Mizzou Links, 12-31-09

...a.k.a. New Year's Eve...a.k.a. game day...a.k.a. Mike Leach Day...a.k.a. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Perfect storm for an absolute boatload of links, what with the Texas Bowl, the win over UMKC, and the weird drama that has become the Mike Leach saga...have a seat, this is going to take a while...

Texas Bowl

• The Trib: Order from chaos: On cusp of history
  The Trib: Ricky Dobbs turning doubters into believers
  The Trib: Navy fans know how to show for bowls
  The Trib: Behind the Stripes Webcast: Episode 18
• The Missourian: 10 things you didn't know about Navy
  The Missourian: Texas Bowl is a homecoming for several Missouri football players
  The Missourian: Navy QB Ricky Dobbs sets example for a team of leaders
  The Missourian: Overnight ride takes Missouri band to Texas Bowl
• KC Star: Texas Bowl means everything to Missouri
• Post-Dispatch: Texas Bowl is big for Mizzou
  Post-Dispatch (Tiger Tracker): Texas Bowl helps MU recruiting in Houston
  Post-Dispatch (Tiger Tracker): Reliant Stadium roof likely open for Texas Bowl
• Houston Chronicle: 'D' hopes to steal thunder from offenses at Texas Bowl
• Annapolis Capital: Mids, Missouri defensive about matchup
• SI.com: Missouri Tigers, Navy Midshipmen to battle in Texas Bowl
• Washington Post: TEXAS BOWL | Navy vs. Missouri
• Palestra.net: Mizzou Seniors Playing Close to Home
  

Other Mizzou Football Links

• PowerMizzou: Powered Up: Blaine Gabbert leads the way back
  

The Leach Story Just Keeps Getting Weirder

• Dr. Saturday: Texas Tech fires Mike Leach, but the fight is only beginning
  Dr. Saturday: Postmortem: Unraveling the many webs of Mike Leach, fired coach
• Smart Football: Mike Leach fired "for cause"
• CBS Sports (Dennis Dodd): E-mails in support of Mike Leach
• EDSBS: DID YOU ORDER THE CODE SHED?
• SI.com (Stewart Mandel): Firing Mike Leach will hurt Texas Tech more than it helps
• SI.com (Andy Staples): Urban Meyer, Mike Leach sagas impacting schools' recruits
• The Trib (Dave Matter): The Pirate walks the plank
• Dallas Morning News: Texas Tech went too far in its firing of Mike Leach
  Dallas Morning News: Texas Tech releases statement on Mike Leach firing
  Dallas Morning News: Replacing Leach won't be easy for Tech
• NY Times (The Quad): Leach Speaks Out
• Double-T Nation: A Failure of Leadership
  Double-T Nation: An Editorial: The Mike Leach Saga and You
• Rock Chalk Talk: Fool Me Once, Fool Me Twice, Fool Me Three Times?

And then, late last night, the sentiment began to shift...

• Houston Chronicle: Leach makes dumb move in the wrong era
• Dr. Saturday: Current Raiders flee from Leach's corner as Texas Tech saga heats up
• Dr. Saturday: Video: Texas Tech's Adam James whispers in a small, dark room

THEN, this came from Burnt Orange Nation, a pretty incriminating NY Times quote:

A person with direct knowledge of the tension between Leach and Texas Tech said that Craig James used his position at ESPN to lobby Texas Tech coaches for more playing time for his son.

"He called the coaches and implored them to play his son more and insinuated he would say good things about them on the air if they played his son more," said the person, who was granted anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue. "At one point Leach said to James, ‘The next time your father leaves any of us a voice mail to that effect we’re going to play it to the entire team.’ "

...and then the quote disappeared from the article.

Other Big 12 Links

• Nebraska 33, Arizona 0
  ESPN.com: Lee to Paul bomb highlights Nebraska bowl rout
  Corn Nation: Nebraska Blanks Arizona 33-0 in Record-Setting Holiday Bowl Performance
• Houston Chronicle: Folksy Kines retires as Aggies' defensive coordinator
• Daily Oklahoman: Andrew Luck has pins out, may play in Sun Bowl against OU (???)
• Daily Oklahoman: Former OU football player Steve 'Dr. Death' Williams dies (NOOOOOOO!)
  Crimson and Cream Machine: Dr. Death Steve Williams Passes Away (click for YouTube video)

Mizzou is Better than UMKC at Basketball

• MUtigers.com: Tigers Roar Past UMKC, 91-57
  MUtigers.com: box score
• The Trib: Tigers survive sloppy start, rout UMKC
  The Trib: MU freshman Dixon has displayed impressive confidence early in career
• The Missourian: Coach's scolding propels Missouri to rout of UMKC
• KC Star: Missouri knocks off UMKC
• Post-Dispatch: MU starts slow, then gets hopping against UMKC

Other Mizzou Links

• Mizzou Volleyball
  MUtigers.com: Volleyball Freshman Kate Harris to Transfer