Bobby Labonte only NASCAR driver in Twitter's fast lane; has 2,000 followers

(4/30) SI.Com picked Florida as the No. 1 college football team in the nation following the completion of spring practices across the country. Some surprises included Ole Miss at No. 7, Georgia Tech 14th, one ahead of Georgia, and they just couldn’t resist listing Notre Dame at No. 25. Of course, the Gators were No. 1 before spring practices, too.

The Albany (N.Y.) Firebirds have offered former Falcon quarterback Michael Vick a contract if he shouldn’t be reinstated in the NFL. In a shameless grab at free publicity, the ArenaFootball2 league team says it would guarantee Vick $200 per game plus $50 if the team wins. Pulleze!

I just read a rumor that Brett Favre may play for the Minnesota Vikings this season. Favre, who it seems has already been recycled more times than a beer can, says he has no desire to un-retire at this time.

Here’s one I had to read twice. Nebraska quarterback Patrick Witt is transferring to Yale. Seems that marvelous Cornhusker academic tradition just wasn’t enough to keep him.

Name out of the past: Buzz Peterson will be named head basketball coach at Appalachian State - again. Peterson was there four years in the '90s when he compiled a 79-39 record.

Obscure Athletic Hire of the Day: College of Charleston anointed Lindsey Gray as assistant volleyball coach.

Looking in the mirror: Republican Sen. Arlen Specter jumping to the Democratic Party is much like Steve Spurrier being inducted into the University of Georgia Hall of Fame.

And on the pages of the Arey Athletic Tabloid (or things you simply can’t go another day without knowing): Bobby Labonte, thank goodness, is the only NASCAR driver who Twitters (http://www.twitter.com/bobby_labonte) . . . Although it wasn’t his brain child, Richard Nixon did sign Title IX into law. Now all the college football coaches can use his name in vain. . . Spurs’ guard Tony Parker and wife Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives plan to move to France after their careers. . . Elton John sang at tennis star Andy Roddick’s wedding. . . Actress Gabrielle Union is rumored to be having Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade’s love child. Question: Who is Gabrielle Union?

And finally, from the Unstartling Newspaper Headline of the Day: The Birmingham News:: ‘Saban Worried About ‘Bama’ Offensive Line.

This is Norman Arey and I don’t Twitter.

Stafford learns quickly how to steer clear of controversy with Lions, Ford family

(4/29) Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez should thank his lucky whatevers for being drafted by the New York Jets. Sanchez, along with new Falcon tight end Tony Gonzalez, are the most recognizable Hispanic big-time athletes and the endorsements deal should add greatly to their income. Sanchez’ jersey was the top seller on NFLshop.com over the weekend.

Of the 46 college underclassmen who declared for the NFL draft, only eight weren’t selected. The most notable, to me, was running back P.J. Hill out of Wisconsin. Two seniors who weren’t drafted included quarterbacks Chase Daniel of Missouri and Graham Harrell of Texas Tech. Oh, former Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson wasn’t drafted, either.

Since 2005, Southern Cal has had the most NFL picks with 43, Ohio State has 30, Oklahoma 29 while Georgia and LSU were tied with 28. The least NFL picks belongs to Duke with zero, followed by Mississippi State with four.

And let me say this about the gazillion NFL mock drafts which appeared everywhere. They were all horrible. The top mock draft belonged to ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay who each picked eight correctly. That means that the best in the business missed 24 in the opening round. Don’t waste your time next year.

General Motors’ announcement that its phasing out its Pontiac brand was bad news for the NCAA and college sports. Pontiac has been one of the most consistent advertisers over the years.

Obscure Athletic Hire of the Day: Sam Houston State named Brad Hagen women’s bowling coach.

Quote of the Day - Reds’ broadcaster Marty Brennaman told the Dayton Daily News this: "I’ve always maintained that if Ted Bundy was a good college football player, the Cincinnati Bengals would have drafted him." I agree with him, and that’s not just confined to Cincinnati.

And finally, No. 1 NFL draftee Matt Stafford on what he’ll do with the $78 million the Detroit Lions paid him to sign. Showing he’s a bright young man, he says he’s going out and buy a brand new Ford. Remember, the Ford family owns the Lions.

This is Norman Arey and I’d buy a Volvo. .

More proof that the SEC is the top football conference--and the Pac-10 isn't

(4/28) A little of my own analysis on the NFL draft and what it meant to college football as we know it in the Deep South. The SEC had the most players taken with 37 while the ACC finished second with 32. The Pac-10 had 23 players selected, but consider this.

The SEC selections came with at least half of the conference’s schools contributing multiple players. For instance, South Carolina had seven; Georgia six; LSU six; Alabama four; etc. The same thing was true of the ACC with six being picked from Maryland, five from North Carolina, four each from Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.

But the Pac-10's 23 picks included 11 from Southern Cal. To even suggest that the Pac-10 is making headway in the football talent business is untrue. The league is awful; USC just happens to be great.

A sign of the times? Florida State and Miami, perhaps the biggest football factories in all of college football, had one player each drafted during the big NFL draft.

The most popular position chosen in the NFL draft was defensive back where 54 players were taken. Wide receiver was next with 34 picks with linebackers numbering 31 and running backs 23.

Alan Shipnuck, golf writer for Sports Illustrated, has this to say about his expectations of John Daly’s comeback on the PGA tour next month: "A successful week for Daly means not getting arrested, suspended, subpoenaed, punched-out, passed-out or otherwise making a further embarrassment of himself. Who cares how he plays?" Sad but I agree with him.

I have to admit I was pulling for Boise State running back Ian Johnson to do well in the draft. Remember Johnson, who scored the winning two-point conversion in the Broncos’ upset of Oklahoma in the Tostitos Bowl in 2007 and then proposed to his girlfriend and head cheerleader on the sidelines? Johnson went undrafted but signed a free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings.

