NOT!

But apparently Josh McDaniels, the new coach for the Denver Broncos (and former coach under Belichick) is trying to bring Belichick’s way of doing things to the Broncos.

I was able to wrap my head around the fact that his cut-off sweatshirt wearing, videotaping presence was contained to the Pats. Now these “protégés” of his are popping up all over and bringing the outlook that no player is bigger than the team to the rest of the league. (Like Jay Cutler, who deserves some respect and is apparently getting none when it comes to getting a new contract.)

It’s not that I don’t think Belichick is all bad. Heck, no one is all bad. But the whole “spy-gate” situation of late has me wondering why he’s still a coach. But if new coaches are truly using Belichick as a mentor, let’s hope they stick to the rules of the game and leave the video cameras at home.

Image credit: splashnewsonline.com.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bill Belichick: Mentor?

Gisele Bundchen has refuted claims that she and Tom Brady are engaged.

She tells one source that it is absolutely positively not true.

But what if she just changed her mind? What if she came to her senses and realized that if a guy is going to leave his girlfriend when he finds out she’s pregnant, that he’s probably a bum!

You think?

Nah… me neither. I doubt Gisele worries about men leaving her… pregnant or not. Still…. a sports blogger can hope….

Post from: EveryJoe

Gisele Bundchen Says “No Ring”

Junior Seau is usually the one hitting hard on Sundays, but this past weekend he was the one who got hit…. by a fan!

Apparently he was caught off guard by a fan who jumped out and tackled him by surprise. (Which incidentally, if you’re looking for a way to share the love with your favorite player – this is NOT the way to do it!)

Seau was cool as a cucumber about the whole thing. I especially love this video where he said, “We rolled around, said Merry Christmas, and they pulled him away.”

Tough guy with a sense of humor…. I love it!

The fan, Todd Kobus, was charged with trespassing and assault and battery and pleaded not guilty. Kobus said he was a big fan of Seau and just “meant to give him a big hug.”

The REALLY stinky part (if you’re a football fan) is that the tickets that Kobus used will be revoked. Ouch.

Post from: EveryJoe

Junior Seau Gets Tackled by a Fan

What’s this? A kinder, gentler Randy Moss?

After the Patriots lost to the Colts last night, apparently Randy wasn’t happy with some of the officiating. Fox Sports says that some “of the Pats players thought the pivotal unnecessary roughness call on tight end David Thomas in the fourth quarter was questionable.”

That’s not unusual. Fans and players alike question officials, for right or wrong (or for someone to blame.) But it was Randy’s LACK of complaining that really surprised me. He said, “When things happen, you have to watch what you say. Guys don’t want to get fined. But there was some real iffy calls out there.”

For Randy, this is downright mild. Think he’s trying to soften up and become the LOVABLE Randy Moss? We shall see.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Kinder Gentler Randy Moss

The answer was 50-3 as of January 3, 2008, with the hint “three teams.” 

Here’s the question: What is the combined record of the Patriots, Celtics, and the Red Sox since Game 4 of the ALCS?

That stat does doulble-foddah duty: It’s good for blogs and for cocktail parties. Not to mention, it aggravates anti-New England crowd, which itself give us the schadenfreude warm and fuzzies.

************************************************************

Speaking of questions, we have another one: Would you, could you vote for Gossip on Sports in Project Blog? Our reader poll results have us in dead-last right now and we’re just not ready to get booted off the island, you know?

Even though we’d REALLY like you to vote for us, in the spirit of fairness, here are all five blogtestants’ entries:

1. Winnie, Watching the View: “Things we probably won’t see on The View this year”
2. Kate, Babylune: “Now We Agree My Mother Was Right”
3. Sally, Style Fix: “Bai Ling: Not a Fashion Worst”
4. Jodie, Gossip on Sports: “Fun with Photo Captions”
5. Mark, Get Incensed: “Star Power”

Post from: EveryJoe

Jeopardy Revisted

Undefeated Pats? Check, so far. Sure, there are two more regular season games, but that “0″ in the loss column looks too comfy to leave anytime soon. 

Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson still together? Check. And you know our ongoing investigation of The Supermodel Effect? We’re now examining the Pop Princess Phenomenon. Romo bombed in yesterday’s outing against the Eagles. Is the dark-rooted blonde bombshell affecting the Dallas QB’s game? (And are we alone in guessing she doesn’t understand football anyway?)

Blog foddah in hockey? Pffft, not yet. But hey, those elves are busy and it is only December 17.

Celtics over the Bucks on December 14? Check and check again! Seventh row, right in front of Jo-Jo White (Celtics great from the 1970s and NBA Finals MVP in 1976, if you don’t have your sports trivia book open). Oh, and the Celts won 104-82.

Sports and supermodels? Check. Type “supermodel” into the search box on the right sidebar and see for yourself.

The moral of the story is, don’t be afraid to spread some shekels among Santa’s little guys in red and green.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Elves are A-OK

2. If you want substance behind a player’s guarantee that his team will win, don’t expect the Steelers’ Anthony Smith—spotted wearing egg on his trash-talking visage today—to be your guy.

