I thought this might be a good separate thread for Katrina-related sports items.
Athletes & their contributions, teams, relocations, reschedulings, etc.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2150652
The ugly side of Hurricane Katrina, the despair that led to the looting this past week in New Orleans, has spilled into the seemingly trivial world of college basketball.

Monte Towe, head coach of the displaced University of New Orleans, told ESPN.com on Saturday that his best player, sophomore guard Bo McCaleb, is being approached by intermediaries representing other schools to leave the university. This comes on the heels of the school deciding Friday, according to Towe, that the Privateers will play this season.

Where and when is still up for debate. Towe and athletic director Jim Miller are investigating possible sites such as Tyler Junior College (Texas) and Chipola Junior College (Fla.).

McCaleb, who is from New Orleans, rode out the storm with his mother in their home near the French Quarter. When the levee broke Tuesday and flooding began, Towe advised the McCalebs to evacuate. He suggested Baton Rouge, but they drove to Houston to be with family instead.

"We're a microcosm of the whole city of New Orleans because now someone is trying to loot my players," said Towe by cell phone from St. Augustine, Fla., where he went for a planned trip last Thursday before the hurricane hit.

"My kids are vulnerable right now but we're going to have a season and play ball," Towe said. "Every player knows that and I've told them that if they don't feel they can be successful under these conditions then I'll let you go. But based on conversations I've had they'll be ready to go, including Bo.

"People have been acting on behalf of institutions," said Towe, who wouldn't name the schools. "He's not getting calls from coaches, but he's getting calls from people representing coaches and schools saying that 'you're not going to have a basketball team this season and we've got an apartment for you.' I've fought this for a year with McCaleb but fortunately for me he loves New Orleans."

NCAA president Myles Brand said on Thursday in a release that transfer situations would be looked at and that the organization would be flexible. The release didn't say for sure that players could transfer without sitting out, just like the Baylor players were allowed to two years ago after the tragedy on campus. Schools would have to ask for a release for a player before calling him officially under NCAA rules.

from http://www.wwe.com

Heidenreich on mission to find family
By David Agostino
September 2, 2005


John Heidenreich still hasn’t talked to his father since his hometown in Louisiana was devastated by Hurricane Katrina Monday. Heidenreich is also furiously trying to re-connect with his wife and kids, who he last talked to on Saturday before the devastating storm hit.

Heidenreich, who is currently staying in a hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, has managed to receive some second-hand reports that are encouraging. However, he plans to get some answers for himself very soon, regardless of how dangerous conditions have become in New Orleans.

“I’m going down there Wednesday come hell or high water,” Heidenreich said. “I believe the Baton Rouge airport is open. I’m flying to whatever airport will land me, taking whatever rental car will drive me and I’m going to buy a gun for protection. If there’s no law down there, I’m not going to have some moron running around shoot me. I have a father, wife and kids to track down.”

Heidenreich was able to track down his father’s wife, who was staying with family friends well outside of New Orleans while her husband decided to stay behind and brave one of the worst natural disasters in United States history.

“Apparently, it wasn’t too bad in terms of initial damage there,” Heidenreich told WWE.com Friday afternoon. “I also talked to an ex-girlfriend who told me my area in Meterie (Louisiana) wasn’t hit too bad. Still, now that the flooding has started, there’s no telling.”

Heidenreich last talked to his wife and two kids Saturday before Katrina hit. They safely left New Orleans for Hammond, Louisiana, to stay with friends. While he knows they got out of the city, he’s still not sure how extensive the damage was in Hammond.

Secondly, Heidenreich is very concerned with the outbreak of looting and violence in New Orleans and the surrounding areas.

There have been many news reports of violence, fires and shootings, leaving Heidenreich worried about the safety of his family and even any valuables at his home that survived the storm, like his large-screen television. In fact, his ex-girlfriend told him that every Cadillac at a downtown dealership was stolen after the storm.

“It’s real depressing the last few days,” Heidenreich said. “There’s a lot of people down there I love and care about and I can’t get through to them.”

Once Heidenreich is hopefully reunited with his loved ones, he expects to leave the town where he was born and raised well behind.

“I’m probably going to move,” Heidenreich said. “The city will never be the same. There’s no telling how many lives were destroyed or ruined by this. The city was so unprepared for this. It isn’t even funny.”

A couple of HS sports storm-related items from Georgia
http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/0905/03notes.html

Hurricane victims can play here

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/03/05

Several talent-rich football high schools in the metro Atlanta could get richer.

Families who were uprooted from Louisiana and Mississippi will be subject to a homeless provision, which means they can become eligible to play Georgia High School Association sports almost immediately.

Roswell coach Tim McFarlin and Pope coach Bob Swank said they had heard Friday of the new ruling. McFarlin said that Roswell already has acquired a junior varsity player from Louisiana.

A statement on the GHSA Web site Friday night read:

"The eligibility of these students will be handled through a special hardship appeal process. The transfer rule will be waived in most circumstances. The students will have to show proof of a valid physical examination or must get one here before participating. If the student was academically eligible in the other states, they will be eligible here. Since most schools were destroyed, we will have to gather information from the Louisiana or Mississippi high school association. The process may take 1-2 weeks, but we will try to expedite the process as much as possible."

— Bill Sanders

Soaring gas prices might curtail travel

DeKalb County Schools athletics director Charlie Henderson, who watched the Stephenson-McNair game on Friday night, said no schools had to adjust their plans because of skyrocketing gas prices for this weekend's football games. But that's likely to change next week.

"It's costing us a fortune this week," Henderson said. "We're just going to continue monitoring gas prices next week and go from there."

Henderson said if fuel costs continue to rise, he and his staff will study junior varsity schedules for all sports, along with band trips for road games, among other things.

Stephenson brought 15 buses Friday, 13 of which were loaded with members of the school's award-winning band.

East Coweta fans also blamed several reasons, including high gas prices, for sparse attendance at the game against Brookwood. The average round trip was 120 miles.

A couple of notes.

La. is allowing HS athletes to transfer w/o penalty if they are refugees, waiving normal transfer rules. It makes sense.

LSU QB Jamarcus Russell has housed about 20 refugees in his apt near the LSU campus, including Fats Domino. LSU athletes have taken part in refugee assistance on and near the LSU campus.

