Billy Packer's smirking somewhere today

Ever since he left the Florida basketball program as a result of gambling before the 2001 season, Teddy Dupay has been a peripheral figure. I've heard about him every now and then, and the reports have never been very good. I still hadn't expected anything like the current issues Dupay's dealing with: rape and kidnapping charges that could lead to life in a Utah prison if he's convicted. Dupay has always had a gigantic sense of entitlement. It may have manifested itself here in a very destructive fashion.

A report from the Philadelphia Daily News claims the Weaver family is looking to sell the Jacksonville Jaguars and may be nearing a deal. Wayne Weaver denied that this morning. Owning an NFL team is a license to print money, plus it puts you in the most exclusive club in the US other than possibly the Senate. You don't leave unless something's forcing you to do so, and I dont think Weaver's at that point yet. The threat of moving to Los Angeles sounds intimidating except for one little problem. L.A. doesn't mind not having the NFL. It's a city filled with transplants who are actually pretty happy about there not being a team there, because they get to see the TV doubleheader every week. Every time someone brings up a new plan to build a stadium there, it falls flat. Where are the Jags/Saints/Vikings supposedly going to play, the decrepit Coliseum?


Can't believe I have two Jaguars items today, but former first rounder Matt Jones got busted for coke this morning in Arkansas. Jacksonville fans have been disgusted with this guy for a while now, and I have to imagine he'll be cut at the earliest feasible time for their salary cap. Jones was a terrible pick when they made it, but every year we see teams fall in love with a guy's workout and not bother to consider whether he can actually play football well. Jones was a great athlete without an NFL position he was capable of playing, and now he's a first round bust in more ways than one.

There are certain US cities which have always fascinated me. Detroit is one of them. The way a place that once symbolized American industry has been allowed to rot away is astounding. Online, you can tour the Fabulous Ruins of Detroit as well as several more chronicling the city's blight. Detroit government is a farce, with the mayor under indictment and the city council apparently about to have a large chunk of its members indicted as well. How corrupt is Detroit? Even the television anchors are accused of taking bribes! What a pathetic situation.

One city which has never fascinated me at all is Birmingham. Every year I go there for SEC football media days - will be there the 23rd through the 25th this year. It's not anyone I know's idea of a tourist mecca, but they think maybe a year round SEC attraction of some sort will change that. Good luck with that.

On a personal note, blog postings will be sporadic between now and the 20th. I'm getting married Saturday and then will be in Hawaii for the honeymoon, so lots of web time really isn't in the cards. I'll try to have something fresh tomorrow and then maybe one or two next week when I'm sitting in an airport, maybe not. Back to the regular routine on Monday the 21st, as I'll be covering ACC's football kickoff event.