There are few men who knew or did more for boxing than Bert did. Now, with the bell having rung for his last round, and with the judges cards in and tallied, it can be announced that, by unanimous decision, Mr. Sugar can be declared the most iconic boxing writer/historian of current times.

It was December 2006 and the Rocky Balboa movie was about to hit theaters. To coincide with the movie, a few different sets of DVDs were released looking back at the previous five Rocky movies. On one of the DVD sets titled Rocky Collectors Edition, boxing historian Bert Sugar does a commentary voiceover with boxing trainer Lou Duva about the first Rocky movie. It was at that time that I had my first opportunity to converse with Bert. I had really enjoyed our first CYInterview [see it here]. I was still very much a rookie at that time, but Mr. Sugar was gracious and giving.

Time flies, as it always does, and boxing had been getting interesting again. In 2011 with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao continuing to dodge each other while taking other fights, the sport showed glimpses of its former intrigue. With a little assistance from a longtime contact, I got back in touch with Bert in May of 2011. He remembered me and was happy enough to talk about the Manny Pacquiao and “Sugar” Shane Mosley fight. He was also was kind enough to speak on numerous boxing topics.

If there is one thing that stands out in reuniting with the boxing historian, it was that my colleague Jay Bildstein was able to finally speak with someone he held in such high regard. For those who don’t know, Jay is a big boxing fan. In that May 2011 CYInterview [see here], Bert shared his thoughts on the future of boxing:

“The future of boxing around the world is excellent, in the United States, a little less so. You have to understand that the United States has a sports public if you will, that as opposed to when boxing was one of the three major sports for the first 50 years of the last century along with baseball and horse racing, there are now 46 different sports on the American landscape or platter…So it’s lost it’s place. It’s lost its following and Americans have always liked big things, they like big cars, big bank accounts, big chested women and big boxers. We’ve been a heavyweight oriented sports constituency or sports group. The lighter weights have not interested us as much as they have around the world.”

In September of 2011, I would hook back up with Bert for another CYInterview [see here]. This time he and I spoke about the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Victor Ortiz fight. If you knew Bert Sugar, you knew one thing; he was always good with words and using things from history, science or any other area of knowledge and tying it in with a fight or a fighter. He did this speaking about Mayweather before his fight with Ortiz:

“Here he [Floyd Mayweather] is at 34 fighting with all the frequency of Halley’s Comet. He’s had two fights in 42 months and the last one 14 months ago and you don’t know when age or rust is gonna set in. In fact, if you look closely, there is a minor erosion I can point out as if he’s just coming off his peak and that is he doesn’t move as much as he used to. He only takes one or two steps most at a time.”

In November of 2011, my last CYInterview with Bert Sugar [see here], we spoke about the Manny Pacquiao /Juan Manuel Marquez fight. In that CYInterview, Bert also remembered the late great boxing legend Joe Frazier:

“Joe Frazier has always been thought of a hyphenate, part and parcel, Muhammad Ali. You would always say Ali-Frazier. You’d never say Frazier-Ali even after Frazier won their first fight in 71. Ali was the headline. That said, with poor Joe’s death on Tuesday, Joe Frazier stood alone without that hyphenate, without that Ali attachment and became just Joe Frazier, one of the greatest champions of all time, big enough in his own right and he threw a left to gain front page coverage in the NY Times on a stand alone one without Ali basis as one of the ten greatest heavyweights of all time, my rating”

My last question to Bert, in our last CYInterview, was an ongoing question about whether Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would ever get in the ring. Bert stuck to his belief the fight would never happen.

“Good. Call me when it happens will you. For three years I said it’s never going to and I will stick to that.”

Bert sugar never had any intentions of retiring. On numerous occasions, he would say this of why he continued to cover boxing and be one of its most important voices:

“I’m just doing whatever the heck I can do. As somebody once asked my son, ‘When is your dad’ meaning me, ‘gonna retire?’ And his answer, ‘Well let’s see, he drinks a lot, smokes a lot, he BS’s a lot and he gets paid for it, what’s he gonna do if he retires? Smoke a lot, drink a lot, BS a lot and not get paid for it? And not watch boxing?’ So I’m really having the most fun I’ve ever had with my clothes on.”

He was always full of laughs. In our last conversation, I had been aware that Mr. Sugar had just gotten out of the hospital and was dealing with some health related issues. At the end of 2011, going into the New Year, I called him to wish him a happy holiday and said I hoped he was feeling better. It was the last time we spoke. He told me he was better at the time. What I remember most from that call was how much he appreciated the gesture that I called to see how he was doing. Bert was a class act.

Over the last year Bert Sugar had become one our CYInterview regulars. I thank my colleague Jay Bildstein for encouraging me to track down Bert. Thanks to that, I was able to speak with him on various occasions over the last 10 months of his life. Though part of me is crushed writing this, I feel truly honored that I knew one of the greatest writers, minds and voices of the last 50 years in the sports media world. Thank you Bert for giving a young media buck all the time in the world, even when you weren’t feeling well. It was truly an honor and privilege speaking with you. You are one of the last greats from a legendary sports media era.

We at CYInterview prayers and best wishes to Bert’s family during this difficult time. Thank you Bert for what you brought to my life and my colleague Jay’s life over the last year. I will never forget the things I learned from you.

To recap, below is a link to all four of Bert Sugar’s CYInterviews.

You can listen to all of them in their entirety. They are worth checking out.

CYInterview 1 with Bert Sugar

CYInterview 2 with Bert Sugar

CYInterview 3 with Bert Sugar

CYInterview 4 with Bert Sugar

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com Chris is available for interviews to comment on anything featured on CYInterview.

You can read the highlights or listen to the entire CYInterview below:

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John Avello is expecting a maximum occupancy crowd of about 1200 people at the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Resort during the first four days of the NCAA Tournament. He says this is the biggest betting volume event of the sporting calendar:

“This is number one as an event. When you take the entire event it’s 10 days of wagering. It’s four days this week, four next, the Final Four and than the final game. So those 10 days will surpass Super Bowl handle for the town. When you look at you know how big is the event? This Thursday, Friday Saturday, all three of those days there is as many people in the hotel as there is for Super Bowl. So that’s why I say it’s a larger event than the Super Bowl because of the amount of participation and the entire amount of money that we take in over the course of the tournament.”

Millions of people will be filling out their NCAA Tournament brackets prior to Thursday afternoon. Though it’s not his specialty, Mr. Avello does offer one tip that should never be overlooked:

“You need to stay away from the obvious if you want to win because the obvious is done by most. So you need to find something that’s just a little bit different…You get games like Indiana/New Mexico State. That’s a 4 playing a 13. Most will pick Indiana, but if you know, they’re the type of games you gotta find where you might go with a New Mexico State and separate yourself from the rest of the groups…That’s where you need to lean to if you want to be different than others and have a chance at winning this.”

When looking at this years lines/spreads for the opening round games of the NCAA Tournament, the Sportsbook Manager says the higher spreads of a team being a 30 point favorite or underdog are not existent anymore. He says we are getting closer to the day when a 16 seed will upset a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament:

“I noticed that the more years I do this the spreads become less. And give you for instance, seven, eight years ago, I’d be putting up a Duke against a Virginia Commonwealth, a game like that would be Duke 32 [a 32 point favorite or -32]. Kansas be playing somebody like South Dakota State, they’d be 34 [-34]. The largest spread this year, Missouri 22 [-22] over Norfolk State. The next spread is a 20 [-20] Michigan State over Long Island U and there’s a couple of 17s. But besides that, all the other spreads are somewhere between 1 and 12 actually. So things have changed a bit. You know these higher seeds are more competitive and you’re gonna see a 16 seed beat a 1 sometime in the very near future. Not saying that’s gonna be this year, it’s gonna happen.”