The LSU-ASU game scheduled Sept. 10 in Tiger Stadium is up in the air. LSU facilities are being used for triage and it is uncertain where or if the game will be played. There are rumors concerning playing it in other places in the state, for example Shreveport, or even moving it to Arizona. No one knows at this point. I will say, however, that there are LSU fans who have lost their homes and all they own who want the game to be played and played in Death Valley if at all possible. And the team wants the game played. It is a real dilemma.

Any news on what will happen to the Sugar Bowl? I can't imagine it will be ready by bowl season.

re: Sugar Bowl -- I haven't seen anything remotely official, just some general comments about how they'll be exploring their options, including Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
I think I last saw it mentioned anywhere back on Wednesday or so.

Several sports writers have wondered if the region will be able to support the Saints, the Hornets, and even the AAA baseball team. While this is certainly a viable question, it has upset the dedicated fanbase for each team.

Man, it takes a special kind of asshat to approach a UNO player right now and try to get him to transfer. Just sad.

SI

Several sports writers have wondered if the region will be able to support the Saints, the Hornets, and even the AAA baseball team. While this is certainly a viable question, it has upset the dedicated fanbase for each team.
I've actually wondered that over the past couple of days. Unless the rebuild goes a lot smoother and quicker than expected, I'm not sure how they can support the Saints and Hornets. AAA baseball gets played in places that have less population than they have there even now (Des Moines, anyone?). The problem is, if the Sants and/or Hornets move, there goes another shot for New Orleans to rebuild- around those items that stimulate economic growth.

SI

I actually think this increases the chances of the Saints staying longterm in New Orleans. The Superdome will now have to be completly renovated now, so adding in some luxury boxes will probably be tossed in I bet, even though people may have a fit about it.

http://www.atptennis.com/en/newsandscores/news/2005/katrina_relief.asp



News

September 1 , 2005

ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Tennis Stars Pledge Support to Hurricane Katrina Victims

Sport's biggest names to auction autographed equipment, apparel starting September 11, and make individual donations and film public service announcements in support of American Red Cross hurricane relief efforts

Initiative is first component of extended commitment in conjunction with the USTA to raise funds and awareness, and follows Tours' tsunami and Florida hurricane charitable programs



The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and ATP announced today a multi-faceted joint charitable initiative to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina in the southeastern United States.

Players from both organizations, including some of the game's biggest international stars, are pledging to donate autographed tennis equipment, apparel and memorabilia throughout the remainder of the US Open for an auction to benefit the American Red Cross hurricane relief efforts in the hardest-hit areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The auction will begin on September 11, the anniversary of the disaster that struck New York City four years ago.

Players who already have committed to supporting the relief efforts include Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Andre Agassi, Lindsay Davenport, Robby Ginepri, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Donald Young, Amelie Mauresmo, and Bob and Mike Bryan. In addition, many other players are making individual donations and filming public service announcements.

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050903/NEWS22/109030012/-1/citizen02

Saturday, September 3, 2005
Deion Sanders calls on athletes to give to relief effort

By The Associated Press

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Baltimore Ravens cornerback Deion Sanders challenged all professional athletes to donate at least $1,000 apiece through payroll deductions to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Flanked by teammates and Louisiana natives Ed Reed and Alan Ricard, Sanders on Friday called for each team in the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, as well as other pro sports, to help him reach a goal of $1.5 million to $3 million for the cause.

"The recent devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the aftermath of her wrath, there has been a loss of life, property, finances, homelessness and a multitude of atrocities. The people affected by this disaster is astronomical," Sanders said.

The Ravens players also called for fans to donate money, clothing and supplies to the ravaged Gulf Coast.

"Through unity, we can touch thousands," Sanders said. "This is in our own backyard. We feel this. Ed, Alan, feel this. I have friends, relatives that feel this pain. Help in any way you can."

Added Reed, "This is my backyard, this is a city we walked on just last week to play a game we love to play. This is real. Football is something we get to do, basketball, baseball. We're reaching out to other athletes."

Reed, last season's NFL Defensive Player of the Year who played high school football at St. Rose, La., has established a Web site, www.reedhurricanerelief.com, for people to donate funds to the American Red Cross.

The Ravens organization, which plans to donate $25,000 in addition to the players' efforts, will collect donations for victims of Hurricane Katrina on Sept. 11 when the team opens the season against the Indianapolis Colts.

In other Katrina developments:

— The New Orleans Saints, driven from the Superdome by the hurricane, will play their home opener against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium. It is not clear, however, when the game will be played.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said Friday the game, scheduled for Sept. 18, is being moved to the Giants' home in East Rutherford, N.J.

— Peyton and Eli Manning, who grew up in New Orleans, will fly to Baton Rouge, La., Saturday on a plane carrying relief supplies for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The brothers will leave from Indianapolis on a plane sponsored by the PeyBack Foundation. The flight will be carrying 31,000 pounds of nonperishable items that will be delivered to the American Red Cross.

— Serena Williams, who has already said she'll donate $100 for every ace she hits the rest of the year, is also offering up her U.S. Open earrings. Williams is sporting a pair of $40,000 platinum chandelier earrings with 13 carats of diamonds, and said she and designer Erica Courtney will put them up for auction on the WTA Tour Web site after the Open. "That would be a lot more than the aces," Williams said.

— The NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks announced plans Friday to donate $100,000 to the American Red Cross. Additional money will come from an in-arena action held at the Sparks' playoff game against Sacramento earlier this week and from in-arena auctions held at each Lakers home game during the month of November. Also, the Lakers Youth Foundation will make a $100,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

— Fats Domino and his family spent two days with LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell after being rescued from the floodwaters of the hurricane. The 77-year-old R&B singer and his family are friends with the family of Russell's girlfriend, sports information director Michael Bonnette said.

— The thoroughbred meet at Fair Grounds in New Orleans that had been set to begin in November was canceled while racing officials try to locate hundreds of displaced employees.

Churchill Downs, which bought the Fair Grounds in October, has been trying to account for 500 employees and survey the damage at the track near downtown New Orleans, Churchill president Thomas Meeker said.

The meet, scheduled to run from Thanksgiving Day through March, could be held at another track near Shreveport in northern Louisiana, Meeker said.

