The U hit hard with suspensions, injuries

Heading into their season opener at Maryland on September 5, the Miami Hurricanes will be down some significant names.

In all, The U will be down eight players for the first game of the season due to suspensions, six of whom were expected to start.

The suspensions were handed out to "players who accepted extra benefits from former booster Nevin Shapiro." Dozens of current and former players were implicated in the scandal.

Defensive end Olivier Vernon (six games), safety Ray Ray Armstrong (four games) and tight end Dyron Dye (four games) received multi-game suspensions, while wide receiver Travis Benjamin, defensive linemen Marcus Forston and Adewale Ojomo, linebacker Sean Spence and quarterback Jacory Harris all received one-game suspensions.

While the offense will take a hit, the defense is clearly the more affected group. Vernon, Ojomo and Forston were starters, while Spence and Armstrong were second-team All-ACC players. In all, Spence, Armstrong and Forston are three of the team's top defensive players.

Between injuries and suspensions, the Hurricanes are down six defensive linemen and four pass-catchers.

Amazingly, with the suspensions, last year's graduations and various injuries, Miami will have just one available receiver who had more than one reception last year, InsideMDSports' Seth Hoffman reports.

So while the game opened in Vegas last month with Miami as a four-point favorite, when Vegas puts the lines back up, the game could swing significantly in Maryland's favor.

Terps add Ukranian big man

Generally speaking, when a college basketball coach adds a player to his roster in August, he's not happy to be doing so.

Because nine times out of 10, he's sifting through the bargain bin, only to come up with Now That's What I Call Music! 7.

This time, things appear to be different, as Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon has added Ukranian 7-footer Olexiy Len to the roster.

Len averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks per game in the European U-18 Championships. Jonas Valančiūnas, who was drafted fifth overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, averaged 19 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks per game in the same tournament... so there's not a huge dropoff in numbers.

Len, 18, was being recruited by former assistant coach Rob Ehsan, who is now at Virginia Tech. It seems that the Hokies aren't looking to add a guy this late in the game. Obviously, there's room at the inn at Maryland, plus Len will probably only stick around one or two years before looking to play professionally (either in Europe or the NBA).

Now, it's kind of strange that Turgeon didn't opt to keep German big man Martin Breunig and is now looking to add a different European big man so late in the game, but Breunig needed to be re-recruited (just like Turgeon did with wing Nick Faust), and Turgeon may not have thought he was worth a scholarship, for whatever reason.

"I'm looking forward to working with Alex and helping him reach his potential as a player and a person," Turgeon said in a press release.

So the Terps add Len, who is somewhere between 6-foot-11 and 7-foot-2, did well in the European U-18 Championships and has the makings of a pro (in Europe or NBA, not sure) within two years. He hasn't been cleared to play -- and may not be able to practice with the team just yet -- but he's officially on campus and enrolled in classes. (He may also be suspended for a portion of the season due to eligibility, which is standard among European players.)

He's got nimble feet and a soft touch for a big man, as well as some unexpected range for a 7-footer. And we know he can swat shots. He's not a back-to-the-basket type of player, but he instantly becomes Maryland's most skilled big man, and could easily be starting by the season opener.

Neither NBADraft.net nor DraftExpress.com have scouting reports on him, but Eurohopes.com ranks him the seventh-best player in his age group, and the second-best big man. Watch a workout video below.

NYCers embrace Hurricane Irene

While the East Coast was panicking about the impending natural disaster that was Hurricane Irene, a group of people took to the streets to play a little pickup hockey.

Not surprisingly, the group was comprised of mostly Canadians. They're some of the most cheerful people in the world, anyway. And how often is Times Square empty enough to play an impromptu game of hockey?

The police broke the game up around 10:30 p.m., killing the fun as they always do.

Playing hockey itself wasn't even the most ill-advised decision of the night. That some of these schlubs decided to play shirts versus skins was much worse.

