Washington Capitals Fist Pump With Pauly D and the Jersey Shore Dance Mix

The Washington Capitals began the NHL season as one of the favorites to win Lord Stanley's Cup, and for all intents and purposes, they remain one of the favorites. However, thanks to a painful eight game losing streak there were plenty around the Washington DC area who were ready to throw all their Caps gear into the Potomac River and wait for next year's Redskins to take the field.

The Caps finally broke their streak earlier this week, and currently they have won consecutive games and appear to be back on the right track heading into their big Winter Classic showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 1. As part of the preparation for the Winter Classic HBO is filming one of their 24/7 series and it features the Caps and the Pens.

One of the best parts of the 24/7 is the fans get to catch some great behind the scenes footage of their favorite athletes. In the most recent episode that meant watching the Watching Capitals celebrate their second consecutive win by getting down Jersey Shore style. That's right the Caps are fist pumping to the hits spun by Jersey Shore's Pauly D.

College Coaching Rumors: Ralph Friedgen Fired by University of Maryland

After listening to rumors circulate all weekend, Walker Sports can now confirm that University of Maryland and ACC football coach of the year Ralph Friedgen will be let go from his position with the University after the team plays in the Military Bowl in late December.

According to Chick Hernandez of CSN Washington, Friedgen has come to a deal with new AD Kevin Anderson that will allow the university to buy out Friedgen's deal at the end of this season. The University of Maryland athletic department has scheduled a press conference for Monday at 3 pm where they will announce their plans for the future.

It is well known that Ralph Friedgen butted heads with former Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow before she departed. The school looked into firing Friedgen last season after a two win campaign, but they were unable to afford the buyout clause in his contract. Now after going 8-4 the Friedge has been let go.

The University of Maryland has already put together a search committee that will help in finding a replacement for Friedgen. The number one candidate for the job is former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach. While Leach has not spoken with Kevin Anderson the AD at this point, it is believed that a VIP associated with the Maryland athletic department has contacted Leach about his availability.

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Anthony Pettis Amazing Kick off the Cage

We like MMA here at Walker Sports and yes I know we did not discuss the GSP fight in the UFC last weekend frankly because while we like MMA we are far from experts and no one on staff can truly break down a fight. As a result we are relegated to showing flashy highlights and things we think are cool.

Tonight in the WEC we saw something that we thought was only possible in the Street Fighter II video game when using Vega. During his match Anthony Pettis uses the cage to catapult himself at his opponent and connects with an amazing kick. Now most of us thought using the cage for any advantage was illegal but perhaps even the rule makers within the WEC never envisioned a guy leaping off the cage ala a WWE wrestler using the top rope.



Without a doubt this is one of the sickest moves ever executed within the cage. Anthony Pettis has to be given credit for being that creative and that daring. There is plenty of risk involved when pouncing off of the side of a metal cage.

Lamar Odom Poses For Kim Kardashian Christmas Card

In what may be a first for Walker Sports we get to mention the Kardashians in an actual blog post, and it has absolutely nothing to do with who Kim Kardashian is dating. Actually this time we are all talking about all of the Kardashians young, old skinny fat, whatever they got, and their spouses.

It has come to our attention that like most things in the Kardashian house, they take Christmas cards to an extreme. Sure we have all had to stand in front of a fireplace or some cheap fake backdrop in a mall photo booth for a Christmas card, but when your a Kardashian, cheap simply will not do.

The Kardashians went all out for this year's Christmas card and they choose to use a glam theme which saw the men wearing tuxedos and the women in long dresses. Making this Christmas card even more interesting is the inclusion of two champions, Olympic champion Bruce Jenner, and NBA champion Lamar Odom both of whom are married to Kardashian women.

High School Basketball Player Attacks Ref

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I am not always the most even tempered person, especially when I'm playing sports. When I was in high school there were times I would go off on the occassional ref and speak my mind (always in a polite manor). However, once I moved from the hardwood and the gridiron to rugby, I soon learned the rugby culture does not tolerate such exploits and as I've aged I have become calmer with my dealings with those in the position of power.

One guy who could use a lesson in staying calm is this young man who plays for an unknown high school. After obviously getting into an altercation with one of the players on the other team, he decides to argue with the ref who called the foul on him. While this is just silly (perhaps he was channelling his inner Dennis Rodman) he then proceeds to bump the ref. This is never a good idea, and is a sure fire way to find your way to the locker room early. However, just to get his full money's worth the young man in question then takes the ref down to the floor, and we soon see why the guy is playing basketball and not wrestling in the winter.

This is some unbelieveable footage right here.

