This week, and lasting through the weekend, the Landing courtyard will be covered in 100 tons of sand, which is being dumped there to re-create the feel of the beach, essentially generating a sea shore in the middle of air-conditioned shops, restaurants, live shows and games.  Although the water is void of salt, and the breeze lightened up, the Landing is sure to be transformed into an action-filled hot spot for this weekend’s Labor Day celebration.

Throughout the week, starting as early as Sept. 1 with ArtWalk, events are being held for people of all ages, from hula hoop contests to live performances and two chances at winning tickets to a Jags home game.   Here is a list of the events that are going on at the newly sanded dunes of downtown and also a special birthday celebration just south of J-ville.

Sept. 1:  The first Wednesday of every month plays host to a popular event known as ArtWalk.  Showcasing artwork and crafts made by local artists, along with live band performances on the streets and in showrooms, ArtWalk promises a great turn out.  And, if you decide to strap on your dancing shoes and zip up those party pants, Square One is the place to be to drink, dance and mingle with the artists after ArtWalk ends at 9 p.m.

Sept. 2: Now I know this event does not take place downtown, but it’s rude to ignore a birthday, right?  Happy 445th Birthday to the city of St. Augustine, dubbed the Nation’s Oldest City and founded by Don Pedro Menendes de Aviles in 1565.  St. Augustine is just an hour south and supplies a variety of sight-seeing opportunities, including the fort, Castillo de San Marcos. But if  the delicious taste of birthday cake lures you, perhaps a little live music will persuade.  A concert at the Plaza de la Constiucion from 7– 9 p.m. will follow the annual birthday cake cutting ceremony.

Sept. 3:  Attention Jacksonville Jaguar fans: this Sept. 3 and Sept. 4, you are eligible to win a free pair of tickets to a Jags home game. To get your paws on the prize, you must enter the Big Cat Sand Dig at 7 p.m. and win, of course.  If you don’t claim the tickets, don’t worry, there will be a live performance by George Aspinall from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. that will be sure to lift your spirits.

Sept. 4:  If you are interested in kicking back and starting your downtown beach day calmly, chill out and listen to the musical styling of Palmetto Catz from 2-6 p.m.  If you are feeling a little frisky, then you will enjoy the demonstration by the First Coast Shag Club from 2-3 p.m.  Don’t know how to Shag? The club is offering free dance lessons, now what’s your excuse?
And for those who missed out on the free Jags home game tickets Sept. 3, this might be your lucky day.  Round two of the Big Cat Sand Dig takes place at 7 p.m., with a chance to win another pair of tickets.  If you have any energy left, after shag dancing and sand digging, you can enter the Hula Hoop contest at 8 p.m.  It’s a great way to shake your hips and relive those childhood memories.

Sunday, September 5:  It’s Labor Day eve and the First Coast Shag dancers are back and ready for action, dancing from 2-3 p.m.  For a taste of something new, check out the Sauce Boss live from 4-8 p.m.  The celebrity gumbo chef and world-famous entertainer will show off his cooking skills on the Riverfront stage and even let the audience taste his creations.  To top off the night, wind down with your belly-full of gumbo to the sounds of The Rhythm Cure, performing from 9 p.m. – 1 a.m.

Monday, September 6: With all the exciting events taking place this week, it’s hard to say if you’ll have enough stamina to last until the actual Labor Day holiday.  I guess that’s why HippStreet will be playing from 4-8 p.m. to end the jam-packed week/weekend in style.

So shake it up this year by experiencing a new and different Labor Day than you’ve ever had before. The best part is, you won’t have to worry about catching a terrible case of the Mondays.

“We are definitely really excited,” said Knight’s founder and Executive Director Jeremy McDonald.

The Knights, who are a member of the Florida Football Alliance, are excited to continue to play their home games at Hodges Stadium because they feel that it is a good size for a team with their kind of fan base. Hodges Stadium seats close to 10,000 fans.

“To me the options are Hodges Stadium or Jacksonville Municipal Stadium,” said McDonald. “If we were selling out Hodges stadium and turning people away then yeah we would definitely want to go play at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Maybe years from now, that would be great if we could get to that point.”

While the Knights struggled in attendance for the first couple games last season due to bad weather, they improved at the end of the season and had around 1000 fans for each of the last two home games of the season. The Knights are hoping to improve off of those numbers with a year of exposure from playing on UNF’s campus.

The Knights are also hoping to build a larger fan base after the success they had in their first season last year. This is something that looks possible due to the spike in attendance later in the season. The Knights are coming off of a 10-3 season in which they won the NFC North and came just one win away from playing in the Alliance Bowl Championship.

