Knucklehead of the Week
The University of Utah “partially reinstated” senior wide receiver Cory Butler-Byrd this week, which means when the Utes really need him he’ll be on the field. Butler-Byrd was arrested in July and charged with damaging a police building and an officer’s car. Police say Butler-Byrd shattered a window in their building and attacked an innocent patrol car. They caught him “preparing to throw a large white sign.” The wayward Ute has to pay $1,700 in damages. It would be nice to hear Butler-Byrd’s side of the story, but he will be unavailable for comment the entire season.
High school football is back, which means lightning delays, great concessions and marching bands. I cannot recall the last season in which games were not delayed or pushed back a day due to inclement weather. Maybe next year it’ll be 70 and calm on opening night. Sure. And maybe officials will stop throwing phantom pass interference flags.
College football kicks off this week with a handful of tantalizing games. It should be a national holiday. The Buckeyes open with Bowling Green at noon Saturday. Boring. But there are some great inter-conference matchups that will give you built-in breaks from the grill. Five to watch:
Georgia Tech vs. Boston College, 7:30 a.m. Saturday — Not a great game, but just in case you wake up, turn on the TV and think you're dreaming, you're not. The Yellow Jackets and Eagles will rumble in Ireland. Winner taps a keg of Guinness.
LSU at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m. Saturday — This game is in Green Bay on not-so-frozen tundra. I'd love to see this matchup in November, but Les Miles still deserves respect for venturing into Yankee territory, something that is forbidden in SEC bylaws.
USC vs. Alabama, 8 p.m. Saturday — Another fun neutral-site game in Jerry Jones' huge stadium in Texas. If Alabama can develop a strong quarterback there will be no stopping the Tide this season. A few thousand Trojan fans might show up.
Notre Dame at Texas, 7:30 p.m. Sunday — All eyes will be on the Irish quarterbacks. Alter grad Malik Zaire will get a shot to win back his job as Brian Kelly vows to play two QBs, just like Urban Meyer did last year. Kelly should learn from Meyer's mistake.
Ole Miss vs. Florida State, 8 p.m. Monday — Just in case you haven't had enough football by the time Labor Day rolls around, here's another neutral-site game, in Orlando. Could be the beginning of the end for Ole Miss, which soon could be crippled by NCAA sanctions.
The Little League World Series is awesome and does a great job filling the August sports black hole. The event benefited last week from some competitive games in prime time. In a mild surprise, Tennessee eliminated California, a perennial powerhouse.
The play that saved the game — a throw from right field to the plate, great tag by the catcher — was as good as anything you’ll see at the big-league parks. If I had a bucket list, a trip to Williamsport would be included.
Trending up: Kyle Snyder, Carmelo Anthony, Al Roker. Ohio State's heavyweight wrestler won a gold medal on the last day of the Summer Olympics. As a bonus, Snyder will get $250,000 — most of it from USA Wrestling. Not bad for an "amateur." I think that's great, especially considering how colleges have gutted wrestling to comply with Title IX.
Trending down: Joey Bosa, Barkevious Mingo, Todd Marinovich. Bosa and the Chargers eventually will come to terms and everyone will be happy, but for now the former Buckeye is in limbo because he wants all of his $17 million signing bonus by the end of year. The Chargers want to hold $2.5 million till March. Dude, you're rich. Go play football.
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