Culture

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8310566/Community:-Time-for-Packers-fans-to-let-go Most everybody has had a dog or pet die. The crying, the memories, the funeral (or flushing). It's emotional — thinking about all the great times you had with old Rusty, how fun it was tossing the football around with Bailey, or jogging with Spot. It lasts for a few weeks, maybe a couple months. Then you get the new puppy. And how cute little Duke is. Sure he barks a lot, and he bit your hand when you tried to play fetch for the first time. But when he catches that first Frisbee, it's heaven. By now, you're flying high. You're all set to take him to the beach, to the park, heck, to the world. And you don't need Rusty back. Listen. Old pets don't return. The times with them are great. They are loved. But when their time comes and they go, they're gone. Duke is here now. Whether Rusty and his fans want to accept it or not, Aaron Rodgers has replaced him. Brett, you're still loved. You will never be forgotten. Look, you're a legend. But you've run your course. foxsports.net 7/8/08

http://tnjn.com/2008/jul/04/lsus-miles-leads-stacked-sec-c/ The SEC is the best conference in the land, and it is also home to some of the country’s best coaches. With Les Miles guiding LSU to the national championship in 2007, the conference is now home to five coaches who have won college football’s biggest prize. No other conference can boast that. Their was little movement on the coaching carrousel this past offseason with the exception of the SEC West where Ole Miss fired Ed Orgeron after three losing seasons and replaced him with longtime Arkansas coach Houston Nutt. After one year away from the college game, Arkansas hired Atlanta Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino. Prior to coaching the Atlanta Falcons, Petrino guided Louisville to a 41-9 record over four years, including an Orange Bowl win in 2006. As we begin the countdown toward the season, let's take a moment to ponder an important question: Who is the best coach in the SEC ? 1. Les Miles (LSU): No coach in the country has handled distractions better than Les Miles. Days before his home debut in 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast leaving the region in chaos. The LSU campus was used as a relief center for Katrina victims, and the weight of an entire state was on the shoulders of the LSU football team. All Miles did was lead LSU to a 10-1 regular season record and the Western Division title before being upset by Georgia in the SEC title game. The 2006 season set the table for an LSU championship run, and Miles delivered by bringing the crystal ball back to Baton Rouge as the Tigers finished 11-2 and beat Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. Miles was again able to keep his team focused despite speculation that he was going to take the head coaching job at Michigan. Miles has led LSU to a 34-6 record (19-5 SEC) since his arrival, as well as back-to-back BCS bowl wins. Another key to his success has been his ability to manage and develop the talent his predecessor Nick Saban left in Baton Rouge before bolting for the NFL. 2. Urban Meyer (Florida): When Meyer was hired at the end of the 2004 season to replace Ron Zook the big question was whether his spread offense would work in the SEC. That question was answered in his second season when Florida won the SEC and the national championship. In three short years he brought Florida back from the embarrassment that was the Ron Zook era and turned the Gators into annual contenders for college football’s biggest prize. The Gators are 31-8 (18-7 SEC) under Meyer and have won one division and league title. Meyer has also produced the conference's first Heisman Trophy winner since 1996 in quarterback Tim Tebow. Along with his success on the field he is one of the top recruiters in the country and has staked his claim in the talent rich state of Florida. Tennessee Journalist 7/4/08

http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/College_Football_Recruiting_First_Look_at_09/286248 It is still extremely early in the college football recruiting process (heck, we haven't even seen the '08's in action), but schools are already filling their quotas by locking up solid verbal commitments from many of the nation's top prospects. Michigan StateThis post is largely inspired as a cheap attempt for me to give some props to Mark Dantonio and my Michigan State Spartans. Ever since a man named Nick Saban decided he couldn't compete with his neighbor in Ann Arbor and jetted to LSU for some fast cash, the Spartans have had year after year of suspect recruiting classes. This correlated into some lackluster seasons with few bowl appearances. The tides appear to be changing. As it stands, the Spartans' 2009 recruiting class ranks 10th overall, with numerous 4-star recruits, headlined by Edwin Baker, a local running back. With an overachieving 2007 class where many freshmen immediately stepped in and proved they could hang in the Big 10, the future looks bright as of now. Ohio StateFor everyone who could care less about Michigan State, the rest of the top 25 contains many of the same cast of characters. Even though they failed to take down an SEC team for the second consecutive year in the national championship game, Ohio State currently reigns supreme, getting verbal commitments from 23 players. The Buckeyes were able to do this by not only keeping their home grown players in-state, but also snatching a handful of recruits from around the midwest, including linebacker Dorian Bell, who should continue OSU's tradition at this position. (What ever happened to "The Big Kat" by the way?) yard barker 7/7/08