— The Sun Belt Conference is temporarily moving its offices from hurricane-ravaged New Orleans to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

The conference's offices are located on the 23rd floor of the Pan American Life building, not far from the Superdome. Flooding in the area has made the building inaccessible, and it has also sustained some wind damage, commissioner Wright Waters said. The league office should be up and running by Wednesday.

— The sister of Central Florida's Javid James, who was out of contact with her family for several days after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, was found safe in Tennessee.

Tahirah James, 18, had not been heard from since the storm made landfall Monday. The story received national exposure during Thursday night's UCF season opener at South Carolina, when James spoke to ESPN and pleaded for information on his sister's whereabouts.

— Jockeys at Del Mar will take a plunge to raise money for victims. Virtually the entire jockey colony volunteered to be dunk-tank targets Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the track near San Diego.

For $10, fans will get two baseballs and two chances to drop the jockeys into a tub of water, and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club agreed to match whatever funds are raised.

— The U.S. Tennis Association canceled the $50,000 men's Challenger event scheduled in Covington, La., the week of Sept. 12. A new USTA men's Challenger event will be scheduled for the week of Oct. 24 at a site to be determined.

— San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos will match all contributions up to $150,000 made by fans at the team's opener against Dallas on Sept. 11.

— The San Diego Padres will hold donation drives on Sept. 7 and 10 at Petco Park. The Padres, along with 14 other clubs hosting games on Sept. 7, will collect funds from fans for the American Red Cross relief effort. Major League Baseball will match what is collected in ballparks that day, up to $1 million.

— The Arizona Diamondbacks will donate all proceeds from tickets purchased for their series against the Milwaukee Brewers later this month to the American Red Cross relief efforts. The Diamondbacks will also conduct a "Pass the Hat" donation campaign that will start with the players and extend to the fans during their game against the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 16.

Great to hear of the sports world coming together. Much more then I say then some of the "Hollywood" world. I'm not a tennis person, but what is an ace?

An ace is a serve that is in bounds and isn't returned. In other words, a very good serve.

Several sports writers have wondered if the region will be able to support the Saints, the Hornets, and even the AAA baseball team. While this is certainly a viable question, it has upset the dedicated fanbase for each team.
Not to mention the financial means by which to buy game tickets.

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_09.html#076625

http://www.nola.com/images/spacer.gif
Saints to move?

By Robert Travis Scott
Capital bureau

New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson is leaning strongly toward moving the Saints permanently to San Antonio following the devastation to the city and the Superdome by Hurricane Katrina, a state senator who has spoken with a top team official said Saturday.

Sen. Mike Michot, R-Lafayette, said he spoke with Saints’ chief of administration Arnold Fielkow by phone Friday morning about Benson’s potential plans.

Team officials could not be reached Saturday. The team had previously announced it was looking for a new home for the current season, and San Antonio was one of the options.

Michot said he was told that Benson has not made a final decision, but the owner is serious about moving once and for all to San Antonio. “We may lose them permanently,” Michot said.

A possible move by the team is a “huge concern” among a few state officials who have become aware of it, but every significant political figure in the state is preoccupied with reacting to the storm aftermath.

State officials want to convince Benson to delay a decision so that the state can focus on the rescue and rehabilitation effort and later find a way to keep the Saints at home in New Orleans.

“This is like pouring salt into the wound,” Michot said.

Michot said decency dictates that Benson should postpone any decision on a permanent move until state officials have had a chance to talk with him.
“Give us time,” Michot said.
Another state official confirmed a similar conversation with Fielkow.

Michot is the vice-chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, a key committee for legislation related to state agreement with the Saints.
He said that in the long run the Saints might be better off staying in New Orleans because a revived city with national support could provide a better stadium.

dola--

The Saints in this instance, I think, are symbolic of the big question surrounding the City (once we finish cleaning up the bodies). Will the people with the capital and the drive to create an economic base see an opportunity in New Orleans, and will they stay to maintain their businesses there? Or will they decide that it is not worth the trouble? The government can pour as much money into town as it wants (and it will have to pour a lot), but if private enterprise decides that it is not worth remaining there, all really will be lost.

ESPN.com article (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2150227)


Athletes are already missing class time, but the NCAA has given Tulane and other schools in the area a break by allowing them to compete without having full-time status. Monetary aid for basic needs is going to be allowed, too, considering some of the students might have lost belongings and need to be transported to a new destination.

It appears that the NCAA is going to accomodate the needs of the schools and atheletes. Tulane and other colleges in the N.O. area are closed until January, so the the atheletes would fail to meet several eligibilty requirements.

dola--

The Saints in this instance, I think, are symbolic of the big question surrounding the City (once we finish cleaning up the bodies). Will the people with the capital and the drive to create an economic base see an opportunity in New Orleans, and will they stay to maintain their businesses there? Or will they decide that it is not worth the trouble? The government can pour as much money into town as it wants (and it will have to pour a lot), but if private enterprise decides that it is not worth remaining there, all really will be lost.

They have to be very, very careful about how they spend this money. I think it would be foolhardy to build a new stadium, when you consider that a professional sports stadium contributes about as much to the local economy as a mid-sized shopping center.

If New Orleans is to recover, it must retain a high percentage of its economic base. Stores like Saks 5th Avenue are going to need incentive to rebuild. And they're the ones that provide large numbers of decent full-time jobs.

dola--

The Saints in this instance, I think, are symbolic of the big question surrounding the City (once we finish cleaning up the bodies). Will the people with the capital and the drive to create an economic base see an opportunity in New Orleans, and will they stay to maintain their businesses there? Or will they decide that it is not worth the trouble? The government can pour as much money into town as it wants (and it will have to pour a lot), but if private enterprise decides that it is not worth remaining there, all really will be lost.

Listening to people locally and on an internet forum I frequent that includes many business and professional people from the NOLA area, many are talking about relocating out of NOLA. Of course with time their views may change, but there is great concern about the future of the city. Likewise, their is speculation about how many of the refugees will return, especially the ones in Texas and other states. The population of Baton Rouge has temporarily doubled, and there is also speculation that many businesses will relocated permanently from the NOLA area to BR. And there is talk about how NOLA will be reconstructed. This ranges from speculation that it will become a depository for the poor who return to the city while business deserts it, to just the opposite, that it will be smaller and more affluent. At this point of course it is all speculation. And you raise very good points.

