Michael Wilbon: Broken Records

Photo: The late Bob Hayes is the only man in history to win both the Olympic gold medal and a NFL Super Bowl ring. Today, Hayes is still denied enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.

Used to be the two greatest titles in sports were "Fastest Man in the World" and "Heavyweight Champion of the World." Each meant the holder was invincible the world over. This wasn't small potatoes, like winning a league or a national championship. These were planetary designations. All comers welcome. The titles were unassailable, unimpeachable. There were no questions to be asked. No doubt conveyed.

In the 1930s Ralph Metcalfe was the "Fastest Man in the World." Then it was Jesse Owens, then Willie Williams, then Bob Hayes (Florida A&M University). You could trace the times going back to Don Lippincott in 1912, and the results were gospel.

But not now. A 6-foot-5 Jamaican man named Usain Bolt ran the fastest time ever in the 100 meters the other night, 9.72 seconds....

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Wilbon makes a great point, as I believe the same thoughts crossed many of our minds after watching the video of Usain Bolt record setting runs (watch below, June 1st posts). Bolt is not the Barack Obama of the track world--and what did he accomplish before the past two weeks record setting runs? Sad to say, Bolt needs to prove he is not a druggie.

-beepbeep

SSU baseball coach reinstated

Savannah State baseball head coach Carlton Hardy has been reinstated after being suspended from April 18 until May 23 while he was the focus of an internal investigation, SSU communications director Loretta Heyward said.

"Mr. Carlton Hardy returned to work on May 23," Heyward said of SSU's third-year coach, who was suspended from the Tigers' final 12 games. SSU was 3-9 without Hardy, and finished the season 20-25.

Because the case is a personnel matter, Heyward said she could not provide further information.

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Gruden in Grambling: Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach tours GSU campus

GRAMBLING — It gave Jon Gruden pause. The Super Bowl-winning coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stood for a long moment, looking around the practice fields adjacent to Robinson Stadium, taking it all in.

"Did (the late GSU) Coach (Eddie) Robinson coach right here?" Gruden said, quietly. "This is sacred ground."

In northern Louisiana for today's third annual Doug Williams-Shack Harris benefit celebrity golf tournament, Gruden had asked the former Grambling State quarterbacking greats to give him a tour of their former school.

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VIDEO: Jamaica's Usain Bolt sets 100m world record of 9.72 seconds in New York

NEW YORK -- Jamaica's Usain Bolt is officially the fastest man on the planet as he set a new 100 meters world record of 9.72 seconds at an international meeting in New York.

Bolt served notice of his immense talent ahead of the Beijing Olympics by breaking the world 100m record. Bolt was trimming two hundredths of a second off the record previously held by fellow-Jamaican Asafa Powell and for good measure relegated world champion Tyson Gay to a distant second.

The 21-year-old had served notice of his excellent form by running a world's second fastest time of 9.76 seconds in Jamaica last month and he quickly took control of Saturday night's Reebok Grand Prix showdown with Gay, who finished in 9.85 seconds, still a personal best.

VIEW USAIN BOLT 9.72 100m WORLD RECORD RACE (5/31/2008) New York.


VIEW BOLT'S PREVIOUS RECORD RACE OF 9.76 100m - BOLT IN LANE #3.


VIEW BOLT'S 19.75 200m RACE.


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A new color barrier?

Photo: Bethune Cookman University 2008 Baseball Team.

Baseball seeing fewer black athletes on deck.

Central High School junior Johnny Gray has never played organized baseball, although his friends have attempted to talk him into giving it a try. "They tell me I'd be good at it," said Gray, who plays basketball and runs track at Central. "But I'm so busy with basketball, I don't really have time."

Besides, Gray said, baseball just doesn't do anything for him. "It's kind of boring to me," he said. Gray's view seems typical of many young black athletes who dream of earning a college athletic scholarship. Baseball probably isn't their ticket. The number of black players in college baseball continues to decline, with black players comprising only 2.6 of the NCAA Division I total in 2006, the latest NCAA report.

That's down from 6 percent in a 2004 report by Richard Lapchick, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. Lapchick isn't pointing fingers at the college game or its coaches. He said the dwindling number of blacks in baseball is an across-the-board problem.

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Rolle reloads Miami Northwestern for another title run

MIAMI -- Tyresse Jones, the sinewy running back from Miami Northwestern High, was pondering his future Friday. He was concerned for the dearth of college interest when coach Billy Rolle emerged from the office.

"Here you go," said Rolle, tossing a bundle of mail with nearly 50 college pitch letters and offers. "Now you have choices, Tyresse."

With that the torch was passed. Jones felt like a hot prospect, knowing he'll have multiple college choices. "It feels good," said Jones, while smiling. "I didn't know where I stood (with colleges)."

Miami Northwestern High School Bulls (FL) vs. South Lake Carroll High School Dragons (TX) - 2007



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Former Rattler Billy Rolle was inducted into the Florida A&M University Hall of Fame in 2003.

Former Rattler Levy Brown making Splash in AFL

New York Dragons DB Levy Brown, #2.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Former Florida A&M Rattler All-American defensive back Levy Brown is off to an all-star pace as a rookie in the Arena Football League. The Miami native, who stars for the AFL's New York Dragons, currently ranks first among Arena Football League rookies in tackles (65.5).

Among rookies, Brown ranks second in interceptions (5), ranks third in solo tackles (56) and has the third-most passes defensed (9). Last season, Brown was the 2007 Arena Football League2 Defensive Player of the Year, after a record-breaking season with the Florida Firecats, where he recorded 132.5 total tackles and 14 interceptions. In 2006, Brown recorded 66.5 total tackles and eight interceptions with the Firecats.

Brown spent three years at Florida A&M, playing from 2001 through 2003, finishing his career with 18 interceptions for 162 yards, along with 216.0 total tackles. Brown is 5-11/200 from the nationally renowned #1 ranked Miami Northwestern High School Bulls program.

Levy Brown and the New York Dragons can be viewed on Monday Night (June 2) vs. the Colorado Crush in Denver at the Pepsi Center, 10:30 p.m. LIVE, on ESPN2 and ESPN HD from coast to coast.

VIEW LEVY BROWN PHOTO GALLERY: CLICK BLOG TITLE.

New York Dragons TV 24/7: http://websvr01.neulion.com/dragons/console

New York Dragons Website: http://www.newyorkdragons.com/