Manti Te'o story is crazy.....not sad.

Manti Te'o's Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax

This is among the craziest sports related stories I have ever heard. His statement to ESPN only creates more questions in the aftermath of past stories. ESPN played a video of him talking about "her beauty" in a prior interview. Manti Te'o's father was quoted in this story in October saying "she" visited him in Hawaii.

They are already people out there questioning whether this relationship wasn't about a "her" but a "him".

While this story has been crazy so far, lets not call it a sad one. This is what a sad Notre Dame football story looks like and it is very much real.

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"Hello World?"

It has been reported for a while but Rory McIlroy was officially introduced as a "Nike Athlete" earlier today. This puts the two biggest names in golf under the Nike umbrella and predictably Nike already has a great commercial with them.

When Tiger Woods first signed with Nike this was the commercial Nike released.





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Quote of the day - Hall of Fame edition

"We may never know who voted for Aaron Sele, so we will have to cast suspicion on all baseball writers during that era."

Couldn't have said it better myself. Kudos Matt Sussman. Follow him on twitter.
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2013 BBWAA Hall of Fame voters should be ashamed of themselves

The Baseball Writers Association of America is a joke.

This Hall of Fame vote was a joke. The five people who sent in a blank ballot should have their votes taken away. The one idiot who voted for Aaron Sele should have their vote taken away. How does Mike Piazza get under 60% of the votes? What evidence is there against him? Will the reporters who kept votes from Piazza do the same with Jeter because he played on a team with so many known PED guys?  All writers should have to make their votes public. Here is a list of people who did make it public this year. Who are the eight writers who voted for Clemens but not Bonds? How do you explain that?

Hardball Talk has a good piece on Mike Piazza.

What happens in the next few years? The ballot is about to get really crowded. Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, Jeff Kent, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux all get on the ballot in the next two years.

I've been mentioning on twitter how so many of these guys need to lose their privilege to vote. Journalists should be reporting the news, not making it. If you don't vote for someone because they aren't a "first ballot" Hall of Famer, you should lose your vote. A player is either a Hall of Famer or he is not. There is no in between. Worthy guys are going to get taken off the ballot because these writers want to be the story. Just look at next year's ballot. Bonds, Clemens, Piazza, Biggio, Sosa McGriff, Maddux, Glavine, Kent, Schilling, Bagwell, Mussina, Frank Thomas. Only ten can be voted for.

Here is a full list of who is eligible in 2014.

At this point BBWAA is the biggest joke this side of congress and the NRA.

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Bill O'Brien needs to stop talking about loyalty

To me there are few things more annoying in sports then a college coach who talks about loyalty when it is so obvious that they don't mean it at all.

Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien is just the latest one.

Here is what he told Pennlive.com:

"I'm not a one-and-done guy,I made a commitment to these players at Penn State and that's what I am going to do. I'm not gonna cut and run after one year, that's for sure." 

He interviewed for a job with the Cleveland Browns this week. If he made a commitment and wasn't going to "cut and run" why did he take the interview? His buyout is somewhere north of $9 million according to Fox and that is one of the two reasons he is still the coach at Penn State with the other being that he got an extra $1.3 million courtesy of the owner of the Buffalo Bills. Why didn't he mention that in his statement?

I've mentioned in the past that I don't have a problem with college coaches making the jump to the NFL because of the limited number of those jobs and the chances to get them but please spare the BS about loyalty, commitment and integrity. Bill O'Brien is not the first or the last but it is a shame that we continue to let these guys have a pass.
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Rutgers/Louisville

Here we go. It is game day and the countdown is on to one of the biggest games in Rutgers Football history.

I honestly don't think I'll be able to fall asleep tonight. Just spent sometime watching highlights from the 2006 game on Youtube. Enjoy.
I found a couple of cool Jeremy Ito stories earlier today. The Star-Ledger did sort of a "Where is he now?" piece. The other one isn't directly about him but you must watch this piece Tom Rinaldi did for College Gameday this past weekend.

There will always be people in this area who will thumb their noses at college football. Steve Politi of the Star-Ledger has a column out today addressing them.
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NJ Gas Station ignoring odd/even rationing

The Sunoco in Edison on Route 1 North and Old Post Road is ignoring the odd/even rationing. Anyone know where I could report them? I called the attendant out in it and he said "everyone needs gas".

If you are on twitter follow @njgas and #njgas for up to be minute gas info.

70s era gas rules are back in NJ

Just received this text alert from our township.

Hurricane Sandy

We lost power 8:30 PM on Monday night as a result of Hurricane Sandy and just got it back after 39.5 hours.

