John Clay's Sidelines

SEC links for Monday:

• Eli Manning is giving a $1 million to his alma mater, Ole Miss, reports the AP.
• Ex-South Carolina star Devan Downey signs contract to play in Turkey, reports Seth Emerson of The State.
• Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News looks at Bill Curry’s brief stint as Alabama coach before Curry came to UK.
• Jeff Schultz of the AJC ranks the SEC football programs 1-12.
• Bryce Brown saga could be coming to an end, reports Austin Ward of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• John Adams of the News-Sentinel writes that running backs won’t be a sideshow for Derek Dooley.
• Lane Kiffin must be stopped, writes Mark Wiedmer of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• ACC routs the SEC in media access, blogs Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Arkansas is ramping up its defense, writes David Paschall of the Times Free Press.
• Les Miles is preaching optimistic message to LSU faithful, writes Scott Hotard of The Advocate.

(Hat tip to Nation of Blue.)

The Sacramento Kings are offering what it calls “The Boogie Fever Package.”

The ticket package is named for DeMarcus Cousins, of course.

If you purchase full season tickets or a similar package by August 6, you get two Cousins’ replica jerseys and two complimentary lower-level tickets to Sacramento’s first regular season home game.

The Kings’ web site says, “Secure yours today before this offer Boogies out!”

Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog talks to Michael Gilchrist’s mom, who says that her son will not play against Austin Rivers on Monday night on ESPNU.

Excerpt:

“Absolutely not,” his mother, Cindy Richardson, said Sunday.

Gilchrist played his last AAU event this summer at the Peach Jam.

“Given the fact that he won’t have a summer next year, we thought it would be good if he just vacations for five weeks,” Richardson said.

Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports talks to Rajon Rondo, who offers this opinion on LeBron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh:

“They should be good, but they ain’t done nothing yet,” Rondo said after a recent practice during Team USA’s minicamp. “They ain’t done nothing.”

And this:

“What is there to be nervous for?” he said. “I’m worried about L.A. That’s the team we need to beat. Miami looks really good on paper, and I’m sure they’re going to be really good. But they still have to come together as a team. I’m not saying they won’t, but who knows if those guys can jell?”

Rondo is in Las Vegas as part of the Team USA mini-camp.

Update: Gilchrist won’t play against Rivers, after all.

Big Blue Links for Sunday:

• Mark Story of the Herald-Leader on the games Kentucky fans will never forget.
• Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb are plotting Act II, writes Chip Cosby of the H-L.
• Michael Gilchrist and Austin Rivers go head-to-head on ESPNU Monday, reports Buddy Collins of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Kentucky coach John Calipari is checking out Memphis product Adonis Thomas, reports Jason Hickman of Maxpreps.com.
• John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel writes that Randall Cobb doesn’t favor being slotted.
• Edgewood quarterback Zeke Pike picks up offer from Florida, reports Bleed Blue Kentucky.
• Big Red Today shoots down rumor that Billy Gillispie will be an assistant at Nebraska. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)
• Randall Cobb says incoming freshman will eclipse his exploits, writes Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Ryan Clark of the Kentucky Enquirer is not ready to believe Kentucky football is better than Tennessee.

SEC links for Sunday:

• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes that SEC should drop Vanderbilt for Central Florida.
• Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher rips ex-Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
• Joe Biddle of the Tennessean writes about the internet problems at the SEC Media Days.
• South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia is primed for a breakout season, writes Ron Morris of The State.
• Touted quarterback Raymond Cotton has left Ole Miss, reports David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Ole Miss thin at quarterback after Cotton’s departure, writes Parrish Alford of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal.
• Mark Fox is taking Georgia basketball up a notch, writes Roger Clarkson of the Athens Banner-Herald.
• LSU excited about returning to the Georgia Dome, reports Scott Hotard of The Advocate.
• Mark McCarter of the Huntsville Times writes that Nick Saban has insulted pimps everywhere.
• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News thinks this will be Saban’s most important season.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Should conference give Vanderbilt the boot?’

ESPN is reporting that West Virginia coach Bob Huggins broke four ribs after a fall in Las Vegas.

Former Huggins assistant and current Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy confirmed to ESPN that Huggins did indeed fall, but said it had nothing to do with the coach’s previous heart problems.

Gary Parrish also has the story for cbssports.com.

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

• Tennessee to be looking up at Kentucky in football is a rare sight, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Kentucky picked to finish fourth in the SEC East, ahead of the Vols, reports Chip Cosby of the H-L from Hoover.
• John Calipari and Orlando Antigua are keeping tabs on Quincy Miller, reports Jason Hickman of Maxpreps.com.
• Anthony Davis tells Zagsblog that UK, Syracuse and Ohio State are all about even on his list.
• Michael Gilchrist will take a six-week break from basketball, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)
• David Turner is UK’s new assistant head football coach, reports Mary Jo Perino of WLEX-TV.
• Seattle’s Tony Wroten loves Kentucky basketball fans, writes Jody Demling of the Courier-Journal.
• Bluegrass State Basketball lends a hand to flood victims in Eastern Kentucky.
• The hits just keep on coming for Tennessee, reports Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• Rick Bozich of the C-J says don’t laugh about Kentucky being picked ahead of the Vols.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Tennessee not happy being picked behind UK’

Derek Dooley at SEC Media Days. (AP photo)

SEC links for Saturday:

• Kenny Kadji asks to be released from his scholarship at Florida, reports Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
• Derek Dooley is the anti-Lane Kiffin, writes Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Bill Bryant of the Huntsville Times writes that Derek Dooley is looking to take Tennessee in a new direction.
• Tennessee should have kept Phil Fulmer, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Les Miles disagrees with media assessment of his program, writes Scott Hotard of The Advocate.
• Derek Dooley calmly moving from one fire to another at Tennessee, writes Jeff Schultz of the AJC.
• Gene Chizik hopes Cameron Newton can lead Tigers to success, reports Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Houston Nutt wants to prove the prognosticators wrong, writes Rick Cleveland of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Dooley received a warm welcome at the SEC Media Days, writes Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Trendy picks must still live up to the hype, says Tommy Hicks of the Mobile Press-Register.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Kadji leaving Florida; Dooley on spot at Media Days’