Coach Wanted To Fight Jaromir Jagr

This comes from Yahoo sports' Puck Daddy blog.(http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Jaromir-Jagr-s-KHL-coach-wanted-to-fight-him-aft?urn=nhl-wp974)

Never a dull moment in the KHL, it seems.


During the seventh playoff game between Jaromir Jagr's Avangard Omsk and Sergei Fedorov's(notes) Metallurg Magnitogorsk, which Metallurg won to advance to the next round to play Alexander Radulov's(notes) Salavat Yulaev, the news surfaced that Avangard fired their coach before the second period of that Game 7.

Avangard claimed that this was not the case and that Raimo Summanen, the coach, was having "health issues" before the game. The team said he was not fired at all, but sent to Finland for medical check ups.

NHL fans may remember Summanen from his days in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. Summanen has a 1984 Stanley Cup ring and can actually be seen on the first Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup winning picture, even though his name was not engraved on the Cup because he did not officially qualify, having played only two regular season and five playoff games for the Oilers.

Now, after his departure, Avangard players shed some light on their now former head coach, whom they said had a major conflict with the players. According to an anonymous member of the team:

"He made Jaromir Jagr the scapegoat of the playoffs. Summanen even went after Jagr with his fists after [a Game 6 victory] in Magnitogorsk. He was jumping around [Jagr], challenged him to a fight. Jagr, of course, didn't want to fight."

Kirill Belyakov from Sovetsky Sport spoke with some players from Avangard who didn't want to disclose their names. Among their comments:

"He [coach] couldn't work with anyone! The Finn just got us with the constant F-bombs. And that was happening the entire season... Everything was building up for a long time. Summanen psychologically pressured players, putting them down. And in the playoffs you know what kind of pressure there is. So all the guys couldn't take it anymore and told him everything we thought about him."

Who does he think he is, Bob Knight?

Virginia Tech Player Charged With Child Abuse.

This story is on the negative end of the spectrum. It involves the harming of child. I don't know to what extent but it's never good news when you hear something like this.

In a story on roanoke.com, Virginia Tech redshirt sophmore split end Xavier Boyce and his girlfriend Olivia Hutchins, were arrested and charged in connection with injuries to his infant child.

Police believe the child was injured Jan. 31 at the couple's home in the 1200 block of University City Boulevard in Blacksburg, police said. They did not say in what way the child was hurt.


Both were released on unsecured $5,000 bonds. In my opinion, they should've had a higher bond.

There's not much else to go on right now and I'm sure more details will come out later.

Quote Of The Week: Bill Simmons

Bill Simmons is one of my favorite columnists to keep up with. He always has a good movie/tv reference for a sports moment.

Here he is on Twitter with a reference about the Chicago Bulls.

 I watch the 2011 Bulls with the same "Uh oh, they're hungry" look that Mickey had during Clubber Lang's fights.

Mark Price Possibly Interested In Georgia Tech Job

According to Dennis Scott and a person who wished to remain anonymous, former Georgia Tech point guard Mark Price would like to return as head coach. I don't know how true this is but I don't think Tech is going to go this route, but it would be interesting.

The last legend I can think of that went back to coach his alma mater was when Clyde Drexler returned to coach the Houston Cougars and that went didn't go so well. Tech has more resources so this actually could work out.

Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich hasn't said who he is considering to replace Paul Hewitt. Price has declined to comment, other than to text that "he wants whoever is best for GT."


Scott and former Tech player Drew Barry seem excited about the prospect of Price coaching the Yellow Jackets, even though he lacks major head coaching experience.

"Every coach has to start somewhere," said Scott, who played at Tech from 1988-90. "Why not start at your alma mater? You've got loads and loads of experience, loads and loads of knowledge to share with young kids. It's all about putting the right staff around you. If you look at a lot of the great coaches, they have great assistant coaches."


I would just like to see Tech get back to its roots, see Tech basketball get back to its roots," said Barry.  

I don't know how much pull they have with the AD, because Price will have some competition for the job. Coaches rumored to be candidates are Richmond's Chris Mooney and VCU's Shaka Smart. New Mexico assistant and former Tech player Craig Neal is also rumored to be a candidate for the job.

 Source: ajc.com

Vick's Old Home A Possible Dog Haven

A non profit group is exploring the idea of buying Michael Vick's old Virginia home and turning it into a haven for rescue dogs to run free while at the same time being house-trained and socialized for eventual adoption.

The same 15 acre estate that Vick financed a dog fighting ring.

Monica Severy, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, said she would leave the grim kennels that once housed fighting dogs in place as a memorial of sorts. "The dogs deserve for this to be seen," she said. "It's an important piece of history."

The group has to raise $600,000 for the full sale price, so they have a long way to go before this is a done deal. i have to wonder would Vick ever be allowed to visit if this ever comes to fruition.

Source: UPI.com

Dallas Cowboys Start Clothing Line

The Dallas Cowboys have found another revenue stream. They've started their own clothing line called nineteen60, a reference to their inaugural season.

Here's a description from dallascowboys.com.

The Dallas Cowboys are proud to announce the release of their new apparel line, Nineteen60. Nineteen60 is an upscale, understated, fashion forward line for the Dallas Cowboys most discerning fans. It features unique, detailed pieces for both men and women and is designed for the fashion conscious male and female fan looking for more than just a t-shirt. This line will appeal to the trendsetting fan in both the boardroom and at the tailgate. It is tradition, style and luxury. You've never seen Cowboys fans dressed like this.

Once again it looks like the Cowboys are ahead of the curve when it comes to expanding their brand. I wouldn't look for other teams to follow suit though. For the Cowboys sake they better hope the clothing line performs better than the team did in their first season in 1960. The Cowboys were 0-11-1 that season.

Is Mike Anderson Heading To Arkansas?

Is Missouri head basketball coach Mike Anderson heading to Arkansas? I guess it depends on who you ask.

There are differing opinions about where Anderson will be coaching next year. A Twitter post from Chris Lincoln, sports director of KTUL-TV in Tulsa, indicated that Anderson is the man at Arkansas. “Reports out of Arkansas say Mizzou coach Mike Anderson to be introduced tomorrow in Fayetteville as Razorbacks new head basketball coach.”


CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish cited a source, saying Anderson is “close to reaching an agreement in principle to become Arkansas’ men’s basketball coach, but a deal has not been finalized.” CBSSports.com also reported that “there are still things to work out,” but “barring a breakdown it appears Anderson will ultimately leave Missouri for Arkansas.”

Anderson's former mentor, Nolan Richardson, could not confirm or deny such speculation.

“I didn’t know anything about him going there,” Richardson said. 



When asked about Anderson's intentions about returning to Arkansas and if Anderson has had any contact with the Razorbacks, Richardson had this to say. “Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know. He probably would. But I know Mike is out working right now. I don’t think he has (had conversations with Arkansas). I don’t think he has done that.”

Right now Anderson is saying all the right things regarding his status at Missouri, which usually means that someone is ready to jump ship. At least that's what typically happens. Anderson said he wouldn't deal with the Arkansas rumors Thursday.

“I’m excited about what’s taking place at Missouri and I plan on being at Missouri,” Anderson told the Columbia Daily Tribune. “That’s the bottom line. We’ve done some great things and we’ll continue to do some great things. I’ve got a young basketball team.”


I guess we'll have to stay tuned to see how this plays out.