While some athletes may use Twitter to connect with fans and offer up a bit of humor now and again, others use it to complain about their team, their limited playing time, and their gripes with head coaches. Larry Johnson pretty much lost his job with the Kansas City Chiefs because of what he wrote on his Twitter account page.

According to his Twitter page, Terrence Williams wishes Mr. Stern had called his name sooner.

Here’s a little advice for those “Twittering” athletes: Don’t use Twitter to complain, it’s going to get  back to the powers-that-be. Take NBA rookie Terrence Williams for example. Chosen eleventh in the 2009 NBA draft, Williams was selected by the New Jersey Nets. Apparently, the Louisville standout isn’t happy with his playing time or being part of a losing team.

According to SI.com, he “Tweeted” the following: “How would it be if Mr. Stern called my name 10 min earlier, #9 or 5 min later, #12 hmmmmmmmmm to bad I can’t live off what ifs.”

“Too” bad Williams doesn’t use spellcheck. Not only are we well aware that his grammar stinks now, we also know that his attitude stinks as well.  His teammates, coaches, and even Mr. Stern for that matter, know it stinks now, too.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

NBA Players Should Stay Away From Twitter

Rick Pitino’s legacy is at risk. The once revered Louisville coach is now at the center of an extortion plot that has so many twists and turns, and he said she said curve balls, it could be made into a Lifetime movie.

He spoke out last Wednesday and expressed that this whole situation has been “pure hell” for him and his family, blaming the media for putting him in the spotlight under false pretenses. He lashed out at reporters and said the truth will come out at the trial. In other words, he’s the victim.

Unfortunately, this sounds painfully familiar. The truth always comes out at the trial. But my question is this. Wouldn’t it have been better for all parties involved if the truth had been told all along? If Pitino did sleep around, why didn’t he just tell his wife. Why did he let it go as far as extortion? Why did he try to hide from his mistakes — a lesson he preaches about in his own book?

It’s clear to me where Pitino’s priorities are at. According to the National Sports Review, he was quoted as saying, “We need to get on with the important things in life like the economy and really some crucial things in life like basketball.”

Basketball is crucial? What about family?

I can’t say that I’m surprised. Today’s society seems to make people believe that social standing is what matters most, and the rest of it can take a back seat. The sad thing about Pitino is that he cares more about how “this looks” in the media, and how it will affect his basketball career than anything else.

For a man who often speaks out about responsibility and priorities, I think Pitino needs to heed his own advice.

Here’s a video clip from Pitino’s press conference last Wednesday:

Post from: EveryJoe

Rick Pitino Should Revaluate His Priorities

Will Rick Pitino take another stab at the NBA?

Not at the moment.

Although rumors around the Internet circulated that the Sacramento Kings were in interested in hiring him as a head coach,  ESPN.com reported that contact with the Kings was initiated by Pitino’s camp. Sacramento never considered him as it began drafting a list of potential candidates.

But Pitino told Louisville this morning that he had no intention of leaving his current coaching position.

May Sacramento wasn’t interested? Afterall, Pitino’s two NBA stints were with the  New York Knicks from 1987 to 1989 and with the Boston Celtics from 1997 to 2001, and neither jobs were successful.

Image: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Rick Pitino Isn’t Going To The NBA

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim wasn’t the least bit surprised.  According to ESPN.com he said, “. We hate to lose him, but the opportunity that he has and will take advantage of I think is tremendous. It’s a lot of money and it’s hard to not take. He’s been great for us and we wish him nothing but the best.”

After hiring an agent, it's NBA or bust for Syracuse standout Jonny Flynn.

Flynn may be considered a small point guard, but his performance in the Big East Tournament (especially a six-overtime game against UCONN) pretty much showed the rest of the country what he is capable of doing when the ball is in his hands. Flynn was named tournament MVP after a loss against Louisville in the championship game, only the fourth time a player from the losing team received the award.

The NBA draft will be held on June 25. We’ll see if Flynn’s decision pays off.

Post from: EveryJoe

Jonny Flynn Chances The NBA

#25 Pittsburgh 41, Louisville 7

• Pittsburgh’s Defense Powers Panthers Past Louisville at Big East Headline News
• Pitt beats Louisville Pittsburg Panthers Football

Rutgers 35, Syracuse 17

• Deja Vu at Bleed Scarlet
• Make that three in a row for the Rutgers football team wctc’s RU Crazy Blog
• Rutgers/Syracuse Notebook at Rutgers Football Headlines

Cincinnati 26, #25 West Virginia 23 (OT)

• Cincinnati Edges West Virginia In OT at Cincinnati Bearcats News
• Cincinnati 26, West Virginia 23 at Cincinnati Blog

