Free Seafood University

Reports broke earlier today that Florida State University baseball player, quarterback, and 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston was cited for shoplifting crab legs from a Florida Publix grocery store week. Winston has to pay a $30 fine and serve community service. He has been suspended from the FSU baseball team. In late 2013, Winston was investigated for and cleared of any involvement in an alleged 2012 sexual assault. Winston was also involved in an on-field scuffle with fellow baseball teammates earlier this year. The Seminoles won the 2014 BCS National Championship Game.

What a dumb kid! Every grown man was young once and did dumb things, myself included. But most of us were never in position to make the world our oyster like Winston is. Winston was also reportedly listed in police reports involving B.B. gun fights and theft of soft drinks. One would think that being investigated in connection with a potentially serious felony, followed by winning college football's most prestigious individual award would bring the stakes of this young man's future into focus.

For his sake, I hope he does not need another swift kick in the pants to get serious about his limitless future potential as a professional athlete as a football players, baseball player, or both. Unfortunately, with antics like these continuing, I think Winston may need to have another bullet fired his way (and dodged) to grow up and get on track.

I thought college students wanted to avoid crabs!

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls! 

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

Image from www.blacksportsonline.com

Around the Sports World in 80 Words Per Game

There is so much going on in the world of sports and so little reader attention span on the Internet. Here is the sports world boiled down for you, short and sweet.

NFL

“The most wonderful time of the year” takes on a dual meaning. The seasons and fates of multiple teams are decided by inches in December. The final Wild Card spot is completely up for grabs in the NFC, with seven teams within two games or less of that final spot. The AFC Wild Card sports will leave one of the following thee out in the cold: Steelers, Bengals, and Colts. The Ravens, Texans, Patriots, Broncos, Packers, Bears, Falcons, Giants, and 49ers should expect to be playing in January.

NBA

The Amare Stoudemire-less Knicks have been the talk of the NBA. The Lakers appear to be a train wreck, but I am not yet sold on that. The Grizzlies will go back into hibernation, eventually. And James Harden is answering his critics and, along with Jeremy Lin, has the Rockets back to relevancy. It’s a strange year when the Miami Heat are flying along quietly.

MLB

The Hot Stove is BLAZING. The Dodgers are determined to buy their way back to the postseason. The Yankees seem determined to do the same to remain relevant. Both teams may be sorry by next October. The Braves and Rays are making their usual offseason power moves. The Cubs and Blue Jays may be quietly flying below the radar. The Red Sox…which way is up for them?

NHL

Someone needs to call NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and remind him that his sport is HOCKEY. They are acting like people care, like is is something other than HOCKEY. If HOCKEY is not played, it won’t make a sound and most people will not notice. His hardball negotiating tactics would be cute and adorable if they weren’t endangering the sport.  

NCAA Football

A freshmen is set to win the Heisman for the first time, ever. Alabama is about to remind those whose memories are too short or too stubborn the remember that the SEC is a cut above every other conference in college football. Notre Dame is set to remind us all why they don't really belong in the BCS Championship Game in the first place. 

NCAA Basketball

Kentucky has provided a real life demonstration of the law of gravity, falling from #8 to completely vanishing from the Top 25. Expect #1 Indiana to provide an encore demonstration once conference play begins.

This is what Notre Dame sees in its crystal ball.

Image from http://nbcsports.msnbc.com

The 20 Coolest Smartphone Apps in College Sports

If you are reading this blog, you are probably on the Internet. But if you are on the Internet, I cannot predict how you are accessing it. You could be on a PC, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone. The later is exploding is market penetration for the purposes of Internet access.

With college football in full swing, I thought you readers could benefit from the following, submitted by Claudia Frederick of The Best Colleges. Another way to enhance your experience as a sports fan with your smartphone.... The original piece can be found at the blog at http://www.thebestcolleges.org.

The 20 Coolest Smartphone Apps in College Sports

You say you want sports, and you want them now? Then navigate thine iPhone, Android phone, Windows phone, or Blackberry to your app market and start downloading. No matter where you go, you’ll never be more than an arm’s length away from news, scores, highlight reels, talk, and more regarding your favorite college sports teams. These are our picks for the coolest cats of the bunch.

1. Tablegaters:

   For those times when you can’t be at the stadium to tailgate, you can still meet up with fellow alums to eat, drink, and cheer on your team. No matter where you go, you never have to miss another tablegate thanks to this app and its “Find Your Fans” feature.
   

2. ScoreMobile:

   Also freely available on Android, iPhones, and Windows phones, ScoreMobile is a consistent college sports fan favorite. If you’re busy, set the app to text you when someone scores, when a quarter ends, or just at key moments in the game. It also sports immediately updated stats, betting odds, league leaders, and more.
   

3. Sporting News NCAA Basketball:

   ESPN may be the news leader, but Sporting News trumps them when it comes to apps. For all your men’s college hoops scores, videos, and news, including the ability to customize your feed to news from your favorite teams and conferences, this app’s where it’s at.
   