The Knights are hoping to take their roster to next level and want to compete for championships in the season to come. They are holding Open Try Outs on Saturday, July 31, at Plantation Park in Julington Creek, Fla.

“Really we are looking for all positions,” said McDonald. “I can’t say there is one position that we’re just loaded at that we can’t use help. We definitely are in search of a franchise quarterback, as I think everybody always is. That is probably our single biggest need.”

For more information about the Jacksonville Knights visit www.jacksonvilleknights.org

The game started with a roar when Sharks’ quarterback Aaron Garcia threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jason Willis. It wasn’t long until the Gladiators scored on their first drive to tie the game 7-7. 

On the Sharks next possession, Garcia threw an interception, but their defense would prevail. The Sharks shut down the Gladiators’ offense, and blocked a field goal to obtain possession. The Sharks scored on the drive to go ahead 14-7. By the end of the first quarter the game was tied 14-14.

It was the Sharks’ defense which kept them in the game, from blocked field goals to blocked passes. At the end of the first quarter, Garcia completed 4-of-5 for 79-yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Cleveland’s quarterback, John Dutton, completed 10-of-15 passes for 98-yards and two touchdowns.

The score was close the entire game, but penalties kept the Gladiators from getting their offense to full potential. Cleveland had 11 penalties for 65-yards, while the Sharks had six penalties for 37-yards.

With 3:02 left in the game, the Sharks successfully completed an onside kick. This seemed to lock the win, as they scored again making it 46-37. Although the Gladiators tried for a late fourth quarter comeback, they failed.

The final score 46-44, put the Sharks at 6-1 on the season, while the Gladiators fell to 3-4. Garcia completed 23-of-40, with six touchdowns and two interceptions for 290-yards. “I know we had to score on the last drive and take advantage,” Garcia said. “With 11,000 great fans, I had to make a contribution. I felt I wasn’t playing well all game.”

Garcia also felt the key to their success for the win was sticking together as a team. He had help from wide receivers Dallas Baker and Jomo Wilson who combined for 16 catches for 234 yards and five touchdowns. This is Les Moss’ first year as the Sharks head coach, and remains unbeaten at home on Sea Best Field.

The study was based on votes submitted throughout the 2007 football season and was released in November.

“It’s a study I haven’t seen anyone else doing,” said Jay Coleman, lead professor on the study.

The research found biases toward the Southeastern Conference, Big 12 and PAC 10. But there was no bias toward the Big East, a conference not traditionally known for football success. 

There are 120 teams in Division I and 65 voters.

It took about six to seven months to complete the study that has been published online and will appear in the Journal of Sports Economics during the 2010 calendar year, Coleman said.

But one thing Coleman was unable to find was an East Coast bias.

“Some people think there is an East Coast bias because of more games being shown on prime-time [television] than West Coast,” he said. “But there is no data to support this.”

The study did not require any special funding with most research being done through public records, and Coleman said he really enjoyed the study. 

Another professor that assisted Coleman also really enjoyed the study was Paul Mason, chair of the economics department.

“We’re all sports nuts,” Mason said.

He said the research is proof that a playoff system is necessary.

“If the polls are biased, it further reduces their legitimacy,” Mason said.

He also added the NCAA tournament was better in deciding a champion.

Coleman noted that an NCAA tournament is more fair to the lesser known teams, but the winner is not necessarily the best team.

“In fact, the winner of the BCS championship is more likely to be the true champion [than the NCAA tournament],” he added.

Even though at this time, the AP poll is not part the BCS, still part of the BCS is derived from a human poll.

“Any type of human poll most likely can be influenced by human bias,” Coleman said.

Coleman said that the purpose of the study is to try and change the system. This doesn’t mean he agrees with a playoff system, he said spreading out the voters throughout the country is something that should be tried.

The AP vote was private and did not become public until 2006. The two other professors that participated in the study were Andres Gallo and Jeffrey Steagall.

 Published in print on Jan. 13

Since defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2007-2008 playoffs the Jacksonville Jaguars have arguably looked like a completely different team.

Throughout the 2008-2009 season, and in the months that followed, the Jaguars began to release several players who once made up the face of the franchise including: Fred Taylor, Paul Spicer, Reggie Williams, Mike Peterson, and Matt Jones. In the past few seasons inconsistancy on the field coupled with problems within the organization has led to off-and-on rumors of a possible relocation of the team to another city. Although the Jaguars and owner Wayne Weaver have made it clear that they will not be leaving Jacksonville any time soon, the Spinnaker decided to take a look at some cities currently without NFL franchises and how they may fair at supporting a team; as well as some possible mascots for each city.

