random ramblings fred riecke, gamblersdata
…Expect this story to grow and grow. Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested Saturday and arraigned for the sexual abuse of eight youngsters, who he gained access to them through, The Second Mile, an at-risk youth program. The attorney general has filed 40 criminal counts against him on this case. According to the Attorney General, Sandusky was seen having anal sex with a ten-year old boy by a graduate assistant. The graduate assistant told Penn State head coach Joe Paterno and he told athletic director Tim Curley. Approximately one and half weeks later, the graduate assistant was called to a meeting with Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President For Finance and Business Gary Schultz. The graduate assistant reported to Curley and Schultz that he had witnessed what he believed to be Sandusky having anal sex with a boy in the Lasch Building showers. Curley and Schultz assured the graduate assistant that they would look into it and determine what further action they would take. Paterno was not present for this meeting.
…Just a thought, but how much greater would the outrage have been had the victim been a 10 year old girl? Would Penn State still have swept this under the rug? My guess is no.
…Is it just a coincidence that the story broke to the world AFTER Joe Paterno topped the record for most victories by a football coach? The incidents have been under investigation for more than two years. Could authorities have been waiting for Paterno to break the record? If so, that would be intolerable.
…Add Penn State Sex Scandal – Curley and Schultz are legally required to report any incidents of abuse to the University Police or the Pennsylvania State Police within 48 hours. Paterno? It appears that he may not have been “legally” obliged to report the incident, but I don’t imagine many would not expect he would be “morally” obligated. The Penn State President Graham Spanier has come out with a statement of “unconditional support” for Curley and Schultz, who have been charged with perjury. Each of them told the Grand Jury that the Graduate Assistant didn’t report Sandusky having anal sex with the 10-year old. They said the Graduate Assistant said Sandusky simply had “inappropriate contact” with the youngster. Curley and Schultz were arrested for criminal perjury on Monday after leaving their positions at Penn State.
…Final add Paterno and Penn State – Paterno escaped indictment because he told athletic director Tim Curley about an alleged 2002 incident in which a graduate student reported discovering Sandusky performing sex acts on a boy who was about 10 years old in the shower area of a football locker room. Paterno told Curley, who failed to report it to the proper authorities, according to the attorney general. Then Paterno apparently did nothing. And that is the problem that confronts his legacy. He may have followed the law, but once he knew of this heinous violation, he needed to clean it up – not ignore it. Nobody has more juice than Joe Pa at Penn State. Now his legacy may be ruined forever. Happy Valley needs a name change.
…A Democratic congressman is comparing the NCAA to the Mafia over how it controls the lives of student athletes. The congressman, Bobby Rush of Illinois, made the accusations at a congressional forum on college sports called to look at the impact of “back-room deals, payoffs and scandals” in college sports Says Rush: “I think you would compare the NCAA to Al Capone and to the Mafia. Rush spoke after hearing from a couple of mothers of student athletes who complained of ill treatment by schools after their sons suffered injuries. The NCAA didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
…Rex Ryan, coach of the NY Jets, is a funny guy. Hopefully his sense of humor allows him to laugh at himself. During a radio interview, Joe Namath, the Jets legend, mentioned he noticed that Rex Ryan was spotted wearing a Namath jersey, to which Namath said, “I’m just stunned that the jersey with No. 12 comes in that size.”
…New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman has been released on personal recognizance after a brief court appearance on a charge of indecent assault and battery on a woman. A criminal complaint application filed Tuesday accuses the 25-year-old Edelman of groping a woman at a Boston nightclub Edelman and his attorney declined to comment after the hearing. He was ordered not to return to the Storyville nightclub or have any contact with the accuser or witnesses. Police say Edelman was arrested at about 1:30 a.m. outside the club and later released on bail. The complaint says he denied the allegations. Perhaps he was busy celebrating the Patriots loss to the Steelers!
…Prosecutors on Tuesday dropped a felony gun charge against Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of drunken driving and possessing a firearm while under the influence of alcohol. Wallace had no prior record and was cooperative with police when his Cadillac Escalade was stopped Sept. 24 in Oakland County’s Bloomfield
Township, assistant prosecutor Robert Novy said in explaining the reasons for the plea deal. A breath test showed Wallace’s blood-alcohol level was 0.14 percent, above Michigan’s legal limit of 0.08 percent. Police found an unloaded pistol registered to his wife in a backpack.