4. College Baseball Tracker:

   Use your Android text-to-speech functionality to turn a college baseball gamecast into a live play-by-play audio broadcast with this cool app. If you’re more concerned with what’s going on across the conference, set the app to a league scoreboard and receive notifications when a game you’re interested in starts, ends, or changes score.
   

5. NCAA Football by EA Sports:

   Play music from your iTunes library while you lead your alma mater to victory with this popular video game-cum-mobile app. Go head-to-head with a friend via Bluetooth or tackle the computer in season mode on your way to the BCS title game.
   

6. Yahoo! Sportacular Pro:

   Most fans of college sports also follow the pros, which is why Sportacular is so cool. When you’ve caught up on NCAA football or basketball updates, you can switch over to NASCAR results, the LGPA leader board, LA Liga soccer standings, and basically everything else.
   

7. College SuperFans:

   The CSF app adds some fun features to the scoreboard app like the ability to share scores to Facebook and Twitter without leaving the app, and previews of upcoming games. Track up to 10 of your favorite teams at a time, and find scores from across the conference while viewing your teams.
   

8. SEC Football Breaking News:

   Originally made for coaches and sports journalists, die-hard fans of the best league in NCAA football can use this killer app to find updated injury reports, recruiting news, videos, and game previews. No sports fan in the Southeast should be caught dead without it.
   

9. Kentucky Sports Radio:

   If their 2012 men’s basketball championship has you on the fan bandwagon, you’ll want to download this app. It connects you with Kentucky sports radio podcasts and posts that you can share with your friends, and lets you join the conversation with other UK fans.
   

10. Hudl:

    College coaches already know about Hudl, the web service that allows them to upload and view game video from their own teams and from opponents. Now they can view “tape” on their smartphones from the bus thanks to this great app. If you’re a superfan, set up an account and check it out.
    

11. iScore Baseball Scorekeeper:

    With this app, your iPhone becomes a scorecard for tracking every play your favorite college baseball or softball team makes. Track hit locations with the batting spray chart and pitch locations with the pitch tracker, and Twittercast the plays to your followers who couldn’t make it out to the ballpark.
    

12. Team Stream:

    Sports blog Bleacher Report brings you this app that allows you to pick your favorite sports team and follow everything that happens to it. You’ll also get easy access to the entertaining articles posted on the blog, from “15 Sports Couples Both Past Their Prime” to “40 Guys Caught Staring at Cheerleaders.”
    

13. College Football Scoreboard:

    For up-to-the-minute D1 football news, scores, and highlight videos, this app is a no-brainer. It’s easy to use, has a smooth interface, and gets great update support from the developers. If you’ll be working or studying on Saturdays come September, you’ll want to have this app in your pocket.
    

14. Jack’s Rosters:

    Assuming its 10-year-old creator is not too busy with homework to update it for 2012, this app is your go-to source for every team roster in Division I football. And don’t worry about trying to get a signal to connect inside a stadium crammed with 80,000 other football fans: once the app downloads, all the rosters are there.
    

15. College Designs and Fight Songs:

    Show your school spirit on your phone by downloading this app that connects you with live wallpapers of your team’s logo and the school fight song for your ringtone. Users say if your alma mater isn’t listed, drop the designers a line and they’ll have it added quickly.
    

16. Sports Eye – NCAA:

    The coolest feature of this app is the ability to follow the Facebook and Twitter feeds of some of the best or most promising players in college basketball, like Jared Sullinger, Adonis Thomas, and Shabazz Muhammad, all in one place. There’s also score updates, news alerts, and the ability to customize posts from your favorite college hoops blogs.
    

17. PlayUp: The

    tagline for this free app is “Where Sports Get Social.” College and pro teams are using the app more and more to reach their fans via the new medium of mobile apps. Sign into Facebook and join public conversations about your team, or start private ones with friends, plus get live scores and stats for thousands of games in a variety of sports.
    

18. ESPN Bowl Bound 2011:

    ESPN cracks our top 20 with this offering that keeps you up to speed on the college football teams headed for bowl glory. Experts Brad Edwards and Mark Schlabach bring you their weekly predictions in the Bowl Central feature. You can also track the race to the big awards like the Heisman, and view all the tweets pertinent to your favorite team.
    

19. Football Radio:

    Don’t knock radio; you’ll be glad to have this app when the power goes out during the game. Delivering hundreds of radio broadcasts of both college and pro football games across the country, Football Radio includes a game schedule so you’ll never miss a down. You can let it run in the background on your phone while you text or surf the web.
    

20. CFStats:

    Stats junkies, listen up. This is your best option for viewing stats for college football teams, conferences, and individual players going all the way back to 2003. Win/loss records, passing and rushing numbers, even video highlights are all here. And the coolest part of all is it’s free!
    

Cocks Have to Rally

The South Carolina Gamecocks face elimination in the second game of the College World Seires championship series. So today, The Hat Trick is going to offer the S.E.C. school some visual inspiration from its lovely cheerleaders.