When looking at top NCAA Tournament seeds like Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan State, Duke and Syracuse among others, John is focusing in on the Kentucky Wildcats as the team to keep your eye on:

“They’re [Kentucky] probably the most athletic team in the entire tournament. So will they win it? Maybe. They make free throws in close games, don’t make stupid mistakes at the end of the game where they’re you know up by one or down one. They have a really good chance. Everybody else by looking at this and the top seeds can be had. I don’t think Michigan State’s that strong a one…When you look at that bracket [West Region], Michigan State, Missouri, Marquette, Louisville I mean and Memphis in there, Florida, that’s a tough bracket and there’s other teams in there that could win too, Murray State, Long Beach State. That’s the toughest bracket I see.

North Carolina also capable of winning it, but as we saw Sunday they throw in a clunker here and there and that’s kind of been the MO for them over the last couple of years. Then in the other bracket [East Region] Syracuse and they’ve probably been the second most solid team in all of college basketball this year.”

Finally, when looking at teams seated outside the top four seeds, Mr. Avello gives his analysis on three teams a lot of people are talking about, which raise some questions, and are considered under the radar. Those teams are UNLV [6 seed], Murray State [6 seed] who lost one game the whole year and Florida [7 seed]:

“They’re [UNLV] a really talented team, but for some reason they lose their focus. They’ve had a lot of big leads in the second half’s that they’ve blown late in the season. So we hope they win one game here at least in the tournament, but the way they’ve been going lately, there’s no sure thing…They’re a pretty good team [Murray State], but they’ve played a soft schedule. One loss, but against really you know weak competition. They get Colorado State the first game. I think they can handle Colorado State, but Colorado State’s playing real well at the end of the year. It’s a very disciplined team. A team that makes all their free throws, tries to keep the turnovers at a minimum. So you know they’re coming also to put in a good showing, but it’s a game that Murray State can certainly win…

I don’t think Florida’s as good as they’ve been in the past. And this first matchup’s very difficult against Virginia. Actually Virginia is a very similar team to the way Florida plays. And so you know get by this one first before you start talking about playing Missouri…They may get one game. I don’t think they’re getting two.”

You can find out more about Wynn Las Vegas at http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com Chris is available for interviews to comment on anything featured on CYInterview.

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As far as the spread on the game, the New England Patriots are currently three point favorites or -3 over the New York Giants who are getting the 3 points. For those not familiar with sports betting, the Pats must win by four points or more to win that bet. If a person making a wager bet the Giants, they could win the bet if the Giants won the Super Bowl or lost it by one or two points. John Avello says we will not see a line/spread of 3.5 because the majority of action placed so far has been money on the Giants who are currently the underdog. He doesn’t expect the spread to go up to 3.5:

“No. I don’t. But there’s a possibility the way the game’s going we might see 2.5. There’s a lot of Giant money. It’s been mostly Giant money since last week and we’ll see if that changes when the weekend crowd comes in…Most people are interested in betting something that’s probably more than they bet during the normal course of the year, so you’re gonna see bets in the half million dollar range, those type of bets, quite possibly a million. It depends. That’s probably one of the larger bets you’ll see. There’s not too many people who want to bet more than that.”

Avello says the Wynn Sportsbook does not offer patrons a chance to bet on the coin toss, but he does have a similar prop of action which he says a lot of people bet on [A prop of action, or simply a prop, is a proposition on a specific event within the context of the game or surrounding events. This is often referred to as a side bet.]:

“I put up a prop that says, “A team to run the first play from the line of scrimmage.” Which gives it a little bit of a twist when you think about it. The team wins the coin toss, they defer, they defer, the other team gets the ball, they take the opening kickoff back or they fumble, the other team gets to run the first play. So there’s a lot of variables that go on so just winning that coin toss doesn’t mean that you win that prop…That prop takes a lot of action and this year especially because the team that runs the first play, the Patriots defer a lot of their kickoffs. They deferred most of them over the last couple of years. So a lot of people are betting the Giants to run the first play.”

There are so many different props and side action one can bet on during the Super Bowl. John agreed with me that the sheets with all the potential prop bets have become too long, with more than a hundred options. He says players should focus on quality player props that could include yards, catches, completions, sacks, turnovers and touchdowns among other things depending on the player’s position.

“That is difficult. I think what’s happened over the years is we’ve come to a point where we’ve done so many of them now it’s hard for the player to get through the sheet and see one that he may want to do. I’m trying to keep mine around the you know the 150 to 200 area and that’s it…I think you should look at quality props on players…If you like a guy like [Mario] Manningam, you think Manningham’s gonna have a good game, there’s 43.5 yards, receiving yards, and that’s really not a high number. That could be two catches for Mannigham. So a little bit of handicapping, a little bit of instincts, I think that’s what you look for in these props.”

Last week there was a NY Times article titled On a Futures Bet, Las Vegas Loses if the Giants Win. The article talked about how some Las Vegas gaming establishment’s Super Bowl weekend could be bad if the Giants won the big game. Some Las Vegas sports books, during the NFL regular season, offered very high odds on the NY Giants to win the Super Bowl. The NY Times article stated some future bets were as high as 80 to 1 meaning for every $1 you bet, you’d get $80 in return. Avello doesn’t agree with the story because he believes sports books made out well with Super Bowl future bet losses on teams like the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.

“Remember that the Giants were not looking like a team that would get into the playoffs this year and so the odds on them at that time could’ve been anywhere from 60 to 100 [to 1]. I know I had them that high, 60 or so. Now that doesn’t mean that people bet on them at that price and that doesn’t mean that the town’s in jeopardy on the Giants because there’s a lot of other teams that didn’t make it to the Super Bowl. There was a lot of money on Green Bay.

There was a lot of money on the [New Orleans] Saints. You know there was a lot of money on other teams so therefore, the way to look at it, it’s one pot and in that pot, all the money it has to be disbursed to the team that wins the Super Bowl. So I heard about the story, but I would say that most casinos around town are probably not in jeopardy on a future book.”

Though John can’t give us a prediction on the Super Bowl, he does share with us his New York Giant roots and how the Wynn did for 2011 on the gambling front:

“One thing I can tell you is that I’m from New York, the Giants were shoved down my throat since 1952, the year I was born. So I’ve followed the Giants pretty much my entire life…I would say wagering wise it was maybe the largest wagering year as far as people placing bets. As far as how the casinos did, I’d say it was a fair year. Wasn’t the greatest and it wasn’t the worst. So just fair.”

You can find out more about Wynn Las Vegas at http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com Chris is available for interviews to comment on anything featured on CYInterview.

Every once in a while you hear one of these extraordinary gambling stories. No doubt, you scratch your head and wonder if it is true. Might Earnest Cobb be the Billy Walters [arguably America’s most successful sports bettor] of slot machines? You can decide for yourself.

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Earnest Cobb, who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army, says he has won over $10.3 million dollars playing slot machines and has given away approximately 7 to 8 million of it. Considering his purported success, it is interesting that Cobb states he’s never been asked to leave a casino:

“I’ve won over $10.3 million dollars in slot jackpots…The casinos mainly don’t want a person in there that’s cheating…Nothing that I do, there’s no cheating involved. It’s a spiritual thing. It’s a karma thing and it’s just a me being a great person type of thing. When I hit slot jackpots, I give away a lot of money. And I do that because you know I feel as though it’s better to given than to receive… To date out of the $10.3 million, I think I gave away probably $7 or $8 million dollars…I’ve been doing it since I was in the army playing slots over in Germany back in the 90s.”

When it comes to winning money playing slots, Cobb says that timing and good karma are some of the reasons why he’s been successful playing a game he admits is not in a person’s favor.

“It’s all about timing…When you run into a slot machine that has a low payout percentage, those don’t even matter either because it’s all about timing. Somebody can go and drop hundreds of dollars in a slot machine, win nothing and then someone else can come right up, put some money in and hit a jackpot. I’ve done it many times…The odds is not in our favor, but when you’re playing a game of chance, any game of chance, whether it’s roulette or 21 or whatever, you always want to hope for the best…If I go into a casino with a couple grand to play with and I lose probably $16, $1700 dollars, I stop and then I go and give away the other two, three hundred dollars. Just helping somebody, it’s amazing what it can do for my karma and for the jackpot.”

Mr. Cobb believes his spirituality and belief in God is a factor as to why he’s been so purportedly successful winning at slot machines.

