So long, Emmitt!

Emmitt to Retire …

It sure looks like Emmitt is finally ready to hang it up, as the above link suggests that we will get a press conference tomorrow. Then we might see the very annoying tradition of “retiring a Cowboy” by signing a one day contract. Is there anything sillier than this?

Oh well, the fact is that Emmitt is one of the very best of all-time. Where he rates amongst the greatest runners in the history of the game is a matter of opinion, but when you are done debating Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and Tony Dorsett against Emmitt, you are left with the conclusion that it was great to have him in Dallas for all of those years…


Mavericks beat Miami Heat …And, Dampier helped with the heavy lifting …

"Every shot he took, I tried to defend and hoped he missed," Dampier said. "In the second half, I just tried to get to him before he got in the paint and force him out of his comfort zone."

Dampier had 10 points and nine rebounds in the telltale second half, when O'Neal had 10 points and seven rebounds.

"Damp has played real well two games in a row," said Marquis Daniels. "To fight Shaquille all night and still get a double-double is tough. This is something we can definitely build on. That team could be the Eastern Conference champions."

Driver says Favre is retiring …

Carthon to Cleveland? …

Carthon, word has it, is ready to go, and Crennel wants him to run his offense. The problem is, the guy who was once their boss with the Giants, Patriots, and Jets -- Bill Parcells -- will have something to say about that.

Carthon is listed as offensive coordinator, even though it was Parcells calling the plays in Dallas last year and assistant head coach Sean Payton running the passing game. Carthon was responsible for the running game but not the entire offense. Despite that, Carthon has the title of coordinator, so this technically would be a lateral move, and Crennel would need permission from the Cowboys to hire him.
Parcells could block the move, but he may not. The belief is that he likes Crennel and hopes he does well, so he likely would let him move on, especially with Payton, the former offensive coordinator of the Giants, in place to take over the full duties.

If Carthon does land in Cleveland, it will be the third time he is an offensive coordinator but the first time he'll actually call the plays. He was offensive coordinator in Detroit but did not have play-calling responsibility, and the same was true in Dallas.

Yesterday’s radio guest, Hall of Fame Linebacker Chuck Bednarik explains his bitterness . And no, it doesn’t make much sense…

Rangers with a different approach to pitching …

Rangers righthander John Hudgins said pitching more frequently was the single biggest adjustment he had to make after coming to pro ball after two seasons as a weekend starter for Stanford.

It was doubly tough considering he started out in Class A, where the Rangers began the year using the tandem-starter system. It’s a program designed to help introduce amateur pitchers to the rigors of pro ball by having them throw more often—eight pitchers combine in a four-day rotation—but with fewer pitches per start (no more than 80 in most cases).

That’s a lesson that Dom Chiti, the Rangers’ farm director, wants his pitchers to learn. Chiti said the Rangers still haven’t decided whether to keep the tandem starter system—it was brought to the organization by former assistant general manager Grady Fuson—but acknowledged it was one approach to trying to protect the club’s investment in pitching.

Signing Day if you care….

By the way, we spent a lot of time talking about the prize of signing day Ryan Perrilloux in recent months (at least as much as we can stand). He appears to be a perfect example of why I hate the whole process of recruiting high school athletes.

He speaks of himself as if he is ready to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame or something, and has even appeared to weigh in on what Mack Brown should do with Greg Davis:

From October 14, 2004 …

But today, Perrilloux said that Davis has been unfairly blamed for the offense's poor performance.

"I'm really close to Coach Davis and all the staff," Perrilloux said. "(The Oklahoma game) wasn't his fault. It's hard to call plays if you can't open up your playbook when you've got a one-dimensional offense.

". . . It's hard to call plays when your quarterback can't really make the throws," Perrilloux said. "It's nothing bad about Vince (Young) — he's a great quarterback and he has a great arm. He just struggles every now and then."

While Perrilloux — a 6-foot-2, 207-pound senior from Reserve (La.) East St. John High School — committed to the Longhorns in July, he still speaks regularly with coaches at LSU, Florida, Miami and Florida State, among others.
"I still got to keep everything open," he said.

Perrilloux is rated as the nation's No. 2 high school quarterback prospect by Rivals100.com, and the 12th-best high school prospect overall. He is considered the best dual-threat (passing and running) high school quarterback in the country.
When asked if he could see himself going to Texas if Davis were not on the Longhorns staff, Perrilloux initially said no, but quickly corrected himself.

"It's a possibility," he said, "but (Davis) is who I want to be my quarterback coach. He runs good stuff."

Again, these are 17-year-old high school football players, and they have the humility of Terrell Owens. I have no use for the whole spectacle, and I hope Perrilloux goes to Austin so we may watch him reinvent football for us for the next 4 years, but it looks like it will be LSU. Shucks.


Manchester United 4, Arsenal 2 . That deserves a WOW. To go into Highbury and get 3 points is very impressive from hated United.


Liverpool 2, Charlton 1 …A very important win for the Pool…