Sports Dispatch Archives

SEC Football Update, Memphis Style!

Ron Higgins was on fire over the weekend. He's one of the best writers about SEC football newspaper writers outside of Tony Barnhart. (For those of you just finding out about Ron, please

...The Kentucky Derby In Athens, Georgia...

Athens, Georgia…May 3, 2008…The Kentucky Derby… “When you’re sitting back In your rose pink read more...

Why Swampland Sports Loves the BCS

Despite winning back to back national titles in football, the SEC susre seems to hate the BCS. Lately, this hatred has been reaching a new level. It all started when University of Georgia President Michael F. Adams announced a proposal for

Post - NFL Draft Newspaper Wrap Up

We found this article from a week or so back that is about NFL Network being the tail the wags the dog for that league. Swampland Sports has long written now about the ways read more...

SPF's NFL Draft First Round Log (Live All Day!!)

Snowflakes: Jake Long Goes #1 (and Other 2008 NFL Draft Thoughts)

The NFL Draft is this Saturday, and some of our Southern teams appear to hold the key to the most important non-gameday of the year. The Miami Dolphins have the #1 pick, and the Miami Herald reports that OT read more...

Snowflakes: What Are SEC Football Critics Going To Do Now?

With spring football in full gear, it’s never too early to look ahead to the upcoming season. We at Swampland have focused many times on the ongoing theme of the SEC “arms race” in America’s toughest conference schedule to navigate. With Florida and LSU read more...

Season Summary: Houston Texans

Quick Summary: The Houston Texans finished last in their division again. The good news is that they also had a non-losing season for the first time in the team's history finishing 8-8. Coach Gary Kubiak's team looked much better than in his first read more...

Football Film "Leatherheads" Brings Hollywood to Carolina

There’s been quite a lot of anticipation here in Greenville, SC over the past few months. I mean, everywhere you go you run into someone who was either an extra in Leatherheads, or helped with something or another on the set. And then there are

Snowflakes: Southern Sweet 16

Here a quick primer for our teams in this weekend’s NCAA Tournament. East – This is definitely the Heavyweight bracket for our Swampland region. With #1 overall seed North Carolina playing near home in Charlotte, the Tar Heels have to be read more...

Season Summary: New Orleans Saints

Quick Summary: The Saints bombed out after their near-Super Bowl run in 2007. People can point to injuries, but SPF warned before the season started about the Saints and the team's read more...

Season Summary: Charlotte Panthers

Quick Summary: The Carolina Panthers entered the 2007 season as a Super Bowl contender. They started out strong, but the team could not overcome the loss of QB

Season Summary: Cincinnati Bengals

Quick Summary: The Bengals were SPF's most disappointing team from this past season. They have all the tools on paper to be a perennial contender starting with a great QB in Carson Palmer, who has all kinds of skill position help. Unfortunately, read more...

Snowflakes: Tar Heels are the Tourney's Favorite

The best postseason in sports is upon us with the NCAA Tournament beginning. Brackets will soon be ruined as productivity takes a break for a couple of days in offices across the country. College football will seemingly always be king in our Swampland region (with a few exceptions read more...

Snowflakes: Big 12 Tourney as Expected, but Change on the Horizon

The least surprising of all conference tournaments this March has been the Big 12 Tourney in Kansas City. Both Texas and Kansas have been Top 10 teams for most of the season, and they have maneuvered their way to Sunday’s Championship game with a probable #1 seed on the line read more...

Video Clips: Tornado Hits Downtown Atlanta during SEC Tourney Game

Below is a clip of the game broadcast of Alabama vs. Mississippi State during the moment when a tornado hits the Georgia Dome and damages the roof.

Snowflakes: Why SEC Hoops is No Longer Just Kentucky

With Mississippi and Florida both dropping first round games in the conference tournament, the SEC contingent for the Big Dance seems to be set at five (TN, UK, VU, Ark., MSU). While there’s an outside chance the Rebels could get an at-large berth, the rest of the weekend will read more...