“First know, they are only going in there with what they’re willing to lose…You want to try and do something for someone that you don’t know…I don’t like using the word pay it forward because I’ve been doing that before they even came up with the word pay it forward…but you want to show the lord that you’re not so taken by money to where you don’t care about people. I love people. No matter what color, no matter what gender, I love them. You know and when you sincerely love people, things just happen. It’s not luck. It’s nothing more than really believing in the Lord. Some people will say well, you shouldn’t talk about God and gambling, well, when the vow is said and done, none of us are perfect and I think every jackpot I hit I was blessed with it.”

MR Cobb claims that on a show on the TLC Network, he was filmed playing slot machines. He says he ended up winning $1800 and then gave it away:

“They followed me. I was the only guy, as far as I know, I’m was the only man in the state of Michigan to be filmed while he was playing slots in Michigan and yup I hit a jackpot and gave it away. But then I was giving away even before I hit that jackpot. They did a lot of editing, but yeah, I did that and it made me feel good because when it’s all said and done, when I’m able to give to somebody who don’t expect it, then that makes me let them know that that was a blessing from the lord.”

Earnest has laid out his slot machine formula in a book titled The Secrets to Hitting More Jackpots. I wondered why Mr. Cobb would want to give his secrets away and bring attention to himself? This was his response:

“For one, I’m not greedy and then for two, I really want to show people that if I can do it, anybody could do it. And since this book’s been out, people have already got back with me and let me know that they’d hit jackpots and you know they had a whole bunch of luck because of it. And my whole thing is something to be able to give back to the people…I’ve been in the casino so much. I read one slot book that was just, it they just lied and I couldn’t take it no more. So I decided to write a book to let people know how I do it and in my book it’s let you know about different intervals that I go through as far as hitting the buttons and all kinds of good stuff.”

To gamblers and non-gamblers alike, Earnest Cobb’s story is sure to be intriguing. As for a formula to win at slots? Hmmm, I don’t know. It stretches the bounds of my imagination. Whatever the case, Cobb is an interesting individual.

You can find more information about Earnest Cobb and his book Secrets of Hitting More Jackpots at www.theslotguru.com.

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com

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Bert believes this fight, between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, will complete one of the greatest trilogies in pugilism. He highlights the first two fights for us:

“I think it’s one of the great trilogies to be. Certainly, will not stack up against Ali-Frazier and that’s another subject, Joe Frazier, but it’s a great, great potential fight. One of which is Marquez who has fought Pacquiao twice and comes away thinking he’s beat Pacquiao twice. Once after being knocked down three times in the first round and getting up and fighting to a draw…They fought again and had it not been for a very quick flash knockdown by Pacquiao, Marquez and I was there, was thought to be the winner. So he comes away two fights in thinking he’s won twice and now he’s fighting a third time against Pacquiao and it promises to be one hell of a fight.”

The boxing historian does believe that Marquez has a great shot to finally get a win over Manny Pacquiao in this third installment:

“A great shot. The only two things are, he’s [Marquez] 38 years old with passing time, A. And B, not importantly, he’s had to go up in weight as three time champion at lower weights. Pacquiao seems to be normal at the welterweight level…Probably one of the greatest left handers in history to the point where he [Pacquiao] now is a complete fighter. So Marquez has to, though he’s got a great style stepping away to his right against Pacquiao, he has to combat that and the fact that he’s got extra weight to hold on to.”

Earlier this week, legendary heavyweight champion Joe Frazier passed away. Many will remember his great fights with Muhammad Ali and George Foreman among numerous others. Bert Sugar gives his memories of Joe Frazier:

“Joe Frazier has always been thought of a hyphenate, part and parcel, Muhammad Ali. You would always say Ali-Frazier. You’d never say Frazier-Ali even after Frazier won their first fight in 71. Ali was the headline. That said, with poor Joe’s death on Tuesday, Joe Frazier stood alone without that hyphenate, without that Ali attachment and became just Joe Frazier, one of the greatest champions of all time, big enough in his own right and he threw a left to gain front page coverage in the NY Times on a stand alone one without Ali basis as one of the ten greatest heavyweights of all time, my rating”

Finally, though there had been a recent report that, perhaps, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao might finally be happening, Bert doesn’t believe it.

“Good. Call me when it happens will you. For three years I said it’s never going to and I will stick to that.”

Bert Sugar’s recent book is titled The Ultimate Book of Boxing Lists. You can find more information and purchase a copy of the book by Clicking Here

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com

You can read or listen to the entire CYInterview below:

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Mike starts by noting that at this time of the year, late in the college football season, things get particularly interesting because this is when upsets can happen. Coach believes the game between number 1 LSU and number 2 Alabama is one for the ages.

“This is kind of the most exciting time of the year because as teams get deep into conference and physical and emotional fatigues set in, then that’s where the upsets take place providing they’re playing against competitive competition…It will be a long time I think before there’s really a showdown of this impact, you know, this late with all the other extraneous circumstances around it. I mean, this is really one for the ages. Now, of course, the build up’s been like the movie Star Wars so it may not measure up quite to the build up.”

Focusing on the Alabama/LSU outcome, Coach Leach believes the Crimson Tide should win owing to home field advantage. Coach provides a more detailed preview of the game in the audio of this CYInterview.

“I lean toward Alabama. I think the differences between them, I think LSU ‘s deeper. I think the best running back’sAlabama, but LSU has more of them. I think LSU’s a more explosive team…Alabama’s more consistent. Alabama executes a little better, plays with more pads, more technique…Neither teams very good from playing from behind…My gut feeling is in a very closely tightly contested game, Alabama wins just through steadiness and consistency. “

In focusing on Coach Leach’s ongoing lawsuits, he noted there has been no word from the Texas Supreme Court yet on whether he can sue Texas Tech for monetary damages. Readers can gain more insight into this matter by reading and listening to our first CYInterview with Mike [see here].

“Nothing so far, I’ve kind of let the attorneys handle it otherwise you know, I’d be thinking about it all the time and wasting even more of my life than I have with it. But you know I mean, it’s a unique thing. In every other state you know, the things simple, in every other state, you get your day in court. In every other state, the government’s not allowed to violate your contract. But keep in mind, if I’m not allowed to my day in court and if I’m not to protect my contract, well, then it’s really not a contract and every coach that works for a Texas state institution is literally in an at will day by day contract and is not worth the paper it’s written on, which you know and that’s what’s so unique to this case. In any other state this thing would’ve been done in a couple of days.”

Finally, Coach Leach weighs in on the biggest chant this football season. That three word chant is “Suck For Luck” What it means is that NFL teams like the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts should lose all their games so they might pick upcoming NFL Draft prospect, quarterback Andrew Luck of Stanford. Many football scouts are high on this QB. Leach says he had not heard the chant and this was news to him. Additionally, he also gives us his analysis of Luck’s football abilities.

“I think there’s a certain kind of nobility to football that you don’t just go and play for next year. You don’t fall on your swords…If I was one of the worst teams in the NFL, I’d do everything I could to find a way to win just ‘cause you owe it to the guys that are on that team and just because you know, you go out there, you know, it’s like John Wooden use to say, ‘Make each day your masterpiece.’ Do the best you can. I’d just do it for the sake of the game. Then if you have to trade the first round draft pick to get Andrew Luck so be it…

The thing that’s unique about him is he’s a tall, rawboned strong guy and obviously looks like he can take hits and can. He runs well for a guy his size. And I mean, and then he’s not as accurate as people say he is. I mean he’s accurate, don’t get me wrong, he’s accurate, but you know there’s been better marksmen come down the pike and there’s better marksmen this year as far as accuracy…He’s captivating just from his leadership and enthusiasm qualities.”

You can find more information and purchase a copy of Mike Leach’s Swing Your Sword: Leading The Charge in Football and Life here.

You can find Mike Leach’s official Twitter clicking here.

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com

In this CYInterview, Sanders speaks candidly about his current role, the struggles the Steelers have had this season on offense and what he needs to do in order to take his football career to the next level, as well as other topics concerning the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Chris Yandek: How would you describe your progression that you’ve made on the field as a wide receiver in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense and how has your role changed this year compared to last year?

