In the grand tradition of the egg fertilizers of Mary Pierce and Todd Marinovich, we present Frank Colavecchia, the father of Rocco Colavecchia, a quarterback for Shenango High School in New Castle, Penn. Last week, Frank posed as a scout from Ohio University — to get into character, we suspect he GHB'd himself — to sneak into the practice of Mars High School, the team Rocco and Shenango were playing the next week. He videotaped the team's defensive alignment, but claims he didn't go over it with his son. The result: a school-record 457 yards in a 41-35 win. And an apology, sort of, from Big Frank. "I screwed up. It was stupid," he said. "I was an overzealous parent. But on the other hand, Rocco probably wouldn't be where he is today if I wasn&#…
Without knowing it, Chicago Cubs rookie slugger Javier Baez pays homage to Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion with each swing. He takes big giant cuts and hits big giant homers. The problem is, the equal and opposite reactions to the mechanics that generate all that power render the other parts of his swing wildly unstable.
In Baez's case, it's his massive "hammer." A player's hammer position is how he loads his hands at the start of his swing, and as with any athletic movement—punching, kicking, throwing—you must go backward to create energy going forward. (For this case study, we are going to ignore Baez's lower half.) The hand load is intended to create bat whip, like a twisted towel used to crack unsuspecting freshmen in high school locker …
It all began when we stumbled upon Lonely Virgil, after which we learned that many of you had your own Virgil story to share. In time, those stories also included run-ins with other has-been ex-pro wrestlers. And soon enough, Virgil learned that the Virgilbag was a thing. But then, just as quickly as it all began, the Virgilbag was no more. It was fun while it lasted, but do you think Virgil deserves a place in the Deadspin Hall of Fame? You have until 11:59 p.m. (EST) Sunday night to cast your vote. Just remember, Virgil needs 75 percent of the vote to get inducted. Other nominees: Fat Chipper Jones Lawyerin' Joe Amendola Lynn Hoppes Oddibe McDowell's Water Bill <a href="<a href=" http:="" polldaddy.com="" poll=&…
As is standard practice, the International Olympic Committee recently retested urine samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Using new methods that can detect the presence of performance enhancing drugs that were previously undetectable, the IOC found 31 new positive tests. From the IOC’s official statement: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) retested 454 selected doping samples from the Olympic Games Beijing 2008. The re-tests follow work with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Federations. They were focused on athletes who could potentially start at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and were conducted using the very latest scientific analysis methods. As a result up to 31 athletes from six sports could be banned from competing at the Olympic Games in Rio. The…
data-mm-id=”_okgu3epi3″>The Charlotte Hornets are 3-4 this season and four of their five starters have appeared in every game. There is no load management in Charlotte. Not while Michael Jordan is in charge. This is according to current Orlando Magic and former Hornets head coach, Steve Clifford. Via the New York Daily News: ““Our guys aren’t used to sitting on the second game of a back-to-back.… We’re not sitting guys just to sit,” Clifford said. “For me, my background frankly, it all goes back to expectations. Being with Michael in Charlotte, Michael used to tell them every year, you’re paid to play 82 games.””If that's the case then the Hornets will want to steer clear of 2022 free agent Stephen Curry, who has not played 82 games at any point in his career. Whic…
data-mm-id=”_tuuxugd34″>DeShone Kizer was waived by the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday, just three years after comparing himself to a combination of Tom Brady and Cam Newton in an interview. The Raiders have waived QB DeShone Kizer, per source.— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 5, 2020In an article written by Tom Pelissero during the lead up to the 2017 NFL Draft, Kizer was incredibly self-reverential, declaring he could be the greatest to ever play the position. That prediction is not working out well for him. Some of the quotes from that article are cringeworthy. Here's Kizer talking about all the wonderful traits he possesses:”“Name a college quarterback who goes into the game-plan meetings on Monday and throws his notes at the coaches. No one else game plans the way I do. No one …
data-mm-id=”_9oojntery”>Tua Tagovailoa's eventual landing spot is easily the biggest story as we approach the start of the 2020 NFL Draft. Depending on what you read, Tagovailoa could go as early as third, or drop into the 20s. Some of those reports feel like a smoke screen, but no one knows what's going to happen. Tagovailoa's recovery from a dislocated hip and his entire injury history have been under a ton of scrutiny during the pre-draft process. While he's easily the second-best quarterback in the draft on film, some believe he's dropping due to injury concerns and a potential lack of upside. He could truly land anywhere. Here is a look at the five likely potential landing spots for Tagovailoa when the draft kicks off on Thursday. Tua Tagovailoa Landing Sp…
data-mm-id=”_2e9erzgth”>Vlade Divac has stepped down as general manager of the Sacramento Kings after what was a horrific stretch running the team. Divac has been in charge for five years and in that time the Kings haven't reached the postseason and he's made numerous blunders that have only set the franchise back further. The Kings haven't reached the postseason since 2006 and finished the 2019-20 season with a 31-41 mark. It was time for a change, and Joe Dumars will be taking over as the team's GM.Kings GM Vlade Divac is stepping down, source tells @TheAthleticNBA. Joe Dumars (advisor previously) will be interim executive VP of basketball ops and immediately assumes GM duties. Dumars will be involved in the search for a new GM.— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) August 14…
data-mm-id=”_312fypllv”>Steve Sarkisian is reportedly set to interview for Auburn's vacant head coaching position on Sunday. It would be a big opportunity for the 46-year-old, who is currently serving as Alabama's offensive coordinator. While Sarkisian has seemingly turned his career around with the Crimson Tide, hiring him would be an enormous risk for Auburn.Sarkisian is well-liked and respected throughout college football. He, like Lane Kiffin, were looked at as part of a new wave of young offensive minds when they coached under Pete Carroll at USC in the mid-to-late 2000s. Both men wound up with major head coaching gigs in their mid-30s as a result. Sarkisian went to Washington and attempted to turn around a program that had bottomed out under Ty Willingham. The results w…
data-mm-id=”_09cksn369″>On Thursday morning Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported Craig Carton would be leaving WFAN, this time for Fox Sports instead of prison. Earlier this year Carton began hosting his eponymous morning show with Fox, but the grind of double duty with WFAN in the afternoon has been too much. Fox is willing to pay him "millions" to dedicate himself to mornings only. So Carton is off the radio waves, which leaves Evan Roberts without a co-host in the afternoons. Marchand listed two candidates currently in the running to replace Carton. The first is Tiki Barber, already employed by WFAN as one half of Tiki & Tierney. The second is Jerry Ferrara. Yes, that Jerry Ferrara. Per the Post: WFAN will now search for a new partner for Evan Roberts in the a…