3. The yellow flag-tossing trend didn’t catch on. That $25,000 fine the league assessed Bart Scott for his antics on December 3 apparently weren’t much of an incentive.

4. Watching Borat the night before the game may ingrain the phrase “like sleeve of wizard” in one’s head; surprisingly, its descriptive use for anything “loose” or “hanging” comes in handy during football games, too.

5. It’s always wise to hold onto receipts. Guess we can return that unopened Pepto Bismol now . . .

P.S. Feeling poll-happy? Vote here for Gossip on Sports. Leave a comment for your chance to win some bath salts!

Post from: EveryJoe

5 Things Learned from the Pats-Steelers Game

This eagerly anticipated head-to-head comes on the heels of two nailbiter wins (so close that The Bee made fun of yours truly for leaving the room 7 times in the final 3 minutes). Can the Pats hang onto their squeaky clean, 12-0 record, even though Steelers DB Anthony Smith guarantees otherwise?

Pats Coach Bill Belichick must be feeling the pressure these days. The Hooded One can’t help but wonder if QB Tom Brady’s good-natured disposition and overall pleasant disposition is to blame for the dearth of blowouts in the recent outings. How do we know? Why, courtesy of eTrueSports*, which nabbed the following quote: 

“He’s too damn happy,” said Belichick, “and I don’t believe in happy.”  

* Any information we received “courtesy of eTrueSports” is, of course, tongue-in-cheek, including this story on how Pete Carroll is coaching football at UCLA . . . and USC.

Excuse us while we dash to the store for some Pepto Bismol for today’s game . . .

P.S. Still time to VOTE FOR GOSSIP ON SPORTS, if your Project Blog heart desires! Click on the poll box in this post (Top “Submit Query” button is Vote; bottom is View results) or cast your vote on PB Host Allison Boyer’s blog.

Post from: EveryJoe

Faux Quote of the Day

Last week we discussed The Supermodel Effect, a phenomenon that poses a very important question for the sports gossip world: Do athletes play better when they have supermodel girlfriends?

We used Marko Jaric of the Minnesota Timberwolves as a case study. A leap in his stats coincided with a budding relationship with one Adriana Lima of Victoria’s Secret.

However, things have since gone downhill for Jaric. Yikes, did we jinx him? His team has played three games since that post—all L’s. Jaric’s numbers? Pffft. He scored a mere 4 points and played just 12 minutes in the first game. And he didn’t play at all in the second two games, skipping Tuesday’s game because of a foot injury.

Wait a minute! Tuesday? Why, that’s when the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show aired! (Well-timed for both the writers’ strike and holiday shopping, we might add).

Could it be that Marko Jaric played hooky so he could cozy up to his girlfriend while watching the show? And if so, can anyone really blame him? We can almost hear him shouting “Yeah, baby!” with his adorable Serbian accent from here.

Given the new developments in the Marko Jaric case, we’re a mite worried about The Supermodel Effect. Spice is nice, but can there be too much of a good thing? Tom Brady—boyfriend of VS Angel Gisele Bundchen—and the Pats remain undefeated but have struggled in recent weeks, so the new burning question is . . .

 . . . Did Coach Belichick refuse to show footage of the Fashion Show in yesterday’s practice?

Quite possibly.

Stay tuned for our ongoing investigation of The Supermodel Effect!

Post from: EveryJoe

The Supermodel Effect Under Investigation

Coach: Bart, if we’re ahead of the undefeated Patriots but then they score a touchdown to pull ahead with less than a minute to go, what’s the best thing to do?

Bart Scott: Throw a temper tantrum?

Coach: Don’t be a knucklehead! That’ll get you a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct!

Bart Scott: *&$#^@! If the zebras drop a flag on the field against me, I’m gonna chuck that banana-colored hanky right into the fifth row behind the endzone!

Coach: *slams clipboard against locker* No, no, a thousand times no! Pour some Gatorade down your shorts and chill out. Idiocy like that will land you a second 15-yard penalty. Use your head! 

Aaaaannd . . .  scene.

Cut to the game, where said conduct and penalties take place. Pan to Scott pitching a fit, and slowly fade away to a close-only-counts-in-horseshoes-and-hand-grenades Hail Mary pass (and catch) by the Ravens. The “Please, PLEASE let New England lose” broadcast booth falls silent, and within minutes, Pats 12-0 pops up on blogs and online sports networks everywhere. 

Let’s face it, New England got luckier than A-Rod that time in Toronto with his mystery blonde/strip joint companion. File Monday night’s game under “P” for “Phew! That was a close one!” or “D” for “Don Shula is having heartburn because the ‘asterisk’ Pats are still aiming for that perfect record.”

Thank goodness we greased the palms of those elves before devising our Holiday Wishlist (see below) . . .

Post from: EveryJoe

Yellow Flags: What Not to Do