Mammoth Blog

IN 1611, The mutinous crew of English explorer Henry Hudson, after a harsh winter with their ship frozen in Hudson Bay, puts Hudson and eight others adrift in a small boat. They are never seen again. In 1845: The Congress of the Republic of Texas agrees to join the United States, following the wishes of the republic's leading figure, Sam Houston.

ason Michael Carroll's new single, "Hurry Home," will be released to country radio on June 29. The single is about a worried father waiting to hear from a runaway daughter. It's the second single from his latest album, Growing Up Is Getting Old, which also features "Where I'm From." Carroll's other hits include "Alyssa Lies," "Livin' Our Love Song" and "I Can Sleep When I'm Dead." source>>>

Kenny Chesney will perform at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York's Times Square on Sept. 15 as part of the restaurant chain's 2009 Ambassadors of Rock tour, a global concert series featuring top artists and bands. The Killers kick off a three-night series in London on Friday (June 26) followed by Neil Young on Saturday (June 27) and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band on Sunday (June 28). Other shows confirmed include Nine Inch Nails on Aug. 10 in Singapore and O.A.R. with Brett Dennen on Aug. 27 in Orlando, Fla. Proceeds from Chesney's concert will be donated to PlanItNow, a charity that assists coastal residents in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean in preparing for severe storms and hurricanes. source>>>

A new one-hour special, Sugarland: Live on the Inside, will air Aug. 3 on ABC. It's the duo's first network TV special. The concert was filmed at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., by director Shaun Silva. The special will feature many of their hits ("Settlin'," "Stay," "All I Want to Do," "Something More") and never-before-televised performance footage. A CD/DVD package, also titled Live on the Inside, will be available at Wal-Mart on Aug. 4. source>>>

Following appearances during the recent CMA Music Festival and last week's CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Taylor Swift returns to the road to headline Wednesday night's (June 24) concert at the Country USA festival in Oshkosh, Wis.

After "Love Story" was named female video of the year and overall video of the year at the CMT Awards, Swift stopped backstage to talk to CMT Insider's Katie Cook about two of her musical heroes and how her teenaged brother, Austin, reacts to her success. Swift also explains why she was temporarily placed on voice rest immediately following the music festival.

CMT Insider: I've got to ask you about your acceptance speech because it was so neat. I wasn't expecting it. ... You thanked Garth and Shania.

Swift:: For me, those are the people that I looked to, and those are the reasons why I fell in love with country music. ... I'm always trying to think of reasons for all this happening to me because I can't justify it. It's just been unbelievable. The fans are a huge reason, but also going back to my inspiration and the reason why I wanted to do this -- Shania and Garth. They're just unbelievable artists. And they weren't here tonight, but I wanted to shout out to them anyway.

And you gave a shout-out to your brother. He was your date for the awards show. Did he behave?

He was a really, really good person to go with, and he was really excited. My brother doesn't really care about any of this. He doesn't believe any of the hype. He's like "ugh." ... This is him, in my awards show experience: I'll call him on the way home, "Austin, I won an award!" And he's like, "Where are you?" "I'm on my way back from the CMT's." ... And he'll be like, "Uh, what did you win?"

So does he get it now? He was here.

And he was so excited. He was so into it tonight. He was really nervous.

Were you having trouble with your voice? You lost your voice a couple of times right?

Yeah, it came back. I signed for six hours on the same day [at the CMA Music Festival] and I was performing at the stadium that night, and that was after a five-show run. ... I went to the doctor, and they were, like, "There's no problem. There's no damage or anything. You just want to rest it." And I'm, like, "I'll do that." ... So I was walking around with a sign that said vocal rest, and then I drew a cartoon of me and had an "X" drawn over my mouth. And at the bottom of it, it said, "Have a nice day." source>>>

A new children's book by retired Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor, based on her childhood on a remote Arizona cattle ranch, prompts a question: Was she a tomboy?

No, O'Connor says, "I was a cowgirl."

And that leads her to describe herself, at 79, as a "retired cowgirl, or should I say, unemployed cowgirl?"

Her book, Finding Susie (Knopf, $16.99, published today), illustrated by Tom Pohrt, is aimed at children 4 to 8. It's about the adventures and misadventures of a girl named Sandra who tries to find an animal to be her best friend.

