs left for 33 yards to New England 45. White up middle for 4 yards Ricky Williams around right end for 12 yards Defensive pass interference on Leigh Bodden for 14 yards Williams takes option pitch from White around right end for 15 yards and touchdown. That was a five-play, 66-yard drive to tie the game at 10-10. Then they came out with the 10-minute drive to start the second half to go up, 17-16, and give themselves a chance.

Is Porter right on Brady Rule?; Belichick plots Wildcat

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:56:20 -0500

1. So will the Dolphins see the protective shield put around Tom Brady? First, it was Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis saying the Tom Brady Rule means no one can hit the Patriots quarterback. This week it was Joey Porter. “No question,’’ Porter said. “When a guy can tell a ref when to throw a flag and he gets it and stuff like that, he got his own rules. They made the whole [rule that you] don’t go at the legs because of Tom. So when he feels that someone is coming at his legs, he just points at the ref and he gets a flag. So you gotta honestly say that he gets his own rules.’’ This is a tough one. Quarterbacks are the league's meal ticket. But you can't, as former Patriot Rodney Harrison mocked of Brady this year, "put a skirt on him." The rule put in last off-season says a defensive player on the ground can't lunge or dive at the quarterbacks' legs. Asked if that was put in for him, Brady told the Boston Globe this week: "No, I don’t think so,’’ Brady told the Globe said yesterday. “You may get more calls [for roughing the passer this year than in the past]. I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever influenced a call. I think the ref calls what he sees. I don’t think I’ve ever influenced a call. “The refs we have are very good. If they make a call on that, great. If they don’t, that’s fine.’’ 2. The Dolphins opponents are 22-6 this year. They've played the two remaining undefeated teams tough in the Colts and the Saints. Finally, after playing the Patriots, the schedule lightens a little as five of the next six games are against teams that are a collective 10-26 (the rematch against New England is the sixth). The schedule: Tampa Bay (0-7), at Carolina (3-4), at Buffalo (3-5), New England, at Jacksonville (3-4), at Tennessee (1-6). 3. Today is graduate school for Dolphins rookies Vontae Davis, Sean Smith and Chris Clemons as they go against Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker. 4. Bill Belichick had the bye week, which is never good for an opponent. And he used the extra time to review the Wildcat. Remember, this was the birthplace of the Wildcat a year ago and Belichick had to be embarrased how his defense was cut up by it. "We'll devote a decent percentage of time to that,'' he said on his TV show. Asked if the Wildcat has a place in football is a fad, Belichick said: "I think it has a place ... It's hard when they keep the quarterback in the game and split him out wide and you don't know from play to play if they're going to the Wildcat or not. Does it create some problems? Yes. Offensively, if you're going to be good at it, you've got to commit some time (in practice) to it. And the Dolphins commit some time to it. That's why they're good at it. As a coach, you've got to decide where you want to commit your time."

Am I really a Gator Hater?