And finally, Davidson’s Stephen Curry says he’s been told he could go as high as No. 6 in the NBA draft.

This is Norman Arey and I’ve not been told anything about the NBA draft.

More than 95,000 show up for Ohio State spring football; Dabo is cheaper, isn't he?

(4/27) Trying to sort through the never-ending NFL draft, Southern Cal led all schools after Day 1 with five players chosen. The Pac-10 led all conferences with 11 picks while the SEC, ACC and Big XII had 10 each. Looks like Georgia won the high picks derby with No. 1 Matthew Stafford and No. 12 Knowshon Moreno. A note on Moreno: his stock soared during the first day. The earliest any projection I saw had him going 23rd overall.

The fact that the Miami Dolphins, certainly a team that isn’t afraid to run the Wildcat formation, ended up with West Virginia quarterback Pat White was no surprise. The Dolphins will utilize White as both a runner and a passer.

The proposal to eliminate a couple of exhibition games in the NFL and add a couple of regular season games make sense but now the talk is that the Super Bowl would be played in mid-February. That’s not good. The season runs from August to early February now.

Did you realize since 1998, nine quarterbacks have been taken with the first pick in the NFL draft. Peyton Manning was the pick in ‘98.

North Carolina starting quarterback T.J. Yates will have to wear a splint on his thumb for six weeks after spraining it playing Frisbee during the team’s spring picnic. Yates, who played at Pope High School in Marietta, missed six games last season with another injury. He should be ready for fall practice.

And speaking of North Carolina, the odds aren’t in the Tar Heels’ favor of repeating as NCAA basketball champs. With Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson defecting to the NBA, Carolina has lost its top four scorers.

Obscure Athletic Hire of the Day: Montana assistant basketball coach Nate DuChesne resigned to accept a similar position at Portland State.

More than 95,000 fans showed up for the Ohio State spring football game, surpassing the standing record Alabama set a year ago when more than 92,000 attended The Tide’s spring offering.

Clemson will pay Dabo Swinney $800,000 this year as head football coach, a considerable savings from the $1.8 million it paid Tommy Bowden last season. Of course, Bowden will be paid $600,000 as part of his buyout, so it’s hard to tell if the Tigers are better off or not.

This is Norman Arey waiting patiently for my buyout.

It wasn't my fault; it was those dang, pesky fans; N. Carolina in state of mourning

(4/24) I don’t enjoy bashing anybody, well, except Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, but Alabama coach Nick Saban might need to rethink his position. Last week, Saban had the audacity to lay blame for The Tide’s Sugar Bowl loss to Utah on the fan base. Some kind of New Age sputtering about positive energy and all that.  Just think for a moment, folks. Alabama drew more than 92,000 for a spring football game last season and Saban’s got a problem with the fans? Ridiculous.

Bo Knows All: Former Auburn All-America footballer and baseballer Bo Jackson is one of the main investors in a new bank in Chicago called the Burr Ridge Bank & Trust. Nice to know Bo knows money.

Just looking through the NFL free agent list and noticed that former Falcon and now Tampa Bay running back Warrick Dunn is there for the taking.

Great re-match coming up Dec. 1. That’s when national champion North Carolina will play runner-up Michigan State as part of the 11th annual ACC/Big 10 Basketball Challenge. The game will be played in Chapel Hill. Bet the Spartans lose again.

If you care, the overrated Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 19th in the latest NASCAR points standings.

Obscure Athletic Hire of the Day: Fordham named Nettie Respondek as women’s assistant basketball coach.

Daniel Miller, one of the top basketball big men in the state (notice I didn't say good, just big), didn’t waste any time. Miller of Loganville, gained his release from the University of Georgia one day and signed with Georgia Tech the next. Miller, 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, joins the Yellow Jacket basketball class that already is ranked No. 3 in the nation.

Sad that the most exciting thing in the Atlanta Hawks’ blowout loss to Miami in the second game of the NBA playoffs was that the Atlanta mascot got loose for a quarter. The live Hawk made all the highlight shows.

And finally, the state of North Carolina suffered mightily yesterday when it lost three underclassmen basketball stars to the NBA. Davidson College’s Stephen Curry decided to go pro while North Carolina’s Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson said they would join him. The state hasn’t mourned like this since Sen. Jesse Helms expired and presidential hopeful John Edwards imploded.

This is Norman Arey trying not to expire nor implode.

We all know that it's what up front that counts so look out for Notre Dame

(4/23) College football coaches talk about the offensive line as the most important part of the team and last year’s results prove it. The year’s three biggest disappointments -- Clemson, Missouri and Georgia -- had less than 40 starts among their offensive line. Florida and Oklahoma, the teams that played in the mythical college title game, had more than 80 starts among their guys up front. So who’s in the best shape this coming college football season? Let me simply point out that Notre Dame’s "O" line has more than 90 starts entering the year..

Amazing but true: Patrick Schuster, a left-handed pitcher for Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, Fla., tossed his fourth consecutive no-hitter this week. He’s managed 60 strikeouts during the four-game streak and his record is 7-0. Oh yeah, he’s signed to play baseball for Florida if he doesn’t go pro.

Falcon General Manager Thomas Dimitroff says he’s willing to trade the rights to Michael Vick during the NFL draft this weekend if anyone should inquire. Wonder what Vick could bring? Someone’s gonna take a flyer on the felon.

And speaking of the draft, ex-West Virginia quarterback Pat White could turn out to be the surprise of the NFL pickings this weekend. Despite his 6-foot, 195-pound frame, White was the darling of the combine, making better throws than anyone there. The NFL has changed and employs some sets from which White could excel. I’d love to see Bill Belichick draft him. I think Belichick would know better than anyone how to use the former Mountaineer.

Golf bad boy John Daly is nearing the end of his six-month suspension from the PGA tour and could be playing as early as May. Daly has also dropped more than 40 pounds during his absence. . . Did you know that Phil Mickelson has finished ahead of Tiger Woods in all three tournaments the two have played this year?