Emmanuel Sanders: “I think the progression is going really well. I just remember OTA’s when I first got here and my head was spinning 100 miles an hour. I didn’t have a clue what was going on and now you know, I’m getting more and more comfortable with the offense. And my role this year, last year I ended the season as the number three receiver. I ended up having two foot surgeries, so it was a minor setback. But I call it a minor setback for a major comeback. Right now I’m the fourth receiver. So I come in the game on third downs.”

CY: I’m aware you had an issue with your feet as you very well mentioned before the season started. How are you feet today and are you up to speed compared to last year?

ES: “Oh yeah. Definitely. I think right now I’m starting to hit my groove of being comfortable just playing on it and just getting my routes down. So everything is good.”

CY: Does it mean anything to you to get to play with a team that has such a rich football history?

ES: “Yeah. It definitely does. You know, I came from a program SMU. While I was there, didn’t really win too much, but it’s definitely on the rise right now. But just to come into a program that their business is winning and that’s all they do is win, it’s definitely a blessing. I appreciate it to the upmost power.”

CY: Well, as you mentioned, you came from Southern Methodist which, of course, you know has had some wins and has gone back to the national scene in recent years. So what was it like to be part of that and are there any stories or memories from Southern Methodist?

ES: “It was definitely good to be part of that. You know, when I arrived on campus, they hadn’t been to a bowl in 23 years. You know, I set my goal to try and turn that program around and I ended up doing it my senior year. And just some fond memories is that my last game there in the Hawaii Bowl. We ended up beating Nevada by 40 something points and ended up having a 160 something yards and a touchdown. So it was definitely a good sendoff.”

CY: Looking at this wide receiving core as you’d mentioned, of course, you know, you’re the guy that comes in on third down alongside Hines Ward, Mike Wallace and, of course, Antonio Brown. What kind of help and advice have all three of those guys given you?

ES: “You know, with each receiver that you play with, you’re supposed to take a little bit of what they have and add it to your artillery. When it comes to Mike, Mike is very great at deep balls. So I try to take what he’s thinking on his deep balls. Antonio is very explosive, a great route runner. And Hines, he understands the defenses. So I just try to take a little bit from what they bring to the table and add it to my artillery.”

CY: Yeah. Of course this year you’re competing for targets and playing time as you had mentioned alongside Antonio Brown. Is there any pressure there or is it really a friendly competition?

ES: “No. There’s no pressure. I only focus on what I can control and what I can control is going in the game and catching the ball and just doing my job and you know, I know my role. I’m gonna continue to play my role and with that said, hopefully it increase. I’m not really concerned about it.”

CY: What do you think you need then to step up and move up the depth chart and progress as a wide receiver?

ES: “I mean, honestly, I think that right now I have all the athletic ability in the world and I know what I can do with the ball in my hands and when I’m out there. Right now, it’s just about patience for me. I understand that it’s three other receivers and we all have the same athletic ability. But you know, stuff happens. Everyone can’t be out there at the same time. So like I said, I’m gonna continue to show the coaching staff. And like I said, I’m the fourth receiver, but I still get a lot of playing time and so I’m just blessed that I get the opportunity to have that playing time. I’m definitely going to be patient and wait my turn.”

CY: I think a lot of people are wondering about the offense this year and the struggles you guys have run into, what can you tell me about all those struggles and what will it take to get over the hurdle and execute?

ES: “Yeah we just gotta continue to stop beating ourselves with the post-snap and pre-snap penalties. I think everyone knows the capabilities of this offense and the explosiveness of this offense, but we just gotta start clicking. And I think it’s gonna happen. It’s gonna happen really soon. Through adversity, people get closer and you can just tell in the locker room right now that it’s an aura going around. It’s about that time for us to click and I’m looking forward to Sunday.”

CY: And what can the passing do to help the struggling running game?

ES: “There’s really not too much we can do. Like I said, we only control what we can control. And as a receiver, every time the ball is out you catch the ball. We’re gonna continue to block and I know that the offensive line and the running backs, they’re gonna get it altogether and this offense is gonna click.”

CY: I think some Steeler fans wonder, you know, what about this offensive line? Does [sic] the Steelers need to make some additions to this offensive line? Thoughts?

ES: “I think the offensive line is fine. You know, we had a couple of injuries vs. the Texans and they brought in Max Starks and I think he’s gonna come in and do a great job for us. I think the offensive line, you know they’re pretty much tired of hearing about all the hoopla that’s going around, that’s circulating just around, just the news in general. So I think they’re gonna go out and prove what kind of offensive line they can be led by Maurkice Pouncey.”

CY: Ben Roethlisberger has been injured a little bit recently. Does it impact team chemistry in any way when you practice with one quarterback during the week and then play with another on Sunday?

ES: “Nah. I think Ben is gonna practice today, one day off isn’t gonna affect the chemistry of the offense. Each receiver has been with him at least a year and a half. So, I mean, we’re gonna get out there today, we’re gonna throw some passes. We’re gonna gain that chemistry. So I think he’ll be good for Sunday.”

CY: Fantasy Football owners wanted me to ask you what can we expect from you from week to week in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense?

ES: “You’re gonna expect a receiver that every time he touches the ball, he’s gonna try to take it the distance and not getting very much reps right now. But I’ll guarantee you that when the ball comes his way, I’m gonna make something happen.”

CY: And what do you think of the fantasy football craze? I always wonder what players think about that.

ES: “I like fantasy football. It’s cool to see the fans say I drafted you in my league and go out and do a good job for me. So I like the whole aspect of fantasy football.”

CY: The toughest defense in the NFL my friend?

ES: “There’s so many. I think the Texans have a very good defense. They had a great front seven. I think Baltimore is really good. I think the New York Jets have a really great defense. I just can’t really just pick one.”

CY: I think looking at this entire scenario, you got to go to a Super Bowl last year, you came up short. You know, I know we’re still early in the season of course, but what does this team need to do to get back to the Super Bowl this year?

ES: “Like I said earlier, we just gotta continue to just focus, just focus on the minor details of our job and everyone, if everyone focuses on their job and plays their role then within the system will win as a team and I think that we’re gonna get that done.”

CY: Absolutely. Then a few more, what’s it like being a boy from Texas going up to cold Pittsburgh?

ES: “Oh man, I struggle with that at first. But you know, I got acclimated with it. It was definitely weird ‘cause in Texas, it doesn’t snow. So to see snow for almost the second and third time in my life was definitely crazy.”

CY: Emmanuel Sanders, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, thank you so much for joining me today. In closing, what do you want people to know about you away from the football field?

ES: “That really I’m just a low key humble guy, country boy just chasing, just living out my dream. I never thought. I envisioned. I dreamed that I’d be in the NFL and I knew that I had to work hard, but you know I never thought that I would actually get this far. So it’s definitely a blessing to be up here and playing with guys like Ben Roethlisberger or Hines Ward and you know just all the guys on the team. So, I definitely appreciate it and don’t take any of it for granted.”

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Listen to the entire Bert Sugar and John Avello interviews:

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CYInterview is proud to welcome back boxing historian Bert Sugar for a third time. We last talked with Bert in May [see here]. Mr. Sugar believes Victor Ortiz has a chance to win this upcoming fight against Floyd Mayweather. Ortiz is currently 29-2 with two draws compared to the undefeated Mayweather at 41-0.

“Ortiz, a decided underdog has one thing that might change the whole equation and that is power, power and power, which always, in boxing, is an important element. He’s had 33 fights, two draws. In even his draws and his losses, two of them in each case, he has knocked his opponent down as he has in every other fight. He’s got a massive hand for a welterweight, 147, three and a half inches wider around with more hitting surface than Mayweather. So I give him a good puncher’s chance.”

Sugar answers my question about what percentage chance he would give on Victor Ortiz winning this matchup. Additionally, he notes a few more advantages Ortiz might have tomorrow night. For example, Ortiz is 24 years old, ten years younger than Mayweather.

