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Conference Swaps a Pathetic Money Grab

9 hours 4 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

It's the college sports equivalent of trading up for a trophy wife or moving to a haughtier zip code, the difference being that American universities are supposed to prioritize academia over high-stakes status swapping. Princeton Review rankings? By dumping conferences and moving to new ones, schools are mocking the educational imperative and reminding us that money grabs are more important to them than how they're perceived in the classroom.

To hell with memories, loyalties and geography. A chaotic game of musical chairs is ripping the traditional paradigm from its roots, prompting a mad rush for the best options -- i.e., superconferences that generate the most television revenue -- before the music stops and losers are left to settle for humbler digs. Whether it's Nebraska heading to the Big Ten or Colorado leading a charge to the Pac-10 that inevitably includes Texas, Oklahoma and two other Big 12 schools, everything we've known about tradition and regional rivalries is about to undergo a seismic shift.

Remember how solid and prestigious the Big 12 seemed the last several years? As soon as Tuesday, when regents at Texas are expected to approve the Pac-10 move, the conference could cease to exist.

Meanwhile, the Pac-10 could have as many as 16 members while the Big 10 could expand to 13 or more, which will demand the conferences get the math right and change their names, among other surreal developments.

Sources: Hawks Set to Name Larry Drew New Head Coach

11 hours 21 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

It turns out the Atlanta Hawks didn't have to look very far to find their next head coach, as the team is reportedly poised to hire top assistant Larry Drew as their next head coach.

News of the Hawks' decision was originally reported by Yahoo.com on Friday.

Two sources close to the hiring process have confirmed to FanHouse's Sam Amick that Drew will in fact become the Hawks' next head coach, and that his contract will be for two guaranteed years between $1.2 and $1.3 million per year. That will make Drew the lowest paid coach in the league, supplanting Sacramento's Paul Westphal ($1.5 million per year next season).

Drew was picked after a search that also included interviews with former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team was still working out details of the contract. Casey was thought to have inside track because of his ties to Hawks general manager Rick Sund.

Instead, the Hawks went with the lead assistant under former coach Mike Woodson, who was let go last month after six seasons in Atlanta.

Drag Racer Neal Parker Killed During NHRA National Event

14 hours 51 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

Drag racer Neal Parker, 58, of Millville N.J., died of injuries he sustained in an accident while qualifying his Top Alcohol Funny Car Friday afternoon in the National Hot Rod Association SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J.

According to a NHRA release, Parker "crashed at a high rate of speed in the shutdown area.''

"On behalf of everyone at NHRA and Raceway Park, we are deeply saddened and want to pass along our sincere condolences to the entire Parker family,'' the statement read.

This is the same facility where two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Scott Kalitta was killed in June of 2008 in a high speed crash also in the shutdown area at the end of the track. That accident prompted the NHRA to shorten the race tracks from the traditional quarter-mile length to 1,000-foot.

Parker's death while competing in the Top Alcohol class -- drag racing's version of a "triple-A" -- is the second fatality at an NHRA national event this season. A spectator was killed in February when a tire came off driver Antron Brown's Top Fuel dragster and struck a woman near the grandstands at Firebird Raceway outside Phoenix.

Carl Edwards to Steer FanHouse Ride at Meijer 300

15 hours 38 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

Former Nationwide Series champion Carl Edwards will carry the FanHouse banner on his No. 60 Ford in Saturday's Nationwide race at Kentucky Speedway, site of his first career NASCAR victory.

Edwards scored his maiden win in NASCAR's truck series in 2003 -- introducing fans to his now-signature back flip victory celebration -- and also won from the pole in his first Nationwide Series start at the 1.5-mile oval in 2005. He is coming off a runner-up finish last week in Nashville and is currently ranked third in the Nationwide season standings, 277 points behind leader Brad Keselowski.

"It's an awesome race and a fun track,'' Edwards said. "We are coming off a great race in Nashville and we feel good about Kentucky.

"We have FanHouse.com with us this weekend for the first time and I am very excited about that. It would be great to get them into victory lane."