Snowflakes: Small Conference Hoops Does the Footprint Proud

It’s the most exciting time of the year for many of the smaller schools around our region. Their conferences tournaments have become an extension of the NCAA Tourney as winning the automatic bid fulfills their dream of having a shot at the big boys. Many pundits feel it would read more...

Racing Drag and Dirt Track with The Marshall Tucker Band

During the early ‘70’s you could find a dirt track racer running the round track at Greenville Pickens Speedway on Saturday nights emblazoned with the sponsor name - The Marshall Tucker read more...

Snowflakes: Conference USA's Mediocrity is True Source of Calipari's Frustration

Memphis has their sights set on the Big Dance and the Final Four as they cruise through another C-USA Tournament at home. When the Tigers beat UAB, John Calipari became the only coach besides Adolph Rupp to win

Snowflakes: UNC vs. Duke defines ACC Hoops

* Is there any better theater in college basketball than North Carolina at Duke? It was another great scene at Cameron Indoor Stadium last Saturday night with former players like Christian Laettner, Jason Williams, and Chris Duhon in the house for Senior Night. Heck, new Duke read more...

Snowflakes: Big 12 Hoops

* The Big 12 is looking quite solid as the postseason approaches. There is a strong possibility that half of the league gets an invitation to the Big Dance, with both Kansas and Texas still having a shot at a #1 seed. If either the Longhorns or Jayhawks win the Big 12 Tournament, read more...

Season Summary: Miami Dolphins

Quick Summary: The Dolphins are one of the NFL's proudest franchises, but the 2007 season became its collective undoing. Within this one season, the Dolphins were only a Patriots Super Bowl win from losing all their records of distinction. Brett read more...

Snowflakes: Small Conference Hoops

* It will be quite a battle this weekend in the Big South for the coveted automatic berth to the Big Dance. North Carolina-Asheville and Winthrop both finished at 10-4 in the Big

Snowflakes: C-USA/Big East Hoops

* West Virginia has won 3 of their last 4 and really seems to be coming together at the right time. One of the main reasons for their solid play of late is that post man Joe Campbell has averaged 25.5 points a game in the last 4 contests, including 32 in the Mountaineers’ huge read more...

Snowflakes: ACC Hoops

* Mike Krzyzewski got his 800th career win Saturday in a game that Duke trailed most of the way. The obvious question becomes: Can he get to 902-the record number of victories set by his read more...

Snowflakes: Big 12 Hoops

* Texas’ stellar play throughout the season has put them into great position for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Winners of read more...

Snowflakes: SEC Hoops

* I’ve written all season about the banner year for basketball in the state of Tennessee. The two best teams in the league appear to be from the Volunteer State in Tennessee and Vanderbilt (although detractors would qualify the Commodores inclusion as long as they are playing read more...

Snowflakes: Small Conference Hoops

* We still have a great two-horse race in the Sun Belt Conference as both South Alabama and Western Kentucky try to prove they are Big Dance worthy. Many bracket

Snowflakes: C-USA/Big East Hoops

* Well, it finally happened. The 47-game home winning streak and the perfect record on the season ended for Memphis last Saturday when Tennessee defeated them, 66-62, in the raucous FedEx Forum. Surprisingly, the Tigers were outhustled and outrebounded by the smaller Vols who made read more...

Snowflakes: ACC Hoops

* Miami seems to have played themselves back in to the NCAA Tournament picture. Just two weeks ago, the Hurricanes were 2-6 in ACC play and seemed to be drifting off to another subpar season. However, Frank Haith’s club has righted the ship by winning four in a row including read more...

Snowflakes: #1 vs #2

With all due respect.to the other games this weekend, there’s only one mammoth matchup read more...

Snowflakes: ACC Hoops

* What a great win for Wake Forest Sunday night. The Demon Deacons topped #2 Duke 86-73 to provide the fans in Winston-Salem and first-year coach Dino Gaudio with their best moment of the season. Of course, last summer turned tragic for the entire Wake family after the untimely read more...

Snowflakes: Big 12 Hoops

* What a great game Monday night between Texas and Kansas. In my opinion, it was ‘highest quality’ contest I have seen all year. While some other games had crazier finishes, KU-Texas looked like a Final 4 matchup with two heavyweights slugging it out. Although the read more...