“Probably 20 to 25 percent, which is more than most are giving him. And there’s another reason, Mayweather is 34 years old. A 34 year old’s boxing body can just go so far. By the age of 34, most great welterweights have already retired…Here he [Floyd Mayweather] is at 34 fighting with all the frequency of Halley’s Comet. He’s had two fights in 42 months and the last one 14 months ago and you don’t know when age or rust is gonna set in. In fact, if you look closely, there is a minor erosion I can point out as if he’s just coming off his peak and that is he doesn’t move as much as he used to. He only takes one or two steps most at a time.”

In wondering if the results of the Victor Ortiz/Floyd Mayweather fight will have any impact on a potential match between Mayweather and Pacquiao, Bert says the fight will be off if Mayweather loses.

“Well, if he loses [Mayweather] it’s off. All signals are off. The thesis here is he’s gotta to come to be exactly what he is and what he’s coming as is only one thing, an undefeated fighter because that’s what he predicates, his claim that he’s the greatest fighter in the history of the world because he’s never lost…The criterion is to meet and beat other greats and we’ll see as to whether he can continue to establish his credentials tomorrow night against Ortiz or does he run intro trouble and give Pacquiao and his followers more heart that in effect he really is past his prime…But if he [Mayweather] doesn’t want the fight, he’ll find a way and fib about it again.”
__________________________________________________________

Wynn Sports Book Manager John Avello

To give us insight on betting trends for the Floyd Mayweather/Victor Ortiz fight, we welcome back the Wynn Las Vegas Sportsbook manager John Avello, to talk about where the wagers are going on this boxing match.

Currently, Mayweather is a -700 favorite. That means an individual looking to place a bet in Vegas would have to bet $700 to win $100. Meantime, as of this writing, Victor Ortiz is a 5 to 1 underdog. For every $1 bet a person would win $5 in return if Ortiz won the fight. John notes the line was higher when it opened.

“We opened this up a little higher. We opened up Mayweather -850, so it’s dropped a little, but this is all the early money and a very small percentage of what’s gonna come in because most of the money that we take on this fight’s gonna come in tomorrow, sometime three to four hours before the fight starts.”

Mr. Avello follows up by telling us what he thinks we’re going to see tonight when it comes to betting trends on this fight.

“I think the big bets are gonna come on Mayweather and I think the smaller ones are gonna come on Ortiz and the reason I say that is because the big money, somebody will put up $700,000 to win $100,000 or $70,000 to win $10,000 [on Mayweather]. Those type of bets will be fairly common and the small bettors are gonna put up a $100 to win to $500 or $1000 to win $5000 [on Ortiz] because they want to get a return for their money. …It’ll be a good handle. It may not be as good as a Pacquiao fight, but it’s Mayweather’s first fight in quite a while and I think the handle will be brisk.”

In closing, John notes that the Wynn Sportsbook will accept a bet over a million dollars for someone who wants to bet the big favorite, Floyd Mayweather.

“We don’t turn down many…I don’t know if anybody is interested in coming in and betting 1.4 million on Mayweather to win $200,000, but that’s a bet we would accept. I don’t know if there’s anybody interested out there in doing that. It’s a lot to put up to get a little, but it may happen.”

Bert Sugar’s recent book is titled The Ultimate Book of Boxing Lists. You can find more information and purchase a copy of the book by Clicking Here

You can find out more about the Wynn Las Vegas at http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com

You can listen to the entire interview with Phil below.

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When it comes to everything that has been reported by the media to have allegedly happened at the University of Miami and other schools who have received NCAA penalties for violations including Ohio State and North Carolina over the last year, Mr. Steele explains what he thinks all of this means for the future of college football.

“You bet every single head coach out there that’s got themselves a big time contract or any contract really is gonna start reporting everything that comes across their desk knowing that they could indeed lose their job. And with Miami of Florida this year, North Carolina last year, the possible big suspensions, I think what we’re gonna see is schools really putting more money into the compliance, more dotting the I’s and crossing T’s. I think in the long run college football’s gonna be pretty clean in the next couple years.”

With an ongoing discussion of whether college football players should be paid, Phil says the current system is the best thing we have. Steele believes players shouldn’t be paid. He gives an example that if players were to be paid through for example autograph money, it would create a bidding war among boosters at different universities for a player to play for that school. He believes that would create a whole new set of problems.

“I don’t think it should happen. This is an example, I’ve heard things bandied around where, ok, let them go ahead and sign autographs for money and keep the money. It’s their name. It’s their jersey and all that. Well, I could tell you right now that let’s say at Ohio State, they could easily come up with 27 boosters to give the players thousands of dollars and jerseys and then everybody would be outbidding each other. You know, ‘Hey! Ohio State will get you $100,000 in autograph money. No, no, no, Alabama will get you $150,000 in autograph money.’ I think it would be an escalating thing, turn back into the 60s and 70s when if you weren’t giving players cars and cash you weren’t doing your job. So I think that the way it is now works out the best.”

With various penalties given out to different universities for violations of their football programs, Steele believes the NCAA needs to come up with a specific penalty for every rule violation.

“I think the main thing they [NCAA] have to do is come up with a set penalty when right now every school is judged differently across the line. But just say, if you violate this policy, it is this penalty. If you violate this policy, it is this penalty. There are some head coaches out there who may have turned their heads knowing that the penalty is not that bad for this particular infraction, but if they make the penalties stiff enough, I think everybody will start towing the line as far as compliance goes.”

Looking at two big games from week one of the college football season, Phil believes LSU will beat Oregon if Tigers quarterback Jordan Jefferson plays. He also expects Boise State to win a close game against Georgia. He gives us his reasons why each team wins.

“I think LSU has some inherited advantages here. First of all, they just played their final game last season in Cowboy Stadium so they’re familiar with this large environment and that’s a nice edge to have especially playing in such a unique setting. The second thing LSU’s got going for them is the crowd advantage. They’ll probably have about 80 to 85 percent of the crowd are gonna be LSU fans that’ll be there in force. The third advantage is that when teams have extra time to prepare for Oregon’s offense, they can shut it down…

The Boise State Georgia game might just be a thing of who wants it more…This game could very well put them [Boise State] in the national title game. If Georgia plays as I expect they will this year and end up playing in the SEC Title Game and Boise runs the table they could say, ‘Hey! Look, we got a win over a team that’s playing in the SEC Championship Game in our back pocket.’ And if they’re one of two lone unbeatens out there, they would have a great shot of being there [in the national title game]…I’m gonna call for Boise State to squeak out the win.”

Looking at the first month of the college football season, the sports magazine veteran tells us a few teams we should keep an eye on. FSU, Texas and Oregon have challenging schedules.

“I look at Florida State, they’ve got two games back to back, which could determine whether [A] they are a national title contender and [B] whether they can win the Atlantic Division. They’re all fired up for hosting number one Oklahoma on September 17th…Now win or lose, they’re in a little bit of a letdown spot. The next weekend they have to play Clemson on the road in Death Valley…Win them both, Florida State’s national title contenders. They may be number one in the country heading into October. Lose them both, you’re wondering whether or not they can win the Atlantic Division…

Texas, they play BYU at home and UCLA on the road. Now neither of those two games are against top 10 teams, but I think Texas needs not only to win both games, but win them impressively to really step up and become the Texas of 2008 and 2009 rather than the Texas of last season…Then Oregon plays two big early games on, that LSU game I talked about and then at Arizona. Arizona’s a dangerous test on the road in the desert.”

Switching gears to the NFL, Phil tells us who he believes the big winner and loser was in free agent signings. He believes the Philadelphia Eagles made the most improvements to their team and the New York Giants did nothing to help their cause.

“I was just floored with the pickups that they [Philadelphia Eagles] got…I think when you look at their defense that got a huge upgrade this year, they became my clear cut pick to win the NFC East…They clearly made some big time improvements…Maybe a team that didn’t make the free agent signings comes from the same division, the New York Giants. They’re a team that didn’t do a lot in free agency, lost a couple of players and now they’re getting hit hard by injuries.”

Phil gives us three NFL teams he believes will surprise NFL fans this year. He thinks the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and the San Diego Chargers are teams to watch.