For various reasons, neither Hercules, a desert tortoise; Daisy, a wild rabbit; Slim Pickins, a coyote; or a bobcat named Bob work out as pets. In the end, a little white dog named Susie likes Sandra's company.
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"It's all true," O'Connor says, even the part about Susie smiling "at appropriate times."

The breed? "Total mutt."

It's O'Connor's second children's book. Chico (2005) is about a horse she learned to ride at age 6. O'Connor and her younger brother, H. Alan Day, wrote a 2001 best seller, Lazy B, about life on their parents' ranch.

She turned to children's books "because looking back, I realized I had such an unusual childhood that may be of some interest."

Nominated by President Reagan, O'Connor served on the Supreme Court from 1981 to 2006 as its first female member. (The second, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, joined the court in 1993.)

The court's information office says that as far as it knows, O'Connor is the first justice to write a children's book or appear on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (in March to promote an educational website, ourcourts.org) or Late Show With David Letterman (tonight, to discuss her book).

Of Stewart's show, she says: "I'm told it's the best way to reach young people. I had so much feedback. He's intelligent and fun. We could have talked much longer."

O'Connor, who lives in Phoenix, says that she's in good health, if "creaky," but that her husband, John Jay O'Connor, 79, who has Alzheimer's disease, continues his "long, sad journey downhill."

As for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, O'Connor says she's "very pleased" there may be another woman on the court.

She says she doesn't know much about Sotomayor's judicial record but is impressed with her experience and education.

Is it more significant that Sotomayor is a woman or Hispanic?

"I can't say. One hopes that all of one's background affects your modus operandi. I'm a retired cowgirl. I tend to the practical." source>>>

Just the idea of the dentist turns many adults into petulant children. Reasonable grown-ups leave that reminder postcard pinned up on the bulletin board for months before shuffling to the telephone like a mopey teenager to make the appointment. Once there, leaned back and incapable of anything more than gurgling sounds, we might as well be infants again. And when the power of speech is returned to us, we're capable of transparent, juvenile lies. ("I can't imagine why that is, since I floss every day . . . really.")
This Story

*
Toys, Games Ease Kids Into the Dentist's Chair
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Brush. Floss. Repeat for Years.

But might our children be saved from lifelong dental anxiety? The business of looking after teeth has changed. Maybe dentists are tired of having their services be the go-to comparison for anything unpleasant ("about as much fun as having a tooth pulled"); maybe, thanks to all that fluoridation and improvements in preventive care, some other doctor can become the health-services bad guy.

Most adults I know had similar experiences to my own. The two dentists of my childhood worked out of their homes on leafy residential streets. You got a glimpse of their living rooms from the chair when they first entered the patient area. The first one spoke sternly about cavities and candy, then, paradoxically, gave you a stick of Juicy Fruit on the way out. The second would break off mid-procedure, raise the window that the chair faced, put out nuts for the squirrels, wash his hands and get back to work. The charm ended there. I had my share of cavities as a kid, and the allowance for my tender years boiled down to two utterances: "Hold still" and "We're almost finished." The first felt beyond my control to obey, and the second only served to illustrate the wide chasm that separated our concepts of time.

How things have changed. Any dentist who works with kids today is likely to have a waiting room stocked with toys and books, music, DVDs and other contraptions to distract from the unpleasant business of the chair and, for parting gifts, enough toys, stickers and balloons to make Bob Barker proud. Is this coddling? You bet. It turns a trip to the dentist into something like a visit to an overindulgent grandparent.
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When should that first visit be? According to Sheila Samaddar, a family dentist on Capitol Hill, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics are of different opinions on this. The AAP recommends the first visit at age 3, while the AAPD suggests a visit when the first tooth erupts, around six months after a baby is born.

Although Samaddar thinks most parents can see if something is amiss when babies are cutting their first teeth, she thinks waiting until age 3 is a little too long, saying most of her first-timers are between 18 months and 2 years old. Brian Brumbaugh, a pediatric dentist in Staunton, Va., prefers to see his patients on their first birthday. The idea, he explains, is establishing a "dental home," a place where parents can develop a relationship with the dentist, a place to bring their questions, and a place to call in an emergency. The thinking behind this is that the younger your child is when he first visits the dentist, the less likely he is to need an uncomfortable procedure that would trigger the bad associations many adults have with the dentist.

