The weekly assemble of who is hot, mad and just down on their luck

Lyle Morissette
Sports Editor

The Good
David Sills: Talk about securing your future early. This 13-year wunderkind quarterback from Delaware recently made a verbal commitment to USC to suit up at QB in 2015. Scouting of athletes and commitment at such a young age is unheard of in college football and seems like quite a stretch on USC’s end, as projecting such a young athlete’s potential seems quite premature and unfounded. Yet, it’s certainly hard to fault Sills’ decision, USC is a top school after all, and its football program always competes for national championships. If the deal carries through, it may have just set a new benchmark in the way—and the target age groups—future scouting practices are carried out.
The Mad
“The Trade”: Two “lifer” Red Sox fans, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, are considering starring in a movie about the time Yankees pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich famously swapped wives in the 1970s. An enigma it certainly is, Red Sox fans playing Yankees players, what is the world coming to? With Affleck attached to direct and potentially star in the film, it’s hard not to believe this’ll tank, as his acting chops have not been up to snuff as of late. But with “Jason Bourne” also attached, it may just succeed. Regardless, it’s hard to fathom two Red Sox fans frolicking on set in pinstripes and not mocking them. Yet again, a sports movie about ludicrous sports sex may just become a huge hit with the recent sports climate.
The Downtrodden

Portsmouth (EPL): This English Premier League soccer team became the first of a likely many bankrupt teams in the financially troubled league this past week. The team filed for bankruptcy protection from its creditors in hopes of enabling itself to restructure financially after it was unable to clear debts of around $105 million. If that wasn’t enough, Portsmouth is the bottom club in the world’s richest league and has gone through four different owners this season alone. Despite this, the club will continue to operate and is more likely than not headed toward relegation to the second-tier league. The demotion will ultimately hinder their opportunities to cash in on big-ticket games against giants like Manchester United and Chelsea. Furthermore, their players seem in jeopardy. In addition to seeking to sell at the least one or two stars in hopes of pulling in anywhere between $15 and $20 million to finance a parachute payment, wages throughout the organization will also be slashed. Dark and gloomy days are certainly ahead for the former English Cup winners.