Obscure Athletic Hire of the Day: St. Francis, Penn.,. named Jesse Weber strength and conditioning coach.

And finally, Rivals.Com has published its Top 30 college football coach rankings. It’s no shock that Florida’s Urban Meyer is atop the list. Less than 10 years ago, Meyer was the wide receivers coach for Bob Davie at Notre Dame. He spent two years at Bowling Green (17-6 record), then went 22-2 for two seasons at Utah and is 45-9 at Florida with two national titles. Alabama’s Nick Saban is No. 3 and Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe seventh. Georgia coach Mark Richt was 10th and Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson 30th.

This is Norman Arey and I’ve never pitched a no-hitter.

Hey, this ain't rocket science; oh yes it is to the Braves' newest player

(4/22) Outfielder Brian Barton, the newest Atlanta Brave, was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals. He may be too smart to be a baseball player. Barton attended Miami where he was one semester shy of a degree in aerospace engineering. He had internships with Boeing and NASA. This basically takes away Barton’s ability to say, "Hey, this ain’t rocket science."

Here’s a Tar Heel connection of which I wasn’t aware. Doc Blanchard of Army football fame, who died this week at 84, played one year on the North Carolina freshman team before attending the U.S. Military Academy and becoming "Mr. Inside" in college football lore.

A couple of notes you can’t go another day without: There are 350 pets in Los Angeles named after Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant. . . Atlanta Hawks’ player Marvin Williams ate a chocolate-covered cricket this week. (Hey, we cover it all).

Give this guy a chance. Ryan Del Rosal is a 6-foot-5, 311-pound offensive tackle who played football at Dixie College, a Division II school in Utah. To get ready for the NFL draft, Del Rosal ran regularly dragging a parachute behind and pulled a 5,000-pound Chevy Tahoe down the street with a harness attached to his back.

Hey, is it the Auburn War Chickens now? The Tigers turned down a chance to play UCLA to open the 2010 season in the Georgia Dome. No real reasons were given.

Man, everybody is getting old. Shocking to me that Danny Ainge was released from the hospital this week after a heart attack. Can it be that long ago that he was playing with BYU and then winning titles with the Boston Celtics?’

Obscure Athletic hire of the day: Appalachian State named JohnMark Bentley as men’s wrestling coach.

Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan has hired Louisville coach Rick Pitino’s son, Richard, as a Gator assistant. Turnabout is fair play, I suppose. Donovan was an assistant on several of Pitino’s staffs until he got a head coaching job.

And finally, a name to keep in the back of your mind when college football season opens in the fall. Stephon Gilmore is a freshman at South Carolina. Only a few months out of high school, he already has secured a starting spot in the Gamecocks’ secondary and will take some snaps in Steve Spurrier’s adaptation of the direct snap to quarterback as so many schools are doing.

This is Norman Arey with no chance of being a rocket scientist.

500 home runs doesn't mean what it used to; does Tebow fly, too?

(4/21) There have been so many arguments concerning the BCS college playoff system that I have nothing new to add. But doesn’t it seem odd to you that even Congress wants to change it and the hard heads that run college football won’t do it? The media has basically given the college powers a pass on it, too.

Hey Junior, what’s happening? Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t make The Chase in 2005 or 2007, and he’s not going to make it this year if things don’t change drastically. This whole season has been one huge disaster. And finally, even the motor heads have to admit that Jr. is overrated.

Since Isiah Thomas was hired as head basketball coach at Florida International University, the school has received more than 1,000 inquiries about season tickets. The school averaged 693 fans at home games last season. My suggestion: Sell them quickly.

Mark Sept. 2, 2010 on your calendar as the day Georgia State opens its inaugural football season in the Georgia Dome. The New York Times reports that 42 college football programs were started in the 1980s, 22 in the 1990 and 28 programs this decade. South Alabama and Old Dominion will field teams this season.

When Gary Sheffield socked his 500th homer over the weekend, he became the 25th member of the 500-homer club. Sheffield became the club’s 10th new member in the last 11 years after the game’s first 120 years produced only 15. Of the 10 newest members, six are involved in steroid suspicion. In other words, hitting 500 homers doesn’t mean what it used to mean.

You can’t argue with Jim Grobe’s success at Wake Forest. No less than three Demon Deacons are in the top 50 picks of the NFL draft and Wake linebacker Aaron Curry should go in the top three picks.

Some educated guesses: Davidson’s Stephen Curry will declare for the NBA draft. . . The Cleveland Browns will trade quarterback Brady Quinn and pick Southern Cal quarterback Mark Sanchez in the NFL draft. . . Georgia’s Matt Stafford absolutely will be the overall No. 1 pick by the Detroit Lions.

And finally, even if you are tired of hearing about the good works of Gator quarterback Tim Tebow, it’s noteworthy that the rising senior helped raise more than $300,000 for an orphanage in the Philippines this spring.

This is Norman Arey and I’ve never been to the Philippines.

Don't look now but the Gators may even be more dangerous this fall

(4/20) As if defending national football champion Florida wasn’t dangerous enough with senior quarterback Tim Tebow returning, Tebow’s backup has had a white hot spring. John Brantley threw for 265 yards and accounted for five touchdowns during the Gators’ spring game to give opponents something to think about this summer. . .

Meanwhile on the basketball court, Alex Tyus, the No. 2 scorer and best post player on the UF team, has decided to transfer.

Boston Red Sox owner John Henry has let it be known that he might be interested in purchasing the floundering Boston Globe newspaper. What’s next? Maybe Arthur Blank could take a look at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The prognosis after Georgia Tech’s annual spring game seems to be that the Yellow Jackets will be gang-busters on offense, but there are some questions on the other side of the football.

Quarterback Steven Threet, who originally signed with Georgia Tech and then transferred to Michigan, where he started several games last season, is transferring again. He’s looking at Arizona State. At least he’s getting to see the country.