“I think Houston’s got a shot of actually winning their division whereas Peyton Manning I thought would be ready for the season, which is why I picked the Colts to win that division. But if something was wrong with Peyton Manning and he wasn’t able to play the first couple of games of the year, I think Houston could very well skyrocket to winning that division…Watch the Dallas Cowboys…They still have that talented team and they won some big games on the road last year. I think Dallas is a team that could surprise…Also, to me the team that’s gonna make the biggest jump this year is the San Diego Chargers…I think they’re a completely under the radar team…I think the Chargers are one of those teams that nobody’s really looking at right now.”

Looking at the team that will be the most disappointing with the highest expectations, Steele believes it will be the Chicago Bears.

“That defense got another year older…They didn’t have huge improvements in the free agency market and there’s a lot of question marks surrounding the quarterback in Jay Cutler…I see the Bears slipping from hosting the NFC Championship Game to falling out of the playoffs.”

Phil Steele’s prediction to win the Super Bowl this year is the New England Patriots over the Green Bay Packers:

“I like the offseason that they [New England Patriots] had…They made some actual improvements this year where generally Belichick is trading away one of his top players to another team just to get rid of a distraction. They actually made some improvements this year to the roster. I think they have an improved defense. They have perhaps the most explosive offense in the NFL. I think the Patriots can get there and win the Super Bowl.”

Finally, Mr. Steele gives us some of the most underrated and overrated things in football handicapping.

“I think the most overrated thing is just flat out looking at the scores of the games and determining that that’s how it happened…I think the most underrated thing is first of all, you look at a team that let’s say outgained their opponent by 200 yards the previous week but lost. Maybe they were minus five in turnovers…Those are value teams and with most folks looking at the final score, those types of teams are solid play on teams.”

You can now purchase Phil Steele’s college and NFL magazines at his official website clicking here.

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com

To understand the nature of these disputes from Coach Leach’s perspective, a complete listen to this CYInterview and reading of the interview transcript make for a good start. For a more comprehensive understanding of his point of view on these matters, reading the coach’s book Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge In Football And Life is in order.

What follows is a more than 30 minute interview with Coach Mike Leach. The coach discusses his coaching philosophy, his life today and his future. Additionally, Mr. Leach gives his recounting of some of the events surrounding his termination from Texas Tech, as well as his questioning of ESPN’s journalistic practices.

You can read and listen to the entire interview below.

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Chris Yandek: Going across the country, doing these book tours, selling out across the country, what did you learn about yourself on the book tour?

Mike Leach: “You know, I was shocked. I guess I’m learning stuff every day just ‘cause I don’t know a ton about the book business. I know how to tell stories. I know how to describe situations and people and have a certain amount of expertise in my background in coaching and my path into coaching, which is what the book’s about. But I was shocked. I think that a lot of people have a passion with something and they’ve taken the path that they’ve taken and everybody goes through some turns in the road and I think that as you compare paths with people it’s interesting. I think, I feel very fortunate that they’ve taken an interest in my path.

But it has sold out all over the place and just a number of people have taken an interest I think is really humbling. I think that, you know there’s a little sizzle to the aftermath there at Tech, which got some attention. But I think the foundation of the book as far as the experiences that I’ve had, the people I’ve met and some of the overachievers I’ve had the opportunity to deal with and war stories and X’s and O’s I think is what’s really propelled it after it’s been read.”

CY: I plan to talk with you about all of those things. So we’ll start off though, a lot of your colleagues eat, breathe and sleep football. Perhaps you do too, but at the same time, I think there is so much more depth to your life than the game of football where I could have a conversation with you about anything. I think sometimes people in general need to step back and realize there’s more to life than football or sports and that this is not life or death stuff as much as we might love it. Did you try to teach those lessons to your players over your career?

ML: “Well, it was that, but it was also, sometimes it was more selfish than that. Sometimes it was, I’m sitting here watching film after film, day after day and we need to spice this thing up. So it might be a discussion on some book I read or some documentary, but then also sharing their experiences, learning where they’re from, learning their background and there’s a huge diversity of backgrounds that exist in college football. That’s one of the biggest mixed bags there is. First of all, the number of people, all the places they came from, some it was just selfish curiosity from my standpoint that I wanted to know about them and ultimately it helps knowing what motivates a guy, what’s important to him and can help the performance on the field.

There’s not just more to life to a football coach than football. There’s more to life in everything than just whatever somebody’s doing. I think the opportunity to examine that, study that, share it, ‘cause the most experiences I think you have to experience vicariously you know. I mean, people travel, people go watch things, people go do things, but you can’t cover it all. I mean, if life’s a buffet, you’re not gonna be able to eat everything so you’re gonna have to draw from the people around you too.

So football provides that. I think no matter what you do, there ought to be a certain amount of that because I think it also gives dimension to what you’re specifically trying to do besides the fact it freshens you up. I think it gives you a different point of view and you can draw and learn from that and answer your approach.”

CY: I think what I found most interesting about you and coaching in general is that you focus on the mental aspect of the game and the ability to wear people down and find the advantages on the playing field. At the same, I got the feeling in the book as you explained it that it can be a risk coming up with new ideas and ways to win at the game of football. You wanted to be a lawyer, but you loved coaching. What do you think is the main reason you became an individual with your own unique coaching philosophy of how to run an offense and win football games and marched to beat of your own drum?

ML: “Well, I think a couple of things. I think there’s a lot of lessons I had to learn along the way that people that were more in coaching, played college football and all that already knew. But then by the same token, I think my approach provided some independent thought. I was talking to an engineer, a guy that graduated in engineering and now he’s a filmmaker. I had run across former attorneys all over and a lot of former engineers all over and a lot of them have gone on to do, stepped out of the field, done diverse other things and I think that part of the reason and obviously there’s more examples in this, more professions, but one thing that I think helps engineers and law graduates is they’re basically degrees in problem solving.

Law, we have a problem, how we gonna solve it. Engineering alright, well we need to cross these two canyons, how we gonna solve it or the lane’s shaped this way, how we gonna solve it. I think when you go out there and you try to figure out how to solve a problem, I think both of those disciplines are pretty good as far as providing mental approach. I think I’ve drawn from my law degree in coaching more than I realize you know as far as because it’s similar to preparing for a trial if you think about it.

You have a ton of material, a ton of film, you have very limited time, you can’t cover everything and you can’t go through all of it. So you have to make choices to select what things are going to put you the furthest and what things are gonna hopefully lead to the best results and then all of a sudden there’s Armageddon at the end of the week and you know some of the stuff hits, some doesn’t. Some of what you covered featured one thing instead of another and then you go through the post mortem after that, do it again the next week so from that standpoint, law and coaching have some similarities as far as timelines and bigger volume than you can master you.”

CY: You went to law school, you considered being an attorney and then you wrote the great Gerry Spence and you asked him did he love law? Two lines that stands out from his response is this, “If you are consumed by the law, go be an attorney. If you are not, find something else.” Why do you think it’s so hard for individuals to put aside what other people think and go try to do what they love, follow their dreams? Instead most go and find a job they’re not passionate about and become miserable for one reason or another. But even with your law school degree and the college debt you had, you still went off and found a coaching job and you went after what you wanted. I find that quite inspiring.

ML: “Well the tough part about that and my wife was key to that, very supportive and always encouraged me to do that. But I guess the hard part about is a lot of the times the things you’re not as passionate about pay the bills and a lot of this passion pursuit stuff you start out doing for free and at the end of the month figuring out how you’re gonna pay it. I deferred student loans for years.

My student loans from law school and my masters ended up being about $45,000. I didn’t get that paid to my second year at Texas Tech. So you know there are some sacrifices there, but I’ll tell you, even with that, I very much got into that and was excited about that. So the process, no matter what you do and John Wooden talks about this, there’s certainly more process than there is destination so you better enjoy the battle to get there.”

CY: Absolutely. Focusing now on Texas Tech, you thought in many ways before the incident with the James family, you believed your days were numbered at Texas Tech. If the incident with the James family didn’t happen, do you still believe you wouldn’t be at Texas Tech right now or that it was evident either way you were going to leave the program one way or another because you believe the day after you finished your new contract negotiations with Texas Tech in 2009, you believed they were finding a way to fire you. Tell me about that. Were you gone either way?

