Brad Pye Jr. Sports Editor EmeritusDecember 24, 2016
Brad Pye’s National Sports Beat (12/23-12/28/16)
Diversity will be on parade in the quarterback and front offices staff positions; Baltimore Ravens’ general manager is Ozzie Newsome and Reggie McKenzie is the Oakland Raiders’ GM.
Will Coach Todd Bowles of the New York Jets be job shopping after Sunday?
Tiger Woods returns to the Riviera Country Club where he made his debut as a 16-year old (1992) which is known today as the Genesis Open on Feb.16-19. Woods says he weighed about 105-pounds at the time; Tigers Foundation will be the major beneficiary of the event. And the beat continues!
The Cleveland Cavs’ LeBron James explains his job this way: “That’s my job, to be the only person ever to put those numbers up.” The James is the only player in NBA history with at least 27,000 points, and 7,000 assists. Time Magazine in naming LeBron James it’s Sportsman of the Year declared: “Muhammad Ali is the most influential images of all-time.”
Now look who is giving Louisville’s 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson some advise. Texas A&M’s 2012’s bad boy Johnny Manziel told him; “Have fun in college. You can only stay there a certain amount of time. Have fun with it.”
Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s thoughts on inequality were formed well before he articulated them at UCLA in the 1960s.
There will be a number of Black QBs featured in major Bowl games too. Included are Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, USC’s sub Jalen Greene Clemson’ Deshaun Watson, Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett, (AD Gene Smith is a man of color), Coaches include Penn State’s James Franklin, Stanford’s David Shaw.
The battle between the upcoming QBs Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Bucs’ Jameis Winston is the talk of the week. Nevertheless Prescott emerged the victor, Prescott completed 32 of 36 passes for 279-yards and no TDs. Winston threw for two TDs and 247-yards and had one interception for the 8-6 Bucs. Winston passed 47-yards to Adam Humphries and 10 to Cameron Brate to put Tampa Bay ahead, but he didn’t move the Bucs ahead once Dallas got the lead. The other half of Dallas’ dynamite duo, Ezekiel Elliott ran like an unstoppable train on a 2-yard dash and jumped into a Salvation Army red kettle to celebrate.
From all indications Hue Jackson, the Cleveland Browns’ first year go down 0-16 with his team. When a team goes 0-15, the 16th defeat is assured. The Detroit Lions went down 0-16 in 2008. Hue Jackson added: “This is my career, this is my reputation, and I’m not going to back down from any challenge. This wasn’t my dream by any stretch of the imagination. But I’m not running from this.” Sticking: Head Coach Hue Jackson of the Cleveland Browns says he is sticking with Robert Griffin III as his QB.
QB Cam Newton keep the Carolina Panthers playoff hopes alive with 300-yards and a pair of TDs in a 26-15 win over the Washington Redskins to make the Panthers record 6-8 on the season to keep its Wild Card hopes alive.
Will the freshman-laden UCLA basketball Bruins continue to roll with J.T. Leaf, Aaron Holiday, the Ball Brothers Lonzo and Monzo et al.
Alabama’s offensive guru Lane Kiffin didn’t land a head coaching job at a big time school. Why? The young Mr. Kiffin had been a head coach at Tennessee, USC and with the late Al Davis’ Oakland Raiders. Kiffin had to settle for a job at lowly Florida Atlantic.
And the beat continues!
The Seattle Seahawks hopes he never repeat that five interceptions game like he had in his team’s 38-10 loss to the Packers. Wilson had only 240 passing yards in 39 tries and a career high five picks.
QB Russell Wilson and his Seattle Seahawks got back on track Thursday Dec. 15 with a 24-3 victory over the sad sack L.A. Rams. This was Seattle’s third NFC West title in four years.
Coach David Fizdale’s Memphis Grizzles is making a little noise with a 17-8 report card and fifth in the Western Conference. He is a man of color.
Black men quarterbacking NFL teams include the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, Jameis Winston. Seattle’s Russell Wilson, Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton and black head coaches: Detroit Lions’ Jim Caldwell, Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin.
The Big 10 has the following slogan; “Pigs get fat, Hogs get slaughtered.” The Big 10’s commissioner Mark Hollis says; “If you can surround yourself with greatness, you become a better individual. That’s what the Big 10 is all about.”
Don’t cry any tears for Coach Charlie Strong who was cut lose by the University of Texas after four years, the Texas Longhorns leave him with empty pickets. Strong’s new five year contract with South Florida plus what Texas had to kick in for what he was owed by Texas. This will put him in the high rent district for the balance of his coaching career, which is his base salary of $5.2 million per season. And the beat continues!
USC Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott (right) and Trojan Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen (left) are reportedly raising $1.3 billion to build a new stadium in Oakland. Raiders owner Mark Davis, the son of the late Raiders owner Al Davis is toying with a one year offer to move in the Rams new stadium in Inglewood or a posed one in Carson with the Chargers.
Grambling State takes on North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl on Saturday Dec. 17 at 9am on Channel 7. Grambling State won 10-9 against the North Carolina Central University
Check this from the lips of actor Will Smith Jr. in a tribute to his father the late Willard Smith and others at a screening of Concussion in 2015: “Anything that doesn’t lead to a higher, more intimate relationship with yourself and others needs to be off your schedule.”
DeAndre Jordan continues to be one of the L.A. Clippers’ Big 3. Jordan scored 22 points and blocked three points and became the Clippers franchise record in this category with 1,118. The Clippers beat the Orlando Magic 107-97.
The great Jim Brown knows the score when he says: “Being black is a burden you carry.”
Nobody else will be wearing former San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan’s number. The Spurs officially retired the 19-year star’s number in ceremonies on Dec. 18.
Did you know that Max Siegel CEO of USA Track and Field is a man of color. He is the only Black man leading a NGB national governing body. Siegel says: “In most cases, it’s going to happen because there is a business case that is made.”
Future pro that’s what they are calling St. John Bosco’s Terrence Beasley who led his team to a 56-33 vs. and two TDs victory over De La Salle to capture the California State Championship with a 357-yards performance over the weekend in Sacramento. St. John Bosco stellar performers were Terrence Beasley (150-yards and two TDs) and Demetri Flowers had 91-yards rushing three TDs.
The Minnesota Vikings’ running back Adrian Peterson who had been out of action since the second game because of injuries, finally, returned for the 15th game of the 16th game of the year, didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Here are Peterson’s stats: 22-yards on six carries and one fumble.
There was some bad news for the L.A. Clippers’ Blake Griffin Monday night in addition to his team’s 117-110 defeat by the Washington Wizards. If Griffin has to undergo an operation he will be out from three to six weeks. Griffin is the Clippers top point maker with a 21 point average. To cap the night off Coach Doc Rivers’ son, Austin Rivers was ejected from the game. Check This! The Clippers’ Blake Griffin scored 26 points vs. the Washington Wizards to become the Clippers No. 3 all-time scorer (9,312).
QB Dane Evans is the big man on campus today after passing for 304-yards and five TDs in a 55-10 win over Central Michigan in the Miami Beach Bowl. Evans hit on 28 of 38 as his team finished with a 10-3 report card. Evans finished his career a record-setting 84 TDs. And that’s it! That’s the end! Brad Pye Jr. can be reached at [email protected]