Best rumor of the day has retiring NFL announcer John Madden returning to the Oakland Raiders where he once coached, in a general manager capacity. . . And speaking of Madden, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Madden was the highest paid game broadcasters ever in sports, making as much as $8 million per year. That was more money than any coach and most of the NFL players at the time.

Philadelphia municipal court judge Pat Dugan is running for re-election. One of his campaign strategies, he states, is that he hates the Dallas Cowboys. Now that a little different approach.

How’s this for a mind-numbing statistic - since 2002, no starting Texas Tech quarterback has thrown for less than 4,200 yards.

Jon Richt, the son of Georgia coach Mark Richt, will transfer to Mars Hill College in North Carolina. Richt, who spent one season at Clemson, also considered Valdosta State, Georgia State and Chattanooga. It would have been fun to see him play for GSU coach Bill Curry, who once coach at Georgia Tech.

Former Tennessee head football coach Phil Fulmer says he’s not retired, he’s just trying other things. But he wanted to make it very clear that he’d like to coach again.

This is Norman Arey and I want to make it very clear that I am retired.

Surely Animal Planet will stay away from Vick reality series

(4/17) This one absolutely confounds me. Television producers have met with former Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick about doing an unscripted TV reality show. There are multiple parties claiming Vick’s TV rights. What must our entertainment industry be thinking? What’re they going to ask Vick to do -- murder a few dogs on the tube? One more reason to quit watching all the dreck and drivel that already exists.

Three-dot sports: Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 400th career home run Wednesday for Seattle . . . And if you didn’t hear, Rivals.Com’s No. 1 rated high school center, Derrick Favors, officially signed with Georgia Tech this week. . . Former Atlanta Falcon defensive back Lawyer Malloy was a guest coach for the University of Washington to work with defensive backs. . .

Obscure Athletic Hire of the day: Calumet College named Leroy Vegas as men’s wrestling coach.

FoxSports.com’s final NBA power ratings as the league playoffs begin place the Atlanta Hawks at No. 15. Of course, Cleveland and LeBron rated the No. 1 slot.

Georgia Tech football coach Paul Johnson, who recruited Atlanta Falcon kicker Jason Elam when he was an assistant at Hawaii, is trying to set up some kicking sessions for his Yellow Jacket kickers with Elam, who has remained friends with the Tech coach. . . A sidebar to Johnson: He was being interviewed and was asked if teams might not be better prepared for his unorthodox Wishbone offense next year. "People may get better at defending it, but we’ll get better at running it." Great answer.

I don’t disagree with the guy but a man is suing the New York Yankees and the city of New York for violating his rights. Seems he was escorted out of the ball park when he attempted to leave his seat to use the restroom during the playing of "God Bless America."

What’s in a name anyway? Florida International’s provost, Ronald Berkman, introduced new FIU basketball coach Isiah Thomas as Isiah Thompson.

And finally, according to USA Today, former Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford is telling his ex-Bulldog mates that it’s a done deal - he’ll be drafted No.1 by the Detroit Lions. The money would be roughly $40 million - $5 million more than the Falcons gave Matt Ryan in ‘08 as their No. 3 pick.

This is Norman Arey and I’ve never had a provost mispronounce my name.

Be careful duck hunting in Oregon; Paulus for president; Yoculan's new career

(4/16) The Greg Paulus saga is becoming stranger. The point guard on Duke’s basketball team worked out for the Green Bay Packers this week and has now talked to Rich Rodriguez at Michigan about becoming quarterback for the Wolverines. Paulus was a high school football phenom quarterback who chose to play basketball. He has one year of eligibility remaining. I’d love to see him running the Big Blue offense, probably less pressure than running Duke’s basketball offense. Blue Devil football coach David Cutcliffe offered Paulus a tryout, but at wide receiver.

Georgia gymnastics coach Suzanne Yoculan will retire at the end of this season and has already set up her next career. Yoculan, a five-time NCAA and eight-time SEC Coach of the Year, has led Gym Dogs to nine national titles, has established a Web site and will do professional speaking. See SuzanneYoculan.com.

Florida International’s new basketball coach, Isiah Thomas, told the school he’d like to donate his first year’s salary back to the school to help with job cuts and program deletions. Nice move but I’m still not sure who’s lowering their standards the most -- Thomas or FIU.

Obscure Athletic Hire of the Day: Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne hired Jasmine Fullove as women’s assistant volleyball coach.

Three Oregon Duck men’s basketball players were cited for shooting at, yes, ducks, in a public park. Thanks goodness the Florida State Seminoles weren’t on the prowl.

A horse named Spurrier ran in the sixth race at Santa Anita track this week. The horse is from South Carolina and yes, it was named after You Know Who.

Vol Love: Tennessee is the only Division I school in history to rank in the Top 5 in the NCAA in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball attendance.

And finally, Boston College gave athletics director Gene DeFillipo a contract extension DeFillipo, you remember,. threatened to fire then football coach Jeff Jagodzinski if he interviewed for the New York Jets coaching job. He did, and he was fired. I think BC should have given their AD a lifetime contract.

This is Norman Arey and I’ve never shot at a duck.

News flash! Georgia football players haven't been arrested (vs. 11 last season)

(4/15) I had to laugh when I read a story in the AJC that stated that Georgia football players had NOT gotten in trouble so far this spring. Last year, if you remember, the Bulldogs had 11 arrests by the beginning of fall practice.

Norcross’ Al-Farouq Aminu, the Wake Forest freshman who was expected to leave school for the NBA draft, has announced that he will return to Winston-Salem for his sophomore year. . . Greg Paulus, who was a Gatorade All-America football player in high school who chose to play point guard on the Duke basketball team, worked out for the Green Bay Packers this week.

Dallas and Arlington are both trying to lure the College Football Hall of Fame to Texas and leave South Bend, Ind.

