Sports

Who Are We To Argue?

Harvard soundly thrashed Yale 35-3 in their annual football game this year. But the Yalies and the "Harvard Pep Squad" pulled off a prank for the ages.

How big is Saturday's California-Southern Miss game in Hattiesburg? It could decide whether Cal goes to a BCS game. If the Bears don't win decisively, Texas might move ahead of them in the BCS standings. If just eight voters who have Cal ranked ahead Texas changed their minds, then the Longhorns will earn the BCS spot. Cal coach Jeff Tedford knows that TCU came to Hattiesburg in 2003 harboring BCS hopes, only to have them dashed. Doctor S thought USM was primed to beat Cal in September. Then Hurricane Ivan forced the game to be rescheduled to December. USM hasn't been the same team since quarterback Dustin Almond was injured in the Houston game. Cal is a 24-point favorite going into Saturday. That sounds about right.

Bell, Part 3

As Doctor S predicted several weeks back, James Bell will return for a third season as football coach at Jackson State. Bell has a third year remaining on the contract that pays him $85,000 a year. Obviously, the school and its alumnbi weren't willing to pay him not to coach.

Weekend Notes

Notes from this weekend of sports:

Belhaven quarterback Brian Zbydniewski was kicked off the team following his arrest on a felony marijuana possession charge. Two other starters were kicked off for their role in the investigation that led to the arrest, even though they weren't arrested. I guess we know now why Belhaven's nickname is the Blazers.

Tigers' Revival

There's good news and bad news for many Jackson State football fans: The good, the Tigers have won two straight games and appear to have turned their season around. The bad, James Bell will coach the Tigers next season, no matter how the season plays out.

NCAA Places Mississippi State on Probation

Here's MSU's take on it.

Today the NCAA placed Mississippi State University on a four-year probation for four years because of football recruiting violations that occurred between 1998 and 2004. The NCAA stripped the university of eight scholarships over the next two seasons and banned Mississippi State from any 2004 postseason play. Also, the NCAA cut the school's expense-paid recruiting visits in each of the 2004-05 and 2005-06 academic years to 45, which is 11 fewer than the NCAA maximum. Former Coach Jackie Sherrill escaped a bit unscathed: Allegations of unethical conduct against him were dismissed.

Bloody Sox

1. St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa has done a lousy job so far.

America's greatest sportswriter, Charles P. Pierce, analyzes the first two games of the World Series and comes to two conclusions:

Lose To State, Lose Your Job

It's official: Florida football coach Ron Zook was fired on Monday, just two days after his team was upset by Mississippi State, 38-31. However, Zook will finish the season, much to the relief of Florida-haters everywhere. Does this mean http://www.FireRonZook.com is finished?

Who Let The Dogs Out?

Doctor S was correct, the Mississippi State-Florida game did get ugly ... if you're a Florida fan. For those in the right (that is, the state of Mississippi camp), it was a thing of beauty. Doctor S brings you some quotes from the Gators. And when you finish those, check out http://www.fireronzook.com ... if you can fight your way through all the Gator fans, that is.

Rome on Late, Late Show

Doctor S caught Jim Rome, the uber-popular radio sports talk show host and ESPN TV host, on Friday night during his guest stint on CBS' "The Late, Late Show." CBS is still looking for a replacement for Craig Kilborn (who used ot be on ESPN ... interesting). Rome has said on his radio show that he would love to get the CBS gig, and who can blame him?

A Very Red October

Doctor S faces a conflict when the World Series starts on Saturday. The Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals are his two favorite teams. So no predictions. No, make that Cardinals in seven. But now he agrees with Slate, the Houston Astros are cursed. And the New York Yankees should be.

Red Sox Are A Riot

The hooligans have officially taken over Boston. After rioters burned newspaper boxes near Fenway Park last season when the Boston Red Sox won the AL Divison Series, police told newspapers to remove their boxes during the AL Championship Series. Here's the Doctor S solution: Remove the rioters, instead. What happens if the BoSox win the World Series? Nuclear weapons? Thank goodness the Yankees will eliminate the Sox any minute now.

Tiger Blues

How bad has it gotten for the Jackson State football team? Opposing players are making jokes. After Southern whipped the Tigers 45-7 last Saturday, Jaguars quarterback Thomas Ricks said (his voice dripping with sarcasm): "Jackson State always comes in focused and ready to play us. It was a little surprising that they took it a little bit easy on us this time." Funny stuff. And outgoing coach James "Captain Queeg" Bell managed to top himself in the Bizarre Statements Dept. To Doctor S, it sounds like the Tigers have quit on Bell.

Mutiny On Lynch Street?

Doctor S isn't so sure that Jackson State football coach James "Captain Queeg" is going to finish his second and last season as the Tigers coach. The wheels appear to be falling off and the spies tell Doctor S that the Tigers are on the verge of mutiny. Bell's actions this week have stirred the ire of the Tigers and Tigers fans. First, Bell told linebacker Joseph Scott that he would be suspended for Saturday's game because he wore different cleats from the rest of the team during the Alabama State game. Then Bell denied he had suspended Scott, who leads the SWAC in tackles. Then a story in The Clarion-Ledger on JSU's offense (or lack of) revealed dissension among the coaches on play calling, which Queeg, uh, Bell denied. And Bell said he wasn't going to use his third-string quarterback anytime soon because "I don't play to lose, I play to win." Since when, Queeg?

State Ready To Begin Bouncing

Mississippi State finally released its men's basketball schedule this week. Good news for Dog fans: At least 18 regular-season games will be on TV. Better news for Jackson fans: The Bulldogs are returning to Mississippi Coliseum on Dec. 22 to play Jacksonville State. The Dogs last played in Jackson two years ago and an overflow crowd turned out to watch them defeat Georgia State. Thanks to returning All-America Lawrence Roberts, State will be ranked among the nation's elite going into this season.

Ellington