Whenever you begin your child's dental odyssey, you'll have the choice between a regular dentist and a pediatric dentist. Why choose a pediatric dentist? Children who have serious anxiety issues can benefit from the experience and training of a pediatric dentist. "I'm a little bit better able to handle a child with different abilities," says Dana Greenwald, whose practice is in Friendship Heights. "I'm more in tune with how to restore baby teeth," she says.

Any procedure that would require an anesthetic stronger than nitrous oxide will require a pediatric dentist. According to Greenwald, sedating children is challenging enough that many pediatric dentists will refer patients who need anesthesia to others with more experience in that field.

And there's the atmosphere. Whatever makes a family dentist kid-friendly is ramped up exponentially with a pediatric dentist. Brumbaugh's office boasts a 16-foot Thomas the Tank Engine play table in a large recreation area with a big-screen TV. Greenwald prefers to keep the toys low-tech ("Too many electronics can make kids zone out"), with stuffed animals, kid magazines and the house specialty: fingernail painting at the end of the visit.

My own children's first visits to the dentist were closer to age 3 -- up to 2 1/2 years late, depending on whom you ask. That means my wife and I join the 50 percent of the population Greenwald estimates wait until their children have a full set of baby teeth before making their way to the dentist. While it's possible that waiting until this age could leave some problems undetected, dentists told me it won't necessarily make the first visit more difficult.

"Three is a great age," Greenwald says. "They really want to please." We chose Tawann Jackson, a family dentist on Capitol Hill whose rapport with children was reported on a parents' e-mail discussion group.

I asked the dentists I spoke with what aspect of the first visit would be most likely to unsettle young patients. They all pointed to basic stranger anxiety. Chong Lee, who practices in Arlington, answered, perhaps most candidly, "It's the instruments." What with the goggles, gloves and the mask, the dentist has the potential to be one of the more unsettling strangers a child has ever encountered.

Jackson made a point of explaining to our daughter, Lela, why she was dressed this way. She asked Lela if she would be more comfortable in Mommy or Daddy's lap. (She was.) Jackson gave her an extensive tour of the tools -- well, not so extensive that it included the drill. She introduced her to the suction device, a.k.a. Mr. Thirsty (a name so ubiquitous in children's dentistry that it must be the answer to the first question on the comprehensive dental exam). She let Lela squirt some water and some air, and experience the giddy highs and lows of the chair's hydraulic system. Jackson seemed in no hurry about any of this; I soon realized that this first visit was going to be mostly an icebreaker.

When it came time to look at Lela's teeth, the doctor employed the approach at the heart of kids' dentistry: tell-show-do. She explained how she would be examining Lela's teeth and demonstrated on the tip of Lela's finger how she would use the instrument. Only then did she actually do the exam.

All of that thrilled Lela. It felt to her, I think, like a high-tech play date. As Lela was picking out toys and stickers in the outer office, Jackson told us what was going on behind the fun and games: A successful first visit includes an oral exam, counting of the teeth, soft tissue assessment (gum, tongue, lips), an oral cancer screening, an assessment of the child's bite, an evaluation of the teeth's spacing, a cleaning and a fluoride treatment. She discussed the family's dental habits. She wanted Lela's tooth-brushing to go on for two minutes and for us to do all we could to stop her thumb-sucking. The fun was over.

Twenty months later, my son, Finn, would have none of it. What had worked for Lela utterly failed to calm him. He screamed in a way that no ride in the chair or latex-glove balloon was going to silence. Jackson advised us to try again in a few months. She didn't want to do anything Finn didn't want to do. Hardly seems like the dentist, does it?

When interviewed for this article, my kids told me the dentist was fun. "It's good for your teeth," Lela, now almost 7, said. "And you get toys at the end," added Finn, now 5 and recovered from his first trip.

I asked which they preferred, the pediatrician or the dentist. "The dentist," Lela explained patiently. "The dentist doesn't give shots." "And," Finn reiterated, "you get toys at the end!"

