Random Sports Musings, or, Santa Came a Couple Days Late This Year

Some random thoughts as I sit poolside in sunny Naples, Florida . . .

Wow, what a weekend. The Mountaineers dominated, the Cowboys got throttled, the NY Bretts are done, and the arrogant New England fans were denied a playoff spot. Awesome.

Some of you may have read my blog regarding Ohio State’s destruction at the hands of West Virginia, and I got the sense that some people weren’t too happy about it. Why, you ask? Well, I got a couple “How the hell can you root against the Buckeyes?” themed emails over the past couple of days. Look, it’s like this. I’ve been a life-long Ohio State football fan, big fan of Tressell, my son goes to OSU, blah-blah-blah. Ohio State basketball? Not so much. Yeah, the Buckeyes used to be my primary college hoops team. I loved the Bucks of Fred Taylor and yes, even Eldon Miller. Gary Williams brought an exciting brand of basketball to St. John’s as well. Man, I wish he’d stayed. After Gary things started to turn ugly for me. Randy Ayers teams were unsettling to watch, sort of out of control most of the time. Jim O’Brien had a notoriously low bar recruiting-wise, and as a result everybody usually had better athletes than OSU did. I think Obie liked it that way. He always enjoyed being the underdog, and that never played well with the fans at The Ohio State University. Hey, it’s Ohio State. You should always get the best athletes there, regardless of the sport, right? Enter Thad Matta, who as a recruiter is fantastic but as a game coach is, in my humble opinion, very limited. Oh, he’s very theatrical on the sideline, but I’m never quite sure what all the yelling is about. And maybe I’m not smart enough to figure it out, but other than the “penetrate and kick” offense I usually have no idea what the hell they’re trying to accomplish out there. Plus, defensively they’re, uh, how you say . . . soft. Anyway, long story short, combine all that with my longtime friendships with Huggins and Hahn at West Virginia and it’s a no brainer for me. G-o-o-o-o-o-o Mountaineers!

Another blog I wrote last week was one regarding the Dallas Cowboys and their dysfunctional football family. We all saw what happened yesterday in their game against Philly - a complete meltdown by Dallas. You know, the last time the Cowboys had a great team was when they had a coach (Jimmy Johnson) who would stand up to owner Jerry Jones. As long as Jones keeps his “yes man” Wade Phillips around, the Cowboys will continue to decline. Jerry’s an oil man, not a football man, in spite of what he thinks. Hire a tough football man, let him run his team, and stay the hell out of the way. Right. That’ll happen about the time T.O. starts taking responsibility for his actions and Romo starts dating the girl next door.

Which brings us to the Jets. Gunslinger Brettfavre came unglued down the stretch, throwing interceptions at an alarming rate as the Jets lost 4 of their last 5 and blew away their playoff chances. The clincher took place yesterday as the QB the Jets discarded, Chad Pennington, marched into New York and beat their ass. Sweet redemption indeed. And who took the blame for the Jet’s season as Brettfavre once again gets off scot-free? Head Coach Eric Mangini, who was axed today. Could it be Brettfavre, coach killer? Hey, I‘m just throwin‘ it out there.

The nice little result of the Jets loss was the fact that New England got knocked out of the playoffs. Man, I hated to hear that, but not really. They played nobody this year. Their schedule was a cakewalk to say the least. Here’s who the whining Pats beat this year - the Chiefs, Jets, 49ers, Broncos, Rams, Bills, Dolphins, Seahawks, Raiders, Cardinals, and Bills. Please. And oh,, let me throw in this thought. It’s common knowledge that Bill Belichick adheres to the Bill Parcell’s theory that a team should never have a “celebrity quarterback” and that’s exactly what they have in Tom Brady and his supermodel girlfriend. Add to the mix Tom’s age, his questionable knee, the year that Matt Cassell had, and you have to wonder if Coach Belichick is thinking of a way to ease Tom Terrific out. Outlandish thought? Probably, but it’s food for thought, no? Hey, I’m just sayin’.

I spent some time in Atlanta yesterday. You know, Atlanta, home of the Falcons. The same Falcons who had the ungodly turnaround this season under soon to be Coach of the Year Mike Smith. The same Falcons who featured probable Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan. Well, guess what I saw a lot of? I mean a LOT of? Michael Vick jerseys. For the love of all that is holy, what the hell are people thinking? Are they picking them up in the discount bin at Target or what? I don’t get it.

Oh yeah, one more thing. To the national media, playing in New York City and Madison Square Garden might be utopia, but is it to a 24-year old who is already a multi-millionaire athlete? And in this day and age, do you really have to play in New York City or Los Angeles (the BIG MARKETS!!!) in order to make a buck? That’s what their saying, but I’m not buying it. Just a hunch, but I don’t think LeBron James is going anywhere.

That’s all I got. The water’s waiting.