What? Former New York Knicks’ coach Isiah Thomas signed a five-year contract yesterday to take over the head basketball coaching job at Florida International. Talk about strange bedfellows.

Obscure Athletic Hire of the Day: Cornell named Jaro Zawistan as men’s soccer coach.

There were only 24 head college basketball men’s coaching changes this season, the lowest total since 1966. That followed last year’s all-time high of 63.

There are only seven college football teams who play eight home games this year and two of them are Southeastern Conference teams - Tennessee and Auburn. . . There are four Division I-A teams who play zero out-of-conference games against a Big Six conference opponent.(read soft schedule here). You should be ashamed Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Texas and Ole Miss. And this is the fourth straight year for Texas Tech on the list. . .

There are 20 teams that play all of their out-of-conference games against the top opponents and both Georgia and Georgia Tech made that list.

Rivals.Com lists its top seven Non-BCS football coaches. They were, in order, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, TCU’s Gary Patterson, Boise State’s Chris Petersen, Troy Calhoun of Air Force, June Jones at SMU, Skip Holtz at East Carolina and my favorite, Pat Hill at Fresno State, who consistently does more with less. Rivals says that Jones is on the verge of making SMU relevant again. We’ll see.

This is Norman Arey and I ‘m also on the verge of becoming relevant.

How about a full page of sports factoids you just can't live without?

(4/14) How about a few factoids that you can’t live without on this fine day:

-Martina Navratilova’s former lesbian lover, Toni Layton, has threatened to expose all of the former No. 1 ranked tennis players’ dirty laundry if she isn’t paid off for giving eight years of her life to enrich Martina’s. . .

-A dead goat was found hanging on the statue of Harry Caray at the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field. . .

-Former Braves pitcher Gene Garber owns a chicken farm, which is home to more than 80,000 chickens and renders 70,000 eggs per day. Question: Why aren’t the other 10,000 chickens producing? . . .

-Vikings’ quarterback Sage Rosenfels has four siblings - Jaffa, Jeremiah, Jaia, and Sasha. . .

-And for what it’s worth, divorce rates are lower in cities that have Major League Baseball teams. . .

And finally, the beer of choice for President Barack Obama is Budweiser.

Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis admitted he had considered, briefly, returning to the NFL as an assistant coach but thought better of it. . . Nice move, Bobby. Florida State coach Bobby Bowden wrote a letter to the College Football Hall of Fame recommending former Miami quarterback Gino Torretta. . . Not a good name for a quarterback - Kansas’ Kale Pick. . . The National Football Post reports that the Atlanta Falcons are considering trading their first pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for tight end Tony Gonzalez. . . The first class to go into NASCAR’S Hall of Fame in Charlotte should include Bill France, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhart, says the Gaston Gazette. The other two inductees will probably come from a group including David Pearson, Junior Johnson, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip. . . The Miami Hurricanes have had a first round NFL selection every year since 1994. No chance of that happening this season.

And finally, a couple of college basketball notes: No surprise that Rivals.Com rated North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson as No. 1 in the country. Toney Douglas of Florida State was second, Jonny Flynn of Syracuse was next followed by Davidson’s Stephen Curry, while Memphis freshman Tyreke Evans made a fast move up the chart to No. 5. . . When Sean Miller left Xavier to take the Arizona job, it left the Musketeers in a hole. But Xavier has done well with its head basketball coaches. Each of Xavier’s last five coaches (Bob Staak, Pete Gillen, Skip Prosser, Thad Matta and Miller) took the X-Men to the NCAA tourney and went on to coach in a major conference.

This is Norman Arey and I like Budweiser, too.

Kentucky basketball hire already paying dividends; Nick Saban is raiding state

(4/13) Sporting News Today.com is already anointing Kentucky and new head coach John Calipari as an elite team for next season. The internet magazine picked Syracuse No. 1 followed by Kansas, Michigan State, Kentucky and Southern Cal. North Carolina was chosen seventh and Duke ninth.

CBS announced that it will televise the Auburn-Alabama game nationally for the next two years on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I’m a little surprised that CBS would show that kind of violence so close to Turkey Day.

Know what the Atlanta Falcons need on draft day? Defensive players. Five starters from last year’s defense are gone via free agency plus Atlanta must draft or trade for a tight end.

The real estate market affects everyone. Falcon owner Arthur Blank has reduced the asking price for his Atlanta mansion by almost 20 percent and is now seeking $8.9 million for the home. He purchased it in 1993 for $3.3 million.

Obscure athletic hire of the day: High Point College named Kevin Easley men’s assistant basketball coach.

Nick Saban and Alabama are getting more Georgia players’ commitments than Mark Richt and the University of Georgia for the 2010 class. Saban has three commitments from the state, the same number as Georgia Tech and two more than the Bulldogs’ one.

President Barack Obama, a huge sports fan, won’t throw out the ceremonial first pitch for any baseball team, ending a tradition that began in 1910. Strange. You almost think the White House advisors goofed on that one.

Reports continue that former Florida superstar Percy Harvin’s stock is plummeting in the upcoming NFL draft. Rumors that the wide receiver/running back scored low on the Wonderlic test and also tested positive for marijuana are hurting his chances of going in the top 10. The player who’s most improved his draft status seems to be former Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

And finally, if you were looking for something positive to come out of Georgia’s annual G-Day game, you were probably disappointed with the offense. The Bulldogs have a long way to go on that side of the ball, although the defense looked like it’s rounding into shape.

This is Norman Arey and my stock has been plummeting for years.

SI model or golf? There's only one right answer; French need to leave Lance alone

(4/10) This is a little worrisome. In a survey, men were asked whether they’d rather have a date with Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue super model Bar Rafaeli or play golf on the Augusta National course. 78 percent chose Augusta. Something’s wrong here.