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 11: Blogging about the Big East

Cincinnati 24, #23 South Florida 10

• What To Make Of South Florida Free Fall at U of L Card Game
• Cincinnati takes down reeling No. 23 South Florida at World Sports Breaking News

West Virginia 35, #25 Connecticut 13

• West Virginia Remains Alone In First Place With Win At Connecticut at Big East Football Headline News

Pittsburgh 36, Notre Dame 33

• The Irish manage to finally lose in 4th OT to Pittsburgh! at Michelchiasson’s Weblog
• Pitt Is It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at Backwoods Presbyterian

Syracuse 28, Louisville 21

• Louisville Falls To Syracuse, 28-21 at Louisville Cardinals News

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 10: Blogging about the Big East

West Virginia 34, Auburn 17

• West Virginia 34, Auburn 17 at Arkansas Razorback Sports Network
• White, Devine Rally West Virginia Past Auburn at Big East Headline News

Connecticut 40, Cincinnati 16

• Brown Runs For 150 Yards; UConn Beats Cincinnati at Courant.com

Louisville 24, #16 South Florida 20

• Gameday Final: Louisville 24, USF 20 at South Florida Headline News
• U of L-South Florida key stat comparsions at the Courier-Journal

Rutgers 54, #17 Pittsburgh 34

• The offense we’ve been craving at Bleed Scarlet
• Welcome back Rutgers offense! at WCTC’s RU Crazy Blog

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 9: Blogging about the Big East

#19 South Florida 45, Syracuse 13

• COL FB: South Florida 45, Syracuse 13 at Times of the Internet
• 4Q – South Florida 45, Syracuse 13 at Orange Football Blog

Rutgers 12, Connecticut 10

• Rutgers defeats UConn, 12-10 at Rutgers Football News
• Ciaravino’s 3 Field Goal Misses Huge In 12-10 Loss To Rutgers at Sox & Dawgs

#23 Pittsburgh 42, Navy 21

• Pittsburgh Wins Fifth Straight, Downs Navy 42-21 at Big East Headline News
• PITT 42, NAVY 21 at The Birddog

Louisville 42, Middle Tennessee State 23

• Louisville Defeats Middle Tennesee State, 42-23 at Louisville Cardinal News

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC 

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Post from: EveryJoe

2008 Week 8: Blogging about the Big East

1. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas: I think that it’s safe to say that McFadden will go first round if he elects not to come back for his senior year. Remember, McFadden is just a junior. He really is one of the best college players out there, but with Arkansas’ four losses, he’s all but dropped from the Heisman race. The real issue here is this: will McFadden enter the draft or does he want his shot at the Heisman next year? After all, Tim Tebow isn’t going anywhere.

2. Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU: Another good pick, although I’m not sure I would have listed him as #2. I do think that Dorsey will go first round, but the draft is about getting the best players for your team, not necessarily the best players overall. There are some other good defensive players up for grabs this year, including Chris Long, Sedrick Ellis, and Dan Connor.

3. Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville: Who? Just kidding, Brohm…but really, its a shame that the Cardinals aren’t a better team all around. The thing about Brohm is that he has experience. He’s been a solid player since he was a freshman, although this year he has seen more than his share of interceptions. Will he be the first quarterback to go? Not sure on that, but I think he’ll be drafted fairly early.

The rest of the top 25:

4. Chris Long, DE, Virginia
5. Jake Long, OT, Michigan
6. Kenny Phillips, FS, Miami
7. Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
8. Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona
9. James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State
10. Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky
11. Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
12. Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia
13. Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma
14. Dan Connor, LB, Penn State
15. Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
16. Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi
17. DeSean Dackson, WR, California
18. Calais Campbell, DE, Miami
19. Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College
20. Reggie Smith, DB, Oklahoma
21. Early Doucet, WR, LSU
22. Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
23. Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
24. Keith Rivers, LB, USC
25. Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan

Post from: EveryJoe

NFL Draft Prospects

The officials? They didn’t see it.

Now really, I understand that everyone makes mistakes. But if you’re officiating the game, the fair catch signal is probably the most important move of the play. How is it possible that you are doing your job and didn’t watch for that? Incredible.

So big freaking deal that the Big East apologized. I’m sure that Louisville is flicking off that official letter right now. I mean, come on. An apology can’t give you back the win, and that game’s loss will greatly effect the rest of their season.

I haven’t had the time to follow this story to closely, but I wanted to close on one last thought: What the hell was that player thinking? He knows he made the fair catch signal. Was he trying to “get one by” on the officials? It just seems really unethical to watch the video and see him make the signal and then go in for the touchdown. Players like that reflect badly on the entire team.

Post from: EveryJoe

Louisville Gets and Apology. Big Freaking Deal