Snowflakes: SEC Hoops

* After attending the Vanderbilt-Kentucky game Tuesday night in Nashville, all I can say is ‘Wow’. The Commodores are always tough at home (15-0 this season), and they handed the Wildcats the worst loss in their SEC history, 93-52. Vandy scorched the nets at over 55% for read more...

Snowflakes: Small Conference Hoops

We often focus on teams that reach the dream of an NCAA tournament or special players who make the NBA, but sometimes it’s just about playing for the love of the game. That thought takes us to tiny Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. The Blue Hose

Snowflakes: Big East Hoops

Louisville got a monster win last Saturday night when they knocked off first place Georgetown. The Cardinals are playing much better ball of late, having won 5 of 6, and looking solid for a good run in the postseason. However, I’ve got to give at least an assist to Rick read more...

Snowflakes: ACC Hoops

* What a game in Chapel Hill on Sunday. Still without star point guard Ty Lawson, North Carolina rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half and finally put away Clemson in double overtime, 103-93. Tyler Hansbrough may have wrapped up the National Player of the Year in read more...

Snowflakes: Big 12 Hoops (Bobby Knight Retires)

There are many good stories in the conference, but one of those stands out this week and that is the resignation of Bobby Knight from Texas Tech. One of the most polarizing figures in the history of sports, Knight said he was tired and that it seemed like the right time to hand over read more...

Snowflakes: SEC Hoops

* The Kentucky Wildcats finally look to be playing the kind of winning ball that Big Blue fans expect. It took a while to adjust to new coach Billy Gillispie (and his gameday practices), but now the ‘Cats are sitting only one game behind SEC East leader Tennessee. In a recent read more...

Season Summary: Atlanta Falcons

Quick Summary: The Falcons endured a year of endless upheaval. Problems brewed last season when the team sank into a string of losses creating situations where star QB Michael Vick made obscene gestures to the Georgia Dome crowd. This led to the read more...

Snowflakes: Smaller Conference Hoops

One mid-major club that higher seeded teams will not want to see in the Big Dance is Davidson from the Southern Conference. The Wildcats are perfect 13-0 in league play

Season Summary: St. Louis Rams

Quick Summary: This was the first year SPF covered the Rams, and it wasn't an auspicious beginning. It shouldn't have been so considering the Rams finished the previous season at 8-8 and signed their franchise QB Marc Bulger (a West Virginia alum) to a read more...

Snowflakes: Big East/C-USA Hoops

* With the league’s RPI being 11th in the nation, it’s a distinct possibility that Conference USA could be a one-bid league this season. Even though John Calipari has tried to talk up C-USA, the conference is just not performing up to the “right below the BCS read more...

Snowflakes: ACC Hoops

* The best rivalry in college hoops takes place Wednesday night when #2 ranked Duke invades Chapel Hill to battle #3 North Carolina. This game is always a barnburner on Tobacco Road, and the winner will have sole possession of first place in the conference. The biggest story read more...

Petty & Eli: Underdogs Triumphant!

I sat back Sunday ready to enjoy a Super Bowl without a "horse in the race," so to speak. All of our SPF teams had been summarily dismissed in what was a down year for the Footprint on a pro football level. My thoughts were only on watching the Super Bowl as a read more...

Adventures In The (Pig) Skin Trade On Super Bowl Sunday

Roving Notes On Super Bowl Sunday 2/3/08 "There is some kind of back-door connection in my head between Super Bowls and The Allman read more...

Snowflakes: Big 12 Hoops

by Patrick Snow * The best storyline in the conference this season has easily been the Baylor Bears. At 16-3 overall and 4-1 in league play, Scott Drew’s team has a legitimate chance to be in the Big Dance. His team has five scorers averaging in double figures, and read more...

Snowflakes: SEC Hoops

by Patrick Snow * Someone forgot to tell 2-time National Champion Florida that they were supposed to struggle this season. After winning their second NCAA title in a row, the Gators lost the top six players off their depth chart and lost their coach for a day or two. read more...