Check out the video below.

WNBA partners up with Boost Mobile

According to an article from the Washington Post, the WNBA has agreed to a multi-year advertising campaign with Boost Mobile, a cell phone service provider.

As a result, every WNBA team will sport a Boost Mobile logo on the front of their jersey.

Now, I'm no marketing guru, but I can't imagine many people will flee their contracts with Verizon or AT&T to join WNBA-friendly Boost Mobile.

To break the news, the WNBA released a commercial with two of its players -- New York Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter and Minnesota Lynx guard Candice Wiggins -- shooting trick shots. (Spoiler alert: nobody's touching the rim.)

Instead of a traditional game of H-O-R-S-E, Pondexter and Wiggins play a game of B-O-O-S-T. Oh the cleverness.

I've made fun of the WNBA before, but seriously, this stuff is not helping the sport. Lower the rims and let them dunk with mini basketballs. Do something. But don't just feature a two-minute video of two girls making shots I could make at my local gym.

...and then the video hit YouTube. But the NBA forgot to disable comments. Or they didn't realize what would happen altogether. Here are a few of the highlights:

"They should have a dunk contest..."

"right..... how many takes did it take to make this?"

"If only the WNBA had a lockout"

"NBA: "Betwwen the legs reverse dunk" WNBA: "Between the legs reverse LAY UP" And that's why I don't watch the WNBA"

"WNBA - where 14 inch verticals happen."

Check it out below:

Redskins' hot start has fans hopeful

The Redskins have done something very dangerous to their fan base.

They started the preseason 2-0, with a pair of convincing performances. And now, Washington fans are starting to talk about a winning season.

Washington followed up a 16-7 win over Pittsburgh with a 16-3 win over Indianapolis. Put the bubbly on ice, boys... the Redskins are going to the Super Bowl.

Quarterback Rex Grossman ranks second in the NFL in passing yards. Running backs Roy Helu and Tim Hightower rank fourth and fifth in rushing yards. As a team, the Redskins rank first in total offense (433 per game) and total defense (168 per game).

Except... it doesn't matter. Not even a little bit.

Consider that the Indianapolis Colts are 4-21 in the last five years of preseason games, and 75-21 in the last five years of regular season games.

Consider that the 49ers went undefeated last preseason, then went 6-10 during the regular season. Seattle did the same in 2009, then went 5-11. Detroit became the first 0-16 team ever after an undefeated preseason. And Oakland was 2-14 after doing it in 2006.

So drift back down to earth, Redskins fans. Don't make fools out of yourselves. This team is tanking this year, no matter if it's Rex Grossman (who showed up to training camp fat) or John Beck (who has thrown one career touchdown pass) leading the team to three-and-outs.

We'd be lucky to squeak out six wins, but even luckier to go 0-16 and win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

So, now that you've heard my cheerful optimism, vote in the poll below. Do you see the Redskins winning a Super Bowl on Beck's back?

Minor leaguer makes unbelivable catch

In 2009, Nashville Sounds centerfielder Logan Schafer was awarded the franchise's minor league player of the year. But unless you follow the Milwaukee Brewers' minor league organization closely, you would have no reason to know about him.

That is, until last week, when he made a spectacular catch to spark a triple play in a 4-1 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers.

I won't spoil the surprise, but check out the crazy concentration Schafer displays as he bobbles the ball for a few seconds before bringing in the catch.

Raiders pick Pryor in supplemental draft

Following up on my June entry about former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor called "Where will Pryor end up?" it's time to answer that question: he's officially an Oakland Raider.

Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders overspent for the big-name quarterback in Monday's supplemental draft, in which teams "bid" on players by offering to forfeit a draft pick in a specific round, should they "win" their bid.

In Oakland's case, it offered a third-rounder for Pryor after 17 other teams had passed on him. That was the best offer on the table, so he was drafted to the Raiders.

