BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU has moved up the kickoff time of its home opener Saturday against Appalachian State because of concerns about Tropical Storm Gustav.

A spokesman for the school's board said Gov. Bobby Jindal's office asked for the change from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. local time (11 a.m. ET). Spokesman Charles Zewe said the switch was required because of concerns over traffic, as evacuees are expected to be heading north through Baton Rouge.

"Public safety was the overriding concern expressed by all parties when we met with the governor and his staff today," LSU director of athletics Joe Alleva said Friday. "Ten a.m. is obviously not the optimal time for a football game, but when one of the options was to not play the game at all, this is a matter of making the best of an unfortunate situation."

Jindal already has declared a state of emergency to lay the groundwork for federal assistance, and New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin said he would order a mandatory evacuation of the city if forecasters predict a Category 3 strike -- or possibly even a Category 2 -- within 72 hours. All pregame activities already have been canceled, including those at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, which is being readied as a possible evacuation site

From the Dallas Morning News Aug. 27, 2008

Dallas Cowboys fans still have a few months left to worship their team at the famed Texas Stadium, but the days of free-for-all tailgating in the parking lots immediately surrounding Irving’s legendary landmark are already over. Instead, tailgating will only be allowed in parking spots on the perimeter of each of eight blue lots. All interior parking spots will be reserved for fans who want to park and head directly into the stadium. The parking spots where tailgating is allowed are now marked with blue lines. Cowboys officials said fans will be expected to keep all tailgating activities within those lines. Fans parking in the green, gold and red lots, which are all farther away from the stadium, can still tailgate wherever they want. But any tailgater accustomed to taking up more than one space for their pre-game grilling and festivities may be in for a surprise. Team officials said they’ll be cracking down on people who pay for one parking space but take up more. If someone wants more than one space to use for tailgating, officials said, they’ll have to pay for those parking spaces too. Cowboys director of public relations Rich Dalrymple said it’s all an effort to keep the parking lots safer, use the spaces more efficiently and keep traffic flowing. And it’s also an attempt to get fans accustomed to the rules that will be in place when the Cowboys move to their mammoth new home in Arlington next season. Mr. Dalrymple said there were a minimal number of complaints after last week’s pre-season home game against Houston. “When they learn it’s a safety issue and for the traffic flow and to make everyone’s experience better, they are supportive and say, ‘We’ll make it work,’” Mr. Dalrymple said.

Jim “Hoss” Brock, the longtime Executive Director of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association (CBAA), passed away early Thursday morning, August 14, at a Dallas area health care facility. He was 74. Brock had been hospitalized since February 14 after sustaining the first in a series of strokes. He passed away in his sleep at 3:00 a.m., at the Prestonwood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Plano, north of Dallas. A native of Fort Worth and a graduate of Texas Christian University, Brock served as the Executive Director of the CBAA for 14 years, from 1979-1992. He then assumed the role as Chairman of Team Selection for one year in 1993 before his retirement. Hoss was elected to the AT&T Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2005. “We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Jim Brock,” said Rick Baker, the President of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. “There was no such thing as a stranger to Jim. He knew everyone in the world of sports, and everyone knew and respected him. “Brock’s greatest passion was college football, and most of all he loved the Cotton Bowl,” said Baker. “His name was synonymous with the bowl industry. Texas hospitality was his chief commodity and nobody did a better job of selling it than Jim ‘Hoss’ Brock.” Brock wore many hats during his tenure with the Cotton Bowl Classic and he was regarded as the bowl industry’s premier public relations man. Hoss was literally on a first-name basis with the rest of the world. He was the master at working his way through press boxes all around the country with his celebrated Cotton Bowl charm. His primary goals were to always promote the game of college football, the city of Dallas, and New Year’s Day. In addition to his work with the Cotton Bowl Classic, Brock served as the Sports Information Director at his alma mater, TCU, and at SMU, before moving to the CBAA. He also served on numerous influential committees at the highest level of college football. Among them were the Davey O’Brien Foundation in Fort Worth and The Doak Walker Award in Dallas. Brock worked in a volunteer capacity with the United States Olympic Committee as a media relations coordinator. He was a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America, and the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, the civic organization that annually produces the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Funeral arrangements are pending.