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:25:33 -0500

I've been attacked, criticized, besmirched and generally taken a roundhouse punch from a blog poster. You know, a typical day at the office. MarkMo called me a Gator hater. He brought some thoughts to the fight, too. And so with my feelings hurt, and having nothing better to blog about, I decided to do battle with him on a point-by-point basis to show, (sniff) it just ain't so. I've separated his post into the separate points with my response after it. 1. ALLEGATION: "Dave, have you ever written anything positive about Florida? They are the #1 team in the BCS, just clinched another trip to the SEC title game, and are favored to win their 3rd BCS title in 4 years. But we haven't read a word about any of that. Instead, everything we read from you is full of negativity and vitriol towards them ..." RESPONSE: OK, we'll get into the specific allegations of 'negativity and vitriol' in a moment. But just to get on board to show, yes, I have written positive things aout the Gators, I'm supplying this entry from August 5th: "If you were hiring a college football coach, who would you want: Pete Carroll, Nick Saban or Urban Meyer? "That was a question posed to columnists in the Tribune Co. chain. Here's my answer: Of course it’s Urban Meyer. He coaches the toughest-in-the-nation Southeastern Conference as opposed to Pete Carroll's softer-than-tofu Pac-12 (ranked fourth in the country last year among conferences). "Meyer has won two national titles the past three years. Carroll has won two (with an easier conference path) in his nine years at USC. Saban has won one in forever. "Meyer has won everywhere, too. Bowling Green. Utah. Now Florida. Neither of the other two can say that. Just ask the NFL. Or consider Saban spent five years in the Big Ten at Michigan State and didn't win a conference title. "Meyer also wins with less developed talent. Take last year. Carroll’s USC had 11 players taken in the last NFL draft, including three in the first round. Saban’s Alabama had four players drafted, including the sixth-overall pick. "Only three Florida players were taken. Don't get me wrong. Florida' underclassmen were stacked. Meyer has the program running as well as any in the country. "The one quibble: All the arrests. It's not out of control just yet. But it's something he has to get a handle on. Still: Saban, Carroll or Meyer? Of course it's Meyer." To be sure, I have driven home the point about the arrests at Florida. That's something he's got to keep a handle on in the off-season. There's a tipping point on images, and Miami is the perfect example, as it reputation is still troubled thanks to stuff that happened decades ago. 2. ALLEGATION: "You like Kiffin's attacks against Meyer, even if they're untrue or childlike." RESPONSE: Here's from my blog before the UF-Tennessee game: "The last time I was looking forward to beatdown like what's coming Saturday in Gainesville was in Rocky III. "This one's different than Urban Meyer chaining Georgia to his back bumper and dragging it around the field to the tune of 49-10. Georgia coach Mark Richt riled up Meyer and had some payback coming. But Meyer didn't come out of it looking good, either. "Tennessee's Lane Kiffen gets no such pass. He has been the new kid on the block who won't shut up. There may be good and sound strategy for this, much like Rex Ryan's bombast with the New York Jets attempting to infect his team with a new attitude. "In the long-term, maybe that works. Saturday is the short term. I'm in Gainesville for this one. Florida 48, Tennessee 13." In the column after the game, I did write that Kiffin came out a winner for keeping it close -- and for still talking some entertaining smack. He's going to be a force in the SEC, as he's shown this year, at least as long as Tennessee doesn't go on probation and his dad stays as defensive coordinator. But to say I was all for Kiffin is to mangle the truth. 3. ALLEGATION: "Meyer shouldn't have played Tebow when he had a cold." RESPONSE: This is a reference to Tebow playing against Kentucky while sick and then suffering the concussion. This is too easy to shoot down. I don't think I made a reference to Tebow being sick. But here's what I wrote about Tebow still being in the game and getting hurt on my Sept. 30 blog: "The only reason Tim Tebow was in a blowout game at Kentucky was to pad his Heisman stats. And I've got no problem with that. That's how it's done in the Heisman campaign, and if that award means something to you it's how you play the game. "You get your stats. You go after your numbers. You also run the risk at getting your franchise quarterback hurt, and that's where Florida got bit on Saturday in Kentucky. "Dumb? "It's done everywhere. How do you think Sam Bradford won the Heisman last year? Why do you think Colt McCoy was in for Texas long after his game was over Saturday? But Florida lost its gamble Saturday and so there are all sorts of questions being asked. The knock on his Heisman candidacy last year was his passing stats didn't measure up to the gaudy numbers of Oklahoma's Sam Bradford. Tebow has passed for one touchdown and ran for two against Kentucky when he was knocked out. The thought is one more TD pass and he'd have been taken out of the game.* 4. ALLEGATION: "Meyer should be roundly criticized for saying two days after Tebow's concussion that he "will" play against LSU ... (when Meyer actually said he "could" play and added "I don't know either way" . And: "Meyer should sit Tebow out regardless of what his team of specialists has to say about his concussion over 2 weeks of testing. Anything short of ignoring Tebow's specialists means that Meyer is selfish ..." RESPONSE: Again, not sure where this comes from. I wrote repeatedly I wasn't comfortable watching Tebow play considering the concussion. I wrote the same about Zach Thomas. An Steve Young. And Troy Aikman ... Maybe you're comfortable reading the studies on concussions and football and still watching your favorite players go on the field soon after concussions. I'm not. Other things I wrote reading this: From Oct. 8 blog: * "Florida has a big decision this week with Tim Tebow and his concussion. Here’s what I hope: His future is the No. 1 priority. Urban Meyer has run a great program since taking over and has shown no inclination to put winning over players’ health. There’s so much scary research coming out about concussions, it makes you hope Florida errs on the conservative side with Tebow." From Oct. 5 blog: * "Florida coach Urban Meyer said Tim Tebow is a game-time decision. My guess is the decision has been made. Testing a concussion before a game isn't like testing a sprained ankle to see if it's ready. Either the doctors have cleared Tebow or they haven't. Either he can play or he can't." 5. ALLEGATION: "LSU will beat Florida easily at home." RESPONSE: From Oct.10 blog: "Prediction: LSU 24, Florida 17. Everything sets up for an LSU win - night game, at home, with the Tebow issue. USC lost to Washington without its starting quarterback when it went 1-for-11 on third downs. Oklahoma lost to Brigham Young and Miami without its starting quarterback. Still, with or without Tebow, I'm picking LSU. The good news for Florida fans: It won't knock you out of the national championship picture by year's end." Not sure where you read I predict LSU would win "easily" in that -- but I predicted LSU and was wrong. Big deal. I'm wrong a lot with predictions. Check out the Beat The Experts segment in the paper. 6. ALLEGATION: "Meyer is ridiculous for suspending someone one half (OMG it should be two halves!!! Huge difference Dave!)" RESPONSE: Hey, congrats, you got a critciism right. Here's what I said this week in the blog:: "Half a game? Is Urban Meyer kidding? And half the Vanderbilt game, at that? "Don't suspend Brandon Spikes at all, if you're only going to suspend him for half the Vanderbilt game. Tell everyone you've handled the matter with Spikes internally. Say he's running stadium steps at 6 a.m.. Anything but come out looking weak like suspending Spikes for ... half the Vanderbilt game. "If you missed it, watch the video of his eye-gouging of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey. Eye-gouging is something you expect from The Iron Sheik in a pro-wrestling ring. Not a college football game. Especially not at a proud program like Florida's. "Meyer runs a great program. But this is just silly. Makes you wonder: Is there a three-quarters-of-a-game suspension, too?" 7. ALLEGATION: "A former NFL coach's opinion that Tebow will be a high pick deserves ridicule" Not sure where you got the "deserves ridicule" portion of Tony Dungy saying Tebow would be a top 5 pick. From a January blog: "This fear factor about Tim Tebow and the NFL is way overplayed. I talked with a NFL scout who says Tebow can be a great pro quarterback. The key is thatf he hooks on with the right team at the start that uses him in the right manner. It can't be a team like Detroit, which needs a savior tomorrow at quarterback ...." From a February blog: "Jon Gruden explains why Florida quarterback Tim Tebow will be a high first-round pick in the 2010 draft. I've scoffed at people who say Tebow will be a lower-round pick or won't make in the NFL. Gruden, the fired Tampa Bay coach, had the following takes on Tebow in talking to the Orlando Sentinel and Tampa Tribune ..." From Nov. 2 blog: "Florida quarterback Tim Tebow will be drafted higher than a lot of people think. But Tony Dungy takes that one further: Tebow's going to be a Top Five pick, as he said on Dan Patrick's radio show. " From the show's notes: "Dungy also had interesting comments on Tim Tebow. Dungy loves winners. He thinks Charlie Ward would have been a great NFL quarterback because he won at every level. Dungy said that Tebow is like that. He just wins, and that will translate to the NFL." " One thing that will help Tebow and probably factors into Dungy's thinking: Tampa Bay will have a Top 5 pick and might take Tebow for his box-office appeal as much as on-field talent. Jacksonville will have a high pick, too, and its owner is already on record saying that." 8. ALLEGATION: "Meyer is not allowed to send tapes of missed calls to the SEC office, even though every team does it every week RESPONSE: Never said he wasn't allowed. Just questioned him making a big deal of it, even as I understand him trying to protect his quarterback. Here's what I wrote: "Give the Chutzpah Award of the Week to Florida coach Urban Meyer. In the week his linebacker, Brandon Spikes, trired (and failed) to gouge the eyes of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey and drew no penalty, Meyer criticized SEC officials for missing a call in the game: Tim Tebow was hit late. Meyer says he has “great confidence” in the SEC’s officials, but added that they have to protect quarterbacks. Tebow was hit by linebacker Nick Williams after handing off the ball." By the way, the SEC slapped Meyer with a $30,000 fine for this. That was kind of weird for that comment, considering Lane Kiffin had called out the full integrity of the league by earlier saying Alabama and Florida were getting all the calls in their favor to keep their championship-game matchup intact. 9. ALLEGATION: "And many others. So what is your fascination with "all things negative" about Florida? If it's your job to cover them, shouldn't you also be covering the positives too? Or is it your job just to be negative about them every day of the week?" RESPONSE: Get some facts on your side, then we'll talk. I'm always amused by the cult following the school I grew up with -- Ohio State -- and one like Florida has. If you say anything against them, anything at all, you're labeled as being against them. "An enemy of the Gator," as Steve Spurrier did label me that once, though we later spent a few hours in his office and everything was cleared up. I'm a huge Spurrier fan). My outlook on Florida is the same as Miami or Florida State or South Florida or whomever. I look at the situation. I see how I feel. I weigh it against past actions, statements, fallout, etc ... And I write about it. But how can I be a Gator hater? Here's my prediction for tonight: Florida 38, Vanderbilt 10.