Oregon Ducks Unveil New Uniforms for BCS Championship game

It's no secret that the Oregon Ducks are the favorite school of Nike, and as a result they get some of the best uniforms in the country. There has been plenty to be made of the multiple uniform options the Ducks have at their use.

Today Nike has leaked out images of the uniforms they are providing for Oregon's trip to the BCS Championship game on January 10.

Considering some of the options the Ducks have gone with in the past, these uniforms are pretty good.

Jets Employee Trips a Miami Player On the Sidelines

The New York Jets love controversy. All you have to do is watch them during the 'Hardknocks' series on HBO and you can tell the Jets thrive when there is controversy surrounding their team. Rex Ryan is as outspoken of a head coach in the NFL today, and in many ways the New York Jets have taken on their coaches personality.

One thing the Jets have not been up to this point in time is a cheater, but all of that changed on Sunday afternoon. In the late moments of a close game against the Miami Dolphins cameras caught a Jets employee tripping one of the Miami Dolphin players as he ran down the field to cover a punt.




While it was just a subtle movement, it is very obvious that one of the Jets employees went out of his way to get a piece of Miami corner back Nolan Carroll.



The guilty party was strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi. There is no doubt the NFL will deal with situation and Alosi and possibly the Jets organization will dealt a severe punishment. Everyone knows there are plenty of gray areas in football and teams will do anything they can to gain an advantage, but there is such a thing as crossing the line, and that's exatly what Sal Alosi did. He should be banned from the sidelines and NFL forever.

College Coaching Rumors: Al Golden Hired by the Miami Hurricanes

According to multiple reports close to the school an offer has been made to Temple football coach Al Golden from to fill the vacancy with the Miami Hurricanes.

Golden has spent the past five seasons calling the shots at Temple University where he turned the around the 1-11 program and made them bowl eligible each of the last two seasons. The Owls won 19 games over the last two seasons and went 8-4 this year, but were excluded from bowl play due to poor traveling numbers.

Before Golden arrived at Temple the Owls had been kicked out of the Big East due to poor performances on the field. Under Golden's guidance the school has worked their way back into the conference and are currently in the midst of one of their best era's in school history.

Golden met twice in person with Miami athletic director Kirby Hocutt, once in New York and then in Philadelphia, during the interview process. Marc Trestman, the coach of the two-time defending CFL Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes, also received strong consideration for the job, as did UConn coach Randy Edsall and Houston coach Kevin Sumlin. Jon Gruden was also considered but the Hurricanes were unable to lure him out of the booth.

Many readers of this blog will remember Al Golden from his time roaming the sidelines at the University of Virginia where he was a defensive coordinator under Al Groh.

While the official details on this deal have not been finalized, it appears to a be a locked deal. The official announcement will be coming later this week with more details on the contract.

College Coaching Rumors: Florida Gators Hire WIll Muschamp

It did not take long for the Florida Gators to find their replacement for Urban Meyers who stepped down from his position earlier this week. The Florida Gators are turning to Will Muschamp to lead the Gators as the 23rd head coach in Florida Gators history.

Many will know Will Muschamp as the defensive coordinator for the Texas Longhorns where he has roamed the sidelines for the past few seasons. In 2008 Muschamp was tagged to be the coach-in-waiting to replace current Longhorns coach Mack Brown whenever he chooses to step down.

Instead of choosing to wait his time, Will Muschamp is taking the opportunity to return to his onetime hometown of Gainsville Florida.

“I have great memories watching SEC football with my father on Saturdays and playing football in the back yard with my two brothers right here in Gainesville.” Will Muschamp

At 39 years old Muschamp is the second youngest coach in the SEC. The Gators went 7-5 this season which is a disappointment for a program that won two national titles in the last six years. The Gators are in the midst of a rebuilding process but there is no doubt they are in a better position than the Texas Longhorns are currently experiencing.

Current Florida head coach will end his tenure with the Gators after their bowl game in January. Meyer stepped down after six seasons in Gainsville citing health and family issues.

Video of the Metrodome Roof Collapse

Early this morning while the stadium was empty, the Metrodome in Minneapolis Minnesota suffered a roof collapse due to the excess strain from the near two feet of snow the city has experienced over the past few day. Luckily no one was hurt during the collapse, but there were cameras running inside the dome and we have great footage of the collapse.

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=ca15cffb-3b66-49a0-84ca-20ed0a175567" target="_new" title="">NFL on FOX: Metrodome collapse</a>

Obviously today's Vikings game against the New York Giants is postponed and will be played on Monday evening in Detroit in the Superdome.

