Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

The lying has finally caught up to Jim Tressel. The man who thinks he is more righteous than thou is finally on the hot seat at Ohio State.  He can no longer hind behind the spectacles and the sweater vest.  Jim Tressel has been discovered for what he is - a cheat in the dirty game of college athletics.  The man who likes to lectures others in his book "Life Promises for Success: Promises from God on Achieving your Best"  will now be lectured by NCAA investigators.  Similar to Tiger Woods, who tried to portray a family image to the public but lived a life far from it, Jim Tressel tried to portray himself as coach who did things the right way.  His collection of proper sweater vests made Mr. Rogers seem like a party animal with those hipster cardigans.

Tressel was alerted that some of his star players were selling memorabilia in violation of NCAA rules as early as April 2010, nearly eight months before the school was finally notified.  By concealing the information, those players were able to stay on the field during the 2010 regular season and even in the Sugar Bowl victory over Arkansas, netting Ohio State millions of dollars.  And what does the Ohio State Board of Trustees dish out to punish Tressel?  Two games, and their not against arch-rival Michigan or another Big Ten opponent, but against Akron and Toledo.  Brutus could coach against Akron and Toledo and the Buckeyes would still roll to victory.

This is not Tressel's first run-in with the NCAA.  After recruiting Maurice Clarett and promising his parents that he will make him a better football player and a better person, Tressel's coaching staff set him up with boosters who gave Clarett thousands of dollars.  Tressel also hooked him up with a landscaping job that required no landscaping.  Yet, somehow despite all the fiascos at Ohio State and further back at Youngstown state, Gordon Gee, the President of Ohio State, hopes that Jim Tressel does not dismiss him. 

Place the Open Sign Outside the Barbershop Window

The Barbershop is open on Sunday's again.  Tiki Barber must have joined the list of retired NFL players who have gone broke because he pulled his inner Brett Favre and unretired from the NFL.  That list is quite distinguished as 78% of NFL players are bankrupt after only two years of retirement.  Fortunately for Tiki, he retired early enough in his career where he may be able to return with something left in the tank.  The moral of this story is that if you don't have a prenup then you don't cheat on your preganant wife with a 23 year old intern (even if she is really hot) because a woman's wrath knows no mercy. She wants every penny from Tiki, and his need for cash, not desire for football, is bringing him back to the gridiron.  Do you think the Giants would actually pass on him if they thought he wanted to return for all the right reasons and could contribute to their running attack?  Tiki realized that he is better at running with a pigskin in his hand than talking into a camera as a sports anchor.  Surprisingly, Tiki proved that not every former ballplayer is great at being a sports analyst.  But, is there any chance that Tiki can convince Michael Strahan, who does a great job on Fox NFL Sunday, to come out of retirement?

Sid "Arthur" Rosenberg

It was refreshing to hear Sid Rosenberg's voice on the FAN this afternoon in New York.  While Sid thinks that he could be the biggest sports personality in New York if just given the opportunity, he has a long way to go before he usurps Mike Francesa as the preeminent voice for all things sports and non-sports related.  Sid may be able to captivate an audience talking baseball, basketball, and football, but can he spend a whole week talking about hedge fund investing and Bernie Madoff ponzi schemes, as if he works at the SEC like Mike Francesa?  Sid will have to read up on CDO's and derivatives before he can become a financial guru like Mad Money's Jim Cramer Mike Francesa.

Sid returning to New York is like Josh Hamilton joining the Yankees.  Everybody knows that he has the talent to succeed, but will he be able to handle all the distractions that New York has to offer, particularly the fast lane and the nightlife?  We know that Sid has experienced indiscretions in the past, so hopefully he can stay away from all the temptations this time around.  It will be a tough act to follow given that the only person with more demons in his closet is Trey Webb.