I'm suddenly feeling like my own dentist isn't trying hard enough. source>>>

ixty-nine percent of U.S. children in the lowest income bracket don't have access to a community playground, a survey indicates.

KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to bringing play back into the lives of children, commissioned the survey conducted by Harris Interactive of 1,677 parents with children between the ages of 2-12. The group says U.S. children experience a national play deficit because they don't have enough time and space to play every day.

The survey found 59 percent of parents report their children don't have access to a community playground.

In terms of importance, 96 percent of parents said playing outside was critical to keep kids physically fit, but just 17 percent thought children played enough outside.

In the survey, the parents reported their kids spend less than an hour per day engaged in unstructured play outdoors, on average, and 92 percent of parents said children today spend less time playing outside than they did when they were children.

The survey was conducted online between March 31 and April 7 among 1,677 respondents who were selected from among parents with children between the ages of 2-12 who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. No margin of error was given. source>>>

Ashley Mackinnon, from Wilson's Creek in northern New South Wales, says he considered the money-making venture because he can not pay off the expenses associated with his wife's treatment.

Mr Mackinnon says he took his wife Leah to the United States so she could receive cyber-knife treatment for brain tumours.

He says debts of more than $100,000 him to try put his wife's remains on eBay.

"I was just in tears, thinking how is my life got to this stage where, y'know?" Mr Mackinnon said.

"Is it some type of perverse prostitution that I'm selling my dead wife's ashes for money? But otherwise we're out in the cold and we don't have a house," he said.

Mr Mackinnon says he doesn't know what his wife's remains may have fetched on eBay.

"It was only really on there for a day and there was 150 hits... I had to go to work that day and then on my lunchbreak I'd had a few phone calls and stuff so I thought I'd better check where it was at and I had this message saying your item has been removed." source>>>

Underwire Taking the Pulse of Pop Culture
Tron Guy Hits Economic Turbulence, Hawks Tron Plane on eBay

* By Lewis Wallace Email Author
* June 22, 2009 |
* 3:08 pm |
* Categories: internet

tron-guy-plane

Another high-flying internet dream is crashing into economic reality: Jay Maynard, aka Tron Guy, is selling his customized airplane on eBay (costume not included).

Maynard, a 48-year-old computer consultant who shot to internet celebrity for dressing in an elaborate outfit based on the classic sci-fi movie Tron, says he paid about $140,000 for the plane when he bought it a year ago.
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Behind the Memes With ROFLCon's Biggest Cewebrities

"I dearly wish I didn't have to sell it, but I don't have any choice in the matter," Maynard told Wired.com by phone Monday.

The two-seater sport plane, a 2008 AMD Zodiac XLi with a custom green-and-blue paint job that matches Maynard's Tron Guy outfit, also boasts a custom interior intended to go with the exterior. The seats are done in light gray and dark blue.

"You can't get green leather," he said.

Maynard, who lives in Fairmont, Minnesota, has traveled to geek gatherings like ROFLCon and become a certified cewebrity thanks to his devotion to his Tron Guy persona. He's made a fair amount of money from a string of 16 appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which paid him union scale, but other than that, the Tron Guy appearances haven't been that lucrative, he said. A profile in an upcoming European documentary about internet culture could help put Maynard back in the international spotlight.

Jay Maynard, aka Tron Guy, listens up during a ROFLCon seminar on web celebrityin 2008.<br />Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Jay Maynard, aka Tron Guy, listens up during a ROFLCon seminar on web celebrity in 2008.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Now, with his "honest job" as a programmer hitting economic turbulence, he's selling the airplane that's probably the most visible manifestation of his Tron Guy persona.

Bidding on the Tron-themed plane is currently riding at $22,600, with nine bids and an unmet reserve.

Maynard says he's seen the original Tron so many times he's lost count. He called director Steven Lisberger a futurist and a visionary.

"Tron was the first attempt to show what goes on inside a computer," said Maynard, who called some of the movie's technical bits a little off but other parts prophetic and "scarily right."

"I mean come on -- programs fighting each other?" he said.

