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Yesterday I noted in the obligatory Brett Favre post that espnews’ two doofus’ on Wednesday night were acting like the word “schism” was something so exotic that people would not know what it was. Going so far as to put up the Webster’s definition on the screen.

This morning, Eric Kasilias (an attorney for fuckssake) and Mike Golic (Notre Dame graduate) were both yukking it up over that word, claiming that each did not know what it meant, and that there was no way that any football player in any NFL clubhouse would use it.

I refuse to believe that the word “schism” is that unusual. I refuse to believe that Eric Kasilias did not know what it meant and had never heard it. As much as the Golic-is-stupid thing is played as part of his persona, he’s not, and I refuse to believe he doesn’t know what the word means. I am starting to wonder if there is some orchestration at ESPN to downplay the less happy parts of Brett Favre’s pussified comeback.

Again, as I asked yesterday, is it really that hard to believe that there might be some Vikings who are less than thrilled with Brett Favre wussing out of the summer program and training camp only to swoop in for the hoped for good times on Sundays in the fall? So whoever that was used the word “schism”, why is that word choice such a big fucking deal? That certain ESPN folk are choosing to hone in on that word and giggle like tools over “smart words” seems like a weird tact to take, a denial mechanism with regard to the potential unhappiness. And Kasilias and Golic, at the least, ought to be better than that. Their audience (on Mike & Mike) isn’t full of illiterates. Stop acting like it is.

As for the Vikings, some of them are taking the same approach to the report, professing ignorance as what “schism” means. At least in their case, I get it. It’s a way of defusing the media questions over it while they try and assimilate the pussy onto their team. Favre (Southern Miss) with this:

“I’ve got no reaction,” Favre said when asked about an ESPN report Wednesday that cited anonymous sources as saying some Vikings supported Tarvaris Jackson and others felt Sage Rosenfels should start. “I’m just doing what I can do, hopefully help this team win, and just trying to fit in. I’m not worried about that. That’s for you guys to have some fun with. Once again, I have no idea what that means. I’m assuming it’s controversial.”

Told the word schism refers to a division — one definition is “a separation or division into factions” — Favre shot back, “Well, good.” He wasn’t smiling.

Jared Allen (Idaho State) took it a step further, claiming he thought “schism” was an STD.

Sigh.

I will assume the professed ignorance in those cases was the aforementioned deflection of the issue.

As for Kasilias and Golic’s yukking it up over a pretty fuckin’ common word, they have no excuse.

…major NCAA violations. Allegations anyway.

And no, no one is surprised. At least they shouldn’t be. The details from the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

The University of Memphis is in the process of responding to an NCAA notice of allegations charging the men’s basketball program with major violations during the 2007-08 season under John Calipari.

The allegations include “knowing fraudulence or misconduct” on an SAT exam by a player on the 2007-08 team. The wording of the report seems to indicate the player in question only competed during the 2007-08 season and specifically the 2008 NCAA tournament. The player’s name was redacted in the report, obtained by The Commercial Appeal through the Freedom of Information Act, due to privacy laws. The player has subsequently denied the charge, according to university personnel. The only player on the roster who competed only during that season was Derrick Rose, who subsequently was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft last June. If proven to be true, the Tigers could be forced to forfeit their NCAA-record 38 victories and Final Four appearance.

The report does not include allegations of lack of institutional control, meaning Memphis would likely avoid serious penalties that would have an impact on the program going forward. The report includes no allegations that would have occurred during the tenure of Josh Pastner, either as an assistant or head coach.

It was fun while it lasted. This would make it 100% of Calipari’s Final Four teams whose seasons “didn’t happen”. Perhaps the third time will be the charm in Kentucky and their Final Four appearance next year will stay on the books.

Or not.

Some discussion unfolding in the Swamp. Drop by with a thought or two.

Maybe he should put the game and team first, and stop the off-field shenanigans:

He said that the time in Colorado gave him the “opportunity to rethink things, recommit myself and really understand my responsibility to my teammates and my team. I’m talking about 100% of my focus on baseball,” said Rodriguez, who took questions after his workout and again at Tropicana Field before the Yanks played the Rays. “It’s liberating that I’ve had an opportunity to do that and put a lot of things behind me. I’ve done that. I’m gonna go back to what I did in ‘07 – cut some of the fat out and really focus on playing baseball and focus on what I do best and that’s playing baseball.”

Well done, Alex. It only took $300 million dollars to get you there. I am having a Chris Rock moment over this revelation, what do you want, a cookie? You’re kinda supposed to put your teammates and team first. Nevertheless, this is perhaps good news for Yankees fans. As for Rodriguez, I have come late to the conclusion that he may just not be that bright.

Two great things that go great together. So, the now free agent wide receiver, two weeks ago, tried to play the don’t-you-know-who-I-am card during a traffic stop in Florida. The details from the NY Post:

“F- – - you! You’re going to be in a lot of trouble. I know the sheriff personally,” the receiver raged at Broward County Deputy Sheriff Donald Harris during the March 18 traffic stop, police said. The embattled gridder (right) — who was released by the Giants on Friday and faces 3½ years in prison on a gun-possession charge after shooting himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub on Nov. 29 — followed every question and command with a “F- – - you,” according to the citation.

