Best Greenisms of the Season

What am I thankful for?

Yeah, I'm definitely thankful for that.

Updated: NFL Replacement Ref from Frontier May Not Have His Old Job Back Until Next Year

Overpopulation was fixed, diseases were cured, and world hunger was eliminated late last night when the NFL and the NFL Referees Association came to an agreement that ended the two-month lockout. The regular refs are back Thursday night, so they can make calls like this:

So much better than the replacements.

Jim Core

But if you're Jim Core, a Frontier Conference official before his pro debut on September 5th for the Giants-Cowboys game, this may be a problematic development.

According to Supervisor of Football Officials for the Frontier Conference Neil Peterson, Core is not on the schedule at the moment, and there's a "good chance" that he won't be back in the conference this season.

Citing concerns about spending several months learning the pro game and transitioning back to college, which Core "did not prepare for" this season, Peterson says Core may not ref more than a few games at the end of the season, if he works any at all.

Peterson also emphasized that Core is one of his better officials, and added, "I don't think he was much of a problem for the NFL."

Update: When reached by phone, Core says the NFL has advised him not to speak with the media for a week, but when asked if he was worried about re-adjusting to college rules and officiating those games, he said, "Not at all. Not at all. The field's still 100 yards long and they still play the same football. The rules are not that different."

Butte High QB Misses Meeting, Flips Tires

Ever missed a meeting at work? It's hard to look your boss in the eye afterwards. Ever had your boss tell you to go flip a tire across a football field for punishment? Butte High quarterback Dallas Cook has.

Head Coach Arie Grey, upset that Cook missed a special teams meeting, sentenced him to a round of tire flips. As you'll see in the video, Cook took his medicine, but still didn't agree with it.

Montana Tech Names its Starting QB (And I Look Like a Fool)

Montana Tech has been keeping it's quarterback decision a secret. Would they go with the incumbant, Brian Schwarzkoph (1-8, 1,465 yards and 9 TDs last season) or Nick Baker (2-1, 750 yards and 9 TDs last season)?

But I'm a reporter, and it's my job to know things before other people do. So I asked around, and two people with Montana Tech (who I trust) told me they chose Schwarzkoph, but that it wasn't public information until game day.

So I go to do my pre-game interview with head coach Chuck Morrell, and this happens:

Humility 1. Bobby 0.

In the real interview, which you can see tonight on the 5:30 show, Coach Morrell stresses that even though Baker is the starter, you'll still see Schwarzkoph worked into the gameplan.

Last season Montana Tech lost both games to Eastern Oregon, most recently a 16-15 heart-breaker.

Kelly Shoppach Messes Up My Story Idea

Kelly Shoppach: Dream Killer

I've been holding on to a secret for a little while, and I was really looking forward to telling you all about it. I'm from Washington, DC, and the Nationals play Major League Baseball there. The New York Mets, Butte native Rob Johnson's current team, play there sometimes too. It turned out that the Mets would be in DC to play the Nationals during my vacation back home. They play a three game series starting tonight.

"This is great," I thought. "I can get a press credential, I used to go to Nats games all the time through an internship, I'll get to see old friends and shoot a story about Rob Johnson for KXLF. Win win."

Except Kelly Shoppach ruined all of my hopes and dreams and turned one of those wins into a loss.

On Tuesday, Shoppach was a minor league catcher for the Boston Red Sox, hitting a pedestrian .250 with the big club in 48 games to go along with 17 RBI. Then on Wednesday, the Mets traded for him and demoted Johnson to AAA.

I'm at the game now, and so far Shoppach is 0-1 with a strikeout 1-3 with a home run. He hasn't had a hit His first for the Mets since joining the team. Well, I take that back. He hit my story idea square on the nose. He obliterated it the opposite way - it's going, going, gone.

Who Should Start for the Griz?

With Jordan Johnson suspended for his rape charge... the Griz are down to three quarterbacks who've never completed a pass in college. Sophomore Shay Smithwick-Hann of Kalispell, redshirt freshman Trent McKinney from Hawaii, and true freshman Brady Gustafson from Billings West. Who would you like to see start?Maybe Trent McKinney can channel Colt Brennan, he was a pretty good Hawaii quarterback.

USA Basketball Clowns Tunisia

"Please, Mr. James, My Family's Watching"

With 3:37 left in the first half of today's Olympic game between the United States and Tunisia, Tunisia's Marouane Kechrid made a three-pointer that cut the USA's lead to 35-30. Then the USA went on a 75-33 run to close out the game, and the final score was 110-63.

The USA didn't cover its 54-point spread, but it did have the amazing photo pictured above. Let's break it down.

Mohamed Hdidane (No. 9, on the far left) somehow is the only one back to guard against Lebron James. He's clearly done his homework, because everyone knows the way to stop a James dunk is to put your forearm on his chest. He's ticklish there.

At this point in the game (before the ball goes through the hoop), the USA is up 31-23. James probably thought that dunking on one of the Tunisian players would break their spirits with a 10-point lead. It actually didn't, as outlined above, but James is clearly going for a statement dunk. It's written all over his face.

My favorite part of this picture are the three Tunisian players in the background. All have stopped running and at this point are just watching. One of them could be saying a prayer for poor Hdidane. I know I would.

Credit to ESPN's SportsNation for the photo.