Snowflakes: Small Conference Hoops

by Patrick Snow The regular season seems to get a little overlooked in many of the smaller or “1-bid” leagues in our Swampland footprint, but there are some great races happening as these teams position themselves for the postseason run. We’ll try each week read more...

Snowflakes: C-USA/Big East Hoops

by Patrick Snow * Could this week finally bring the contest where #1 Memphis actually loses a conference game? The last time that happened was at UAB on March 2nd, 2006. On Wednesday night, the undefeated Tigers travel to Houston to battle the 15-3 Cougars. After read more...

Snowflakes: ACC Hoops

by Patrick Snow * As Duke put the finishing touches on their 93-84 victory at Maryland Sunday night, it became increasingly clear that the ACC will be a two-horse race this season. Duke and North Carolina are definitely the class of the league and are probably the only two read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week 19, Part 4): Down By The River

12. Cincinnati Bengals and 13. St. Louis Rams - Our final Poll spots are held by two teams that have a connection via the river culture from which they arose. Like railroad tracks in towns across the south, rivers often appear to be a cultural divide, but they read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week 19, Part 3): Teams at the Crossroads (aka the NFC South)

We've now gone through the first 7 teams in the T.I. Poll. So far, the entire AFC South has been covered as well as the traditional big market teams in Dallas, DC, and Miami. This leaves us with a group that the NFL has neatly placed in a division they call the NFC read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week 19, Part 2): Teams "On the Verge"

This is SPF's group of teams that are "On The Verge" of reaching elite status. They all have challenges, but they are clearly heading in the right direction. 4. Washington Redskins - A lot can happen in a week. The Redskins' read more...

SPF's Divisional Playoffs Pre-Pregame Show (or T.I. Poll Week 19)

There are three SPF teams left in the Super Bowl hunt, but the news doesn't stop with them. Of the 4 current coaching vacancies, SPF has three of them (Miami, Atlanta, and Washington). Signs point to a year of great transition. The SPF footprint has some of the read more...

SPF's Take: Yes, Cam Cameron deserved to be fired!

The year of suffering for Dolfans is finally over. Both Randy Mueller and Cam Cameron are out courtesy of Bill Parcells. (Watch Chris Mortenson on ESPN below)

SPF T.I. Poll (Wild Card Weekend Edition)

We're mixing it up again going into the playoffs. In an up and down year, six of the 13 SPF teams made the playoffs. Two, Washington and Tennessee, made it in the final weekend. SPF is rooting for an all-Footprint Super Bowl, and this isn't out of the realm of read more...

SPF's Week Seventeen Pre-Pregame Show

Playoffs and draft slots. It's all on the line in a strange season-ending weekend in the Footprint. EARLY GAMES Jacksonville (11-4, 5-2 away) Houston (7-8, 5-2 home)

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Seventeen)

It's the last week of the NFL season. There isn't much left to be decided. Two SPF teams (Washington and Tennessee) can get in the postseason fun if they win. We expect them to do so if only because they are playing two other SPF teams (Dallas and Indy) who are read more...

SPF's Take: Parcells to Miami

SPF has been listing franchises all season that needed one of the Bills, Parcells or Cowher. Miami was top on that list. Owner Wayne Huizenga didn't disappoint beating Atlanta's Arthur Blank to the punch. The only interesting wrinkle is that Parcells will read more...

SPF's Week Sixteen Pre-Pregame Show

SATURDAY NIGHT Dallas (12-2, 6-0 away) Carolina (6-8, 2-5 home) NFL Films Video Preview This is a much better read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Sixteen)

SPF laid down the gauntlet before last weekend's games. Many teams answered the bell. With two games left in the regular season, teams out of the playoff picture may have as much to play for as those that are in. Don't sleep SPF fans, there is still much to be read more...

SPF's Week Fifteen Pre-Pregame Show

It has been a largely disappointing season for SPF, but these final weeks can redeem or further decimate a team's momentum for 2008. There are three shoe-in playoff teams in the Footprint - Dallas, Indy, and Tampa. Two others (Jacksonville and Tennessee) have to keep read more...