ML: “I think so and that’s not I believe. That’s specifically stated in their words. The thing on the two chapters on the Tech aftermath that makes them so powerful is the fact that it’s not my words. It’s their words in sworn statements, memos between them, phone calls, things like that. I mean, they literally stated that and had to do with acrimony from the contract negotiations. In the case of the James family, they were dissatisfied with their son’s playing time and 10 days before they complained about anything, they’d hired a PR firm. I mean, if you can imagine that.

So you have a broadcaster for a national media organization who covers the games at his school that’s trying to get the coach fired and he’s covering games that his son plays in, which you gotta wonder about that. I don’t recall Bob Griese ever covering games that his son played in and then he’s gonna utilize his national format to publicly smear me to justify firing me because he thinks his son should play more and that’s well documented in the case of the Tech chancellor and a couple of Regents in his back pocket.

They ask me to renegotiate my contract and it was the president [at Texas Tech] who’s the appropriate officer at the University to do it. So we agreed to a contract eight months before and it’s just gonna get written up and signed and it was a low ball third in the conference. My record in over 10 years was third behind Oklahoma and Texas. So it was within the market and so then the chancellor takes it over and that violates their policies and procedures for him to be involved anyway and even more so with the Regents and there’s only two, two or three. Then they said, ‘Well, we’re not planning to do anything at this time.’ And then of course we go 11-1 and then they offer me a low-ball contract that’s like 10th in the conference that’s worse than the two years that I have on my current contract.

So I said, ‘I’m not gonna sign it.’ They said, ‘Well, if you don’t sign it, we’ll fire you.’ I said, ‘Well, why would you fire me? We filled the stadium, expanded three times in six years, have the highest graduation rate of any public institution and higher than anybody in the top 25. We’ve won more bowl games, we’ve been to 10 straight bowls, we’ve won more bowl games than all the rest of the history of the university combined and you got this ridiculously below market contract and I’m not gonna sign it, so you’re gonna fire me?’

And so, well, I didn’t sign it. Then of course the public outcry came out on my behalf. The chancellor caved in, we eventually signed the contract that we basically agreed to eight months before and then literally the day after all this word from West Texas, you look a man in the eye shake his hand, your word, your bond, all that goes out the window along with all the signatures on the contract and they say amongst themselves, they pass around the memo if we fire him by November, we don’t have to pay him and I haven’t been paid for 2009 for that matter. Just trying to get our day in court and get paid.”

CY: I’m happy to cover all that with you going forward. I want to talk with you. When it comes to the depositions Craig James and his [son] Texas Tech player Adam James, which you coached took, it would seem they have two very different accounts. Craig James according to emails demanded you be fired. Adam on the other hand looked at this as something funny and believed you shouldn’t have been fired. He also admitted he went into the electrical closet voluntarily, filmed the famous video that made its way to ESPN. It would seem there are holes in the evidence for why Texas Tech terminated you. Tell me about why do you think Craig James and his son Adam are not on the same page in regards to your behavior and firing from Texas Tech?

ML: “Well, first of all, I think that at the end of one of those chapters we have a quote from Abraham Lincoln. And Abraham Lincoln says, ‘No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.’ And you know, the only story on this subject that hasn’t varied is mine, but I have the advantage of telling the truth the whole time and so basically, I think that Craig James was so enraged that his son knew that the thing was a lie. I think that under oath through the threat of perjury, I think he [Adam] could only carry the thing so far. Craig James on the other hand so arrogant and enraged that his son’s not playing was a different story.

And Craig James is caught in several lies in the course of his deposition. It’s almost one of those things where he thinks he’s gonna pull the wool over everybody and then of course the attorney breaks out statements, bills to PR firms, things like that. And you know, he use to call me up and tell me Adam’s the best receiver on the team because the James bloodlines. Craig played in the NFL. His grandfather or his uncle or somebody played somewhere else you know, but that didn’t have anything to do with Adam’s work ethic and production.

We have 12 coaches watching every practice and every inch of film and if we valued Craig’s decision on the subject, we would’ve invited him to the meetings and taken his input. We didn’t nor would we because we don’t from any other parent. You know, the fact that our decision didn’t work for Craig James was secondary because I coach a lot of players that don’t have a father.”

CY: Yeah. That’s not fair.

ML: “So they earn their position on the field, so why are we gonna let Craig James decide on the starting lineup you know.”

CY: So the fact that Craig James hired this PR company to distribute this joke video as Adam James calls it in his deposition with him in this dark closet and it became the reason for your termination from Texas Tech, doesn’t that show ESPN, where Craig James is employed, got one sided information from one of their own employees, which to me is a conflict of interest and it became this huge story. He, Craig James, he shouldn’t have been part of the story besides possible questioning. But they took his word as fact on a story that they didn’t even investigate your side of it and you were guilty in a court of opinion and by the biggest sports media machine in the world before even getting a chance to explain the events of what happened. What are your thoughts, anything you’d like to add and why do you think ESPN ignored your side of the story?

ML: “Well, it’s even worse than that ‘cause ESPN refused to retract or make any changes when corrected and I think part of it is I think they didn’t care. I think they were, they had regardless, they weren’t gonna admit that they made a mistake. In other words, it was hard to get the toothpaste back in the tube after it had got out and so then they arrogantly disregarded the truth. They didn’t care about smearing me nationally, provided Craig James public media time to make a variety of statements and were arrogant and irresponsible in the entire process. They did all that while referring to themselves as journalists which is really ironic.”

CY: In this new information age, I believe people like you can end up, you know dealing with alleged claims, the media runs with them and whether they’re true or not before a full investigation by the media has occurred and other institutions, your reputation is already damaged. Other media outlets covered both sides of the story with the James family. But is ESPN the main reason you believe it’s limited your opportunities to get a new coaching job or are there other factors?

ML: “I think that’s the biggest. I think there’s a risk averse quality that exists in college football and so just the fact that there’s false allegations out there, there’s an inclination not to look further. As the facts surfaced, other media outlets I thought occasionally they were incomplete in their information, but I thought did their best to report the facts as they knew them because the thing on the whole deal, ESPN’s side remains ridiculously contrary to nearly every other news media outlet and one can only guess. They just refuse to say that they were wrong and then to go so far as to even try to muscle Bruce Feldman by pretending they didn’t suspend him and well if they didn’t suspend him did they kidnap him? I mean, where is he?”

CY: ESPN employee Bruce Feldman helped in assisting writing this book with you. He got the ok to write this book a few years ago prior to everything that happened with ESPN and you. There were reports, of course, for that period of time that Bruce was suspended. However ESPN stated quickly after that Feldman was never suspended. There was a huge [Twitter] campaign supporting Feldman against ESPN. Have you spoken with Feldman since the incident, what did you make of it and what did you make of the amount of support for Feldman? What did that say to you?

ML: “Well, I think reporters know how badly he got railroaded on the thing. I think they know the true story. You can imagine the chilling effect it’s gotta have internally there if you’re a reporter there for ESPN and all but two notable exceptions that I’ve ever encountered, they’re good people that do a good job, but now it’s like you go to journalism school, you get a job at ESPN and the facts are supposed to tell the story and all this other stuff. Well now if they tell a story, forget what the facts are. We gotta figure out what’s gonna be satisfactory to ESPN.

So they have to effectively do some level of mindreading in order to not jeopardize their jobs is what it appears. Facts can be troubling things and Bruce wrote the facts. I knew that Bruce was writing the book every step of the way. The documents in the thing are the words of the perpetrator and they bear out the facts. Those are uncomfortable to ESPN. So rather than accept the truth, what do they do? They suspend Bruce Feldman or whatever it is they want to categorize it as, but he’s not writing for them, he’s not on TV, he’s one of the most respected journalists in the country and I think if you’re a journalist, I mean that threatens the integrity of your entire profession. I think their support manifests that.”