Los Angeles- (Wave, Crush, Stars)

The city of Los Angeles is currently the biggest city in the U.S. without an NFL team; although the city has previously housed the Rams for several years. During the period of speculation with the Jaguars Los Angeles remained the constant forerunner in the discussion of where the Jags would land if they were to move. My pick for the L.A. mascot would be the Stars because what better way is there to describe L.A.?

Toronto- (Freeze, Mist, Predators)

Toronto seems to be the only Canadian city that can maintain programs in America’s major sports; well, except for hockey. Toronto is able to support an NFL team with fans, but people tend to speculate whether any city outside of the United States will ever really understand American football. Toronto’s mascot should probably be the Freeze considering a majority of American football fans would freeze if they had to visit Toronto for a game (accept maybe Green Bay fans).

Las Vegas- (Dice, Risk, Scorpions)

What city in the United States could possibly make more money off of NFL games? Las Vegas would surely be poised to bring in multitudes of fans to games as another of the million things tourists can do to waist their money in Sin City. However, inevitably investors, as well as the government, have realized that the other pleasures of the city would probably work their way into the franchise. However, if there was a team in Vegas I think they would be most suited going with the title of the Las Vegas Dice. They would be sure to repeat the success of the short-lived Nevada Hot Dice of TNT’s spectacular athletic extravaganza; RollerJam.

Orlando- (Trap, Destiny, Experience)

Orlando is another city whose tourist market could benefit immensely from another major attraction. The big problem for Orlando is that even though they only have one professional level team, they are surrounded by dozens throughout the rest of the state. Considering how much the Jaguars, Buccaneers and Dolphins have been struggling lately, it probably wouldn’t be the best idea for the state of Florida to add a fourth team to the equation. As for what mascot would best suit an Orlando franchise: any of the three I suggested. Because regardless of the name the city of Orlando will market the team with a phrase such as: “It’s your DESTINY to enjoy the EXPERIENCE of being dragged into yet another of Orlando’s tourist TRAPS.”

Sacramento- (Spartans, Dictators, Gods)

Out of all the markets in the United States Sacramento is the city that has been fighting hardest to house an NFL franchise for years. The city has been trying the steal the rights to the Niner’s and the Raiders since the dawn of eternity. However, it is fairly unlikely that Sacramento will host an NFL franchise anytime soon; especially before L.A. does. If the city does somehow land California’s fourth NFL franchise its mascot is sure to have some noble status if it is going to fall in line with the Kings, Monarchs and Solons. So, I am petitioning that the franchise be enshrined as the Sacramento Rulers of the Universe.

Salt Lake City- (Mirage, Trick, Rattlers)

Salt Lake City has proven they can support a professional program by housing the NBA’s prominent Utah Jazz. However, it is extremely hard for me to believe anything that is linked with this area of the country. Just think. Utah Jazz? I’m sorry, but Jazz is not the first thing I think of when I think of Utah. And if I was lost in the middle of the deserts in and surrounding Utah I would certainly be disappointed to find out that the biggest land based body of water in the United States is most likely undrinkable. For those reasons I would name any Utah franchise the Mirage; for misleading outsiders with the hope of something much different.

Portland- (Mystery, Skyhawks, Trees)

Although the state is home to a few prominent programs in the sporting world, it is hard for me to think what else is in Oregon. Being on the western seaboard the state has earned its right to claim that they have tough fans due to weather circumstances. But, I think I would be worried that they’re may not be enough of them to go around; especially with the gritty fans of Seattle not to far away. If there were to be a franchise in Oregon I would probably name them the Mystery; due to fact that I don’t know how they could possibly support a program, and that I have no clue of any realistic choices for mascot names involving Oregon heritage. However, maybe they would be better suited with the Portland Trees to go along with the Trail-Blazers and the Oregon State Beavers.

San Antonio- (Outlaws, Beat, River)

San Antonio is my top choice market to host an NFL expansion franchise. San Antonio may not necessarily show it with their support for the over-successful Spurs, but the city knows how to support teams. The AlamoDome and the city proved themselves worthy of NFL status after an impressive run with the Saints in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. And there is no doubt Texas is the perfect place for football. The state is arguably home to the best high school football in the nation and several collegiate teams full of rich winning traditions. If Florida and California can house three teams there should be no reason why Texas can ‘t. As for the franchises mascot, the city would be best suited with something that symbolizes its active spirit. Rather than playing off the stereotypical image of the Alamo, the program should be named the San Antonio River; in honor of the San Antonio River which helps shape the city’s landscape and culture.

