Thursday, April 14, 2011

Goins Trying A Switch To Football

There's been an increasing trend in college basketball players switching to the gridiron once their days on the hardwood are over. Tennessee point guard Melvin Goins is the latest to give it a try.

Goins is trying to make the Volunteers' football team as a safety or corner. Coach Derek Dooley still sees Goins as a point guard.

“I see him as a point guard right now,” Dooley said when asked if he saw Goins as a safety or cornerback. “I can tell you, when we play three-on-three, he’s on my team. We’re going to be good when we get into the offseason three-on-three hoops tournament.”


This isn't unusual or impossible. Duke's Greg Paulus was the most notable player to succeed at this feat. 
Michigan's Kelvin Grady also transitioned from the hardwood to the football field.

Goins knows he has a long way to go but is doing his best to make the team.

“I haven’t played in so long. It’s all coming back slowly,” Goins said. “It’s all mental right now. I’m used to basketball where you know the plays, you know where you’re supposed to go so you react off instinct. Now I’m thinking a lot, and that’s not really good. You want to be able to get the plays down and know your zones and know where you’re supposed to be at on the field.”


You never know, he could have a supporting role on the team. If he plays like he did in that debacle against Michigan in the NCAA tournament he can kiss any chance of making the football team goodbye.



   

Lincecum Donates $25,000 To Beating Victim

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum has donated $25,000 to the Bryan Stow fund. Stow was the victim in a senseless beating by a couple of Los Angeles Dodgers fans on opening day. The Giants have donated $70,000 themselves. The donations were made to cover Stow's medical expenses.

Both teams have taken heightned security since the incident, with the Dodgers cancelling an alcohol related promotion.

“This was a senseless act of violence and I wanted to help out Mr. Stow and his family,” Lincecum said in a statement Thursday. “It’s also close to me because not only is Mr. Stow a Giants fan, but I have family and friends who are firefighters, police officers and paramedics and this honors their service to the community.



“I encourage Giants fans to support Mr. Stow in a positive way and hope there are not any more unfortunate acts between fans in this great rivalry,” Lincecum said.

As a fan let's hope Stow can make a complete recovery and go back to living life as he knew it.

Gerald Wallace...FBI

Federal agents usually don't show up at a basketball practice unless something highly illegal is going on or it's in a movie. So it was a surprise when they showed up at a recent Portland Trailblazers practice. I would've understood that about 7 years ago.

They weren't there to investigate anything, they were there to do a bit of recruiting, even though they claim n ot to be hiring right now. They were recruiting Gerald Wallace to become a part of the bureau. Of course after his playing days are over. I don't think Wallace would like the pay cut he would get after banking $10.5 million this season.

Wallace had stated that he would like to be an FBI agent once his playing days are over.

Agents gave him a hat, sweatshirt, and an honorary badge and told him to keep the bureau in mind when his playing days are over.