They have to be very, very careful about how they spend this money. I think it would be foolhardy to build a new stadium, when you consider that a professional sports stadium contributes about as much to the local economy as a mid-sized shopping center.

If New Orleans is to recover, it must retain a high percentage of its economic base. Stores like Saks 5th Avenue are going to need incentive to rebuild. And they're the ones that provide large numbers of decent full-time jobs.

Good point. I just wonder what will happen with the Sugar Bowl, New Orleans Bowl, the big-time tournaments (SEC, March Madness) they host.

They have to be very, very careful about how they spend this money. I think it would be foolhardy to build a new stadium, when you consider that a professional sports stadium contributes about as much to the local economy as a mid-sized shopping center.
I'd say that point is debateable. You'd be hard pressed to find a mid-sized shopping center that you can build a downtown renovation project around. That said, it's somewhat of a moot point when talking about New Orleans.

SI

The NASCAR community's list of efforts is wide & varied. The sanctioning body is trying to coordinate the information from the various teams & sponsors at
http://www.nascar.com/news/katrina/index.html
It'll be a lot more complete than the sample I'm posting here.

-- Tony Stewart will be donating his earnings from Sunday's Sony HD 500 Nextel Cup Series race to the American Red Cross, and his race team -- Joe Gibbs Racing -- will match whatever that amount is. In addition, the uniform Tony Stewart wears in the Sony HD 500 will be signed and auctioned off on eBay, with the proceeds also going to the American Red Cross.

JGR has also been using their 19 seat jet to ferry doctors into the area. Sponsor Home Depot has already donated $1.5m directly to relief.

--Led by a call to action to all International Speedway Corporation sister tracks by Talladega Superspeedway, millions of residents affected by the rampage of Hurricane Katrina in its home state of Alabama, as well nearby Mississippi and Louisiana will benefit from a company-wide hurricane relief program announced Thursday by TSS President Grant Lynch. They'll take Red Cross donations at their tracks (6 of the next 11 races are at ISC venues), and have donated $1m directly themselves. They've also "dispatched one of its mobile kitchens to the disaster area. The kitchen will provide up to 500 meals each day to workers assisting in relief and recovery efforts."
--Penske Racing South has added a decal to all their cars, has worked with sponsors Gatorade & Power-Bar to ship pallet loads to the area, has set up a fund for donations.
-- Michael & Buffy Waltrip donated $50k personal, and another $200k from their sponsor, Aaron's.
-- Greg Biffle Foundation holding an online auction on eBay to raise money.
-- Jimmie Johnson has donated $48k, and has a $480 per lap gimmick to add to that.

And the list of sponsors making corporate-level donations is too long for me to try to recreate here. Like I said, this is just a sampling.

Racing website Jayski's also has a list (which includes some duplicates but some I hadn't seen) http://jayski.com/other/katrina.htm

They have to be very, very careful about how they spend this money. I think it would be foolhardy to build a new stadium, when you consider that a professional sports stadium contributes about as much to the local economy as a mid-sized shopping center.

If New Orleans is to recover, it must retain a high percentage of its economic base. Stores like Saks 5th Avenue are going to need incentive to rebuild. And they're the ones that provide large numbers of decent full-time jobs.
Solecismic Software Announces Front Office Retail: The Shopping Center

Eh... I got nothin.

What is Tulane going to do? I'm pretty sure their home field is/was the superdome.

Nilodor -- there was a couple of stories yesterday that had Tulane looking for a home for the entire Fall sports program. Almost certain to be in Texas, not clear yet where it'll end up being (IIRC, SMU was a front-runner).

Anyone else wonder what would happen if Miami is selected for the Sugar Bowl (if it's even played in/near N.O.)?? Think the NCAA would ban them for an offensive nickname? Would the team be safe?

ASU - LSU game on Sept. 10 to be played in Tempe, AZ. The She-Rahn Bed and Breakfast has vacancies.

Linky (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/0905asugame.html)


Saturday's ASU-LSU game switched to Tempe

Hurricane aftermath causes change for No. 5 Tigers, No. 20 Sun Devils
Jeff Metcalfe
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 5, 2005

<!--______START TEXT OF STORY________--> LSU and Arizona State officials confirmed today4 that the first football game between the schools will be played Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium rather than in Baton Rouge, La.

The change was made because of continuing emergency medical and rescue operations on the LSU campus in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Game time and ticket details are being worked out. The No. 5-ranked Tigers have yet to play this season because their season opener against North Texas was postponed.

No. 20 ASU is 1-0 off a 63-16 win over Temple.

Tom Collins, ASU senior associate athletic director, led an ASU group that toured LSU and Baton Rouge on Sunday.

ASU coach Dirk Koetter understood the need for a change of venue.

"On the outside they said life appears as normal as it could be, but behind the scenes there's things that would not be considered normal for a visiting football team," Koetter said.

Tom Kleinlein, ASU football operations director, and members of the ASU police department also made the trip.

ESPN is scheduled to nationally televise the game. That network will try to gain special permission to televise a game from a Pac-10 site.

ASU was scheduled to host LSU in 2008. That game now is expected to be in Baton Rouge although details of the back end of the switch still need to be resolved.

The LSU campus, particularly its athletic venues, has played a central role in medical services during the recovery effort.

"There are considerable logistical issues that either affect the execution of a football game, or detract from providing recovery services in this time of need," LSU Chancellor Sean O'Keefe said in a statement. "We have collected as much information as possible and deliberated this issue carefully over the weekend, but the myriad of details and questions that remain unresolved dictate this move."

Among the significant issues is the securing of hotel rooms for the Arizona State football team and traveling party, Southeastern Conference game officials and members of the ESPN television crew. LSU officials have advised fans that hotels are booked and evacuees from the southeast Louisiana parishes have the highest priority.

"We are thankful to Arizona State University President Michael Crow, athletics department personnel and the Fiesta Bowl who have already worked out a number of local details for making this game happen in Tempe on such short notice," O'Keefe said.

"They are prepared to make travel and hotel arrangements for our team and traveling party, and Arizona State has agreed to schedule a return trip to Baton Rouge in the future."