Quarterback

1.) Joe Montana

2.) Dan Marino

3.) John Elway

Most over rated – Brett Favre

Running back

1.) Walter Payton

2.) Berry Sanders

3.) Jim Brown

Most over rated – Emmitt Smith

Wide receiver

1.) Jerry Rice

2.) Lynn Swann

3.) Chris Carter

Most over rated – Sterling Sharpe

Offensive Lineman

1.) Anthony Munoz

2.) Art Shell

3.) Ron Yary

Most over rated – Dan Dierdorf

Defensive ends

1.) Reggie White

2.) Bob Lilly

3.) Bruce Smith

Most over rated – George Connor

Linebackers

1.) Dick Butkus

2.) Laurence Taylor

3.) Mike Singletary

Most over rated – Ray Lewis

Defensive backs

1.) Ronnie Lott

2.) Deon Sanders

3.) Night Train Lane

Most over rated – Steve Atwater

Head coach

1.) Don Shula

2.) Bill Walsh

3.) Bill Belichick

Most over rated – Vince Lombardi

Top three NFL teams

1.) 1972 Miami Dolphins

2.) 1985 Chicago Bears

3.) 1992 Dallas Cowboys

Most Over rated – 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers

And nobody cares about kickers or punters, just ask Adam Sandler.

A nine-year-old boy’s father recently posted a video on YouTube of his son playing basketball with hopes it will catch the eye of an NCAA recruiter. The young boy is actually very good for his age, and the clip has already been viewed more than a million times.

University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer sent hundreds of text messages to recruits to avoid the NCAA limit on phone calls, and found another recruit’s girlfriend a gymnastics scholarship at UF just to sweeten the deal, according to a Gainesville Sun report.

What do the two have in common?

They are both examples of how NCAA recruiting has gone too far.

Coaches, Athletic Directors, scouts and even parents are violating NCAA recruiting policies and often going unpunished.

The NCAA prides itself on being extremely strict in punishing schools that clearly break the rules.

But what about Meyer?

He wasn’t even fined for his infringement – just given a slap on the wrist.

The NCAA also overlooked the Reggie Bush case.

Bush was allegedly given more than $1 million from corporate sponsors while attending the University of Southern California.

To date Bush or USC hasn’t been punished.

Alonzo Mourning also recent released his book titled “Resilience” which touches on how Mourning was recruited as a star high school player. He writes that Maryland, Syracuse, Virginia and Georgia Tech all recruited him intensely and courted him with clothes, shoes, dinners at ritzy restaurants and a trip to a strip club.

“Everyone understood I could have gotten money at any of these places,” Mourning said. “The message was sent.”

Texas football coach Mack Brown also acknowledged that recruiting violations are an increasing problem during a recent press conference.

“You’re always going to have violations by schools, and that’s in every profession not just ours, because some coaches are going to cheat,” Brown said. “That’s the way they’ve made their living. You’re always going to have some families that buy into that, and you’re always going to have a certain level of families that look you right in the face and lie to you.”

The problem doesn’t just lie with the schools, but also with the families that seek these bribes.

Often times these star recruits come from poverty-stricken areas and their families have a hard time putting food on the table. So when a coach flashes around some “freebees,” you can’t expect these families to simply turn them down.

But coaches and recruiters understand this, and that’s why they will continue to cheat.

Unfortunately there’s no immediate solution to the problem.

But it would be a start if the NCAA would recognize that a serious problem exists, and start spending some of the billions of dollars it receives each year toward a solution.

Nearly every star player in collegiate sports from football to swimming acknowledges that there are many schools breaking the rules.

Yet the NCAA just sweeps the problems under the rug in hopes the fans will forget.

Then, when a case is brought to light, the NCAA will suspend the player, fine the school and place the school on a probationary period as almost to say “see, we have it all under control. There’s no real problem here.”

I think the student athletes at poverty-stricken Glades Central High School in Miami will agree it’s not a problem, because to them it’s a solution.

Fans of losing teams the season prior regain hope with expectations their favorite team will select a player who will bring a franchise to winning ways.

The NFL commissioner gets on the stage, announces the first overall pick and one young athlete, just months removed from college, becomes a multi-millionaire.