We ended up being extremely fortunate when you consider the destruction around us. Two trees fell in our backyard but the only damage was to a shed. One of the trees just narrowly missed the house, had it fell in another direction by a foot it would have ended up in the master bedroom upstairs or the living room downstairs. There are houses in our neighborhood with trees on top of them. There are trees and power lines down all over the place. Even though we were without power all this time we have to be thankful that there wasn't as much rain as last Irene. That storm had caused flooding despite us not losing power. If the same had happened again mixing with power outages that would have made sump pumps useless the damage from flooding would have been far worse.

All this led me to think how people who live in areas that are regularly struck by hurricanes manage to cope with the the destruction? Sandy was barely a Category One storm by the time it hit us yet the damage is almost unthinkable.

I have to applaud Governor Chris Christie. I was one of many who spoke out when both he and the Lt. Governor went on vacation at the same time during a major snow storm but his handling if Sandy has been fantastic.

I was thinking late Monday night about the deaths Sandy has caused long before it even reached the US. I believe I ready that it had killed 60 people before it reached the US yet in typical American fashion those numbers were largely ignored in our news broadcasts. As I sat in this crazy storm last night with the loud noises coming from outside that kept us awake most of the night I also had to pause and think about the people of Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine who have seen their neighborhoods bombarded for years and have endured so many more sleepless nights.

Take a moment to be grateful for what you have because they are so man people out there who are in situation far worse both in and out of this current storm.

In closing, major kudos to PSE&G. Having power restored to us in under 40 hours after this destruction is very impressive.

This tree barely missed our house.

Neighbor's tree fell into our yard

That same tree completely crushed the shed in our backyard

Kudos to PSE&G for having our power back in under 40 hours.

See the yellow caution tape? That is how power cables our.

Down tree on Easton Avenue in Somerset completely blocking one side.  

Downed cable a block away from me. 

This is the bottom of a downed tree in my neighborhood. 

Downed tree by New Brunswick Senior Center

Downed tree on a house in Somerset, NJ

Hurricane Sandy (#Frankenstorm!)

I did a couple of posts on this last year during Irene but figured I'd throw this up there again. 

Living in the Northeast we are amateurs at dealing with Hurricane threats but there are some common sense thing everyone should be doing to prepare.


Here they are in no particular order:

• Have plenty of bottled water available. If there are power outages because of flooding it will get hot inside the house. 
• Have plenty of non-perishable snacks. We loaded up on chips, crackers, cookies, etc. These are things that won't go bad and if nothing happens these aren't things that will go to waste. No sense throwing away money at canned goods that you will never use. 
• Flashlights and a battery operated radio should be a must although I have to be honest I don't know if any radio of ours actually work. 
• Car charger for your cellphones is a good bet. If you lose power at least you can go charge your phone in the car. 
• If you're from a part of the country that regularly experiences hurricanes, stop mocking people in the northeast for how they are acting. We know how you guys act with a quarter of an inch of snow. 
• I set up text alerts from the local police department through Nixle since I don't have a land line and would not have received any "Reverse 911" calls.
• If you are asked to be evacuate....DO IT! It makes no sense to risk your life or that of any first responders. 
• Have a bag packed and ready to go. Make sure you keep all important documents and medical supplies. 
• Here's one I saw on twitter last year. Fill up your bath tub with water. You can use it to flush your toilet if need be. Had plenty of water in buckets and stuff but again...just to be safe. 
• Is your gas tank topped off? Filled up our car yesterday and there like 8-10 cars lined up at each pump. 
• Don't dress up like a bear and go to the beach. 
• If you a reporter covering the storm DO NOT embarrass yourself and your organization by reporting from ankle deep water.
• FEMA says to put your freezer and refrigerator at the coldest possible temperature setting. 
• Update people on how you are doing via social media (facebook/twitter) periodically so family and friends can check in on you. Red Cross has a pretty good iPhone app. 

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Alex Rodriguez

What will the Yankees do with Alex Rodriguez?

At some point they will just have to eat the contract and trade him right? I mean what alternative is there when you have Eric Chavez pinch hit for him? He is owed at least $116 million for the next five years.

I don't understand the people saying Ibanez should have hit for him in the 8th inning tonight? How does that make any sense? The Orioles would've intentionally walked Raul Ibanez to face Nick Swisher. So the question really becomes would you rather have A-Rod hit or Swisher? Cano, Granderson and Swisher should be thankful that A-Rod as usual will get all the blame when they have done absolutely nothing.

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50 years ago today.....

