NFL refs to carry Sprint devices on field for weather updates (Engadget)

Referees in the National Football League will have something else in their pockets besides those yellow flags filled with pellets: wireless phones!

In an agreement with the league to provide wireless devices, Sprint will equip NFL officials with phones pre-loaded with WeatherBug, a software application that provides weather alerts and will tip off crews should severe weather approach during game play.

Tip o’the cap to “cbehan” for the informational tip.

According to a report on ESPN News, Michigan has dropped out of the top 25 and into the dreaded “others receiving votes” category.

This marks the first time since the 1960s that a team that was ranked #5 that has completely dropped out of the top 25.

Michigan lost to Div. I-AA Appalachian State on Saturday — just in case you were living in a cave.

We will update this story in a little while…

***UPDATED at 4:25 PM ET***

As promised, the Associated Press has an updated story on Michigan’s drop from their college football polls.

Appalachian State downs Michigan (YouTube)

With every great upset game — in this case Appalachian State over fifth-ranked Michigan — comes a great call by the winner’s broadcasting team.

Excitement reigns in this audio version put to stills on YouTube.

[youtube q5JPeJnRi6s]

Mickelson pulls out of BMW Championship (AP/USA Today)

Just a day after winning the Deutsche Bank Championship, Phil Mickelson has decided to withdraw from the BMW Championships in Chicago this week for unspecified reasons related to his ongoing tete-e-tete with PGA Tour commish TIm Finchem.

Mickelson was playing a corporate outing with sponsor Bearing Point in the Chicago area and could not immediately reached for comment.

From the AP:

Mickelson had planned to miss the third event, and winning in Boston while paired with Woods in the background gave him a platform to air some of his complaints. Without prompting, he mentioned on NBC Sports after his two-shot victory that he had made several suggestions to Finchem that were not acted upon.

“My frustration from this past year came from asking for a couple of things in the FedEx Cup that weren’t done and not really feeling all that bad now if I happen to miss (an event),” Mickelson said Monday.

It would be a nice start if someone would remotely begin to explain in the most simplest of terms how exactly this FedEx Cup thing worked.

News and notes while trying to figure out how Michigan could remain in the top 25…

Clausen to start at QB for the Irish (AP/USA Today) With three “starting” quarterbacks, Irish head coach Charlie Weis selects number three, Jimmy Clausen.
Don’t even THINK of ranking Michigan in your top 25 (Deadspin) Speaking of that very topic of Michigan, Dan Shanoff writes a great read for the guys at Deadspin.

Michigan, App. State: Who really won? (SportsBiz) Darren Rovell looks at the upset of Appalachian State over Michigan from a sports marketing perspective.
Revisiting The Talented Mr. Roto, and why ESPN love him (The Big Lead) The interesting background of one Matthew Berry, former writer for Married: With Children who’s becoming a star at “The Worldwide Teaser.”

Tiki Barber will not shut up about the Giants (Awful Announcing) The folks at Awful Announcing agree: Tiki Barber is one annoying sumbeyotch lately.

MLB wants you to vote for Barry to receive the 2007 Hank Aaron Award (Bugs & Cranks) One word: why?

Kornheiser, Wilbon will do PTI on MNF (The FanHouse)

Prepare yourself, fooseball fans: ESPN will air six-minute editions of Pardon the Interruption, featuring MNF “analyst” Tony Kornheiser and co-hort Michael Wilbon, during halftime of NFL games on, you guessed it, Monday nights.

“The Worldwide Teaser” announced during a league-wide conference call that the pair will be manning those duties and apparently, it was the first Kornheiser heard of such a plan, telling reporters on the line as much.

Jay Rothman, senior coordinating producer for Monday Night Football, said he knows exactly how PTI at halftime will work but that he’s holding off on giving any details to Kornheiser. And I think that’s exactly the right approach: Kornheiser is much better when he’s spontaneous, as he usually is on PTI and on the radio, than when he’s scripted, as he too often was in the booth last year.

The four-letter needs all it can get to not only keep viewers tuned in during their contests, but help in generating a buzz for their broadcasts.

Hopefully, it’s a win-win all around.

Source: Huskers give Callahan three-year extension (ESPNU)

Nebraska has extended the contract of football coach Bill Callahan by three years after the two sides came to an over the weekend, a source told ESPN.com’s Joe Schad.