Pretty good for a guy who will likely never attempt a pass at the NFL level.

It's the typical Al Davis charm we've grown to love. That liver-spotted bastard can't help himself.

A total of 17 NFL teams showed up to watch Pryor in his pro day last week, where he ran an unofficial 4.41 in the 40-yard dash.

It's the latest move in a long line of typical Davis overspending. He was responsible for signing wide receiver Javon Walker to a six-year, $55 million deal in 2008, after signing quarterback Kerry Collins and defensive tackle Warren Sapp to three-year, $17 million and seven-year, $37 million deals, respectively, in 2004.

According to ESPN, "Based on the rookie scale used to sign picks from April's draft, Pryor would be expected to get a four-year deal at $2.36 million, including a $591,000 signing bonus." (Insert obvious joke about how he's taking a pay cut from playing at Ohio State.)

Not bad, considering two months ago he was staring at a possible contract with Canada's CFL.

Fake Brett Favre hanging out in Milwaukee

Even after retiring (for the final time... I think), Brett Favre continues making headlines.

I've written about Favre a number of times. I wrote about him unretiring... again. I wrote when he partially ruined Sage Rosenfels' stint with the Vikings. I wrote about him needing ankle surgery. I wrote about him karmically getting hit in the groin. And I wrote about him overstaying his welcome in Minnesota after he threw for more interceptions than touchdowns for the fourth time in his 20-season career.

In general, he's a guy I don't look up to. And he's a guy I certainly wouldn't want to look like if I were a Wisconsin resident.

Yet there's a guy roaming around Green Bay as Favre's doppelganger, showing up to the Packers' practice, kissing babies and signing Fake Favre autographs. Believe it or not, it's him, not Favre, pictured above.

(Sidebar: why would Favre show up to a Packers practice wearing his own jersey? File this as evidence that we're a country full of dumb, gullible people.)

"This has taken on a life of its own, like Elvis," said David Thomason, Favre's travel coordinator.

Hopefully this guy doesn't start picture messaging his johnson to keep the appearance up...

Hoyas brawl in Beijing

A trip overseas to China turned into an all-out brawl for the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team on Thursday night.

Playing in an exhibition game against the Bayi Rockets -- in which both teams combined for 72 free throws -- the Hoyas ended up getting bum-rushed and attacked with flying fists, full water bottles and even chairs.

Washington Post reporter Gene Wang described the scene on the ground, writing that "Georgetown Coach John Thompson III pulled his players off the court with 9 minutes 32 seconds left in the game and the scored tied at 64 after a chaotic scene in which members of both teams began throwing punches and tackling one another."

Big man Henry Sims was hit by a chair and freshman center Moses Ayegba grabbed a chair in self defense after being struck.

The craziest part? This was the second time both teams cleared their benches during the game.

"Tonight two great teams played a very competitive game that unfortunately ended after heated exchanges with both teams. We sincerely regret that this situation occurred," Thompson said in a statement after the game.

Though the team was scheduled to show up today in Shanghai, it wouldn't be surprising for Georgetown to cut the trip short. And it'd be hard to fault them for fearing for their own safety.

Watch the melee below.

Tony Romo's bachelor party nerdfest

Let's get one thing straight: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is a nerd.

Until yesterday, I didn't have any concrete evidence of that, beyond the fact that he's an athlete who can't even pull off wearing a backwards hat.

He married Dallas news anchor Candice Crawford in May, but just recently released some details on his bachelor party.

Now, Romo's set to make $9 million this year, and signed a deal worth nearly $70 million four years ago. So he's got the money to throw himself a pretty badass bachelor party.

But, as you'd expect of a Dumbo-eared doofus, instead of champagne and strippers, he took his buddies to a cabin in West Virginia.

OK, at least they probably hunted, fished and drank a bunch of beer and liquor... right?

Nope.

Romo told Yahoo Sports that, instead of drinking, he and his 14 friends played hide and seek.

