Culture

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ross_tucker/06/12/produce.early/?eref=sircrc Most of the time, the term "hot seat" focuses on coaches and front office personnel, but there is no shortage of players who realize they may be at a crossroad in their careers should they not get off to fast starts during the 2008 season. The following list looks at some of those players -- one from each team -- a few of them on longer leashes than others with which to show what they can do. While some are in danger of losing a starting role, others are in the more precarious position of losing their roster spot. In a quarterback-driven league, perhaps it comes as no surprise that this is a quarterback-centric list. NFC EAST 1. Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Eagles: Though it is not being talked about much in Philadelphia, if the Eagles get off to a horrific start, some members of the organization and fan base may clamor to see what Kevin Kolb can do. The oft-injured McNabb is now having some shoulder issues, a bad sign for a quarterback in June. Andy Reid's loyalty to McNabb leads one to believe he will be given every chance to succeed, especially given some of the holes he has led this team out of in the past. But at some point this organization has proven they will move on if they have to. 2. Jason Campbell, QB, Washington Redskins: New coach Jim Zorn has said publicly Campbell is his starting quarterback but this is a veteran-laden team that is built to win now. If Campbell struggles to assimilate himself to another new offense, the reins may have to be turned over to last year's hero, Todd Collins. 3. Roy Williams, S, Dallas Cowboys: The object of a lot of frustration among Cowboys supporters, Williams must find a way to make an impact early or he will find himself back on the bench in passing situations, and ultimately, off the roster altogether. 4. Jeremy Shockey, TE, New York Giants: If Shockey has a bad attitude or is not productive, the Giants will not hesitate to move him before the trade deadline, especially if Kevin Boss proves he is worthy of handling the role full-time. The Giants will not allow Shockey to mess up the chemistry that was created during last year's Super Bowl run. NFC SOUTH 1. Dwayne Jarrett, WR, Carolina Panthers: Jarrett was a huge disappointment in year one and has drawn the ire of Panthers star Steve Smith. With the additions of Muhsin Muhammad and D.J. Hackett, Jarrett risks fading into oblivion. 2. Reggie Bush, RB, New Orleans Saints: Though Bush is not in jeopardy of losing his job or his role as 3rd down back for the Saints, he is getting closer to being considered a disappointment at best and a bust at worst. Bush needs to ignite the Saints offense with some big plays early in 2008 to renew confidence in play-caller Sean Payton. SI.com 6/12/08

http://www.theledger.com/article/20080612/APS/806121070 BATON ROUGE, La. - LSU coach Paul Mainieri, was named co-winner of the National Coach of the Year award by CollegeBaseballInsider.com, on Thursday. He shared the award with Stanford coach Mark Marquess. They were selected from five finalists, including North Carolina coach Mike Fox, Nebraska coach Mike Anderson and Georgia coach David Perno. The Ledger.com 6/12/08

http://thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080613/SPORTS/806130341/1006/rss02 BATON ROUGE -- LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri has lost another one, but he feels like a proud father. "When one of you assistants gets a head coaching job, it's like one of your players getting drafted or moving on to Major League Baseball," Mainieri said Thursday after learning that pitching coach Terry Rooney will be the new coach at Central Florida. Rooney, who is also LSU's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator and was with Mainieri at Notre Dame from 2004-06 before joining him at LSU, formally accepted the job Thursday and was introduced at a press conference in the afternoon on the Central Florida campus in Orlando. But he didn't plan to be there long. He was scheduled to join the LSU team in Omaha, Neb., Thursday night for the College World Series. The 7th-seeded Tigers (48-17-1) play No. 2 seed North Carolina (51-12) at 6 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2, and Rooney will be with the Tigers for their entire stay in Omaha before reporting for work at Central Florida. "At 6 p.m. tonight, my wife (Shaun) and I are going to be boarding a flight from Orlando International Airport, and we are going to the place where every college baseball player and every college coach dreams of going to," Rooney said at the press conference. "That is Omaha and the College World Series. My vision, my goal and what I want to become a reality is that the next time that I board a plane heading to Omaha, Neb., I want 25 players behind me, representing the University of Central Florida and our baseball program. That is my vision. I can assure peo TheTownTalk.com 6/13/08