check out the video and article about an 8-year old kid who has been through a lot. Thanks to ESPN, DMAC and the Silver & Black his dream to become a Raider came true. Great stuff.

Out the Dore

I saw the first Tweet fly around 10:30 this morning, but only recently has the story been confirmed.  Vanderbilt head football coach Bobby Johnson plans to resign – effective immediately – as the leader of the Commodores.  The school has scheduled a 2:00p EDT press conference.  There is no immediate word regarding why Johnson is leaving just 3 weeks before fall camp opens.

It could easily be argued that Vanderbilt is the least desirable job in major college football.  In a loaded SEC the Dores will always be extreme long shots to merely qualify for a bowl each season.  I am not one for bold predictions, but Vanderbilt will never win an SEC football title.  Never.  The odds are so stacked against them it simply is not fair.

We’ll certainly follow this up with more info as we get it.  I expect some significant debate over the How and Why of this whole scenario.  As it looks right now, Vanderbilt is poised to name an assistant as the interim head coach for the 2010 season.  Vanderbilt message boards already have brought up the name Phil Fulmer, which actually makes sense if he still has some fire left in his ample belly.

Kudos to 104.5 FM The Zone in Nashville for breaking this story.

UPDATE:  I’ll have more later, but from the presser it sounds like Bobby Johnson just got sick of the grind trying to build Vanderbilt.  The has got to be more to the story.  If this is really because he was tired of Vandy football consuming his life then this is a remarkable act of cowardice.

UPDATE II:  Bobby Johnson just quit on his team and program 3 weeks before the season begins.  He did not do so because of a serious illness or a salacious scandal.  At least no one is reporting either of those things to be true right now.  And Johnson says that himself.

He just does not want to coach anymore.  Three weeks before camp opens.  Without telling the administration until yesterday (Tuesday).  Vanderbilt officials admit that they are shocked and were caught off guard by this decision.

Bobby Johnson just decided to quit.  Rather than announce he was going to give the team, university, and fans that allowed him to earn quite a nice living over the past 8 seasons at least one more year in the sun, Johnson quit.  He could not muster the integrity to think of something bigger than himself and his world and fulfill a commitment he had made.

Vanderbilt will never be a long-term winner.  But they are a member of the SEC, and those players line up each Saturday with a shot at knocking off the big boys.  Sometimes they do it.  Because the players never quit.  They find the strength and the will to battle when things are tough.  Unlike their former coach.

Bobby Johnson has long been considered a man of integrity.  His teams fought hard and played with discipline.  When the chips were down (which was almost always the case), they willed themselves to fight to the finish.

It’s too bad Bobby could not fight like his players.

Baseball lost a giant today, as long time New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner passed away after a massive heart attack.  He was 80-years-old but seems to have lived at least twice that long.  An avid sports fan and arguably the fiercest competitor among all owners in any sport, the Ohio native will forever be remembered amongst baseball fans simply as The Boss.

Under his leadership, the New York Yankees won 11 American League pennants and 7 World Series titles.  He brought Reggie to the Bronx, hired and fired Billy Martin seemingly as often as he changed socks, and created the modern day Evil Empire by keeping home grown talent like Derek Jeter surrounded by high priced free agents like evil doers Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez.  Steinbrenner was baseball’s perfect foil, always working to make his team the best no matter who he left in his wake.

As a Red Sox fan (and, frankly, an American outside of New York), I hated George Steinbrenner theowner.  He loved to win, and he loved to tell you about it.  Steinbrenner was a driving force in the salary escalation that has created a huge divide in the Haves and Have Nots in Major League Baseball.  Despite his many, many flaws, though, Steinbrenner was fiercely loyal to his team and those that wore the Pinstripes.  Even a Red Sox fan can appreciate that type of commitment.

The Boss had retreated to his Tampa, Florida, home in recent years, ceding day-to-day operations of the Yankees to his son Hank.  His health failing, Steinbrenner did what was best for the franchise.  He did what it took to win.  The Yankees rewarded him with yet another title last fall.

The streets of heaven are a little louder and more boisterous today.  I like to think The Boss is already plotting a hostile takeover of The Big Boss.  Here’s hoping his long time friend Bob Sheppard, the only significant Yankee never publicly criticized by George, can talk him out of it.

Because college football is clearly God’s favorite sport, ESPN announced today that they would expand the beloved College Game Day to a 3-hour program.  The first hour will air on ESPNU before moving to ESPN for its traditional start time of 9:00am.  As usual the broadcast will lead into an 11:00a kickoff of the day’s first game.

Even more importantly, ESPN announced an expanded role for Erin Andrews.  She will be a Saturday morning staple on GameDay in addition to working the sidelines at the site of each week’s featured game.  Andrews, capitalizing on her popularity from Dancing with the Stars, will also begin a feature with Good Morning, America on ABC – also part of the ESPN/Disney family.

As always, the more EA the better.