It must be April. The French anti-doping agency says American cyclist Lance Armstrong didn’t cooperate with their testing earlier this year. Give it a rest.

President Barack Obama called to congratulate Roy Williams and his Tar Heels for winning the NCAA basketball title and for making the chief of all things American look legitimate in his basketball knowledge. Obama picked North Carolina to triumph. No word on if he also called Duke and Mike Krzyzewski with condolences.

Rivals.Com has its pre-season men’s basketball rankings out for next winter and Kansas is atop the poll. Following are Syracuse, North Carolina, Purdue, Michigan State, Duke, Southern Cal, Villanova, Texas and Tennessee. What? No Kentucky?

If nothing else, Paul Johnson has already made Georgia Tech football relevant again. When have you heard more buzz about the Yellow Jackets during an off-season than this one? Tech finished Johnson’s maiden year with nine wins and a victory over Georgia. Now that’s definitely relevant.

Excellent hire by new Georgia basketball coach Mark Fox when he brought former Alabama assistant Philip Pearson to Athens. Pearson knows recruiting in the Deep South and is the only Southerner on the former Nevada coach’s staff. . . A sidebar to this is that Fox made contact with South Atlanta High coach Michael Reddick, who coached top recruit Derrick Favors. Favors has already committed to Georgia Tech but relax Jacket fans. Reddick said the call was only to establish contact with the area’s top coaches.

Don’t you wonder, at least a little, what Michael Vick is paying all of these high-priced lawyers and advisers to do? Couldn’t the former Atlanta Falcon quarterback felon have been better prepared when he appeared before a judge to outline his commitment to make things right both financially and otherwise? I mean these people have had two years to come up with a workable plan and instead, Vick failed his first go-round. Absolutely unacceptable. He needs to clean house before he makes another pass at regaining his NFL eligibility. .

Obscure Athletic Hire of the Day: Colgate named Pat Faley as linebacker coach.

This is Norman Arey, having stripped myself of all of my high-priced handlers

Quincy Carter takes a pay cut; will anyone be left to play college basketball in '10?

(4/9) Not only did UConn win the women’s basketball title by beating Louisville in the finals, the Lady Huskies finished 39-0 and set a record by winning every game of the season by double digits. Many are saying that this is the greatest women’s team in the sports’ history.

SportingNewsToday.com points out why a point guard is so important, especially in the college game. If Duke, Xavier, Kentucky and Texas had possessed a true point guard, there’s a case to be made that each might have reached at least the Elite Eight.

With The Masters beginning today, can you name last year’s champion? I couldn’t. It was Trevor Immelman of South Africa.

Obscure Athletic Hire of the Day: Central Michigan promoted assistant volleyball coach Dave Zelenock to associate head volleyball coach.

Michael Jordan’s No. 2 son, Marcus, has committed to playing basketball to Central Florida. The 6-foot-3 guard had received offers from Stanford and Iowa. Jordan’s No. 1 son, Jeff, plays at Illinois. Pity those boys didn’t take up another sport.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that former Minnesota Twin pitcher and Cy Young Award winner Mike Marshall, who has a PhD in engineering, is featured in this month’s Mechanical Engineering magazine about a pitching technique based on Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of motion.

Former Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter is playing pro football again, this time for the Abilene Ruff Riders of the Indoor Football League. Carter makes $200 per game plus a $50 bonus if his team wins. He made more than that at Georgia, didn’t he?

The reason the NBA is ruining college basketball is already evident again this year. The college underclassmen already declaring for the NBA draft include Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, South Carolina’s Devan Downey, Jodie Meeks of Kentucky, Arizona’s Chase Budinger and Nic Wise, Wake Forest’s James Johnson, and look for both Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson of North Carolina to be gone and possibly two more Wake players.

This is Norman Arey and I’ll never be featured in a Mechanical Engineering magazine.

New Memphis basketball coach is seventh choice; it's not my fault, blame ESPN

(4/8) The last word on the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament. North Carolina began the season at No. 1 and closed it there. The Tar Heels’ average margin of victory in the three-week extravaganza was 20.2 points, winning every game in double figures. They left absolutely no question as to who was the best team in the country.

It’s sure to stick in the UNC craw that arch-rival Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski leads in all-time NCAA tournament coaching victories with 71. Coach K is followed by Dean Smith’s 65 and current coach Roy Williams’ 54. UCLA’s John Wooden had 47.

On second thought. . . : Xavier head basketball coach Sean Miller told Arizona no thanks, then changed his mind and accepted the head job in Tucson to replace Lute Olson as coach of the Wildcats.

How much is Jay Cutler worth to the Chicago Bears? After Cutler was acquired from the Denver Broncos, 1,560 Cutler jerseys were sold in three days amounting to $133,000.

Memphis made a splash but not as it had envisioned when it hired Josh Pastner as head coach to replace Kentucky-departed John Calipari. It’s no typo. The search committed had been turned down by USC’s Tim Floyd, Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl, Baylor’s Scott Drew, Missouri’s Mike Anderson, Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton and former Memphis assistant Derek Kellogg. Pastner is a former walk-on player at Arizona who joined Calipari’s staff last year.

Obscure Athletic Hire of the Day: Albion College named Jacob DeCola head men’s lacrosse coach.

John Elway’s son, Jack, has given up football at Arizona State but will stay in school as a regular student. He redshirted last season.

There is great wringing of hands in Major League Baseball because of the fact that the average overall player contract value declined almost 15 percent from $13.35 million to $11.38 million. What’s one to do with a measly $11 million-plus?

Now we know why the Big 10 played such lousy basketball this season. It’s the media’s fault. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany says this: "I think it’s mostly electronic media and I think it’s mostly CBS and ESPN."

This is Norman Arey and the reason I’m the way I am is because of ESPN.

