Humpday Have's and Have-nots...

Have #1- You have to be 2nd guessing your wave of support for OSU Coach Mike Gundy, since his Monday press conference, seen here:



Obviously, after attacking Jenni Carlson's credibility (which he did, but rightfully so), he wouldn't tell her at the press conference what part of her story was "inaccurate." His reason? "Don't have to."

Personally, I thought her story was too mean spirited. Especially the cheap shots she took at the player, describing how his mom fed him chicken, etc. But don't attack someone's livelihood, and then not specify why, which is what Gundy did. In other professions, on both sides to varying degrees, that could be construed as slander. As you can see at the end of that press conference, Gundy said that maybe he and Carlson should sit down and clarify things, because he didn't think of it from a livelihood perspective. Hopefully, that will happen, or already has.

Have #2- UTEP will have to make SMU beat them through the air. TCU held SMU to 149 yards rushing on 47 carries last week, and beat them 21-7. That's what the Miners need to do.

Upon 1st look, that may be too much to ask. 3 of the 4 starting defensive linemen for the Miners might still be out with injuries (Olalaken, Moore, Riddick), leaving the run-stopping duties to the hobbled linebacker corps (Jones/Vincent= sore ankles). As per usual, we'll not know who'll be active for the game until the game.

On this weeks depth chart, safety Braxton Amy is listed as a linebacker. Amy leads the team in tackles, but if he's going to have to take on 300 pound linemen with his 195 pound frame, his production will go down. Also, remember, he got injured last year while playing linebacker.

1 more note, the top 3 tacklers on the defense are defensive backs (Amy, Quintin Demps, and Damon Cromartie-Smith). The defensive line needs to get healthy in a hurry...

Have Not #1- If you have not seen this hit, take a gander:



It's the best that I've seen in hockey since last year, when Brian Campbell laid out R.J. Umberger:



And they say that football is the most violent sport... But the most dangerous sport???



Anything related to any kind of car racing gets my vote.

Have Not #2- I have not hosted a radio show on KROD for a while, but that changes Saturday. I'm back filling in for Robert Garcia on "Crunchtime" Saturday morning, from 10-1 (mst) on KROD. If you live out of the area, and want to listen, they stream live now and you'll be able to check it out. I'm currently trying to line up guests for the show. I'll keep from revealing who that would be, as I'm not one to try and jinx myself, mmmmmmK?

Happy Humpday!

Meanwhile, in the Next Lockerroom...

Just when you thought that Mike Gundy (see blog below) was the only coach to blow his lid Saturday, we find out today that there was another. Not only was there another in the U.S., there was one in the other locker room. You think that this Mike Leach Tirade led to his defensive coordinator quitting Sunday??? What's Next?!?!?!?

Unusual Tirade...

Oklahoma St. beat Texas Tech yesterday in a barnburner, 49 to 45. Tech Quarterback Graham Harrell threw for 646 yards and 5 touchdowns in the loss, and that's not even what was most unbelieveable about the game.

After the Cowboy win, OSU Coach Mike Gundy did what most coaches do after a game, addressing the media. The fact that he spent the whole time launching into a writer for the Daily Oklahoman was unusual... Enjoy the tirade...



If you want to see the article that he's talking about, go here. Poor Jenny Carlson. She's not the best writer, but good luck getting any cooperation from the folks at OSU in the future. Think she's still patting herself on the back for that article????

Good for Gundy, though. He stuck up for one of his kids in a big way. Was what Carlson wrote irresponsible??? Depends on her sources. If she's printing these rumors, she better make sure that those rumors are 100% fact, which according to Gundy, weren't. At this point, it's "he said," "she said." But she took some pretty vicious shots at Reid that weren't warranted.

True Test???

Interesting. The Dallas Morning News calls Texas A&M's game against Miami tonight, "a true test."

We all know that "The U" isn't quite what they were in the day. I reference you to their loss to Oklahoma, 53-14.