Maynard says he has put in about 150 hours of flying time in the plane, mostly during short trips around the Midwest. While there's nothing Tron-specific about the plane's instrumentation panel aside from the "sheer level of geekery about it," Maynard said he put a lot of thought into the avionics package, specifying exactly what pieces of high-end gear went into the stack.

"There are people on the Pilots of America [forums] that have lusted after just that panel," he said.

Maynard says doesn't have any appearances planned, although he's holding out hope that he'll get involved in the upcoming Tron 2.0 movie.

"I would dearly love to be a part of it in some way, and if they call, I'm there," he said.

The instrument panel of Maynard's AMD Zodiac XLi cost him roughly $35,000. source>>>

Underdogs.

We all look for them, but give little thought about their possibilities of winning it all.

USC, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, and LSU have dominated the past decade in College Football.

Even with Boise State and Utah's runs to glory, we have NOT seen an underdog win a title since Oklahoma in 2000(were they even an underdog?).

Will we see the return of the Underdog in 2009?

Maybe.

Here are my best guesses of who can run the table as the proverbial tag of 'underdog'.

West Virginia

Bill Stewart is the "new" coach entering his second season after the healthy departure of Rich Rodriguez. Pat White is gone, as are their two top receivers.

What they do have back is an extremely underrated and potential superstar in QB Jarret Brown. Combine him with Noel Devine, and it could be 2003 all over again, the year in which West Virginia beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and were crowned Big East Champions.

North Carolina

With 15 starters returning, the baby blue and white will have one of the fiercest front seven's in the entire ACC, if not the entire country.

The real question is whether or not they can earn enough offense to make that solid "D" matter. TJ Yates is a somewhat proven starter who has had past success. Will Greg Little be the everything, and all everything recruit that we all expected? Very interesting things are brewing in Chapel Hill.

Miami
Author Poll Results

Which team do you think is the 'underdog' team in 2009?

*
Georgia
2.5%
*
Oklahoma State
11.1%
*
North Carolina
0.0%
*
Michigan State
3.7%
*
Miami
3.7%
*
West Virginia
75.3%
*
Other
3.7%
* Total votes: 81

Another ACC team. Randy Shannon, much like Butch Davis at North Carolina, has improved the recruiting at Miami regarding actual "on the field" players.

With 15 guys returning, it simply comes down to QB play for the 'Canes. Can Jacory Harris carry the load? The talent around him is unquestioned. His talent is what could turn around a 7-6 Miami team into a legit Title contender if he proves to be the real deal. Defense shouldn't be a problem, especially if the 'Canes can score.

Oklahoma State

This team has a tough road ahead of them. They have Georgia and Texas at home, along with matchups against Texas Tech and a game at Oklahoma to end the season.

Even since the days of the Okie State triplets of Mike Gundy, Thurman Thomas, Barry Sanders, and Hart Lee Dykes; the Cowpokes have what may be considered the best offense in the country.

With Zac Robinson, Dez Bryant, and Kendall Hunter, the 'Pokes have some lightning in the bottle. The Pokes are getting a lot of love from preseason voters, but I'm not sure that many truly consider them title contenders. I guess we will see?

Michigan State

Yes, the "State" after Michigan isn't a joke. Then again, if I said Michigan straight, I should be due for some heckling.

Javon Ringer and Brian Hoyer are gone. Then again, were they all that great? With 15 starters returning and eight returners on defense, the Spartans may be in store for their best year since Plaxico Burress was running routes for Sparty.

Keith Nichol left Oklahoma because some guy from OU (Bradford) beat him out in Spring. Didn't the same thing happen to Jevan Snead at Ole Miss because Colt McCoy beat him out at Texas? Intersting.

Look for Dantonio to keep the upside going at Michigan State. Can they win it all? Doubtful, but maybe worth a 250 to 1 type wager.

Georgia

In a year when they shouldn't? They do. That is the Georgia way of doing things lately.

A road game against previously mentioned Oklahoma State would go very far. A win over Florida in Jacksonville would put them on top.

There may not be a more opportunistic schedule in the entire country. The 'Dawgs will get the spotlight in their first five games, as they have away trips at Oklahoma State and Arkansas, along with home games against South Carolina, Arizona State, and LSU.

