Darko To Auction Off His Championship Ring

In a page from Ron Artest's book, Minnesota Timberwolves center Darko Milicic is planning to auction off his NBA championship ring he won with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. He's doing it for a worthy cause, it's to raise money and awareness for children dealing with the terminal illness Batten's disease 

He got the idea from Ron Artest, who auctioned off his Lakers championship ring to raise money for mental health programs in schools.

Outside of the championship he won with Detroit and being known as one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history, this might be the most noteworthy thing he's done since being in the league.

Party Of One

When Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy held his pro day workout, he probably didn't anticipate that there would be a low turnout.

McElroy didn't throw at the NFL combine or Alabama's initial pro day because he broke a bone in his throwing hand during the Senior Bowl. He did have a productive career for the Tide and won a national championship there. Still he had to think he had better NFL prospects than what turned out to view him.  

The Seattle Seahawks were the only team that showed up to his pro day workout. Personally that would be a bummer. You work hard to get yourself in position for a shot at the NFL and only one team shows up to see you workout.

That team was the Seattle Seahawks, who sent southeast scout Derrick Jensen and quarterbacks coach Carl Smith. Heck, at least St. Pete (Pete Carroll) could've shown his face.

Here's the video below.

Nevada Might Not Make It To The Mountain West

The Universtiy of Nevada has been a pretty competitive mid-major school in both football and basketball in recent years. They've had a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament back in 2004 in basketball and the football team has made a few bowl appearances in the past few years.

You think with that recent success while competing in the WAC and moving to the Mountain West in 2012, they would have a few dollars in the athletic department coffers. Not so fast. The Wolfpack might be in danger of losing their status in Division I athletics.

Athletic director Cary Groth says the school is facing a $1.5 million cut in state-appropriated funds that could "change the face of the department."

The cuts, which are part of a proposed $59 million university-wide budget reduction at UNR, could threaten Nevada's ability to maintain Division I status or force the department to cut another sport. The reduction is contingent on the state legislature's final higher education budget and board of regents deliberations.



"I would say maintaining the integrity of a Division I program is our main focus right now," Groth said. "We're right on the line of a few things as is."


In the past three years, the Wolf Pack's state-appropriated funds have decreased from $7.054 million to an estimated $3.817 million for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

The school doesn't have too much margin for error financially, so it may have to cut sports or reduce scholarships. Hopefully the move to the Mountain West can pump more money into the school, that's if they make it there.









 

TCU Gets Some New Duds

Fresh off an undefeated season and Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin, TCU has been outfitted for new uniforms by Nike. They're not the emperor's new clothes but I guess they're not that bad.

The look is a little more basic than the past. They did away with the frog on the helmet and I wonder if they're going to still break out the frogskin unis for special occasions.