LSU will now play only six home football games during the 2005 football season.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/0905/06tulane.html

The article is basically on how Tulane got the green light from the NCAA to play football this season, regardless of the status of classes. But there's a blip at the end that really burned me up.

Scelfo said he has gotten hateful phone messages at his hotel room from people who believe Tulane shouldn't play this season, given the horrific loss of life in New Orleans.

Those people, Scelfo said, miss the point of what's happening with this team.

"It's really not about the game," (coach Chris) Scelfo said. "When we play, that will be three hours where we don't have to think about what we've left behind.

"That's our therapy. That's how we will handle our grief."

I wish they could trace those calls & let the players take out a little of their frustration on the assholes who made them.

Didn't Tulane cancel school? If so, how can sports teams stay eligible?

Bug - special waiver from the NCAA

http://sports.myway.com/news/09052005/v8066.html
Giants-Saints Game Set for Monday Night Doubleheader

NEW YORK (AP) - The Giants-Saints game, driven from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, will be played as part of a nationally televised doubleheader starting at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 19.

The game, already moved to the Giants' home in the New Jersey Meadowlands, will begin on ABC, then be switched to ESPN at 9 p.m., when ABC goes to the regularly scheduled game between Washington and Dallas in Irving, Texas. In New York and Louisiana, as well as other parts of the Gulf Coast, ABC will continue to carry the Giants-Saints game, switching to Redskins-Cowboys when the Saints game ends.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said other details, such as ticket sales, will be announced soon.

"We appreciate the leadership of ABC and ESPN in helping us turn this particular Monday night into far more than a prime-time football doubleheader, making it part of the overall Gulf Coast relief effort," commissioner Paul Tagliabue said in a statement released by the NFL. "The New Orleans Saints know the importance of rising to help meet the Gulf Coast's extraordinary challenges, and we salute them, too."

The NFL said fund-raising efforts for hurricane relief will be intertwined in the telecasts of both games.

Saints coach Jim Haslett, already miffed at losing a home game, found it curious the NFL would allow this game to overlap with the already scheduled Monday nighter.

"I really don't know why they're doing it," Haslett said, rolling his eyes.

Monday was the likely choice because the Meadowlands is playing host to a soccer game Saturday, Sept. 17 and the New York Jets play the Miami Dolphins there on Sunday.

The Saints are still waiting for a decision where they'll play the remaining seven games scheduled for the Superdome. The candidates are LSU's Tiger Stadium, the team's overwhelming choice; the Alamodome in San Antonio, where the Saints are living and practicing; or being on the road for all 16 games.

The scheduling does not totally satisfy the other NFC East teams because the Giants get an extra home game from the switch - even if they are officially listed as visitors.

"I'd be smart not to comment on that," Dallas coach Bill Parcells said Monday.

According to a little blurb I (and probably anyone watching the FSU/Miami ganme) heard from Koppel, the Superdome is going to be torn down. Is that official?

According to a little blurb I (and probably anyone watching the FSU/Miami ganme) heard from Koppel, the Superdome is going to be torn down. Is that official?
I just heard the same thing, is this true?

I am sure they wouldnt tear it down unless it was structurally unsound. They probably have a good reason if they are going to tear it down.

I am sure they wouldnt tear it down unless it was structurally unsound. They probably have a good reason if they are going to tear it down.


From what I heard (hence rumor, rumor, rumor), they are tearing it down because of the bad mojo. Basically it will always be a symbol for what went wrong with the relief effort and would never be the same.

A couple thoughts from the above posts...

-Haslett/Parcells/et al sound rather petty bitching about losing a home game/Giants gaining a home game, compared with what has happened so far.

-I've also heard about the possibility of tearing down the Superdome; personally, I think it might be a good idea. If you were a NO resident and you know what happened in there, would you really want to go watch a football game there? Some wouldn't mind, I'm sure, but then there would likely be just as big a number of people that would.

And a new note...the Detroit News mentioned yesterday that Michigan officials had been contacted about potentially using the Big House for Saints games. Its a slim to none chance that that would happen.

I'm on my way out the door, but really quickly here: If I still lived in New Orleans, I would never want to step foot in the Superdome again.

I don't know if Haslett's comments were taken out of context but it sounds pretty pathetic and he can go fuck himself. Be grateful you are a millionare football coach and were one of the first people flown out of there. My opinion of him has gone down a lot - I always figured he was one of the good guys.

I don't know if Haslett's comments were taken out of context but it sounds pretty pathetic and he can go fuck himself.

The Chris Mortensen version of the story on espn.com adds a couple of details that suggest why the comment in the wire copy might have been made. He refers to Haslett as "clearly operating on very little sleep", and points out the neither Haslett nor the players had even been told of the change by the NFL (apparently they found out when reporters started asking for reaction).
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2152641

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=2152366

Ivan Maisel story on Tulane football program trying to adjust to their new situation & cope with their worries about New Orleans.

The Chris Mortensen version of the story on espn.com adds a couple of details that suggest why the comment in the wire copy might have been made. He refers to Haslett as "clearly operating on very little sleep", and points out the neither Haslett nor the players had even been told of the change by the NFL (apparently they found out when reporters started asking for reaction).
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2152641

Fair enough I guess, my bad for jumping on him without the facts. Clearly he's in a difficult situation. Parcells possibly less excusable, but that doesn't surprise me so much. It does seem to me the NFL is doing it's best with the situation and is actually handling it quite well.

Thank god there's not an MLB team in NO for Bud Selig to make a complete pigs ear of things.

I don't think Parcells did anything wrong. It sounds like he was asked a leading question, and he wisely avoided answering.

I think I'm with Ryan on this one -- Parcells did the best he could to answer a question that didn't really have an answer that was going to come out well for him.

Not sure I agree on that one. An answer that was going to come out well would have been "well obviously all our minds are with the families caught up in this disaster and a football scheduling issue doesn't seem the most important thing right now"
Maybe that's expecting too much, but to me "I'd be smart not to answer that question" just makes him seem a bit of a grumpy jackass.

