Throw back jersey: Lacing up the high tops

An article on FOXSports.com reported that Kevin Mink, 73, is a 6-foot, 190-pound newcomer to the Roane State (Tenn.) junior college basketball team about 35 miles west of Knoxville.

"He's likely the oldest person to ever play college hoops. To put Mink in perspective, Utah State's Gary Wilkinson will be among the oldest Division I players this season; he just turned 26," the article said.

Check out the video of him practicing with the team.



What an awesome mustache.

Mink is unlikely to play for more than five or six minutes a game once Roane State opens its season Nov. 3.

Can't wait for the Disney Channel movie.

Maybe some one offered to buy him a Bud Light

In light of what has happen with the referee hitting the the South Carolina quarterback I thought I would share this video with you. It is also one of my favorite commercials. This how I think it went down.



So it may be a bit of a stretch. Mainly because it was on first down in the second quarter and the Gamecocks scored on the next play but it is still quite funny.

Referee cleared after laying the smack down

According to a story on ESPN.com, the collision between South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia and umpire William Hackett Jr was cleared by both Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier and the SEC.

"He was trying to get out of the way," Spurrier told ESPN. "Stephen sort of cut right back into him. Sometimes that will happen."

I don't know what video they were watching but it looks like to me that the referee purposely tried to hit the quarterback. Watch his feet. If he was trying to avoid the quarterback, I think his feet would have moved backwards instead of forwards. Maybe he was a having a flashback and he suddenly thought he was playing again.

Hackett is a former linebacker at the University of Kentucky from 1967-1970.

"When contacted by ESPN's Joe Schad, the Southeastern Conference office said after reviewing the play, it believes the umpire was in appropriate position. A spokesman said the umpire raised his arm to defend himself after a change of direction by the runner," the article said.

Black, White Knockout

So when I first saw this video on ESPN I thought maybe the quarterback ran into the referee. That maybe it was an accident. But after watching the video, the referee deliberately hit the player. He moved in front of the player and forced him into the LSU player. You be the judge.

UL-Lafayette 28, ASU 23

I hate watching football games on ESPN Gamecast because I think it is more frustrating than watching the game in person. Because you can't question anything. For example, why are we throwing the ball on 2nd and 6 with under four minutes left in the game? Or are we really holding or are the refs calling every little thing. Plus the time doesn't update until some one scores but other than that it was updated regularly.

According to a press release from ASU Sports, Arkansas State junior kicker Josh Arauco was named the Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time this season, including the last two weeks in a row, Monday after hitting all three of his field goal attempts and breaking the school record for career field goals in the Red Wolves’ game against Louisiana-Lafayette.

During the game Saturday, after scoring 10 points in a 16-second span to take a 23-14 lead with 7:39 to play in the fourth quarter, the Arkansas State Red Wolves (4-3, 2-1) saw their lead disappear when Louisiana-Lafayette (4-3, 3-0) answered with a pair of late touchdowns to defeat ASU 28-23 Saturday night in a Sun Belt Conference matchup at Cajun Field.

I honestly believe that losing to UL-Lafayette cost us the Sun Belt. We need the Cajuns to lose two games and we basically have to lose out. Unfortunately, ASU has only one more home game but it isn't until Nov. 22. UL-Lafayette has three more games at home. They do play Florida Atlantic and Troy on the road back-to-back games. SO there is a chance but it seems unlikely.

However, I was reminded that in 2005 ASU only won game on the road but was still able to go to New Orleans Bowl. There is always a chance but it seems very unlikely. I am such pessimistic.

Ark St v Louisiana Lafayette

I don't really like our chances today against the Ragin Cajuns. Arkansas State hasn't won at UL-Lafayette since 1992. The home team has the advantage in this series. UL-Lafayette hasn't won at ASU since 1997.

ASU is 2-0 in conference but so is UL-Lafayette. The Ragin Cajuns lead the nation in rushing. UL Lafayette senior tailback Tyrell Fenroy needs 158 rushing yards to become only the seventh player in NCAA history with four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons reported the Jonesboro Sun.

Even though Arnold has been held under 100 yards rushing the last four games, there is something playing the Cajuns for Reggie Arnold. According to an article in the Jonesboro Sun, two of Arnold’s best games at ASU have come at the Cajuns’ expense. Two years ago, he rushed for 156 yards at Cajun Field. Last year he rumbled for a career-high 225 yards against UL Lafayette at ASU Stadium.

Red shirt freshman Derek Lawson has 551 rushing yards this season.

