Out Of Kilter

What the hell were you thinking, Scoop? Arguably no sports media figure has come under more heat in the last three months or so. Despite that, you feel free to use the five finger discount on a concept that has been a fully formed idea dating back to Jason Whitlock still being at ESPN.

So you decide to write a column based on the perspective of the ball, which, to reiterate, was originally developed by the humble Cavalier at Yaysports! NBA, without including so much as a link. You do, though, indicate an awareness of your own theft of intellectual property by mentioning as a throwaway statement;

A Web site gave me a nickname. They call me the Orange Roundie.

You’re then caught, initially as far as I can tell, by the mysterious and debonair “TDD,” commenting at Yay, at 12:55. In response to a groundswell of deserved anger, the word Yaysports is quietly inserted into the piece.

Still no link, but it’s better, right? Not quite. You see, Scoop Jackson presumably got paid, writing in character… a character someone else had fully fleshed out and that Scoop without full attribution used as the jumping off point for his discussion. And then, when asked to respond by Will Leitch at Deadspin, Jackson says;

I actually thought I was giving them some love, even though ESPN edited out the part about them being the ball’s favorite site. Just trying to have some fun. Hope you enjoyed the piece; tell YAY I thought their overall ball coverage was brilliant. The ball, on the other hand, had a few issues.

Really? Pin it on your editor, while ignoring the broader issue? Weak, Scoop. The Cavalier, while understandably pissed, is much more charitable than most would be about the thing. He’s absolutely right, though. Scoop Jackson stole a concept from another writer with minimal attribution, and until some sort of retraction is issued, Out Of Kilter counts itself among the League of Roundie Henchmen.

The Juice is once again loose on national television, giving an interview to FOX best described as “If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened.”

So in honor of OJ, let’s play “Where Are They Now?” - Trial of the Century Edition.

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Much is still being said about the “rivalry” between UM and FIU. And while I appreciate that there is still a good deal of tension following the “Orange Brawl,” the “Holy War” this is not.

According to Brandon at 1122Productions, you need 3 things for a real rivalry;

1. A relatively long history
2. At least some sense of balance between the two teams
3. Strong feelings between the two teams

So seeing as UM dominated FIU at both football and basketball, I doubt there is any real argument to the fact that the meeting between these two schools will get a wicked-cool nickname at any point.

All of our deepest condolences go out to the entire Pata family, his friends, his teammates, and his coaches.
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FIU’s student newspaper, The Beacon, is at it again. In an article titled “National media’s post-brawl reaction is too ‘gangsta’” Panther apologists continue to tout the “Orange Brawl” as the best thing to happen to their school since they hired “Strock and Awe.”

Assistant Sports Editor Charlie Grau writes;

School officials are afraid of another fight, but what would that say about both universities, as well as their coaches, if they couldn’t give it another try?

The hometown rivalry will do more good than bad for the community.

Either way, mark your calendars for the “Horror on the Hardwood” this coming November.

Over at FIU’s student paper, The Beacon, the violence at the “Orange Brawl” is still being praised by just about everyone on staff.

Jaimi Rodriguez writes in her article, Brawl gives FIU just the publicity it’s looking for;

“The brawl at the Orange Bowl, believe it or not, was a complete and monumental blessing…”

“All in all, the name of FIU has been mentioned on national media more times in this past week than it has ever been mentioned in the 34 year history of the institution.”

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about!”

Over at FIU’s student newspaper, The Beacon, Monday morning headlines like “Unexpected scuffle starts true cross-town rivalry” and “Students feel unity despite game marred by violence” show how the Golden Panthers enjoy a good fight.

Let’s start at the top:

Xavier Villarmarzo, the Beacon’s Sports Editor writes,

“on the other hand, I may be one of the few who thinks the scuffle was the perfect way to start a cross-town rivalry. The fight also shows that these two teams are playing with emotion - hell, even fans were getting into altercations - so there will be no over-looking next year’s rematch.”

“If this game had ended with no altercations and just a 35-0 final, no one would care about it next year. But now there’s at least one thing to watch for because the fans are riled up.”

Senior Staff Writer Reuben Pereira says,

“after the brawl broke out, FIU students stood by their team and showed a surge of school spirit, chanting ‘FIU, FIU, FIU’ while refusing to be drowned out in a stadium covered in orange and green jerseys. Much of the student reactions to the brawl were in support of the Golden Panthers.”

FIU junior John Mendez tells the Beacon,

“When the fight broke out, it was like a party broke out in the stands… The FIU spirit seems to have increased after the fight. The fans definitely got a lot more into it after the brawl.”

Here’s a little something from FOXSports.com’s Michael Rosenberg,

Larry Coker said he doesn’t have many bad days, and this was a bad day. It should also be one of his last days as head football coach at the University of Miami…

The culture around the Miami football program is one that embraces thuggery and excessive bravado. Coker didn’t create it, but he has allowed it to fester. He recruited and coached every player on this roster. And what we saw Saturday was a group of players who had no respect for the fact that they represent their school — and no worries about repercussions from their coach.

When South Carolina and Clemson brawled in their annual rivalry game, the schools did the admirable thing and banned themselves from bowl competition that year… Frankly, it would be understandable if Miami wanted to cancel the rest of the season. But that wouldn’t be fair to the Hurricanes’ remaining opponents.

Read Rosenberg’s article here.