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ESPN will honor Eric LeGrand at ESPYs

A few times a year I end up linking to the awesome speech Jim Valvano gave at the ESPYs back in 1993.

I want to take a quick moment to do it yet again since ESPN announced today that Eric LeGrand will be the recipient of the Jimmy V Perseverance award this year. LeGrand is certainly a well deserved recipient. If you don't do it already you should follow him on twitter and go buy his book.


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NBA Draft Lottery conspiracy theory

I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy but wouldn't people also have been claiming there was something fishy if the Nets or the Bobcats got the first pick?

I agree with whoever it was on twitter who said that the NBA should stream the lottery part online.
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2012 NCAA Tournament

For the fourth year in a row Barack Obama has filled out a bracket for ESPN.

 You can track the progress of Obama's bracket here. Who do you have going to the Final Four? You can find my bracket here.

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Not cool KFC....not cool.

Bad Customer Service.

I've written on the subject in the past and here is one more entry into the file. I drove into Manhattan earlier today to get food from one of the few Halal KFC's in the US.

My sister and I ended up paying extra (like we usually do) just so we would have a bucket just of breast pieces. The cashier went to speak to the manager just to see if there were enough Halal pieces in stock to fulfill our order and came back to tell us that it'd have to be a mix of Extra Crispy and Original to fulfill our order of a dozen breast pieces. We were fine with that. When we got back home buried at the bottom of the box were a couple of pieces of grilled chicken instead. Not cool. I didn't drive all the way into the city (or pay extra for that matter) just to get grilled chicken. I don't eat healthy at home so I certainly won't go out somewhere and do it! I ended up calling their customer service and "Bobby" was really nice over the phone and told me he'd pass it up the chain of command. I have also tried to contact them via Twitter. Hopefully someone calls back and at least refunds part of the bill (if not all). Basic customer service. If they are willing to lie about what pieces they are giving me why should I or anyone else trust that they are actually giving me Halal chicken?

This KFC is located at 208 McGuinness Boulevard Brooklyn, NY 11222

Yes, I understand that this is a first world problem but a corporation as big as Kentucky Fried Chicken should no tolerate this from their franchisees. Will someone from KFC contact me? I'll keep you updated.
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Winter Classic 2013: Maple Leafs/Red Wings at The Big House

January 1st 2013. Absolutely looking forward to this. I have to figure out a way to be at this game. There will be something like 115,000 people there. The event will be be a major boost to economy in Detroit and the surrounding areas.

What possible matchups do you want to see in the future and where?
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Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran's nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News

Rock Center with Brian Williams - Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran's nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News

Can you imagine the outrage if Iran was using terrorists to kill Americans or Israelis?

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Eli is not as good as Peyton

Congrats to the New York Giants on their 4th Super Bowl title. They become just the 5th franchise to win four Super Bowls.

That being said you'll hear a lot of people try to say that Eli is better then Peyton. Anyone who wants to put Eli in Peyton's league needs their head examined. Peyton Manning is one of the 3 (with Montana and Unitas) QBs of all time. He is a top ten overall player in league history. Eli getting to two rings while Peyton is at one absolutely nothing. If that is your criteria then I guess Trent Dilfer was a better quarterback then Dan Marino. Using that argument I guess Robert Horry was a better player then Tim Duncan.

Yes, Eli is very good but lets not get carried away here.
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Super Bowl XLVI Prediction

Four years ago I picked the Giants to pull off the upset against the undefeated New England Patriots.

This time around I don't think it'll take one of the most exciting plays in Super Bowl history to do it but I think the Giants win again. I am almost cringing making this pick because if the Giants win there will be foolish people out there who will want to say that Eli is a better quarterback then Peyton. I just know this will happen. Whether it is callers (or even hosts on WFAN) or football fans in general, you just know there is a segment of the population that will say it. It really is a shame that Peyton Manning never got to play with a defense that was consistently as good as the one Brady (and Roethlisberger) got early in their careers.

Everyone (outside of Las Vegas) seems to be picking the Giants to win this time around and that scares me. It hasn't been said much over the course of Tom Brady's career but Eli Manning is the better quarterback right now. I think the Giants pass rush gets to Tom Brady again and forces a couple of turnovers. I have thought for two weeks that we'll see Chad Ochocinco make an impact in this game. I still think that is the case. It would be typical Bill Belichick.

By the way, what is up with the Patriots releasing Tiquan Underwood on the night before the Super Bowl?

Giants win 24-17. I'll be on twitter during the game. Follow me @sahyder1

As for the commercials, have you seen the Acura one with Jerry Seinfeld?
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