Dolphins loving mocking Jets; Porter hates 'cheating' Patriots

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:52:20 -0500

1. The Jets gave big, dumb, headlined quotes about the Dolphins -- or simply sarcastic ones about how they''re a "great team," in the case of linebackerr Bart Scott. But to show how this rivalry has legs again - ain't it grand? - the Dolphins were enjoying more subtle digs at the Jets. There was offensive coordinator Dan Henning on Thursday, saying in the midst of how you don't overstate any skill -- "OK, if we're the Jets, we have the tendency to say we're great when we're only half-great." Throw that in with the comment Tony Sparano made when asked about the Jets' comments: "All I know is we're 3-0 in the division." Jason Taylor made a point of how he threw the football hard into a Jets insignia hanging from the railings after running back his fumble return. So you get a glimpse of how the Dolphins subtly jab back. A couple of Dolphins also mentioned how when the offense was kneeling down at the end of the game Scott was still flying hard into the line, trying to hurt someone. It's generally accepted players ease up on those finals seconds when the clock's being run out. As for Scott's comments after the game? "Stupid,'' one Dolphin said. "And it starts at the top - with what their coach is saying." 2. One team the Dolphins respect is the Patriots. Well, most of them. Joey Porter, the former Steeler, feels he lost some rings to the Patriots' cheating ways: "[I] still don’t care for New England. That hate’s been there for a while, especially after all the cheating they did back in the day. They can sweep it under the rug if they want to, but just like anybody else that’s cheating that gets caught, you put an asterisk by it. But nobody puts an asterisk by those championships they won.’’