…Griffen Kramer, a backup quarterback at Thousand Oaks High, was found dead Sunday at a friend’s house in Agoura Hills, school officials saidMonday. Kramer was 18. Kramer is the son of former NFL quarterback Erik Kramer, who played at Burbank Burroughs High and Pierce College, and started for the Chicago Bears from 1994-96. In a statement, the school, with information it said was provided by the family, announced that “initial indications suggest his passing was due to alcohol poisoning.”
…For CC Sabathia, there’s no better place to pitch than Yankee Stadium. The big left-hander decided to stay with New York rather than test the free-agent market, agreeing Monday to a new deal that adds $30 million and one season to his existing contract, giving him a package that pays $122 million over the next five years. And the Yankees can breathe a little easier knowing that at least their rotation will not get worse! There was speculation that CC might move to another contender over concerns about the weakened NYY pitching corps.
…Troubled former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield has been charged with possession of methamphetamine. The 42-year-old former Sprint Cup driver was arrested Tuesday night at his home in the western North Carolina town of Catawba, according to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, after a search warrant was executed. Mayfield posted $3,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. Sheriff’s officials told the TV station WBTV they were acting on a tip there might be stolen property at the residence, the report said. Mayfield also was charged with with possession and intent to sell marijuana, SceneDaily.com reported. He was released from jail on $3,000 bond and has a court appearance Wednesday.
…Add Mayfield – Mayfield was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR in 2009 after failing a drug test. He is the only Cup Series driver suspended since the advent of random drug testing in 2009. He subsequently sued NASCAR, claming a false positive. That lawsuit remains active, on appeal. In unsuccessful legal challenges to his suspension, Mayfield said his positive test stemmed from a mix of an over-the-counter allergy medication and the prescription drug Adderall.
…Serena Williams fled to the panic room in her Los Angeles mansion when she mistook a sports association drug tester for a dangerous intruder. The tennis legend’s assistant called 911 around 6:00am local time last Wednesday and told the emergency operator that a prowler had been spotted at the luxurious property, TMZ reported. Williams retreated to her panic room in a bid to protect herself. But the intruder turned out to be a random drug tester who stopped by unannounced for a urine sample.
…Theo Epstein, new sheriff in town for the Chicago Cubs, isn’t sitting on his hands. Last week he hinted that some renovations at Wrigley Field are inevitable. Now he is searching for a new manager. Mike Quade will not return as Chicago Cubs manager in 2012. He was under contract for next season after signing a two year deal (with an option for 2013) prior to the 2011 season. After another disappointing Cubs season, new team president Theo Epstein must have felt that it was time for a fresh start.
…Add Epstein on the move – According to FOX’s Jon Morosi on Twitter, Epstein said that the new Cubs manager must have managerial or coaching experience at the big league level. Who does that immediately rule out? Well, the runner up to Quade in last season’s managerial search, former Cubs icon (and current manager of the AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs) Ryne Sandberg. Sandberg would be a popular choice of the fans. Epstein – maybe not?
…The annual recent NFL game in London, England, which was between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears, was a bad news-good news scenario. The bad news came when the British Government said it wasn’t interested in holding one or two games each year at Wembley Stadium. However, the good news was that it said they wanted their own full-time NFL franchise. Richard Fuller, a Member of Parliament said there’s a lot of support for the American version of football in London and would like to develop the sport in Britain and eventually secure an NFL franchise. I guess there aren’t enough cities in the United States that want teams.
…Add NFL in England – Maybe the idea is not as far fetched as you might think. At the moment, it looks like if an established team is moved to England that it could be Tampa Bay as they’ve played over there a couple of times now and seem to be building up a fan base. It does make a bit of sense though, considering that the Glazer Family owns the Buccaneers as well as Manchester United and have seen firsthand how powerful a franchise can become if it has a huge global following. Goodell also said the NFL plans to concentrate on England only in the near future rather than other European nations. There were 76, 981 fans at Wembley for the Bears 28-14 win over Tampa Bay on Oct. 13.