Tyson Chandler Opting Out?

16 hours 10 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

We knew a few veteran players with big contracts and opt-out clauses would be entering free agency this July in order to avoid relying on the power of the union in its collective bargaining negotiations over the next year. Despite that, a few opt-out declarations have come as surprises.

Count Bobcats center Tyson Chandler among them. Chandler, a 27-year-old scheduled to make $12.6 million next season, is strongly considering opting out of his deal, reports ESPN's Chad Ford. Back in April, Chandler told FanHouse's Chris Tomasson he'd be picking up the final year of his deal.

Considering Chandler has missed more than 30 games in each of the last two seasons, and hasn't played well when he's been on the court, isn't this a risky move?

That depends on how much Chandler's reputation has suffered. Just two years ago, Chandler was anchoring a defense that had New Orleans within reaching distance of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Chandler, when he's healthy and playing well, is among the best centers on defense in the league, no questions asked.

The problem, again, has been health and consistency. Ford's source reports Chandler has gotten totally healthy, but teams aren't so easily convinced. Any contract offered to Chandler this summer will come after only a detailed physical. And just as a physical canceled a trade which would have made Chandler a member of the Thunder 18 months ago, a bad medical report or two can kill Chandler's salary demands this July.

It is worth noting that Chandler missed less than 10 games in four straight seasons from 2005-08, and played at least 70 games in each of his first two seasons. Other than the last two, the only season in which Chandler missed at least 30 games was 2003-04, when he played in only 35 contests.

South Africa Stands Up for Mandela

16 hours 26 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

JOHANNESBURG -- For a brief moment Friday before South Africa's best soccer players kicked off the World Cup against Mexico in the massive Soccer City, the vuvuzelas that came in recent days to define a World Cup that was only about to start fell silent. You could hear your heart.

South Africa president Jacob Zuma was on the field at the microphone and all 84,490 looking at him from the stands knew what he was about to address. It was the man who inspired this nation the last half century with a defiant hope the world had rarely seen. He was the man everyone in South Africa hoped to see show up at the global event it was hosting mostly because of him, but everyone had just learned he was not going to able to join them.

Instead, Nelson Mandela, or Mandiba as he's called fondly here by his clan name, was grieving. The nation's godfather lost his 13-year-old great granddaughter Zenani before the sun came up on his country Friday for the entire world to see. She was killed in a car accident on her way home from the World Cup concert on the eve of the game.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter acknowledged the absence of Mandela in a brief address before bequeathing the microphone to Zuma.

World Cup Soccer No Substitute for Loss of Hockey

16 hours 41 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

As we watched Jonathan Toews hoist the Stanley Cup two nights ago, my husband said, "What are you going to watch now that hockey is done?"

The obvious replacement, especially coming immediately on the heels of the Stanley Cup Final, is the World Cup. Lots of incredibly talented athletes trying to score goals on either end of a playing surface, plus an offsides rule.

But it's just not the same. Hockey has ruined me for soccer.

Texas Regents to Discuss Realignment Next Week

16 hours 55 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

The University of Texas regents will meet next week to decide the Longhorns' conference future.

The regents announced Friday they will convene via telephone on Tuesday to discuss conference membership. The Longhorns are debating between remaining in a newly configured Big 12 or moving on to the Pac-10 to create a lucrative super conference.

UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds sought to calm down speculation that Tuesday's board meeting will be about the end of the Big 12 with a released statement Friday afternoon.

"Our goals and hopes all along have been to keep the Big 12 Conference
intact," Dodds said. "The league has been great for its members. We also have been
honorable, up front and forthright with regard to our work and
responsiveness to all the possible and now definitive changes to conference
landscapes. We are entrusted with the responsibility of administering our
university athletics programs. That requires careful examination of any and
all options.

"It is both premature and inappropriate to speculate on what our
UT System Regents will discuss at next Tuesday¹s meeting. But, as the
dynamics of the Big 12 continue to change around us, we will utilize
additional time to continue our work and evaluate our options."