Not to worry -- I always keep my socks in the drawer. Favors still favors Tech

(4/7) Not to worry, Georgia Tech basketball fans. The nation’s No. 1 prep player, Derrick Favors, is standing firm by his commitment to be a Yellow Jacket. The rumor was that Favors might be looking at Kentucky and new coach John Calipari since Memphis and Calipari made his final three list. But Favors says cool it. If I were Tech fans, I’d be counting days until signing day of April 15.

You remember Courtney Paris, the Oklahoma women’s basketball star who said she’d pay for her scholarship if the Lady Sooners didn’t win the national title. They not only didn’t win it, they didn’t make it to the final game, losing by a basket to Louisville. So pay up Courtney, I’m sure Oklahoma needs to money.

If you liked the North Carolina team you saw last night, try to remember them well. You won’t see them together again. The Tar Heels started two seniors and three juniors and all five project as either first- or second-rounders in the upcoming NBA draft.

Arizona is having a difficult time finding anyone interested in its head basketball job after Lute Olson left it in such disrepair. The latest rejection came from Xavier coach Sean Miller who decided to stay put. USC’s Tim Floyd turned them down earlier.

Chad Ford, an ESPN draft anylist, told the New York Times that Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough cost himself money by coming back for his senior year. If he had come out last year, Hansbrough was projected to be drafted between No. 18 to No. 28. This year, he’s projected to go between No. 25 and No. 35. According to Ford, the Tar Heel big man has no upside. He says what you see if what you get.

In what may be the top class ever to go into the Basketball Hall of Fame, this year’s group includes Michael Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton, Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women’s coach Vivian Stringer.

More than I wanted to know: Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown has been known to iron his socks before taking the floor for a game and supposedly uses three to four wash cloths when showering.

This is Norman Arey saying I don’t wear socks.

'Mark Who' is the best Georgia should have hoped for in its basketball search

(4/6) Georgia’s hiring of Nevada’s Mark Fox as its head basketball coach has gotten mixed reviews and that’s being kind. Mark Who? was, no doubt, the best the Bulldogs could do with what they had to offer. Miami’s Frank Heath felt the job wasn’t an upgrade, so why leave? It was folly to even imagine Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel or Missouri’s Mike Anderson would come to Athens. Until Georgia is able to establish some kind of respectable program and improve its basketball facility, it will always be second rate. It must have been a sobering time for UGA Athletics Director Damon Evans.

Florida’s defending national championship football team will receive not one, not two, but three rings for its accomplishments. The Gators will get one ring for winning the SEC title, another for the mythical national title and a third ring will be paid for by the university, although its not clear why a third ring is necessary. Maybe it’ll be a Tim Tebow collectible.

Football recruiting holds little interest to me. But the fact that Georgia Tech was able to get a commitment from Northview defensive tackle Denzel McCoy, who turned down the likes of Florida State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, North Carolina and Auburn, is significant. It shows that Paul Johnson can recruit with anybody in the country.

UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun says he’ll contemplate his future before he agrees to come back for another season as Husky coach. Calhoun is one of the good guys in college basketball and one heck of a fine coach. . .

And speaking of coaches, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is flying under the radar as far a college coaches go. He’s brilliant and should be mentioned in the same breath with Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina’s Roy Williams and Calhoun.

If you keep up with such things, and I’m sure you don’t, the Tar Heels are a seven-point favorite over the Spartans tonight in the national title game in Detroit.

I can’t see how the New York Yankees can keep spending the way they have and not wreck baseball. This off-season alone, the Yankees signed free agents Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett for a combined $423.5 million. Just think of what they might have done had we not been in the midst of the worst depression in our history.

This is Norman Arey saying I’m Tar Heel born and Tar Heel bred.

A $35M Calipari-Ky. sidebar: Tubby Smith stays at Minnesota for $2 million a year

(4/3) After John Calipari and the University of Kentucky agreed to a $35 million contract, UK issued this statement: "In order to clear up any confusion on funding of UK coaches’ contracts, all athletics expenditures are paid by Kentucky’s athletic revenues. The UK Athletics Association is totally self-funded. UK Athletics receives no tax money, state appropriations or university funding. In addition, the UKAA gives over $1.2 million annually to the university for non-athletic scholarships." In other words, don’t sweat it citizens of the state. You ain’t paying it.

And speaking of Calipari, Tennessee’s head basketball coach Bruce Pearl is rumored to be the top target of Memphis to replace Calipari. Pearl is 98-35 in Knoxville in his four years after coming from Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The other possible Memphis target is Louisville’s Rick Pitino. The plan with the 56-year-old Pitino would be to assure that his son Richard would be coach-in-waiting at Memphis.

A byproduct of the unrest in the basketball office at Kentucky is that Georgia native junior guard Jodie Meeks, the Wildcats’ top scorer, will be playing for his third head coach if he returns next season.

Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech’s top basketball recruit, scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the East to a win over the West in the McDonald’s All-American game this week. This is called Saving Paul Hewitt’s Job.

And speaking of jobs, Minnesota head basketball coach Tubby Smith turned down $3 million a year to coach Virginia to stay in Minneapolis to coach the Golden Gophers for $2 million. He says it’s not about the money. Apparently.

Tennessee announced it will open its 2010 season against UT-Martin. I mention this because I have admired the Vols for playing tough out-of-conference games. Thus UT becomes the last SEC member to schedule an opponent from Division I-AA since it played The Citadel in 1983.

And finally, for all those Ohio State haters out there, here’s some good news. Head football coach Jim Tressel will have to run an offense this fall, which will be minus running back Beanie Wells, both starting receivers, the starting tight end and three starting linemen.

This is Norman Arey saying, for me,  it’s always about the money.