"I didn't really feel like going out, drinking that night. ... We tried coming up with a game, but with 14 or 15 guys, there aren't a lot of non-drinking games at that age you can do," Romo said.

So of course, one of his super-cool friends suggested they play hide and seek.

"I stayed hidden for a while. I had a pretty good spot. It was probably about 35 minutes. It was enjoyable to win just because I got to tell them all that I was smarter than them."

Yeah, you were smarter than your friends. But you were dumb enough to silently lay still for more than half an hour on your last nights of freedom, you idiot.

I didn't think it was possible to hate the Dallas Cowboys any more than I already did. Clearly, I was wrong.

NCAA to allow cream cheese again?

The NCAA is a notoriously bureaucratic organization. And while I'll assume everyone memorizes all my old posts, in case you forgot, a couple years ago I wrote about how the NCAA allowed colleges to provide bagels -- but not cream cheese -- to student-athletes.

An absurd rule, for sure. And one that the NCAA is apparently considering changing for the upcoming year. The NCAA released its 136-page book of proposals, and buried deep in there is Rule No. 2011-78.

Bylaw Blog tweeted: "2011-78: Permits an institution to provide spreads (e.g butter, peanut butter, jelly, cream cheese) with the bagels it provides."

(Much thanks to the Bylaw Blog for sifting through this borderline impenetrable document.)

The NCAA's rationale is that " Beginning with the 2009-10 academic year, institutions have been permitted to provide fruit, nuts and bagels to student-athletes at any time. This proposal seeks to make a reasonable accommodation in allowing an institution to provide traditional bagel spreads to student-athletes in conjunction with the bagels it is already permitted to provide."

Bylaw Blog got the ball rolling on the humor: "So now that spreads are on the table, we can talk pizza bagels, bagel sandwiches, muffins, scones, cereal, etc."

I can only imagine a school getting docked a scholarship or being banned from a postseason because of a misinterpretation of "traditional bagel spreads." Hey, ask the student-athletes at Brandeis University. You know they want lox with their everything bagels and a schmear of cream cheese.

Redskins misspell fifth-string QB's name

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a huge Redskins fan, and that I'm a stickler for spelling. So when fifth-string quarterback Matt Gutierrez showed up to last week's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a misspelled jersey (Gutierriz), I had to laugh.

And yes, I'm fully aware the Redskins are about to endure a horrific season, which might make a 16-7 win over the Steelers worthy of celebration, not nitpickery.

But it's not the first time the Redskins have misspelled a jersey. They couldn't get seven-year veteran running back Ladell Betts' name right, either. That, coincidentally, was Betts' last season with the Redskins... uh oh.

It's also not the first time a Washington-area pro sports team has made a typo. The Nationals not only misspelled starting pitcher John Lannan's name, but they also mispelled their own name, writing Natinals on the front of their jersey.

The Wizards have gotten in on the fun, too, misspelling longtime big man Andray Blatche's name on the back of the jersey once, as well as sort of vaguely messing up Mustafa Shakur's jersey. (To their credit, they did spell his name right. And he was a last-minute addition to the team, almost literally.)

John Beck, Kellen Clemens and Rex Grossman all occupy spots on the Redskins' 53-man roster. And Indiana rookie Ben Chappell is Gutierrez's competition on the practice squad. It would be nothing short of a miracle for Gutierrez to make the active roster. Especially if the team can't even get his name right.

SEC to expand... or not?

Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

If you haven't been paying close attention, you might think Texas A&M or Missouri are leaving the Big 12, or that Virginia Tech, Clemson or Florida State are leaving the ACC in favor of the SEC.

Last June, I wrote about the conference defections and additions that had sparked the discussion of "superconferences." If you're a college sports purist, it's a little scary.

The Big East isn't supposed to be bigger than 16 teams. And more importantly, the Pac-10 and the Big Ten should have, oh, I don't know, 10 teams. And the Big 12? Just spitballing here, but a dozen teams sounds just right.

