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Georgia vs. Auburn: Behind the deep south's oldest rivalry

ATHENS, Ga. -- What makes SEC football so special? I found out first hand on a freezing cold Saturday night "between the hedges" at Sanford Stadium. The Georgia Bulldogs played host to the Auburn Tigers in what’s billed as “the deep south’s oldest rivalry.” I’ve been to big football games before but I can honestly say I’ve never been to a sporting event with this much passion and intensity. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) Growing up in Miami, football games - college or professional - only sold out on rare occasions (Miami vs. FSU). Here in SEC country, they support their team in droves no matter the record. A crowd of 92,746 packed Georgia’s Sanford Stadium to see the No. 5 Bulldogs play the Tigers and the fans were immersed in the game from start to finish. "The fans are always here for Auburn and Georgia," said Columbus, Ga. native Xavier Palmer. Despite temperatures creeping down to the 30s, virtually every seat was filled at

NFL Week One Recap: "Fitzmagic" in Tampa, Deja vu in Philly

The first week of NFL football is in the books and there were plenty of story lines to go around. Here are the top headlines as observed by Pass the Mike Sports. Tampa Bay shocks New Orleans in the Dome: With Jameis Winston out for the first three games it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Tampa Bay would get steamrolled by the Saints in their season opener. However, backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had other plans, marching the Bucs offense up and down the field behind 417 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-40 win over Drew Brees and the Saints. Ryan Fitzpatrick Head coach Dirk Koetter said Winston wouldn't be handed the starting job back when he returned and if Fitzpatrick continues to play like he did Sunday, there's no reason for Winston to see the field. But stay humble Bucs fans, there's a reason Fitzpatrick has played for seven different teams in his NFL career and it's usually because defenses figure him out as the season progresses. While you should re

How Pittsburgh Broke Code with Le'Veon Bell

If you've watched enough pro football over the years the Le'Veon Bell saga in Pittsburgh is a familiar story line. The team's star player is trying to get a new contract and has refused to show up to training camp and practice until he receives what he and his agent believes is a fair offer from the team. Bell, 26, is arguably the best and one of the most utilized running backs in the league. Even on a team with weapons like Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Juju Smith-Schuster, Bell still seems like the engine that makes Pittsburgh's offense go. Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Usually in holdout situations like this one, the holdout player's teammates will come out in public support of their colleague that's trying to get the new money. You'll often see a quote that goes something like "We wish that he was out here with us but we understand the business side of the game.&quo

Public Relations Scandal, the real king of college footbal

The public relations scandal is the true champion of the college football ranks. This time it has returned to plant its flag at Ohio State, a school that's no stranger to controversy within its college football program. So in case you missed it, here's the scoop. Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer dominated the sports headlines Thursday after news surfaced Wednesday that he knew more than he led on about domestic violence accusations against one of his assistant coaches. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. The news is significant because Meyer, the face one of the top football programs in the nation, may lose his job if the school's investigation reveals he kept quiet about the allegations. It's also a double whammy for the school's athletic department. If Meyer is fired or decides to resign he'd become the second coach in less than a decade that the school has lost to scandal. Back in 2011, an investigation revealed former head coach Jim Tressel knew his player

LeBron is a Laker, now what?

Like a movie with a predictable plot, many of us saw LeBron James signing with the Los Angeles Lakers a mile away. But the news of "The Decision 3" still had the internet buzzing all Sunday night. LeBron James has agreed to 4-year, $154M deal with Lakers, Klutch Sports says. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2018 Fast forward to Monday and we've had a day to marinate on what LeBron to L.A. means for his legacy, the Lakers and the rest of the NBA. Press play in L.A. Simply adding James to the current Laker roster turns them into an instant playoff team next season. However, its obvious Los Angeles is a long ways away from helping LeBron conquer the West and make his ninth straight NBA Finals appearance. Like a mega-budget Hollywood movie, the Lakers are going to need at least one more star (preferably two) to legitimately compete for a championship. And from the looks of it, that next star may have to come in the form of a trade. Paul George's sur

James Harden is not the real MVP

James Harden, I'ma let you finish but LeBron James is the real Most Valuable Player for the 2017-18 season. I didn't channel Kanye to diminish Harden's season or say he's unworthy of MVP, it's just that LeBron was more deserving of the award this time around. I googled the definition of "value" and this is what came up: the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. Based on that definition alone, LeBron should have won MVP in a landslide. If you were to remove him from Cleveland's roster the Cavs would have likely been a lottery team with the core of players they had. Whereas in Houston, if you took Harden off that roster, the Rockets would still have likely been in the playoff hunt with Chris Paul as the featured star. NBA MVP James Harden poses with his mom Monja Willis during the 2018 NBA Awards in California. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images) I came to this realization