Water Cooler – October 18th, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
The game of football is a beautiful thing but, as this past weekend showed us, also a dangerous thing. A smattering of dangerous hits and vicious injuries are the focus in today’s news.
NFL news: DeSean Jackson, Josh Cribbs, Mohamed Massaquoi, Joseph Addai knocked out on big hits
It was a violent Sunday in the NFL. The most talked about “big hit” of the day came when Atlanta defensive back Dunta Robinson knocked DeSean Jackson out cold with a devastating blow – a hit so hard that both Jackson and Robinson lay on the field for a long time afterwards. Jackson has memory loss and what the Eagles are calling a “severe” concussion. He likely won’t play in Week 7 and the Eagles have a bye in Week 8.
James Harrison was a killer for the Pittsburgh Steelers during their win over Cleveland on Sunday. He knocked Browns receivers Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi out of the game with two massive hits. Cribbs suffered a mild concussion and Massaquoi had neck pain and memory loss. It’s possible the NFL will look into suspending the Falcons’ Robinson and the Steelers’ Harrison for their hits in Week 6.
Joseph Addai also went down yesterday. He appeared to reinjure his shoulder when he took a massive hit from London Fletcher and fumbled in the fourth quarter of Indianapolis’ victory over Washington. It was a shame since Addai was having a big night, well over 100 rushing yards at the time. Redskins tight end Chris Cooley was concussed in that game, too.
Antonio Gates suffered a leg injury in San Diego’s shocking loss to St. Louis and was wearing a protective boot after the game. No word yet on how serious the injury is but it looks like an ankle.
NCAA football news: Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand paralyzed; Ryan Mallett concussed
The bad news from the football world keeps coming. Tragedy struck the Rutgers/Army game over the weekend when Rutgers defensive tackle ducked his head while tackling Malcolm Brown on a kickoff return. The violent collision left LeGrand paralyzed from the neck down. He had emergency surgery to stabilize his spine overnight. No word yet on whether he’ll regain his sensation or walk again, but the LeGrand family can at least look to Kevin Everett as inspiration. The Buffalo Bills tight end was also paralyzed from the neck down after his collision but regained movement and eventually walked again. Our hearts go out to Eric and the LeGrand family.
Arkansas got a scare of its own on the weekend when star quarterback Ryan Mallett went down with a concussion. It’s too early to tell if he’ll miss time but Razorbacks athletic trainer Matt Summers said Sunday that Mallett’s “symptoms are improving.”
MLB news: Cliff Lee refutes rumors that he doctors baseballs
Nothing to see here. Some whispers emerged on a New York talk radio show that dominant Rangers starter Cliff Lee was doctoring baseballs, as suggested by the white residue on the back of his cap. But, as Yankee manager Joe Girardi pointed out, it’s just resin – a perfectly legal product used to dry hands and improve grip on a baseball.
Lee joked that resin “definitely makes me better” and that he doesn’t know if he could succeed without his hat.
Comments are welcome below!
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