So the recent news that several teams could be bailing out of BCS conferences to join the SEC could shift the whole dynamic of college sports.

But on Sunday, SEC presidents met to decide to keep the conference at 12 teams... for now, at least.

"We recognize, however, that future conditions may make it advantageous to expand the number of institutions in the league. We discussed criteria and process associated with expansion. No action was taken with respect to any institution including Texas A&M," said Florida president Bernie Machen in a statement.

That (temporarily) squashes the widespread discussions about realigning the college sports puzzle, but it's a topic that has been discussed in-depth twice over the past year. And it seems to be just a matter of time before the SEC, Big Ten and Big East poach the ACC until it disintegrates.

Losing any -- or all -- of Virginia Tech, Florida State or Clemson would cripple the ACC's football reputation. Texas A&M is a secondary member of the Big 12 from a basketball and football perspective, clearly below Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

So for the time being, there's nothing to report. But, like TCU's shift to the Big East, there may be fireworks in the near future.

Ravens' hopes resting on wide receivers

Drafting a quarterback in the first round is a risky proposition. Which is why the Ravens have been ecstatic to see the development of Joe Flacco, who last year "became the first quarterback in NFL history to start and win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons."

Despite showing that he's more susceptible to win a game rather than put up big numbers on the box score (a la hated rival Ben Roethlisberger), Flacco has proven to the team that he's a winner.

And now that Flacco has proved he's more boom than bust, the team has shown it's willing to fork over some cash to surround him with playmakers who can catch the ball.

Last year, the Ravens signed three-time Pro Bowler Anquan Boldin to a four-year, $28 million deal. Though his numbers were down -- his fewest receptions and receiving yards in seven seasons -- the veteran was still the No. 1 option, leading Baltimore in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

But when the NFL lockout ended a few weeks ago, Baltimore set out to upgrade its receiving options. It cut veterans Todd Heap and Derrick Mason, long-time staples around M&T Bank Stadium, and it set out to sign a big-name receiver to complement Boldin.

The Ravens struck out on signing Malcom Floyd (San Diego) and Jerricho Cotchery (New York Jets), and whiffed on re-signing Mason for less money.

Though the Ravens return just 45% of their receptions from last year, the team is hoping drafting Maryland receiver Torrey Smith and Indiana receiver Tandon Doss in April will pay dividends.

It's likely too late to sign a big-name receiver, so the team is depending on one of Smith or Doss to start and make an impact.

There's already a noticeably younger crowd of pass-catchers at Ravens training camp. Last year, Baltimore's top five receivers and tight ends averaged 31.8 years of age. This year, that top five group averages just 24.6 years.

Though it remains Baltimore's biggest question mark, if everything breaks right, it could be Flacco's first trip to a Pro Bowl.

Chad Ochocinco is homeless

Well, not exactly.

But he is looking for a Patriots fan's couch to crash on for a few weeks while he gets acclimated to the New England area.

"I'm going to do something different, I'm actually going to stay with a fan for the first two, three weeks of the season. That should be fun, until I get myself acclimated and learn my way around," he told reporters on Tuesday.

And when asked what his requirements were, Ochocinco gave two must-haves: an Internet connection and an Xbox.

Running water? Electricity? Maybe a bed to sleep in? Nah, Ochocinco can crash on the floor of an abandoned house, as long as it's got Internet and an Xbox.

The always-funny Ochocinco spent his offseason riding bulls, trying out for an MLS team and getting traded from Cincinnati to New England.

And he's been entertaining the whole time, even tweeting: "Im in front of Pierce Middle School, which way do I go to get back to Massachusetts Avenue?" to his 2.5 million followers. Hope someone gave him good directions.

Portis turning heads in Seattle

Chances are, you associate the last name Portis with longtime Redskins running back Clinton Portis.