It's the end of the world...

Mark Chmura would like you to believe that if the Rays make it to the World Series than we are one step closer to Armagedon. The Phillies made it to the Series after beating the Dodgers 5-1 last night. I watched the bottom of the ninth with my roommate. But we don't get Fox so we had watch it in Spanish. It was hilarious.

While I don't think that a Rays-Phililes series is one of the first signs of the second coming of Christ, I do believe that it would probably one the most random series to date. At least in our generation. Last season, the Rays were the laughing stock of the league but this year have become one of the most dominant teams in the AL East. Tuesday's 11-2 win over Boston just proves it. Plus I don't think Boston should have started Tim Wakefield. The Rays have seen his stuff all year. They know how to hit the knuckleball.

I hate the Phillies. I really wish they had lost to the Brewers or the Dodgers. I am a big time Braves fan (even though they have fallen off their 14-year division title pedestal) so I hate seeing a divisional foe in the Show. The Phillies were dominat against the Braves this season which makes it even worse. This is the first time since 1993 that the Phillies are going to the World Series.

What a turn around Brad Lidge has had. During the 2005 NLCS, Lidge gave up a 3-run home run to Albert Pujols in Game 5 in Houston which forced a Game 6 back in St. Louis, which the Astros would win to clinch their first World Series berth in franchise history.

If the Rays close it out against the Red Sox it should end up being a pretty interesting series to say the least.

Sports Talk Returns

After a slight hiatus, the best show on Channel 18 returned today. Sports Talk returns hosted by Hunter West, Dustin Sullivan, and yours personally. I encourage you to flip it to ASU TV once the show begins airing on Wednesday.

We discussed football (in detail), but we also discussed Red Wolves volleyball and soccer.
Soccer is 4-8-1 right now after defeating Middle Tennessee on Friday but lost to Western Kentucky on Sunday.
Volleyball lost two straight games this weekend to Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky and drop to fifth place in the Sun Belt.

Please be sure to also pick up a copy of Oct 13 issue of the Herald.

Ark St 37 ULM 29, FINAL

Let the fireworks begin...

Quarterback Corey Leonard takes a knee and ASU defeats ULM 37-29 Saturday night in front of another 22,000 plus crowd. It took some late minute rushing attempts by Lawson to finish off the Warhawks. He carried a defender on his back for at least eight yards before falling to the ground. WHAT A BEAST!

The win puts the Red Wolves 2-0 in the conference tied with Troy. ASU will have to face UL-Lafayette next week in Louisiana. The Red Wolves will definitely have their hands full with the Ragin Cajuns. UL-Lafayette is also 2-0 in the conference and 3-3 over all.

FINAL STATS:

Corey Leonard 7-16 with 129 yards. Leonard had 47 yards on 11 carries.

Derek Lawson lead all running backs with 104 yards on 15 carries. Reggie Arnold had 71 yards on 15 carries.

Brandon Thompkins led all receivers with 88 yards on three catches. Kevin Jones had one catch for 28 yards.

Ark St 37 ULM 29, 4th quarter

ULM has cut the lead to eight points with less than eight minutes left in the game.

ASU needs to score to put this game out of reach. But the Red Wolves offense has had some problems with moving the ball during their last couple of possessions. Let's see if ASU can put this game away.

ULM scored after Lancaster threw a one yard pass to Zeek Zacharie.

ULM scored earlier when Lancaster found Frank Goodin for a 25 yard touchdown pass to make the score 37-22.

Suddenly we have a game. Hopefully though ASU will hang on to win after allowing 14 consecutive points.

Basically the ball and the game is going to be in the hands of Derek Lawson. Lawson just got a first down with less than six minutes left in the game.

The clock is now under four minutes. As long as ASU hangs on to the ball then the Red Wolves should pull out the win which will put them 2-0 in conference play heading into UL-Lafayette next week.

Ark St 34 ULM 14 End of 3rd

As the third quarter comes to close, ASU leads 34-14.

ASU scored at the 5:13 minute mark, Marcus Brown picked up a fumble by quarterback Lancaster and returned it for 71 yards for a touchdown. ULM had only three turnovers coming into the game which led the NCAA. But have turned it over twice in this game alone.

Start of fourth quarter:

Josh Aruaco kicked a 44 yard field goal to increase the Red Wolves lead to 37-14. Aruaco has now made 12 consecutive field goals on the season.

STATS:

Leonard 6-15 for 132 yards.