Texas has been concerned with the long-term viability of the Big 12 since rumors began swirling two weeks ago Missouri and Nebraska might be bolting to the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers decided Friday afternoon to bolt for the Big Ten, and Colorado left Thursday for the Pac-10. Missouri remains in limbo.

NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Rhyme and Reason

16 hours 59 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

Things are heating up! As the NBA Finals wrap up in dramatic fashion, the NBA mock draft business is crankin' up the juice for the stretch run. The 2010 NBA Draft is less than two weeks away as of this publication. Breathe the excitement!

Not much has changed as the very top of our mock -- John Wall hasn't been exposed as a cyborg (yet) and Evan Turner continues to drop jaws (even if he won't work out for anyone but Philadelphia). But the winds have shifted on players like DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside and Luke Babbitt, thanks to athletic measurements from the Draft Combine and early workouts.

Here is one man's vision -- presented in rhyme and reason -- of what will go down on June 24. Note to limerick enthusiasts: I know my amphibrachs are all over the place. I am not worthy of the OEDILF!

1. Washington Wizards: John Wall, Kentucky

Previously: John Wall

There's little new one could say about why the Wizards should select Wall with the top pick. So, here's a limerick on the subject.

Mandi Schwartz in Remission, but Clock Keeps Ticking for Hero

17 hours 46 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

Rick Schwartz didn't need any reminders that his daughter is sick. All the tubes and machines and needles do that.

But amid all the noise of an intensive care unit, he heard something clink off the floor the other day. He looked over and saw his daughter's bracelet lying by her bed.

"That's kind of weird," Schwartz said. He picked up the bracelet to slide it back on.

"Oh my gosh, her wrist is so thin," he thought. "It caught me off guard."

Mandi Schwartz had spent so much time in bed, he hadn't really noticed how thin she'd become. Chemotherapy makes for a great diet, but it's hardly worth the side effects.

"Dad, I just want to get better," Mandi said.

She just got a little closer to that goal. The Yale hockey player found out this week that her leukemia is in remission. Now plans can be made for Mandi to travel from her Saskatchewan home to Seattle for a stem-cell transplant.

Previously: Friends, Family Race Against Time for Mandi Schwartz

Mountain West Adds Boise State, Joins Conference Expansion Fray

17 hours 50 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

The ground in college sports continues to shift in anticipation of the big quake.

While Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott was standing in front of a Rocky Mountain vista in Boulder lauding the inclusion of Colorado into the Pac-10, Boise State was accepting an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference.

Boise State will move from the Western Athletic Conference to the MWC, effective July 2011, and will become the conference's 10th team.

Photo Essay: Roush Fenway No. 60 FanHouse Ford Comes Together

18 hours 20 minutes ago |FanHouse Main

Carl Edwards will hit the track at Kentucky Speedway this Saturday night in the No. 60 FanHouse Ford with a paint scheme selected by you, the readers and fans.

Casting more than 33,000 votes, FanHouse readers ruled decisively that the best and most attractive design of three choices was pattern number two, which features swooping stripes that stretch the length of the side panels. This design received almost 16,000 votes and captured 47 percent of the tally.

Members of the No. 60 Roush Fenway Nationwide team told me that they all voted on the design, too, and that everyone favored the second design -- the winner.

Not long after the vote, a design specialist at Motorsports Designs in High Point, N.C., hit some keystrokes on his computer, and a machine cranked out the massive decals used to create the design on the car. They were rolled up, stuffed in a box and shipped to the Roush Fenway shop in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the car, one of dozens in the Roush Fenway Nationwide series stable, was being refurbished after its latest outing at Darlington Raceway in April, where Edwards drove it to a sixth-place finish.

"Basically, as soon as we get the cars back from the race track, we tear them all down," said Eric Peterson, Roush Fenway operations manager. "How much gets torn down depends on how much is damaged on the car or how many miles are on certain components. But for the most part, all the suspension comes off, the motor comes out, the transmission, the entire drive train and the rear end gear.