But while Clinton is a free agent, it's a different Portis who's turning heads in Seattle: his cousin, Josh.

The name may sound familiar, especially to area sports fans. The California native attended the University of Florida for a season -- sandwiched between Chris Leak and Tim Tebow -- before transferring to Maryland.

But even outside of the SEC, Portis struggled. He was knocked for not completely understanding head coach Ralph Friedgen's massive playbook, and was used mostly as a change-of-pace scrambler, rather than a pocket passer.

After seeing the writing on the wall, Portis transferred down to Division II California (Pa.), where he set school records for passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense.

He was ranked the No. 19 quarterback prospect by ESPN heading into April's draft, and, predictably, didn't hear his name get called.

But the Seattle Seahawks took a chance on him, and he recently earned some praise from head coach Pete Carroll.

"I am really, really excited about Josh. ... He's in command of the offense -- as much as he should be at this time, he's handling the huddle really well, he's very confident and he's really a talented kid," Carroll told the press on Saturday.

He continued gushing: "He's got great feet, he's got great delivery and a very strong arm. And he's very poised about it. He's just been a real pleasant surprise, so we're real excited about him being the third guy right now and knowing that in time he's going to gain knowledge of the offense and get settled in and let that ability really come to the front. He's an extremely big get for us in free agency."

It's somewhat rare for a guy to stick around like that after going undrafted. It happens occasionally (see: LeGarrette Blount in Tampa Bay), but not every day. And although Portis has had a few blemishes on his record (academic integrity at Maryland and theft at California), he's a guy most of us in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia corridor can pull for.

Joe Haden is generous

I'm a sucker for Twitter bringing together athletes or celebrities with their adoring fans.

So when I caught wind of Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden tweeting his fans and asking if they wanted to grab a bite to eat at a local mall, I was pretty impressed.

Considering living in Cleveland is punishment enough, Haden must have thought it was time to give back to the fans.

He can certainly afford it, though. He signed a five-year deal worth $42 million last year, $26 million of which was guaranteed.

"sushirock beachwood at 415! Lunch on me just come over and say you follow me on twitter and ill take your bill!" he tweeted, and sure enough the fans turned out in a big way.

"We took over the whole place," Haden told the Associated Press on Monday. As for the bill?

"Pretty hefty. I just wanted to give back to the fans," he said.

Haden has become a fan favorite in Cleveland, possibly because of his back-and-forth interaction on Twitter. He routinely gives away jerseys and tickets to his 50,000 followers, and generally seems to be a good guy.

That's what we need in the world of sports. More of Joe Haden, less of Cedric Benson, please.

Auburn, Alabama fans get tricked

To some people in the south, college football is life.

Which is why it was especially exciting that fans were offered the opportunity to win tickets to the 2011 Iron Bowl, the annual matchup between Alabama and Auburn.

That is, until these fans showed up and were immediately arrested.

Apparently, all it takes to trick people down south is promising free college football tickets.

The Lee County (Ala.) police department used the sly misdirection to catch and lock up those who had failed to pay their child support.

A dozen deadbeats, "who were wanted by authorities for a total of more than $270,000 worth of unpaid child support," were arrested in the operation, which boasted balloons and highlights from last year's Iron Bowl.

Quite the To Catch a Predator flavor to it, I must say.

"We want to send the message that if you haven't paid your child support, we're coming after you and we're going to get you one way or another," Major Tommy Carter told WRBL news.

But the best part? As one redneck was getting handcuffed, he asked, "Do I still get my tickets?"

Only in Alabama...

Wrestler pulls unbelievable move

If I had to guess, you've probably forgotten that Greco-Roman wrestling is even an Olympic sport.

I can't fault you too much for that. After all, the only reason I remembered it existed was because of Rulon Gardner's appearance in Season 11 of The Biggest Loser.

You probably thought Gardner was the first, the only and the last Greco-Roman wrestler you'd ever know by name.