Donaghy tells how refs fixed Heat game

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:59:40 -0500

Will Tim Donaghy be to the NBA as Jose Canseco is to major-league baseball? Nope. Maybe worse. Dongahy's new book, if it's ever published, says games are fixed subtly and easily in the league. He details some hows and whys -- including the infamous Heat game in 2007 against the Knicks, when the Heat were whistled for 39 fouls to the Knicks' eight. The story of the book is a story unto itself. Triumph Books was set to publish it and buckled at the last second to NBA muscle. Deadspin.com, however, got excerpts of the book. Here are some: * "Madison Square Garden was the place to be for a marquee matchup between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks. I worked the game with Derrick Stafford and Gary Zielinski, knowing that the Knicks were a sure bet to get favorable treatment that night. Derrick Stafford had a close relationship with Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, and he despised Heat coach Pat Riley. I picked the Knicks without batting an eye and settled in for a roller-coaster ride on the court. "During pregame warm-ups, Shaquille O'Neal approached Stafford and asked him to let some air out of the ball. " 'Is this the game ball?' O'Neal asked. 'It's too hard. C'mon, D, let a little air out of it.' "Stafford then summoned one of the ball boys, asked for an air needle, and let some air out of the ball, getting a big wink and a smile from O'Neal." * "Of course, Stafford had some friends in the league, too. I worked a Knicks game in Madison Square Garden with him on February 26, 2007. New York shot an astounding 39 free throws that night to Miami's paltry eight. It seemed like Stafford was working for the Knicks, calling fouls on Miami like crazy. Isiah Thomas was coaching the Knicks, and after New York's four-point victory, a guy from the Knicks came to our locker room looking for Stafford, who was in the shower. He told us that Thomas sent him to retrieve Stafford's home address; apparently, Stafford had asked the coach before the game for some autographed sneakers and jerseys for his kids. Suddenly, it all made sense." * "Studying under Dick Bavetta for 13 years was like pursuing a graduate degree in advanced game manipulation. He knew how to marshal the tempo and tone of a game better than any referee in the league, by far. He also knew how to take subtle — and not so subtle — cues from the NBA front office and extend a playoff series or, worse yet, change the complexion of that series. "The 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings presents a stunning example of game and series manipulation at its ugliest. As the teams prepared for Game 6 at the Staples Center, Sacramento had a 3–2 lead in the series. The referees assigned to work Game 6 were Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, and Ted Bernhardt. As soon as the referees for the game were chosen, the rest of us knew immediately that there would be a Game 7. A prolonged series was good for the league, good for the networks, and good for the game. Oh, and one more thing: it was great for the big-market, star-studded Los Angeles Lakers. "In the pregame meeting prior to Game 6, the league office sent down word that certain calls — calls that would have benefitted the Lakers — were being missed by the referees. This was the type of not-so-subtle information that I and other referees were left to interpret. After receiving the dispatch, Bavetta openly talked about the fact that the league wanted a Game 7. " 'If we give the benefit of the calls to the team that's down in the series, nobody's going to complain. The series will be even at three apiece, and then the better team can win Game 7,' Bavetta stated. "As history shows, Sacramento lost Game 6 in a wild come-from-behind thriller that saw the Lakers repeatedly sent to the foul line by the referees. For other NBA referees watching the game on television, it was a shameful performance by Bavetta's crew, one of the most poorly officiated games of all time. "The 2002 series certainly wasn't the first or last time Bavetta weighed in on an important game. He also worked Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers. The Lakers were down by 13 at the start of the fourth quarter" and ended up winning the game. * "Allen Iverson provides a good example of a player who generated strong reaction, both positive and negative, within the corps of NBA referees. For instance, veteran referee Steve Javie hated Allen Iverson and was loathe [sic] to give him a favorable call. If Javie was on the court when Iverson was playing, I would always bet on the other team to win or at least cover the spread. No matter how many times Iverson hit the floor, he rarely saw the foul line. By contrast, referee Joe Crawford had a grandson who idolized Iverson. I once saw Crawford bring the boy out of the stands and onto the floor during warm-ups to meet the superstar. Iverson and Crawford's grandson were standing there, shaking hands, smiling, talking about all kinds of things. If Joe Crawford was on the court, I was pretty sure Iverson's team would win or at least cover the spread." See why the league doesn't want this book out?