CY: Over the years, ESPN has been called into questions for their journalistic ethics, and on some occasions people have said they want things both ways. They probably wish your book didn’t happen, wasn’t written by someone at ESPN that calls their journalistic practices into question as you believe it was a smear campaign against you. What do you believe about the way ESPN covered your story says about their journalistic practices and investigative reporting practices as well?

ML: “Well, I think that they want to, I guess, evidently, I think it’s just sort of arrogant disregard, but I think that the suggestion there is they don’t care what the facts are, they will say what the story is however they want and they’re gonna throw out whatever they want and they expect the public to consume it and if the public doesn’t, well, they’re upset, so then they’ll even attack one of their own in this case Bruce Feldman for putting anything out there that is not manufactured to their satisfaction.”

CY: What is the status of the lawsuits with Texas Tech and ESPN now currently? Has the Supreme Court [of Texas] yet decided whether you can sue Texas Tech for monetary damages and what is the latest on the libel lawsuit against ESPN at this current point in time? [Note: Leach is also suing Craig James and PR company Spaeth Communications whom he claims Craig James hired to distribute the electrical closet video shot by his son Adam James. Leach noted all the lawsuits will be merged together for one trial.]

ML: “ESPN, Craig James and his PR firm, they’re sitting there ready to go. We want to do the cases altogether at the same time.”

CY: Oh. Ok. They’re not gonna be separate.

ML: “We’re waiting on the status of Texas Tech. The trial court, there’s an obscure law that exists in Texas. It exists in other states too, but it’s not applied to integrated contracts that basically says the state’s a sovereign as Tech being a part of the state. The state can’t be sued because they’re the sovereign. It goes clear back to the Middle Ages which is where it belongs and so the trial court said that we’re allowed to go to trial because of Tech egregious conduct. The appellate court said, ‘Well, you know, it’s not a particularly fair doctrine, they need more help from the Supreme Court [of Texas] and the legislature, but without further guidance, sovereign immunity exists.’

So we can’t get damages, but we can take Tech to court to clear my name and so then it’s on appeal before the Supreme Court. The case has never been heard and so we just want our day in court with Tech and then when and if we get that, then everything proceeds with ESPN, Craig James and Spaeth Communications and but, you know, you gotta understand the impact of this ‘cause Tech offers no defense for their actions other than we’re a state institution you can’t sue us, so what, it didn’t matter what we did even if we didn’t pay you for 2009, the season I worked. We don’t have to pay you anything, we’re the state, ok. Which is not what anyone thinks about when they put their hand over their heart and say the Pledge of Allegiance I don’t think.

Then so, but if they prevail [in the Texas Supreme Court] it essentially will hold that contracts with the state of Texas are unenforceable and therefore irrelevant. It’s not just my contract, it’s just not coach’s contracts.”

CY: It’s a bunch of other people under your certain clauses that have your kind of contract.

ML: “Right”

CY: It’s unbelievable to me. I have two questions and then will move on, first off, any idea when the Supreme Court case might be heard in Texas and secondly it’s unbelievable to me that you could get fired, you could get terminated, but you can’t sue somebody for monetary damages even if you can prove that they did something wrong. That’s unbelievable to me.

ML: “Well, and the other thing is there’s a certain level of premeditation on their part inducing me in the contract and the day after making it clear that they don’t plan to pay the contract. You know, inducing me into signing it, taking public heat off themselves, but they never planned to uphold the contract during the contract to begin with by their own words. As far as the Supreme Court, I don’t know when they decide if they hear or it not.”

CY: So if the Tech decision is heard [by the Texas Supreme Court] and you can’t sue Tech, you’re still gonna after ESPN, Craig James and the PR company together?

ML: “Yes and will also bring Tech in to clear my name because it’s not much of a detour when you consider the cases will have against Craig James, ESPN and the PR firm Spaeth Communications.”

CY: I didn’t know you could put them altogether. That’s very interesting to me. So thank you for filling me in on that. If Adam James believed you shouldn’t have been fired, says the whole thing was funny and he wasn’t in danger, he volunteered again to go into that closet and he’s the key witness in your termination, he’s the victim and this is all in an on the record deposition, how can Texas Tech defend your termination? I just don’t get that.

ML: “Well at this point that’s why they don’t offer any defense. You don’t hear them talk about Adam James very much because that’s been shot so full of holes. Any time they mention it they lose all credibility. Their only defense at this point is sovereign immunity. We’re a state institution. We can do whatever we want. It doesn’t matter if we had a contract with you, you can’t sue us.”

CY: No matter what happened at Tech, do you feel like you held to your principles and beliefs in society today where so many people are so quick to cave in under pressure?

ML: “Well, I can’t speak for others.”

CY: For yourself.

ML: “I’m satisfied with my actions. It’s like on one hand they say, well, you know, you can’t tick off ESPN. If you tick off ESPN, you’ll never work again, all this. Well, if that’s the case, I mean that’s not the way things should be. Head coaches only work at the pleasure of ESPN? That’s insane. So and then if I don’t defend myself and I don’t pursue this, well then there’s an assumption that these facts are accurate, that the false allegations are accurate and so I have to do what I can to set the record straight. So given that Catch-22, then it’s like alright, what’s the right thing to do? And then so that makes it all pretty easy.”

CY: Ok, a few stories from the book and then will wrap this up. While at Kentucky as an assistant for Hal Mumme, former Gators coach Urban Meyer who was an assistant at Notre Dame at the time came by and were learning things from you at Kentucky. Tell me about your relationship with Coach Meyer.

ML: “Fantastic guy. A real student of the game, upstanding individual, believes in doing things the right way, always had a high level of accountability with his teams I think which ultimately aided their success and a friend of mine and really a quality guy.”

CY: I wonder looking back when Meyer did retire and finally leave the University of Florida, did you have any contact with the University of Florida for the head coaching job or the offensive coordinator position? I know you were rumored and would you have taken either? Did they talk to you?

ML: “I never had any contacts so it’s difficult to say if I would or I wouldn’t of. I mean, Florida’s is one that I think anybody would talk to the University of Florida.”

CY: And what’s in your coaching future at this point and time? I heard maybe the NFL might be in your future, but I wanted to confirm that with you.

ML: “Well, I mean, I’d look at anything. I mean, the NFL’s a little different than college. It’s not recruiting base as much as having a good relationship with the owner, the GM and everybody having the same goals, objectives and pulling in the same direction.”

CY: And have there been any offers or any new things coming your way recently? Has there been anything?

ML: “Nah. They’ve been too busy being on strike so no there really hasn’t.”

CY: Finally, after all these lawsuits are finalized and wrapped up and everything else like that, putting the pros aside, what is your message to any college institution that might be interested in hiring you, but they are of course worried about what happened at Texas Tech. What is your message to them?

ML: “Well, I stand behind my record. I was at Texas Tech 10 years and had a great relationship with a revolving door of upward administration and then out of eight individuals, I had trouble with one and I think his actions speak for themselves. But the biggest thing is look at my body of work. We went from being on academic probation to have one of the lowest graduation rates in the country to the highest of any public institution and the highest of the top 25.

We went to 10 straight bowls, won more than all the rest of the history of the school combined and won more games in the toughest conference of the history of the school, won more games than a 10 year period than anybody else had at any other point and time and significantly higher, expanded the stadium three times in six years, filled it up. Went from being on TV three times to being on TV 11 a year and my players never got in trouble, we never had a major NCAA violation and I think all that speaks for itself. I can’t really speak to it more than my record.”

CY: And what will college football Saturdays be for you this year?

ML: “You know, I think it will be similar to last year. I’ve got the radio show on Sirius XM 91, The College Football Playbook from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Monday to Friday and then I have – the biggest thing is the variety. I have more variety now than I ever had before. It’s great to see more of the family, but also just the array of activities I’ve gotten to be involved in and all the stuff you kind of wanted to do and check out. I had no idea I’d be a writer much less we’d end up on the NY Times Bestseller List. I mean, that’s fun and exciting too.”

You can find more information and purchase a copy of Mike Leach’s Swing Your Sword: Leading The Charge in Football and Life here.

You can find Mike Leach’s official Twitter clicking here.

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com