I cant say I was the biggest Brett Favre fan ever, because Im sure there are cheese heads that have the biggest man crushes on Favre, but I did like the guy more then your average player.
I hated it when he threw a pick six that cost me money, but appreciated the fact he was trying to make a play.
But I gotta say, this whole teary eyed retirement, then wanting to play again, and the whole circus that followed left a terrible taste in my mouth. I have so many question I want to ask the guy.
Whats the rush? Why not wait until a contender loses a QB to injury and go play half a season or less with them and try to finish with a Super Bowl.
The Jets? Are they one player away from anything other then maybe an eight win season?
I dunno, no matter how much lipstick you throw on this pig, its gonna finish ugly. I can just see Favre and the Jets losing three outta four out the gate. He loses the team and his fire and suddenly his consecutive NFL start streak crumbles and topples his legacy on the way down...
Why Brett? Why all the effort - to play for the JETS?

There's a development brewing at Valley Ranch that could prove to be a HUGE distraction to the team as it moves through training camp. Keep an eye on The Sports Page Weekly in the next couple of weeks and we'll have the story before anybody else. It's not the kind of news we like to report, but this will be a big, big story.

The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has acquired right wing Lauri Tukonen from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for left wing Richard Clune. Tukonen was Los Angeles’ first-round selection (No. 11 overall) in the 2004 Entry Draft and has skated in five career NHL games with the Kings. “Lauri is a promising prospect with a good deal of upside and potential,” said Stars’ Co-General Manager Les Jackson. “He is a former high first-round draft pick with solid hands, skating ability and hockey sense, and we look forward to his continued development within our organization.” Tukonen, 21, spent the 2007-08 season with the Manchester Monarchs in the American Hockey League, recording 35 points (9 goals, 26 assists) and 24 penalty minutes in 62 games. He also skated in one NHL game with Los Angeles last season, adding to the four NHL contests in which he appeared with the Kings during the 2006-07 season. He made his NHL debut on Feb. 22, 2007 vs. Vancouver. The 6-2, 198-pound right wing played in 61 games with Manchester during the 2006-07 season, collecting 31 points (13 goals, 19 assists) and 30 penalty minutes. In 2005-06 with the Monarchs, he notched 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 62 games. The native of Hyvinkaa, Finland, registered 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in seven games with Team Finland at the 2006 World Junior Championships. He also skated for Team Finland at the 2004 and 2005 World Juniors, earning a bronze medal in 2004, and he tied for the tournament lead in points (11) at the 2003 World Under-18 Championships. Clune, 21, was Dallas’ third-round selection (No. 71 overall) in the 2005 Entry Draft. He split the 2007-08 season between the AHL Iowa Stars and the ECHL Idaho Steelheads. In 38 games with Iowa last season, the Toronto native posted three goals and five assists for eight points with 137 penalty minutes, good for second on the club.

The Grand Prairie AirHogs are hosting a World Record Harley Ride Saturday, July 26 for their 7:05p.m. game vs the El Paso Diablos at QuikTrip Park at Grand Prairie. The AirHogs are attempting to break the world record for the most ceremonial pitches thrown simultaneously off the back of motorcycles. Registration is $5 per bike, which will be paid at the event. All proceeds go to the Bikers Against Child Abuse Fort Worth Chapter. Bikers along with fans are recommended to bring non-perishable food items to be donated to the North Texas Food Bank. Grand Prairie is inviting everyone out to participate in the event. Bikers who pre-register on the AirHogs' website at www.airhogsbaseball.com will be named in the record book. Those who do not register will be allowed to participate but will not receive name recognition. However, all riders will receive adult beverages before and after the ceremonial first pitch. Those wishing to participate in the event will need to meet at Lone Star Park at 6:00p.m. and should enter at Gate 3,4,&5. For ticket information, contact the AirHogs at (972) 504-9383. Alan Barr