In defense of Bobby Petrino (and Arkansas)

Tribal Fever prides itself about being on the pulse of college sports in the Footprint. We aren't here to sugarcoat it in any way. College football is king down here. Everything else runs a distant second. In that light, we want to set the record read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Fifteen)

SPF will say it - this has been a very tough year for pro football in the Swampland Footprint. Of our 13 teams, more than half of them have been in serious disarray. At best only 5 or 6 teams will have a clear direction heading into 2008. Most will be going back to read more...

SPF's Week Fourteen Pre-Pregame Show

SPF has been beating a few drums this year, but one is about letting players play. Coaches coach systems. GMs find players to fit into these systems (or in the case of special players, systems are designed for their talents). Except for read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Fourteen)

SPF has looked at the coach/QB relationship. Now, it's time to look at the owner/coach relationship. When this relationship is good, everything clicks for the fans. The fans want to see the coach as an extension of the owner, an extension that helps build a bridge read more...

SPF's Week Thirteen Pre-Pregame Show

While Tribal Fever nation witnessed their conference championships this weekend, SPF has found a few of their own. There are four key head to head matchups in the SPF footprint this week - two of which will probably decide the winner of the AFC and NFC South. Our other read more...

TF Conference Championship Preview

Today is the day we find out whether it will be an all-Swampland matchup in the BCS Championship Game. If all goes according to plan it should be Missouri vs. West Virginia. Still, there are a few other game worth watching. It has been a great year for college read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Thirteen)

Coaching changes. They happen every year even though it seems as though jobs are more than safe. Changes are usually made because the coach no longer has the confidence of the fans. Once that occurs, the owner is left with little choice. As long term, one read more...

SPF's Week Twelve Pre-Pregame Show

Leadership. Is it there? The leader(s) of each SPF team define that team to their fans. Already, Thanksgiving solidified a sense of leadership between coach and QB with both the Colts and their Manning/Dungy duo and the Cowboys with their Wade/Romo combination read more...

Willie Nelson: Dogs Best Friend

Dogs Best Friend: Willie Nelson 11/24/07 Willie read more...

TF Rivalry Week Preview

Rivalry games define college football. More than bowl games or even conference championships, a win against your rival means bragging rights for a year. That is why this weekend's game can often be the hardest to call. A team with a losing record can suddenly make read more...

Swampland Salutes Great Southern Writer Paul Hemphill

Mystery & Manners Highlights Writer Paul Hemphill 11/21/07 I'd like to take this opportunity to direct everyone's attention to the read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Twelve)

SPF often talks a team's style when it comes to identity. Style, though, is kind of a catch all. Dig a little deeper and it comes down to coaching and, of course, a team's QB. This week seems like a good one to put the QB position under the read more...

Confessions Redux

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Auburn’s 1957 National Championship. Not only did the Tigers go undefeated that season, but they also held Alabama scoreless in the Iron Bowl while running up an astounding forty points. Saturday, November 24, is the golden read more...

SPF's Week Eleven Pre-Pregame Show

This week, more than any other this NFL season, the fan will find out who their teams are. Are teams going to the playoffs? Will they be Super Bowl contenders? Are they on the rise even if playoffs aren't likely? We shall see.

TF Saturday Preview: The Year of Transition Nears An End

The wild year continues. In many ways this was just a sign of the transition college football around the Footprint has experienced. In some ways, it shouldn't be as surprising as it has been. Nick Saban's arrival lit a fire under everyone. The ante was read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Eleven)

Week Ten was a very weird football weekend. Many of the SPF teams lost games. Few had important wins. It just seems like this was a week to stumble. Desperation might be the biggest factor in any NFL game. The teams that are desperate have an edge read more...

SPF's Week Ten Pre-Pregame Show

SPF will stick by this point - no team set the NFL back more than the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. This "champion" brought the worst part of hip-hop's "thug" culture to NFL through the real life violence of Ray Lewis, whose murder acquittal and read more...

TF Saturday Preview: Everything's Still To Be Decided

Patrick Snow has it right. This year's season of college football has shown that it is one of the most compelling sports to follow as a fan, especially in the Footprint.

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Ten)

Everyone knows that football is the dominant sport in the Footprint, but it has always been college dominating the pro variety. The goal of SPF's "Team Identity Poll" is to gauge the connection of each team to their fans. This week, two different studies were read more...

Tribal Fever's Weekend Observations

1. That enormous exhale coming from the Oxford, Mississippi area would be the sigh of relief of Ole Miss Coach Ed Orgeron. His Rebels had to hold on for dear life to beat Northwestern State 38-31 on Saturday. The non-Division 1 Demons went into the game with a 2-3 record in the read more...

SPF's Week Nine Pre-Pregame Show

It's it the "Clash of the Titans!" The Colts-Pats game deserves the hype that it is getting. Both teams have built long term consistently excellent football teams in the "salary cap era " - something that is supposedly impossible. This read more...

TF Saturday Preview: The Saban Bowl

While the pro football world is waiting for the Colts-Patriots showdown, the Tribal Fever Footprint has a game that means something more in our Footprint - the Saban Bowl. By now, everyone knows the story, but it is the read more...

Tiger Rag

In the spring a young man’s fancy may turn to baseball, but in the fall in the South everyone’s fancy turns to football, and in Alabama there is only Auburn and

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Eight)

Things continue to settle out in the SPF Footprint. This week's big question is whether the South's best is the NFL's best. The Colts were just that last season, but their old New England nemesis seems to have stolen their thunder again. Here's last week's read more...

SPF's Week Eight Pre-Pregame Show

Much like yesterday's college slate, this week's SPF schedule features teams looking towards the season's end and where they want to be at that point. Teams know that the season is half over at this point and they need to be making their final pushes. The best teams read more...

TF Saturday Preview: Pole, er.. Bowl Position

If you aren't a Florida or Georgia fan, this weekend might be a good one to spend with the kids. This is a pretty thin weekend for good games in the Footprint. That's why Athlon's college football preview spends most of its time previewing games outside our read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Seven)

SPF's season previews are looking pretty good so far. The teams we singled out like the Jags, the Texans, and the Dolphins have shown themselves to be in hot water with their fan base. The Jags and the Texans suffered "must win" losses that neither could read more...

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Wednesday night’s opening game of the 2007 World Series at Fenway Park was a heartbreaker for Colorado Rockies fans. I have always read more...

SPF's Week Seven Pre-Pregame Show

Getting on the same page. Coaches and players that have the same sense of urgency signify teams that are winning. The NFL is a business, and like all business deals - interests must align. This is the reason that ownership, the front office, and the coaching read more...

TF's Saturday Preview: Act Like You've Been There Before!

It's the old saying when a player celebrates a little too much - act like you've been there before. This rules seems to also hold true to some of our Footprint's winning neophytes. When programs are new to winning, they don't know how to handle themselves. That's read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Six)

Here we are again for SPF's weekly Team Identity Poll. Things have shaken up a bit. We are much closer to how we saw things at the beginning of the season. Let's start with a look at last week's Poll: 1. Dallas Cowboys 2. Indianapolis read more...

SPF's Week Six Pre-Pregame Show

It's week 6 for the SPF teams. Four teams are basically done, but the rest have critical games that will go a long way to determining how the rest of the season will play out for them. Here's this week's slate (video links courtesy of read more...

TF's Saturday Preview: The History Behind SEC Dominance

Tribal Fever would like to start this weekend's festivities by directing everyone to a fantastic series on ESPN.com about the SEC. Which leads us to this week's focus - the historical read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Five)

The rich seem to be getting richer (and the poor, poorer) in the SPF Footprint. There is happiness at the top, confusion in the middle, and desperation at the bottom. Let's start with last week's T.I. Poll 1. Dallas Cowboys 2. Indianapolis read more...