Until now.

Enter Ellis Coleman, a high-flying spider monkey of a wrestler, who just put the ultimate WWE-style move on his opponent.

At the Junior World Championships, Coleman successfully pulled off a move called the "flying squirrel," a move so tremendously awesome, you have to see it to believe it.

Coleman finished third in the event, earning a bronze medal. But he would've earned a gold medal if they were handing out awards for Bad-Assery.

Women's X-Games event a failure

If there's one thing I love about sports, it's bloopers.

Hell, I love them so much, I've had to create a tag for blooper-related posts.

So when the X-Games provided an event called the Women's Moto X Enduro X, in which riders made their way over "tires, rock pits, a pile of split lumber, log paths, fallen trees and a water pit," you'd think the video would be set to Benny Hill music.

It was so bad, the Los Angeles Times called the event "far short of Olympian."

Technically speaking, Maria Forsberg "won" the race. But watch the "highlights" of the race below, and you'll see it was more like she didn't lose the race.

In fact, by not taking a spill over her handlebars, Forsberg was in the minority of contestants. And for that, she "earned" a gold medal.

Palsson leaves Terp frontcourt thinner

Nobody expected Maryland head basketball coach Mark Turgeon's first season to be great. Hell, nobody expected it to be very good. With just nine scholarship players on the roster, Turgeon and the Terps were already facing an uphill battle.

Well, the hill just got a little steeper. Sophomore forward Haukur Palsson is heading back home to Europe to play professional basketball.

The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Palsson contributed 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last year, but was entering the season as the team's most proven "big" man.

The Iceland native was likely slated for a spot in the starting lineup as an undersized power forward. But after a summer of European basketball in which Palsson averaged around 22 points and 10 rebounds per game, he decided to take his talents and earn a paycheck.

Now, the Terps' roster is comprised of a three-man frontcourt: junior James Padgett, senior Berend Weijs and redshirt freshman Ashton Pankey, who combined for 393 minutes on the court last year -- combined, barely more than Palsson's on-court minutes.

Some close to the program thought Palsson wouldn't stick around all four years, and the excellent performance in summer ball evidently turned enough heads to earn him a look right away.

The departure has prompted Turgeon to add a few non-scholarship walk-ons. But come ACC play, those unproven big men and walk-ons will be defending the likes of UNC's Tyler Zeller and Duke's Mason Plumlee.

So, what can Terp fans expect out of Padgett, Pankey and Weijs?

Pankey hasn't played since his junior year of high school, having been sidelined for two years with various leg injuries. He logged just five minutes last year before earning a medical redshirt.

Weijs is a reed-thin 6-foot-10, 210 pounds. He's got a good motor, good feet and good size, but Maryland was his only Division I offer, and he missed 10 of the last 17 games of the regular season. He averaged just 5.2 minutes per game last season, and will likely be counted on for upwards of 25 this year.

Padgett is the most proven big man on the roster now, coming in having averaged 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game last year in 8.7 minutes per game. Unlike Pankey or Weijs, he appeared in almost all of Maryland's games last season. But he'll have to nearly triple his output in both points and rebounds to make much of a difference.

In the short term, it's going to be rough. As in, 12-19 (3-13) rough. And while Turgeon will be able to promise loads of early playing time to incoming big men, he'll also have to make do with four-guard sets of senior Sean Mosley, sophomores Pe'Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin and freshman Nick Faust. So sit back, relax and try not to get too emotionally invested in a team likely to go to the wire with the cupcakes of Maryland's schedule.

U.S. soccer has high hopes for Klinsmann

Last Thursday, U.S. soccer finally did what some fans believed was a long time coming. It fired head coach Bob Bradley. Last Friday, it announced his successor: Jürgen Klinsmann.

