Topics from The House of Sports

Philly Shows The Love

Former Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden, Tony Kornheiser’s replacement in the ESPN Monday Night Football broadcast booth, had his debut upstaged at last night’s Arizona-Pittsburgh game by breaking news that the Philadelphia Eagles had signed QB Michael Vick to a one-year deal with an option for a second year. Once the highest-paid player in the NFL, Vick’s well-documented fall from grace following his conviction on dog-fighting charges came to an end on July 27 when Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally lifted his suspension. Since then, there’s been a media feeding frenzy over where or if Vick would be an object of interest for any team this season. Former Eagles QB Ron Jaworski, who shares MNF analyst duties with Gruden, was seemingly aghast over the hire. “What are they thinking?” sputtered Jaworski. “What is going through Donovan McNabb’s mind right now?” Gruden then responded with the evening’s best zinger when he declared, “Jaws, I know why you’re so upset. You think Michael Vick is gonna head right into Philadelphia and sell more #7 jerseys in one season than you did in your entire career!” Gruden then offered a classy “welcome back” to the former Atlanta QB, stating that Vick had accepted responsibility for his actions, served his sentence and was following the proper channels to revive his career. We couldn’t agree more…

Bronson Speaks

USA Today Sports currently features an interesting profile of Cincinnati pitcher Bronson Arroyo. According to the post, Arroyo dips into a grab-bag of pills and supplements on a daily basis – despite the fact that some of them could trigger a positive test under baseball’s current drug policy. “A lot of guys in the locker room think I’m out of my mind because I’m taking a lot of things not on the (MLB-approved) list,” Arroyo says. “I take 10 to 12 different things a day, and on the days I pitch, there’s four more things. But I haven’t failed any tests, so I figure I’m good.” And regarding media reaction to the seemingly endless hoopla over performance-enhancing drugs, Arroyo is equally outspoken. “As far as looking at Manny Ramirez like he’s Ted Bundy, that’s crazy. At the end of the day, you think anybody really cares whether Manny Ramirez’s kidneys fail and he dies at 50? People just want to see their team win games. Then they go home and have a cookout with the family. No big deal.” Bronson apparently took the proper supplements last night: he pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout in a 7-0 win over Washington. Better living through chemistry!

Rebel Rousers

No doubt about it… the Ole Miss Rebels are the media darlings of the 2009 college football season. Mississippi was the only team to beat BCS Champ Florida last year (in The Swamp, no less!) and closed out the season with a 6-game win streak that included a sound beating of Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. Ranked #10 in the initial USA Today coaches’ preseason poll, Ole Miss now faces a challenge from which few have emerged unscathed – breaking the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx! Yes, QB Jevan Snead and C Daverin Geralds are featured on the cover of SI’s SEC preview issue, one of four national covers currently being circulated. Will the Rebs be able to handle their overnight success or will they fall victim to The Curse? Las Vegas thinks they have a good shot at staying in the limelight, tabbing the Ole Miss Over/Under for season wins at 9 games.

Courtesy of the House of Sports.