Thursday Night Football kicked off Week 10 of the NFL season last night, and it was good news and bad news for the Seattle Seahawks, who scored a much needed win on the road, beating the Arizona Cardinals 22-16. The bad news was the injury to All-Pro defensive back Richard Sherman, who was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon in his right leg. Sherman will likely miss the rest of the season. The win improves Seattle’s record to 6 and 3, just a half-game back of the NFC West division leading Los Angeles Rams. The loss drops Arizona to 4 and 5 this season.
Personally speaking, I like Richard Sherman. I like his style, his demeanor, his opinionated and somewhat aloof nature of speaking. Whatever his NFL career trajectory looks like going forward, I hope he stays on in some capacity speaking truth to people who appear to want the truth, but seemingly turn a blind eye to it when it's staring them right in the face.
Suspended in Time.... Yet Again
Staying in the NFL, it appears – once again – the on-again, off-again suspension of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is on… again. The emergency injunction request by the NFL Players Association on behalf of Elliott was denied by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday. The ruling means Elliott's six-game suspension is back on, and he is currently ineligible to play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
There are obviously multiples of story lines going on here... The first being the suspension, which no matter what side you're on regarding the validity of the claims against Elliott, wasn't going to go away. Elliott's claims that this was his good name and his reputation on the line are only going to ring hollow among NFL fans anyway, who had no problem still embracing the likes of Ben Roethlisberger and still appear to be quite alright with the likes of Adam "Pacman" Jones and even the newly-minted deviant Joe Mixon.
The next step in this process will be the loud thunder coming from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who appears to be thrashing about, making it very clear and public that he's ready to sue commissioner Roger Goodell if he gets a five-year extension.
The reasoning for his determination has become increasingly clear. Jones is running out of time. The bitter old man desperately wants to have one more fight before he'll be sent off to pasture.
It's sad actually, and I cannot help but wonder how many other owners are actually going to join Jones on this quest, and how disappointed and cantankerous he'll become once he realizes he's losing this battle. NFL owners, for the most part, just want to enjoy the fruits of their success. They're not likely, en masse, to join Jones on his bid for personal redemption.
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A Brief Change of Subject
I hear there's a lot of news today surrounding Taylor Swift.
Something about a new album.
As sports fans, a lot of us get caught out of the loop on these monumental events.
So, I'm doing my part - for you, who now get to look at images of Taylor Swift -- and for our friends in corporate, who I'm hoping will recognize the sacrifice and effort I put into this increasing campaign for even more awareness of the "aweseomeness" that is Taylor Swift.
You're welcome.
I Heart Taylor Swift....
Alright... that's enough staring at the loop of photos. Let's move on!
The Juice Got Squeezed In Vegas Casino
In no way, shape or form does this surprise or shock me!
According to TMZ (because why not?) O.J. Simpson was booted from the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas Wednesday night after allegedly getting wasted and then being extremely unruly.
Simpson had been frequenting bars at the hotel since his release from prison. According to staff at the hotel, Simpson was drunk last night and became disruptive at the Clique bar.
TMZ was told Simpson was angry at hotel staff and glasses broke at the bar. Security showed up and removed Simpson from the hotel. TMZ was told Simpson was nice to responding security guards. Still, TMZ was told he's been permanently banned from the Cosmopolitan.
I don't know, nor can I even begin to comprehend how or why Simpson just doesn't quite get it. Innocent or not, free or otherwise, you're an outsider now, OJ. Nobody with any sense wants to be seen with you, and those who do are most likely out to use you or take advantage of this notorious-like celebrity status, which only manifested itself the moment you became America's most non-guilty double murderer.
It's like the bully in the school who doesn't really have a genuine friend, just a lot of other wannabe bullies who pander to him. They're only nice to OJ because it's a cool photo-op moment to be seen with the once-famous football player who may or may not have slashed the throats of two people.
Shameless Promo Moment #1
We’ve got a pair of top 25 college football games this weekend, with Washington vs. Stanford tonight at 8 p.m., followed by Oklahoma (led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, pictured above), vs. TCU on Saturday at 5:30.
Then it’s an NFL doubleheader Sunday starting with Westwood One Sports pregame coverage at 9am followed by Minnesota taking on Washington, followed by Denver vs. New England at 4:05 p.m. presented by the Broncos Radio Network.
Another Shameless Promo Moment
I hope you won't mind a shameless plug for "The Fast Track" this weekend.
Tune in every Saturday and Sunday morning at 10am ET for best bets, news and more on the nationally syndicated horse racing show, celebrating its 20th year on the air.
Saturday, I'll be teaming with Horse Racing Nation's Jarrod Horak as well as Kevin Kerstein from Churchill Downs with selections on races from Del Mar (pictured above) as well as Gulfstream Park, Laurel and more.
Our title sponsor on The Fast Track is SunRay Park and Casino, and they're hosting a handicapping tournament on Saturday for simulcast patrons. The Fast Track team will handicap several of those tournament races from across the country, so take advantage of the great handicapping insight and enter to win up to $750 in the tournament. There is no fee to enter the tournament.