Sport Shorts

Fulmer Ousted and more...
With the college football season past its midway point, the weeks will begin to grow longer for coaches who are below the .500 mark. And now, the pink slips for coaches will begin to appear on headlines across the nation. This year's first victim? A guy who led the Tennessee Volunteers to their first championship in 47 years. 17 years of listening to boosters bad mouth him, fans vilify him and players second-guessing his decisions and Phillip Fulmer is back in the unemployment line albeit with a few million greenbacks in the bank to hold him over until the next gig. In his 17 years at the helm, Fulmer amassed an impressive 150-51 record. 150 wins and he still couldn't please the fans in Knoxville, especially after losing to conference opponents Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Never mind the fact that all three of those teams were ranked in the top 10 when the Vols played them. Tough break for a very good coach. He'll land on his feet though. You can't win that many games and be out of job for long.

Oh yeah, joining Fulmer is Toledo coach Tom Amstutz who led the Rockets to four bowl games in eight seasons. Tyrone Willingham was shown the door after his Washington Huskies were throttled by USC. That brings the Huskies' 2008 record to 0-8 and Willingham's coaching sojourn continues. Coaches that should have been served walking papers? Notre Dame's Charlie Weis (how have the Irish and Regis Philbin put up with this guy for so long?); Joe Paterno (his knee's have had more surgeries than Penn State has had national championships); Florida State's Bobby Bowden (NCAA sanctions have really hurt his ability to recruit). On the hot seat: Dennis Erickson (Arizona State). He was hot in 2007 when his Sun Devils went 10-2 in the regular season but they were horrible against Texas in the Holiday Bowl to end the season and haven't recovered since.

Oden sidelined...Again
In the category of overpaid, overhyped and under utilized, Portland Trailblazer Greg Oden is back on injured reserve for two-four weeks after injuring his foot in the first quarter of the first game of his NBA career. Oden was out for the entire 2007-08 (rookie) season (he played briefly in the pre-season) when he suffered a knee injury that required season-ending surgery. At this rate, Oden, who has a guaranteed contract for two years at a meager $8.5M with options on his third and fourth year, could end up playing just a few games in his entire stay in Portland. And in Oregon, everyone who was cheering when Oden was signed a year ago is now yelling BUST!

No 'Urban Jungle' in Florida
I'm glad that some coaches are putting their priorities ahead of a win. Coach Urban Meyer served noticed today when he kicked Sophomore cornerback Jacques Rickerson off the team. It appears 'Ques now has more than just how he's going to braid his hair tomorrow morning or which pair of jeans he's wearing to the courthouse after slapping, choking and then smothering his girlfriend with a pillow. Coach Meyer responded in a statement saying, "Jacques Rickerson is no longer part of our team -- that is not what our program is about." I always liked coach Meyer, but now I'm a huge fan.