That type of schedule, if done well, leads to National Championships, or at the least votes to go forth.

With that schedule, along with the annual WLOCP matchup with Florida, the 'Dawgs will get the country's attention, especially if they go 11-1 in the regular season.

Joe Cox isn't a rookie by any stretch, and AJ Green is a year older with a plethora of RB's with a solid OL. The defense has eight returners, and they can only get better than last year.

Look for the 'Dawgs to make some serious noise in 2009.

Those are my sleeper teams. Who you got? source>>>

Defensive linemen
Jermaine Cunningham recorded six sacks in 2008.
Jermaine Cunningham recorded six sacks in 2008.

1. Florida. Remember the front four that controlled the point of attack against Oklahoma's point-a-minute offense? It returns intact -- including freakish specimen Carlos Dunlap at one end and relentless Jermaine Cunningham at the other.
Florida defensive line coach Dan McCarney says: "You always hear people talk about speed, and that's a great thing to have. But if you don't know what you're doing, you'll run right by plays. We've got two- and three-deep guys who know what they're doing. That's what's exciting."
2. Oklahoma. A unit full of speed and athleticism will get significantly better if end Auston English stays healthy.
3. USC. New faces (and top backups in 2008) will cause just as much damage as last year's unit did. Check out slimmed-down and refocused end Everson Griffen.
4. Mississippi. It took nearly a full season, but coach Houston Nutt finally found a way to reach talented but enigmatic end Greg Hardy. How did Hardy respond? He stayed for his senior season.
5. Illinois. Coach Ron Zook built this unit to play like an SEC line.
Linebackers
Rolando McClain anchors Alabama's LB corps.
Rolando McClain anchors Alabama's LB corps.

1. Alabama. Never let it be said that defensive guru Nick Saban can't identify talent. Alabama's coach recruited All-American Rolando McClain in his first year, then landed rising star Dont'a Hightower in Year 2. Next up: Nico Johnson, an incoming five-star freshman.
Alabama coach Nick Saban says: "(McClain) needs to affect other people on the defense in a positive way. It's something we're lacking from a leadership standpoint. Can he be that guy? Can he make that impact on others?"
2. Penn State. The big question isn't whether All-American candidate Sean Lee can return from an ACL injury. It's whether All-American talent Navorro Bowman can stay out of trouble long enough to play his junior season.
3. Florida. Brandon Spikes is a beast in the middle, and the Gators are so deep on the outside that Ryan Stamper and A.J. Jones may not make it out of fall camp with starting jobs.
4. Oklahoma. Even if Ryan Reynolds can't return 100 percent from an ACL injury, the Sooners still are loaded with sophomore star Travis Lewis and hard-hitting Keenan Clayton.
5. North Carolina. Zach Brown, who runs a 4.3 40-yard dash, teams with Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant on the fastest unit in the nation.
Defensive backs
Eric Berry turned down NFL riches last offseason.
Eric Berry turned down NFL riches last offseason.

1. USC. The Trojans essentially play with four cornerbacks. Veteran corners Shareece Wright and Kevin Thomas don't make mistakes, and hard-hitting safeties Taylor Mays and Josh Pinkard clean up every missed angle by anyone in the back seven.
USC safety Taylor Mays says: "You don't think we've all heard about all the starters we've lost on defense? We've got a lot to prove, a lot of motivation. And it starts with us in the secondary."
2. Florida. No one has a better cover combination than corners Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins, who has run into off-field trouble in the offseason.
3. California. Star corner Syd'Quan Thompson has come a long way from that embarrassing day three years ago against Tennessee.
4 Oregon. True story: During one spring practice, lanky corner Walter Thurmond intercepted six passes.
5. Tennessee. The Vols have holes everywhere except in the secondary, where safety Eric Berry not only is the best player at Tennessee -- he also may be the most talented player in the nation.
Special teams