SPF's Week Five Pre-Pregame Show

It's week five in the NFL season. Overall, the SPF Footprint is shaping up to be a year of the haves and have-nots. The Footprint contains two of the NFL's winless teams (Dolphins and Rams) and several other struggling squads. However, we also have two of the best read more...

Tribal Fever's Weekend Slate (10/6/2007)

Let's start with this week's College Football Preview from Athlon. Swampland's own Patrick Snow hosts each week. (Read Patrick's new column on the state of baseball in read more...

SPF T.I. Poll (Week Four)

Just like in the college ranks, it was a bit of a crazy week in the SPF Footprint. Right now, there are more bad teams than good, but the good teams are pretty darn good so we guess that evens things out a little. Here's last week's "Team Identity" read more...

Otis Redding Film Premier October 8

Dreams To Remember Premier October 8 10/1/07 The new Otis Redding documentary, Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis read more...

Upset Saturday, or not?

Patrick Snow mentioned in his last column that he was looking ahead to next week's games. Based on yesterday's game result, so were too many top 25 teams in the Footprint. TF Upsets read more...

SPF's Week Four Pre-Pregame Show

Welcome SPF fans! Here's today's slate. (SPF teams in BOLD) Early Games Dolphins v. Raiders preview Rams @ read more...

Swampland welcomes Tribal Fever!

It was only a matter of time before Swampland Sports starting covering the colleges in earnest. Today marks the start of Tribal Fever, Swampland.com's dispatch dedicated to college sports in the South. We have new features up including Patrick Snow's latest read more...

SPF T. I. Poll (Week Three)

Back to our weekly gauge of how each SPF team is resonating with its fans. First, let's take a look back at last week's Team Identity Poll: 1. Dallas Cowboys 2. Washington Redskins 3. Indianapolis Colts 4. Tampa Bay Bucs

Autumnal Traditions and Emotional Rescue in Tuscaloosa

Autumnal Traditions and Emotional Rescue in Tuscaloosa 9/23/07 As Georgia's kicker lined up to miss the kick, sending the Georgia-Alabama game read more...

SPF 's Week Three Pre-Pregame Show

Here we are again. Let Week Three begin! SPF Teams in BOLD Early Games Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans (

SPF Friday Fishwrap-up: the Cowboy/Redskin paradigm

We've just posted a new analysis of the Wayne issue in Florida, Weaver in Jacksonville and Huizenga in Miami. Team Identity is our focus as always. That's why we start our Friday dispatch with read more...

Swampland Sports Thursday Links

Just a few quick hits here on Thursday.... Snowman's Latest Column Patrick Snow's new column is up. As a Vol himself, it pains him that he's calling out Phil Fulmer read more...

SPF T. I. Poll (Week Two)

Time for our Week Two "Team Identity" Poll. Things keep getting interesting, and that's how we like it. Let's start off with a recap of last week's T.I. Poll: 1. Dallas 2. Indianapolis (tie) 2. read more...

SPF's Week Two Monday: Playmakers making plays

THE "BEATING THE DEAD HORSE" THEME Our theme for this week is similar to last week's - the importance of playmakers. In the Footprint, we all love great coaches. We all love great schemes. However, it usually comes read more...

SPF 's Week Two Pre-Pregame Show

Each week, it will be SPF's pleasure to bring you the best pregame show on the Net. We provide our audience with clips from NFL.COM mixed in with our commentary and insight. Let's run down today's slate of games: Early games (SPF Teams in read more...

SPF Friday Fishwrap-up: LeBatard vs. Galloway

Another great southern tradition is writing. We have a whole section called Discourse that is dedicated to this pursuit. Newpapers (aka fishwraps) around the Footprint have great sportswriters that deserve to be read, and sometimes needled.

SPF's T. I. Poll (Week One)

Team Identity. This is our constant gauge for the success or failure of NFL teams in the South. College football reigns because people see themselves as part of the team. In the Swampland footprint, allegiances don't change at the college level. Coaches read more...

SPF's Week One Monday: Channeling SEC over Big Ten

12 of our 13 SPF teams have played. Only the Bengals remain with a tough Monday Night battle against the Ravens. It's only week one, but let's review what we know. The Swampland footprint loves football. It is part of the culture. However, read more...