…In likely one of the most bizarre news items of the day, it has been announced that in a last-minute scheduling change, former-MLB-star-turned-financial-and-personal-trainwreck Lenny Dykstra will square off in the ring against former-MLB-star-turned-financial-and-personal-trainwreck Jose Canseco in a celebrity boxing match. Dykstra is replacing Tareq Salahi a/k/a the White House Party Crasher for a bout scheduled for Nov. 5 which will air live from Avalon Hollywood CA in a pay-per-view, streamed format online courtesy of FilmOn.com, which according to the press release announcing this little slice of crazy, boasts itself as “the first virtual Cable TV Network that delivers high definition, live TV channels in the USA over the Internet to Computers, Mobile Devices, Roku and IP enabled Televisions.”
……The latest word is that Lenny Dykstra pulled out of the match (dubbed the “Battle of the Baseball Bad Boys”) after being paid five grand earlier in the week. Or did he?
Fight promoter Damon Feldman said that he and main promoter Alki David met Dykstra on Thursday and paid him cash. The former Phillies star was to receive another $10,000 after the fight but informed promoters around 6 EST tonight that he would not show up. Dykstra needs help, but anyone who deals with him has to have a screw loose somewhere to begin with. If they thought Lenny Dykstra would actually honor the deal, they simply aren’t thinking. This guy is an straight out crook. He’s even swindled his own mother.
…In news that shocked absolutely no one with a pulse, Angel outfielder and big time trade bust Vernon Wells did NOT opt out of his contract. Considering he is making $17 million for the next couple of years for little production, it was a good financial move by Wells and not so good news for the Angels.
…Terrell Owens might have to put that NFL comeback on hold. Although it appears no one is interested. Now a California judge issued a warrant for T.O.’s arrest after he missed a scheduled court date regarding past-due child support payments last month.
…According to KSAT.com, San Antonio Spurs GM R.C. Buford was arrested and charged for driving while intoxicated after crashing his car into a fence late last night in San Antonio. A police spokesman confirmed Buford was arrested after crashing into the fence in the 500 block of N. Leona just west of downtown late Friday night. Buford was taken to the hospital after the crash and was fine, however, he was then arrested by San Antonio Police. Buford did post bond and was released today according to the report.
…Miami hasn’t done much after the big blow up earlier this year about rampant NCAA violations. There’s not much that Miami athletic director Shawn Eichorst can say about an ongoing investigation into the Hurricanes’ compliance practices, one that could lead to stiff sanctions from the NCAA. He isn’t sure when he’ll be able to say much about it, either. Speaking out for the first time since the scandal centered around the actions of a former booster broke in August, Eichorst revealed Tuesday that the Hurricanes do not know when the NCAA will be done with the process of collecting information or when the Hurricanes should find out what sort of penalties they’ll be facing. But Eichorst was extremely guarded in his comments, declining to even say if the football team-which is at the epicenter of the scandal-will go to a bowl game if they are eligible. Surprisingly., Miami hasn’t taken the route followed by Auburn and Ohio State which resulted in rather lean penalties – imposing their own penalties. Of course, that didn’t work for USC.
…Cementing their reputation as the NYY of the National League, Phillies sign veteran slugger Jim Thome to 1-year contract worth $1.25 million. That’s nice insurance in case Ryan Howard’s return is delayed.
…And speaking of the storied NYY, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has played down his interest in top free agent starter C.J. Wilson so far this offseason, but that won’t stop him from reaching out and making contact with the lefty, according to Dan Martin of the NY Post. “We haven’t talked to him yet, but we will,” Cashman said in the Post. “They have won a lot and he’s been a big part of that, so we’ll certainly talk to him.”
…Rumor has it that Terry Francona, late of the Boston Red Sox, may be in line to replace Tony La Russa in St. Louis.
…I still don’t care if they never play one quarter of an NBA game this season, well, any season for that matter. I do feel sorry for all the people on the periphery who are suffering, but it stretches credibility to feel sorry for the players or the owners. There should be enough money for everybody.