1. Oklahoma State. As if the Cowboys' offense isn't dangerous enough, the return game is so good that it may as well be another offensive play. Dez Bryant is one of the nation's top punt returners, and cornerback Perrish Cox is among the best in the kick return game. OSU likes to put either running back Kendall Hunter or Bryant back with Cox on kickoffs to force teams to choose how to get beat.
Oklahoma State cornerback Perrish Cox says: "You can't explain the rush, the feeling, when you're returning a kick. They're all coming at you, and you're going at them, and you're looking for that little crease to make it happen."
2. Florida. Kicker Jonathan Phillips and punter Chas Henry are strong, and the return game is a tall glass of thrill with Brandon James.
3. Virginia Tech. No one blocks kicks and forces mistakes in the kicking game like Tech, and now the Hokies have speedy Dyrell Roberts as a threat in the return game.
4. Arizona State. Former Groza winner Thomas Weber will punt and kick, and Kyle Williams is sneaky quick on returns.
5. Clemson. The Tigers have issues in the kicking game, but blazing fast C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford are always threats to break one. source>>>

Defensive linemen
Jermaine Cunningham recorded six sacks in 2008.
Jermaine Cunningham recorded six sacks in 2008.

1. Florida. Remember the front four that controlled the point of attack against Oklahoma's point-a-minute offense? It returns intact -- including freakish specimen Carlos Dunlap at one end and relentless Jermaine Cunningham at the other.
Florida defensive line coach Dan McCarney says: "You always hear people talk about speed, and that's a great thing to have. But if you don't know what you're doing, you'll run right by plays. We've got two- and three-deep guys who know what they're doing. That's what's exciting."
2. Oklahoma. A unit full of speed and athleticism will get significantly better if end Auston English stays healthy.
3. USC. New faces (and top backups in 2008) will cause just as much damage as last year's unit did. Check out slimmed-down and refocused end Everson Griffen.
4. Mississippi. It took nearly a full season, but coach Houston Nutt finally found a way to reach talented but enigmatic end Greg Hardy. How did Hardy respond? He stayed for his senior season.
5. Illinois. Coach Ron Zook built this unit to play like an SEC line.
Linebackers
Rolando McClain anchors Alabama's LB corps.
Rolando McClain anchors Alabama's LB corps.

1. Alabama. Never let it be said that defensive guru Nick Saban can't identify talent. Alabama's coach recruited All-American Rolando McClain in his first year, then landed rising star Dont'a Hightower in Year 2. Next up: Nico Johnson, an incoming five-star freshman.
Alabama coach Nick Saban says: "(McClain) needs to affect other people on the defense in a positive way. It's something we're lacking from a leadership standpoint. Can he be that guy? Can he make that impact on others?"
2. Penn State. The big question isn't whether All-American candidate Sean Lee can return from an ACL injury. It's whether All-American talent Navorro Bowman can stay out of trouble long enough to play his junior season.
3. Florida. Brandon Spikes is a beast in the middle, and the Gators are so deep on the outside that Ryan Stamper and A.J. Jones may not make it out of fall camp with starting jobs.
4. Oklahoma. Even if Ryan Reynolds can't return 100 percent from an ACL injury, the Sooners still are loaded with sophomore star Travis Lewis and hard-hitting Keenan Clayton.
5. North Carolina. Zach Brown, who runs a 4.3 40-yard dash, teams with Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant on the fastest unit in the nation.
Defensive backs
Eric Berry turned down NFL riches last offseason.
Eric Berry turned down NFL riches last offseason.

1. USC. The Trojans essentially play with four cornerbacks. Veteran corners Shareece Wright and Kevin Thomas don't make mistakes, and hard-hitting safeties Taylor Mays and Josh Pinkard clean up every missed angle by anyone in the back seven.
USC safety Taylor Mays says: "You don't think we've all heard about all the starters we've lost on defense? We've got a lot to prove, a lot of motivation. And it starts with us in the secondary."
2. Florida. No one has a better cover combination than corners Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins, who has run into off-field trouble in the offseason.
3. California. Star corner Syd'Quan Thompson has come a long way from that embarrassing day three years ago against Tennessee.
4 Oregon. True story: During one spring practice, lanky corner Walter Thurmond intercepted six passes.
5. Tennessee. The Vols have holes everywhere except in the secondary, where safety Eric Berry not only is the best player at Tennessee -- he also may be the most talented player in the nation.
Special teams