In regard to the SuperDome, what I heard on the radio this morning (rumor, rumor, rumor) is that the owners of the Saints have wanted to move to San Antonio for a while, and this may give them their wish. If so, then tearing down the SuperDome makes some sense. It would be costly to repair, wouldn't have a team (other than Tulane) to play there, and has a lot of bad memories associated with it. A new conference/convention center might actually be a better use of funds.

If the Superdome is teared down, what will happen with the big events, and economic generators, they bring?

The Sugar Bowl, the Super Bowls, The Final Four and NCAA tourneys, the SEC Hoops championship, ect.

What will happen with the Sugar and New Orleans Bowl?

ASU - LSU game on Sept. 10 to be played in Tempe, AZ. The She-Rahn Bed and Breakfast has vacancies.

Linky (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/0905asugame.html)

From what i understand their going to be practicing out and staying in scottsdale...using Desert Mountain and Chapparals football fields if im not mistaken...wheres your place at?

From what i understand their going to be practicing out and staying in scottsdale...using Desert Mountain and Chapparals football fields if im not mistaken...wheres your place at?
Ahwatukee Foothills.

ASU - LSU game on Sept. 10 to be played in Tempe, AZ. The She-Rahn Bed and Breakfast has vacancies.

Linky (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/0905asugame.html)


Will fun at sucking be provided? :D

Will fun at sucking be provided? :D
I am never going to live that down, am I?

Delayed dola -

More details on the LSU/ASU game on Saturday.


link (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/0906asufootball.html) <!-- /END EMAIL TABLE --> <!-- PRINT THIS TABLE --> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="450"> <tbody><tr> <td align="right"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!-- /END PRINT THIS TABLE --> <!-- MOST POPULAR TABLE -->

6:15 kickoff set for LSU game

The Arizona Republic
Sept. 6, 2005

<!--______START TEXT OF STORY________--> Officials have set a 6:15 p.m. kickoff for Saturday's Arizona State-Louisiana State game at Sun Devil Stadium.

The game was relocated to Tempe from Baton Rouge, La., because the LSU campus is being used for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. All proceeds after expenses will benefit the relief efforts.

Tickets, priced at $50 and $30, are being sold online at www.thesundevils.com (http://www.thesundevils.com) to ASU season ticket holders and will be made available to the general public starting at 2 p.m. Wednesday

This thread is boring without personal insults.

Picked this up from and LSU fan forum:

SI article from Rick Reilly for this week (LSU)

Sports? No, sports had absolutely nothing to do with the Gulf Coast's trying to survive Hurricane Katrina.

Except that while the fifth-ranked LSU football team practiced in Baton Rouge, about 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, the coaches were hollering above the drone of helicopters, 20 in all, dropping off evacuees.

Except the infield of the outdoor track was being used as a heliport 24 hours a day.

Except that the basketball arena, Pete Maravich Assembly Center, had been turned into a two-hooped hospital. Triage was where the band plays during games. Dialysis was where the scorekeepers sit. And pediatrics was where students usually wail. People still lined up outside to get in, though. It's just that they were all on stretchers.

No, sports weren't at all involved, except that the field house next door was a patient ward. And the baseball stadium was an evacuee processing center.

Katrina chaos was everywhere. In the LSU sports information office, student assistant Bill Martin couldn't sleep after volunteering at the Maravich Center, so he decided to urge his friends to help out by e-mailing them about what he'd seen.

Blackhawk helicopters were carrying in victims who'd been stranded on roofs. Buses rolled in from New Orleans.... A lady fell out of her wheelchair and we scrambled to help her up.... A man from New Orleans was badly injured on his head. Five minutes later he was dead. Mothers were giving birth in the locker rooms.... A man was rolled in on a stretcher [suffering from] gunshots. A paramedic said a looter needed his boat and he wouldn't give it to him.... The auxiliary gym was being used as a morgue. I couldn't take myself down there to see it.

Martin's friends should have heard the story of his colleague Jason Feirman. He was stranded on I-10, near the police roadblock 20 minutes outside New Orleans, when a displaced and distraught woman snapped and walked straight into traffic. Feirman jumped out of his car, sprinted down the highway, grabbed the woman and dragged her to the shoulder.

It was a week none will forget, much as they would like to. The Tigers' starting quarterback, sophomore JaMarcus Russell, had a lot on his mind too -- the team's game this Saturday night against Arizona State and the 22 displaced people in his three-bedroom apartment. The guy sleeping on his couch? Fats Domino.

Domino, the R&B icon who'd been listed in the papers as missing for two days, is the granddad of Russell's girlfriend, Chantel Brimmer. After the levees gave way in New Orleans, Domino was trapped on the second floor of his house. He was rescued by boat and taken to the makeshift hospital at the Maravich Center. Russell happened to be volunteering there that night -- as so many LSU athletes were -- bumped into Domino and took him home.

Since then the quarterback has been attending to the people in his apartment. "I've been staying up real late getting medicine and stuff," a bleary-eyed Russell said. "Plus, I couldn't eat after what I saw [at the Maravich Center]."

Is he worried about losing the big game? "What's losing a game," he said, "when people are losing their kids, their parents, their houses? Nothing."

Just ask Russell's teammate, defensive end Donald Hains. As of Sunday he still hadn't heard from his parents, who live in Diamond Head, Miss., which took a direct hit from Katrina. "I'm glad I have football," Hains said. "It's my only escape."

The LSU equipment manager, Greg Stringfellow, was up to his clipboard in everything but football. "The Minnesota Vikings just called," he said, staring at his Blackberry during Saturday's practice. "They're sending two semis full of supplies." A Detroit Lions fan named Vince Soulsby was sending 25. Out in the parking lot LSU athletes had already filled up one tractor-trailer with stuff they had donated or collected on their own.

Everybody in the athletic department was in chin-deep. Driving to campus, the football team's trainer, Jack Marucci heard a plea from the hoop hospital over the radio: Vaseline, gauze and 20cc syringes were desperately needed. Hey, Marucci said to himself, I have all that. Fifteen minutes later, he delivered them.

So, no, sports had nothing to do with the Gulf Coast's surviving Katrina, except everything. And that's because you always forget what sports can provide -- can-do staff, fit and focused athletes, and huge, versatile arenas -- in times of trouble.