For anyone who follows U.S. (or international) soccer closely, Klinsmann is a familiar name. He coached Germany from 2004 to 2006, racking up an 8-2-2 record in international competition. Then he took over German club team Bayern Munich, where he led them to a 25-9-9 record from 2008 to 2009.

But to most feverish fans, he's been the answer all along.

As for Bradley, the runner-up finish in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was probably the final nail in the coffin. Fans found the U.S. soccer team had hit a ceiling under Bradley, one that was unlikely to change with him still at the helm.

In fact, when Bradley was originally hired, fans were disappointed it wasn't Klinsmann. Bradley never quite got the U.S. to look past the "he was our second choice" mindset.

Sometimes nutty, often entertaining, Klinsmann's tactics have not gone without criticism. He strategically placed Buddha statues around Bayern Munich's headquarters. Some complain that he's offensive-minded and defensive-absent-minded, which would make him a great head football coach in the Big 12.

But his track record is impressive, both as a player and a coach. He was part of the 1990 West Germany World Cup gold medalists and Germany's 1996 UEFA Euro championship team. As a coach, he led Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup, losing to Italy, the eventual champs.

Moreover, Klinsmann has big plans to change youth soccer in America, starting with a massive restructuring of how U.S. soccer will bring its players up the ranks. For one, he's not a fan of college soccer.

Klinsmann wants to change the mindset and culture of soccer, starting with youth teams practicing in the same formation as his U.S. squad plays. Eventually, he'd like players to forgo college altogether in order to join the national team, much like the way it's set up in Europe.

With Klinsmann, an exciting future for U.S. soccer is ahead.

Orioles mid-season update

A little over two months since his early-season update, blog friend Scott Brosig is back in action with a mid-season update.

The NFL lockout is over. Orioles fans can rejoice and regain their interest in professional sports (unless you're a Redskins fan…). No longer do you have to feign interest in the dismal Os season, unless you’re a diehard glutton for punishment like me.

So while you've been following NFL lockout news and the feverish pace of free agent signings and trades, let's recap Os happenings and what to look for ahead as the baseball season winds down like a slow guillotine.

The best thing that's happened for the Orioles is the health and play of J.J. Hardy. He's been on a tear at the top of the line-up, and while he's not Buck Showalter's prototype leadoff man, he's given the lineup some life. The Os opted to sign the slugging shortstop to a three-year extension worth $22.5 million instead of trading for prospects.

A good move, considering he's greatly surpassed the offensive output of any shortstop plug-ins since the Orioles traded once-great Miguel Tejada years ago. Having Hardy will allow the Os to bring top prospect Manny Machado through the minors at a gradual pace, alleviating concerns that the Orioles will push him to the majors too aggressively.

Baltimore has gotten good production out of its lineup. Nick Markakis and Adam Jones have found the power in their swings and lead the team in batting average. Matt Wieters has taken a small step back offensively, but is still in position to set personal bests in many statistical categories, while his defense should put him in consideration for a Gold Glove.

However, there have also been disappointments. Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero, while showing intermittent signs of life, have largely been busts. They have not delivered the power and run production numbers you would expect from your first basemen and designated hitter.

With that said, offseason acquisition Mark Reynolds doesn't get the credit he deserves. While his error totals match his home run totals, he's done what was asked in delivering RBIs and home runs from the bottom of the order.

On the pitching side, the Orioles have struggled badly. Once rookie-of-the-year candidate Zach Britton, Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz were sent down to the minors. The starting pitching struggles have made it clear that trading top pitcher Jeremy Guthrie to a contender for prospects will be a difficult move, as unfortunately, the Os still need to get through the remainder of the season.

In the bullpen, Mike Gonzalez recently made ESPN's Not Top 10 highlights by falling off the mound.

Going into next year, there are more questions than Orioles fans would like or would have expected. In the interest of giving Os fans some hope, discussions of realignment and expansion of playoffs have intensified, giving the Os a better shot at grabbing some low-hanging fruit in seasons to come, and take a wild card berth to the promised land.