Calipari-to-Kentucky a great fit; now the rest of the SEC has to handle the rebound

(4/2) Here’s the long and short of John Calipari leaving Memphis to take over the head basketball job at Kentucky. The entire Southeastern Conference will be forced to improve on the sorry product it presented last season, landing only three teams in the NCAA tournament and coming within a whisker of just two. Calipari has done nothing but win and has shown he can recruit with the best. The SEC powers that have the big pocket books -- Florida, Alabama, LSU and, to a certain extent, Georgia -- won’t have any choice but to improve. Overall a great hire. The coach and the school match perfectly. On the other hand, Calipari had better produce as his $35 million contract (with bonuses) makes him the highest paid basketball coach in the history of college ball.

According to Sporting News Today, the Calipari-Kentucky deal is the second most significant college coaching hire this decade, behind Roy Williams leaving Kansas to go to North Carolina.

Matt Ryan, who was the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons, has this advice for Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford, who will go high this season. "Go in and work as hard as you possibly can. At times you’re going to need to keep your mouth shut. Just keep your mouth shut, go out there and do everything you can to try and help your team win." Good advice, no matter who’s listening.

Talk about the rich getting richer, there will be nine McDonald’s All-America basketball players entering the ACC next season and North Carolina leads the league and the nation with four while Duke gets two, and one each will play for Clemson, Georgia Tech and Florida State.

Chapel Hill police have asked merchants to limit their sale of Carolina Blue paint this weekend with the University of North Carolina playing in the Final Four. If the Tar Heels win, they don’t want a Carolina Blue town.

After signing a contract extension this week with the Atlanta Braves, Chipper Jones is the MLB leader in active players staying with one team at 16 seasons. The Yankees’ Derek Jeter, Jorge Posado and Mariano Rivera are tied for second with 15 each.

And finally, Georgia failed to lure Missouri’s Mike Anderson to Athens to take over its basketball program. Anderson signed a seven-year deal with the Tigers paying $1.6 million per season. Now what, Damon Evans?

This is Norman Arey and it’s always a good idea to keep your mouth shut - I just can’t do it.

UNC has 100 NCAA tournament wins; other '09 Final Four combined? 141

(4/1) This is Norman Arey bringing you breaking news - the University of Georgia has just announced the hiring of Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski as it’s new basketball coach and Bobby Knight will be his assistant. Yes, this is April Fool’s Day.

The AP All-America college basketball team was announced and Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin led the first team along with North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough. Others on the elite squad included DeJuan Blair of Pitt, Stephen Curry of Davidson and James Harden of Arizona State. It was Hansbrough’s second year to be elected to the first team.

The University of Virginia’s hiring of Washington State’s Tony Bennett as head basketball coach got a cool reception from Wahoo fans but they’re just showing their ignorance. After the names of Minnesota’s Tubby Smith, Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel and Texas’ Rick Barnes were bandied about, the Cavalier followers felt they had settled for a lower-tier coach. Not so. They’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Of the Final Four teams, North Carolina leads everyone in the country in NCAA tournament wins with an even 100. Villanova is second among the four with 48 while Michigan State has 47 and UConn 46. . . Also interesting that none of the four teams in Detroit this weekend won their conference tournaments.

What’s a World Series championship worth? Philadelphia Phillies’ merchandise sales is up 289 percent over last season and the NL East club already has set a record for season ticket sales.

Remember quarterback Mitch Mustain, who was grouped with Georgia’s Matt Stafford and Florida’s Tim Tebow as a can’t-miss future pro players coming out of high school? Stafford may be the No. 1 choice in the NFL draft, Tebow is playing for his third national championship and Mustain has transferred from Arkansas and is trying to win the starting job at Southern Cal. Funny how things work out.

All of the Alabama football assistants received raises this week, and as a group, the Tide pays them $2.7 million. By way of contrast, Tennessee’s assistants make a total of $3.3 million - the highest in the SEC.

I had to laugh when a headline out of Dallas proclaimed that SMU is switching to a 3-4 defense. The Mustangs, under offensive-minded June Jones, finished 118th out of 119 teams in total defense last season and it doesn’t make any difference what defensive alignment they use.

This is Norman Arey feeling sad for Mitch Mustain.

Final Four favorites: UConn by four over MSU, N. Carolina by 8 over Villanova

(3/31) When Seth Curry, the younger brother of All-America Davidson College star Stephen Curry, decided to leave tiny Liberty College to look for a college in a larger conference, no one realized just how big he was going to go. The younger Curry, whose 20 2 points per game led all freshmen last season, will have to sit out a year before he plays for Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski. Think J.J. Redick, here.

Convicted felon Michael Vick had to submit a financial plan as to how he hopes to climb out of bankruptcy. The former Atlanta Falcon quarterback’s report says he plans on making $10 million a year in the NFL. Vick would keep the first $750,000 and then a percentage would go to creditors. Can he exist on a mere $750,000 and who will pay him $10 million? Amazing.

How’s this for a rumor. Fired Kentucky head coach Billy Gillispie sits out a year while drawing his severance pay from the Wildcats, then replaces Texas Tech coach Pat Knight if he doesn’t have a good year. Remember, Eddie Sutton was fired from Kentucky and the Big XII’s Oklahoma State gave him a job and he flourished.

Word on the Kentucky search is that Louisville’s Rick Pitino lobbied hard for two of his former players - Travis Ford at Oklahoma State and John Pelphrey at Arkansas - but the Wildcats seem most interested in Memphis’ John Calipari.

If you watched North Carolina dismantle Oklahoma in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, you must have wondered, as I did, how in the heck the Sooners made it as far as they did. Oklahoma is a one-man team with the very excellent Blake Griffin, and nothing else.

If you care, the early line on the Final Four has UConn as a four-point favorite over Michigan State and North Carolina an eight-point pick over Villanova.

The referees in the NCAA tournament are paid $850 per game plus travel and hotel expenses and a per diem. According to the New York Times, there are 40 refs who are in such demand that it is a full-time job for them and the best of the best can command $2,500 to $3,000 per game but must pay their own expenses and health insurance as independent contractors.

This is Norman Arey telling you without a doubt that I can live on $750,000 per year.