This Tim Floyd situation is going to get uglier and uglier. His resignation, and the speed and seeming joy with which the athletic department at USC took it, is a clear indicator of his guilt in the alleged cash-spreading incident, and it’s not hard to imagine him being guilty of more, either. The NCAA combined their investigation into the basketball team with their one into Reggie Bush and the football team et al . That would suggest that they are taking it pretty seriously, and this just adds fuel to their efforts. It will be very interesting to see what happens here. It could end very badly – loss of scholarships or post-season eligibility or the like. This really makes you wonder if maybe Pete Carroll will find the next NFL offer too good to refuse. If he does have some blood on his hands then he’d be much better off following the example of John Calipari – get out ahead of the scandal – than that of Tim Floyd.

Last week I talked about the quarterback woes at Boston College – no player on the roster who has thrown a single college pass. The story has taken another interesting twist. They haven’t got any more experienced, but they sure have gotten older. They have signed David Shinskie, a former Pennsylvania high school star. Shinskie is 25, and he has spent the last six years pitching in the minor leagues for the Twins and the Blue Jays before being cut recently. He’ll obviously be rusty, but he’s reportedly extremely athletic, and he’ll be mature and have a better work ethic than the young players. He’ll be very interesting to watch. It could turn into nothing, or he could be the next Chris Weinke.

Watching the last couple NBA finals games has really brought something home for me – Dwight Howard, though brilliant, clearly has some work to do. He’s a strong defender, a great rebounder , and a potent slam dunk artist. The problem, though, is his shooting. He’ll never be a complete player and live up to his terrifying potential until he can shoot. What’s shocking now is just how bad he is. It’s a real deficit in his game. If he could learn to shoot then he’d be frighteningly good. As it is, he doesn’t have the ability to take over a game like his opposing star can.

The Washington Nationals have until August 15 to get Stephen Strasburg signed and sealed now that they have drafted him first overall. They knew going in that he was going to be ridiculously expensive, so if they can’t get him signed in the next week or two then the franchise might as well fold. Not getting him signed would not only turn off every fan they have left (and there aren’t many of those ), but also every free agent with a more rounded game than Adam Dunn. This team has been the worst joke outside of Pittsburgh, but they were handed a chance to totally redeem themselves on a silver platter. I have totally faith in their ability to screw it up, though.