The Vikings owner Ziggy Wolfe has been lobbying the state for a new stadium and with the collapse of the dome, it's pretty obvious they are now in desperate need of a new home.

College Coaching Rumors: Chris Petersen in Talks with Florida Gators

When Urban Meyer suddenly announced his retirement on Tuesday evening it did not take long for the rumor mill to begin churning out names for who would be his successor in Gainesville. One name that has consistently come up to replace Urban Meyer has been Chris Petersen of Boise State, and finally thanks to credible sources it appears that Perterso\en's name is moving to the top of the list of applicants.

According to close sources to Walker Sports, Chris Peterson has been in talks with the University of Florida about their vacant coaching position. It is still unclear if or when this meeting/interview will take place. But we can safely say the two sides have been in contact, and there is a mutual interest between Peterson and the Florida Gators.

Chris Petersen has built a powerhouse program in Boise State, and he was two missed field Goals away from his third undefeated regular season as head coach of the Broncos. Many are speculating that with the recent snubbing Boise State suffered, and the effective collapse of the Mountains West with BYU, Utah, and TCU leaving for BCS conferences that Chris Petersen may finally have had enough of the mid-major lifestyle.

There is no doubt that Chris Petersen can coach, and he employs many of the same formations and offensive strategies that are currently in place at Florida.

We will keep you up to date about this situation as details emerge.

College Coach Rumors: Urban Meyer Resigns

Breaking news coming from AOL sports today is report that University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer is stepping down from his position at the University of Florida.

For those who remember, Meyer stepped down at this time last season citing health issues. However, Meyer was only gone for a brief sabbatical and ultamently

returned to the sidelines.

This time it appears to be in stone that Meyer is not returning to the Gators for the 2011 campaign.

In regards to his retirement, Meyer's had the following to say;

“I have been a Division I football coach for the last 25 years and, during that time, my primary focus has been helping my teams win titles,” said Meyer, who spent six years at Florida. “I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and I am a fierce competitor to my core. At this time in my life, however, I appreciate the sacrifices my 24/7 profession has demanded of me, and I know it is time to put my focus on my family and life away from the field. The decision to step down was a difficult one.

“But after spending more than two decades motivating and celebrating the young men I’ve been so proud to coach, I relish the opportunity to cheer for my three terrific kids as they compete in their own respective sports. I know how fortunate I am to be in a position to make this choice and to have a family that is as loving and supportive as my amazing wife and children have always been.”



In an interesting twist Urban Meyer has already been linked to the now vacant coaching seat with the Denver Broncos.

More to come.

Albert Haynesworth Speaks to DC Media and Blast Redskins

Anyone who has followed the NFL this season knows the soap opera that has followed the Washington Redskins all season. Being based in Alexandria Va, Walker Sports has had the honor of watching the entire drama unfold just outside our doorstep. Today things appear to have come to a head with Albert Haynesworth coming forward and explaining himself, and his actions for the past four months.

Albert Haynesworth first butted heads with new Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan in April when the new Redskins coach announced he was switching the team to a 3-4 defensive scheme. This irked the big man and subsequently he chose to skip all OTA's. Mike Shanahan did what any head coach would do to punish his $100 million player, he embarrassed Haynesworth and forced him to run repeated shuttle runs as part of a fitness test before he was allowed to join the team in pre-season practice. Of course this warranted a response from Haynesworth and the two sides have been feuding ever since.

On Sunday the Redskins deactivated Hayneswoth without giving an explanation. The rumor was Albert was out drinking on Thursday night and had a horrible practice on Friday as a result. Haynesworth denies his being hungover but who knows.

On Monday night Albert Haynesworth reached out to my good friend Rocky Parrish of the Kevin and Rock Show on 106.7 the fan and said he was ready to tell his side of the story. What came next was one of the best and most candid player interviews you will ever hear.

I'd like to give a huge shout out to Kevin and Rock for getting this amazing interview, believe me you want to hear this.

Drew Stanton Celebrates Touchdown by Doing the Douigie

The Detroit Lions have put together a pretty good season for themselves. It is obvious they have improved their play on the field and they are moving in the right direction. What makes The Lions season even more impressive is they are down to their third string quarterback this past weekend when Drew Stanton took over as the signal caller.

Stanton is a third string quaterback, and he made the most of the moment, by rushing for a touchdown against the Bears. Once in the endzone Drew Stanton had a celebration ready and he had his dancing shoes ready to go. While a lot of NFL purest would say, "Act like you've been there before." For Drew Stanton there's a good chance he'll never be there again, and because of that I like his attitude and make the most of the moment.