Inside the field house-hospital, half the patients wore LSU purple and gold because so many students had donated clothing. As I gazed out at that sea of beds, I thought it looked as if the school's booster club was fresh from a train pileup.

"I never used to root for LSU much," said one purple-shirted diabetic, who'd been rescued by boat from the flooded Charity Hospital in New Orleans, "but after this, I guess we're all fans."

Issue date: September 12, 2005

The Giants were supposed to open the phone lines earlier today for Saints season ticket holders to get first crack at tickets for the Saints home game in New York. Then the Giants season ticket holders would get the opportunity to buy tickets. Then, in the unlikely event that any were left, the general public would get some.

According to the Saints message boards, the phone lines have been down/busy all day. Now, the Giants fans are allowed to start buying, and any Giants season ticket holder can get tickets through ticketmaster. And they, of course, are.

I understand the realities that forced the Saints to play a home game on the road, but I am dissapointed that the Saints fans who were ready and able to go to the game will now not be able to based on the Giants ticket sales office (or whoever was in charge of selling those tickets).

This would have been a good opportunity for some people to lose themselves for three hours and begin healing.

Didn't the Saints season ticket holders already pay?

Picked this up from and LSU fan forum:

SI article from Rick Reilly for this week (LSU)

Sports? No, sports had absolutely nothing to do with the Gulf Coast's trying to survive Hurricane Katrina.

Except that while the fifth-ranked LSU football team practiced in Baton Rouge, about 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, the coaches were hollering above the drone of helicopters, 20 in all, dropping off evacuees.

Except the infield of the outdoor track was being used as a heliport 24 hours a day.

Except that the basketball arena, Pete Maravich Assembly Center, had been turned into a two-hooped hospital. Triage was where the band plays during games. Dialysis was where the scorekeepers sit. And pediatrics was where students usually wail. People still lined up outside to get in, though. It's just that they were all on stretchers.

No, sports weren't at all involved, except that the field house next door was a patient ward. And the baseball stadium was an evacuee processing center.

Katrina chaos was everywhere. In the LSU sports information office, student assistant Bill Martin couldn't sleep after volunteering at the Maravich Center, so he decided to urge his friends to help out by e-mailing them about what he'd seen.

Blackhawk helicopters were carrying in victims who'd been stranded on roofs. Buses rolled in from New Orleans.... A lady fell out of her wheelchair and we scrambled to help her up.... A man from New Orleans was badly injured on his head. Five minutes later he was dead. Mothers were giving birth in the locker rooms.... A man was rolled in on a stretcher [suffering from] gunshots. A paramedic said a looter needed his boat and he wouldn't give it to him.... The auxiliary gym was being used as a morgue. I couldn't take myself down there to see it.

Martin's friends should have heard the story of his colleague Jason Feirman. He was stranded on I-10, near the police roadblock 20 minutes outside New Orleans, when a displaced and distraught woman snapped and walked straight into traffic. Feirman jumped out of his car, sprinted down the highway, grabbed the woman and dragged her to the shoulder.

It was a week none will forget, much as they would like to. The Tigers' starting quarterback, sophomore JaMarcus Russell, had a lot on his mind too -- the team's game this Saturday night against Arizona State and the 22 displaced people in his three-bedroom apartment. The guy sleeping on his couch? Fats Domino.

Domino, the R&B icon who'd been listed in the papers as missing for two days, is the granddad of Russell's girlfriend, Chantel Brimmer. After the levees gave way in New Orleans, Domino was trapped on the second floor of his house. He was rescued by boat and taken to the makeshift hospital at the Maravich Center. Russell happened to be volunteering there that night -- as so many LSU athletes were -- bumped into Domino and took him home.

Since then the quarterback has been attending to the people in his apartment. "I've been staying up real late getting medicine and stuff," a bleary-eyed Russell said. "Plus, I couldn't eat after what I saw [at the Maravich Center]."

Is he worried about losing the big game? "What's losing a game," he said, "when people are losing their kids, their parents, their houses? Nothing."

Just ask Russell's teammate, defensive end Donald Hains. As of Sunday he still hadn't heard from his parents, who live in Diamond Head, Miss., which took a direct hit from Katrina. "I'm glad I have football," Hains said. "It's my only escape."

The LSU equipment manager, Greg Stringfellow, was up to his clipboard in everything but football. "The Minnesota Vikings just called," he said, staring at his Blackberry during Saturday's practice. "They're sending two semis full of supplies." A Detroit Lions fan named Vince Soulsby was sending 25. Out in the parking lot LSU athletes had already filled up one tractor-trailer with stuff they had donated or collected on their own.

Everybody in the athletic department was in chin-deep. Driving to campus, the football team's trainer, Jack Marucci heard a plea from the hoop hospital over the radio: Vaseline, gauze and 20cc syringes were desperately needed. Hey, Marucci said to himself, I have all that. Fifteen minutes later, he delivered them.

So, no, sports had nothing to do with the Gulf Coast's surviving Katrina, except everything. And that's because you always forget what sports can provide -- can-do staff, fit and focused athletes, and huge, versatile arenas -- in times of trouble.

Inside the field house-hospital, half the patients wore LSU purple and gold because so many students had donated clothing. As I gazed out at that sea of beds, I thought it looked as if the school's booster club was fresh from a train pileup.

"I never used to root for LSU much," said one purple-shirted diabetic, who'd been rescued by boat from the flooded Charity Hospital in New Orleans, "but after this, I guess we're all fans."

Issue date: September 12, 2005

I am all verklemmpt after that. I guess I'll be pulling for the Tigers this weekend.

Didn't the Saints season ticket holders already pay?
I think that the deal was that they could either get tickets to the Giants game or get a refund.

Latest word is that four games will be in San Antonio and the other three will be in Baton Rouge.

Link (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2156277)

As a Panthers fan, it's interesting to note that the only divisional home game in Baton Rouge (presumably where they'd have a larger, more vocal crowd) is against Carolina. The Falcons and Bucs both are proposed to play in San Antonio.

Latest word is that four games will be in San Antonio and the other three will be in Baton Rouge.

Link (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2156277)

As a Panthers fan, it's interesting to note that the only divisional home game in Baton Rouge (presumably where they'd have a larger, more vocal crowd) is against Carolina. The Falcons and Bucs both are proposed to play in San Antonio.