The NFL draft is a two-day celebration of football that has become nearly as big as Super Bowl Sunday, yet each year as a new NFL draft class earns their right to play professional football for a living, the salaries of these young men continues to increase.

The un-capped salary draft system is to the point now where players who have never played a snap in the NFL are getting paid millions more than veterans of the game for 10 years.

The NFL draft system has gotten out-of-hand, and the league needs to adopt a rookie salary cap – similar to the system used by the NBA.

In 2007 linebacker Adalius Thomas (two-time Pro Bowl selection) signed a 5-year, $35 million contract with the New England Patriots, making him the highest-paid free agent signee that offseason.

The same year, the first overall pick of the NFL draft, Louisiana State University quarterback JaMarcus Russell, signed a 6-year, $64 million contract – nearly double what Thomas earned.

And the eight overall pick of the same draft, Adrian Peterson, still signed a more lucrative contract than Thomas despite showing a history of being injury prone.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, has already expressed his desire to change the current rookie salary structure, and said to the Associated Press that a rookie salary cap would be a good thing, noting the issue would eventually be taken to the owners.

But the issue can’t wait and needs to be brought to light during the upcoming owners meeting in Palm Beach.

The entire concept of the current NFL draft system is to help improve losing teams by giving them first dibs on the best talent. But many presidents and owners, including Bill Polian of the Indianapolis Colts, believes the rising price of rookie salaries is actually placing bad teams in even worse positions, according to an Associated Press report.

And each year, we are seeing more and more bad teams dreading high picks, with general managers desperately searching for ways to trade down to avoid a costly contract on a hit-or-miss player.

The NFL Players Association has also expressed interest in rookie salary cap with many proven veterans upset with not being able to match the salaries of first round picks.

The NFL needs to look no further than the NBA for a solution.

The NBA rookie salary system is based off of draft position, and rookies earn a set salary as determined by the league for each draft slot.

The first overall pick receives more than the second pick, the second more than the third, and so on. Each contract is for two years, with an option for the third and fourth seasons. To compensate for inflation and keep salaries slightly increasing, built-in raises are added every year, according to the official NBA Web site.

This system would work perfect for the NFL with a few minor touch-ups.

The NFL contracts would have to be adjusted since the NFL has a different draft structure (The NBA uses a lottery system), the average NFL career is shorter and the average salary is lower in the NFL, according to a USA Today report.

But these are just minor kinks that could easy be worked out at the next owners meeting.

So next March or April, the 32 owners in the NFL need to take a break from their Swedish massages and $50-a-glass martinis at the five-star Palm Beach resort to get some work done, and fix a NFL draft system that is clearly not working.

One team that has a significant chance at taking away the Titans perfect record is the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars played the Titans earlier this season and lost in a game which was fairly even. Since then the two teams have gone in different directions with the Jaguars falling to 4-5 and the Titans remaining undefeated at 9-0. However, with the Jaguars coming off of a huge win against the winless Detroit Lions last week a win against the Titans could turn the Jaguars season around and renew their hope at making the playoffs.

“I feel like it was a win we had to have, and now we get ready for this next one,” Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio said. “We did some things that we expected to do well and then there were some things that we still need to improve on. So that’s where I say we need to use this as a game to build on and utilize going forward as a stepping stone, certainly not a place to arrive at. It’s more of a step in the right direction.”

The Jaguars will have to play a lot better than their record if they are to defeat the Titans. So far this season the Titans have defeated several playoff contenders including: the Packers, Colts, Bears, Ravens, and Vikings. A win for the Jaguars would signify the first time the team has won three consecutive division games in franchise history. The game is likely to be a close one, with Jacksonville living up to their nickname of the “Cardiac Cats” after eight of their nine games this season have decided by seven or less points.

Week 11 Power Rankings

1. Titans (1)
2. Giants (2)
3. Panthers (4)
4. Falcons (14)
5. Steelers (3)
6. Colts (20)
7. Buccaneers (9)
8. Jets (21)
9. Patriots (8)
10. Redskins (5)
11. Cardinals (10)
12. Ravens (17)
13. Eagles (12)
14. Dolphins (22)
15. Bears (11)
16. Cowboys (7)
17. Broncos (15)
18. Bills (6)
19. Vikings (24)
20. Jaguars (16)
21. Saints (18)
22. Packers (13)
23. Texans (23)
24. Chargers (26)
25. Browns (19)
26. 49ers (29)
27. Raiders (27)
28. Seahawks (28)
29. Rams (25)
30. Chiefs (30)
31. Bengals (31)
32. Lions (32)