Lawson has 70 yards on eight carries with a touchdown.

Arnold has 67 yards on 13 carries.

Carrington and Owens lead ASU with 7 tackles respectively.

Ark St 27 ULM 14 3rd quarter

With less than ten minutes left in the third quarter and both offenses have stalled on their first possessions of the second half.

Leonard lucked out on an earlier play when a ULM defender dropped an interception. Good thing for ULM though because if he had caught it they would have had the ball on the 2-yard line.

The first half took two hours to play due to it being on ESPN plus. ASU and ULM are also throwing the ball a lot which is not helping the speed of the game. At this rate it will be 10 or later before we are done here.

ULM ball. 8:18 left in the third quarter. The Warhawks just picked up a first down on a passing play.

Ark St 27 ULM 14 halftime

A three run by Corey Leonard put the Red Wolves up 24-14 at the 6:40 mark in the second quarter.

Josh Arauco made his 11th straight field to make the score 27-14. Arauco's field goal sets the all-time record for ASU for consecutive field goals made. Look for an upcoming feature in the Herald by Austin about Arauco.

Playing at home has always been good for ASU and they are proving it with a dominant first half performance. If we can win this game it will definitely help us in the standings after Troy improved to 2-0 in the SBC after beating FAU 30-17.

Stats for 1st half:

Corey Leonard 5-11 104 yards, Leonard has also ran for 21 yards on five carries with a touchdown.

Derek Lawson has rushed for 37 yards on seven carries with a touchdown.

M.D Jennings and Carrington lead ASU with five tackles respectively.

Ark St 17, ULM 14 2nd quarter

With less than then 10 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, ASU has a 17-14 lead over ULM.

Derek Lawson ran up the middle for a two yard touchdown run to make the score 17-7.

However on the kick off to ULM, the Warhawks returned it for 98 yards for a touchdown to make the score 17-14.

Coach Roberts has said all year that our coverage team has some problems and it showed today. The only person who had even a chance of catching him was the kicker but he took the wrong angle and could catch the speedy Warhawk.

If you aren't at the game, the game is being broadcast on ESPN Plus.

Ark St 10, ULM 7 Start of 2nd

Arkansas State strikes first with a 63 yard touchdown run by wide receiver Jahbari McLennan on a end-around play. The funny thing about the play is ASU tried the same thing last year when ASU was up 13-0 on ULM in Monroe. The play was stuffed by the Monroe's defense and after that play the momentum shifted towards ULM and the Warhawks ran away from it. A little bit different situation this year.

However, the Warhawks answered on the next possession with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Kinsmon Lancaster to Darrell McNeal. McNeal was wide open on the left side for an easy pass and catch. Tighten up defense. The drive was kept alive by a late hit by Evan Van Dolah. It appeared he hit his own teammate though.

ASU kick a field goal after a 55 yard pass to Brandon Thompkins. They now have a 10-7 lead over the Warhawks.

Notes for 1st quarter.

Corey Leonard 2-6 for 55 yards. Leonard has 12 yards on three carries.

Reggie Arnold has 20 yards on four carries.

ULM 0, Ark St 0 1st Quarter

Very little offense from either team with under five minutes left in the first quarter.. ASU has the only first down in the game right now.

Signs of life from the Warhawks with a 3rd and 9 to go. Lancaster ran out of bounds after getting a few yards but there is a flag on the play. Hold on the offense. Still fourth down though.

Punt is away. Kevin Jones makes the reception but falls out of bounds for a return of four yards.

ASU needs to get their offense going with a productive drive.

Other scores from the NCAA:

Texas defeated Oklahoma 45-35 in the Red River Shootout.

Mississippi State defeated Vanderbilt 17-14 to give the Vandy its first loss of the season.

Ark St v ULM (NOTES)

The Red Wolves stand 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play for the sixth time in seven seasons under head coach Steve Roberts, and their 3-2 overall record through five games is their best since 2006.

Louisiana-Monroe leads the all-time series with Arkansas State 16-13 since the first meeting in 1959. As Sun Belt foes, ASU leads the series 4-3 despite dropping a 30-13 decision at ULM in its Sun Belt conference opener last season.

Junior kicker Josh Arauco has made his first nine field goals this season, leaving him only one shy of the school record for consecutive field goals made. Arauco is one of three players in school history to make 10 straight field goals.

The ASU defense has not given up more than 14 points in three of its five games this season, while the lowest score by an ASU opponent last year was 16 points. ASU is ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference and 38th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 18.8 points per game.