On PTI on ESPN, they just said the home schedule for the Saints was released.

-The game at New York for their first home game. (Stupid crap IMO)
-Then 2 game at San Antonio
-Then 4 games in a row in Baton Rouge
-Then the last 1 in San Antonio

Nice that they try to give this team some stability, like having all or most of their games in one city.

EDIT: I guess I had this te order of the San Antonio games wrong a little according to the ESPN story below.

dola- http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2159595

NEW YORK -- The New Orleans Saints will play four home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., and three in the Alamodome in San Antonio this season.

Saints 2005 home schedule
• Week 2 (Sept. 19): New York Giants at East Rutherford, N.J.
• Week 4 (Oct. 2): Buffalo at San Antonio
• Week 6 (Oct. 16): Atlanta at San Antonio
• Week 8 (Oct. 30): Miami at Baton Rouge, La.
• Week 9 (Nov. 6): Chicago at Baton Rouge, La.
• Week 13 (Dec. 4): Tampa Bay at Baton Rouge, La.
• Week 15 (Dec. 18): Carolina at Baton Rouge, La.
• Week 16 (Dec. 24): Detroit at San Antonio

--The Associated Press

The Saints, displaced when Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area and their Superdome home, will play the weekends of Oct. 30-31, Nov. 6-7, Dec. 4-5 and Dec. 17-19 on the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge. The San Antonio games will be on the weekends of Oct. 2-3, Oct. 16-17 and Dec. 24-26.

Specific days and starting times for those games have not been determined.

Bet they'd have preferred to played Vick and the Falcons in Baton Rouge, where it'd be outdoors (and I think on real grass, or does LSU have FieldTurf now?). Then again, they're used to indoor contests against the Falcons seeing as both Atlanta and NO play in domes.

That begs a question. Does anyone know what Vick's stats and record are in an indoor/outdoor split? I'm curious as to whether he's Favre's mirror image (Favre being great outdoors but lousy in domes).

That begs a question. Does anyone know what Vick's stats and record are in an indoor/outdoor split?

I didn't see a split for his record, but here's last season by surface.
http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/235253/splits/2004

CAT G Att Comp Pct Yds YPA Lg TD Int 1st 1rst % 20+ Sac Rate
ON ARTIFICIAL 8 182 102 56.0 1366 7.51 62 8 7 59 57.8 21 28 78.7
ON GRASS FIELDS 7 139 79 56.8 947 6.81 56 6 5 44 55.7 14 18 77.2
INDOOR GAMES 8 182 102 56.0 1366 7.51 62 8 7 59 57.8 21 28 78.7
OUTDOOR GAMES 7 139 79 56.8 947 6.81 56 6 5 44 55.7 14 18 77.2
HOME GAMES 8 182 102 56.0 1366 7.51 62 8 7 59 57.8 21 28 78.7
ROAD GAMES 7 139 79 56.8 947 6.81 56 6 5 44 55.7 14 18 77.2

Thanks. Also looked over his rush numbers and he does seem to perform the same regardless of place or surface. I would have thought his quickness would lend itself to greater numbers on turf.

http://sports.myway.com/news/09122005/v0041.html

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - An Auburn football player who spent days believing his two younger brothers were killed in Hurricane Katrina and not knowing his father's whereabouts has discovered that all three are alive and staying in Houston.

Alonzo Horton, a New Orleans native, said he learned Sunday night that his family members were alive after calling a cousin to tell them of the boys' deaths.

"He said, 'Man, that didn't happen because your daddy's right here with me. I was like, 'What?"' Horton said Monday.

"I heard their voice and the phone died out, so I knew that they were OK."

Horton said another cousin had told him 6-year-old Delorean and Jerry, who just turned 8, died after taking refuge in the Abramson High School gymnasium in New Orleans. Horton had said Saturday that his father remained unaccounted for.

He said that was the only confirmation he had received of their deaths. Horton's mother and other family members are staying in Atlanta.

His reaction to the good news?

"Just a sigh of relief," he said. "I can't really explain how I felt when I heard that. I just can't wait to see them. I can't wait to talk to them again.

"I still kept hope in the back of my mind," Horton said. "I prayed every night that they were all right."

Horton said he didn't know whether the youngsters ever took shelter in the gym.

"I don't know and I don't really care about it, as long as they're OK," he said.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/sports/0905/14katrinancaa.html

Published on: 09/14/05

KINGSTON, R.I. — Division I basketball and football players from schools closed by Hurricane Katrina will still have to sit out for a year if they transfer to one of the many colleges that have offered admission, NCAA president Myles Brand said Tuesday.

The NCAA said last month that it would bend some rules to help students and schools deal with the hurricane, including letting students compete without attending classes.

But during an appearance at the University of Rhode Island, Brand said the only rule the NCAA would not bend was the one that requires Division I basketball, football and hockey players to sit a one year if they transfer to another Division I school. In other sports, Division I athletes can transfer and play immediately at another Division I school if they receive a release from the original university.

Brand said the decision was made because the members of some teams, including at least one from Tulane, planned to transfer together to one school. That could lead to the new school taking the entire team as its own, Brand said.

"Let me call that athletic looting, to be provocative, and we won't stand for that," he said.

Some coaches at hurricane-affected schools in and around New Orleans had complained to the NCAA that coaches at other schools had tried to raid their teams and recruit their players, NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said.

Renfro said the NCAA expects many hurricane-affected schools to continue to compete this year — even if they don't have classes.

Other schools affected by the hurricane include LSU and New Orleans.

The NCAA has eased some other rules, including those prohibiting athletes from taking financial assistance from outside sources, and those that require students to be enrolled full-time at their college and university.

Pretty good read by Ric Bucher from ESPN The Magazine, about the NBA stars visit to storm ravaged Mississippi.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=bucher_ric&id=2165241

One more eason the NCAA is full of shit. Jeaporadize a kid's shot at big time because you want to keep your serfdom alive ? what a miserable system.

The Sugar Bowl will likely be played in either Atlanta or Baton Rogue. I think Atlanta will get it (due to lack of experience and space to host such a big event, plus Atlanta is a "sexier" reward-though not as thrilling as Miami or Phoenix). I wonder if the Superdome is torn down, what will happen with the game?