Give props to Miami Coach Randy Shannon, though. He'll remind you of a Ralph Friedgen (not physically) or a Forrest Gregg (who re-started SMU after the "Death Penalty").

He's heeding the call of his program, where he played, was an assistant coach, and now is charged with re-building "The Monster". He's in the early stages, where he'll get battered and beat. But recruiting from Miami will save him in the longrun. I don't care what anyone says. They'll still compete for the cream of the crop in the state of Florida, whether UF is the defending national champs or not. Here's why...

MiamiU football is known more than any other program in the nation for 1 thing. Their attitude... That's the sell. Bad Boys. "Punch you in the mouth tough." That's the 1 thing that hasn't left the program, and when Randy Shannon played for the "U", it was what fueled their heyday. He brings attitude. Tell me this... If you're a Miami blue-chip athlete, and you have Urban Meyer in your house 1 day, and then Shannon the next, who reaches you? The coach from Ashtabula, Ohio, or the Coach from 2 blocks over? Miami has a wealth of blue-chip talent every year, and Shannon wins that battle 80% of the time, conservatively.

Case-in-point... When Oklahoma won the National Championship in 2000, 2 prominent starters were from Miami. Starting MLB Torrence Marshall, and playmaker safety Ontei Jones. OU also had 5 players overall on that team from Florida. Top 10 BCS schools still cherry-pick from the Miami area. As far as I can tell, Shannon is the best coach born/raised/educated/succeeded from that area. As much grief as Donna Shalala has caught in her athletic dealings in the past, she'll boost alumni support considerably with this hire. Just in time for Miami to start getting facility upgrades....

Now, back to tonight's game. The Aggies have the obvious working against them. The game is being played in Miami. Outside of that, Miami won't be able to stop the 1-2-3 punch of J-Train-Lane (Jess Moran's favorite player in the Big 12), Mike Goodson, and QB Stephen McGee... For the 3 of you that don't know, Lane is a 270 pound tailback, that's right, tailback... Not familiar with his fine work??? Enjoy...



Granted, A&M's toughest game thus far was Fresno St., who took them into triple-OT

The Aggies have one of the most potent ground games in the Big 12, outdated though it may be... The 'Canes held the Sooners to 116 yards rushing, and when the 'Canes stack the box against A&M, it will force the Aggies to pass... All bets are off then. Miami allowed OU 411 yards passing, but Stephen McGee isn't the passer Sam Bradford is, nor does he have Bradford's arsenal of receivers... Highlights tonight on KDBC 4 News at 10!!!!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered in 5-6 Weeks...

Welp, Tank Johnson is now a Cowboy (or will be once he gets out of detention), and it may not be such a bad move afterall. What do the Cowboys have to lose? His salary will be a pro-rated $510,000 this year, with a bump to $605,000 next year. When he hits the field in mid-November, he'll add depth to the depleted nose guard position of the Cowboys, and have fresh-legs.

While all of those factors work in his favor, keep in mind that Pacman Jones will be available for a playoff run if needed...




In other news, talked with Mike Price at Miner practice Tuesday. He's going to hold off on publicly saying who will play this weekend against Texas Southern and who will still be injured. Fred Rouse, Lorne Sam, James Olalekan, Josh Ferguson, Terrell Jackson, and Robby Felix were all injured in the last 2 games against NMSU and Texas Tech. Felix and Jackson would be the biggest consequences to this team if their injuries were long term.

Of course, Jackson established himself as a running threat in the 1st game of the year against UNM, while Felix was a Freshman All-American 2 years ago, and the anchor of the offensive line. If Felix remains hurt, that might be the biggest loss of all. The Miners had to put James Riley at center for finish the NMSU game, and while he did well, that's not his position, and we all know that Riley's injury prone...