Well, since Burress apparently wasn’t arrested, as the rest of us would have been for dropping an f-bomb to everything a cop says on a traffic stop, perhaps he really DID know the sheriff. Or else he caught a major break.

Burress sure does sound like a treasure. I can only assume the Bengals will kick those tires. The rumors persist that the Bengals are about to get in the Tank Johnson business.

At least, No-shon, to the Bengals at #6, please.

You have to understand, as a Bengals fan, the senseless terror that is most every waking moment. And it amplifies come April, when Mike Brown roams the land unleashing decisions that appear to be based on the consistencty of his morning glass of Metamucil. So, yeah, the list of guys whom the Bengals are said to be excited about tends to be scary for your average Bengals fan, as, unlike most teams, it isn’t a smoke-screen to try and tempt trade ups. The Bengals don’t ever trade down. So when they are said to be high on Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno, for the love of all that is holy, they probably are.

And the last thing that the Bengals need at #6 overall, is a running back. Even if Moreno were the running back truth -and it is less than clear that he is – the Bengals need offensive lineman. They themselves need to be creative and see if they can get to a player like Eugene Monroe, say, rather than settling for what falls to them.

Alas, judging from past history, the cloudiness of the April 24 Metamucil will yield a pick sure to have the ESPN draft chatterers howling with delight.

Or most anywhere else for that matter.

The Cubs’ ace liked what he saw of the Yankees’ new palace. So much so, in fact, that he opined:

“You come into a ballpark like this and you see great things,” the Cubs ace told The Associated Press on Saturday before his team’s 10-1 exhibition loss at the sparkling ballpark in the Bronx. “You wish that Chicago’d build a new stadium for the Cubs,” he said. “People are used to Wrigley Field,” he said. “As a fan it’s hard to think of a new ballpark.”

Right. Because Wrigley Field is a national treasure. That’s why. Suck it up, Carlos, and be glad you play in a place with history and charcter. Jeebus.

The evil of twitter cannot be contained. And that was a bad idea for an April Fool’s joke.

Like waking up the morning after and the 3:00 am beer goggles long since worn off, reality is starting to settle in out in the Mile High City. Dave Krieger in the Denver Post, shaking off the hangover and starting his walk of shame, starts to zero in on the issue in an assist to a good portion of a fanbase fixated on the wrong person in this blame game:

Before he organizes his first practice or calls his first play, Josh McDaniels has an indelible Denver legacy: In his first three months on the job, he drove away the franchise quarterback. Perhaps he’ll be around long enough to overshadow that legacy with brilliant successes of his own. Perhaps not. But in the colorful history of audacious rookie coaches, McDaniels just made the top 10.

…

McDaniels’ power play in his first few weeks as an NFL head coach was as audacious as it was puzzling. Did no one ever tell him that the first priority of a rookie coach should be to develop good working relationships with his key veterans? The notorious trade talks for Matt Cassel did not ruin this relationship all by themselves. McDaniels might have overcome those with a concerted effort he never made. Rather, it was pride, and it was arrogance.

…

So now we’ll see how McDaniels picks up the pieces. He can demand a veteran quarterback as part of the Cutler deal or he can prepare to draft a quarterback later this month and go with Chris Simms for now. Maybe this is the way he wanted it — to be rid of Cutler and able to blame him for the split at the same time. But that will work for fans only if McDaniels manages to build a competitive team around his new guy. In his first three months on the job, the Broncos’ new coach has driven off the franchise quarterback and made it difficult to believe anything he says. Give him this: Dude works fast.

What he said. Really solid read. Glad to see some sort of reality and awareness is setting in. Josh McDaniels, that’s a huge gamble you are taking. It is damn near unprecedented, the running off of a quarterback, on the edge of his prime, who has the skill set Cutler does. Good luck with this. It’s sure as hell bizarre to watch unfold. In the same way two girls and a cup was bizarre.

Well hell, Lane, it had been a few weeks since you had said or done something terminal velocity stupid enough to get noticed. It was kinda nice. Let sleeping dogs lie and all that. At the least stop bothering Urban Meyer, he’s busy memorializing cool, man. At any rate, Lane apparently couldn’t stand the quiet, as he’s busy giving an interview to the AJC, wherein he said, among other things:

“I already apologized to [Meyer] and anybody at the University of Florida that I may have offended, and I figured that was enough.”

That in response to a question asking whether he planned to call and talk to Meyer personally. Between Florida’s inspirational plaque of goodnees from Tebow, and Kiffin’s continual need to poke Meyer, Florida may win 100-0 this fall when the two teams get together.

Don Banks goes behind the curtain and confirms that Wade Phillips is crazy. Or stupid. Or both? Wrote the Banks:

Spent part of my morning Wednesday with Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, he of the Jerry Jones-imposed gag order for much of this offseason. And now I can see why they gagged him in the first place. Much of what Phillips offered up at the NFC head coaches media breakfast didn’t pass the sniff test.

I understand the need for spouting the company line, but when it came to facing the inevitable questions concerning Terrell Owens, Tony Romo and the Cowboys’ much-discussed locker room chemistry issues, Phillips’ logic was usually twisted beyond recognition. I didn’t see him get a bite of food, because most of the time he was too busy talking out of both sides of his mouth.

There’s more. It’s delightful. You know how Peter King spends acres of column real estate toadying up to NFL types? Don Banks, god bless him, is the opposite of that.