Belichick on Parcells' imprint; Some Cane fans nuts

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:54:17 -0500

Running and Hyding: 1. No surprise here, but it's interesting that Bill Belichick sees Bill Parcell's fingerprints all over the Dolphins. In today's Boston Globe, Belichick talks of his former partner's blueprint for rebuilding teams and how it looks on the Dolphins. * "I think everything Bill believes in is evident there,’’ Belichick said. “Start with the coaching staff. He hired Sparano, who was with him in Dallas. Henning, they’ve been together since ’72 at Florida State. You can go right down the line. A lot of those guys have connections to Bill.’’ , * “The players they bring in are all the kind of players he likes,’’ said Belichick. “The defensive linemen are big. They’re all strong. All the outside linebackers can rush. The corners are big. The running backs are big. The tackles are big. They’re a big, powerful team. “They have ‘Bill Parcells’ stamped all over it, no question about it. That’s what Bill believes in. He has a great philosophy, and it works for him. And it should work for him. * “Look at Dallas. It’s the same thing. They go down there and they get DeMarcus Ware, some big defensive linemen. All the guys they had there, they’ve either moved on to Miami or they’re still in Dallas. “The Giants, New England, Dallas, Miami, the Jets - it’s a lot of the guys or the same type of guys. It’s worked for him every place he’s been. There’s no way he’s going to change it. There’s no way he should change." 2. The Chiefs taking Chris Chambers is exactly what it looked to be: A team desperate for help grabbing any lifeline. http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1549990.html">From the Kansas City Star this morning: "They just know for now they’re desperate to improve an ailing passing game. They’re willing to try anything to get them there, even if it means taking on a wide receiver that was found lacking by another team, which was San Diego in Chambers’ case. “He came available and in our quest to improve our team (through) every avenue, we felt he could potentially help us,” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said. “We have experience playing against him and preparing for him, so we had a bunch of different opinions on him and felt good about getting him in here.” 3. While switching channels between the Heat, the Panthers and the World Series: (a) Did anyone else get tired of hearing what a star Gilbert Arenas is from ESPN's Mark Jackson? Arenas scores points. Dwyane Wade shows what stars do in the NBA by going out and winning a winnable game. (b) Steven Reinprecht is on one of those career runs and the Panthers need it to bail out their start. Reinprecht has nine goals in the first 13 games. His career high is 19. That gives him 69 games to score 11 more goals and set a new career high. (c) Yankees in 6. Cut and save. I got one prediction right. 4. Marcus Jordan, Michael's son, not wanting to wear adidas at Central Florida and costing the school a $3 million shoe contract sure seems like a dumb story of stubborness and pettiness and entitlement. Nike and Papa Jordan better come in with a check and made this into a better story. 5. Speaking of stupidity, why are some UM fans upset with Randy Shannon? You can quibble about things, sure. You can do that everywhere. But the team's 6-2 with only a couple of NFL-draftable players this year, meaning young guys are playing big roles and the depth isn't there. The program is progessing, players are graduating and staying out of trouble ... what's the problem?

Ricky: Patriots kicked me; Agassi threw matches

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:19:40 -0500

RUNNING AND HYDING: 1. One of the great things about talking to veterans like Ricky Williams is there's years of stories and perspective built up. I mentioned the incident of Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes' attempted eye-gouging of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey, and Williams said that had never happened to him. He said he did have a lip split open when someone's accidently reached through the facemask while making a tackle (that led him to put the shield on his facemask). But he remembered only a few incidents happened where he felt players. Once, he kicked back in a pile as cheap shots were taken. Another time, when he was with the Saints, he felt then-San Diego safety Rodney Harrison intentionally split open his chin. The most recent one involved the Patriots in the Dolphins' upset in Foxboro last year. "They were kicking me," he said New England players, he thought were upset over a block he made on Ronnie Brown's 62-yard touchdown run. The other factor, of course, was the Dolphins unleashed the Wildcat in the surprise win. So in the final minutes, in a pile, Williams felt he was targeted. He said it was mentioned to the refs on the sideline, and they said they'd look at it. But nothing came of it. 2. Did you feel the Heat are pulling a bait-and-switch by starting Michael Beasley and playing Udonis Haslem at the end of every game? 3./strong> Give the Chutzpah Award of the Week to Florida coach Urban Meyer. In the week his linebacker, Brandon Spikes, trired (and failed) to gouge the eyes of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey and drew no penalty, Meyer criticized SEC officials for missing a call in the game: Tim Tebow was hit late. Meyer says he has “great confidence” in the SEC’s officials, but added that they have to protect quarterbacks. Tebow was hit by linebacker Nick Williams after handing off the ball. 4 A lot was made of Andre Agassi admitting to using meth in his autobiography. But what about tanking matches? "Losing on purpose isn't easy," he writes. "You have to lose in such a way that the crowd can't tell, and in a way that you can't tell. Your mind is tanking, but your body is fighting on. ... You don't do those tiny things you need to do. You don't run the extra few feet, you don't lunge. You're slow to come out of stops. You hesitate to bend or dig." In the 1996 Australian Open against Michael Chang, Agassi wrote: "I'm glad I lost."

A woman in the middle of Chambers and Chargers?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:03:17 -0500
As if there haven't been enough stories of men, women and trouble in recent weeks - from Steve Phillips back to Steve McNair - the age-old problem might have been more of a problem than Chris Chambers' age in making him a Kansas City Chief today. Here's how the San Diego Union-Tribune began its story today: "The Chargers parted ways with Chris Chambers Monday. "For so many reasons. "Officially, and legitimately, the emergence of Malcom Floyd as a dependable target and big-play threat made the struggling Chambers expendable after two years in San Diego. "But, in a phone conversation after he was released, Chambers (who is recently divorced) said he believes some off-field issues played into his release – specifically a relationship with a woman sources on the team believed may have had a negative impact on his performance. Chambers thinks any such determination would be unjust. “I thought the team gave up on me a little quick – for factors that don't have to deal with football,” he said. “I guess it created a distraction upstairs. I kept my head on straight. We all go through things. I did my best to not have my personal life and football clash. They know a little too much of my life, and they used it against me.” " The backstory is Chambers met this woman while married. Again, sound familiar? You couldn't even cruise today's sports news without finding a similar story -- or a denial in this case. TV commentator Jim Nantz is getting divorced from his wife of 26 years and has to pay $916,000 a year in alimony and child support. An Associated Press story has this you-decide-what's-true line:: "Although Nantz, 50, acknowledged he started dating a 29-year-old woman before the divorce was final, the judge concluded the marriage deteriorated years earlier and “this remote event in no way contributed to the breakdown of the marriage.” Back to Chambers: The Dolphins never got a shot to take him or turn him down because Kansas City strangely took him. Why Kansas City want Chambers is a bit mystifying. The Chiefs are rebuilding and you wouldn't think they'd want a 31-year-old receiver with personal issues, not much production and a contract that pays him $2.4 million the rest of the year. The trade deadline has passed, too. So the facts must speak for themselves: They want Chambers opposite Dwyane Bowe to help quarterback Matt Cassell. The Chiefs, after all, began their rebuilding with more things in place than the Dolphins did a year ago - and Kansas City has nothing to show for it. At some point, the Dolphins need help for Chad Henne to develop. But a guy with personal issues and production concerns isn't much of an answer. I'm not sure the Dolphins lost out on much, if anything, here.