Arkansas State redshirt freshman running back Derek Lawson was one of 10 players recognized by CBSSPorts.com on its Sept. 24 "Freshman Watch" list, which features the best freshmen in college football throughout the remainder of the season.

Ark St defeated Middle Tennessee 2-1

For the first time in program history, ASU defeats Middle Tennessee 2-1 in soccer. Freshman Michele Clark scored both goals in the game on Friday to defeat the Blue Raiders. Arkansas State improves to 4-7-1 on the year with their first win in conference since 2006.

From www.astateredwolves.com:

“Obviously we are so excited to get that monkey off our back and get our first conference win, not only from this year but also from last year,” head coach Derek Pittman said. “It was a night of firsts. First time we have beaten MTSU and the first time Michele Clark has scored a goal. You can attribute it to our kids coming out and playing aggressive from the opening whistle to the closing whistle no matter the adversity that we faced we stuck together and battled and clawed for every inch and came out with the win.”

Soccer will play again on Sunday against Western Kentucky beginning at 1 p.m.

Ark St v Louisiana Monroe (Preview)

Arkansas State will look to take advantage of their home field and week off as they prepare to face the University of Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. Last season the Warhawks scored 30 unanswered points to win 30-13 at Monroe.

Here is a clip from Jonathan Willard's story about the game from last year.

"It was a complete meltdown by Arkansas State Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe. After building an early 13-point lead, the Indians never scored again, falling by a score of 30-13 before 12,088 fans in Malone Stadium."

Hopefully, the Red Wolves will not make the same mistakes that they did against Monroe last season.

KEYS TO VICTORY

Reggie Arnold needs some room to run. He has basically been shut down the last two weeks except for one or two plays. In order to do that, Corey Leonard needs to make smart decisions in passing. Monroe does not have a very good defense. Exploit it.

Force Monroe to turn the ball over. The Warhawks are number one in NCAA in not turning the ball over. But ASU is ranked 1st in the Sun Belt in the turnover ratio.

LIVE BLOG

Be sure to come back to Sports Related for live blog notes during the game on Saturday.

Jones could keep drug charges off record

Matt Jones, a former quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks was arrested over the summer after being found with illegal drugs. Jones plead guilty to the charges because it would be nearly impossible to plead not guilty due to 'hand in the cookie jar' situation.

Jones was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars but as a wide receiver. Since joining the Jaguars in 2005 he has had a hard time becoming the number one receiver. In four years time (including this season), Jones has caught 124 passes for 1,661 yards with 14 touchdowns. His longest caught pass since joining the team is a mere 49 yards.

According to an Associated Press story on ESPN:

"Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Matt Jones' cocaine charge will be heard in drug court rather than in the regular criminal system and will allow him to keep any conviction off his record.

Jones, 25, was to have gone on trial Friday for his July 10 arrest when a Fayetteville police officer saw him inside a car allegedly cutting up cocaine with a credit card.

Jones will have to undergo a nine-to-12-month intervention program in which he is to take part in group therapy sessions and serve 30 hours of community service, officials said. He also must submit to regular drug tests"

This season the former Razorback has become a favorite target for David Garrard. Jones leads the team with 23 catches for 232 yards and one touchdown.

Don't count your eggs before they hatch

I should have known better than to the bet on the Cubs to win the World Series. They didn't even make it past the first round of playoffs. They didn't even win one playoff game. Now we have to wait 101 years before we see a World Series title.

The Cubs lost to the Dodgers tonight to lose the series 3-0. The Cubs pretty much lead the Central division (ONE OF THE HARDEST divisions in baseball besides the AL East) all year long but then lose three straight games to the Dodgers.

I bet Cardinal nation can sleep at ease knowing that the Cubs lost. And with the Brewers one game away from losing the series against Philadelphia, they won't even have to count sheep to sleep.

Now who I am supposed to cheer for? The Rays? They are a good team but do they have what it takes to get to the Series? Maybe.

If the Red Sox win, they are looking at some sort of dynasty. (2004, 2007, and possible 2008 winners) The town of Boston has gone from the a nation of lovable losers to a hated city. (Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox) It is like the sports gods have given them an infinite amount of miracles. Its almost sickening. Except I like the Patriots (One of the few non-Bostonians who do).

So if there is anything to cheer for, its no more sweeps. I want it to come down to a final pitch. A bases loaded, two out, full count scenario. No more of this bases empty, two out, 0-2 count crap. Make it worth my two hours.