1. Oklahoma State. As if the Cowboys' offense isn't dangerous enough, the return game is so good that it may as well be another offensive play. Dez Bryant is one of the nation's top punt returners, and cornerback Perrish Cox is among the best in the kick return game. OSU likes to put either running back Kendall Hunter or Bryant back with Cox on kickoffs to force teams to choose how to get beat.
Oklahoma State cornerback Perrish Cox says: "You can't explain the rush, the feeling, when you're returning a kick. They're all coming at you, and you're going at them, and you're looking for that little crease to make it happen."
2. Florida. Kicker Jonathan Phillips and punter Chas Henry are strong, and the return game is a tall glass of thrill with Brandon James.
3. Virginia Tech. No one blocks kicks and forces mistakes in the kicking game like Tech, and now the Hokies have speedy Dyrell Roberts as a threat in the return game.
4. Arizona State. Former Groza winner Thomas Weber will punt and kick, and Kyle Williams is sneaky quick on returns.
5. Clemson. The Tigers have issues in the kicking game, but blazing fast C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford are always threats to break one. source>>>

Times are getting more and more difficult for NASCAR race teams as the nation's economy takes its toll on the corporations who have sponsored teams in seasons past and on the manufacturers.

The evidence of the economic impact was clearly illustrated in Milwaukee this weekend. While the NASCAR Nationwide Series had a full field of 43 cars at Milwaukee, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series had only 33 trucks in competition. The reduced number of entries was also seen at Texas where only 33 trucks showed up for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 400.

Of the Nationwide Series 43 entries, Trevor Bayne in Michael Waltrip's No. 99, Kelly Bires in Braun Racing's No. 10, J.C. Stout in Johnny Davis' No. 0, Derrike Cope in his own No. 73, and Johnny Chapman in MSRP Motorsport's No. 90 were all unsponsored. That is five unsponsored cars in a field of 43. If these teams had not been able to field these entries out of their own pockets, there would have only been 37 cars in the NASCAR Nationwide race.

The economic impact will certainly get worse before it gets better with General Motors announcing significant cuts to the support it has provided to NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. Teams that were receiving free parts such as engine blocks, engine heads, intake manifolds, and more will now be forced to purchase these parts, putting even more strain on the team's finances.

Kevin Harvick Inc. and JR Motorsports reported that factory support from General Motors was completely discontinued. The increased expense for these pricey items will have to be covered somehow. The increased difficulty in signing sponsors will make it even harder to recover from the absence of the manufacturer support.

Ford and Dodge have also removed their programs that previously provided engine pieces and financial assistance to teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series, leaving only Toyota offering factory support in both series. Reports this week indicate that GM, Ford and Dodge are also reducing their support in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

NASCAR has responded by indicating they would consider allowing BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz to compete in NASCAR racing series as all those companies have manufacturing plants inside the United States (which was the criteria used to bring Toyota into the sport.)

Word is that Volkswagen is currently constructing a facility in Tennessee which would mean they would be eligible to compete in NASCAR as well. When asked at Michigan about the possibility of more foreign manufacturer's involvement in the sport, Brian France was quoted as saying, "We're the pre-eminent place in North America for car manufacturers to build their business with an auto racing group, we remain that and clearly there's some companies that are going to look at opportunities that may not have even been there in the past that could be presented in the future.''

Meantime, teams are scrambling to introduce new sponsors to the sport. In the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend at Milwaukee, ConstructionJobs.com was onboard with JTG-Daughtery Racing's No. 47 and Michael McDowell.

Local sponsors are also being leveraged.

Milwaukee Valvoline Instant Oil Change paired up with Johnny Davis's No. 01 and driver Danny O'Quinn, Jr., Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Park Place sponsored Charles Shoffner's No. 61 and Brandon Whitt, Sleep Inn Milwaukee joined forces with Johnny Davis's No. 04 with driver Kertus Davis source>>>

The Magic Mile, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., hosts the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend, and the race will air on ABC with a live, high definition telecast on Saturday, June 27, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC. The race re-airs Sunday, June 28, at 3 a.m. on ESPN2 and again at 10 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

Marty Reid will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC's coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.

Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

In other NASCAR-related programming this week, ESPN Classic airs the 1998 Daytona 500 NASCAR race from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, June 27, at 5 p.m. source>>>