Caption Contest: Bobby and the Cheerleaders (and last week's winner)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:48:15 -0500
CAPTION CONTEST (and let's keep it PG): What's Bobby saying - or the cheerleader's thinking? POSSIBILITIES: 1. "You suck in the gut like this, Bobby." 2. "Dadgum, I hope Anne doesn't see this." 3. "Maybe I could join the dadgum cheerleaders if this coaching thing doesn't work out." LAST WEEK'S WINNERS: 1. "Kickoffs?!?! Don't talk to me about kickoffs. What makes you think you can return kickoffs?" - Mikeberly with a late entry (after the Jets game) that takes the big change into account 2. "No, no, no! You are supposed to "catch" the ball, Teddy. Try to keep up!" finfan23 3. "Nice catch! No not you Teddy, I'm pointing to Hartline, get the hell out of the way!" - Jessie Z

Chris Chambers, anyone?; Who is Urban Meyer kidding?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:04:33 -0500

1. Old friend Chris Chambers was released by San Diego on Monday, and so the natural question is if the Dolphins are interested. Let's look at Chambers of late. He became less important to San Diego with the emergence of Malcolm Floyd was made had one catch Sunday in the Charger's win against Oakland. He has nine catches for 122 yards and a touchdown in four games. Last year, Chambers had 33 catches for 462 yards and five touchdowns. So what are the chances the Dolphins are interested? Answer: None at all. This team wants young pieces to build on, not 31-year-old ones on the clear downside. Yes, the Dolphins need a No. 1 receiver. But if Chambers isn't good enough to even help the Chargers, does anyone think he'd be the answer moving forward here? Another factor: Chambers comes with personal issues. He was going through an issue in San Diego with a woman threatening him. Plus, to get Chambers means you not only cut into a young receiver like Brian Hartline's playing time, but you also have to cut someone off the roster. Again: It's not that a receiving upgrade is worth, what, Quentin Moses. But is Chambers a receiving upgrade? Again: I just don't see him as an upgrade at all. 2. Half a game? Is Urban Meyer kidding? And half the Vanderbilt game, at that? Don't suspend Brandon Spikes at all, if you're only going to suspend him for half the Vanderbilt game. Tell everyone you've handled the matter with Spikes internally. Say he's running stadium steps at 6 a.m.. Anything but come out looking weak like suspending Spikes for ... half the Vanderbilt game. If you missed it, watch the video of his eye-gouging of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey. Eye-gouging is something you expect from The Iron Sheik in a pro-wrestling ring. Not a college football game. Especially not at a proud program like Florida's. Meyer runs a great program. But this is just silly. Makes you wonder: Is there a three-quarters-of-a-game suspension, too? 3. Jets special teams coach (and former Dolphin) Mike Westhoff always has been one of my favorite people in sports, not just for who he is but the cancer fight he had to overcome. It wasn't a surprise that Westhoff stopped into the New York Jets' media room on Monday to face the music of Ted Ginn's two kickoff returns. "It was the worst ever for me -- ever ... The absolute worst," he said, as the New York Daily News reported. He added: "(The pain) will go away when they're lowering me into the ground." Asked Westhoff why they kicked to Ginn after he already has scored. He called the first touchdown an "aberration." But why did they do it again and again and again? "I guess I'm the guy who'd pitch to Barry Bonds," he said. I don't understand why such a big deal is made of kicking to Ginn a second time in the New York media. Before Sunday, Ginn had 101 kickoff returns, no touchdowns and a long of a 52-yard return. What, because he returned a kickoff for a touchdown on the play before he was suddenly to be given the Devin Hester treatment? 4. Once in a while, you see a written sentence that brings a chuckle. Jim Nantz is getting divorced from his wife of 26 years and has to pay $916,000 in alimony. Uh, that's not the sentence I chuckled over. It's this from an Associated Press story: "Although Nantz, 50, acknowledged he started dating a 29-year-old woman before the divorce was final, the judge concluded the marriage deteriorated years earlier and “this remote event in no way contributed to the breakdown of the marriage.”