The extension will keep the former Oakland Raiders coach in Lincoln through 2011.

Callahan had two remaining years on his current deal that reportedly averaged $1.6 million annually.

Report: Tiki writes he quit because of Coughlin (ESPN News Services)

Former star running back — and attention whore — Tiki Barber wrote in an upcoming book dubbed “Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond” that he quit playing football because of New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin.

“If Tom Coughlin had not remained as head coach of the Giants, I might still be in a Giants uniform,” Barber writes, according to the [New York] Daily News.

“[Coughlin] robbed me of what had been one of the most important things I had in my life, which was the joy I felt playing football,” Barber wrote, according to the newspaper. “I had lost that. He had taken it away.”

Barber also happens to credit the intensive Coughlin, albeit back-handedly, for solving his chronic fumbling problems that plagued him for years, but it was also Barber’s performance that helped Coughlin retain his job at head coach of the club.

Barber went on to claim that he was underpaid in his NFL career, claiming that he was “shorted” in the neighborhood of $10 million during his playing days at the Meadowlands. 

For a guy who was claimed to be such a leader in the locker room, he’s sure coming across as an attention whore in all of this.  If we only had $10 million laying around, how much of that would it take to make him go away?

10 questions for Terrell Owens (Time.com)

It’s always interesting when a high-profiled athlete sits down with a sportswriter for a profile that revolves around quick hit questions that typically elicit canned responses.  Every now and then, the questions dig deeper than the superficial. But more often than not, it’s a question along the lines of breaking down your favorite color or what your favorite restaurant is when you visit a certain town.

TIME magazine takes a slightly different approach to these “sit downs”: readers send in questions and the players answer them the best way they can.

This week’s profile: mercurial Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens.

More after the jump »

The morning after the great Daisuke Matsuzaka stumbled a bit…

The Mariners snapped a nine-game losing streak and closed to within a game of the front-running Yankees in the AL wild-card race; Pedro Martinez got the victory in his return from rotator cuff surgery, pitching five encouraging innings and recording his 3,000th career strikeout in the process; the Blue Jays pulled within a run with an eight-run sixth inning at Fenway after being down 10-1, the Red Sox responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half and held on for a win and Brian Giles hit two of the Padres’ five home runs, and San Diego opened a one-game lead over slumping Arizona.
M’s 7, Yankees 1 — Ichiro had three hits off Roger Clemens, Felix Hernandez pitched seven sharp innings and the Mariners beat the New York Yankees 7-1 in a key American League wild-card series.

Indians 5, Twins 0 — C.C. Sabathia threw eight shutout innings, and the Indians topped Johan Santana and the Twins yet again with a 5-0 victory at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

BlueJays 10, Red Sox 13 — Daisuke Matsuzaka nearly blew a 10-1 lead, but the Red Sox hung on to beat the Blue Jays 13-10.

A’s 5, Angels 9 — Ervin Santana pitched two-hit ball over 6 1/3 scoreless innings and Gary Matthews Jr., Jeff Mathis and Garret Anderson homered for the Angels to help propel the Angels to a 9-5 win over Oakland.
More after the jump »

News and notes while getting into the groove of things again…

Federer, Roddick to faceoff in U.S. Open (ESPN.com News Services) A sure-fire ratings grabber: Roger Federer to meet Andy Roddick in U.S. Open men’s tennis quarterfinals at Flushing Meadow, N.Y.

Shock advances to WNBA finals (AP/ESPN) Ohhhhh boy! The defending WNBA champion Detroit Shock will get another shot at winning the crown after downing the Indiana Fever 81-65.

Ravens give Lefwich a look (Baltimore Sun) The recently dumped Byron Leftwich is drawing the interest of several teams, including the Baltimore Ravens.

Broncos ink Simeon Rice (AP/SI.com) Days after it was rumored that the released defensive end was believed to have signed with the Rams, Simeon Rice hooked on with the Denver Broncos and signed a one-year pact.

Astros to interview Amaro (FOX Sports) The Houston Astros will interview Philadelphia Fightin’ Phils assistant general manager Ruben Amaro for their vacant GM’s position, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes.

Mickelson outduels Tiger (USA Today) Phil Mickelson held off Tiger Woods in the Deutsche Bank Championship and jumped to the top of the postseason points race for the $10 million grand prize.