Interesting note about the Texas Longhorns, and former Andress Great Andre Jones. He's one of the 6 Horns to get arrested and suspended since June. All along, he's said that he's been a case of "mistaken identity." They arrested the 3rd player in that case, James Henry. Witnesses to the robbery that Jones was allegedly involved in said that the person involved was about 6'2, 200 lbs. Jones is 6'5, 300 lbs. Henry, and reserve RB for Texas before the suspension is 6'2. Could Jones be off the hook? Sources in Austin say that he's allegedly switched lawyers, and building alibi's. Stay tuned...

Big bye-week this week for high school football in the El Paso area. Less games, more cheerleaders and mascots this Friday night on the Xtra Point...

A special gift for those of you still reading... I call it, "A Tasered Gator". GOODNIGHT EVERYBODY!

What the????

Get ready radio hosts. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys are bringing in suspended defensive tackle Tank Johnson for a physical and interview tomorrow (Tues.).



As you'll recall (or not), Johnson was waived by the Bears after being suspended for the first eight games of this season for violating probation on a gun charge. He spent two months in jail and was released in May.

After playing for the Bears for 3 years, they tired of his act when he was pulled over by police in Arizona for driving 40 mph in a 25 mph zone at 3:30 a.m. A police officer thought Johnson was impaired, but a blood test proved otherwise. He was released because he was out driving at 3:30am. The NFL isn't North Dallas Forty anymore....

They released him.

That's just the tip of the iceberg with Johnson. Enjoy this little radio diatribe by ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd:




It's time for Cowboy's Director of Babysitting Calvin Hill to earn his 7-figures again if Johnson is signed. And he thought he had it bad when Former Cowboy Alonzo Spellman went on his bi-polar rages....

Tigers Missing Stripes???

What a game in Las Cruces Saturday. NMSU's win over UTEP not only did wonders for the Aggie program overall, it couldn't have come at a better time. NMSU will now go play a "Money Game" against usual SEC force Auburn. Here's the kicker. Auburn is undergoing, what 1 writer called a "talent appendectomy." The Tigers are 1 and 2, with losses against South Florida, and periennial SEC punching-bag Mississippi St. What's wrong with Auburn? Several things:

1. Brandon Cox



The embattled Auburn 5th year senior has a true freshman breathing down his neck at the quarterback position in Kodi Burns. According to the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer, Burns replaced Cox in the 2nd quarter against Mississippi St., and got the lead back for the Tigers, that Cox later squandered. Now Auburn Skipper Tommy Tuberville says that they will work both quarterbacks in practice this week. The Aggies prepared for 2 quarterbacks last week with UTEP, proving that not to be a big problem.

2. The issues don't end there for Auburn. They've been ravaged by the injury bug in the offensive line, and linebacker corps. This game is far from a foregone conclusion. The Auburn seniors, recognizing that fact, held a closed-door meeting with the team, a sure sign that they're not ready to lick a stamp on the season.

If the Aggies (17 point underdogs) can pull off the upset, NMSU AD McKinley Boston might want to make sure that Auburn signs the gamecheck before boarding the plane!

Xtra Point- Friday

The Montwood Ram Cheer Squad TOOK OWNERSHIP of the Friday Night Xtra Point.



Great Show, great highlights, and it just gets better Sunday night at 10:30, as we wrap up the full week of highlights on the Sunday Night Xtra Point.

Friday Night Xtra Point

Tonight, we're bucking the trend. For our "Game of the Week" will be Chapin at Del Valle. The Conquistadores will no doubt be lookling for payback. Both Dave Campbell's, and the El Paso Times guys (as seen below) have the Huskies winning this one.



It'll be close, that's for sure. Coach Perales is better than anyone in the city in inspiring emotion into his kids, and that'll be the difference tonight.

A Pat on the Back...