Jets can't explain loss; Dungy says Tebow a Top 5 pick

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:31:46 -0500

1. "Sometimes things don't make sense,'' Jets coach Rex Ryan said. This was a Jets loss similar to the Dolphins loss against the Colts. The Jets dominated the things coaches love on Sunday in the same manner the Dolphins had that 45 minutes of possession against the Colts. The Jets outgained the Dolphins 378-104 yards, registered six sacks and tamed the mighty Wildcat. So, naturally, it was a Jets' strength and Dolphins' weakness that swung the day: Special teams. When's the last time you could say that about a Dolphins game? Ted GInn Jr. showed how much one player can change a game. It also prompted this post from blog reader Lloyd Heilbrunn: . "Trivia Question: Who is the only player in NFL history to be tackled twice by a kicker and score two TDs in a game??" Jets kicker Jay Feely tackled Ginn twice - in the second quarter and to open the second half - before Ginn busted the two kickoffs. Feely even stood over Ginn screaming after one of the tackles. 2. Alan Ogg was the rare cult figure on a South Florida pro team. It had nothing to do with his game. It had everythign to do with the fact he was 7-foot with a bad haircut and white and seemingly had a sense of humor about his small role. "Ogg!" the chant would go up in old Miami Arena whenever checked into a game. Now he's dead at 42. A few months after Alec Kessler died, too. Question: Can anyone think of any other cult-ish figures among South Florida athletes? 3. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow will be drafted higher than a lot of people think. But Tony Dungy takes that one further: Tebow's going to be a Top Five pick, as he said on Dan Patrick's radio show. From the show's notes: "Dungy also had interesting comments on Tim Tebow. Dungy loves winners. He thinks Charlie Ward would have been a great NFL quarterback because he won at every level. Dungy said that Tebow is like that. He just wins, and that will translate to the NFL." One thing that will help Tebow and probably factors into Dungy's thinking: Tampa Bay will have a Top 5 pick and might take Tebow for his box-office appeal as much as on-field talent. Jacksonville will have a high pick, too, and its owner is already on record saying that. 4. As you might expect, Rex Ryan is coming under some heat in New York. The question raised by Gary Myers of the New York Daily News is this: Why did the Jets kick to Ginn a second time? That seems like an ultimate second guess considering Ginn hadn't run a kickoff back for his touchdown in three years (and wasn't even used by coaches as the kickoff return man much of that time). Interesting fact, though: After Devin Hester returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown on the opening kick of the Super Bowl, Colts coach Tony Dungy didn't kick to him the next five times in the game. Of course, Hester had a track record that Ginn doesn't. And, yes, we're Dungy-intensive this morning. 5. Here's a perfect storm of World Series fodder: New York Post guest columnist/crazy man David Wells asks if actor Kate Hudson should receive a full or half share of the playoff money for keeping Alex Rodriguez straight. "There were so many distractions in Alex Rodriguez's life before this year, but he's got a good woman with him now in Kate, and I think that has sparked his huge postseason. Last night, A-Rod was a hero again, delivering the go-ahead run in the ninth inning with an RBI double against Brad Lidge in the Yankees' 7-4 victory in Game 4 of the World Series. What else is new? I credit Kate." Uh-huh. 6. The University of Miami had one of those heart-thumping comeback wins after an inexplicably tight game against Wake Forest. Question: Why did Mark Whipple have Jacory Harris throwing 30-yard passes downfield on that final drive when they have athletes to throw short passes and hope they bust a long gain? Hey, the game was won. And Miami's season moves forward.

Which Jet says Dolphins are Super Bowl contenders?

