Somebody’s got to stir things up.

On paper, you’d think SEC Media Days looks like it might be a little duller this year than usual – no Phil Fulmer dodging process servers, no players who have sex lives Clay Travis might be inclined to dig into and no Lane Kiffin.

Enter Mike Leach.

… The most interesting coach coming to SEC Media Days just may be the most interesting coach in the world, but he isn’t even a coach, not technically, at least not at the moment.

That shouldn’t stop Mike Leach from stealing the show.

Leach will be in town to promote his book, “Swing Your Sword,” and he’ll be signing copies Thursday night at 7 at the Barnes & Noble at The Summit. Not sure if he’ll also sign daggers, eye patches and other assorted pirate gear.

Before that, Leach will be hanging out at The Wynfrey Hotel with a bunch of coaches who haven’t sued a school where they worked or the most powerful sports media organization in the world.

One good thing about not having a coaching job, or even having something lined up in the immediate future, is that you don’t have to mind what you say so much.  Like this:

… How many coaches would admit that not everyone in their profession is some kind of genius?

“The fact that someone coaches in the SEC doesn’t mean that he’s any smarter than someone who coaches at a small college or in high school,” wrote Leach, who was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky under Hal Mumme.

“Yeah, he might be smarter, but then again, he might not be. If some sheer unadulterated moron gets hired in the SEC, that doesn’t mean he’s automatically a smarter coach. It just means whoever hired him made a big mistake.”

Fun times, I hope.

About these ads

Is Craig James worth it?

This is the damnedest thing.

ESPN college football writer Bruce Feldman was suspended indefinitely during a conference call with three ESPN officials this morning.

ESPN Vice President and Director of News Vince Doria, ESPN THE MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief & ESPN Books Editorial Director Gary Hoenig, and ESPN.com Editor-in-Chief Pat Stiegman participated in the conference call and were behind the decision to punish Feldman.

Doria, Hoenig and Stiegman informed Feldman today that he has been banned from writing for any ESPN entity, is forbidden from appearing on any ESPN platform, is not allowed to Tweet from his Twitter account nor participate in any promotion of a recently-released book in which Feldman played a role.

The reason for the move apparently is in reaction to the editing help Feldman gave Mike Leach in writing his new book.

What makes this bizarre is two things.  First, Feldman’s involvement in the book has been no secret for a long time.  And second, well, you tell me…

… Multiple management and editorial sources at ESPN have told me in recent months that Feldman would only participate in the Leach book project upon direct approval from ESPN management – which Feldman indeed received.  [Emphasis added.]

Feldman has also acted professionally in not promoting the book publicly in anything he’s written or posted since the book’s release.

Despite that the suspension has provoked a fairly substantial public outcry, the WWL refuses to give an explanation for its decision.  And honestly, it’s hard to figure out what’s going on here.  The timing seems too weird for mere pettiness and if it’s meant to send a message to Mike Leach, how effective is that likely to be?  All I’m left with as a possibility is that Craig James has pictures of somebody high up at the network caught in a compromising position.

Seriously, what’s the point to this?  It’s not like ESPN needs the bad publicity.

******************************************************************************

UPDATE:  Classic corporate weasel statement here.

“There was never any suspension or any other form of disciplinary action. We took the time to review his upcoming work assignments in light of the book to which he contributed and will manage any conflicts or other issues as needed.   Bruce has resumed his assignments.”

Yeah, sure.

Craig James’ go to guy

I was hoping Mike Leach’s new book would drop a few bombshells and it looks like I won’t be disappointed.

… thanks to Texas Tech’s status as a state-funded institution, emails obtained through open records requests by Leach and his attorneys show a concerted effort by Craig James and paid agents of the ESPN analyst to materially impact ESPN’s editorial approach to Leach’s untimely departure from Texas Tech.

Leach reports in his new book that even before a complaint against Leach was lodged by Craig James regarding the coach’s alleged mistreatment of his son – former Texas Tech football player Adam James – Craig James had hired Spaeth…

Honestly, I don’t see how James’ and Leach’s respective careers as commentator and coach won’t suffer as a result of this.  But in the meantime, the ride sure will be entertaining.  Maybe we’ll get a movie out of it.

***********************************************************************

UPDATE:  An exerpt about the Adam James incident is here.  In case you’re wondering how it goes, well, “My biggest regret was not cutting Adam James.”

Chillax, peeps.

Mike Leach tweets that we all need to take a few deep breaths.

Football world is overreacting to a number of things. 1) Notion that everybody cheats. 2) The main individual at fault is always the HC…—
Mike Leach (@Coach_Leach) June 06, 2011

3) Oversigning. 4) All athletes are broke. 5) Media's role as arbitrator. 6) Players don't know the difference between right & wrong…—
Mike Leach (@Coach_Leach) June 06, 2011

7) The notion Coaches search for ways to cheat. 8) The notion administrators are blind to everything. 9) Notion boosters easily controlled.—
Mike Leach (@Coach_Leach) June 06, 2011

Overreacting to the notion that boosters are easily controlled?  Given his experience, you figure he might feel differently about that.

********************************************************************

UPDATE:  The pirate is on a roll.  Evidently Coach Stewart isn’t on that list.

Mike Leach just calls West Virginia situation "underhanded and hillbilly." Channel 91 XM, folks. Now.—
Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) June 07, 2011

A pirate tweets.

This has potential.

So I only get 140 characters on this thing?…That's it?! This is going to be tough. Hello Twitter world.—
Mike Leach (@Coach_Leach) April 19, 2011

Craig James, eat your heart out.

This may not be Julia Child, but it’s alright.

(h/t EDSBS)

At least they spelled his name correctly.

This is definitely the header of the day:

Craig James polls worse than Obama in Lubbock

Run, Craig, run!

(h/t EDSBS)

In this case, I don’t think the “Double Cross” is a pass pattern.

This promises to get the blogosphere a-twitter this summer.

Scottsdale Book Publishing today announced the June release of “Double T – Double Cross,” the unauthorized, behind the scenes book of the unfair termination of Mike Leach as head coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team. “Double T — Double Cross” looks inside academia politics and exposes the true events that led to one of America’s harshest accusations in sporting history. “Double T – Double Cross” examines the facts and includes exclusive interviews, court documents and paperwork that will leave readers shocked.

Honestly, I don’t think anything in that book related to Craig James would shock me.  Unless that’s meant in the Captain Renault sense of the word.

“Most people in Lubbock support my position.”

Craig James is one seriously deluded dude.  (h/t SPORTSbyBROOKS)

Mike Leach gets sacked on appeal.

Mike Leach’s breach of contract claim gets knocked out by a Texas appellate court, which leaves the Pirate with a lovely parting gift.

… The ruling released Friday allows Leach to try to prove that the university’s reasons for firing him were false, but without monetary relief.

Yeah, that’s so gonna happen.

All of which leads me back to the question I had when the suit first came to my attention:  if Texas law holds that a state university can’t be sued for damages for breach of contract, how does a football coach protect himself against a school which reneges on a promise to pay?