2009 Off-Season Roundup
The News Stories You Need To Know ... May 5
By
Phil Guidry
* Mike Leach's piratical campaign against the NFL has
succeeded on at least one front: Browns coach Eric Mangini has spoken
out to refute Leach's claims that he was behind the 'Michael Crabtree is
a diva' story: "I can tell you I had a good visit with Michael. I'm
really happy he got drafted where he got drafted, and he'll have a great
career. And I said that after his visit. Nothing's changed. Nothing
changed from that point. Nothing will change two or three months from
now." And if anything does change, you can bet that Captain Mike will be
rattling his saber once again.
* Dolphin Stadium, which hosted Florida's 24-14 win
over Oklahoma in the BCS Championship Game, will reportedly change its
name to Land Shark Stadium. Land Shark beer is a joint project of
Anheuser Busch and Sunshine State legend Jimmy Buffett (while that
championship game was a joint project of Thom Brenneman's admiration for
Tim Tebow and the Big 12's inability to properly decide its South
division tie-breaker). There are more ridiculous sponsorship tie-ins to
the sports world than we can count - the Peach Bowl is now named for a
different food group - but a Miami-area football stadium named for the
beer of Buffett, a huge sports fan whose music personnifies that region,
seems appropriate. Even if the BCS is still wasting away in
Sagarinratingsville.
* Speaking of stadiums, London has reportedly launched
a bid to land the Super Bowl within the next eight years, after two
sell-out games at Wembley Stadium. If that doesn't work out, maybe they
can make a play for college football's inevitable plus-one title game.
117 days and counting...
Mike Leach
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/124125321975460.xml&coll=2
Land Shark Stadium
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/story/1027505.html
Wembley Stadium
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/8487140