One programing note, the 5-at-10 will be out of the office in the back part of this week. As most good folks of our great country, your first reaction is, "OK great. How does this affect me?" Well, we'll have mini-5-at-10s Wednesday and Thursday and depending on how many letters we get today and Tuesday, we may have a full pre-written mailbag or a mini-bag.
OK, let's get to itio. From the "7-Up Stinks Studios," here we go...
Roger Goodell, executive vice-president of the NFL, hears the translation from a headphone during a news conference in Mexico City, Mexico in this July 15, 2005 file photo. Goodell first emerged as Paul Tagliabue's possible successor as NFL commissioner a few years ago. So, it was no surprise when the five finalists to succeed Tagliabue were announced Sunday, July 30, 2006 and Goodell was still on the list. (AP Photo/Jaime Lopez, File)Sweet Roger Goodell's granny's freshly made biscuits, the NFL lockout is about to be footnote in league history.
The feuding, the name-calling, the lawsuits... it's been like a summer with the Kardashians. Well, the end is in sight and the details and principles have been agreed upon. Once it's signed there will be a flood of draft picks signing, players re-signing with their current teams and the teams working feverishly to get under the salary cap before the free-agent feeding frenzy begins.
We'll cover this daily this week - the NFL offseason theoretically is going to be the NFL off-fortnight, so there will be lots to digest. The new NFL salary cap will be $120 million per team and here's a a look at the current salary status for the teams, according to ESPN:
Team - Status
Arizona - $37.3 million under
Atlanta - $13.9 million under
Baltimore - $5.33 million under
Buffalo - $35.9 million under
Carolina - $30.6 million under
Chicago - $37. million under
Cincinnati - $35.9 million under
Cleveland - $33.3 million under
Dallas - $18.9 million over
Denver - $1 million under
Detroit - $16.6 million under
Green Bay - $62,600 under
Houston - $7.6 million under
Indianapolis - $2.7 million over
Jacksonville - $31.4 million under
Kansas City - $34.3 million under
Miami - $13.6 million under
Minnesota - $5.1 million over
New England - $7.57 million under
New Orleans - $11.7 million under
N.Y. Giants - $11.3 million over
N.Y. Jets - $1.2 million over
Oakland - $10 million over
Philadelphia - $13 million under
Pittsburgh - $10 million over
San Diego - $19.4 million under
San Francisco - $18.9 million under
Seattle - $39 million under
St. Louis - $35.6 million under
Tampa Bay - $59.2 million under
Tennessee - $10.3 million under
Washington - $10.6 million under
*Does not include restricted free-agent tenders.
Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, right, leads teammates as catcher David Ross, left, points, loosening up during a spring training baseball workout Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011, in Kissimmee, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)Braves drop two in Cincy
Atlanta lost 4-3 on a walk-off homer in the ninth in Cincinnati last night. It was a tough loss. Here is a quick top 5 in 10 words or less (yes, the now internationally known 5-in-10 by the 5-at-10) of the things you need to know about your Braves heading toward August:
- Bullpen is three studs and a collection of fellows: O'Fleherty, Venters and Kimbrel are rock stars; rest getting rocked.
- Chipper poised to return: Veteran brings leadership, but he's a .263 hitter since 2009.
- Make a move now, part I: After Pittsburgh this week, next two weeks schedule looks easy.
- Make a move now, part II: Be it a bat or reliever, Atlanta needs a spark
- Ignore Philly: The Phillies are baseball's best team; Braves worry about themselves.
Tennessee fullback Austin Johnson (40) tries for extra yardage after a first quarter reception as Mississippi linebacker Allen Walker (9) and safety Johnny Brown (20) move in for the tackle during an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael MilleranCollege football countdown
We know P-Davi can tell us the exact number of days until college football kicks off, but we also know that it's just a number. Football is here gang, and that's a good thing. Here are three storylines worth watching:
- The ACC media days are upon us. There will be some grandstanding and some hand-wringing because that's the essence of media days. That said, the buzz around Florida State seems to be growing, and if uber-talented quarterback E.J. Manuel can deliver, the Seminoles are a legit national title contender.
- UT linebacker Austin Johnson was arrested over the weekend for public intoxication and disorderly conduct. It is what it is, and there are hundreds of college students who get arrested for those mistakes every week. So it goes. It's different of course because Johnson is a scholarship football player at a big-time football program. It's big-time noteworthy because Johnson is a linebacker at UT, which is a big-time football program starving for linebackers.
- The news from Alabama about players and a Tuscaloosa-area clothing store will not go away. It seems like every couple of hours a new report on the Intertube was coming. That said, please stop with all the, "There's a lot of smoke, there must be fire," or the "They're out to get us," mumbo jumbo. No matter which side of the Tide you reside, until there is proof there is no NCAA violation. Plus, if we've learned anything in the last year in regard to NCAA stuff, it's not the action that gets programs in troubles, it's the reaction to the action that counts most.
Tour de France winner Cadel Evans of Australia, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates with fans during the victory parade after winning the Tour de France cycling race in Paris, France, Sunday July 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)This and that
- The Tour de France is completed. Some guy from Australia was the winner (at least for now, because is anyone betting against any cyclist not being on the PEDs). Now we can go right back to ignoring cycling. Until next year, Tour de France.
- NASCAR did not race this weekend, and you know what, we didn't miss it all that much. That sentence does not bode well with football wind-sprinting toward our weekend schedules.
- Tip of the tam o'shanter to Baylor School graduate Harris English, who won the Nationwide event this weekend. English made a birdie on the 72nd hole to win by a shot. The victory was worth $144,000 - but that check went to Kyle Reifers, the top finishing pro. English, who just completed his senior season with the University of Georgia, is still an amateur with hopes of playing for the U.S. in the Walker Cup this September.
Today's question
With UT linebacker Austin Johnson's recent run-in with the law, which group is thinner - Tennessee's linebackers or Georgia's running backs.
Discuss.