SMA Notebook: Swin Cash Fouls the Air at ESPN, and Nonsense from the Miami Police in the Sean Taylor Slaying

ESPN is at it again. Hiring unqualified TV personalities. Tonight’s viewing brought me my first encounter with the inimitable Swin Cash. Who you ask? (Yeah, that’s what I said.) I wandered into ESPN’s “NBA Fastbreak,” a show that plays game highlights while so-called experts—read: ex jocks who have no business being in front of a camera—rattle on inanely. I had no idea who Swin Cash was. I saw

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R.I.P. Sean Taylor: A Sad but All Too Familiar End for an African American Athlete

The death of Sean Taylor. It’s like deja vu all over again. About a year ago we were mourning the violent death of the Denver Broncos’ Darrent Williams, shot in a drive-by.Ranting about this stuff seems pointless. But it’s hard not to reflect on the upshot of it all. So many things come to mind. Reality check:1. Why does it ring false to me when Taylor’s teammates talk about how he “turned his

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #12 Winners and Losers

Once as a kid, watching pro football with my Dad, I heard him say something like this: “Does it really matter who your running back is? Seems to me if your offensive line is in synch and blowing out big holes in the defense, that any reasonably talented runner could gain 100 yards a game.” I think he had a point. Matter of fact, I think Bill Belichick and Mike Shanahan and Mike McCarthy and

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #11 Winners and Losers

Should we just stop playing the season and anoint the Patriots the champs? At 10-0, they do look invincible, and it would save a lot of wear and tear on everybody’s precious bodies. One thing no one talks about that much: the Patriots’ offensive line. Tom Brady’s just immune sitting back in that pocket. And those guys don’t make stupid motion penalties and the like. They’re simply a

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Where’d They Play Their College Ball?

I guess most football fans can tell you right off the bat where Vince Young played his college football (Texas). Or Peyton Manning (Tennessee). But unless you’re a total geek about this stuff, it can be a fun challenge to test the backwaters of your memory. Some of the NFL QBs listed below aren’t that long removed from their alma maters. Others are getting pretty long in the tooth. But all have

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #10 Winners and Losers

Rams finally win one. Dolphins remain winless. Colts on two-game losing streak. Cowboys and Packers assert dominant NFC leanings. And the wild-card races in both conferences just get tighter. You won’t hear fans complain about that. It was fun to lounge around on the couch this past weekend, and watch parity at its best. That includes the college game, where the typical powers continue to

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The Return of the Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #9 Winners and Losers

We’ve been busy lately, with paid music and writing gigs and also a special free-lance photography project I hope to have completed by the spring of ‘08. I’ve still got my finger on the NFL’s pulse, though. For most teams, this is the halfway point—eight games into the season—and a good time to take stock. There are plenty of disappointments out there: Rams (0-8), Jets (1-8), 49ers (2-6),

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