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:27:30 -0500

Running and Hyding on the Dolphins victory over the Jets: 1. Quote of the day: "They're a great team. They'll probably contend for the Super Bowl. They have a tremendous offense - great running backs, a great quarterback, a great tight end. They are stacked across the board. I'm serious. They are great." - Jets linebacker Bart Scott after holdilng the Dolphins to 104 total yards and losing. 2. Question of the day: Do you think Scott, who has been the most outspoken Jets player this week, was serious? 3. Let's not forget how the Dolphins are doing the toughest thing of all in sports: Winning while rebuilding. The two rookie cornerbacks starting was noticable. But the defensive plays of the game were made by defensive linemen Randy Starks and Paul Soliai, both 25. Starks tied for a team-high of seven tackles, all unassisted, including one of Sanchez on successive plays in the final drive when the Jets were within the winning touchdown. Soliai, who is becoming a presence in games, stripped running back Thomas Jones for a fumble that Jason Taylor picked up for a 48-yard return. 4. Taylor, at 36, just continues to make big plays. You have to hope with Matt Roth back he's used a little selectively as the season wears on. 5. Up 30-19 midway through the fourth quarter, why did Tony Sparano go for a two-point conversion? Simple. The chart told him to go for two points. Coaches follow the pre-calculated chart in the heat of a game to avoid mistakes. What's not so clear is why the chart said to go for two points. An extra point and 12-point lead would mean the Jets would need either two touchdowns or three scores - not the two scores that an 11-point lead would allow (touchdown, 2-point conversion and field goal). 6. Davone Bess is officially on notice after his second big fumble in the last two weeks. Last week, the Dolphins led 24-3 when his fumble on a catch allowed the Saints to cut into the lead just before half. This week, his fumble of a punt catch came when the Dolphins were up 17-6 and looking to take command in the third quarter. The Jets recovered at the Dolphins 29and five plays later scored a touchdown. 7. Sunday was an example of why quarterback ratings are a barometer but don't tell the full story. Both young quarterbacks played young -- and had ratings beyond their games. The Dolphins' Chad Henne had an 87.8 rating for a middling-at-best game of 12 of 21, 112 yards and one touchdown. He also was sacked five times, many of them for holding on the ball too long and, once, walking into the path of the man Jake Long was blocking. Mark Sanchez played well, but he had a 100.3 on 20 of 35 passing for 265 yards and two touchdowns. That overstates what Sanchez did in a game where he didn't really scare anyone and, when the game was on the line, couldn't deliver the big play. Plus, in a partial reflection of the quarterbacks, the Dolphins were 4 of 14 on third-down conversions and the Jets were 3 of 13. 8. For the record, the record for a career is six kickoff returns for a touchdown (Gale Sayers, Ollie Matson, Travis Williams, Mel Gray and Dante Hall). The record in a season is four (Travis Williams in 1967 and Cecil Turner in 1970.) For a game, the record is two: Tim Brown (1966), Travis Williams (1967), Ron Brown (1985), Tyrone Hughes (1994), Chad Morton (2002), Devin Hester (2006), Andre Davis (2007). The last Dolphins kickoff return for a touchdown was Wes Welker in 2005. 9. In a continuing saga, the opposing tight end had a big day. Dustin Keller caught eight passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. To underline the Jets' game plan, Keller had 13 passes thrown to him. The Dolphins had a serious safety rotation going, too. Before the first Jets play, Chris Clemons and Nate Jones were run on the field to replace Yeremiah Bell and Gibril Wilson. The switching went on all game. Maybe there was some key to changes or defense they were put in to run. But it appeared to the uncoached eye to be just random changes in hope of messing with Sanchez's thoughts. That said, Jones continues to make plays for this defense. 10. No matter what happens this year, the Dolphins can take some pleasure in ruining the Jets' year in a season where (thanks, Rex Ryan) the rivalry has been resparked.

Ten more things about Dolphins owner Steve Ross

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:17:20 -0500

For Sunday's newspaper column, I talked with Dolphins owner Steve Ross for an hour in his Manhattan office at The Related Group. This is the second time I've talked at length with Ross, and it's pretty clear now that the franchise is in good hands. He's doing everything you'd want from an owner: Keeping good football people in place and supporting them without meddling; assuring the in-game atmosphere is the best possible; attempting to enhance the Dolphins brand name wherever possible. Against my initial fears, the Orange Carpet and stadium concerts and celebrities brought to games has made the off-field atmosphere more fun. It's not getting in the way of football, either. Here are 10 more things about Ross that didn't make the story: 1. Ross works out six mornings a week. He starts with an aerobic workout - elliptical or Stairmaster - before moving to weights. He then goes into the office by 9:30 a.m. and doesn't leave until after 8 p.m. Told he doesn't look like the type to gain weight, he laughed. "In high school, I weighed (a chubby) 225 pounds." 2. Asked to give a story about one of the celebrity partners at a game, he mentioned seeing, "Jennifer (Lopez) in a beautiful dress and Marc (Anthony) in a suit and tie." He asked Anthony why he wore a suit and tie to the game -- same as Ross was wearing. "He said, 'I'm an NFL owner. I have to wear this,' '' Ross said. 3. He was a fan of the Dolphins, going back to the beginning. Asked if he saw the 1972 Perfect Season, he said, "On TV. I watched the Super Bowl on TV. I didn't have money to go to those games." To Ross, 1972 is notable for when he started The Related Companies. 4. In the last year, he hired Jay Cross to The Related Companies. Cross came from the New York Jets, where he was president and responsible for getting the new Jets stadium built. (Before that, he was the Miami Heat president who was responsible for getting AmericanAirlines Arena built). Ross asked Cross who he was rooting for this weekend - Dolphins or Jets. Cross said he wanted the Dolphins to win. "He said, I'm a mercenary. I root for whoever's good for my boss,' '' Ross said. 5. He has a putter, a few golf balls and fake turf leading to a portable hole in his office. His goglf fame? "Not very good at all,'' he said. 6. Ross, the biggest Michigan donor and supporter, attended the Michigan-Notre Dame game earlier this year. At the Ohio State game, he'll receive a "M" letter in a ceremony. 7. There's a fascinating sculpture in the corner of the office of a businessman with a briefcase running on top of the globe. Ross calls it the "Slippery Slope" sculpture, reminding him that, "When you're up on top, you can go down quickly." 8. Asked the best perk of being an NFL owner, he said: "It's that we're in the worst economic climate in 80 years and I 'm able to go into an excitive, creative new business that I feel I can build and, at the same time, have all the pleasure that comes with the football team I've followed forever." 9. Ross went to the Yankees game Thursday night, though it sounded only because a friend asked him. He said he's not a baseball fan. And he noted how baseball has fallen behind the times with the lack of instant replay to correct calls or just on the scoreboard Jumbotron for fans to re-watch plays. "That's craziness,'' he said. "You have people at home who see things you can't when you come to the game." 10. Amid all his business and charitable awards and pictures with well-known people, there's a framed picture from the Jets game of a Dolphins fan holding a sign: "Welcome, Mr. Steve Ross."