That's what the Patriots got, a Pat on the back. Bill Belichick was fined half a million dollars, and the team, $250,000. Here's what's noteworthy. Belichick makes $4 million a year. He's in the middle of a divorce, and his wife will get half. All of a sudden, he makes $2 million. Add the $500,000 fine, and he's at $1.5 million. I'm no math genious, but that tells me that it will hit him pretty hard. Don't get me wrong, I'm not feeling sorry for Belichick, we should all be so lucky to make $1.5 million a year. But it will hit him harder than most think.

Additionally, if the Pats make the playoffs, congrats to them! They lose a 1st round pick!. If they don't, they'll lose a 2nd or 3rd rounder. Neat-o...

By the way, one of my dearest friends of all-time sent me the new Patriots logo... You gotta like this one...

Texas Southern

Just a quick drive-by here. Texas Southern just got smoked by Jackson St. tonight, 28 to 7. Translation? UTEP might have an easier time with them in the Sun Bowl a week from Saturday. Here's a quote from the AP about the game"

Texas Southern (0-3, 0-3) managed just 30 total yards and turned the ball over five times during a steady downpour as the remains of Hurricane Humberto pushed through central Mississippi.



Prepare to see plenty more where this came from!!!

Glenn Gone for Good?

OOF! Looks like Cowboy's Receiver Terry Glenn might be out longer than we all thought. He had arthroscopic knee surgery for the 2nd time in 2 months this morning, but hopes to be back this season.
That means more time for Sam Hurd, who as you can see below, likes to get hurt on his offdays...



Maybe Terry Glenn could take some lessons from Sam Hurd "so good."

On a seperate not, I got his in my email box just minutes ago... Decipher it for yourself...

"Good afternoon folks! Its half-time in the world’s loudest pep rally sweepstakes and schools across the nation are in a full blitz trying to win a concert featuring the Dave Matthews Band. It looks like the University of Texas at El Paso Miners still have some points to make up, but they are not out of the game yet. As long as the students of these well-respected schools don’t receive a delay of game penalty, they could score a touchdown and win the contest!

More than 100 college campuses across the country are vying for the opportunity to have the world’s largest pep rally on their home turf. With thousands of fans submitting creative invitations to the Dave Matthews Band through AT&T wireless text and video messaging and AT&T’s blue room, the competition is as tough as running through the Miners defensive line.

From AT&T: “Miner fans have a great chance to win the World’s Loudest Pep Rally contest this fall, and we’re thrilled to bring this program to the community,” said Linda Nolet, general manager, AT&T west Texas Market Area. “The pep rally provides a great way for students, alumni and fans to show their school spirit, and brings the city of El Paso a world renowned band with the simple push of a button.”

With the game clock ticking down until October 15, 2007, the invitations are pouring in. This competition is guaranteed to be a nail-biter!"

Alrighty, 2 things on this:

1. Dave Matthews opened for the Rolling Stones at the Sun Bowl a year or so ago. Nice catch by the AT&T interns.




2. Why send this to Sports Directors? Send the email to the spirit departments and the fraternities/sororities... Don't waste my time with that hoo-wee...

The Official Re-Launch!!!

Welcome to the official Re-Launch of my blog, JohnnyOnTheBlogSpot! Why the re-launch, and what will be different?? Tremendous question. Not only will this allow me to punctuate correctly, it will also afford me to add HTML elements to the blog (youtube, links, etc.). I'll also be able to update the blog more than once a day with anything new or breaking. I'll be able to be more interactice, so be sure to check back often. If you'd rather be notified when this site updates, here's how you can do it:



We'll be covering all things sports, with the obvious emphasis of our teams here in the Borderland. How appropriate that this starts on I-10 Rivalry Week!!! One nugget for you, before I go. How is NMSU a 6 1/2 point favorite (according to a Yahoo)on the spread if UTEP beat UNM 10 to 6 2 weeks ago, with NMSU losing to UNM last week by 10? Here's something the oddsmakers don't know. 2 years ago, when UTEP played at NMSU, the crowd was 3/4 Miner fans. It will be like a home game for UTEP again this year, as NMSU fans still don't come out for games. That will change in time though...