SPF Week One Game Log

Thursday's game didn't do nearly what yesterday's college slate did to pump us up here at SPF. Our own James Calemine is a little distraught about his Bulldogs going down to the dreaded read more...

Sunday's slate & Long term troubles for the Jags in Jax

Phew! The 2007 previews are finally up. Now we can get down to some regular daily updates at SPF. Tomorrow's slate of games features these inter-SPF read more...

Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 9/2/07

Your weekly filter for the top sports stories around the South 1. Our biggest story of the week was the biggest in the nation as the whole country has now learned about read more...

Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 8/26/07

Your weekly filter for the top sports stories around the South 1. What an interesting day for the Atlanta Falcons as they play their first home contest under new coach Bobby Petrino while Michael Vick

Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 8/19/07

Your weekly filter for the top sports stories around the South 1. Although college athletics has become (mega) big business, there are a few reminders every now and then that it’s still a game for ‘kids’ and that the best coaches tend to be read more...

Welcome Back!

Greetings to all you football fans around the Swampland footprint! Southern Pro Football is back to cover another NFL season. Patrick Snow and I will be making sure that SPF covers the NFL from a Southern perspective. For all of you that didn't tune into

Breakfast With Paul, Drinks With Dan

8/19/07 Yesterday proved noteworthy. I met up with southern writer Paul Hemphill at

Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 8/12/07

Your weekly filter for the top sports stories around the South 1. Well the inevitable happened last week when Barry Bonds finally hit Home Run 756. It turns out the Orlando Sentinel’s Mike Bianchi, just like Hank Aaron and many others in our region,

Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 7/30/07

Your weekly filter for the top sports stories around the South 1. One of the biggest connection points for fans of the NFL is having trust in their starting quarterback. This is a key area where the three Florida teams have struggled during the last few read more...

Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 7/22/07

Your weekly filter for the top sports stories around the South 1. What a messy story. The news of Michael Vick’s federal indictment seems to have split fans in the city of Atlanta, and probably has given Falcons owner Arthur Blank a splitting headache. The read more...

Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 7/15/07

Your weekly filter for the top sports stories around the South 1. The college sports “arms race" never seems to slow down. Whether it’s upgrading a current facility or building a new practice complex to ‘wow’ recruits, schools in read more...

Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 7/8/07

1. Ed Hinton nails it again. His piece on the fans of racing and their connection with “real race drivers” speaks to a growing concern we have read more...

Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 7/1/07

1. The NBA Draft was this week’s big sports story. The Draft is all about hope for the future. Despite recent expansion in the Swampland footprint, the NBA has struggled to find an audience down South. The problem starts with the NBA’s inability to connect with the read more...

New features added - Music, Discourse, Sports!

We at SWAMPLAND.COM just wanted to let everyone know about a couple of new weekly features we are adding to the site. First, we are going to do a weekly Dispatch about music and movie releases that are Southern in nature. This allows us to keep everyone up on what's read more...

Swampland Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 6/24/07

Swampland’s Sports Six-Pack for the week ending 6/24/07 Your weekly filter for the top sports stories around the South

Earnhardt? Gordon? Teammates??

It’s a difficult image for many NASCAR fans to see. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon sitting around the Daytona garage sharing race information as they both prepare to run ‘The Great American Race’ for Hendrick Motorsports. That image will become a reality in read more...

The South's Next Big (Sports) Thing?

There it was - for the whole nation to see. The Major League Baseball Draft made its television debut Thursday. It was nice to see Peter Gammons talking about the players many of us have seen compete over the last few months. I believe ESPN’s choice to air the draft is just read more...

Arkansas athletics in turmoil

ESPN is known for its quick soundbite-style of sports journalism, but they have many fine writers on their website, ESPN.com.

Nashville - the NHL's Waterloo?

News arrived last week that owner Craig Leopold is selling the Nashville Predators to Canadian businessman (and Blackberry tycoon) Jim Balsillie. This development has Nashville hockey fans in a desperate state. The thought is by many in mid-Tennesee, including Tennessean read more...

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