Tuesday Todds and Ends

It appears the Rich Rod era has come to a close in Ann Arbor.  Early reports on ESPN indicate that he has been fired, but later reports are now hedging.

Michigan has fired football coach Rich Rodriguez after his third season ended with a school-record 38-point loss in the Gator Bowl, Fox 2 TV and the Detroit Free Press are reporting.

The report comes as Rodriguez is meeting with athletic director Dave Brandon on Tuesday. Members of the football team are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Rodriguez traditionally holds the meeting the night before classes resume each semester.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, who played quarterback at Michigan, has been cited as a potential candidate to replace Rodriguez. But a source with direct knowledge of Harbaugh's thinking said Harbaugh is "highly unlikely" to accept the Michigan job if offered, the Detroit Free Press reported.

I miss him already!  Check out the InSider list RUMOR about Rich Rod to Pitt.  I'm not an ESPN InSider, so I don't know any details, but the thought is entertaining anyway.

In a strange twist of the Bolden Saga, Joe Paterno has apparently refused to release Bolden, per Ron Musselman.

Bolden and his dad, Robert, met today with coach Joe Paterno and his son Jay, the Nittany Lions' quarterback coach.

Bolden's mom, Tonia Williams, told The Post-Gazette that Joe Paterno did not grant her son his release.
Williams said she is happy her son was denied his release, but worries about his future at Penn State.

"I didn't want Rob to leave," Williams said. "I think he should stay there. I just told him that I thought he was making the wrong decision. I really felt that he moved just a little bit too quick and too fast."

Well at least Mrs. Williams cares about the values of her son.  Granted, Bolden may not have gotten the playing time he wanted, but as a freshman at Penn State, the fact that he got ANY is simply amazing.  And I am surprised at how willing his father is to have him transfer.  So the message he wants to send to his son is this . . .  when the going gets tough, just quit?  And the decision was supposedly "made" BEFORE the bowl game.

I can give Paterno the benefit of the doubt on this one.  He may just want to give Bolden and his dad time to cool off and look at things again before making a rash decision.

ESPN fires Ron Franklin for calling a female co-worker "Sweet Baby."  Come on, Ron.  Everyone knows the proper term is "Sweet Mama."

And thank heavens you're not in the Stanford band. 

Orange Bowl administrators, determined to make tonight's matchup between No. 5 Stanford and No. 12 Virginia Tech less entertaining, have decided to bar Stanford's irreverent band from performing at halftime.

The move comes after the band announced its show was entitled: "Recent Events in the Pro Sports World in Miami."

Apparently bowl officials were concerned that the band might mock LeBron James and hurt his feelings.

I'm with Ed Rendell (just this once and very likely the ONLY time ever.)  We're becoming a nation of wussies.  And that includes you, Dick Foust.