UofM Lands Big QB Recruit

From Detroit News.com

Tate Forcier, rated the nation's No. 6 dual-threat quarterback, committed to the Wolverines on Sunday, according to Rivals.com and Scout.com.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Forcier visited Michigan on Saturday to observe the Wolverines' 25-23 loss to Utah. Forcier chose Michigan over Arizona State, Penn State, Oregon and Texas A&M, among others.

The Wolverines also received commitments over the weekend from running back Vincent Smith and linebacker Brandin Hawthorne, both from Pahokee, Fla. They were high school teammates of current U-M freshman receiver Martavious Odoms, who started Saturday.

Lions sign Rudi Johnson

The Detroit Lions have signed free agent running back Rudi Johnson formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals and have agreed to terms with him on a one-year deal. Johnson will replace Tatum Bell as the No. 2 running back on the depth chart and is expected to split time with starter Kevin Smith. Tatum Bell will most likely be released this week by the Lions with the addition of Johnson.

Merriman to Play this Season Despite Injury

San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman decided he'll play this season despite two torn ligaments in his left knee and he will wait until the off season to have surgery. He had surgery to repair cartilage damage five months ago, but has still had pain in his knee all throughout this season's training camp.

I know Merriman is trying to be a team player and set an example for the team by being the "tough guy" who will play through the pain for the good of the team. However, I think this is a horrible decision on his part. Do you think the team is going to take this into consideration during contract negotiations? The answer is no. The team will say, "oh your numbers are down and we aren't confident you can stay healthy." Thus a pay cut will ensue, or worse yet he tries to play on his already jacked up knee and makes it far worse.

This is a lose-lose situation for Shawne if you ask me. The fans in San Diego would be disappointed if he couldn't play this season due to injury / surgery, but the NFL is a dog eat dog world and he should be looking out for the Top Dog, himself.

Minnesota Vikings Hire New Coach

Breaking News....

The Minnesota Vikings' brass have taken a giant step forward in helping the team win a weak NFC Central Division by hiring Legendary in-state coach Hayden Fox this week.

Angry Jim Leyland looses 'stache while yelling at team

The Onion reports that Jim Leyland's mustache fell off his face recently while yelling at his hapless Tigers.

OU Grizzlies Men Ballers have tough schedule

The OU Grizzlies are accustomed to having a tough non-conference schedule in years passed.... and this upcoming season's schedule is no different. The Grizz square off against Oregon (Nov. 17), Syracuse (Nov. 21), Iowa (Nov. 23), Kansas State (Nov. 25), make an appearance in a Las Vegas Tournament (Nov. 28-29) and then have contests versus in-state foes Michigan (Dec. 20) and Michigan State (Dec. 27)

Team USA Goes for Gold and Change of Perception

In 2004, not only was the American basketball team a huge disappointment in not winning gold, but also were widely criticized for acting like jerks on and off the court while in Greece. Well the Redeem Team is not only likely to win gold easily sunday, but also leave having changed the perceptions of American athletes from aloof superstars to patriotic approachable men.

Lebron, Kobe and Dwayne Wade have signed endless autographs and were seen cheering on Michael Phelps at the water cube as he competed for one of his many medals, something that the 2004 ballers never did.

Also a few great stories have taken place this week in China. Saturday night as the Americans prepared to face Spain in the gold-medal game. It was a game of P.I.G. played between Bryant and Adam Wright of the U.S. water polo team.

Shot 1: Dunk. "P" for Wright.

Shot 2: 3-pointer. "I" for Wright.

Shot 3: A shot from behind the backboard, over the glass and swish! "G" for Wright

In a second story ....

Michael Redd described a mob of Chinese fans following him through a mall as he was shopping. He got requests for quick pictures and autographs, he couldn't believe he was being recognized in a country so far from the U.S.!

"They know all our stats, they know where we come from, they know everything about us," he said. "It's amazing -- it really is -- just how popular basketball has gotten. It really has gone global."