Friday, August 29, 2014

Foul Territory: Well-Oiled Machines

By Jeffrey Boswell

* Kicking the Habit, or His Season is Like His Beer — On Ice — Denver's Matt Prater apologized to the Broncos and their fans for violating the NFL's substance abuse ban for drinking beer. So, if you mention "upright" to Prater, he could possibly think you're referring not to his kicking, but to his walking.

* Seoul Brothers — South Korea won the Little League World Series, beating Chicago's Jackie Robinson West 8-4 to win their third title. South Korea's neighbors to the North downplayed the accomplishment, saying it's not enough just to throw strikes, you have to threaten them, as well.

* No F-F-Foolin'? Or One-Armageddon it — Def Leppard will play the pre-game show at Wembley Stadium before the Dolphins/Raiders game in London. The English band has sold tens of millions of albums worldwide, and has promised the league that all its hits are legal.

* Your No Longer Part of the Club — Tiger Woods parted ways with Sean Foley, his swing coach for four years. Woods said the last person to show him how to swing a club with the proper conviction was Elin Nordegren.

* Paydirtbag — Richie Incognito was cleared to play by the NFL on Monday, and the former Miami Dolphin visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are in need of help on the offensive, and Incognito has a reputation as a player not only with the ability to anchor lines, but cross them, as well.

* Raider Damnation, or Don't Go There — The Oakland Raiders are the least desirable team to play for in the NFL, according to an NFL Nation Confidential survey. In their next survey, NFL Nation will pose the same question to players from teams other than Oakland.

* He's No. 1 (At Least on the Depth Chart) — The Minnesota Vikings named Matt Cassel the starting quarterback on Monday, giving him the nod over rookie Teddy Bridgewater. The only person excited about the proposition was Brett Favre.