Thursday Coal Tattoo

When you think to yourself, "Oh my God! I've been shot in the neck!" You might prefer a Coal Tattoo.

We stay away from basketball stuff around here until the season starts, just because that's generally the only time we really care about basketball. But since Joe Alexander had to go ahead and be fucking awesome, we thought some links were in order.

Joe could get more money if he is drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks? It's true! Given he speaks Mandarin and would be teammates with Yi Jianlian, he would stand to get a lot of fans in China. And endorsements, etc.

Joe giving Beilein fits is just one of the tales being told over at MSN, but one I can just imagine. Beilein was a teacher, one of the things I really liked about him. Too bad he couldn't teach anyone how to rebound.

But Mazzulla said it was former coach John Beilein that Alexander drove crazy. Beilein’s entire basketball mantra is based on IQ, jump shooting and precision.

Joe learned how to play basketball by playing video games. That just doesn’t translate to a guy like John Beilein. Two things could get John Beilein out of his chair: Joe Alexander and people calling his offense the Princeton offense.

“Everything had to be Beilein’s way,” Mazzulla recalled. “I remember one day he spent 20 minutes showing Joe the correct way to do a reverse lay-up. Joe just never got it. How does a kid who is a lottery pick not know how to do something as fundamental as a reverse lay-up?”

Four Mountaineer swimmers are headed to the Olympic trails. I don't know much about how you get invited, but that seems like a big number to come from a school that isn't well known for it's swimming prowess.

I know I'm way late to the table with this, but it seems Rich Rodriguez is going to have to show all the records of his negotiations with Michigan in order to find out if any mention was made of the buyout clause with West Virginia and who would have to pay it. Also, all his previous contracts for jobs and endorsements will be brought in as evidence to show that he has experience with signing contracts.

Written proposals between Rodriguez and the University of Michigan are now evidence in WVU's attempt to get the former coach to pay a $4 million buyout.

A Monongalia County judge also ruled that Rodriguez must turn over all employment and endorsement contracts he has ever signed, within fifteen days.

I'd rather this whole thing just went away and we could get back to thinking about Football and Rodriguez could get on with his life. But it's news and we just can't ignore it.

Lastly, corn is for eating, and with a good bit of holler knowhow, drinking!

A backlash is brewing. A consortium led by the Grocery Manufacturers Association is lobbying Congress to reverse course and stop raising the requirements for corn ethanol, which even some environmentalists admit is a poor source of "renewable" energy.

West Virginia's congressional delegation should back this return to sanity. Americans have far better uses for corn - say, as whiskey.