LEFTOVERS: Aggies backup QBs in spotlight

Anyone who has watched one minute of sports coverage this week knows Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will miss the first half of today’s game against Rice.

What’s unclear is who will start in Johnny Autograph’s place.

Will it be Matt Joeckel, the twin brother of Jacksonville Jaguars first-round draft pick Luke, or true freshman Kenny Hill, the son of former major league pitcher Ken Hill?

Both have their benefits.

Joeckel has game experience from last year and might be in a better position to manage the team. Hill has been through a situation in which he had to be called upon to start at quarterback in an emergency.

Bruce Feldman of CBSSports.com detailed a story from 2010 at Southlake Carroll High School when Hill was set to begin the season on the junior varsity and was on the bus to the first game. The sophomore was told to get off the bus, and his coach told him the starting varsity quarterback was going to lose his eligibility and Hill was needed on the roster.

He became the starter a month later and threw for 22 touchdowns before leading the team to a state title as a junior.

No matter who gets the call, he might want to hold off on signing autographs for a while.

■ MUST-SEE TV — In the era of hundreds of specialty TV channels, sports fans can find almost anything to watch on their cable or satellite systems.

Or, apparently, if they are a fan of Ireland’s national soccer team and live in Australia.

Such is the case of Irishman David Feeney. According to an Associated Press article, the Dublin native had grown so annoyed by his inability to find his beloved team’s games on television that he bought its TV rights.

The final straw came as he was forced to listen to Ireland’s 2-2 draw against Austria on an Internet radio feed.

Feeney secured the Australian TV rights for Ireland’s World Cup qualifier next week against Sweden and will air the match at several closed-circuit locations across the country.

To come up with the money, which, according to another article, was in the “tens of thousands of dollars,” Feeney had to extend the mortgage on the home he recently bought with his wife. Convincing her reportedly was the most difficult part of the process.

All of this was done in a couple of months. Meanwhile, DirecTV subscribers still can’t get the Pac-12 Network.

■ IN SESSION — Cleveland Browns fan Anthony Saveriano never could have imagined that his indiscretion at a preseason game would land him in such close proximity to some of the team’s players.

Saveriano was arrested for streaking across the field during the Browns’ game Aug. 15 against the Detroit Lions.

He will appear in court Sept. 10, but he won’t be the only person in front of a judge who was on the field that night.

Browns wide receivers Josh Gordon and Greg Little also will appear for traffic offenses.

Of the two players and the idiot fan, we’re guessing Saveriano will be the only one dumb enough to show up in court wearing a Browns jersey.

At least it will be more clothes than he wore when he ran across the field.

COMPILED BY ADAM HILL LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL