Wire Watch, 8/17

 No comments  
 E-mail Story
 Print Story
  Share

 digg it!
 Facebook
 del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit

Text Size: 

Tools Sponsor

BY KARL VOGEL / Lincoln Journal Star

The Russia-Georgia conflict has spilled over to the NFL, specifically to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“We have no trouble whatsoever,” said Jermaine Phillips, who played collegiately for the University of Georgia (in Athens, Ga., U.S.A.) about playing alongside a true Russian safety —Sergey Ivanov, who had never even touched a football until he was 15 years old. (Ironically, his name is closely similar to that of the Russian deputy prime minister — Sergei Ivanov.)

The Bucs’ Ivanov, though, is on the roster but can play only in preseason games because he’s part of the NFL’s International Practice Squad program, sort of like an exchange student enrolling in graduate studies in football.

[+]Enlarge

Since Aug. 6, you probably could call this Ivanov the “Minister of Defense” (with all due respect to the late Reggie White). On Aug. 6, late in a game against the Miami Dolphins, Ivanov made a tackle that eased diplomatic tensions.

Who was first to congratulate him? Phillips, his teammate from Georgia.

Sometimes adults say and write the darnedest things:

Gilbert Arenas, Wizards guard: (on his blog, explaining why he didn’t listen to big-money offers to play overseas) “I can’t even understand my kids, let alone another language.”

Dwight Perry, Seattle Times: (on the Raiders’ 6-foot-5, 270-pound quarterback) “So just how big is JaMarcus Russell? He beeps while backing up from center.”

David Thomas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “If I have it figured correctly, when it’s noon here, it’s 1 a.m. tomorrow at the Olympics and sometime last night on NBC."