The comforts of home. 1

It is awfully warm this time of year. This young woman didn't want to be smothered by things like...clothes. 2

South Carolina women aren't afraid to ask for what they want! 3

South Carolina men should feel blessed that these girls have such big hearts. 4

1) Image from www.bleacherreport.com
2) Image from www.popcrunch.com
3) Image from http://bradley.chattablogs.com
4) Image from www.sun-sentinel.com

Charlie Sheen’s Speech to the LSU Baseball Team

Those of you that read regularly know that I am a graduate of Louisiana State University. The LSU baseball team is in the midst of a funk, having recently ended a four game losing streak on Wednesday. LSU has lost several winnable games in way that makes fans, like me, scratch their heads and say, “Hmm”.

Being the purple and gold bleeding LSU fan that I am, I used my confidential sources and reached out to Charlie Sheen. With a critical three game series against the Auburn Tigers starting tonight, I thought I’d help secure the Sheen karma for OUR boys with tiger blood. Sheen gave a motivational speech to the UCLA baseball team earlier in the season. UCLA is currently ranked #23 in the Baseball America Top 25 while LSU has fallen out of the ranks of college baseball’s elite. I thought a little dose of Charlie Sheen wouldn’t kill the Fighting Tigers, but make them stronger.

Sheen to UCLA Baseball: "Drink chocolate milk. Stay off the crack." 1

With that said, Mr. Sheen offers these words of inspiration to the LSU baseball team:

“You guys are going to need a little more than chocolate milk to claim the ultimate prize. But you’ve got it already. Just like me, you’ve got Tiger’s Blood, man! For crying out loud, it’s in your NAME! You know what that makes you? Duh! ‘WINNERS’!

Tiger Blood! 2

Auburn might have Tiger Blood, too. So what! They might think they’re tough as nails. They might BE nails. If they’re nails, the LSU Tigers are bayonets. Look at the Intimidator. Six College World Series titles…! You’re battle tested bayonets!

Some of your fans will be happy if you take this series. Taking the series might just be a 67 percent success rate. That’s the rate of sissies! You’re gonna get addicted to WINNING! You’re gonna have a 100 percent success rate.

Mikie Mahtook: WINNING! 2

So when Auburn ends up in your Alex Box Octagon, you give them nothing but pain in their silly travels! When they leave here on Sunday, they’re going to be 0 for 3 at The Box the way I’m 0 for 3 in marriage! Smoke those earthworms with your fire breathing bats then go home and nail the coed goddesses like the rock stars you are!

Stay off the crack. Geaux Tigers.”

Opposing catcher: nails. Austin Nola: bayonet! 2

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!



To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.


1) Image from obsessedwithsports.com
2) Images from lsusports.net

Charlie Sheen Speech to the UCLA Baseball Team

Actor Charlie Sheen, recovering from a recent drug overdose, recently gave a motivational speech to he UCLA baseball team. Video of Sheen advising, "Stay off the crack. Drink chocolate milk. That's all I've got." went viral. However Sheen did draw inspiration for his speech. It turns out that some members of the UCLA team, while hanging out with Sheen, removed some of the actor's precious stash of blow and pills. The Daily Hat Trick has the never before released full transcript of Sheen's inspirational speech to the team, in the locker room before heading to the practice field, inspired heavily by New York Jets coach Rex Ryan. 

Sheen may have borrowed some motivational tactics from coach Ryan. 1

"You guys know me, that I'm about as much of a train wreck of a guy as there is. I believe this team is better than every f-ing team in the Pac-10. I believe our players are better than any players in the league, right? Those are true statements. That's how I believe.

But the team's only going so far if I'm not the only guy on speed. The team is only going so far. I know what it's like to party and do blow off a urinal! I fell off of the wagon right before I drove up here. I can out party everyone myself, this whole group of men. We ain't going to win, guys, if we're using speed. I'm sitting back for us, waiting for us to understand the drug-free team that we said we're going to be, except for me. What the hell are we waiting on? Do you understand that my dope isn't cheap and I could detox at any time? There's a PRICE to PAY!!!

Don't be like me. Now GIVE ME BACK MY DRUGS!!! 2

Can we have fun? You're damn right. I demand that we have fun. Now there's a difference between having fun and being a junkie. Our pitchers were junkies when they "borrowed" some of my stash. That's being a junkie!

You can be a NCAA champion, but not like this! We won't win it. We'll sit back and say 'Why didn't we do it?' We didn't do it because 'Where were Charlie Sheen's Quaaludes?' 

Just play ball and leave the 'Ludes to Sheen. 3

Let's make sure we play like the f-ing UCLA Bruins and not some f-ing slap d__k team! And I want to see my bag of blow back in my hotel room, pronto! That's what I want to see tomorrow. Do we understand what the f___ I want to see tomorrow? Let's stay off the Goddamn crack!"

Sheen wanted to talk about a little more than chocolate milk. 4

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls and "like" The Daily Hat Trick on Facebook!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

Special thanks to Josh Innes (Rich Lord & Josh Innes) of KILT, CBS Sports Radio 610-AM in Houston, Texas for providing creative inspiration and guidance for this piece. An audio variation of this interview may be heard at a future time, with permission from The Daily Hat Trick, on KILT or its affiliates. 

1) Image from warmingglow.uproxx.com
2) Image from recoveryconnection.org
3) Image from funnys.website.org
4) Image from tmz.com